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Recognizing Injustice, Reclaiming Voices: Establishing a Missing Persons Database for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children in Nebraska
Get PDFIndigenous people have been the victims of harsh persecution since the time of colonization; this has negatively impacted Native communities and has contributed significantly to the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children (MMIWC) across the United States and Canada. Under Legislative Bill 154, Richards et al. (2021) conducted an initial study to identify missing Native cases in Nebraska and in 2023, the Attorney General appointed a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Liaison to help combat the number of missing Indigenous in the state. This thesis contributes to previous research by analyzing 20,049 reports from three missing persons databases for Nebraska from 2015 to 2023, including Lincoln Police Department’s missing person reports, the Nebraska State Patrol’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse, and NamUs. At the same time, population statistics are utilized to compare average populations in the state to their representation in missing person reports. This research found that Native women and children are overrepresented in two of the three missing persons databases, while Native men are overrepresented in one. Due to the high number of missing Native reports, this research also contributes to the conversation surrounding the MMIWC crisis by suggesting a list of best practices for law enforcement, government entities, tribal entities, and community outreach programs so that risk factors for such cases may be identified sooner. The results also suggest the creation of a missing person database for MMIWC cases by highlighting the large scale of missing person reports in Nebraska.
Advisor: William R. Belche
The Sauce to Meat Is Ceremony: Cannibalism and Hospitality Serve as Horror and Culture Tropes in Hannibal and Macbeth
Get PDFWhen examining Macbeth (1623) as a case study within Shakespeare’s canon, we see all the obvious horror tropes - murder, witches, a ghost, bodies, blood and gore. What is less pronounced is the horror that lies within eating, drinking, feasting, and the ceremony of banquets. On the other side of the spectrum, and unlike the character of Macbeth, we have a figure that epitomizes all things horror, and has been read about in novels, watched on film, and as of late (2013-2015) has been the subject of a Television show, aptly named: Hannibal. In both works, we encounter men/monsters/killers that live their lives from feast to feast, with ceremony and appearances playing a crucial part within that performance space.
This article will explore both physical and psychological horror tropes in these pieces, adding to the collection of works that is growing in the field of Shakespeare and pop culture. Using key scenes and quotes, metaphors, analogies and imagery, this piece will examine how horror is as relevant today when discussing key themes in our collective humanity as it was in Shakespeare’s time, and why bringing Shakespeare into the horror genre is a great way to cultivate new generations of Shakespeare lovers
Aesop Under L\u27Oreal: Growth vs. Brand Integrity
Get PDFFounded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1987, Aesop has emerged as a global luxury skincare brand known for its minimalist packaging, commitment to sustainability, and sensory in-store experience. In 2023, L\u27Oréal Groupe acquired Aesop from Natura & Co. in a deal valued at $2.5 billion, marking the largest acquisition in L\u27Oréal\u27s history. The brand\u27s dedication to aesthetics has set it apart in the competitive beauty industry. But how does a brand built on small-scale, curated retail experiences navigate the expansion driven by a multinational owner? Can Aesop maintain its core values while scaling up
The Effect of Participation in a Place-based Engineering Learning Experience on Engineering Career Aspiration of Nebraska’s Rural Students: A Mixed Method Study
Get PDFThis study investigates the influence of a place-based, hands-on engineering learning experience on rural middle school students\u27 engineering career aspirations, using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as a framework. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we explored how these localized learning experiences shape students\u27 career goals through socio-cognitive factors such as self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goals, and interest. Quantitative analysis of pre- and post-activity surveys revealed significant increases in career aspiration scores, particularly among students from farming backgrounds and female students with initially lower expectations. Path analyses indicated that self-efficacy and interest were the strongest mediators between Place-based learning and engineering career aspirations. Qualitative data from student reflections corroborated these findings, highlighting key engagement factors such as real-time sensor feedback, hands-on interaction, and connections to lived experiences and familiar applications like farming. This experience broadened students\u27 perceptions of engineering\u27s relevance to their lives and potential careers. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of place-based education in nurturing engineering interest and aspirations, especially among rural and underrepresented students. The findings suggest that sustained, contextualized engineering activities play a crucial role in shaping students\u27 understanding of engineering and fostering long-term career aspirations in the field.
Advisor: Nicole M. Iverso
Aging-Related Hearing Decline and Resting State Networks
Get PDFThis study investigated the effects of age-related hearing decline on functional networks using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The main objective of the present study was to examine resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and graph theory-based network efficiency metrics in forty-nine adults categorized by age and hearing thresholds to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related hearing decline. RsFC within key brain networks and auditory-related brain regions, including the default mode network, salience network, dorsal attention network, and primary auditory cortices, was assessed using region-of-interest (ROI)-based and graph theory approaches. Functional metrics, such as rsFC strength and global and local efficiency, were compared across age groups and hearing profile groups. Middle-aged adults demonstrated significantly stronger rsFC between the left primary auditory cortex and the left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex within the salience network than older adults. Participants without age-related hearing decline exhibited enhanced intra-network connectivity within the salience network, highlighting the impact of hearing sensitivity on network functionality. Graph theory metrics indicated greater local efficiency in nodes within the salience network among individuals without age-related hearing decline, suggesting preserved cognitive control and attentional processing. Age and hearing thresholds significantly affected the functional connectivity and network efficiency of the brain. These results emphasize the importance of neuroimaging techniques like rs-fMRI. Rs-fMRI may be helpful for the early detection and management of age-related hearing decline.
Advisors: Yingying Wang and Judith Harve
Examining a UNL College Success Program Through the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Model
Get PDFHigher education institutions have faced difficulties in providing environments designed to promote positive success outcomes among diverse student populations, especially first-generation students. While literature has focused on college success programs’ practices as a solution, there is a noticeable gap in what these programs do that integrate first-generation students’ cultures. This ethnographic-inspired study sought to identify what cultural practices within a college success program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Trenchard Foundation Institute of Excellence (TFIOE), contributed to creating culturally engaging campus environments for first-generation college students. Using Museus’s (2014) culturally engaging campus environments model (CECE) as a framework, I conducted observations and reviewed program documents to analyze aspects of the TFIOE program. Findings revealed several common practices found within the TFIOE program, each one drawing connections to the culturally relevant and responsive indicators found within the CECE model to promote positive success outcomes. Understanding the findings led to a better understanding of what institutions and professionals can do to integrate and validate students’ diverse cultures and experiences. Recommendations for practice and research were discussed.
Advisor: Stephanie L. Bond
Enhancing Remote Sensing Imagery Temporal Resolution Using STARFM Data Fusion Approach for Improved Land Surface Monitoring
Get PDFHigh-resolution remote sensing imagery plays a critical role in various domains, such as farm-level agricultural operations, environmental monitoring, and natural resource management. However, data with high spatial resolution typically have low temporal resolution, and those with high temporal resolution often lack spatial detail. For example, Landsat 8 and 9 satellites deliver high spatial resolution images with a 30-meter pixel size but suffer from low temporal resolution, with a 16-day revisit cycle. In contrast, satellites like MODIS and VIIRS provide daily images but with a much coarser spatial resolution (375 meters or more), reducing spatial details. Additionally, there is a lack of an intuitive open-source tool, which has been noted by researchers and farmers who require high-resolution images in their work. To address these issues, we have developed an open-source tool that leverages the STARFM algorithm and extends its capabilities to integrate high spatial resolution imagery of Landsat 8 and 9 with high temporal resolution imagery of VIIRS to generate Landsat-like images at a 30-meter resolution for any specified date. While the STARFM algorithm is publicly available, it lacks support for essential pre- and post-processing steps. Our tool addresses this gap by automating these processes and providing a userfriendly interface. Users can specify parameters such as dates, individual Landsat path/row combinations, or entire regions. The system automatically downloads and prepares the required input data and processes the output, delivering high-quality results with minimal user effort. We have evaluated our approach on agricultural fields and validated its performance in regions of Nebraska and Kansas, which have dense agricultural activity. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach over existing methods in generating high-resolution imagery, making it a valuable resource for various users.
Advisor: Hongfeng Y
Do Voters Shake off Policy Stances? A Look into the Impact of Celebrities on Policy Recall
Get PDFCelebrities try to influence politics by leveraging their ability to command attention. But does a celebrity’s endorsement of a policy impact citizens’ ability to recall the policy? This paper examines if people’s information processing, specifically policy recall, is impacted by a celebrity’s endorsements. Data was collected at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the fall 2024 semester using a student sample. Participants were randomly assigned into three experimental groups. I hypothesize that the more recognizable a celebrity is the more likely people are to be able to recall the policy they posted. By using Taylor Swift as the well-known celebrity and Tate McRae as the lesser-known celebrity, people’s recall is tested on five different policy positions: immigration, gun control, abortion rights, college tuition, and renewable energy. As more celebrities make public political statements, this research is crucial to understanding just how much influence celebrities have on how individuals process and recall policy information.
Advisor: Dona-Gene Barto
Leveraging Historical Data for Estimating Genetic Gain and Implementing Genomic Selection in a Student Led Barley Breeding Program
Get PDFIn Nebraska, winter feed barley presents an emerging market for producers and an opportunity to diversify cropping systems. The University of Nebraska Barley Breeding Program aims to develop high-yielding, winter-hardy varieties. A unique aspect of this program is that doctoral students serve as barley breeders and are responsible for crossing, data collection, and advancement decisions. While this provides hands-on experience for the students, the impact of student leadership has not been examined.
This study used a historical data set to evaluate the realized genetic gain of the breeding program, and as a training population for genomic selection. The dataset consisted of 302 genotypes from the advanced yield trial evaluated from 2002 to 2022 in three Nebraska locations. The rate of realized genetic gain for yield was estimated by regressing estimated genotypic means on the year they entered the trial. Additionally, SNP data for 189 genotypes was generated with the USDA-SoyWheOatBar-3K array, and daily weather covariates were collected. The 2024 observation nursery was genotyped and used as a testing set for genomic selection. Genomic selection models included four variations of GBLUP (G+E, G+E+GxE, G+W, G+W+GxW), four Bayesian models (Bayes A, Bayes B, Bayes C, Bayes LASSO), and two machine learning approaches (random forest, support vector machine). The models were applied for both winter survival and grain yield.
The realized genetic gain for yield was 62.4 kilograms per hectare per year. For grain yield, the GBLUP and Bayesian genomic selection models performed well, and the subset of the training population used was more important than which model was selected. The highest predictive accuracy was achieved using the Bayes A model trained on Lincoln data only (r = 0.420). For prediction of winter survival, the highest prediction accuracy was for the RF model using Lincoln only training data (r = 0.263). While improvements can be made for winter survival, implementing genomic selection for yield can aid future student barley breeders and provide continuity between transitions.
Advisor: Reka Howar
Modules of Finite Projective Dimension and Singularities
No full textIn the first part of this thesis, we study liftings of modules of finite projective dimension. We introduce a notion of “Serre liftable” modules and deduce applications to multiplicity conjectures in local algebra. In the second part, we introduce and study a module of mixed K\ ahler differentials for finite algebras over ramified discrete valuation rings of mixed characteristic. We state and prove a Jacobian criterion for computing the singular loci of such algebras.Advisors: Jack Jeffries and Mark Walke