Digital Commons Network^™

Using Machine Learning To Determine A Functional Classifier Of Reward Responsiveness And Its Association With Adolescent Psychiatric Symptomatology, Robert James Richard Blair, Johannah Bashford-Largo, Ahria Dominguez, Matthew Dobbertin, Karina S. Blair, Sahil Bajaj

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background. Machine learning (ML) has developed classifiers differentiating patient groups despite concerns regarding diagnostic reliability. An alternative strategy, used here, is to develop a functional classifier (hyperplane) (e.g. distinguishing the neural responses to received reward v. received punishment in typically developing (TD) adolescents) and then determine the functional integrity of the response (reward response distance from the hyperplane) in adolescents with externalizing and internalizing conditions and its associations with symptom clusters.

Methods. Two hundred and ninety nine adolescents (mean age = 15.07 ± 2.30 years, 117 females) were divided into three groups: a training sample of TD adolescents …

Second Language Learning In Older Adults Modulates Stroop Task Performance And Brain Activation, Douglas H. Schultz, Alison Gansemer, Kiley Allgood, Mariah Gentz, Lauren Secilmis, Zoha Deldar, Cary R. Savage, Ladan Ghazi Saidi

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Numerous studies have highlighted cognitive benefits in lifelong bilinguals during aging, manifesting as superior performance on cognitive tasks compared to monolingual counterparts. Yet, the cognitive impacts of acquiring a new language in older adulthood remain unexplored. In this study, we assessed both behavioral and fMRI responses during a Stroop task in older adults, pre- and post language-learning intervention.

Methods: A group of 41 participants (age: 60–80) from a predominantly monolingual environment underwent a four-month online language course, selecting a new language of their preference. This intervention mandated engagement for 90 minutes a day, five days a week. …

Examining Dietary Disparities And Associated Factors Among Young Children Across Diverse Racial, Ethnic And Immigrant Households In Nebraska, Naveta Bhatti

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

Early childhood is a crucial stage for developing eating behaviors which in turn plays a major role in determining health outcomes. Assessing children’s diet plays a crucial role in tackling the obesity epidemic. One of the ways to assess children’s dietary intake is by evaluating their dietary quality. Dietary quality refers to the overall healthfulness and nutritional value of an individual's diet, considering the combination of foods consumed over time. Research has consistently demonstrated that a high-quality diet is associated with a reduced risk of several health issues, such as all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality, cancer incidence or …

Parenting Identity And Parental Mental Health In Chinese Parents In Mainland China, Zhenqiao Yang

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

In the modern context of mainland China, parents of young children face unique parenting stressors, making parental mental health during the early stages of parenting a significant public concern. Increasing awareness of the role of self-concepts in mental health underscores the importance of exploring the relationships between parenting identity concepts, parenting stress, parental mental health, and familial factors. This study aims to examine the relationship between parenting identity and parental mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, in the context of early childhood parenting stress. Data were collected from 456 parents at four daycare centers and public spaces in an Eastern …

A Collection Of Short Stories, Tryphena Lizzert Yeboah

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

The short stories in this collection offer diverse and expansive realities of the human condition, particularly around the lives of women—their identities, bodies, emotions, and how they live and navigate a social order that is often constructed to dominate and undermine them. How can we complicate marginalized portrayals of women shaped by the male gaze and interrogate the patriarchal presumption of the African woman? What different approaches should be employed in capturing different aspects of her domestic and social life, how she defines and expresses autonomy, how she subverts gender norms, and her experiences of emotional and physical violence? These …

Estranged Temporality: How Time Tells Stories In Science Fiction, Phillip H. Howells

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

According to Darko Suvin in his influential critical treatise, Metamorphoses of Science Fiction, estrangement in Science Fiction (SF) gives authors the ability to build worlds related to but distant from our own using specific metaphors. This dissertation takes up this term and applies it to the fulcrum of time in SF as a method of creating possible futures and imaginative pasts in order to illuminate the realities of the present. The realities of the present are congruent with the material circumstances of the past, and this can be seen in the kinds of SF worlds built by members of …

French Interwar Popular Romance And Ideals Of Femininity: A Literary And Historical Study Of Magali, Kelly Kamrath

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Against a background of political turmoil, economic crises, and cultural upsets from both within and abroad, France between the two World Wars was home to a flourishing romance novel industry. At first glance lighthearted love stories seem simple and frivolous in comparison to the canonical writings of the time, such as those of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. However, this literature was far from art for art’s sake. The romance novels of interwar France, written half a century before the scholarship of romance fiction would truly begin, have yet to receive the attention they deserve. During the interwar period, …

Integrating Remote Sensing And Machine Learning To Determine Past, Current And Future Crop Water Use From The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, Moaz Ishag

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The agriculture sector is a significant consumer of water, and sustainable water use begins with monitoring irrigated land. Delineating irrigated land supports decision-makers and promotes the sustainable use of this crucial resource. This study focuses on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS), the largest aquifers in the world, which spans Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Chad. The study aims to: 1) quantify the increase in irrigated hectares (both pivot and non-pivot) from 2000-2001 to 2023-2024; 2) identify major irrigated crop types and their water requirements; and 3) quantify groundwater crop water use from the NSAS using remote sensing via the Google …

Singer’S Guide To Hak Jun Yoon’S Selected Art Songs, Sunmin Cha

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

Composer Hak Jun Yoon is at the forefront of popularizing Korean art songs through the combination of artistry and mass appeal, positioning him as one of the representative composers of contemporary Korea. Recently, Yoon’s songs gained significant popularity after being featured on the Korean vocal competition TV program “Phantom Singer,” playing a major role in sparking public interest in Korean art songs in general. This document aims to widen that circle to more classical singers by analyzing poetic and musical elements in four of Yoon’s representative songs: “On the Way to You,” “A Flower Blooms Alone,” “Lingering Scent,” and “The …

Exploring The Associations Of Afterschool Science Participation And Friendships With Science Identities, Patricia Wonch Hill, Grace M. Kelly, Julia Mcquillan, Jorge Ledesma, Miranda Melson, G. Robin Gauthier

Worlds of Connections Resources

Building on previous research that demonstrates the association of youth experiences in afterschool science and higher science identities, this paper presents a network study of 421 middle school students that examines afterschool science participation, friendship ties, and science identities. Participation in afterschool science clubs is associated with higher science identity, but the mechanisms and order of causality are unclear. Youth form friendships inside and outside of school, and peers may influence participation in afterschool activities, as empirical research on friendships shows that they are associated with youth interests. These peer interactions also have the potential to shape identity development during …

Concepts In Animal Parasitology, Scott L. Gardner, Sue Ann Gardner

Zea E-Books Collection

Note that this version of the textbook has been superceded by the one updated in 2026, available at the UNL Pressbooks site.

The hard copy version that is for sale at lulu.com is the old version.

"This is a textbook covering concepts in animal parasitology. It is meant to be used by students, teachers, professors, researchers, and members of the public who are interested in learning about animal parasite biology, systematics, taxonomy, zoogeography, and ecology. The primary intended audience is upper-level undergraduate or graduate university students who have knowledge of basic biology and, particularly, basic animal biology. (863 pages, …

Tsunami Exposure And Mental Health Consequences: Protective Role Of Cultural Coping Strategies, Thulitha Wickrama, Michael J. Merten, K. A.S. Wickrama, Amanda Terrell

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

There is a knowledge gap regarding the link between disaster exposure and adolescent mental health problems in developing countries. This study examines the case of Sri Lanka to investigate (a) the immediate and long-term mental health impact of the 2004 tsunami disaster on adolescents and (b) the potential moderating effects of unique cultural and family practices that prevail in Sri Lanka. This study used a random sample of 160 adolescents (ages 12–19) and their mothers who were exposed to the tsunami disaster while living in a southern Sri Lankan village and provided prospective data immediately after the disaster (2005) and …

Violent Conflict Drives World Hunger And Food Insecurity, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

The World Food Program (WFP) with support from the United States and other countries works to provide food to those in need as a result of conflict, adverse climate effects, poverty, and government mismanagement. It is limited in what it can do, however, by budget constraints and rising food prices. On top of the financial issues, the delivery of food assistance is particularly complicated in areas of conflict where warring adversaries often hijack food supplies intended for the other side. While it is illegal under International Humanitarian Law to use starvation as a weapon of war, Dzerowicz (2023) has identified …

The Mental Health Experience Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Colombians: Que La Diversidad No Cueste La Vida, María Natalia Acosta Canchila

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

Experiences of TGD people in various countries reflect difficulties accessing mental health services and significant mental health needs. In Colombia, experiences in broader healthcare systems suggest various barriers to care that include experiences of discrimination. However, specific experiences in mental health services have not been thoroughly examined. The current study aimed to understand the experiences, perceptions, and needs of TGD people in Colombia in mental health systems. Qualitative data was collected via 40 semi-structured interviews with TGD people in Colombia, data was analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. Findings suggests great mental health needs related to needing support in the process …

Vitalidad Etnolingüística Del Español En Lincoln, Nebraska: Actitudes Y Creencias Lingüísticas De Un Grupo De Hispanohablantes, Josefa M. Samper Suárez

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

This dissertation investigates the perceptions of a group of Latinx Spanish speakers regarding the ethnolinguistic vitality of the Spanish language in Lincoln, Nebraska. The goal was to analyze their linguistic attitudes toward the Spanish language in several contexts and to explore the communicative, social, economic, and religious motivations for using or not using Spanish in the city. Additionally, this study examined how speakers conceptualize the relationship between language and ethnicity. Data was collected through sociolinguistic interviews from a sample of twenty-one native Spanish speakers, from three generations. Participants were recruited through a snowball sampling technique. The results indicate that participants …

Mitigating Identity-Related Anxiety Through Humor And Immersive Storytelling With 360-Degree Video In Virtual Reality: A Study On Microaggressions’ Mental Health Effects, Changmin Yan, Alan Eno, Adam Wagler

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Background: Microaggressions are subtle slights that can cause significant psychological distress among marginalized groups. Few studies have explored interventions that might mitigate these effects. Objective: This study aimed to investigate if and how humor-infused immersive storytelling via virtual reality (VR) could reduce identity-related psychological distress caused by microaggressions. Methods: Using a community-based participatory research approach, we developed a 7-min 360-degree VR film depicting scenarios of microaggressions across various identities. Fortysix college students participated in a controlled study where they were exposed to this immersive VR experience. We measured identity-related psychological anxiety, character identification, perceived humor, and perceived …

Reassignment Of Some Caryospora Species (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) To Eumonospora (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) And A Summary, Donald W. Duszynski

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

This review was crafted to clear up some of the current confusion regarding the correct taxonomic placement of those apicomplexan coccidians that produce unique monosporocystic octosporozoic (1 sporocyst with 8 sporozoites) oocysts during the sexual phase of their life history in vertebrate hosts. Currently, such oocysts have been placed in 1 of 4 genera, Avispora, Caryospora, Karyospora, or Eumonospora, 2 of which are no longer accepted or useful (Avispora and Karyospora). My review suggests that to present (2023) there are 62 valid Caryospora and 26 valid Eumonospora species. Caryospora species are recorded from a bird …

Cereal Rye Cover Crop Termination At Or Before Soybean Planting Has Minimal Effect On Soybean Yield Across The Midwestern Us, Tatiane Severo Silva, Spyridon Mourtzinis, Anthony Justin Mcmechan, Gabriela Inveninato Carmona, Bruce D. Potter, Kelley J. Tilmon, Louis S. Hesler, Nicholas J. Seiter, Robert Wright, Shannon L. Osborne, Thomas E. Hunt, Shawn P. Conley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Context: Interest is growing among farmers in the Midwestern US region in the potential benefits of establishing cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) as a cover crop. However, they are concerned about the implications and potential trade-offs due to this practice. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of cereal rye cover crop termination at or before soybean planting on soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seed yield. Methods: Field experiments were conducted from 2019 to 2021 across 28 location-years in the Midwestern US. Treatments consisted of no cereal rye, cereal rye termination before soybean planting, and termination at planting. …

Adopting Yield-Improving Practices To Meet Maize Demand In Sub-Saharan Africa Without Cropland Expansion, Fernando Aramburu-Merlos, Fatima A. M. Tenorio, Nester Mashingaidze, Alex Sananka, Stephen Aston, Jonathan J. Ojeda, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Maize demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase 2.3 times during the next 30 years driven by demographic and dietary changes. Over the past two decades, the area croppedwithmaize has expanded by 17million hectares in the region, with limited yield increase. Following this trend could potentially result in further maize cropland expansion and the need for imports to satisfy domestic demand. Here, we use data collected from 14,773 smallholder fields in the region to identify agronomic practices that can improve farm yield gains. We find that agronomic practices related to cultivar selection, and nutrient, pest, and crop management can …

Analysis Of Deck-Building Games For The Development In A Digital Medium, Eric Ian Dundas

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis discusses the game design justifications of Rift Colosseum, a deckbuilder card game developed by Eric Dundas. The research conducted intends to reinforce the design decisions for the game. The research includes systems from Trading Card Games Magic: The Gathering, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and Flesh and Blood. Additionally, research is conducted on Slay the Spire, a deckbuilder roguelike. The analysis helped to find unique mechanics that could be utilized further when combined with other systems, especially digital-only mechanics inspired by Slay the Spire.

Several concluding materials were developed, such as the card types, card restrictions and …

Understanding Older People’S Voice Interactions With Smart Voice Assistants: A New Modified Rule-Based Natural Language Processing Model With Human Input, Zhengxu Yan, Victoria Dube, Judith Heselton, Kate Johnson, Changmin Yan, Valerie Jones, Julie Blaskewicz Boron, Marcia Shade

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the integration of Smart Voice Assistants (SVA) among older people. The qualitative data derived from user commands on SVA is pivotal for elucidating the engagement patterns of older individuals with such systems. However, the sheer volume of user-generated voice interaction data presents a formidable challenge for manual coding. Compounding this issue, age-related cognitive decline and alterations in speech patterns further complicate the interpretation of older users’ SVA voice interactions. Conventional dictionary-based textual analysis tools, which count word frequencies, are inadequate in capturing the evolving and communicative essence of these interactions that unfold over a series …

Sentinel Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2 Rates And Equity Impacts Using Labor And Delivery Patients In Phoenix, Arizona, Caitlyn J. Linehan, Trisalyn Nelson, Celeste V. Bailey, Esma Gel, Dean V. Coonrod, Cheryl K. Roth

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

Proactive management of SARS-CoV-2 requires timely and complete population data to track the evolution of the virus and identify at risk populations. However, many cases are asymptomatic and are not easily discovered through traditional testing efforts. Sentinel surveillance can be used to estimate the prevalence of infections for geographical areas but requires identification of sentinels who are representative of the larger population. Our goal is to evaluate applicability of a population of labor and delivery patients for sentinel surveillance system for monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We tested 5307 labor and delivery patients from two hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, …

America's Next Top Ej Model: Assessing The Role Of Food Access In Environmental Justice Models, Allyson Barry

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Disruptions to weather patterns and ecosystems due to climate change are a global challenge. However, previous research has found that communities of color, traditionally underprivileged communities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities are disproportionately burdened with adverse health outcomes, higher propensities of exposure to weather disasters and pollution, and well-being inequalities. The field of environmental justice (EJ) seeks to eliminate such disparities through environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Published in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) formulated the Environmental Justice Index (EJI) as a data tool to identify communities …

Screening For Eating Disorders In Adolescents With Chronic Pain: The Eating Attitudes Test– 16–Chronic Pain, Leslie Sim, Amy Fahrenkamp, Jennifer R. Geske, Jocelyn Lebow, Hope Thilges, Carol B. Peterson, Abigail Matthews, Cynthia Harbeck-Weber

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background Few measures have been validated to screen for eating disorders (ED) in youth with chronic pain. We conducted confirmatory (CFA) of two established factor structures of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) in a sample of youth with chronic pain attending an intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) program and examined the validity of the best-fitting model in predicting ED diagnoses in this sample.

Methods Participants were 880 adolescents (M age = 16.1, SD = 2.1) consecutively admitted into an IIPT program who completed the EAT-26 upon admission. CFA was conducted and in the case of inadequate fit, EFA was …

Educational Influences On Environmental Perception: A Semester Analysis Of The New Ecological Paradigm Scale In Undergraduates, Zoe Zingler

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study evaluated the impact of a geography course, GEOG 181: Global Environmental Issues, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on students’ endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) using a pre-course and post-course NEP scale survey. Analyzing paired responses (n = 40) through t-tests and z-scores, only four of 15 statements had statistically significant shifts observed for the entire sample. However, a targeted analysis of students initially possessing lower endorsement of the NEP—early deniers—revealed significant paradigm shifts post-course. While women initially showed stronger NEP endorsement, men demonstrated notable changes following the course towards endorsement of the NEP. Academic majors, whether …

Nebline, May 2024

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Weed Control in Pastures and Hayfields by John Nelson

Navigating Nutrition Information: Separating Fact from Fiction by Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the Month: Pepper Steak Sandwich by Alyssa Havlovic

Care for New Bedding Plants by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Cash Rent Survey

No Matter Where You Live, Submit a Request Before You Dig! by Becky Schuerman

4-H Achievement Celebration

8 Lancaster County 4-H’ers Modeled Their Sewn Garments at Omaha Fashion Week

4-H Events Open to All Youth

Support 4-H by Eating Out, May 1 & 2

Support 4-H During “Give to Lincoln Day,” May 30 …

Creative Writing Pedagogy: Building Curriculum For High School Students, Elizabeth Lengel

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis serves as a rationale for the creative writing pedagogy I use and how it serves my high school creative writing class. As my school district made the decision to overhaul our English curriculum, the English department decided to add Creative Writing as an English class elective.

The work for planning these new classes was spread around the English Department, and I was assigned to design the curriculum for the new Creative Writing class. Designing an entire class from scratch leaves a lot of room for creativity and innovation. However, as excited for this new course as I was, …

Breaking The Rule Of Silence: Childbirth And Gendered Power In Efuru And The Joys Of Motherhood, Sunday Elliott Uguru

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines the thematic preoccupation of childbirth in the formative period of feminist discourse in African literature through a critical study of selected novels of Igbo women of southeastern Nigeria. The novels studied represent the earliest published African texts in English by women. The period under focus falls within the emerging stage of Nigerian literary tradition in its written form with a dominant presence of men. This study investigates the women novelists' perspective toward the failure of male authored works to represent women's childbirth experience. Through a critical reading of Flora Nwapa's Efuru and Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of …

Lessons In Persistence, Syble Heffernan

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

LESSONS IN PERSISTENCE is a thesis that operates within the tradition of writing about trauma and resilience, taking up themes of mental illness, class, colonialism, loss of a parent, navigating queerness in a conservative Christian context, and reckoning with gender-based violence and expectations directed toward people socialized as women. The use of ecopoetics highlights the relationship between traumas to the earth brought about by climate change, war, and worldwide suffering, and those brought upon the human body (specifically marginalized bodies) by grief, illness, abuse, and the loss of self. The collection ultimately aims to establish explicit connections between internal and …

Coalitional Response(Ability) In Rhetoric And Composition, Zoe Nicole Mcdonald

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

This dissertation considers the literacy practices of progressive coalitions as a provocative way to examine central responsibilities of rhetorical scholars, college writing instructors, and writing program administrators. Through attention to case studies, this dissertation suggests opportunities to consider social differences as crucial assets for political advocacy, scholarly knowledge production, and teaching strategies.

Advisor: Stacey Waite