Digital Commons Network^™

Nourishing America’S Preemies Scientists Confront The Challenges Of Iv Feeding, Douglas G. Burrin, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Each year, more than a half-million infants are born prematurely in the United States. Many of these preemies, particularly those whose tiny digestive systems are simply too underdeveloped to handle mother’s milk or infant formula, may need to be nourished exclusively via intravenous feeding, known as “total parenteral nutrition,” or TPN.

TPN solutions, usually administered at the hospital for anywhere from a few days to a month or more, provide essential nutrients broken down into a very basic form. This liquid is gently and continuously infused into the infant’s bloodstream, completely bypassing the digestive tract.

“TPN helps save the lives …

Navigating Todays Grocery Stores: Food Labels And The Regulations Behind Them, Jessica Furlan

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Rising concern over food safety issues by consumers has resulted in an increased demand for what are perceived to be healthier food options. Labels have become major marketing tools, and instrumental in consumer choices. This study looks at the history and regulations behind three certified labels: USDA Organic, Demeter Certified Biodynamic, and Certified Naturally Grown, as well as the highly prevalent “natural” food claim, in an attempt to discover whether the claims made by their labels are factually sound. With the exception of the “natural” claim, which is neither certified nor regulated by the FDA, USDA or other organizations, it …

Effects Of Drying Distillers' Grains Plus Solubles On Feedlot Cattle Performance And Nutrient Digestibility, Brandon L. Nuttelman

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

All dry milling ethanol plants produce wet distillers grains (WDG) and distillers solubles (DS). Depending on the plant, WDG and DS will be combined to produce wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS). Some plants will partially dry WDGS and market modified distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS), or other plants will completely dry WDGS to produce dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS). These products have been shown to contain greater feeding values than the corn it replaces in finishing diets. However, as drying intensity of distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) increases, the feeding value relative to corn decreases. Three finishing experiments …

Supplementing Distillers' Grains In A Yearling System As A Forage Replacement Tool With Bunk Or Ground Feeding, And Impact Of Winter Supplementation Level On Finishing Performance And Profit, Kari L. Gillespie

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

The benefit of adding weight to cattle prior to entering the finishing phase through a forage-based backgrounding system has become more important with increased corn price. Further, as competition for available forage increases, the value of replacing grazed forage with a supplement such as distillers grains, also increases.

A 2-year beef systems study evaluated optimal supplementation time of distillers grains and summer forage savings with distillers supplementation. High winter level supplementation of distillers grains increased winter ADG, decreased summer ADG, and increased final live weights and HCW compared to cattle supplemented at a low supplement level designed to only meet …

Maternal Obesity Alters Fetal Development Due To Impaired Placental Function And Has Lasting Effects On Adult Offspring, Kristin Ann Norwood

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

Obesity is an epidemic in many developed nations and maternal obesity can result in developmental alterations in offspring that have long-lasting effects. Two experiments were conducted to determine the impact of maternal obesity on placental development and early embryonic growth and muscle development. Experiment one utilized obese Lethal Yellow (LY) and normal weight C57BL/6 (B6) dams to assess how maternal obesity alters skeletal muscle development in mid-gestational embryos. Embryos from LY dams exhibited decreased embryo and placental weights as well as an increase in the myogenic marker desmin. Furthermore, the adipogenic marker PPARG expression was predominately localized to the neural …

Nutrient, Tenderness, And Strip Loin Differences Of Beef From Cattle Due To Mutation Of The Myostatin Gene, Michelle Elaine Semler

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

The objectives of this study was to determine tenderness, nutrient, and musculature differences of loins from cattle with variation of myostatin gene. Steers (n = 21, 22, and 16) and heifers (n = 19, 20, and 20) were genotyped as homozygous (MM; active myostatin gene), heterozygous (Mm; partially recessive myostatin) or homozygous (mm; recessive inactive myostatin), respectively. At 3 d post mortem Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Semitendinosus (ST) were collected. Loins were cut into 2.5 cm thick steaks evaluated for: total number steaks, total number vein steaks, total number non-vein steaks, and individual steak weight. Nutrient analysis steaks were cut …

Volunteer Programming Impact On Long-Term Care Facilities, Paul P. Falkowski

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

The purpose of this present study was to examine the direct and indirect effects between the organizational structure of a long-term care facility, the amount of volunteers at the facility, the activities in which volunteers engage while at the facility and daily average number of hours care staff spend with nursing home residents. The time care staff spends with residents has been directly linked to the quality of care provided by the facility. This time is measured by calculating nursing hours per patient and it includes only nursing staff hours.The data for this study come from the National Nursing Home …

Effect Of Medical Nutrition Therapy On Outcomes Of Patients With Pre-Diabetes In A Rural Nebraska Primary Care Clinic: A Pilot Study, Charlene Dorcey

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

Objective: Describe the impact of Medical Nutrition Therapy on health parameters of newly diagnosed patients with pre-diabetes in a rural Nebraska primary care clinic.

Background: Lifestyle interventions, including weight loss, exercise and diet, have a significant impact on diabetes prevention. Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) provided by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is an essential part of any intervention approach. Several visits with an RDN have shown effective results. However, multiple visits become prohibitive, especially in rural areas, due to inaccessibility and cost when not covered by insurance.

Methods: This 2010 retrospective study of electronic health records examined newly diagnosed pre-diabetes …

Environmentally Friendly Sizing Agent From Corn Distillers Dried Grains, Yue Zhang

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

Distillers dried grains (DDGS), the coproducts of corn ethanol production, were used as a textile sizing agent on cotton, polyester and polyester/cotton blends in an effort to find inexpensive and biodegradable alternatives to sizing agents such as poly(vinyl alcohol) that are currently used. Although DDGS is an inexpensive, biodegradable and abundant co-product, it has limited industrial applications. DDGS is a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins and oil which are used as sizing agents or as size additives. The effects of DDGS extraction conditions on sizing evaluation parameters such as fiber adhesion, film properties, viscosity and fabric abrasion were studied in comparison …

Agricultural Development In The Northern Savannah Of Ghana, Tara N. Wood

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Since declaring independence in 1957, the Republic of Ghana has become a stable constitutional democracy. Ghana’s economy has grown substantially over the past decade, yet remains primarily agrarian, accounting for 50% of the total employment and 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Smallholder rain-fed farming using rudimentary technologies dominates the agricultural sector accounting for 80% of total agricultural production. Approximately 90% of smallholder farms are less than two hectares in size, and produce a diversity of crops. The major crops cultivated in Ghana include numerous cereal, root and tuber, leguminous, fruit, vegetable and industrial crops. Maize is the most …

The Little School Of The 400: A Mexican–American Fight For Equal Access And Its Impact On State Policy, Erasmo Vázquez Ríos

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Founded in 1957, the Little School of the 400 (LS400) was a Mexican-American led effort to acculturate and assimilate Mexican schoolchildren in Texas to the dominant Anglo-led society. By the mid-20^th Century, more than a hundred years of discrimination and racism had produced an environment where Mexicans were treated as second-class citizens. Early 20^th-Century activism had replaced armed and violent resistance such as the Cortina Wars of the 1850s but Anglo institutions ensured that any opposition from Mexicans and Tejanos toward the status-quo was met with indifference and perhaps worse.

My argument centers on the fact that …

Regulation Of Secondary Metabolism In Lysobacter Enzymogenes: Studies Of Intercellular And Intracellular Signaling, Stephen J. Wright

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The organisms of the genus Lysobacter have been recognized as prolific producers of bioactive secondary metabolites, making them potentially valuable as biocontrol agents and as sources of compounds for drug leads. This study was aimed at understanding the regulatory mechanisms that underlie the production of secondary metabolites in our study organism, Lysobacter enzymogenes. Since secondary metabolism is energetically costly, we sought not only to elucidate the biosynthetic chemistry by which the bioactive molecules were constructed, but also the regulation of the biosynthetic machinery. The molecular mechanisms by which L. enzymogenes responds to environmental conditions and transduces signals leading to …

Reliability And Validity Of A Culturally Appropriate Food Frequency Questionnaire To Measure The Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intakes Of Midwestern African American Women Of Childbearing Age, Narissa Scales

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

Omega-3 fatty acid intakes may play an important role in maternal health outcomes and infant brain and neural development. Research has shown that pregnant African American women have intakes below recommended levels for optimal health. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of a culturally specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to measure total omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake of Midwestern African American women (n=49) of childbearing age and examine associations of maternal health issues from previous pregnancies. The omega-3 FFQ questionnaire was developed by 24 hour …

Childcare And Youth Training And Technical Assistance Project (Cyttap) May 2013 Evaluation Report, Kit Alviz, Tonia Renee Durden

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The Childcare and Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project (CYTTAP) works to improve the quality and quantity of child care in 13 states with high densities of off-installation military families. From November 2011 through April 2013, face-to-face trainings, train-the-trainer events, and low- or no-cost online trainings were attended by over 14,000 individuals. Trainings included Better Kid Care (a wide range of topics including partnerships with parents, health and safety, nutrition and physical activity, and curriculum planning); Getting Started in Family Child Care (about starting a family child care business), I Am Moving, I Am Learning (about preventing childhood obesity); and …

Production Management Factors Affecting Inherent Beef Flavor: The Role Of Post-Weaning Forage, Energy Supplementation, Finishing Diets, And Aging Periods, Kimberly A. Varnold

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

Projects were conducted to determine effects of diet and aging periods on inherent beef flavor characteristics by relating biochemical constituents of meat, consumer acceptability, and lexicon flavor notes of two different muscles. Prediction equations were also created. Warm-season grasses caused increased concentrations of moisture, heme iron, and zinc in L. dorsi steaks. Aging 28 d instead of 7 d caused increased pH, carbohydrate, and heme and non-heme iron concentrations in B. femoris steaks. Warm-season grasses caused decreased concentrations in a majority of fatty acids, specifically when supplementation was not provided. Few differences were observed with cool-season grasses. Provision of wet …

Effect Of Residue Removal On Subsequent Year Quality And Quantity Of Corn Residue And Cattle Performance While Grazing Corn Residue At Different Stocking Rates, Adam L. Mcgee

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

Two studies evaluated the impact of residue removal; study 1, grazed in the fall or spring, study 2, removed by grazing at two stocking rates, light (LG), heavy (HG), or baled(B). There were no differences in pre-grazing treatments for digestibility, CP, NDF, plant fraction as a percent of residue and kg/25.5 kg of grain. Digestibility was highest in husk and lowest in stem. CP was greatest in leaf blade and lowest in husk. NDF was highest in the leaf sheath and lowest in the cob while stem is the greatest percentage of the plant and husk the smallest. The fractions …

Small Interfering Rna-Mediated Translation Repression Alters Ribosome Sensitivity To Inhibition By Cycloheximide In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Xinrong Ma

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

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved gene silencing mechanism in eukaryotes, with regulatory roles in a variety of biological processes, including cell cycle, cell differentiation, physiological and metabolic pathways, and stress responses. RNAi can function by transcriptional silencing, mRNA target cleavage, translation repression and/or DNA elimination. In this study, we used the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model system to study RNAi-mediated translation repression. We demonstrated that small RNAs (sRNAs) generated from exogenously introduced inverted repeat transgenes, with perfect complementarity to the 3’UTR of a target transcript, can inhibit protein synthesis, without or with only minimal mRNA …

Nebraska Chapter Gamma Sigma Delta Newsletter Issue #46 Spring 2013

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

• President's message
• Upcoming events
• Welcome new members
• Gamma Sigma Delta award recipients: Elizabeth Birnstihl, Galen Erickson, Madhavan Soundararajan, Jennifer Rees, Rachel Coburn, Josiah Dallmann, Aruna Gangaplara
• In memoriam: Oliver Davies Grace, C. Dean Yonts
• Committees 2013
• Outstanding graduate student award fund
• Renewal of membership dues for 2013

Proprietary Research To Determine Feasibility Of Commercializing The Pink Oyster Mushroom, Evan P. Bumann

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This project serves as a feasibility experiment to bring the Pink Oyster mushroom(Pleurotus flabellatus) into constant domestic cultivation for the purposes of commercialization. Important data acquired from growth trials were growth timelines and yields. This information was used to generate interactive spreadsheets with which one can determine possible cost and profit in a variety of scenarios. The first portion of the experiment involved constructing a growth chamber, which can achieve and maintain stable environmental conditions. This portion was successful. Secondly, the numbers obtained from the experimental growth trials were used to determine future projections from the perspective of …

Risk Assessment Of Trace And Undeclared Allergens In Processed Foods, Benjamin C. Remington

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

Minimal eliciting doses for objective allergic reactions were found for 13 priority allergens and over 1800 individuals from published clinical literature or unpublished clinical data. Allergic populations did not vary when analyzed by age or geographic region. Results of this study show there are sufficient clinical data from food allergic individuals to use for risk assessment purposes for several allergenic foods.

Of 186 food products bearing advisory statements regarding peanut or 16 products that had peanut listed as a minor ingredient, 8.6% and 37.5% contained detectable levels of peanut (>2.5 ppm whole peanut). An additional market survey of 215 …

Validation Of Microwave Heating Instructions For The Destruction Of Salmonella Spp. In Microwaveable Foods, Carol J. Valenzuela

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

Microwave heating instructions for three products (chicken nuggets, turkey pot-pies and mashed potato) were developed and validated based on end point temperatures using two microwave ovens (2,459 MHz; 700 W and 1,350 W). Heating instructions for chicken nuggets were validated using different configuration of product placement (edge or center of the carousel) and number of units (4, 6 and 8). Salmonella spp. reductions of 6.56 log CFU/g (700 W) were observed in chicken nuggets heated in groups of 4 and placed at the center of the carousel with 1 min 26 s of heating time with a target end point …

The Effects Of Intermittent Isometric Fatigue On Concentric, Eccentric, And Isometric Torque, Robert W. Lewis Jr.

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

Fatiguing intermittent isometric (ISO) muscle actions of the leg extensors have been shown to result in a similar percent (%) decline in torque for concentric (CON), eccentric (ECC), and ISO muscle actions. However, the effects of intermittent ISO fatigue of the forearm flexors on CON, ECC, and ISO torque, have not been established. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of 50 maximal, intermittent ISO forearm flexion muscle actions on CON, ECC, and ISO torque. Twenty adults (10 men (mean ± SD age = 21.9 ± 2.3 years) and 10 women (mean ± SD age = 22.7 …

Test–Retest Reliability For Voluntary And Evoked Measures Of Peak Torque, Electromechanical Delay, And Rate Of Torque Development In Older Men., Nathaniel D. M. Jenkins

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability for peak torque (PT), rates of torque development (RTD), and electromechanical delay (EMD) calculated during voluntary and evoked muscle actions in men ages 65 and older. Fifteen older men (mean ± standard deviation (SD) age = 72.3 ± 7.3 years) completed 3 evoked and 3 voluntary isometric muscle actions of the leg extensors during two visits separated by 48 to 72 h. PT and EMD were calculated during voluntary and evoked muscle actions. RTD was quantified as the peak RTD, overall RTD, RTD in time intervals of 0-30 (RTD30), …

Investigations Of Substrate Channeling In The Proline Oxidative Pathway, Nikhilesh Sanyal

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In cell metabolism, substrate channeling is a phenomenon where the product of one reaction is transported to a second enzyme active site without equilibrating into bulk solvent. Chapter 1 reviews the rationale and evidence for substrate channeling with the specific example of proline metabolism. Oxidation of proline to glutamate is catalyzed in consecutive reactions by proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH). The intermediate Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reportedly tends to be labile and inhibitory towards several metabolic pathways.

One of the main objectives of this dissertation was to investigate substrate channeling between independent proline oxidative enzymes from Thermus thermophilus- …

Holobiont Nutrition: Considering The Role Of The Gastrointestinal Microbiota In The Health Benefits Of Whole Grains, Jens Walter, Ines Martinez, Devin J. Rose

Food for Health: Publications

Intake of whole grains and other food products high in dietary fiber have long been linked to the prevention of chronic diseases associated with inflammation. A contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiota to these effects has been suggested, but little is known on how whole grains interact with gut bacteria. We have recently published the first human trial that made use of next-generation sequencing to determine the effect of whole grains (whole grain barley, brown rice or a mixture of the two) on fecal microbiota structure and tested for associations between the gut microbiota and blood markers of inflammation, glucose and …

Agricultural Research Magazine, April 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Irrigation Wastewater: Waste Not, Want Not

6 Two Approaches for Optimizing Water Productivity

8 Compounds in Whole-Grain Rice Varieties

10 New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne’s Disease Easier

12 House Fly Virus Stops Flies from Reproducing

14 Improved Vitamin B12 Test May Help Young and Old Alike

16 Rooting Out a Novel Stress Syndrome in Pigs

18 A Modeling Milestone for Soil Phosphorus Management

20 New Technologies for Studying Crops and Crop Diseases

23 Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Compounds In Whole-Grain Rice Varieties, Ming-Hsuan Chen, Karen Bett-Garber, Rosalie Marion Bliss

Agricultural Research Magazine

Whole-grain brown rice contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron—all nutrients the body needs to grow and develop normally. In addition to these essential nutrients, there are bioactive phytochemicals in rice, as well as in other whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. Although the role of these plant chemicals in terms of human health has not been proven, a body of evidence suggests that some phytochemicals could be nutritionally beneficial.

Now, studies headed by chemist Ming-Hsuan Chen, who is with the Agricultural Research Service’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, …

Improved Vitamin B12 Test May, John W. Newman, Lindsay H. Allen, Marcia Wood

Agricultural Research Magazine

Vitamin B12 helps your body perform many vital chores, including forming healthy red blood cells; keeping your brain functioning smoothly; and processing (metabolizing) the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in foods that you eat.

Like all vitamins, B12 is a micronutrient, meaning that we need it in only very small amounts. We get B12 from animal products— meats, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt, for instance—or from B12-fortified foods, notably breakfast cereals. We can also obtain it from nutritional supplements, such as B12 tablets or multivitamin pills. People who need to boost their B12 levels quickly may do so via shots …

Growing A Healthy Future, Spring 2013

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Institute Publications

Nebraska Innovation Campus; Growing with the grain; Water center stage; Grassing up; Successful formula; Diverse research; Up on the rooftop; The future of rural; reining in business sense; By the Numbers

Racial Science In Hitler's New Europe, 1938-1945, Anton Weiss-Wendt, Rory Yeomans

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

In Racial Science in Hitler’s New Europe, 1938–1945, international scholars examine the theories of race that informed the legal, political, and social policies aimed against ethnic minorities in Nazi-dominated Europe. The essays explicate how racial science, preexisting racist sentiments, and pseudoscientific theories of race that were preeminent in interwar Europe ultimately facilitated Nazi racial designs for a “New Europe.”

The volume examines racial theories in a number of European nation-states in order to understand racial thinking at large, the origins of the Holocaust, and the history of ethnic discrimination in each of those countries. The essays, by uncovering neglected …