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Understanding And Assessing Climate Change: Preparing For Nebraska’S Future, 2024 Climate Change Impact Assessment Report, Deborah J. Bathke, Eric Hunt, Heather Akin, Andrea D. Basche, Jesse E. Bell, Daniel R. Dileo, Ross Dixon, Martha Durr, Tonya Haigh, Francis John Hay, Kristina W. Kintziger, Nicholas A. Mcmillan, Hank Miller, Jerome Okojokwu-Idu, Crystal Powers, Tirthankar Roy, Zhenghong Tang, W. Ryan Wishart, Aaron R. Young, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Jonathan J. Spurgeon

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Contents

Report Team

Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

Introduction

Climate Change Contexts: Global, National, and State

Observed Changes in Nebraska's Climate

Projections of Nebraska's Future Climate

Water Systems

Energy

Ecosystems

Agriculture

Human Health

Communities and the Built Environment

Indigenous Peoples

Climate Justice and Equity

The Response of Faith Communities

Nebraskans' Perceptions of Climate Change

Next Steps and Future Work

Supplemental Report: Adaptation, Risks, and Impacts

About the Authors

Faith-based Communities Survey

Evaluated Plans and Assessments

References

Investigation Of The Physicochemical Behaviour Of Acidum Citricum Homoeopathic Dilutions At Temperatures From 293.15 K To 318.15 K By Using Volumetric, Acoustic And Viscometric Methods, Anil Kumar Nain, Neha Chaudhary, Raj Kumar Manchanda, Debadatta Nayak

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background: The physicochemical properties of homoeopathic medicines have been gaining importance in elucidating the physicochemical behaviour (interactions) and, hence in establishing the presence of medicine at ultra-high dilutions. Objective: The present study is aimed to reconnoiter the existence of drug in ultra-diluted medicines and evidence regarding the physicochemical behaviour and prevailing interactions in the dilutions of Acidum citricum. Materials and Methods: The densities (ρ), ultrasonic speeds (u) and viscosities (η) of pure ethanol control (91% ethanol in water) and 33 dilutions of Acidum citricum of potencies across 1C to 200C at temperatures from …

Click-Ready Gold Nanoparticles From Aqueous Mechanochemistry: 2-Propynylamine As A Reducing Agent And Surface Ligand, Amber L. Garcia, Brian S. Mitchell, Amanda Reusch, Mark J. Fink, Juan P. Hinestroza, Yelin Ko, Julie P. Vanegas

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report a rapid aqueous method for synthesizing monodisperse gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), employing 2-propynylamine as both an intrinsic reducing agent and a surface-stabilizing ligand. This self-mediated process—achieved in a single step—yields spherical AuNPs with an average diameter of 4.0 ± 1.0 nm and a well-defined localized surface plasmon resonance band centered at 520 nm. Acting as a bifunctional molecule, 2-propynylamine simultaneously reduces HAuCl4·3H2O to elemental gold and passivates the nanoparticle surface through coordination via the amine group, while preserving a terminal alkyne (–C≡CH) functionality. This reactive moiety remains exposed and chemically accessible, enabling post-synthetic modification through Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition. Control …

Dental Microwear And Diets Of Late Miocene Primates From Rudabánya, Hungary, Peter S. Ungar, Anna K. Wilcox, David R. Begun

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study focuses on a dental microwear texture analysis of European pliopithecids and dryopithecins from the Miocene primate site of Rudabánya, Hungary. The goal is to determine whether these taxa, found in part together in the same deposits, differed in their food preferences, or at least consumed, on a daily basis, in a manner that might have facilitated sympatry. Materials and Methods: Here we report on a molar surface texture analysis of all available fossil primates from Rudabánya that preserve antemortem microwear. This includes both Anapithecus hernyaki (n = 14) and Rudapithecus hungaricus (n = 5, including one from …

Green Synthesis Of Copper And Silver Nanostructured Particles From Eremurus Plant Extract And Comparison Of Their Optical Properties And Antibacterial Activities, Doaa Ayad Kamil, Ali F. Al-Rawaf, Mohammed Yarub Hani, H.H. Obeed, Tabarek Falah Deindee, Mohammed Ridha Shaeed

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In the present investigation, silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanostructured particles were synthesized from Eremurus plant by means of an environmentally benign methodology in which plant extracts served as both reducing and stabilizing agents. The resultant nanostructured particles were subjected to characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). XRD analysis confirmed development of Ag nanostructured particles with face-centered cubic (fcc) structure and also Cu nanostructured particles with cubic form. Moreover, the average crystallite dimensions obtained for Ag and Cu were 18.3 nm and 65.7 nm, …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Epoxy Resin Co-Doped With 2,5-Diphenyloxazole And Cerium Fluoride Nanoparticles For Radiation Detection, Akapong Phunpueok, Jaruwan Seangrit, Sarawut Jaiyen, Krittiya Sreebunpeng, Wuttichai Chaiphaksa, Kewalee Nilgumhang, Voranuch Thongpool

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a plastic scintillator prepared from epoxy resin doped with 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and cerium fluoride nanoparticles (CeF₃ NPs) for radiation detection. The CeF₃ NPs were prepared by a chemical process and examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM); it was found that the prepared particles were true CeF₃ NPs with an average particle size of approximately 17 nm. The CeF₃ NPs were co-doped with PPO into epoxy resin and formed into a plastic scintillator of 3 cm in diameter and 2 cm in length. Analysis of …

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling And Investigation Plan (Fsp): Bres No. 100 – Capri Motel – Arctic Dump, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Sustainable Circular Fashion Supply Chain As A Model For Achieving Economic Growth In The Global Market, Andrew P. Burnstine, Raouf Ghattas

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

The fashion industry faces a critical sustainability crisis, contributing up to 10% of global carbon emissions and generating 92 million tons of textile waste annually. The study highlights the complex interplay of material flows, business models, power structures, and cultural mindsets, presenting a multi-scaled framework for advancing cleaner production and circularity in one of the world’s most resource-intensive sectors. This study proposes a transformative model for circular bioeconomy in fashion, integrating systems-change theory, degrowth economics, and emotional durability. Through case studies, including Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and EU policy frameworks, the paper demonstrates how circular strategies can reduce waste, extend product …

Hybrid Path Planner For Centralized Multi-Robotic Long-Vehicle Based On Adaptive Dimensionality And Grey Wolf Algorithm, Noor Kadhim Ayoob, Ali Hadi Hasan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The present robot planning methods pay no attention to the impact of the robot's size and the space it occupies in the environment on path planning. This paper presents a centralized hybrid method to plan optimal paths for multiple robotic long vehicles (RLVs) competing with each other to reach one common goal, taking into account the space that must be available to the RLV at each step to avoid narrow spaces that are too small to pass through. The environment analysis for each RLV is improved by assigning constant weight to the obstacles and calculating two new parameters: safety (SF) …

Applied Linear Regression Techniques To Biomedical Research And Detecting Change-Points To Enhance Model Flexibility By Improving Interpretability And Applicability, Hoang Vu

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines change-point detection in statistical models through the framework of two-way truncated linear regression with threshold effects. Our work is based on Two-Way Truncated Linear Regression Models with Extremely Thresholding Penalization (TWT-LR with ETP) by Teng and Zhang (2022) which is an innovative approach extends traditional linear regression by incorporating potential change-points in both intercept and slope parameters, effectively handling multiple change-points through a specialized penalization technique that shrinks small coefficients to zero. This methodology demonstrates remarkable effectiveness in identifying significant change-points while maintaining computational efficiency. We propose a framework that models both upper and lower thresholds in …

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Diversity And Water Quality As Indicators Of Wetland Health In Natural And Constructed Wetlands Of Northeast Arkansas, Helena Grace Wheeler

Student Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to different abiotic factors drives a shift in macroinvertebrate communities. In wetland systems, soil is the primary driver of the aquatic system. Analyzing community dynamics in association with soil composition, water physiochemical properties, wetland size and age is valuable in determining wetland health. Little research has been done to examine the direct relationship between wetland soil parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrate diversity, community composition, and soil and water composition data were analyzed from natural wetlands, Agricultural Conservation Easement - Wetland Reserve Easement Program (ACEP-WRE) wetlands, and agricultural wetlands within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Sample collection occurred from February to …

Retracted: Idea Density And Grammatical Complexity As Neurocognitive Markers, Diego Iacono, Gloria Feltis

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Language, a uniquely human cognitive faculty, is fundamentally characterized by its capacity for complex thoughts and structured expressions. This review examines two critical measures of linguistic performance: idea density (ID) and grammatical complexity (GC). ID quantifies the richness of information conveyed per unit of language, reflecting semantic efficiency and conceptual processing. GC, conversely, measures the structural sophistication of syntax, indicative of hierarchical organization and rule-based operations. We explore the neurobiological underpinnings of these measures, identifying key brain regions and white matter pathways involved in their generation and comprehension. This includes linking ID to a distributed network of semantic hubs, like …

Assessing Inclusion Within Naaee Affiliate Ee Associations And Where To Go From Here, Connor Chilton

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental Education (EE) has a history that has been typically defined by traditionally dominant identities (White, male, able-bodied, etc.). The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) offers a unique position as frontrunners for the field of EE and have the duty to provide an inclusive-minded education for and about the environments throughout the world. Through NAAEE’s affiliate network within the United States, this paper details a glimpse into the work towards inclusion by surveying its leadership position holders about the broad subject and several interconnections of inclusion. Upon completion of the survey, participants who opted to participate in a …

Investigating Potential Alzheimer's Disease Therapies Through An Agent-Based Model Of Impaired Microglia Metabolismmodeling Impaired Microglia Metabolism, Cheyenne Ty, Abigail Penland, John Gerving, Martin Mendoza-Ceja, Megan Pratt, Kamila Larripa

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia globally and is marked by amyloid-β plaque accumulation, decreased brain pH, disrupted metabolism, and increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, are essential for maintaining brain homeostasis and are critically involved in the progression of AD. While microglia can initiate protective immune responses to injury and disease, dysregulated microglial metabolism may contribute to the exacerbation of Alzheimer's pathology. To investigate potential therapeutic strategies, we developed an agent-based model simulating the effects of exercise and metabolic enhancement on dysfunctional microglia. Our findings suggest that …

A Case Study Of Long-Term Disease Burden In A Rural Community Near An Open Burn Facility, Arundhati Bakshi, Liana Baconguis, Md Abdullah Al-Mamun, Qingzhao Yu, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, Stephania A. Cormier

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Open burning and open detonation (OB/OD) of explosive and hazardous wastes creates various toxic waste products, including particulate matter, that is released into the atmosphere and capable of generating significant health impacts upon exposure. The last commercially run OB/OD thermal treatment facility in operation in the United States is located near the rural community of Colfax in central Louisiana. To evaluate the community’s concerns about the potential health impacts from air pollution due to the facility’s regular open burning of explosive and hazardous wastes, we examined the disease burden in Colfax compared to the surrounding parish and state. In a …

Solving The Vehicle Routing Problem Based On Deep Reinforcement Learning, Ming Jiang, Tao He

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) is a well-known combinatorial optimization challenge recognized as NP-hard due to its significant complexity. Building upon existing research, this paper introduces a novel end-to-end deep reinforcement learning approach based on a multi-pointer Transformer to tackle the CVRP. The proposed algorithm employs an invertible residual network in the encoder to encode input features, effectively reducing memory consumption. In the decoder, a multipointer network determines the probability distribution of solutions. To further enhance the performance of CVRP solutions, the algorithm leverages the symmetry in combinatorial optimization by implementing multi-trajectory parallel processing during both training …

Stream Temperature Responses To Summer Urban Rain Events Along The Savannah River, Joseph E. Wermter, Vivian L. Turner, Max K. Appelbaum, James M. Shepherd, Jacob Z. Lott

Journal of South Carolina Water Resources

The hydrological urban heat island (HUHI) is a recent facet of the urban heat island (UHI), describing thermal enhancement of bodies of water in response to urbanization. Although the forefront of this work has been studied for large Metropolitan areas, this effect on developing cities is currently unknown. To locally measure and quantify HUHI effects in a developing city, we utilized Multi-Radar Multi Sensor (MRMS) radar-derived rainfall data to estimate rainfall in the Augusta Metropolitan Area (AMA) and the Savannah Metropolitan Area (SMA), two developing communities adjacent to the Savannah River. We analyzed mean temperature trends of two stream gauges …

Effect Of Vitamin D Supplementation During Pregnancy And Lactation On The Development Of Infants Born To Tanzanian Women Living With Hiv: A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomised Controlled Trial, Temiwunmi Shobanke, Alfa Muhihi, Nandita Perumal Phd, Nzovu Ulenga, Fadhlun M. Alwy Al-Beity, Christopher P. Duggan, Wafaie W. Fawzi, Karim P. Manji, Christopher R. Sudfeld

Faculty Publications

Background Infants born to pregnant women living with HIV (WLHIV) are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality and may also have poorer developmental outcomes as compared with infants who are not exposed to HIV. Nutrition interventions in pregnancy may affect developmental outcomes.

Objectives This study evaluated the effect of maternal vitamin D supplementation on infant development outcomes.

Design We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of maternal vitamin D supplementation from June 2015 to October 2019.

Setting Antenatal care clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Participants Pregnant WLHIV and their offspring.

Interventions Daily 3000 IU …

Warming Induces Unexpectedly High Soil Respiration In A Wet Tropical Forest, Tana E. Wood, Colin Tucker, Aura M. Alonso-Rodríguez, M. Isabel Loza, Iana F. Grullón-Penkova, Molly A. Cavaleri, Christine S. O'Connell, Sasha C. Reed

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Tropical forests are a dominant regulator of the global carbon cycle, exchanging more carbon dioxide with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial biome. Climate models predict unprecedented climatic warming in tropical regions in the coming decades; however, in situ field warming studies are severely lacking in tropical forests. Here we present results from an in situ warming experiment in Puerto Rico, where soil respiration responses to ⁺4 ^oC warming were assessed half-hourly for a year. Soil respiration rates were 42-204% higher in warmed relative to ambient plots, representing some of the highest soil respiration rates reported for any …

Long-Term Behavior Of Subordinated Branching Processes With Prevailing Emigration, George Yanev

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper deals into the long-term behavior of subordinated critical branching processes with migration. We focus on scenarios where emi­gration is the dominant factor and introduce additional randomness in timing through a subordination mechanism, involving renewal processes. The key findings highlight how the initial population size and the interar­rival mean time influence both asymptotic behavior of the non-extinction probability and corresponding Yaglom type limit theorems. We also study an alternating regenerative process, when the population cycles between zero and positive states. This research complements previous studies for processes when immigration prevails over emigration.

Influence Of Variable Climate On Mechanical Properties Of Composite Materials: An Experimental Study, Alexandra Tazhibaeva, Safaa M.R.H. Hussein, Mikhail Kuznetsov, Farid Shakirzyanov, Nikita Kharin, Igor Muravyev, Timur Agliullin, Gulshat Saleeva, Victor Mitryakin, Oleg Morozov, Oskar Sachenkov

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study investigates the degradation of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composites, fabricated via non-autoclave molding, under tropical climatic conditions across three regions over three years. Forty specimens (10 control, 30 exposed) with 2x2 twill weave and 0°/90° fiber orientation were subjected to tensile and compressive testing, microscopy, and X-ray computed tomography. Control specimens established baseline properties, while exposed specimens underwent three-year weathering. Statistical and principal component analyses revealed significant mechanical degradation, with tensile strength decreasing by up to 16.1% (p

Impact Of Plasma-Activated Water On Breast Cancer Cell Viability, Maryam G. Jasim, Hammad R. Humud

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Plasma-activated water (PAW) was generated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma system operating with a 1:1 mixture of nitrogen and argon gases to evaluate its cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Water samples were divided into five groups: 0 minutes (control), 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes of plasma exposure. The resulting PAW was applied to cultured cells, and cell viability was assessed 24- and 48-hour post-treatment. Viability was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results showed an apparent time-dependent increase in cytotoxicity. At 24 hours, cell mortality rates were 1.9%, 40.7%, 48.1%, 53.6%, …

Artificial Intelligence In Head And Neck Cancer: Towards Precision Medicine, Jacob Hagen, Logan Hornung, William Barham, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Adam Bess, Kevin Contrera, Devraj Basu, Vlad Sandulache, Guillaume Spielmann, Sagar Kansara

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Over the past 20 years, the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) have gained significant interest. While AI has been implemented to various degrees in several disciplines, its unique applications in head and neck cancer (HNC) remain underdeveloped. This narrative review examines the existing body of literature regarding the use of AI in HNC. Studies to date have demonstrated AI’s utility across multiple phases of the HNC treatment continuum. Despite its promise, integrating AI into clinical practice faces several challenges, including concerns about system integrity, generalizability, privacy, and bias. In this review, we address these challenges and offer insights into future …

Assessment Of Radiological Risk Hazard Indices For Diverse Environmental And Biological Samples: A Comprehensive Review, Israa K. Ahmed, Sabah S. Farhan, Jamal M. Rzaij

Al-Bahir

Radiological risk assessment is pivotal for safeguarding human health and ecosystems amid expanding radiation applications in technology and medicine. This review systematically evaluates the efficacy of hazard indices like the Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE) and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) across environmental (soil, water) and biological (tissues, crops) samples, addressing critical gaps in comparative methodologies, a PRISMA-guided systematic. Literature review was conducted across Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, analyzing more than 100 peer-reviewed studies (2010–2024) that met the inclusion criteria: English-language publications, multi-index comparisons, and empirical validations. Exclusion criteria removed non-peer-reviewed works and studies focusing on a single …

How Many Symmetries Of The Regular N-Gon Are Even?, Thi Mai Khoi Ha

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

One of the simplest classes of finite groups used as a source of counterexamples in a first course of modern algebra is the class of finite dihedral groups. Among the subgroups of dihedral group, finding subgroups of index 2 is of interest in part because these subgroups are normal subgroups. In this article, we use the representations of the symmetries of the dihedral groups as permutations of the vertices and determine concretely all its subgroups of index 2. Under this representation or embedding, the article determines the intersection of the dihedral group with the corresponding alternating groups when they are …

Bioelectrochemical Systems: Prioritizing Energy Density, Long-Term Stability, And Validation, Luana C.I. Faria, Steffane Q. Nascimento, Filipe C.D.A. Lima, Graziela C. Sedenho, Thiago Bertaglia, Rodrigo M. Iost, João C.P. De Souza, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, Shelley D. Minteer, Serge Cosnier, Ariel L. Furst, Frank N. Crespilho

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Pioneering work in bioelectrochemistry, particularly the employing of yeast cells to generate electrical current, had substantially favored the comprehension of bio electrochemical reactions. This foundational research has boosted the development of bio electrochemical systems (BES), which are significant for sustainable energy solutions. BES technologies, such as biobatteries, bio supercapacitors, and enzymatic and microbial biofuel cells, harness organic and biological systems to provide environmentally friendly alternatives for energy storage and conversion. Despite their potential, these technologies face challenges in achieving competitive energy densities and long-term stability compared to traditional accumulators and converters. Here, we introduce a new Ragone plot for BES, …

Wave Intensity Analysis With Exercise Identifies Impairments In Pulmonary Hypertension, Christopher G. Lechuga, Farhan Raza, Mitchel J. Colebank, Claudia E. Korcarz, Jens C. Eickhoff, Naomi C. Chesler

Faculty Publications

Wave intensity analysis provides a novel approach to understanding the dynamic interactions between the right ventricle and pulmonary vasculature, particularly in pulmonary hypertension, a condition characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressures and vascular remodeling. This prospective study used wave intensity analysis to evaluate right ventricular and pulmonary vascular mechanics in 22 participants with pulmonary hypertension (including precapillary, isolated postcapillary, and combined pre/postcapillary pulmonary hypertension), and three without pulmonary hypertension. Forward and backward compression and decompression waves were quantified at rest and during incremental exercise (25, 50, and 75 W). Relationships between metrics of wave intensity analysis, hemodynamics, right ventricular function, …

Nonoscillatory Solutions Of Third-Order Nonlinear Dynamic Equations: Existence And Nonexistence, Özkan Öztürk, Elvan Akin, Nesli̇han Nesli̇ye Pelen

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

This paper investigates a third-order nonlinear dynamic equation on arbitrary time scales, a nonempty closed subset of the real numbers, unifying continuous and discrete analyses. We study the qualitative behavior of nonoscillatory solutions and their quasi-derivatives, focusing on their limiting behaviors. The existence of such solutions are established using improper integral criteria and Schauder’s and Knaster’s fixed point theorems. In addition, we establish the criteria for the nonexistence of nonoscillatory solutions. Furthermore, we prove the existence of Kneser-type solutions of the corresponding linear dynamic equation on isolated time scales, addressing an open problem in the literature. Several examples of theoretical …

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp): Bres No. 181 – Mountain Con-3 Dump., Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Structural Evolution Of Nitrogenase Over 3 Billion Years, Bruno Cuevas Zuviría, Franka Detemple, Kaustubh Amritkar, Amanda K. Garcia, Lance Seefeldt, Betül Kaçar

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Previously, we identified the only dinitrogen reduction mechanism known to date as an ancient feature conserved from nitrogenase ancestors, which we directly tested by resurrecting and integrating synthetic ancestral nitrogenases into the genome of Azotobacter vinelandii (Garcia et al., 2023), a genetically tractable, nitrogen-fixing model bacterium. Here, we extend this paleomolecular approach to investigate the structural evolution of nitrogenase over billions of years of evolution by combining phylogenetics, ancestral sequence reconstruction, protein crystallography, and deep-learning based predictions. This study reveals that nitrogenase, while maintaining a conserved multimeric core, evolved novel modular features aligned with major environmental transitions, suggesting that subtle …