Digital Commons Network^™

Meaningful Work, Sarah Stepanek, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is meaningful work?

Meaningful work is defined as “work experienced as particularly significant and holding more positive meaning for individuals” (Rosso et al., 2010, p. 95). In general, meaningful work is considered to be work and work accomplishments that are viewed as valuable, worthwhile, and aligning with one’s values (Allan et al., 2018). Current theory suggests that meaningful work tends to result from self-actualization or from working towards a higher purpose (Lepisto & Pratt, 2016). More specifically, meaningful work may come from feeling a sense of unity with other people, serving others, from developing oneself, or from working towards …

Leucocytozoon Cariamae N. Sp. And Haemoproteus Pulcher Coinfection In Cariama Cristata (Aves: Cariamiformes): First Mitochondrial Genome Analysis And Morphological Description Of A Leucocytozoid In Brazil, Lis Marques De C. Vieira, Pedro Henrique O. Pereira, Daniel Ambrózio Da Rocha Vilela, Irène Landau, M. Andreína Pacheco, Ananias A. Escalante, Francisco C. Ferreira, Érika Martins Braga

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The distribution of avian haemosporidians of the genus Leucocytozoon in the Neotropics remains poorly understood. Recent studies confirmed their presence in the region using molecular techniques alone, but evidence for gametocytes and data on putative competent hosts for Leucocytozoon are still lacking outside highland areas. We combined morphological and molecular data to characterize a new Leucocytozoon species infecting a non-migratory red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), the first report of a competent host for Leucocytozoon in Brazil. Leucocytozoon cariamae n. sp. is distinguished from the Leucocytozoon fringillinarum group by its microgametocytes that are not strongly appressed to the host cell …

Changing The Economic And Social Institutions Of Lincoln Nebraska To Benefit Climate Change Refugees From The Central American Region, Calvin W. Martin

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Climate change will negatively impact many regions of the world. Perhaps one of the worst affected regions will be Central America. The effects of climate change will cause social and economic unrest in the Central American region and will be the catalyst for widespread migration into the United States. In order to repatriate Central American climate refugees, the federal government of the United States may have to rely on federal resettlement areas such as Lincoln Nebraska. The city government of Lincoln Nebraska and the federal government can improve the quality of life for Central American climate refugees by implementing polices …

Personality Tests, Sarah Stepanek, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are personality tests?

In an employment context, personality tests are tools that assess candidates’ or employees’ enduring dispositional traits, for the purpose of hiring, training, or employee development. Personality is generally thought to reflect one’s authentic personal disposition and lasting mental structure (Allport & Odbert, 1936). Although individuals may behave differently in different conditions and environments and may experience passing moods, personality is thought to be displayed through broad patterns of behavioral tendencies over time in each individual (Allport & Odbert, 1936). Though there are hundreds of individual personality traits and measures in existence, the majority of those that …

Changes In An Enzyme Ensemble During Catalysis Observed By High Resolution Xfel Crystallography, Nathan J. Smith, Medhanjali Dasgupta, David C. Wych, Cole Dolamore, Raymond G. Sierra, Stella Lisova, Darya Marchany-Rivera, Aina E. Cohen, Sébastien Boutet, Mark S. Hunter, Christopher Kupitz, Frédéric Poitevin, Frank R. Moss Iii, Aaron S. Brewster, Nicholas K. Sauter, Iris D. Young, Alexander M. Wolff, Virendra K. Tiwari, Nivesh Kumar, David B. Berkowitz, Ryan G. Hadt, Michael C. Thompson, Alec H. Follmer, Mark A. Wilson

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Enzymes populate ensembles of structures with intrinsically different catalytic proficiencies that are difficult to experimentally characterize. We use time-resolved mix-and-inject serial crystallography (MISC) at an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) to observe catalysis in a designed mutant (G150T) isocyanide hydratase (ICH) enzyme that enhances sampling of important minor conformations. The active site exists in a mixture of conformations and formation of the thioimidate catalytic intermediate selects for catalytically competent substates. A prior proposal for active site cysteine charge-coupled conformational changes in ICH is validated by determining structures of the enzyme over a range of pH values. A combination of large …

Assessing Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Signal Variability As A Biomarker Of Brain Injury In Sport-Related Concussion, Evan D. Anderson, Tanveer Talukdar, Grace Goodwin, Valentina Di Pietro, Kamal M. Yakoub, Christopher E. Zwilling, David Davies, Antonio Belli, Aron K. Barbey

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Mild traumatic brain injury is a complex neurological disorder of significant concern among athletes who play contact sports. Athletes who sustain sport-related concussion typically undergo physical examination and neurocognitive evaluation to determine injury severity and return-to-play status. However, traumatic disruption to neurometabolic processes can occur with minimal detectable anatomic pathology or neurocognitive alteration, increasing the risk that athletes may be cleared for return-to-play during a vulnerable period and receive a repetitive injury. This underscores the need for sensitive functional neuroimaging methods to detect altered cerebral physiology in concussed athletes. The present study compared the efficacy of Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and …

Your Farm’S Financial Condition And Profitability Revisited, Matthew Stockton, Shannon Sand

Cornhusker Economics

Looking at December futures contracts, corn prices may have reached a high and are tending to recede. If they stay higher, producers will likely have a good year. Still, if they tend to decline, which is possible given current carryover and supply projections, prices may stabilize or decline as we approach harvest. Those with multiperil crop insurance in areas with lower yields, e.g., droughtstricken areas with sufficiently high enough levels of coverage, will benefit from the February projected price of $5.91/bu. For the past two seasons, fall prices exceeded projected prices in the spring, making selling at harvest an attractive …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Vaping Cannabidiol Among Us Adolescents, Hongying Daisy Dai, Roma Subramanian, Avina Mahroke, Ming Wang

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE e-Cigarette use and vaping marijuana (cannabis) are popular among US adolescents. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the cannabis plant that has recently increased in use.

OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence of and factors associated with youths vaping CBD

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study included a nationally representative sample of students from middle and high schools (typical age, 11-18 years) in the US from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, conducted from January to May 2022.

EXPOSURE Demographic characteristics, harm perception of tobacco use, and vaping behaviors.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcomes were weighted …

The Devil You Know And The Devil You Don’T: Current Status And Challenges Of Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication In The United States, Daniel J. O'Brien, Tyler C. Thacker, Liliana C.M. Salvador, Anthony G. Duffiney, Suelee Robbe‑Austerman, Mark S. Camacho, Jason E. Lombard, Mitchell V. Palmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Having entered into its second century, the eradication program for bovine tuberculosis (bTB, caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in the United States of America occupies a position both enviable and daunting. Excepting four counties in Michigan comprising only 6109 km2 (0.06% of US land area) classified as Modified Accredited, as of April 2022 the entire country was considered Accredited Free of bTB by the US Department of Agriculture for cattle and bison. On the surface, the now well-described circumstances of endemic bTB in Michigan, where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a free-ranging wildlife maintenance host, may appear to be …

Dna Methylation Networks Underlying Mammalian Traits, Amin Haghani

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Comparative epigenomics is an emerging field that combines epigenetic signatures with phylogenetic relationships to elucidate species characteristics such as maximum life span. For this study, we generated cytosine DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles (n = 15,456) from 348mammalian species using amethylation array platform that targets highly conserved cytosines.

RATIONALE: Nature has evolved mammalian species of greatly differing life spans. To resolve the relationship ofDNAmwith maximum life span and phylogeny, we performed a largescale cross-species unsupervised analysis. Comparative studies in many species enables the identification of epigenetic correlates of maximum life span and other traits.

RESULTS: We …

The Effects Of Elevation And Soaking Conditions On Dry Bean Cooking Time, Chelsea Didinger, Karen Cichy, Carlos Urrea, Madalyn Scanlan, Henry Thompson

Panhandle Research and Extension Center

Dry beans and other pulses (e.g., chickpeas and cowpeas) are nutrient-dense foods that promote human and environmental health. However, consumption is declining in many regions around the world. Addressing barriers to greater pulse intake is important to reverse this trend. Cooking time is one such barrier, with consumers viewing the long cooking times of many pulses as a hurdle to higher consumption due to lack of time or fuel availability. Equipping consumers with simple, accessible ways to reduce pulse cooking time is one way to mitigate this barrier. Accordingly, this study assessed changes to cooking time when pinto beans ( …

Universal Dna Methylation Age Across Mammalian Tissues, A. T. Lu, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Steve Horvath, Et Al.

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Aging, often considered a result of random cellular damage, can be accurately estimated using DNA methylation profiles, the foundation of pan-tissue epigenetic clocks. Here, we demonstrate the development of universal pan-mammalian clocks, using 11,754 methylation arrays from our Mammalian Methylation Consortium, which encompass 59 tissue types across 185 mammalian species. These predictive models estimate mammalian tissue age with high accuracy (r > 0.96). Age deviations correlate with human mortality risk, mouse somatotropic axis mutations and caloric restriction. We identified specific cytosines with methylation levels that change with age across numerous species. These sites, highly enriched in polycomb repressive complex 2-binding locations, …

Indigenous Lakadong Turmeric Of Meghalaya And Its Future Prospects, Manjit Kumar Ray, Dipak K. Santra, Piyush Kumar Mishra, Saurav Das

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has long been used in traditional Indian medicine. India accounts for 80% of total global turmeric production. Lakadong turmeric gets its name from the tiny village of Lakadong, which is located in the foothills of the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, India. It is known for having a high curcumin content of more than 7%, as opposed to 2 - 4% in regular varieties. The tribes of this region brought Lakadong turmeric from the forest and domesticated it for medicinal purposes centuries ago. Growth in local coal industries and a gradual decline in the market have …

Fatiguing Joint Angle Does Not Influence Torque And Neuromuscular Responses Following Sustained, Isometric Forearm Flexion Tasks Anchored To Perceptual Intensity In Men, Dolores G. Ortega, Terry J. Housh, Robert Smith, Jocelyn E. Arnett, Tyler J. Neltner, John Paul V. Anders, Richard J. Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

This study examined the effects of joint angle (JA) on maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and neuromuscular responses following fatiguing tasks anchored to RPE. Nine men (mean ± SD: age = 20.7 ± 1.2 yrs) performed forearm flexion MVICs at elbow JAs of 75^o and 125^o before and after sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks to failure at fatiguing joint angles (FJA) of 75^o and 125^o anchored to RPE = 8. The amplitude and frequency of the electromyographic and mechanomyographic signals were recorded. Neuromuscular efficiency was calculated by dividing normalized torque by normalized electromyographic amplitude. A dependent …

Influence Of Ultrasound Machine Settings On Quantitative Measures Derived From Spatial Frequency Analysis Of Muscle Tissue, Scott K. Crawford, Stephanie A. Kliethermes, Bryan C. Heiderscheit, Greg Bashford

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background Ultrasound is a powerful tool for diagnostic purposes and provides insight into both normal and pathologic tissue structure. Spatial frequency analysis (SFA) methods characterize musculoskeletal tissue organization from ultrasound images. Both sonographers in clinical imaging and researchers may alter a minimized range of ultrasound settings to optimize image quality, and it is important to know how these small adjustments of these settings affect SFA parameters. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of making small adjustments in a typical default ultrasound machine setting on extracted spatial frequency parameters (peak spatial frequency radius (PSFR), Mmax, Mmax%, and …

Machine Learning Techniques To Predict The Air Quality Using Meteorological Data In Two Urban Areas In Sri Lanka, Lakindu Mampitiya, Namal Rathnayake, Lee P. Leon, Vishwanadham Mandala, Hazi Md. Azamathulla, Sherly Shelton, Yukinobu Hoshino, Upaka Rathnayake

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The effect of bad air quality on human health is a well-known risk. Annual health costs have significantly been increased in many countries due to adverse air quality. Therefore, forecasting air quality-measuring parameters in highly impacted areas is essential to enhance the quality of life. Though this forecasting is usual in many countries, Sri Lanka is far behind the state-of-the-art. The country has increasingly reported adverse air quality levels with ongoing industrialization in urban areas. Therefore, this research study, for the first time, mainly focuses on forecasting the PM₁₀ values of the air quality for the two urbanized areas …

Ten Questions Concerning Smart And Healthy Built Environments For Older Adults, Sanjay Kumar, Samuel H. Underwood, Julie L. Masters, Natalie A. Manley, Iason Konstantzos, Josephine Lau, Ryan Haller, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

In the past decade, the term ‘global aging’ has gained much attention among researchers, policymakers, civil societies, and governments worldwide. The continuous decline in fertility rates and increased life expectancy have resulted in an ongoing demographic transition where the share of adults aged 65 or older is increasing and outnumbering children younger than five years. In the United States and other developed countries, this rapid demographic transition is expected to continue to strain the existing health infrastructure as it becomes increasingly challenging to ensure healthy living environments for older adults. The ten questions and answers in this paper have been …

Characterizing Feedlot Feed Using Depth Cameras And Imaging Technology, Jean Niwenshuti

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

Imaging technology is a growing field that provides solutions in many areas from manufacturing to agriculture. Through previous research, imaging technologies have been studied in livestock farming to monitor the animal’s health and welfare in the production process. However, the feedlot industry is still behind in validating the feasibility to use some of these technologies nor to adopt such technologies to address challenges the industry is facing, such as lack of skilled labor.This work proposes using novel imaging methods to identify feed types and estimate the amount of feed remaining in a typical Midwestern feedlot feed bunk. These methods have …

Auricularia Auricula Polysaccharides Attenuate Obesity In Mice Through Gut Commensal Papillibacter Cinnamivorans, Xin Zong, Hao Zhang, Luoyi Zhu, Edward C. Deehan, Jie Fu, Yizhen Wang, Mingliang Jin

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Auricularia auricula is a well-known traditional edible and medical fungus with high nutritional and pharmacological values, as well as metabolic and immunoregulatory properties. Nondigestible fermentable polysaccharides are identified as primary bioactive constituents of Auricularia auricula extracts. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the effects of Auricularia auricula polysaccharides (AAP) on obesity and related metabolic endpoints, including the role of the gut microbiota, remain insufficiently understood.

Methods: The effects of AAP on obesity were assessed within high-fat diet (HFD)-based mice through obesity trait analysis and metabolomic profiling. To determine the mechanistic role of the gut microbiota in observed anti-obesogenic …

Intertemporal Preferences Or (In)Attention To Future Costs: Identifying Factors Influencing Variation In Health Behaviors, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

When you have the urge to buy a fancy coffee drink at your favorite coffee place, do you think about alternative future uses of the money that you would spend on the drink? If, in the end, you decide to forego buying the drink to save money, you have, by definition, considered what you are giving up now—the drink—in order to have the money later, but many people may not consider the future opportunities they forego when they make decisions now. Research suggests that this asymmetric attention to immediate versus future opportunity costs— the benefits that we give up when …

Early Career Aquatic Scientists Forge New Connections At Eco-Das Xv, Olivia J. Graham, Alia Al-Haj, Eleanor C. Arrington, Emily R. Arsenault, Carolina C. Barbosa, Kadir Bice, Evie Brahmstedt, S. River D. Bryant, Xun Cai, Stacy Calhoun-Grosch, Joshua Culpepper, Katherine Dale, Derek J. Detweiler, Katlin D. Doughty, Kyle A. Emery, Kara Gadeken, Laura Griffiths, Atefeh Hosseini, Catriona Jones, Hadis Miraly, Alexander W. Mott, Karla Münzner, Igor Ogashawara, Carly R. Olson, Joseph S. Rabaey, Walter A. Rich, Phoenix A. Rogers, Meredith Evans Seeley, Lorena Selak, Qipei Shangguan, Kelsey J. Solomon, Xinyu Sun, Spencer J. Tassone, Audrey Thellman, John Tracey, Jilian Xiong, Tianfei Xue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A sense of kuleana (personal responsibility) in caring for the land and sea. An appreciation for laulima (many hands cooperating). An understanding of aloha ’āina (love of the land). The University of Hawai’i at Manoa hosted the 2023 Ecological Dissertations in Aquatic Sciences (Eco-DAS) program, which fostered each of these intentions by bringing together a team of early career aquatic ecologists for a week of networking and collaborative, interdisciplinary project development (Fig. 1).

Meaningful Work, Sarah Stepanek, Megan Paul, Danielle Crawford

Umbrella Summaries

What is meaningful work?

Meaningful work is defined as “work experienced as particularly significant and holding more positive meaning for individuals” (Rosso et al., 2010, p. 95). In general, meaningful work is considered to be work and work accomplishments that are viewed as valuable, worthwhile, and aligning with one’s values (Allan et al., 2018). Current theory suggests that meaningful work tends to result from self-actualization or from working towards a higher purpose (Lepisto & Pratt, 2016). More specifically, meaningful work may come from feeling a sense of unity with other people, serving others, from developing oneself, or from working towards …

How Can Windbreaks Protect Livestock From The Cold?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Windbreaks can protect livestock from the cold resulting in improved feeding efficiency, increased milk production, improved overall animal health, increased forage yield, and other benefits.

Identification Of Structural Brain Alterations In Adolescents With Depressive Symptomatology, J. Bashford‑Largo, R. James R. Blair, Karina S. Blair, Matthew Dobbertin, Ahria Dominguez, Melissa Hatch, Sahil Bajaj

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Depressive symptoms can emerge as early as childhood and may lead to adverse situations in adulthood. Studies have examined structural brain alternations in individuals with depressive symptoms, but findings remain inconclusive. Furthermore, previous studies have focused on adults or used a categorical approach to assess depression. The current study looks to identify grey matter volumes (GMV) that predict depressive symptomatology across a clinically concerning sample of adolescents.

Methods: Structural MRI data were collected from 338 clinically concerning adolescents (mean age = 15.30 SD=2.07; mean IQ = 101.01 SD=12.43; 132 F). Depression symptoms were indexed via the Mood …

Can Windbreaks Increase Crop Yields?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Can windbreaks increase crop yields?

Windbreaks can serve many purposes in agricultural operations such as preventing soil erosion, providing wildlife habitat, and sequestering carbon. Another beneficial attribute of windbreaks is their ability to protect crops and improve crop production.

Nebline, August/September 2023

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Understanding the “WHY” of Challenging Behavior in Young Children Can Help With Strategies by Hayley Jackson

5 Reasons to Support Your Farmers Market by Tara Dunker

Recipes of the Month: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and Fresh Salsa by Kayla Colgrove

Time for Fall Lawn Seeding by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Using Water Resources More Efficiently by Becky Schuerman

Parasitoids: Nature’s Biocontrol by Kait Chapman

Lancaster County Super Fair, Aug. 3-12, 2023

Webinars Addressing Biting Pests in Early Childhood and School Settings

Ag Landlord/Tenant Workshop

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers or 4-H Volunteers

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: …

A Manual For The Recovery Of Cbrne (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, And Explosive) Contaminated Human Remains, Patrick Barchett

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Despite many international agreements and treaties prohibiting the use of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) weaponry, the proliferation of contaminated human remains displays the historic and continued use of inhumane war efforts. Due to the complications of recovery, contaminated human remains are often left unrecovered and unidentified. This thesis works to create a framework for the recovery of contaminated human remains for organizations with a focus on creating safe and sustainable working environments for those conducting the recovery. Much of this thesis assumes the remains are being recovered from interred mass graves. This thesis provides an introduction to …

A Portable, Low Power Radiation Detection And Identification System For High Count Rate, Long Term Monitoring, Samuel J. Murray

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation presents the design of a novel radiation detection and identification system that can operate continuously over a period of 8 days while detecting at 30,000 counts per second, consuming a total of 11 mW. The entire system is highly integrated, containing a gamma ray detector, a high voltage detector power supply, and a multichannel analyzer (MCA) system-on-a-chip (SoC), which are all combined into a compact form using a multi-level, configurable printed circuit board design. The MCA SoC, fabricated using a 65 nm CMOS technology, features two enabling resources to allow low power detections at high count rates for …

Influence Of Overcooking On Food Digestibility And In Vitro Fermentation, Wensheng Ding

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

Areas of char or overcooking commonly appear in foods people consume. It has been reported that overcooked food is harmful to human health. However, little research exists on the effect of overcooking on in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. This study aimed to reveal the connection between overcooking and in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. In vitro protein digestibility of an overcooked ground beef patty was almost half that of a standard cooked sample (27 ± 2% versus 48 ± 6%, respectively; p = 0.02). Whole wheat bread protein digestibility was also …

Services Provided To Aging Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: Survey Of Speech Language Pathologists, Claire H. Gatewood

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

Purpose: The present study explored current speech-language pathology service provision for aging individuals with intellectual disabilities in the United States, including areas and domains of services, factors restricting service provision, and reported knowledge and confidence of individuals within the field of speech-language pathology in providing services, to identify possible gaps of service and needed improvement.

Methods: Participants (n = 272) from across the United States completed an online survey to gather descriptive information about current speech-language pathology service provision for aging individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants were recruited through state speech-language hearing associations and universities with speech-language pathology clinics …