Digital Commons Network^™

Model-Based Predictive Controller Design, Soheil Sadeghi

Graduate Research Papers

Process control in industries is becoming more critical due to demands on reducing consumed energy, reducing cost, and improving system efficiency and performance. In this work, a well-developed, model-based controller is introduced and implemented in one of the most common processes in the industry. Model Predictive Controller (MPC) has been studied for ten years, but recently has emerged into small industries as the number of current applications grows. These controllers need a process model in the forms of transfer functions, step response, or state-space. Although obtaining a process model can be a cumbersome task, it is worth having it (the …

Abracadabra: Combatting Nonprofit Turnover When Your Staff Perform The Disappearing Act, Averi Gabrielle Jones

Graduate Research Papers

As one of America’s top employers, the nonprofit sector is filled with outlets for individuals to blossom in creativity and innovation, while allowing them to be connected to a cause they are passionate about advocating for. However, more and more nonprofit organizations are faced with a frightening disappearing act amongst their staff. With this readily growing rate of high employee turnover, it is more vital than ever for employers to build workforce environments that inspire dedication and longevity amongst staff. This study is focused on pinpointing sources for poor employee retention and differentiating the role that these sources play amongst …

Data-Driven Decision Making In Nonprofit Organizations, Amanda Kline

Graduate Research Papers

In recent decades the nonprofit sector has come under significant scrutiny from funders, clients, and the general public. This has led to a focus on programmatic and organizational outcomes data gathering and reporting aimed at increasing accountability throughout the sector. This study analyzes the literature on how nonprofit organizations use this data to drive strategy and decision making. The three specific area reviewed are strategic fundraising, mission drift avoidance, and limitations and obstacles organizations encounter regarding data gathering and analysis usage in the decision making process. Implications and recommendations for nonprofit professional are also discussed.

The Impact Of Advocacy And Social Justice Work On Nonprofit Funding And Support, Brittany Appleton

Graduate Research Papers

Advocacy and social justice work has become a widely discussed topic over the past year, especially in the nonprofit world. As organizations work to move their mission forward and address critical issues in their community, they must balance the delicate relationships they have with their clients, their supporters, other organizations, and the community as a whole. This includes navigating their mission, vision, and values and the values and beliefs of supporters and community members. Taking an active role in advocacy and social justice work can impact these relationships, but little research has been done that shows what that impact could …

Art By Intention And Art By Appropriation: "Authenticity," Western Encounters, And Ethics Of Collection And Display Of African Art, Katelyn Nicole Brockmeyer

Honors Program Theses

This research project surveys the overlap of Western notions of authenticity, encounters with Africa, and the ethics of collecting and displaying of African art objects. First, I define the issues surrounding definitions of authenticity; second, I lay out the historical background of Western interaction with West Africa and modern demand for African art objects; third I discuss the issues authenticity and corresponding ethics of display; finally, I explain how this information applies to two objects from the UNI Museum collection. In this thesis, I address the ways the categories of “authentic,” “fake,” and replica are intertwined in the history of …

Bacillus Bacteriophage Q11 May Have A 5' Covalently Attached Protein, Emily Cornelius

Honors Program Theses

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specifically parasitize on bacteria and are found almost everywhere. Phages Phi 29 and Q11 are both small phages found in soil that attack Bacillus hosts. Previous Phi 29 studies verified a covalently bonded protein at the 5’ end of its double-stranded linear DNA. Q11 may have a similar 5’ terminal protein, which blocks complete sequencing of that DNA region. Because Q11 and phi29 are both small short-tailed phages that infect similar hosts, it could be possible the proteins are structurally similar. In previous work, I have attempted to use restriction endonuclease and exonuclease enzyme digests …

Identifying Spanish-English Cognates As Intervention Targets For Speech Sound Disorders With Bilingual Children, Janessa A. Klein

Honors Program Theses

The focus of this thesis was to generate a comprehensive list of age-appropriate words to use in therapy for children ages 3-8 years old. Additionally, the research involved identifying words that are cognates in both Spanish and English. Word similarity was analyzed across languages to identify cognates using a well-known tool, the Crosslinguistic Overlap Scale of Phonology (COSP; Kohnert et al., 2004), which will be described in the methodology. Ideally, these target words will be used in speech therapy by a SLP who is serving preschoolers and early elementary-aged students with identified SSDs. As such, the research question addressed was: …

Trouble Brewing: An Exploration In Parasocial Relationships With Fictional Characters, Isabelle Zeimetz

Honors Program Theses

In the 1940s and 1950s, television and radio had taken over as the dominant form of media (Understanding Media and Culture: an Introduction to Mass Communication). Anthropologist Donald Horton and sociologist R. Wohl noted a strange new relationship developing between the audiences and the hosts under this new dominant media. These relationships ranged from close friendships with radio hosts like Dave Garroway to people wanting to marry fictional characters such as the gal from the radio broadcast, Lonesome Gal. Horton and Wohl realized that these new relationships were not quite the same as interpersonal relationships as they could never be …

A Workbook Presenting Fluency Shaping And Narrative Therapy Strategies For School-Age Children Who Stutter, Bailey Nicole Rustad

Honors Program Theses

Stuttering occurs when there are frequent and effortful disfluencies in speech. People who stutter may have individual difficulties with particular sounds, but the research showed that some commonalities exist. Fluency shaping may be a helpful strategy for those who stutter to reduce the occurrence and frequency of and tension in stuttering. The majority of struggles that people who stutter have are related to negative thoughts and feelings about their stuttering, so this is also important to be targeted in therapy. Narrative therapy is a possible option to reduce these negative thoughts and feelings.

In order to provide a resource for …

Impacts Of Theatre On The Mental Health Of High School Students, Madeline Ludwig

Honors Program Theses

This thesis explores the effects of participation in theatre on mental health in high school students. Though there has been more research since 2008 on mental health and its relation to the arts, there have been very few focused on mental health and theatre. However, the majority of these studies are centered around adults or young children. There is a lack of research centered around the impacts that theatre and drama have on the mental health of high school students. This study specifically focused on college students at the University of Northern Iowa and their reflection on their time in …

Evaluation Of Archeal Growth On Complex Media And Antibiotic Regimes, Melanie Miller

Honors Program Theses

The first Archaea that were studied by scientists came from extreme environments such as fissures at the bottom of oceans where hydrothermal vents formed. It was perhaps surprising that later sampling of environmental DNA revealed Archaea inhabit normal environments as well, for example they are globally distributed in soils. These mesophilic soil species were only recently grown in laboratory pure cultures. In this study, we will expand on this work by feeding the community of soil microbes with various dilutions of tryptic soy broth and other complex media in combination with an antibiotic regime. This will allow us to compare …

Creating Synthetic Analogs Of Fluorescent Speleothems In Wind Cave As An Astrobiological Model Cave, Teresa Feldman

Honors Program Theses

The wind cave system represents a unique environment on Earth where the direct interplay of organic chemistry on the surface can possibly be traced to extremophiles living hundreds of meters below the surface. In many cases, minerals and organics from the surface become trapped in calcite formations creating fluorescent minerals. To understand the environment giving rise to the fluorescent minerals in Wind Cave, laboratory analogs of the calcite crystals found within the Wind Cave National Park cavern were synthesized and analyzed using SEM and fluorescence spectroscopy. This data was compared to the fluorescence and XRF data collected from speleothems in …

The Effects Of Fluoride On Macrophage Thp-1 Cell Apoptosis, Jessica Heims

Honors Program Theses

Fluoride is an earthly mineral that occurs naturally both in the sedimentary earth as well as in the human body. The main biological function of fluoride in the human body is to enhance bone structure, as well as prevent the decay of teeth. This mineral has been used by dentists and public health officials to artificially introduce an extra layer of protection through the means of fluoride-enriched public water supplies and toothpastes. By using extra levels of fluoride, dentists have been able to help patients prevent future cavities and dental diseases. Although most dentists highly encourage strategic consumption of these …

Using Sentiment Analysis To Find The Public's Opinion On Iowa's Three State Schools, Alexa Ryan Bullock

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this project was to create my own sentiment analysis that would allow me to analyze reviews of the three Iowa state schools: University of Iowa, Iowa State, and University of Northern Iowa, and organize them in a way that showed the strong and weak points of each university. I accomplished this by researching how sentiment analysis works, applying that to the construction of my own sentiment analysis, and then using it on reviews about these three schools. The goal of this project was to give my audience a greater understanding of how sentiment analysis works by creating …

Artistic Expression, Permanence And Change In A F*Cked Up World: Coping With The "Sounds Of Silence", Brianna L. Pruitt

Honors Program Theses

I believe my role as an artist is to process the world around me and articulate my analysis in visual forms that are aesthetically interesting. My proposed project will manifest as sculptures, painting, performance, sound, video and installation art combined to create a visual representation of my mind and emotions in the present. The central element of this work, which happens to be my car “Kevin,” will set the stage for three humanoid sculptures to be displayed. Each figurative sculpture represents a different type of motion: permanence, change, and coping. I will be creating performances with the sculptures separately where …

What Man Artow?: An Exploration Of The Narrator Of The Canterbury Tales, Kimberly Cavalier

Honors Program Theses

“Also I prey yow to foryeve it me, / Al have I nat set folk in hir degree / Here in this tale, as that they sholde stonde; / My wit is short, ye may wel understonde” (Chaucer 35). These are the words written by Geoffrey Chaucer, who is considered the father of English literature, in the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, a work that has survived and remained relevant for over six hundred years. The juxtaposition of a man whose writing turned him into a household name begging his audience to forgive his short wit and lack of …

The Search For Life In Extreme Environments: Measuring Diversity And Quantity Of Archaea In Wind Cave National Park, Nicole Geerdes

Honors Program Theses

Archaea have the potential to play an essential role in their environment at the base of the food chain. In particular, most of the known species in the phylum Thaumarchaea are autotrophs that can fix their own carbon using energy from ammonia oxidation, that is, they produce their own organic molecules from carbon dioxide by burning nitrogen-based fertilizer. Since their discovery, it has been difficult to learn more about these microbes because they do not grow well in pure laboratory culture. Therefore, much of what is known about them comes from analyzing environmental DNA samples. This allowed researchers to discover …

Examining The Effects Of Netropsin On The Mobility Of Dna A-Tracts Using Capillary Electrophoresis, Jillian Miller

Honors Program Theses

A-tracts are sequences of repeated adenine bases that cause a natural curvature of DNA. The biological function of A-tracts is not fully understood. Research into how A-tract sequences affect mobility in an electric field contributes more knowledge in this area. For this research project, the electrophoretic mobility of multiple double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) fragments of the same length, with varying shapes due to the amount and orientation of A-tracts along the helix axis, was studied using capillary electrophoresis under varying conditions with the small molecule netropsin. Previous semesters of research showed a change in mobility due to shape of three fragments …

Optimizing Dna Extraction From Microorganisms Living In Wind Cave, Allison Warming

Honors Program Theses

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota is home to many creatures, from the giant buffalo to microscopic single-celled organism. This study focused on the single-celled organisms living in Wind Cave. A total of 81 samples were collected and grown on culture media. The goal of this project was to determine which commercially available kit would yield the highest amount of purified DNA from the samples cultured from the cave. Following the protocols provided by the manufacturer, a control sample as well as samples from three plates had their DNA isolated and purified using seven commercially available DNA purification kits. …

Exploring The Role Of College Women In Ministry Leadership Through A Qualitative Analysis Of Passion Conferences, Abigail Read

Honors Program Theses

This paper identifies the tension between college women in leadership positions in ministry and the leadership positions they can cannot hold after graduation. Through personal narrative, this tension is initially identified and described. This paper uses the Passion Conferences as a case study for trends in greater college ministry environments. By analyzing the history of women in the Evangelical church, it is concluded that women are put in positions in college that they cannot hold after graduation. This tension is perpetuated by continual complementarian messaging that underlies an outwardly egalitarian-based ministry. It is discovered and discussed that women are aware …

Methods And Evaluation Outcomes In Speech, Language, And Hearing Camps, Lindsey Paige Carter

Honors Program Theses

This investigation explores survey information on speech, language, and hearing camps throughout the United States. Thirty-seven speech-language pathologists from the United States agreed to complete the survey about their camp and thirteen completed the entire survey. These camps are growing in popularity and express benefits of attendance. There is currently limited research on assessment measures taken pre- and post- camp to determine the effectiveness of these camps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structure of these camps, pre- and post- camp evaluation methods, how success is defined, and the impact these camps have. Results from the survey …

Pre-Service Students Understanding Of Professional Roles, Anne Whalen Gradoville

Honors Program Theses

This study aims to begin understanding how well pre-service speech-language pathologists and teachers understand their roles in collaboration in the schools. Data were collected from a survey completed by undergraduate and graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders and Education departments at one middle-sized university in the Midwest. Results indicated a wide range of understanding and preparedness. Several themes emerged as to what students feel confident about in terms of collaboration, as well as what they believe they still need to learn before they can be confident in collaborating in the schools. The data provides insight into what pre-service …

Identification Of Fungi And Their Secondary Metabolites From Wind Cave, Kyle Biscoglia

Honors Program Theses

Eighteen fungal samples were isolated from samples of water collected in Wind Cave, South Dakota. Ten of the samples underwent chemical extraction, a growth inhibition test, and were analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Structural analysis and identification of one secondary metabolite that demonstrated antimicrobial growth inhibition was performed. All eighteen of the fungal samples were able to be identified to the genus level using the ITS region of their DNA, however confident identification of the species level was more difficult to attain just looking at one portion of the sequence.

Landscape Genetics Of Iowa's Threatened Black Redhorse, Morganne C. Borsh

Honors Program Theses

The objectives of this study are to:

a. Characterize the genetic diversity of populations of Black Redhorse in Iowa

b. Determine the level of connectivity between populations in Iowa

Overall, this project aims to determine the degree of fragmentation of Black Redhorse populations to better direct conservation strategies. This study utilizes genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess the population genetic structure of the Black Redhorse across its range in northeast Iowa.

Phonology And Fluency: How Pronunciation Is (And Is Not) Taught In United States Esl Classrooms, Nik Hucke

Honors Program Theses

This thesis examines how explicit pronunciation instruction affects the ability to learn, understand, and produce English in non-native speakers, and how their teachers approach that instruction. The goal is to create a general overview of pronunciation teaching practices currently in use in K-12 English as a second language (ESL) classrooms in the United States and to gauge the general attitudes and approaches towards pronunciation instruction of ESL teachers. This will help create a picture of the current state of ESL pronunciation instruction in the United States, investigate the best ways to teach pronunciation as a part of a general ESL …

My Year With Digital Supremacists, Nick Baur

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Possessive Structures And Genitive Case: Spanish And English Compared, Elizabeth Kelsey

Honors Program Theses

Although possessive constructions are formed differently in Spanish as compared to English, most notably through the insertion of the preposition de as compared to the Saxon genitive ‘s, both languages require that possessive Ɵ-roles must be assigned and possessive Case must be checked when possessive constructions are formed. This research follows authors such as Picallo (1994), Antrim (2003), and Bernstein (2005) to propose that possessive Ɵ-roles and possessive Case are assigned and checked, respectively, by specific, separate functional projections, which are only generated in instances of a possessive relationship. Using the principles of minimalism, examples of Spanish and …

The Idolization Of Ada Lovelace And Its Necessity, Autumn Lauen

Honors Program Theses

Ada Lovelace is a recognizable name in the field of computer science, but few people know and truly understand why. It is common knowledge that Ada Lovelace is known as the world’s first computer programmer. A simple Google search would also show that her contributions occurred in the mid-1800s. This is where any logical person may become confused and rightfully inquire how a person in the Victorian era has become so closely associated with modern computer science. The answer to that question is exactly as complicated and disputed as expected.

Ada Lovelace’s fame stems from her work with Charles Babbage …

A Review Of The Molecular Mediators Of Host-Baculovirus Interactions In Lepidoptera, Olivia Crouse

Honors Program Theses

Iowa farmlands occupy approximately 85% of its 35.7 million acres, and Iowa leads the United States in corn and soybean production, with an estimated 2.58 billion and 502 million bushels of corn and soybean produced in 2019, respectively. This successful trend in annual yields has span forty plus years and been consequential to the simultaneous implementation of agricultural- and science-based practices. Genetically modified corn and soybean crop varieties express genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which encode insecticidal proteins that protect, with high specificity, against insect pests. While researchers continue to study the molecular mechanism(s) of Bt extensively, alternative environmentally safe …

Griffiths-Like Phase In Manganese Intercalated Tantalum Disulfide And The 3-Dimensional Ising Model, Paul White

Honors Program Theses

Transition metal dichalcogenides have gained increasing interest due to properties that make them highly attractive for fundamental studies of novel physical phenomena and for applications ranging from nanoelectronics and nanophotonics to sensing and actuation at the nanoscale.^[1] The material described in this work is composed of layers of tantalum sulfide between which manganese was deposited. The number of manganese atoms per tantalum atom is called the concentration, x. In the research that was conducted for this thesis, the Griffiths Phase of crystalline bulk Mn_0.23TaS₂ and the 3-dimensional Ising model was investigated.