Digital Commons Network^™

Intimate Attachment Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 To Urinary Bladder Epithelium In The Gnotobiotic Piglet Model, Rodney A. Moxley, Tom W. Bargar, Stephen D. Kachman, Diane R. Baker, David H. Francis

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a pathogenic subset of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), is an important cause of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic–uremic syndrome (HUS), and a rare cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) with associated HUS. EHEC strains attach intimately to intestinal epithelium with formation of actin pedestals (attaching-effacing (A/E) lesions); however, the mechanism of EHEC attachment to the uroepithelium is unknown. We conducted a retrospective study on archived urinary bladder specimens from gnotobiotic piglets that naturally developed cystitis associated with EHEC O157:H7 infection following oral inoculation and fecal shedding. Paraffin-embedded bladder tissues from three piglets with cystitis and immunohistochemical …

Triggers Of Inflammatory Heart Disease, Ninaad Lasrado, Bharathi Yalaka, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Inflammatory heart disease (IHD) is a group of diseases that includes pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis. Although males appear to be more commonly affected than females, IHD can be seen in any age group. While the disease can be self-limiting leading to full recovery, affected individuals can develop chronic disease, suggesting that identification of primary triggers is critical for successful therapies. Adding to this complexity, however, is the fact that IHD can be triggered by a variety of infectious and non-infectious causes that can also occur as secondary events to primary insults. In this review, we discuss the immunological insights into …

Current Status Of Zika Virus Vaccines: Successes And Challenges, Aryamav Pattnaik, Bikash R. Sahoo, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The recently emerged Zika virus (ZIKV) spread to the Americas, causing a spectrum of congenital diseases including microcephaly in newborn and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults. The unprecedented nature of the epidemic and serious diseases associated with the viral infections prompted the global research community to understand the immunopathogenic mechanisms of the virus and rapidly develop safe and efficacious vaccines. This has led to a number of ZIKV vaccine candidates that have shown significant promise in human clinical trials. These candidates include nucleic acid vaccines, inactivated vaccines, viral-vectored vaccines, and attenuated vaccines. Additionally, a number of vaccine candidates have been …

Rapid Differentiation Of Moraxella Bovoculi Genotypes 1 And 2 Using Maldi-Tof Mass Spectrometry Profiles, Matthew M. Hille, Aaron M. Dickey, Kara Robbins, Michael L. Clawson, John Dustin Loy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Moraxella bovoculi is the most frequently isolated bacteria from the eyes of cattle with Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), also known as bovine pinkeye. Two distinct genotypes of M. bovoculi, genotype 1 and genotype 2, were characterized after whole genome sequencing showed a large degree of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity within the species. To date, both genotypes have been isolated from the eyes of cattle without clinical signs of IBK while only genotype 1 strains have been isolated from the eyes of cattle with clinical signs of IBK. We used 38 known genotype 1 strains and 26 known genotype …

Enigmatic Mediterranean Silk Quilts, Kathryn Berenson

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Nearly two dozen centuries-old, corded quilts and fragments made of jewel-toned silks rest in North American and European collections. Expertly designed, they are variously stitched with imagery of ships sailing over waters that teem with fish, musicians who play amidst animals that gambol and prance to their music, armed hunters and their dogs in pursuit of boar, wolf, and even lion, and arcaded galleries where half-dressed women pose beneath the arches. Double-headed eagles, a symbol of both political and religious significance, and roundels featuring profiles of men wearing turbans or crowns, are also common motifs.

Each quilt is completely reversible; …

Transformative Power Of Stitchery: Sashiko From Cold Regions Of Japan And Embroidery Work Of The Nui Project, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This paper seeks to reveal the transformative power of stitchery by examining textile practices in Japan and articulating how a threaded needle can be viewed as the co-agent of stitchers, infusing their materials with properties in a “processual” and relational manner that reflects the currents of their lifeworld.^[1] I will contrast and compare two practices, one ancient and one modern, one responding to life’s necessities and the other simply to the act of stitching. In the ancient world, stitchery was essential for human survival, and later in rural Japan, sashiko stitchery was a medium that connected textiles with daily …

Textile Memory In Colchane: Weavers Revitalizing The Aymara Tradition, Soledad Hoces De La Guardia

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In Aymara culture, textiles have played a fundamental role as highly valued community possessions and significant media for ritual and tradition. In Chilean territory, the Colchane community has been fortunate, because they have here retained, with fidelity and vigor, their culture and traditional textile practices. However, the average age of active weavers is rising and those younger do not have the technical expertise of their elders, which has led to the loss of a significant part of traditional technical knowledge.

To not forget the “handwork” became an urgent concern for artisans in the community, members of the Aymar Warmi association, …

Viscacha: Luxury, Fate And Identification In Precolumbian Textiles, Elena Phipps, Caroline Solazzo

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Since the sixteenth century, references by Spanish chroniclers to the use of chinchilla hair (Andean rodents of several species including viscacha) by Andean weavers indicate that the fine hair of these animals had been incorporated into textiles. Their fine soft hair, often mottled in color, has distinctive characteristics which vary and, as a result, make them difficult to identify. Some archaeological finds, primarily in Chile have reported viscacha skins and fur bags, but few if any reports have identified the presence of textiles or spun yarns that incorporate this special fiber. The depiction of the animal takes on special meaning …

Applied Injected Air Into Subsurface Drip Irrigation: Plant Uptake Of Pharmaceuticals And Soil Microbial Communities, Matteo D'Alessio, Lisa M. Durso, Clinton Williams, Christopher A. Olson, Chittaranjan Ray, Ellen Paparozzi

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The growing global food security crisis is complicated by the need for increased crop production with less arable land and limited water resources. Reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation is becoming more common, often paired with other conservation measures such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Passively injecting air into SDI systems increases crop yields and overcomes root zone wetting issues. However, when used with treated irrigation water, contaminants in the water might be taken up by the crops. This paper investigates the impact of air-injected water containing caffeine, carbamazepine, and gemfibrozil on plant uptake and soil microbial communities in …

Transcriptomic Data-Driven Discovery Of Global Regulatory Features Of Rice Seeds Developing Under Heat Stress, Mohammad Mazharul Islam, Jaspreet Sandhu, Harkamal Walia, Rajib Saha

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Plants respond to abiotic stressors through a suite of strategies including differential regulation of stress- responsive genes. Hence, characterizing the influences of the relevant global regulators or on stress- related transcription factors is critical to understand plant stress response. Rice seed development is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures. To elucidate the extent and directional hierarchy of gene reg- ulation in rice seeds under heat stress, we developed and implemented a robust multi-level optimization- based algorithm called Minimal Regulatory Network identifier (MiReN). MiReN could predict the minimal regulatory relationship between a gene and its potential regulators from our temporal transcriptomic dataset. …

Climate Change And Grief: An Overview Of The Mental Health Effects Of Climate Change And How Biodiversity Loss In The Great Plains Affects Our Emotional Wellbeing, Luke Andersen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

While it is known that our changing climate is predicted to have dire consequences, there is less discussion taking place about the potential mental health effects and outcomes of those consequences. Many articles outline the mental health consequences of climate change, but they all discuss similar ideas and theories that don't necessarily generate further topics to explore. A topic that remains unexplored is that of ecological grief, which is our emotional response to ecological loss. The hypothesis being tested in this research project is that people will feel relatively strong grief-related emotions (i.e. anger, sadness) when imagining the loss of …

Environmental Factors On The Arctic Food Chain, Sydney Hansen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

As the Arctic is encountering many environmental changes, a multi-species meta-analysis was conducted from peer-reviewed scientific data gathered from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) library’s bibliographic databases to determine 1) the main polar warming impacts on species of the Arctic food web such as polar bears, ringed seals, Arctic cod, copepods, and primary producers, 2) determine climatic impacts by looking at population sizes and migratory patterns over several years, and 3) discover impacts of a top-down cascade and look into conservation efforts. In the Arctic, species within its’ ecosystem are experiencing more dramatic impacts from climatic warming because of the …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Reception Of Laudato Si’ By Progressive And Traditional Catholics, Mikayla Dorff

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study considers the impacts of religion, specifically Catholicism, on environmental views. In 2015, Pope Francis published an encyclical entitled Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. In this encyclical, Pope Francis calls all humans to an “ecological conversion” and identifies environmental stewardship as a Catholic responsibility. Progressive Catholics embraced Laudato Si’ and its messages, while traditional Catholics condemned the encyclical. In this study, a comparative literary analysis is conducted to determine why traditional Catholics reject the encyclical while progressive Catholics applaud it. Initiatives stemming as a direct result from Laudato Si’ are also examined. The study found …

Nutritional Value Of Crops Affected By Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations In Atmospheric Conditions, Alex Joseph Cusimano

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and the nutritional quality of crops. Using Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) and Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) to simulate elevated carbon dioxide levels, more review of previous literature was studied. Studies found that although there is a negative loss of nutrient availability, there are major signs that nutrient deficiencies. Nitrogen(protein), Iron, and Zinc are the most impacted with elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions. Further research and experiments regarding long term plant growth should be considered moving forward. With only limted situations and different CO2 …

What Are The Impacts Of Plastic Pollution On Sea Turtles And How Can We Prevent Them?, Stacey Safarik

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper will address the impacts of plastic pollution on sea turtles and how humans can combat the issue. Sea turtles are often harmed due to human activities because the ocean is used as a dumping ground for trash, and humans need to take it upon themselves to change this. The purpose of this project was to learn how plastic can impact the lives of sea turtles, and to find out if there are prevention efforts in place. A thematic literature review was conducted in order to find all of the data. Once all of the data was compiled, it …

The Effects Of Phosphate On The Metamorphosis Of Larval Western Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Mavortium), Alexis Jean Polivanov

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This investigation will collect data to assist in determining if elevated aquatic phosphate levels affects the metamorphosis rate of larval western barred tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium). Monoammonium phosphate fertilizers are being used on crops in Nebraska (NDA, 2017). This area lines up with the area the western barred tiger salamanders are disappearing from (Damme, 2018). Monoammonium phosphate is made up of nitrogen and phosphate. There have been several studies showing how nitrogen is harmful to amphibians such as this salamander (Griffis-Kyle, 2007) (Griffis-Kyle & Richtie, 2007), but there have not been many showing how phosphate affects amphibian’s metamorphosis …

Diet Composition And Analysis Of Fish Species Consumed By The Eurasian Otter In A Marine/Costal Environment, Alexandrea Otto

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Understanding prey preference in Eurasian otters, Lutra lutra, is important to provide greater insight into aquatic predator-prey relationships which will inform conservation efforts. Identifying the composition of an organism’s diet is one of the primary steps in understanding an organism and developing effective conservation strategies. This study expands upon basic identification of consumed items to estimate size of fish eaten by Eurasian otters to provide information on the diet of these important aquatic predators. Many studies on the Eurasian otter have considered diet from river systems, yet less is known of their diet in marine systems. The goal of my …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Environments And Human Death Practices, Carly Elizabeth Thody

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper analyzes connections between environmental factors and human death practices from several locations throughout the world. Using a thorough literature review, a thematic analysis is applied to combine a variety of sources to draw conclusions regarding how death practices are influenced and evolve over time. Environments, broken down into physical geography, religious, social, and political influences, are examined for the United States, Mexico, Japan, The Torajans of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and Tibet. Factors such as religion and culture have been an important component in the development of many societies’ practices revolving around death. The interconnectedness of cultures makes it difficult …

Lincoln, Ne Composting In Restaurants, Brodie Baum

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study aimed to investigate restaurants across the city of Lincoln, Nebraska that compost as a way to reduce food waste. Food waste is a growing environmental concern because it leads to climate change, eutrophication and acidification of bodies of water, pollutes the air and more. This study utilized a software program to distribute a survey that restaurants owners/personnel would take. The survey asked a variety of questions that provided information about the restaurants and who runs it. This information allowed us to draw important conclusions. Based on the results of the survey we can begin to speculate about possible …

Droughtscape, Winter 2019, Cory Matteson

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

From the Director

4th quarter climate summary

2019 year in review summary

4th quarter drought impact summary

2019 drought impact summary

New form helps ‘see more’ drought

Landscape photographers invited to submit photos

Helping Central and South America planning

Database includes more drought planning

A Review Of Technologies For Malt Flour And Sourdough From Brewery Spent Grain, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The utilization of brewer's spent grain for the production of malt flour is the focus of this article. The reader is presented with superheated steam and extrusion as technologies to reduce mycotoxin contamination and improve shelf life. Another option is the fermentation of brewer's spent grain with a cereal grade lactic acid bacteria for the production of sourdough bread. Milling of the brewer's spent grain for the production of bread is also covered.

Correlating The Plant Height Of Wheat With Above-Ground Biomass And Crop Yield Using Drone Imagery And Crop Surface Model, A Case Study From Nepal, U. S. Panday, Nawaraj Shrestha, S. Maharjan, A. K. Pratihast, Shahnawaz, K. L. Shrestha, J. Aryal

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Blanket Statements, Issue 146, Seminar 2020

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 146, Seminar 2020

Serotonin 5-Ht2a And 5-Ht2c Receptors Regulate Rat Maternal Behavior Through Distinct Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms, Jun Gao, Lina Nie, Yu Li, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Serotonin 5-HT_2A and 5-HT_2C receptors play important yet distinctive roles in the regulation of rat maternal behavior. The present study investigated their neural substrates and explored the possible behavioral mechanisms (i.e., behavioral organization or maternal motivation). Sprague-Dawley postpartum females were microinjected with either a selective 5-HT_2A agonist (TCB-2, 0.4 or 4.0 μg/side) or a 5-HT_2C agonist (MK212, 2.5 or 5.0 μg/side) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or ventral tegmental area (VTA). Ten and 60 min later, their maternal activities were observed in the home cage; and their motivational responses towards pups were examined in a …

Image Acquisition And Quality Assurance In The Boston Adolescent Neuroimaging Of Depression And Anxiety Study, Viviana Siless, N. A. Hubbard, Robert Jones, Jonathan Wang, Nicole Lo, Clemens C. C. Bauer, Mathias Goncalves, Isabelle Frosch, Daniel Norton, Genesis Vergara, Kristina Conroy, Flavia Vaz De Souza, Isabelle M. Rosso, Aleena Hay Wickham, Elizabeth Ann Cosby, Megan Pinaire, Dina Hirshfeld-Becker, Diego A. Pizzagalli, Aude Henin, Stefan G. Hofmann, Randy P. Auerbach, Satrajit Ghosh, John Gabrieli, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, Anastasia Yendiki

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The Connectomes Related to Human Diseases (CRHD) initiative was developed with the Human Connectome Project (HCP) to provide high-resolution, open-access, multi-modal MRI data to better understand the neural correlates of human disease. Here, we present an introduction to a CRHD project, the Boston Adolescent Neuroimaging of Depression and Anxiety (BANDA) study, which is collecting multimodal neuroimaging, clinical, and neuropsychological data from 225 adolescents (ages 14–17), 150 of whom are expected to have a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety. Our transdiagnostic recruitment approach samples the full spectrum of depressed/anxious symptoms and their comorbidity, consistent with NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). We …

Role Of Brain Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Decoding Sex Differences Associated With Nicotine Self-Administration, Sneh Koul, Victoria L. Schaal, Subhash Chand, Steven T. Pittenger, Neetha Nanoth Vellichirammal, Vikas Kumar, Chittibabu Guda, Rick A. Bevins, Sowmya V. Yelamanchili, Gurudutt Pendyala

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Smoking remains a significant health and economic concern in the United States. Furthermore, the emerging pattern of nicotine intake between sexes further adds a layer of complexity. Nicotine is a potent psychostimulant with a high addiction liability that can significantly alter brain function. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying nicotine’s impact on brain function and behavior remain unclear. Elucidation of these mechanisms is of high clinical importance and may lead to improved therapeutics for smoking cessation. To fill in this critical knowledge gap, our current study focused on identifying sex-specific brain-derived extracellular vesicles (BDEV) signatures in male and female rats post …

Social Responsiveness And Objectification: The Moderating Roles Of Serotonin Transporter And Serotonin Receptor 2a Genotypes In An Objectification Theory Model Of Disordered Eating, Grace A. Sullivan, Sarah J. Gervais, Rebecca L. Brock, Scott F. Stoltenberg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Feminist scholars have called for gender researchers to consider gene-environment interactions for gender-imbalanced disorders (Salk and Hyde Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 395–411, 2012). Responding to these calls, the present study integrates objectification theory (Fredrickson and Roberts Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206, 1997) and genetic research. In the tested model, objectification experiences are associated with disordered eating through body surveillance and body shame, and serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) genotypes (5-HTTLPR and rs25531), serotonin 2A receptor SNP genotypes (HTR2A rs6311), and the epistatic interaction between those genotypes function as moderators. U.S. undergraduate women (n = 526) …

Functional Alterations In Cerebellar Functional Connectivity In Anxiety Disorders, Yoon Ji Lee, Xavier Guell, N. A. Hubbard, Viviana Siless, Isabelle R. Frosch, Mathias Goncalves, Nicole Lo, Atira Nair, Satrajit S. Ghosh, Stefan G. Hofmann, Randy P. Auerbach, Diego A. Pizzagalli, Anastasia Yendiki, John D.E Gabrieli, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, Sheeba Arnold Anteraper

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Adolescents with anxiety disorders exhibit excessive emotional and somatic arousal. Neuroimaging studies have shown abnormal cerebral cortical activation and connectivity in this patient population. The specific role of cerebellar output circuitry, specifically the dentate nuclei (DN), in adolescent anxiety disorders remains largely unexplored. Resting-state functional connectivity analyses have parcellated the DN, the major output nuclei of the cerebellum, into three functional territories (FTs) that include default-mode, salience-motor, and visual networks. The objective of this study was to understand whether FTs of the DN are implicated in adolescent anxiety disorders. Forty-one adolescents (mean age 15.19 ± 0.82, 26 females) with one …

Identification, Aggressiveness And Mycotoxin Production Of Fusarium Graminearum And F. Boothii Isolates Causing Fusarium Head Blight Of Wheat In Nebraska, Esteban Valverde-Bogantes

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an economically important disease caused by several Fusarium species affecting wheat. Besides causing significant yield losses, infected grain may be contaminated with mycotoxins, primarily trichothecenes, that are harmful to both humans and animals. In recent years, reports of shifts in FHB pathogen populations in North America have highlighted the need for increased vigilance. This dissertation describes a four-year survey evaluating the species, trichothecene genotype and phenotypic diversity of FHB pathogens infecting Nebraska wheat. Most of the isolates were identified as F. graminearum (n=67). Additional species included F. boothii (n=3), F. poae (n=2) and F. acuminatum …

Prairie Grouse Population Trends And Their Historical Drivers In The Nebraska Sandhills, Danielle Berger

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) has monitored greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) and plains sharp-tailed grouse populations (Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi), collectively known as prairie grouse, since the 1950s using spring breeding ground counts. My research modeled long-term, species-specific spatial and temporal trends of prairie grouse abundance and potential environmental drivers in the Sandhills of Nebraska using NGPC’s historical monitoring data. Prairie-chicken populations have increased since the 1950s while sharp-tailed grouse populations have remained stable or slightly declined. These population trends arise in the context of a dynamic landscape. I created indices representing raptor predation …