Digital Commons Network^™

An Argument For The Nationalization Of Railroad Rights-Of-Way, John T. Flint

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Transportation is a crucial element in any economy. With such a large portion of the United States' economy centered around transportation, an efficient system of moving goods would be in the nation's best interest.

Competitive markets are the most effective mechanism for allocating resources efficiently. An efficient transportation system, therefore, would be one where competition among carriers is the norm. 1

Enormous infrastructure costs prohibit new railroads from entering the market, and prevent existing railroads from competing with trucks for freight transportation revenues. This paper focuses on the lack of competition in the railroad industry and attempts to demonstrate why …

The Effect Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Ben E. Reinking

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Muscle atrophy and decreased strength are an accepted part of aging. While physical inactivity may account for some of these losses, physically active individuals still experience age related reduction in muscle mass and strength. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects that aging has on skeletal muscle regeneration. It is hypothesized that the recovery of muscle mass and force following muscular injury will decrease with age. The anesthetic bupivacaine, a potent myotoxic agent, was injected into the left tibialis anterior (TA) of young, adult, and senescent rats (3, 18, 31 months). The right leg served as an …

Worker Training And Retraining Programs In Iowa: Explanation And Alteration, Aaron Gilkes

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The existence and structure of state funded worker training and retraining programs are a much debated economic and political topic in Iowa. On one side of the debate there is a group of economic developers and community college personnel trying to operate a system of worker training programs. On the other side of the debate there are certain staff at the University of Iowa Labor Center would like to have these programs revised. The debate covers a wide variety of topics including the treatment of the unemployed, worker and community competitiveness, and the growth of human capital in Iowa.

This …

Characterization Of The Rnasep Sequence In Chlorobium Limicola, Emily J. Hoeger

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

RNAse P is a ribonucleoprotein involved in cutting out pieces of RNA. Specifically, it is involved in tRNA processing as it makes a single endonucleolytic cleavage in all precursor tRNA's to produce mature 5' ends. The sequence encoding the RNA subunit (rnpB gene) of RNAseP has been previously determined in one strain of Chlorobium limicola. A second strain was obtained from Carolina Biological Supply to test for conservation of sequence characteristics. This second strain was used in a PCR with the primers described in Haas. The amplified rnpB gene sequence appeared to have fewer base· pairs than the Haas …

Problem-Based Learning: A Practical Process For A More Promising Future, Angie Ryken

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

A perpetual issue m American society is that of the comprehensive goal of its educational system. A prevailing conviction among researchers, teachers, lawmakers, and parents is that the purpose of this country's schools is to cultivate effective thinking in students. In a society that exhibits complex and threatening problems, noted Raymond Nickerson , we cannot afford not to develop good thinking (Baron & Sternberg, 1987).

The Aftermath Of Teenage Childbearing : The Characteristics Of Successful Adjustment, Sarjo Sanneh Patrick

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This exploratory qualitative study provides a description of how. and an understanding of why a subset of teenage mothers go on to attain higher educational and economic success, thus becoming self-supponing in their adult lives. A standardized pre-structured interview was conducted with IO Caucasian women aged 21 to 56 who had had their first children at or below age 19. Participation in the study was voluntary. A conceptual framework was advanced suggesting how social control theory was able to explain the processes involved in the anamment of later-life academic and economic success among early childbearers. The women confirmed that strong …

An Investigation Of The Energy And Transportation Component For Junior High School Technology Education Programs In Taiwan, Chang-Cheng Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to identify the appropriate content of the Energy and Transportation (E&T) unit for use in instruction in the junior high school Technology Education (TE) programs in Taiwan. Another purpose was to provide the Taiwanese higher education program administrators and educational planners with practical information for use in effectively designing and implementing preservice and in-service teacher preparation programs.

Survey instruments were developed through a literature review and validated by nine experts in E&T. The samples included 400 stratified and randomly selected TE teachers from four geographic parts of Taiwan, 200 stratified and randomly selected industrial …

The Effects Of Telephone Technology On Saudi Arabian Society, Khalid I. Otibi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current research explores the significance of the introduction of telephone technology into Saudi Arabia. The problem addressed by the research was to identify and describe the cultural and economic significance that the telephone has had in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the research was specifically to study the significance that telephone technology has in the three areas of family ties, business, and transportation. The methodology began with the development a data-collection document. An English version of the document was administered as a pilot test to students at the University of Northern Iowa. This pilot test revealed that the document …

Expertise In Clinical Nursing Educators: An Exploratory Study, Nancy Ann Kramer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A primary goal of professional education is to prepare practitioners who can provide quality care essential to the well-being of individuals and society. An essential component of professional education is a practiced-based experience. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the qualities of clinical nursing educators who were recognized by peers as being expert clinical practitioners. This study was exploratory and non-experimental. A qualitative approach was used. Through observations and interviews, beginning descriptions and explication of dimensions of expertise of clinical nursing educators were achieved.

The population for this study was selected from nursing faculty of 10 …

Direct And Television-Mediated Observation Of Verbal Interaction In The Classroom, Terri Mcdonald

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to investigate differences in preservice teachers' ability to identify and report verbal interaction in the classroom during direct observation as compared to television-mediated observation, and (b) to examine the advantages and disadvantages of direct and television-mediated classroom observation as perceived by preservice teachers.

Subjects in this study were preservice teacher education majors (N = 96) from four university class sections enrolled in professional sequence courses prior to student teaching. The data were analyzed using a 2 x 2 ANOVA (mode of observation x tally type). The independent variable of mode of observation …

Characteristics Of Batterers Convicted Of Domestic Abuse In The Batterers’ Education Reform, Jacquelyn E. Powell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The information obtained from this study will give an indication as to whether the abusers in this area share common characteristics of the abuser. By identifying these characteristics, it may be possible to target individuals prone to practice abusive behavior, and possibly interrupt the cycle by intervening with education and prevention strategies to combat the problem.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain selected characteristics of males convicted of domestic abuse in the Black Hawk County's Batterers' Education Program. The study was to identify selected characteristics of participants court-ordered to attend the Batterers' Education Program. The study investigated demographical …

An Investigation On Using Solid Waste Materials As Aggregate Substitute In Cementitious Concrete Composites, Ibrahim Hussein Shehata

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The problem of disposing and managing solid waste materials in the United Slates and other industrial countries has become one of the major environmental, economical, and social issues. A complete waste management system including source reduction, reuse, recycling, landfilling, and incineration needs to be implemented to control the increasing waste disposal problems. Of the above options, recycling is the most promising waste management process to the disposal of materials in the waste stream. One of the most promising markets to utilize recycled waste materials successfully on an open-loop basis is the construction industry.

The purpose of this research study was …

All Our Days Are Numbered --: Journey Through Breast Cancer With Traditional And Alternative Medicine, Tomma Lou Maas

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

All Our Days Are Numbered--Joumey Through Breast Cancer with Traditional and Alternative Medicine brings hope to women who must face breast cancer. In four books, Lorna Jordan shares the events leading up to her disease; her traditional breast cancer experience; her search for alternative medicine which will improve her health; and her journey into good health. Book One, "In the Beginning," presents evidence of Lorna's developing ill health. Beginning in adolescence, Lorna's exposure to mercury, antibiotics, and DDT contribute to her poor health. Later, in early adulthood, she begins to have mood shifts and menstrual disorders. When she takes birth-control …

The Women Superintendents Of Iowa: A 1990'S Analysis, Joen M. Rottler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Historically, Iowa has had few women superintendents of K-12 public schools. Societal changes, political changes, and legislation, such as affirmative action, have had no impact on gender balance in the superintendency in Iowa. The number of women superintendents in Iowa remains low. Of 397 superintendents in Iowa, during 1993-94, only 14 were women. This qualitative study examines the characteristics of current women superintendents of Iowa. Specifically, the following aspects of career development were examined: childhood and adolescent characteristics, personal and professional characteristics, and career path. The experience of being a woman superintendent and gender related aspects of leadership were also …

The Effects Of Post Inoculant Additions On Ductile Iron Fade, Travis James Frush

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study involved the investigation of three specific, commercially available, post inoculants for ductile iron and their effect on the magnesium fading rate and chill reducing tendency in a low volume production environment. Although fading effects of ductile iron have been extensively investigated, in general, they apply to high volume production operations. Unfortunately, for the smaller foundry operations, many of the process solutions proposed for the prevention of the fading effects are not applicable or practical. In addition to the small production operations, new process technologies are also excluded from many of these process solutions. For this reason, a study …

Another Look At Social Learning Theory And Dating Violence, Samantha Smith O'Hara

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Interpersonal violence is a common social problem in American society. Heightened interest in the topic of domestic violence has been sweeping the country as a result of conscience-raising efforts by the feminist movement and others in the late 1960s and early 1970s (White & Koss, 1991). The "closed door" that has protected the secret of violence in the home has slowly begun to open (O'Keefe, Brockopp, & Chew, 1986).

An Exploratory Look At University Students' Attitudes Toward Welfare Recipients, Glen Leonard Lantz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to discover if university students use victim blaming explanations to gain understanding as to why someone receives welfare assistance. A sub-problem in this study was to discover the extent that university students employ individualistic, familial, structural, and fatalistic explanations in their attempts to comprehend why some families are recipients of welfare. Also, the study attempted to find if relationships exist between victim blaming and other personal characteristics such as cultural estrangement, social criticism, affiliation, income, and political orientation.

The subjects of this study were 245 individuals attending the University of Northern Iowa, both graduates …

The Effects Of Herbicides On Microbial And Mycorrhizal Populations In Native Prairie, Corn, And Non-Native Prairie Vegetation, Using The Biolog Technique, Susann E. Ahrabi-Fard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Soil bioremediation has primarily focused on the use of free living, actively growing microorganisms to degrade toxic organic substances. Recently, however, plants and rhizosphere activity, including mycorrhizal fungi have been increasingly studied to determine the role that consortial assemblages may play in bioremediation. While the enhanced absorbtion of nutrients, water, and minerals by mycorrhizal fungi has been well documented, less is known about their role in the degradation of soil contaminants. Using the Biolog plate technique, microbial communities were characterized in Native Prairie, Corn, and Non-Native Prairie vegetative strips prior to, and after two applications of Acetachlor, Alachlor, and Atrazine. …

Technology In The Mathematics Classroom: "Glorified Toys" Or Educational Tools?, Jason W. Perry

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Teachers today are faced with an ever-changing and growing group of challenges when teaching their students. A continued trend toward the mainstreaming and inclusion of students with special needs into general education classroom, along with the increasing number of students being labeled "At-Risk" have created a demand and necessity for innovative and creative teaching strategies. A somewhat recent phenomenon has been an increased emphasis on the implementation and utilization of "technology" in classroom instruction. Teachers at all levels and all subjects are facing this "push" toward technology, but this project focuses on the teaching of mathematics, particularly at the secondary …

Selected Problems Involving The Probability Of Ruin For An Insurance Company, Andrew J. Schafer

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

In the actuarial science literature, an insurance company is said to be ruined if, at some time t > 0, the aggregate claims up to time t exceed the sum of the initial surplus and the total premium collected up to time t. The calculation and/or estimation of the probability of ruin is of fundamental importance. In this paper we use computer simulation to estimate the probabilities of ruin over a finite horizon of time when the aggregate claims process is Compound Poisson and the distribution of the claim sizes is: (i) Weibull, and (ii) exponential with a random parameter. The …

Subliminal Advertising: The Commercial Appropriation Of The Unconscious, Brian D. Williams

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Subliminal advertising refers to the use of subliminal techniques by mass media and what these media messages are doing to society. A secret technology has existed and been in widespread use for decades which modifies consumer's behavior invisibly, channels basic value systems, and manages to drive much bigger segments of the population into certain pathological behaviors.

Soap Talk: The Appeal Of Soap Opera To Contemporary Female Audiences, Catherine M. Drain

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The purpose of this paper is to explain why women find contemporary television soap operas so enjoyable to consume. The primary methodology that is utilized to accomplish this purpose is a structural analysis of the eleven characteristics of soap opera proposed by communication cultural analyst Mary Ellen Brown (1994). To support this analysis, examples are taken from a currently airing television soap opera, "All My Children," which can be seen daily at noon on ABC. Implications for further study of the soap opera genre are then discussed. First, however, a brief history of soap opera and several of its contemporary …

The Effects Of Ibuprofen On Exercise-Induced Muscle Soreness And Performance, Atta Kofi Osei

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to investigate whether the ingestion of ibuprofen prior to or after a 30-min bout of downhill (-10%) treadmill running would result in reduced sensation of soreness. A secondary purpose was to investigate whether ibuprofen would augment the diminished muscle performance following downhill running. Subject consisted of 21 males (age= 20.3 ± 1.7 years; weight= 77.4 ± 7.8 kg). Each subject was randomly assigned to either a control group, a prophylactic group which received 600 mg of ibuprofen 1 hour prior to the 30-min treadmill run and (200 mg every 3 hr postexercise up to 24 hours), …

Invisible Walls: Milliken V. Bradley And America's Urban Apartheid, Sonia E. Ingles

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In 1954 the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling nullified the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) doctrine of "separate but equal." At the time, a racially dysfunctional America looked to the South to observe the results of the Court's sweeping statement. Few realized that, carried to its logical conclusion, the decision would necessarily bring into question the racial practices of every part of the nation. To the dismay of Northerners, blacks began to challenge the unofficial system of segregation which existed outside of the South. The most controversial aspect of this challenge centered around school desegregation and busing. When …

Rn And Lpn Perceptions Of Front-Line Delegation, Martha E. Colwell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Healthcare organizations face increasing demands to provide the most efficient and economical care possible. Emerging patient care delivery systems require that front-line RNs take on a broader scope of responsibility for patient care, particularly in the area of delegation. Research identifies that staff RNs experience much difficulty in delegating patient care (Conger, 1993; Hansten & Washburn, 1994). The purpose of this study was to explore RN and LPN perceptions of front-line delegation in their working relationships. In particular, the study sought to: (a) determine how changing roles of RNs and LPNs influenced front-line delegation; (b) answer how RNs viewed front-line …

The Need For Incorporating Course Work In Cultural Diversity In Radiologic Technology Programs, Doreen Marie Towsley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There is an ever growing diversity in the radiologic patient population. This diversity is recognized by hospital accreditation agencies and described by a consensus of radiologic technology educators. It places upon Iowa's radiologic student a responsibility to be better prepared for increased multicultural patient interactions. Thus, developing a student directed encounter dealing with issues of multiculturalism and diversity might prove to be an effective method of enhancing the students' self-discovery, recognition of the differences among themselves, and the development of an appreciation for the needs of patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. This thesis contains two descriptive studies. Study A, involved …

Youth-Serving Agency's Prevention And Intervention Programs For Gangs, Julianne Gassman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe the perception of directors of youth-serving agencies on what prevention and intervention programs have been implemented by youth-serving agencies in eastern Iowa. Directors of youth-serving agencies in the following cities in Iowa answered the questionnaire (Gang Program Assessment Questionnaire): Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Coralville, Adel, Ankeny, Bondurant, Indianola, Johnston, Knoxville, Nevada, Newton, Pella, Pleasant Hill, Ames, Des Moines, Makquoketa, and Urbandale.

The Gang Assessment Program Questionnaire was used to analyze the extent to which gangs were perceived as active in each city as well as expectations for …

Evaluating Intensive Home Supervision : A Community Based Juvenile Corrections Program, Laone K. Kishman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The thesis presented herein is an evaluation of Intensive Home Supervision (IHS). IHS is a community based juvenile delinquency prevention program operated conjointly through the Department of Human Services (OHS) and Juvenile Court Services in Black Hawk County. The purpose of IHS is to provide a treatment oriented intensive supervision program designed specifically to keep youthful offenders in their homes and out of long term residential placements. IHS is different than many other intensive supervision programs in that it is designed to go beyond monitoring youths' behaviors by therapeutically intervening to enhance the offenders' life skills. The nine life skills …

Expressive Individualism In A Midwestern Situated Youth Subculture Group, Jeffrey Michael Webb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In a Midwestern city of, according to the 1990 census, 34,000 people (97% "white"), fifty all Caucasian, mostly middle class, predominantly high school, youth subculture group members (32 males; 18 females) were qualitatively studied in public places. I utilized participant observation, intensive interviews, field notes, color photographs, diary entrees, and electronic mail to gather data on why these particular young people appeared and behaved in manners different from their peers and the larger culture. Such difference centered on hair color, nonmainstream body piercing, tattoos, baggy clothing, pranking behavior known as "garfinkeling," and some psychedelic drug use. The design of the …

Computer Mediated Communication: Elements Impacting Sustained Usage By Iowa Elementary And Middle School Teachers, Philip M. Hibbard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to examine, using a case study methodology, interactions among a group of Iowa teachers involved in a computer mediated communication project, to better understand those elements which may impact sustained usage of computer mediated communication. The study involved examination of one year's worth of on-line journal postings and interactive conferences, and interviews with the 22 teachers involved in the project.

The multiple sources of data collected were analyzed using a methodology known as constant comparative, and the analysis presented according to the following themes:

1. What topics did the participants discuss while using computer mediated …