Digital Commons Network^™

High Sensitivity Rna Pseudoknot Prediction, Xiaolu Huang, Hesham Ali

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Most ab initio pseudoknot predicting methods provide very few folding scenarios for a given RNA sequence and have low sensitivities. RNA researchers, in many cases, would rather sacrifice the specificity for a much higher sensitivity for pseudoknot detection. In this study, we introduce the Pseudoknot Local Motif Model and Dynamic Partner Sequence Stacking (PLMM_DPSS) algorithm which predicts all PLM model pseudoknots within an RNA sequence in a neighboring-region-interferencefree fashion. The PLM model is derived from the existing Pseudobase entries. The innovative DPSS approach calculates the optimally lowest stacking energy between two partner sequences. Combined with the Mfold, PLMM_DPSS can also …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha, December Commencement 2006, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Successful Transitions Of Runaway/Homeless Youth From Shelter Care, Von Eugene Nebbitt, Laura E. House, Sanna J. Thompson, David E. Pollio

Social Work Faculty Publications

Previous research indicates that runaway and homeless youth often achieve positive outcomes after shelter stays however few studies have examined how these outcomes are achieved. This study employs qualitative methods to explicate this phenomenon. Twenty-five providers and 21 youth from four shelters participated in this study. Youth were recruited who had completed shelter care and returned home for minimally six months. Multiple raters identified themes and created a conceptual model. While in shelter, youths experienced structure and freedom, and the family experienced respite. Once youth became involved in treatment, the family re-connected and the youth returned home. After returning home, …

Dynamics Of Random Boolean Networks Governed By A Generalization Of Rule 22 Of Elementary Cellular Automata., Gary L. Beck

Student Work

This study considers a simple Boolean network with N nodes, each node's state at time t being determined by a certain number of k parent nodes. The network is analyzed when the connectivity k is fixed or variable. This is an extension of a model studied by Andrecut [4) who considered the dynamics of two stochastic coupled maps. Making use of the Boolean rule that is a generalization of Rule 22 of elementary cellular automata, a generalization of the formula for providing the probability of finding a node in state 1 at a time t is determined and used to …

Secularism In Turkey: The Perpetual Tipping Point: Key To The Future Or Prelude To Collapse, Peter R. Catalono

Student Work

During the Cold War, the strategic significance of Turkey to the United States was clear: limit the expansion of the Soviet Union and maintain control of the Dardanelles. For the past decade and a half Western policymakers (US and European) have sent mixed signals to the Turks as to the importance of Turkey in the region, as a bridge between East and West, and in the World. Through eight decades of secular rule Turkey has shown that a democratic and secular state can exist within an almost entirely Muslim population. This thesis is made up of five main parts that …

The Political Career Of Robert B. Crosby, Nebraska Governor, 1953-1955, Theodore J. Wehrbein

Student Work

This thesis examines the political career of Robert B. Crosby, Nebraska's twenty-seventh governor, whose early popularity ended with his efforts to comply with a State Supreme Court mandate to equalize state-wide property tax assessments. Elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 1940 and re-elected in 1942, Crosby was chosen at the age of 31 as the Speaker of the Legislature in 1943, the youngest person ever to hold that position. After serving two years in the United States Navy, he successfully ran as a Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1946, and then, in a landslide victory, was elected Governor in …

A Spatial Analysis Of The Foreign-Born Population In Douglas Sarpy County, Nebraska – 2000, Leigh Anne L. Opitz

Student Work

For a city that was initially settled mostly by Europeans, the recent immigrants largely from non-European countries, arriving in a changed urban and societal setting, have altered the settlement geography of Omaha, Nebraska. Due to the economic attainment of many newcomers to the country, many immigrant groups are able to settle in more prosperous areas than previous immigrants, and therefore live further away from the inner city. The transportation infrastructure throughout the city has also improved since the beginning of the century, so immigrants are able widen their geographic mobility. The resulting settlement pattern of these new immigrants is therefore …

Perceptions Of Respite Care Benefits And The Measures Of Leisure Satisfaction And Life Satisfaction Among Informal Caregivers, Natalie J. Nauman

Student Work

The purpose of the proposed study was to determine the perceived benefits of respite care by informal caregivers who are actively pursuing respite services, and to evaluate their expectations after receiving respite services. In addition the study also was undertaken to better understand the roles of “leisure satisfaction” and “Perceived Stress Levels” in the lives of informal caregivers who are currently receiving respite services versus those who are not currently receiving services, in both a pre and post format for both groups of caregivers. The study group of caregivers was given a total of four surveys in the pre-respite package …

Service Learning Now Attracts A New Kind Of Student, Frank Dimaria

Service Learning, General

SOCIOLOGY student Steve wrote in his reflective journal, "l have read countless articles regarding diversity in America and the many cultures represented in our great nation, However, I had never really understood or had taken in this idea as my own belief until my service-learning experience at the (New York State] Museum, I would especially recommend the service­ learning option..., I feel it should be required of all students as it teaches many things that cannot be learned in a classroom."

Volunteer Growth In America: A Review Of Trends Since 1974, Corporation For National And Community Service

Service Learning, General

Throughout the history of the United States, Americans have valued an ethic of service. As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote over a century and a half ago, this ethic of service "prompts [Americans] to assist one another and inclines them willingly to sacrifice a portion of their time and property to the welfare of the state." Today, the ethic remains strong as Americans of all ages donate their time to schools, churches, hospitals, and other local nonprofits in an effort to improve their communities. Every day, people across the country mentor students, beautify neighborhoods, help older Americans to live independently, restore …

Issue Brief: Volunteer Growth In America: A Review Of Trends Since 1974, Corporation For National And Community Service

Service Learning, General

As part of its mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering; the Corporation for National and Community Service conducts periodic research into the volunteer activities of Americans. Its latest study, Volunteer Growth in America: A Review of Trends Since 1974, provides an in-depth look at volunteering over the past 30 years, with particular attention paid to changing historical volunteer patterns by select age groups. Like other studies in the Corporation, "Volunteering in America" series, the finding, in this report are based on data collected annually since 2002 by the US. Census Bureau and …

Developing And Implementing Successful Transition Strategies For Middle To High School Students In Glenwood, Iowa, Russell E. Finken

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to obtain perceptions from school staff of the eighth to ninth grade transitional issues that contribute to an increase in academic failures during the ninth grade year. Areas of focus included: teacher/school academic and behavioral expectations, teacher perceptions of concerns, programming and curriculum at each school, student academic preparedness, student social/emotional capabilities, student academic success, student attendance, and parental involvement. Staff members from the middle (eighth grade) and high school (ninth grade) levels were gathered together to discuss transitional issues and develop an action plan to improve transitional challenges in the Glenwood Schools of …

Taxonomic And Paleoclimatic Significance Of Late Cretaceous Wood From The San Juan Basin, New Mexico., Patrick J. Hudson

Student Work

Fossil wood has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for studying past environments and biotas. Anatomical structure of silicified woods from Late Cretaceous sediments in northwestern New Mexico was used to conduct a taxonomic survey of plants with secondary growth and tree stature, as well as estimate paleoclimate. A total of 50 specimens compromising both gymnospermous and angiospermous remains were surveyed from deposits within the upper Fruitland and lower Kirtland formations of the San Juan Basin. Anatomical characters were used to designate distinct xylotypes, which were then linked to modern orders or families. Paleoclimate was estimated using three quantitative …

The Effects Of Parent Involvement On The Reading Achievement And Reading Engagement Of Students Participating In A Balanced Reading Curriculum, Ledonna M. York

Student Work

This study evaluated the reading achievement scores and reading engagement outcomes of second grade students, in an urban magnet center, whose parents were randomly selected to participate in active parent involvement training (APIT; n = 13) sessions compared to information based parent involvement training (IBPIT; n = 6) sessions. Results of the pretest posttest two group comparative study examined (a) reading achievement scores as measured by (i) Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills 6th edition (DIBELS); and (ii) Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE); and (b) reported reading engagement frequencies as measured by student (i) school absences, (ii) …

Original Investigation Correlated Joint Fluctuations Can Influence The Selection Of Steady State Gait Patterns In The Elderly, Max J. Kurz, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

This investigation utilized a Markov model to investigate the relationship of correlated lower extremity joint fluctuations and the selection of a steady state gait pattern in the young and elderly. Our model simulated the neuromuscular system by predicting the behavior of the joints for the next gait cycle based on the behavior exhibited in the preceding gait cycles. Such dependencies in the joint fluctuations have been noted previously in the literature. We speculated that compared to the young model, the characteristics of the correlated fluctuations in the elderly model would result in the selection of a different steady state gait …

Genomeblast: A Web Tool For Small Genome Comparison, Guoqing Lu, Liying Jiang, Resa M. K. Helikar, Thaine W. Rowley, Luwen Zhang, Xianfeng Chen, Etsuko N. Moriyama

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Comparative genomics has become an essential approach for identifying homologous gene candidates and their functions, and for studying genome evolution. There are many tools available for genome comparisons. Unfortunately, most of them are not applicable for the identification of unique genes and the inference of phylogenetic relationships in a given set of genomes.

Results: GenomeBlast is a Web tool developed for comparative analysis of multiple small genomes. A new parameter called "coverage" was introduced and used along with sequence identity to evaluate global similarity between genes. With GenomeBlast, the following results can be obtained: (1) unique genes in each …

A Soft Landing, Steady Growth, And Accelerating Farm Income, John Austin, Chris Decker, Tom Doering, Ernie Goss, Nick Hernandez, Bruce Johnson, Ken Lemke, Franz Schwarz, Scott Strain, Eric Thompson, Keith Turner

Economics Faculty Publications

After years of accelerating growth, the U.S. economy achieved a soft landing in 2006. The rate of economic growth remained positive but slowed sufficiently to reduce inflation pressures and the need for further interest rate increases. At the same time the economy remained strong enough to continue the current expansion which has been in place since late 2001. Such a soft landing is vital because it should allow the economy to continue to expand for years to come, but with moderate inflation.

Service-Learning: Motivations For K-12 Teachers, Marjori Maddox Krebs

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the essence of the service-learning experience for K-12 teachers in central and northwest Ohio, specifically exploring teacher motivations for initiating service-learning in the classroom. Service-learning is defined as an educational methodology that incorporates student preparation, service to the community, and reflection, with links to the academic curriculum (Billig, 2002).

Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Meeting Summary, November 29, 2006, Uno Strategic Planning Steering Committee

Steering Committee

Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Meeting Summary, November 29, 2006.

How To Be A Depository Library Without Being A Depository Library: Adding Records For Electronic Government Documents To The Library Catalog, James T. Shaw

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Judith Russell, the Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Government Printing Office, remarked at the ACRL National Conference in March 2005:

"With 95% of the new titles added to the Federal Depository Library Program available online, every library now has the ability to access a wide array of government information for its patrons at no charge. Understanding what is already available--and what is coming soon--can help each library plan for the integration of electronic government information into its reference and public services" (Assuring Access).

Electronic distribution of government documents has opened more avenues for access to government information, but libraries …

Compulsive Talkers: Perceptions Of Over Talkers Within The Workplace, Jason R. Axsom

Student Work

Compulsive talkers have been the focus o f limited communication studies, and those that have been written addressed the need for defining and identifying those considered to be over communicators. To date, no recorded studies has investigated the potentially negative impact compulsive talkers could have on those that work with them. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and reactions of interactants with compulsive talkers in the workplace. Interviews with coworkers of compulsive talkers were conducted to determine their perceptions of these over talkers and their attributes. From these interviews, four distinct patterns emerged. Overall, compulsive talkers …

Bioenergetic Analysis Of Female Volleyball, Christine Sjoberg

Student Work

Volleyball is a demanding sport typified by repeated high intensity bouts of activity consisting of jumping, spiking, diving, and running. Practice sessions for collegiate level play generally last from two to three hours. The total energy requirement for extended practice sessions has not been directly measured and compared to dietary intake to assess whether collegiate athletes’ energy intake meets the energy demand of the sport. The purpose of this study was to establish the energy balance of female collegiate volleyball athletes during typical team training days. A bioenergetic analysis was conducted by directly measuring oxygen consumption (V 02) during actual …

Adolescents' Perceptions And Interpretations Of Parental Control: Differentiated By Domain And Type Of Control, Fumiko Kakihara

Student Work

In this study, early to middle adolescents’ perceptions and interpretations of psychological control and behavioral control were examined using quasi-experimental methods. A total of sixty-seven adolescents (M—14.25 years, SD = 1.66), consisting of 32 7th/8th graders (M= 12.69 years, SD = .69) and 35 10th/11th graders (M = 15.69 years, SD= .72) responded to hypothetical vignettes depicting everyday interactions between parents and an adolescent involving psychological versus behavioral control, manipulating the levels of control and authority domains. The adolescents were asked to indicate the degree to which the control depicted in the vignettes would indicate parental intrusiveness, their mattering to …

Nemo News, Volume 3, Issue 3, Uno Library Science Education

NEMO Newsletter

This issue of NEMO News features Advice from the Frontlines from Robin Bernstein, Student Spotlight on Joy Stortvedt, Alumni Spotlight on Sally Snyder, Announcements, Congratulations, and Holiday Wishes.

Guidance And Learn And Serve Program Partnerships: A View Towards Integration For Classroom Delivery, Bob Bhaerman, Harry Drier

School K-12

The purpose of this monograph is to stimulate a dialogue between counselors, their guidance programs, and classroom teachers about how they might work together to design or continue to and implement community service-learning efforts. We first will raise a series of questions on service-learning and then tum to exploring how and where guidance programs fit into service learning outcomes and activities. As you review the questions on service learning, think of the ways in which you, in your role as counselor and guidance program manager, might become a more meaningful partner with classroom teachers. This monograph helps us to see …

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Of Service, Corporation For National And Community Service

Service Learning, General

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is all about promoting Dr. King's vision of building broad and diverse coalitions, breaking down barriers, and making our communities the best they can be. It is much more than just a day.

Bioenergetic Analysis Of Female Volleyball, Christine Sjoberg

Student Work

Volleyball is a demanding sport typified by repeated high intensity bouts of activity consisting of jumping, spiking, diving, and running. Practice sessions for collegiate level play generally last from two to three hours. The total energy requirement for extended practice sessions has not been directly measured and compared to dietary intake to assess whether collegiate athletes' energy intake meets the energy demand of the sport. The purpose of this study was to establish the energy balance of female collegiate volleyball athletes during typical team training days. A bioenergetic analysis was conducted by directly measuring oxygen consumption (V0 2) during actual …

Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Meeting Summary, October 25, 2006, Uno Strategic Planning Steering Committee

Steering Committee

Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Meeting Summary, October 25, 2006.

Sociopolitical Empowerment Of Social Work Students, Lori Stearns

Student Work

Advocacy for social justice is a tradition of the social work profession and a professional ethical mandate essential for clinical practice and the development of social policies. Research suggests that university environments are optimal for developing and enhancing empowerment among aspiring social work students. Current undergraduate and graduate level social work students were surveyed using the Sociopolitical Empowerment Scale to assess their perceived empowerment. As an exploratory study, the findings suggested that educational opportunities to experience political participation and memberships in student and professional organizations are potential factors that may enhance perceived empowerment. The implications of this research support continued …

Pillars Of Growth In Nebraska's Non-Metropolitan Economy, Eric Thompson, Ernie Goss, Chris Decker, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bruce Johnson, Ben Schmitz, Julian Neira, Pavel Jeutang

Economics Faculty Publications

Agriculture is a critical part of Nebraska’s economy, and changes in the fortunes of agriculture play an important role in the success of the state’s non-metropolitan regions. Trends toward consolidation and rising productivity in agriculture, however, have raised concerns about the future of non-metropolitan Nebraska. Some citizens and policymakers have begun to wonder if the economy can create sufficient job opportunities for non-metropolitan residents. The answer to this question depends not only upon the relative strength of the agricultural sector, but also upon the presence of other industries that can join agriculture as pillars for employment growth in non-metropolitan Nebraska. …