Digital Commons Network^™

Preservation Ethics In The Case Of Nebraska's Nationally Registered Historic Properties, Darren Michael Adams

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the National Register of Historic Places and considers the geographical implications of valuing particular historic sites over others. Certain historical sites will either gain or lose desirability from one era to the next, this dissertation identifies and explains three unique preservation ethical eras, and it maps the sites which were selected during those eras. These eras are the Settlement Era (1966–1975), the Commercial Architecture Era (1976–1991), and the Progressive Planning Era (1992–2010). The findings show that transformations in the program included an early phase when state authorities listed historical resources pertaining to the settlement of the …

Examining The Interrater Reliability Of The Comprehensive Inventory Of Mental Health And Recovery And Rehabilitation Services (Cimhrrs), Robert W. Johnson

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation is one step in the continuing development, evaluation, and validation of the Comprehensive Inventory of Mental Health and Recovery and Rehabilitation Services (CIMHRRS). The CIMHRRS is an instrument to guide comprehensive assessment of programs that provide integrated services to people with serious mental illness (SMI).

The project described in this dissertation evaluated three key aspects of its performance in real world application: practical feasibility, internal consistency and reliability, and ability to distinguish between different programs. Investigators utilized a combination of principles and methods, associated with psychometric scale development, field methods, and program evaluation. Using a structured site review …

Awareness Of Daylighting On Student Learning In An Educational Facility, Alana S. Pulay

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This study examines how awareness of the interior architecture of a building, specifically daylighing, affects students academic performance. Extensive research has proven that the use of daylighting in a classroom can significantly enhance students’ academic success. The problem statement and purpose of this study is to determine if student awareness of daylighting in their learning environment affects academic performance compared to students with no knowledge of daylighting. Research and surveys in existing and newly constructed high schools were conducted to verify the results of this study. These design ideas and concepts could influence the architecture and design industry to advocate …

Grassland Governance And Common-Interest Communities, Anthony Schutz

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

In the United States, today’s ranches are engaging in small-scale nature-based endeavors to diversify their income base. But the geographic boundary of the land they own creates a relatively small area within which to operate, and fragmented ownership diminishes the ability of any single landowner to produce nature-based income. Collective action among nearby landowners can produce a set of resources from which all members of the group can profit. Such action can enhance the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of grasslands and the populations that use them. This article shows that common-interest communities can be used to provide and allocate …

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Volume 6, Number 2, July 2010

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

Pairing Educational Robotics With Geospatial Technologies In Informal Learning Environments, Bradley Barker, Neal Grandgenett, Gwen Nugent, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk

Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications

Educational robotics, when paired with geospatial technologies and taught in an informal educational environment, can be an innovative strategy to teach youth about science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) concepts. However, little is known about the true effects on conceptual knowledge and associated attitudes. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the shortterm effects of a series of five-day summer robotics/geospatial camps held in Nebraska. The study was conducted at six diverse locations and consisted of a five-day 4-H camp experience. The study examined the experiences of 147 youth between the ages of 10 and 15. A pretestposttest quasi-experimental design …

Wpa News 85 (2010), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2010), number 85

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Academic Success Of Homeschooled Students In A South Carolina Technical College, Jack N. Bagwell Jr.

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

In 2010, homeschooling was increasing in prevalence in the United States. Yet, little was known about the academic achievement of these students as they matriculated into colleges and universities. The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to examine the academic success achieved by the homeschooled population (N=273) and a sample of the traditionally educated students (N=273) who had enrolled in credit courses between the years of 2001 and 2008 at York Technical College, a comprehensive community college in South Carolina. In the quantitative phase of the study, academic success measures included COMPASS placement scores in writing, pre-algebra, …

Health And Growth: Causality Through Education, Rui Huang, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, E. Wesley Peterson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Purpose--The paper theoretically and empirically investigates the impact on human capital investment decisions and income growth of lowered life expectancy as a result of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Design/methodology/approach--The theoretical model is a three-period overlapping generations model where individuals go through three stages in their life, namely, young, adult and old. The model extends existing theoretical models by allowing the probability of premature death to differ for individuals at different life stage, and by allowing for stochastic technological advances. The empirical investigation focuses on the effect of HIV/AIDS on life expectancy and on the role of health on educational investments …

Marine Bioinvasions And Climate Change, James T. Carlton, Sandra C. Lindstrom, Celia M. Smith, Jennifer E. Smith

National Invasive Species Council

BACKGROUND

Invasive species are second only to habitat destruction as the greatest cause of species endangerment and global biodiversity loss. Invasive species can cause severe and permanent damage to the ecosystems they invade. Consequences of invasion include competition with or predation upon native species, hybridization, carrying or supporting harmful pathogens and parasites that may affect wildlife and human health, disturbing ecosystem function through alteration of food webs and nutrient recycling rates, acting as ecosystem engineers and altering habitat structure, and degradation of the aesthetic quality of our natural resources. In many cases we may not fully know the native animals …

Performance Of Mapping-Grade Gps Receivers In Southeastern Forest Conditions, Michael D. Ransom, James Rhynold, Pete Bettinger

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

This study represents an assessment of two recently-available GPS receiver configurations used in mature southern pine and hardwood forests in the Piedmont of Georgia. Six control points were visited ten times, with WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) enabled, and 50 position fixes were recorded during each visit to each control point. We found that horizontal position accuracy was on the order of 2 m when WAAS was enabled in those receivers and post-collection differential correction was not employed. This was significant in that the accuracy of the receivers evaluated was greater than recent studies suggested even without the use of …

Genetic Differentiation Between Western And Eastern (Eschrichtius Robustus) Gray Whale Populations Using Microsatellite Markers, Aimee R. Lang, David W. Weller, Richard G. Leduc, Alexander M. Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Within the North Pacific, gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are recognized as distinct eastern and western populations. Although both populations were severely reduced by whaling, the eastern population is generally considered to have recovered while the western population has remained highly depleted. Previous studies have documented genetic differentiation between the two populations on the basis of mtDNA haplotype frequencies. Since mtDNA represents only maternal inheritance patterns, the present study used bi-parentally inherited microsatellite markers (n=13) to measure differentiation between populations as well as to compare levels of nuclear genetic diversity retained in each. Mean levels of genetic diversity, as …

Comparing Observations Of Age At First Reproduction In Western Gray Whales To Estimates Of Age At Sexual Maturity In Eastern Gray Whales, Amanda L. Bradford, David W. Weller, Aimée R. Lang, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Alexander M. Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Age at first reproduction (AFR) is a basic component of age-structured whale assessment models, but direct estimates of this parameter do not exist for either the abundant eastern or critically endangered western population of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Instead, assessments of both populations have utilized either of two recognized estimates of eastern gray whale age at sexual maturity (ASM) that are adjusted by a year to account for fetal gestation. These ASM estimates are: 1) 9 years median, 6-12 years range, and 2) 6 years median, 5-9 years range, but there are biases and discrepancies associated with these …

An Annotated List Of The Centipedes (Chilopoda) In The National Collection Of Arachnids, Instituto De Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México, Fabio Germán Cupul-Magaña

Insecta Mundi

The National Collection of Arachnids, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (México City) houses 476 chilopod samples, of which 197 are determined to genus and/or species. These are documented here and represent several new state records. Topotypes of eight species of centipedes described by R. V. Chamberlin also documented.

Resumen. La Colección Nacional de Arácnidos, del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Ciudad de México), resguarda 476 muestras de quilópodos, de los que 197 están determinadas a nivel de género y/o especie. Algunas de estas muestras corresponden a nuevos registros estatales. Se documentan los …

The R Journal (June 2010) 2(1): Complete Issue, The R Foundation

The R Journal

Contributed Research Articles

IsoGene: An R Package for Analyzing Dose-response Studies in Microarray Experiments, Setia Pramana, Dan Lin, Philippe Haldermans, Ziv Shkedy, Tobias Verbeke, Hinrich Göhlmann, An De Bondt, Willem Talloen, and Luc Bijnens

MCMC for Generalized Linear Mixed Models with glmmBUGS, Patrick Brown and Lutong Zhou

Mapping and Measuring Country Shapes, Nils B. Weidmann and Kristian Skrede Gleditsch

tmvtnorm: A Package for the Truncated Multivariate Normal Distribution, Stefan Wilhelm and B. G. Manjunath

neuralnet: Training of Neural Networks, Frauke Günther and Stefan Fritsch

glmperm: A Permutation of Regressor Residuals Test for Inference in Generalized Linear Models, Wiebke Werft and …

An Examination Of Changes In Program Offerings And Program Enrollments In Selected Nebraska High Schools During The Era Of Standards-Based Reform, Kenneth E. Schroeder

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

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not there were changes in certain characteristics of educational programs in grades 9-12 Nebraska public high schools during the era of standards-based reform. This purpose was accomplished by testing for changes between the 1993-94 school year and the 2007-08 school year in the courses high schools offered and in the courses students took. The total program and each of ten designated subject areas that comprise the program were examined. Those ten designated subject areas were language arts, science, social science, mathematics, foreign language, vocational education, visual and performing arts, personal …

Aim - Austin Intermodal Transit Center, Nathan E. Bicak

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This project will propose a new intermodal/multimodal center for the city of Austin, Texas that will serve both transit needs as well as social functions. Through research and programming it will become evident what types of spaces are necessary to carry out the latter.

Austin is currently in the process of researching and engineering a mass transit system for its ever-growing transportation needs, specifically a light-rail system. In the late 1960s Austin’s population was roughly what Lincoln’s is today, about 250,000 people. The greater Austin area now totals more than two million people. Through the course of this growth, little …

A Ditch By Any Other Name Is Still A Ditch: An Archaeological Assessment Of Ditch Earthworks On The Middle Missouri In The Dakotas, Albert M. Lebeau

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

A Ditch by any other Names is Still a Ditch: An Archaeological Assessment of Ditch Earthworks on the Middle Missouri of South Dakota Albert M. LeBeau III, M.A. University of Nebraska , 2010 Advisor: Peter Bleed Abstract: This thesis is an archaeological assessment of ditch earth works on the Middle Missouri sub-area in North and South Dakota. This master’s thesis considers previously publically published materials from fifteen archaeological sites along the northern tier of Missouri River in the Dakotas. The paper questions the use of the terms “fortified” and “fortification” when describing ditch earthworks that surround some Plains Village archaeological …

Study Of Convergence In Nebraska Newspapers, Kathryn L. Schindler

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This thesis studies Nebraska newspapers and their efforts to converge with Web, multimedia, radio, or television entities. It also studies the efforts by Nebraska newspapers to converge reporter roles and organizational roles. Paper surveys were sent and in-person interviews were conducted in Nebraska during the 2009-2010 academic year. The results showed more examples of multimedia convergence than role or organizational convergence. Nebraska publishers and editors say they do not want to attempt convergence or multimedia products just to be trendy. They say convergence has to make sense, be useful, and be profitable for their individual businesses, staff, and communities.
Advisor: …

Vegetation Trends On A Waste Rock Repository Cap In The Northern Black Hills, Andrew C. Korth, Gary E. Larson, Lan Xu, Thomas E. Schumacher

The Prairie Naturalist

We assessed successional trends, long-term vegetation sustainability, and soil surface protection during the 2005-2007 growing seasons on the 32-ha Ruby Gulch Waste Rock Repository cap. The cap consisted of 150 cm of rock and soil covering a polyethylene membrane which in turn covered mining waste rock in order to prevent leaching of heavy metals and acidic water into streams. Following construction in 2003, a contractor applied a grass-forb seed mixture to provide soil-surface protection especially for steeply sloped portions of the cap. In 2005, we established 56, 1-m² plots, and 20, 20-m transects to annually measure canopy cover, basal …

Fire Effects On Wildlife In Tallgrass Prairie, Maria Gaetani, Kayla Cook, Sherry Leis

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

In the tallgrass prairie region of North America, grasslands are often burned on a rotational schedule to prevent the encroachment of woody species and maintain the vigor of plant communities. Although prescribed fire practitioners often consider the effects of fire on plant communities, the effects of fire on wildlife are also important. Practitioners as well as park visitors inquire about the effects of fire on birds, deer, and other animals of interest. Many wildlife species focus on vegetation structure in choosing suitable habitats, and fire can temporarily alter that structure. Wildlife species have varying habitat needs, and therefore, a …

An Examination Of Core Course Admission Deficiencies And Their Impact On Six-Year Graduation Rates For Transfer Students At The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, David S. Belieu

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the six-year graduation rate of transfer students who enter the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a deficiency in a core course admission requirement. The study explored the odds of a transfer student graduating in a six-year period if he/she were admitted with a deficiency. Specifically, the study examined graduation rates for transfer students who entered UNL with a core course deficiency in mathematics and foreign language. The study also examined graduated transfer students admitted with one or more core course deficiencies GPAs versus graduated transfer students who were admitted without a deficiency. After …

Child Kinship Care: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of Social Support, Resources, And Health Issues Of Nebraska Child Kinship Caregivers, Toni L. Hill

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between both the social support and resources of child kinship caregivers and the caregivers’ health. An exploratory sequential three phase mixed methods design was used. Phase I encompassed a single case study of a Nebraska program serving largely grandparents raising grandchildren. Phase II consisted of multiple individual caregiver case studies, and Phase III consisted of a survey of all caregivers affiliated with the program. Qualitative findings from the first two phases yielded similar caregiver information regarding social support and resources issues. Differing information was received regarding health issues. Quantitative analysis …

Variations In Winter Surface High Pressure In The Northern Hemisphere And Climatological Impacts Of Diminishing Arctic Sea Ice, Kristen D. Fox

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

This study explores the role Arctic sea ice plays in determining mean sea level pressure and 1000 hPa temperatures during Northern Hemisphere winters while focusing on an extended period of October to March. This is accomplished by investigating two regions of the same size and comparable climatic zones and elevations in the Northern Hemisphere. A breakdown of 29 years of reanalysis data into average monthly values, anomalies, trends, and comparisons between regions serves as current data to compare with a computer model control run. Ensuring the control run accurately models current atmospheric patterns, altering the model inputs to have no …

"If A Passage Could Be Found": The Power Of Myth (And Money) In North American Exploration, Brenden Rensink

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The popular lore of North American exploration and westward expansion has oft been woven with themes of heroic bravery, divine providence and Manifest Destiny. These tales indeed relate portions of actual history, but also offer insight into the self-perception and culture of the societies perpetuating them. As larger-than-life figures braved the "unknown" in the name of nation or creed, the motives behind their ventures often were not so singular. The ever-driving force of economic gain stood as a foundation for most expeditions. Simultaneously justifying the current expedition and providing support for future endeavors, explorers interested in self-preservation placed a premium …

Home On The Plains: An Examination Of Place At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Through Chipped Stone Tool Analysis, Cynthia J. Wiley

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Recent archaeological research in High Plains archaeology focuses on aspects of landscape and identifying areas that likely registered as “places” in the minds of past peoples. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Sioux County, Nebraska is located in an area wealthy in multi-component sites and a rich research history. Yet so many of the features common at neighboring sites are missing from this area. Based on what Agate Fossil Beds National Monument lacks, researchers refer to this area as transitional, merely a crossroads between places.

However, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument contains multiple desirable resources such as a perennial water …

In The Most Friendly & Conciliatory Manner: A Proposed Final Version Of The Treaty Of Fort Laramie With Sioux, Etc., 1851, Charles D. Bernholz, Brian Pytlik Zillig

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

The Treaty of Fort Laramie with Sioux, etc., 1851 was one of the most important contracts formed between the federal government and the Indian tribes of the Great Plains. It served as more than just a continuation of federal Indian policy, initiated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Rather, it was an attempt to protect those involved in the ever-increasing American expansion into the West by eliminating intertribal animosities and by setting rigid territorial boundaries for the tribes. Unfortunately, this critical document was never published in a correct final state. A Web site …

A General-Purpose Parallel Raster Processing Programming Library Test Application Using A Geographic Cellular Automata Model, Qingfeng Guan, Keith C. Clarke

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

A general-purpose parallel Raster Processing programming Library (pRPL) was developed and applied to speed up a commonly used Cellular Automaton model with known tractability limitations. The library is suitable for use by geographic information scientists with basic programming skills, but who lack knowledge and experience of parallel computing and programming. pRPL is a general-purpose programming library that provides generic support for raster processing, including local-scope, neighborhood-scope, regional-scope, and global-scope algorithms as long as they are parallelizable. The library also supports multi-layer algorithms. Besides the standard data domain decomposition methods, pRPL provides a spatially-adaptive quad-tree-based decomposition to produce more evenly distributed …

Hanseatic Cogs And Baltic Trade: Interrelations Between Trade Technology And Ecology, Jillian R. Smith

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The Hanseatic League was the major commercial power in northern Europe from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries. During this time, it grew to encompass the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas and maintained economic influence over key areas on the European continent. From the inception of the Hanseatic League until the midfifteenth century, one ship type dominated the inland and overseas trade: the Cog. Cog design remained fairly constant throughout the period in spite of the great geographical variation present within the Hanseatic League. Cogs became increasingly larger throughout the period, requiring a greater amount of oak timber …

Sneak Peek: The Urbanatomy Shanghai World Expo Guide 2010

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

When the Shanghai World Expo officially opens on Saturday, visitors will have to negotiate the largest fairground ever constructed, spanning 1305 acres on both sides of the Huangpu River. Such an expedition requires not just a map, but a guide – and the Urbanatomy team has stepped in to provide one. Hitting shelves at Carrefour and City Shop stores in Shanghai this week, the Urbanatomy Shanghai World Expo Guide 2010 includes maps of the Expo site, in addition to discussions of World’s Fair history and background on Shanghai. Below, two excerpts from the guide’s introduction, written by Nick Land.

Expo …