Digital Commons Network^™

African Swine Fever At The Wildlife-Livestock Interface: Challenges For Management And Outbreak Response Within Invasive Wild Pigs In The United States, Vienna R. Brown, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, Keith M. Carlisle, Merril A, Cook, Cole F. Vanicek, Lindsey K. Holmstrom, Lisa T. Rochette, Timothy J. Smyser

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

African swine fever (ASF) causes significant morbidity and mortality in both domestic and wild suids (Sus scrofa), and disease outbreaks convey profound economic costs to impacted industries due to death loss, the cost of culling exposed/infected animals as the primary disease control measure, and trade restrictions. The co-occurrence of domestic and wild suids significantly complicates ASF management given the potential for wild populations to serve as persistent sources for spillover. We describe the unique threat of African swine fever virus (ASFV) introduction to the United States from epidemiological and ecological perspectives with a specific focus on disease management at the …

The Role And Implications Of Negotiation In Fed Cattle Transactions, Taralee Hudson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Within the past three decades, a significant evolution has occurred in how fed cattle are bought and sold. Driven by changes in the quality of beef and consumer health preferences, the beef industry began to advocate for “value-based marketing,” resulting in the development of grid pricing and eventually formula transactions. Alternative marketing arrangements (AMAs) have become the predominant method used for the sale of fed cattle, ultimately resulting in fewer transactions in the negotiated cash market. Such market conditions have recently reignited concerns among industry stakeholders about potentially uncompetitive outcomes for beef producers, particularly after the occurrence of sequential Black …

Closing The Gap Between College Students: An Intergroup Dialogue Program To Reach Understanding And Reduction Of Disparities, Lilly Zhou

Honors Theses

The goals of the intergroup dialogue program are exploration and collective action. The goal of exploration is to spread awareness by presenting the situation. Several students are not aware that disparities between students exist, so this dialogue provided awareness of the issue. With increased understanding of each other, collective action can be taken. Actions by a small number of students are still steps taken to reduce the gap between the financially supported and not financially supported students. Action can look like spreading awareness of the issue, advocating for policy changes, and more.

The structure of the intergroup dialogue program required …

The Paradox Of Child Poverty And Welfare, Tirna Purkait

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The United States confronts persistent child welfare issues rooted in poverty. The age-old debate vacillates between advocating personal responsibility and bolstering social safety nets. Current welfare programs, aiming to mitigate child poverty, often fall short given the deep nexus of poverty and child maltreatment. This paper probes the intricate ties between child poverty and welfare, emphasizing state legislative variances, inherent system paradoxes, and potential policy enhancements. Exploring historical contexts, existing societal frameworks, and future reforms, this research emphasizes the urgency for all-encompassing solutions. These should tackle poverty’s core while fortifying child welfare, safeguarding the well-being of forthcoming American generations.

Users’ Perception Of Plagiarism: A Study Of Researchers At Mahe, Meghna Borpuzari, Rekha Pai

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Plagiarism is morally and legally wrong, but its occurrence in the academic scene is widespread and sometimes unbridled. Authors have a right to have their works legally protected and at the same time expect that their peers would respect that enough to not steal their hard work. This study aims to analyse the knowledge that research scholars have about academic ethics and academic misconduct. There is an attempt to understand their perception of plagiarism, as a terminology, including understanding why research students plagiarize. There is also an attempt to understand the awareness of anti-plagiarism tools, citation and reference methods and …

Getting Ahead Of Flash Drought: From Early Warning To Early Action, Jason A. Otkin, Molly Woloszyn, Hailan Wang, Mark D. Svoboda, Marina Skumanich, Roger Pulwarty, Joel Lisonbee, Andrew Hoell, Mike Hobbins, Tonya Haigh, Amanda E. Cravens

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Flash droughts, characterized by their unusually rapid intensification, have garnered increasing attention within the weather, climate, agriculture, and ecological communities in recent years due to their large environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Because flash droughts intensify quickly, they require different early warning capabilities and management approaches than are typically used for slower-developing “conventional” droughts. In this essay, we describe an integrated research-and-applications agenda that emphasizes the need to reconceptualize our understanding of flash drought within existing drought early warning systems by focusing on opportunities to improve monitoring and prediction. We illustrate the need for engagement among physical scientists, social scientists, operational …

Essays On Socioeconomic Shocks And Policies In Agriculture, Wilman Iglesias

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The three chapters of this doctoral dissertation estimate the responses of agricultural productivity, production value of agriculture, and crop supply to some external shocks and policies. Using unique panel datasets for Colombia and the United States, this research provides new insights regarding the responsiveness of agriculture to some socioeconomic effects and related market policies. Chapter 1 studies the impact of armed conflicts in rural areas on legal agricultural productivity in Colombia by using a production function that includes violence shocks such as the forced intra-national displacement of the rural population from 1995 to 2017. Chapter 2 investigates the effect of …

Does The Affirmative Consent Standard Increase The Accuracy Of Sexual Assault Perceptions? It Depends On How You Learn About The Standard, Abigail R. Riemer, Kathryn Holland, Evan Mccracken, Amanda Dale, Sarah Gervais

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Colleges and universities are increasingly adopting affirmative consent standards of sexual assault, in which consent is defined as conscious and voluntary “yeses” given throughout a sexual interaction. We examined the impact of affirmative consent standards on perceptions of assault and consent.

Hypotheses: We hypothesized that in sexual assault scenarios involving physical force or verbal coercion, exposure to the consent standard would increase perceptions of assault and decrease perceptions of consent relative to not being exposed to the standard. We then explored whether dehumanization of the perpetrator or the victim mediates the association between assault type and sexual assault perceptions …

Addressing The Harms Of Pornography, Gillian Allison

Honors Theses

Within this paper I look at the existing philosophical work on pornography, from scholars like Catherine MacKinnon, Ronald Dworkin, and Rae Langton to show the current state of the pornography debate that I intend to enter by presenting my own argument about the morality of pornography. I argue that while pornography is harmful, these harms are best resolved through increased sexual education and the popularization and production of more inclusive pornography. The harms pornography causes are so great because pornography is where a lot of people learn about sex. Pornography was never designed to depict an average sexual experience. If …

Promoting A Policy For Social Media Use In Nigeria, Adetola Akanbiemu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper discusses the development and promotion of social media policy in academic libraries in Nigeria. Academic libraries are charged with the responsibility of supporting their parent organisation in achieving the institutional objectives which involve providing support for research and educational activities. Having such crucial roles to carry out, the use of social media has become a helpful tool in the delivery of services to users. Social Media has provided new opportunities for libraries and librarians in the world. In academic libraries, they are used as a powerful tool for communication by providing an excellent platform for an active and …

Research And Education For Optimizing The Development And Implementation Of An Unmanned Aircraft Program At The Nebraska Department Of Transportation, Wayne Woldt, Jon Starr, Christopher M. U. Neale

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This report describes the development and implementation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Program at the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). The project involved the selection and purchase of appropriate UAS and imaging systems for NDOT, education and training for NDOT personnel with classroom and hands-on operation of UAS with the goal of obtaining proficiency and pilot licenses. In addition, the development of policy for the use of UAS within NDOT was accomplished as well as standard operating procedures (SOP) documentation and the development of example case studies of interest to NDOT using the purchased systems and technology.

Research And Education For Optimizing The Development And Implementation Of An Unmanned Aircraft Program At The Nebraska Department Of Transportation, Wayne Woldt, Jon Starr, C.M.U. Neale

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This report describes the development and implementation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Program at the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). The project involved the selection and purchase of appropriate UAS and imaging systems for NDOT, education and training for NDOT personnel with classroom and hands-on operation of UAS with the goal of obtaining proficiency and pilot licenses. In addition, the development of policy for the use of UAS within NDOT was accomplished as well as standard operating procedures (SOP) documentation and the development of example case studies of interest to NDOT using the purchased systems and technology.

Informing Drought Mitigation Policy By Estimating The Value Of Water For Crop Production, Renata Rimsaite, Justin Gibson, Nicholas Brozovic

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Farmers use irrigation to mitigate drought risk and reduce yield uncertainty. A clear understanding of the monetary value of irrigation water and how it varies across time and space can help to inform farmers and policymakers about the potential impacts of water shortages and reduce uncertainty in decision making. Here, we introduce a framework for understanding the economic value of water used to produce corn in the central High Plains region during the period 2010–2017. Our analysis uses publicly available data for corn price and for irrigated and non-irrigated yields and incorporates irrigation requirement adjustments to account for the hydrologic …

Disciplinary Measures And Job Performance Of Library Staff In Academic Libraries In Imo State., Adaora Udo-Anyanwu, Linda Ijeoma Uwandu, Doris Chinyere Obiano

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

The paper examined disciplinary measures and job performance of library staff in academic libraries in Imo State. It was guided by five objectives of the study. The survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study is thirty (34) Heads of Departments in the five academic libraries studied. The instrument for data collection was an online questionnaire rated using the four-point scale. Out of the 34 copies of instrument sent, 28 were returned showing 82% return rate. Data generated from the study were analyzed using mean (x) scores. Findings of the study revealed that; indiscipline …

What Makes Green Parties Successful: A Comparative Analysis Of Germany, Austria, And France, Macy Miller

Honors Theses

Starting in the 1980s, green parties began to make their debut. Their establishment was considered to be largely in response to environmental and anti-nuclear movements. Although their history has been quite brief, these parties have been making waves throughout the world. Throughout this research, a pattern arises between economic stability and quality of life, mainstream party competition, policy positions, and green voters themselves when examining the success of the green parties. In particular, they have demonstrated great success in the European Union. In an attempt to explain this success, this research explores three specific green parties: the German, the Austrian, …

Freedom Of Information Bill, A Policy For National Development: The Library’S Perspective, Patience Ebisemen Lulu-Pokubo Mrs, Andrea Akporoghene Afuedeli Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

The paper examines freedom of information bill, a policy for national development: the library’s perspective. The provision of timely and accurate information from an authentic source(s) is a booster to national development. Freedom of Information is the right to access information held by government and public institutions. Libraries are positioned to provide and promote access to information which will translate to development of the society. Freedom of information is a necessity in order to salvage the nation Nigeria. This paper therefore, is an opinion paper which gives us an overview of the FOI bill …

State Policy Outcomes On Refugee Integration And Success, Emily Johnson

Honors Theses

Though U.S. refugee resettlement is primarily managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the process of ensuring refugee success upon arrival often relies on state-level policy. In this research, I analyze the relationship between state resettlement policies, including welfare distribution, ESL education, and publicly-funded resettlement programs, and refugee social and economic outcomes, including employment, home ownership, and English proficiency. My findings indicate that there is a slight positive relationship between state resettlement service accessibility and refugee employment, home ownership, and English proficiency. However, analysis results regarding state welfare policy and ESL education produced null results. Ultimately, I …

Beyond Inventories: Emergence Of A New Era In Rangeland Monitoring, Matthew O. Jones, David E. Naugle, Dirac Twidwell, Daniel R. Uden, Jeremy D. Maestas, Brady W. Allred

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In the absence of technology-driven monitoring platforms, US rangeland policies, management practices, and outcome assessments have been primarily informed by the extrapolation of local information from national-scale rangeland inventories. A persistent monitoring gap between plot-level inventories and the scale at which rangeland assessments are conducted has required decision makers to fill data gaps with statistical extrapolations or assumptions of homogeneity and equilibrium. This gap is now being bridged with spatially comprehensive, annual, rangeland monitoring data across all western US rangelands to as- sess vegetation conditions at a resolution appropriate to inform cross-scale assessments and decisions. In this paper, 20-yr trends …

Comparison Of Urban And Rural Physical Activity And Outdoor Play Environments Of Childcare Centers And Family Childcare Homes, Danae Dinkel, Dipti Dev, Yage Guo, Ami Sedani, Emily Hulse, Zainab Rida, Kayla Abel

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity environment in childcare programs across type (childcare centers [CCCs] and family childcare homes [FCCHs]) and geographic location (urban and rural) as assessed by physical activity best practices according to the Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-assessment in Child Care. Results showed CCCs compared with FCCHs reported higher achievement of best practices. Further, urban childcare programs (CCCs and FCCHs) reported higher achievement of best practices in comparison to rural childcare programs. There is a need to deliver targeted interventions that promote children’s physical activity in FCCHs and CCCs in rural …

Why Does The Importance Of Education For Health Differ Across The United States?, Blakelee R. Kemp, Jennifer Karas Montez

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The positive association between educational attainment and adult health (“the gradient”) is stronger in some areas of the United States than in others. Explanations for the geographic pattern have not been rigorously investigated. Grounded in a contextual and life-course perspective, the aim of this study is to assess childhood circumstances (e.g., childhood health, compulsory schooling laws) and adult circumstances (e.g., wealth, lifestyles, economic policies) as potential explanations. Using data on U.S.-born adults aged 50 to 59 years at baseline (n = 13,095) and followed for up to 16 years across the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement …

Comparing Nebraskan And Finnish Education Policy And Its Impacts On Mathematics Teaching, Elizabeth Tyler

Honors Theses

For two decades, Finland has been in the education spotlight as they consistently receive high international exam scores while spending less money, less time teaching, and putting students through fewer hours of school. This study aims to investigate the related policy that may help explain these seemingly paradoxical findings in the education sector. More specifically, this study examines how related policy impacts math teachers in their day to day work. This research includes an extensive literature review that explores several facets of the education system in both Nebraska and Finland in order to better understand existing policies. This background is …

Review Of E-Learning Environment At The Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology, Ghana, Richard Tawiah, Richard Bruce Lamptey, Gabriel Asare Okyere, William Oduro, Michael Oko Thompson

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explores the policies for e-learning and examines the awareness of teaching practices that incorporates e-learning among educational managers, librarians, teachers, IT experts and students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. The study is based on a survey data extracted from the KNUST-based BSU Project. The results revealed that 84.1% of the educational managers and 87.1% of the teaching participants claimed the university has no policy for introducing e-learning, while 63.6% of the IT experts reported otherwise. The participants outlined a few teaching practices that involves e-learning, some of which are frequently and …

Study Of Library Policies In Universities, Fahimeh Ahmadian, M. Chandrashekara, Seyedhadi Marjaei

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

We aim the identification of library policies in universities in the United States with a focus on extraction the elements of policies and classification of policies into main components.

In this study, twenty library websites of universities in the United States have been inquired to extract main components of library policies using the classification and comparative analysis. The finding indicates that there are several elements of the policies in the university libraries. In this view, 70 elements are identified which can be categorized into 12 main components. Moreover, the comparative analysis reveals that out of twenty university libraries, over half …

Design And Methodology Of A Cluster-Randomized Trial In Early Care And Education Centers To Meet Physical Activity Guidelines: Sustainability Via Active Garden Education (Sage), Rebecca E. Lee, Elizabeth Lorenzo, Jacob Szeszulski, Anel Arriola, Meg Bruening, Paul A. Estabrooks, Jennie Hill, Flavio F. Marsiglia, Teresia O'Connor, Kim Sellers Pollins, Gabriel Q. Shaibi, Erica Soltero, Michael Todd

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Strategies are needed to help early care and education centers (ECEC) comply with policies to meet daily physical activity and fruit and vegetable guidelines for young children. This manuscript describes the design and methodology of Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE), a 12-session cluster-randomized controlled crossover design trial using community-based participatory research (CBPR) to test a garden-based ECEC physical activity and fruit and vegetables promotion intervention for young children aged 3–5 years in 20 sites. The SAGE curriculum uses the plant lifecycle as a metaphor for human development. Children learn how to plant, water, weed, harvest, and do simple food …

Awareness Of Plagiarism Acts And Policy By Postgraduate Students In University Of Ibadan, Nigeria, Olawale Oyewole, Abiola Abioye Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Plagiarism is an act that is capable of tarnishing the image of universities and postgraduate students need to avoid it. However, interactions with postgraduate students revealed that some of them did not consider some acts that constitute plagiarism as such due to ignorance. Besides, literature search showed that due attention appears not to have been paid to the issue of plagiarism policy in most universities in Nigeria. Thus, this study empirically examined the awareness of plagiarism acts and policy by postgraduate students in University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research method was used and the study population comprised 26,503 postgraduate …

Shield Or Glue? Key Policy Issues Constraining Or Enhancing Multinational Collective Ballistic Missile Defense, Marxen Kyriss

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

This dissertation explores a series of eleven political factors nations would have to consider should they contemplate joining a military coalition or alliance that uses ballistic missile defense (BMD); which of these factors incentivize or dissuade states from joining this coalition, and whether they vary from region to region, or state to state. It uses a two-stage case-study-based qualitative research design, in which the first theory generation phase was comprised of 21 experimentation events over a ten-year period with BMD policy experts from 24 nations led by the United States Strategic Command known as NIMBLE TITAN. The results of these …

Factors Influencing Farmers Adoption Of Best Management Practices: A Review And Synthesis, Tingting Liu, Randall J.F. Bruins, Matthew T. Heberling

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cyber Security And Risk Society: Estonian Discourse On Cyber Risk And Security Strategy, Lauren Kook

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

The main aim of this thesis is to call for a new analysis of cyber security which departs from the traditional security theory. I argue that the cyber domain is inherently different in nature, in that it is lacking in traditional boundaries and is reflexive in nature. Policy-makers are aware of these characteristics, and in turn this awareness changes the way that national cyber security strategy is handled and understood. These changes cannot be adequately understood through traditional understanding of security, as they often are, without missing significant details. Rather, examining these changes through the lens of Ulrich Beck’s risk …

Hidden Hunger: Solutions For America’S Aging Populations, Manfred Eggersdorfer, Ucheoma Akobundu, Regan L. Bailey, Julie Shlisky, Amy R. Beaudreault, Gilles Bergeron, Robert B. Blancato, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Megan W. Bourassa, Filomena Gomes, Gordon Jensen, Mary Ann Johnson, Douglas Mackay, Keri Marshall, Simin Nikbin Meydani, Katherine L. Tucker

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The global population, including the United States, is experiencing a demographic shift with the proportion of older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) growing faster than any other age group. This demographic group is at higher risk for developing nutrition-related chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes as well as infections such as influenza and pneumonia. As a result, an emphasis on nutrition is instrumental for disease risk reduction. Unfortunately, inadequate nutrient status or deficiency, often termed hidden hunger, disproportionately affects older adults because of systematic healthcare, environmental, and biological challenges. This report summarizes the unique nutrition challenges facing the …

Weapon-Involved Violence And Mental Illness: An Empirical Examination Of The Policy Assumptions For Firearm And Other Dangerous Weapon Prohibitions, Heath J. Hodges

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-profile incidents of weapon-involved violence have galvanized public outrage, legislative proposals, and executive orders concerning individuals with mental illness and weapon access, particularly firearms. A review of public surveys and policy polls reveals multiple assumptions about the relationship between mental illness and violence, which have informed firearm prohibitions aimed at the mentally ill. However, few of these assumptions have been empirically investigated. With community (n = 154) and forensic psychiatric samples (n = 80), this study utilized a series of questionnaires to assess policy opinions, psychopathic traits, experiences with firearms, and perpetration rates for weapon-involved violence. Mental health …