Using Neural Networks To Better Understand Static And Dynamic Components Of Facial Expression Recognition, Yi-Fan Li, Anne Bibiana Sereno

MODVIS Workshop

Facial expressions are crucial social information for human communication. In the real world, facial expressions are dynamic; however, much of existing research in facial expressions relies on static stimuli. This static approach may limit the ecological validity of our understanding of the emotional information on faces. Our study aims to investigate the dynamic and static information contained in different emotional categories of facial expressions (e.g., happy, sad). Four convolutional neural networks are introduced as models to be trained with a large-scale dynamic facial expression dataset (short videoclips of 16 frames of 7 different emotional categories) in four different ways: ordered …

Modeling Effects Of Edge Classification And Perceptual Organization On The Appearance Of Disk/Annulus Stimuli, Michael E. Rudd

MODVIS Workshop

In classical theories of sensory psychophysics, appearance matches conducted with simple stimuli consisting of disks surrounded by annuli were posited to probe low-level contrast mechanisms in the visual pathways that computed the approximate luminance ratio between the disk and annulus for the purpose of achieving lightness constancy (Wallach, 1948). Subsequent models have explained such matches on the basis of neural edge integration (Shapley & Reid, 1985; Rudd & Zemach, 2004). Here, I demonstrate that appearances matches made in the disk/annulus paradigm are influenced by at least two types of top-down effects involving edge classification and perceptual organization. I present a …

Fixational Eye Movements Shake Up The Stationary View On Pattern Vision, Lynn Schmittwilken, Marianne Maertens

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part Ii: Outcomes And Impacts: Empowering Farmers, Transforming Futures, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Christine Lockert, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center remains dedicated to helping American farmers and ranchers manage the unique risks of producing food for a global market. To date, we have funded 545 projects totaling over $20 million, reaching more than 175,500 participants. Collaboratively, these efforts reflect a growing commitment to equipping producers with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to make informed decisions, strengthen resilience, and ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture across our region and beyond.

Proceedings Of The 12th Research Symposium At Mammoth Cave National Park, Pat Kambesis Editor, Lee Anne Bledsoe Editor, Ana K. Celis Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Proceedings of the 12th Research Symposium at Mammoth Cave National Park: Celebrating 100 Years of Scientific Research & Resource Management in the Mammoh Cave Region.

Common Challenges Faced By Early-Career Researchers In Latin American And Small U.S. Universities, Daniela Cejas, Fatima Rodriguez Acosta, Juan Rivera-Correa

Publications and Research

Early-career researchers from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries and small U.S. universities are underrepresented in international scientific databases. They have geographical importance, infectious disease endemicity, and exceptional researchers in microbiology, but these factors do not translate to representation in high-impact scientific publications. Many reasons could be involved, including financial burdens such as the inability to pay article processing charges. Additional teaching, institutional, and service responsibilities also highly influence their research productivity. Despite this, they are expected to publish high-impact articles, and their career development highly depends on it. There is an opportunity for global peer collaboration to tackle this inequity and …

Remotely Sensed High-Resolution Soil Moisture And Evapotranspiration: Bridging The Gap Between Science And Society, Jingyi Huang, Vinit Sehgal, Laura V. Alvarez, Luca Brocca, Shuohao Cai, Rui Cheng, Xinghua Cheng, Jinyang Du, Bassil El Masri, K. Arthur Endsley, Yilin Fang, Jie Hu, Mahesh Jampani, Md Golam Kibria, Gerbrand Koren, Lingcheng Li, Laibao Liu, Jiafu Mao, Hernan A. Moreno, Angela Rigden, Mingjie Shi, Xiaoying Shi, Yaoping Wang, Xi Zhang, Joshua B. Fisher

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

This paper reviews the current state of high-resolution remotely sensed soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET) products and modeling, and the coupling relationship between SM and ET. SM downscaling approaches for satellite passive microwave products leverage advances in artificial intelligence and high-resolution remote sensing using visible, near-infrared, thermal-infrared, and synthetic aperture radar sensors. Remotely sensed ET continues to advance in spatiotemporal resolutions from MODIS to ECOSTRESS to Hydrosat and beyond. These advances enable a new understanding of bio-geo-physical controls and coupled feedback mechanisms between SM and ET reflecting the land cover and land use at field scale (3–30 m, daily). …

Exploring The Landscape Of Animal Advocacy In Egypt: Insights Into Stray, Wildlife, And Farmed Animal Rights, Yara Moussa, Wasseem Emam

General - Animal Protection

This article examines the landscape of animal advocacy in Egypt, a nascent and growing field in one of Africa’s largest economies and most densely populated countries. It focuses on three types of animal advocacy: 1) stray animal welfare, 2) wildlife conservation, and 3) farmed animal welfare. The paper critically analyses current practices and trends in each of these areas, highlighting the main challenges and opportunities facing the growth of the movement. Our research draws on insights from interviews with active animal welfare organizations, situating their practical experiences, daily operational struggles, as well as instances of success, within Egypt’s wider socio-economic …

Claiming More To Cope: Does Ostracism Increase Overclaiming?, Katy Q. Chen

Honors Theses

In a pre-registered online study, we investigated the relationship between ostracism and overclaiming. Ostracism is the act of deliberately or unintentionally excluding and ignoring others. Overclaiming refers to the behavior of exaggerating one’s knowledge or familiarity with specific topics, often as a way of attempting to present oneself as more knowledgeable or competent than one actually is. Drawing from the temporal need-threat model, we hypothesized that ostracized individuals, as a compensatory response, would likely overclaim more compared to included individuals. This online study simulated a work experience where participants were asked to answer questions about their work-related experiences and opinions. …

The Endocannabinoid System's Influence And Modulation Of Nociception, Doreen M. Flannery

Honors Thesis

The anatomy and physiology of pain is a well-defined pathway where noxious stimuli is processed by different systems in the brain. The central research question of this review is how can we better understand the neurobiological effects pain has, and assess if there is therapeutic potential in using endocannabinoids to modulate these effects. Endocannabinoids are signaling molecules that play a key role at both the cellular and molecular level in modulating both acute and chronic pain by influencing different processes within each level that affect how the body responds to both internal and external stimuli. The endocannabinoid system is a …

Academic Burnout In Human Anatomy & Physiology I Students, Shivani Shukla

Honors Theses

Human Anatomy and Physiology I is the study of the function and structure of the human body. It is a challenging class that many students have to take for their undergraduate degree. Due to the vast information that is given in this complex class, students can struggle with understanding the material and knowing how to study thus leading to burnout in the course. Understanding why students undergo burnout in their courses could uncover ways that professors and institutions could help the students to prevent burnout. The goal of this study was to determine the level of burnout in Human Anatomy …

Associations Of Muscular And Cardiovascular Fitness Variables With Cardiovascular Disease In Older Adult Athlete Populations, Lauren T. Zick

Honors Thesis

This data analysis examined associations between cardiovascular and muscular fitness indicators and the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older adult athletes. Using cross-sectional data from 1,110 participants aged 50 and older who completed the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) at state-level Senior Games events, we evaluated both objective performance metrics and self-reported exercise behaviors. Cardiovascular measures included systolic blood pressure (SBP), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI). Muscular fitness was assessed through grip strength, maximum walking speed, and chair stand time. CVD status was defined as the presence of two or more self-reported cardiovascular …

Client-Centered Food Distribution: An Analysis Of Patron Preferences At The Oxford Food Pantry, Ella Mann

Honors Theses

Food insecurity has long penetrated the rural South. This limits access to nutritious foods like fresh produce and contributes to chronic health conditions that may arise. Food pantries serve as a vital resource in addressing these disparities by providing free food to families in need. Many of these pantries incorporate strategies to increase consumption of nutrient dense options such as fruits as vegetables. These strategies can vary but the client choice model has proven to align with the self determination theory and promote greater autonomy in food selection. This study aimed to assess the food preferences of patrons at the …

North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part I: Helps Producers Manage Risks, Christine Lockert, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Educating producers to manage risk and position their farm or ranch for future growth and success is the fundamental purpose of the Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) program.

The ERME program, funded by United States Department of Aagriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, provides training to help producers learn new strategies to manage complex and growing agricultural risks.

Established in 2001 and located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Economics Department, the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center (NCERMEC) has a long history of supporting risk management education programs serving producers in the region. NCERMEC, in conjunction …

05.05.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Research Showcase Photos

Showcase Raffle Winners

Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Scholarship

Video of the ORED website

The Impact Of Insufficient Sleep On The Serial Reproduction Of Information, David L. Dickinson, Sean P. A. Drummond

ESI Publications

Story retelling is an important form of communication, cultural practice, and message transmission. Insufficient sleep is known to affect relevant cognitive skill areas necessary for story retelling or transmission fidelity. We conducted a preregistered randomized cross-over study on n = 155 young adults with exogenously assigned nightly sleep levels experienced in their at-home environments. A serial story reproduction task was administered online, and chains of up to three retells of a given story involved varied numbers of sleep restricted (SR) versus well-rested (WR) retellers. While story content decayed with each retell, group-level analysis showed that additional SR retellers in a …

Genomic Structure Among Populations Of A Regionally Rare Perennial Plant Indicates The Need For Reevaluation Of Management Units, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Conservation of rare species often relies on the delineation of management units and genomic tools can now be applied for this purpose. However, this is not as common on a local scale, where populations are often small and fragmented, despite the utility of informing conservation and management practice at the regional level. We use a genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach to assess the perennial riparian plant species Baptisia australis (Fabaceae) in Pennsylvania, where the taxon is at the edge of its natural distribution and considered threatened. In this system, we investigate whether sampled subpopulations exhibit genetic structure. We find that …

Volume 11 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Functional Morphology Of The Primate Knee And Its Implications For Hominin Bipedal Mechanics, Catherine K. Miller

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Bipedal locomotion is central to the human condition, having shaped our evolutionary trajectory since its early emergence in the hominin lineage. Despite its importance, key questions remain about its origins and evolutionary trajectory. While many studies have focused on locomotor-related anatomies, comparatively less attention has been paid to the knee joint – a structure critical to the primate locomotor repertoire. This dissertation aims to clarify the form-function relationship of the knee in extant primates to better infer the locomotor behaviors of Miocene hominoids and Plio-Pleistocene hominins. To address these questions, this research employs a multifaceted analytical approach, integrating linear measurements, …

Table Of Contents And Front Matter, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Does Limb Specialization In Track And Field Introduce Asymmetry In Dynamic Stability?, Aaron X. Jones

Master's Theses

Time to stabilization (TTS) represents the time it takes for a person to become still after a hop landing. Lower times suggest greater dynamic stability. Whereas leg dominance (preference) does not seem to have a significant impact on TTS performance in the general healthy populations, limb specialization in sport may introduce asymmetry. This study compares TTS following forward hops in healthy male controls (N = 19) to varsity DIII Track & Field athletes (N = 20). Groups were equal for height, but the athlete group’s average limb length (106.7 ± 5.5 cm) was greater than the control group (101.5 ± …

Frontier Healthscapes: Competing Narratives Of Disease, Environment, And Wellbeing In Early Minnesota, Aidan Reynolds

Geography Honors Projects

Across settler societies, health narratives were shaped by evolving tensions between lay and expert knowledge, frameworks of disease causation, and perceptions of the environment as both a source of health and a threat. In the decades following Euro-American settlement (1860-1900), Minnesota became a focal point for these debates, with its landscape fostering complex and competing narratives on health, wellbeing, and disease. This paper explores how public health discourse developed in Minnesota through the perspectives of institutions, the public, and economic interests. Combining environmental history with critical discourse analysis of archival materials, this study examines shifts within the Minnesota State Board …

Using A Process Evaluation In Extension Programming: Takeaways For Teams, Cristina Connolly, Jeantyl Norze, Stacey F. Stearns

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Health fields use process evaluations to measure how closely an intervention aligns with its intended delivery. Despite their potential for improving Cooperative Extension programming and impacts, process evaluations are not widely used outside the medical sciences. We adapted the process evaluation framework for Extension use. The components assess project components such as content, dose delivered, dose received, and reach, as well as moderating factors such as quality of delivery, participant responsiveness, complexity, facilitation strategy, recruitment, and context. The modified process evaluation framework was used to assess an Extension project in the Northeast region of the U.S. Extension teams in the …

Growing Pains: Assessing The Strategic Organizational Communication Approaches Of An Expanding Extension Organization, Anissa M. Mattox, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Lauri Baker, Angela B. Lindsey

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

As social structures evolve, strategic organizational communication (SOC) must also evolve for organizations to best meet the ever-changing needs of stakeholders. Assessing communications can guide the direction of an organization while also elevating the organization to the next level. For this study, researchers assessed the SOC strategy of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) through qualitative focus groups. Results of this study revealed internal communication and resources provided by the organization were perceived as positive communication approaches, while external communication and visibility were identified as negative communication approaches. Other Extension organizations could benefit from the results of this research as …

Genetic Influence Of Allelic Variation On The Phenotypic Variability Of Cognitive Outcomes In Individuals With Williams Syndrome., Marinie P. Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Williams syndrome (WS) is caused by a rare microdeletion of 25 – 27 genes on chromosome 7q11.23, characterized by a distinctive cognitive profile with considerable phenotypic heterogeneity. However, the genetic factors underlying this phenotypic variability remain unclear. I explored two genetic mechanisms—parent-of-origin (PoO) effects and genome-wide polygenic variation, as measured by polygenic scores (PGSs)—to elucidate possible influences on cognitive variability in WS. The first study examined PoO effects on cognitive abilities in two overlapping samples of children with WS (N = 211, N = 251). PoO refers to which parental homolog of chromosome 7 contains the WS deletion. Despite …

The Perceived Effect Of The Menstrual Cycle On Sleep, Mood, And Training In Ncaa Di Collegiate Athletes, Rachel Conhoff

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study aimed to understand whether collegiate female athletes perceived that their menstrual cycle influenced sleep, mood, and training. Additionally, it looked to identify which phases of the menstrual cycle (pre-menstruation, menstruation, and post-menstruation) were associated with a positive perception of these three variables. Methods: An online questionnaire was designed and sent out to all NCAA Division I (DI) female athletes whose schools had permitted them to participate in the study. The questionnaire was a novel instrument that assessed the perception of the menstrual cycle on the three variables across the three phases. Inclusion criteria included NCAA DI female …

Toward The Application Of Natural Language Processing In Electronic Health Record Analysis For Taxonomy Development, Latoya Mcdonald

All Dissertations

Electronic health records (EHRs) are pivotal resources for nurse practice because they increase the timeliness and reliability of patient information at the point of care and support access by multiple healthcare providers and the individual patients themselves. However, it is widely recognized that data extraction from EHRs is challenging due to the variability in the language used in clinical care notes and the lack of standardized terminology across healthcare systems. The broad objective of this dissertation is to develop taxonomy-based classification models for nursing care by applying feature engineering approaches to EHRs that include nursing care of ostomy patients following …

State Case Count As An Indicator Of Successful Multistate Outbreak Investigation, Lorisa M. Pennell

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background/Objectives: Shiga-Toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a contaminant found in multiple food types and causes multistate outbreaks due to the industrialization of food production. In this report I examine the differences in outbreaks categorized by the regulating agency responsible in outbreak prevention and compare outbreak case counts when organized by positive outbreak investigation and response outcomes.

Methods: STEC Multistate outbreak data was obtained from the Center for Disease Control’s National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) for outbreaks occurring from 2006-2023. Outbreaks were organized into those regulated by either the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the US Department of …

Atypical Morphometry And Connectivity Of The Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit In Children And Adolescents With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Population At Ultra-High Risk For Developing Obsessive-Compulsive And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Amanda I. Rowan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with serious medical, cognitive, and psychiatric conditions, including significantly elevated risk for obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and/or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ). The cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) neural circuit is critical for cognitive and emotional processing. Dysfunction of the CSTC circuit is implicated in the etiopathology of both OCD and SCZ but has not been specifically examined in individuals with 22q11.2DS. This study used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), along with standardized psychological and cognitive measures, to investigate atypical morphometry and white matter connectivity within CSTC-related brain regions in …

Men In Family Science Courses: Perspectives Of Family Science Faculty And Administrators, Michael Langlais, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Sophia Rotella

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The goal of this qualitative study is to describe the perspectives of higher education family science faculty and administrators regarding men’s enrollment in family science courses. University family science courses educate students on how to promote developmental potential for individuals, couples, and families. Information from these classes can assist students’ personal and professional development regardless of gender, yet there are far fewer men enrolled in these courses compared to women. Data come from 78 faculty members and 12 administrators from randomly selected universities using the National Council on Family Relations’ Degree Programs in Family Science directory. Using coding reliability thematic …