Digital Commons Network^™

Retrieval Of Aerosol Microphysical Properties From Aeronet Photopolarimetric Measurements: 1. Information Content Analysis, Xiaoguang Xu, Jun Wang

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper is the first part of a two-part study that aims to retrieve aerosol particle size distribution (PSD) and refractive index from the multispectral and multiangular polarimetric measurements taken by the new-generation Sun photometer as part of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). It provides theoretical analysis and guidance to the companion study in which we have developed an inversion algorithm for retrieving 22 aerosol microphysical parameters associated with a bimodal PSD function from real AERONET measurements. Our theoretical analysis starts with generating the synthetic measurements at four spectral bands (440, 675, 870, and 1020 nm) with a Unified Linearized …

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Sauger (Sander Canadensis), Kirk D. Steffensen, Sam Stukel, Dane A. Shuman

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Early fisheries investigation of the Missouri River fish community indicated that Sauger were common throughout Nebraska, including all major Missouri River tributaries. However due to many factors, their current range is restricted to the Missouri River and the lower reaches of a few tributaries. Hesse (1994) recommended listing Sauger as a state endangered species but this recommendation was never implemented. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to reevaluate the current population status of Sauger in the Missouri River along Nebraska’s border. Over 2,100 Sauger have been captured from the Missouri River along Nebraska’s eastern border since 2003. Sauger were …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 36, Nos. 3-4, Fall-Winter 2014, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Winter Activity Of Bats In Southeastern Nebraska: An Acoustic Study, Jeremy A. White, Brett R. Andersen, Hans W. Otto, Cliff A. Lemen, Patricia W. Freeman

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Many North American bats are active outside hibernacula in winter, but no information on winter activity has been reported for Nebraska. We recorded activity of bats during two winters (December-February 2012-2013 and 2013-2014) at one location in southeastern Nebraska with an acoustic detector. Bats were active throughout both winters and temperature at sunset was a good predictor of bat activity. Red bats (Lasiurus borealis) were active at our site in early December but were not recorded later in winter. We suspect these individuals were late migrants to more southern wintering sites. Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) …

Molecular Targets Of Antihypertensive Peptides: Understanding The Mechanisms Of Action Based On The Pathophysiology Of Hypertension, Kaustav Majumder, Jianping Wu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

There is growing interest in using functional foods or nutraceuticals for the prevention and treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure. Although numerous preventive and therapeutic pharmacological interventions are available on the market, unfortunately, many patients still suffer from poorly controlled hypertension. Furthermore, most pharmacological drugs, such as inhibitors of angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE), are often associated with significant adverse effects. Many bioactive food compounds have been characterized over the past decades that may contribute to the management of hypertension; for example, bioactive peptides derived from various food proteins with antihypertensive properties have gained a great deal of attention. Some …

Mapping Of Oceanography Research Productivity In India: A Scientometric Analysis, Ranganathan Chandrakasan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examines Oceanography Research in India as revealed by the scholarly publication indexed in Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstract (ASFA) data base for a period of fifteen years from 2008 to 2013. It was seen that the analyses included research growth, author productivity, authorship pattern, Geographical distribution of the literature, global publications’ share, of international collaborative papers and major collaborative partner countries and patterns of research communication in most productive journals. The study reveals that, most of the researchers preferred to publish their research results in journals; as such 61.78% of articles were published in journals, more numbers of …

Enso Teleconnection Pattern Changes Over The Southeastern United States Under A Climate Change Scenario In Cmip5 Models, Ji-Hyun Oh, D.W. Shin, Steven D. Cocke, Guillermo A. Baigorria

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A strong teleconnection exists between the sea surface temperature (SST) over the tropical Pacific and the winter precipitation in the southeastern United States (SE US).This feature is adopted to validate the fidelity of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) in this study. In addition, the authors examine whether the teleconnection pattern persists in the future under a global warming scenario. Generally, most of the eight selected models show a positive correlation between November SST over Ni˜no 3 region and December–February (DJF) mean daily precipitation anomalies over the SE US, consistent with the observation. However, the models with poor realization …

Changes In Corn Residue Quality Throughout The Grazing Period And Effect Of Supplementation Of Calves Grazing Corn Residue, Amanda J. Burken

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Corn residue is an abundant feed source in Nebraska that can be utilized as an alternative winter feed. Calves were backgrounded on corn residue in order to determine gain and estimate forage intake when supplemented with distillers grains (DGS). Calves grazing the non-irrigated field gained more (1.03 kg/calf daily) when compared to those grazing the irrigated field (0.90 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). In year 1, a quadratic effect for intake of DGS was present (P < 0.01) while year 2 observed a linear effect for increasing level of DGS (P < 0.01). The nutritional quality of corn residue was evaluated over time in order to determine changes in blade/sheath, cob, husk/shank and stem. Minimal changes in DM of the forage components occurred was grain reached 15.5% moisture. Digestibility of the blade/sheath declined linearly over time (P < 0.01) while the husk remained constant (P = 0.40). Cob digestibility decreased quadratically (P < 0.01) throughout the sampling period with few changes once grain reached 15.5% moisture. Differences observed in the digestibility of the blade/sheath were attributed to the effects of weathering. A third set of trials was conducted to evaluate the effects of by-product supplementation of calves grazing irrigated corn residue and supplemented with DGS or continuous access to lick tubs. The DGS treatment gained more (0.62 kg/calf daily) than the lick tub treatment (0.38 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). Calves offered DGS consumed more supplement as a percentage of BW (0.52%) when compared with calves offered lick tubs (0.36%; P < 0.01) on a DM basis. Calves supplemented with DGS had a higher supplement efficiency (46.3% to 42.9%, DM basis) although no differences were present between treatments (P = 0.49). When analyzed on an OM basis, however, calves offered lick tubs had a numerically higher supplement efficiency (50.4%) in comparison to calves …

Managing Threats To The Urban Forest: From Dutch Elm Disease To Emerald Ash Borer - Learning From Experience, Christopher J. Borman

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

The urban forest provides important essential services to all municipalities; however, its value is often overlooked. The urban forest contributes to energy savings, environmental benefits, psychological well-being, and social benefits. Managing the urban forest in a sustainable manner is important if we wish to benefit from these services well into the future. Reliable management techniques have been created through previous experiences with pests, and these should be utilized and improved for use on urban forests.

American elm (Ulmus americana L.) was once a major component of the urban forests of North America. In 1927, Dutch elm disease (DED) was …

Regulation Of Phialide Morphogenesis In Aspergillus Nidulans, Hu Yin

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Filamentous fungi have two distinctive life cycles, vegetative growth and development for sexual or asexual spore formation. The asexual reproduction in development as conidiation in A. nidulans is the dominant form of producing spores effectively. A complex conidiophore structure is developed during asexual reproduction process. The conidiophore is formed from hyphal cell and consists of stalk, vesicle, metulae, phialide and conidial spores. Phialides are essential sporogenous cells in the conidiophore structure. The growth pattern is switched from acropetal to basipetal between phialide and spores, which makes phialide a unique cell type in A. nidulans and other phialide producing fungi. Study …

Biofuels: Good And Bad, Megan Neve

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

No abstract provided.

Iowa Does It Better: Necessary Role Model Needed To Up Nebraska’S Poor Recycling Diversion Rates, Brian Burris

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

No abstract provided.

Tech Edge Use Of New Literacies In Elementary Classrooms Today: A Partnership To Enhance Student Learning Through Teacher Preparation And Professional Development, Qizhen Deng, Laurie A Friedrich, Guy Trainin

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

Tech EDGE has been able to capitalize on past funding to create significant impact across multiple public and private schools. Support from UNL’s resources have enabled us to operate far beyond the official end date so we can keep building on our successes and the energy the project provided for school change. We have trained hundreds of practicing and new teachers to integrate technology and while the work is not done it did a lot to boost the capacity in all the participating districts and teacher education programs. We would like to thank the Post Secondary Commission for the generous …

Coordinated Control And Estimation Of Multiagent Systems With Engineering Applications, Housheng Su, Michael Z.Q. Chen, Qing Hui, Wei Zhang, Fanglai Zhu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recently, coordinated control and estimation problems have attracted a great deal of attention in different fields especially in biology, physics, computer science, and control engineering. Coordinated control and estimation problems have prominent characteristics of distributed control, local interaction, and self-organization. Research on multiagent coordinated control and estimation problems not only helps better understand the mechanisms of natural collective phenomena but also benefits the applications of cyberphysical systems.

This special issue focuses on theoretical and technological achievements in cooperative multiagent Systems. It contains twenty-six papers, the contents of which are summarized below.

Beneficial Effects Of Simulated Gastro-Intestinal Digests Of Fried Egg And Its Fractions On Blood Pressure, Plasma Lipids And Oxidative Stress In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, Forough Jahandideh, Kaustav Majumder, Subhadeep Chakrabarti, Jude S. Morton, Sareh Panahi, Susan Kaufman, Sandra T. Davidge, Jianping Wu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background: We have previously characterized several antihypertensive peptides in simulated digests of cooked eggs and showed blood pressure lowering property of fried whole egg digest. However, the long-term effects of this hydrolysate and its fractions on blood pressure are not known. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to determine the effects of long term administration of fried whole egg hydrolysate and its fractions (i.e. egg white and egg yolk) on regulation of blood pressure and associated factors in cardiovascular disease such as plasma lipid profile and tissue oxidative stress.

Methods and Results: We used spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), an …

Composite Index As A Way Of Measuring Economic Distress In Nebraska, Cornelius S. Okumu

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

The Nebraska state department of economic development, just like any other state’s department of economic development in the United States receives funding for economic development programs. These programs are mostly geared toward revitalizing economic situations of villages, cities or counties that are under economic distress. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (NEDED) currently measure distress in Nebraska Counties, and develop composite distress indexes that might improve the measure, interpretation and use of Economic distress index to help in their allocation of Economic development resources to Nebraska counties.

Advisor: Rodrigo Cantarero

Combating Eutrophication: An Ecosystem Scale Analysis Of Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) Effectiveness Among Lakes, With Comparison To Alum And Biomanipulation Dual Treatment, Christa M. Webber

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Eutrophic conditions in lakes and reservoirs in agricultural regions often drive summer blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. Aluminum sulfate (alum) applications are commonly used to control cyanobacteria blooms and restore water quality in eutrophic lakes. However, studies of alum treatments often lack true replication, comparison to reference lakes, or comparison to other restoration techniques, such as an alum and biomanipulation combined or “dual” treatments. Without these comparisons, the variation of treatment response between replicate lakes and restoration techniques remains uncertain. Therefore, I sought to assess how water quality is affected by multiple restoration techniques among geographically proximate (1.4 km²) …

Design, Assessment, And In Vivo Evaluation Of A Computational Model Illustrating The Role Of Cav1 In Cd4+ T-Lymphocytes, Brittany D. Conroy, Tyler A. Herek, Timonthy D. Shew, Matthew Latner, Joshua J. Larson, Laura Allen, Paul H. Davis, Tomáš Helikar, Christine E. Cutucache

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is a vital scaffold protein heterogeneously expressed in both healthy and malignant tissue. We focus on the role of CAV1 when overexpressed in T-cell leukemia. Previously, we have shown that CAV1 is involved in cell-to-cell communication, cellular proliferation, and immune synapse formation; however, the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated.We hypothesize that the role of CAV1 in immune synapse formation contributes to immune regulation during leukemic progression, thereby warranting studies of the role of CAV1 in CD4⁺ T-cells in relation to antigen-presenting cells. To address this need, we developed a computational model of a CD4⁺ immune …

A Third Species Of The Endemic Floridian Milliped Genus Floridobolus Causey, 1957 (Spirobolida: Spirobolidae: Floridobolinae), Rowland Shelley, Gary J. Phillips, Ernest C. Bernard

Insecta Mundi

Characterized by small body size, apically rounded/lobed anterior gonopod telopodites, long slender posterior gonopod telopodites, and torsion in the cyphopod receptacles, Floridobolus floydi, n. sp., is described from the southern sector of the Brooksville Ridge in northwestern peninsular Florida. It inhabits sandy “Big Scrub” environments like F. penneri Causey, 1957, and F. orini Shelley, 2014, and is documented from the sector’s center and northern periphery, in Hernando and Citrus Counties, respectively, with a sight record from the eastern periphery. Its discovery supports the thesis that each sand ridge in peninsular Florida may harbor a unique species of this …

Review Of The Gymnopleurini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). Ii. The Genus Paragymnopleurus Shipp, Svatopluk Pokorny, Jiri Zídek

Insecta Mundi

The genus Paragymnopleurus Shipp, 1897 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Gymnopleurini) is characterized and its constituent taxa are keyed and illustrated. Twelve species and five subspecies are deemed valid, and five species groups are recognized. Three new synonymies include: Paragymnopleurus stipes japonicus Balthasar is synonymized with P. ambiguus Janssens, and P. maurus malayanus Ochi and Kon and P. maurus pauliani Janssens are synonymized with the nominotypical subspecies. First country and provincial records are reported for P. brahminus (Waterhouse), P. maurus (Sharp) and P. sinuatus szechouanicus Balthasar. A lectotype is here designated for Gymnopleurus singularis Waterhouse, validating an unpublished designation. A checklist of …

A Scientometric Assessment Of Indian Himalayan R&D Publications During 2004-13, Brij Mohan Gupta Dr, Ritu Gupta

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper analyses 9909 global and 4862 Indian Himalayan R&D publications, as covered in Scopus database during 2004-13. It compares the contribution, citation impact and international collaborative publications share of top 10 most productive countries, and the place of Indiaamong them. It mainly examines Indian output, with a focus its annual average growth rate (13.21%), citation impact per paper (1.86%), distribution of citations (with 62.40% publications received one or more citations), share of international collaborative papers (16.29%) and contribution of leading collaborative countries, distribution of output by broad subject areas, publication productivity and citation impact of thirty leading institutions and …

Improving The Health Impacts Of Whole Grains Through Processing: Resistant Starch, Dietary Fiber Solubility, And Mineral Bioaccessibility, Jennifer A. Arcila Castillo

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Whole grains are good sources of starch, dietary fiber, and mineral elements. Starch is an important source of energy but also can be transformed to resistant starch to impart lower caloric value and increase total dietary fiber. Dietary fibers impart physiological benefits to human body once they are fermented by the gut microbiota. Mineral elements are important co-factors of a wide range of enzymes involved for instance in glucose and lipid metabolism. In general human body is capable of absorbing only 21-28% of most mineral elements, and gut bacteria are only able to ferment 34% of the dietary fiber from …

Go Fast, Go With Mobile: Students Perception On Implementing Mobile Based Library Services At Dhaka University Library, Hasinul Elahi, Shiful Islam

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research paper aims to present an overview of the perception of the students regarding possible use and implementation of mobile phones in library services for Dhaka University Library (DUL). It also aims to locate the possible advantages and relative drawbacks regarding the use of mobile based library services for DUL. The survey method with a structured questionnaire has been employed to conduct the research. The data was collected from different faculty for the balance of the study and findings. The data was collected from both undergraduate and graduate students from Dhaka University (DU). Responses to closed-ended questions in particular …

Information Systems User Satisfaction: A Survey Of The Postgraduate School Portal, University Of Ibadan, Nigeria, Molola Bosede Ajoye Miss

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study was designed to investigate how information system IS measures (such as system quality, information quality, service quality, technological/infrastructural issues, users’ IT self-efficacy) influence user satisfaction of the university of Ibadan postgraduate school portal using a conceptual model adapted from Delone and McLean (2003). A descriptive survey was employed as the research design in the study. The literature review covered information system IS, web portal and User satisfaction. Self-structured questionnaires based on the adapted model were administered as data collection instrument. A sample size of 385 students was drawn and same copies of questionnaire were distributed proportionally to postgraduate …

The Influence Of Electronic Resources Use On Students’ Reading Culture In Nigerian Universities: A Case Study Of Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, Stephen Adekunle Ajayi, Oludare A. Shorunke, Modupe A. Aboyade Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The declining interest in reading among students in higher institution is a challenge to all, as it affects the educational standard and the quality of graduate sent into the society. Survey method was used to carry out this research and the target population was students of Adeleke University Ede which totalled 705. A random sampling method was adopted for the research work. A total number of 220 were sampled from the total population. A well structured questionnaire was the instrument used to gather data for the study. A total of 220 questionnaires was administered on the respondents, 212 copies were …

Social Media’S Magnetism Towards Researchers: Implications For Libraries, Rubina Bhatti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study explored the spell of social media among M.Phil and PhD scholars of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur and Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. Researchers’ usage purposes of five social media were asked. Responses were analyzed quantitatively. Maximum (58%) respondents were highly familiar with social media. Facebook was at the top. Researchers strongly agreed that they use Facebook for interaction with friends, Twitter for enhancing social presence, Google + for identifying the popular topics, Linked In for getting job opportunities, and Blogger for getting fame. Libraries may step forward to attract researchers by providing services through social media. Libraries may …

The Impact Of Ict In Library Automation In The Selected Libraries Of Dehradun: A Case Study, Ajay Kumar Sharma Mr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The advancement of science and technology has made a tremendous improvement in the lifestyle of the society today. It has affected almost all walks of life. Especially, the magnetic words, Information Technology has been chanted in all corners of the global arena and incorporates in organizational, managerial, developmental and marketing sectors. The services rendered with the help of Information Communication Technology (ICT) are faster and more effective. Libraries are not exempted from the impact of the Information Communication Technology. The implementations of ICT in the library and Information Centers have made a tremendous improvement in the management of these centers. …

The Effects Of Electricity Power Outage On The Provision Of Electronic Newspaper Services Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria, Toyin Dina

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Electrical power supply is a panacea for provision of e-library services such as the e- newspaper services in university libraries. The power failure affects the efficacy and effectiveness of e-newspaper services in today’s university libraries. The study examined effects of electricity outage on e-newspaper services in university libraries in Nigeria with Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State as a case study. The study employed the use of questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. 40 staff members of Samuel Adegboyega University staff were sampled. The findings indicate that the country is yet to provide desired level of electricity supply to …

A Review On Literatures Of Zakat Between 2003-2013, Fuadah Johari, Muhammad Ridhwan Ab. Aziz, Ahmad Fahme Mohd Ali

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The objective of this article is to analysis the related literatures on zakat between 2003 until 2013. The methodology of this article is through descriptive research based on document-analysis on previous articles and literatures on zakat between 2003 until 2013. Data from each articles related in this field were collected and statistically analyzed using the Statistical Product & Service Solution (SPSS) software. This study looked at several variables which include authorship patterns, number of articles published, research approach, subject and gender of the author. The general finding of this article shows that the zakat issues are among the most discussed …

E-Book Reading And Its Impact On Academic Status Of Students At Payame Noor University, Iran, Ali Biranvand, Ali Akbar Khasseh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of taking advantage of electronic books on the academic progress of students at Payame Noor University, Iran. This research is of descriptive and survey methodology. The statistical population includes the students of public administration in Shiraz Payame Noor University, who are studying in the academic year 2013-2014. 142 students have been chosen by simple random sampling.

Results indicated that use of electronic resources causes a meaningful difference to be created in several contexts such as academic progress, variety of learning resources, flexibility while learning, and learning effectiveness between the students …