Digital Commons Network^™

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

UCARE: Research Products

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

A Qualitative Study Of An Interprofessional Collaborative Practicum Cohort, Mallory Tvrdy, Lisa Lenz, Sue Kemp, Kristy Weissling

UCARE: Research Products

Interprofessional education (IPE) occurs “when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010). While IPE with a healthcare focus has been around for years, literature regarding IPE in the school setting involving speech-language pathology (SLP) and special education (SPED) is sparse. Online database searches using the key words “interprofessional education,” “interprofessional collaboration,” “special education,” and “speech-language pathology” yield only a few studies.

• In the Special Education and Communication Disorders department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, aninterprofessional practicum experience was developed to address the need …

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

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

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

Characteristics That Motivate A Volunteer Workforce: A Case Study Of One Of America’S Largest Volunteer Organizations, Jono Anzalone

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

A vast amount of research exists on organizational development and leadership theory targeted for organizations with a paid workforce as well as literature that discusses volunteer motivation and management. However, existing literature fails to address leadership theory, practices in organizational development, and performance improvement for a volunteer-led workforce, one in which both volunteer and paid staff compose the workforce. A bridge of the gap in literature is needed to help inform training and development practices of the American Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations. In addition, high volunteer turnover and low satisfaction has a costly impact on organizations critical …

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

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

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

An Investigation Of The Operational And Design Characteristics Of Circadian Lighting Systems, Aaron Adams

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This report investigates the operation of circadian lighting systems to gain an understanding of the main design and control characteristics and to promote different objectives for use. Research is guided by asking how color intensity, color temperature and their temporal characteristics are related to the circadian response, and how this knowledge can be utilized when designing and operating lighting systems for indoor environments. This report consists of an extensive literature review and case study application cut short by the impact of the novel coronavirus. The case study takes place in an office space housed on the UNMC campus featuring an …

Comparative Physiology Of Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) Exposed To Chlorantraniliprole, Jennifer Williams

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

One outstanding threat to the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is the unintended exposure of these pollinators to agricultural pesticides. Anthranilic diamides, such as chlorantraniliprole, work in target pests through activation of the ryanodine receptor causing rapid feeding cessation, lethargy, paralysis, and eventual death. Chlorantraniliprole exhibits low acute toxicity to honey bees but relatively little information exists regarding effects of chlorantraniliprole exposure beyond mortality. The acute toxicity and metabolic detoxification enzyme activities following oral exposure were determined in the honey bee and the model crop pest, the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, J.E. Smith). Additionally, chlorantraniliprole effects on honey bee …

The Motions Of Burying, Jessica Poli

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

THE MOTIONS OF BURYING is a thesis comprised of 52 pages of poems and a five page introduction that explores personal connections to physical space and landscape. The poems included in this manuscript are representative of the places I’ve called home: the woods of Pennsylvania, where I grew up; barns and pastures in Central New York, where I spent several years working on small family farms; and the wide sky over Holmes Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, where I now reside.

Exploring How Graduates Of The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy Influence Community Capitals: Two Case Studies, Dakota Staggs

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

Natural resources are foundational to any community and so leadership regarding those resources is a key factor to consider in order to understand communities. The vitality and strength of a community, however, is not solely dependent upon the natural resources available to it but depends on the collection of assets and individuals within it. This study sought to understand how individual leaders, graduates of the Nebraska Water Leaders Academy, influence each of the seven community capitals outlined by Flora, Flora, and Gasteyer (2016), and how their individual civic capacity, as defined by Sun and Anderson (2012), contribute to community capacity. …

Group Testing Identification: Objective Functions, Implementation, And Multiplex Assays, Brianna D. Hitt

Department of Statistics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Group testing is the process of combining items into groups to test for a binary characteristic. One of its most widely used applications is infectious disease testing. In this context, specimens (e.g., blood, urine) are amalgamated into groups and tested. For groups that test positive, there are many algorithmic retesting procedures available to identify positive individuals. The appeal of group testing is that the overall number of tests needed is significantly less than for individual testing when disease prevalence is small and an appropriate algorithm is chosen. Group testing has a number of applications beyond infectious disease testing, such as …

Relationship Quality In Kin And Chosen Kin Familial Networks, Eliza Thor

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Family relationships are sources of both stress and support for most individuals. They are also among the most resilient, offering support through long periods of conflict. Growing scholarly research on LGB families demonstrates that LGB individuals face greater levels of conflict, which stems from a lack of acceptance of their identities. As of yet, little work has directly compared LGB familial relationships to heterosexual family relationships. This study seeks to fill this gap by comparing the relationship characteristics of LGB and heterosexual individuals using network data drawn from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (2018 and 2019). I employed multilevel …

Ethnic–Racial Socialization Mapping In Ethnic–Racial Minority Populations: Exploring The Efficacy Of An Intervention To Increase Well-Being And Secure Ethnic–Racial Identity, Mackensie Minniear

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this dissertation, I explore the benefits of developing an intervention entitled ethnic-racial socialization mapping. Previously, researchers have developed the importance of establishing a secure ethnic-racial identity in ethnic-racial minority populations, as it is tied with increased well-being. Additionally, researchers have called for interventions that highlight the role of ethnic-racial socialization in minority populations, as this process is connected with a secure ethnic-racial identity. I answer these calls by reviewing current research, leading to the creation of ethnic-racial socialization mapping as an identity intervention. In chapter 1, I explore how ethnic-racial identity and ethnic-racial socialization has been conceptualized, as well …

An Analysis Of Social Dominance In The Feeding Of Ex Situ Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus Humboldti), Robert Gabel

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In the field of ecology, complex social structures, including dominance hierarchies, have been demonstrated in a variety of fauna, including bird species. While wild Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) do not exhibit a feeding hierarchy, captive penguins are under very different conditions. Humboldt penguins feed on schooling fish in the wild, but in captivity are hand fed from a zookeeper. I investigated whether there is a nonrandom pattern of dominance in the feeding order of the penguins at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, in Lincoln, NE, USA. Using a camera and tripod, with assistance from four of the zookeepers, I …

Mothers’ Experience With Infant Complementary Feeding Practices: A Phenomenological Study., Tyler Martin

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Background. Complementary feeding practices include what, when, and how to feed (Birch and Doub, 2014). The gradual transition from feeding exclusively human milk, formula milk, or a combination of both to complementary foods over the first 24 months of life is necessary to ensure proper growth and development (Dewey, 2001; Pearce & Langley-Evans, 2013). While research does exist on complementary feeding, such as infant diet composition, limited research exists on exploring complementary feeding practices from first-time mothers’ experiences.

Methods. This study utilized transcendental phenomenological qualitative research methodology. A pilot tested semi-structured interview guide was used to examine demographics as …

Double-Stranded Rna Technology To Control Insect Pests: Current Status And Challenges, Olivier Christiaens, Steve Whyard, Ana M. Vélez, Guy Smagghe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Exploiting the RNA interference (RNAi) gene mechanism to silence essential genes in pest insects, leading to toxic effects, has surfaced as a promising new control strategy in the past decade. While the first commercial RNAi-based products are currently coming to market, the application against a wide range of insect species is still hindered by a number of challenges. In this review, we discuss the current status of these RNAi- based products and the different delivery strategies by which insects can be targeted by the RNAi-triggering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules. Furthermore, this review also addresses a number of physiological and cellular …

Grackles, Michael J. Bodenchuk, David L. Bergman

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Numbering in the tens of millions of birds, grackle populations in North America can cause a variety of conflicts with people. Grackles eat agricultural crops and livestock feed, damage property, spread pathogens, and collide with aircraft. Their large roosts can be a nuisance in urban and suburban areas. A combination of dispersal techniques, exclusion, and lethal removal may help to reduce grackle damage.

Grackles adapt easily to human-dominated environments, and exploit human food and other features of human landscapes. Thus, an integrated damage management approach to grackle damage focuses on reducing and eliminating the damage, rather than simply controlling grackle …

Created By God And Wired To Porn: Redemptive Masculinity And Gender Beliefs In Narratives Of Religious Men’S Pornography Addiction Recovery, Kelsy Burke, Trenton M. Haltom

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The literature on hybrid masculinity suggests that some men manage subordinate or contradictory forms of masculinity while still maintaining and benefiting from gender inequality. Drawing from 35 in-depth qualitative interviews with religious participants in pornography addiction recovery programs, we expand this literature by illustrating how hybrid masculinity operates through shared cultural knowledge about sex, gender, and sexuality. We find that participants use distinct cultural schemas related to religion and science to explain how men are created by God to be biologically “hard-wired” for pornography addiction. We use the phrase redemptive masculinity to describe a type of hybrid masculinity that upholds …

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

Fate And Transport Of Antibiotics And Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Runoff And Soil As Affected By The Timing Of Swine Manure Slurry Application, Renys Enrique Barrios, Himanshu Khuntia, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, John E. Gilley, Amy M. Schmidt Schmidt, Daniel D. Snow, Xu Li

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land application of swine manure slurry is a common practice to supplement nutrients to soil for crop production. This practice can introduce antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into the environment. Field testing is critical in identifying manure management practices effective in minimizing the environmental impacts of manure-borne antibiotic and ARGs. The objective of this study was to determine how the timing of swine manure application relative to rainfall events impacts the fate and transport of antibiotics and ARGs in surface runoff and manure-amended soil. Swine manure slurry was either broadcast or injected on test plots in the field. …

Collaborative Care At A Distance: Student Therapists’ Experiences Of Learning And Delivering Relationally Focused Telemental Health, Paul Springer, Richard Bischoff, Kara Kohel, Nathan C. Taylor, Adam Farero

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

There is mounting evidence that telemental health is an effective delivery method for treating a variety of mental, emotional, behavioral, and relational health problems. While many of the therapeutic skills leading to the effectiveness of face-to-face treatments are transferable, the effectiveness of telemental health requires unique skills. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine the experience of learning how to use videoconferencing to deliver relationally focused mental health care. Participants included 10 graduates of a COAMFTE-accredited master’s degree program emphasizing training in telemental health. Each student had practicum placements that required videoconferencing to deliver relationally based psychotherapy. Analysis …

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

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

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

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

Integrating The Ecosystem Services Framework To Define Dysbiosis Of The Breastfed Infant Gut: The Role Of B. Infantis And Human Milk Oligosaccharides, Rebbeca M. Duar, Bethany M. Henrick, Giorgio Casaburi, Steven A. Frese

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Mounting evidence supports a connection between the composition of the infant gut microbiome and long-term health. In fact, aberrant microbiome compositions during key developmental windows in early life are associated with increased disease risk; therefore, making pertinent modifications to the microbiome during infancy offers significant promise to improve human health. There is growing support for integrating the concept of ecosystem services (the provision of benefits from ecosystems to humans) in linking specific microbiome functions to human well-being. This framework is widely applied in conservation efforts of macro-ecosystems and offers a systematic approach to guide restoration actions aimed to recover critical …

Prey Selection By Birds Of Prey, Anisha Pokharel

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

Prey selection is key to determine predator prey interaction and understanding the complexity of food web structure. In this thesis, we used two different approaches to understanding prey selection by North American birds of prey. Using a conventional method, in Chapter 1 we compared pellet analysis and trapping data to assess patterns of prey selection of barn owls in western Nebraska. Microtus spp. comprised 55.8% of the prey items in the barn owl’s diet. The proportion of several prey types in the diet were significantly different from the expected proportion based on trapping. This pattern may indicate barn owls actively …

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

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

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

Fostering Bibliodiversity In Scholarly Communications: A Call For Action!, Kathleen Shearer, Leslie Chan, Iryna Kuchma, Pierre Mounier

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Diversity is an important characteristic of any healthy ecosystem, including scholarly communications. Diversity in services and platforms, funding mechanisms, and evaluation measures will allow the scholarly communication system to accommodate the different workflows, languages, publication outputs, and research topics that support the needs and epistemic pluralism of different research communities. In addition, diversity reduces the risk of vendor lock-in, which inevitably leads to monopoly, monoculture, and high prices. Bibliodiversity has been in steady decline for decades.1 Far from promoting diversity, the dominant “ecosystem” of scholarly publishing today increasingly resembles what Vandana Shiva (1993) has called the “monocultures of the mind”2, …

The Equity And Engagement Challenges Of Teaching Reading In Middle School, Edmund T. Hamann, Stephanie Malone

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The point is to look at midlevel and high school students—those often encapsulated by the term ‘adolescent literacy’—and to ask what it is that makes those students less likely to engage in productive reading practice. That may at first look like a psychological question about motivation, which makes the challenge seem like it is something inside the student that needs attention or ‘fixing’. But the orientation here is instead more sociological. If we talk about instruction, in this case reading instruction, it is intrinsically interactive, between teacher and student most obviously, but also interactive between students and their peers (e.g. …

Comparison Of Comprehensive Health Score In North American Housed Giraffe And Free-Ranging Giraffe From South Africa, Haley Beer

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

Stress is evident in many animal species and has been correlated to disease prevalence. During stressful events, allostasis is initiated by physiologic systems to maintain or reestablish homeostasis to protect an organism’s viability. Over time, the acclimation to frequent stress causes systematic dysregulation, leading to the phenomena of increased allostatic load. Allostatic load has been assessed in animal species via serum through selection of representative, multi-system biomarker indices. Perception and number of stress events may impact dysregulation severity, yielding allostatic load as a predictive tool. However, the allostatic load methodology poses application limitations to individuals without historical data and those …

How Relevant Is The Hippocratic Oath In Guiding Physicians' Views On Physician-Assisted Suicide, Megan Neal

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Hippocratic Oath is an ancient vow that most doctors, especially within the last century in the United States, take upon their graduation from medical school. The importance of this oath, however, is up for debate as medical advances and cultural beliefs in the rights of the patient evolve. The Hippocratic Oath has been adapted many times over the past few centuries to reflect the beliefs of the period, but the original Oath still survives. One of the most recent movements in the medicine has been the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in select states. Using a qualitative, thematic approach, …

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

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

Institutional Form And Its Influence On Instability Following The Assassination Of A Head Of State, Ashlee Mcgill

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The period following an assassination is one of fear and uncertainty for citizens of a nation after their leader has been assassinated. However, different nations experience assassinations differently; while some collapse and result in failed states, other nations have seen leaders rise to power. Thus, I examine how institutional forms—democracy, autocracy, and anocracy—influence and structure how a country experiences instability following the assassination of a head of state. I do this through a qualitative case study of three assassinations: John F. Kennedy of the United States in 1963; Rafael Trujillo of the Dominica Republic in 1961; and José Antonio “Chichi” …