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Before The Pandemic Ends: Making Sure This Never Happens Again, Daniel R. Brooks, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Scott Lyell Gardner, Sabrina B. L. Araujo, Katalin Bajer, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Brian Byrd, Gábor Földvári, Joseph A. Cook, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan, László Zsolt Garamszegi, Dávid Herczeg, Ferenc Jakab, Alicia Juarrero, Gábor Kemenesi, Kornélia Kurucz, Virginia León-Règagnon, Hugo H. Mejía-Madrid, Orsolya Molnár, Richard A. Nisbett, Wolfgang Preiser, Michael Stuart, Eors Szathmary, Valeria Trivellone

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Introduction

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Global Health Emergency of international concern attendant to the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2, nearly two months after the first reported emergence of human cases in Wuhan, China. In the subsequent two months, global, national and local health personnel and infrastructures have been overwhelmed, leading to suffering and death for infected people, and the threat of socio-economic instability and potential collapse for humanity as a whole. This shows that our current and traditional mode of coping, anchored in responses after the fact, is not capable of dealing with …

How Does The Social World Shape The Experience Of A Rare Disease? Social Position And The Development, Progression, And Medical Care For People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Jennifer A. Andersen

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the implications of social position and life course on the experience of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Using a sociology in medicine frame, I test three theoretical perspectives (fundamental cause theory, social determinants of health, and life course theory) to determine the influence of social conditions on the development and progression of, and medical care for, people with ALS (pALS). Further, I use ALS as an exemplar of the need for a sociology of disease.

Using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis National Registry, I first assess the association of social position with the reported onset location at the …

Dgts Production As A Phosphate Starvation Response In The Human Fungal Pathogen Candida Albicans, Caleb J. Wehling

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

Betaine lipids are a class of membrane lipids with betaine head groups. Three betaine lipids are known: diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (DGTS), diacylglycerylhydroxymethylalanine (DGTA), and diacylglycerylcarboxymethylcholine (DGCC). Betaine lipids are most common in algae, although DGTS, the most common betaine lipid, is also found in many bacteria and fungi. Organisms which produce betaine lipids (especially DGTS) often don’t produce phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), and DGTS structure resembles PtdCho structure without any phosphorous, leading to the hypothesis that betaine lipids may substitute for phospholipids in some organisms. This has been confirmed by discoveries that some organisms are capable of switching their membrane composition from PtdCho to …

Herbicide Injury From Dicamba And 2,4-D: How Much Is Too Much In Lettuce?, Xinzheng Chen, Amit J. Jhala, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Samuel E. Wortman

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

Off-target herbicide injury from dicamba and 2,4-D is an increasingly common problem for specialty crop growers in the Midwest United States. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a common specialty crops grown in Nebraska, but proximity to corn and soybean production leaves growers vulnerable to crop injury and significant economic loss. The goal of this study was to quantify crop injury and yield loss in greenhouse grown lettuce after exposure to simulated sub-lethal drift rates of 2,4-D and dicamba. Sublethal doses were determined based on a percentage of the maximum labeled rate and ranged from 25% to 0.01%. Tested lettuce …

Motivated Reasoning And Persuading Faculty Change In Teaching, Gary A. Smith

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Many faculty members demonstrate unwavering resistance to adopting research-based instructional strategies. This phenomenon commonly fits with motivated reasoning, whereby a person feels threatened by persuasion to change, leading to overtly defensive and sometimes disruptive behaviors and refusal. Changing away from established practices may challenge one’s self-identity and values as an effective teacher and triggers arguments intended to invalidate research-based alternatives. Faculty who are motivated to reject consensus best practices may impede the implementation of these practices across entire departments or institutions. Motivated reasoning and its underlying cognitive processes are explained by self-determination theory, which leads to predictions of faculty behaviors …

Structural, Organizational, Cultural Processes And Mechanisms: A Case Study Of Writing Center Marginalization And Untapped Potential, Diana Hernandez

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Universities around the country have writing centers on their campuses since writing is an important component of student success. Research has shown that many writing center professionals feel marginalized by faculty and staff. The study was designed to explore how and why writing centers become marginalized on college campuses. Many studies on writing centers focus on pedagogical aspects of writing center work as well as student and faculty views and expectations. This study explores organizational, cultural, and political structures that may help and hinder a writing center in reaching its potential in assisting in broader educational goals such as retention …

Curating The Campus Nightlife Experience: Documenting A Program Model For Late Night And Weekend Programming., Derrick Gulley Jr

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study provides a comprehensive definition of the elements that make a campus programming board. This is important to understand because it provides a framework to talk about campus programming boards as organizations and it provides a model that other organizations could utilize. While this study is specifically looking at the CNL program model for late-night and weekend programming it provides a framework for practitioners to critically review and document aspects of their organization if they choose too. The program model encompasses all of the operational, structural, and shared philosophical beliefs implemented in the approach or design of campus activities …

Factors Influencing Wheat Curl Mite Aceria Tosichella Keifer Dispersal, Lindsay M. Overmyer

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer) (WCM) is a vector of three plant viruses to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) including: Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV), and High Plains wheat mosaic virus. This wheat-mite-virus complex causes significant yield loss in winter wheat across the Great Plains. Management of WCM host plants during the time between wheat harvest and planting of the new wheat crop (the green bridge) is critical in reducing potential risk and loss from this complex. The primary green bridge host, in the central Great Plains, is volunteer wheat. If volunteer …

Conservation Of Bta-Mir-29b And Its Effect On Human Gene Expression, Anna Barent, Katie Meinders, Daniel Gutzmann, Audrey L. Atkin

UCARE: Research Products

The purposeof this work was to examine conservation of miR-29b and its binding sites in target mRNAs as well as co-expression of bta-miR-29b in bovine milk exosomes and its target mRNAs in HEK293 cells

•miRNAs are often highly conserved across species and bind to target mRNAs resulting in decreased gene expression. •Bovine milk exosomes contain miRNAs and most of these miRNAs are identical to human miRNAs. •Because these miRNAs are so conserved, it is hypothesized that bovine miRNAs can regulate gene expression and be linked to disease risk.

•miR-29b is highly conserved. •Identified 17 experimentally validated miR-29b target mRNAs. •The …

Using Hydrogeophysics And Xrf To Produce A High-Resolution 3-Dimensional Soil Cadmium Map For Evaluating Hybrid Wheat Trials, Thierry Bienvenu, Trenton Franz, Nuwan Wijewardane, Yufeng Ge

UCARE: Research Products

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in wheat decreases germination, growth, grain yield, and in higher concentration leads to adverse effects on human health (Liu et al, 2018). Due to wheat cultivars variation in Cd accumulation, wheat breeders aim to select those at low Cd concentration lines in a field. Hence the need to quantify the concentration of Cd at different parts of a field and visually represent on a high resolution Cd distribution map. Various ways to quantify the concentration of soil Cd exist. However, the cost of equipment required make the process quite expensive and labor intensive. This work studied the …

An Annotated Bibliography Of Archaeoentomology, Diana Gallagher

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

For my Master’s Degree Project, I have undertaken to compile an annotated bibliography of a selection of the current literature on archaeoentomology. While not exhaustive by any means, it is designed to cover the main topics of interest to entomologists and archaeologists working in this odd, dark corner at the intersection of these two disciplines. I have found many obscure works but some publications are not available without a trip to the Royal Society’s library in London or the expenditure of far more funds than I can justify. Still, the goal is to provide in one place, a list, as …

Elucidating The Regulon Of A Fur-Like Protein In Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis (Map), Fernanda Miyagaki Shoyama, Taveesak Janetanakit, John P. Bannantine, Raul G. Barletta, Srinand Sreevatsan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Intracellular iron concentration is tightly regulated to maintain cell viability. Iron plays important roles in electron transport, nucleic acid synthesis, and oxidative stress. A Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-specific genomic island carries a putative metal transport operon that includes MAP3773c, which encodes a Fur-like protein. Although well characterized as a global regulator of iron homeostasis in multiple bacteria, the function of Fur (ferric uptake regulator) in MAP is unknown as this organism also carries IdeR (iron dependent regulator), a native iron regulatory protein specific to mycobacteria. Computational analysis using PRODORIC identified 23 different pathways involved in respiration, metabolism, and virulence …

Design For Good, Aaron Roberts

UCARE: Research Products

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a 70 percent rise in the number of overdose cases arriving at emergency departments in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) since August 2016. The construction industry alone has attributed almost 1,000 deaths to opioid overdoses. This fast-moving epidemic is taking many Nebraska rural communities by surprise.

The goal of this project was to work directly with Professor Colleen Syron, the Communications Director for this project, for translation and dissemination for broader impacts.

This UCare grant project …

Rural-Urban Differences In Roles And Support For Community Health Workers In The Midwest, Kate E. Trout, Virginia Chaidez, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act supports the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into the health care workforce, but little is known about integration and current roles of CHWs among employers in community settings. This analysis of 97 employers described the roles of CHWs in Nebraska and found significant differences between CHWs practicing in rural and urban areas in organization types employing CHWs, funding sources, and minority populations served. The findings suggest that the utility of CHWs is widely recognized among employers, but deliberate support will be needed to better define the roles of CHWs to meet the …

Paired Trial Classification: A Novel Deep Learning Technique For Mvpa, Jacob M. Williams, Ashok Samal, Prahalada K. Rao, Matthew R, Johnson

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Many recent developments in machine learning have come from the field of “deep learning,” or the use of advanced neural network architectures and techniques. While these methods have produced state-of-the-art results and dominated research focus in many fields, such as image classification and natural language processing, they have not gained as much ground over standard multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) techniques in the classification of electroencephalography (EEG) or other human neuroscience datasets. The high dimensionality and large amounts of noise present in EEG data, coupled with the relatively low number of examples (trials) that can be reasonably obtained from a sample …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2019, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The term “groundwater” has come to be all but synonymous with Nebraska. Nearly three-quarters of the total volume of the High Plains Aquifer lies beneath the State. Groundwater maintains our streams, our ecosystems, our people, and our vitally important agricultural economy. Nebraska’s total groundwater resource is vast, yet it is also vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic changes, necessitating a long-term commitment to wise management through informed decision making. Monitoring, studying, and reporting form the essential basis for such management and, ultimately, for meeting the myriad challenges presented by change.

The personnel of the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) are proud …

Turbulent Times In Content Development: Remaining Efficacious Among Reorganizations, Fires, And The Serials Crisis, Casey D. Hoeve

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

All too often, the internal organization of collection development departments are ignored. Perhaps inadvertently, more pressing issues of budgets, resource renewals, and vendor negotiations divert our attention; yet at the same time, the completion of these initiatives require capable and efficient faculty and staff. Burnout, now classified by the World Health Organization as a “syndrome conceptualized resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” (WHO, 2019) is appropriate to juxtapose against the organization of collection development departments. As self-care is vital to our health, the same question of vitality should be applied in collection development departments — …

Talking Trash In The Big Apple: Mitigating Bird Strikes Near The North Shore Marine Transfer Station, Stephan J. Beffre, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthropogenic activities that concentrate wildlife near airports increases the risk of wildlife–aircraft collisions. Placing waste management facilities, natural areas, golf courses, and other landscape features near airports have the potential to attract wildlife hazardous to aviation. We conducted a 3-year study (March 2013–February 2016) to determine if the implementation of a Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program (WHMP) would influence the bird use of a waste transfer station located near LaGuardia Airport, New York City, New York, USA. We conducted wildlife surveys during 3 phases: (1) no mitigation program and no waste transfer station, (2) active mitigation and no waste transfer station, …

Collective Effect Of Landfills And Landscape Composition On Bird–Aircraft Collisions, Morgan Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ninety-three percent of all reported bird strikes occur below 1,067 m, which based on the typical approach and departure angles of aircraft is within 8–13 km of an airport. Concomitantly, the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization recommend that any feature that would attract hazardous wildlife to the approach and departure airspace be restricted. Thus, preventing the establishment of wildlife attractants, such as municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) within 8 km or 13 km extents (U.S. and international recommendations, respectively) of airports, has been recommended to mitigate the risk of bird–aircraft collisions (strikes). However, robust evidence linking …

Assessment Of An Automated Calibration Of The Sebal Algorithm To Estimate Dry-Season Surface-Energy Partitioning In A Forest–Savanna Transition In Brazil, Leonardo Laipelt, Anderson Luis Ruhoff, Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Rafael Henrique Bloedow Kayser, Elisa De Mello Kich, Humberto Ribeiro Da Rocha, Christopher Michael Usher Neale

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Evapotranspiration (ET) provides a strong connection between surface energy and hydrological cycles. Advancements in remote sensing techniques have increased our understanding of energy and terrestrial water balances as well as the interaction between surface and atmosphere over large areas. In this study, we computed surface energy fluxes using the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) algorithm and a simplified adaptation of the CIMEC (Calibration using Inverse Modeling at Extreme Conditions) process for automated endmember selection. Our main purpose was to assess and compare the accuracy of the automated calibration of the SEBAL algorithm using two different sources of meteorological …

Nebraska Monthly Economic Indicators: March 31, 2020, Eric Thompson

Leading Economic Indicator Reports

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) 1 report for this month reflects data from February 2020, a period before the Covid-19 Pandemic began to have a very significant impact on the U.S. economy. As a result, the outlook provided by the leading indicator will not capture the decline in economic activity that occurred beginning in March 2020. Nonetheless, the LEI-N report is presented here to provide information about where the Nebraska economy was headed before the current health crisis. The LEI-N fell by 0.19% during February of 2020. The modest decrease in the LEI-N, which is designed to predict …

Supporting The Child Welfare Workforce When People Have To Work From Home, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Other QIC-WD Products

Transitioning a face-to-face, people-focused workforce into one that leverages virtual meetings and visits is no small feat, especially in a crisis. Many child welfare agencies are considering how best to incorporate technology solutions into everyday workforce activities. The QIC-WD is focused on strengthening the child welfare workforce by reviewing and translating the evidence about what works for agency leaders. Although there is not a lot of research on the most effective strategies to manage a remote child welfare workforce, Harvard Business Review recently released an article that summarizes the available evidence and provides concrete tips for managers with employees who …

A Magnetic Γ-Fe2O3@Pani@Tio2 Core–Shell Nanocomposite For Arsenic Removal Via A Coupled Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Oxidation– Adsorption Process†, Yuan Wang, Ping Zhang, Tian Zhang, Gang Xiang, Xinlong Wang, Simo Pehkonen, Shaojun Yuan

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Arsenic polluted groundwater impairs human health and poses severe threats to drinking water supplies and ecosystems. Hence, an efficient method of simultaneous oxidation of As_(III) to As_(V), and removal of As_(V) from water has triggered increasing attention. In this study, a magnetic γ-Fe₂O₃ core–shell heterojunction nanocomposite was synthesized by means of hydrothermal crystallization of TiO₂ on the surface of the magnetic core–shell loaded with polyaniline (γ-Fe₂O₃@PANI@TiO₂). As an efficient photocatalyst coupled with adsorption, γ-Fe₂O₃@PANI@TiO₂ has a high light utilization and good …

On The Inadequacy Of Species Distribution Models For Modelling The Spread Of Sars-Cov-2: Response To Araújo And Naimi, Joseph D. Chipperfield, Blas M. Benito, Robert B. O'Hara, Richard J. Telford, Colin J. Carlson

United States Public Health Resources

The ongoing pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing significant damage to public health and economic livelihoods, and is putting significant strains on healthcare services globally. This unfolding emergency has prompted the preparation and dissemination of the article “Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus likely to be constrained by climate” by Araújo and Naimi (2020). The authors present the results of an ensemble forecast made from a suite of species distribution models (SDMs), where they attempt to predict the suitability of the climate for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 over the coming months. They argue that climate is …

Testing A Key Assumption Of Using Drones As Frightening Devices: Do Birds Perceive Drones As Risky?, Conor C. Egan, Bradley Blackwell, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Page E. Klug

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers have recently suggested the use of unmanned aircraft systems or drones as nonlethal hazing tools to deter birds from areas of human-wildlife conflict. However, it remains unclear if birds perceive common drone platforms as threatening. Based on field studies assessing behavioral and physiological responses, it is generally assumed that birds perceive less risk from drones than from predators. However, studies controlling for multiple confounding effects have not been conducted. Our goal was to establish the degree to which the perception of risk by birds would vary between common drone platforms relative to a predator model when flown at …

On The Distribution Of Phlegyas Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pachygronthidae), John M. Leavengood, Jr.

Insecta Mundi

Updated distributions are provided for all three species of Phlegyas Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pachygronthidae) in the New World: Phlegyas abbreviatus (Uhler, 1876), P. annulicrus Stål, 1869, and P. patruelis Berg, 1883. In total, four new state records for the United States of America, four new state records for Mexico, one new Canadian provincial record, and one new country record (Nicaragua, P. annulicrus) are presented, along with remarks and corrections.

Cognitive Ability Tests, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are cognitive ability tests?

In an employment context, cognitive ability (also known as general intelligence or general mental ability) tests are hiring tools that assess candidates’ ability to learn and solve problems (Hunter & Schmidt, 1996). There are many commercially available cognitive ability tests, and they typically involve multiple-choice questions that measure abilities such as vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and verbal, numerical, and spatial reasoning. Some tests measure a combination of these abilities, whereas some focus only on specific abilities. Because the questions have right and wrong answers, the tests must often be proctored. Tests vary in terms of length, …

Nebraska Women In Agriculture Celebrating 35 Years, Jessica Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

A crowd of almost 300 gathered together February 20 and 21 in Kearney, Nebraska for the Nebraska Women in Agriculture conference, with the theme — Celebrating 35 Years! The conference is one of the longest-running women's conferences of its kind in the country. The goal of the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference is for women to build relationships with each other while gaining valuable knowledge about managing risk on their farms and ranches. The event featured 5 general session speakers and 35 workshop sessions.

Ebci Progress Update- Developing An Onboarding Program, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) established their Family Safety Program (FSP) in 2015. FSP is a multi-disciplinary unit and includes behavioral health and child welfare. They are a small agency with about 35-40 child welfare employees at any given time, including front-line caseworkers, case aides, supervisors, and a manager. Minimum qualifications for the caseworker role are rigorous, requiring a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work and/or years of relevant experience. They also seek to hire enrolled members of the EBCI, enrolled members of other federally recognized tribes, or those married to, or who are children of, enrolled …

Hiding In Plain Sight: Discovery And Phylogeography Of A Cryptic Species Of Trichinella (Nematoda: Trichinellidae) In Wolverine (Gulo Gulo), Rajnish Sharma, Peter C. Thompson, Eric P. Hoberg, W. Brad Scandrett, Kelly Konecsni, N. Jane Harms, Piia M. Kukka, Thomas S. Jung, Brett Elkin, Robert Mulders, Nicholas C. Larter, Marsha Branigan, Jodie Pongracz, Brent Wagner, Pratap Kafle, Vladislav A. Lobanov, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Emily J. Jenkins

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Understanding parasite diversity and distribution is essential in managing the potential impact of para- sitic diseases in animals and people. Imperfect diagnostic methods, however, may conceal cryptic species. Here, we report the discovery and phylogeography of a previously unrecognized species of Trichinella in wolverine (Gulo gulo) from northwestern Canada that was indistinguishable from T. nativa using the stan- dard multiplex PCR assay based on the expansion segment 5 (ESV) of ribosomal DNA. The novel genotype, designated as T13, was discovered when sequencing the mitochondrial genome. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial genome and of 15 concatenated single-copy orthologs of nuclear DNA …