Digital Commons Network^™

A Wirelessly Controlled Smart Bandage With 3d-Printed Miniaturized Needle Arrays, Hossein Derakhshandeh, Fariba Aghabaglou, Alec Mccarthy, Azadeh Mostafavi, Chris Wiseman, Zack Bonick, Ian Ghanavati, Seth Harris, Craig Kreikemeier-Bower, Seyed Masoud Moosavi Basri, Jordan Rosenbohm, Ruiguo Yang, Pooria Mostafalu, Dennis Orgill, Ali Tamayol

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

PUBLIC ACCESS

Sex And Suicide: The Curious Case Of Toll-Like Receptors, Paulo A. Navarro-Costa, Antoine Molaro, Chandra S. Misra, Colin D. Meiklejohn, Peter J. Ellis

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

During in vitro fertilisation (IVF), pharmacological activation of the murine X chromosome–encoded receptor proteins Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR8 reportedly results in male- biased litters by selectively disrupting the motility of X-bearing sperm cells. Thus—in the context of agonist treatment during IVF—these receptors act as ‘suicidal’ segregation distorters that impair their own transmission to the next generation. Such behaviour would, from an evolutionary perspective, be strongly selected against if present during natural fertilisation. Consequently, TLR7/8 biology in vivo must differ significantly from this in vitro situation to allow these genes to persist in the genome. Here, we use our …

Caloric Restriction Induces Anabolic Resistance To Resistance Exercise, Chaise Murphy, Karsten Koehler

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Purpose Weight loss can result in the loss of muscle mass and bone mineral density. Resistance exercise is commonly prescribed to attenuate these effects. However, the anabolic endocrine response to resistance exercise during caloric restriction has not been characterized. Methods Participants underwent 3-day conditions of caloric restriction (15 kcal kg FFM⁻¹) with post-exercise carbohydrate (CRC) and with post-exercise protein (CRP), and an energy balance control (40 kcal kg FFM⁻¹) with post-exercise carbohydrate (CON). Serial blood draws were taken following five sets of five repetitions of the barbell back squat exercise on day 3 of each condition. …

Diabetes Debunked: What You Need To Know, Maggie Hutson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goal of this Honors creative project is to encourage health literacy in populations who are curious about Type 2 Diabetes or have Type 2 Diabetes. From personal experience, I have seen noncompliance in diabetics and wondered why since it is a serious, progressive disease. After researching, I found that some diabetics do not understand the scope of their disease, especially since many of the dangerous complications that arise from Type 2 Diabetes do not present until later in the disease when it is too late. For my senior project, I decided to write an educational paper as a supplement …

The Effects Of Phosphate On The Metamorphosis Of Larval Western Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Mavortium), Lexy Polivanov

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This investigation will collect data to assist in determining if elevated aquatic phosphate levels affects the metamorphosis rate of larval western barred tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium). Monoammonium phosphate fertilizers are being used on crops in Nebraska (NDA, 2017). This area lines up with the area the western barred tiger salamanders are disappearing from (Damme, 2018). Monoammonium phosphate is made up of nitrogen and phosphate. There have been several studies showing how nitrogen is harmful to amphibians such as this salamander (Griffis-Kyle, 2007) (Griffis-Kyle & Richtie, 2007), but there have not been many showing how phosphate affects amphibian’s metamorphosis …

Neutrophil Infiltration Into The Cervical Compartment Is Suppressed By Hiv Infection, Madeline Maschka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV), is a small circular dsDNA virus with at least 200 different genotypes; each genotype is identified by at least 10% difference at the DNA level in the L1 capsid gene. Each HPV genotype affects the body in different tissues, either mucosal or cutaneous. Mucosal HPVs type 16 and 18 are known as high-risk strains, since HPV infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer and plays a central role in formation of precancerous lesions. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) damages the body’s immune system by targeting CD4+ T cells. Once CD4+ T cells are infected, the body …

A Mathematical Model Of Speeding, Jared Ott, Xavier Pérez Giménez

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Crime is often regarded as nonsensical, impulsive, and irrational. These conjectures are pointed, though conversation about the pros and cons of crime does not happen often. People point to harsh fines, jail times, and life restrictions as their reason for judgement, stating that the trade-offs are far too unbalanced to participate in illicit activity. Yet, everyday people commit small crimes, sometimes based on hedonistic desires, other times based on a rational thought process.

Speeding seems to be one of those that almost all people commit at least once during their life. Our work hopes to make an incremental improvement on …

Biodata Measures, Stephanie Weddington, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are biodata measures?

Biodata measures are hiring tools that assess a variety of biographical or background data about job candidates. When they were first developed, biodata measures included objective and verifiable questions about a person’s background and history (e.g., education level, number of siblings, job history), but over time they have come to include more subjective questions similar to those found on personality tests (e.g., attitudes, interests, recreational activities, education, and work experiences and preferences) (Schmitt & Golubovich, 2013). They are typically administered using a paper-and-pencil or online-survey format (Breaugh, 2009), and the response options can be yes-no, multiple …

Nebraska Cooperative Development Center Announces Mini-Grant Funding, Charlotte Narjes

Cornhusker Economics

Since 1999, the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center (NCDC) has provided technical assistance, education and training to groups who are developing or are considering the development of a cooperatively owned business. The primary objective is to improve the economic condition of rural areas through cooperative business development.

Encapsulating Educational Design For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lauren Praeuner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper is a thesis/creative project hybrid split into two parts. First, it examines different aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the symptoms experienced by those on the spectrum, and the guidelines that parents, medical professionals, and educators should follow to ensure a holistic approach to the care and education of children with autism. The text also notes some of the considerations that designers should review when designing educational facilities for these individuals, as well as few precedents that successfully do so. The second part of the paper presents my team’s architectural studio project, contributed to by UNL students Lindsay …

The Unique Demands Of Playing Posture On Youth Violinists And Violists, Liam Carroll

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The high prevalence of performing arts injuries is an acknowledged challenge facing the performing arts medicine community. The injuries seem to affect string players the most among orchestral musicians, specifically violinists and violists. The asymmetrical posture, head and neck displacement, and spinal displacement required by the posture to play violin and viola can lead to discomfort or injury in the performer. Performance related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) can have an adverse impact on the life of a musician, preventing them from performing or making it uncomfortable. While there is a large body of research on PRMDs relating to adult musicians, there …

The Parasite Giardia, Ashley Anderson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The focus of this research is to better understand how this parasite works. The protozoan Giardia spp is found all over the world and in many species such as dogs, cats, and humans. From its two different forms to the microscopic size of both forms to its ability to destroy intestinal villi and cause symptoms like other parasitic infections, Giardia spp is continuously misdiagnosed. Upon further observation at veterinary clinics and researching science articles, Giardia spp is most commonly found in pets but has the potential to spread to humans via contaminated water. The most commonly infected humans are hikers, …

Evaluation Of The Potential Geological And Socioeconomic Impacts Of The Imminent Cascadia Megathrust Earthquake, Matthew Pritchard

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Cascadia Subduction Zone on the northwest coast of the United States poses the threat of a devastating megathrust earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaging coastal populations. This paper synthesizes literature to analyze the geologic and socioeconomic effects of this natural disaster, as well as examines the existing warning system infrastructure, and makes recommendations to mitigate the damage. In order to assess the geologic effects of a megathrust earthquake, I investigate the tectonic history, the role of episodic tremor and slip (ETS) in stress buildup, crustal architecture of the subduction zone, and analogous subduction zones such as Chile and Japan. This …

Terms Of Service: The Use And Protection Of Genomic Information By Companies, Databases, And Law Enforcement, Sophia Kallas

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Private genomic companies have become a popular trend in the last two decades by providing customers with information regarding their ancestry and health risks. However, the profiles received from these companies can also be uploaded to public databases for various purposes, including locating other family members. Both testing companies and public databases have private interests, and both are at risk of law enforcement intervention for the purpose of forensic familial searching. There is little federal legislation protecting the privacy of an individual’s genetic profile. Consequently, it has been up to federal agencies, state laws, and judicial precedents to prevent the …

A Case Study Of Barriers To Dental Care In Nebraska, Kaitlin Buhler

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

An important aspect of overall health is access to dental care, which is, unfortunately, oftentimes difficult to obtain. This study used data collected from a case study of three registered dentists in Nebraska to investigate the barriers to dental care, and identified the lack of dental insurance, limited access to free or reduced-price dental care, and dental anxiety as perceived barriers to dental care. Factors that did not seem to have an impact were language or ethnicity differences between patients and workers, distance to travel, comfortability with receiving free or reduced-price dental care, knowledge of how often to visit the …

State Policy Outcomes On Refugee Integration And Success, Emily Johnson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Though U.S. refugee resettlement is primarily managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the process of ensuring refugee success upon arrival often relies on state-level policy. In this research, I analyze the relationship between state resettlement policies, including welfare distribution, ESL education, and publicly-funded resettlement programs, and refugee social and economic outcomes, including employment, home ownership, and English proficiency. My findings indicate that there is a slight positive relationship between state resettlement service accessibility and refugee employment, home ownership, and English proficiency. However, analysis results regarding state welfare policy and ESL education produced null results. Ultimately, I …

Optimum Rates Of Surface-Applied Coal Char Decreased Soil Ammonia Volatilization Loss, Dinesh Panday, Maysoon M. Mikha, Harold P. Collins, Virginia L. Jin, Michael Kaiser, Jennifer Cooper, Arindam Malakar, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Fertilizer N losses from agricultural systems have economic and environmental implications. Soil amendment with high C materials, such as coal char, may mitigate N losses. Char, a coal combustion residue, obtained from a sugar factory in Scottsbluff, NE, contained 29% C by weight. A 30-d laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effects of char addition on N losses via nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission, ammonia (NH₃) volatilization, and nitrate (NO₃–N) leaching from fertilized loam and sandy loam soils. Char was applied at five different rates (0, 6.7, 10.1, 13.4, and 26.8 Mg C ha …

Development And Validation Of The Computational Thinking Concepts And Skills Test, Markeya S. Peteranetz, Patrick M. Morrow, Leen-Kiat Soh

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Calls for standardized and validated measures of computational thinking have been made repeatedly in recent years. Still, few such tests have been created and even fewer have undergone rigorous psychometric evaluation and been made available to researchers. The purpose of this study is to report our work in developing and validating a test of computational thinking concepts and skills and to compare different scoring methods for the test. This computational thinking exam is intended to be used in computing education research as a common measure of computational thinking so that the research community will be able to make more meaningful …

An Inquiry Into Double Dividend Effects Of Carbon Taxes, Gregory Tracey

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For my undergraduate thesis, I conducted research on the topic of carbon taxes. Specifically, I was interested in the possible existence of a double dividend effect as a method for making this public policy option more palatable to a broader audience. To that end, I first conducted a literature review on the subject, then did an empirical analysis. I chose Nebraska as the subject of my analysis because it is my home state and I experienced heated debates over tax policy firsthand as a Page for the State Legislature. To see whether a double dividend would exist in Nebraska, I …

Low Latency Bearing Fault Detection Of Direct-Drive Wind Turbines Using Stator Current, Samrat Nath, Jingxian Wu, Yue Zhao, Wei Qiao

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Low latency change detection aims to minimize the detection delay of an abrupt change in probability distributions of a random process, subject to certain performance constraints such as the probability of false alarm (PFA). In this paper, we study the low latency detection of bearing faults of direct-drive wind turbines (WT), by analyzing the statistical behaviors of stator currents generated by the WT in real-time. It is discovered that the presence of fault will affect the statistical distribution of WT stator current amplitude at certain frequencies. Since the signature of a fault can appear in one of the multiple possible …

Predicting Escherichia Coli Loads In Cascading Dams With Machine Learning: An Integration Of Hydrometeorology, Animal Density And Grazing Pattern, Olufemi P. Abimbola, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Tiffany Messer, Elaine D. Berry, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Samuel Hansen

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of Escherichia coli contamination in surface waters is challenging due to considerable uncertainty in the physical, chemical and biological variables that control E. coli occurrence and sources in surface waters. This study proposes a novel approach by integrating hydro-climatic variables as well as animal density and grazing pattern in the feature selection modeling phase to increase E. coli prediction accuracy for two cascading dams at the USMeat Animal Research Center (USMARC), Nebraska. Predictive models were developed using regression techniques and an artificial neural network (ANN). Two adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) structures including subtractive clustering and fuzzy c-means …

Comparisons Of Muscle Strength, Size, And Neuromuscular Function In Pre- And Post-Pubescent Males And Females, Zachary M. Gillen

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

The purpose of this study was to compare measurements of muscle strength, size, and neuromuscular function of the forearm flexors in pre- and post-pubescent males and females. Forty pre-pubescent (mean ± 95% confidence interval, age = 9.79 ± 0.35 yrs, n = 10 males, n = 10 females) and post-pubescent (age = 17.23 ± 0.58 yrs, n = 10 males, n = 10 females) participants completed this study. Biceps brachii muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and muscle volume (MV) were quantified from ultrasound images. Participants completed maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs) of the forearm flexors and extensors, and submaximal isometric step …

Evaluations Of The Peroxidative Susceptibilities Of Cod Liver Oils By A 1h Nmr Analysis Strategy: Peroxidative Resistivity Of A Natural Collagenous And Biogenic Amine-Rich Fermented Product, Benita C. Percival, Angela Wann, Richard Zbasnik, Vicki Schlegel, Mark Edgar, Jie Zhang, Gilbert Ampem, Philippe Wilson, Adam Le Gresley, Declan Naughton, Martin Gootveld

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

High-resolution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis was employed to molecularly screen the lipid, lipid oxidation product (LOP), and antioxidant compositions of four natural (unrefined) cod liver oil (CLO) products. Products 1–3 were non-fermented CLOs, whilst Product 4 was isolated from pre-fermented cod livers. Supporting analytical data that were acquired included biogenic amine, flavanone, tannin, phenolic antioxidant, α-tocopherol, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) determinations by recommended HPLC, LC/MS/MS, or spectrophotometric methods. SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and 1H NMR analyses investigated and determined collagenous antioxidants and their molecular mass ranges. 1H NMR analysis of aldehydic LOPs was employed to explore the susceptibilities/resistivities …

Husker To Husker Nightline: A Peer-Run Warm Line Texting Service Development At University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Audrey Wilhelm

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

A desire to develop a service where students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) could reach out to their fellow students in search of improving their mental health and well-being laid the groundwork for this project. After reviewing various ideas, a peer-run warm line service best matched the goals of the project. After completing preliminary research, costs and benefits of warm lines were compared to determine the operations and best practices for warm line services. Obtaining funding for the development of this service was another main focus because funding is required for this idea to become a reality. Consequently, this …

Work Sample Tests, Maggie Thompson, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are work sample tests?

Work sample tests are methods used to assess an individual’s ability to successfully perform a job. These tests require individuals to perform tasks that are physically and/or psychologically similar to those they would experience on the job (Schneider & Schmitt, 1986). Though much of the early use of work samples was to assess psychomotor skills for manual tasks like carpentry, electrical work, or welding (Robertson & Downs, 1989), more relevant examples include role plays, in-basket exercises, filing, and writing or typing exercises (Roth, Bobko, McFarland, & Buster, 2008). There are two primary categories of work …

Geometric Iteration Of A Knee Prosthetic And Static Stress-Bearing Capacity, Alexander Wheeler

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The purpose of this study was to improve a prosthetic knee model in terms of size, weight, and biocompatibility. Several tests were run to determine its effectiveness in supporting static and quasistatic loads. The positions in which these tests were run include static upright standing, static one-knee 90 degree kneeling, static squatting at maximum flexion, and quasistatic midstride. These simulations were conducted to find areas of high stress and strain. These patterns were used to determine the maximum body weight a physical prosthetic could support. The material used to create the prosthetic was changed from AISI 316 stainless steel to …

Effect Of Storage Time And Temperature On The Recovery Of Milk And Peanut Residue From Environmental Swabs, Jessica Humphrey, Joseph Baumert, Stephen Taylor, Shyamali Jayasena

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Environmental swabs of shared processing equipment are commonly utilized by the food industry during cleaning validation studies. Some of these swabs are sent to 3^rd party laboratories for evaluation. However, the recovery of protein residues of allergenic foods between the time of swabbing and time of testing has yet to be systematically studied.

The objective of this study was to determine the recovery of allergen residues (peanut and milk) from swabs held at different holding times and temperatures. Commercial ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) were evaluated to determine allergen residue recovery from swabs inoculated with known amounts of peanut and …

Factors Affecting Bait Site Visitation: Area Of Influence Of Baits, Jacquelyn E. Mcrae, Peter E. Schlichting, Nathan P. Snow, Amy J. Davis, Kurt C. Vercautern, John C. Kilgo, David A. Keiter, James C. Beasley, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

ABSTRACT Baiting is a fundamental strategy for the global management of wild pigs (Sus scrofa); however, little information exists on how anthropogenic bait affects wild pig movements on a landscape. We investigated factors that are important in determining the spatial area of attraction for wild pigs to bait (‘area of influence’ of a bait site) using data from Global Positioning System (GPS) collars and locations of bait sites. We monitored movements of wild pigs in 2 distinct study areas in the United States from February to September 2016 and used locational data using GPS collars to analyze the influence of …

Transcriptome Analysis-Identified Long Noncoding Rna Crnde In Maintaining Endothelial Cell Proliferation, Migration, And Tube Formation, Matthew Moran, Xiao Cheng Zeng, Mohamed Sham Shihabudeen Haider Ali, Nishikant Wase, Nghi Nguyen, Weilong Yang, Chi Zhang, Concetta C. Dirusso, Xinghui Sun

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Obesity is a leading risk factor for type-2 diabetes. Diabetes often leads to the dysregulation of angiogenesis, although the mechanism is not fully understood. Previously, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to modulate angiogenesis. In this study, we asked how the expression levels of lncRNAs change in endothelial cells in response to excessive palmitic acid treatment, an obesitylike condition. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that 305 protein-coding transcripts were upregulated and 70 were downregulated, while 64 lncRNAs were upregulated and 46 were downregulated. Gene ontology and pathway analysis identified endoplasmic reticulum stress, HIF-1 signaling, and Toll-like receptor signaling as enriched after …

Strain-Driven Disproportionation At A Correlated Oxide Metal-Insulator Transition, T. H. Kim, Tula R. Paudel, R. J. Green, K. Song, H.-S. Lee, S.-Y. Choi, J. Irwin, B. Noesges, L. J. Brillson, M. S. Rzchowski, G. A. Sawatzky, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, C. B. Eom

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Metal-to-insulator phase transitions in complex oxide thin films are exciting phenomena which may be useful for device applications, but in many cases the physical mechanism responsible for the transition is not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that epitaxial strain generates local disproportionation of the NiO₆ octahedra, driven through changes in the oxygen stoichiometry, and that this directly modifies the metal-to-insulator phase transition in epitaxial (001) NdNiO₃ thin films. Theoretically, we predict that the Ni-O-Ni bond angle decreases, while octahedral tilt and local disproportionation of the NiO₆ octahedra increases resulting in a small band gap in an otherwise …