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How Exercise Affects The Musculoskeletal System In The Biological Sexes: A Literature Review, Lauren Connolly

Honors Program Theses

Exercise has countless benefits for the human body. Physical activity increases overall health and reduces the risk of developing many chronic diseases. While the entire body is impacted by exercise, the musculoskeletal system is perhaps targeted most directly. Muscle contraction is required to complete any form of exercise, which helps build muscle mass and consequently strengthens bones. The physiology of musculoskeletal growth after exercise is the same for all individuals. However, the magnitude of this growth is not the same for men and women. Men have a profound ability to gain muscle mass that most women are not capable of …

College-Age Students' Attitudes Toward Essential Oils, Alternative Medicines, And Modern Medicine, Taylor Nicole Brown

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the attitudes of college-age students on the use of essential oils, alternative medicines, and modern medicine. Essential oils are natural oils that contain the essence/fragrance of a plant and are often used for cleaning purposes (e.g., in soaps, detergents, disinfectant sprays) and therapeutic purposes (e.g., relieving aches and pains, calming a person, healing illnesses and injuries, improving mood). Although essential oils are primarily used in alternative medicine, some oils have also been used on an experimental basis in modern medical settings (Corner et al., 1995).

College-age students took part in an …

The Development Of A Photographic Atlas Of Plant Adaptations For Pollination, Bethany Van Dusseldorp

Honors Program Theses

Plants have biotic, abiotic, or both biotic and abiotic adaptations for pollination, depending on how they are structured and the attraction between the plant and pollinator. The main focus for this project was biotic adaptations for pollination, and how various plants are specifically structured for the insect, bird, or mammal to pick up the pollen and carry it to the next plant. Documentation, using image/focus stacking and macro photography, was done of the structures of various plants from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Botanical Center to support the reason for why plants are structured the way they are. While …

Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analysis Of Native American Pottery For Maple Syrup Residues, Alexis Wirtz

Honors Program Theses

The research conducted regards whether or not Native Americans understood how to create maple syrup before the influence of Europeans. The analytical technique that was used is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This technique assisted in understanding what organic residues resided within the pottery and what those organic residues tell us about Native American history. An analysis of organic residues was performed on the following types of pottery: proof of concept pottery, weathered pottery (an analog of the proof of concept), and Native American pottery. The residues used in analysis were obtained through the usage of different solvent systems - Acetone: …

Developing Methods To Assess The Role Of Lumbricus Terrestris On Seed Predation In Prairie Restoration, Jacey R. Meier

Honors Program Theses

Tallgrass prairie used to cover Iowa and much of the midwest, but now only a small percentage of it remains. Many prairie restoration efforts are in place to revitalize Iowa’s former prairie landscape. Native prairie seed that is genetically diverse and regionally appropriate is expensive, and only 5-10% of the seeds planted germinate into seedlings. Ungerminated seed loss can occur many ways, one being due to seed predation. The common earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, is a seed predator that has been observed to be present at prairie restoration sites by its numerous middens. The goal was to develop methods that would …

Identifying Misconceptions About Evolution Relative To Science Curriculum Exposure At The Secondary Level, Rachel Carney

Graduate Research Papers

Evolution is the foundation of the biological sciences. Addressing misconceptions related to biological evolution ensures students have a solid understanding of evolution so that they can become scientifically literate members of society. While studies have identified misconceptions about evolution, there is much less research on the degree to which specific biology curricula address these misconceptions. The goal of this study is to determine how exposure to the SEPUP biology curriculum affects the misconceptions about evolutionary theory held by 10th grade students.

This study took place at a moderately-sized school located in the Midwest. Students respond with their agreeability to a …

A Historical Analysis Of The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agencies (Fema) Response And Recovery To Gulf Coast Hurricane And Other Weather-Related Disasters, Lauren Marie Denning

Graduate Research Papers

The growing changes in our environment combined with the increased number of catastrophic climate and weather- related events are occurring more frequently and continuing to intensify in the United States and Worldwide. These events are resulting in mass destruction in our environment and infrastructure, significant loss in human lives, and costing billions of dollars in response and recovery. Although there is no way to prevent these events, governments and populations can take steps to adapt and prepare for these events. This will ultimately decrease the overall impacts that these events have on our environment and future generations to come.

This …

Psychopathy And Emotion Regulation: The Mediating Role Of Motives And Goals, Morning S. Baker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between psychopathy and emotion regulation as serially mediated by emotional motives and goals in an all-male sample. Six serial mediation models were proposed, three for each motive-type (i.e., hedonistic, instrumental), and two for each emotion (i.e., anger, fear, joy). Eight-hundred and seventy-eight participants were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Results indicate that male MTurk workers with greater levels of psychopathy have poorer emotion regulation, emotion goals for experiencing anger and fear, hedonistic and instrumental motives for experiencing anger and fear, emotion goals for not experiencing joy, and hedonistic and …

Unstacking The Matryoshka Nesting Doll: A Self-Study Of Playful Language Instruction For Adult Second Language Learners, Marine Pepanyan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the recent three decades teaching second language (L2) vocabulary has expanded from sentence-level morphosyntactic features and pragmatics to the promotion and advancement of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Nevertheless, the L2 instructors are constantly seeking alternative strategies for vocabulary teaching and assessment due to a superficial level of vocabulary memorization and lack of student engagement. As an instructor-practitioner, I undertook a self-study of the process of implementing Playful Language Instruction (PLI) of L2 vocabulary in an Intensive English Program. In this self-study I combined conceptual lenses of theories of play, CLT, and the Adult Learning Theory to examine how playful …

Lexile Levels And Their Value To Public School Teachers, Kristin Schumacher

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis examines how teachers perceive Lexile level and its value, and whether or not their beliefs inform their practice. To address questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about Lexile level, I designed and implemented an online survey for public school teachers. My research shows that teachers have a favorable view of Lexile level, that they believe both students and parents should be informed of students’ Lexile level, that books should be labeled with Lexile level, and that asking students to read within their Lexile level range is a good practice. This survey research reveals the need to further interrogate whether or …

"Land Of The Silver Birch": Environmental Attitudes And Place-Making In A Northern Minnesota Boy Scout Camp, 1960-1975, John Mark Fretham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In 1959, leaders of the Minnesota Valley Council, BSA (headquartered in Mankato, MN) began making plans to create a new Boy Scout camp to replace their recently built camp in Southern Minnesota. The previous fifteen years of the post-World War II era had produced significant shifts in ideas about wilderness, what constituted quality outdoor recreation, growing anxiety about masculinity in the Cold War era, and expansion of the promotion and adoption of a North Woods tourist culture. These changes helped lead the council to begin looking for a site to create a new Boy Scout camp and build Camp Cuyuna …

How Do We Use Creative And Personal Memories For Creative Communication?, Tyler Robert Montgomery

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inspired by the author’s memories, KeyBoard Memories and You have the Right to Forget are two short stage plays exploring topics of identity, time, and justice. This thesis uses personal and creative memories to develop stories in the form of scripts. The thesis begins with an example of creative writing inspired by the author’s personal and creative memories and describes the purpose of the project before moving into a review of literature that explains what memories are, how they work, and the different types of memories. Then the method section describes the methods of journaling and scripting writing, and then …

Changes In The Barley Stem Proteome In Response To Drought During Grain Filling, Mohammed Al Slamh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Drought is the major environmental factor that limits crop yield worldwide. Crops are particularly vulnerable to drought at the reproductive stage. In cereals, grain filling during drought depends on the contribution of current photosynthesis products from the leaf and spike and carbohydrates stored mainly in the stem and remobilized to the grain. Even though stem reserve is an important source for grain filling, changes in the proteome of barley stem under drought have not been studied. Also, the molecular events associated with differential stem reserve remobilization under drought are not well understood. In this study, barley plants were exposed to …

Association Between Habitat And The Genetic Diversity Of The Brown-Belted Bumblebee (Bombus Griseocollis) In The Agricultural Landscape Across Northeast Iowa, Clarissa Elizabeth Bruns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Wild bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are key pollinators in natural ecosystems and major contributors to pollination in agriculture. Despite this, numerous bee species are in decline from introduced pathogens, pesticides, and habitat fragmentation. In the Midwestern United States, the land is dominated by agricultural landscape, and farming practices result in limited floral resources and frequently disturbed nesting grounds for bee species. In this thesis, I examine the genetic diversity between and within populations of brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) across northeast Iowa and test for population genetic structure between reconstructed prairies within 3 years of establishment and prairies >10 years …

Understanding Morphological Responses Of Typha (Cattail) Species To Nutrient Pollution, Anna Marie Shapiro

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the Midwestern United States, Typha x glauca is a hybrid of the native Typha latifolia and the non-native Typha angustifolia. Typha x glauca is considered invasive, and it is dominating Typha latifolia when they co-occur. Wetlands in the Midwest face nutrient pollution, due to fertilization used within the agricultural industry. Wetlands are nutrient sinks, which store the increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are known to increase Typha growth. Within this thesis, it was hypothesized that an increase of nitrogen in the wetland may increase the width of Typha leaves, making it difficult to distinguish the …

Quantifying Genomic Diversity And Growth In Iowa Bluegill, Jeremy Raymond Abels

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is one of the most fished species in Iowa. However, after an initial stocking event, lakes rarely receive additional stockings owing to a high rate of natural reproduction. For this reason, the genetic diversity of Bluegill populations remains understudied in the context of fisheries and natural resource management. Additionally, the extent to which genetics influences the growth rate of Bluegill on a population level has not yet been extensively examined. The goal of this study was to understand the diversity of Iowa’s Bluegill population and to determine if there is a genetic association with growth …

Changes In Reproductive Behavior And Birth Patterns During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Sakartvelo (The Republic Georgia) [რეპროდუქციული ქცევასა და შობადობის ცვლილებები კოვიდ-19 პანდემიის დროს საქართველოში], Nino Mateshvili

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Because of the increased frequency and extent of large-scale disasters, including health events, there is a need to better understand the impacts of these disasters on key demographic processes. In particular, in the European countries, including the Republic of Georgia (Sakartvelo), which already face demographic problems, such as aging population and decreasing birth rates, researchers and policymakers are concerned with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on demographic indicators and processes, such as birth rates and reproductive behavior. That is why it is very timely to collect and analyze initial evidence establishing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as a …

The Impacts Of Adolescents' Leisure Activity Types On Psychological Well-Being, Academic Self-Efficacy, Self Esteem, And Stress, Dongyub Back

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Korean teenager deviance, school violence, and school dropout caused by academic stress are serious social issues within the country. High levels of student stress are likely to bring about depression and suicide resulting in a significant effect on their psychological well-being and life satisfaction. It is of particular concern for middle school students experiencing rapid physical and psychological developmental changes without proper support. Forty-five percent of Korean students’ indicated stress in their life and 27% experienced depression (Statistics Korea, 2019). Also, Korean middle school students (27.3%) have suicide impulse (Youm & Kim, 2019). These youth development issues are considered social …

Educational Experiences Of First Generation Black African Students With And Without Dis/Abilities, Shehreen Iqtadar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Several studies have focused on the disproportionate representation of students from historically multiply marginalized communities in special education (Artiles, 2011, 2013; Artiles et al., 2005; Brayboy et al., 2007; Cavendish et al., 2018; Cooc & Kiru, 2018; Dunn, 1968; Hosp & Reschly, 2004; O’Connor & Fernandez, 2006; Voulgarides et al., 2017). Only recently, researchers have begun to explore the connections between immigrant and refugee students and special education (Migliarini, 2017; Song, 2018; Qing, 2018). Missing in this literature are the critical accounts of students and (a) their perspectives about the nature of dis/ability and their placement within special education and …

Commencement [Program], December 18, 2021, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

63 Update: Fall 2022 Unifi Courses, University Of Northern Iowa. General Education Re-Envisioning Committee.

General Education Re-envisioning Committee Documents

The list of courses approved for the general education program for Fall 2022.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, December 6, 2021, University Of Northern Iowa, Faculty Senate

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

Wild Bee Visitors And Floral Source Associations In The Conservation Reserve Program Habitat In Ne Iowa, Ai Wen, Kenneth J. Elgersma, Mark E. Sherrard, Laura L. Jackson, Justin Meissen, Mark C. Myers

Data Sets

The spreadsheet documents data collected in the study described in the manuscript “Wild bee visitors and their association with sown and unsown floral resources in reconstructed pollinator habitats within an agriculture landscape”. Data included in the spreadsheet shows the name of each collected wild bee specimen and the flower species where the bee was collected. Data were used to construct the bee-pollinator network and calculate the network metrics for each study site.

Determining The Presence Of Biological Fluids In Peruvian Mummy Cloths Using The Liquid Chromatography Quadruple Time Of Flight Instrument, Tim Perksen, Joshua Sebree Ph.D.

Fall 2021 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects

A poster presenting the processes used and the results of analyzing the cloth from Peruvian mummies for the presence of biological fluids.

24andmore: Using Genomics To Improve Walleye (Sander Vitreus) Stocking In Iowa, Rachel Mcdonnell

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) at UNI

Walleye, Sander vitreus, is one of the top gamefish in Iowa. Due to poor natural reproduction in many Iowa waterbodies, populations are managed with stocking. There are two strains of walleye used to stock Iowa’s inland waters: a river strain derived from the Mississippi River near Genoa, WI and a lake strain derived from Spirit Lake, IA. Each strain may have unique characteristics relative to their environment that could affect the fitness and success of fish stocked. The goal of this study is to understand the genetic diversity within and between each strain to offer stocking guidance to the Iowa …

Genetic Effect Of Long-Term Angling Pressure On Bluegill Populations In Small Impoundments In Kansas, Morganne Borsh

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) at UNI

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a versatile sport fish popularly fished across Kansas. Over the last decade, Bluegill catch rates have decreased, likely from high angler harvest rates of larger individuals. Large males that exhibit parental care have high growth rates and aggressively defend nests, making them vulnerable to angling. Males that display cuckoldry behavior reach maturity sooner, exhibit slower growth rates, and are generally smaller. The goal of this study is to determine if fisheries-induced evolution resulting from long-term harvest has led to a decline in the growth rate of Bluegill. A total of 100 individuals were sampled from ten …

Exploring Online Participatory Theatre During Covid-19: Reflections On Adapting, Delivering, And Evaluating Student-Led Theatre For Health Workshops, Jeffrey Pufahl, Emmanuelle Crider, Kelviyana Walker

Spect-actor: A Journal of Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the higher education community to quickly shift and adapt courses to the online environment. While traditional theatre programs struggled, the flexible nature of applied theatre created the space for students and instructors to explore and adapt existing forms, such as Forum Theatre and Sociodrama, and create engaging online workshops for the public. Over the course of 2020-21, students in the University of Florida’s Applied Theatre for Health program developed, delivered, and evaluated online health and wellness workshops for the public. This report focuses on two such projects: 1) a workshop on female reproductive health, and 2) …

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, October 25, 2021, University Of Northern Iowa, Faculty Senate

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

The Annual Economic Diversity And Inclusion Summit [Program], 2021, University Of Northern Iowa. Center For Multicultural Education.

Economic Inclusion Conference Documents

The conference program for the 2021 Economic Inclusion Conference.

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Fall 2021, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the University of Northern Iowa.