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Uni Schedule Of Classes, Summer 2020, 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.

Uni Grad Student News, V18n4, May 2020, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College.

UNI Grad Student News

Inside This Issue:
--Message from the Dean
--Tips for Successful Virtual Learning
--Graduate Student Chatter
--Faculty Profile
--Student Profile
--Alumni Profile
--Department of Social Work Award Winners
--Graduate Faculty and Student Award Winners
--UNLV Outstanding Teaching by Part-Time Faculty Award Recipient
--Graduate Assistant First Award Winners
--Congratulations Graduates!
--Research Resources
--Summer Activities

Literature Review: The Role Of Inflammatory Biomarkers In The Connections Between Sleep And Chronic Health Conditions, Madeline Walker

Honors Program Theses

Decades of research has shown that sleep plays a vital role in our health, and disruptions in sleep can have long term detrimental effects on our lives (Yoo, 2007). The recommended amount of sleep by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) for adults is between 7-9 hours each night (NSF, 2020). It is common knowledge that too few hours of sleep are unhealthy, but scientists are only beginning to understand the mechanisms that explain the connections between sleep patterns and health outcomes (CDC, 2011). Additionally, recent research has shown that excess sleep can be just as detrimental, if not more, to …

Role Of Guns In Child Mortality, Alexandria Bibbs

Honors Program Theses

Gun ownership is a topic which sparks controversy, regardless of what side a person is on. It is something that tends to elicit strong emotion from the public and is a prominent part of American society. But, with freedoms come responsibilities and that leaves room for risk. High levels of gun access and availability have resulted in a high level of gun-related incidents in the United States above other countries around the globe. Unfortunately, young children are a population included in the victims of gun mortality. This thesis analyzes all recorded gun-related deaths of children ages 0 -11 years old …

Seasonal Habitat Usage Of Iowa Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta), Amanda Stewart

Honors Program Theses

Iowa wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) were tracked using radio telemetry to compare juvenile, male, and female habitat usage during specific seasonal activity periods. Field data collected included: time, geographic location, habitat type, surrounding vegetation type and abundance, ambient weather conditions, turtle body temperature and mass, water depth (when aquatic), distance from water, behavior category, and amount of exposure to UV light. While active in 2017 – 2019, the wood turtle population at three Iowa sites was 53% terrestrial and 47% aquatic, with the most frequent respective habitats being emergent clearings (grasses, forbs, saplings) and lotic (river, stream, creek). …

The Effects Of Intercalating Molecules On The Polymer Properties Of Dna, Joseph Tibbs

Honors Program Theses

This project used Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging to examine the effects of different intercalation conditions upon the elastic properties of intrinsically straight DNA molecules. Three intercalating molecules (chloroquine, ethidium bromide, and acridine) were used to demonstrate the dependence of persistence length and mean polymer extension on the intercalator type. It was found that all three intercalators significantly increased persistence length, and that this effect was most pronounced for ethidium bromide. In addition, an analysis of the normal bending modes of the static molecules corroborated these results. The only intercalator which resulted in significant extension of the DNA polymers was …

Editing Fusarium Graminearum Using Crispr/Cas9, Grace Marie Sack

Honors Program Theses

Fusarium graminearum is a pathogenic fungus that causes scab or Fusarium head blight disease in barley and wheat. Alternative approaches to protect barley from this devastating disease are badly needed. In recent years, an RNA-guided genome-editing system known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), has become a popular method for genome modification (Jinek et al., 2012). We applied CRISPR/Cas9 technology in an effort to make F. graminearum less infectious. We used CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids constructed by a former UNI student (Akers, 2019) to mutate three genes in F. graminearum. One of the genes ( …

Association Between Wild Bee Communities And Floral Resources In The Conservation Reserve Program, Allison Eagan

Honors Program Theses

Due to the significance of the plant-pollinator relationship, the loss of pollinators may impose widespread effects on plant communities. Pollinator declines raise questions for the future of agricultural productivity, food security, and human health. Due to the large diversity of the wild bee population and their essential role as pollinators of natural land and agricultural crops, implementing conservation practices are necessary to preserve decreasing populations. Previous conservation efforts have been limited to planting native flowering forbs in unused fields or hedgerows bordering farms and roadsides in order to establish sufficient floral resources. However, restored prairies have the ability to support …

Construction Of A Target-Specific Crispr-Cas9 Vector For The Purpose Of Introducing Mutations Into The Fum1 Gene Of Fusarium Verticillioides, Jennifer Petsche

Honors Program Theses

In molecular biology, CRISPR-Cas9 is a useful gene editing tool that takes advantage of a powerful cleaving enzyme and DNA sequences found in prokaryotes. In this study, a target-specific CRISPR-Cas9 vector containing an RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease specific for the FUM1 gene was constructed for the purpose of introducing mutations into the FUM1 gene of Fusarium verticillioides. Plasmids pFC332 and pFC334 were isolated. A guide RNA sequence was designed and amplified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with pFC334 as the template. Sticky ends were created through restriction enzyme digestion of pFC332. These pieces were combined using Uracil-Specific Excision Reagent (USER) …

Identification Of Genome-Linked Bacillus Bacteriophage Proteins, Katherine Dyer

Honors Program Theses

Small viruses that can infect bacteria, called bacteriophages, can be found in the soil. These viruses are being examined as a potential treatment against bacterial infections when antibiotics are not available or non-effective. Before viruses can be used as a medical treatment, they must be studied extensively. Previous attempts to sequence the terminal end of the genome of a bacteriophage QCM-11 (Quartz-Crystal-Microbalance-11: Q11) resulted in error. It is thought that a covalently bound protein may be attached to Q11’s DNA, blocking sequencing of the genome from the 5’ end. Proteins bound to the DNA of phages is not unheard of, …

Spectral Time: How Gérard Grisey’S Concept Of Musical Time Is Still Relevant Today, Isaac Raymond Smith

Honors Program Theses

This paper analyzes and compares the music of two composers, Gérard Grisey and Magnus Lindberg, focusing on how each treats the passage of time in his music. These composers were deliberately selected because Grisey helped launch the spectral music movement in the 1970s and 80s, while Lindberg is still alive and writing music today. Though Grisey is not as well-known of a composer as others during that time, this paper strives to show how his ideas concerning the passage of time in music influenced the music of his students and other composers, even those who do not claim to be …

Characterizing Protagonists In Graphic Novels For Teens, Danielle Lahr

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to utilize qualitative content analysis to examine the main characters in teen graphic novels from 2018. This study is designed to analyze the main protagonist in graphic novels to find patterns to help secondary librarians and teachers choose graphic novels that will appeal to students in grades 9-12. Three questions this study asks are: 1)What traits make a compelling protagonist for high schoolers? 2)Are there any traits shared between protagonists in graphic novels? And 3)What roles do protagonists of graphic novels play in the storyline?

Productivity And Community Composition Change In Prairie Biomass Feedstocks, Kathleen Loretta Madsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

With increasing concerns of climate change and resource usage, there is a growing interest in diverse prairie biomass as a form of alternative energy. In this study, we look at four potential biomass feedstock treatments that were chosen specifically to target high biomass yields and consist of native Iowa tallgrass prairie species. The four feedstocks consist of a one-species monoculture of C₄ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a 5-species mixture of C₄-grasses, a 16-species mixture of C3 and C₄-grasses, forbs, and legumes, and a 32-species mixture of C3 and C₄-grasses, sedges, forbs, and …

Carbon Sequestration And Weedy Invasion In Crp Fields, Destiny Danielle Magee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) aims to provide ecosystem services in landscapes dominated by agriculture by converting previous agricultural fields into reconstructed prairies and wetlands. The main priorities of the program include reducing soil erosion and improving water quality, but the perennial vegetation in the fields can also provide other benefits such as increased carbon sequestration and biodiversity. These additional benefits of the program are not closely monitored, though these benefits are potentially equally valuable to the targeted program benefits. This study compared soil carbon in CRP fields and a subset of corn fields in order to determine the impact …

Levels Of Cyclin B In Thp-1 Cells Incubated In Hibernating And Non-Hibernating Bullfrog Plasma, Lithobates Catesbeianus, Tharuka D. Pathmaperuma

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Hibernation is a process that occurs in nature where organisms undergo dormancy for long periods of time in order to improve their survival during extreme environmental conditions. During this time, organisms undergo physiological changes such as reduction in core body temperature and metabolic rate, as well as cells being impeded from going into mitosis. Alvarado et al. (2015) discovered that genomic DNA methylation is dynamic across torpor-arousal bouts during winter hibernation in thirteen lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), indicating that physiological changes during hibernation are the results of more than simply cold temperatures slowing down metabolism and that …

Bleeding Cuts, Magical Spells, Sealed Hymens: A Study Of The Rite Of Tasfih In Algeria, Ahlam Laouar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Algerian society attributes great importance to female virginity and, as such, people go to great lengths in order to protect it. One of the methods used to protect female virginity is the practice of Tasfih. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the rite of Tasfih as practiced by Algerian women. This study includes discussions of how this practice came into existence and the ways in which it is done. It also examines the relationship between female sexuality and family honor.

Before interviewing women about the ritual, I explore the current literature on Tasfih, female sexuality, and family …

Indices Of Metabolic Stress Following Resistance Exercise, Steven Alexander Long

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was twofold: 1). to evaluate the metabolic responses to varying volume load (VL), manipulated through relative training intensity and 2). to evaluate the metabolic response to training via direct and indirect methods to assess the application potential of non-invasive methods. Recreationally trained male weight lifters (n = 11) volunteered to participate in this resistance training (RT) study. During three separate testing sessions, participants completed three sets of repetitions of the barbell bicep curl exercise to technical failure with short inter-set rest intervals (60 seconds). Participants were randomly assigned one of three training intensities immediately prior …

Pluralistic Ignorance Of Campus Norms, Evan Stilgenbauer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Changes on college campuses and movements such as #MeToo have highlighted problem behaviors such as sexual assault. Many problems and behaviors related to and including sexual assault can be attributed to misperceptions of norms and peer beliefs, which can lead individuals to act in ways they would not normally condone. It is unclear whether #MeToo or other changes over time may have affected perceptions of norms and their relation to problematic behaviors that perpetuate sexual assault.

There were three goals for the current study. My first goal was to assess the difference among perceived norms and actual norms in a …

Mercyone: Patient Advocate, Kaitlyn Bahlmann

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

MercyOne Sartori Hospital Kaitlyn Bahlmann For my cooperative education internship, I decided to volunteer as a patient advocate on the medical/surgical floor of Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls. My poster will describe my experience interacting with and helping surgical patients have a better hospital stay. It’ll explain the purpose of volunteers and the psychological benefits that they provide for patients and their families. Volunteering at the hospital has given me direct patient contact experience and supplemented my other healthcare experiences as a pre-physician’s assistant student.

Using Self-Reflection And Community Engagement Opportunities To Combat Social Justice Issues, Dionna Williams, Catherine Zeman

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

The Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center at the University of Northern Iowa funds an environmental equity internship program designed to challenge students to revision sustainability from an equity perspective and leave an impact on the interns and community. Interns are challenged to understand the systems analysis of issues using formal systems thinking approaches (Meadows, 2008), inculcating practices that allows them to tackle challenging equity and social justice implications, High vs. Low context communication and leadership styles (Vellnagel, 2013; Hall 1976), and understand environmental health disparities that exist using approaches such as understanding the naturome/nurturome, exposome and multiple expo-zones (Hall …

Nssi Stigma Toward Adolescent Girls And Boys, Mackenzie L. Dallenbach

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a relatively new subject of attention for psychopathology researchers, and is listed as a Condition for Further Study in the DSM-5 (APA, 2013). Current research on NSSI has utilized primarily female participants, limiting generalizability. Additionally, little research has been conducted with NSSI stigma. Thus, the current study examined whether two things influenced NSSI stigma: the sex of an individual engaging in it, and participant familiarity with NSSI. The results revealed that sex did not influence stigma. Further, there was no correlation between familiarity and NSSI stigma.

What Is Your Prejudice? Predicting Prejudice Towards Greek Members, Evan Stilgenbauer, Matt Sedlacek, Riley Rodemaker

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Greek membership has been linked to prejudice toward others (Rhoads, 1995), but little research has examined prejudice toward Greek members. Participants completed individual difference measures related to prejudice as well as measures of religiosity, political orientation, gender, Greek membership, and Greek myths. Participants who perceived Greek members as more like themselves held fewer negative stereotypes of and more positive attitudes toward Greek members. Contact, including being a Greek member oneself, was also related to warmer attitudes toward Greek members. Individual difference factors that have predicted prejudice toward other groups (e.g., based on ethnicity or sexual orientation; RWA, SDO) did not …

Plants And The Paranormal, Natalie Aird, Ellie Wigginton

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

We spent two weeks studying abroad in London, England for our Capstone experience. During our trip, we had the opportunity to spend a free day at the Kew Gardens botanical center. After returning home, we were both intrigued by the history of Kew Gardens and wondered if it had a history of paranormal activity. We will share the results of our investigation in our poster.

Effects Of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids On Mental Health, Lauren Mcmichael

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's Disease may be associated with dietary imbalances currently seen in the average Western diet. The increase in intake of omega-6 fatty acids is a point of concern, as evidence links disproportionate intake with inhibited neural membrane function and increased inflammation. This paper reviews evidence related to problems associated with decreased omega-3 fatty acid intake in the average Western diet. Evidence connects omega-3 supplementation with alleviation of symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, and defiant behavior. Further research may be warranted regarding the degree of omega-3 deficiency in given populations of interest, such as the …

Let's Talk About Death: Conversation And Bereavement In Late-Life Widows And Widowers [Paper], Bekah Bass

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

Death is a taboo topic in the United States, despite its inevitability and impact on the lives of those left behind. Using the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) dataset, this study investigates the association between talking about death before a partner's death and the level of death avoidance afterward. Results show an association between spouses talking about how the widow or widower would handle being on their own and whether they enacted behaviors to feel close to their spouse after death. Responses varied significantly by race on items which measured death avoidance, implying a difference exists between the reactions …

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Spring 2020, 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.

Stem Stories, April 2020, #1, Brooke Wiese

STEM Stories

Featured Event - Catwalk 28

Characterization Of A New Mtdna Minicircle In A Chewing Louse, Geomydoecus Aurei, Ashley L. Campbell, Dino Bolic, James W. Demastes, Theresa A. Spradling

Research in the Capitol

The mitochondrion, an organelle responsible for generating cellular energy, is unlike the majority of organelles in animal cells. Because of its symbiotic origins, the mitochondrion contains its own genetic information (mtDNA) that is predominantly maternally inherited. In most animals, the mitochondrial DNA is arranged in one circular chromosome containing 13 protein coding genes, 22 tRNAs and two rRNAs. In Geomydoecus aurei, a chewing louse, these same genes have been disbursed among at least 13 independent minicircle chromosomes. We have worked to map this atypical genome to gain insights into its development and to further understanding of genomic rearrangements in this …

Coronavirus (“Covid-19”) Webpage, March 3, 2020, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Response to COVID-19

A memo from the Director of Risk Management announcing the members of the COVID-19 Task Force to coordinate the response to the disease.

Alexander Pershounin, Bass Guitar, February 5, 2020 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.