Digital Commons Network^™

Characterizing The Usda-Npgs Germplasm Collection Of Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum Tataricum), Noah Joseph Abasciano

Master's Theses and Capstones

AbstractTartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is a promising underutilized crop in the context of New England’s rapidly changing environment (USDA NH State Profile, 2022). Despite substantive prior work on the genetics and nutrition of Tartary buckwheat (Zhang et al., 2017b), many practical questions pertaining to its potential cultivation in New England remain unanswered. This thesis presents the first systematic genotypic and phenotypic screening of the USDA National Plant Germplasm System's (NPGS) Tartary buckwheat germplasm collection in an effort to lay the foundations for future crop improvement efforts. The genotypic assessment of the NPGS Tartary buckwheat germplasm was completed by first bottlenecking …

The Equal Protection Case Against Disparate U.S. Humanitarian Parole Policies For Afghans Compared To Ukrainians, Darcy Gallego

Fordham Law Review

The disparities between the U.S. government’s use of humanitarian parole in response to the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine are indicative of discrimination and violate the Equal Protection Clause. As such, U.S.-based relatives of Afghans should prevail in seeking accountability for the thousands of Afghans who continue to wait for protection.

First, this Note explains what immigration parole is, provides an overview of standing, equal protection, and animus, and describes how the government has used parole for Afghans and Ukrainians. Second, it compares parole for Afghans and Ukrainians and discusses recent immigration equal protection challenges. Third, it demonstrates that …

The Impact Of Hospital Protocol For Severe Alcohol Use Disorder, Meredith Jones

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Alcohol use disorder remains a prevalent condition within current society. For a smaller, but ever growing population, alcohol use evolves into a severe, addictive disease process. Individuals managing this disorder can suffer from acute withdrawals and further comorbidities causing eventual detriment. Medical institutions attempt to combat withdrawal with varying forms of treatment, utilized to manage symptoms and further issues “as needed.” As this condition becomes increasingly more pervasive within casual society, hospitals’ fragmented attempts to manage this disease process proves to be ineffective for this patient population.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze current methods …

Constructing A Blueprint For A Professional Development Module On Interventions For Bullying And Self-Advocacy For Nursing Faculty, Glenn Murphy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Bullying remains a persistent issue among nursing faculty. Nursing faculty often claim they do not have the communication skills or the confidence to address bullying behaviors and to advocate for themselves. Instead, they often avoid the perpetrators or accept bullying as part of the nursing education environment. One possible solution involves creating a professional development module for nursing faculty. My Delphi study led to the creation of a blueprint for a professional development module on interventions for bullying and self-advocacy for nursing faculty. Over the three rounds of online questionnaires, an expert panel of nursing faculty suggested content areas, recommended …

Faculty Innovativeness In Higher Education: Exploring The Influence Of Demographic And Psychological Factors, Jared M. Pyles

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between innovativeness and various demographic and psychological factors among full-time faculty at a private higher education institution in the Midwest United States. The study focused on understanding how risk aversion, gender, age, years of experience, and leadership roles influence a faculty member's level of innovativeness and examined the interrelated effects of these variables. Employing a quantitative research design, data were collected through a self-administered online survey with 129 full-time faculty members, achieving a response rate of 49%.

The findings revealed no significant direct relationship between innovativeness and risk aversion. However, categorical age emerged as a …

From Classroom To Career: Preparing Future Geoscientists For Workforce Success, Gregory Shafer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The wide range of career opportunities for geoscience students, combined with a changing workforce, makes it more challenging for undergraduate programs to adequately prepare students for their careers. Therefore, it is important for geoscience programs to have a comprehensive view of the workforce needs and what barriers students may encounter when transitioning to the workforce. This dissertation identifies key skills and competencies essential for bachelor-level geoscientists, as well as potential barriers for recent graduates entering the workforce. The study analyzed entry-level geoscience job advertisements using a case-insensitive code matching function in MATLAB and conducted interviews with geoscience employers to identify …

Procedural Justice And Therapeutic Jurisprudence In Idaho Drug Treatment Courts, Norma Dianne Jaeger

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study of the operations of Idaho drug treatment courts explores the application of two theoretical frameworks: therapeutic jurisprudence and procedural justice. Semi-structured interviews, based on a phronetic iterative approach and analysis, were conducted with 20 enrolled participants and 10 judges from courts and communities of varying sizes, located in four geographic areas of Idaho. Responses suggest that these courts operate from a foundation of therapeutic jurisprudence and effectively apply procedural justice practices: respectful treatment, trust, and participant voice. The study identifies participants’ multiple life changes, including addiction recovery, as important elements of the courts’ outcomes and validates …

Understanding The Present And Preparing For The Future In Collegiate Esports, Marc C. Dearmond

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

While esports continues to grow as a varsity sport across higher education campuses, new programs are being built focusing on esports as a field of study. However, more research is needed about how esports programs are being administered on college campuses and how these programs are being measured for success. This three-article dissertation focuses on esports at the collegiate and undergraduate levels. The first study is a literature review focused on topics of research available for reading assignments in an online program based on the esports ecosystem as defined by Anderson et al. (2018). It contains an examination of current …

A Delphi Study Exploring Scope And Sequence Of Trauma Education In Counselor Education Master Level Council Of Accreditation Of Counseling Related Education Programs, Alexis A. Hauck

Dissertations

The growing awareness of trauma and its impacts on the social, emotional, and overall wellness of individuals, couples, and families underscores the need for counselor educators to prepare counselors to address trauma symptoms effectively. To bridge this gap, counselor education programs can benefit from expert guidance on the content scope and course sequencing of trauma education in master’s programs.

This research aimed to articulate trauma education scope and sequencing by gathering expert recommendations on best practices for trauma knowledge, awareness, and skill development through clinical experiences in counselor education programs. The grand research question explored expert opinions and beliefs about …

When European State Courts Face Post-Colonial Legality: A Private International Law Approach Inspired By Decolonial Theory, Sandrine Brachotte

Buffalo Law Review

This Essay develops avenues for private international law (PIL) to deal with cases involving the interaction between Western state law and distinctive forms of law that citizens from post-colonial states, especially African states, bring with them to Europe. Laws of the second type, which I call “postcolonial legality,” incorporate both traditional forms of legality usually dubbed “religious” and “customary” law along with state law that originates from colonial law. Drawing on some lessons from decolonial theory, I try to apply to this particular context a “less colonial” PIL theory and subsequent PIL rules and reasoning. The argument builds on the …

The Show Must Go On: Leading Factors In The Burnout Of Stage Managers, Morgen E. Doyle

Honors College Theses

Stage managers are the key to making theatre move onstage and in the audience. To keep the show, we need to take care of our stage managers. Many have voiced concerns about burnout from their time in the stage management industry (McGraw 2024, 12). Burnout can be defined as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” and characterized by three main dimensions: “energy depletion and exhaustion; feelings of cynicism and increased mental distance related to the individual’s job; and reduced professional efficiency in the individual’s workplace” (World Health Organization 2019). In this …

Sustained, Strategic Organizing Paves The Way For Jail Voting Work In Tennessee

Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter

No abstract provided.

Ephemeral Legacy, Allison Hall

Master's Theses

Recently, my thoughts have centered on the problem of legacy. How do we forge bonds with other humans? What happens on an interpersonal level when these humans pass away, or when we pass, and they continue in life? How do queer spaces consistently offer deeper phenomena of interpersonal legacies; how does death operate as generational catalyst? I am particularly interested in putting these questions in the context of queer spaces. In queer culture, kinship is formed in ways that break from typical western notions of kinship. Despite being incoherent to western notions of family, queer bonds are extremely strong (Bradway …

News From Uab Libraries, 12 2024, Uab Libraries

UAB Libraries News

No abstract provided.

Debtor Eligibility Prediction Using Deep Learning With Chatbot-Based Testing, Reski Noviania, Enny Itje Sela, Luther Alexander Latumakulita, Steven R. Sentinuwo

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

Predicting debtor eligibility is essential for effective risk management and minimizing lousy credit risks. However, financial institutions face challenges such as imbalanced data, inefficient feature selection, and limited user accessibility. This study combines Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and Deep Learning (DL) to improve prediction accuracy. It integrates a chatbot interface for user-friendly testing. RFE effectively identifies critical features, while the DL model achieves a validation accuracy of 97.62%, surpassing previous studies with less comprehensive methodologies. The chatbot's novel design not only ensures accessibility but also enhances user engagement through flexible input options, such as approximate values, enabling non experts to …

A Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering Of Applications With Noise (Hdbscan) Approach For Identifying Potential Villages In Buleleng Regency, Dina Nur Amalina, Achmad Fauzan

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

Buleleng Regency, located in Bali Province, possesses diverse village potential, including agricultural production and tourist attractions. However, this potential has not been fully optimized. Therefore, it is important to enhance village potential by clustering villages based on their specific characteristics to identify and prioritize those requiring special attention. This approach aims to promote equitable village development and reduce poverty levels. This study clusters villages in Buleleng Regency based on their potential using the Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN) method. The data utilized in this study comprises village potential data obtained from the Buleleng Regency Statistics Office …

Building Energy Management: A Data-Driven Approach Using Clustering And Load Forecasting, Aviral Kandel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The increase of smart meters in the grid has led to the generation of a vast amount of high dimensional energy data with improving temporal resolution. During analysis, relying on short samples like a day or week of data, could lead to wrong conclusion due to seasonal dynamics and customer behavior variations. To effectively utilize the vast amount of information, it must be compressed into a low-dimensional representation. This thesis explores the state-of-the-art dimensionality reduction techniques for a high-dimensional, non-linear energy dataset and proposes a novel deep learning based method to address the limitation of existing approaches. The proposed method …

Assessing General Propulsion Architectures For Fast Transit Times To Mars For Crewed Missions, Vivek Bhatt

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As NASA and commercial contractors, such as SpaceX, continue to develop their programs with Artemis and Starship, respectively, it is becoming more and more apparent that the program developments are ultimately for finding a way to put humans onto Mars. However, when we approach the current timeline of going to Mars, it usually involves a 6-9 month one way trip. Due to this, human spaceflight to Mars becomes more dangerous as exposure to affects such as solar radiation, long exposure to low gravity fields, and isolation. These are some of the many hazards that come with interplanetary space travel for …

Understanding Mental Health Awareness And Knowledge Of Flight Instructors, Eric Michael Buteau

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health has become an increasing concern in the aviation industry, with pilots often withholding health information for fear of losing their medical certification. Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs), who interact closely with students, are in a unique position to recognize and address mental health crises but lack sufficient training in this area. This study examines CFIs' awareness, knowledge, comfort, and willingness to engage with mental health issues in aviation. A survey was distributed to CFIs at a large aviation university. Survey results revealed no significant correlation between years of experience and knowledge or comfort with mental health topics. However, a …

Numerical Simulation And Assessment Of Underground Blue Hydrogen Storage In Depleted Gas Reservoir, Abraham Kazala

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, the world needs more energy than ever before. This need emphasizes that the world also requires a sustainable system that can meet these growing demands while addressing the overall impact on the environment. For this reason, the international community, including all levels of environmental policymakers, have shown a great deal of concern about the tremendous negative effects of fossil fuels on the globe. The impact of carbon dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) from burning fossil fuels on the ozone layer and what it entails in global warming and, therefore, climate change has motivated research on finding either alternatives …

Exploring The Potential Of Hybrid Wind-Solar Energy Systems For Residential Applications In North Dakota, Toluwase Testimony Omojiba

Theses and Dissertations

North Dakota's high residential energy consumption, driven by extreme weather, is largely met by fossil fuels, contributing significantly to CO₂ emissions. This study evaluates the technical performance, environmental benefits, and economic viability of hybrid wind-solar-energy systems for residential applications in the state.

Using HOMER modeling, two scenarios were analyzed: homes using a combination of utility gas and electricity, and homes relying solely on electricity. Simulations for Grand Forks, Bismarck, and Dickinson showed that hybrid systems reliably met residential energy demand, covering 100% of the annual load in the gas-electric scenario across all locations. In the all-electric scenario, systems achieved at …

The Role Of Carbon Source And Redox Potential On Microbial C1 Gas Fermentation For Ethanol Production, Ademola Owoade

Theses and Dissertations

In the quest for sustainable and renewable energy sources, microbial gas fermentation has emerged as an alternative method for producing bioethanol and other valuable chemicals. Bioethanol is notable for its extensive application as a biofuel and its capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional ethanol production predominantly depends on sugar and starch feedstocks, which compete for food resources. Microbial C1 gas fermentation presents a sustainable alternative by using industrial waste gases, or gases from gasification of municipal solid wastes, biomass, agricultural residues, animal wastes, and energy crops, which are all nonfood-based. Microbial gas fermentation is influenced by temperature, pH, gas …

Deep Learning Approach For Dental Anomalies X-Ray Imaging Using Yolov8, Amelia Ritahani Ismail, Md Salim Sadman Taseen

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

Dental X-ray imaging is a critical diagnostic tool for identifying various dental anomalies. However, manual interpretation is time-consuming, prone to human error, and requires specialized expertise. Deep learning models, particularly object detection frameworks like YOLO, have demonstrated promising results in automating medical image analysis. This study aims to develop and evaluate a YOLOv8-based deep learning model for automated detection and classification of 14 dental anomaly categories, including Caries, Crowns, Fillings, Implants, and Periapical lesions. The proposed approach addresses limitations in previous YOLO versions by leveraging anchor-free detection and enhanced feature extraction for improved accuracy. The model was trained on a …

Classification Of Anxiety Levels Entering The World Of Work In Final Year Students Using The Neighbor Weighted K-Nearest Neighbor Method, Awang Hendrianto Pratomo, Muhammad Fahmi Adam, Dessyanto Boedi Prasetyo

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

This study evaluates the accuracy of the Neighbor Weighted K-Nearest Neighbor (NWKNN) method in classifying the anxiety levels of final-year students as they prepare to enter the workforce, particularly in cases of unbalanced data distribution. The system was developed using the prototype method, and NWKNN was applied to classify anxiety levels into low, medium, and high categories. Testing using the Confusion Matrix demonstrated strong performance, achieving an accuracy of 94% based on a dataset of 1009 students, with a 90:10 ratio of training to test data. The results indicate that NWKNN effectively provides classification input values, making it a reliable …

Occupational Performance With Formstack: Academic Fieldwork Coordinator's Perceptions And Experiences, Sara Clark

Dissertations

This multiple descriptive case-study explored the perceptions and experiences of eight occupational therapy program academic fieldwork coordinators (AFWCs), regarding their usage of Formstack, as an online fieldwork data collection system. Previous survey research revealed that AFWCs had positive feelings about the new AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (AOTA, 2020) housed within Formstack (Sanders & Carpenter, 2024), but the AOTA AFWC national list-serve suggests frustration with the online platform itself. Past research by Sanders and Carpenter (2024) also recommended further investigation into the usability of Formstack. To this end, this inquiry focused on two research questions: (a) How do AFWCs at multiple …

Real-Time Predictive Analytics For Healthcare Monitoring And Terrain Classification Using Data Streaming And Online Learning, Ayemon Baraka

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis develops a scalable, real-time predictive framework aimed at improving outcomes in healthcare monitoring and gait classification. Specifically, it addresses two primary applications: early detection of cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction (MI) and arrhythmia, through continuous analysis of ECG data streams; and adaptive terrain classification from gait data. Utilizing data streaming technologies such as Apache Kafka and Apache Spark, coupled with machine learning models, this framework enables near real-time and precise predictions from high-throughput, real-time data. Furthermore, the integration of online learning frameworks, including the River API and TensorFlow I/O, allows for continuous model adaptation, enhancing the system’s responsiveness and …

Exploring The Interactive Effects Of Officer, Subject, And Encounter Factors On Police Use Of Force Outcomes, Jeremy David Barnum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Police use of force incidents are highly complex events that can be characterized by factors pertaining to the officers, subjects, and immediate encounter. These factors and the dynamic interrelationships between them encompass the situational context of use of force and have been widely studied in the criminological literature (Bolger, 2015). However, extant research has almost exclusively focused on identifying the main effects of situational factors on use of force with little consideration of how effects may vary across specific situational contexts. This limits our understanding of police use of force and complicates efforts to develop policy or training that ensures …

Biological Reduction Of Mixed Oxyanions In Wastewater Brine, Katherine J. Earp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Treatment of contaminated brine water is an area of active research spurred by the use of advanced treatment technologies, such as membrane separation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, etc. for water reuse and recycling, which has become critical due to the impact of climate change on water resources throughout the globe. Biological reduction of harmful organic and inorganic pollutants in water has been demonstrated as an effective method for water and wastewater treatment and would be a potential technology for brine treatment. However, biodegradation of contaminants in high salinity waters is challenging because most microbial communities cannot survive brine environments. The …

Understanding Levels Of Perceived Racism And Discrimination When Utilizing Perinatal Care, Alexandria S. Evans

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social and structural determinants of health, grounded in historical racism and discrimination, significantly influence maternal health outcomes. Because of this, communities of color experience a higher burden of maternal health disparities. In the last several decades, there has been an increased awareness of the need to integrate critical race theory into public health research to address maternal health disparities in the context of perinatal care delivery, policy, and funding decisions.

This three-manuscript dissertation utilized mixed methods to examine the ways in which systemic racism and discrimination are perceived and how it impacts the utilization of perinatal care services in historically …

Effect Of Epistemic Cognition And Self-Regulation On The Evaluation Of Online Information, Devin T. Foschi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While research has shown that epistemic cognition plays an important role in self-regulation, the way in which it does so in online contexts needs further research. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between Internet-specific epistemic cognition and Internet-specific self-regulated learning, and to use a mixed-methods approach in order to expand upon the way learners undergo the evaluation of information in online spaces beyond the traditional method of only using self-report measures and other common quantitative techniques. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, Phase 1 (N = 117) used quantitative methods to first look at the relationship …