Digital Commons Network^™

Review Of Fighting For The Farm: Rural America Transformed Edited By Jane Adams, John C. Allen

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Fighting for the Family Farm brings together the contributions of scholars from several disciplines to provide an overview of political processes within North American agriculture.
Beginning in the Imperial Valley of California, Alan Rudy provides a well-documented snapshot of state and federal governments' roles in changing the face of agricultural support of industrial food and fiber production models. Rudy illustrates how ecological damage and state policies converge to shape new agricultural policies, arguing that a spatio-temporal construct is necessary for determining responses to the many forms of ecological, social, and infrastructural crisis as well as fir more fully understanding how …

Continuum Modeling Of Cell Membranes, Eveline Baesu, R. E. Rudd, J. Belak, M. Mcelfresh

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we develop a finite-deformation model for cell membranes with a view toward characterizing the local mechanical response of membranes in atomic force microscope (AFM) experiments. The membrane is modeled as a 2-D fluid continuum endowed with bending resistance. The general theory is used to obtain equations that describe axisymmetric equilibrium states. The membrane is assumed to enclose a fluid medium, which transmits hydrostatic pressure to the membrane, and a point load is applied at the pole to simulate an AFM probe. Both types of loading are associated with a potential and the problem is then cast in …

Triangulating Faculty Needs For The Assessment Of Student Learning, D. Lynn Sorenson, Timothy W. Bothell

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

To enhance assessment of student learning, the Brigham Young University (BYU) Faculty Center undertook a needs assessment to guide new initiatives. Researchers reviewed results from the National Survey of Student Engagement and an earlier BYU faculty survey. In addition, they conducted a qualitative study with faculty and administrators. The qualitative study can serve as a model for other faculty developers considering new initiatives. The findings raised thought-provoking issues for faculty development, particularly faculty readiness. As a result of this research, the center bolstered current services and developed new ones to support the assessment of student learning.

Low-Frequency Surface Wave Propagation And The Viscoelastic Behavior Of Porcine Skin, Donald D. Duncan, Sean J. Kirkpatrick, Li Fang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A physical model describing the propagation of lowfrequency surface waves in relation to the viscoelastic behavior of porcine skin is presented, along with a series of empirical studies testing the performance of the model. The model assumes that the skin behaves as a semi-infinite, locally isotropic, viscoelastic halfspace. While the assumption of a semi-infinite body is violated, this violation does not appear to have a significant impact on the performance of the model based on the empirical studies. 1-Hz surface waves in the skin propagate primarily as Rayleigh waves with a wavelength and velocity of approximately 3 m and 3.0 …

An International Perspective On Assessing Group Projects, Deborah Willis, Barbara J. Millis

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

The value of group work for enhancing learning is well documented. However, to maximize the impact of group work on student learning, faculty should carefally consider course design and assessment. This chapter draws on research, policy, and practice from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to emphasize the importance of adopting an integrated approach to group work through careful planning. Guidelines emphasize ways to provide for the responsive, responsible assessment of group projects.

The Institutional Change Agency: The Expanding Role Of Academic Support Centers, Robert M. Diamond

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Higher education is going through significant changes stimulated by the rapid growth of the internet, tht increasing globalization of hightr education, and the ever-pressing question of institutional quality. New modts of educational dtlivery through virtual networks art breaking the traditional mold of instructional provision. New players, new pedagogies, and new paradigms are redefining higher education. The rules art changing, and there is increased pressure on institutions of higher education to evolve, adapt, or desist.

Assessment: A Creative Component, Sandy Ross

Graduate Research Papers

This is the year in our curriculum cycle where science is being reviewed with the goal of purchasing of new textbooks, materials, etc. Due in part to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, and in part to the desire to have consistency throughout the district, our science curriculum will be drastically changing. We are moving from teaching one content area in depth for the entire year, to using a more integrated approach where all content areas are addressed each year. The standards and benchmarks are being rewritten to coordinate with the concepts tested on the Iowa Tests of Basic …

Selective Primary Hepatocyte Adhesion On Polyelectrolyte Multilayer : Template For Patterned Cell Co-Culture, Srivatsan Kidambi, Ilsoon Lee, Christina Chan

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

The ability of surfaces to modulate cellular behavior such as adhesion, migration, proliferation and differentiation is an important facet of tissue and organ formation and in the eventual realization of functional biomaterials. The presence of micro or nanostructures on a surface permits the manipulation of cell-substrate and cell-cell interactions to better control cellular function and behavior. Commonly, proteins and cells indiscriminately attach onto medically implantable surfaces, which may ultimately lead to undesired fibrous encapsulation, detrimental clinical complications, increased risk of infection, and poor device performance. ^{1, 2} Consequently, by generating so-called bioinert materials, one may attempt to first reduce any …

An Association Of Benthic Foraminifera And Gypsum In Holocene Sediments Of Estuarine Chesapeake Bay, Usa, John Cann, Thomas Cronin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Two cores of Holocene sediments recovered from the Cape Charles Channel of Chesapeake Bay yielded radiocarbon ages of about 6.8 to 5.8 ka for the lower intervals. Fossil foraminifera preserved in these lower sediments are dominated by species of Elphidium, which make up about 90% of the assemblage throughout, and probably signify deposition in hypersaline waters. Buccella frigida and Ammonia beccarii are the only other species commonly present. Hypersalinity of bottom waters seems to have been maintained by water-density stratification in a basin-like section of the channel. In core PTXT -4-P-I transition to modem Chesapeake conditions, in which numbers …

In Situ Stress, Fracture, And Fluid Flow Analysis In Well 38c-9: An Enhanced Geothermal System In The Coso Geothermal Field, Judith M. Sheridan, Stephen H. Hickman

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Geoscientists from the Coso Operating Company, EGI-Utah, GeoMechanics International, and the United States Geological Survey are cooperating in a multi-year study to develop an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) in the Coso Geothermal Field. Key to the creation of an EGS is an understanding of the relationship among natural fracture distribution, fluid flow, and the ambient tectonic stresses that exist within the resource in order to design a hydraulic and thermal stimulation of an east-flank injection well, the first step in the creation of a heat exchanger at depth. Well datasets from the east flank of the Coso Geothermal Field are …

Field Validation Of Burned Area Reflectance Classification (Barc) Products For Post Fire Assessment, Andrew T. Hudak, Pete Robichaud, Jeffrey S. Evans, Jess Clark, Keith Lannom, Penelope Morgan, Carter Stone

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

The USFS Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) and the USGS EROS Data Center (EDC) produce Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps for use by Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) teams in rapid response to wildfires. BAER teams desire maps indicative of soil burn severity, but photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic vegetation also influences the spectral properties of post-fire imagery. Our objective was to assess burn severity both remotely and on the ground at six 2003 wildfires. We analyzed fire effects data from 34 field sites located across the full range of burn severities observed at the Black Mountain Two, Cooney Ridge, Robert, …

Product Innovation In Financial Services: A Survey, Christopher O'Brien

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

This paper considers product innovation in insurance and other financial services, an area where actuaries have an important role. It considers the proposition that there is no unique formula for success and that what works well in one situation may not work well in another. It first examines the sources of ideas for new products and, in particular, the role played by consumers, which is generally regarded as weak. It then looks at how ideas are implemented, with particular importance attributed to cross-functional teams and the formality of the product development process. Then it considers how success is measured (with …

Basics Of Corn Production In North Dakota, Joel K. Ransom

A Series – Agronomy/Plant Science

No abstract provided.

Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, And Future, Fred B. Samson, Fritz L. Knopf, Wayne Ostlie

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Little questions exists that the main bodies of North American prairie (i.e., the tall-grass, mixed, and shortgrass) are among the most endangered resources on the continent. The purpose of this paper is to provide a past and present biological base- line by which to understand North American prairies and to provide a platform for future conservation. Events both immediate to the end of the Pleistocene and historic suggest that the present grassland conditions are different from those within which most of the grassland organisms evolved. Our analysis suggests that few grassland landscapes remain adequate in area and distribution to sustain …

Executive Power Essentialism And Foreign Affairs, Martin S. Flaherty

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Three Methods Of Size Grading Channel Catfish Stockers, Bartholomew W. Green, David L. Heikes, Andrew E. Goodwin

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

The stocking of size-graded catfish into production ponds should increase production efficiency, but grading large numbers of fish with existing technology is laborious. We evaluated the effectiveness of a mechanical grader recently developed at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) relative to that of box and sock graders and assessed injuries sustained by stocker channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus during grading. Three 0.25-acre ponds were stocked at 11,777 lb/acre. Initial total length (TL) ranged from 6.3 to 15.7 in, and initial weight of individuals ranged from 0.04 to 1.10 lb. The fish population in each pond was divided into …

Spin-Dependent Tunneling From Clean And Oxidized Co Surfaces, Kirill D. Belashchenko, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Mark Van Schilfgaarde, Derek A. Stewart, I. I. Oleynik, Sitaram S. Jaswal

Kirill Belashchenko Publications

Transmission through a sufficiently thick vacuum barrier is factorized in the product of two ‘‘surface transmission functions’’ and a vacuum decay factor. Based on this factorization, we study the spin polarization of the tunneling current from clean and oxidized (1 1 1) FCC Co surfaces through vacuum into Al. The conductance is calculated using the principal-layer Green’s function approach within the tight-binding LMTO scheme. We find that for typical vacuum barrier thicknesses the tunneling current from the clean surface is dominated by minority-spin electrons. A monolayer of oxygen on top of the surface completely changes the shape of k_{ll …}

Electron Irradiation Effects On Ferroelectric Copolymer Langmuir-Blodgett Films, Christina M. Othon, Stephen Ducharme

Stephen Ducharme Publications

The effect of irradiation on the ferroelectric properties of Langmuir-Blodgett films of the copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluorethelene) is investigating using 1.26 MeV electrons with dosages from 16 to 110 Mrad. Irradiation causes a systematic decrease in the phase transition temperature, coercive field and polarization of these thin films.

Ferroelectricity At Molecular Level, L. M. Blinov, A. V. Bune, Peter A. Dowben, Stephen Ducharme, Vladimir M. Fridkin, S. P. Palto, K. A. Verkhovskaya, G. V. Vizdrik, S. G. Yudin

Stephen Ducharme Publications

he synthesis of ultrathin ferroelectric nanostructures by the Langmuir-Blodgett method and their properties are reviewed. It is shown that ferroelectricity exists in one monolayer of the ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer, i.e., at the molecular level. The specific characteristics of switching of ultrathin ferroelectric films are established.

Tribute To Rod Gangwish And Mark Gustafson, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

President Williamson, honored guests and friends, it is such a pleasure to be here with you tonight, and such a privilege to deliver this tribute to our 2004 Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement honorees, Rod Gangwish and Mark Gustafson.

Uaad Award Presentation Remarks, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

It's my great pleasure to be asked to participate in recognizing great employees for service to the university. I am pleased to be able to confer awards today upon two university employees whose work ethic and devotion to the university are exemplary.

Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory Open House, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

What a pleasure it is to be here with you today at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory Open House. I grew up a country boy in Texas, and any day I get to spend in rangeland is a good day to me.

Moving Ahead In Lean Times: Nebraska Ag Relations Council, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

One day a rancher's prize bull was missing from the section of his land the railroad passed through. He filed suit against the railroad, wanting only to be paid a fair-price of the bull. A big-city lawyer arrived in the rancher's small town to represent the railroad in the case and quickly cornered the rancher, pressuring him to settle out of court.

Splinter Dedication, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

This man who grew up on an irrigated farm near North Platte was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 1984 for invention and development of aerial-spray systems and harvesting systems, the only Nebraskan elected to that esteemed academy. Six patents are based on his research.

Cracks In The Foundation: The New Internet Legislation's Hidden Threat To Privacy And Commerce, Joshua Fairfield

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Scholarship to date has focused on the legal significance of the novelty of the Internet. This scholarship does not describe or predict actual Internet legislation. Instead of asking whether the Internet is so new as to merit new law, legislators and academics should re-evaluate the role of government in orchestrating collective action and change the relative weight of enforcement, deterrence, and incentives in Internet regulations.

A perfect example of the need for this new approach is the recent CANSPAM Act of 2003, which was intended to protect personal privacy and legitimate businesses. However, the law threatens both of these interests, …

Human, Social, And Now Positive Psychological Capital Management: Investing In People For Competitive Advantage, Fred Luthans, Carolyn M. Youssef

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence that human resources are crucial to organizational success, and may offer the best return on investment for sustainable competitive advantage. Jeffery Pfeffer’s extensive work, summarized in his book The Human Equation, discusses substantially supported but unfortunate findings that only about half of today’s organizations and their managers believe that human resources really do matter. Moreover, only half of those organizations act upon their beliefs beyond paying lip service to this vital resource. Few organizations have adopted high performance work practices, such as 360-degree feedback, pay-for-performance, self-managed teams, employee empowerment, and other human-oriented initiatives. Furthermore, Pfeffer shows …

Recognition And Development Of Hope For South African Organizational Leaders, Fred Luthans, René Van Wyk, Fred Walumbwa

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

The significant challenges faced by South Africa at present are well known. How to deal with the problems from a political and economic perspective abound, but taking a psychological approach has been neglected. This paper proposes a positive approach to South African organizational leadership based on the psychological capacity of hope. After giving a brief background on the context surrounding South African organizations, the theory, research, and application of hope relevant to organizational leadership in the “Rainbow Nation” are presented and analyzed. Such an overlooked positive approach represented by hopeful organizational leaders seems needed at this juncture of South Africa’s …

Biotechnology Law: A Tale Of Peptides And Lasers: Is Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd. V. Kgaa The End Of The Experimental Use Defense For Biomedical Innovation, Or Does § 271(E)(1) Of The Patent Act Save The Day, Melissa J. Alcorn Ph.D.

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fighting The Axis Of Illness: Hiv/Aids, Human Rights, And U.S. Foreign Policy, David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Outlines Of Public Health's "New World Order", David P. Fidler

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.