Digital Commons Network^™

Testing The Dimensional Model Of Adversity And Psychopathology: Expanded Aces And The Mechanisms Of Executive Functioning, Emotion Regulation, And Bmi In The Context Of Psychopathology, Kaitlyn Larkin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased risk of negative psychological and physical health outcomes across the lifespan. Informed by the dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology, the present study used longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS, N = 4,898) to examine associations between ACEs categorized into threat and deprivation dimensions, emotion regulation, executive functioning, body mass index (BMI), and internalizing and externalizing symptomology in adolescence. Structural equation modeling was used to assess direct, mediation, and sequential pathways among variables, while controlling for sociodemographic variables and stability of outcomes over time. Findings indicated …

A Comparison Of Two Motivational Tasks In Male And Female Rats Under Acute Stress, Stephanie M. Muscott

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Motivation is a complex concept that contributes to or is embedded within many different behaviors. As such, it can be difficult to assess motivation directly, but many researchers have attempted to measure motivation to understand its role in behavior and in diseases associated with a dysregulation of motivation, such as drug addiction or depression. To better understand motivation, behavioral tests frequently use palatable foods to measure motivation as defined by the amount of effort a rat will demonstrate to achieve the reward. Much of research has focused on highly controlled experimental settings, such as lever pressing in an operant box …

Norm Conflicts In International Criminal Tribunals, Megan Schaefer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

What explains an increase in sexual violence prosecutions brought before international criminal tribunals? I investigate this question by examining three cases: The International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg, the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. There are international norms present within these cases. One of these norms treats sexual violence as a natural consequence of war, while the other norm acknowledges that this violent behavior is wrong and demands accountability. I identify a prioritization of the second of these norms and argue this has impacted the global response to wartime sexual …

The Role Of Disgust In Contamination-Related Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms, Jonathan A. Teller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Disgust has been identified as a primary emotion potentially involved in the development and maintenance of contamination-related obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Research suggests that disgust comprises two distinct components: disgust propensity (DP; tendency or predisposition to experience disgust across situations) and disgust sensitivity (DS; the intensity of disgust experiences and their negative evaluation). Although both DP and DS have been linked to contamination-related OC symptoms, most studies have examined them separately or relied solely on self-report measures. The present study examined whether DP and DS uniquely predict both in-vivo disgust experiences and behavioral approach during a behavioral approach task (BAT). Undergraduate …

Human Swarm Interaction Using Non-Verbal Communication, Arunim Bhattacharya

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research presents experimentally validated strategies for human-swarm robotic interaction through nonverbal communication. Applications of this work are in large-scale coverage problems that include search and rescue operations and environmental monitoring missions. The non-verbal interaction becomes critical in situations where wireless communication methods may be limited by bandwidth constraints, privacy concerns, or environmental clutter. The research objective of this dissertation is to design and evaluate methods of nonverbal communication between a human teleoperator and robotic swarms towards a bidirectional human-swarm interaction framework. Towards this, we first establish a reliable measure of real-time cognitive load that can serve to close the …

Demographic Response Of Breeding Grassland Birds To Keystone Effects Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Richard Andrew Dreelin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Grassland birds are the most rapidly declining group of birds in North America due to a host of historical and recent changes to the Great Plains (Rosenberg et al., 2019; Bernath-Plaisted et al., 2023). Grassland birds evolved in a mosaic of heterogeneous habitats created by disturbance from keystone species and Indigenous peoples, and the suppression of disturbance by European settlement has resulted in more homogenous habitat and population declines in grassland birds (Knopf, 1994; Samson & Knopf, 1996; Vickery, Peter D. et al., 1998). Restoring the historical disturbance patterns and habitat heterogeneity forms the basis of management activities for grassland …

Beyond Borders: Exploring Counselors’ Perceptions Of Multicultural Counseling Competencies Following Cultural Immersion, Kassandra M. Kavanaugh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research has revealed that cultural immersion can increase multicultural counseling competencies in counselors-in-training (Barden & Cashwell, 2014; Barden et al., 2015; Choi & Protivnak, 2016; Dietz & Baker, 2019; Gaia, 2015; Wathen & Kleist, 2015). In light of the increasing diversity within the counseling profession and cultural competency continuing education requirements, the examination of cultural immersion as a means of shaping counselors' cultural competence is both justified and imperative. By utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis, five participants were interviewed to better understand professional counselors’ perceptions of their multicultural counseling competencies following cultural immersion. The results from this study identified five themes, …

Mechanisms And Environmental Factors Shaping The Ecosystem Of Brain Macrophages, Silvia Penati, Simone Brioschi, Zhangying Cai, Claudia Z Han, Marco Colonna

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Brain macrophages encompass two major populations: microglia in the parenchyma and border-associated macrophages (BAMs) in the extra-parenchymal compartments. These cells play crucial roles in maintaining brain homeostasis and immune surveillance. Microglia and BAMs are phenotypically and epigenetically distinct and exhibit highly specialized functions tailored to their environmental niches. Intriguingly, recent studies have shown that both microglia and BAMs originate from the same myeloid progenitor during yolk sac hematopoiesis, but their developmental fates diverge within the brain. Several works have partially unveiled the mechanisms orchestrating the development of microglia and BAMs in both mice and humans; however, many questions remain unanswered. …

A Systematic Review And Evaluation Of Mobile Health Apps Designed For Parents Who Are Preparing Or Caring For Medically Complex Infants, Anne Chevalier Mckechnie, Nellie Munn Swanson, Ratchada Jantraporn, Kristin M Elgersma, Taylor Iwaszko Wagner, Suhyun Park, Anna Trebilcock

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Parents learning about their children with medical complexity often use numerous health-related resources, including mobile health applications (mHealth apps). mHealth apps could provide broad access to key information and support, lower healthcare costs, and improve care. The quality of mHealth apps for this population has been a concern, but is currently unknown. The objective of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate the quality of publicly available mHealth apps designed for parents who are preparing or caring for medically complex infants.

Methods: A systematic search strategy was applied to identify mHealth apps in the Apple and Google Play …

First Portfolio - Alec 207: Communicating Science With Public Audiences, Heather Akin

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio investigates how collaborative group projects and structured peer reviews enhance undergraduate students’ science communication skills in ALEC 207: Communicating Science with Public Audiences. Drawing on mid-semester evaluations, peer review reflections, and overall course outcomes, the analysis highlights how group-based activities and peer critiques help students develop clarity, relevance, and confidence in their communication. ALEC 207 introduces core principles of strategic communication in food, agriculture, and natural resources contexts, and gives students opportunities to refine their writing through press releases, feature articles, visual communications, and audience-tailored messages. While the course predominantly emphasizes writing, it also leverages ongoing revisions to …

The Native Fight For Hunting Rights: The Crow Tribe And Herrera V. Wyoming, Jacob Lewis

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Conspecific Killing And Cannibalism By A Free-Ranging Northern Short-Tailed Shrew (Blarina Brevicauda), Brent Graves, Suzanne M. Petschke

Journal Articles

Blarina brevicauda (Northern Short-tailed Shrew) are commonly characterized as solitary, aggressive to the point of killing conspecifics, and cannibalistic. Other reports of social interactions suggest that they get along quite amiably with conspecifics. However, virtually all such reports are based on observations of captive animals in enclosures. We report observations indicating that a free-ranging Short-tailed Shrew attacked and killed a conspecific, dragged the dead conspecific to a burrow in a snow bank, and consumed the conspecific.

Mythic Criticism Of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Grace Cushing

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Clandestine Captains Of Culture: How Making Music For Your Community Can Influence Global Culture Explored Through The History And Legacy Of Dj Screw, Aristides Estevao

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Nine Dragons, Bailey Fraser

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Roll The Film, Play The Music, Lauren Sutton

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Compliant Soft Gripper With Embedded Force Sensors, Ayman Abbas, Abdelrahman Said, Tamer Kahlil, Mahmoud Magdy

Mechanical Engineering

Robotic manipulators have the capability to perform repetitive tasks with a level of efficiency and precision that exceeds the capabilities of human operators. Currently, they are commonly found and extensively utilized across various disciplines. However, robotic manipulators have gradually begun to make inroads into fields beyond manufacturing, such as medicine and agriculture. Due to the diverse range of industries utilizing robotic manipulators, the nature of tasks assigned to these devices can often be more intricate and multifaceted than conventional assignments. Hence, conventional mechanical grippers may not always be suitable, prompting a growing need for grippers capable of adapting to effectively …

3d-Printed Polylactide Structures Do Not Affect The Demography Of The Threatened Coral Acropora Cervicornis, Gabriela Baerga-Jiménez, Alex E. Mercado-Molina

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The development of artificial structures using emerging 3D printing technology has been proposed as a possible strategy to promote the recovery of degraded coral reef ecosystems. Current technologies allow 3D printers to faithfully replicate the morphology of coral reef attributes (e.g., substrate and coral colonies). Thus, 3D printing can be used to create artificial structures that replicate microhabitats resembling those found by reef organisms in nature. However, the use of 3D printing technology for reef conservation and restoration purposes is still in its early developmental stages. Consequently, the potential benefits or detriments of the technology on coral reef health and …

Mysteries Of The Bryozoans, Judith E. Winston

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Marine bryozoans have about 6,000 living species and many fossil species going back to the early Ordovician. As suspension feeders they can be an important part of keeping the ocean healthy. Yet, as colonial organisms, even though present in habitats from estuaries and continental shelves to the deep sea, they are often treated as background for mobile organisms. There is still much to learn about their lives and relationships. This Ocean Reflection describes my career as a museum scientist from the 1970s to today, beginning at a time when it was often difficult as a woman to find a way …

Advancing Human-Computer Interaction Systems Through Explainable And Secure Ai Integration, Ifiok Udoidiok

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems increasingly shape how humans interact with digital environments, the need for transparency, security, and robustness in intelligent decision making has become critical. This thesis explores how explainable and secure AI techniques can be integrated into modern human-computer interaction (HCI) systems to enhance trust, resilience, and alignment with human operators.

We present three related studies, each addressing a distinct challenge in the design of human-centered AI. First, we apply XAI methods, specifically Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME), to deep learning (DL) based CAPTCHA solvers. By interpreting model attention patterns, we uncover exploitable weaknesses in text CAPTCHA …

My Service-Learning Experience, Conserving And Restoring Canaveral National Seashore, Thomas Cole

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025

Thomas Cole

[email protected]

3177992

My service-learning experience, conserving and restoring Canaveral National Seashore

During my time spent completing service learning course service-learning marine conservation and restoration.. I had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of projects that benefit marine conservation and restoration. These included mangrove gardening, Beach trash removal, constructing oyster habitat structures and a wading bird camera footage experiment. Each of these experiences relate to the conservation and restoration of Canaveral National Seashore. This National park is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, with 47 of those species being federally listed as special concern, …

Inorganic Arsenite [I-As (Iii)] Represses Human Renal Progenitor Cell Characteristics And Induces Neoplastic-Like Transformation, Md Ehsanul Haque

Theses and Dissertations

Studies on populations exposed to inorganic arsenic (iAs) have shown an association between this particular exposure and the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, there are few studies addressing how acute exposure of the human kidney to iAs might lead to long-term alterations that might lead to CKD or RCC. This study’s hypothesis is that renal exposure to iAs might alter the renal cells responsible for the repair and regeneration of nephrons damaged by iAs exposure or other renal toxicants. The kidney possesses a minority epithelial cell population that co-express PROM1 and CD24 that …

Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity And Adaptive Responses In Renal Progenitor Cells: Molecular Insights From Transcriptomic And Proteomic Analyses, Eloho Ighofose

Theses and Dissertations

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent known for its efficacy against various solid tumors, but its clinical utility is limited by dose-dependent nephrotoxicity. The renal proximal tubule, particularly its epithelial cell population, is highly susceptible to cisplatin-induced injury due to its role in solute transport and high metabolic activity. Recent advances suggest that renal progenitor cells play a key role in epithelial repair following nephrotoxic injury; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying their response to cisplatin remain poorly understood.This study investigates the impact of both acute and chronic cisplatin exposure on immortalized human renal progenitor cells (HRTPT, CD24⁺/CD133⁺) using a …

Sharing Your Science: Special 2025 Edition, Wilson Gonzalez-Espada

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

The Sharing your Science stories were completed as part of a 2025 Science Communication Summer Internship (COMM 647), a collaboration between the Kentucky Academy of Science and the Departments of Engineering Sciences and Communication, Media, Art & Design, Morehead State University, KY. This work was made available as an Open Educational Resource thanks to the Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning, the Camden-Carroll Library, and the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, Morehead State University.

Shadows From The Double-Wide: A Reflection On Home, Brittani K. Brown

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

My studio practice acts as a personal anthropological investigation into my upbringing in the rural South. I utilize photographic, textile, print, and virtual mediums that have a unique historical and/or modern connection with the South. Almost a decade after deciding to leave my Southern Baptist religion behind and even longer after covering up my Southern accent, I find myself in a place of tension-ridden nostalgia for the place I grew up.

The community of artists in the Southeast region of the United States continues to grow and create a more cohesive picture of the South and Southern identity through their …

Evolving Perceptions Of Self And Others: The Effects Of Communing With Nature While Thru Hiking The Florida National Scenic Trail, Stella P. Arbeláez Tascón

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This body of artwork comprises a thesis that documents and exposes the artist’s inner workings as she regained balance after experiencing deep emotional trauma. This individual’s healing transformation was prompted by her immersion in nature while walking the Florida National Scenic Trail in its entirety, 1,130 miles (or 1,818 km), from the Everglades to the panhandle, in three and a half months. The artistic research conducted, and autobiographical body of work created from it, aims to help others reconnect with their own strengths and to seek wellness in the restorative properties of Nature, while advocating for an empathetic approach to …

Environmental Fate Of Trace Anionic Fission Byproducts: An Analysis Of Redox, Sorption, And Incorporation Pathways Of Iodine And Selenium, Ilana B. Szlamkowicz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The environmental chemistry and mobility of iodine and selenium contaminants were investigated through redox interactions with manganese oxides and incorporation into carbonate minerals. The study examined iodide (I^-) and selenite (SeO₃^2-) oxidation under varying pH conditions using manganese oxide minerals, which are geochemical regulators. Using tandem ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS), the oxidation and speciation of iodine and selenium were quantified under environmentally relevant conditions. The results demonstrate that oxidation of I^- and SeO₃^2- by manganese oxides are highly concentration dependent. Acid birnessite, a common manganese oxide, exhibited significant reactivity toward …

A Greener Way To Synthesize Biodiesel: Mechanochemistry With No Added Catalyst, Amanda S. Tanner

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Biodiesel production is currently energy-demanding and produces large volumes of waste despite being marketed as a greener approach to fuel. Here, we report the development and analysis of a more environmentally friendly way of producing biodiesel via mechanochemistry. In as little as one hour, biodiesel can be produced by ball milling intact oilseeds with methanol and no added catalyst. The catalyst for transesterification of oilseeds and methanol via mechanical milling comes from within the seed shells, rather than needing to be added from a separate source. The metals found in the milling media interact with lignin in the seed shells, …

Development Of Degraders To Target Oncogenic Proteins And Efforts Towards The Total Synthesis Of Lycopodium Alkaloids Via Oxidative Dearomatization, Yujia Bian

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation focuses on the degradation of SOS1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor upstream of KRAS, as an alternative therapeutic target for KRAS‑mutant colorectal cancer (CRC). Guided by crystal structures of SOS1 and cereblon, we designed and synthesized a series of PROTACs based on quinazoline‑linker‑lenalidomide hybrids. Among these, the lead degrader induced up to 92% degradation of SOS1 in CRC cell lines and patient‑derived organoids (PDOs), with excellent specificity. In parallel, an AICAR‑derived PROTAC targeting the transmembrane oncoprotein MUC1‑CT in EGFR‑mutant lung cancer achieved time‑dependent and partial target degradation, establishing complementary chemical tools to probe intracellular signaling and …

Evaluating Health And Immune Proxies Within And Across Sea Turtle Life Stages, Tiffany M. Dawson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Understanding variations in health and immune function across life stages or physiological states is important for population monitoring and for understanding species’ responses to anthropogenic disturbances. Sea turtles are a model species for evaluating these changes within and across life stages due to their long lifespans with ontogenetic habitat and diet shifts. In this dissertation, I tested whether health and immune hematological proxies (Packed Cell Volume [PCV], white blood cell counts, total protein [TP], biochemistry) differed: (1) across the reproductive season, (2) between species and (3) foraging groups, and (4) with reproductive output for adult female turtles (Chapter 2). In …