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Violence Against Children And Youth In Humanitarian Settings: Findings From A 2024 Survey Of Refugee Camps In Ethiopia, Refugees And Returnees Service, Unhcr Regional Bureau For The East And Horn Of Africa And Great Lakes, Baobab Research Programme Consortium

Humanitarian Task Force

While several Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) have been conducted in development contexts, this survey is only the second-ever VACS carried out exclusively in a humanitarian setting—specifically, within refugee camps in Ethiopia. The first VACS conducted exclusively in a humanitarian context was implemented in refugee settlements in Uganda. Both of these Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (HVACS) were led by the Baobab Research Programme Consortium.

The survey aimed to assess the prevalence, nature, and consequences of physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children and youth in refugee settings. The findings from this survey provide critical insights …

The Effects Of Mindfulness Meditation On Cognitive Flexibility, Emotion Regulation And Stress Reduction, Angelika Juric

University Honors Program Senior Projects

This study examined the short-term effects of mindfulness meditation on cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, and stress reduction. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to enhance attentional control, emotional awareness, and adaptive coping, contributing to overall psychological well-being. Using a pre-test/post-test experimental design, 23 adult participants completed the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) before and after a 15-minute guided Open Monitoring Mindfulness Meditation (OMM) session. The meditation emphasized nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. It was hypothesized that participants will demonstrate increased cognitive flexibility, improved emotion regulation, and reduced stress, anxiety, …

Investigating Road Salt And Groundwater Contributions To Chloride Toxicity In Hart Brook, Hunter Jackson Houle

Standard Theses

This study investigates chloride loading mechanisms and contamination of Hart Brook, a Class B impaired tributary of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston, Maine. By examining the hydrologic and geochemical response to a precipitation event following one of Maine's most severe recorded droughts, I assessed whether specific conductivity serves as a reliable proxy for field-measured chloride concentrations and evaluated how Hart Brook responds to storm disturbances. Water samples collected from three sites (HB3, HB4, HB5) before, during, and after a 1.9-inch rainfall event on September 25–26, 2025, were analyzed using Mohr titration to quantify chloride concentrations and to validate its relationship …

Divine Detachment: Beachy V. Assemblies Of God And A New Interpretation Of The Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine, Juarez Mcleod Johnson

MC Law Review

In the landmark case of Beachy v. Mississippi District Council for Assemblies of God, the Mississippi Supreme Court redefined its interpretation of the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine—marking a pivotal shift in church-state jurisprudence. Traditionally, this doctrine instructed courts to defer to the highest internal authority of a church when deciding disputes within hierarchical religious organizations. However, the court’s decision in Beachy significantly departed from this principle by designating the local pastor and congregation as the supreme authority over local church affairs, even within a hierarchical structure.

This Casenote explores the profound implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling, focusing on its …

Content And Consequences: Impact Of Representation In Stem Higher Education Instructional Content On Marginalized Students, Nichole Ventura

Doctorate in Education

This qualitative study examined representation of historically marginalized students in STEM instructional content at the higher education level and its impact on their learning experiences. Despite growing diversity initiatives in STEM enrollment, curricular materials often fail to reflect the identities of underrepresented students. Using critical theory and interpretivist approaches, this research investigated how representation—or its absence—shapes students' sense of belonging, academic identity formation, and persistence. Through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students from historically marginalized backgrounds, and purposeful sampling, this study captured the lived experiences of students engaging with STEM instructional materials. Interview protocols explored how students perceive their representation in …

Realism, Truth, And Commitment: An Exposition And Critique Of Michael Devitt's Constitutive Account Of Realism, Samuel Elias Hobbs

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Michael Devitt argues in Realism and Truth that positive semantic issues are not constitutive of realism concerning the mostly impersonal external world. This is motivated by his second maxim which prescribes that the metaphysical (ontological) issue of realism is to be (sharply) distinguished from any (positive) semantic issue. Devitt’s argument is that his view of realism, entitled ‘Realism’, doesn’t entail and isn’t entailed by any doctrine of truth.

This dissertation presents a critique of the argument indicated above and, thereby, Devitt’s second maxim. I present Devitt’s account of Realism and his overview of theories of truth. I next present Devitt’s …

Evaluation Of Distractor Model Specifications On Assessment Quality Within The Framework Of Assessment Engineering, Sunhyoung Lee

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Responding to the high demand for new test items, model-based item development has emerged as a promising approach for efficient item creation. Item models within Assessment Engineering (AE) offer a systematic framework that effectively generates a large volume of new items. In the development of multiple-choice questions, well-constructed distractors are essential for ensuring item quality, although creating them requires significant time and resources. A distractor model is a sub-model within an item model, producing correct answers and distractors aligned with all potential items to be generated. Various types of distractor models have different characteristics and offer efficient methods for generating …

Recovery And Characterization Of Moraxella Species From Bovine Specimens, Laura G. Leger

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The family Moraxellaceae is made up of a diverse group of 24 named species that fall into three phylogenetic groups. While most Moraxella spp. act as commensal respiratory and/or ocular flora of mammals, some are associated with disease. One of these diseases, infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), has significant welfare and economic impacts to both cattle and cattle producers. Moraxella bovis is the only experimentally determined cause of IBK, however, an association of Moraxella bovoculi with disease has been proposed. Currently, available vaccines do not have high levels of efficacy in the field. Culture based methods are the gold standard for …

Amplifying Mother Leaders’ Voices: A Feminist Inquiry Into Gender Inequity In Higher Education Leadership, Katherine Bard

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Women now comprise more than half of mid- and upper-level administrators in higher education, yet they remain underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles. For mothers in leadership, this underrepresentation is compounded by gendered structures, expectations, and norms that shape their personal and professional lives in distinct ways. While scholarship has examined working motherhood broadly and gender inequity in higher education separately, little research has focused on how mother leaders experience and interpret gender inequity in higher education leadership. This study sought to address that gap by exploring the lived experiences of ten mother leaders working at research-intensive (R1) universities …

Changepoint Detection As Model Selection: A General Framework, Michael A. Grantham

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation presents a general framework for changepoint detection based on ℓ₀ model selection. The core method, Iteratively Reweighted Fused Lasso (IRFL), improves upon the generalized lasso by adaptively reweighting penalties to enhance support recovery and minimize criteria such as the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The approach allows for flexible modeling of seasonal patterns, linear and quadratic trends, and autoregressive dependence in the presence of changepoints.

Simulation studies demonstrate that IRFL achieves accurate changepoint detection across a wide range of challenging scenarios, including those involving nuisance factors such as trends, seasonal patterns, and serially correlated errors. The framework is …

Rapid State-Of-Health Estimation Of Batteries Using Machine Learning With Limited Eearly-Discharge Voltage Data, Mohammad Bakhtiari

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The utilization of lithium-ion batteries has been rapidly expanding across diverse sectors, including electric transportation, stationary energy storage systems, and the built environment. Ensuring a high level of reliability in these applications is essential, as the performance and safety of such systems depend strongly on the accurate assessment of the battery’s State of Health (SOH). Conventional SOH estimation techniques—often based on complex electrochemical models or extensive laboratory testing—tend to require a large number of measurements, advanced instrumentation, and high computational cost. These factors make them impractical for large-scale deployment or real-time monitoring. This study introduces a simplified machine-learning-based approach for …

The Graphic Shift: Leveraging Superhero Graphica To Un-Ban Critical Conversations In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Avery Clason

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigates the challenges that books are receiving during an era of social and political turmoil based on their content. Understanding why these books are polarizing for most readers and the general public is in direct connection with finding different books that can harbor the same conversations about dense topics and cultivating connections between students, the text, the world, and themselves. While there has been a search to find alternate books that are not considered "political flashpoints,” there has been limited research into the use of superhero graphica in the ELA classroom, especially in connection to utilizing this genre …

Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy-Derived Oxygen Desaturation Rates During Post-Exercise Circulatory Occlusion As Predictors Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Markers, Carstell Lee

Honors Theses

Cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) is a critical predictor of all-cause mortality and overall cardiovascular health. Metabolic carts are the current gold standard for evaluation of VO₂max, but are inaccessible to most facilities and individuals, and are expensive ($20,000+). Near-Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has emerged as an accessible and affordable ($5,000-$10,000) alternative for evaluating skeletal muscle oxygenation kinetics and mitochondrial oxidative capacity. However, there is limited research in examining whether NIRS-derived oxygen desaturation rates can be a predictor of cardiorespiratory fitness markers (such as VO₂max and peak power output [PPO]), and whether these measurements show a superior predictive …

Volume 12 Issue 3 (Dec 1912)

The Soul Winner

No abstract provided.

From Medical Exceptions To Reproductive Freedom, David S. Cohen, Greer Donley

Michigan Law Review

Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022, there has been a significant focus on pregnancy complications. This focus has created some risks. Highlighting medically indicated abortion stories could stigmatize the vast majority of abortion seekers who lack medical reasons for abortion and result in narrow remedies that do nothing to undermine abortion bans. This Article presents a way to convert these risks into an opportunity: to use pregnancy complications as a wedge to challenge abortion bans more generally and make abortion more accessible for everyone. We present a long-term strategy to dismantle abortion bans, using several legal …

Presumption Of Creditworthiness, Nakita Q. Cuttino

Michigan Law Review

Creditworthiness, or the likelihood that one will repay one’s debts, is typically signaled through a three-digit number known as a credit score. Yet, over thirty-two million adult-aged consumers lack adequate consumer credit reports and therefore do not have a traditional credit score. As a result of being unscored, these consumers are generally presumed uncreditworthy and foreclosed from mainstream credit markets. Unscored consumers are often relegated to extractive, fringe credit markets that neither require nor build credit scores. More insidiously, however, a growing number of non-credit contexts, including rental housing, utility services, and employment markets, look to creditworthiness to determine eligibility …

Disability Rights On Probation And Parole, Alexis Karteron

Michigan Law Review

This Article addresses disability discrimination in community supervision programs, a large—but frequently overlooked—component of the criminal legal system and important contributor to America’s mass incarceration crisis. The long-standing concerns of legal scholars and advocates about disability discrimination in prisons and policing, particularly against people with mental health disabilities, apply with equal measure to probation and parole. This Article examines the experiences of people with intellectual/developmental, cognitive, and mental health disabilities to understand how disability discrimination manifests in probation and parole programs and identifies numerous policies and practices that likely run afoul of two major federal disability rights laws: the Americans …

Metabolic Screening In Veterans On Antipsychotics Mood Stabilizer, Joy Nneka Eke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was conducted to examine a quality improvement initiative that sought to address metabolic syndrome screening consistency for veterans on antipsychotic medications at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system located in the Midwest region of the United States. The project centered on whether the quality improvement program assessing compliance with the current metabolic syndrome screening process reflects increased early detection of metabolic syndrome to prevent cardiovascular complications. Data collection involved comprehensive chart reviews of 50 veterans’ records. The data collected were analyzed using a specially designed quality improvement initiative assessment form developed …

Embodied Encounters With Plankton: Ground Truth Methods As Sites For Human-Ocean Entanglement, Clarissa Chevalier

Study of Women, Gender, & Sexuality: Faculty Publications

This article examines shifting methods of plankton research within contemporary oceanography through direct participatory engagement on a ten-day research cruise off the Santa Lucia Escarp- ment in February 2025. As a feminist visual science studies researcher, I reflect on how seasick- ness, sensory immersion, and embodied participation shaped my experience of plankton sampling and reveal the entanglement of oceanographic knowledge with its contexts. While remote sensing technologies – such as satellites, digital twins, and remotely operated vehicles – are increasingly shaping oceanography and producing intensified modes of ocean quantification, I argue that tactile, physical sampling methods remain indispensable in plankton …

From Feedback To Insight: Using Hierarchical Clustering Analysis To Identify And Analyze Feedback Dimensions In Online Courses, Reagan R. Siggard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The demand for online courses continues to increase, as do the critiques of their effectiveness. Studies have found that peer interactions positively impact the online course experience and that peers can offer feedback to each other at the instructor's level with proper guidance. To help understand this feedback, researchers have identified feedback dimensions. Most feedback dimensions have been created through inductive coding, not exploratory data analysis approaches. This study sought to identify those feedback dimensions that perhaps had been missed or were highly associated with those already existing in the literature, hoping to inform research and practice to improve the …

Utilizing Diatoms In Wastewater Treatment For Pollutant Removal, Ceaira D. Howard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wastewater treatment systems are increasingly challenged by a complex mix of pollutants including excess nutrients, organic dyes, and persistent chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Conventional treatment technologies often struggle to effectively and affordably remove these contaminants. This study explores the use of two diatom species, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Navicula cryptocephala var. veneta, both single-celled microalgae with silica-based cell walls, as an environmentally sustainable approach to tertiary wastewater treatment. Diatoms offer dual functionality through surface adsorption properties and metabolic flexibilities, making them promising candidates for integrated treatment strategies.

To test the trophic flexibilities of diatoms, P. tricornutum was …

A Software Framework For Translating Onnx Models Onto The Lace-C3a Hardware, Shawn Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Modern computers are powerful, but they are not always efficient enough for small, low power systems like those used on satellites and scientific instruments. To solve this problem, engineers often turn to FPGAs—reconfigurable computer chips that can be customized to run specific tasks much faster and with far less energy than ordinary processors. However, finding the best possible design for an FPGA program is extremely difficult because there are millions of ways a design could be built, and only a small fraction of them actually perform well.

This thesis presents SNOW, a new framework that helps automate the search for …

Lace Network Firmware: A Polarfire Fpga Network For Data Routing And Command Interfacing In Space Applications, Kade C. Howes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Modern small spacecraft rely on powerful yet efficient onboard compute devices to process data from sensors in real-time due to tight power and volume constraints. This work explores a new compute device system built from PolarFire Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which are power-efficient, reprogrammable chips well-suited for space applications. The system connects via a central controller FPGA with one or multiple companion processing FPGAs, allowing sensor data to be quickly received and shared across the network. Standardized data formats and interfaces increase compatibility with spacecraft computers. By simplifying data handling and using high-speed communication links, this architecture makes it easier …

An Investigation Of Paleoclimate Through A Sedimentological Lens In The Gulf Of Mexico And Western North Pacific, Sarah Monica

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the use of sediment cores as proxy data for the reconstruction of paleoclimatic and environmental conditions. Human-caused climate change is leading to dramatic shifts in the global climate. As the instrumental record of climate is relatively short compared to the amount of time Earth has experienced weather, this work aims to extend our knowledge of climate beyond the instrumental record, thereby improving our holistic understanding of the climate system. In Chapter one, sediment cores from the central Texas inner shelf are used to produce a record of intense tropical cyclone (TC) activity over a ~4500-year period. X-Ray …

Evaluation Of The Suitability Of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) Accessions Grown In A Vertical Container System, Darel Kenth S. Antesco, Lourdes Edano Ma., Renerio Gentallan Jr, Roselyn F. Paelmo, Annalissa L. Aquino

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Growing tomatoes in vertical container systems such as hanging pots presents a promising production system for urban gardening. However, horticultural selections of tomato with traits suited for this system are still limited. The success of different genotypes grown in this system depends on the combination of morphological characters, including plant form, vegetative growth, and root development, as well as yield. This study assessed the morphological characters of 10 tomato accessions to identify those with ideal traits for this system. Results showed that some accessions possess unique traits that enhance their performance in hanging pots. Among the 10 accessions, T2 from …

From Fruit To Nut: Revisiting Pili Nut (Canarium Ovatum Engl.) Production Capacities And Value-Adding Activities In Sorsogon, Philippines, Joey Richard V. Dio, Ryan V. Dio, Dulce Corazon F. Lacson

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

The value chain of agricultural products significantly influences their profitability and socio-economic contribution. This study developed a descriptive model of the pili (Canarium ovatum Engl.) nut value chain in Sorsogon, the primary producer in the Philippines, and the only province with large-scale commercial operations. Using a descriptive research approach, data were collected through purposive interviews with 15 key informants—farmers, processors, and traders—guided by Porter’s value-chain framework. Results indicate that Sorsogon produces about 3 times the quantity required daily (< 2,233 kg) by Bicol-based processors, leading to underutilization and post-harvest losses attributed to limited storage facilities and market linkages. The processing stage, which converts pili fruits into nuts and kernels, demonstrates the highest operational efficiency, while the trading stage remains constrained by limited market access. Stakeholders often perform overlapping functions, and traditional sun-drying methods remain common. Furthermore, an aging farming population, limited succession planning, and inconsistent implementation of food safety standards continue to pose challenges to industry growth. These inefficiencies result in reduced profitability and restrict expansion. Strengthening the value chain through improved processing systems, broader market integration, and streamlined production activities is necessary to enhance economic returns and support the sustainable growth of Sorsogon’s pili nut industry.

Gastropod Assemblage And Biofilm Abundance On Rocky Shores Of Southern Antique, Panay, Philippines, Mia Jane D. Geneblaza, Karen A. Villarta-Lane

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

The gastropod assemblage and biofilm abundance, measured as chlorophyll a levels, were examined at 3 rocky shore sites in southern Antique, Panay, Philippines, in February 2024 to address significant gaps in current knowledge and help better understand the ecological dynamics of rocky intertidal zones. A total of 14 families comprising 22 genera and 31 species were identified from the area. The family Littorinidae was the most speciesrich, comprising 9 species. Among these, the scabra periwinkle Littoraria scabra (Philippi 1846) was the most abundant, comprising on average 50.17% of the total abundance across sites. Other identified gastropod families included Muricidae (5 …

Non-Target Organisms And Terrestrial Arthropod Biodiversity In The Corn Agroecosystem: Bt Corn Beyond Acb Pest Management [Review Article], Ireneo L. Lit Jr., Merdelyn T. Caasi-Lit, Kristine O. Abenis

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Assessments of risks of modern biotechnology products to non-target organisms (NTOs) are required before a product can be registered and allowed for commercial production. For Bt-engineered plants, data from such studies become part of environmental risk or impact assessments that are reviewed before a hybrid can be registered and allowed for commercial planting. The approaches and methods vary among countries and researchers. Consequently, the choice of species and groups of organisms or guilds that are monitored or studied may range from narrow to broad and encompassing. The inevitability of adverse changes in agroecosystems, including those that involve the corn crop, …

Age-Dependent Reproductive Fitness And Behavioral Dynamics Of The Asian Corn Borer, Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera:Crambidae), Marcela M. Navasero, Randolph N. Candano, Maricon Dp Javier, Jethro M. Navasero, Wilson N. De Panis

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study evaluated the effects of parental age of the Asian corn borer (ACB), Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), on fecundity, egg hatchability, adult longevity, and the duration of pre-oviposition, oviposition, and post-oviposition periods using arranged mating pairs aged 1 to 5 days old. Mating behavior was also observed and documented. The highest fecundity, measured by the number of egg masses and total eggs produced, was recorded in pairings of 1-day-old males and females, indicating a positive effect of young parental age. In contrast, pairings involving 5-day-old males and females resulted in the lowest egg production, demonstrating an inverse relationship between parental …

Oviposition Preference And Behavior Of The Asian Corn Borer, Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), On Corn And Non-Corn Plants Under Semi-Field And Mini-Screen Cage Conditions, Merdelyn T. Caasi-Lit, Jessica B. Baroga-Barbecho, John David C. Cortez, Edwin A. Benigno

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Oviposition site selection in Ostrinia furnacalis is a hierarchical, multi-stage process influenced by plant phenology and spatial context. Oviposition preferences under mini-screen cage (Sampaloc) and semi-field (BL2) conditions were evaluated to determine the effects of field size, corn developmental stage, and the presence of non-corn plants on egg deposition patterns. Females deposited significantly more egg masses on 40 DAP (pre-reproductive) corn than on early vegetative-stage plants [Sampaloc: n=437 (40 DAP), n=88 (30 DAP); BL2: n=98 (40 DAP), n=84 (30 DAP)], demonstrating a strong phenological preference, particularly in Sampaloc. The presence of non-corn plants has a negligible …