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Identification Of Gut Microbiome Composition Responsible For Gas Production, Erasme Mutuyemungu

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

Gas production remains a significant barrier to increasing intake of dietary fiber-containing foods for many consumers. Therefore, this thesis is comprised of two studies focusing on the role of the gut microbiome in contributing to gas production during fermentation of dietary components. Previous studies have reported significant correlations between Megasphaera elsdenii and gas production during fermentation of pulses. Therefore, the objective of the first study was to determine the role of M. elsdenii in gas production by the microbiome during fermentation of foods commonly associated with gas production. Human fecal microbiomes were separated based on the presence (Me+) or absence …

Evaluation Of Wheat-Specific Peptide Targets For Use In The Development Of Elisa And Mass Spectrometry-Based Detection Methods, Jessica Humphrey

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

Individuals with IgE-mediated wheat allergy and celiac disease must avoid the consumption of wheat. Those with celiac disease must also avoid rye and barley in addition to wheat as these make up the gluten-containing grains. To ensure products are accurately labeled, ELISA methods may be used to monitor compliance with food allergen and gluten-free regulations. Currently, available ELISA methods for wheat detection utilize monoclonal antibodies that target peptides from the gluten fraction of proteins, and therefore, also detect rye and barley. Limitations such as differing antibody reactivity and unequal gluten content among wheat, rye, and barley have led to inconsistent …

The Intersecting And Additive Nature Of Vulnerability: Dehumanizing Or Protecting?, Megan Berry-Cohen

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent research has examined how extra-legal factors such as emotions and stereotypes impact legal judgment decisions regarding traditionally vulnerable populations. Less work has explored not only what makes a group vulnerable, but how people perceive, interpret, and apply that vulnerability. The current research therefore integrates psychological theory and legal models to understand vulnerability and its implications. Three studies examined the roles of various factors, including dehumanization and empathy, in understanding how people respond to vulnerable individuals in general and then to women who have survived sexual violence.

In Experiment 1, I manipulated sex (female vs. male), age (older: 60 years …

Acute Toxicity Of Atrazine, Alachlor, And Chlorpyrifos Mixtures To Honey Bees, Christopher J. Fellows, Troy D. Anderson, Daniel R. Swale

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon (organophosphorothioate insecticides) was examined alone and in combination with atrazine (triazine herbicide) and alachlor (chloroacetanilide herbicide) to honey bees (Apis mellifera). Atrazine and alachlor were observed to not be acutely toxic to bees at doses up to 10 and 4 μg per bee, respectively. However, atrazine significantly increased chlorpyrifos toxicity by 3-fold while reducing chlorpyrifos-oxon toxicity by 1.8-fold. These changes in toxicity are correlated with significant 1.3- and 1.2-fold inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in bees exposed to chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively. Atrazine significantly increased cytochrome P450, general esterase, and glutathione …

A Method Of Assessing Peripheral Stent Abrasiveness Under Cyclic Deformations Experienced During Limb Movement, Courtney Keiser, Kaspars Maleckis, Pauline Struczewska, Majid Jadidi, Jason N. Mactaggart, Alexey Kamenskiy

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Poor outcomes of peripheral arterial disease stenting are often attributed to the inability of stents to accommodate the complex biomechanics of the flexed lower limb. Abrasion damage caused by rubbing of the stent against the artery wall during limb movement plays a significant role in reconstruction failure but has not been characterized. Our goals were to develop a method of assessing the abrasiveness of peripheral nitinol stents and apply it to several commercial devices. Misago, AbsolutePro, Innova, Zilver, SmartControl, SmartFlex, and Supera stents were deployed inside electrospun nanofibrillar tubes with femoropopliteal artery-mimicking mechanical properties and subjected to cyclic axial compression …

Identifying Early-Life Behavior To Predict Mothering Ability In Swine Utilizing NuTrack System, Savannah Gabrielle Millburn

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Early recognition of indicator traits for swine reproduction and longevity supports economical selection decision making. Gilt activity is a key variable impacting a sow’s herd life and productivity. The purpose of this study was to examine early- life behaviors contributing to farrowing traits including gestation length (GL), number born alive (NBA), number weaned (NW), and herd life (HL). Herd life was a binary trait representing if a gilt was culled after one parity. Beginning at approximately 20 weeks of age, video recordings were taken on 480 gilts for 7 consecutive days and processed using the NUtrack system. Activity traits …

The Effects Of Surface Composition On 6-Weeks Of Plyometric Training, Cameron D. Addie, Richard S. Farley, Sandra L. Stevens, Halle J. Brandt3, Jocelyn E. Arnett, Jennifer L. Caputo

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Plyometric training programs may be performed on a hard surface or a soft surface to target specific training adaptations and enhance jump performance. However, it is unknown how surface compliance impacts jump performance. Objective: To compare changes in horizontal lower body power following a 6-week plyometric training program performed on a soft surface (n = 9) and a hard surface (n = 11). Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. University students (N = 20; males = 11, females = 9; age: 20.4 ± 3.7 yr; body mass: 68.4 ± 12.5 kg; height 1.7 …

Near-Atomic, Non-Icosahedrally Averaged Structure Of Giant Virus Paramecium Bursaria Chlorella Virus 1, Qianqian Shao, Irina V. Agarkova, Eric A. Noel, David D. Dunigan, Yunshu Liu, Aohan Wang, Mingcheng Guo, Linlin Xie, Xinyue Zhao, Michael G. Rossmann, James L. Van Etten, Thomas Klose, Qianglin Fang

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Giant viruses are a large group of viruses that infect many eukaryotes. Although components that do not obey the overall icosahedral symmetry of their capsids have been observed and found to play critical roles in the viral life cycles, identities and high-resolution structures of these components remain unknown. Here, by determining a near-atomic-resolution, five-fold averaged structure of Parameciumbursaria chlorella virus 1, we unexpectedly found the viral capsid possesses up to five major capsid protein variants and a penton protein variant. These variants create varied capsidmicroenvironments for the associations of fibers, a vesicle, and previously unresolved minor capsid proteins. Our structure …

Investigating The Use Of Spread Of Excitation As A Measure Of Sensitivity To Interaural Asymmetry, Mona Jawad, Simin Soleimanifar, Michelle L. Hughes, Justin M. Aronoff

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Interaural asymmetry decreases sensitivity to binaural cues such as interaural time differences (ITD) for bilateral cochlear implant users. However, the effects of interaural asymmetry may be mitigated for this population by the broad current spread typical of electrical stimulation. Current spread can be estimated using spread of excitation (SOE) functions. These measure the extent to which electrodes stimulate overlapping neural populations. This is done by measuring electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) in response to stimulating different masker electrodes. The goal of this study was to determine if SOE functions can predict the effect of interaural asymmetry on cochlear implant …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Residential Municipal Waste Streams, Anne Kluthe

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through interviews, this exploratory analytive study researched how COVID-19, and especially the first lockdown of 2020, changed residential municipal waste streams, specifically in terms of items, tonnage, and workplace practices. The most common items were an influx in PPE, specifically face masks, and an increase in cardboard. There was also some evidence of paper from “deep cleaning” projects and construction debris from backyard pool installation and bathroom renovation. The total change in waste varied from area to area. Norfolk and the surrounding area had a stagnant amount of waste during the pandemic, Omaha and the rest of Douglas County saw …

Extraction, Analysis, And Occurrence Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Wastewater And After Municipal Biosolids Land Application To Determine Agricultural Loading, Justin Caniglia, Daniel D. Snow, Tiffany Messer, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Given the ubiquitous detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within numerous soil and water environmental compartments, there is a need for global understanding of current methodologies for extracting water, solids, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), and plant tissue for these substances. This study provides details of several current extraction methods, demonstrates the use of POCIS in monitoring these compounds in a wastewater environment, and provides evidence of detectable levels of certain PFAS compounds within Midwestern municipalities and agroecosystems. Validated extraction procedures help characterize occurrence and release of 18 PFAS in a midwestern wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), surface water, …

The 3p Framework: A Comprehensive Approach To Coping With The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Orsolya Molnár, Eric Hoberg, Valeria Trivellone, Gábor Földvári, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of the profound socioeconomic impact of the emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis. Current health security measures are based on a failed evolutionary paradigm that presumes EID is rare and cannot be predicted because emergence requires the prior evolution of novel genetic capacities for colonizing a new host. Consequently, crisis response through preparation for previously emerged diseases and palliation following outbreaks have been the only health security options, which have become unsustainably expensive and unsuccessful. The Stockholm paradigm (SP) is an alternative evolutionary framework that suggests host changes are the result of changing conditions …

Agrostring: Visibility And Provenance Through A Private Blockchain Platform For Agricultural Dispense Towards Consumers, Sukrutha L. T. Vangipuram, Saraju P. Mohanty, Elias Kougianos, Chittaranjan Ray

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

It is a known fact that large quantities of farm and meat products rot and are wasted if correct actions are not taken, which may lead to serious health issues if consumed. There is no proper system for tracking and communicating the status of the goods to their respective stakeholders in a secure way. Consumers have every right to know the quality of the products they consume. Using monitoring tools, such as the Internet of Agricultural Things (IoAT), and modern data protection techniques for storing and sharing, will help mitigate data integrity issues during the transmission of sensor records, increasing …

Dynamics Of Crop Evapotranspiration Of Four Major Crops On A Large Commercial Farm: Case Of The Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, New Mexico, Usa, Koffi Djaman, Komlan Koudahe, Ali T. Mohammed

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Crop evapotranspiration (ETa) is the main source of water loss in farms and watersheds, and with its effects felt at a regional scale, it calls for irrigation professionals and water resource managers to accurately assess water requirements to meet crop water use. On a multi-crop commercial farm, different factors affect cropland allocation, among which crop evapotranspiration is one of the most important factors regarding the seasonally or annually available water resources for irrigation in combination with the in-season effective precipitation. The objective of the present study was to estimate crop evapotranspiration for four major crops grown on the Navajo Agricultural …

Electrophilic Aldehyde 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal Mediated Signaling And Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Sudha Sharma, Papori Sharma, Tara Bailey, Susmita Bhattarai, Utsab Subedi, Chloe Miller, Hosne Ara, Srivatsan Kidambi, Hong Sun, Manikandan Panchatcharam, Sumitra Miriyala

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), a by-product of aerobic life, are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. The excess of ROS leads to oxidative stress, instigating the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the lipid membrane through a free radical chain reaction and the formation of the most bioactive aldehyde, known as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). 4-HNE functions as a signaling molecule and toxic product and acts mainly by forming covalent adducts with nucleophilic functional groups in proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. The mitochondria have been implicated as a site for 4-HNE generation and adduction. Several studies clarified how 4-HNE affects the …

Function Of Bidirectional Sensitivity In The Otolith Organs Established By Transcription Factor Emx2, Young Rae Ji, Yosuke Tona, Talah Wafa, Matthew E. Christman, Edward D. Tourney, Tao Jiang, Sho Ohta, Hui Cheng, Tracy Fitzgerald, Bernd Fritzsch, Sherri M. Jones, Kathleen E. Cullen, Doris K. Wu

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Otolith organs of the inner ear are innervated by two parallel afferent projections to the brainstem and cerebellum. These innervations were proposed to segregate across the line of polarity reversal (LPR) within each otolith organ, which divides the organ into two regions of hair cells (HC) with opposite stereociliary orientation. The relationship and functional significance of these anatomical features are not known.Here, we show regional expression of Emx2 in otolith organs, which establishes LPR, mediates the neuronal segregation across LPR and constitutes the bidirectional sensitivity function. Conditional knockout (cKO) of Emx2 in HCs lacks LPR. Tmie cKO, in which mechanotransduction …

Addressing The Need For Training More School Psychologists To Serve Toddlers And Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Therese L. Mathews, Edward J. Daly Iii, Gina M. Kunz, Ashley M. Lugo, Paige Mcardle, Katy Menousek, Kevin A. Kupzyk

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly in the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers who have specialized training in delivering evidenced-based services to this population. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is an evidenced-based treatment recommended for toddlers with ASD, and school psychologists are uniquely positioned to help children with ASD receive it. However, many school psychologists do not receive adequate training in this subspecialty. This paper makes recommendations to school psychology training programs about how to add or improve training in this subspecialty based on the results of an Office …

Subtype C Hiv-1 Reservoirs Throughout The Body In Art-Suppressed Individuals, Zhou Liu, Peter Julius, Guobin Kang, John T. West, Charles Wood

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Subtype B HIV-1 reservoirs have been intensively investigated, but reservoirs in other subtypes and how they respond to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is substantially less established. To characterize subtype C HIV-1 reservoirs, we implemented postmortem frozen, as well as formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue sampling of central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral tissues. HIV-1 LTR, gag, envelope (env) DNA and RNA was quantified using genomic DNA and RNA extracted from frozen tissues. RNAscope was used to localize subtype C HIV-1 DNA and RNA in FFPE tissue. Despite uniform viral load suppression in our cohort, PCR results …

Design And Development Of A Broiler Mortality Removal Robot, Guoming Li, Gary Daniel Chesser, Joseph L. Purswell, Christopher L. Magee, Richard S. Gates, Yijie Xiong

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Manual collection of broiler mortality is time-consuming, unpleasant, and laborious. The objectives of this research were: (1) to design and fabricate a broiler mortality removal robot from commercially available components to automatically collect dead birds; (2) to compare and evaluate deep learning models and image processing algorithms for detecting and locating dead birds; and (3) to examine detection and mortality pickup performance of the robot under different light intensities. The robot consisted of a two-finger gripper, a robot arm, a camera mounted on the robot’s arm, and a computer controller. The robot arm was mounted on a table, and 64 …

Microbial Community Structure From Southern High Plains Beef Cattle Feedyard Manure And Relationship With Nitrous Oxide Emissions, Heidi Waldrip, David Parker, Sierra Miller, Lisa M. Durso, Byeng R. Min, Daniel N. Miller, Kenneth Casey, Bryan Woodbury, Mindy J. Spiehs

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Modern molecular techniques enable characterization of the microbial biome in livestock manure, from which there is particular concern over emission of greenhouse gases. This study evaluated how sampling depth, time, temperature, and artificial rainfall affected microbial community structure in feedyard manure, and relationships between the manure biome and known parameters related to nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. In three large incubation chambers, maintained at different temperatures that received two applications of artificial rainfall, we evaluated manure microbiome composition and abundance of N₂O-producing enzymes (nirK and nirS) using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). These data were …

Whole Genome Sequencing Of Moraxella Bovis Strains From North America Reveals Two Genotypes With Different Genetic Determinants, Emily L. Wynn, Matthew M. Hille, John Dustin Loy, Gennie Schuller, Kristen L. Kuhn, Aaron M. Dickey, James L. Bono, Michael L. Clawson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Moraxella bovis and Moraxella bovoculi both associate with infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), an economically significant and painful ocular disease that affects cattle worldwide. There are two genotypes of M. bovoculi (genotypes 1 and 2) that differ in their gene content and potential virulence factors, although neither have been experimentally shown to cause IBK. M. bovis is a causative IBK agent, however, not all strains carry a complete assortment of known virulence factors. The goals of this study were to determine the population structure and depth of M. bovis genomic diversity, and to compare core and accessory genes and …

The Effect Of Species Diversity And Shade On Milkweed Growth And Cardenolide Concentration, Estrella V. Silva, Rylee Mattson, Katherine Klassen, Laurie Dizney

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) rely upon milkweed plants for survival, as it is the only plant upon which female monarchs oviposit and it is the sole food supply for monarch larvae. Additionally, cardenolide, a defense toxin within milkweed tissue, is sequestered by monarchs, making them unpalatable to most predators. Eastern and Western monarch populations in the United States are in sharp decline, in part due to the growing scarcity of milkweed, and reestablishing milkweed habitat is crucial to the monarch’s long-term survival. This study aimed to study the effects of plant species diversity and shade on the growth …

New Cooperative Approaches: Successes And Opportunities, Charlotte Narjes

Cornhusker Economics

The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International states that there are 40,000 co-ops in the United States that range in size. Examples of cooperatives include the local Ace Hardware (purchasing cooperative) to Land O' Lakes. Cooperative businesses operate across virtually all industries, or sectors. The most common cooperative in Nebraska is the agricultural cooperative. According to the Nebraska Cooperative Council ag facts, in June 2020 there were 401 cooperatives located across the state providing jobs and services in many rural communities. In addition, there are over 64,400 farmers and ranchers that are voting members of Nebraska cooperatives with many members …

Signs: Savannah To Key West, Laura Madeline Wiseman

Zea E-Books Collection

Signs: Savannah to Key West documents an 800-mile, 13-day bicycle ride in 2018-2019. It starts fifty miles outside Savannah, Georgia, and follows the Atlantic coastline to Key West, Florida. The trip culminates in Niceville to visit a grandparent, a military veteran and an engineer born in 1924. A bicycle carries a rider through place. The voices of family carry us back and forth through time. The best journeys end with welcome visits with friends, family, and stories, those memories that hold us together, the signs that we belong.

The Impact Of The Inclusion Of Grains In A Canine Diet On The Animal's Overall Health, Rachel Bruner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The objective of this senior project was to examine the impacts that grains in a canine diet have on the overall health of the animal. Specifically, there was a focus on the nutritional attributes of grains, potential concerns regarding their inclusion in foods, misconceptions from consumers about grains in pet food, and alternatives to grains used in some diet formulations. The method of research for this project was a literature review. Scholarly articles focused on the various subtopics which helped to answer the research question were reviewed and included throughout the following discussion. Ultimately, the review of various literature resulted …

Safety In Policy: An Assessment Of The Utilization And Perceived Efficacy Of Sex Offender Legislation, Morgan Graham

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Current sex offender legislation in the United States is the result of a number of laws passed during the 1980-1990s. This study evaluates the efficacy and perception of these laws in Nebraska, including registration, community notification, and housing restriction policies. Using data from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS), 1,814 people from 2008 and 1,232 people from 2017 were examined to determine the efficacy and popularity of sex offender legislation and how the data has changed over time. Results showed that only a minority of Nebraskans have accessed the registry. Of those who checked, women and individuals with children …

Seeing Light From A Different Angle: The Effects Of Diffuse Light Environments On The Function, Structure, And Growth Of Tomato Plants, Kendra B.L. Ellertson, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Z. Carter Berry

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

While considerable attention has been paid to how plants respond to changes in the spectral distribution, less attention has been paid to how plants respond to changes in the angular qualities of light. Evidence from both leaf- and ecosystem-scale measurements indicate that plants vary in their response to diffuse compared to direct light growing environments. Because of the significant implications for agricultural production, we quantified how changes in the angular quality of light affect the structure, function, and growth of Roma tomatoes in a greenhouse experiment with direct and diffuse light treatments. Diffuse light conditions (ca. 50-60% diffuse) were created …

Fabricating 3-Dimensional Human Brown Adipose Microtissues For Transplantation Studies, Ou Wang, Li Han, Haishuang Lin, Mingmei Tian, Shuyang Zhang, Bin Duan, Soonkyu Chung, Chi Zhang, Xiaojun Lian, Yong Wang, Yuguo Lei

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Transplanting cell cultured brown adipocytes (BAs) represents a promising approach to prevent and treat obesity (OB) and its associated metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, transplanted BAs have a very low survival rate in vivo. The enzymatic dissociation during the harvest of fully differentiated BAs also loses significant cells. There is a critical need for novel methods that can avoid cell death during cell preparation, transplantation, and in vivo. Here, we reported that preparing BAs as injectable microtissues could overcome the problem. We found that 3D culture promoted BA differentiation and UCP-1 expression, and the optimal initial …

Updated Perspectives On The Role Of Biomechanics In Copd: Considerations For The Clinician, Jennifer M. Yentes, Wai-Yan Liu, Kuan Zhang, Eric J. Markvicka, Stephen I. Rennard

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate extra-pulmonary functional decline such as an increased prevalence of falls. Biomechanics offers insight into functional decline by examining mechanics of abnormal movement patterns. This review discusses biomechanics of functional outcomes, muscle mechanics, and breathing mechanics in patients with COPD as well as future directions and clinical perspectives. Patients with COPD demonstrate changes in their postural sway during quiet standing compared to controls, and these deficits are exacerbated when sensory information (eg, eyes closed) is manipulated. If standing balance is disrupted with a perturbation, patients with COPD are slower to return to baseline …

Plum Supplementation And Lipid Profile: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomised Controlled Trials, Moein Askarpour, Hamid Ghalandari, Leila Setayesh, Ehsan Ghaedi

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Plums are abundant in bioactive compounds which have been associated with numerous health benefits. In the present study, we aimed at examining the impact of plum supplementation on lipid profile of individuals. Electronic bibliographical databases were searched for relevant randomised clinical trials. Articles meeting our eligibility criteria were included for data extraction and final analysis. Weighted mean difference (WMD) was estimated using a random-effect model. Of the total articles retrieved in the initial search, nine articles were found to be eligible to be included in the analysis. Our results show that plum supplementation significantly improves total cholesterols levels in the …