Digital Commons Network^™

Country-Scale Crop Field Mapping For Zambia Using U-Net, Yao-Ting Yao

Sustainability and Social Justice

Cropland mapping is a crucial tool for evaluating food security. Cropland in African countries is expected to expand by at least 140M ha by 2050 to satisfy food demand. Developing accurate, large-area cropland maps of Africa’s smallholder agricultural systems is critical. To address this need, we use U-Net, a convolutional neural network, to map cropland for the year 2021 in the Republic of Zambia, a country experiencing rapid agricultural growth. To undertake this work, we first created a labeling platform and workflow protocol on Google Earth Engine (GEE) to collect labels from high spatial-resolution Planet-Scope NICFI Basemaps (4.77m) within grids …

Water Waste And Mismanagement In Yemen, Haile Terry

Ballard Brief

The water crisis in Yemen is caused by three main factors: the breakdown of the national government due to a civil war, the increasing prevalence of weaponization of water as a war tactic, and the domination of the agricultural sector by a plant, known as qat (which has no nutritional value or export potential, requiring a disproportionate amount of water year-round). The crisis has led to a number of devastating and life-threatening consequences, including poor WASH practices and the worst cholera outbreak in human history; some of the worst malnutrition rates in the world, particularly in children; and a general …

Quantifying The Effect Of Socio-Economic Predictors And The Built Environment On Mental Health Events In Little Rock, Ar, Alfieri Ek, Grant Drawve, Samantha Robinson, Jyotishka Datta

Sociology and Criminology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Law enforcement agencies continue to grow in the use of spatial analysis to assist in identifying patterns of outcomes. Despite the critical nature of proper resource allocation for mental health incidents, there has been little progress in statistical modeling of the geo-spatial nature of mental health events in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this article, we provide insights into the spatial nature of mental health data from Little Rock, Arkansas between 2015 and 2018, under a supervised spatial modeling framework. We provide evidence of spatial clustering and identify the important features influencing such heterogeneity via a spatially informed hierarchy of generalized …

Class Of 2023 Commencement Program, State University Of New York College At Cortland

Commencement Programs

May Commencement, Graduate Ceremony

The Manito Topos Project: Place Naming And Toponymic Silencing In The Sierras Of Northern Nuevo México And Southern Colorado, Len N. Beké

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This dissertation reports on documentary research on vernacular toponymies in Manito communities in Nuevo México and Colorado. These toponymies are erased, obscured and delegitimized in official maps. Within the study area, vernacular antecedents for 49.5% of official names for natural features were documented, along with 280 previously unmapped names. These data were compared to the state-sanctioned toponymy to determine a typology of linguistic mechanisms of toponymic silencing. While a majority of official toponyms are based on Manito oral tradition, only 15.4% of the labels for natural features represent unaltered versions of names in that tradition. This dissertation theorizes the conceptual …

Negotiating Arabic: Diglossic Language And Intercultural Proficiency In American Education, Natalie C. Parsons

International Studies Honors Projects

Diglossia refers to the coexistence of High (H) and Low (L) varieties within a language (Ferguson 1959). Arabic, a diglossic language, struggles with this division. Native speakers of Arabic communicate via their dialects (L). Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) in the US focuses on Modern Standard Arabic (H), neglecting the dialects. US government investment in Arabic as a critical language since 9/11 has continued to prioritize the instruction and professionalization of the H variety, suppressing intercultural proficiency. Arabic Language curricula in the US must evolve to teach meta-linguistic awareness between the H and L forms of Arabic.

College Of Graduate Programs And Honors Studies Newsletter - May 2023, College Of Graduate Programs And Honors Studies, Wright State University

College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies Newsletter

A nine page newsletter created by the College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies at Wright State University. This newsletter includes a upcoming events, message from the dean, and more.

Hakoah Wien: Kraft Als (Ver)Einigung Und Siedlung Der Unbeständigen Post/Modernen Identität, Owen N. Sayre

German Studies Honors Projects

The Sport Club and in particular football team Hakoah Wien is one of the best known examples in its time for contemporary theorists interested in analyzing the austrian-jewish identity of the 1920s. However there are many developments in austrian studies such as “jewish difference,” “co-constitutionality,” “the spatial turn” and “decolonization.” What, in this context, does it mean for a sports club to materially propagate the ideas of a liberatory religious and national identity, while representing an oppressive austrian identity on the world stage? This question has a lot to do with the concrete history of property rights and jewish oppression …

Commencement Program, May 2023, Bemidji State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Justice, Resilience, And Disruptive Histories: A South Florida Case Study, Craig (Tony) Anthony Arnold, Frank Bencomo-Suarez, Pierce Stevenson, Elijah Beau Eisert

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Weathering With: Afterlife Treatment Of Architecture, Tianhui Li

Architecture Senior Theses

When thinking about afterlife of architecture, one would imagine architecture’s incapability of maintain its form due to its deterioration. Humans tear down buildings to construct new buildings, or update building by replacing damaged parts.

However recent study indicates that the traditional human-architecture relationship will end in the near future due to population increase and global warming. As humans lose more and more habitable lands, the remaining architecture on inhabitable lands will be abandoned. This raises the question of who then decides the fate of the abandoned architecture. This thesis sees weathering as the answer to the question and reimagines the …

Lgbtq+ In A Rural Kentucky Town, Caroline A. Kinsman

Honors Theses

This interview series aims to understand the perspectives of LGBTQ+ community members in relation to local government in a small rural town in Kentucky. The purpose is to ascertain the correlation between the LGBTQ+ community's level of feeling accepted and the efforts and attitudes of non-LGBTQ+ officials. In total, six LGBTQ+ individuals were interviewed, and two elected government officials. Themes found within the interview series include reputation, safety, mental health, urgent change, blindness, and lack of responsibility.

A Double-Edged Sword: Lived Experiences Of Hispanic/ Latino Nursing Students Who Speak English As An Additional Language, Esmeralda Araceli Clark

Dissertations

As the population of the United States continues to become more diverse, the nursing profession is working toward diversifying its nursing workforce. Diversification of the nursing profession is linked to improved patient outcomes and culturally competent care. The experiences of minority nursing students with English as an additional language (EAL) have been studied including some interventional studies. Still, there is a gap in exploring the experiences of Hispanic/Latino nursing students with EAL. The literature described EAL as the most significant risk factor for non-acceptance into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for any group of otherwise qualified applicants. Since …

Green-Inclusive-Finance: The Case Of Selected Mena & Ssa Countries, Noha Emara, I-Ming Chiub, Sheila Warrick

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

Using System General Method of Moments approach estimation methodology on annual data 73 developed and developing countries including 12 Middle East and North African (MENA) and 45 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, the study estimates the impact of green finance on the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, the first goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using green bond issuance as a measure of green finance, the results indicate that the penetration of green finance measure has a positive, statistically significant impact on reducing extreme poverty for the full sample, but not in the MENA and SSA countries. Policy considerations …

Death Like Dreaming, Junli Song

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This written dissertation accompanies my thesis exhibition, Death Like Dreaming, which took place in Sculpture Gallery in the spring of 2023. This show was the culmination of my MFA at the University of Arkansas and centered around my most recent zhenmushou sculpture. I began making these mythical beings from my mythology in the summer of 2022. This essay will provide theoretical, historical, and personal context to the work, expanding upon my artistic journey and exploration during my degree. I will focus on my conceptual and formal decision making, areas of research, and discuss the world building and personal mythology that …

Personal Equation, Nicholas Hobbs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The body of this paper is a formatted version of text which exists natively on the web and is accessible at www.personalequation.art. Its non-linear narrative is meant to accompany and mirror, not describe, the artwork in the exhibition. The following two paragraphs are copied from the exhibition statement accompanying Personal Equation, which is on view in the Reading Room at the Fayetteville Public Library from April 3 to June 30, 2023: A personal equation is one that attempts to account for the inevitable role of subjectivity in scientific observations. The term was coined by astronomers in the 18th century who, …

Evaluation Of Rice Stink Bug, Oebalus Pugnax (F.), Resistance To Lambda-Cyhalothrin And The Economic Impact On Rice Grain Quality For Multiple Foliar Insecticides, Trevor Bradley Newkirk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice stink bug, (RSB), Oebalus pugnax (F.), (Fabricius 1775) is the major pest of headed rice, Oryza sativa L. in the southern rice producing states. The evaluation of current insecticides is imperative to efficient and economical RSB management for rice growers. Multiple reports of field failures with lambda-cyhalothrin have been documented since 2019. Lambda-cyhalothrin has been the standard for RSB control for the past two decades. The objective for this research was to determine if RSB is becoming resistant to lambda-cyhalothrin in Arkansas, and the most economical insecticide choice for growers with respect to RSB control and grain quality. RSB …

Artificial Intelligence In Landscape Architecture: A Literature Review, Phillip Fernberg, Brent Chamberlain

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly common in landscape architecture. New methods and applications are proliferating yearly and are being touted as viable tools for research and practice. While researchers have conducted assessments of the state of AI-driven research and practice in allied disciplines, there is a knowledge gap for the same in landscape architecture. This literature review addresses this gap by searching and evaluating studies specifically focused on AI and disciplinary umbrella terms (landscape architecture, landscape planning, and landscape design). It includes searches of academic databases and industry publications that combine these umbrella terms with the …

The Giannis Effect: How Celebrities Impact Prejudice In Their Communities, Mason Bosley

Economics Honors Projects

This paper examines the effect Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek-Nigerian NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks, has had on bias towards immigrants and Black people in Milwaukee and in Wisconsin as a whole. This work is based on the breakthrough 2021 study from Alrababa’h et al., which found that Liverpool FC’s signing of star Muslim footballer Mohamed Salah dramatically reduced public instances of islamophobia in Liverpool. Using Synthetic Control (SC) and Synthetic Difference in Difference (SDID) frameworks, I implement two methods of analysis to examine Giannis’s influence: an examination of Anti-Black and Anti-Immigrant hate crimes in the US, and analysis of …

The New Heavens And New Earth: The Interpretive Development Of Isaiah 65:17, Baron Vander Maas

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Marshall Downtown Revitalization, James Speer, Tessa Lomax, Garrison Bock, Adrienne Taylor, Erica Sykes

2023 Spring Reports (Marshall, IL)

The biggest issue Marshall faces when starting to think of its revitalization journey is the downtown owners that are not willing to leave their housing downtown that they do not use. To combat we suggest the implementation of new attractions that might draw in a new crowd of people with fresh ideas for Marshall. Suggesting Food truck festivals is something that the downtown revitalization team produced as a solution to the lack of food options and to encourage community engagement, two of the major points brought up in our meeting. Below is the explanation of the importance of our idea …

Fault Influence On Castle Mesa Fracture Node Pattern, Kaitlin Steinauer

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Fracture nodes are useful in determining the connectivity of a fracture pattern which is important when considering hydrogeological and mechanical behavior of a rock. Four node types are used to describe the pattern, including isolated (I), perpendicular abutting (T), low-angle abutting (Y), and cross-cutting (X). Faults can affect a fracture pattern by creating a highly fractured zone in their vicinity. I investigate the Moab Tongue Member of the Entrada Formation at Castle Mesa in Moab, Utah to determine a) how the percentage of different node types changes with distance from the fault, b) any difference in node type proportions between …

Evaluating The Impact Of Exclusion Criteria On The Generalizability Of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Treatment Research, Jalal Maghfour, Vivian Liu, Angie Parks-Miller, Iltefat H. Hamzavi

Dermatology Articles

Exclusion criteria can limit the generalizability and translation of research findings into clinical practice. The objective of this study is to characterize the trends of exclusion criteria and explore the impact of exclusion criteria on participant diversity, length of enrollment, and the number of enrolled participants. A detailed search was performed using PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov. Nineteen published randomized controlled trials were included, where 2,664 patients were screened, and 2,234 patients (mean age: 37.6 years, 56.6% female) were enrolled from 25 countries. On average, there were 10.1 (standard deviation: 6.14, range: 3-25) exclusion criteria per randomized controlled trial. There was a …

Parthenogenesis Investigation Of The F1 Generation From A Cross Between Daphnia Pulex Tex 23 (Males) And Tex 85 (Females), Efe Amrovhe

2023 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Daphnia pulex is a species of Daphnia that is capable of both cyclic and obligate parthenogenesis. In this experiment, two cyclically parthenogenetic (CP) isolates are crossed to access the frequency of obligately parthenogenetic (OP) offspring that will be produced. If OP animals are produced at a significant frequency from a CP-CP cross, the ‘why’ behind it must be examined. Prior research revealed that OP animals produced from CP isolates are genetically linked through introgression from a sister species, Daphnia pulicaria. This may be relevant to the results and serve as a focal point when researching the implications of them. The …

The Effects Of Prison Gerrymandering On Election Results, Francesca Jaubert

2023 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This study looks at whether or not there is a correlation between the voting patterns of a county and the presence of prisons within that county. There is a history of prisons being used to inflate population numbers within states to change where voting power lies. Previous research exists indicating a speculative relationship between Republican politicians and increased prison gerrymandering, so this research was developed to reveal if there is a genuine relationship between these two factors. Some of the variables included to better isolate the influence of prison location are per county income, biographical information, total population, voter turnout, …

Climate Change, Food Security, And The Myth Of Unlimited Abundance, Susan A. Schneider

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The Biden-Harris White House can be commended for convening the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health highlighting the critical connections between access to healthy food and sustaining a healthy population. This article explores the impact of climate change and seeks to fill a critical gap in the national discussion. It argues that dramatic changes are needed in the way we think about domestic food security and that meaningful change will be required to assure an adequate supply of healthy food, as envisioned by the White House Conference. It explores the impact of the changes to the climate …

Leveraging Housing Programs: Ensuring That Food Access Investments Do Not Displace People, Heather Latino

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In September 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration convened a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health (“conference”). Among the specific strategies outlined by the Administration is a directive that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) “increase access to neighborhood markets, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, urban gardens, food incubators, and/or the conversion of vacant buildings into food hubs. . . .” While some may celebrate the Administration’s commitment to investing in low-income and underserved communities, others fear that these forms of intervention and reinvestment may worsen current disparities. Incentives for renovating or constructing local grocery stores have been criticized …

The Conceptual Compression Of Space And Time As Intimated In The Depiction Of The Horse In China, Circa 1250 Bce-Ce 400., Robert Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the horse in ancient China, from before its domestication in the 13th century BCE to the fourth century CE. The revolutionary utilization of the mounted horse influenced contemporary concepts of time and space. The topics include the history of equid domestication in Eurasia, horse-drawn vehicles and riding, the introduction of the horse-drawn chariot from Shang China to its decline in Eastern Zhou; the rise of cavalry in China in the fourth century BCE; and the administrative, martial, symbolic and religious roles given the horse up to the Han dynasty; the early Chinese world view as dictated by …

The Impact Of Kentucky’S Medicaid Expansion On Adult Coverage And Diagnosis Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus And Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, The Use Of Antihyperglycemics And The Role Of Social Determinants Of Health 2011-2018., Brian Mcroberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study analyzed the impact of Medicaid expansion in Kentucky on coverage of adults aged 19-64 and the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and the use of antidiabetic medications or insulin (antihyperglycemics) for T2DM, controlling for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Method: This study assembled ICD-based claims and prescription drug NDC claims from all adult residents of Kentucky enrolled in Medicaid from 2011 to 2018. Three-digit zip code (Zip-3) data was appended to each case from the American Community Survey to provide SDOH variables. Tests performed included ANOVA, decision trees, varimax rotated …

The Landscape Does Not Care It Is A Landscape: A Utopian Pessimist Journey In Kentucky., Shachaf Polakow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

These thesis and exhibition, invite the viewers to travel through different places in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The region’s landscape, like many other American landscapes, is often known to the public through the settler colonial lens—a lens that ignores Indigenous peoples’ history in the region. The work in the exhibition is a response to landscape art's history and its complicity with American settler colonialism- art that was recruited to create a new identity for the settlers and for the country from the beginning of the American Colonial Project. Landscape art was a crucial part of this effort, presenting the land …