Digital Commons Network^™

Qualitative Study Of Realistic Fiction Subject Headings In A Middle School Library, Kathleen Michaelson

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the variety of realistic fiction topical subject headings in a middle school library compared to the language commonly used by adolescents in their catalog searches. The research sought to find which topics were most popular among adolescents reading contemporary realistic fiction, how well BISAC tags correspond with Sears subject headings, and how teacher librarians can improve catalog searches for students. This summative analysis examined existing documents to find the frequencies of the various Sears/BISAC subject headings and analyzed the similarities and differences between the two. The study found a wide range of …

Prairie Restoration Series: Seed Collecting From Tallgrass Prairies, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Seed of many native species are now commercially available for prairie reconstructions, large or small. Yet many people have an interest in collecting and growing native species for butterfly gardens, backyard and schoolyard wildlife habitat, and prairie restorations. Seed collecting is satisfying and rewarding, a great volunteer activity for introducing people to prairies, and a good way to collect seed for local prairie restorations.

Infants And Toddlers Block Play: Stem In The Blocks Center [Infants-Toddlers], Regents’ Center For Early Developmental Education

STEM Experiences for Classrooms

No abstract provided.

Infant And Toddler Problem Solving With Chutes & Silos™ [Infants-Toddlers], Regents’ Center For Early Developmental Education

STEM Experiences for Classrooms

No abstract provided.

Rodcon, Program, 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

RodCon Documents

Inside This Program:
--Welcome to RodCon
--Locations
--Schedule
--What's That? Event Descriptions
--Artist Alley
--Sponsors
--Autographs

[Social Work] Newsletter, 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Social Work.

Social Work Newsletter

Inside This iIssue:
--2018 Year in Review
--Professor Highlights
--Student Highlights
--Student Services
--In the Field
--Agency Highlights
--Alumni Highlights

Csbs Statements, V20, 2018, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Social And Behavioral Sciences.

CSBS Statements

Contents:

-- Geography From a Different Perspective
-- Inspiring Through Research & Engagement
-- Engagement Spotlight
-- Weapons of Mass Inclusion
-- Highlights From the Field
-- Welcome to Dementialand - An Introduction to Gerontology
-- Tips for Dementia-Friendly Homes
-- You're Next: Women in Politics
-- Teaching Iowa History
-- Future by Design
-- Finding Your Passion
-- Un(Dress) the Stigma
-- Retirees
-- Faculty Promotions and New Faculty
-- In Memoriam
-- Alumni Updates - D.C. Trail Blazers
-- Alumni Portrait: Ambassador John R. Dinger
-- Living the Dream in Law School
-- CSBS Advisory Board Names Three …

Moving Words: Building Community Through Service-Learning In The Arts, Anne Marie Gruber, Angela L. Pratesi, Angela Waseskuk

Library Faculty/Staff Publications

In this unique project, college students in a first-year Three-Dimensional Concepts art course are partnered with a local youth writing project to create short films based on participants’ writings. This experience was born out of a campus Service-Learning Institute (SLI) to train faculty on best practices. The mutual goals included giving voice to area youth and connecting college students to the community. All participants explored and reflected on the importance of community engagement and citizenship by acknowledging their similarities and differences through creative lenses.

Participants from both groups generated ideas through shared journal exercises that the youth writers then used …

Prairie Restoration Series: Recognizing And Appreciating Tallgrass Prairie Remnants, Greg Houseal

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Prairie remnants are fragments of the original prairie landscape with their native plant communities still intact. Typically, this means soils were never plowed, graded, or buried by fill. Original prairie is meant to imply that populations of species have persisted or regenerated themselves on site through time (i.e., not planted by people as in prairie reconstruction). Some sites may have had brief soil disturbance in the past, for example, grading to create railroad beds in the 1800s, or fields that were cultivated for brief periods then abandoned. The key point regarding remnants is that some component of the original native …

Landscape And Climate Drivers Of Harmful Algal Blooms In Iowa, Aaron Padilla

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Insuring the safety of our water for consumption and recreation is a crucial but extremely difficult and resource intensive activity of environmental protection agencies. One of the ways our water is at risk is through the increased frequency, and intensity of harmful algal blooms (HABs). When CyanoHABs occur, they can produce a toxic byproduct, most notably microcystin in freshwater, which can be harmful to humans and animals. Previous research has indicated these blooms are driven by increased eutrophication of water bodies, the excess loading of nutrients. In Iowa, the main driver of CyanoHABs in most watersheds is agricultural runoff, which …

The Effects Of Nutrient Resorption, Photosynthetic Rate, And Leaf Longevity On The Success Of Typha × Glauca, Clarissa Marie Ruiz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The hybrid cattail Typha × glauca is invasive in the Midwestern United States, and outcompetes wetland natives and its parent species, Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia under high nutrient conditions. Typha × glauca’s large size and copious litter production are the main factors known to contribute to its success, although research is lacking on physiological processes that contribute to its nitrogen use efficiency.

Nitrogen resorption was investigated as a mechanism of dominance in Typha × glauca. Due to nitrogen resorption being a nutrient conservation strategy, nitrogen resorption should be high in areas of low nitrogen availability. Since nitrogen …

Rates And Patterns Of Evolution In A Duplicated Genome In The Family Catostomidae, Megann Michelle Schmidt

Honors Program Theses

Whole genome duplication (WGD) is a process in which the entire genome of an organism is duplicated, making redundant genes which are subject to unique evolutionary forces. Various modes of selection create different genetic fates such as retention of ancestral function, development of new function, or loss of function. Because of these differing fates, WGD is hypothesized to be a major driving force behind diversification. In this project, DNA sequences from fish species in the family Catostomidae were examined to observe patterns of evolution following a known WGD. Gene trees were generated for 179 loci to determine the amount of …

Effect Of Extracellular Atp On Cellular Actin Fibrils' Location And Characteristics, Dianna Huisman

Honors Program Theses

Epithelial cells lining secretory units and ducts of bovine mammary glands perform an important role in regulating movement of various macromolecules and whole cells during normal lactation and mastitis. During mastitis, host-and bacteria-produced substances can affect the “barrier” function of epithelial monolayers. One potential component is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP likely interacts with P2X7, a purinergic receptor, in mediating some effects associated with mastitis including changes in cell permeability. The bovine mammary gland epithelial cell line, Mac-T cells, were examined for cytoskeletal changes as result of P2X7 interactions. Actin cytoskeletons were stained with phalloidin and effects were examined by fluorescent …

Can God Know Tomorrow?, Jacob Kristian Bergman

Honors Program Theses

This paper examines the compatibility of God's foreknowledge and human free will. To narrow the focus of this question, this paper will focus on a branch of this debate by analyzing the arguments of Open Theism. By analyzing the claims made within Open Theism, with respect to its proposal that God can be omniscient while granting free will, it will be possible to determine if this claim is a valid argument as to how humanity can have free will without limiting the scope of God. This paper will focus on an Open Theist critique of the traditional understanding of God’s …

Resale Value Of Individual Sets Of Magic The Gathering, Nichole Bolas Mlodzik

Honors Program Theses

Magic: the Gathering is a strategy-based fantasy card game developed by Richard Garfield in 1993. The appeal of playing the game is found in using cardboard printed cards to cast spells to achieve a victory over one or more opponents. This thesis will provide an analysis of six MTG sets, calculating the average value of one pack of fourteen cards. The relationships between the average resale value for each set will be evaluated using statistical graphical analysis. Conclusions will be drawn regarding the average resale value of a pack of fourteen cards in each of six sets

Literature Review: Analyzing The Reasons Behind The Long-Standing Debate Of Evolution And Religion In America, Michelle Kathryn Matchell

Honors Program Theses

Evolution has been a widely studied and debated topic for centuries. Since the days of Greek philosophy, humans have been curious about the diversity of life and how it arose to what we see today. Interest in evolution flourished during the days of Charles Darwin when he and Alfred Russel Wallace developed the concept of natural selection. Now, evolution is an integral part of many scientific studies, especially genetics, developmental biology, geology, behavior studies and social sciences. According to Muhammad Ashraf, evolution can be considered ‘the cornerstone of modern science’ (Ashraf, 2016). On what would have been Darwin’s 201st birthday, …

La Discriminación Contra Los Latin@S, Lauren Swan

Honors Program Theses

Abstracto

Este estudio examina los diferentes tipos de discriminación con que se enfrentan los estudiantes universitarios latin@s en Iowa en sus vidas diarias. El estudio se enfoca en ambas la discriminación encubierta y la discriminación directa. Basado en el análisis de entrevistas etnográficas con ocho estudiantes que asisten a la Universidad del Norte de Iowa, los latin@s enfrentan la discriminación de tres maneras principales. La primera manera es debido a las suposiciones o los estereotipos. La segunda manera es por la otredad, o sea, concebir a los latin@s como extranjeros o no ser verdaderamente ‘americanos.’ Por último, a menudo, los …

Thermopile Sensor Imaging System, Sumit Joshi

Graduate Research Papers

With vastly growing technologies various sensing devices have emerged, which can be used with a microcontroller to provide mobility and ease for various sensing applications. This paper is focused to interface a thermopile sensor (HTPA8x8dL2. l/0.8) with a Raspberry Pi 3.

The thermopile array acquires thermal image data and communicates with a Raspberry Pi 3 via an 12C (Inter Integrated Circuit) interface. On the Raspberry Pi 3 side the data stream is logged and then transferred to a personal computer (PC). Finally, the thermal image data are visualized in the PC with MATLAB, a scientific computing software. In summary, the …

Tom And Jerry: Performative Queerness In Action, Cade M. Olmstead

Undergraduate Student Work

This presentation’s theoretical focus is a return to the performative dimension of identities and social life. Its vehicle for doing such is Tom and Jerry, a series of animation shorts. This American “cat chases mouse” series produced hundreds of shorts and has become a classic in American media memory. Drawing upon Judith Butler’s queer theoretical work and a justification from Eve Sedgwick, a selection of episodes has been subject to analysis. This analysis lays out basic descriptions of performative gender identity in the series while making a normative assessment of their effects. Ultimately, I claim that through ironic detachment, the …

It Starts With "F": A Collection Of Short Stories, Arielle Irvine

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It Starts with “F”: A Collection of Short Fiction consists of five short stories that share a family-centered theme while tackling tough topics such as death, separation, adoption, and personal fulfillment.

Study Of Low Dose Nitrite Stress On Human Mononuclear Cells: An In-Vitro Case-Control Study On Osteoarthritis, Junu Shrestha

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Nitrate, (NOR 3RP - P) is an oxidized form of nitrogen and it is an integral part of the nitrogen cycle in the natural environment. Nitrates are extensively used in agricultural practices as fertilizers, applied as either animal manures or derived slurries or as chemical fertilizers in the form of ammonium nitrate. Most of the toxicologically relevant nitrate enters the human body through consumption of vegetables, fruits, processed food products, and drinking water. In the ground water system, nitrates are a problematic and widespread contaminant, especially in agricultural areas such as the Midwest, South, and Northeastern U.S. Low-levels of nitrate …

Blood Coagulation Properties In Hibernating And Non-Hibernating American Bullfrogs (Lithobates Catesbeianus), Stephen Cain

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Activated partial thromboplastin times (APTT) and factor deficiency assays were performed on the plasma of twenty American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) to test for potential changes and regulation of the intrinsic coagulation pathway during and after hibernation. Bullfrogs (pre-hibernating n=4, hibernating n=6, post-hibernating n=10) were housed in 10 gallon aquariums filled with RO water and placed in a temperaturecontrolled room. Hibernation was gradually induced by decreasing the temperature of the room from 24 C to 3 C in increments of 3 C per week. Blood (6-8 ml) was collected from individual non-hibernating frogs, hibernating frogs and post-hibernating frogs in 0.105M sodium …

The Effects Of Self-Disclosure In Interpersonal Relationships Post-Sexual Assault: Giving Survivors A Voice, Annaliese Johnson

Iowa Journal of Communication

Sexual violence is an ongoing troubling issue in America, especially sexual violence against women. In situations of sexual assault, survivors' voices are often silenced due to the presence of rape culture, a complex and deeply ingrained entity, which perpetuates a society in which victims are blamed, and perpetrators are protected. Previous literature on how and why survivors discuss their experiences of assault, and the effects of survivors engaging in interpersonal self-disclosure, is scarce and only scrapes the surface of survivors' stories of disclosures. This study hopes to better explore the thoughts and feelings of young adult female sexual assault survivors …

The Rise Of Social Media Marketing: How An Entire Industry Has Transformed, Ryan Steven Doser

Honors Program Theses

With social media continuing to play an integral role in our daily lives, being a marketing major and interning for a digital marketing agency, I have real world experience with social media marketing and have expanded on that knowledge through thesis research. There are three main accomplishments I plan to take away from the thesis after completion. The first is to incorporate the social media marketing knowledge I have developed through this process into my future career. Secondly, providing this information and data for readers is important, as social media continues to evolve and become more prevalent in the business …

Waiting For The Mail: A Collection Of Short Stories, James Matthew Keane

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This collection of six pieces of original short fiction is, in general, a reflection upon my on-going questions concerning identity. In particular, these stories delve into the nature of masculinity through an exploration of male relationships—fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers.

Christopher Phalen, Graduate Conducting Recital Abstract, Christopher Richard Phalen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Christopher R. Phalen planned and conducted a compilation recital during the Fall semester of 2017. All concerts took place on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. On October 17, 2017, Phalen conducted the UNI Women’s Chorus and Varsity Men’s Glee Club in the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. On November 2, 2017, Phalen conducted the UNI Concert Chorale and UNI Singers in the Great Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. On November 3, 2017, Phalen conducted UNI Cantorei and members of the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra as part of the Bach Cantata …

Teachers' Interactions With A Young Child With: Comparing Ipad And Non-Ipad Use, Sohyun Meacham, Saeed Almalki

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was investigating teachers' interaction with a young child with ASD when they were using iPad to support language and communication skills development. A case study method was applied. Business-as-usual classroom interaction was analyzed. Utterances were divided into two conditions (iPad-use and non-iPad-use) to compare effectiveness on supporting the child's engagement in teacher-child interaction. In addition, interviews with teachers were conducted to collect more information about their own perspectives regarding iPad use with the student with ASD. Results of the study indicate that child-teacher joint attention and teachers' verbal assistance happened more frequently when iPad was …

Exploring The Academic, Social, And Cultural Experiences Of English Language Learners From Saudi Arabia At A Midwest University In The U.S., Sukainah A. Al Subia

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The world is experiencing an increasing number of international students who leave their countries to study abroad. The value and benefit of studying abroad influences many students to go on this educational journey. Research conducted over the past 20 years indicates that studying abroad provides both rewarding and challenging experiences. For example, studying abroad exposes students to exciting new cultures and places, developing academic/language skills and gaining social and cultural exposures which in turn enrich their global experience (Geeraert et al., 2014; Lillyman & Bennett, 2014; Wu et al., 2015). However, studying abroad can also pose certain challenges, including loneliness, …

Representations Of Health And Wellness In Children's Literature, Emily Kate Murphy

Honors Program Theses

The term health is multifaceted. Health can refer to one’s physical, spiritual, or mental state, among other things. The goal of this study was to determine how educators can use children’s literature to support students being introduced to healthy habits regarding these aspects at a young age, through children’s literature. A content analysis was conducted over a selection of 16 children’s literature texts. It was organized by thematic categories matching the aforementioned facets of health and assessed through a Likert scale. This analysis resulted in the development of a website intended to serve as a tool for teachers to implement …

An Investigation Of Early Childhood Outdoor Play Areas And Social And Emotional Play, Brandy A. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The earliest early childhood programs were thought of as a garden for children or kindergarten (Snider, 1900). The father of kindergarten, Frederick Froebel (1885), considered the garden space critical in early childhood programs. While there is an understanding of the importance of outdoor play for young children, many current issues and challenges have drastically reduced the amount of time children spend in the outdoor environment (Kuh, Ponte, & Chau, 2013). Much of the time children do spend outside is devoted to physical movement, often in environments with traditional manufactured playground equipment (Czalczynska-Podolska, 2014). Outdoor play holds potential for multi-dimensional (Nedovic …