Digital Commons Network^™

Integrating Therapy Into Play: Stand-On Ride-On For A Child With Cerebral Palsy, Kira Flanagan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the development of an adaptive ride-on toy specifically designed for a 2.5-year-old child with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. As a feasibility study, the primary objective of this innovative device is to enhance motor function, foster autonomy, and improve the overall quality of life for the child. The Power Mobility Device (PMD) integrates actuation and steering modifications, and a harness mechanism tailored to meet the child's unique needs. Comprehensive assessments of the child's spatiotemporal gait characteristics were conducted before and after a three-month usage period. The results reveal significant improvements in the child's ability to control dynamic …

Social Media News Consumption By College Students Using The Elaboration Likelihood Model, Colin Horning

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Social media usage has become a cornerstone of the everyday lives of Americans. From the years 2012 through 2021, the percentage of U.S. adults who say they use the social media platforms of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, X/Twitter and Snapchat have grown exponentially, according to data from the Pew Research Center (Auxier & Anderson, 2021). Primarily among young people (those age 18-29) social media growth share has been the most prevalent, with this age range being mostly made up of Millennials and Generation Z (or Gen Z). The same Pew Research study found stark differences in the social media …

Haunting Euramerican Memories: Rhetorical Haunting And The Diffuse Memory Of The Dakota 38+2, Noel Keil

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

How Pizza And Stickers Drove My Kids To Read And Kept Them Reading, Tiya Montaño

Graduate Research Papers

Walk into any English/Language Arts (ELA) classroom across the country and you will find books on bookshelves, students on computers or cellphones, and a teacher struggling to garner the attention of their students long enough to make it through the short story, poem, or novel they are reading. This has become an all too familiar image that ELA teachers struggle with. Why won’t the students engage? Are the readings too difficult? Are the readings too boring? Am I teaching them all wrong? All these questions and more fly through our brains as they work towards trying to get the students …

Emma Andersen, Violin, Emma Andersen

Graduate Research Papers

Emma Andersen is a dedicated performer and teacher who has performed across the Midwest as a soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra and Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra and as sectional violinist with orchestras across Minnesota, Iowa, and Indiana. She is currently studying to receive her Master of Music: Performance at the University of Northern Iowa with Dr. Nash Ryder and previously with Dr. Steve Koh. In her undergraduate at Ball State University, studying with Professor Anna Vayman, she was Concertmaster of the Fall opera for two years, won honorable mention in the Undergraduate Concerto Competition, and was an active chamber …

Experiences Of Women High School Band Directors In Iowa, Karina Kelso

Graduate Research Papers

Women high school band directors in the state of Iowa may experience teaching in secondary band programs differently than men high school band directors. Previous research has shown that women have faced many challenges in music education, particularly in teaching high school band. Four women band directors from different school class sizes and currently teaching in Iowa were interviewed about their teaching experiences to collect data using a qualitative case study design. My findings support the literature reviewed in suggesting that women band directors in secondary band programs in Iowa may be treated differently than men band directors by experiencing …

Fostering Multiliteracies And Engagement With Multimodal Texts In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Amanda J. Hargis

Graduate Research Papers

This study underscores the potential of multimodal texts to enhance student engagement and understanding in high school English Language Arts classrooms. While student preferences for different text formats varied, challenges remain in how to connect classic literature to contemporary students. However, the integration of multimodal resources can offer valuable opportunities for enriching the learning experience. Future research and continued adoption of culturally sustaining pedagogies in instructional practices will be key to maximizing the benefits of multimodal texts in diverse educational settings.

Caleb Self, Composition In A Graduate Student Recital, Caleb Self

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Student Discussion Groups On Music Preference, Abby Steffen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of three different listening conditions on how students rate their preference of musical genre. The preferences of the students could then be analyzed and incorporated into daily teaching. The participants were fifth-grade students of the researcher. Students (N = 44) were divided into three groups: Listening Only, Small Group Discussion and Teacher Info. Students in the Listening Only group listened to a playlist of music representing ten genres and rated each genre on a scale from 1(I don’t like it) to 5 (I like it a lot). Students in the …

Joley Seitz, Soprano In A Graduate Recital, Joley Seitz

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Front Matter - Table Of Contents - Preface

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Environmental Information Avoidance Motives On A U.S. Campus, Mary Beth Deline, Laura N. Rickard, Jared V. Worwood, Pei Geng, Elisabeth Reed

Iowa Journal of Communication

Although communication, broadly, is often identified as a key factor across campus sustainability initiatives, few studies have examined specific information behaviors that can affect reception of such efforts. We therefore seek to characterize motives for a key communication barrier to campus sustainability efforts: environmental information avoidance (IA), and to investigate whether these motives differ in relation to known or unknown information. This exploratory study thematically analyzed answers from an open-ended question on a questionnaire with faculty, staff and students on a U.S. university campus. We identified six environmental IA motives, ranging from information overload to efficacy constraints. Correlational analysis found …

An Unconventional Etiquette: Emily Post And Etiquette In Society, In Business, In Politics, And At Home., Jillian Klean Zwilling

Iowa Journal of Communication

In 1922, Emily Post published, Etiquette in Society, In Business, In Politics and at Home, which became a national bestseller. While other etiquette manuals had been written up to that point, none has been so successful and enduring in the American consciousness as Post’s. In this article, I explore the rhetorical strategies Post employed in creating a text that follows the conventions of an etiquette manual but breaks the convention of exclusivity generally associated with etiquette texts. I argue Post was successful because of her uniquely American approach to etiquette. The success of Post’s text can be attributed to her …

Book Review: From Thought To Action: Developing A Social Justice Orientation, Joy L. Daggs

Iowa Journal of Communication

In the second edition of From Thought to Action: Developing a Social Justice Orientation, Sanford helps to provide a framework for students’ first exposure to allyship and activism. In the preface of the book, Sanford (2024) articulates the three major purposes of the book, which include helping new allies, “a) focus on common humanity, b) feel less isolated on their social justice journey, c) figure out how to move from thought to action, either individually or collectively.” (p. xiv) The book could be used to supplement a course on Intercultural Communication, encouraging students to take their knowledge to collaborate with …

Genetic Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease Alters Perceived Executive Dysfunction In Cognitively Healthy Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Sarah A. Evans, Elizabeth R. Paitel, Riya Bhasin, Kristy A. Nielson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) may be an early indicator of future cognitive decline. However, findings comparing SCC and objective cognitive performance have varied, particularly in the memory domain. Even less well established is the relationship between subjective and objective complaints in non-amnestic domains, such as in executive functioning, despite evidence indicating very early changes in these domains. Moreover, particularly early changes in both amnestic and non-amnestic domains are apparent in those carrying the Apolipoprotein-E ɛ4 allele, a primary genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Objective:

This study investigated the role of the ɛ4 allele in the consistency between subjective …

Intrusive Traumatic Re-Experiencing Domain: Functional Connectivity Feature Classification By The Enigma Ptsd Consortium, Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez, Amit Lazarov, Sigal Zilcha-Mano, Xi Zhu, Yoojean Kim, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Intrusive traumatic re-experiencing domain (ITRED) was recently introduced as a novel perspective on posttraumatic psychopathology, proposing to focus research of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the unique symptoms of intrusive and involuntary re-experiencing of the trauma, namely, intrusive memories, nightmares, and flashbacks. The aim of the present study was to explore ITRED from a neural network connectivity connectivity perspective.

Methods

Data were collected from 9 sites taking part in the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) PTSD Consortium (n = 584) and included itemized PTSD symptom scores and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) data. We assessed the …

Comparison Of Enhanced And Standard Data Sheets On Treatment Fidelity And Data Collection For Tact Training, Mary Halbur, Jessi Reidy, Tiffany Kodak, Landon Scott Cowan, Michael Harman

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Specifically designed data sheets have been recommended to assist with the fidelity of implementation of treatment procedures. The present study extended previous research (e.g., Bottini et al. Behavior Analysis: Research & Practice 21(2), 140–152, 2021; LeBlanc et al. Behavior Analysis in Practice 13(1), 53–62, 2020) by comparing an enhanced data sheet (i.e., the inclusion of randomized targets, prompts for treatment components of securing attending and reinforcement) to a standard data sheet (i.e., targets not preset, no prompts for treatment components) on the fidelity of tact training of features. Ten behavior therapists participated in each condition (n = …

Editorial: Insights In Neurocognitive Aging And Behavior: 2022, Kristy A. Nielson, Annalena Venneri, Shin Murakami

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Sexual Minority Behavioral Health Outcomes: The Role Of Identity Authenticity And Self-Regulation., Zane B. Ballard, Debra L. Oswald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Smaller Total And Subregional Cerebellar Volumes In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Mega-Analysis By The Enigma-Pgc Ptsd Workgroup, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Although the cerebellum contributes to higher-order cognitive and emotional functions relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prior research on cerebellar volume in PTSD is scant, particularly when considering subregions that differentially map on to motor, cognitive, and affective functions. In a sample of 4215 adults (PTSD n = 1642; Control n = 2573) across 40 sites from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group, we employed a new state-of-the-art deep-learning based approach for automatic cerebellar parcellation to obtain volumetric estimates for the total cerebellum and 28 subregions. Linear mixed effects models controlling for age, gender, intracranial volume, and site were used to …

Listening To Families: Qualitative Analysis Of Family Perspectives On The Impact Of Participating In A Complex Care Program, Jessica L. Schnell, Astrida S. Kaugars, Sarah Johaningsmeir, Sara K. Quates, K. Jane Lee

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Complex Care Programs (CCPs) provide care for children with medical complexity (CMC). The broad impact of CCP participation on families is unknown. This study sought to elucidate what families value about participation in a CCP and what additional benefit families hope CCPs will provide.

Methods

Surveys from families of CMC in a CCP were collected over the course of two years. Responses were summarized for two fixed response satisfaction questions. Qualitative responses to two open-ended questions exploring CCP value were analyzed using content analysis.

Results

Most families (95% and 97%) were somewhat or very satisfied with the CCP. All …

The Impact Of Sentiment On Iowa Farmland Values By Agricultural District, Skyler Kelly

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

The Human Health Effects Of Harmful Algal Blooms In Florida: The Importance Of High Resolution Data, Andrew Bechard, Corey Lang

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been found to cause increases in healthcare visits for a variety of illnesses to humans if exposure and contact is sufficient. We use a more comprehensive dataset than previously implemented in prior literature to better isolate visits by healthcare facility type and proximity to bloom. Using a difference-in-differences model, our results suggest HABs cause an increase of 23.67 healthcare admissions per zip code per month across four HAB-related diagnoses. This impact is a 3,000% increase over baseline non-bloom times and an increase in monthly healthcare costs of about $250,000 for the entire impacted area. Our …

Cost Misperception And Voting For Public Goods, Corey Lang, Casey J. Wichman, Michael J. Weir, Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

Public good provision is often determined through referendums by voters, who weigh benefits against costs. However, perceptions of benefits and costs may be incorrect, which could in turn lead to voter error and misallocation of public goods. Using real-world referendums, we evaluate voter perceptions of the private costs of providing public goods by conducting three exit polls of New England voters and an online survey of California voters. By comparing cost perceptions to actual tax incidence, we find pervasive evidence that voters misperceive costs. Fewer than 20% of voters in our samples reported perceived costs within 25% of estimated actual …

Evaluation Of Environmentally Friendly Products For Use Against Ixodes Scapularis And Amblyomma Americanum Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae), Chantal Sengsourinho

Open Access Master's Theses

Ticks are vectors of diseases and are a significant public health concern in the United States. Over the last several decades, two medically important species, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) have rapidly expanded their geographic ranges. As the number of ticks increase, so does the chance for disease incidence - especially in areas where ticks were not previously present. Together, these two species carry multiple pathogens that can cause serious diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and several viral infections.

One of the most common methods for preventing …

Enhancing Forest Monitoring And Management In Southern New England Through Gis Analysis, Remote Sensing, And Predictive Models: Assessing Tree Mortality And Enhancing Infrastructure Resilience, Liubov Dumarevskaya

Open Access Dissertations

Forests have immense economic value, contributing to industries such as timber production, nontimber forest products, and ecotourism (Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, forest ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon sinks (Yingchun et al., 2012). However, forests also pose hazards to humans and infrastructure. Fallen trees, limbs, and contact of tree branches with power lines create numerous hazards to public safety, property damage, and substantial economic losses from power outages. Studies report that the total cost of storm-related power outages in the United States range from $20-150 billion annually (Campbell et al., 2021; Swaminathan …

An Autoethnographic Dialogue With Motherhood Literature, Maya Autret, Brad Van Eeden-Moorefield

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography represents the first author’s journey as a mother and doctoral student researching mothers’ experiences in contending with the demands of work and family. Reading across different pockets of empirical motherhood literature (work-family conflict, contemporary motherhood, maternal gatekeeping, and intensive motherhood) I became troubled by how women’s realities were reflected. Pushing back against traditional methods that endorse separating my researcher identity from my maternal self, I draw on autoethnographic method to dialogue with this literature. This approach empowers me to speak out as a novice scholar uncomfortable with aspects of literature, while also navigating training in the use of …

An Analysis Of Post-War Economic Growth In The Balkans, Edina Tahirovic

Honors Program Theses

When examining the economies of several former Yugoslav countries, presently known as the Balkans, it is essential to consider the economic development that occurred in the aftermath of the region’s civil wars. This paper analyzes the factors influencing post-war economic development in the former Yugoslav countries using statistical regression analysis of panel data collected from 2002 to 2019. In this model, I selected variables based on previous research and theories that underscored their importance. To explain post-war economic development, I tested variables such as foreign direct investments, unemployment, migration, trade, corruption, the Gini index, personal remittances, and population. The results …

Small Business Burnout: Reversing The Entrepreneurial Exit, Adele Kuruppu

Honors Program Theses

This thesis aims to review the current literature on entrepreneurial burnout, identify critical issues, evaluate and assess the research findings, and produce a plan for both new and experienced entrepreneurs to both avoid and minimize burnout. As a business and entrepreneurship student interested in opening a small business myself, I have become drawn to the topic of burnout and how it affects the family dynamic. Qualitative interviews revealed correlations between entrepreneurial characteristics and burnout as well as work-family conflict and burnout. By drawing from current literature and insight from small business owners, this study seeks to identify fundamental causes, symptoms, …

Bolt Family Papers - Accession 476, Bolt Family

Manuscript Collection

The Bolt Family Papers consist mostly with family records related to the deaths of family members. It contains several handwritten funeral announcements, several obituaries and one piece of formal correspondence dealing with the death of A.W. Green. This collection also contains two bound volumes: a Methodist Hymnal, and a family Bible with genealogical entries documenting the births, deaths, and marriages of family members. A small collection of photographs is also included. For a list of family names consult Appendix I.