Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory Open House

What a tremendous gift “Pete” and Abbie Gudmundsen gave to the University, to the people who live throughout their beloved Sandhills, and to the entire State of Nebraska when they donated their 12,817 acre ranch, the Rafter C, to the University of Nebraska Foundation in 1978. And what tremendous work our faculty and staff have accomplished here over the past 20 years. UNL faculty and staff research and educational efforts have truly made this ranch the “Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory.”

Gamma Sigma Delta Reception

“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.” I think of that old Chinese proverb today as we celebrate outstanding scholarship. I know our extremely talented and dedicated faculty, of whom I am especially proud, do a tremendous job of opening doors for those students who study with us in our classes in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences here at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Today we also are very proud of and for each of you students being recognized for your scholastic accomplishments.

Family, Youth and Community Partners Luncheon With Senators

Good afternoon. I am so pleased to be here with you today. I welcome this opportunity to talk with you about how University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, works with Nebraska’s at-risk families. I’m extremely proud of our work to help families meet their needs and develop and strengthen skills they can use to better share in Nebraska’s good life.

Congressional staff dinner /reception

It is my very real pleasure to welcome you here tonight. We are so pleased to have this opportunity to talk with you about Nebraska agriculture and natural resources, and the work we in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources do as partners with Nebraska. We welcome your insights and your help in doing all we can to strengthen our efforts on behalf of Nebraska, where one in four people depends on agriculture for employment. That number underscores the importance of Nebraska's agricultural farm gate to consumer plate industry, as well as the importance of the work we conduct in IANR.

Dr. Edward (Ted) Elliot Eulogy

Kathy and Susie, members of the faculty, and staff of the School of Natural Resource Sciences, ladies and gentlemen. There are some things in this world that, try as we may, just cannot be adequately accomplished. One of those things, for me at least, is to express adequately what I feel about the passing of Dr. Edward (Ted) Elliot. Ted came to this University of Nebraska a few months before I arrived, and it was my distinct honor to count him among my friends at this great University. Ted was a man of exceptional scientific standing and wisdom, and his loss leaves a void in all of our lives that will not be readily filled.

APC Hearing

Members of the Academic Planning Committee, and others here today, I will appear before this committee today and tomorrow during the APC hearing process to speak about proposed vertical cuts in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources budget. Each time we will discuss a cut we in the Institute do not like ... a cut we would not make unless forced, as we are now, to do so. This is true of today's proposal to close the South Central Research and Extension Center at Clay Center.

APC Hearings

Members of the Academic Planning Committee, and others here today, it is my responsibility to speak with you about the budget cuts we are recommending in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This is a difficult task, because I must speak for cuts that I would prefer not to make, cuts I know are opposed by constituents and colleagues whom I hold in high regard, cuts imposed upon us because of the current status of the Nebraska economy.

Master Conservationist Awards

It is a distinct pleasure to be with you this evening to present the Master Conservationist awards. I appreciate the opportunity to recognize those who have gone the extra mile to enhance Nebraska's natural resources and our way of life. Their efforts take on even more importance in a year like this when drought conditions have threatened field crops, pastures, and rangeland, as well as water for livestock and the citizens of our state. Times like this underscore how important it is for us to recognize the delicate balance of nature. The Master Conservationists we honor tonight have long-recognized the need for windbreaks to protect both crops and soils. They understand the benefits of controlled-grazing to maintain grass and protect the soil, as well as to provide forage in the future. Others have installed terraces and grassed waterways on fragile land, as well as reuse pits for irrigation water. Riverbanks have been restored and wildlife habitats have been developed. These practices and many others always are important, they take on new meaning in stressful periods like the one of 2002.

Student Writing Performance: Identifying the Effects when Combining Planning and Revising Instructional Strategies

The purpose of the current study is to identify the impact of teaching students to revise their stories on writing production (Total Words Written; TWW), writing accuracy (Percent Correct Writing Sequences; %CWS), number of critical story elements included in stories, and quality of writing. Three third-grade and one fourth-grade student who were experiencing difficulties in the area of writing were involved in the study. The students were first taught to plan their stories using the evidence-based program, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), which has frequently been implemented to teach students to plan their stories. Students were then taught to revise their stories using SRSD procedures modified for instruction in revision strategies. Student progress was evaluated through a multiple-probe design across tasks and a multiple-probe design across participants, which allowed for experimental control over time and across story probes. In addition to the previously mentioned variables, student’s acceptability of the intervention and their attitudes toward writing were also assessed. Results indicated that instruction in revising increased student writing accuracy beyond the effects of instruction in planning. Additionally, although instruction in planning was shown to increase writing production, number of critical story elements, and quality of writing, instruction in revising produced additional improvement in these variables as well. Finally, results indicated that students liked the intervention and their attitudes toward writing generally increased. Implications for practice and future research directions will be discussed. Advisor: Merilee McCurdy

Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) for Individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders in Outpatient Treatment Settings

The role of social cognition in severe mental illness (SMI) has gained much attention, especially over the last decade. The impact of deficits in socio-cognitive functioning has been found to have detrimental effects on key areas of day-to-day functioning in individuals with SMI, such as gaining and maintaining employment and overall experienced quality of life. Treatment of individuals with SMI is challenging, as the presentation of individual signs and symptoms is rather heterogeneous. There are several treatment approaches addressing deficits ranging from broader social and interpersonal functioning to neurocognitive and more intrapersonal functioning. As research in the domain of social cognition continues to identify specific deficits and its functional detriments, treatment options need to evolve to better target identified functional deficits. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) was recently developed to address specific socio-cognitive deficits in an inpatient population of individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This study applied SCIT in an outpatient SMI population as many deficits remain after individuals’ symptoms are less severe and overall functioning is more stable than during the acute inpatient phase of their rehabilitation. Specifically, this study has two objectives. First, to demonstrate that deficits in social cognition persist after the acute phase of illness has abated. Second, to demonstrate that these deficits can be ameliorated via targeted treatment such as SCIT. Data was gathered in local outpatient treatment settings serving a heterogeneous SMI population. Adviser: William D. Spaulding

Continuous/Cluster-Pinned Recording Media

We propose and theoretically investigate a new class of nanostructured magnetic recording films, cluster-pinned recording media. The films consist of magnetic clusters exchange coupled to a continuous hard layer with perpendicular anisotropy and low coercivity. Our calculations yield the coercivity and the cross-track correlation length as a function of film thickness and pinning density and strength. The mechanism is very similar to the Gaunt–Friedel pinning in bulk magnets, which differs from ordinary strong pinning by the selfconsistent dependence of wall curvature and coercivity on defect concentration. The main difference is the exponent for the coercivity as a function of the pinning strength, which is equal to 2 in the bulk but equal to 3/2 in thin films. The pinning strength is estimated for various regimes, and it is shown that the diminished domain-wall curvature reduces jitter.

A Pilot Study to Determine the Effectiveness of Probiotic Use in Elderly Patients with Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

Long-term care settings have the majority of their patients on multiple antibiotics, and outbreaks of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile are common. Probiotics have been used with these patients to reduce these side effects. Probiotics can re-establish the composition of intestinal microflora, enhance immune response, and clear pathogens from the host which may reduce the symptoms of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Therefore, the goal of this study was to conduct a retrospective study of the effectiveness of using probiotic in elderly patients in a long-term care facility in a Midwestern city who suffered from antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The probiotic, CulturelleTM had been administered once a day to eight males and twelve female patients who were taking antibiotics and stool consistency and number were recorded. Out of the original group, seven of the patients receiving the probiotic appeared to have positive effects while two patients had negative effects on stools. Thirteen patients showed no change in stool consistency and number. It was difficult to determine the effects of the probiotic due to the use by the facility of a bowel movement protocol for preventing constipation and impaction, and the lack of dietary records. Published studies in patients in long-term facilities vary greatly in terms of trial design, type and dose of probiotic and duration of treatment, which may explain why probiotics work for some patients and not for others. Probiotic use is becoming more accepted with antibiotic-associated diarrhea but due to the lack of definitive evidence about efficacy and the safety of probiotic use, more studies need to be conducted. Advisors: Kaye Stanek Krogstrand and Julie Albrecht

A Comparison of Induction Motor Starting Methods Being Powered by a Diesel-Generator Set

Starting induction motors on isolated or weak systems is a highly dynamic process that can cause motor and load damage as well as electrical network fluctuations. Mechanical damage is associated with the high starting current drawn by a ramping induction motor. In order to compensate the load increase, the voltage of the electrical system decreases. Different starting methods can be applied to the electrical system to reduce these and other starting method issues. The purpose of this thesis is to build accurate and usable simulation models that can aid the designer in making the choice of an appropriate motor starting method. The specific case addressed is the situation where a diesel-generator set is used as the electrical supplied source to the induction motor. The most commonly used starting methods equivalent models are simulated and compared to each other. The main contributions of this thesis is that motor dynamic impedance is continuously calculated and fed back to the generator model to simulate the coupling of the electrical system. The comparative analysis given by the simulations has shown reasonably similar characteristics to other comparative studies. The diesel-generator and induction motor simulations have shown good results, and can adequately demonstrate the dynamics for testing and comparing the starting methods. Further work is suggested to refine the equivalent impedance presented in this thesis.

World of Unknown Creatures and Their Hidden Works

What is the most mysterious feelings in mankind? What is the most general way by which every mankind is subject to change. Well monotonous, and steady life where someone does the same kind of work at same pace in same time, without any change of events, creates the burdensome feeling in a person. Yet people are unaware of it. We don't know where are we going, yet we go at the same pace, since in practical sense we are getting some credit for something. But the thing how much do we keep up, and maintain the balance in nature, so that we can really feel the value and the quality of life, and know the exact happiness of fulfilling the work. But if its totally becomes materialistic, and emotional aspect goes away from human beings, where social talking never goes away from your duties. Then!!!! ... I mean there is no need of human beings. If we are so developed, right from past few centuries and our domination, had created a modern social world, then we can create all kinds of devices and software which can handle all the works for which the people don't have to stay overtime just to finish that. I mean in that way human life will move through some progress, and will have some development. But the environment where we are living nothing new or development is taking place as the work becomes a duty for human being but not to machine which should be given some task to be completed.So all those devices are not in the society, since human being is already taking charge if it.

Tenure

Tenure is not easy to get. It is not, as one journalist puts it, a smooth rail for the gravy train. It is a long and challenging road ... Evaluation of the candidate for tenure is serious and thorough. Hours and days are spent reading and reviewing research contributions. Teaching is reviewed extensively ... The basic reason tenure is bestowed is to preserve freedom for highly trained and capable people to do their best work, to protect them from inappropriate political pressures ... Evaluation does not cease with tenure. Tenured faculty are reviewed at mandated intervals and also annually to determine what kind of raise, if any, they will receive ... Incontrovertibly, most faculty achieve more recognition after tenure than before - locally and nationally, for research, teaching, and service.