Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Signal Ambiguity And Signal Location On Target Detection Under Varying Degrees Of Time Constraint, Kimberly E. Culley

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of decision-making strategies and tendencies, time constraint, and signal characteristics on decision-making performance utilizing the fuzzy signal detection theory framework. Participants were tasked with deciding whether x-ray images of passenger luggage contained hazardous objects.

The first objective of the study was to develop a methodology for quantifying optimizing versus satisficing tendencies in decision making through direct measurement and observation.

The second objective of the study was to examine how time constraint and specific signal characteristics contribute to decision making. Interestingly, despite having more time available to conduct a comprehensive …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Mental Health Professionals Considered Effective In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Bonita H. Erb

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that has been documented in medical and mental health literature for over 100 years (Still, 1902). ADHD is a neurobiological based disorder characterized by three major symptoms identified at clinical levels and validated by diagnostic criteria established for the diagnosis of children before the age of seven (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 th edition-Text Revision; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The three diagnostic criteria are inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that have been observed at clinical levels.

Because many signs of the disorder were believed to discontinue …

Burkean Framing Of The University Of Northern Iowa Budget Crisis, Joshua E. Young

Iowa Journal of Communication

Many studies have employed the use of Kenneth Burke's framing methodology to explain a plethora of communication events. Few, however, track changes in those frames. Of those studies tracking frame changes, none articulate how those changes happen through Burke's frames of transition. This essay uses previous scholarship and Burke's transition frames to explain framing of the 2009-2012 budget crisis at the University of Northern Iowa. Stake holders at UNI were faced with huge deficits and were forced to make cuts to remain financially solvent. Instead of framing the issue in the comic frame where the budget would have been seen …

Convergence Analysis Of Markov Chain Monte Carlo Linear Solvers Using Ulam--Von Neumann Algorithm, Hao Ji, Michael Mascagni, Yaohang Li

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The convergence of Markov chain--based Monte Carlo linear solvers using the Ulam--von Neumann algorithm for a linear system of the form x = Hx + b is investigated in this paper. We analyze the convergence of the Monte Carlo solver based on the original Ulam--von Neumann algorithm under the conditions that ||H|| < 1 as well as ρ(H) < 1, where ρ(H) is the spectral radius of H. We find that although the Monte Carlo solver is based on sampling the Neumann series, the convergence of Neumann series is not a sufficient condition for the convergence of the Monte Carlo solver. Actually, properties of H are not the only factors determining the convergence of the Monte Carlo solver; the underlying transition probability matrix plays an important role. An improper selection of the transition matrix may result in divergence even though the condition ||H|| <1 holds. However, if the condition ||H|| < 1 is satisfied, we show that there always exist certain transition matrices that guarantee convergence of the Monte Carlo solver. On the other hand, if ρ(H) <1 but ||H|| ≥ 1, the Monte Carlo linear solver may or may not converge. In particular, if the row sum ∑ n/j= 1|H_ij > 1 for every row in H or, more generally, ρ(H⁺) >1, where H⁺ is the nonnegative matrix where H+_ij = |H_ij|, we show that transition matrices leading to convergence of the Monte Carlo solver do not exist. Finally, given …

A Technical Framework For Resource Synchronization, Martin Klein, Robert Sanderson, Herbert Van De Sompel, Simeon Warner, Bernhard Haslhofer, Carl Lagoze, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This is the second paper in D-Lib Magazine about the ResourceSync effort conducted by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the Open Archives Initiative (OAI). The first part provided a perspective on the resource synchronization problem and introduced a template that organized possible components of a resource synchronization framework in a modular manner. This paper details a technical framework devised using that template.

Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Fashioning Race, Class, And Gender: A Critique Of Dior's 2007 "Oriental" Collection, Keeley M. Buehler Hunter

Iowa Journal of Communication

This project seeks to parse out the connections between consumption and identities by focusing on the effects of the way fashion represents Asian culture and identities, examining how consuming fashion represents, and consequently shapes and limits, Asian-American identities. To this end, the work critically examines Dior's 2007 Spring/Summer fashion collection and the blogger/media conversations that contextualize this collection. The author evaluates the praise and criticisms of this collection with attention to fashion's portrayal of race/ethnicity, class, and gender as viewers consume the product, the art, or the spectacle of fashion and also a culture. The author argues high fashion, as …

Student Reward Programs In Collegiate Athletics, Danielle N. Bakken

Graduate Research Papers

Incentive marketing is becoming increasingly popular among many brands, companies, and even sports teams. Incentive marketing uses motivational campaigns to promote the consumption or sale of merchandise or services. It encourages consumers to become repeat buyers and/or to become more loyal toward a specific product, brand, or company. An aspect of incentive marketing that is emerging within the sports industry is reward programs; specifically with students of universities or colleges. The goals of student reward programs include increasing awareness and attendance of all athletic events on campus, as well as the possibility of students remaining loyal and purchasing season tickets …

Philanthropy And Health Care Reform: An Examination Of The Pertinent Literature Of Philanthropy And Healthcare And How The Two Should Intersect In Today’S Dynamic Healthcare Environment, Mayme Patthoff

Graduate Research Papers

Many factors are diminishing the reimbursements hospitals receive from private (corporate) and public (Medicare and Medicaid) sources. To remain competitive while dealing with these factors, medical centers have begun looking for alternative funding sources to make up for lost revenues. Supplemental funding is needed to advance patient care, conduct innovative research, and educate the next generation of healthcare workers. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review to explore how healthcare systems across the country are thinking about philanthropy and implementing strategic development practices to gain and retain grateful patients and community donors to ensure the …

Preferred Instructional Design Strategies For Preparation Of Pre-Service Teachers Of Integrated Stem Education, Amanda Shackleford Roberts

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the preferred instructional design strategies for the preparation of pre-service teachers who will deliver integrated STEM lessons. The research objectives were threefold and included identifying a preferred definition of integrated STEM education, developing its purpose statement, and creating a list of instructional design strategies that could be used for designing, planning, delivering, and assessing integrated STEM instruction.

The Delphi method was selected as the optimum approach for data collection, since STEM education is still a growing phenomenon lacking consensus in its interpretations of meaning and practice. Gaining group consensus from expert teacher …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2012/2013, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Some Comparisons
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-Time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted 2012/13
--- Degree Summary 2012/13
--- Program Certificates 2012/13
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree and Racial/Ethnic Classification

The Economic Impact Of Des Moines Parks & Recreation Services, Kristine Fleming, Oksana Grybovych, Brian Gedlinske, Wade P. Kooiman, Jill Lankford, Sam Lankford

Other Faculty and Staff Publications

Park and recreation programs provided by the City of Des Moines deliver services that have a range of benefits or values to residents, businesses, economy, and local government. Many of these benefits are often overlooked and rarely quantified. The purpose of this effort is to quantify the economic value received due to the operation of the City of Des Moines’ Parks and Recreation Department. These values are arranged to reflect factors that produce revenue for the city government, wealth increasing factors for citizens and businesses, cost saving factors to citizens, and cost saving factors for the city government.

Included in …

Gender, Difference And Urban Change: Implications For Promotion Of Well-Being?, Julian Walker, Alexandre A. Frediani, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

This article examines the impacts of urban change on the well-being of women and men, and girls and boys, living in cities, and explores how gender intersects with other social relations to differentiate these impacts. It then considers the implications of intersectionality for organisations aiming to promote the interests of specific social groups (such as women, or people with disabilities) vis-a-vis urban change by looking at the experience of Leonard Cheshire’s Asha project, working with girls and boys with disabilities in Mumbai. It concludes that organisations working to promote the interest of identity based constituents should (a) base their strategies …

Virtual Assembly, John D. Inazu

Scholarship@WashULaw

This Article provides one of the first scholarly considerations of the constitutional boundaries for online groups. It explores both why and how we should protect these groups by asking two related questions. The first question is theoretical: do online groups implicate the kinds of values that warrant elevated constitutional protection. The second question is doctrinal: what is the best framework for providing constitutional protection to these groups. The Article argues that we should protect online groups because they advance important First Amendment values and because the line between our offline and our online groups is collapsing. Turning to the doctrinal …

University Of Northern Iowa Graduating Senior Survey Report 2012-2013, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

2012-2013 Survey Highlights --- 1

Survey Administration --- 2

Distribution of Respondents by College --- 3

Plans Following Graduation --- 4

Characteristics of Respondents --- 6

Institutional Summary of Results --- 8

Summary of Responses by College --- 10

Multiple Year Comparison --- 18

Appendix A --- 26

Contents And Containers: Exploring Space With Infants And Toddlers [Infants-Toddlers], Regents’ Center For Early Developmental Education

STEM Experiences for Classrooms

No abstract provided.

Possessing Brazil In Print, 1630-54, Elizabeth Sutton

Faculty Work

The maps of Brazil published during the tenure of the Dutch Republic’s possession of the territory (1630–54) share common features that demonstrate how existing conventions in rhetoric and iconography were used by publishers to convey Dutch ownership. In the maps, the land was visually controlled by ground plans distinguishing cultivated and occupied lands from uncultivated, unoccupied territory, and the texts drew upon contemporary legal and engineering theories developed from antique precedents. Texts and images of Pernambuco published by Claes Jansz Visscher and by Joan Blaeu served as important means for defining the Dutch nation by reinforcing Dutch conceptions of property …

Motivational Changes In Reading Recovery Children: A Pre And Post Analysis, Salli Forbes, Susan King Fullerton

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

This investigation set out to determine whether Reading Recovery students demonstrate positive responses in regard to motivational constructs of self-concept, competence beliefs, and/or valuing of reading within Reading Recovery.

Academic Librarianship And Career Adaptability, Tara Baillargeon, Aaron H. Carlstrom

Library Faculty Research and Publications

The inspiration for this essay is Barbara Fister’s assertion that librarians must embrace functions that have not traditionally been part of the academic librarian’s portfolio. We shall examine the need for career adaptability in librarianship and use a case study to illustrate the four attributes librarians need to develop to ensure career adaptability. The case study involved collaboration between Kansas State University (KSU) Libraries, an agronomy professor, and the Global Research Alliance to develop an open access croplands research database. We will draw upon the field of vocational psychology to discuss career adaptability and ways librarians can develop the traits …

Blood Diamonds And Non-State Actors, Ian Smillie

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The KPCS is a unique undertaking. It has all of the bells and whistles required to be an effective watchdog for an industry prone to theft, corruption, smuggling, and violence. It currently has the power of law in almost eighty national jurisdictions, and it has the blessing of the United Nations and the WTO. It is tripartite in nature, encompassing a wide range of important industry players and civil society organizations from Europe, North America, and Africa.

It is something of a tragedy, however. Its consensus decision making process has turned it into a dozy talk shop--unwilling and unable to …

Attainable Arts Integration In The Elementary School Classroom, Anneliese Gentzsch

Honors Program Theses

Arts Integration is an education philosophy that advocates for educating the whole child in a way that will prepare him or her for life outside the classroom. Arts Integration can effectively do this because it makes art, which is seen everywhere in the world around people, an essential part of the classroom. In an Arts Integration classroom, the arts are integrated with mathematics, science, social studies, and reading. Arts Integration teachers strive to authentically incorporate music, drama, the visual arts, dance, and literature into their classrooms on a daily basis. When teachers authentically incorporate the arts into the classroom, the …

Sequencing A Dna Polymerase Alpha Gene In Thermomyces Lanuginosus, Sonia Tien-Yang Han

Honors Program Theses

DNA polymerases are present in all living organisms and it is expected that there should be a reasonable degree of conservation, or similarity in how the polymerases function, between species. This makes the possibility of developing treatments using DNA polymerase more likely, as the treatment would not necessarily depend on using human DNA as the base material, which would be more expensive. However, this cannot be known unless there is a reasonable number of DNA sequences available from multiple species to analyze. This is a growing research, but the majority of sequences known are from mammals. Currently there is very …

Does Baby Sign Open The Door To Second Language Learning?, Nicole A. Hulme

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to determine the relationship between an infant's acquisition of Baby Sign and their ability to acquire a second language later in life. An explanation of why infancy is a critical time for language development will be presented and information about the impact of Baby Sign on an infant's development will be provided. There are many research and popular claims regarding Baby Sign that will be discussed, in addition to research findings concerning second language learning. Based on this research, conclusions about the connection between Baby Sign and second language learning will be drawn …

Memories Of College Hill: A Historical View, Emily Marie O'Loughlin

Honors Program Theses

A thesis project," ... gives Honors students the opportunity to explore a scholarly area of interest and engage in original research or creative work under the guidance of a faculty member." Typically, a history or philosophy student will write a thesis paper on a topic of personal or academic interest. I was interested in pursuing a more creative option, which complemented my intention of pursuing work in the field of public history after I graduate. This interest, combined with previous volunteer work in museums and a desire to learn more about museum work, led to the decision to produce an …

Analysis Of Mathematical Descriptions Of Gravitational Microlensing, Sarah Michelle Pearce

Honors Program Theses

This thesis will provide an analysis of some aspects of gravitational microlensing and the quantitative descriptions used to model the astrophysical systems involved. One aspect of the mathematical description of micro lensing events that is investigated in this thesis is the evolution of micro lensing equations from the formalism of general relativity. The derivation of these equations from those governing general relativity and the bending of light rays in geometric optics is explicitly determined. The relationship between the equations used to model events and the light curves produced is investigated. The effect of degeneracies in the mathematical equations used to …

English-Only Legislation: The Iowa Story, Kari Lien

Honors Program Theses

This project will discuss the recent history of English-Only legislation in Iowa. Common opinions about English-Only legislation will be shared, including quotations from individuals on both sides of the English-Only debate. Finally, this project will examine the way Iowa's story of English-Only legislation raises questions about the future of this legislation in Iowa as well as the nation.

The Beliefs Of University Of Northern Iowa Preservice Teachers About Gifted And Talented Learners, Caitlyn E. Reighley

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the beliefs about Gifted and Talented (GT) learners held by preservice teachers at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). These beliefs, once identified, will be compared with those of other preservice teachers as reported in current literature.

The "Tragedy" Of Down Syndrome: Is It Really So Tragic?, Ashley A. Richardson

Honors Program Theses

All of these factors prove that something needs to be done to educate the general public and medical professionals on the topic of Down syndrome. Because of this misinformation, Down syndrome is not being presented as simply part of the child but rather as the child's identity. Following this diagnosis, many parents question whether or not they would be able to raise a child with Down syndrome and are being forced to decide whether it is best to keep the child, give the newborn up for adoption, or terminate the pregnancy. Such drastic measures result from misinformation. These common misconceptions …

Equivalences Of Dessins D'Enfants, Rachel M. Volkert

Honors Program Theses

Dessins d'enfants are bipartite graphs with a cyclic ordering given to the set of edges that meet at each vertex. Merling and Perlis presented a method by which to construct pairs of dessins d'enfants using the permutations induced by the action of a finite group on the cosets of two locally conjugate subgroups of that group. They called these pairs of dessins Gassmann equivalent and investigated some of their properties. First, we discuss several properties of pairs of dessins that imply Gassmann equivalence. Then, using elementwise conjugate subgroups, we introduce and investigate a weaker type of equivalence of dessins, which …

Gaining Perspective: Student Learning Perceptions Of The Role Of Tesol Principles In Their English-Learning Experiences, Danielle Christine Westcot

Honors Program Theses

Therefore, the present project concentrates on the student perspective in the ESOL classroom by surveying upper-level or recently graduated students of an intensive English program at a university in the Midwest. The project set out to gather student reflections regarding a set of research-based principles that have become prevalent in the field of TESOL, in order to understand if these principles fit into students' learning experiences in ESOL classrooms. The goal of this study was to determine 1) whether or not students have come to value TESOL principles in their language learning experience and 2) whether or not students have …