Life Sciences Commons^™

Adjudicating Technology Facilitated Violence Against Women In Egypt: Between The Text And The Application, Eman E. Zidan

Theses and Dissertations

Technology-facilitated violence against women (TFVAW) has surged on digital platforms, leading to a sharp rise in victimization rates among girls and women globally. Egypt’s pioneering cybercrime legislation, though comprehensive, remains gender-neutral and inadequate in judicial application. Community perceptions reveal systemic gaps that erode public trust and fuel demands for specialized protections. This study analyzes Egyptian judicial responses to TFVAW cases through comparative jurisprudence with jurisdictions that feature gender-specific norms. Findings demonstrate that textual provisions alone fail to arrest this escalating phenomenon, underscoring the need for integrated reforms: tailored legislation, heightened awareness campaigns, and collaborative education on rights, duties, and societal …

Nourishing Births: A Program Evaluation Proposal For Community-Based Nutrition Education, Food Access, And Garden Engagement Among Black Birthing People, Naa Deedei-Vera Hammond

Master's Projects and Capstones

Black birthing people in the United States continue to experience unequal maternal health outcomes, shaped in part by racism and barriers to nutritious food, culturally relevant health education, and supportive community spaces. While prenatal nutrition education and food assistance programs can provide important resources, information alone cannot address the challenges many people face when trying to access healthy and affordable food during pregnancy. The Nourishing Births Initiative is a proposed community-based maternal health program designed to respond to these needs by bringing together prenatal nutrition education, help connecting to food resources, community gardening, and peer support for Black birthing people …

The Willing And The Compelled: How Power And Place Shape Human-Bison Coexistence In Poland And The United States, Patrick Orville Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildlife recovery programs depend not just on animals, but on how people feel about living with them. The degree to which people accept the disruptions wildlife brings to their lives, known as social tolerance, can determine whether a recovery program succeeds or fails, yet it remains understudied and underapplied in management plans. This dissertation studies how people in Poland and the western United States feel about living with the two living species of bison, the largest land animals in Europe and North America. In Poland, we surveyed 242 residents living at different distances from European bison habitat. Surprisingly, the most …

Evaluating The Pulse Of Exercise Programs: Developing And Validating The Intervention Usability Scale For Exercise (Iuse) To Enhance Implementation And Adherence, Anne Inger Mørtvedt, Eva Ageberg, Steven Elmer, Kevin Trewartha, Erich Petushek

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Adherence to exercise interventions is often suboptimal, despite numerous studies documenting barriers and facilitators. Usability may be a critical yet underexplored determinant of adherence. This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Intervention Usability Scale for Exercise (IUSE). Methods: Item generation and content validation involved cognitive interviews and feedback from eight exercise intervention stakeholders and ten target users from the general public. Subsequently, 526 target users from University, Qualtrics and Prolific participant panels assessed exercise programs through an online survey. Dimensionality was assessed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and bifactor models. …

A Journey To The Midwest For Migrant Farmwork: Women's Testimonies Examining Their Lived Experiences Using Autoethnography And Plática Research Methodologies, Yesenia G. Alcalá

Theses & Dissertations

A JOURNEY TO THE MIDWEST FOR MIGRANT FARMWORK: WOMEN’S TESTIMONIES EXAMINING THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES USING AUTOETHNOGRAPHY AND PLÁTICA

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

Yesenia Garza Alcalá, Master of Business Administration

University of the Incarnate Word 2026

The purpose of my research was to share the stories of five women who experienced a yearly migratory routine from Del Rio, Texas, to work in farms and factories in the Midwest, and how that annual journey shaped and educated us. The women are four of my older sisters and me, all of whom traveled and worked in the Princeville, Illinois, migrant camp, where we experienced the …

Analyzing Accessibility And Efficacy Of One Research Survey Website To Test Readability Of Physical Activity Promotion Material Disseminated Online: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study, Jafra D. Thomas, Anuraj Dhillon, Yi Sheng Wu, Jasmine C. Wong, Regina F. Hockert

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Volume 7: Issue 1, Article 2, 2026.  Accessibility is the effort and ability required to access and navigate environments and participate in activities. Physical activity educational materials disseminated to the public and used within behavior change interventions may be hard to read and navigate, decreasing their accessibility and a study’s validity. This study documented, and addressed, issues that may hinder researchers’ ability to gauge accessibility of their online educational materials using the cloze procedure (a direct readability measure, requires guessing missing words from text passages). A multi-stage, mixed methods pilot study was utilized (August 2022 to May 2023). Phase 1: …

Michigan Academician Volume 50, Issue 2

Michigan Academician

2026 Abstract Issue

Building Relationships With Family Forest Landowners In The Western Upper Gulf Coastal Plain To Enhance Forest Management And Promote Certification, Sandeepa Pantha, Nana Tian, Ana Gutierrez-Castillo, Joshua Adams, Eric Taylor

Journal of Extension

Responsible forest management provides ecological, economic, and societal benefits. Sustaining these benefits in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas depends on the forest management practices of 821,000 family landowners who own 32 million acres of forestland. This study uses an innovative network-building approach to support family forest landowners (FFLs), particularly underrepresented ones, by connecting them with professionals through facilitator teams established in each state by an advisory board. This network-building strategy provides supportive networks for FFLs, fostering trust and connections within a more extensive and diverse FFL community. This network encourages cooperative, communication-centered technical support to FFLs within essential landscapes to enhance …

Innovation Ecosystem Model To Achieve Sustainability In Palm-Oil Biofuel Development In Indonesia, Fanny Rahmadhitya, Avanti Fontana, Ignatius Heruwasto

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Achieving sustainable expansion of Indonesia’s palm-oil biofuel sector requires overcoming two interconnected challenges: ecological limits on feedstock expansion and weak translation of research into industry adoption. Although innovation ecosystem research emphasizes multi-actor collaboration, existing innovation ecosystem research provides limited understanding of how governance and innovation intermediation can bridge these gaps in the palm oil biofuel sector. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the study draws on 12 semi-structured interviews with key policymakers, industry practitioners, and researchers, analyzed using constructivist grounded theory (CGT) and triangulated with policy documents and a structured comparison with Malaysia. The findings reveal two interconnected bottlenecks. First, …

Valuation Methods And Their Relevance In Achieving Marine Protected Areas Targets: A Systematic Review, Jacob Ankamah, Stephen Hynes, Daragh O'Leary

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The prolific human-induced pressures on marine ecosystems leading to negative externalities such as beach erosion, biodiversity loss, and climate change are matters of global concern. Marine protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as a tool to conserve marine biodiversity and support human livelihoods. This paper reviews the global research landscape, the evolution of concepts and the relevance of valuation techniques related to the assessment of the contribution of MPAs to societal welfare. The review indicates that less than 3% of the wider MPA literature explores the economic valuation of MPA designation. Of those, there is an obvious preference for non-market-based methods …

Creative Conversations: The Un-Meeting As An Approach To Agricultural Extension Communication, Jessica R. Spence, Eric K. Kaufman, Megan M. Seibel, Jean A. Parrella, Crystal Tyler-Mackey, Benjamin B. Grove, Bolane Adebayo, Olamide Olowoyo, Sonika Poudel, Stephanie Zhu, Michael Gutter

Journal of Extension

The agricultural industry increasingly faces complex challenges that require diverse stakeholder input, and traditional meeting approaches often limit engagement and perpetuate top-down dynamics that can inhibit effective problem-solving. This article explores the ``un-meeting'' format as an alternative, highlighting its ability to foster inclusive, participant-driven discussions that encourage collaborative brainstorming and actionable outcomes. Based on our experience with a statewide agriculture summit, we discuss the principles underlying un-meetings, the facilitation process, and the practical implications for Extension professionals. Recommendations include the importance of knowledgeable facilitators, a large team for effective management, and limiting session cycles to maintain focus and depth in …

Multiple Insights Into Affective Sentience, Jon Mallatt, Todd E. Feinberg

Animal Sentience

We discuss some of the many valuable insights into affective sentience from Birch’s The Edge of Sentience, such as its eight criteria for determining which entities have sentience (e.g., emotions) and its insights into the difficulty of testing whether an Artificial Intelligence system has attained sentience. We add our own perspectives on why the eight criteria are valid, on the difficulty of using behavioral trade-offs to determine whether an animal has sentience, and why evolutionary theory says consciousness is not an epiphenomenon.

Community-Based Water Management Through Cultural Ecosystem Services: Traditional Wisdom And Modern Adaptation In Senjoyo Spring, Indonesia, Puji Winarti, Sri Haryani, Sri Wardani, Langlang Handayani

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Small-scale freshwater ecosystems play vital ecological and cultural roles. However, community-based water management (CBWM) often lacks a clear analytical approach to integrating cultural ecosystem services (CES) and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), limiting the practical understanding of culturally grounded governance. To address this gap, this qualitative study explores the interactions between CES and TEK, analyzes their roles within CBWM, and identifies their implications for sustainable water governance. The integration between cultural value and local ecological knowledge makes Senjoyo Spring an appropriate location for this study. Data were collected through interviews with 20 key informants, field observations, forum group discussions (FGDs), and …

Marine Spatial Planning In The Asean Countries: Lesson Learned For Future Ocean Governance In Malaysia, Husni Alhan Md Salimun, Mohd Fadzil Akhir, Nazli Aziz, Che Din Mohd Safuan, Wan Izatul Asma Wan Talaat

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as an important governance instrument for balancing ecological protection, economic development, and social inclusion amid the rapidly intensifying blue economy in Southeast Asia. Although several ASEAN Member States (AMS) have initiated MSP processes, the existing literature on MSP governance in this region  remains fragmented and largely descriptive, limiting systematic cross-country comparison and evidence-based lessons. This study addresses this gap by assessing MSP governance performance across ASEAN countries and againts internationally recognized MSP governance benchmarks. A structured narrative review was conducted using selected PRISMA-informed procedures for literature identification and screening. Academic publications from 2003 to …

Decentralized Renewable Energy And Sustainability By Integrating Solar Ovens Into Urban Living, Nuno Soares Domingues

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Urban households account for a substantial share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, with domestic cooking representing an often-overlooked component of residential energy demand. Low-cost solar cooking technologies offer a promising pathway towards urban decarbonization by harnessing renewable solar energy while reducing dependence on grid electricity and promoting circular resource use. This study evaluates the contribution of two experimentally developed low-cost solar box ovens to urban sustainability under Mediterranean climatic conditions in Lisbon, Portugal. A recycled cardboard prototype and a timber-based prototype were assessed through controlled outdoor experiments involving thermal performance, cooking capability, energy savings, and environmental evaluation. …

Improving Market Acceptance Of Agrivoltaic Implementation In Japan, Divya Suresh, Yuxin Qin, Kenichiro Hiramoto, Takuma Otaki, Abhishek Choudhury, Xiao Chen, Rajib Shaw

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Agrivoltaics (AV) enables the simultaneous use of land for solar energy generation and agricultural production. While AV has been widely studied from technical and economic perspectives, limited attention has been paid to market acceptance among farmers, particularly in Japan, where adoption remains constrained despite policy interest in renewable energy and rural revitalization. Existing studies identify regulatory, financial, and technical barriers, but insufficiently explain how farmer-level acceptance is shaped across different agricultural contexts or how project co-benefits can support adoption. This study examines farmers’ market acceptance of AV in Japan through a multi-case analysis of six projects in rice-cultivation areas, mountainous …

Good Governance In The Concept Of Climate Justice: Decarbonisation Policies In Economic Considerations Of Losses And Sacrifices, Daryanti Daryanti, Albertus Sentot Sudarwanto, Erna Dyah Kusumawati, Rosita Candrakirana

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Projections of losses resulting from the impacts of climate change in Indonesia are estimated to reach USD 30.5 million, affecting four key sectors: agriculture, water supply, health, and the maritime sector. This study shows that good governance based on climate justice in the implementation of decarbonization policies is the most important factor in avoiding long-term economic losses caused by the adverse impacts of climate change or investing in climate resilience. This study employed a normative methodology using a statutory approach to examine efforts related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The findings of this research indicate that regulations in Indonesia, …

Climate Change Mitigation And Forest Conservation: A Sdg-Aligned Framework For Malaysia, Hui Nee Au Yong, Chuan Chew Foo, Maryam Kalhoro, Irfan Rashdi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Climate change and biodiversity loss are interlinked global crises that require integrated governance approaches, particularly in biodiversity-rich countries such as Malaysia. This study develops and empirically tests a climate biodiversity sustainable development goal (SDGs) nexus model that integrates forest governance, carbon sequestration, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK), and sustainable practices to explain climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation outcomes. Survey data were collected from 412 respondents across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships. The analysis examines direct, mediating, and moderating relationships among governance, social, technological, and policy factors. Forest governance …

Realities Of Engendering Federalization: Political Commitment To Gender Equality, Resources, And Policy, Christine S. Diaz

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

Amid several initiatives to federalize the Philippines, discourse on engendering federalization remains scarce. This gap forms the basis of this study, which examined the realities of engendering federalization. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and key informant interviews with research participants from various sectors in Davao City. Guided by Caren Levy’s Web of Institutionalization Framework, the study focused on three core dimensions: political commitment to gender equality, resources, and policy. The findings revealed that engendering federalization, particularly political commitment to gender equality, requires advocacy, institutionalization, gender awareness, and gender-sensitivity formation. Institutional mechanisms, policies, and resources are important for advancing gender-responsive …

Adolescents’ Risk Of Long Covid-19 Syndrome Based On Income Level And Food Insecurity, Christopher J. Waskewich

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Limited information is available about the effects of food insecurity on adolescents’ long-term health risks from COVID-19. This quantitative, cross-sectional study aimed to examine the effects of food insecurity and family income level on the risk of long COVID-19 syndrome for adolescents (11 to 17 years old). An online survey (n = 298) was conducted with parents of adolescents from New York City, who were recruited from social media online advertisements. The research asked whether there is an association between food insecurity and family income level and the risks of long COVID-19 syndrome. Multivariate logistic regression found a statistically …

Horticultural Diplomacy: A Framework For Growing Culturally Aware Gardeners, Stephen Stresow-Cortez, Stephen Reiners, Ashley Miller Helmholdt

Journal of Extension

Derived from person-to-person diplomacy models, a ``horticultural diplomacy'' framework was implemented in a statewide vegetable variety trial program for two seasons to introduce Master Gardeners to diverse crops and cultures. Scaffolding learning with relevant recipes, bed groupings, community tasting events, and collecting community (citizen) science data helped participants build garden skills, gain a greater appreciation for other cultures, and inform new educational materials. Horticultural diplomacy is part of a deliberate effort aimed at growing food and building understanding among (primarily White) volunteers. The techniques that helped make this program successful, adaptable to other garden programs, and aspects that require improvements …

Artificial Sentience: From Computational Functionalism To Behaviourism?, Wanja Wiese

Animal Sentience

I critically examine Jonathan Birch’s account of how brain emulations might create artificial sentience candidates, arguing that his account risks collapsing into a behaviourist account, unless the specific computational processes realised by such emulations are carefully considered. Drawing on examples from computational neuroscience, I show that similar behaviours can arise from vastly different computational processes, thereby undermining the suggestion to focus on behaviourial profiles to determine whether a brain emulation of a sentience candidate is itself a sentience candidate.

The Other Visual Acuity, Paul B. Freeman Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Editorial

Obsessive-Compulsive Subtraits And Self-Agency, Jacob Nelson, Cody Barton, Carissa Phillipi Phd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is categorized by persistent, unwanted thoughts, called obsessions. and repetitive behaviors, called compulsions. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) is a valid measure of OCD, and breaks the condition into six subtraits: Checking, Hoarding, Obsessing, Ordering, Neutralizing, & Washing. Prior research has suggested that one’s sense of agency, measured through the Sense of Agency Scale (SoAS), is lower in those with higher overall OCI-R scores compared to those with lower scores and controls. Additionally, sub-clinical checking has been negatively correlated with sense of agency, and sub-clinical hoarding and ordering have been positively correlated with sense of agency. However, there …

The Impact Of Caffeine On Bumble Bee Hunger, Hallie Chapman, Becky Hansis-O'Neill, Aimee Dunlap Phd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) are crucial pollinators, responsible for pollinating multiple native plants and agricultural crops. Caffeine, which is classified as a stimulant, is present in some of these plant species at varying levels. Alterations in bumble bee cognition, including motivation, learning, and hunger, have been associated with caffeine intake. This study explored the impacts of caffeine on the bumble bee behavior on a biological level. While previous research has examined caffeine’s effects on cognition and learning, fewer studies have investigated its effects on hunger at the level of individual bees. Bumble bees, identified with numerically labeled tags, …

Strengthening The Philippines' Agri-Fishery Rde System: A Case Study Of A Public Coordinating Agency As A Bridging Organization, Cynthia Remedios V. De Guia, Luis Rey I. Velasco, Maria Faina L. Diola

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The Philippine agricultural research, development, and extension (RDE) system has long struggled to live up to its ideals. Decades after the passage of the Agriculture and Fishery Modernization Act (AFMA), the RDE system was reported to have failed to innovate, largely because it failed to translate research into development outcomes. This has resulted from persistent gaps in knowledge exchange, institutional linkages, and collaboration among system actors. In fragmented systems, meaningful interaction and trust seldom emerge spontaneously, making bridging mechanisms necessary. Bridging organizations (BOs) play this role by connecting multiple and diverse actors, mediating relationships, enabling knowledge flows, and enhancing capacities …

Saffron By-Products As Underused Resources: An Ethnobotanical Survey And Phytochemical Study In The Taliouine Region, Zineb Khadfy, Rachid Mamouni, Sm Jadouali, Imane Kasimi, Hajar Atifi, Abd Elghani Tahiri, Youssef Karra

Journal of Bioresource Management

Saffron (Crocus sativus ) is a very traditional plant in Morocco, especially in the Taliouine region. Saffron stigmas are traditionally used as a food additive due to their secondary metabolites. Our study aims to assess the traditional uses of saffron by-products, generated after the harvest of saffron stigmas, by local populations of Taliouine and regions. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted with 42 local people in six communities. The survey consisted of two parts: the first part was about the demographic information of the respondents (name, age, sex, and level of education.). While the second part concerns questions that target …

Economic Costs For Three Selected Water Quality Treatment Technologies, Dawoon Jeong, Debabrata Sahoo, Heather Nix, Sarah White

Forestry and Natural Resources

Maintaining water quality in surface waters, including ponds and irrigation reservoirs, is essential for safe water use and is challenging. Mitigating and reducing nutrient levels is critical for managing risks of harmful algal blooms for agricultural operations, municipal drinking water suppliers, stormwater managers, and other water resource professionals. This article presents economic information about three best management practices (BMPs) treatment technologies well-suited to improving water quality for agricultural operations and small pond owners.

The Cognitive Construction Of Sustainable Environmental Awareness Through Green Language Pedagogy In Second Language Acquisition, Meral Yavuz Kartal, Osman Yılmaz Kartal

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The escalating global ecological crisis highlights the need for new approaches to sustainability education, while the cognitive role of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) remains underexplored. This study employs a critical literature review with a systematic search and qualitative thematic synthesis to develop a proposed Green Language Pedagogy (GLP) model. The review followed a four-stage screening protocol (identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion) and analyzed 50 theoretical and empirical sources published between 2014 and 2025. This analysis of the selected literature reveals a stark disparity: an estimated 85% of the reviewed environmental education research focuses on factual knowledge transfer, whereas only 15% …

Chacahoula 2026, Volume 93, Pawan Khatri, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2026 issue of Chacahoula, There's No Place Like Home, emphasizes the way in which our university becomes a home to students.  Featuring prize-winning poetry from Allyson Gee, Nick Fredrick, Amaris Kendall and Anmol Subedi, the book includes December 2025 and May 2026 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography of  campus life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. This edition includes a video message from President Carrie Castille. Download the PDF to your device …