Digital Commons Network^™

Positive And Negative Parity States Of 226-236th Isotopes, Ali A. Mezban, Falih H. Al-Khudair

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The level scheme of the ^226-236Th nuclei is analyzed using the Interacting Boson Model (IBM-1). The ground state band (g. s.-band), beta band (β-band), gamma band (γ-band) have been described in the sd model space. To calculate the negative parity energy levels, the model space is extended to sdf by adding the f-boson (L=3). A sequence of states in energy bands up to 3.5 MeV has been obtained. The decay of negative states below 1 MeV built on an octupole vibration modes is investigated. The transition probabilities in-band and inter-band are calculated using the wave function of the …

The Astrobiological Figure Of Humboldt As Pioneer In The Rock Varnish Research, Jose Jordan-Soria

Homage to Alexander von Humboldt: Travels to and from Spain Throughout the Centuries / Homenaje a Alexander von Humboldt: Viajes hacia y desde España de todos los siglos

From Humboldt is particularly interesting -and little know- his description of mineral coatings on rocks 200 years ago, reported in his book Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent during the years 1799-1804, co-written with Aimé Bonpland, for which is considerate the father of rock coating research. On June 5th 1799 set sail from A Coruña -Spain- to Cumaná -Venezuela- beginning five years of expedition. While they explored the Orinoco River system, in th eriver basin waterfalls, Humboldt observed the presence of dark coating depositions. He ascertained a manganese-rich accretion, reporting similar structures in other …

Implementing A Sustainability Approach By Converting Plastic Bottle Waste From A Mischievous Substance To A Beneficial Material By Means Of Zero Residue Level Concept, Younus Mohammed Abed, Fatima Allawi, Shahad Mudhafar Ali, Salem Jawad Alhamd, Thekra Atta Ibrahim, Mohammed Nsaif Abbas

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Plastic waste represents a serious environmental and health hazard due to its non-biodegradability and toxic leachates. This study investigates the potential conversion of plastic waste into a sustainable raw material for producing a useful substance. This investigation focuses on repurposing PET beverage bottles—a major contributor to microplastic pollution—into high-value activated carbon (AC) for water treatment, aligning with circular economy principles. The chemical preparation method for AC using phosphoric acid as an activating agent was evaluated. Results demonstrated the successful conversion of 68% of plastic waste into AC under the following conditions: pyrolysis temperature of 700°C, pyrolysis time of 7 hours, …

Correction: Turn-On Fluorescent Glucose Transport Bioprobe Enables Wash-Free Real-Time Monitoring Of Glucose Uptake Activity In Live Cells And Small Organisms, Monica S. Hensley, David Hutchings, Abdelrahman Ismail, Micaela Rayne Geborkoff, Thomas Werner, Marina Tanasova

Michigan Tech Publications

Correction for “Turn-on fluorescent glucose transport bioprobe enables wash-free real-time monitoring of glucose uptake activity in live cells and small organisms” by Monica S. Hensley et al., RSC Chem. Biol., 2025, 6, 987–995, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CB00239C.

The authors regret that two contributors, Micaela Rayne Geborkoff and Professor Dr Thomas Werner, were inadvertently omitted from the original author list of this article. Both individuals made significant contributions to the research reported.

Micaela Rayne Geborkoff was involved in the design, planning, and execution of the Drosophila experiments, specifically in the growth and treatment of fruit fly larvae. Professor Dr Thomas Werner provided …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Novobiocin Analogues As Potential Inhibitors Of Polymerase Theta Polθ In Dna Damage And Repair, Mohammed Essam Albuhluli

Theses and Dissertations

Killing tumors while leaving normal cells unharmed is the goal of precision cancer therapy, a challenging feat that is enabled by targeting tumor-specific vulnerabilities [1]. Targeting Polθ potentiates PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in specifically killing homology-directed repair (HDR)-deficient tumor cells and re-sensitize PARPi resistant tumor cells [1]. The induced essentiality between Polθ and HDR-deficiency underscores the value of Polθ as a therapeutic target in the context of tumors with HDR genetic mutations [1]. The helicase-like domain (HLD) is a super family 2 (SF2)-type domain with DNA-dependent ATPase activity [1]. We previously discovered that the antibiotic NVB acts as an inhibitor of …

Modeling, Analysis, And Prediction Of Covid-19 Dynamics With Interacting Subpopulations And Implicit Behavior Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Naima Aubry-Romero, Alonso Ogueda-Oliva, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

In this paper, we consider an extended SEIR compartmental model that incorporates young and old interacting subpopulations, allowing for cross-group transmission dynamics. Implicit behavioral changes are included to determine the influence of social behavior on coronavirus transmission dynamics. The basic reproduction number, the average number of secondary cases of infection produced by a single primary case, is derived for both the explicit and implicit model using the next-generation matrix method. We solve the associated differential equation systems and estimate useful parameters in the explicit model using physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). Our results point to how the PINNs approach offers an …

Vibrio Cholerae Endemic To The Lower Rio Grande Delta Segregate Into Urban And Rural Phylotypes, Daniele Provenzano, Jeffrey W. Turner, Jorge Duran-Gonzalez, David A. Laughlin, David Silva, Viviana Trevino, Miguel F. Gonzales, Boris Ermolinsky, Stefan Pukatzki

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The lifestyle of Vibrio cholerae is primarily environmental, yet a chance encounter with a human host can lead to cholera, a potentially lethal form of diarrhea. Strains belonging to O1 and O139 serogroups have pandemic potential, but the contribution of non-O1/non-O139 serovars towards the genesis of cholera remains unclear. Endemic V. cholerae lineages were investigated given several historical accounts describing cholera epidemics and sporadic, contemporary cholera-like outbreaks along the lower Rio Grande Delta (LRGD). Seven isolates were recovered from an urban segment of the Rio Grande and six from a rural segment where the river empties into the Gulf of …

Exploring The Interactions Between Mining And Climate Change: A Bibliometric Analysis, Artatrana Mishra, Sarat Chandra Sahu, Manish Yadav, Nitin Kumar Singh

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The increasing demand for minerals has placed huge pressure on the mining industry to increase production, which consequently affects the environment, and, thus, contributes to climate change. Coal extraction has been reported to be a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels. As a consequence, the frequency and severity of extreme climatic events have also increased throughout the world. Mining is essential for the development of society but contributes to climate change. On the contrary, extreme weather events and rising temperatures associated with climate change affect the overall productivity of mining companies. …

Barrier Removal Is A Strategy For Climate Resilience, Sarah E. Null, William Bosen, Gregory Goodrum

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Millions of dams and in-stream barriers have been built worldwide to manage water supply, reduce flood risk, generate hydropower, and support recreation, navigation, and road infrastructure. The National Aquatic Barrier Inventory estimates over 550,000 dams and over 298,000 road-related barriers that fragment streams in the United States¹. As dams age and as droughts and floods become more intense, some dams and barriers have become problems, for example, by outliving their useful life, presenting safety concerns to communities, and impacting ecosystems, especially in a changing climate. These dams – the ones that present safety concerns due to their age …

Groundwater Flooding On Highways In The Nebraska Sandhills: Applying Remote Sensing, Precipitation And Groundwater Modeling To Determine Depth, Cause And Frequency, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Climate change significantly impacts infrastructure sustainability, particularly through shifts in precipitation patterns, intensity, and duration. These precipitation dynamics may increase the occurrence of surface water and groundwater flooding. Groundwater in the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), including the thickest portions of the High Plains Aquifer, extends close to the land surface in interdunal areas, making the NSH vulnerable to groundwater flooding. Recent events involving heavy precipitation, snow melt, and rising groundwater levels have caused prolonged highway flooding, disrupting transportation networks. This study estimates groundwater flood inundation depth, duration and frequency in the highways of NSH using remote sensing techniques and groundwater …

Fisheries Science Update - Pilbara Fishing Competition Science 2020 To 2024 - July 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Science Updates

Key Points:

• Pilbara recreational fishing competitions are helping to track the sustainability of pelagic species like Spanish mackerel.
• Over 500 pelagic fish have been sampled at Pilbara fishing competitions over 5 years.
• This information goes towards DPIRD’s assessment of Spanish mackerel and monitoring the large pelagic resource in the North Coast Bioregion.

Geophysical Tools For Agricultural Management: Trends, Challenges, And Opportunities, Sophia Becker, Trenton Franz, Yufeng Ge, Joe Luck, Derek M. Heeren

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Agrogeophysics is a convergence of proximal soil sensing and hydrogeophysics in which geophysical methods are used to describe soil patterns and dynamics that shape agronomic management (including precision agriculture). To fully realize its potential for optimizing agricultural production, current barriers and targets for future agrogeophysics research must be identified. In this review, we compare the trajectory of agrogeophysics within peer-reviewed literature, patents, and the US university extension literature and examine the current challenges and opportunities for supporting agricultural production and sustainability with agrogeophysical tools. We conducted a repeatable search of Web of Science and Scopus for seven geophysical methods (electromagnetic …

Machine Learning For Digital Biomarker-Based Detection Of Cognitive Decline, Seng Khoon The

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease with a prevalence rate expected to triple by 2050, posing a significant challenge for health services. To impede the increasing prevalence, medical professionals and scientists are actively investigating technology to detect cognitive decline at a reversible stage known as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Digital biomarker technology is an emerging pragmatic approach to permit objective, ecologically valid, and long-term continuous measurement of cognitive health status, rendering it as one of the promising technologies for early MCI detection. Despite its potential, it is nontrivial to encode, extract and combine predictive information from these digital biomarker technologies; advanced …

Modeling The Impact Of Explosive Volcanism On Biogeochemical Cycling At The Peak Of The Late Paleozoic Icehouse, Lily S. Pfeifer, Qingting Wu, Ying Cui, Gerilyn S. Soreghan

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The peak of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) coincided with atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) lows, and large-magnitude fluctuations in glacial-interglacial pCO2, but the driver(s) for pCO2 drawdown at this time remain debated. Backed by parameters for the frequency and magnitude of Late Carboniferous volcanism derived from the rock record, we apply an intermediate complexity Earth system model to evaluate the biogeochemical impacts of ash-borne nutrients from frequent (decadal) and explosive silicic volcanism on nutrient cycling ca. 310–300 Ma. Results show that volcanic perturbations result in negligible changes in marine particulate organic carbon export concurrent with sustained increases in pCO2 …

Purification Of Uranium Tetrafluoride Using Ammonium Bifluoride, Kyle R. Foster, Juliano Schorne-Pinto, Ronald E. Booth, Annabelle Husek, Mina Aziziha, Hunter B. Tisdale, Bernie W.N. Fitzpatrick, Hans Conrad Zur Loye, Markus H.A. Piro, Theodore M. Besmann

Faculty Publications

A method of purification for UF₄ utilizing NH₄HF₂ was investigated to remove oxygen and hydrate impurities from the salt. The original salt exhibited a melting point at 915–920 °C, which corresponds to the eutectic temperature of the UF4-UO2 system, showing clear signs of oxygen contamination. To purify the salt, an air-tight reaction vessel inside an argon glovebox was used to react UF4/NH4HF2 mixtures at elevated temperatures under a continuous flow of inert gas. The process yielded a significantly purer UF4 salt as confirmed via inert gas fusion, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and inductively coupled plasma-optical …

Ai Tools In Natural Resources And Environmental Systems For The Classroom, Research, Extension And Industry, Derek M. Heeren, C. T. Agouridis, Debabrata Sahoo, Isaya Kisekka, Trisha L. Moore

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This white paper synthesizes a series of panel insights on AI adoption across education, Extension, research and industry contexts within natural resources and environmental systems. It emphasizes that while advanced machine learning and generative AI introduce structural shifts in autonomy, scale, and cognitive augmentation, their value lies in augmenting, not replacing, human expertise. Applied tool examples include decision‑support systems for rural water operators, HAB‑diagnosis apps integrating image classification and natural‑language guidance, an irrigation educational chatbot tailored to user background, and sensor‑driven orchard AI for light interception estimation and data gap filling. A recurring design imperative involves co‑development with end users, …

Writing Climate Change: Science Knowledge In Creative Forms; Part Two: From Reading To Writing, Lytton Smith

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

This lesson explores how a short creative piece by Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate, draws on climate science knowledge to engage readers informationally, imaginatively, and emotionally. Students will reflect through discussion and/or writing on both the scientific methodology and the questions of equity and justice her poem raises. Finally, students will engage in a guided writing prompt where they research science knowledge around climate change and use what they find to shape their own short creative pieces (100-300 words), based in that science.

Writing Climate Change: Science Knowledge In Creative Forms; Part One: Understanding Science Stories, Lytton Smith

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

This lesson explores how a short creative piece by Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate, draws on climate science knowledge to engage readers informationally, imaginatively, and emotionally. Students will reflect through discussion and/or writing on both the scientific methodology and the questions of equity and justice her poem raises. Finally, students will engage in a guided writing prompt where they research science knowledge around climate change and use what they find to shape their own short creative pieces (100-300 words), based in that science.

Redundant Functions Of Mir156-Targeted Squamosa Promoter Binding Protein-Like Transcription Factors In Promoting Cauline Leaf Identity, Darren Manuela, Liren Du, Qi Zhang, Yifei Liao, Tieqiang Hu, Jim P. Fouracre, Mingli Xu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Crystal Growth, Thermal, Optical, Magnetic And Electrochemical Properties Of Mo2Ta2O11, Md Abdullah Al Muhit, Alevtina A. Maksimova, Sean C. Wechsler, Habiba Binte Kashem, Gopabandhu Panigrahi, Gregory Morrison, Morgan Stefik, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

Single crystals of the transition metal oxide Mo2Ta2O11 were grown for the first time using molten flux synthesis. The compound crystalizes in the trigonal space group R 3‾m (no. 166) with lattice parameters a = b = 5.6267(1) Å and c = 25.1424(6) Å and a unit cell volume of 689.36(3) ų. The structure of Mo2Ta2O11 is composed of alternating layers of TaO6 octahedra and MoO4 tetrahedra connected via corner-sharing. CaH2 was used to achieve a partial low temperature reduction of Mo2Ta2O11. The electrochemical lithiation of polycrystalline Mo2Ta2O11 was also investigated for the first time. Mo2Ta2O11 underwent a …

Water Current, Volume 57, No. 2, Summer 2025

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Literature Review Of Reverse Electrodialysis Technoeconomic And Environmental Analysis, Kevin Allen Wear

Water Resources Science and Technology Theses and Graduate Research Reports (Archived)

This thesis presents a theoretical analysis of Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) for electricity generation using produced water—a high-salinity byproduct from oil and gas extraction. Drawing from over seventy peer-reviewed studies, this research explores the potential of RED as a sustainable energy solution for industrial wastewater streams. Chapter 1 outlines the environmental and economic implications of produced water. Chapter 2 reviews ion transport theories and membrane technologies. Chapter 3 evaluates past implementations of RED and related membrane systems. Chapter 4 delivers a comprehensive synthesis of current literature, modeling RED performance under realworld salinity gradients, ion compositions, and membrane constraints. Chapter 5 discusses …

Soil Health In Nebraska: Exploring Practitioners' Needs And Insights From A Long-Term Organic Farm, Ingrids Isabel Mata Vigil

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil health is foundational to sustainable agriculture, environmental resilience, and long-term food security. Yet, the adoption of soil health assessments remains limited, often perceived as too technical, costly, or difficult to implement in real-world contexts. To better understand these challenges, the first chapter presents findings from a statewide survey of 41 soil health practitioners in Nebraska, including farmers, extension educators, NRCS staff, and conservation professionals. Respondents highlighted the need for simpler, more accessible, and context-specific tools for soil health assessment that help practitioners make informed decisions aligned with their management goals. Complementing these insights, the second chapter includes an independent, …

Exploring Subfield Interest Development In Undergraduate Physics Students Through Social Cognitive Career Theory, Dina Zohrabi Alaee, Benjamin M. Zwickl

Physics and Engineering Science

This study investigates how undergraduate physics majors develop an interest in specific subfields. We examine interest formation through the lens of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) using four SCCT constructs: learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and proximal environmental influences. We conducted 27 interviews with physics majors across multiple years of study between 2020 and 2022. Our first research question used SCCT constructs to provide detailed insights into factors affecting interest formation in various subfields of physics. We identified many factors that positively impacted students’ interests, such as positive learning experiences (e.g., coursework, experimental projects, extracurricular clubs, and self-directed learning), high …

Exogenous Ketones Reduce Inflammation And Pathology In The Tgf344-Ad Rat Model, Amaya Rogers, Pheven Yohannes, Juan P. Carcamo, Preetham Gundlapally, Amaya Coker, Macy A. Seijo, Caesar M. Hernandez

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Summer Expo Poster Presentation

• Biological & Life Sciences
• Engineering
• Physical & Applied Sciences

Use Of High-Throughput Phenomics With And Without Fungicide As A Wheat Breeding Tool, Gerardo Ivan Rivera Collazo

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an important food staple for many countries around the world and current consumption and production data demonstrate a production deficit. Breeders are challenged to help close this gap in production by selecting better cultivars with improved yields. Several methods aim to accelerate the breeding process to reduce the time required for releasing an elite variety. One of the main breeding bottlenecks is the lack of fast and reliable phenotypic data acquisition that could dissect physiological and morphological plant data. High-throughput remote sensing could have the potential to reduce this bottleneck by streamlining data acquisition, …

A Study Of Ice And Fire: Environmental Change Impacts On Lakes Of The Nebraska Sandhills, Daniel Gschwentner

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The Nebraska Sandhills contain thousands of shallow, groundwater-fed lakes. These lakes are extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes due to their isolated hydrological setting and small volume. Building on previous work on the hydrology, geochemistry and long-term climate response of Sandhill lakes, my research considers how ecosystem processes such as primary production, nutrient limitation and water quality respond to short-term environmental and climatic change. In my first data chapter, I highlight that Sandhill lakes are nitrogen (N) but not phosphorus (P) limited and that N:P ratios are poor predictors of nutrient limitation status in Sandhill lakes. In my second …

Catching A Fever: A Comparison Of Vachellia Xanthophloea Populations In The Limpopo And Luvuvhu River Floodplains Of The Makuleke Contractual Park, Kianie B. David

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

This study investigates patterns of stand structure regeneration, growth characteristics, and coarse woody debris (CWD) patterns in Vachellia xanthophloea (fever tree) stands within the Makuleke Contractual Park (MCP), a semi-arid savanna system in northern Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Fieldwork was conducted across two stand types: a monospecific fever tree stand in Rietbok Vlei and a mixed-species stand in the Western Nhlangaluwe Floodplain where fever tree is established with Faidherbia albida (ana tree). Data were collected from 20 total 1/4-acre (1,011 m²) circular plots between both stands in 2024 and 2025, including seedling root collar diameter (RCD), …

Bioenergy Crop Production: Implications For Grassland Bird Communities In Southwestern Nebraska, Grace E. Schuster

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

Biofuel and bioenergy systems are components of most climate stabilization pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. Currently, corn (Zea mays) is the predominant feedstock used for bioenergy production in the United States. However, widespread production of this monoculture crop has resulted in many negative environmental impacts. The most notorious impact has been the loss of grassland habitat due to agriculture expansion which has had detrimental effects on wildlife that depend on grassland habitat. One such group, grassland birds, has faced steeper, more consistent, and more widespread declines than any other avian guild. Therefore, strategies …

Experimental Analysis Of Satellite Operator Training Using Game-Based Virtual Reality Simulation, Lana Laskey

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Satellite data plays a vital role in modern global infrastructure by enabling communications, navigation, and weather forecasting. As demand for satellite technology grows, so does the need for highly trained satellite ground operators. Traditional training regimens for satellite operators employ simulation using two-dimensional computer console displays paired with the varied ability of trainees to generate abstract mental imagery of the scenario. However, this development of mental imagery imposes a considerable learning curve and cognitive workload on the trainee, which may negatively impact the user experience and knowledge gained during the training scenario.

This experimental study investigated the effects of game-based …