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The Beauty Of Gray: Embracing The Role Of Community Courts And The Professionals Who Work At The Boundary Of Court And Community, Amanda N. Berman May 2026

The Beauty Of Gray: Embracing The Role Of Community Courts And The Professionals Who Work At The Boundary Of Court And Community, Amanda N. Berman

NULR Online

No abstract provided.


Pfas Mixture Composition And Internal Exposure Profiles Shape Biological Responses Under Field-Realistic Exposure, Alan M. Vajda, Jill A. Jenkins, David W. Bertolatus, Denis R. Leblanc, Christopher J. Martyniuk, Zachary R. Hopkins, Andrea K. Tokranov, Abigail R. Dethloff, Joseph C. Tucker, Rainer Lohmann, Larry B. Barber May 2026

Pfas Mixture Composition And Internal Exposure Profiles Shape Biological Responses Under Field-Realistic Exposure, Alan M. Vajda, Jill A. Jenkins, David W. Bertolatus, Denis R. Leblanc, Christopher J. Martyniuk, Zachary R. Hopkins, Andrea K. Tokranov, Abigail R. Dethloff, Joseph C. Tucker, Rainer Lohmann, Larry B. Barber

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occur as complex mixtures, yet mixture-dependent biological effects under environmentally realistic exposure conditions remain poorly understood. We conducted multiyear (2018, 2019, 2021) continuous-flow, field-based exposures of male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) using a low-PFAS reference well (REF; sum of measured PFAS (∑PFAS) 0.1–0.2 μg L–1) and PFAS-contaminated groundwater from a fire-training area (FTA) at Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Dilution treatments enabled separation of concentration and mixture effects. Groundwater from well FTA1 was perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) dominated (∑PFAS 10–31 μg L–1), whereas groundwater from well FTA2 had higher concentrations and …


Bridging Images And Language In Radiology: A Comprehensive Prisma Systematic Review Of Transformer Vision-Language Models And Clinical Readiness, Mohammad T. Khasawneh Dr., Sadaf Tabatabaee May 2026

Bridging Images And Language In Radiology: A Comprehensive Prisma Systematic Review Of Transformer Vision-Language Models And Clinical Readiness, Mohammad T. Khasawneh Dr., Sadaf Tabatabaee

Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Student Scholarship

Transformer vision-language models (VLMs) promise end-to-end automation of radiology reporting and related multimodal tasks. However, evidence remains fragmented across datasets, architectures, evaluation practices, and levels of clinical validation, limiting fair comparison and safe translation into practice. Following PRISMA 2020/PRISMA-S, search engines including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for peer-reviewed, English-language studies published between 2019 and 2025 that used paired radiology images and free-text reports. Dual reviewers screened records and extracted data using a locked schema covering datasets, modalities, architectures, training objectives, evaluation metrics, and indicators of clinical readiness. Free-text model descriptions were normalized …


Influence Of Polyvinyl Alcohol Content On Starch-Based Bioplastic Reinforced With Chitosan And Microcrystalline Cellulose, Bagus Kharisma Putra, Andoko Andoko, Mochamad Viky Afandy, Muhammad Faizullah Pasha, Riduwan Prasetya May 2026

Influence Of Polyvinyl Alcohol Content On Starch-Based Bioplastic Reinforced With Chitosan And Microcrystalline Cellulose, Bagus Kharisma Putra, Andoko Andoko, Mochamad Viky Afandy, Muhammad Faizullah Pasha, Riduwan Prasetya

Chimica et Natura Acta

Starch-based bioplastics are promising sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics; however, their limited mechanical strength and stability restrict broader packaging applications. This study investigates the influence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) content on the structural and functional properties of starch-based bioplastic films reinforced with chitosan and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Films prepared by solution casting with varying PVA compositions were characterized in terms of density, mechanical properties, thermal stability, biodegradation behavior, antibacterial activity, and structural features. Increasing PVA content produced denser film structures with improved tensile strength and thermal stability, while elongation at break reached its maximum at the intermediate formulation, indicating a …


Brain Age Prediction In Generalized Anxiety Disorder Using A Convolutional Neural Network, Corey Richier, André Zugman, Anita Harrewijn, Elise M Cardinale, Parmis Khosravi, Moji Aghajani, Willem B Bruin, Kevin Hilbert, Narcis Cardoner, Daniel Porta-Casteràs, Marta Cano, Savannah Gosnell, Ramiro Salas, Andrea P Jackowski, Pedro M Pan, Giovanni A Salum, Karina S Blair, James R Blair, Mohammed R Milad, Katie L Burkhouse, K Luan Phan, Heidi K Schroeder, Jeffrey R Strawn, Katja Beesdo-Baum, Neda Jahanshad, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Jared A Nielsen, Jordan W Smoller, Jair C Soares, Benson Mwangi, Mon-Ju Wu, Giovana B Zunta-Soares, Michal Assaf, Gretchen J Diefenbach, Paolo Brambilla, Eleonora Maggioni, David Hofmann, Thomas Straube, Carmen Andreescu, Rebecca B Price, Gisele G Manfro, Federica Agosta, Elisa Canu, Camilla Cividini, Massimo Filippi, Milutin Kostić, Ana Munjiza Jovanovic, Brenda Benson, Gabrielle F Freitag, Ellen Leibenluft, Grace V Ringlein, Kathryn Werwath, Hannah Zwiebel, Hans J Grabe, Sandra Van Der Auwera, Katharina Wittfeld, Henry Völzke, Robin Bülow, Nicholas L Balderston, Monique Ernst, Lilianne R Mujica-Parodi, Helena Van Nieuwenhuizen, Hugo D Critchley, Elena Makovac, Matteo Mancini, Frances Meeten, Cristina Ottaviani, Gregory A Fonzo, Martin P Paulus, Murray B Stein, Raquel E Gur, Ruben C Gur, Antonia N Kaczkurkin, Bart Larsen, Theodore D Satterthwaite, Jennifer Harper, Michael T Perino, Chad M Sylvester, Qiongru Yu, Patrick Mcclure, Francisco Pereira, Ulrike Lueken, Dick J Veltman, Paul M Thompson, Nynke A Groenewold, Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam, Dan J Stein, Nic J A Van Der Wee, Anderson M Winkler, Daniel S Pine, Chelsea K Sawyers May 2026

Brain Age Prediction In Generalized Anxiety Disorder Using A Convolutional Neural Network, Corey Richier, André Zugman, Anita Harrewijn, Elise M Cardinale, Parmis Khosravi, Moji Aghajani, Willem B Bruin, Kevin Hilbert, Narcis Cardoner, Daniel Porta-Casteràs, Marta Cano, Savannah Gosnell, Ramiro Salas, Andrea P Jackowski, Pedro M Pan, Giovanni A Salum, Karina S Blair, James R Blair, Mohammed R Milad, Katie L Burkhouse, K Luan Phan, Heidi K Schroeder, Jeffrey R Strawn, Katja Beesdo-Baum, Neda Jahanshad, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Jared A Nielsen, Jordan W Smoller, Jair C Soares, Benson Mwangi, Mon-Ju Wu, Giovana B Zunta-Soares, Michal Assaf, Gretchen J Diefenbach, Paolo Brambilla, Eleonora Maggioni, David Hofmann, Thomas Straube, Carmen Andreescu, Rebecca B Price, Gisele G Manfro, Federica Agosta, Elisa Canu, Camilla Cividini, Massimo Filippi, Milutin Kostić, Ana Munjiza Jovanovic, Brenda Benson, Gabrielle F Freitag, Ellen Leibenluft, Grace V Ringlein, Kathryn Werwath, Hannah Zwiebel, Hans J Grabe, Sandra Van Der Auwera, Katharina Wittfeld, Henry Völzke, Robin Bülow, Nicholas L Balderston, Monique Ernst, Lilianne R Mujica-Parodi, Helena Van Nieuwenhuizen, Hugo D Critchley, Elena Makovac, Matteo Mancini, Frances Meeten, Cristina Ottaviani, Gregory A Fonzo, Martin P Paulus, Murray B Stein, Raquel E Gur, Ruben C Gur, Antonia N Kaczkurkin, Bart Larsen, Theodore D Satterthwaite, Jennifer Harper, Michael T Perino, Chad M Sylvester, Qiongru Yu, Patrick Mcclure, Francisco Pereira, Ulrike Lueken, Dick J Veltman, Paul M Thompson, Nynke A Groenewold, Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam, Dan J Stein, Nic J A Van Der Wee, Anderson M Winkler, Daniel S Pine, Chelsea K Sawyers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Higher predicted brain age difference has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with markers of accelerated aging. In this study, we determined brain predicted age difference (PAD) in individuals with GAD and healthy controls (HC) as well as group differences in PAD variability using voxel-wise structural MRI. The training dataset included 3511 controls, and the testing dataset included 1595 individuals with GAD and 4552 HC from the ENIGMA-Anxiety GAD Working Group. A convolutional neural network model using four input modalities per subject and a model ensemble approach was used to predict brain age. The …


Stoker-Fired Laboratory Boiler As A Tool For Optimising The Solid Fuel Combustion Process, Przemysław Rompalski, Justyna Guzy-Proc, Mariusz Kieczek May 2026

Stoker-Fired Laboratory Boiler As A Tool For Optimising The Solid Fuel Combustion Process, Przemysław Rompalski, Justyna Guzy-Proc, Mariusz Kieczek

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This paper presents the results of quality testing performed on a stoker-fired laboratory boiler to present the technical potential of the boiler as a tool for optimising the combustion process of prepared solid fuels (granulate, energy blend) in the context of current demands related to the decarbonisation policy. The comprehensive testing of such fuels at a laboratory scale makes it possible to gain deep insights into the quality parameters of the fuel, flue gas and combustion waste, as well as to determine the combustion process parameters before the fuel is introduced for combustion in broader power engineering and household boilers. …


Comparative Analysis Of Transportation Emissions And Policy In Lahore And Los Angeles, Laiba Rehman May 2026

Comparative Analysis Of Transportation Emissions And Policy In Lahore And Los Angeles, Laiba Rehman

Master's Projects and Capstones

In 2023, exposure to air pollution killed 7.9 million people globally, becoming the second leading cause of death worldwide. Transportation emissions are among the primary drivers of this burden especially in rapidly urbanizing cities where vehicle fleets are growing faster than regulatory frameworks respond. This study examines the contribution of transportation emissions to urban air quality, public health and climate change in Lahore, Pakistan and Los Angeles, California. First, it employs a secondary data analysis of PM2.5 and ozone concentrations and vehicle fleet composition in each city, followed by an analysis of emission inventories. Second, it evaluates the regulatory …


Let Freedom Read: Exploring Mississippi’S Defiance Of National Book Banning Trends, Olivia S. Hoover May 2026

Let Freedom Read: Exploring Mississippi’S Defiance Of National Book Banning Trends, Olivia S. Hoover

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why have book bans have surged so dramatically across the United States in recent years, especially as they have become a defining political project for conservative lawmakers? At the center of this uptick in book bans lies a confusing puzzle: while book bans overwhelmingly occur in Republican-dominated states, Mississippi, despite its conservative political landscape, has seen almost none, even as states like Florida have enacted more than a thousand in a single year. Much of the existing scholarship on book bans focuses on national patterns of them or on the lawmakers and advocacy groups driving these bans, leaving a gap …


Deforestation Dynamics In The Amazon: Impacts, Socio-Environmental Drivers And Restoration Pathways, Maria Natalia Rodriguez May 2026

Deforestation Dynamics In The Amazon: Impacts, Socio-Environmental Drivers And Restoration Pathways, Maria Natalia Rodriguez

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Amazon, which is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, experienced 542,581 km² of forest loss between the years 2000 and 2020. The process of deforestation endangers the ecological system results which maintain ecosystem connectivity and the Earth's climate system. The Amazon rainforest supplies essential ecological services which include maintaining soil fertility, storing carbon, purifying water and climate stability. The fundamental ecosystem of this area faces new threats because of increasing forest destruction. The research study adopts a combined methodology that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with a comprehensive literature review to study Amazon deforestation patterns and its driving …


Commencement Of The Class Of 2026, Illinois Math And Science Academy May 2026

Commencement Of The Class Of 2026, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Ceremony

PROGRAM

POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE From Military Marches Op.39, No.1 Edward Elgar

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Angel Castillo Campa, Class of 2026

REFLECTIONS ON GRADUATION DAY Molly Federici, Class of 2026

INTRODUCTION OF COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Eric Brown Chair, Board of Trustees

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Kendell Byrd ‘13, Buzzfeed Engineer on Tech and Entertainment

PRESENTATION OF THE CLASS OF 2026 Angela Rowley, Ed.D., Principal and Chief Academic Officer

ACCEPTANCE OF THE CLASS OF 2026 Evan M. Glazer, Ph.D., President

PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS AND MEDALLIONS 

Eric Brown Chair, Board of Trustees,Evan M. Glazer, Ph.D., President

Manuel Donelson, Dean of Student Support and Equity

Paul Gaszak, …


Justice On Autopilot: Comparing Predictive Litigation And Data Justice In Bay Area Municipal Governments, Darris M. Thomas May 2026

Justice On Autopilot: Comparing Predictive Litigation And Data Justice In Bay Area Municipal Governments, Darris M. Thomas

Master's Projects and Capstones

This Capstone project examines how Bay Area municipal governments, specifically the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County, are adopting and governing predictive litigation technologies, and what these practices reveal about the possibilities and limitations of data justice in advancing racial equity, transparency, and public accountability. Drawing on a qualitative, comparative case study methodology analyzing procurement contracts, AI governance policies, California Public Records Act (CPRA) disclosures, and semi-structured interviews gathered across fifteen municipal legal institutions, the research applies an interdisciplinary theoretical framework synthesizing John Rawls’s distributive fairness, Nancy Fraser’s recognition justice, Tom …


What Complexity Costs: Growth, Productive Capability, And The Vulnerability Of Interconnectedness, Pete Mcniff May 2026

What Complexity Costs: Growth, Productive Capability, And The Vulnerability Of Interconnectedness, Pete Mcniff

Master's Theses

Growth depends on the sophistication of what an economy can produce, but economies that have specialized more deeply depend on the market access that sustains it. I test whether this dependence makes complex economies more vulnerable when access is disrupted, computing the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) from firm-level records in the U.S. Census of Manufactures (1850--1880) and using the Panic of 1873 as a natural experiment to measure county-level market access shocks from railroad bond defaults following Dutta (2024) and Donaldson and Hornbeck (2016). ECI predicts production and employment growth across all three decade windows, with the association strengthening as …


The Impact Of Sovereign Wealth Funds On Emerging Markets: A Behavioral Analysis Of Investment Decisions And Market Reactions, Grant A. Mosshart May 2026

The Impact Of Sovereign Wealth Funds On Emerging Markets: A Behavioral Analysis Of Investment Decisions And Market Reactions, Grant A. Mosshart

Senior Honors Theses

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are increasingly influential in emerging markets, yet the behavioral drivers behind their investments remain underexplored. In this paper, an analysis of SWF capital’s impact on economic development and the psychological factors, such as optimism bias and herding, that shape these decisions is examined. Utilizing a mixed-methods comparative study, the research analyzes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. Event study analysis reveals a divergent impact: the PIF’s high-profile developmental commitment to India generated a positive 5-day Cumulative Abnormal Return of +2.05%, confirming a macro-level “seal of approval” signaling effect. By contrast, Temasek’s commercially …


How Fe(Ii)/2-Oxoglutarate Oxygenase Chooses Chlorination Over Hydroxylation: Electric Field-Driven Ligand Exchange Governs C-Cl Formation, Simahudeen Bathir Jaber Sathik Rifayee, Midhun George Thomas, Anandhu Krishnan, Kritika Gupta, Carter Davis, Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova, Christo Z. Christov May 2026

How Fe(Ii)/2-Oxoglutarate Oxygenase Chooses Chlorination Over Hydroxylation: Electric Field-Driven Ligand Exchange Governs C-Cl Formation, Simahudeen Bathir Jaber Sathik Rifayee, Midhun George Thomas, Anandhu Krishnan, Kritika Gupta, Carter Davis, Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova, Christo Z. Christov

Michigan Tech Publications

Non-heme Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent halogenases catalyze highly selective C-H halogenation. BesD is a non-heme Fe(II)/2OG halogenase that performs regio- and stereoselective chlorination of the l-lysine (l-Lys) substrate. Understanding the mechanism by which halogenation is favored over canonical hydroxylation is essential for guiding enzyme engineering efforts aimed at converting hydroxylases into halogenases. Here, we combine molecular dynamics (MD) and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations to elucidate the origin of chlorination selectivity in BesD and variants derived from a homologous hydroxylase. Our results indicate that, although the initial inline Cl-Fe(III)-OH intermediate is inherently predisposed toward hydroxylation, it undergoes a two-step isomerization in …


Field Monitoring And Geometric Representation Of A Uhpc-Repaired Bridge Structure, Robert Lawler May 2026

Field Monitoring And Geometric Representation Of A Uhpc-Repaired Bridge Structure, Robert Lawler

Honors Scholar Theses

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) has shown promise in bridge rehabilitation broadly, but its application to steel gusset plate repair represents a novel use case with limited prior research. Therefore, when the Commodore Isaac Hull Bridge in Derby, Connecticut, was issued an emergency declaration due to gusset plate section loss, a UHPC repair was implemented. This project represented the first known field implementation of this type of UHPC gusset plate repair, marking a significant advancement in the rehabilitation of deteriorated steel bridge components. To support long-term performance assessment and ensure the success of the repair, field monitoring efforts were also incorporated …


Effectiveness Of Wastewater Treatment Technologies For Pharmaceutical Removal In Bogotá, Colombia, Lady Palomino May 2026

Effectiveness Of Wastewater Treatment Technologies For Pharmaceutical Removal In Bogotá, Colombia, Lady Palomino

Master's Projects and Capstones

Pharmaceutical compounds are increasingly detected in urban water systems worldwide, posing significant ecological and public health risks in cities where wastewater treatment infrastructure is insufficient to remove them. This study evaluates the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in Bogotá's wastewater systems, the effectiveness of current treatment technologies for their removal, and the regulatory and monitoring gaps that hinder their management as emerging contaminants of concern. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in municipal and hospital wastewater, as well as in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and receiving surface waters in Colombia, with particular focus …


Adaptive Reuse As Sustainability: Reconciling The Crises Of Functionalism And Environmental Conservation In Copenhagen And San Francisco, Samuel J. Fernandez May 2026

Adaptive Reuse As Sustainability: Reconciling The Crises Of Functionalism And Environmental Conservation In Copenhagen And San Francisco, Samuel J. Fernandez

Master's Theses

Sustainability is the buzzword for modern global development. In the age of rapidly growing populations, unsustainable building practices, and an ever-present climate crisis, there must be a reorientation in global urban development practices. While experts tend to tout one sustainable initiative as a catch-all solution to the above crises, a multidimensional problem cannot be solved with a one-dimensional approach. In other words, sustainable development can only be achieved through a combination of different practices and approaches. This case study seeks to present adaptive reuse as a viable reaction to the climate crisis, but one that requires a combination of other …


A Stadium In Our Backyard: Community Participation In Stadia Redevelopment Projects, Sofia Zazueta May 2026

A Stadium In Our Backyard: Community Participation In Stadia Redevelopment Projects, Sofia Zazueta

Master's Theses

The Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain and the Chase Center in San Francisco, California are two stadium redevelopment projects that exemplify the stakeholder dynamics that come into play when developers pitch a multipurpose stadium located a few blocks away from people’s backyards. Urban development patterns must be in constant evolution to meet the needs and demands of the current generations. In cities, stadia redevelopment projects have entered the picture to reimagine the role that these structures once played. The stadium once used for the sole purpose of holding matches has become a venue that now hosts different events such as …


Crop Yield Shocks And Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa: Subnational Evidence From Satellite-Based Yield Predictions, Benson I. Adomako May 2026

Crop Yield Shocks And Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa: Subnational Evidence From Satellite-Based Yield Predictions, Benson I. Adomako

Master's Theses

This paper examines whether crop yields affect violent conflict at the subnational level across seven Sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, and Tanzania, over the period 2010 to 2024. A central identification challenge is that observed yields are endogenous to conflict: armed violence disrupts planting, cultivation, and harvest. To address this, I train a machine learning model on observed maize yield and satellite and environmental features to generate predicted yields for 1,338 second-level administrative districts annually. These predictions serve as the key regressor in a two-way fixed-effects panel with district and year fixed effects. I find …


Urban Green Space As Climate Infrastructure, Wyatt W. Del Valle May 2026

Urban Green Space As Climate Infrastructure, Wyatt W. Del Valle

Master's Theses

This thesis estimates the causal effect of urban parks on land surface temperature in the

American Southeast using a geographic regression discontinuity at park boundaries. The

result is null. Within a CCT-optimal 257-meter bandwidth across five cities, park interiors

are not detectably cooler than the land immediately outside them:−0.023 °C, p = 0.926.

A two-way fixed effects panel across 20 cities and 39 years confirms the well-documented

NDVI–LST relationship—a 0.1-unit increase in NDVI is associated with 3.4 °C lower surface

temperature—while a park size heterogeneity model runs directly into the siting endogeneity

problem, showing why naive distance gradients cannot be …


Surgical Site Infection Prevention And Education With Breast Reconstruction Patients - An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Monica Gaspard May 2026

Surgical Site Infection Prevention And Education With Breast Reconstruction Patients - An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Monica Gaspard

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction and Background

Breast cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal cell growth that develops from interactions including genetics, environment, and cellular functions (Taurin & Alkhalifa, 2020). Breast cancer is common in women, and breast reconstruction is a main course of treatment (Taha et al, 2023). One in eight women may have breast cancer in their lifetime (Tedesco & Loerzel, 2020). In the United States, 151,641 breast reconstruction surgeries were reported in 2022 by the American Society of Plastic Surgery (Perez et al., 2024). The infection rate after breast reconstructive surgery can be as high as 25% and occurs within …


Spatial Analysis Of Maize Yields And Household Dietary Diversity In Sub-Saharan Africa: Causal Evidence From A Machine Learning Instrument, Addi Joof May 2026

Spatial Analysis Of Maize Yields And Household Dietary Diversity In Sub-Saharan Africa: Causal Evidence From A Machine Learning Instrument, Addi Joof

Master's Theses

MAIZE YIELDS AND HOUSEHOLD DIETARY DIVERSITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EVIDENCE ON THE CAUSAL EFFECT FROM A MACHINE LEARNING INSTRUMENT

Addi Joof, University of San Francisco, May 2026

This paper provides estimates of the effect of maize yield on household dietary diversity across seven Sub-Saharan African countries, using data from 36,474 maize-growing households in the Living Standards Measurement Study Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) panels for the period 2008--2021. OLS estimates which include district and country-by-wave fixed effects yield a positive and significant coefficient of 0.070 (SE = 0.006, p < 0.001), implying that a 10 percent increase in maize yield raises the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) by approximately 0.007 food groups. Because self-reported yields are subject to classical measurement error and unobserved household characteristics confound the OLS estimate, we construct an instrumental variable using a Random Forest model trained on satellite-derived agro-environmental features including the Enhanced Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Growing Degree Days, precipitation, and soil moisture obtained from Google Earth Engine at the GPS-coordinate-by-year level. Our preferred 2SLS specification, which adds region fixed effects to absorb persistent sub-national geographic variation, returns a positive point estimate of 0.217 (SE = 0.206; 95% CI: -0.19 to +0.63, p = 0.294) larger than OLS and consistent with downward attenuation bias, but imprecisely estimated and statistically indistinguishable from zero at conventional levels. We interpret the OLS estimate of 0.070 as a credible lower bound on the true effect, with the IV evidence pointing to a moderately larger but uncertain magnitude. Heterogeneity analysis reveals a declining gradient across consumption quintiles the effect is strongest among the poorest households (Q1: 0.055, p < 0.01) and diminishes with wealth (Q5: 0.015, not significant) while showing no gradient across market-integration levels. These patterns are consistent with own-consumption, rather than market income from surplus sales, as the primary pathway from yield to dietary diversity. OLS estimates are positive and significant in five of six estimable countries. The findings suggest that maize yield improvements can serve as a nutrition co-investment, particularly for subsistence-oriented smallholders, though the available data do not permit a sharp causal quantification of the effect size.

Keywords: dietary diversity, maize yields, instrumental variables, Sub-Saharan Africa, LSMS-ISA, satellite …


Herd Conditions And Food Security: Evidence From Kenya, Kira J. Enriquez May 2026

Herd Conditions And Food Security: Evidence From Kenya, Kira J. Enriquez

Master's Theses

Food insecurity is worsening across Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, where over three million people currently face acute hunger. Among pastoral communities in these regions, livestock are the central productive asset and primary food source. When herds deteriorate, households face falling milk production and the erosion of assets that would otherwise buffer consumption during difficult periods. This paper tests whether livestock body condition and rangeland forage quality predict household food coping behavior, and whether those relationships differ above and below a Micawber-style herd size threshold. Using a panel of 232 pastoralist households surveyed across five ASAL counties between 2021 and …


Examining The Ligands, Location, And Function Of Toll-Like Receptor 10, Kiefer Keanu Tam May 2026

Examining The Ligands, Location, And Function Of Toll-Like Receptor 10, Kiefer Keanu Tam

Master's Theses

Toll-like receptors are a class of innate immune pattern recognition receptors that detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns and regulate downstream inflammatory responses. Toll-like receptor 10 remains the only human TLR whose ligand specificity, cellular localization, and immunological function are not fully defined. Emerging evidence suggests that TLR10 may play an anti-inflammatory role and can heterodimerize with TLR2 to modulate immune signaling. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that stimulation with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis promotes TLR2-TLR10 heterodimerization and trafficking to the cell surface. In this study, we expanded our ligand panel to include additional gram-positive bacteria, particularly anti-inflammatory probiotic species, to further …


Librarians As Guardians Of Knowledge: Artificial Intelligence And The Future Of Librarianship, Michelle Q. Zeren, Alex D. Mcallister Ed.D May 2026

Librarians As Guardians Of Knowledge: Artificial Intelligence And The Future Of Librarianship, Michelle Q. Zeren, Alex D. Mcallister Ed.D

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This article examines librarianship in the new age of AI, specifically how librarians can enhance and improve upon their already unique responsibilities by expanding to new and exciting jobs requiring AI information integrity. Librarian roles are becoming more crucial to the information environment as they help people fully embrace and protect knowledge in a challenging world of AI. The authors explore the evolving librarian roles needed to safeguard unbiased AI oversight, protect patron privacy, teach proper AI ethical academic usage, and fact check research information to maintain ethical integrity in academic studies. Librarians must continue to evolve and embrace an …


Soil Dna-Phosphorus: Method Optimisation And Application Across Uk Soils, Margaret Massam, Daniel Menezes-Blackburn, Mohammed Al Kasbi, Catherine Wearing, Marc Stutter, Courtney D. Giles, Tegan Darch, Timothy S. George, Charles Shand, David Lumsdon, Martin Blackwell, Hao Zhang, Patricia Cooper, Renate Wendler, Lawrie Brown, Philip M. Haygarth May 2026

Soil Dna-Phosphorus: Method Optimisation And Application Across Uk Soils, Margaret Massam, Daniel Menezes-Blackburn, Mohammed Al Kasbi, Catherine Wearing, Marc Stutter, Courtney D. Giles, Tegan Darch, Timothy S. George, Charles Shand, David Lumsdon, Martin Blackwell, Hao Zhang, Patricia Cooper, Renate Wendler, Lawrie Brown, Philip M. Haygarth

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Despite growing recognition of rapid diester P turnover, quantitative data on soil DNA-P across soil types remain scarce due to methodological constraints. This study aimed to investigate the impact of changes in the analytical protocol of a soil DNA-P method developed by Paraskova et al. (2013) on DNA-P recovery and the use of the revised procedure on 32 UK soils on our understanding of DNA-P in soils. The steps of the Paraskova method were tested on two contrasting soils, and a revised version was developed and used to determine the DNA-P levels of 32 UK soils. These findings were then …


Effects Of Combined Application Of Biochar And Nitrogen Fertilizer On The Growth Parameters Of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus), Ashkan Asgari, Yunes Rameshjan, Babak Jamali, Aminallah Tahmasebi May 2026

Effects Of Combined Application Of Biochar And Nitrogen Fertilizer On The Growth Parameters Of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus), Ashkan Asgari, Yunes Rameshjan, Babak Jamali, Aminallah Tahmasebi

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

The synergistic application of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer significantly improves plant growth and soil properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of biochar and nitrogen on the shoot and root of lemongrass in a factorial design within a completely randomized setup. The experiment included three levels of biochar, i.e. 0%, 1%, and 2% (v/v) and 2 levels of nitrogen, i.e. 0 and 1 (g/pot) under greenhouse conditions with 3 replications. The following parameters were measured, plant height, number of tillers, number of leaves, length of the largest leaf, fresh, shoot and root dry weight. The …


Ai-Driven Plant Health Assessment And Remediation: Case Study On Lemon Plants And Witches' Broom Disease, Zuhoor Al-Khanjari, Misk Hersi, Zainab Al-Ajmi May 2026

Ai-Driven Plant Health Assessment And Remediation: Case Study On Lemon Plants And Witches' Broom Disease, Zuhoor Al-Khanjari, Misk Hersi, Zainab Al-Ajmi

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Plant diseases pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity and food security, particularly in regions like Oman, where citrus crops, such as lemon trees, are economically vital. Traditional diagnosis methods are time-consuming and often require expert intervention, limiting accessibility for small-scale farmers. This paper presents an AI-driven plant health assessment Nuwriq application. It leverages both image-based and text-based input to diagnose lemon plant diseases, particularly the Lemon Witch Broom Disease (LWBD). It incorporates two machine learning models: a convolutional neural network (CNN) for image classification and a natural language processing (NLP) model for symptom-based textual analysis. Users can upload images of …


Utilizing Artificial Neural Networks (Ann) To Forecast Date Palm Exports And The Regulatory Period Of The United Arab Emirates, Almouthana Aziz Hasan, Ibrahim Mohammad Abdullah May 2026

Utilizing Artificial Neural Networks (Ann) To Forecast Date Palm Exports And The Regulatory Period Of The United Arab Emirates, Almouthana Aziz Hasan, Ibrahim Mohammad Abdullah

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

The research aimed to forecast the exports of United Arab Emirate (UAE) from date palm during the period (2021-2030). The R programming language was used to conduct econometric analysis in artificial intelligence, by analyzing time series of the factors influencing the UAE date palm export quantity and using the (ARIMA) methodology and construction of the artificial neural network (ANN). The results demonstrated that the influence of independent factors on the quantity of future exports was apparent, including the UAE date palm production quantity in tons (x1) at a percentage of (21.08%), domestic consumption in tons (x2) by (20.69%), mean UAE …


Who Gains And How? Agri-Food Trade Outcomes Of The Oman–India Cepa, Osman Gulseven, Lokman Zaibet, Ibtisam Al-Abri May 2026

Who Gains And How? Agri-Food Trade Outcomes Of The Oman–India Cepa, Osman Gulseven, Lokman Zaibet, Ibtisam Al-Abri

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

This research evaluates the agricultural and food-related trade effects of the Oman–India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) using product-level partial-equilibrium simulations implemented through the Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser (TINA) platform. The results based on 2024 trade data indicate asymmetric outcomes. While both partners experience trade gains (\$567 million for Oman and \$656 million for India), Oman's export expansion to India is highly concentrated in a small number of energy and chemical products, whereas India's exports to Oman increase across a wide range of tariff lines, including several food products. In agriculture, CEPA primarily reinforces India's role as a key …