Digital Commons Network^™

Reimagining Science As A Natural Tool For Connection: A Restorative Approach, Zachary C. Schafer, Lawrence C. Scharmann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This paper explores a restorative-type intervention with a high school student who is suspended from school for repeated threats to other students. Throughout the paper, we explore the use of restorative practices in the context of science teaching. Science in process and content is used in tandem with various restorative practices to provide the student a lens through which to better understand what led to her suspension, learn science content, and find perspective change in the process as it pertains to her developing sense of self. The methods and tools are then transformed into practical use through a modified version …

An Investigation Into The Documental History Of Immigrants From Russia And Latin America In The State Of Nebraska, Elena Thomson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The research questions in this essay ask whether or not the Nebraska State Archives contains literature in the Russian and Spanish languages. These documents, and others written in English on the same topic, are introduced and analyzed throughout the essay, exploring the history of immigrants from Russia and Latin America. As well as history, the documents delve into the current state of these immigrant groups, and how their traditions have changed Nebraska and continue to influence it today. The essay contains two sections: the first about immigrants from Russia, the second about those from Latin America. At the end of …

A Systems Biology Approach To Predict Phenotypes From Genotypes For Plants And Bacteria, Niaz Bahar Chowdhury

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

Predicting phenotypes from genotypes is a central challenge in systems biology in understanding how organisms respond to environmental and genetic changes. To address this, genome-scale metabolic models (GSMs) integrated with omics data and machine learning provide a comprehensive framework to connect genotype to phenotype. This dissertation utilizes these approaches in plants and bacterial systems, revealing key metabolic adaptations. In maize, a root-specific GSM reveals metabolic reprogramming under nitrogen stress, offering strategies for improving stress tolerance. Building on this, a multi-organ maize GSM of temperature stress identifies metabolic bottlenecks, providing targets to enhance crop resilience. Similarly, in rice, a grain-specific GSM …

Classifying Open Access Business Models, Tasha Mellins-Cohen

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

The proliferation of open access (OA) business models has been rapid, presenting challenges for stakeholders in communicating and working effectively with one another. This article aims to clarify terminologies and address the inconsistencies and gaps in previous attempts to categorize OA models, supporting informed decision-making. It presents five core types, each with distinct characteristics and implications for funding, equity, and implementation. Operating at the level of individual pieces of content, transactional models expose authors to the financial implications of their decisions to make content OA; they often must pay out of their own funds. Driven by negotiations between libraries or …

Intrinsic And Environmental Drivers Of Pairwise Cohesion In Wild Canis Social Groups, John F. Benson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals. We tracked 574 individuals from six species within the genus Canis in 15 countries on four continents with GPS telemetry to estimate the time that pairs of individuals within …

A New Invasive Lepidosaphes Armored Scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) For Florida: First Records, Natural Enemies, And An Identification Key, Erin C. Powell, Mark Zenoble, Douglass R. Miller, Benjamin B. Normark, Gregory A. Evans

Insecta Mundi

The invasive armored scale, Lepidosaphes laterochitinosa Green 1925 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae), was found in the Florida landscape for the first time in November 2022 and is now known from two south Florida counties: Broward and Miami-Dade. In Florida thus far, this polyphagous species has been found on Epipremnum pinnatum (L.) Engl. (Araceae), Dracaena Vand. ex. L. (Asparagaceae), and Breynia disticha J. R. Forst. and G. Forst. (Phyllanthaceae), all common landscape ornamentals. New parasitoid host records are provided for Encarsia lounsburyi (Berlese and Paoli), Encarsia citrina (Craw), and Aphytis lingnanensis Compere (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) that emerged from L. laterochitinosa in Broward …

Targeted Weed Management Of Palmer Amaranth Using Robotics And Deep Learning (Yolov7), Amlan Balabantaray, Shaswati Behera, Cheetown Liew, Nipuna Chamara, Mandeep Singh, Amit J. Jhala, Santosh Pitla

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Effective weed management is a significant challenge in agronomic crops which necessitates innovative solutions to reduce negative environmental impacts and minimize crop damage. Traditional methods often rely on indiscriminate herbicide application, which lacks precision and sustainability. To address this critical need, this study demonstrated an AI-enabled robotic system, Weeding robot, designed for targeted weed management. Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) was selected as it is the most troublesome weed in Nebraska. We developed the full stack (vision, hardware, software, robotic platform, and AI model) for precision spraying using YOLOv7, a state-of-the-art object detection deep learning technique. The …

United States Department Of Homeland Security Scientific Integrity Policy

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

United States Department of Homeland Security Scientific Integrity Policy

Immunity And Protective Efficacy Of A Plant-Based Tobacco Mosaic Virus-Like Nanoparticle Vaccine Against Influenza A Virus In Mice, Adthakorn Madapong, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Richard J. Webby, Allison A. Mccormick, Eric A. Weaver

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: The rapid production of influenza vaccines is crucial to meet increasing pandemic response demands. Here, we developed plant-made vaccines comprising centralized consensus influenza hemagglutinin (HA-con) proteins (H1 and H3 subtypes) conjugated to a modified plant virus, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) nanoparticle (TMV-HA-con). Methods: We compared immune responses and protective efficacy against historical H1 or H3 influenza A virus infections among TMV-HA-con, HA-con protein combined with AddaVax™ adjuvant, and whole-inactivated virus vaccine (Fluzone®). Results: Immunogenicity studies demonstrated robust IgG, IgM, and IgA responses in the TMV-HA-con and HA-con protein vaccinated groups, with relatively low induction of interferon (IFN)-γ⁺ T-cell …

The Impact Of Health And Environmental Messaging With And Without Product Filtering In Complex Retail Markets: The Case Of Pulses, Christopher R. Gustafson, Henriette Gitungwa, Sushil C. Sapkota, Devin J. Rose

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Multiple barriers exist to healthy and environmentally sustainable food choices. Limited consumer understanding of the health and environmental implications of food choices complicates their abilities to make choices that lead to desired outcomes. The complexity of the retail environment itself may crowd out less immediate motivations to address health or environment. Even if consumers understand general impacts of food choices on health and environmental outcomes, there may be non-negligible time and search costs to identifying the products that meet consumers’ needs. In many food categories, the foods containing attributes that help achieve health and sustainability outcomes may represent …

United States Department Of Health And Human Services Scientific Integrity Policy (September 16, 2024)

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

United States Department of Health and Human Services Scientific Integrity Policy (September 16, 2024)

Two New Species Of Anthrenus Geoffroy (S. Str.) (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae) From Egypt And Eritrea, Graham J. Holloway, Andreas Herrmann

Insecta Mundi

Two new species, Anthrenus kushangaza Holloway and Herrmann and Anthrenus kittenbergeri Holloway and Herrmann (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae) from northeast Africa are described. Images of internal and external features are presented and compared with A. crustaceus Reitter and A. rauterbergi Reitter, both of which are found in the same geographical region as the new species.

A New Genus Of Horn-Like Tetrigids (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae) From South America, Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira

Insecta Mundi

A new pygmy unicorn genus, Brazitettix Silva, new genus, and two new species, Brazitettix roraimae Silva, new species and Brazitettix paulista Silva, new species (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae) are described in Brazil. This new genus is a unique tetrigid taxon in the American continent due a notched-long and elevated head projection. The morphology of this taxon resembles Rostella Hancock, 1913 and Dravidacris Bhaskar and Kasalo, 2022 that are currently comprised into Cleostratini, an artificial group that contains biogeographic distant taxa with distinct morphological head projection.

Resumen

Un nuevo género de tetrígidos, Brazitettix Silva, nuevo género, y dos nuevas especies, …

Institutional Data Repositories Are Vital, Jen Darragh, Mikala R. Narlock, Halle Burns, Peter A. Cerda, Wind Cowles, Leslie M. Delserone, Seth Erickson, Joel Herndon, Heidi Imker, Lisa R. Johnston, Sherry Lake, Michael Lenard, Alicia Hofelich Mohr, Jennifer Moore, Jonathan Petters, Brandie Pullen, Shawna Taylor, Briana Wham

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

As funding agencies and publishers reiterate research data sharing expectations (1), many higher-education institutions have demonstrated their commitment to the long-term stewardship of research data by connecting researchers to local infrastructure, with dedicated staffing, that eases the burden of data sharing. Institutional repositories are an example of this investment (2). They provide support for researchers in sharing data that might otherwise be lost: data without a disciplinary repository, data from projects with limited funding, or data that are too large to sustainably store elsewhere. The staffing and technical infrastructure provided by institutional repositories ensures responsible access to information while considering …

Antitrust Class Action To Challenge Collusion Among The World’S Six Largest For-Profit Publishers Of Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Journals, Lucina Uddin, Dean M. Harvey, Jallé H. Dafa, Benjamin A. Trouvais, Emily N. Harwell, Benjamin D. Elga, Janet Herold

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Scholar and scientist Dr. Lucina Uddin (the “Scholar Plaintiff”) brings this antitrust class action to challenge collusion among the world’s six largest for-profit publishers of peer-reviewed scholarly journals: (1) Elsevier B.V.; (2) Wolters Kluwer N.V.; (3) John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; (4) Sage Publications, Inc.; (5) Taylor and Francis Group, Ltd.; and (6) Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA (collectively, the “Publisher Defendants”). In violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, the Publisher Defendants conspired to unlawfully appropriate billions of dollars that would have otherwise funded scientific research (the “Scheme”).

The Publisher Defendants’ Scheme has three primary components. First, …

Appraising Groundwater Quality And Probabilistic Human Health Risks From Fluoride-Enriched Groundwater Using The Pollution Index Of Groundwater (Pig) And Gis: A Case Study Of Adama Town And Its Vicinities In The Central Main Ethiopian Rift Valley, Hassen Shube, Shankar Karuppannan, Muhammed Haji, Balamurugan Paneerselvam, Nafyad Kawo, Abraham Mechal, Ashu Fekadu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This research's main objective is to identify the level of contamination in drinking water in Adama town and its environs by employing PIG, GIS and HHRA. The physical–chemical parameters of groundwater were determined, and the results were compared to regional and global drinking water quality guidelines. The pH of groundwater is alkaline, and the contents of Ca₂⁺, Na⁺, HCO₃ ⁻, and F⁻ in the majority of samples surpassed the permissible drinking limit. The hydrochemical facies were identified in the following order: Ca–Mg–HCO₃, Na–Ca–HCO₃, and Na–HCO₃. Cation …

Correcting The Record: Subspecific Identification Of Nebraska’S Lone Common Eider (Somateria Mollissima), Sam Manning, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In late November or early December 1967, Roger Guenther harvested a Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) on Maloney Canal between Maloney and Sutherland in Lincoln County, Nebraska. The head and a single foot from the carcass were deposited at the University of Nebraska State Museum via the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Nebraska Fish and Game Department (now the Game and Parks Commission). Dr. Jean Tate prepared the parts, which were inventoried as specimen #ZM-12341 in the UNSM. Dr. Paul Johnsgard purportedly took this specimen to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago for identification purposes, and concluded …

The Nebraska Bird Review (September 2024) 92(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2024, by W. Ross Silcock

Correcting the Record: Subspecific Identification of Nebraska’s Lone Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), by Sam Manning, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, and W. Ross Silcock

2023 (35th) Report of the NOU Records Committee, by Mark A. Brogie

Subscription and Organization Information

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, September 2024

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, September 2024

Dirt/Μ: Automated Extraction Of Root Hair Traits Using Combinatorial Optimization, Peter Pietrzyk, Neen Phan-Udom, Chartinun Chutoe, Lise Pingault, Ankita Roy, Marc Libault, Patompong Johns Saengwilai, Alexander Bucksch

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

As with phenotyping of any microscopic appendages, such as cilia or antennae, phenotyping of root hairs has been a challenge due to their complex intersecting arrangements in two-dimensional images and the technical limitations of automated measurements. Digital Imaging of Root Traits at Microscale (DIRT/μ) is a newly developed algorithm that addresses this issue by computationally resolving intersections and extracting individual root hairs from two-dimensional microscopy images. This solution enables automatic and precise trait measurements of individual root hairs. DIRT/μ rigorously defines a set of rules to resolve intersecting root hairs and minimizes a newly designed cost function to combinatorically identify …

Willingness To Pay And Market Potential For Biowrap: An Economic Study Of A New Biodegradable Mulch Product In Home Gardening, Gengchen Cai

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the market potential of BioWRAP, a biodegradable sprayable weed suppression product, by assessing the willingness to pay (WTP) among American home gardeners. Traditional plastic mulch offers significant agronomic benefits but poses considerable environmental challenges, making BioWRAP a promising alternative due to its similar benefits and reduced environmental impact. Using a double-bounded contingent valuation method, we analyze the WTP for BioWRAP among different demographic groups and gardening practices. Our findings indicate that the highest WTP for BioWRAP is among home gardeners who currently use chemical sprays for weed suppression, followed by those using physical barriers, with the lowest …

Gsp-Ai: An Ai-Powered Platform For Identifying Key Growth Stages And The Vegetative-To-Reproductive Transition In Wheat Using Trilateral Drone Imagery And Meteorological Data, Liyan Shen, Guohui Ding, Robert Jackson, Mujahid Ali, Shuchen Liu, Arthur Mitchell, Yeyin Shi, Xuqi Lu, Jie Dai, Greg Deakin, Katherine Anna Frels, Haiyan Cen, Yufeng Ge, Ji Zhou

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is one of the most important staple crops worldwide. To ensure its global supply, the timing and duration of its growth cycle needs to be closely monitored in the field so that necessary crop management activities can be arranged in a timely manner. Also, breeders and plant researchers need to evaluate growth stages (GSs) for tens of thousands of genotypes at the plot level, at different sites and across multiple seasons. These indicate the importance of providing a reliable and scalable toolkit to address the challenge so that the plot-level assessment of GS can be …

How Much Green To Keep The Garden Clean? An Analysis Of The Willingness To Pay (Wtp) Of Home Gardeners For Biowrap Technology, Gengchen Cai, Kanij Fatema, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

A research team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and South Dakota School of Mines are working on creating an alternative product that would use locally available materials to create a spray-on, biodegradable polymer that can suppress weeds and will biodegrade in a timeframe that is amenable to crop production. We broadly refer to this technology as BioWRAP (Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties).

Our results show that the home garden market is potentially a significant one for a BioWRAP product. Continued work in the development of the BioWRAP technology is necessary to determine what the cost of a …

Technical Note: Assessing Gps Sensor Accuracy Using Real-Time Kinematic Device For Livestock Tracking, Biquan Zhao, Rebecca Mcdermott, Galen E. Erickson, Yijie Xiong

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The technical aspects of global positioning system (GPS) sensors have been improved substantially over the years, making them valuable and popular tools for livestock tracking. Using GPS sensors allows producers and researchers to locate grazing livestock, monitor their behavior and distribution, and gather referencing information about the health status of the animals and pastures. However, interpreting the behavior of grazing livestock, such as cattle, from GPS data can be difficult due to positioning inaccuracies. Without knowing the positioning accuracy range of GPS sensors, achieving high-level confidence in determining grazing densities and identifying abnormal livestock movement patterns is challenging. …

Amphiphala, A New Genus And Its Three New Species From Eastern North America (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Cochylina), Michael A. Roberts, Michael Sabourin, John W. Brown

Insecta Mundi

Amphiphala Roberts and Sabourin, new genus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is proposed for three new species: A. liatriana Roberts and Sabourin, new species; A. landryana Brown, new species; and A. carolana Sabourin, new species. The genus is recorded from the eastern part of North America from Ontario, Canada south to South Carolina, and west to Manitoba and Mississippi. Owing to its superficial similarity to the banded sunflower moth, Cochylichroa hospes (Walsingham, 1884), Amphiphala remained hidden in North American Lepidoptera collections. Amphiphala liatriana has been reared from northern blazing star, Liatris scariosa (L.) Willd. (Asteraceae), in Maine.

Challenges In Assessing Repellency Via The Behavioral Response By The Global Pest Tribolium Castaneum To Protect Stored Grains, Leslie Catherine Rault, William R. Morrison Iii, Alison R. Gerken, Georgina Bingham

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Food security is an increasingly pressing global issue, and by 2050, food production will not be sufficient to feed the growing population. Part of global food insecurity can be attributed to post-harvest losses, including quantity and quality losses caused by stored-product pests like insects. It is thus timely to find management strategies to mitigate these losses and counteract food insecurity. The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a global stored-product pest with a wide range of food sources, was used in this study to assess repellency to a selection of essential oils. Methods: Multiple behaviorally relevant methods …

Knockdown Of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Ii Receptor Impairs Ovulation Rate, Corpus Luteum Development, And Progesterone Production In Gilts, Amy T. Desaulniers, Rebecca Cederberg, Clay A. Lents, Brett White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Reproduction is classically controlled by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH-I) and its receptor (GnRHR-I) within the brain. In pigs, a second form (GnRH-II) and its specific receptor (GnRHR-II) are also produced, with greater abundance in peripheral vs. central reproductive tissues. The binding of GnRH-II to GnRHR-II has been implicated in the autocrine/paracrine regulation of gonadal steroidogenesis rather than gonadotropin secretion. Blood samples were collected from transgenic gilts, with the ubiquitous knockdown of GnRHR-II (GnRHR-II KD; n = 8) and littermate controls (n = 7) at the onset of estrus (follicular) and 10 days later (luteal); serum concentrations of 16 steroid hormones …

Impact Of Partial Oil Removal On Energy Content Of Distillers Grains Plus Solubles For Finishing Cattle, Jordan E. Burhoop, J. L. Sperber, Curt J. Bittner, F. Henry Hilscher, J. C. Macdonald, Galen E. Erickson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Two experiments evaluated the impact of the reduction in the percentage of corn oil remaining in distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) after the ethanol plant de-oiling process or by adding corn oil back to DGS following de-oiling on finishing cattle performance and nutrient digestion. Experiment 1 utilized 320 yearling steers (initial BW = 413 kg; SD = 25 kg) fed in 32 pens (10 steers/pen) and assigned to one of four treatments (n = 8 pens/treatment). The four treatments consisted of a blended DRC:HMC corn control diet (CON), de-oiled modified distillers grains plus solubles included at 40% of diet DM …

Groundwater Modeling Of The Ogallala Aquifer: Use Of Machine Learning For Model Parameterization And Sustainability Assessment, Tewodros Aboret Tilahun

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

Addressing groundwater depletion problems in heterogeneous aquifer systems is a challenge. The heterogeneous Ogallala Aquifer, a critical source of groundwater in the central United States, has undergone decades of decline in water levels due to pumping. This project aims to build a robust groundwater model to evaluate optimal scenarios for sustainable use of the groundwater resource within a section of the Ogallala aquifer located in the Middle Republican Natural Resources District (MRNRD). This study follows a comprehensive approach involving parameterization, construction, and optimization. The model is parametrized using hydraulic conductivity and recharge values obtained from a random forest-based machine learning …

Molecular Detection Of Pathogenic Bacteria In American Dog Ticks (Dermacentor Variabilis) In Brown County, Nebraska, Nicole Messbarger, Darby Carlson, Keith Geluso, Julie Shaffer

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Ticks carry and transmit disease pathogens that cause many human illnesses. Many of these diseases in humans are accompanied by a wide variety of symptoms making tick-borne illnesses often difficult to diagnose. The rate of reported tick-borne illnesses in humans has increased during the past decades in the United States, alongside a rise in concern for public health and safety. In northern Nebraska, the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) is the primary tick encountered by humans and domestic animals in the region. This species is a known vector for spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses and tularemia (Francisella …