Digital Commons Network^™

Low-Level Polarimetric Signatures Of Supercells During Ef3+ Tornado Production, Anthony Noah Began

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Most EF3+ tornadoes are produced by supercells. Understanding of microscale features surrounding intense tornado production remains limited. This research aims to determine commonalities in low-level microphysical processes during intense tornado production via polarimetric radar signature assessment with a Python-based algorithm. Polarimetric variables hypothesized to reflect low-level wind profiles such as the differential reflectivity (Z_DR) arc and the Z_DR–K_DP (specific differential phase) separation vector will be investigated. Supercells which produced EF3+ tornadoes will be examined since these tornadoes pose the highest threat. From 2010 to 2024, the United States recorded approximately 19,100 tornadoes which resulted in …

Educating The New Generation Of Food Scientists Through Innovative Learning Experiences, Karen Andrea Nieto Flores

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

Food science provides an opportunity to engage high school students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by connecting classroom concepts to real-world applications. Despite the field’s relevance to public health, food safety, sustainability, and innovation, food science remains largely absent from high school curricula, and few students recognize it as a viable STEM pathway. This research addressed this gap by evaluating immersive summer camp experiences and teacher-focused curriculum review as strategies to increase food science awareness and interest among students and educators. A literature review traced the historical development and current landscape of K–12 food science education, identifying barriers …

Functional Genomics Of Phosphatidylcholine Biosynthesis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Amanda Marie Maliva

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

Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) is a prominent structural building block of cell and organelle membranes in animal, plant, and fungal cells and some bacteria. Due to its abundant nature in the plasma membrane and intracellular organelle membranes in eukaryotes, the biosynthesis of PtdCho must remain regulated to preserve the correct membrane lipid composition. Dysregulations in PtdCho metabolism can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, cell death, and the development of diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, and hepatic diseases. Knowledge of PtdCho has remained limited to the genes involved in its three biosynthetic pathways (Kennedy (K), methylation (M), and acyltransferase (A)), despite the growing realization of …

What Values Best Distinguish The World's Cultures? The Machine Learning-Based Cultural Values Inventory, Abhishek Sheetal, Shilpa Madan, Rui Ling Lee, Krishna Savani

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Scientists studying culture typically focus on a small number of theoretical constructs, such as individualism–collectivism, when seeking to explain cultural differences in psychological tendencies and behaviors. However, existing theories of culture could have missed out on important constructs that are useful for explaining cross-cultural differences. We used an abductive approach combining prediction and explanation to uncover important cultural values. In the prediction phase, based on 594 attitudes, values, and beliefs included in the World Values Survey, a neural network could classify respondents’ nationalities with 90% accuracy in out-of-sample data. In the explanation phase, a feature importance analysis identified the values …

Constitutional Futurism As Pedagogy, Jeremiah Chin

Articles

Constitutional Law has transformed from a course on history to a discussion of current events. Cases like Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo reveal that the study of constitutional law is not a static, or even linear, discussion of constitutional text and history. Law is a shifting, changing enterprise that reflects social constructions of power, authority, and identity. How do we teach, learn, and understand constitutional law that is so laden with history, riddled with theories of consistency and adherence to precedent, but ultimately subject …

Constitutional Futurisms, Jeremiah Chin

Articles

How do we reckon with the past? The Supreme Court’s recent embrace of originalism as a mode of constitutional analysis relies almost exclusively on a view of history and tradition that would bind us to an understanding of principles and ideals that legitimized the exclusion of minority voices. Cases such as New York State Pistol and Rifle Ass'n v. Bruen use flavors of originalism as a framework to define rights and governmental powers through their historical antecedents, but this broad standard of interpretation is notably absent in the Court’s recent discussions of histories and traditions of racism in the United …

Artificial Intelligence On Campus: Revisiting Understanding As An Aim Of Higher Education, Jamie Herman, Henry Lara‐Steidel

Prindle Faculty and Staff Publications

AbstractThe launch of the powerful generative AI tool ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked a wave of fear across higher education. The tool could seemingly be used to write essays and do other work without students putting in the effort expected of them. In this paper, Jamie Herman and Henry Lara‐Steidel posit a way of addressing the concerns over ChatGPT and increasingly powerful generative AI tools in the classroom by first examining what exactly, if anything, widespread AI use undermines in education. That question, they argue, is logically prior to the question of what to do or how best to embrace …

Role Of Financial Inclusion In Poverty Alleviation In Jigawa State Nigeria; The Moderating Effect Of Financial Literacy, Abdulnasir Yola Turawa, Aminu Jakada, Nadira Madaki Iliyasu, Abdullahi Dayyabu Marmara

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

A need for research that examines how financial inclusion alleviates poverty in Jigawa state with a specific focus on the moderating effect of financial literacy. The study utilizes Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Financial inclusion was found to contribute to poverty alleviation by granting access to essential financial amenities like loans, savings, and insurance. Additionally, financial literacy significantly curbs this relationship by enhancing the efficiency of financial inclusion in poverty alleviation. Individuals who utilize financial services more effectively were found to have higher financial literacy, resulting in improved financial stability, increased savings, and investments in income-generating activities. Recommendation …

Cultural Vibrations: Student Power, International Exchange, And Black America In Mai 1968, Noah Micheal Roberts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This thesis examines the prominence of Black Americans in the 68’ student movement in France. May 68’ incorporated a diverse and global network of social movements and political organizations, and had a notable connection to the American student movement. Black Americans had formed a large expatriate community in France which overlapped with many of the transnational connections forged by the student movements of 68’. This community was extremely notable in the French public sphere for popular works of literature and music, but its political contributions have been minimized or understudied. By utilizing student accounts, state and organizational records, and …

“I Wish These Damned People Would Stay Put”: The Political Ambivalence Of Us Archaeologists In Guatemala, 1931–1956, Fernando Armstrong-Fumero

Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This article traces the history of how two generations of US archaeologists navigated their relationship with the Guatemalan government, from the Jorge Ubico dictatorship in the 1930s through the democratic opening of the 1940s and 1950s and the subsequent CIA-sponsored coup. Critiques of modern archaeology have focused on the discipline’s history of ideological and material collusion with different projects of US and European imperialism in the Global South. While the archaeologists discussed here benefited from US hegemony in the region, their own correspondence reflects an ambivalent relationship to formal frameworks of international law and a desire to function as autonomous …

How Do Homeschool Parents In South Carolina Select Curriculum And Make Pedagogical Choices To Support Their Children’S Early Reading Development?, Lauretta O. Osho

All Dissertations

Early Childhood Education (ECE) is a period of growth and development for young children as they begin their educational journey. The need for a high-quality early childhood learning experience is necessary for the child’s holistic development, without which children may grow up with learning challenges that could negatively impact their adult life. Each child's early learning experience must begin with a good and deliberate reading foundation. Therefore, understanding the best methods of instilling strong reading skills in children from an early age sets the foundation for lifelong learning and success.

Homeschooling is the practice of educating, instructing, and tutoring children …

The Influence Of Past Experiences On Middle School Band Directors’ Instructional Practices, Jessie Lynn Peterson

All Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the influence of middle school band directors’ past experiences on their instructional decision-making and implementation of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). Embedded in Ladson-Billings’s (1995, 2014) CRP framework and Lortie’s (1975) apprenticeship of observation theory, this study explored the relationship between middle school band directors’ past experiences, their beliefs about CRP, and their instructional practices.

Music education in the United States has historically focused on Western European classical traditions that overlook the cultural diversity of today’s students and reinforce dominant pedagogical norms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six middle school band directors. Participants discussed their musical backgrounds, …

Stress-Survival Pathway Genes In Colorectal Cancer: Crc Progression And Hispanic Disparities, Highlighting Mcm10 As A Potential Player, Urbashi Basnet

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite advances in screening and treatment, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., with notable disparities across racial and ethnic groups. Hispanic populations face a disproportionate burden, underscoring significant differences in incidence and outcomes. This study examines the role of the Stress-Survival Pathway (SSP) in colorectal cancer (CRC), with a focus on addressing health disparities among Hispanic populations. Twenty-eight differentially expressed SSP genes identified from bioinformatic analysis were validated in CRC cell lines and cDNA arrays using qRT-PCR and tissue microarrays by immunohistochemistry. SSP genes were further analyzed in CRC tissues from Hispanic and …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Classroom Practices, Stem Identity And Stem Interest In Latinx Secondary Students, Laura Corral Carrillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Latinx students remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields despite representing a growing portion of the U.S. school population. Research suggests that inclusive classroom practices (ICPs) that affirm students' cultural and linguistic identities can play a critical role in shaping STEM identity and fostering interest in STEM pathways. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between ICPs, Latinx high school students' STEM identity development, and their interest in pursuing STEM careers in the Texas borderlands. The study employed a convergent design, integrating quantitative survey data from 52 students and qualitative interview data from four secondary science teachers. Quantitative …

Effects Of Environmental Stressors On Human Tissue-On-A-Chip Platforms, Andie Padilla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As space exploration begins to extend beyond low earth orbit, it has become increasingly critical to understand the interaction of the extreme environment of space flight with human systems. While it is known that space-travel induces a vast array of complications to cardiac, neural, musculoskeletal, and immune systems, the mechanisms by which these complications occur are poorly understood. Current research to study the effects of microgravity and radiation are limited to ground simulations, which rarely account for the multifactorial stressors experienced during spaceflight, or long duration studies aboard the International Space Station. Similarly, traditional two-dimensional (2D) models lack the ability …

Experimental Investigation Of Photovoltaic Soiling Losses And Aerosol Absorption And Scattering Related To Dust In The Chihuahuan Desert Region, German Rodriguez Ortiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the interaction between mineral dust and solar radiation in the Chihuahuan Desert, one of the dustiest areas in North America. I focused on two main aspects: (1) the characterization of atmospheric aerosol optical properties during dust events, and (2) the effects of dust deposition (soiling) on the performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules. I characterized the intrinsic optical properties of aerosols in El Paso, Texas during the peak of the 2021 dust season. Ground-level, high-resolution optical and meteorological data were collected at the Black and Brown Carbon (BC^2) study site, whereas particulate matter and additional meteorological parameters were …

Humboldt County, Dennis Robert Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Danny Marquez, a police sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, takes his family on a vacation to Seattle, Washington. On the way, they stop in Humboldt County, and Danny is captivated by the beauty and serenity of this county. He imagines moving his family to Humboldt County and leaving the troubles of big city life behind. He applied for the position of Chief Inspector for the Humboldt Police. By the time he is hired, he loses both his son to Fentanyl and his wife to suicide. He is hired for the position but finds himself alone. He considers suicide. …

Model-Based Systems Engineering For Aerospace Applications: Strategic Requirements Prioritization In Complex Adaptive Systems And Digital Integration, Iqtiar Md Siddique

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ineffective systems engineering practices continue to jeopardize aerospace missions, resulting in multi-billion-dollar losses, delays, and fragmented development outcomes. As complexity intensifies and timelines shrink, conventional document-based methods increasingly fail to support early validation, cross-domain traceability, and synchronized tool usage. This research presents an integrated approach that addresses three critical gaps: synchronizing executable and traceable MBSE models across structural, behavioral, and requirements domains; applying scalable requirements prioritization techniques tailored for Complex Adaptive Systems; and establishing automated simulation feedback loops through digital toolchain integration. Central to this strategy is the Digital Trinity, which connects system models, simulations, and lifecycle data through a …

Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Parenting Styles Of African American Fathers, Tatianna P. Johnson

Dissertations

African American fathers may be more susceptible than fathers of other races to having a negative parenting style due to their high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are traumatic experiences during childhood that can affect a person’s mental and physical health, income and adult parenting style. African American adults tend to have experienced multiple levels of ACEs at a higher rate than White and Asian adults (Maguire-Jack et al., 2021). ACEs can lead to adults experiencing higher levels of alcoholism, depression, health-related issues, mental illness, substance use, and academic problems. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Cost Competitiveness Of Chinese And U.S. Fine Chemical Exports To Europe Under Europe’S Energy Crisis, Lin Luo

Dissertations

The European energy crisis, driven by geopolitical conflicts, has created a significant supply-demand gap in Europe’s fine chemical sector, necessitating reliance on imports from the United States and China. This quantitative study examined how energy, labor, and logistics costs interacted to shape the cost competitiveness of U.S. and Chinese fine chemical exports to Europe, using a Monte Carlo simulation parameterized with historical data from 2015-2023, to provide a probabilistic forecast of competitive outcomes. The findings revealed that while China holds a 76.55% probability of being the lower-cost supplier, its advantage is characterized by high volatility primarily due to its logistics …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Sophomore-Year Persistence At A Regional Institution In Southern Appalachia, Jonathan W. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative and interpretative phenomenological study was to explore factors that participants identified as playing roles in their persistence through their sophomore years at a regional university located within Southern Appalachia. Research on second-year retention efforts is far lacking compared to first-year retention efforts. Reflecting the heavy emphasis placed on the first year, there is also more research on first-year retention. However, students can feel a sharp decline in support entering sophomore year, making that just as critical of a transition. Student retention has been emphasized in higher education since its inception, as an institution’s goal in …

From Code To Compliance: Regulating Daos In Canada: Legal Frameworks And Challenges, Gulnoza Abdurakmonova

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper examines the regulatory challenges surrounding Decentralised Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) in Canada and argues that existing legal frameworks— primarily designed for traditional corporate entities— are inadequate for addressing the unique characteristics of DAOs. While securities regulators have taken steps to oversee aspects of DAO activity, a broader regulatory framework is needed to provide legal clarity, address governance and liability concerns, and foster responsible innovation. This study recommends a dual approach: (1) extending corporate law reforms to define the legal status and obligations of DAOs, and (2) developing a regulatory framework that balances investor protection with the flexibility needed for …

Recommended For You Streaming Platform Recommendation Algorithms And Consumer Rights, Margaret Wilson

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Streaming platforms are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. In Canada, recent studies have suggested that 55% of Canadians use video streaming services, like Netflix, on a daily basis. Similarly, up to 30% stream audio content daily on platforms like Spotify.6 The federal government has recognized that the broadening use of these technologies creates new challenges for consumer privacy and has proposed updates to consumer privacy laws in Bill C-27. With the dissolution of the 44th Parliament on March 23, 2025, Bill C-27 died on the roll and will not be adopted. As proposed legislation, Bill C-27 signalled the direction of …

Balancing The Use Of Ai With Canadian Privacy Rights: An Analysis Of Personal Information Collection Through Emerging Ai Tools, Tamie Dolny, Methura Sinnadurai

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Biometric information collection through artificial intelligence (AI) is a new, dynamic and exciting technology that also raises significant privacy law considerations for in house and governmental lawyers in Canada. While organizations may be quick to collect personal information using forms of AI technology, these entities should be aware of the legal risk posed by technologies which may violate the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)1 and/or the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA),2 especially if users are unaware of, or have not consented to the use of their personal information by the AI …

Making Sense Of Myc In Skeletal Muscle, Ronald G. Jones, Sebastian Edman, Nathan Serrano, Yuan Wen, John J. Mccarthy, Christopher S. Fry, Ferdinand Von Walden, Kevin A. Murach

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fact-Audit: An Adaptive Multi-Agent Framework For Dynamic Fact-Checking Evaluation Of Large Language Models, Hongzhan Lin, Yang Deng, Yuxuan Gu, Wenxuan Zhang, Jing Ma, See-Kiong Ng, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large Language Models (LLMs) have significantly advanced the fact-checking studies. However, existing automated fact-checking evaluation methods rely on static datasets and classification metrics, which fail to automatically evaluate the justification production and uncover the nuanced limitations of LLMs in fact-checking. In this work, we introduce FACT-AUDIT, an agent-driven framework that adaptively and dynamically assesses LLMs’ fact-checking capabilities. Leveraging importance sampling principles and multi-agent collaboration, FACT-AUDIT generates adaptive and scalable datasets, performs iterative model-centric evaluations, and updates assessments based on model-specific responses. By incorporating justification production alongside verdict prediction, this framework provides a comprehensive and evolving audit of LLMs’ factual reasoning …

Gnncontext: Gnn-Based Code Context Prediction For Programming Tasks, Xiaoye Zheng, Zhiyuan Wan, Shun Liu, Kaiwen Yang, David Lo, Xiaohu Yang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A code context model comprises source code elements and their relations relevant to a programming task. The capture and use of code context models in software tools can benefit software development practices, such as code navigation and search. Prior research has explored approaches that leverage either the structural information of code or interaction histories of developers with integrated development environments to automate the construction of code context models. However, these approaches primarily capture shallow syntactic and lexical features of code elements, with limited ability to capture contextual and structural dependencies among neighboring code elements. In this paper, we propose GNNContext, …

Systems Statistical Engineering – Hierarchical Fuzzy Constraint Propagation, Hengameh Fakhravar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Driven by the growing need in the 21st century for integrating rigorous statistical analysis into engineering research, there is a movement to develop an integrated statistical engineering science within statistics and quality communities (Hoerl & Snee, 2010; Anderson-Cook et al., 2012). Systems Statistical Engineering research seeks to integrate the Causal Bayesian hierarchical modeling (Pearl, 2009) and cybernetic control theory within Beer’s Viable System Model (1972, 1979, 1985) and the Complex Systems Governance framework (Keating, 2014; Keating & Katina, 2015, 2016) to produce multivariate systemic models for robust dynamic systems mission performance. Cotter & Quigley (2018) set forth the Bayesian systemic …

The Effect Of An Acute Bout Of Rock Climbing On Cognitive Functioning And Cortisol Levels, Vanessa Steigauf

All NMU Master's Theses

Rock climbing is an understudied physical activity (PA) that demands active decision-making, integration of sensory and visual input, and continuous regulation of nervous system activity to produce complex motor outputs. The unique psychological demands of climbing warrant studying its effect on cognition and brain health. I recruited 26 generally healthy adults for a randomized-controlled study. Climbing experience, PA and perceived stress were self-reported. Each participant was randomly assigned to a climbing (10x2 minutes climb, moderate intensity) or control group (seated, watching climbing-related video). The primary outcomes, cognitive performance and salivary cortisol levels were assessed by the Stroop test. A linear …

2-Adic Quantum Mechanics, Continuous-Time Quantum Walks, And The Space Discreteness, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The authors show that a large class of 2-adic Schrödinger equations is the scaling limit of certain continuous-time quantum Markov chains (CTQMCs). Practically, a discretization of such an equation gives a CTQMC. As a practical result, new types of continuous-time quantum walks (CTQWs) on graphs using two symmetric matrices are constructed. The transport between nodes in one direction is described by one matrix, while the transport between nodes in the opposite direction. This construction includes, as a particular case, the CTQWs constructed using adjacency matrices. The final goal of this work is to contribute to the understanding of the foundations …