Digital Commons Network^™

Recovery And Characterization Of Moraxella Species From Bovine Specimens, Laura G. Leger

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The family Moraxellaceae is made up of a diverse group of 24 named species that fall into three phylogenetic groups. While most Moraxella spp. act as commensal respiratory and/or ocular flora of mammals, some are associated with disease. One of these diseases, infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), has significant welfare and economic impacts to both cattle and cattle producers. Moraxella bovis is the only experimentally determined cause of IBK, however, an association of Moraxella bovoculi with disease has been proposed. Currently, available vaccines do not have high levels of efficacy in the field. Culture based methods are the gold standard for …

Ethical Decision-Making Processes In Authentic Environmental Engineering Contexts Through Systems Thinking And Team Collaboration Lenses: An Embedded Single Case Study, Toluwalase Eniola Brower

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

Ethical and professional responsibility is a critical learning outcome emphasized in ABET accreditation. However, ethics instruction in engineering education often lacks integration of system-level considerations such as economic, environmental, and societal contexts, that are essential for developing engineering solutions that ensure the safety and welfare of diverse stakeholders. This embedded single-case study investigated the integration of authentic ethics instruction within a junior-level environmental engineering course at a Midwestern U.S. university during spring 2025 and explores how civil engineering student teams within the course engage in ethical decision-making process during authentic problem-solving.

The instructional intervention consisted of four problem-based ethics modules, …

In-Field Tractor Operational Load Profile Generation In Support Of Advanced Tractor Testing In Mixedmode Power, Andrew Donesky

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

This dissertation addresses the need to better characterize real-world tractor power requirements across drawbar, power take-off (PTO), and hydraulic modes to support more representative tractor testing. Conventional testing protocols, such as OECD Code 2, emphasize steady-state performance under controlled high-load conditions, which do not reflect the mixed and dynamic demands of modern field operations. To address this gap, a Tractor Instrumentation System (TIS) was developed, validated, and deployed to collect high-resolution, mixed-mode power data during planting, anhydrous ammonia application, and grain cart operations. The TIS integrates physical sensors, including custom load pins, hydraulic pressure/flow sensors, and a redesigned PTO torque …

Rapid State-Of-Health Estimation Of Batteries Using Machine Learning With Limited Eearly-Discharge Voltage Data, Mohammad Bakhtiari

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The utilization of lithium-ion batteries has been rapidly expanding across diverse sectors, including electric transportation, stationary energy storage systems, and the built environment. Ensuring a high level of reliability in these applications is essential, as the performance and safety of such systems depend strongly on the accurate assessment of the battery’s State of Health (SOH). Conventional SOH estimation techniques—often based on complex electrochemical models or extensive laboratory testing—tend to require a large number of measurements, advanced instrumentation, and high computational cost. These factors make them impractical for large-scale deployment or real-time monitoring. This study introduces a simplified machine-learning-based approach for …

A Strategic Audit Of Live Nation Entertainment: Industry Position, Competitive Dynamics, And Long-Term Growth Outlook, William H. Wooden Iv, Owen B. Crone, Reece L. Flores, Grace A. Schaefer, Eric M. Jacob, Sydney A. Beck

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Live Nation Entertainment is the dominant global leader in the concert and live events industry, supported by a vertically integrated model that spans artist management, concert promotion, venue operations, ticketing, and sponsorship. This strategic audit evaluates Live Nation’s internal strengths, external threats, competitive position, corporate governance, and long-term strategic prospects based on comprehensive analysis of company reports, industry dynamics, and market trends. Live Nation benefits from unmatched scale, global venue ownership, exclusive artist relationships, and the substantial network effects generated by Ticketmaster, which collectively create high barriers to entry and sustained competitive advantage. The audit also examines significant challenges such …

Evaluation Of Ramp Instead Of Forage During Grain Adaptation And Different Sorghum Varieties On Enteric Methane Production From Cattle, Jack T. Fort

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of RAMP (Cargill Corn Milling, Blair, Nebraska) compared with traditional forage-based adaptations on methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, performance, and carcass characteristics. Experiment 1, 64 yearling British × Continental steers (initial BW = 423 ± 6 kg) were adapted using 100% RAMP (RAMP) or a traditional forage diet (CON; 43% forage) before transitioning 22 d to a common finishing diet containing 65.6% steam-flaked corn. Emissions were measured in paired replications using a two-chamber indirect calorimetry barn. During adaptation RAMP did not affect CH₄ production (g/d; …

Integrating Innovative Sensing And Ground Measurements For Forage Mass Estimation In Rye Pasture, Pedro Henrique Jota Fernandes

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The United States beef industry relies on forages to provide up to 80% of total lifetime dry matter intake, making accurate forage mass estimation essential for determining stocking rates, improving grazing efficiency, and supporting economic sustainability. Traditional methods to quantify forage mass, however, are time-consuming and labor-intensive. This thesis presents research efforts to achieve accurate forage mass estimation in cereal rye pasture by integrating novel sensing technologies.

Chapter 1 reviews the importance and evolution of forage mass estimation methods, from destructive clipping to indirect approaches based on canopy measurements. It then introduces remote sensing, from proximal tools to drone- and …

Investigation Of Changes In Exotic Bird Serum Vitamin D Levels Between Indoor And Outdoor Housing, Alexander J. Marley

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is directly related to sunlight and is involved in multiple physiological processes including calcium metabolism, feather quality, and chick development. Most vertebrate species are capable of both absorption of exogenous vitamin D and internal synthesis of vitamin D, with vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), being more accessible and bioactive in bird species. In exotic bird species, dietary requirements for vitamin D3 are largely unknown, and the ability to maintain adequate serum concentrations of vitamin D3 metabolites without direct sunlight exposure also requires evaluation. Concerns arise in situations where individuals may be housed indoors for extended …

Communication And Privacy Management Between Female Veterans, Their Military Voluntary Kin, And Biolegal Family Members, Carol Lee Tschampl-Diesing

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

Military voluntary kin (MVK) refer to relationships between Service members and/or Veterans that they consider to be “like family,” despite lacking blood or legal ties. The purpose of this qualitative/interpretive communication study was to explore how female Veterans, who are the largest growing population of U.S. Veterans, discursively construct MVK relationships, navigate communication, privacy management, and boundary turbulence with their MVK and biolegal families (BLF). The researcher undertook in-depth interviews with nine female U.S. Veterans who reported having at least one MVK. The researcher posed four research questions, engaging in an interpretive analysis.

Participants described three ways they navigated interactions …

Occurrence Of Per And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In Rural Wastewater Treatment Plants And Comparison To Large Treatments Plants, Madeleine Rauhauser

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

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of compounds defined by their carbon – fluorine bonds, which are incredibly strong. The strength of this bond makes these compounds very useful industrially, they are used as waterproof and grease proof coatings, and as fire retardants. The same thing that makes them useful industrially makes them incredibly recalcitrant in the environment, it is difficult to destroy these compounds. PFAS are also suspected to cause health impacts in people, such as kidney cancer and low birth weights. Wastewater has been commonly identified as a contributor to the amount of PFAS in the …

Detecting Prescribed Fire, Haying And Grazing Events Via Remote Sensing To Create Grassland Disturbance Landcovers For The Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus Colchicus), Megan Amy Baldissara

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

This dissertation developed disturbance detection models to fulfill the need for remote sensing landcover products describing grassland structure. The use of landcover products derived from remote sensing is increasing over time in pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) research. Such landcover, however, does not provide relevant pheasant structural habitat information (Chapter 1). Pheasants require tall, high-density grassland for nesting, tall grassland with medium density for brood rearing, and tall grassland for wintering. Time since disturbance can serve as a proxy for structure, as it shapes vegetation by removing biomass and resetting succession. Disturbance is easier to detect than structure with current …

Securing Connected And Autonomous Vehicles, Owana Marzia Moushi

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

A vehicular network is susceptible to various security flaws and attacks. Cryptographic techniques are used in vehicular networks but these alone cannot provide proper security to the network. Identifying various types of attacks is necessary to secure vehicular communication networks. In this dissertation, we focused on detecting various insider attacks in vehicular networks to enhance the security of the network.

Our first contribution in this dissertation is the detection of both binary and multi-class data replay and data replay Sybil attacks in vehicular networks. A publicly available dataset, VeReMi-Extension is used to detect these attacks. This dataset has been reformulated …

Exploring Transformative Learning Experiences In Engineering Doctoral And Post-Doctoral Education: Developing Non-Technical Competencies For Early-Career Academic Roles, Ibukunoluwa Eunice Salami

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

This dissertation explores the transformative learning experiences that early-career engineering faculty recounted from their doctoral and postdoctoral training and how these experiences shaped the development of non-technical competencies essential for academic success. Grounded in Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) and the Competency-Based Professional Development Framework (CBPDF), the study examines how reflection and shifts in frames of reference supported competency growth and faculty readiness. A qualitative holistic single-case study design was employed. Data sources included semi-structured interviews with early-career engineering faculty and program learning objectives drawn from graduate handbooks. Data analysis was both deductive and inductive guided by Mezirow’s ten phases …

Effect Of Planting Date, Insecticide Efficacy, And Hail Injury On Soybean Gall Midge (Resseliella Maxima Gagné) Infestation In Soybean, Natasha Hiromi Umezu

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

Resseliella maxima Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a recently described and economically significant pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the Midwestern United States. Since its identification in 2019, this species has become widespread and is now associated with substantial yield losses in parts of the region. Prior to its formal description, orange larvae were observed in soybean associated with plants damaged by hail, suggesting that plant injury may influence infestation. Given the pest’s economic importance, understanding the role of hail injury and developing effective, integrated management strategies are critical for mitigating its impact.

Field studies were conducted to …

Determination Of Steroid Hormones And ⍺-Zeranol In Beef Products In East Tennessee, W. Colby Huffman, S. Ellie Jaynes, Nathan C. Duncan, D. Andrew Crain

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Hormone growth implants are commonly used in cattle to increase growth and there is some concern that these implants may result in altered hormone concentrations in the beef from implanted cattle. This study aims to (1) develop a simple, standard, cost-effective method to measure hormones in beef and (2) compare hormones in meat from cattle not exposed to growth implants (negative controls), cattle exposed to growth implants (positive controls), and from a commercial retail store. Extraction and measurement using LCMS/MS was successful in detecting 17b-estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and a-zeranol in meat, with a trend to lower concentrations in meat not …

Examining Microbial Biomass And Soil Organic Carbon In Annual Vs. Perennial Agricultural Ecosystem Soils, Paige Kenyon, Jacob Rutz, Kelsey S. Bitting

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Soil systems have the ability to store large amounts of carbon for both short and long periods of time, much like other carbon pools such as oceans and forests. As increased amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere via anthropogenic means, including the agricultural industry, scientists have been researching how to increase the amount of carbon cycled from the atmosphere and into soils as a climate change mitigation strategy. Soil systems have the capacity to sequester carbon in part due to fungal and bacterial community activity. Differences in soil microbial biomass levels between annual and perennial agricultural systems …

Interview With Orca Award Winner James Van Etten, Unl Plant Pathology; Discoverer Of Giant Viruses, Mark Griep, James Van Etten

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Dr. James Van Etten was awarded the UNL Outstanding Research and Creative Activities Award in 1992. He was born in Virginia but grew up Peoria, Illinois. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Carleton College in 1960. Carleton is a well-regarded liberal arts institution in Northfield, Minn., about 400 miles from Peoria. Next, Jim earned a master’s and doctorate at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, both in plant pathology. For his postdoctoral work in 1965 and 1966, he did postdoctoral work in the Department of Genetics …

Keurig Dr Pepper Strategic Audit, Huy Le, Ethan Zen, Sierra Perkins, Jack Hudson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

We analyze Keurig Dr Pepper's current strategic position following its acquisition of JDE Peat's. We determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within its market share and make recommendations for future business ventures and strategic positioning.

Truth Comes Before Reconciliation: An Exercise In American Truth-Telling, Hannah Fidler

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Roots In South Omaha: Navigating Identity, Culture, And Justice, Natalia Lopez

Nebraska Journal on Advancing Justice

No abstract provided.

Parenting Under Constraint: How Histories Of Abuse And Sexual Violence Shape Mothers' Caregiving In A Homeless Shelter, Kiera P. Irvin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Background: Mothers experiencing homelessness often carry extensive trauma histories, yet little work examines how abuse and sexual violence shape day-to-day parenting inside communal shelter settings. This study explored how trauma histories intersect with shelter structures to influence caregiving and feelings surrounding parenting among homeless mothers.

Method: Using a qualitative design, four mothers (ages 30–51) residing in a large Midwestern homeless shelter completed approximately 30-minute, semi-structured interviews in a private room onsite. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with inductive reflexive thematic analysis in Dedoose.

Results: Three interrelated themes were identified. (1) Parenting Under Constraint, in which communal living, limited …

Nebline, November/December 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Contents

Nebraska Extension celebrates 25 years of nutrition school enrichment kits

Recipe of the month: Fruit & yogurt parfait

Celebrating the season with American persimmon by Rachel Anderson

Love gardening? Become a master gardener by Mary Jane Frogge

Extension master gardener volunteer spotlight: Carol Rustad

Garden guide: Things to do this month by Mary Jane Frogge

Choosing child care: What parents should know by Jaci Foged

Commercial/noncommercial pesticide license

Little black bugs, big bite by Kait Chapman [about pirate bugs]

What you need to know about having a well drilled by Becky Schuerman

2026 nebraska custom rates survey by Glennis …

Flea News 96 (November 2025), R. L. Bossard

Flea News

Flea News is a twice-yearly newsletter about fleas (Siphonaptera). Before including in publications any of the citations given here, please review for accuracy and correct formatting. Many of our sources are abstracting journals and current literature sources, and editors have not necessarily checked citations.

Announcements

Obituary: Lane Douglas Foil (June 16, 1949 - June 22, 2025)

Siphonaptera Literature (2025): Taxonomy, Conservation, Hosts and Distributions, Physiology and Morphology, Evolution, Ecology, Pathology and Control, Microbial Symbionts

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter Newsletter, Issue #68 November 2025

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

President's message, Deb VanOverbeke
Membership Information
2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Award Nomination Solicitation
2025 Teaching Award nomination solicitation
2025 Research Award nomination solicitation
2025 Extension Award nomination solicitation
2025 Award of Merit nomination solicitation
Gamma Sigma Delta Committees 2025
Annual Dues Notice
Membership Info and Dues
Student Award Fund solicitation
In Memoriam: Wayne W. Oberg (September 8, 1948 - February 21, 2025); Robert M. "Bob" Scriven (June 26, 1936 - August 29, 2025)
Pledge and Honor Cords
Save the Date: Initiation and Awards Reception

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, November 2025

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, November 2025

Message from the ERA President Pam Edwards

Welcome to new members

Give to the ERA scholarship fund

Wake up to well-being

Book review, The Intentional Life

Medicare open enrollment

Announcements and notices

Upcoming programming

Programming recap

Connecting through recipes

Memory moments

Comparative Analysis Of Citrate Synthase Activity In Skeletal Muscle, Liver, And Adipose Tissue In Beef Cattle, Abigail Webb

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Mitochondrial efficiency plays a central role in determining how cattle partition nutrients toward muscle growth or adipose deposition, yet little is known about tissue-specific differences in mitochondrial density among tissues or among beef cattle. This study aimed to quantify mitochondrial density in muscle, liver, and adipose tissue samples from beef cattle and evaluate its potential relationship with metabolic efficiency. Tissue samples of semitendinosus muscle (ST), liver, and subcutaneous adipose (SC) were collected, homogenized, and analyzed for citrate synthase (CS) activity using a fluorometric assay as a proxy for mitochondrial density. Preliminary analyses revealed that the semitendinosus muscle displayed the highest …

Characterization Of Sediment Loads And Size Distribution In Nebraska Roadway Runoff, Pavel Shrestha

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

The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) must manage sediment and pollutant loads from roadway runoff to meet stormwater regulations for discharges into impaired waters. The SAFL Baffle, a hydrodynamic separator used by NDOT, depends on accurate estimates of total suspended solids (TSS) and particle size distribution (PSD). However, existing studies show large variability in these characteristics, limiting their relevance to Nebraska roadways.

This study monitored stormwater runoff for 1.5 years at four NDOT-maintained sites—two in Lincoln and two in Beatrice—that received runoff from areas outside the roadway right-of-way. The SAFL Baffle was evaluated using the SHSAM (Sizing Hydrodynamic Separators and …

The Big Bang Theory’S Blurred (Tele)Vision Of Scientific Ethics: Some Thoughts For Educators Who Want To Change The Channel, Lee-Anne Broadhead, Sean J. Howard

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This article investigates the way the popular American television program The Big Bang Theory represents the pursuit of scientific knowledge and reflects on the cultural and educational implications of the show’s contradictory problematization and valorization of the reductionist method at the core of modern Eurocentric science. Drawing on story-lines relating to military research, animal experimentation, and pharmaceutical drug trials, we consider the show’s precarious balance of implicit critique (the consistent exposé of systematically violent, often unethical research) and overt celebration (the presentation of science as “cool,” and its practitioners as flawed but endearing). This tension, we argue, enhances the show’s …

The Batiandi Li Family, Xifu

Zea E-Books Collection

The novel tells the story of six generations of the Li family over the course of nearly a century and a half, a legendary saga. The protagonists of the Li family in various historical stages of the book are searching for their own identity and the position of the family on the road of life. Sometimes they seize opportunities and create temporary brilliance for the benefit and glory of the family, while at other times they submit to fate and follow the tide of history, content to live ordinary lives like common people.

In 1832 the second brother of the …

Nebline, October 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Contents

4-H super fair helps youth become beyond ready

What's popping? by Natalie Sehi

Recipes of the month, by Kayla Colgrove: Fish bait snack mix, kicked up popcorn, and cinnamon crunch snack mix

Are your trees for the next storm? by Rachel Anderson

Garden guide: Things to do this month by Mary Jane Frogge

GRO Big Red virtual learning series

Composting demonstration

Promoting language development in young children by Hayley Jackson

Tip sheet for harvest 2025 by John Nelson

Rogers Memorial Day farm field day, September 2025

Heart of 4-H volunteer award: Rachel Wells

Join 4-H to become beyond ready …