Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting The Child Welfare Workforce During The Coronavirus Pandemic: Addressing Worker Stress And Trauma, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Studies and our own assessment of secondary trauma in the eight QIC-WD study sites indicate that up to 75% of child welfare caseworkers, especially those with high caseloads and exposure to traumatized families and children, are at risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress and PTSD. The Coronavirus pandemic exacerbated an already beleaguered workforce. Data from previous pandemics is alarming. Research from the SARS pandemic indicates that survivors often developed PTSD which could last for many years. Those most affected were health care workers who, similar to child welfare workers, were impacted by the social isolation imposed by authorities to contain …

An Analysis Of The Behaviors Used By Physicians And (Pre)Medical Students To Cope With Stress, Carter Bracht

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Physicians (both practicing and resident) in the U.S. are experiencing high rates of burnout and mental health issues because of the stressors related to their career and the lack of coping mechanisms in practice by these physicians. As a population, physicians normalize internalization of their stress as members of a “proud” community. This study sought to examine the positive, negative, and positive addiction coping mechanisms that physicians use to relieve job-related stress using the following coping domains: emotion-oriented, task-oriented, and avoidance-oriented coping. We further sought to examine stressors and coping mechanisms that are introduced in (pre)medical school and how they …

A Commonly Forgotten Tool In Retirement Planning: Health Savings Accounts, Austin Duerfeldt

Cornhusker Economics

Many individuals are aware of IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and others when starting to build their retirement portfolio. These plans all have their benefits and drawbacks that need to be accounted for. What surprises many is there is another tool that you may be qualified for and are underutilizing. A Health Savings Accounts commonly referred to as an HSA, has some interesting possibilities that could be useful. An HSA is a type of savings account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualifying medical expenses. While you cannot generally use this money saved …

Supporting The Child Welfare Workforce During The Coronavirus Pandemic: Technology, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The child welfare workforce is responsible for ensuring children’s safety and well-being, delivering treatment, and intervention services to families. Workers must document child and family information, service plans, and visit records in secure data systems, that are often only accessible from an office. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many states had to rapidly pivot to remote technology to conduct mandatory visits of children in foster care and engage in supervised visitation between children and their families. They also had to determine how to provide oversight of treatment and intervention services required through case plans even though many provider services had …

Testing A Global Standard For Quantifying Species Recovery And Assessing Conservation Impact, Molly K. Grace, H Resit Akcakaya, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Thomas M. Brooks, Anna Heath, Simon Hedges, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Michael Hoffmann, Axel Hochkirch, Richard Jenkins, David A. Keith, Barney Long, David P. Mallon, Erik Meijaard, E.J. Milner-Gulland, Jon Paul Rodriguez, P J. Stephenson, Simon N. Stuart, Richard P. Young, Pablo Acebes, Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto, Silvia Alvarez-Clare, Raphali Rodlis Andriantsimanarilafy, Marina Arbetman, Claudio Azat, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Ruchi Badola, Luis M.D. Barcelos, Joao Pedro Barreiros, Sayanti Basak, Danielle J. Berger, Sabuj Bhattacharyya, Gilad Bino, Paulo A.V. Borges, Raoul K. Boughton, H Jane Brockmann, Hannah L. Buckley, Ian J. Burfield, James Burton, Teresa Camacho-Badani, Luis Santiago Cano-Alonso, Ruth H. Carmichael, Christina Carrero, John P. Carroll, Giorgos Catsadorakis, David G. Chapple, Guillaume Chapron, Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Louw Claassens, Donatella Cogoni, Rochelle Constantine, Christie Anne Craig, Andrew A. Cunningham, Nishma Dahal, Jennifer C. Daltry, Goura Chandra Das, Niladri Dasgupta, Alexandra Davey, Katharine Davies, Pedro Develey, Vanitha Elangovan, David Fairclough, Mirko Di Febbraro, Giuseppe Fenu, Fernando Moreira Fernandes, Eduardo Pinheiro Fernandez, Brittany Finucci, Rita Foldesi, Catherine M. Foley, Matthew Ford, Michael R.J. Forstner, Nestor Garcia, Ricardo Garcia-Sandoval, Penny C. Gardner, Roberto Garibay-Orijel, Marites Gatan-Balbas, Irene Gauto, Mirza Ghazanfar Ullah Ghazi, Stephanie S. Godfrey, Matthew Gollock, Benito A. Gonzalez, Tandora D. Grant, Thomas Gray, Andrew J. Gregory, Roy H.A. Van Grunsven, Marieka Gryzenhout, Noelle C. Guernsey, Garima Gupta, Christina Hagen, Christian A. Hagen, Madison B. Hall, Eric Hallerman, Kelly Hare, Tom Hart, Ruston Hartdegen, Yvette Harvey-Brown, Richard Hatfield, Tahneal Hawke, Claudia Hermes, Rod Hitchmough, Pablo Melo Hoffmann, Charlie Howarth, Michael A. Hudson, Syed Ainul Hussain, Charlie Huveneers, Helene Jacques, Dennis Jorgensen, Suyash Katdare, Lydia K.D. Katsis, Rahul Kaul, Boaz Kaundra-Arara, Lucy Keith-Diagne, Daniel T. Kraus, Thales Moreira De Lima, Ken Lindeman, Jean Linsky, Edward Louis Jr., Anna Loy, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Jeffrey C. Mangel, Paul E. Marinari, Gabriel M. Martin, Gustavo Martinelli, Philip J.K. Mcgowan, Alistair Mcinnes, Eduardo Teles Barbosa Mendes, Michael J. Millard, Claire Mirande, Daniel Money, Joanne M. Monks, Carolina Laura Morales, Nazia Noareen Mumu, Raquel Negrao, Anh Ha Nguyen, Nazmul Hasan Niloy Md., Grant Leslie Norbury, Cale Nordmeyer, Darren Norris, Mark O'Brien, Gabriela Akemi Oda, Simone Orsengio, Mark Evan Outerbridge, Stesha Pasachnik, Juan Carlos Perez-Jimenez, Charlotte Pike, Fred Pilkington, Glenn Plumb, Rita De Cassia Quitete Portela, Ana Prohaska, Manuel G. Quintana, Eddie Fanantenana Rakotondrasoa, Dustin H. Ranglack, Hassan Rankou, Ajay Prakash Rawat, James Thomas Reardon, Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz, Stephen C. Richter, Malin C. Rivers, Luke Rollie Rogers, Patricia Da Rosa, Paul Rose, Emily Royer, Catherine Ryan, Yvonne J. Sadovy De Mitcheson, Lily Salmon, Carlos Henrique Salvador, Michael J. Samways, Tatiana Sanjuan, Amanda Souza Dos Santos, Hiroshi Sasaki, Emmanuel Shutz, Heather Ann Scott, Robert Michael Scott, Fabrizio Serena, Surya P. Sharma, John A. Shuey, Carlos Julio Polo Silva, John P. Simaika, David R. Smith, Julia L.Y. Spaet, Shanjida Sultana, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Vikash Tatayah, Philip Thomas, Angela Tringali, Hoang Trinh-Dinh, Chongpi Tuboi, Aftab Alam Usami, Aida M. Vasco-Palacios, Jean-Christophe Vie, Jo Virens, Alan Walker, Bryan Wallace, Lauren J. Waller, Hongfeng Wang, Oliver R. Wearn, Merlijin Van Weerd, Simon Weigmann, Daniel Willcox, John Woinarski, Jean W.H. Yong, Stuart Young

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics (conservation legacy, …

Workforce Scorecards, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

What Is a Child Welfare Workforce Scorecard?

A Workforce Scorecard is a tool that can be used to track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to workforce outcomes of interest. This approach is derived from the balanced scorecard (Kaplan & Norton, 1992) and HR scorecard (Becker, Huselid, & Ulrich, 2001) strategic planning tools. The process involves linking key strategic goals to workforce-related initiatives and KPIs to demonstrate the alignment between the outcomes being measured and overarching child welfare strategic goals. The scorecard allows agency leaders to monitor progress towards key HR and workforce objectives. The scope of the scorecard can be …

Understanding Perceptions Of Quality Among Early Childhood Education Stakeholders In Tanzania And Lesotho: A Multiple Qualitative Case Study, Dawn Davis, Debra Miller, Dorothy Mrema, Moikabi Matsoai, Ntsoaki Mapetla, Abbie Raikes, Anna Burton

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Recent global efforts around early childhood education (ECE) have led to increased investments and access, especially in low- and middle-income countries (UNESCO, 2019). As access grows, focus has shifted from enrollment to quality (Gove, 2017). This paper explores how ECE stakeholders in Tanzania and Lesotho define ECE quality. Findings show that stakeholders define quality in similar ways, highlighting the importance of trained teachers who implement specific teaching practices, strong partnerships with families and the community, critical infrastructure, and government support. However, review of the country contexts found that current conditions and support for these quality indicators were lacking.

Tomorrow Is The Worst Day Since Yesterday, Matthew Carlson

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Susan Sontag wrote: “Illness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other space”.

This work addresses aspects of that citizenship. I used my experiences as a person living with a disability and as a parent to a son with Autism to explore the dichotomy of this dual citizenship. The …

Do Long-Term Conservation Pasture Management Practices Influence Microbial Diversity And Antimicrobial Resistant Genes In Runoff?, Yichao Yang, Amanda J. Ashworth, Lisa M. Durso, Mary Savin, Jennifer M. Debruyn, Kimberly Cook, Philip A. Moore Jr, Philip R. Owens

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Runoff from land-applied manure and poultry litter is one mechanism by which manure-borne bacteria are transported over large distances in the environment. There is a global concern that antimicrobial resistant (AMR) genes may be transmitted through the food chain from animal manures to soil to surface water. However, details are lacking on the ecology of AMR genes in water runoff as well as how conservation management practices may affect the runoff microbiome or minimize the movement of AMR genes. The aim of this study was to identify microbial community structure and diversity in water runoff following 14-years of poultry litter …

Pedagogical Agents, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are pedagogical agents?

Pedagogical agents are “lifelike characters presented on a computer screen that guide users through multimedia learning environments” (Clarebout & Heidig, 2012, p. 2568). Pedagogical agents can vary in multiple ways. The following characteristics have been most studied: appearance (two-dimensional [2D] vs. three-dimensional [3D]), eye gaze, facial expression, gesturing, motion, and gender. The simplest pedagogical agent would be a static, 2D image with just text, and a complex agent would be a dynamic, 3D person or character that talks, gestures, and has eye movements and facial expressions.

Why are pedagogical agents valuable?

Pedagogical agents are valuable because …

Using Enclosed Y-Mazes To Assess Chemosensory Behavior In Reptiles, M. Rockwell Parker, Andrea F. Currylow, Eric A. Tillman, Charlotte J. Robinson, Jilian M. Josimovich, Isabella M.G. Bukovich, Lauren A. Nazarian, Melia G. Nafus, Bryan M. Kluever, Amy A. Yackel Adams

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reptiles utilize a variety of environmental cues to inform and drive animal behavior such as chemical scent trails produced by food or conspecifics. Decrypting the scent-trailing behavior of vertebrates, particularly invasive species, enables the discovery of cues that induce exploratory behavior and can aid in the development of valuable basic and applied biological tools. However, pinpointing behaviors dominantly driven by chemical cues versus other competing environmental cues can be challenging. Y-mazes are common tools used in animal behavior research that allow quantification of vertebrate chemosensory behavior across a range of taxa. By reducing external stimuli, Y-mazes remove confounding factors and …

The Importance Of Managerial Positions In The Agile Development Process, Adam Gray

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In software engineering, the Agile development process is becoming one of the most effective methods to handle the issues of continuous change and fast development. However, there are still some perceived issues that many Agile developers face, and a lot of these issues can seemingly stem from their managers. For example, it may seem like the manager is not always up-to-date on the various aspects of the project, or that they have closed off their mind to new ideas. In this paper, we include an in-depth analysis of the various managerial positions that can be found in the Agile development …

Relationships Among Intramammary Health, Udder And Teat Characteristics, And Productivity Of Extensively Managed Ewes, Ryan M. Knuth, Whitney C. Stewart, Joshua B. Taylor, Bledar Bisha, Carl J. Yeoman, Megan L. Van Emon, Thomas W. Murphy

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Mastitis is an economically important disease and its subclinical state is difficult to diagnose, which makes mitigation more challenging. The objectives of this study were to screen clinically healthy ewes in order to 1) identify cultivable microbial species in milk, 2) evaluate somatic cell count (SCC) thresholds associated with intramammary infection, and 3) estimate relationships between udder and teat morphometric traits, SCC, and ewe productivity. Milk was collected from two flocks in early (<5 >d) and peak (30 to 45 d) lactation to quantify SCC (n = 530) and numerate cultivable microbial species by culture-based isolation followed by matrix-assisted laser …

Wpa News 114 (2021), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2021), number 114

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Intervention Background, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

What is the intervention and why was it selected? The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) conducted a comprehensive needs assessment with nine participating Ohio counties in partnership with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). The assessment revealed that organizational culture and climate across counties was above average in rigidity and resistance, and below average in engagement. In addition, over half of staff had recently experienced elevated levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS) symptoms. Supervision was also identified as a challenge at every level of the agencies (i.e., from directors to managers, managers to frontline supervisors, …

Locus Of Heat Resistance (Lhr) In Meat-Borne Escherichia Coli: Screening And Genetic Characterization, Manita Guragain, Dayna M. Brichta-Harhay, James L. Bono, Joseph M. Bosilevac

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Microbial resistance to processing treatments poses a food safety concern, as treatment tolerant pathogens can emerge. Occasional foodborne outbreaks caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli have led to human and economic losses. Therefore, this study screened for the extreme heat resistance (XHR) phenotype as well as one known genetic marker, the locus of heat resistance (LHR), in 4,123 E. coli isolates from diverse meat animals at different processing stages. The prevalences of XHR and LHR among the meat-borne E. coli were found to be 10.3% and 11.4%, respectively, with 19% agreement between the two. Finished meat products showed the highest LHR …

Characterization Of The Domestic Goat Γδ T Cell Receptor Gene Loci And Gene Usage, Alexandria Gillespie, Al Yirsaw, Karthick P. Gunasekaran, Timothy P. L. Smith, Derek M. Bickhart, Michael Turley, Timothy Connelley, Janice C. Telfer, Cynthia L. Baldwin

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Goats and cattle diverged 30 million years ago but retain similarities in immune system genes. Here, the caprine T cell receptor (TCR) gene loci and transcription of its genes were examined and compared to cattle. We annotated the TCR loci using an improved genome assembly (ARS1) of a highly homozygous San Clemente goat. This assembly has already proven useful for describing other immune system genes including antibody and leucocyte receptors. Both the TCRγ (TRG) and TCRδ (TRD) loci were similarly organized in goats as in cattle and the gene sequences were highly conserved. However, the number of genes varied slightly …

Music Makers, Michaela Diehm

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

After school kids club that learns about music notes and incorporates games and dances to help students learn more about music, how to create their own music, and its importance to everyday life.

World Tour Diversity Club, Katie Hawk, Lauren Hartman

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

In this club, students will travel to a different country with each lesson. They will learn about the different cultures around the world and see how our differences bring us together.

Stemendously Fun Time Stem Club, Sarah Altman, Rhiannon Carlile

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

After school club for middle school students which focuses on bolstering scientific knowledge though experimentation and exploration of the scientific method.

Adventure Book Club - The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Courtney Helseth, Jillian Jacoba

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

This after school club serves to improve reading comprehension, teach ideas such as storyline and character development, and to add creativity to reading to encourage love of reading. The club utilizes the text, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and includes various crafts, worksheets, and games to improve comprehension and make reading fun.

Ecosystems And Nature Club, Megan Ott, Joycin Stonacek

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

For students to appreciate the diversity and complexity of the environment around them, foster stewardship, and facilitate interactions with ecosystems

Ck Dance Club, Alyssa Johnson

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

Healthy Living Club, Odessa Ohrt, Elisha Reiners

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Throughout the semester we explored various aspects of living a healthy lifestyle, we started in the topic of MyPlate and introduced the five food groups, touched on other elements of a healthy life (such as exercise, sleep, and the nine dimensions of wellness). Towards the end of the semester, we incorporated cooking lessons that taught the students safe kitchen habits and where their food comes from. We tried to incorporate physical activity, visual, audio, and hands-on elements into each club meeting.

Girls Computer Science Club, Emily Hogge, Mya Miller

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

The Little Artist Club, Amber Buhman, Sydney Hobza

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Students will express their creativity through art.

Students will learn to use different mediums to create art.

Students will create art projects similar to famous significant artwork.

Students will understand the historical significance of famous art.

Students will identify and describe the work of famous artists.

Students will learn to share supplies and work with others to create art.

Project Leadership, Ellie Russell, Paul Pechos

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

This club lesson plan is designed for middle schoolers to increase their leadership abilities through games relating to communication, cooperation, service, and leadership styles.

Brain Games, Gabe Conant

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Our club is called “Brain Games” and is meant to challenge the participants’ cognitive skills and expand their social skills. We wanted to incorporate life lessons into our educational lesson every week during an icebreaker.

Coding Club, Nicole Livingston, Madalyn Meyer

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Lesson plans for an about 12-week club designed to introduce middle schoolers to coding using Scratch. By the end of the club, every student will have made a game they can share with the class and have learned basic coding and game creation tools. Students can also miss classes or join late and still be able to join and enjoy the club with a different focus lesson every week.

Increasing Soil Carbon With Rapid Regenerative Agriculture, Nash Leef, Rachel Gerdes, Trevor Kohrs

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, spring 2021

Poster titled Increasing Soil Carbon with Rapid Regenerative Agriculture with client City of Lincoln, Nebraska (Frank Uhlarik).