Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of The Feasibility Of A Two-Method Measurement Design For The Assessment Of Healthy Physical Activity Behavior In Youth, Amelia A. Miramonti

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

Purpose: Assess the reliability and validity of self- and parent-report survey responses regarding physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors, and PA self-efficacy and determine if these data can be combined with objective physical activity monitor data to model the latent construct healthy physical activity behavior (HPAB).

Methods: 126 underserved 4^th-5^th grade students participated in a 12-week after-school nutrition, cooking, and physical activity program (WeCook: Fun with Food and Fitness). Participants and parents (n=103) completed surveys pre- and post-program and participants wore PA monitors for one week at PRE and POST. Unidimensionality and internal consistency reliability were …

Viral Prevalence Among Social Bees In Different Landscapes, Tugce Karacoban

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Honey bees and wild bees provide important pollination services to numerous crops and native plants. In recent years, declines in bee populations have highlighted the importance of the ecological services they provide and the need for more research into the reasons for their decline. Currently, many conservation efforts to mitigate bee losses include increasing forage and habitat, however, there is growing concern over the role interspecific pathogen transmission plays in bee decline. Viruses commonly found in honey bees may be transmitted and pose a threat to other bee species when bees come together at foraging sites. To elucidate the impact …

Managing For Vegetation Heterogeneity On Rangelands: An Exploration Of Rancher Attitudes, Stephanie Marie Kennedy

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

Grasslands provide food, fiber, and numerous ecosystem services to human populations as well as habitat for wildlife. They are also some of the most endangered ecosystems in the world because of their productive soils and open topography. This problem is exacerbated by the accelerating conversion of grassland to cropland and encroaching trees and shrubs. The quality of remaining grasslands will be of increasing importance because of the biodiversity and vital ecosystem services they provide. Heterogeneity is a term specific to rangeland science that is illustrative of grassland health. Grassland species require very specific and differing habitats and without the variation …

The Biological Significance And Utility Of Feeding By Dermestes Maculatus, Braymond Adams

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

With their efficient feeding habits and tolerance to very low moisture and humidity, beetles in the Family Dermestidae are especially adapted to variable environments and habitats. Dermestid cultures have been in use since 1922 in cleaning tissue and flesh from bones, and proven benefit in multiple fields, including zoology, ornithology, and forensics. Dermestid feeding behaviors when coupled with known life stage and insect succession information aids in providing significant entomological evidence. However, the feeding activities of insects, like those of vertebrate scavengers and predators, change remains and may leave artifacts that can be sometimes be difficult to assign to a …

Maternal N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Supplementation Potentiates Brown Adipose Tissue Development And Reduces The Risk Of Childhood Obesity, Rong Fan

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

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a crucial regulator in energy expenditure by dissipating energy in the form of heat through mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). Previously, we demonstrated that n-3 PUFA (Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids) increase brown adipogenesis by miRNA-mediated epigenetic mechanisms. Given that BAT is formed at the late stage of pregnancy, we hypothesized prenatal exposure of n-3 PUFA through maternal nutrition potentiates BAT development. To test this hypothesis, Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet containing n-3 PUFA (3%) derived from fish oil (FO), or an isocaloric diet devoid of n-3 PUFA (Cont), and same diet was maintained …

Understanding Consumer Attitudes Towards Antimicrobial Risk Reducing Practices, Sabrina Gulab

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance is a natural evolutionary reaction to antimicrobial exposure. However, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs in human medicine and in agriculture are speeding up the process. Antimicrobials have been used in food-producing animals for therapeutic purposes as well as to promote growth by applying low concentrations in animal feed. Antimicrobial resistant pathogens can enter the food chain through food containing residues of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cause infections in humans. In the United States, millions of people are infected every year with antimicrobial resistant bacterial diseases causing approximately 23,000 deaths (CDC 2013). This …

Soil Health Effects And Stakeholder Perceptions Of Manure And Woody Biomass Application To Cropland In Nebraska, Linda R. Schott

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

Organic products that have historically been viewed as waste products may improve soil health by adding carbon (C) and nutrients to soil. Two such products are woodchips, generated from forest or rangeland management activities, and livestock manure. In Nebraska, eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) is a native but invasive tree species inhibiting rangeland productivity. Livestock manure that is underutilized while inorganic fertilizers are imported for crop production presents a water quality risk by contributing to local- and regional-scale nutrient imbalances. Increasing the responsible use of livestock manure in crop fertility programs to improve sustainability of both livestock and crop farms …

Understanding Spatial Dynamics Of Tallgrass Prairie Dominated By Tall Fescue, Callie Griffith

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

This study was conducted on restored tallgrass prairie and invaded tallgrass prairie located in the Grand River Grasslands of southern Iowa to determine differences in heterogeneity of plant structure and functional group composition at different scales. Restored tallgrass prairies were seeded with a species-rich seeding mixture and managed by burning the entire prairie, every three years. Data were collected in August 2014 and 2015 to compare heterogeneity of restoration of native plant structure and functional group composition to the heterogeneity of invaded tallgrass prairies that were managed with patch burning and conventionally grazed. Invaded tallgrass prairies were managed with patch-burning …

Generation And Evaluation Of Modified Opaque-2 (O2) Popcorn Suggests A Route To Quality Protein Popcorn (Qpp), Ying Ren

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

I have been working on a Quality Protein Popcorn breeding project where QPM conversion is carried out simultaneously for several elite popcorn germplasms. During my study in the graduate program, I led the following aspects of the Quality Protein Popcorn Breeding Project:

1. Identified suitable QPMs as opaque-2 allele donors.

2.Examined the feasibility of quick introgression of the opaque-2 allele into popcorn lines via marker-assisted selection.

3. Monitored modification by SDS-PAGE zein profiling and light box phenotypic selection to make sure multiple modifier loci for opaque-2 were incorporated each time generation advancement was carried out.

4. Carried out high throughput …

Establishing Benchmark Criteria For Single Chromosome Bacterial Genome Assembly, Timothy J. Krause

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

Adequate recommendations for the amount and types of sequencing data necessary to optimize the recovery of single chromosomes from bacterial sequencing projects do not exist. Broad estimates for coverage depths needed to recover complete bacterial genomes are present in the literature, but required sequencing depths across bacterial and archaeal phylogenies needed for high-quality assembly are not known. Additionally, correlations between genomic complexity and expected quality of assembly have not been properly defined. Furthermore, the capabilities of multiplexing (sequencing more than one sample simultaneously on one flow cell) with long-read sequencing platforms in order to recover complete bacterial chromosomes are poorly …

Metabolic Gas Emissions From Prairie Soil Containing Foraging Termites, Charles E. Konemann, B.M. Kard, Tom A. Royer, Mark E. Payton

The Prairie Naturalist

Differences in subterranean termite metabolic gas emissions are readily observed in laboratory experiments. However, in natural field ecosystems a primary difficulty in measuring subterranean termite gases is non-homogeneous distribution of foraging termites in soil. Our field experiment was designed to aggregate foragers of the 'eastern subterranean termite', Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (EST), in one of four flux chamber configurations placed on a tallgrass prairie throughout 2014 and 2015. We used differently configured flux chambers to measure metabolic gas emissions from soil with or without foraging termites on The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (TGPP) in north-central Oklahoma. Foraging termitesaggregated in …

Assessing The Effects Of Genetic Selection For Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Resistance Or Feed Additives On Nursery And Grow-Finish Pig Performance, Dana Michael Van Sambeek

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

The swine industry is ever evolving as it strives to produce healthy, wholesome pork for consumers. As such, the industry is constantly looking for ways to improve production and reduce costs. This includes using novel feed ingredients to reduce cost and improve animal health, genetic selection for increased performance, and vaccines to attenuate or prevent illness. Research plays a significant role in assessing the effectiveness of these strategies. Overall, the objective of this thesis was to assess how genetic selection, vaccines, and feed additives may impact growth performance, health, nutrient digestibility, and the microbiome.

In Chapter 2, pigs were either …

Impact Of Ethanol Process Changes On Distillers’ Grains For Beef Cattle, Shelby A. Garland

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

Distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) have been widely utilized in beef cattle diets. Fractionation of the corn kernel pre- and post-fermentation has changed the composition of DGS and allowed for the production of other feed byproducts over time. The use of fractionated DGS and other feed byproducts from the ethanol industry has not been heavily researched in beef cattle diets. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding high protein distillers grains (HiPro DDG) and corn bran plus solubles (Bran + Solubles) in beef cattle diets. Experiment 1 evaluated the effect of byproduct type on finishing performance and …

Quality Effects On Beef From Cattle Fed High-Protein Corn Distillers' Grains Or Other Ethanol By-Products, Kellen B. Hart

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

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding high protein corn distillers grains on fresh beef quality. Steers (n = 300) were fed one of five diets (6 pens with 10 head/pen): a corn control, 40% high protein dry distillers grains plus solubles (HP-DDGS), 40% dry distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS), 40% wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS), or 40% bran plus solubles (Bran). Eighteen Choice carcasses (3 head/pen) were randomly selected within each treatment (n = 88). Strip loins were aged for 2, 9, or 23 d, after which steaks were placed under …

Risk Of Nitrate Toxicity When Grazing Annual Forages, Mary E. Lenz

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

Annual forages provide a valuable grazing resource for producers; however, annuals are prone to accumulating nitrate and toxicity can be a potential challenge. There are multiple publications regarding nitrate toxicity, but few, if any, address grazing high nitrate forages. There is variability on what amount of nitrate is considered toxic to cattle, and information is not available on the frequency producers experience toxicity when feeding annual forages. To understand the incidence of nitrate toxicity in the North Central Region of the U.S., a survey was distributed through the “UNL BeefWatch” newsletter to producers. Though producers appeared concerned about nitrates in …

Energy And Water Assessment And Plausibility Of Reuse Of Spent Caustic Solution In A Midwest Fluid Milk Processing Plant, Carly Rain Adams

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

The Food Energy and Water Nexus (FEW Nexus) is the inseparable connection linking these resources. The concept of the FEW Nexus within the food industry addresses the connection of water and energy as key members of food production. The steady increase in population and the increase in food demand are directly related, therefore, the need for water and energy. Immediately taking on this critical challenge will lead to tangible impacts on the water and energy crisis facing the food system. To reduce the distance between process productivity and resource efficiency it must first be determined, within food processing, where water …

The Effect Of Change In Middle School Lunchroom Setting On Student’S Intake Of Broccoli, Mia Wood Angst

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

Introduction: Over the past three decades, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. One possible solution to combating this growing epidemic is by making small changes to prevent obesity during childhood that will influence children to follow a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement aims to increase healthy eating by incorporating low-cost to no-cost alterations to the school lunchroom in an effort to increase consumption of healthier foods by making them more attractive and convenient.

Purpose: This research study assessed broccoli consumption among 6^th – 8^th grade students in a selected …

Concentrations Of Purine Metabolites Are Elevated In Human Fluids From Adults And Infants And In Livers From Mice Fed Diets Depleted Of Bovine Milk Exosomes And Their Rna Cargos, Ana Aguilar Lozano

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

Since miRNAs discovery, evidence keeps accumulating on their role in human physiology for homeostasis and implications during disease development. Upon the discovery that miRNAs could be encapsulated in exosomes and provide protection, evidence keeps accumulating on the possibility for miRNAs to be transferred between distant cells and elicit gene expression changes, and clinical trials are being developed to identify miRNAs in body fluids that could predict disease outcomes based on miRNA encapsulation in exosomes making them stable in body fluids. Recently, studies have shown that dietary miRNAs encapsulated in exosomes can be absorbed in mice and humans, and on the …

Warm-Season Grass Monocultures And Mixtures For Sustainable Bioenergy Feedstock Production In The Midwest, Usa, Moon-Sub Lee, Robert B. Mitchell, Emily Heaton, Colleen Zumpf, Dokyoung Lee

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

Biomass yield and adaptability to a broad range of environments are important characteristics of dedicated energy crops for sustainable bioenergy feedstock production. In addition to yield potential, the role of species diversity on ecosystem services is also growing in importance as we seek to develop sustainable feedstock production systems. The objective of this study was to compare the biomass yield potential of the commercially available germplasm of native warm-season grasses in monocultures and in blends (mixture of different cultivars of the same species) or mixtures of different species across an environmental gradient (temperature and precipitation) in the Midwest, USA. Warm-season …

Seasonality Of Life History Events And Behavior Patterns In The Island Endemic Hawaiian Duck (Anas Wyvilliana), Christopher P. Malachowski, Bruce D. Dugger, Kimberly J. Uyehara

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Year-round behavioral observations and surveys were used to investigate the temporal dynamics of life history events and associated variation in behavioral activities of the endangered, island-endemic Hawaiian Duck (Anas wyvilliana) on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, USA. Although breeding activity occurred throughout the year, backdated brood observations (n = 67) revealed that birds initiated 94% of nests during the 9-month period from September through May, their peak nesting season. A greater proportion of females (n = 149) were paired during the peak nesting season (75%) than the off-peak season (48%). Behavioral patterns (n = 984; 329 hr) differed between seasons for males but …

Nebline, November/December 2018

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Youth Voice benefits youth, communities

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 30, No. 4, November 2018

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Abstract: Welcome -- Faculty and Post-Doc News -- Student News -- University of Nebraska Service Awards -- Publications -- Blast from the Past -- Save the Dates -- Busy as a Bee -- Grants -- Meet an Online Student -- Bugfest

Investigation Of Alternative Hosts And Agronomic Factors Affecting Xanthomonas Vasicola Pv. Vasculorum, Causal Agent Of Bacterial Leaf Streak Of Corn, Terra Marie Hartman

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

Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum, causal agent of bacterial leaf streak of corn, was first reported in the U.S. in 2016 on Nebraska corn leaf samples. Prior to this report, the pathogen had only been reported on corn in South Africa. After the Nebraska report, the pathogen was reported on corn in Argentina, Brazil, and several U.S. states. This pathogen has an extensive host range, which includes sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), palm species (Dictyosperma album, Roystonea regia, and Areca catechu) and broom bamboo (Thysanolaena maxima). Plants commonly found in …

Biological Activity Of A Tertiary Amine Plant Growth Regulator, Bmve, In Arabidopsis Thaliana And Wheat (Triticum Aestivum), Jaspinder Singh

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

Plant growth regulators are synthetic compounds that influence plant growth and development and can increase growth, yield, and nutritive value of food crops. Research in the past has shown that a class of plant growth regulators known collectively as substituted tertiary amines have the potential to increase crop productivity, photosynthetic efficiency, and overall plant vigor. However, earlier efficacy studies that involved spraying plants were sometimes inconsistent or showed only minimal benefits. A new delivery method involving seed application of tertiary amines before sowing has shown promise in field trials for multiple crop species (US patent 9464283) (Yokoyama, Chan, Oyama, & …

Studies On The Physicochemical Characterization Of Flours And Protein Hydrolysates From Common Beans, Hollman Andres Motta Romero

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

Pulses represent a rich source of nutrition and have several potential health benefits such as the reduction of the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes. Beans from the species Phaseolus vulgaris and Cicer arietinum are important crops raised in some regions of the United States, including Western Nebraska. Nevertheless, the traditional preparation procedures involved in the cooking of these beans are tedious and time-consuming, thus leading to the underutilization of these resources. Therefore, the present work focused on evaluating alternative utilizations of these beans in order to improve their economic value.

One alternative to improve the consumption of …

Depression Among Chinese Lbc: Understanding Depression In Context Of A Family-Oriented Culture, Lanyan Ding

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

Background: Left-Behind Children (LBC) refers to children who are under 18 and must live separately from at least one of their parents for longer than six months because of parents’ labor migration (Zhou & Duan, 2006). The long-term family separation might greatly impair the family environment and increase the risk of developing depression among LBC. This research examined the relationships among family structure (left-behind status), caregiving, and child depression using archival data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Methods: In Study 1, multilevel regression analyses investigated how contextual factors (family structure …

Blended Learning: Use Of Demonstration Videos In An Undergraduate Food Preparation Lab, Lauren Elizabeth Rathman

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

Technology is rapidly advancing and changing how education is delivered. Blended learning, an emerging teaching style in flipped classrooms, incorporates technology in the form of online supplemental materials accessible to students prior to attending a traditional class. Incorporating technology into the learning process has been proposed as an effective way to meet the educational needs of the iGeneration. This study investigated the effect of online demonstration videos on learning scientific concepts in NUTR 245 Scientific Principles of Food Preparation Lab. The second lab section, (experimental group) received the intervention, online videos, before completing pre-lab quizzes, lab assignments and lab reports, …

Enzymatic Activities And Compositional Properties Of Whole Wheat Flour, Rachana Poudel

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

The numerous enzymes present in the bran and germ fractions of a wheat kernel initiate many chemical changes that affect the compositional and functional properties of whole wheat flour. This dissertation was focused on enzyme activities and compositional properties of whole wheat flour in different applications. In the first study, lipolytic activity, which leads to rancidity during storage of wheat, was affected by environment, fungicide application, disease resistance of cultivars, and the substrate being used in the assay. Subsequently, steaming of grains for 90 s before milling was found to reduce lipolytic activities and accumulation of free fatty acids during …

Mass Spectrometry And Nuclear Magnetic Resonance In The Chemometric Analysis Of Cellular Metabolism, Eli Riekeberg

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The development and awareness of Machine Learning and “big data” has led to a growing interest in applying these methods to bioanalytical research. Methods such as Mass Spectrometry (MS), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) can now obtain tens of thousands to millions of data points from a single sample, due to fundamental instrumental advances and ever-increasing resolution. Simple pairwise comparisons on datasets of this magnitude can obfuscate more complex underlying trends, and does a disservice to the richness of information contained within. This necessitates the need for multivariate approaches that can more fully take advantage of the complexity of these …

Identification Of Genes/Genomic Regions Controlling Resistance To Biotic And Abiotic Stresses In Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat, Madhav Bhatta

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

Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW; 2n=6x=42, AABBDD, Triticum aestivumL.) is produced from an interspecific cross between durum wheat (2n=4x=28, AABB, T. turgidumL.) and goat grass (2n=2x=14, DD, AegilopstauschiiCoss.). It is reported to have a considerable amount of genetic diversity and is a potential source of novel alleles controlling abiotic and biotic stresses resistance and improving wheat quality. Therefore, the first study was to understand the genetic diversity and population structure of SHWs and compare the genetic diversity of SHWs with elite bread wheat (BW) cultivars. The result of this study identified a wide range of genetic diversity within …