Digital Commons Network^™

Protectionism Indices For Non-Tariff Measures: An Application To Maximum Residue Levels, Yuan Li, John C. Beghin

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

We propose aggregation indices of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) to quantify their protectionism relative to international standards. We apply the indices to national Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) regulations affecting agricultural and food trade and using a science-based criteria embodied in Codex Alimentarius international standards. The approach links two streams of the NTM literature, one concerned with the aggregation of various NTMs into operational indices for econometric and modeling purposes, and the other attempting to evaluate the protectionism of NTMs. The data used in the application come from a large international dataset on veterinary and pesticide MRLs and CODEX MRL standards for …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Well-Being And Church Life: 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results: A Research Report, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Philip Schwadel

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Nebraska’s unemployment rate has been one of the lowest in the nation in recent years. The agricultural economy has also been strong with record levels of farm income in 2011. Given the challenges and uncertainties of recent years, how do rural Nebraskans believe they are doing and how do they view their future? Have these views changed over the past seventeen years? How satisfied are they with various items that influence their well-being? Most rural Nebraskans have also reported high satisfaction levels with their religion/spirituality in previous polls. How often do they attend church? How do they view their church? …

Safety Improvements At Highway-Railroad Crossing For Pedestrians And Bicyclists And The Assessment Of Long-Term Effects Of Centerline Curbing, Aemal Khattak, Zheng Luo

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

North Central Region Soil Survey Conference Field Tour

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Rust Belt Rhizome, Kathryn L. Hier

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The Detroit phenomenon is happening at smaller scales in dozens of cities across the Rustbelt as a result of industrial decline, suburban growth, and increased poverty levels. This disjuncture in the urban fabric is manifested as a rich figure-ground of two opposing forces: city and “un-city”. The “un-city” is a complex and dynamic collection of foreclosed homes, vacant lots, unoccupied property, condemned buildings, and unused infrastructure that pervades the viable urban systems of the city. The presence of scattered emptiness takes observable socio-economic tolls in the form of increased crime, decreased property values, loss of community, and perceived isolation.

This …

Acuta Enews April 2012 Vol. 41, No. 4

ACUTA Newsletters

In this issue...

1 Dan McCarriar Is Appointed Director-at-Large

2 The Year in Review

3 Standards, Best Practices Coming for UC Cloud Interoperability

4 What's on Your Desk Today?

5 lnfo Links

6 Cognitive Load Management: Navigating the Coming Data Flood

6 Add Names from Your Campus

7 E911 Challenges

7 Committee Corner

8 Member Benefit of the Month: Volunteer Opportunities

9 Board Report

10 Welcome New Members

10 Check It Out

Evaluation Of Nebraska’S Problem-Solving Courts, The Public Policy Center

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

From March 2010 through December 2011, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center conducted an evaluation of Nebraska’s problem solving courts. Main findings include the following:

• Nebraska’s problem solving courts are effectively operated, following the ten key components for drug courts, thereby reducing crime and addiction and improving the lives of participants
• Graduation rates for Nebraska drug courts match or exceed national drug court rates
• Costs for Nebraska programs are comparable to costs for drug courts across the country
• Nebraska drug court programs are cost efficient, saving between $2,609,235 and $9,722,920 in tax dollars per year
• Problem solving courts in …

True Integrated Weed Management, Stephen L. Young

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Using the simplest of definitions, integrated weed management has been described as “putting components [of weed control] together, not taking them apart.” Yet, weed science has stopped at the “field edge” in assembling the components into a truly integrated approach. What is keeping weed scientists from developing real integrated weed control regardless of space and time? The answer to this question lies with our colleagues in the engineering and computer science fields, who have made significant advances in developing automated machinery for real-time detection and control of weeds in cropping systems. By using the latest technologies that can quickly identify …

Effects Of Geometric Design Features On Truck Crashes On Limited-Access Highways, Sundanda Dissanayake Ph.D., P.E., Niranga Amarasingha M.S.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Freight can be transported between most points in the country quite efficiently using trucks. However, involvement of large trucks in crashes can cause much damage and serious injuries, due to their large sizes and heavy weights. Large truck crashes occurring on limited-access highways may be more severe than crashes occurring on other roadways due to high speed limits, and traffic- and geometric-related characteristics. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationships between large truck crash probability, and traffic and geometric characteristics. Crash data from 2005 to 2010 were obtained from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), which included …

Investigation Of Factors Associated With Truck Crash Severity In Nebraska, Aemal Khattak, Zheng Luo M.S, Mia Gao

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The severity of truck crashes is a concern in the state of Nebraska. This study was undertaken to investigate factors associated with truck crash severity. A two-year dataset obtained from the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) was analyzed to determine those factors. Results indicated that the involvement of alcohol was associated with more severe injuries in truck crashes on Nebraska highways. Crashes involving farm equipment were more injurious than other truck crashes. Dawn and dusk were critical periods associated with more severe truck crashes. Further, the absence of medians contributed to truck crash severity. Crashes on adverse pavement conditions such …

Whistleblowers And The Obama Presidency: The National Security Dilemma, Richard Moberly

Nebraska College of Law: Faculty Publications

This Article explores President Obama's seemingly contradictory approach to whistle blowers and the distinction he appears to draw between whistleblowing about governmental misconduct generally, which he supports, and whistleblowing in the national security context, which he appears to disdain. Part II of the Article describes the numerous moves Obama made to improve whistle blower protection through his Presidential appointments and his support of improved antiretaliation statutory measures. Additionally, this Part contrasts that support with Obama's seemingly antagonistic approach to whistleblowing about national security. At least two questions arise from drawing this distinction between national security whistleblowing and other types of …

Reducing Courts’ Failure-To-Appear Rate By Written Reminders, Brian H. Bornstein, Alan J. Tomkins, Elizabeth M. Neeley, Mitchel N. Herian, Joseph A. Hamm

Alan Tomkins Publications

This article examines the effectiveness of using different kinds of written reminders to reduce misdemeanor defendants’ failure-to-appear (FTA) rates. A subset of defendants was surveyed after their scheduled court date to assess their perceptions of procedural justice and trust and confidence in the courts. Reminders reduced FTA overall, and more substantive reminders (e.g., with information on the negative consequences of FTA) were more effective than a simple reminder. FTA varied depending on several offense and offender characteristics, such as geographic location (urban vs. rural), type of offense, and number of offenses. The reminders were somewhat more effective for Whites and …

Natural Resources In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Use And Priorities: 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Many rural Nebraskans say they already recycle a lot and face no barriers. However, many rural Nebraskans cite lack of programs and difficulty getting materials to drop-off sites as barriers to recycling. Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to say their community doesn’t offer recycling. However, most rural Nebraskans say their community offers either curbside pickup or drop-off recycling for all of the materials listed with the exception of glass bottles.

Most rural Nebraskans are in favor of building the Keystone XL pipeline, but think it should be …

Development Of A Methodology For Assessment Of Crash Costs At Highway- Rail Grade Crossings In Nebraska, Aemal Khattak, Eric Thompson

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

An accurate measure of crash costs is required to support effective decision-making about transportation investments. In particular, underinvestment will occur if measurement fails to capture the full cost of crashes. Such mis-measurement and underinvestment may be occurring in the case of crashes at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). HRGC crash costs can be substantial because of the severity of crashes. However, another important potential cost is the disruption to the transportation and logistics system. Existing methodologies capture the first set of costs but often fail to fully capture the second set. This research provides a standardized methodology for assessing the expected …

Safety Improvements At Highway-Railroad Crossing For Pedestrians And Bicyclists And The Assessment Of Long- Term Effects Of Centerline Curbing, Aemal Khattak, Zheng Luo

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The focus of the research reported herein was on assessing the long-term effectiveness of median barriers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs), the impacts of barrier maintenance in resurrecting safety, and on exploring and assessing ways to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety at HRGCs. Nebraska has about 7,000 HRGCs and each one represents a potential conflict point among trains and highway users, i.e., motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Safety at HRGCs is compromised when highway users resort to unsafe maneuvers, such as passing around closed gates when trains are approaching. Gate-related violations by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists were studied at three selected …

Use Of Fiber Bragg Grating (Fbg) Sensors For Performing Automated Bridge Pier Structural Damage Detection And Scour Monitoring, A.N. Thanos Papnicolaou Ph.D., Achilleas Tsakiris

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors able to detect impacts with different frequencies on a bridge pier. The FBG technology was evaluated under controlled conditions in a laboratory flume set-up to mimic the flow, sediment, and design characteristics of a pier structure. The system was calibrated using site-specific properties to relate strain to a known magnitude force for different bridge pier designs, different scour depths, and structural impacts. The FBGs proved a reliable measure of strain and displacement for key components of bridge structures, such as piers, during varying flow …

Affecting Risk: Improving Hazard Communication In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Melissa Wright Dr., Destiny Aman

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Wildfire hazard is a growing problem in many areas of the United States, especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and other structures border or intermingle with forests, shrubs and grasslands. Despite years of educational outreach by fire management officials promoting effective and affordable mitigation strategies, research shows that residents, especially seasonal residents and those new to an area, still tend to under-invest in mitigation, even when they perceive their risk to be high. Meanwhile, the social and economic costs of wildfire have increased with fire size and intensity and far exceed the costs of mitigation. This problem has …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Well-Being And Church Life: 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Philip Schwadel

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are positive about their current situation. And, they continue to be generally positive about their future situation. Over one-half (51%) of rural Nebraskans think they are better off than they were five years ago and just under one-half (45%) think they will be better off ten years from now. Certain groups remain pessimistic about their situation. Persons with lower household incomes, older persons, and persons with lower educational levels are the groups most likely to be pessimistic about the present and the future.

When asked if they believe people are powerless to control their own lives, most …

Acuta Journal Of Telecommunications In Higher Education

ACUTA Journal

This Issue

The Changing Skill Set for lT/Telecom

Titles and Responsibilities Are Evolving

Campus Connectivity: Building Next-Generation Networks

Sha-Na-Na-Na...Get a Job!

The New Face of lT: More Smiles than Frowns

Reinvent Your lT Frontline Capabilities

President's Message

From the CEO

Q&A with the CIO

Business And Wealth Transfer In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Odee Ingersoll, Shawn Kaskie

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Includes

Executive Summary

Introduction

Businesses in the Community

Expected Number of Businesses in Local Community Five Years from Now by Community Size

Most Likely Outcome when Business Owner Leaves or Retires in Community

Business Exits and Transitions

Concern with Business Exits

Concern that Business Closings will Affect Ability to Get Needed Things by Occupation

Views of Community Strategies for Business Exits

Community Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Includes

Executive Summary

Trends in Community Ratings, 1996-2012

Community Change, 1996-2012

Expected Destination of Those Planning to Move: 1998-2012

Proportions of Respondents Very or Somewhat Satisfied with Each Service, 1997-2012

The Community and Its Attributes in 2012

Perceptions of Community Change by Community Size

Expected Community Change in Ten Years by Community Size

Satisfaction with Cellular Phone Service by Community Size

Difficulty or Ease of Leaving Community

Ease or Difficulty of Leaving Community by Length of Residence in Community

Feelings of Community Powerlessness by Community Size

Local Community Involvement Activities, 2002 and 2012

Distance from Goods and Services

Distance from …

Judges And Wrongful Convictions

Court Review: Journal of the American Judges Association

132 Judges and Wrongful Convictions.

Increasing Court-Appearance Rates And Other Benefits Of Live-Caller Telephone Court-Date Reminders: The Jefferson County, Colorado, Fta Pilot Project And Resulting Court Date Notification Program, Timothy R. Schnacke, Michael R. Jones, Dorian M. Wilderman

Court Review: Journal of the American Judges Association

It is likely during our first jobs in the justice system when we realize the adjective “important” is a somewhat relative term as it relates to the issues that we face. Far from what we learned in college or law school—and further still from the topics typically reported in the media—often the most important issues we face will be found in the most common of cases. There is a saying in city government that the public’s idea of how well you are doing your job is only as good as how well you administer the water bills. That is because …

An Experiment In The Law: Studying A Technique To Reduce Failure To Appear In Court, Alan Tomkins, Brian H. Bornstein, Mitchel Norman Herian, David I. Rosenbaum, Elizabeth Neeley

Court Review: Journal of the American Judges Association

It would be ideal if we knew the best ways to structure the judicial system, the best processes to use to ensure fairness for litigants, and the best incentives to ensure compliance with the law. Unfortunately, as all of us who work in or with the system and those of us who study such issues well know, we do not. So what should we do?

As social scientists trained to examine the judiciary and judicial processes from the perspectives of economics, law, political science, psychology, and sociology, we suggest that systematic experimentation should be used whenever feasible and warranted to …

Punitive Juvenile Justice And Public Trials By Jury: Sixth Amendment Applications In A Post-Mckeiver World, Martin R. Gardner

Nebraska Law Review

This Article argues that the continued homage to McKeiver in an era of punitive juvenile justice is the misguided result of judicial inattention to the distinction between punitive and rehabilitative dispositions. In Part II, I clarify this distinction and demonstrate why understanding it is essential to a sound analysis of whether jury determinations and public proceedings are constitutionally required in delinquency adjudications. I show that the concepts of rehabilitation and punishment are distinct and, for purposes of constitutional analysis, mutually exclusive. From this discussion I derive a conceptual framework, which I apply in Part IV to analyze several cases. These …

Ncuwm Talk Abstracts 2012

Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Cable Median Barrier Failure Analysis And Prevention, Dean L. Sicking, Cody S. Stolle

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Cross-median crashes have been identified as one of the highest injury or fatality risk crash types. Although crossmedian crashes account for only 2% to 5% of all median crash events, they are disproportionately represented in the number and frequency of fatalities on interstate roadways. Many states have utilized cable median barriers to reduce the risk of cross-median crashes, frequently with great success. However, cable median barriers are also fixed obstacles to errant vehicles. Cable median barriers can place occupants at increased risk of severe injury or fatality if the barrier fails to adequately contain and redirect errant vehicles, resulting in …

Project Risk And Appeals In U.S. Forest Service Planning, Marc J. Stern, S. Andrew Predmore, Wayde C. Morse, David N. Seesholtz

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires U.S. Forest Service planning processes to be conducted by interdisciplinary teams of resource specialists to analyze and disclose the likely environmental impacts of proposed natural resource management actions on Forest Service lands. Multiple challenges associated with these processes have been a source of frustration for the agency. One of these challenges involves administrative appeals through which public entities can challenge a Forest Service decision following a NEPA process. These appeals instigate an internal review process and can result in an affirmation of the Forest Service decision, a reversal of that decision, or additional …

Persistence Of Mycobacterium Bovis Bacillus Calmette– Guerin (Bcg) Danish In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Vaccinated With A Lipid-Formulated Oral Vaccine, M. V. Palmer, T. C. Thacker, W. R. Waters, S. Robbe-Austerman, F. E. Aldwell

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in animals, has a broad host range, including humans. Historically, public health concerns prompted programs to eradicate tuberculosis from cattle in many nations. Eradication efforts decreased the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis; nevertheless, some countries encountered significant obstacles, not least of which was a wildlife reservoir of M. bovis. Efforts to decrease the size of the affected wildlife populations have neither eliminated disease nor eliminated transmission to cattle. Consequently, the use of a vaccine for wildlife is being explored. The vaccine most studied is M. bovis BCG, an attenuated live vaccine, first …

Applications Of Cognitive Radio Networks, Jordi Perez-Romero, Linda Doyle, Mehmet C. Vuran

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

The term cognitive radio (CR), originally coined in the late 1990s, envisaged a radio that is aware of its operational environment so that it can dynamically and autonomously adjust its radio-operating parameters to accordingly adapt to the different situations. Cognition is achieved through the so-called cognitive cycle, consisting of the observation of the environment, the orientation and planning that leads to making appropriate decisions in accordance with specific operation goals, and finally, the execution of these decisions (e.g., access to the appropriate channel). Decisions can be reinforced by learning procedures based on the past observations and the corresponding results of …