Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Open Letter To Leslie, Anne G. Kinne Phd

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This article celebrates the life and work of dear friend and mentor, Allan Leslie Combs, acknowledging his continued presence in my life. Interweaving stories of our relationship with his insights on integral consciousness, Bateson’s concept of aphanipoiesis, Varela et al.’s notion of autopoiesis, and using narrative, storytelling, and autoethnographic methodologies, I tell a tale of becoming that troubles and haunts my past. The sticky tendrils of Ancestral trauma and its transhistorical epigenetic inheritance, once acutely troublesome, are shifting due in large part to the contents of this letter. Woven together, these conscious, intersecting, and interactive lenses show how Leslie has …

Proso Millet In Us High Plains Dryland Agriculture: Systems Resilience, Phenology, And Consumer Preferences For Alternative Grains, Pratiksha Baishya

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

Dryland crop production in Nebraska's semi-arid High Plains faces challenges from fluctuating weather impacts of climate change, including extreme temperatures, short growing seasons, and recurring droughts. Proso millet is an alternative crop used to build a more robust three-year rotation in the region, rather than the traditional two-year wheat-fallow cycle. This dissertation provides a systems-level assessment of proso millet, a climate-resilient crop with great potential to support sustainable cropping systems in the US High Plains. Using a field-to-consumer approach, it highlights its agronomic and environmental advantages in dryland rotations, develops a phenological framework to aid future research on production, crop …

From Morphology To Machine Learning And Genomics: Understanding Phenotypic Variation In Wild Ducks, Sara Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the genetic underpinning and distribution of phenotypic variation within and between divergent groups is core towards shedding light into how populations diverge and adapt, as well as how hybridization breaks or builds on these scenarios; and thus, central to evolutionary biology. In wild organisms, however, quantifying and linking phenotypic traits to underlying genetic processes, like mutation, gene expression, epigenetics and allele interactions, remains challenging. This difficulty arises from the complex interplay between morphology, environment, and gene regulation, as well as the logistical barriers of collecting and standardizing large-scale data across individuals and populations. As a result, researchers are increasingly …

Fast & Forensic: Rapid Detection & Quantitation Of 30 + Emerging Novel Psychoactive Substances In Hair Using Lc-Ms/Ms, Seokjin Hwang

Student Theses

The continuous emergence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) poses a significant challenge for forensic and clinical toxicologists, due to their structural diversity, rapid turnover on the illicit drug market, and limited toxicological information. Hair is a powerful matrix for retrospective drug exposure assessment and monitoring NPS worldwide. Not only does it provide a broad window of detection but also a simple sample exchange amongst laboratories. However, the extraction of multi-class NPS in a single method remains an analytical challenge. Therefore, there is an urgent need for extraction techniques and analytical methods that are both rapid and capable of multi-class quantitation …

Collective Agency And Community Resilience Among Farmworkers In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Angel Velazquez

Theses and Dissertations

This research assesses how farmworkers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas use everyday practices to build resilience and adapt to changes in their lives. I apply two interconnected theories, White’s (2017, 2019) framework of collective agency and community resilience and Castro and Sen’s (2022) framework of everyday adaptation actions, to study these practices. I conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with Latino farmworkers and professionals who work with local farmworker organizations in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of Texas. Interview transcripts were analyzed to determine if and how Latino farmworkers in the RGV can work towards community resilience and implement …

Applicability Of Cementochronology To Estimate Season-Of-Death In Humans: Insights From Modern Documented Collections, Olga Ibarra-Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Dental cementum is characterized by lifelong deposition of alternating opaque annuli in fall/winter and translucent bands in spring/summer. This study aims to test the applicability of cementochronology to estimate season-of-death, by observing the properties of the last layer, with direct implications for forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology. The sample includes canine teeth from 146 adults (84 males, 62 females), age-at-death ranging from 20-97 years (mean=61.7 years, SD=18.6 years), from two contemporary skeletal collections. Of these individuals, 78 (53.4%) died in spring/summer and 68 (46.6%) died in fall/winter. Overall accuracy was low at 64.4% (94/146). Accuracy was higher for spring/summer deaths 100.0% …

Mountain Communities During A Time Of War: A Case Study Of The Hutsul Region In The Carpathian Mountains Of Ukraine, Pavlo Rybaruk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ethno-ecological technologies employed by the Hutsul people within the highland agrarian economy of the Carpathian Mountains. Over centuries, the Hutsuls have developed ethno-ecological technologies that maintain ecological integrity while supporting community livelihoods.

The study addresses three primary research questions: What are the most important ethno-ecological technologies of the Hutsul highland economy? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be applied to economic, agricultural, and tourism development in the Hutsul region? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be combined with contemporary approaches to encourage sustainable development in the region?

The research explores the devastating impact of the Russian …

Improved Model For Neurodegeneration In C. Elegans, Jean-Pierre Arditi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

During Alzheimer's disease (AD), insoluble amyloid beta (AP) peptides accumulate to form extracellular aggregates (plaques). The direct cause of neuronal dysfunction observed in AD has been broadly investigated. The amyloid hypothesis states that AP plaques are neurotoxic, but recent studies support the AP oligomer hypothesis, which states that intracellular AP (iAP) is neurotoxic. To test this hypothesis, I used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to generate two transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) strains. I generated a strain (RSLl 11) using the rab-3 promoter to co-express GFP in neurons, which showed no gross behavioral changes but had a 50% reduced egglaying rate. RSLl …

Two Essays On Agricultural Trade Policy And Total Factor Productivity, Hanifi Otgun

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

This dissertation consists of two essays: the first examines the welfare and trade implications of the 2016–2017 drought in Brazil and the subsequent temporary import ban on Robusta coffee; the second examines how trade openness influences agricultural total factor productivity across 26 NUTS-2 regions in Türkiye from 2013 to 2020.

The first essay focuses on Brazil, a major Robusta coffee producer and exporter that faced a significant drought in 2016–17, reducing Robusta output. In response, the government initially allowed one million 60-kg bags of Robusta coffee to be imported. An import ban was imposed shortly afterward due to lobbying by …

Detecting Prescribed Fire, Haying And Grazing Events Via Remote Sensing To Create Grassland Disturbance Landcovers For The Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus Colchicus), Megan Amy Baldissara

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

This dissertation developed disturbance detection models to fulfill the need for remote sensing landcover products describing grassland structure. The use of landcover products derived from remote sensing is increasing over time in pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) research. Such landcover, however, does not provide relevant pheasant structural habitat information (Chapter 1). Pheasants require tall, high-density grassland for nesting, tall grassland with medium density for brood rearing, and tall grassland for wintering. Time since disturbance can serve as a proxy for structure, as it shapes vegetation by removing biomass and resetting succession. Disturbance is easier to detect than structure with current …

Workplace Policy And Associated Factors Of Minimum Acceptable Diet Practices: An Online Survey Among Working Mothers In Indonesia, Fadhila Iswi Deandra, Judhiastuty Februhartanty, Muchtaruddin Mansyur

Kesmas

Working mothers in Indonesia may influence complementary feeding practices, particularly their ability to ensure that their infants properly meet the minimum acceptable diet (MAD). In this cross-sectional study, an online survey was distributed through various online platforms where participants were recruited using convenience sampling. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic factors, workplace policies, and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted. A total of 394 working mothers participated, of which over 90% of the respondents reported meeting minimum dietary diversity, minimum milk frequency, minimum milk feeding frequency, and MAD indicators as assessed with a standardized …

Transdisciplinary Perspectives On Ai: The Fourth Annual Conference Of The European Culture And Technology Laboratory, Connell Vaughan, Ioana Madalina Moldovan, Silivan Moldovan, Noel Fitzpatrick

Books/Book Chapters

The fourth annual conference of the ECT Lab+ was hosted by Technical University of Cluj-Napoca over two days in October 2024 at the Cluj Innovation Park. The conference brought together experts from the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology, and other fields to discuss and reflect on the advent of Artificial Intelligence and how the associated technologies are transforming how we live, work and study. Under the title Transdisciplinary perspectives on AI: Alternative Histories, Current Practices and Possible Futures the conference moved beyond simplistic technophila and technophobia to consider whether we can co-evolve with these new technologies which combine machine learning …

2025 - The Sixth Annual Fall Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Fall 2025 Symposium of Student Scholars, held in November 2025. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Harnessing Hyperspectral Imaging And Deep Learning For Terrestrial Habitat Mapping In Arid Landscapes: A Case Study In Saudi Arabia, Ali Elgendy, Hesham Morgan, Brandon Tran, Rejoice Thomas, Tamer Ismail, Yehya Kh. Shehadeh, Ahmed Elgharib, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Dughairi, Ali El Muburak, Khaled Allam Harhash, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Arid ecosystems remain under-mapped at actionable scales despite their ecological importance. Decision makers lack reliable, high-resolution habitat maps in drylands to prioritize protection and target restoration. This research integrates spaceborne hyperspectral imaging from the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) with deep learning semantic segmentation models to produce an updated level of habitat classification based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for part of the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, Saudi Arabia. Using ground control points and the full EnMAP spectral cube without band selection, U-Net and DeepLabV3+ architectures were each implemented with VGG19 and ResNet-101 …

Renewal Of The Mind: Forgiveness Through The Lens Of Christian Faith And Neuroscience, Khelen Walsh

University Honors Theses

Within Christian theology, forgiveness is a foundational concept that is often understood as a divine command, a spiritual practice, and a path toward reconciliation and personal growth. Recent neuroscientific research further supports this viewpoint, providing data that shows forgiveness engages neural systems responsible for emotional regulation, empathy, moral reasoning, and perspective-taking. Through neuroplasticity, repeated acts of forgiveness reshape the brain, strengthen connections between prefrontal and limbic regions, reduce amygdala reactivity, and enhance emotional stability and cognitive flexibility. Although forgiveness offers many benefits, modern culture frequently distorts its meaning, framing it as a sign of weakness, gullibility, or a form of …

Both Studying And Protecting Octopuses “On Their Own Terms”, Jennifer Jacquet, Janelle Kaz, Becca Franks, Christine Webb

Animal Sentience

Cephalopods – indeed, all animals – “must be seen on their own terms,” with respect for their autonomy and their ecological imperatives. This will provide greater scientific insight along with a more ethical and accurate understanding of minds beyond our own.

Designing And Writing Effective Data Management Plans For Grant Proposals, Rubab Shahzad, Ibis Anette Moreno-Lozano

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

Fundamentals of research data management and how to create effective Data Management Plans (DMPs).

Understanding Perceptions About And The Practice Of Integrated Pest Management And Biological Control Of The Filth-Breeding Flies By Individuals Involved In The Equine Industry In The United States, Virgillia Adele Beyer-Junfin, Theresa Pesl Murphrey, David Lawver, Barry Boyd, Amy Boren-Alpizar, Rilee Hall, Audra W. Richburg

Journal of Extension

Filth-breeding flies pose significant health risks and costs in the equine industry. Although an arsenal of management strategies exists, integrated pest management (IPM) utilizing biological control (BC) offers cost and labor efficient pest control for equine facilities. Yet, little data exists on IPM adoption across the equine industry in the United States. This quantitative study examines the knowledge, perceptions, and adoption of IPM of those involved in the equine industry. Findings reveal knowledge barriers and time constraints as major preventatives. Preferred communication channels for IPM information are also identified. Recommendations are made for further research and practice in IPM and …

Introducing Neuro Social Work: A Brief Reflection On Neuroscience And The Profession, Priscila Llamosa

Social Work Faculty Publications

Neuroscience offers language and evidence that can strengthen interdisciplinary communication, support advocacy in biomedically dominated settings, and validate relational practices long recognized in social work, including the impacts of early adversity, attachment, and healing through connection. At the same time, an epistemological tension underlies the profession’s unease with neuroscience when brain-based narratives are used to individualize structural harm or justify surveillance of marginalized families and communities. This teaching note introduces Neuro Social Work as a justice-oriented specialization that integrates contemporary neuroscience with social work’s person-in-environment commitments, relational practice traditions, and anti-oppressive ethics.The author argues that the key question is no …

11.17.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

• Qualtrics training sessions
• Alcorn State University, Dr. Edmund Buckner

Cephalopod Consciousness On “Their Own Terms”: Who Are “They”?, Willa M. Lane, Victor Ajuwon, Nicola S. Clayton

Animal Sentience

Mather’s call to consider cephalopods’ consciousness “on their own terms” raises the question of the extent to which cephalopods can be considered a homogenous group. While coloeoid cephalopods share traits that strongly distinguish them from other molluscs and invertebrates, they show vast ecological and morphological diversity, with implications for the design of empirical investigations of consciousness. Extending Mather’s argument, we apply Birch et al.’s (2020) five-dimensional model to compare octopus, cuttlefish, squid, and nautilus. This comparison shows that even within a graded rather than categorical framework, putative consciousness profiles depend on which taxa are included in discussions of “cephalopod consciousness.” …

Turfgrass Weed Control For Professionals, 2024, Aaron J. Patton, Matthew T. Elmore

Purdue University Press Books

Turfgrass is used on everything from athletic fields, golf courses, and parks, to lawns, sod farms, and roadsides. Unfortunately, information on weed management for professionals maintaining these areas has often been inaccurate or out of date, and applicators are frequently unaware of the most effective methods for controlling weeds in turf. Written by experts in the field and featuring insights from contributors from sixteen states across the US, the 2024 edition of Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals was developed to provide science-based information for those working in the field. It contains information about turfgrass management, weed biology and management, more …

Data Cleaning With Excel, Rubab Shahzad

Day Family Research Lab Workshop Series

This workshop will delve into the importance of cleaning research data and why clean data is an important part of the larger research data lifecycle. This session will also provide an overview of data cleaning and preprocessing using Microsoft Excel including a hands-on demonstration.

Scroll down for practice file

Cv: Philip Blankenship (Behavioral Neuroscience), Philip Blankenship

Psychology Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

11.10.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

• Sherilyn Hulugalla winds Biosafety and Biosecurity Month Challenge

An Integrated Ca–Markov Modeling Framework For Forecasting Land Use And Land Cover Dynamics In Arkansas, Usa, Rasool Vahid, Mohamed H. Aly

Environmental Dynamics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes significantly shape urban environments and directly impact ecological and socioeconomic systems. This study aims to explore these interconnections by employing the Cellular Automata–Markov (CA–Markov) model to assess and predict LULC dynamics in Arkansas. Historical LULC datasets from 2001 to 2021, obtained from the National Land Cover Database, were simplified from 11 into 5 classes to facilitate analysis and effectively map transitions. The model was validated by predicting LULC for 2016 and 2021 and comparing the predictions with the real maps, achieving an overall accuracy of approximately 91.9%, using model validation metrics, including precision, …

Analyzing Urban Space-Use Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Szandra A. Péter, Zehidul Hussain, Solena Kronstedt, Amira Roess, Jennifer Mullinax, Travis Gallo, Taylor Anderson

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Modeling Self-Organizing Networks In Life Sciences And Beyond, Nina H. Fefferman

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Michigan Academician Volume 50, Issue 1

Michigan Academician

2025 Michigan Academy Conference abstracts.

Program Transition Success: A Practical Guide For Educators Moving Sbae Programs, Evey Choat

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

What tools, strategies, and support systems can help agriculture educators navigate leadership transitions and sustain program success when moving between schools or communities? Teacher mobility and leadership transitions within School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) present unique challenges to program continuity, community relations, and professional sustainability. Unlike other subject areas, SBAE teachers often manage multifaceted responsibilities—as classroom instructors, FFA advisors, and community liaisons—making transitions between programs especially complex. This project addresses the lack of structured support for educators navigating these transitions by developing a Program Transition Guide specifically tailored to the needs of agricultural educators in Nebraska.

Guided by Transformational Leadership Theory …