7424 research outputs found
Sort by
Mint Urban Complex
Get PDFMilo struggles to find balance between his financial necessities and artistic aspirations in a modern urban environment. He discovers a rosebush with strange properties that may hold the answer to his monetary woes. However, after interacting with a collection of new acquaintances, Milo begins to question his lackadaisical attitude, his reliance on his roommate’s generosity, and his own get-rich-quick mentality. In this exploration of urban life and the challenges presented therein, Milo must motivate himself to live well or suffer an irredeemable loss of self
Past and Present Patterns of Neutral and Adaptive Genetic Diversity in Wild Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx)
Get PDFAlthough primates have fascinated researchers and the public alike for generations, one species that has remained enigmatic is the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), a large Cercopithecine monkey endemic to Central Africa. Mandrills are currently in decline due to bushmeat hunting, urbanization, and habitat loss. Neutral and adaptive genetic diversity are important tools for understanding evolutionary history and future viability, since diversity influences a species’ ability to adapt to a changing environment. However, thus far, minimal genetic information has been available for wild mandrills. Because of the dense vegetation in their tropical forest habitat, studying wild mandrills has proven to be a challenge, and the majority of research on this species has been performed on semi-captive populations. Here, I present findings from three studies using the first genetic data to be generated from a wild mandrill population, primarily using non-invasive sampling of feces. First, we use demographic history modeling to test for evidence of population bottlenecks in mandrills and three other forest-associated species (blue duiker [Philantomba monticola], Peters’s duiker [Cephalophus callipygus], and western lowland gorillas [Gorilla gorilla gorilla]). Despite a severe loss of forest cover in central Africa approximately 2,500 years ago, our results suggest that none of the four species experienced major population declines. Second, we perform next-generation sequencing of the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a gene family involved in adaptive immunity. We test for a difference in replicability between sequences generated from DNA extracted from feces and that extracted from higher quality tissue. We also present a new method of assigning MHC alleles to individuals using degraded samples, and we use that method to characterize the MHC genes in the focal population. Lastly, we test for sex-specific selection on the MHC in male and female mandrills. Male mandrills are thought to be more vulnerable to pathogens than females, which may result in stronger selective pressure on the MHC genes in males. Results from these three studies will contribute to our understanding of mandrill evolutionary history and conservation by providing insight on the role of demographic processes and selective pressures in shaping their past and present populations
Down and Out with Satan\u27s Doorbell
Get PDFThis document details the creation of the author’s thesis film, “Down and Out with Satan’s Doorbell”. The author discusses the film’s conception, development, preproduction, and production in detail. He also reflects upon the learning outcomes of making this film, his experience as a graduate student at UNO, and how the program impacted his journey as a filmmaker. This document contains the script, production documents, and promotional materials for the film “Down and Out with Satan’s Doorbell”
Despondent
Get PDFThis paper will discuss creating my thesis film, Despondent, taking it from a concept on paper to the screen. The reflection will focus on the pre-production, production, and post-production phases. This paper will also address the lessons I have learned and my growth as a filmmaker through working on this project and being part of the film production program at UNO
Comparison of Facial Emotion Recognition Models Using Deep Learning
Get PDFFacial emotion recognition is a widely studied area with applications in diverse domains such as human-computer interaction, affective computing, and social robotics. This thesis aims to improve the accuracy of facial emotion recognition models by incorporating a second neural network trained on original probabilities and probability transformation, while also comparing the performance of different techniques. The thesis begins with a thorough review of available datasets and technologies used for data collection, highlighting the challenges associated with these datasets. A detailed analysis of various facial emotion detection models, including the baseline model and its different architectures, is presented. The thesis also explores the pre-processing of datasets for binary classifiers and investigates the effects of developing an ensemble of binary classifiers.The main contribution of the thesis is the incorporation of a second neural network trained on the probabilities of binary models, along with probability transformation, to enhance the accuracy of facial emotion recognition models. Experimental results on the FER2013 dataset are presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach, achieving a best accuracy of 69.4%. Additionally, the thesis compares the performance of different techniques to provide insights into their relative effectiveness in improving facial emotion recognition accuracy.The thesis concludes with a summary of the results, drawing conclusions from the analysis, and discussing future directions for further research in facial emotion recognition. The findings of this research contribute to the advancement of facial emotion recognition techniques and provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field
Ghost Girls and Other Remnants
Get PDFGhost Girls and Other Remnants is a collection of short stories depicting what remains after people and places undergo massive transformations. Here you will find aching teeth, shapeshifting women, a shining of ghosts, resentful immortals, disappearing acts, and every little thing that abides and lingers
