Digital Commons Network^™

Interview With Orca Award Winner Reuben Rieke, Unl Chemistry; Discoverer Of Rieke Metals, Mark Griep, Reuben Rieke

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Emeritus Prof. Reuben Rieke was awarded the ORCA in 1995. Reuben was born in Fairfax, Minnesota. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he traveled 100 miles east to The University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor’s in chemistry. Next, he earned a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and did postdoctoral work at the University of California Los Angeles. In 1977, after about 11 years as a faculty member in the chemistry department at the University of North Carolina, he joined UNL as a full professor of chemistry. I’ll share two remarkable facts …

Effect Of Feed Access Time On Feedlot Cattle Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Feeding Behavior And Ruminal Ph, Carsten L. Loseke, Rebecca L. Mcdermott, Josh R. Benton, Keara O'Reilly, Galen E. C. Erickson, Jim C. Macdonald

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

Bunk management is crucial for modern feedlots, and understanding the ideal time to target a slick bunk is important. A feedlot study compared the effect of providing finishing cattle with 12, 15, 18, 21, or 24 hours of access to feed on performance, carcass characteristics, feeding behavior, and ruminal pH. As access time to feed increased, feed intake and day-to-day variation of feed intake increased linearly, while gain and feed conversion were unchanged. Cattle with greater access time to feed spent more time per day at the bunk, and consumed feed more slowly. A cubic effect on …

Development Of A Shelf-Stable Proxy For Camera-Based Beef Grading Systems, Anna G. Hilton, Jessie C. Morrill

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

The American Meat Science Association's USDA Grading Committee recently expressed the need for a proxy device to verify that various camera grading systems produce consistent readings. To fulfill this need, we developed a proxy device made from 3D printed epoxy resin and other materials. The proxy was designed to have a known fat thickness and ribeye area. The proxy has a ribeye area of approximately 14 square inches and a fat thickness that ranges from 0.4 - 0.6 inches depending on the exact measurement location. The amount of marbling in the proxy can be adjusted incrementally and …

Prediction Of Intramuscular Fat Content Of Beef Longissimus Muscle, Kyra L. Elliott, Willy J. Horne, Bucky L. Gwartney, Jessie C. Morrill

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

In this study, we report the percentage of extractable intramuscular fat that is associated with beef longissimus muscle from a range of USDA marbling scores. The marbling scores were determined by two beef grading camera systems. We also assessed the utility of an open-source imaging software (ImageJ) for objectively quantifying the percentage of intramuscular fat, represented by pixels, in digital images of beef longissimus muscle.

Touchdown: Upholding Precedent For Proper Venue In United States V. Lozoya, Mikayla Gross

Nebraska Law Review

“The friendly skies are not always so friendly.” This Note supports the Ninth Circuit’s en banc opinion in United States v. Lozoya, which determined that the landing district is the proper venue for prosecuting in-flight crime. The Ninth Circuit’s en banc ruling overturned the requirement to prosecute in-flight crimes in flyover districts, which created practical and evidentiary burdens for the prosecution and defense. The establishment of the landing district as the proper venue for in-flight crime prosecution promotes practical adjudication, justice for victims, constitutionally sound trials for defendants, uniformity for inflight prosecution, and encompasses Congress’s intent when enacting 18 U.S.C. …

Principle Over Pedigree: United States V. Rahimi, Post-Ratification History, And The Case For Justice Barrett’S Approach, Joel Myers

Nebraska Law Review

Four years ago, the Supreme Court revolutionized Second Amendment law in New York Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen by instituting a test concentrated on text, history, and tradition. To uphold a firearm regulation, the government must demonstrate a relevantly similar historical analogue. Shortly after, the Court affirmed but clarified its position in United States v. Rahimi by performing the Bruen analysis at a higher level of generality and rejecting a challenge to 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8). The Court’s evolving Second Amendment jurisprudence offers fertile ground for the Court’s originalists to elucidate their perception of constitutional interpretation. In Rahimi, Justice …

Restorative Justice Behind Bars: Evidence Supporting A Post-Adjudication Brief Intervention, Dennis E. Mcchargue Ph.D., Ashley Votruba, Casey N. Tisdale, Sarah M. Noone

Nebraska Law Review

This Article details a post-adjudication restorative justice intervention implemented in Nebraska during the 1990s. This Article summarizes research findings from samples of individuals in prison and on probation, demonstrating meaningful reductions in recidivism and harm. This brief restorative justice intervention is low-cost, group-based, and uses surrogate victim impact statements as opposed to victim-offender mediation. This intervention offers a realistic template for statutory and policy reform in jurisdictions that cannot implement more resource-intensive restorative models.

Last Glacial Maximum And Late Glacial Aeolian Sand Activity, South-Central Indiana, Usa, H. M. Loope, J. L. Antinao, P.R. Hanson, P. M. Jacobs, D. A. Grimley

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Critical Shear Strength Of Soils In Nebraska Based On Revised Cpt, Chung R. Song, Bashar Al-Nimri, Basil Abu Al Sha'r, Dhurba R. Pandey, Jongwan Eun, Seunghee Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study evaluated the “Fully Softened Shear Strength (FSSS)” of soils in Nebraska based on a revised Cone Penetration Test(CPT) method. FSSS is a unique strength condition that soils show substantially reduced strength during rainy seasons, eventually causing failure of slopes and other structures.

The revised CPT was adapted to inject water at targeted depths, inducing controlled moisture infiltration and capturing real-time soil softening over designated intervals of 30, 60, or 90 minutes. Through tip resistance (qc) and sleeve friction (fs) measurements under “in-situ” and “wet” conditions, the test effectively identified fully disturbed/low strength zones around the sleeve. Simultaneous sampling …

Development And Evaluation Of Crashworthy Approach Guardrail Transition With Increased Span Length Between Concrete Bridge Rail And First Transition Post – Phase I, Tewodros Yosef, Qusai Alomari, Ronald K. Faller, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott Rosenbaugh

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study developed and evaluated a 34-in.-tall Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) thrie-beam approach guardrail transition (AGT) with an increased span between the concrete buttress end and the first transition post. The objective was to accommodate a wide range of common obstructions near bridge ends, including abutments, wing walls, drainage features, and utilities. A survey of NDOT districts identified critical obstruction geometries and informed design criteria. Most NDOT districts indicated that a maximum span of about 4 ft would be sufficient, and some preferred spans up to 6 ft. To accommodate a wider range of obstructions, the first transition post …

Assessment Of Truck Parking Demand And Safety During Normal And Severe Weather Conditions In Nebraska, Nathan Huynh, Li Zhao, Zhenghong Tang, Aida Riahifar, Jahangeer Jahangeer

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This project examined truck parking capacity, demand, and utilization patterns along I-80 in Nebraska. The objectives were to (1) document the capacity of public and private truck parking facilities along I-80, (2) analyze spatial and temporal trends in parking demand, (3) develop models to predict occupancy at parking facilities, (4) identify clusters of undesignated parking during inclement weather, and (5) assess whether truck parking shortages contribute to truck-involved crashes. Within a one-mile buffer of I-80, 21 public facilities and 49 private facilities were identified. The spatiotemporal analysis of these public and private truck parking facilities using the National Agriculture Imagery …

Chapter 4: The Grid Patterns In The Vestments And Headdresses Of Female Statuary From The Classic Period Cultures Of Central Veracruz, Chantal D. Huckert

Precious Pattern: The Dotted-Diamond Motif in Indigenous American Textiles, Explorations in Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the Andes

This chapter focuses on grid designs appearing on female clothing in Late Postclassic Nahua sources, in Maya sources, and on the Late Classic figurines of Central Veracruz. This study examines cross-hatched lattice patterns based on repetitions of rhombus and quincunx motifs associated with the sentient Mesoamerican Earth complex. The attached catalog presents a clear reference to these motifs and their variants, while the rest of the chapter is divided into two sections and addresses the general cross-hatched lattice pattern and the associated motifs. The first section discusses the all-over grid design, dotted or not, on the clothing of Mexican highland …

Effects Of Particle Size Difference In Two Different Sweet Bran Products On Total Tract Digestibility And Rumen Ph, Emily K. Hoefling, Anna Kobza, Jessica L. Miller, Maggie E. Youngers, Galen E. Erickson, Jim C. Macdonald

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

Seven ruminally fistulated heifers were utilized in a 6 x 7 row-column design to evaluate two different Sweet Bran particle size products (1.8 or 2.5 mm) included at 13%, 18%, or 23% of the diet (DM) on total tract digestibility and rumen fermentation parameters. The treatment design was a 2 x 3 factorial. Rumen pH was reduced and organic matter digestibility tended to be reduced with the small particle size when Sweet Bran was included at 13% of the diet. Both NDF digestibility and dietary digestible energy concentration tended to improve with the larger particle size. The …

Use Of Virtual Fences To Co-Fence Two Groups Of Cattle With Adjacent Virtual Boundaries, Thomas E. Aquino, Mary E. Drewnoski, Biquan Zhao, Pedro Henrique Jota Fernandes, Isaque F. Vicci, Mitchell B. Stephenson, Yijie Xiong

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Summary with Implications

While virtual fencing (VF) has proven effective in managing cattle, limited data exist on using it to manage two separate groups of cattle within the same area. If successful, this approach could reduce infrastructure costs and increase management flexibility. In this trial, VF-trained steers (n = 39) were placed in pastures with either no neighboring cattle (isolated) or next to a separate group with only a VF boundary between them (co-fenced). Containment exceeded 99% across all cattle, demonstrating that VF creates effective boundaries regardless of fence treatment. There was no statistical difference in the number of audio …

Court Review: Journal Of The American Judges Association, Vol. 62, No. 1, Eve M. Brank, David J. Dreyer, Reba Ann Page, Ana Cienfuegos-Silvera

Court Review: Journal of the American Judges Association

Contents

Creating “Buy-in” for Juvenile Restorative Justice Programs: Lessons from Nebraska’s Community Mediation Centers, Kristen M. Blankley, Lisa M. PytlikZillig, and Ashley M. Votruba

Consensus and Conflict Over Context: Select Criminal Law and Procedure Cases from the Supreme Court’s 2024-25 Term, Eve Brensike Primus and Elena Schultz

In the Shadow of Trauma: Opportunities and Obstacles of Restorative Justice with Young People Who Offend, William R. Wood

Restorative Transitional Justice: The Judicial Role in Colombia’s Peace Tribunal, Gabriel Rojas-Andrade

Editor’s Note: Restorative Justoce: Repairing Harm, Rebuilding Community, Eve Brank

Thoughts from Canada: Restorative Justice Through Prohibition on Arrest, Wayne K. Gorman …

Sae For All: Curriculum Guide, Emily Carpenter

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is a critical component of agricultural education, designed to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. The SAE for All model ensures that every student participates in meaningful experiential learning tailored to their interests and career goals. By integrating SAE into the curriculum, students develop technical skills, career readiness competencies, and an understanding of real-world agricultural applications. This guide includes a teaching plan and a comprehensive set of assignments.

Unsettling The West: Migration Routes And Homesteading Through Oral Histories, Sidney Wickham

Nebraska Anthropologist

Westward expansion in the nineteenth-century United States has long been framed through settler-centered historical narratives that emphasize progress and national development. This article employs oral history as an ethnographic method to examine migration routes and homesteading experiences in Nebraska and the broader Midwest, foregrounding how memory, storytelling, and lived experience function as cultural practices. Drawing on interviews with descendants of homesteaders, community members, and museum professionals, alongside diaries, newspapers, and archival materials, this study analyzes how migration was remembered, narrated, and transmitted across generations. Rather than treating overland trails and homesteads as singular pathways of movement, this research situates them …

Conveyor System For Portable Industrial Robot (Astorino), Preston R. Pinkelman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This Project focused on the design and development of a portable conveyor system intended to integrate with the Astorino educational robot used by Kawasaki Motors. The goal of the system was to create an interactive demonstration capable of showcasing fundamental manufacturing processes involving robotic automation. The system was designed to transport aluminum pucks along a conveyor belt, allowing the robot to detect, pick, and reposition in a controlled sequence.

The design process involved mechanical, electrical, and programming considerations. A modular frame using 80/20 extruded aluminum was selected to ensure structural integrity while maintaining portability. Multiple iterations of rollers, brackets, and …

Nebraska Test 2305: Claas Arion 660, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2308: John Deere 9r 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx090001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2304: Claas Arion 630, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2310: John Deere 9rx 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx828001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2309: John Deere 9rt 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx929001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Hydroponics In The Classroom: Cultivating Plants, Captivating Young People, Stacy A. Adams, Christian Stephenson, Theresa James, Kim Todd

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Few students take the initiative to pursue coursework beyond that required for progression to graduation. Limited are opportunities that connect educational content to industry application, potentially inspiring young people towards impactful careers. The United States government has emphasized the importance of STEM education to ensure national security and to maintain economic competitiveness globally. STEM education is not a defined discipline but an approach for building knowledge through application and engagement. Developing and managing a hydroponics prototype provides numerous opportunities for embedding STEM content into a fun and interactive project. This poster provides inspiration for constructing a simple deep water culture …

Dataset: The Impact Of External Resource Use On The Validity Of Score Interpretation For A Biology Concept Assessment Administered Out-Of-Class, Tiffany J. Burgess, Crystal Uminski, Gia Alicea, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use concept assessments to gauge student knowledge and guide course improvement. Many instructors experience time and logistical constraints around administering these assessments in class. For this reason, administering concept assessments outside of class can help increase feasibility. While previous studies have cautioned that the use of external resources (e.g., internet, course notes, peers) in the out-of-class setting may inflate assessment scores, the extent to which undergraduate students access various resources when completing concept assessments is unknown. The current study uses two survey question formats to better understand whether students engage with external resources when taking a biology concept assessment …

Dataset: Participation Versus Points: Examining The Impact Of Grading Conditions On Student Resource Use During An Out-Of-Class Biology Concept Assessment, Tiffany J. Burgess, Crystal Uminski, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use concept assessments to collect diagnostic information regarding student learning and to inform decisions surrounding instructional interventions and course modifications. Administering concept assessments out-of-class helps preserve already limited instructional time, but instructors still must consider whether to apply a lower-stakes (i.e., participation) versus higher-stakes (i.e., correctness) grading scheme. An increase in stakes is likely to prompt additional effort, but it may also increase undesired behaviors and inadvertently prompt external resource use, such as students leveraging their notes, the internet, or their peers. In the present study, we compared student self-reported resource use on a biology concept assessment administered under …

Deep Learning Framework For Sow Posture Classification From Depth Images: Comparison With Data Transformation Techniques, Models, And Cross-Validation, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Suzanne M. Leonard, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Piglet preweaning mortality (PWM) in the United States averages ≈14–15%, with sow overlaying causing about one third proportion of these losses. This research aimed to develop and evaluate deep learning models to classify six sow postures using depth images to monitor behaviors linked to overlaying risk. Top-down depth images were captured with Kinect V2^® cameras at 10 frames min^-1 for five consecutive days (2 days before to 2 days after farrowing), yielding 26,506 training images from 18 sows, 17,901 testing images from 12 sows, and 4,697 additional images from three sows in diagonal stalls for external validation. Three …

Design Considerations For Development Of A Youth Advisory Board, Michelle I. Graef, Penny Putnam Collins

Center on Children, Families, and the Law (and Related Organizations): Publications

This guide provides an overview of youth advisory board (YAB) design components. The guide is organized around key design components, with examples from States across the country to illustrate different approaches. A range of examples are provided that highlight diverse and instructive models of the various ways YABs have been structured. Each section describes approaches that states have used in practice, offering jurisdictions a menu of options to consider when developing or strengthening their own YABs. Descriptive information about state YABs was gathered through interviews conducted with state YAB administrators and contractors from 8 states, conducted from October–December 2024. Examples …

Bridging The Gap: Predictors Of Alignment Of Parent And Caseworker Perceptions Of Engagement, Jianchao Lai, Michelle I. Graef

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

This study examined predictors of alignment between parents’ and caseworkers’ perceptions of family engagement in child welfare services. Using data from 2,274 Alternative Response (AR)–eligible families randomized to AR or Traditional Response, engagement was assessed across the domains of Receptivity, Buy-in, Worker-family Relationship, and Mistrust using a modified Yatchmenoff (2005) scale. Multinomial logistic regression models identified factors associated with agreement and discrepancy between ratings of family engagement within the parent and worker dyad. While both parents and workers valued engagement, workers were more likely to provide higher overall engagement ratings, although the direction of discrepancy varied across specific subscales. Greater …

Course Portfolio For A New Course On Data Analysis And Visualization In Animal Research, Jessie C. Morrill

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This course portfolio describes the design and development of a new course focused on data analysis and visualization in animal research at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The course was developed to meet the needs of students enrolled in Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy graduate programs in the Department of Animal Science as well as those in the Master of Applied Science in Beef Cattle Production program. The new course was taught on an exploratory basis in Fall 2024 and Fall 2025; the perspectives of both students and the instructor are contained within this portfolio. The reflections …