Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Am I Virtually Me?: Virtual Reality And The Self, Douglas J. Frederick

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Am I Virtually Me? Virtual Reality and the Self is a theoretical discussion that examines the consequences of using Virtual Reality technology. Virtual Reality is examined as a communication medium. The theoretical foundations for this examination include Marshall McLuhan's medium theory and George Mead's Symbolic Interactionism. Drawing upon these theories, which include concepts such as consciousness, mind and self, the focus of this examination is individual expenence. A theoretical argument is constructed which views Virtual Reality as a simulation of consciousness and details two different virtual-selves which arise by using Virtual Reality technology. These virtual-selves are "the pseudo-self' and "the …

Geography Newsletter, Spring 1996, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Geography.

Geography Newsletter

Inside this issue:

-- New Geography Major With environmental Emphasis
-- Revisions fit the Program Certificate in Cartography and GIS
-- Visiting Faculty Member Spring 1996: Dr. Tunde Agbola
-- New Faculty Members to Join the Department in the Fall of 1996
-- enda L. Padovan Geography endowment Fund
-- Thematic Atlas of Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa 1990-1994
-- Recent Geography Graduates
-- Janice M. Clark Memorial Scholarship
-- Alumni Album
-- Outstanding Geography Alumnus Awards for 1995 and 1996
-- Spring Awards Banquet: Friday, April 19, 1996

A Relationship Between River Modification And Species Richness Of Freshwater Turtles In Iowa, Terry J. Vandewalle, James L. Christiansen

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Comparisons were made of turtle populations in Red Rock Reservoir and the major rivers of the Mississippi River and Missouri River damage systems in Iowa. Of the inland rivers of the Mississippi drainage examined in this study, the Des Moines River had the least amount of remaining turtle habitat. Number of turtle species ranged from five in the Des Moines River to 11 in the Mississippi River, but only three species were found in Red Rock Reservoir. In the Missouri drainage, number of turtle species ranged from three in both the Little Sioux and Nishnabotna rivers to five in the …

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Pathogenicity Of Septoria Aquilina Isolated From Black Hills Bracken, A. Gabel, C. Salazar

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Septoria aquilina, a pathogenic fungus isolated from Pteridium aquilinum growing in the Black Hills was studied from 1991-1995. S. aquilina sprayed at 8,000 conidia/ml on transplanted fronds followed by high humidity caused severe necrosis seven days after inoculation and disease severity increased until fronds died. Severe necrosis also developed from inoculations at 4,000 and 2,000 conidia/ml. Less severe symptoms developed from inoculations at 1,000 conidia/ml. Inoculations at 4,000 conidia/ml not followed by high humidity caused less necrosis than inoculations at the same concentration with high humidity. Inoculations at 4,000, 2,000, and 1,000 conidia/ml on fronds grown from spores caused similar …

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Soap Talk: The Appeal Of Soap Opera To Contemporary Female Audiences, Catherine M. Drain

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The purpose of this paper is to explain why women find contemporary television soap operas so enjoyable to consume. The primary methodology that is utilized to accomplish this purpose is a structural analysis of the eleven characteristics of soap opera proposed by communication cultural analyst Mary Ellen Brown (1994). To support this analysis, examples are taken from a currently airing television soap opera, "All My Children," which can be seen daily at noon on ABC. Implications for further study of the soap opera genre are then discussed. First, however, a brief history of soap opera and several of its contemporary …

A Potential Understory Flora For Oak Savanna In Iowa, Karl T. Delong, Craig Hooper

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Oak savanna occurred in Iowa until the time of settlement and then was degraded rapidly. There were no scientific studies of savanna prior to, or after, settlement, and now no high-quality examples exist within the state. To identify those vascular plants adapted to live in the understory of savanna we examined regional and local flora for species that occurred in both prairie and broken woodland, and for species that occurred m both openings and forest. We then compiled a detailed description of the ecological range of habitats for each of these species. We identified 252 species (39 graminoids, 183 forbs, …

Current Status Of The Plains Pocket Mouse, Perognathus Flavescens, In Iowa, Gregory M. Wilson, John B. Bowles, Justin W. Van Zee

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Published and unpublished accounts of the plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens) were utilized to document the existence of extant populations and to summarize and report additional data about the biology of this state endangered Iowa species. Populations of P. flavescens exist in western (Harrison, Monona, and Plymouth counties) and extreme eastern (adjacent portions of Louisa and Muscatine counties) Iowa, the latter of which represents the eastern-most record for the species in North America. In addition, we document a new locality for P. flavescens from the interior of the state (Benton County). All known populations of P. flavescens in Iowa occur …

An Annotated Checklist Of The Spiders Of Northwestern Iowa And The Loess Hills Of Western Iowa, Barbara J. Abraham

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Spiders were collected by the author from various habitats in 16 counties of northwestern Iowa and the loess hills of western Iowa during the summers of 1985 and 1990-1992. Additional donated specimens from the same region in 1981and1989 were identified by the author. Twenty-three families, 92 genera and 184 species have been identified.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Geochemistry Of Buried Midcontinent Rift Volcanic Rocks In Iowa: Data From Well Samples, Karl E. Seifert, Raymond R. Anderson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

We analyzed welt cores and cuttings from deep wells into Precambrian igneous rocks from five separate pacts of the buried Midcontinent Rife System in Iowa for major and trace elements. A total of 21 samples, 9 cores and 12 cuttings, were analyzed for trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and 11 of these, 9 cores and 2 cuttings, were analyzed for major elements by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis.

Book Review - The Unnatural Nature Of Science: Why Science Does Not Make (Common) Sense, David Lopatto

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A distinguished psychologist once wrote that if you wished to understand the history of scientific thought you need a psychologist at your elbow. Lewis Wolpert, Professor of Biology at University College in London, has taken that sentiment further. It seems that if you wish to understand the difference between scientific and nonscientific thinking you should delve deeply into the literature of cognitive psychology. For natural thinking, "ordinary, day-to-day common sense will never give an understanding about the nature of science." Instead, the trained scientist engages in unnatural (i.e., counterintuitive) thinking about a word that defies ordinary experience. In order to …

Index For Volume 103

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Book Review - This Fragile Land. A Natural History Of The Nebraska Sandhills, Neil P. Bernstein

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Paul Johnsguard presents a highly enjoyable and readable introduction to the natural history of the Nebraska Sandhills in his "kind of love letter to the Nebraska Sandhills and especially to their inhabitants past and present." Johnsguard calls upon 30 years of research and teaching in the region to draw together a series of essays that cover geology, ecology, ethology, and environmental issues while offering his personal perspectives on the past, present and future.

Checklist Of Instructions For Authors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Bald Eagles Wintering Along The Des Moines River, Iowa, Neil Sabine

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Distribution, habitat use, and foraging behavior of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) wintering in southeast Iowa were studied in January - March 1990 and November 1990 - March 1991. Eagles were seen from November through March with the highest numbers in January and February. Adults had shorter winter residence times than immatures and they appeared to be less active during the day. Eagles concentrated their foraging efforts along certain river segments where they fed exclusively on fish. Timber harvesting along the river reduced eagle use and is considered to be the most serious threat to sustaining eagle use of the area. …

Life History And Status Classifications Of Birds Breeding In Iowa, Louis B. Best, Kathryn E. Freemark, Barbara S. Steiner, Timothy M. Bergin

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Life history and status classifications were compiled for 145 bird species that breed in Iowa. Species were classified by food type and substrate, nest substrate, susceptibility to cowbird parasitism, migratory status, predominant habitat use and habitat-use specialization, body mass (an index of home range/territory size), area sensitivity, population trend and vulnerability, and beneficial/harmful aspects in relation to agriculture. Such information may be used to make interspecific comparisons, evaluate interrelationships among life history and status characteristics, and provide insights into the interpretation of previous research. This synthesis also can aid those responsible for making conservation and management decisions about Iowa's avifauna.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The Natural History Of Aconitum Noveboracense Gray (Northern Monkshood), A Federally Threatened Species, Margaret A. Kuchenreuther

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Aconitum noveboracense Gray (Ranunculaceae), commonly known as northern monkshood, is a federally threatened herbaceous perennial that occurs in disjunct populations in Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and New York. It appears to be a glacial relict, existing today only in unique areas with cool, moist microenvironments, such as algific talus slopes. Field studies reveal that A. noveboracense has a complex life history. Perennation of individual plants occurs through the annual production of daughter tubers. Vegetative reproduction is commonly observed, and can occur by means of aerial and subterranean bulbils, as well as by development of adventitious root buds. Populations also reproduce sexually …

Awards And Recognition, Iowa Academy Of Science, 1996

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

School Library Media Centers Overdue Circulation Policies And Practices, Joyce Keeling

Graduate Research Papers

This descriptive study focused on overdue circulation policies and practices as found in Iowa elementary and secondary school library media centers. A questionnaire was sent to randomly selected Iowa school elementary and secondary library media specialists, with a seventy-seven percent response rate. Results showed that secondary library media specialists preferred collecting fees but elementary library media specialists were opposed. All school library media specialists used reminders, both written and oral; collected replacement fees for unreturned materials; and restricted borrowing privileges of patrons to encourage the return of materials.

An Argument For The Nationalization Of Railroad Rights-Of-Way, John T. Flint

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Transportation is a crucial element in any economy. With such a large portion of the United States' economy centered around transportation, an efficient system of moving goods would be in the nation's best interest.

Competitive markets are the most effective mechanism for allocating resources efficiently. An efficient transportation system, therefore, would be one where competition among carriers is the norm. 1

Enormous infrastructure costs prohibit new railroads from entering the market, and prevent existing railroads from competing with trucks for freight transportation revenues. This paper focuses on the lack of competition in the railroad industry and attempts to demonstrate why …

Subliminal Advertising: The Commercial Appropriation Of The Unconscious, Brian D. Williams

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Subliminal advertising refers to the use of subliminal techniques by mass media and what these media messages are doing to society. A secret technology has existed and been in widespread use for decades which modifies consumer's behavior invisibly, channels basic value systems, and manages to drive much bigger segments of the population into certain pathological behaviors.

Youth-Serving Agency's Prevention And Intervention Programs For Gangs, Julianne Gassman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe the perception of directors of youth-serving agencies on what prevention and intervention programs have been implemented by youth-serving agencies in eastern Iowa. Directors of youth-serving agencies in the following cities in Iowa answered the questionnaire (Gang Program Assessment Questionnaire): Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Coralville, Adel, Ankeny, Bondurant, Indianola, Johnston, Knoxville, Nevada, Newton, Pella, Pleasant Hill, Ames, Des Moines, Makquoketa, and Urbandale.

The Gang Assessment Program Questionnaire was used to analyze the extent to which gangs were perceived as active in each city as well as expectations for …

Characteristics Of Batterers Convicted Of Domestic Abuse In The Batterers’ Education Reform, Jacquelyn E. Powell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The information obtained from this study will give an indication as to whether the abusers in this area share common characteristics of the abuser. By identifying these characteristics, it may be possible to target individuals prone to practice abusive behavior, and possibly interrupt the cycle by intervening with education and prevention strategies to combat the problem.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain selected characteristics of males convicted of domestic abuse in the Black Hawk County's Batterers' Education Program. The study was to identify selected characteristics of participants court-ordered to attend the Batterers' Education Program. The study investigated demographical …