Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Boundary Spanning In The Context Of Stakeholder Engagement In Collaborative Water Management, Mark E. Burbach, Weston M. Eaton, Jodi L. Delozier

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Boundary spanners are individuals able to reach across organizational borders to build relationships and interconnections to help better manage complex problems. What is not clear, however, are the skills that allow boundary spanners to cross diverse scales, sectors, and organizations. To address this gap, we use a qualitative case study approach to examine evidence for how boundary spanning skills are implemented in the context of stakeholder engagement for addressing water challenges in agricultural settings. We employ a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis approach to examine interview data collected with 25 stakeholder participants as well as direct observation of engagement behavior. Interview …

Electronic Transport Properties Of Spin-Crossover Polymer Plus Polyaniline Composites With Fe3O4 Nanoparticles, Esha Mishra, Waikiat Chin, Kayleigh A. Mcelveen, Thilini K. Ekanayaka, M. Zaid Zaz, Gauthami Viswan, Ruthi Zielinski, Alpha T. N'Diaye, David Shapiro, Rebecca Lai, Robert Streubel, Peter A. Dowben

Chemistry Department: Faculty Publications

Adding Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to composites of [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄) spin-crossover polymer and polyaniline (PANI) drives a phase separation of both and restores the molecular structure and cooperative effects of the spin-crossover polymer without compromising the increased conductivity gained through the addition of PANI. We observe an increased on-off ratio for the DC conductivity owing to an enlarged off state resistivity and a 20 times larger AC conductivity of the on state compared with DC values. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, primarily confined to the [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄) phase, are ferromagnetically coupled to …

Exploring The Complementarity Of Measures Of Instructional Practices, Lu Shi, Robert M. Erdmann, Anthony Pellegrini, Victoria Johnson, Binh Le, Trina Popple, Zachary Nelson, Molly Undersander Gaston, Marilyne Stains

Chemistry Department: Faculty Publications

The assessment of instructional quality has been and continues to be a desirable, yet difficult endeavor in higher education. The development of new teaching evaluation frameworks along with instruments to measure various aspects of teaching practices holds promise. The challenge rests in the implementation of these frameworks and measures in authentic settings. Part of this challenge is for instructors, researchers, and administrators to parse through and select a meaningful set of tools from the plethora of existing instruments. In this study, we aim to start clarifying the landscape of measures of instructional practice by exploring the complementarity of two existing …

Nitrate-Stimulated Release Of Naturally Occurring Sedimentary Uranium, Jeffrey Westrop, Pooja Yadav, Pj Nolan, Kate M. Campbell, Rajesh Singh, Sharon E. Bone, Alicia H. Chan, Anthony Kohtz, Donald Pan, Olivia Healy, John R. Bargar, Daniel D. Snow, Karrie A. Weber

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Groundwater uranium (U) concentrations have been measured above the U.S. EPA maximum contaminant level (30 μg/L) in many U.S. aquifers, including in areas not associated with anthropogenic contamination by milling or mining. In addition to carbonate, nitrate has been correlated to uranium groundwater concentrations in two major U.S. aquifers. However, to date, direct evidence that nitrate mobilizes naturally occurring U from aquifer sediments has not been presented. Here, we demonstrate that the influx of high-nitrate porewater through High Plains alluvial aquifer silt sediments bearing naturally occurring U(IV) can stimulate a nitrate-reducing microbial community capable of catalyzing the oxidation and mobilization …

Identification And Biosynthetic Study Of The Siderophore Lysochelin In The Biocontrol Agent Lysobacter Enzymogenes, Amanda Lynn Miller, Shanren Li, Catherine D. Eichhorn, Yongbiao Zheng, Liangcheng Du

Liangcheng Du Publications

Lysobacter is a genus of bacteria emerging as new biocontrol agents in agriculture. Although iron acquisition is essential for the bacteria, no siderophore has been identified from any Lysobacter. Here, we report the identification of the first siderophore, N1,N8-bis(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)spermidine (lysochelin), and its biosynthetic gene cluster from Lysobacter enzymogenes. Intriguingly, the deletion of the spermidine biosynthetic gene encoding arginine decarboxylase or SAM decarboxylase eliminated lysochelin and the antifungals, HSAF and its analogues, which are key to the disease control activity and to the survival of Lysobacter under oxidative stresses caused by excess iron. The production of …

Multiplatform Untargeted Metabolomics, Micah J. Jeppesen, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Metabolomics samples like human urine or serum contain upwards of a few thousand metabolites, but individual analytical techniques can only characterize a few hundred metabolites at best. The uncertainty in metabolite identification commonly encountered in untargeted metabolomics adds to this low coverage problem. A multiplatform (multiple analytical techniques) approach can improve upon the number of metabolites reliably detected and correctly assigned. This can be further improved by applying synergistic sample preparation along with the use of combinatorial or sequential non-destructive and destructive techniques. Similarly, peak detection and metabolite identification strategies that employ multiple probabilistic approaches have led to better annotation …

New Features In Landyne 5 - A Software Suite For Materials Characterization And Crystallography By Transmission Electron Microscopy, Xing-Zhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Landyne software suite (version 5) includes fifteen standalone computer programs for materials characterization and crystallography by transmission electron microscopy [1]. A launcher interface is provided for users to access all components conveniently. The purpose of this software suite is twofold: i) as research tools to analyze experimental results, ii) as teaching tools to explore the varieties of electron diffraction methods and crystallographic image processing principles.

The Landyne suite previously included: PTable, an interactive periodic table of elements; SVAT, a structural visual and analytical tool; SAED and PCED, simulation and analysis of electron diffraction (spot and ring) patterns; QSAED and QPCED, …

Structural, Electronic, And Magnetic Properties Of Cofevge-Based Compounds: Experiment And Theory, Parashu Kharel, Zachary Lehmann, Gavin Baker, Lukas Stuelke, Shah R. Valloppilly, Paul M. Shand, Pavel V. Lukashev

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

We have carried out a combined theoretical and experimental investigation of both stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric CoFeVGe alloys. In particular, we have investigated CoFeVGe, Co_1.25Fe_0.75VGe, Co_0.75Fe_1.25VGe, and CoFe_0.75VGe bulk alloys. Our first principles calculations suggest that all four alloys show ferromagnetic order, where CoFeVGe, Co_1.25Fe_0.75VGe, and Co_0.75Fe_1.25VGe are highly spin polarized with spin polarization values of over 80%. However, the spin polarization value of CoFe_0.75VGe is only about 60%. We have synthesized all four samples using arc melting and high-vacuum annealing …

Tem Studies Of A New Modulated Structure In Mn2Rusn Alloy And Intermetallic Phases In Fe3+XCo3–XTi2 (X = 0, 1, 2, 3) Alloys, Xing-Zhong Li, Shah R. Valloppilly

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Heusler compounds are a remarkable class of intermetallic materials with wide-ranging and tunable properties. The Mn₂RuSn Heusler compound was reported as an L2₁B-type cubic phase, a = 0.62195 nm, distinguishing from the original L2₁ structure (or L2₁A-type). The L2₁B-type structure is a disordered variant of the inverse Heusler structure, XA-type (Prototype-CuHg₂Ti, space group No. 216, F4–3m).

In our recent work [1], we observed a new modulated structure derived from the XA-type structure and its orthogonal domains in the Mn₂RuSn Heusler alloy. The structural characterization was carried out …

Entropy-Driven Structural Transition From Tetragonal To Cubic Phase: High Thermoelectric Performance Of Cucdinse3 Compound, Tingting Luo, Yihao Hu, Shi Liu, Fanjie Xia, Junhao Qiu, Haoyang Peng, Keke Liu, Quansheng Guo, Xingzhong Li, Dongwang Yang, Xianli Su, Jinsong Wu, Xinfeng Tang

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Cu based chalcopyrite is an important class of thermoelectric materials with excellent electronic properties, however, the thermal conductivity is relatively high due to the simple tetragonal structure with highly ordered configuration on cation sites, limiting the thermoelectric performance. Herein, we realize that the modulation of entropy via alloying CdSe achieves the structural transition from tetragonal structure with ordered configuration on cations sites in CuInSe₂ compound to cubic CuCdInSe₃. CuCdInSe₃ crystallizes in a zinc blende (ZnS) structure where Cu, Cd and In cations randomly occupy the Zn site with the occupancy fraction 1/3. This entropy driven order-disorder …

Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Differential Respiratory Exposure And Health Outcomes Among Children, Jagadeesh Puvvula, Jill A. Poole, Yeongjin Gwon, Eleanor G. Rogan, Jesse E. Bell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background Attributes defining the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with disproportionate exposures to environmental hazards and differential health outcomes among communities. The dynamics between SDoH, disproportionate environmental exposures, and differential health outcomes are often specific to micro-geographic areas.

Methods This study focused on children less than 20 years of age who lived in Douglas County, Nebraska, during 2016–2019. To assess the role of SDoH in differential exposures, we evaluated the association between SDoH metrics and criteria pollutant concentrations and the association between SDoH and pediatric asthma exacerbations to quantify the role of SDoH in differential pediatric asthma outcomes. …

Panarchy Theory For Convergence, Shana M. Sundstrom, David G. Angeler, Jesse Bell, Michael J. Hayes, Jennifer Hodbod, Babak Jalalzadeh‑Fard, Rezaul Mahmood, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Craig R. Allen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Coping with surprise and uncertainty resulting from the emergence of undesired and unexpected novelty or the sudden reorganization of systems at multiple spatiotemporal scales requires both a scientific process that can incorporate diverse expertise and viewpoints, and a scientific framework that can account for the structure and dynamics of interacting social-ecological systems (SES) and the inherent uncertainty of what might emerge in the future. We argue that combining a convergence scientific process with a panarchy framework provides a pathway for improving our understanding of, and response to, emergence. Emergent phenomena are often unexpected (e.g., pandemics, regime shifts) and can be …

Author Correction: Gloria - A Globally Representative Hyperspectral In Situ Dataset For Optical Sensing Of Water Quality, Moritz K. Lehmann, Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Correction to: Scientific Data https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-01973-y, published online 16 February 2023.

An author of the paper was omitted in the original version (Ted Conroy, University of Waikato, New Zealand). This has been corrected in the pdf and HTML versions of the paper, and the associated metadata.

The Search Behavior Of Terrestrial Mammals, M. Noonan, C. Martinez-Garcia, C. H. Fleming, A. R. Little Et. Al

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Algal Blooms And Microcystins In Fish On Small-Scale Fishers In Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria: Implications For Health And Livelihood, Amber F. Roegner, Jessica R. Corman, Lewis M. Sitoki, Zachary A. Kwena, Zachary Ogari, Jared Babu Miruka, Ame Xiong, Chelsea Weirich, Christopher Mulanda Aura, Todd Rex Miller

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Lake Victoria, bordered by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, provides one of the largest freshwater fisheries in the world and supports millions in small-scale fishing communities. Historical environmental change, including population growth, nutrient loading, introduced invasive species, and rising temperatures, has resulted in eutrophication and persistent cyanobacterial harmful algae blooms (cyanoHABs) over recent decades, particularly in the shallower gulfs, bays, and inlets. CyanoHABs impact fisheries and food web dynamics and compromise food and water security for nearshore fisher populations. In this study, we examine the socialecological impact of freshwater blooms on fisher health in one of these eutrophic regions, Winam Gulf …

Panta Rhei Benchmark Dataset: Socio-Hydrological Data Of Paired Events Of Floods And Droughts, Heidi Kreibich, Elliot Wickham, Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes increase in many regions of the world, a better understanding of the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is essential for effective flood and drought risk management and climate adaptation. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, empirical data about the processes, interactions, and feedbacks in complex human–water systems leading to flood and drought impacts. Here we present a benchmark dataset containing socio-hydrological data of paired events, i.e. two floods or two droughts that occurred in the same area. The 45 paired events occurred in 42 different study areas and cover …

Taps Program Evaluation – Producers, Stephanie M. Kennedy, Mark E. Burbach

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Taps Program Evaluation – Non-Producers, Stephanie M. Kennedy, Mark E. Burbach

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Revisiting The Carbon–Biodiversity Connection, John Gamon

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This article is a Commentary on Schuldt et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16697

The link between biodiversity and ecosystem function has long been a subject of intense interest and debate among biologists, going back to the time of Charles Darwin, whose ideas on species interactions presaged subsequent discussions of biodiversity and ecosystem function (Peterson et al., 1998). Since then, many considerations of community diversity have centered on the importance of species or functional diversity for maintaining system resilience in the face of disturbance, analogous to the way that interwoven threads maintain the function and integrity of fabric. While our language, concepts, and methods …

Drought Affects Sex Ratio And Growth Of Painted Turtles In A Long-Term Study In Nebraska, Larkin Powell, Ellen Dolph, Charrissa R. Neil

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Climate forecasts suggest the Great Plains of North America have increased risk of droughts during global warming. Environmental factors have potential to influence turtle populations in aquatic habitats through temperature-dependent sex determination and influences on food availability. Long-term studies are critical to evaluate the influence of climatic variation on turtles. We used a 12-year set of mark-recapture data collected from painted turtles (Chrysemys picta, n = 162) in a pond in Keith County, Nebraska during 2005–2016 to assess variation in sex ratio and growth dynamics. Southwest Nebraska experienced two periods of drought during our study (Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index [PHDI] …

Drought Influences Annual Survival Of Painted Turtles In Western Nebraska, Allyson N. Beard, Larkin Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Aquatic habitats in the Great Plains of North America have increased risk of droughts under climate forecasts. Droughts have the potential to influence the population dynamics of pond turtles, and long-term studies are useful to assess the impact of climatic variation on turtles. We compiled twelve years of mark-recapture data for painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) captured in a pond in Keith County, Nebraska during 2005–2016 that included two periods of drought. We used a robust design analysis to investigate influences on population size, annual survival, temporary immigration, and capture probability. Estimates of the annual population size ranged from 92 (CI: …

Connecting Distinct Realms Along Multiple Dimensions: A Meta-Ecosystem Resilience Perspective, David G. Angeler, Jani Heino, Juan Rubio-Ríos, J. Jesús Casas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Resilience research is central to confront the sustainability challenges to ecosystems and human societies in a rapidly changing world. Given that social-ecological problems span the entire Earth system, there is a critical need for resilience models that account for the connectivity across intricately linked ecosystems (i.e., freshwater, marine, terrestrial, atmosphere). We present a resilience perspective of meta-ecosystems that are connected through the flow of biota, matter and energy within and across aquatic and terrestrial realms, and the atmosphere. We demonstrate ecological resilience sensu Holling using aquatic-terrestrial linkages and riparian ecosystems more generally. A discussion of applications in riparian ecology and …

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawn Survival And The Influence Of Landscape Characteristics On Fawn Predation Risk In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Usa, Andrew R. Little, A. C. Edge, J. P. Rosenberger, C. J. Yates, C. H. Killmaster, K. L. Johannsen Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Labile Carbon And Soil Texture Control Nitrogen Transformation In Deep Vadose Zone, Lidong Li, Jordan Shields, Daniel D. Snow, Michael Kaiser, Arindam Malakar

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Understanding transient nitrogen (N) storage and transformation in the deep vadose zone is critical for controlling groundwater contamination by nitrate. The occurrence of organic and inorganic forms of carbon (C) and nitrogen and their importance in the deep vadose zone is not well characterized due to difficulty in sampling and the limited number of studies. We sampled and characterized these pools beneath 27 croplands with different vadose zone thicknesses (6–45 m).We measured nitrate and ammonium in different depths for the 27 sites to evaluate inorganic N storage. We measured total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), hot-water extractable organic carbon (EOC), soil organic …

Globally Scalable Approach To Estimate Net Ecosystem Exchange Based On Remote Sensing, Meteorological Data, And Direct Measurements Of Eddy Covariance Sites, Ruslan Zhuravlev, Andrey Dara, André Luís Diniz Dos Santos, Oleg Demidov, George Burba

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Despite a rapid development of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for carbon removal in recent years, the methods for evaluating NBS still have certain gaps. We propose an approach based on a combination of remote sensing data and meteorological variables to reconstruct the spatiotemporal variation of net ecosystem exchange from eddy-covariance stations. A Lagrangian particle dispersion model was used for upscaling satellite images and flux towers. We trained data-driven models based on kernel methods separately for each selected land-cover class. The results suggest that the proposed approach to quantifying carbon exchange on a medium-to-large scale by blending eddy covariance flux data with …

Role Of Social Determinants Of Health In Differential Respiratory Exposure And Health Outcomes Among Children, Jagadeesh Puvvula, Jill A. Poole, Yeongjin Gwon, Eleanor G. Rogan, Jesse E. Bell

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Background Attributes defining the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with disproportionate exposures to environmental hazards and differential health outcomes among communities. The dynamics between SDoH, disproportionate environmental exposures, and differential health outcomes are often specific to micro-geographic areas.

Methods This study focused on children less than 20 years of age who lived in Douglas County, Nebraska, during 2016–2019. To assess the role of SDoH in differential exposures, we evaluated the association between SDoH metrics and criteria pollutant concentrations and the association between SDoH and pediatric asthma exacerbations to quantify the role of SDoH in differential pediatric asthma outcomes. …

Ancient Bears Provide Insights Into Pleistocene Ice Age Refugia In Southeast Alaska, Flavio Augusto Da Silva Coelho, Stephanie Gill, Crystal M. Tomlin, Marilena Papavassiliou, Sean D. Farley, Joseph A. Cook, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, George K. Sage, Timothy H. Heaton, Sandra L. Talbot, Charlotte Lindqvist

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

During the Late Pleistocene, major parts of North America were periodically covered by ice sheets. However, there are still questions about whether ice-free refugia were present in the Alexander Archipelago along the Southeast (SE) Alaska coast during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Numerous subfossils have been recovered from caves in SE Alaska, including American black (Ursus americanus) and brown (U. arctos) bears, which today are found in the Alexander Archipelago but are genetically distinct from mainland bear populations. Hence, these bear species offer an ideal system to investigate long-term occupation, potential refugial survival and lineage turnover. Here, we present genetic …

An Examination Of Scenarios To Increase Waterfowl Hunting Participation, M. P. Hinrichs, J. Nawrocki, M. P. Gruntarod, M. P. Vrtiska, M. A. Pegg

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Detection Of Covid-19 In Female Athletes Using Wearable Technology, Liliana I. Rentería, Casey E. Greenwalt, Sarah Johnson, Shiloah Shiloah Kviatkovsky, Marine Dupuit, Elisa Angeles, Sachin Narayanan, Tucker Zeleny, Michael J. Ormsbee

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate (RR), and resting heart rate (RHR) are common variables measured by wrist-worn activity trackers to monitor health, fitness, and recovery in athletes. Variations in RR are observed in lower-respiratory infections, and preliminary data suggest changes in HRV and RR are linked to early detection of COVID-19 infection in nonathletes.

Hypothesis: Wearable technology measuring HRV, RR, RHR, and recovery will be successful for early detection of COVID-19 in NCAA Division I female athletes.

Study Design: Cohort study.

Level of Evidence: Level 2.

Methods: Female athletes wore WHOOP, Inc. bands …

Holocene Variations In Lake Titicaca Water Level And Their Implications For Sociopolitical Developments In The Central Andes, Stéphane Guédron, Christophe Delaere, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Julie Tolu, Pierre Sabatier, Anne-Lise Devel, Carlos Heredia, Claire Vérin, Eduardo Q. Alves, Paul A. Baker

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Holocene climate in the high tropical Andes was characterized by both gradual and abrupt changes, which disrupted the hydrological cycle and impacted landscapes and societies. High-resolution paleoenvironmental records are essential to contextualize archaeological data and to evaluate the sociopolitical response of ancient societies to environmental variability. Middle-to-Late Holocene water levels in Lake Titicaca were reevaluated through a transfer function model based on measurements of organic carbon stable isotopes, combined with high-resolution profiles of other geochemical variables and paleoshoreline indicators. Our reconstruction indicates that following a prolonged low stand during the Middle Holocene (4000 to 2400 BCE), lake level rose rapidly …