Digital Commons Network^™

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 31, 2013, Matthew Rosencrans

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 31, 2013 (12/31/13) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Enhanced Optical Bistability With Film-Coupled Plasmonic Nanocubes, Christos Argyropoulos, Cristian Ciraci, David R. Smith

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Colloidally synthesized nanocubes strongly coupled to conducting films hold great promise for enhancing different nonlinear optical processes. They exhibit a robust and sensitive scattering response that can be easily controlled by their geometrical and material parameters. Strong local field enhancement is generated at the gap regions between the nanocubes and the metallic film. We show that strong optical bistability and all-optical switching behavior can be obtained by loading these nanogaps with Kerr nonlinear materials. Relatively low input intensities are required to obtain these nonlinear effects. The proposed design can lead to efficient, low-power, and ultrafast all-optical memories and scattering nanoswitches.

Understanding Human Learning Using A Multiagent Based Unified Learning Model Simulation, Vlad T. Chiriacescu

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Within cognitive science, computational modeling based on cognitive architectures has been an important approach to addressing questions of human cognition and learning. Modeling issues such as limited expressivity in representing knowledge and lack of appropriate selection of model structure represent a challenge for existing architectures. Furthermore, latest research shows that the concepts of long-term memory, motivation and working memory are critical cognitive aspects but a unifying cognitive paradigm integrating those concepts hasn’t been previously achieved.

Derived from a synthesis of neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, and education, the Unified Learning Model (ULM) provides this integration by merging a statistical learning mechanism …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 24, 2013, Matthew Rosencrans

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 24, 2013 (12/24/13) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Beef Cattle Body Temperature During Climatic Stress: A Genome-Wide Association Study, Jeremy T. Howard, Stephen D. Kachman, Warren M. Snelling, E. John Pollak, Daniel C. Ciobanu, Larry A. Kuehn, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Cattle are reared in diverse environments and collecting phenotypic body temperature (BT) measurements to characterize BT variation across diverse environments is difficult and expensive. To better understand the genetic basis of BT regulation, a genome-wide association study was conducted utilizing crossbred steers and heifers totaling 239 animals of unknown pedigree and breed fraction. During predicted extreme heat and cold stress events, hourly tympanic and vaginal BT devices were placed in steers and heifers, respect i v e l y. I n d i v i dua l s we r e genotyped with t h e BovineSNP50K_v2 assay and data …

First New Building Taking Shape At Innovation Campus, Kevin Abourezk

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

The first new building at Nebraska Innovation Campus is taking shape. Construction workers have completed much of the shell for the Companion Building, a three-story building just north of and adjacent to the former 4-H Building on what used to be State Fair Park. They’ve also nearly finished renovating the 4-H Building, which will include a conference center and office and research space. Renovation of the former Industrial Arts building continues at the south edge of the campus,with exterior brick walls propped up by braces and virtually nothing left inside. The university has yet to start work on a fourth …

Ec475 Fabrics New And Old : Part Ii How To Buy And Care For Them, Helen Rocke

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Extension circular 475 discusses fabrics and how to care for them. This includes washing and ironing instructions.

A Collective Case Study Of The Nature Of Form-Focused Instruction Among Secondary English As A Second Language Teachers, Sevda Budak

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The nature of teaching expertise for form-focused instruction (FFI) in secondary schools has received little research attention. FFI research that has been carried out so far has devoted time in exploring the classification of one form of FFI, or the effectiveness of one form of FFI over another. Given that exploring teaching expertise for FFI in a natural classroom setting is necessary in order to bring out the interplay of factors influencing and prioritized by the teacher in choosing how to proceed instructionally. Furthermore, student experiences of teacher FFI have been largely ignored. Giving voice to student perspectives will help …

Temperature-Dependent Dielectric And Thermal Properties Of Whey Protein Gel And Mashed Potato, Jiajia Chen, Krishnamoorthy Pitchai, Sohan Birla, Ricardo Gonzalez, David Jones, Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Temperature-dependent dielectric properties (dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor) and thermal properties (thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity) of whey protein gel and mashed potato were measured from -20°C to 100°C. A dielectric properties measurement system and a multipoint temperature calibration protocol were developed. The system consists of an impedance analyzer, a high-temperature coaxial cable, a high-temperature coaxial probe, a micro-climatic chamber and a metal sample holder. Calibrations at two temperatures (25°C and 85°C) were sufficient to accurately measure the dielectric properties of foods from frozen to hot temperatures. Both dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor rapidly increased from -20°C …

Bullying Prevention In Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports: A Review Of The Literature, Allen Garcia, Regina M. Oliver

The Nebraska Educator: A Student-Led Journal

The literature has suggested that problem behavior in the schools is an ongoing problem (Sugai et. al., 2000). This is a major concern for schools that want to provide a safe learning environment that promotes positive behaviors and academic learning. Such problem requires a systematic response, thus, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) was created to target and prevent problem behaviors. Another form of problem behaviors in schools is bullying, and within the framework of SW-PBIS, there is limited research on targeting bullying. The current review examines and evaluates current research of SW-PBIS, and it’s application to bullying. Searches …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 17, 2013, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 17, 2013 (12/17/13) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Multiplexed Fiber-Ring Laser Sensors For Ultrasonic Detection, Tongqing Liu, Lingling Hu, Ming Han

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We propose and demonstrate a multiplexing method for ultrasonic sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) that are included inside the laser cavity of a fiber-ring laser. The multiplexing is achieved using add-drop filters to route the light signals, according to their wavelengths, into different optical paths, each of which contains a separate span of erbium-doped fiber (EDF) as the gain medium. Because a specific span of EDF only addresses a single wavelength channel, mode completion is avoided and the FBG ultrasonic sensors can be simultaneously demodulated. The proposed method is experimentally demonstrated using a two-channel system with two sensing …

Youth Sport Coaching Efficacy: Coach Education Level As A Predictor Of Coaching Efficacy, Geoffrey V. Weller

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research was to evaluate coaches’ level of education as a predictor of their coaching efficacy level. The study tested ten hypotheses. Two for each of the five types of coaching efficacy identified: (1) Coaches with a higher level of education will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy and (2) male coaches will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy than similarly educated female coaches. Individuals (N=1669) coaching teams within the YMCA of Lincoln, NE Youth Sports Branch were emailed a link to an online survey developed using Qualtrics software. An analysis of variance …

Application Of Bradford's Law Of Scattering To The Literature Of Library & Information Science: A Study Of Doctoral Theses Citations Submitted To The Universities Of Maharashtra, India, Vijay Ganesh Wardikar Viju

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

Application of Bradford's Law of Scattering is one of the bibliometric law, which is used most commonly in bibliometric research. The paper gives a review of the contribution in Library & Information Science & theoretical aspects of the law. A study carried out on the data of journals cited by Ph.D. research scholars at the universities in Maharashtra for their doctoral research. To examine the applicability of Bradford's Law of Scattering, study include 798 periodical containing 5467 references collected form 138 theses during the period 1982-2010. Rank list was prepared and Annals of Library Science and Documentation took top …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 10, 2013, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 10, 2013 (12/10/13) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Fluorination Of Aromatic Ring Systems, Stephen G. Dimagno

Chemistry Department: Faculty Publications

This disclosure relates to reagents and methods useful in the synthesis of aryl fluorides, for example, in the preparation of ¹⁸F labeled radiotracers. The reagents and methods provided herein may be used to access a broad range of compounds, including aromatic compounds, heteroaromatic compounds, amino acids, nucleotides, and synthetic compounds.

North Carolina’S White-Nose Syndrome Surveillance And Response Plan, Gabrielle Graeter, Kendrick Weeks, Susan Cameron

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

III. Objective- The objective of this plan is to coordinate the conservation community’s strategy for addressing White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in North Carolina as it relates to disease surveillance and response, population monitoring, and research.

Uc Santa Barbara’S Alexandria Digital Research Library Repository Project: Building A Better Repository By Catering To User Needs, Eric Mulhaupt

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

UCSB Library staff are developing plans, processes, and programs that contribute to its robust and modern Alexandria Digital Research Library repository project. University of Virginia's Libra digital repository is a model for ADRL to follow. This paper explores how digital repositories can appeal to their clientele, including through tools integrated within webpage user interfaces. The objective is for submissions to include better metadata and for retrievals to be easier as a result.

A Study Of Distributed Beamforming In Cognitive Radio Networks, Omi Sunuwar

Computer and Electronics Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the rapid increase in new wireless technologies and services, the unlicensed frequency band have been substantially overcrowded while the licensed band are reportedly under-utilized. This spectrum scarcity has brought up the concept of cognitive radio networks. By applying distributed cooperation between users, cognitive radio can direct beam towards the intended receiver and suppress interference in unintended directions which can tackle the problem of spectrum scarcity.

In this MS thesis, first beamforming in uniform array is investigated. The effect of position displacement of antenna elements from ideal uniform array shows that there is an increase in sidelobe level. Least squares …

Linked Data And The Library Of Congress, Corinne M. Laurence

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a machine-processable metadata standard created to link pieces of data from around the World Wide Web. It does this by creating meaningful statements about resources, which are identified by Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). The Linked Data (LD) that emerges will be part of the Semantic Web, a new way of linking, searching, and finding information on the Web. Libraries around the world have begun to adopt RDF for their metadata in an attempt to make their metadata more discoverable on the World Wide Web, where the majority of their users are. The Library of …

Mets: Flexibility V. Interoperability, Katherine N. Ralson

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examines whether projects making use of the METS metadata schema do so due to its flexibility or its interoperability. Projects listed in the METS Implementation Registry of the Library of Congress METS Official Web Site, as well as selected case studies are analyzed for the reason METS was used in their projects. Data gathered from these sources is consolidated and further analyzed using cluster analysis in order to answer the research questions: 1) Can it be said that METS is being selected for projects based primarily on one of two criteria: its flexibility or its interoperability?” And if …

Environmental Analysis Of Goes-R Proving Ground Convection Initiation Forecasting Algorithms, Jason M. Apke

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The enhanced temporal and spatial resolution of the GOES-R series will allow for the use of cloud top cooling based convection initiation (CI) forecasting algorithms. Two such algorithms have been created on the current generation of GOES satellites: theUniversityofWisconsincloud top cooling algorithm (UWCTC) and the University of Alabama-Huntsville’s satellite convection analysis and tracking algorithm (SATCAST). Preliminary analysis of algorithm products has led to speculation over pre-convective environmental effects on algorithm performance, which this study aims to examine. CI indications are used with objective segmentation tools to identify and cluster radar objects over theGreat Plainsbased on reflectivity quantitative and spatial thresholds. …

Building A Gis Model To Assess Agritourism Potential, Brian G. Baskerville

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rural areas of the world are developing and implementing tourism programs to diversify and reinvigorate their local economies. Often, these programs focus on privately-held lands in largely agricultural regions. In some countries, tourism development strategies have combined agriculture and tourism to create a new industry – agritourism. This industry, although not new in the United States, is still in its nascent stages. Before starting an agritourism enterprise, farmers and ranchers must consider the various factors that will likely influence their potential for long-term success. These factors can be grouped into 1) farm-specific factors such as an operator’s personality or the …

Physical Design Of A Smart Camera With Integrated Digital Pixel Sensors Using A 0.13Μm 8-Layer Metal Cmos Process, Mahir K. Gharzai

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The design of cameras has historically kept imagery and computational circuitry isolated in an attempt to maximize image quality by improving pixel pitch and routing density. Although this technique has worked in creating high density arrays of pixels for large resolution imagers, it has never been able to achieve high framerate computational operations.

A radical approach is introduced to solve this dilemma by creating compact, low- power pixel elements with built-in analog-to-digital converters that directly interface with digital logic. These pixels are capable of integrating alongside logic cells and to create an array of pixels inside the processor that can …

Optically-Pumped Spin-Exchange Polarized Electron Source, Munir Pirbhai

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polarized electron beams are an indispensable probe of spin-dependent phenomena in fields of atomic and molecular physics, magnetism and biophysics. While their uses have become widespread, the standard source based on negative electron affinity gallium arsenide (GaAs) remains technically complicated. This has hindered progress on many experiments involving spin-polarized electrons, especially those using target gas loads, which tend to adversely affect the performance of GaAs sources. A robust system based on an alternative way to make polarized electron beams has been devised in this study, which builds on previous work done in our lab. It involves spin-exchange collisions between free, …

Cmos Smart Camera With Focal Plane Neighborhood-Parallel Image Processing, Joseph A. Schmitz

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A neighbhorhood-based smart camera architecture is designed and implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS technology. Each 8 × 8 region of pixels contains a small processor with local memory, which are tiled to form a full-resolution camera. Each processor operates in parallel, enabling high-speed image processing suitable for tracking and recognition tasks. The architecture features the programming flexibility of designs us- ing chip-level and row-level processors while preserving the scalability of pixel-parallel processing elements. The neighborhood processors are implemented physically be- tween the pixel photodiodes, creating multiple design challenges that are discussed in detail.

Advisors: Sina Balkir and Michael Hoffman

Narrow Grass Hedge Effects On The Transport Of Antimicrobials And Antimicrobial Resistance Genes Following Land Application Of Swine Slurry, Bhavneet Soni

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of manure amendment and narrow grass hedges on the fate and transport of antimicrobials and ARGs in runoff and in soil following the land application of swine manure slurry. Swine manure slurry was land applied to 0.75m wide by 4.0m long plots established on an Aksarben silty clay loam soil located in southeast Nebraska. The treatment factor manure amendment consisted of two levels: no manure application and manure application to meet the 3 year nitrogen (N) requirements for corn. The treatment factor of grass hedge was established for half of …

Community College Pathways: A Narrative Inquiry With One Student, Philip Ross

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Developmental education is a field that has a long history in higher education in the United States. Some have called it remedial education, but the field promotes a pedagogy that addresses what it claims is broader in the development of the whole person, his or cognitive, social/behavioral, and vocational growth. This study, set in a Midwestern community college, acknowledges the absence of recognition of the role of developmental education in higher education and responds to a lack of qualitative research in this area. A six-month study using narrative inquiry results in the documentary Crossroads Community College: Flying Solo and following …

Polarization-Coupled Transport Behavior In Ultrathin Ferroelectric Heterostructures, Haidong Lu

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ferroelectric polarization-coupled resistive switching behavior in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs), the tunneling electroresistance (TER) effect, is a recently predicted new phenomenon, which attracts interest due to potential application in the next generation non-volatile ferroelectric random access memories (FeRAMs). In this dissertation, we demonstrate the TER effect in FTJ devices by means of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. We have investigated several device configurations for enhancement of polarization stability and for demonstration of the resistive switching behavior: (i) using the SPM probe as a top electrode; (ii) using heterostructures with engineered interfacial atomic terminations; (iii) using metal electrodes; (iv) adding an …

Modelling Of Anode Crater Formation In Micro-Electrical Discharge Machining, Avinash Deshmukh

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With rapid technology development in the fields of biomedical devices, aerospace, automobile, energy, semiconductors, biotechnology, electronics and communication, the use of micro parts and devices with micro-features has become indispensable. Micro-Electrical Discharge Machining (micro-EDM) because of its inherent characteristics is capable of fabrication of three-dimensional complex micro components and microstructures. However, due to difficulty in fully understanding of material removal mechanism, limited knowledge of process characteristics, lower material removal rate compared with other micromachining technique, the micro-EDM is only used in niche application. Therefore, in order to fully utilize the potential of micro-EDM, focused studies are needed to understand the …