Digital Commons Network^™

Utilization Of Corn Condensed Distillers’ Solubles And Forages In Management Systems For The Cow-Calf Enterprise, Jason M. Warner

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

Of the annual expenses necessary to maintain a beef cow, feed and forage are the greatest and most variable. Thus, nutrition programs for cow-calf operations must be developed using economical feedstuffs that optimize cowherd performance. The corn dry-milling industry provides several feedstuffs that are often the most economical sources of energy and protein, but considerations for storage and handling are necessary. Two experiments evaluated an alternative form of storing corn condensed distillers solubles (CCDS) by applying to grass hay windrows before baling. Round bales were treated with either 0 or 20% (Exp. 1); or 0, 16, and 32% (Exp. 2) …

A Pilot Study: The Use Of A Survey To Assess The Food Knowledge Of Nutrition Students At Various Levels Of Nutrition Education, Chante Chambers

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

A working definition of a concept known as ‘food literacy’ encompasses using basic food preparation knowledge that has been learned, understood, and practiced to make better food decisions. To advance these skills for client service, a post-secondary nutrition program would need to include objectives that allow application of knowledge. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to determine the difference in knowledge and application among students in 100, 200 and 400 level college nutrition course(s). A survey was developed to measure the food knowledge of these college students as they prepare for careers as health care professionals. The …

Host-Microbe-Diet Interplay: Dietary Modulation Of The Gut Microbiota In Relation To Health, Inés Martínez

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

Vertebrates are associated with trillions of bacteria, with the densest populations residing in the large intestine. The symbiosis between vertebrates and their gut microbiota has resulted in important implications of the gut microbiome on host health. Diet is an important factor that shapes gut microbiota composition, and because of the interplay between host-microbiome-diet, dietary strategies that modulate gut microbiome structure are deemed a relevant tool to improve host health. However, gaps in knowledge exist with respect to these interactions, and it is essential to obtain a mechanistic understanding of how these relations take place to develop successful therapeutic strategies that …

Evaluation Of A Social Marketing Campaign: 4 Day Throw Away, Katie J. James

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

Children are at a heightened risk for foodborne illness. Handling leftover food safely was identified as a concern from focus groups with the main food preparer in families with young children in two Midwestern states. To design, implement, and evaluate a theory-based food safety education intervention to raise awareness of the USDA guideline for handling leftover food. The food safety social marketing campaign “4 Day Throw Away” launched in towns throughout Nebraska and Iowa. The campaign included both traditional and social media methods to relay the message of discarding leftovers after four days. A total of 600 guardians of young …

Expression And Distribution Of Thiol-Regulating Enzyme, Glutaredoxin 2 In Porcine Ocular Tissues, Bijaya Prasad Upadhyaya

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Glutaredoxin 2 (Grx2), a thiol-regulating enzyme of oxidoreductase family and a mitochondrial isozyme of glutaredoxin 1, was discovered 11 years ago in our laboratory. Grx2 is present in the lens where it shows dethiolase, peroxidase, and ascorbate recycling activities. Recently, Grx2 has also been identified to protect the mitochondrial electron transport system with anti-apoptotic function. Since other eye tissues besides the lens are rich in mitochondria and are very sensitive to oxidative stress, we speculate the presence of Grx2 therein as an important redox regulator. This study is to investigate the expression and distribution of Grx2 in ocular tissues using …

Identification Of Stem Rust Resistance In Three Synthetic Wheat Populations, Russell A. Ward

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

Wheat stem rust incited by Puccinia graminis Pers.:Pers. = P. graminis Pers.:Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn is a major disease of wheat, with the potential to cause severe losses every year, hence making breeding for resistance important. For this project, two resistant synthetic wheat lines were studied using populations consisting of susceptible and resistant lines to determine the genetic basis of their stem rust resistance. Goodstreak has one dominant and one recessive resistance gene. Synthetics 303 and 370 each had two dominant genes present. For the Goodstreak/synthetic populations, testing F₂ and F_2:3 generations indicated the …

Gene Expression In Intestinal Mucosal Biopsy Specimens Obtained From Dogs With Chronic Enteropathy, Vicki L. Wilke, Dan Nettleton, Meghan J. Wymore, Jack M. Gallup, Cumhur Yusuf Demirkale, Mark R. Ackermann, Chris K. Tuggle, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Michael J. Wannemeuhler, Albert E. Jergens

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Objective—To characterize mucosal gene expression in dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE). Animals—18 dogs with CE and 6 healthy control dogs.

Procedures—Small intestinal mucosal biopsy specimens were endoscopically obtained from dogs. Disease severity in dogs with CE was determined via inflammatory bowel index scores and histologic grading of biopsy specimens. Total RNA was extracted from biopsy specimens and microchip array analysis (approx 43,000 probe sets) and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assays were performed.

Results—1,875 genes were differentially expressed between dogs with CE and healthy control dogs; 1,582 (85%) genes were downregulated in dogs with CE, including neurotensin, fatty …

Foraging Challenges: Unsuitable Prey And Limited Information, Travis M. Hinkelman

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

Food acquisition is a complicated task. The profitability of potential food items depends on numerous factors, including the spatial distribution, probability of detection and capture, and suitability of the food. Animals faced with such challenges can use relatively simple mechanisms to maximize foraging efficiency. However, mechanisms that maximize foraging efficiency under some ecological conditions (e.g., prey scarcity) may produce ostensibly suboptimal behavior under different ecological conditions (e.g., prey abundance). In the work presented here, we explore two facets of foraging: (1) consuming unsuitable prey, and (2) searching for resources with limited information about resource location. To explore the consequences of …

Understanding The Pathoecological Relationship Between Ancient Diet And Modern Diabetes Through Coprolite Analysis: A Case Example From Antelope Cave, Mojave County, Arizona, Karl J. Reinhard, Keith L. Johnson, Sara Leroy-Toren, Kyle Wieseman, Isabel Teixeira-Santos, Mônica Vieira

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The elevated prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in Native Americans of the Southwest has been explained by several authors in terms of a dietary change from preindustrial traditional foods to modern foods. Physiology adapted to traditional foods became deleterious during the process of modernization. Although several versions of this hypothesis exist, they all relate to the rise in modern NIDDM with change from prehistoric subsistence practices to modern dietary practices. This is especially true for the Southwestern desert tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. Coprolite analysts have been recovering the sort of data needed by diabetes researchers to explore …

The Plant Based Diet: Increasing Overall Health Through Simple Diet, Tyler Sorensen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Impact Of The Home Food Environment On Dietary Intake, Obesity And Cardiovascular Health Of U.S. Children And Adolescents, Aged 6–19, Melissa A. Masters

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

Youth obesity is an ongoing problem in the United States. Obese children and adolescents are likely to be obese as adults and have an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, earlier in life. The multifactorial nature of obesity continues to challenge researchers and health professionals to determine methods for preventing and reducing childhood obesity. Research has suggested that obesity is a normal response to an “obesigenic” environment. Emerging as one of the most influential environments in obesity and behavior development is the home food environment. However, little is understood about the role of the home food …

Status And Prosociality In Egalitarian Societies, Zachary Garfield

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Egalitarian societies have been the subject of significant academic attention for their unique cultural qualities, both as a representation of a distinct political category, and as a base line in the context of biological and cultural evolution. Although the domains and degrees of egalitarianism vary cross-culturally, certain characteristics seem universal. Egalitarian societies are nonstratified social systems that lack hereditary statuses with ascribed coercive power. In egalitarian societies leadership is achieved and dependent upon personal qualities and individual behavior. Leaders are granted authority but lack coercive power and rely on techniques such as persuasion to exert influence over others. Multiple theories …

Dietitian’S Problem Solving Knowledge To Promote And Support Breastfeeding, Cassandra L. Dytrych

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

As a result of ongoing efforts in the U.S. to promote breastfeeding as the normal way to nourish an infant, breastfeeding initiation rates are higher than they have been in decades. As the experts on food and nutrition through the lifecycle, registered dietitians (RDs) should be knowledgeable to promote and support breastfeeding. It is not well known if RDs have this knowledge. The purpose of this study was to determine the current knowledge of RDs about breastfeeding, the types of professional opportunities RDs have to promote and support breastfeeding, and the level of education RDs have to deal with breastfeeding …

Agronomy & Horticulture Newsletter, July 16, 2012, Kathy Schindler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Monthly Newsletters

Mark Your Calendars!..........1

Staff Advisory Committee Makes Plans..........1

Welcome new Faculty and Staff..........2

In the News..........2

Sympathy Extended to Dave Lambe..........2

Newsletter Details..........2

News from the HAPPI Business Center..........3

Graduate Student Information..........3

Transition to eShop Continues at UNL..........3

Let Office Pros Know about Special Events..........3

Sapphire Moves to Firefly..........3

New Directory helps Faculty ID Collaborators..........3

Public Health Agencies Require New Form..........3

Feed The Future Releases Two New Sorghum Varieties In Nicaragua, Kimberly Christiansen

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA), the Collaborative Research Support Program for Sorghum, Millet and Other Grains (INTSORMIL) has released two new varieties of sorghum in Nicaragua that will be used for forage (plant material eaten by grazing livestock).

These new varieties exhibit the “brown midrib” trait (bmr), which has been used for many years by sorghum producers in the United States. The bmr trait increases the digestibility of sorghum by reducing the amount of lignin, a chemical compound found in the cell walls of plants. The more digestible sorghum is for the livestock that consume it, the higher the quality of …

Fish & Wildlife News: Summer 2012

Fish and Wildlife News

Fish & Wildlife News is the quarterly magazine of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is written by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees in offices around the nation about our work with partners "to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

Tradeoffs Limit The Evolution Of Male Traits That Are Attractive To Females, William E. Wagner, Oliver M. Beckers, Amanda E. Tolle, Alexandra Basolo

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Tradeoffs occur between a variety of traits in a diversity of organisms, and these tradeoffs can have major effects on ecological and evolutionary processes. Far less is known, however, about tradeoffs between male traits that affect mate attraction than about tradeoffs between other types of traits. Previous results indicate that females of the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, prefer male songs with higher chirp rates and longer chirp durations. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that a tradeoff between these traits affects the evolution of male song. The two traits were negatively correlated among full-sibling families, consistent with …

Nebline, July 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Food Booth at Super Fair Volunteers Have Fun, Rewarding Experience

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Water Current, Volume 44, No. 3, Summer 2012

Water Current Newsletter

November Law and Science, Practice and Policy Events at Cornhusker Hotel

NU, Food and Agriculture Organization Partner on Water and Food Security

Meet the Faculty: Larkin Powell, Ph.D., Tonya Bernadt

From the Interim Director: Moving into a Busy Fall Schedule

Urrea Breeds Drought-Resistant Edible Beans in Western Nebraska

Advisory Board Meets in June

UNL's National Drought Mitigation Center

UNESCO-IHE Students Make First Visit to University of Nebraska

Schild Puts Priority on Conserving Water In Home Landscapes

Is Your Water Affecting Herbicide Performance?

Water Cap and Trade A Problem Solver for U.S. Rivers?

Operations of the Central Nebraska Public Power and …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Food Safety Knowledge, Beliefs And Practices In Hispanic Families With Young Children In Nebraska, Kristen M. Stenger

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

This mixed methods study addresses food safety for Hispanic families with young children in Nebraska. A convergent mixed methods design was used, where qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel, analyzed separately and then merged in analysis and interpretation. A quantitative food safety knowledge survey (n=90, 52 from focus groups, 38 from piloting the survey), was used to assess the FightBac!™ concepts: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill, and two additional concepts: foods that increase risk, and groups at increased risk. Qualitative focus groups explored food safety handling beliefs and practices through the lens of the Health Belief Model. Focus groups …

A Century And A Half Of Research On The Stable Fly, Stomoxys Calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), 1862-2011: An Annotated Bibliography, K. M. Kneeland, Steven R. Skoda, Jerome A. Hogsette, A. Y. Li, Jaime Molina-Ochoa, Kimberly Hutchinson Lohmeyer, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, is a cosmopolitan pest of livestock, wild animals, pets, and humans. It is a primary pest of cattle in the United States, estimated to cause more than $1 billion in economic losses annually. It also causes dissension at the rural-urban interface and is a problem in recreation areas such as Florida beaches and the Great Lakes. Due to its pestiferous nature and painful bite, methods to control stable flies have been investigated for over a century. A large amount of research has been reported on stable fly biology, ecology, genetics, physiology, and vector competence. …

Microbial Co-Occurrence Relationships In The Human Microbiome, Karoline Faust, J. Fah Sathirapongsasuti, Jacques Izard, Dirk Gevers, Jeroen Raes, Curtis Huttenhower

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The healthy microbiota show remarkable variability within and among individuals. In addition to external exposures, ecological relationships (both oppositional and symbiotic) between microbial inhabitants are important contributors to this variation. It is thus of interest to assess what relationships might exist among microbes and determine their underlying reasons. The initial Human Microbiome Project (HMP) cohort, comprising 239 individuals and 18 different microbial habitats, provides an unprecedented resource to detect, catalog, and analyze such relationships. Here, we applied an ensemble method based on multiple similarity measures in combination with generalized boosted linear models (GBLMs) to taxonomic marker (16S rRNA gene) profiles …

The Pseudomonas Syringae Type Iii Secretion System: The Translocator Proteins, Their Secretion, And The Restriction Of Translocation By The Plant Immune System, Emerson Crabill

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

Pseudomonas syringae is a Gram-negative plant pathogen whose virulence is dependent upon its type III secretion system (T3SS), a nanosyringe that facilitates translocation, or injection, of type III effector (T3E) proteins into eukaryotic cells. The primary function of P. syringae T3E proteins is suppression of plant immunity. Bacterial proteins called translocators form a translocon that forms a pore in the host plasma membrane which is traversed by T3Es. HrpK1, a putative P. syringae translocator, is a type III-secreted protein important for virulence and T3E injection, but not secretion of T3Es. Harpins are a group of proteins specific to plant pathogens …

Gamma Sigma Delta Newsletter Issue #43 [Sic, #44], Summer 2012

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

Welcome New Members

Recipients of 2011 Gamma Sigma Delta Awards: Susan Fritz, David Varner, Yiqi Yang, Lisa Karr-Lilienthal, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Jana Cool, Sean Erickson

In Memoriam: Judy Anne Driskell PhD, George R. Manglitz PhD

Gamma Sigma Delta Committees 2012

Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Graduate Student Award Fund #10996

Renewal of Active Membership / Dues for 2012

Mechanism And Control Of Beef Toughening During Retail Display In High Oxygen Modified Atmosphere Packages, Lasika S. Senaratne

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

This research was conducted to elucidate the mechanism and factors (diet, aging time, antioxidant level, and retail display time) affecting beef toughening in retail display under high oxygen atmosphere packages (HiOx-MAP; 80% O₂ and 20% CO₂). In the first study, effects of HiOx-MAP on color and lipid stability of beef m. longissimus lumborum steaks from yearlings fed corn or 30% wet distillers grains plus soluble (WDGS) diets supplemented with (150 mg/kg) or without (0 mg/kg) AGRADO-PLUS (AG) antioxidants were studied. Steak color-shelf life was extended (P < 0.0001) by HiOx-MAP compared to oxygen permeable film packages (PVC-OW). Steaks from corn+AG-supplemented cattle had (P ≤ 0.05) less discoloration and lower lipid oxidation levels …

Structure, Function And Diversity Of The Healthy Human Microbiome, Curtis Huttenhower, Jacques Izard

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Studies of the human microbiome have revealed that even healthy individuals differ remarkably in the microbes that occupy habitats such as the gut, skin and vagina. Much of this diversity remains unexplained, although diet, environment, host genetics and early microbial exposure have all been implicated. Accordingly, to characterize the ecology of human-associated microbial communities, the Human Microbiome Project has analysed the largest cohort and set of distinct, clinically relevant body habitats so far. We found the diversity and abundance of each habitat’s signature microbes to vary widely even among healthy subjects, with strong niche specialization both within and among individuals. …

Dual – Species Biofilm Formation By Shiga – Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And O26:H11 Serotypes, Rong Wang, Norasak Kalchayanand, John W. Schmidt, Joseph M. Bosilevac

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

E. coli O26:H11 strains could outgrow O157:H7 companion strains in planktonic and biofilm phases, and also effectively compete with pre-colonized O157:H7 cells to establish themselves in mixed biofilms. E. coli O157:H7 strains were unable to displace preformed O26:H11 biofilms. Therefore, E. coli O26:H11 remains a potential risk in food safety.

Unopa Notes, Volume 50, Issue 11, June 2012

UNOPA: Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Germination Response Of Prairie Dropseed And Hairy Goldaster To Stratification And Temperature, Aurora R. Roemmich, Jack L. Bulter, Gary E. Larson, E. Brent Turnipseed

The Prairie Naturalist

The unique vegetation assemblage of the Black Hills in conjunction with the frequent occurrence of natural and anthropogenic disturbances emphasizes the need to use locally adapted native species in a wide variety of restoration efforts. However, a general lack of information regarding germination and propagation requirements for most native plant species has restricted their usage. A better understanding of dormancy and germination patterns for native species will increase their availability and affordability. We selected two common native species, hairy goldaster (Heterotheca villosa) and prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), to determine their optimum germination conditions. We hand-harvested seeds during 2007–2009 for use …

Nebline, June 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

No abstract provided.