Digital Commons Network^™

Young Athletes' Perceptions Of Playing Through Pain, Aubri Keesee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Throughout the early career of an athlete, they are introduced and socialized into the sport ethic culture of risk of playing through pain. The purpose of this paper was to examine factors thought to influence young athletes’ conformity to the sport ethic by playing through pain. These factors included: athletic identity, fear of failure, and perceived pressure from important others to play through pain (Jessiman-Perreault & Godley, 2016; Nixon, 1994). The researcher contacted sport club organizations, recreational clubs, and school principals to seek cooperation. Participants included 140 male and female athletes aged 11-18 years old. Participants completed the Risk of …

Investigating The Production Of Cores By Using Reclaimed Foundry Green Sand, Kristopher Lee Boss

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Increasing environmental regulations, transportation cost, delivery interruptions leading to production concerns, disposal cost, and demand from other industries have influenced the way foundry’s view used sand. The purpose of this research was to determine a beneficial reuse of overflow-green sand that would normally be disposed. The reclamation process used is a combination of mechanical and wet reclamation. The focus was on the production of foundry cold box cores and if using this reclamation process could create a core with a similar quality performance compared to new sand. Research in reclamation could pave the way for a closed loop sand system, …

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 …

Through Their Eyes: Exploring The Relationship Between College Females' Body Perceptions And Recreation Center Messaging, Sydney Leigh Ann Cindrich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The study aimed to investigate the influence that recreation center promotional messaging had on college females’ body perceptions. Body perceptions among young adult females have been linked to mental health (McKay, 2013; Miner-Rubino, Twenge, & Fredrickson, 2002). Female participants 18 to 25 years of age (N = 137, Mage = 20.41) from a mid-sized, Midwestern university completed two separate body perception questionnaires. These questionnaires assessed body appreciation (functionality) and body shame (objectification). Participants were divided into three groups and shown a collage of recreation center messages that were portraying one of three conditions (a) body functionality, (b) self-objectification, or (c) …

Master's Recital: Isaac Schwartz, Isaac Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this recital is to partially fulfill the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy, and to display musical proficiency on drum set, bass guitar, and piano. Isaac Schwartz scheduled his graduate jazz recital for April 8, 2020, at 7:30pm. Due to COVID-19 quarantine regulations, he met the alternative requirements provided by his graduate committee instead of presenting a live recital.

With seven pieces on the recital program, the recitalist will play three on drum set, and two each on piano and bass. This shows a diverse set of skills on all three instruments while …

The Impact Of Severe Mental Health On Peers In Supporting Roles: A Look At Secondary Trauma And College Students, Courtney Tripp-Stuck

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Evidence indicates directors of college counseling centers and those in student affairs roles have observed a steep increase in the number of severe mental health crises on their campuses, thereby also impacting student leaders and those in helping roles as counseling centers try to adapt to the influx of need (Kitzrow, 2003; CAS, 1999). Additionally, there is evidence to support students are more likely to turn to peers first when experiencing mental health crises than they are to seek out professional help (Drum, Brownson, Burton-Denmark, Smith, & Roberts, 2009; Gallagher, 2013). The goal of this study is to examine whether …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Impact Of The Use Of Mobile Computing On Vocabulary Learning In The Language Classroom, Lorena Harger

Graduate Research Papers

Mobile computers offer accessibility anytime and anywhere, and they are being used more and more for teaching and learning. The purpose of this review is to explore the impact of using mobile applications and devices in vocabulary learning among language learners. The review also addresses the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the use of mobile computers in the classroom. In this paper, thirty peer-reviewed journal articles published in the last eleven years were critically analyzed. From the reviewed research, it was found that using mobile computers not only enhances vocabulary learning and retention but also contributes to students’ motivation …

Portrayal Of Immigration In Fiction For Grades 4-6, Melissa N. Marwedel

Graduate Research Papers

With an increasing awareness of immigrant students in American schools, this study sought to examine current upper elementary fiction portraying immigrant characters. The purpose of this research was to discover how immigrants are currently portrayed in upper elementary literature. Through engaging with high-quality literature, native-born students could gain a perspective on the experiences of their immigrant classmates and develop empathy for them. Nine upper elementary fiction books were examined and coded for initial and emerging themes. Four major themes emerged: Importance of Family, Language Conflict, Life After Immigration, and Identity Development. This research supports classroom teachers and teacher librarians in …

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?

Culture In Transitional Chapter Books: Assimilation Or Inclusion, Jeanette P. White

Graduate Research Papers

In the context of schools experiencing an influx of students from a more diverse range of cultures, and with a goal of assisting librarians to better serve these students, this qualitative research focuses on the presence of cultural diversity in transitional chapter books and, when present, identifies whether characters modify culturally determined behaviors. The cultural diversity within books, especially transitional chapter books, can allow newly independent readers an opportunity to deepen their identification with and connection to reading. The value of identifying with a character in a book is established in prior research (Alter, 2016; Goodale, 2012; McNair & Brooks, …

Graduate Recital In Trombone, Obediah Bauer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This recital partially fulfills the requirements for the Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance. Repertoire was chosen to demonstrate a variety of musical and technical facilities in different historical settings. The program features Launy Grøndahl’s Concert Pour Trombone et Piano ou Orchestre; three movements from Gustav Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer); Enrique Crespo’s Improvisation Nr. 1 für Posaune Solo; Paul Craven’s Sonatina for Trombone and Piano; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Drei Equale für vier Posaunen.

Caregivers' Perceptions Of Literacy Toolbox For Children In Foster Care, Raelynn Meade

Honors Program Theses

At any given time, there are about 443,000 children in foster care system in the United States (Morton, 2015). When children reside in a home that lacks temporary stability or safety, foster care is a family-supported service to ensure children are placed in safe and stable homes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). At no fault to their caregivers, 35% to 73% of children in the foster care system experience language delays. This occurrence is significantly higher than the 6% to 15% seen in children who are not raised in foster care (Krier, Green, & Kruger, 2018; Stock …

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 ( …

Life And Death: Quantifying The Risk Of Heart Disease With Machine Learning, Jack Scott Glienke

Honors Program Theses

Coronary heart disease has long been a key area of focus in the discussion of public health. As such, numerous studies have been conducted throughout history with the sole intention of identifying risk factors leading to the onset of cardiovascular conditions. A plethora of statistical procedures can be used to identify an individual’s risk of developing heart disease, yet regression models tend to be the default tool used by researchers. Using the data obtained from the most influential cardiovascular study to date, the Framingham Heart Study, this analysis uses machine learning techniques to generate and test the predictive power of …

How To Create A Radically Inclusive Math Classroom With Regards To Gender And Sexual Orientation, Alexa Devore

Honors Program Theses

An extensive literature review was conducted to analyze how a secondary mathematics teacher can best support female and LGBTQ students. While extensive research has been conducted about the gender gap in STEM, concerning female students, little research has been done that includes LGBTQ students. While female students have made great improvements in mathematics participation and achievement, there is still work to be done. LGBTQ students face similar difficulties as female students but have not received the same attention and research as female students. This research indicates there are more things teachers should be doing to support students who have been …

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 …

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, …

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) …

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 …

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). …

Respiratory Differences In Spontaneous And Scripted Speech Among Bilingual Adults, Anna Irene Sagan

Honors Program Theses

This investigation explored respiratory differences between a speaker’s first language (L1) and second language (L2) during spontaneous and scripted speech in six adult bilingual speakers (two native bilingual speakers and four non-native bilingual speakers). Respiratory kinematic data using Respitrace respiratory inductance plethysmography and acoustic recordings were collected during five tasks: tidal breathing at rest, scripted speech in L1, spontaneous speech in L1, scripted speech in L2, and spontaneous speech in L2. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between proficiency and syllables produced during spontaneous speech, but no other significant differences were found among inspiratory/expiratory duration, task, proficiency or language. The …

Analysis Of Gene Expression In Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer And Investigation Of 1,2,3,4,6-Penta-O-Galloyl-Β-D-Glucopyranoside As A Therapeutic, Zachary R. Heinzman

Honors Program Theses

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers among both men and women. However, if it is detected early, there is a significant increase in the 5-year survivability of the disease1 . Currently, there are no truly efficient detection mechanisms available to detect earlystage PC when treatment options are more viable. The first objective of this project was to determine the expression levels of AHNAK2, IGHG3, EPPK1, CTHRC1, CEL, PLA2G1B, and GNMT—all known to be aberrantly expressed in PC cell lines—in early-stage PC tissue and assess the feasibility of their use as potential biomarkers for PC. To accomplish this, …

Measuring Meaningful Learning In A Chemistry Laboratory, Kylie Engstrom

Honors Program Theses

In the past, students in general chemistry classes at the University of Northern Iowa have struggled with pre-labs due to cognitive overload. To better prepare students for the lab portion of the class and to reduce the amount of cognitive load, professors can provide students with strategies to scaffold information for students. The CLUE General Chemistry curriculum, which emphasizes the use of scientific practices, paired with a new SWH/ADI hybrid laboratory model was implemented in one of the sections of CHEM 1110 in the Fall 2019 semester. The goal of including these new features was to provide more scaffolding for …

Adapting Instruments, Not Students: A Study Of Adaptive Musical Instruments, Cheyanne Maria Chapin

Honors Program Theses

The purposes of this study were to (1) create a categorized listing of adaptive instruments divided into categories that can help music therapists decide which clients can utilize them and for what purposes and (2) evaluate the anticipated enjoyment and sound rating of a select number of adaptive electronic instruments. For Part 1 of this study, children with special needs, with the help of their parents, were invited to take part in a questionnaire related to the impression of four select adaptive instruments (Light Block, Skoog, JamBoxx, SpecDrums). Participants were asked to watch videos of the four instruments and rate …

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 …

An Alternative Approach To Malware Research, Christopher James May

Honors Program Theses

Current antivirus programs have design flaws that allow malware to bypass detection. Despite this, malicious parties are usually the ones to find and exploit these flaws before they can be fixed. Therefore, a more proactive approach to malware research should become the new standard. To that end, a new programming language will be designed and created that sheds light on a couple of design flaws in current antivirus models. Fundamentally, antivirus programs have trouble detecting interpreted languages. In addition, it is suspected that antivirus programs are unable to detect an unknown programming language that is injected into another file thus …

Isso Weekly Newsletter, April 30, 2020, University Of Northern Iowa. International Students And Scholars Office.

ISSO Weekly Newsletter

Inside This Issue:
--Activities and Events
--Immigration
--Health and Wellness