Digital Commons Network^™

Whole-Genome Screening Of Newborns? The Constitutional Boundaries Of State Newborn Screening Programs, Jaime S. King, Monica E. Smith

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Novel H.265 Video Traffic Prediction Models Using Artificial Neural Networks, Collin Daly

Honors College Theses

In this work, we propose the use of non-linear, autoregressive neural network models for predicting video frame sizes. This model utilizes H.265 encoded video traces as inputs and the predicted future frame sizes as outputs. This model is developed to predict ultra-high definition video frame encoded with H.265 within IP networks. The video I, P, and B frames are predicted separately to improve model prediction accuracy. This approach is verified in MATLAB using various H.265 video traces. The results indicate that the proposed models were able to predict the video traffic fairly accurately.

Schadenfreude, The Dark Triad, And The Effect Of Music On Emotion, Robin Lane

Honors College Theses

Schadenfreude is a humorous response at the misfortune of others and has been suggested to be an empathic defense mechanism. Previous research indicates that individuals who tend to exhibit the Dark Triad personality traits narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, experience higher levels of Schadenfreude. Additional studies suggest that music modulates neural activity associated with experiencing humor. In the present study we ask, do music and dark personality traits influence Schadenfreude? Participants viewed a series of brief, randomly intermixed physical misfortune and neutral videos (e.g., a person falling off a treadmill or running on a treadmill, respectively), with either an upbeat or …

The Geologic Context Of Wonderstone: A Complex, Outcrop-Scaled Pattern Of Ironoxide Cement, Derek T. Burgess, Richard M. Kettler, David B. Loope

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although siderite is a widespread early diagenetic mineral in fluvial systems, it is unstable in oxidizing environments and destroyed in permeable rocks that experience uplift and exhumation. The products of siderite oxidation, however, (mm- to cm-scale rhombs, concretions, and complex bands of iron-oxide cement) are widespread in the rock record of fluvial systems. The fluvial channels of the Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation in southern Utah and northern Arizona, U.S.A., provide an excellent suite of examples of diagenetic features produced by Triassic and Neogene oxidation of early diagenetic siderite. These diagenetic features also provide direct evidence of the level …

Polarimetric Radar Observations Of Precipitation Type And Rate From The 2–3 March 2014 Winter Storm In Oklahoma And Arkansas, Matthew S. Van Den Broeke, Dana M. Tobin, Matthew R. Kumjian

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A powerful winter storm affected the south-central United States in early March 2014, accompanied by elevated convective cells with hail and high rates of sleet, freezing rain, and snow. During portions of the event the thermal profile exhibited a shallow surface cold layer and warm, unstable air aloft. Precipitation falling into the cold layer refroze into ice pellets and was accompanied by a polarimetric refreezing signature and numerous crowdsourced surface ice pellet reports. Quasi-vertical profiles of the polarimetric variables indicated an enhanced reflectivity factor Z_HH below the melting layer bright band and enhanced low-level differential reflectivity Z_DR values …

Accommodation Of Penetrative Strain During Deformation Above A Ductile Décollement, Bailey A. Lathrop, Caroline M. Burberry

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The accommodation of shortening by penetrative strain is widely considered as an important process during contraction, but the distribution and magnitude of penetrative strain in a contractional system with a ductile décollement are not well understood. Penetrative strain constitutes the proportion of the total shortening across an orogen that is not accommodated by the development of macroscale structures, such as folds and thrusts. In order to create a framework for understanding penetrative strain in a brittle system above a ductile décollement, eight analog models, each with the same initial configuration, were shortened to different amounts in a deformation apparatus. Models …

Risk Management In The Venture Capital Industry: Managing Risk In Portfolio Companies, Dorian Proksch, Wiebke Stranz, Andreas Pinkwart, Michael Schefczyk

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

Managing risk is one of the main activities of venture capital companies. Despite the fact that this topic is of high practical relevance, only little research was published on risk management performed by venture capital companies in their ventures. Hence, we conducted a structured literature review which was the basis for developing five hypotheses concerning measures to decrease failure risk in venture capital-backed ventures. We tested these hypotheses with an empirical data set of 93 venture capital-backed ventures in Germany using original deal data from nine different venture capital funds using a structural equation model. We showed that the experience …

Asylum And Terrorism: The Death Of Human Rights Law?, Moria Paz

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Female Athletes' Perceptions Towards Alcohol And Performance: A Psychological Approach, Stephanie Dalmacio

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Alcohol consumption amongst athletes has been a frequently debated topic with common beliefs being mostly negative. This study aimed to investigate former and active female athletes’ perceptions toward alcohol consumption prior to competition. The design used for this study was exploratory-descriptive in nature. A questionnaire was administered to 111 female athletes from 17 different countries. Since the majority of the respondents were tennis players (n = 85), results were presented for this more homogenous group. The questionnaire was comprised of 10 questions that examined demographics, perceptions regarding whether alcohol was more likely to help or hurt performance, and alcohol consumption. …

The Effect Of Participating On Service Trips On Community Engagement And Student Development, Kristofer M. Czerwiec

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Service-learning is important in the development of the individual and of the community: it enriches student learning, teaches civic responsibility, and strengthens and enhances the community. Service trips allow students to share this enrichment with communities outside their own, giving them an opportunity to experience a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and community needs. Equally important, student exposure to diverse cultures and individuals will increase personal and social development among participants. In the current study, individuals indicating higher levels of personal and social development resulting from service trips will demonstrate the importance service trips have on the development of the participants. …

Some Convergence Properties Of Minkowski Functionals Given By Polytopes, Jesse Moeller

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this work we investigate the behavior of the Minkowski Functionals admitted by a sequence of sets which converge to the unit ball ‘from the inside’. We begin in R 2 and use this example to build intuition as we extend to the more general R n case. We prove, in the penultimate chapter, that convergence ‘from the inside’ in this setting is equivalent to two other characterizations of the convergence: a geometric characterization which has to do with the sizes of the faces of each polytope in the sequence converging to zero, and the convergence of the Minkowski functionals …

Effects Of Predator Satiation On Seed Predation In New Roadside Prairie Plantings, Jessica Riebkes

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Restoration efforts in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem are inhibited by high seed cost and as little as 10% emergence of planted, pure live seed. This study examined the portion of loss due to seed predation and sought to reduce this predation in new roadside prairie plantings. Studies document the occurrence of predation in several plant communities and across all plant families, but little is known about how to reduce the impact of seed predators, especially in a restoration setting. On three sites where native prairie seed was recently drilled, we attempted to satiate seed predators by broadcasting a supplemental food …

Analysis Of The Stebi-B Instrument As It Is Used To Predict The Science Teaching Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Preservice Elementary Teachers, Martha Alice Stone

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Using the STEBI-B tool in a pre/post-test setting is common in educational research when measuring the influence of course work on the science teaching self-efficacy of preservice elementary teachers. This study was the first to use the STEBI-B in conjunction with a self-reflective tool to evaluate the influence of a required science content course on the science teaching self-efficacy of 54 preservice elementary teachers.

Concurrent collection of three sets of data happened at the beginning and at the end of an Inquiry into Earth & Space Science course designed for preservice elementary teachers. The self-reflective instrument measured science-teaching self-efficacy from …

Syntactic Structures In Dialogue: The Role Of Influence, Brenda Ellen Hite

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Genuine dialogues reflect the way that language is initially developed by providing opportunities to hear and practice language. Participants within dialogues are found to speak in similar ways through the priming effect, giving language learners continued opportunities to hear and practice a greater variety of syntactic structures. The purpose of this study was to determine if genuine dialogue, and the priming that occurs, could aid in the use and expansion of syntactic structures.

Within the context of Reading Recovery, the teacher/researcher (a female member of the dominant culture) and a single student participant (male, African American, 6- years-old) were engaged …

The Effect Of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression On The Management Of Pain Associated With Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Ashley Kay Lindahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Intermittent pneumatic compression is used for the recovery of active individuals following intense exercise with little research to support its use. This study evaluates the effectiveness of intermittent pneumatic compression on musculoskeletal pain associated with DOMS among healthy college age population. Objective: Evaluate the efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression, compared to a placebo, in the prevention of pain associated with delayed onset muscle soreness. Design: Experimental, Repeated Measure Design. Participants: Thirty healthy college-age volunteers (15 male: 21.5 ± 2.3 yrs, 179.3 ± 9.9 cm, 91.4 ± 26.4 kg; 15; female: 20.4 ± 1.5 yrs, 168.9 ± 6.9 cm, 69.1 ± …

Analyzing Winter Migration Fidelity And Movement Of The Wild Taimyr Reindeer Herd, Rangifer T. Tarandus, Emily T. Francis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Taimyr Reindeer Herd (TRH) is the largest wild reindeer population in the world, and is located in the northern central region of Arctic Russia. Previous detailed research on the spatiotemporal dynamics of this herd have been conducted involving aerial population censuses for two of the three seasons for reindeer: calving (Meerdink, 2012) and summer (Cooney, 2014). The first part of this study continues with the methods of the previous studies, analyzing the spatiotemporal fidelity of the TRH in the winter season. This was completed using geospatial analysis of digitized historical aerial census data of reindeer locations, and analyzing areas …

Biomechanical Differences In The Weightlifting Snatch Between Successful And Unsuccessful Lifts, Jack Rummells

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine what differences exist between several kinematic variables between failed and successful attempts in the snatch lift. Six female Weightlifters at the 2015 American open were measured for kinematic variables via videotape during competition. The results show that differences existed in the angle of the shoulder at peak barbell height and the catch height, along with the amount of separation between the lifter and barbell at peak height. Significant differences were also found at the angle between the barbell and lifter center of mass. This study was a first step toward understanding the …

Belief And Practice: A Self-Study, Jamie Marie Nelson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this self-study was to critically examine whether or not my beliefs about literacy are reflected in my teaching practice. In addition, it was to determine if my teaching practice aligned with six instructional elements for literacy suggested by Allington and Gabriel (2012) in their article “Every Child, Every Day.”

There were three data sources in this study. I kept a time-log for one week with an instructional calendar about my schedule for literacy instruction. At the end of each day, I wrote a post-teaching reflection. The third data source was my personal, written responses to each of …

Self-Management Of Cognitive Load In Children: Exploring Effective Strategies By Manipulating Informational Text, Marcus J. Hora

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to measure which reading comprehension strategies were most successful in allowing children to self-manage their cognitive load while reading electronic informational text. It built on previous research on cognitive load theory and teaching children self-management strategies. Participants were sixth grade students in a Midwestern suburban intermediate school.

A quantitative experiment was conducted with a control group and three experimental groups. Experimental groups were taught to highlight key words, draw arrows to show process on a diagram, or move text boxes nearer a corresponding illustration. The control group received equal time with the teacher but did not …

Three Men In The Wilderness: Ideas And Concepts Of Nature During The Progressive Era With Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot And John Muir, Jeffrey A. Duke

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

When I began this research in the summer of 2014, I endeavored to find out how Americans comprehended nature in the Progressive Era. By the Progressive Era the historian Frederick Jackson Turner declared the frontier to be closed. This notion that no wide open spaces remained to be conquered altered the American people’s attitude towards nature. The perspectives of three men who were at the forefront of environmental policy illustrate how America’s understanding of nature had changed. These three men were twenty-sixth President Theodore Roosevelt, professional forester Gifford Pinchot and naturalist John Muir. Describing the similarities and differences in these …

The Impact Of Cognitive Map Quality And Expert Testimony On Juror Decisions And Perceived Credibility Of Eyewitnesses, Justin Parker Simmons

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An eyewitness to a crime is often asked to create a hand drawn psychological map of the crime scene in terms of the placement of buildings, people, and other objects. Psychological maps, also referred to as “sketch maps,” are a physical representation of one’s mental map of a particular location. Sketch maps are often submitted as evidence and presented to jury members during trial. Information from these maps can be used to provide information such as entrance and exit into the crime scene by the perpetrator, relative distance between eyewitness and perpetrator, and other information critical to jurors’ evaluations of …

Up Close And Personal : Examining The Role Race Plays In Public Perceptions Of Law Enforcement, Olivia K. Thompson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Perceived racial biases of police officers may impact encounters with Blacks and negatively impact relations between Black communities and police officers. Understanding factors that influence public perceptions of law enforcement may help researchers and policy makers target intervention programs to improve relations. This study examined the role race plays in public perceptions of a routine traffic stop and local local law enforcement. White and Black participants, recruited at public places in a midsize city in Iowa, read a vignette about a Black or White individual who was pulled over by a White police officer. Participants then answered questions regarding whether …

Jordan Boehm In Recital, Jordan Boehm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This recital was presented in accordance with the University of Northern Iowa’s requirements for the Masters of Music degree in performance. It was held in Davis Hall on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa on February 25, 2016. Jordan Boehm, trumpet, performed with collaborators Daniel Meier, Dr. Polina Khatsko, Dr. Anthony Williams, Dr. Tina Su, and Dr. Jesse Orth. The requirements stipulate that a full-length recital (approximately sixty minutes in total duration) must be presented by the student to demonstrate ability on his instrument as well as knowledge and understanding of repertoire. To meet with expectations, the pieces …

Music As A Means Of Connecting, Understanding, And Being Understood, Michael Chase Dickerson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The recital described in this abstract is the result of an active engagement with friends and acquaintances in artistic fields—students and teachers, performers, composers, and audience members, authors, poets, and painters. Some of the pieces included are abstract, in that they are neither programmatic nor texted, but every piece is, in another sense, concrete, because my music is a representation of the creative intelligences of a community, which together produce something real and embodied. My music is intended to be a centerpiece for interaction, a means of connecting with and understanding one another in a way that is perhaps unique …

Saudi Arabian Mothers Of Children With Sickle Cell Disease As Givers Of Social Support, Fatimah Sameer Alrubh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions of mothers in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, in Qatif City when using four social support types (emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, and appraisal support) with their children who have Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Also, this study aims to understand the mothers’ roles in providing social support to children with SCD, as well as asses the types of social support that mothers used to help their children with SCD. Lastly, this study assesses the factors that influence the mothers to provide social support. A qualitative design; semi-structured interview …

Corn Stover Biochar In Gypsum Board: Empirical Analysis Of Thermal Conductivity And Flexural Strength, Albena Yordanova

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Gypsum board, an economical and durable finish material for wall and ceiling construction in the United States and worldwide, is the component with the lowest thermal performance in a typical exterior wall assembly. It also constitutes a substantial portion of construction waste in landfills, potentially creating harmful environmental effects and dangerous gases. To minimize the negative effects of fast growing construction waste of gypsum in landfills and meet higher standards for energy efficiency in construction, there is a need to explore sustainable ways of improving thermal properties of gypsum board and recycling the material. Gypsum can be recycled and used …

Lingual Pressure Generation In Relation To Saliva And Water Swallowing In Healthy Young Adults, Anna Joerger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Lingual strength and swallowing pressures have been studied extensively in dysphagia rehabilitation literature; however, little research has considered how lingual pressure generation may relate to parameters of swallowing speed and endurance. Additionally, little is known about the ability of the tongue to generate pressure to a given target, known as lingual control. This project collected measures of lingual pressure and measures of swallowing speed and endurance in 10 healthy, young adults. Specifically it explored if lingual strength or control of the anterior and posterior tongue correlate with endurance or speed during saliva and water swallowing tasks. Significant relations among lingual …

Constructions Of Arbitration’S Informalism: Autonomy, Efficiency, And Justice, Hiro Aragaki

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Does Rigorously Enforcing Arbitration Agreements Promote “Autonomy”?, Hiro Aragaki

Faculty Scholarship

In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has helped transform arbitration law into a radical private-ordering regime in which freedom of contract has come to eclipse public regulation. Arbitration jurisprudence justifies this transformation in part on a profound and longstanding commitment to the ideal of individual autonomy, understood as the freedom—lacking in litigation—to select a disputing process best suited to one’s needs. In this Article, I question the cogency of this justification. I argue, first, that autonomy has had different and sometimes conflicting meanings even within arbitration jurisprudence. Second, depending on the meaning one ascribes to autonomy, it is at …

Black-Scholes Equation And Heat Equation, Charles D. Joyner

Honors College Theses

First, we present and define the Black-Scholes equation which is used to model assets on the stock market. After that, we derive the heat equation that describes how the temperature increases through a homogeneous material. Finally, we detail how the two equations are related. We introduce and relate the Black-Scholes equation and Heat Equation.