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Three Additions To The False Click Beetle (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Eucnemidae) Fauna In The Nearctic Region, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Three species of false click beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) are added to the Nearctic fauna. One new species, Isorhipis bicolor, is described from a small series collected in Florida, U.S.A. Eighteen specimens collected from Georgia were identified as Dyscharachthis amplicollis (Fleutiaux), new U.S.A. records for a species previously taken from Japan and Southeast Asia. Examination of a series of eucnemids collected by Kyle Schnepp in Florida allowed me to revisit the Deltometopus fauna in eastern North America. Antennal structures present in a series of male specimens in the loan and past examined specimens are definitive enough to resurrect Deltometopus …

First Record Of The Beekeeping Pest Aethina Tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) For Honduras, Jesus Orozco

Insecta Mundi

Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) (also known as the small hive beetle), an important pest in apiaries, is reported from Honduras for the first time, new country record. The precise distribution in the country is unknown, and no damage related to it has been observed. Photographs are provided to aid in its identification. Differentiation of A. tumida from Aethina villosa Reitter and Aethina quadrata Sharp, which also occur in Honduras, is provided.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAF12C6A-0F8C-4151-9C4D-F191CCC4032F

Seeing Is Believing: Religious Views, Perceptions Of Pollution, And Environmental Attitudes, Katelynn (Sage) Shadoan

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the intersection of religious beliefs, perceptions of pollution, and environmental attitudes among Americans. Drawing upon Lynn White's seminal argument regarding Christian theology and its implications for environmental stewardship, this research investigates the role of biblical literalism in shaping environmental attitudes, particularly among conservative Christians. Using nationally representative survey data and logistic regression models, the study examines how the perceptions of pollution moderate the effects of views of the Bible on environmental concern. The findings reveal that while perceived pollution exposure is strongly associated with environmental attitudes, it does not moderate the association between biblical literalism and environmental …

Nelnet, Inc. Strategic Audit, Jeanette Glover

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Nelnet, Inc. is a. As of 2024, Nelnet as a United States-based conglomerate operates through five divisions including: Nelnet Diversified Solutions, Nelnet Business Services, Nelnet Financial Services, Nelnet Communications Services, and Nelnet Energy Services. Under the Nelnet Diversified Solutions umbrella are: Nelnet Consumer Services, Nelnet Technology Services, Nelnet Business Process Outsourcing, Nelnet Renewable Energy, Nelnet Government Services, ScholarNet, and Nelnet Federal Loan Services. This strategic audit report will mainly focus on Nelnet’s strategy primarily through the business segments of Nelnet Financial Services and Nelnet Diversified Solutions’ service business Nelnet Federal Loan Services within the student loan industry to analyze its …

Star-Based Reachability Analysis Of Binary Neural Networks On Continuous Input, Mykhailo Ivashchenko

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have become a popular instrument for solving various real-world problems. DNNs’ sophisticated structure allows them to learn complex representations and features. However, architecture specifics and floating-point number usage result in increased computational operations complexity. For this reason, a more lightweight type of neural networks is widely used when it comes to edge devices, such as microcomputers or microcontrollers – Binary Neural Networks (BNNs). Like other DNNs, BNNs are vulnerable to adversarial attacks; even a small perturbation to the input set may lead to an errant output. Unfortunately, only a few approaches have been proposed for verifying …

Identification Of Compounds That Cause Axonal Dieback Without Cytotoxicity In Dorsal Root Ganglia Explants And Intervertebral Disc Cells With Potential To Treat Pain Via Denervation, Fei San Lee, Uyen N. Nguyen, Eliza J. Munns, Rebecca A. Wachs

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, and cancer patients suffer from chronic pain. Aberrant nerve growth into intervertebral disc, knee, and tumors, are common pathologies that lead to these chronic pain conditions. Axonal dieback induced by capsaicin (Caps) denervation has been FDA-approved to treat painful neuropathies and knee osteoarthritis but with shortterm efficacy and discomfort. Herein, we propose to evaluate pyridoxine (Pyr), vincristine sulfate (Vcr) and ionomycin (Imy) as axonal dieback compounds for denervation with potential to alleviate pain. Previous literature suggests Pyr, Vcr, and Imy can cause undesired axonal degeneration, but no previous work has evaluated axonal dieback and cytotoxicity …

A Little Loud And A Little Alone: A Phenomenology Of Leadership Identity Construction Among Women In Higher Education Technology, Amy Barry

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

This qualitative study is an exploration of how women in higher education information technology (IT) positions navigate constructing their leadership identities. This includes the messy, personal, internal identity work that occurs prior to claiming their leadership identities on the public stage, followed by an examination of what the experience of attempting to claim and negotiate a leadership identity is like in the social context of their organizations. This educational and sociological study employs an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach with a series of three interviews per participant that allowed the researcher to deeply explore the personal identity experiences of participants. Findings …

Impact Of Pollution On Marginalized Communities: Case Study Of Omaha, Nebraska, Miqaela Davis

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Environmental justice has been a struggle within our country for years. The goal of Environmental justice is for the fair treatment and equal voice for every single individual regardless of race, income, gender, etc. There has been environmental injustice and racism in many cities, but this study focuses on Omaha, Nebraska. Key questions include: What are some specific pollutants that are prevalent in areas with differing racial majorities in Omaha? What are some of the health patterns in these areas and does it relate to environmental racism? How has Omaha reinforced environmental racism through city planning? Using the Climate and …

Framing Wildlife Conservation: Exploring Political Bias In States' Wildlife Action Plans, Ciara Nelson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Climate change affects regions of the United States differently due to factors such as the country's diverse physical landscapes, political environments, and population distributions. This variation leads to varying impacts on humans, wildlife, and ecosystems, with anthropogenic climate change—acknowledging humans as a significant contributor—being a point of contention, especially among some prominent politicians. The relationship between political party affiliation and climate change acknowledgment is evident, with recent political discourse highlighting differing views on the severity of climate change. This political framing influences how environmental policies are perceived and accepted, with the choice of language and framing playing a crucial role …

Opportunities For Urban Resilience To Climate Change: Understanding Local Climate Perceptions, Motivations, And Barriers To Green Infrastructure Use, Emmilene Berski

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global climate change poses a substantial threat to cities in the United States, particularly through increases in flooding and extreme heat. Cities must adapt to these threats to preserve their residents’ livelihoods and prevent economic loss. One adaptation strategy is the implementation of green infrastructure (GI). The opportunity for GI to foster urban resilience to climate change necessitates a deeper understanding of the extent to which cities utilize GI as a strategy for local climate change adaptation as well as perceptions and motivations surrounding the use of GI at a local level. I sought to address this need through a …

Design Of Small-Scale Milk Processing Facility, Luke Bond, Robert Stenzel, Ry Steffen, John Van Nieuwenhuyse, Rossana Villa-Rojas, Terry Howell Jr., Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Forrest Kievit

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Masters Project Reports

This project was intended to investigate the feasibility of a proposed modular dairy processing facility collocated with a small dairy on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Innovation Campus. Priority was placed upon cost savings for equipment to be used in processing. Process flow diagrams, floor plans, production schedules, risk assessments, and plans for wastewater treatment were all developed to address the needs of the plant should it be built. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to evaluate the timeline for breaking even financially, resulting in the potential for a payback period of 4.5 years. The 4.5-year payback period was based on …

Eco-Anxiety Effects College Students, Alexa Edmundson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A survey was conducted on the UNL student population to evaluate whether college students, 18-25 year olds who are currently attending an accredited post-secondary school, are experiencing eco-anxiety and if eco-anxiety affects their pro-environmental behaviors. Climate change is taking a toll not only physically on us but also mentally. The mental health of people, especially college students, is not often studied in relation to climate change, but if we are to understand how to create change in this issue then we need to be looking at the whole picture. The hypothesis is that if college students are experiencing eco-anxiety, then …

Charging Forward: A Comparative Analysis Of Facilitators To Electric Vehicle Adoption In Three U.S. States, Abigail Schroeder

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, but low consumer adoption rates present a challenge. In order to understand what factors may facilitate EV adoption, a comparative analysis of three U.S. states was performed. These states have the highest rates of EV adoption in the country. Thus, studying them provided insights into what may make EV adoption successful. California, Hawaii, and Washington are the states with the highest EV adoption rates. Based on previous research, a list of 12 characteristics that may influence EV adoption was compiled and applied to each state, focusing on …

Educational Influences On Environmental Perception: A Semester Analysis Of The New Ecological Paradigm Scale In Undergraduates, Zoe Zingler

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study evaluated the impact of a geography course, GEOG 181: Global Environmental Issues, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on students’ endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) using a pre-course and post-course NEP scale survey. Analyzing paired responses (n = 40) through t-tests and z-scores, only four of 15 statements had statistically significant shifts observed for the entire sample. However, a targeted analysis of students initially possessing lower endorsement of the NEP—early deniers—revealed significant paradigm shifts post-course. While women initially showed stronger NEP endorsement, men demonstrated notable changes following the course towards endorsement of the NEP. Academic majors, whether …

International Women Graduate Students: Transition To Public Research Universities In The Midwest, Tran Thanh Truc Nguyen

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

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the experiences of international women graduate students (IWGSs) in transitioning to public research universities in the Midwest. The study utilized Schlossberg’s transition theory (Anderson et al., 2012) to gain insights into the perceptions of six participants during their college transition process. Based on the analysis of data collected through in-depth phenomenological interviews with each participant, three themes emerged that described the challenges faced by the participants during their transition. These themes were: solitary voyage, a dilemma of self-reliance and reliance, and a vicious cycle of limited time and financial constraints. Through the three themes, the …

Asteroidal Sets And Dominating Targets In Graphs, Oleksiy Al-Saadi

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The focus of this PhD thesis is on various distance and domination properties in graphs. In particular, we prove strong results about the interactions between asteroidal sets and dominating targets. Our results add to or extend a plethora of results on these properties within the literature. We define the class of strict dominating pair graphs and show structural and algorithmic properties of this class. Notably, we prove that such graphs have diameter 3, 4, or contain an asteroidal quadruple. Then, we design an algorithm to to efficiently recognize chordal hereditary dominating pair graphs. We provide new results that describe the …

Bidding Strategy For A Wind Power Producer In Us Energy And Reserve Markets, Anne Stratman

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

Wind power is one of the world's fastest-growing renewable energy resources and has expanded quickly within the US electric grid. Currently, wind power producers (WPPs) may sell energy products in US markets but are not allowed to sell reserve products, due to the uncertain and intermittent nature of wind power. However, as wind’s share of the power supply grows, it may eventually be necessary for WPPs to contribute to system-wide reserves. This paper proposes a stochastic optimization model to determine the optimal offer strategy for a WPP that participates in the day-ahead and real-time energy and spinning reserve markets. The …

Development Of A Multi-Use Modular Microfluidic Platform Using 3d Printing, Carson Emeigh

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technology has driven numerous innovations due to their ability to perform laboratory-scale experiments on a single chip using microchannels. Although LoC technology has been innovative, it still suffers from limitations related to its fabrication and design flexibility. Typical LoC fabrication, with photolithography, is time consuming, expensive, and inflexible. To overcome the limitations of LoC devices, modular microfluidic platforms have been developed where multiple microfluidic modules, each with a specific function or group of functions, can be combined on a single platform. Modular microfluidics have overcome some of the limitations of LoC devices, but currently, their fabrication is …

Nebline, May 2024

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Weed Control in Pastures and Hayfields by John Nelson

Navigating Nutrition Information: Separating Fact from Fiction by Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the Month: Pepper Steak Sandwich by Alyssa Havlovic

Care for New Bedding Plants by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Cash Rent Survey

No Matter Where You Live, Submit a Request Before You Dig! by Becky Schuerman

4-H Achievement Celebration

8 Lancaster County 4-H’ers Modeled Their Sewn Garments at Omaha Fashion Week

4-H Events Open to All Youth

Support 4-H by Eating Out, May 1 & 2

Support 4-H During “Give to Lincoln Day,” May 30 …

Towards Sustainable Development: Civic Architecture As Material Banks, Kathleen O'Gara

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis posed the question, “How can buildings be designed to be disassembled and reused to reduce construction and demolition waste and reduce our unsustainable reliance on raw materials?” Designing for disassembly and reuse has the potential to dramatically increase the life of building materials, thus decreasing construction and demolition waste relating to architecture. When designing with deconstruction and reuse in mind, designers must consider the next life of these materials. The thesis was further narrowed to push the adaptability of these materials by designing a structural kit of parts. The structure system is often seen as a stable and …

Reclaiming Tremé: A Design Research Thesis, Tori Dunston

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

Reclaiming Tremé explores the potential for design to support the well-being of the oldest African American neighborhood divided by urban highway projects in the US. This comprehensive thesis that seeks to improve the well-being the neighborhood using precedents, historical context, and the quantifiable architectural goals of WELL v2, to present a design solution for Tremé. Through understanding the current communities needs and having historical context of the area, the design strategy focuses on creating a vibrant cultural core that enhances the community's well-being. By integrating new structures and amenities, preserving cultural heritage, and enhancing physical and social infrastructure, the project …

On-Farm Nitrogen And Irrigation Management Strategies To Protect Groundwater Quality In The Bazile Groundwater Management Area, Arshdeep Singh

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increasing groundwater nitrate (NO₃-N) contamination has raised significant environmental and health concerns in the irrigated sandy soils of Nebraska. Four studies were conducted to evaluate the impact the impact of 1) static (NE Yield Goal) vs. dynamic nitrogen (N) recommendations tools (Maize-N, Canopy Reflectance Sensing, Granular, and Adapt-N), 2) three N (optimum, suboptimum, and low) and irrigation rates (farmer’s full irrigation (FIT), 80% FIT, and 60% FIT), 3) conventional N sources vs. enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs), and 4) multiple N splits (2, 3, 4, and 5-N splits) on agronomic (maize yield), environmental (NO3-N leaching), and economic returns (return …

In-Field Optimization Of Soil Water Parameters For Irrigation Scheduling, Ishani Lal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Several precision technologies are being developed to assist farmers in informed irrigation decision-making. These technologies aim to enhance irrigation water efficiency, check overirrigation, boost crop water productivity, and promote the sustainable utilization of water resources. We hypothesize that soil moisture parameters used in irrigation decision tools need to be validated to best represent the correct state of soil moisture in the field. This is an important factor that affects the accuracy of the irrigation recommendations forecasted by the decision support tools. In this research, we evaluated different methods of estimating field capacity (FC) and wilting point (WP) to optimize soil …

Establishment Of Wildflower Islands To Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, And Aesthetics, Jackson Ebbers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Roadsides provide an abundant opportunity to increase connectivity of fragmented landscapes with diminishing floral resources for pollinating insects. The ecological value of these sites is often overlooked as quality habitat for pollinators, particularly monarch butterflies, which have been experiencing severe declines due to loss of habitat and loss of milkweeds that provide food for their larvae. Land managers across the nation are realizing the potential of roadsides to provide high quality floral resources for the benefit of insects and other wildlife. Current wildflower seed mixes used by state transportation departments are often low diversity and may only be implemented following …

Using Annual Forages To Replace Declining Cool-Season Grass Pasture Availability, Jonathon Matthew Jenkins

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As land area in grain crop production increases in the US Midwest, perennial pasture availability decreases but the demand increases. Matching the seasonal growth patterns of C₃ and C₄ plant species to grow forages that are complementary allows producers to fill production gaps in otherwise monoculture systems and possibly increase overall productivity. One way to fill the forage production gap of C₃ grass dominated pastures is by producing a warm-season, annual forage in a separate field. However, with continual reductions in land availability, this may not be an option. Using two studies, our objectives were to improve …

Paying To Reduce Disparity: Financially Incentivizing Workforce Diversity And Its Effects On Managers’ Promotion Decisions And Employees’ Effort, Bret S. Sheeley

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Disparities in employee representation persist in higher-level organizational positions despite recent attention to workforce diversity and its associated benefits. In response, companies have begun integrating diversity initiatives with varying degrees of specificity (hereafter, “initiative specificity”) into their managers’ compensation packages to increase underrepresented employees’ representation in higher-level organizational positions. This study uses an experiment to examine how offering managers financial incentives to accomplish diversity initiatives (hereafter, “diversity incentives”) and initiative specificity interact to influence managers’ promotion decisions and employees’ effort choices in a promotion setting.

The results suggest that as underrepresented employees’ pre-promotion efforts increase relative to overrepresented employees’ efforts, …

Public Horticulture: Process And Design Of The Lincoln Botanical Garden, Brad Kindler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Beginning in 2012, the local non-profit, The Lincoln Botanical Garden, began organizing the conceptual design and creation of a glass conservatory within a botanical garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. These proposed urban enhancements seek to fill a gap in garden amenities in the city by providing year-round access to public horticulture programming and education.

This project, Public Horticulture: Process and Design of the Lincoln Botanical Garden, documents these efforts and makes design recommendations for a themed Glacial Erratic Garden that could be constructed within the botanical garden.

Advisors: Ellen Paparozzi and Sam Wortman

Polarimetric Radar Signatures In Significant Severe Left-Moving Supercells, Raychel Nelson

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

Left-moving (LM) supercells, though rarer than right-moving (RM) supercells, may produce significant severe weather. However, there are very few existing studies on LM supercells, particularly polarimetric radar analyses. The upgrade of the nationwide Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network to polarimetric capability and subsequent studies vastly improved understanding of RM supercells, but similar efforts have largely not been made for LM supercells. This study employs an automated polarimetric radar signature detection algorithm to examine a dataset of significant severe (hail ≥ 2.00”, wind ≥ 65 kts) LM supercells to quantify their polarimetric signatures. Comparisons are made with RM supercells to …

A Dual-Polarimetric Analysis Of A Large Sample Of Left-Moving Supercells, Ben Schweigert

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

Supercells have been researched extensively since they were first described over 50 years ago. They are prolific severe weather producers, responsible for the most severe hail, severe wind gusts, and tornadoes. These rotating thunderstorms require attention from forecasters to protect life and property from their threats, most effectively done with Doppler radars. While extensive amounts of radar-based investigations have been completed, they focused almost exclusively on right-moving (RM) supercells, resulting in a knowledge gap surrounding their counter-rotating (left-moving, LM) partners. This study works to fill the void by developing a dataset of LM supercells and analyzing the dual-polarimetric features observed …

Program Curricula For Preparing Medical Professionals On Early Childhood Mental Health, Socio-Emotional Development, And Adverse Childhood Experiences In Primary Care Settings: A Phenomenological Study, Jesutomilola O. Olayemi

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

Primary care settings serve as the frontline for addressing the holistic well-being of individuals and particularly for children, they play a pivotal role in shaping early childhood experiences. Pediatric primary care physicians are pivotal in addressing the scarcity of mental health resources for children aged zero to five. There is limited knowledge regarding the competence of pediatric primary care providers in providing developmentally appropriate mental health care in early childhood. Therefore, this phenomenological study examined how early childhood mental health, social-emotional development, and adverse childhood experiences and their related screening practices were integrated into the curricula for preparing prospective pediatric …