Digital Commons Network^™

Functional And Evolutionary Analysis Of Host Synaptogyrin-2 In Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Susceptibility, Lianna R. Walker, Hiep L. Vu, Kristi Montooth, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Mammalian evolution has been influenced by viruses for millions of years, leaving signatures of adaptive evolution within genes encoding for viral interacting proteins. Synaptogyrin- 2 (SYNGR2) is a transmembrane protein implicated in promoting bacterial and viral infections. A genome-wide association study of pigs experimentally infected with porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b) uncovered a missense mutation (SYNGR2 p.Arg63Cys) associated with viral load. In this study, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of the porcine kidney 15 (PK15, wtSYNGR2^+p.63Arg) cell line generated clones homozygous for the favorable SYNGR2 p.63Cys allele (emSYNGR2^+p.63Cys). Infection of edited clones resulted …

Using Genetic Comparisons Of Populations From Arizona, Mexico, And Texas To Investigate Fall Armyworm Migration In The American Southwest, Rodney N. Nagoshi, Ashley E. Tessnow, Yves Carrière, Jeff Bradshaw Dr., Kyle Harrington, Gregory A. Sword, Robert L. Meagher

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Fall armyworm (FAW) is a global agricultural pest, causing substantial economic losses in corn and many other crops. Complicating efforts to control this pest is its capacity for long distance flights, which has been described in greatest detail for the central and eastern sections of the United States. FAW infestations are also routinely found in agricultural areas in southern Arizona, which lie beyond the western limits of the mapped migratory pathways. Climate suitability analysis found that the affected Arizona locations cannot support permanent FAW populations, indicating that these FAW most likely arise from annual migrations. A better understanding of this …

Impact Of Remuneration On Staff Productivity In Imo State University, Owerri Library And Coal City University, Enugu Library, Chinedu Egbuchu, Heman Uchechukwu Osuagwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is on the impact of remuneration on staff productivity in Imo State University, Owerri library and Coal City University, Enugu library. The study aims to ascertain the impact of remuneration in university libraries. Three research objectives and three research questions were adopted for this study. A total of twenty five (25) library staff formed the population of the study which emanated from twenty (20) library staff of Imo State University Owerri and five (5) library staff of Coal City University Enugu. The study was carried out using questionnaire (e-copy) as instrument for data collection. The data collected were …

Impact Of Advertisement On The Use Of Library Information Resources In Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri Library, Chinedu C. Egbuchu, Heman Uchechukwu Osuagwu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is focused on the impact of advertisement on the use of library information resources in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri library. The study aims at ascertaining the impact of advertisement on the use of library information resources. Three research objectives and three research questions were adopted for this study. A total of twenty three (23) library staff formed the population of the study. The study was carried out using four point rating scale as instrument for data collection. The data collected were analyzed using mean scores and presented in tables. The result of this study revealed that library information …

Information Needs And Seeking Behaviour Of Health Workers In Rural Areas In Benue State, Nigeria, Yilase Jerome Terhemba, Obande Bonnie Obeka

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper investigates the information needs and seeking behaviour of health workers in the rural areas in Benue state Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total of four hundred and twenty-two (423) health workers with a sample of two hundred and six (206) health workers from general hospitals in 23 Local Governments Areas in Benue state was used for the study. The questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. A mean score cut-off point of …

An Illuminative Evaluation Of Two Models Of Reading Intervention Used In Middle Schools, Tachier M. Rezac

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

Intervention research often investigates the curriculum or methods used to support learners, while less attention is given to the model of those interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two models of reading intervention, and to better understand how they are serving middle school students. Working from a critical pragmatic lens, I employed illuminative evaluation methods to investigate three research questions: (a) What are the demographic profiles of students enrolled in reading intervention in grades seven and eight; (b) What are the differences in gains for students enrolled in the traditional intervention and reading lab …

Discursive Struggles Reflected In The Communication Of Conservative Christian Parents And Their Adult Children With Differing Religious Beliefs And Values, Braedon G. Worman

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

Nearly half of American adults no longer believe in their childhood faiths (Pew Research Center, 2015). The steady decline of Christianity could have considerable impacts on family life (Pew Research Center, 2022). From a postmodern critical perspective and guided by Relational Dialectics Theory 2.0, the researcher sought to discern how conservative Christian parents and their adult children with differing religious beliefs and values communicated when they discussed these differences, as well as to identify the discourses that informed and were reflected in their talk and illustrate how these discourses interplayed and animated the meaning of participants’ Christian family identities. The …

Collaborative Practices Between General Education Teachers And Teachers Of The Deaf/Hard Of Hearing: A Narrative Inquiry, Kayla Power

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

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) states that students with disabilities should receive instruction in the general education classroom as much as possible. This move has resulted in Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) students spending more of their time in the general education classroom which has increased the need for collaboration between Teachers of the Deaf (TODs) and general education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine what collaboration between TODs and general education teachers looks like in an elementary school setting. Data consisted of individual interviews and observations. Using a narrative inquiry approach, I restory the …

Housing Discrimination And Negative Attitudes Towards Ex-Offender Parents, Julie C. Wertheimer-Meier

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

While the Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, gender, religion, sex, disability, family status, and national origin, it allows housing providers to discriminate on the basis of criminal history. Prior research shows that housing providers disproportionately deny housing to ex-offender applicants and single parent applicants with young children. An ex-offender parent’s inability to acquire safe and affordable housing decreases the potential for reunification with their children and increases the risk of lost custody or parental rights termination. This dissertation consisted of two experiments that examined the effects of negative attitudes towards ex-offender parents on those parents’ ability …

Challenges And Strategies In Weed And Herbicide Management For Industrial Hemp, Milos Zaric

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

Renewed interest in industrial hemp (Rosales, Cannabinaceae, Cannabis sativa L.) production in the United States, driven by recent legislative changes, including the Agriculture Act of 2014 and Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, has sparked opportunities across various industries, from textiles to pharmaceuticals. With a specific focus on the High Plains climate, this research aims to inform growers about the feasibility of integrating industrial hemp into or nearby existing corn and soybean fields, crucial for those considering starting or expanding their production. The research is structured into three primary studies: 1. Herbicide Drift Sensitivity (Chapter 2): Assessing the risk of physical …

An Autoencoder‑Based Snow Drought Index, Sinan Rasiya Koya, Kanak Kanti Kar, Shivendra Srivastava, Tsegaye Tadesse, Mark Svoboda, Tirthankar Roy

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

In several regions across the globe, snow has a significant impact on hydrology. The amounts of water that infiltrate the ground and flow as runoff are driven by the melting of snow. Therefore, it is crucial to study the magnitude and effect of snowmelt. Snow droughts, resulting from reduced snow storage, can drastically impact the water supplies in basins where snow predominates, such as in the western United States. Hence, it is important to detect the time and severity of snow droughts efficiently. We propose the Snow Drought Response Index or SnoDRI, a novel indicator that could be used to …

Do Organic Farming Practices Improve Soil Physical Properties?, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Sabrina J. Ruis, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Organic farming (OF) is a reemerging system that could address food security and adverse environmental footprints of conventional farming (CF). However, how OF affects the soil physical environment, an essential pillar for soil ecosystem service delivery, is not well understood. This paper (1) reviews published global literature up to 13 July 2023 regarding the impacts of OF on soil physical properties compared with CF and (2) underlines research needs. Literature indicates OF improves some soil physical properties relative to CF although studies on some properties were few. Specifically, OF increased wet aggregate stability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and plant available water …

Access To Electronic Information Resources And Attitude Towards Plagiarism By Science Undergraduates In Three Universities In Oyo State, Nigeria, Mary Love Bamidele, Olawale Oyewole, Temitope Inioluwa Abegunde

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Undergraduates access electronic information resources for academic activities, however, this comes with abiding by good ethical behavior such as a negative attitude towards plagiarism. Literature have reported undergraduates’ negative or positive attitude towards plagiarism in Nigeria, but few studies have been carried out in Oyo State and have not investigated how access to electronic information resources influence attitude towards plagiarism. Therefore, this study examined access to Electronic Information Resources (EIR) and Attitude towards Plagiarism (ATP) by undergraduates in Faculty of Science in three universities in Oyo state, Nigeria.

The descriptive survey design of the correlational type was adopted for this …

Differentiating By Prime Numbers, Jack Jeffries

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

It is likely a fair assumption that you, the reader, are not only familiar with but even quite adept at differentiating by x. What about differentiating by 13? That certainly didn’t come up in my calculus class! From a calculus perspective, this is ridiculous: are we supposed to take a limit as 13 changes? One notion of differentiating by 13, or any other prime number, is the notion of p-derivation discovered independently by Joyal [Joy85] and Buium [Bui96]. p-derivations have been put to use in a range of applications in algebra, number theory, and arithmetic geometry. Despite the wide range …

The Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000 Effector Hopd1 Interferes With Cellular Dynamics Associated With The Function Of The Plant Immune Protein Atnhr2b, Luis Francisco Marín-Ponce, Catalina Rodríguez-Puerto, Perla Rocha-Loyola, Clemencia M. Rojas

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) causes disease in tomato, in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and conditionally in Nicotiana benthamiana. The pathogenicity of Pst DC3000 is mostly due to bacterial virulence proteins, known as effectors, that are translocated into the plant cytoplasm through the type III secretion system (T3SS). Bacterial type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) target plants physiological processes and suppress defense responses to enable and support bacterial proliferation. The Pst DC3000 T3SE HopD1 interferes with plant defense responses by targeting the transcription factor NTL9. This work shows that HopD1 also targets …

Lactic Acid Bacterial Surface Display Of Scytovirin Inhibitors For Anti-Ebolavirus Infection, Joshua Wiggins, Ngan Nguyen, Wenzhong Wei, Leah Liu Wang, Haley Hollingsead Olson, Shi-Hua Xiang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Scytovirin (SVN) is a lectin from cyanobacteria which has a strong inhibitory activity against Ebola virus infection. We engineered scytovirin as the inhibitor for surface display of lactic acid bacteria to block Ebola virus infection. Two different bacterial strains (Lactobacillus casei and Lactococcus lactis) were successfully engineered for scytovirin expression on the bacterial surface. These bacteria were found to be effective at neutralizing pseudotyped Ebolavirus in a cell-based assay. This approach can be utilized for prophylactic prevention, as well as for treatment. Since lactic acid bacteria can colonize the human body, a long-term efficacy could be achieved. Furthermore, …

Attitudes Towards Public Basic Needs Programs: An Analysis Of Question Order Effect, Period And Cohort Changes, And Differences Across Religious Traditions, Jamy Rentschler

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

This dissertation examines public opinions towards public basic needs programs (PBNPs), focusing specifically on differences in attitudes towards spending on assistance to the poor (ATP) and welfare. To do this, I use two different approaches, one focusing on survey methodology and the other looking at social change across time and religious tradition. The first research question addresses potential survey question order effects based upon which question came first, ATP or welfare, and examines how other federal spending priorities may impact opinions towards welfare. I do find question order effects, some of which vary based on the respondent’s race, but the …

Classifying Diseases Affecting Gait With Body Acceleration-Based Machine Learning Models, Mohammad Ali Takallou

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

This Ph.D. dissertation introduces a comprehensive framework designed to harness acceleration data as a uniquely valuable tool for early disease classification, specifically focusing on gait-related diseases. In the modern healthcare landscape, timely and accurate classification of such diseases is paramount, as it can significantly impact treatment outcomes and patient quality of life. As a compelling case study, we conducted a meticulous experiment to identify individuals afflicted with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and classify them from those without PAD. Our framework leverages acceleration data extracted from strategically placed anatomical reflective markers, including locations such as the sacrum, to train sophisticated classification …

The Power Of Weakness: Coercion In The American Alliance Network In Asia, Noelle Claire Troutman

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

How can a weaker ally, or ‘protégé’ coerce their stronger partner, or ‘patron’ for greater autonomy? My primary argument is that protégés have agency; they can and do coerce their patron. I ask two interrelated questions within this study. First, when can allied preferences diverge? Second, if allied disagreement is likely, how can a protégé coerce their patron for greater autonomy? I argue that protégés with insecure regimes can threaten their own collapse to get their patron to give into their demands. This is a tough lie to get away with; patrons are therefore likely to concede when their protégé …

Current Use Of Cigarettes In The United States: The Joint Role Of Race/Ethnicity And Health Insurance Coverage, Julia N. Soulakova, Lisa J. Crockett

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The goal of this study was to assess the joint role of race/ethnicity and a health insurance coverage type (private, Medicare, Medicaid) in current cigarette use among adults in the U.S. Data from the 2019 Tobacco Use Supplement and the 2019 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey were merged (n = 39,882). Bivariate associations between each coverage type and smoking prevalence were examined within each of six racial/ethnic groups. A multiple logistic regression model (for the odds of current cigarette use) was estimated to explore the interactions between race/ethnicity and an indicator of each type of …

3dgaunet: 3d Generative Adversarial Networks With A 3d U-Net Based Generator To Achieve The Accurate And Effective Synthesis Of Clinical Tumor Image Data For Pancreatic Cancer, Yu Shi, Hannah Tang, Michael J. Baine, Michael A. Hollingsworth, Huijing Du, Dandan Zheng, Chi Zhang, Hongfeng Yu

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a critical global health challenge, and early detection is crucial for improving the 5-year survival rate. Recent medical imaging and computational algorithm advances offer potential solutions for early diagnosis. Deep learning, particularly in the form of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), has demonstrated success in medical image analysis tasks, including classification and segmentation. However, the limited availability of clinical data for training purposes continues to represent a significant obstacle. Data augmentation, generative adversarial networks (GANs), and cross-validation are potential techniques to address this limitation and improve model performance, but effective solutions are still rare for 3D …

Disruption Of Semiochemical-Mediated Movement By The Immature Trogoderma Variabile Baillon And Trogoderma Inclusum Le Conte (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) After Exposure To Long-Lasting Insecticide-Incorporated Netting, Sabita Ranabhat, Michael J. Domingue, Luke Lebar, Georgina Bingham, Kun Yan Zhu, William R. Morrison Iii

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Highly mobile stored product insects may be able to readily orient in response to food cues and pheromones to attack durable commodities at each link of the postharvest supply chain. A 0.4% deltamethrin-incorporated long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting (LLIN) is a successful novel preventative integrated pest management (IPM) tactic to intercept dispersing insects after harvest. However, it is unknown whether exposure to LLIN may affect olfaction and orientation to important semiochemicals by immature stored product dermestids, therefore the aim of this study was to assess whether exposure to LLIN disrupts the normal olfactory and chemotactic behavior of warehouse beetle, Trogoderma variabile …

Announcing The Adsa Loyalty Program And Other Developments, Paul J. Kononoff, Jessica A.A. Mcart

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

At the core of scientific peer review is “sharing insights and information among peers so that researchers can learn from each other and move science forward” (Schultz, 2020). This year will mark the 107th year of existence for the Journal of Dairy Science. Over this time, the journal has been a stable pillar of ADSA, the dairy sector, and the scientific community. Several years ago, Kent Anderson published an article (Anderson, 2016) in the Scholarly Kitchen, an online blog of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, and discussed the vibrant community that makes up virtually all successful scholarly publications. Anderson wrote …

Revealing Tarumanagara Kingdom Indigenous Knowledge From The Jakarta History Museum Collections, Rizki Nurislaminingsih, Heriyanto Heriyanto

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Tarumanagara is the oldest kingdom in Java island with its territory along the west coast of Java island. Their socio-cultural was diverse which were created by the people who live in every region of Java. Their legacy is now preserved in the Jakarta History Museum which tell about the Tarumanagara indigenous knowledge. This study aims to identify the knowledge through the Jakarta History Museum collections. Museum studies approach was employed to identify the indigenous knowledge of Tarumanagara people. The findings show that behind the the Jakarta History Museum collections there are stories that represent the indigenous knowledge of the Tarumanagara …

Comparative Study Of Academic Performance Of Undergraduates Admitted Through Utme, Pre-Degree And Direct-Entry Into The Federal University Of Technology, Owerri., Felix M. Eke Dr, Ngozi Chima-James Dr, Peter O. Moneke Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In this research on comparative study of academic performance of undergraduates admitted through UTME, Pre-Degree and Direct-Entry into the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Seven (7) Schools/Faculties were randomly drawn for the study, from where sixteen (16) departments were randomly selected and the CGPA of their graduated students 2011/2012 – 2015/2016 used for the research. A total population of 1280 students out of which a sample of 668 students’ CGPA across the departments were drawn. We analyzed the CGPA data using different sample sizes for each admission mode and found that the average performance of graduated students, their standard deviation, …

Staff Attitude And Library Environment As Predictors Of Users’ Satisfaction In Public University Libraries In Abia And Imo States., Lazarus Njoku

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study Staff Attitude and Library Environment as Predictors of Users’ Satisfaction in Public University Libraries in Abia and Imo States. Two research questions were asked and two hypotheses formulated to guide the study. The research design adopted for the investigation is correlational design. The population of the study was 5,294. The sample size for this study is 378. Research questions were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correction (PPMC) and hypotheses tested with t-test as 0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study are: there is a significant positive very high extent of correlation between staff attitude and …

Challenges Encountered In The Implementation Of The National Literacy Acceleration Program (Nalap) In The Abura Asebu Kwamankese District, Ghana, Julius Arhin-Asamoah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The National Literacy Acceleration Program (NALAP) aims to enhance early grade primary school pupils' literacy rates, yet national evaluations reveal widespread deficiencies in reading proficiency in both the local language and English. This study examines challenges in implementing NALAP in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese district, Ghana, focusing on the teacher and resource-related issues. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed. The study covered 12 basic schools in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese district. In all, 61 respondents comprising 50 teachers and 11 circuit supervisors were involved in the study. The findings highlight teacher-related issues such as inadequate pedagogical practices, low motivation, …

Tulathromycin Metaphylaxis Increases Nasopharyngeal Isolation Of Multidrug Resistant Mannheimia Haemolytica In Stocker Heifers, William B. Crosby, Brandi B. Karisch, Lari M. Hiott, Lee J. Pinnell, Alexandra Pittman, Jonathan G. Frye, Charlene R. Jackson, John Dustin Loy, William B. Epperson, John Blanton Jr., Sarah F. Capik, Paul S. Morley, Amelia R. Woolums

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a leading cause of disease in feedlot and stocker calves with Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) as one of the most common etiologies. One of the most effective means of controlling BRD is through metaphylaxis, which involves administering antimicrobials to all animals at high risk of developing BRD. However, increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) MH may reduce efficacy of metaphylaxis due to decreased susceptibility to drugs used for metaphylaxis. Primarily, this study aimed to determine the effect of tulathromycin metaphylaxis and subsequent BRD treatment on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in MH isolated from stocker calves. Secondary objectives …

Mechanisms And Opportunities For Rational In Silico Design Of Enzymes To Degrade Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas), Melissa Marciesky, Diana S. Aga, Ian M. Bradley, Nirupam Aich, Carla Ng

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present a unique challenge to remediation techniques because their strong carbon−fluorine bonds make them difficult to degrade. This review explores the use of in silico enzymatic design as a potential PFAS degradation technique. The scope of the enzymes included is based on currently known PFAS degradation techniques, including chemical redox systems that have been studied for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) defluorination, such as those that incorporate hydrated electrons, sulfate, peroxide, and metal catalysts. Bioremediation techniques are also discussed, namely the laccase and horseradish peroxidase systems. The redox potential of known reactants and …

Root-Associated Bacterial Communities And Root Metabolite Composition Are Linked To Nitrogen Use Efficiency In Sorghum, Yen Ning Chai, Yunhui Qi, Emily Goren, Dawn Chiniquy, Amy M. Sheflin,, Susannah G. Tringe, Jessica E. Prenni, Peng Liu, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The development of cereal crops with high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a priority for worldwide agriculture. In addition to conventional plant breeding and genetic engineering, the use of the plant microbiome offers another approach to improving crop NUE. To gain insight into the bacterial communities associated with sorghum lines that differ in NUE, a field experiment was designed comparing 24 diverse Sorghum bicolor lines under sufficient and deficient nitrogen (N). Amplicon sequencing and untargeted gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to characterize the bacterial communities and the root metabolome associated with sorghum genotypes varying in sensitivity to low N. We …