Communication Commons^™

Featured Faculty Mentor/Student Team, Kelly Loftin, Eva Berryhill

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Analog Digital Frame: User Centered Design In Arts-Based Neighborhood Resilience Modeling, David Robledo, Sydney F. Walker, Zlatka Rebolledo Sánchez, Richard Nickel

English Faculty Publications

We explicate a mapping of digital documents through computer machinery as an analog frame for Research and Design in neighborhood environmental literacy, within an applied interdisciplinary ecosystem theory. In the arena of communicating localized climate phenomena and solutions, the design of communication frameworks has provided a core methodology to map climate adaptive conclusions as analogs for actionable community interpretive media. In this experience report, we articulate User Centered Design (UCD) in project research and development, while reporting on difficulties and solutions in shaping an analog digital frame to integrate student driven research and design with mentor based interdisciplinary project theorization. …

In-Season Nitrogen Mmanagement: Leveraging Data Visualization For Precision Agriculture, Chathurika Harshani Narayana

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Effective nitrogen management is vital for sustainable agriculture, impacting both crop yield and environmental health. Traditional methods often use fixed application rates set before planting, which do not adapt to changing crop needs during the season. This can lead to over- or under-application, reducing efficiency and sustainability. While modern tools like sensors, satellites, and UAVs provide valuable real-time data on crop and field conditions, integrating and using this data to guide timely nitrogen decisions remains a major challenge. In-season nitrogen management offers a solution by allowing for dynamic adjustments to nitrogen applications, addressing crop needs as they arise. This approach …

Letter From The Dean, Jeff Edwards

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Weighted Family History Density Of Substance Use: Influence On Participant Substance Use Onset, Escalation, And Duration, Carleigh A. Litteral

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Substance use disorders impose a staggering toll on the United States (U.S.), straining healthcare systems, destabilizing communities, and profoundly impacting both individuals and families. Approximately one in six Americans aged 12 and older had a past-year substance use disorder in 2022 (Key Substance Use, 2022), and nearly one-third of adults experience a substance use disorder in their lifetime (Wu, 2010), contributing to an economic burden exceeding $400 billion annually (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2011). Family history of substance use disorders is a key predictor of vulnerability, with individuals who have affected relatives being 2–8 times more …

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Comparative Semiotic Analysis Of Non-Verbal Communication: Apis Mellifera Waggle Dance And Human Kinesic Signaling Systems, Nishtha Tikalal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

There are many parallels between two seemingly disparate forms of non-verbal communication: the waggle dance of Apis mellifera (honeybees) and human kinesic signaling systems. Through a comparative semiotic analysis, this research aims to conduct a comparative semiotic analysis, investigating structural and functional similarities between these communication methods, challenging anthropocentric assumptions about meaning making in the natural world. This research employs a meta-synthesis approach, drawn from a methodological literature review to examine historical representations of bee-human relationships, semiotics of non-verbal communication, and the specific mechanisms of the waggle dance and human kinesics. This methodology involves systematic categorization and analysis of extracted …

Conceptual Curiosity: Sense(Un)Making, Rebekah L. Cowell

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Across disciplines, sensemaking is a theoretical and methodological research program, over forty years in development, that has been treated as a framework for understanding how humans behaviorally respond to external information sources and interpret to construct and actualize actionable outcomes; however, sensemaking is an interlinking process that does not operate in singularity–behaviorally or actionably–it is neurobiological (autonomous drive), cognitive (perceptual and predictive), and psychological (congruency in meaning).

This paper enlarges the conceptual framework for studying sensemaking and redefines it by addressing what sensemaking is, does, and needs. At the core of this conversation is addressing the absence of knowledge and …

Metagenomic Sequencing For Early Detection Of Future Engineered Pandemics: Foreshadowing The Privacy Challenge, Nir Eyal, Bridget Williams, Kevin M. Esvelt, Jane R. Bambauer

UF Law Faculty Publications

In this commentary, we imagine how a global system of metagenomic sequencing could be governed in order to reap the benefits and manage the risks. Global institutional engineers and their academic partners would need to develop a new governance model to ensure that all partners involved in a global metagenomic surveillance system cooperate as needed.

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 33. The Story In Evolution., Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) is best known for his independent formulation of the principle of natural selection. In this work I first review my understanding of Wallace’s intellectual development on this subject, including the notion that he had no model for the evolution of higher consciousness as of his first treatment of natural selection in 1858. This leads to some conclusions about his approach to the subject, and links to parallel ideas inherent in the philosophy of Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677).

The Ins And Outs Of Language Translation And Interpretation Of Program Resources, Regina Mcgoff, Annalisa Hultberg, Stephen A. Kells

Journal of Extension

In an increasingly diverse country, creating Extension resources available in a variety of languages and formats is important for supporting learning by Limited English Proficient audiences and extending these impacts throughout the entire community. Learn tips from educational professionals who have created print and electronic resources in ten different languages to better support a diversity of stakeholders.

Paper Origami For Program Development And Evaluation Training Of New Extension Employees, Ayanava Majumdar

Journal of Extension

This article describes the use of paper origami as a training tool for Extension evaluation and capacity building workshops. Three paper origami models have been developed and used consistently since 2021 to benefit 131 new Extension professionals. The use of these models added an element of pleasant surprise for workshop participants and fostered collaboration during training. This article describes the construction and usefulness of the origami models to these new employees. Post-event feedback and testimonials are very encouraging to authors who continue to develop additional origami models for training and motivation.

Who Cares For The Caregiver? Exploring Extension’S Role In Informal Caregiving Support, Mckenzie R. Tuttle, Erin L. Martinez, Aimee Fox

Journal of Extension

Family caregivers provide invaluable service by taking on the responsibility of caring for older adults in the United States. With a growing aging population, the need for family caregivers and demands on their time and resources will continue to increase. Although a variety of caregiving resources and support services exist, family caregivers often lack the awareness, time, transportation, or financial resources to connect to services. There is a critical need to address the barriers that prevent caregivers from accessing services. In this commentary, we highlight barriers and make recommendations for improving conversations, research, and practice to meet this growing problem.

Wrack Lines Volume 24, No. 2, Fall-Winter 2024-2025, Farwa Mohsin, Seth Kinter, Elena Smith, Eden Torres, Dominic Moore, Isaiah Sosa

Wrack Lines

Six recipients of the Wrack Lines Voice of Diverse Youth Scholarship share personal essays about their relationship to nature and climate change.

University Of Nebraska At Omaha Division Of Biomechanics And Research Development Annual Report 2022-2023, Uno Biomechanics

Biomechanics Annual Report

This report contains:

A letter from the Director: Dr. Nick Stergiou

Highlights articles

Our ne Cobre: the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics (CRiB) articles

The Center for Research in Human Movement Variability (MOVCENTR) articles

People of UNO Biomechanics

Student Centered articles

Faculty Success articles

Education Initiative articles

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Coffee In Brasil: Sustainability And The Role Of Intermediaries, Livia Petzinger

Capstone Collection

ABSTRACT

Coffee is traded in a highly complex global value chain where countless sustainability initiatives have emerged to address social, economic, and environmental issues, challenges which persist due to dominance of the market structure by largescale traders and roasters. Specialty coffee and direct trade have emerged as alternative trade arrangements that promote high-quality coffee through the use of sustainable practices, transparency, and a shortened supply chain. This research analyzes the role that intermediaries in the Brazilian specialty coffee supply chain play in the implementation of sustainability initiatives asking what kinds of sustainability practices they implement and why, and how this …

A ‘Nuclear Bomb’ Or Just ‘A Joke’? Groundwater Models May Help Communicate Nuanced Risks To The Great Salt Lake, Matthew D. Laplante, Piyush Dahal, Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Kirsti Hakala, Avik Mukherjee

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The Great Salt Lake entered the zeitgeist of environmental concern in 2022 when a coalition of scientists and activists warned in a highly publicized report that the lake might be just five years away from complete desiccation, a possibility one state official warned was tantamount to an “environmental nuclear bomb”. Shortly thereafter, an unpredicted and unprecedented pluvial winter resulted in an increase in inflow, temporarily halting the lake’s decline and prompting Utah’s governor to mock the dire prediction as “a joke”, an outcome that speaks to the tension between agenda-setting and trust-building that researchers face when sharing worst-case warnings, particularly …

Interprofessional Education In Dietetics Programs: Student And Director Perspectives, Mckenna Voorhees, Heidi J. Wengreen, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Katie N. Kraus

Journal of Dietetic Education

Background: Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) supports optimal healthcare outcomes; accordingly, dietetic program accreditation standards require interprofessional-related education (IPE). Objective: To explore IPE implementation and evaluation of IPE in dietetics curricula, and how these relate to director confidence in students and student satisfaction. Main Outcome Measures: IPE approaches (lectures, assignments, direct experience, case studies/facilitated multidisciplinary interactions), Timing of IPE (years 1, 2, 3, 4, other), director confidence (10-level scale), student IPE satisfaction (7-level scale) Statistical Analyses Performed: The strength and direction of correlation between number of IPE methods with director confidence/student satisfaction, and time spent on IPE with director confidence were …

Ocular Gene Transfer In The Spotlight: Implications Of Newspaper Content For Clinical Communications, Shelly Benjaminy, Tania M. Bubela

Office of the Provost

Background: Ocular gene transfer clinical trials are raising hopes for blindness treatments and attracting media attention. News media provide an accessible health information source for patients and the public, but are often criticized for overemphasizing benefits and underplaying risks of novel biomedical interventions. Overly optimistic portrayals of unproven interventions may influence public and patient expectations; the latter may cause patients to downplay risks and over-emphasize benefits, with implications for informed consent for clinical trials. We analyze the news media communications landscape about ocular gene transfer and make recommendations for improving communications between clinicians and potential trial participants in light of …

The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age, Yvette, Ying Wai Lau

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Because of the unprecedented and unexpected force of the pandemic since 2020, most churches around the world have experienced some online worship during the lockdown of their cities or the mandated closure of the church buildings. For many people, online worship seems to be an equivalent, if not better, alternative for gathering together—a physical co-presence in worship—even after the pandemic has ended. As necessary and vital as online worship experiences have been for Christians during the pandemic, the witness of the church from Pentecost throughout Christian history indicates that gathered worship in physical spaces is irreplaceable for faith formation and …

External And Internal Attribution In Human-Agent Interaction: Insights From Neuroscience And Virtual Reality, Nina Lauharatanahirun, Andrea Won, Angel Hsing-Chi Hwang

Human-Machine Communication

Agents are designed in the image of humans, both internally and externally. The internal systems of agents imitate the human brain, both at the levels of hardware (i.e., neuromorphic computing) and software (i.e., neural networks). Furthermore, the external appearance and behaviors of agents are designed by people and based on human data. Sometimes, these humanlike qualities of agents are purposely selected to increase their social influence over human users, and sometimes the human factors that influence perceptions of agents are hidden. Inspired by Blascovich’s “threshold of social influence’, a model designed to explain the effects of different methods of anthropomorphizing …

Cultivating Agriculture - Cultivando Agricultura: Content Creator, Sophia L. Garcia

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

Agriculture is rooted in culture, yet we rarely discuss the people who drive the industry today. Many voices have yet to share their stories of influencing or making a difference in the agriculture industry. As a result, the idea of a podcast arose as a free, convenient, and accessible way for everyone to hear and communicate stories. During the project, my co-host, Daniela Ramos, and I will work together to address this issue. To diversify and separate the workload, we will each host three episodes individually. As part of my role, I will also be responsible for marketing, including creating …

Designing Future Agriculture: Design For Complex Systems And Cross-Cultural Interactions, Karina Madzari

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Climate change is now recognized by businesses as a major challenge, prompting the agribusiness sector to transform to meet sustainability goals. However, there are many ways to achieve sustainability. Precision agriculture and agroecology are two concepts that evolved from conventional and regenerative approaches respectively, and offer distinct perspectives on sustainability attainment. Precision agriculture relies on technological solutions like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, gene editing, and carbon dioxide removal technologies (CDR) and aims to revolutionize industry operations through automatization. Agroecology, on the other hand, creates a symbiotic relationship between farming practices and ecosystem services. It aims to replace non-renewable resources with …

Using Multimedia To Help Agricultural Producers Communicate With Consumers About Gmos, Stacey F. Stearns, Jennifer E. Cushman, Joseph A. Bonelli, Bonnie E. Burr

Journal of Extension

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their uses are often misunderstood. Consumers are regularly unsure what GMOs are, or if they are safe for consumption and the environment. Contradictory and sometimes inaccurate information is available from numerous sources, and challenges consumers and others to separate the facts from sensationalized stories. Agricultural producers often communicate with consumers, neighbors, and members of the general public; however, they do not have information to share about GMOs. Multimedia resources can provide agricultural producers with science-based information to share with consumers. Agricultural communicators and Extension educators can create science-based multimedia resources to bridge the communication gap.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald: Ways Of The Future, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period April 8 - May 5, 2024.

• Anderson, Alexandria. Letter from the Editor – Science, Technology & Business
• Anderson, Alexandria. Women in STEM Make Advances
• Novoselia, Mariia. Turnover on Fountain Square: Local Businesses Share Concerns & Success Stories
• SOKY Rentals Offers New Apartments
• Walk2Campus: Where Home Meets Community
• Bush, Camden. Can a Baseball Team Reduce Their Goals to a Math Problem?
• Hawkins, Kaylee. Student Business Owners Share Experiences – Gatara Townsend, Andrew Garrett, Brittiny Sadler
• Ivory, Larkin. Bikewalk BG, WKU CHHS Offer Chances for Healthy Lifestyle – Health & Human Services

Patient Understanding Of Fetal Sex Versus Gender In The Context Of Routine Cell-Free Dna Screening, Mindy Kolodziejski

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is the current standard of care to screen for fetal aneuploidy using cell-free DNA (cfDNA). NIPT screens for sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) and in doing so, can predict fetal chromosomal sex. Despite sex and gender being distinct concepts, many patients refer to NIPT as “the gender test” and elect testing in order to find out predicted fetal sex and assume gender. Our study aimed to evaluate and describe patient understanding of sex and gender in the context of receiving routine prenatal genetics education (PGE) on NIPT. A survey was developed with the goal of assessing patient …

Advancing Qualitative Inquiry In Agricultural Communications: An Analysis Of Theories, Methodologies, And Standards For Quality, Karli Yarber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers a deep dive into the evolving landscape of qualitative research within the field of agricultural communications. Through a trio of research articles, this research critically assesses the application of theories, methodologies, and standards for quality across studies published in six disciplinary journals from 2003 to 2023. The first manuscript explores the theoretical frameworks guiding qualitative research in agricultural communications, uncovering a diverse but scattered theoretical underpinning with Framing, Diffusion of Innovations, and Uses and Gratifications Theory emerging as the most prevalent. The second manuscript meticulously examines the methodologies employed, revealing a growing acceptance and application of qualitative …

Plant-Plant Interaction In Early- Vs. Late-Successional Varieties Of The Hawaiian Landscape-Dominant Tree, Metrosideros Polymorpha, Tomoko Sakishima

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Plant-plant interactions play an important role in assembling plant communities. Interactions between neighboring plants can vary as a result of the genetic relatedness of neighbors, impacting rates of growth and patterns of resource allocation. When growing alongside close relatives, some species decrease their growth in a form of cooperation, while others grow faster through facilitation. A complication of plant interaction studies arises because decreased growth in the presence of close relatives can also be due to competition for resources, which increases with phenotypic similarity. Further complicating matters, mycorrhizal fungi, through their connections with plant roots, may strongly influence plant interactions. …

The Accuracy Of Videos Related To Breastfeeding On Tiktok: A Content Analysis, Brianna Jack

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the best nutrition for infants, yet its rates remain below recommended levels due to various factors. One such factor is the dissemination of misleading information, often from online sources like social media. This study investigates the accuracy of information in TikTok videos related to breastfeeding and whether differences exist between the accuracy of videos and narrator identification, skin color, and gender. This study also aims to investigate the relationship between the accuracy and popularity of videos based on the number of views, likes, comments, and shares. A content analysis was used to code the most …