Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Deciphering Interactions Between White-Tailed Deer And Approaching Vehicle, Morgan Pfeiffer, Raymond B. Iglay, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Deer-vehicle collisions are a major transportation hazard, but factors affecting deer escape decision-making in response to vehicle approach remain poorly characterized. We made opportunistic observations of deer response to vehicle approach during daylight hours on a restricted- access facility in Ohio, USA (vehicle speeds were ≤64 km/h). We hypothesized that animal proximity to the road, group size, vehicle approach, and ambient conditions would affect perceived risk by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to vehicle approach, as measured by flight-initiation distance (FID). We constructed a priori models for FID, as well as road-crossing behavior. Deer responses were variable and did not demonstrate …

Evaluating Moose Alces Alces Population Response To Infestation Level Of Winter Ticks Dermacentor Albipictus, Daniel D. Ellingwood, Peter J. Pekins, Henry Jones, Anthony R. Musante

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) …

Spillover Of Sars-Cov-2 Into Novel Wild Hosts In North America: A Conceptual Model For Perpetuation Of The Pathogen, Alan B. Franklin, Sarah N. Bevins

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is evidence that the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is of animal origin. As with a number of zoonotic pathogens, there is a risk of spillover into novel hosts. Here, we propose a hypothesized conceptual model that illustrates the mechanism whereby the SARS-CoV-2 could spillover from infected humans to naive wildlife hosts in North America. This proposed model is premised on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human feces through municipal wastewater treatment plants into the natural aquatic environment where potential wildlife hosts become infected. We use the existing literature on human coronaviruses, including SARS CoV, …

Public Perspectives And Media Reporting Of Wolf Reintroduction In Colorado, Rebecca Niemiec, Richard E.W. Berl, Mireille Gonzalez, Tara Teel, Cassiopeia Camara, Matthew Collins, Jonathan Salerno, Kevin Crooks, Courtney Schultz, Stewart Breck, Dana Hoag

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the state of Colorado, a citizen ballot initiative to reintroduce gray wolves (Canis lupus) is eliciting polarization and conflict among multiple stakeholder and interest groups. Given this complex social landscape, we examined the social context surrounding wolf reintroduction in Colorado as of 2019. We used an online survey of 734 Coloradans representative in terms of age and gender, and we sampled from different regions across the state, to examine public beliefs and attitudes related to wolf reintroduction and various wolf management options. We also conducted a content analysis of media coverage on potential wolf reintroduction in 10 major daily …

Nrc Health: Loyalty Insights, Grace Dickas, Allie Rauner, Keenan Allen, Utkarsh Hardia, Teckhong Lee

Honors Theses

One of the biggest concerns of health systems is to know how they can better serve their patients. Health systems seek to exceed patient expectations and inspire patients to return to their system for all their health needs. A patient who returns can be considered loyal to that health system. NRC Health collects patient data from over 9,000 health systems across the country. This allows it to provide data insights that inform health systems’ decisions. The ultimate goal is to increase patient loyalty for health systems by helping them understand how to serve their patients better. The team was tasked …

Smrt Sequencing Of Paramecium Bursaria Chlorella Virus-1 Reveals Diverse Methylation Stability In Adenines Targeted By Restriction Modification Systems, Samantha R. Coy, Eric R. Gann, Spiridon E. Papoulis, Michael E. Holder, Nadim J. Ajami, Joseph F. Petrosino, Erik R. Zinser, James L. Van Etten, Steven W. Wilhelm

James Van Etten Publications

Chloroviruses (family Phycodnaviridae) infect eukaryotic, freshwater, unicellular green algae. A unique feature of these viruses is an abundance of DNA methyltransferases, with isolates dedicating up to 4.5% of their protein coding potential to these genes. This diversity highlights just one of the long-standing values of the chlorovirus model system; where group-wide epigenomic characterization might begin to elucidate the function(s) of DNA methylation in large dsDNA viruses. We characterized DNA modifications in the prototype chlorovirus, PBCV-1, using single-molecule real time (SMRT) sequencing (aka PacBio). Results were compared to total available sites predicted in silico based on DNA sequence alone. SMRT-software detected …

Protein Availability And Consumption, And Stunting Rates, For Primary School Children In The Southern Regions Of Ethiopia And Zambia, Megan Wackel

NUTR/GLST 498b: Global Research Experiences in Nutrition and Health

•Stunting is common in Sub-Sahara Africa, with millions of children who are short in stature also experiencing poor overall health and development, as well as poor school performance (Semba 2016; Semba, et al., 2016). •As many as 39% of children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia’s Sidama Region (formerly SNNPR) can be classified as stunted (CSA & ICF 2016). By comparison, 29% of under 5’s in Zambia’s Southern Province have short height for age (CSA, MOH, & ICF 2018). •Low protein and essential amino acid intake, among populations of 116 countries, has been suggested as the primary cause of …

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Barriers Faced By Nursing Assistants And Medication Aides In The Care Of Dysphagia Residents, Lauren Kreuzberg

Honors Theses

Dysphagia refers to the symptom of difficulty in swallowing that accompanies several prevalent conditions in the older adult population, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease), stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, dementia, various cancers, and brain tumors (Allari, 2014). Many older adults who suffer from these conditions reside in nursing facilities, where most of their care is provided by certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and medication aides (MAs). However, the extent of these workers’ knowledge and competence in providing care to nursing home residents with dysphagia is vastly under-researched. The qualitative analysis investigates themes among interviews with fifteen CNAs and …

Language, Motor, And Cognitive Outcomes Of Toddlers Who Were Born Preterm, Diane Frome Loeb, Caitlin M. Imgrund, Jaehoon Lee, Steven Barlow

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the language, motor, and cognitive abilities of children born preterm in four categories: (a) healthy preterm infants, (b) infants of diabetic mothers, (c) infants with respiratory distress syndrome, and (d) infants with chronic lung disease when the children were 30 months, uncorrected age. Comorbidity of language, motor, and cognitive skills was examined, along with predictor variables.

Method: A total of 148 children who were born preterm participated and were assessed using bivariate tests and logistic regression on standardized assessment scores.

Results: Controlling for the children’s gestational age (GA), overall language ability …

Has Covid-19 Impacted Price-Weight Relationships And Value Of Gain?, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

In the beginning of COVID-19, much of the attention was focused on managing the redirection of meat product from food service to retail stores. This past month has keenly focused on packing plant closures due to COVID-19 cases among workers and how to manage the supply of fat cattle already ready for slaughter. Fat cattle available for slaughter either cannot get bids or bids are significantly below breakeven prices leaving feedlots with decisions to be made about marketing and placements. The April 2020 Cattle on Feed report (https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/m326m174z) revealed March placement decisions. Placements were down about …

The Relationship Between The Cervical Microbiome And Cervical Cancer Risk In Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameron Klein

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite ongoing efforts, sub-Saharan Africa faces a higher cervical cancer burden than anywhere else in the world. Besides HPV infection, definitive factors of cervical cancer are still unclear. Dysbiosis of the cervicovaginal microbiota, particularly involving sexually transmitted infections, is associated with increased cervical cancer risk. Notably, HIV infection, which is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, greatly increases risk of cervicovaginal dysbiosis and cervical cancer. To better understand and address cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, a better understanding of the regional cervicovaginal microbiome is required. In this study, I establish the relationship between cervical cancer, HPV, HIV, cervicovaginal infections, and the cervicovaginal …

Structure, Function And Metabolism Of Hepatic And Adipose Tissue Lipid Droplets: Implications In Alcoholic Liver Disease, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Karuna Rasineni, Murali Ganesan, Dan Feng, Benita L. Mcvicker, Mark A. Mcniven, Natalia A. Osna, Justin L. Mott, Carol A. Casey, Kusum K. Kharbanda

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

For more than 30 years, lipid droplets (LDs) were considered as an inert bag of lipid for storage of energy-rich fat molecules. Following a paradigm shift almost a decade ago, LDs are presently considered an active subcellular organelle especially designed for assembling, storing and subsequently supplying lipids for generating energy and membrane synthesis (and in the case of hepatocytes for VLDL secretion). LDs also play a central role in many other cellular functions such as viral assembly and protein degradation. Here, we have explored the structural and functional changes that occur in hepatic and adipose tissue LDs following chronic ethanol …

Effects Of A Vitamin And Mineral Bolus On Beef Heifer Feedlot Performance, Feeding Behavior, Carcass Characteristics, And Liver Mineral Concentrations, Kacie L. Mccarthy, Sarah R. Underdahl, Carl R. Dahlen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Crossbred beef heifers (n = 23; initial body weight [BW] = 370 ± 12 kg) housed at the North Dakota State University Beef Cattle Research Complex in Fargo, North Dakota, were used to evaluate the effects of a 250-d slow-release vitamin and mineral bolus on feedlot performance, feeding behavior, carcass characteristics, and liver mineral concentrations. Heifers were assigned to one of two treatments: 1) received no supplemental mineral or vitamin (CON, n = 12 or 2) received two boluses on day 0 (minimum of 3,740 mg Ca, 16,456 mg Mg, 112 mg Na, 11,220 mg Cu, 2,995 mg I, …

Healthy Lifestyles Community Readiness Assessment: Co-Creating Initiatives With Communities And Examining Differences In Sectors And Demographic Characteristics Across Dimensions, Brenna Schmader

Honors Theses

Nebraska Extension identified a need to better understand community readiness to engage communities and meet their needs. An interdisciplinary team of Extension Educators and Specialists was developed from the Community Vitality Initiative and the Food, Nutrition, and Health team. Six dimensions were identified as contributing factors for healthful communities and were the basis for the Healthy Lifestyles Community Readiness Assessment (HLCRA): Leadership Energy; Issue Awareness; Participation; Inclusivity; Resources; and Entrepreneurial Activities.

The assessment helps determine: a) programming type needed and b) who Extension can connect with in the community to enhance program success. The assessment was piloted by trained staff …

Proceedings 2020, The Nebraska Academy Of Sciences, Nebraska Academy Of Sciences

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Presengtations include:

INVERSE KINEMATIC ANALYSIS AND CONTROL SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR REMORA ROBOTIC ARM • PERFORMANCE METRIC EVALUATION AND PATH PLANNING FOR A 6-DOF 3-LEG PARALLEL ROBOT IN RRRS CONFIGURATION • DRAG REDUCTION/ENHANCEMENT USING FEMTOSECOND LASER SURFACE PROCESSING • USE OF FEMTOSECOND LASER SURFACE PROCESSING TO CREATE HIGH EMISSIVTY SURFACES • USING MULTISPECTRAL DRONE IMAGERY TO MEASURE CHANGES IN VEGETATION COVER IN THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS: PATTERNS IN SPACE AND TIME • DISRUPTING INTER-LIMB COORDINATION THROUGH AN EXOSKELETON DEVICE • ASSESSING LIMB POSITION PERCEPTION WITH AND WITHOUT TACTILE STIMULATION • EXERCISE AND COLD-INDUCED PGC-1 MRNA ISOFORM-SPECIFIC RESPONSE • DIETARY NITRATE INTAKE IMPROVES …

Use Of A Novel Whole-Body Imaging Approach To Predict Resting Metabolic Rates In Athletes, Nicole Vencil

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Prediction of energy expenditure allows for calculation of appropriate energy requirements, which is especially important for athletes. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the greatest contributor to total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and is typically measured via indirect calorimetry. Indirect calorimetry is not always available, which results in the need for predictive equations. Most predictive equations have been developed with participants resembling the general population and have not been found to be appropriate for athletes, as they may incorrectly predict RMR due to the unique differences of body composition between athletes and the general population. The purpose of the present study …

Analysis Of The Geographical Distribution Of Primary Care Physicians In Nebraska, Chanhyun Park

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses and Student Projects

Many articles point out that there is a disparity between rural and urban areas in healthcare service. The disparity is derived from the locational choices of physicians which are influenced by diverse factors such as backgrounds where they grew up or type of facility at which they worked. This study examines physician movements which vary depending on the types of physician and facility in Nebraska. The research dataset are annual practicing records of all primary care physicians and business information of the facilities in Nebraska from 1998 to 2019. The study result shows that there is little difference in physicians’ …

Stunting And Infectious Disease In Ethiopian And Zambian Children, Alyssa Arndt

NUTR/GLST 498b: Global Research Experiences in Nutrition and Health

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether children who are malnourished/stunted are more likely to have experienced infectious disease.

METHODS: 6th and 7th students (n=546) were interviewed about health history and assessed using anthropometry.

RESULTS: Children who are short for their age also have higher rates of stunting. Malaria is the most experienced infectious disease.

CONCLUSIONS: Given that malaria was the most common infectious disease experience listed among middle school children, and that those who have experienced disease are more likely to be stunted, increased malaria prevention methods may improve the long-term health of Ethiopian and Zambian schoolchildren.

Rural-Urban Differences In Roles And Support For Community Health Workers In The Midwest, Kate E. Trout, Virginia Chaidez, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act supports the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into the health care workforce, but little is known about integration and current roles of CHWs among employers in community settings. This analysis of 97 employers described the roles of CHWs in Nebraska and found significant differences between CHWs practicing in rural and urban areas in organization types employing CHWs, funding sources, and minority populations served. The findings suggest that the utility of CHWs is widely recognized among employers, but deliberate support will be needed to better define the roles of CHWs to meet the …

Navigating The Social Determinants Of Health: First Steps Toward Assessing And Addressing Socioeconomic Needs, Jocelyn Daubendiek

Honors Theses

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the socioeconomic conditions that shape a person’s life and can include an individual’s housing situation, economic opportunities, ability to obtain food, access to transportation and healthcare, level of education, and exposure to discrimination and violence. When people struggle with these socioeconomic aspects of their lives, their health will be negatively impacted as a consequence. In this study, the SDOH of patients were evaluated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine through the use of a survey about socioeconomic needs, and the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) of each participating patient was …

Talking Trash In The Big Apple: Mitigating Bird Strikes Near The North Shore Marine Transfer Station, Stephan J. Beffre, Brian E. Washburn

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthropogenic activities that concentrate wildlife near airports increases the risk of wildlife–aircraft collisions. Placing waste management facilities, natural areas, golf courses, and other landscape features near airports have the potential to attract wildlife hazardous to aviation. We conducted a 3-year study (March 2013–February 2016) to determine if the implementation of a Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program (WHMP) would influence the bird use of a waste transfer station located near LaGuardia Airport, New York City, New York, USA. We conducted wildlife surveys during 3 phases: (1) no mitigation program and no waste transfer station, (2) active mitigation and no waste transfer station, …

Association Between Sulfur-Metabolizing Bacterial Communities In Stool And Risk Of Distal Colorectal Cancer In Men, Long H. Nguyen, Wenjie Ma, Dong D. Wang, Yin Cao, Himel Mallick, Teklu K. Gerbaba, Jason Lloyd-Price, Galeb Abu-Ali, A. Brantley Hall, Daniel Sikavi, David A. Drew, Raaj S. Mehta, Cesar Arze, Amit D. Joshi, Yan Yan, Tobyn Branck, Casey Dulong, Kerry L. Ivey, Shuji Ogino, Eric B. Rimm, Mingyang Song, Wendy S. Garrett, Jacques Izard, Cutis Huttenhower, Andrew T. Chan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Background & Aims: Sulfur-metabolizing microbes, which convert dietary sources of sulfur into genotoxic hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), have been associated with development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We identified a dietary pattern associated with sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in stool and then investigated its association with risk of incident CRC using data from a large prospective study of men.

Methods: We collected data from 51,529 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study since 1986 to determine the association between sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in stool and risk of CRC over 26 years of follow-up. First, in a subcohort of 307 healthy men, we …

Elucidating The Regulon Of A Fur-Like Protein In Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis (Map), Fernanda Miyagaki Shoyama, Taveesak Janetanakit, John P. Bannantine, Raul G. Barletta, Srinand Sreevatsan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Intracellular iron concentration is tightly regulated to maintain cell viability. Iron plays important roles in electron transport, nucleic acid synthesis, and oxidative stress. A Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-specific genomic island carries a putative metal transport operon that includes MAP3773c, which encodes a Fur-like protein. Although well characterized as a global regulator of iron homeostasis in multiple bacteria, the function of Fur (ferric uptake regulator) in MAP is unknown as this organism also carries IdeR (iron dependent regulator), a native iron regulatory protein specific to mycobacteria. Computational analysis using PRODORIC identified 23 different pathways involved in respiration, metabolism, and virulence …

Collective Effect Of Landfills And Landscape Composition On Bird–Aircraft Collisions, Morgan Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ninety-three percent of all reported bird strikes occur below 1,067 m, which based on the typical approach and departure angles of aircraft is within 8–13 km of an airport. Concomitantly, the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization recommend that any feature that would attract hazardous wildlife to the approach and departure airspace be restricted. Thus, preventing the establishment of wildlife attractants, such as municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) within 8 km or 13 km extents (U.S. and international recommendations, respectively) of airports, has been recommended to mitigate the risk of bird–aircraft collisions (strikes). However, robust evidence linking …

Alexithymia Symptoms Are Not Associated With Childhood Trauma Or Crhr1 Rs110402 Genotype, Emily Wiatr, Grace Sullivan, Scott Stoltenberg

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Alexithymia is associated with difficulties in emotional self-regulation, and alexithymia is specifically associated with an absence of emotional experience and cognition of emotion. Past research has indicated a potential association between alexithymia and the CRHR1 gene . Situational factors may also impact the expression of the CRHR1 gene within an individual. Berenbaum (1996) found associations between PTSD/childhood trauma and alexithymia. This study examined these associations using the Online Alexithymia Questionnaire-G2 (OAQ-G2) as well as DNA samples gathered from 657 participants at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (72% women; 78.6% white; mean age= 20.34; standard deviation of 2.6). It was hypothesized that …

Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, Paige Debrie

UCARE Research Products

Our objective over the course of the summer and the school year was to help develop a new branch of the REACH Lab called Rural Drug Addiction Research center. This branch consisted mainly with the usage of drugs across the midwest. It wasn't until 2018 that the drug crisis hit the midwest increasing by 48% bringing attention to rural drug use. We were here to help translate those findings into something the more general public would understand as well as help with spreading awareness to the community.

Brain Activation For Cochlear Implant Users: A Pilot Fnirs Study, Makayla Gill, Ceceli Bonitto, Bailey Heaton, Yingying Wang

UCARE Research Products

Cochlear implants (CIs) have become a widespread device for individuals with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) to regain hearing ability and improve quality of life. However, the brain needs to adapt to this bionic device and relearn the function of hearing, especially for speech sounds. Because the auditory inputs through a CI are not the same as those heard by individuals with typical hearing, aural rehabilitation takes time. The goal of this study is to examine neural bases of speech perception in adult CI users using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Two adults with bilateral SNHL and CI(s) were fitted with …

Dgts Production As A Phosphate Starvation Response In The Human Fungal Pathogen Candida Albicans, Caleb Wehling

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Betaine lipids are a class of membrane lipids with betaine head groups. Three betaine lipids are known - diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (DGTS), diacylglycerylhydroxymethylalanine (DGTA), and diacylglycerylcarboxymethylcholine (DGCC). Betaine lipids are most common in algae, although DGTS, the most common betaine lipid, is also found in many bacteria and fungi. Organisms which produce betaine lipids (especially DGTS) often don’t produce phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), and DGTS structure resembles PtdCho structure without any phosphorous, leading to the hypothesis that betaine lipids may substitute for phospholipids in some organisms. This has been confirmed by discoveries that some organisms are capable of switching their membrane composition from PtdCho …

How Does The Social World Shape The Experience Of A Rare Disease? Social Position And The Development, Progression, And Medical Care For People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jennifer A. Andersen

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the implications of social position and life course on the experience of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Using a sociology in medicine frame, I test three theoretical perspectives (fundamental cause theory, social determinants of health, and life course theory) to determine the influence of social conditions on the development and progression of, and medical care for, people with ALS (pALS). Further, I use ALS as an exemplar of the need for a sociology of disease.

Using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis National Registry, I first assess the association of social position with the reported onset location at the …

On The Inadequacy Of Species Distribution Models For Modelling The Spread Of Sars-Cov-2: Response To Araújo And Naimi, Joseph D. Chipperfield, Blas M. Benito, Robert B. O'Hara, Richard J. Telford, Colin J. Carlson

Public Health Resources

The ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing significant damage to public health and economic livelihoods, and is putting significant strains on healthcare services globally. This unfolding emergency has prompted the preparation and dissemination of the article “Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus likely to be constrained by climate” by Araújo and Naimi (2020). The authors present the results of an ensemble forecast made from a suite of species distribution models (SDMs), where they attempt to predict the suitability of the climate for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the coming months. They argue that climate is …