Digital Commons Network^™

Achieving Sustainability In The Craft Brewing Industry, Mike Boden

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Continued growth in the craft brewing industry, coupled with natural resource limitations suggests the need for implementation of sustainable initiatives on a wide scale. These initiatives discussed include the areas of economic sustainability through cooperative growth and equilibrium, social sustainability through employee and community development, and environmental sustainability through energy and water conservation and renewable energy use. Specific techniques to achieve sustainability in the craft brewing industry are reviewed alongside case studies of craft breweries currently implementing these techniques. A sustainable metric is outlined for use in accomplishing these goals.

The Role Of Emotion In Understanding And Promoting Sustainability And Eco-Friendly Behavior, Chevelle Schreiner

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of empathy and perspective-taking in influencing

environmental concern (Sevilliano, Aragones, & Schultz, 2007) Although there may be a number of internal factors that inhibit pro-environmental behavior, it is important to evaluate the ways by which we can use emotion to encourage this type of behavior. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of emotion on eco-friendly behavior by investigating the effect of viewing high- or low-fear appeals on changing consumers‘ food choices will have on their attitudes and behaviors. Results show that the

likelihood that a participant intended to partake in more pro-environmental behaviors …

Influence Of Dietary Fibers And Whole Grains On Fecal Microbiota During In Vitro Fermentation, Junyi Yang

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

There has been a dramatic increase in obesity, which presents a risk of many chronic health problems. Recent studies have shown that obese individuals harbor an abnormal gut microbiota (dysbiosis), which has sparked interest in the gut microbiota as a target for weight management. Dietary fiber and whole grains that can be metabolized by gut microbiota have been shown to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Increased consumption of dietary fiber and whole grains may improve host / gut microbiota interactions in obesity and other metabolic diseases by normalizing gut dysbiosis. The present thesis describes two research …

Characterization Of Igg And Ige Binding To Parvalbumin Derived From Commercially Important Fish Species, Poi-Wah Lee

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

Parvalbumin is a calcium-binding muscle protein that is present in all vertebrates. Despite being a pan-allergen in fish and frog, fish-specific IgE and antiparvalbumin IgG antibodies displayed varying cross-reactivity among fish species. In this research, the parvalbumin-binding characteristics of several antibodies were investigated, including 3 IgG antibodies against frog, carp, and cod parvalbumins, and human IgE.

By immunoassay and IgG-immunoblotting, 3 antiparvalbumin antibodies revealed inconsistent specificity among 29 raw fish muscle extracts, which may be partially attributed to the decreased levels of fish muscle parvalbumin from anterior to posterior positions. Parvalbumin-binding by antibodies was unaffected in 112 days of frozen-stored …

Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity In Elementary Schools In Lincoln, Nebraska: A Study Of Children On Free Or Reduced Lunches, Eric Barth

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of the project is to show that there is a direct relationship between childhood obesity and socioeconomic status. Other factors that go into this relationship include: physical activity and foods available in vending machines. My ultimate objective is to prove that children coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds are showing higher levels of obesity during childhood. I believe that this work, as well as other studies similar to this, can be used show that these children need more help and assistance. Many of these children are not taught proper eating habits; generally because cheaper foods are generally not nutrition …

Mixed Methods Analysis Of School Wellness Programs In Nebraska And Indiana: A Descriptive Study, Jessica A. Robinson

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

Schools have become one of the major fronts that the battle against childhood obesity is being fought. In 2004 the Child Nutrition Act passed by Congress required all school districts receiving funds for the National School Lunch Program to create a wellness policy. Since then there have been many research projects conducted to learn more about these policies, and their implementation as programs in the schools. Thus far, no such research has been done in Nebraska or Indiana. The purpose of this descriptive study is to describe how schools in Nebraska and Indiana are implementing wellness programs in their schools. …

Nutrient Mass Balance And Performance Of Feedlot Cattle Fed Barley Based Diets In Large Pens In Western Canada, Erin M. Hussey

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

Three separate large pen commercial feeding trials with approximately 9,000 heifers with either eight or ten reps/treatment were conducted at a Western Feedlots Ltd.- High River, a commercial feedyard near High River, AB, Canada. For all three experiments, Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to segregate feed barley. In Exp. 1, barley was segregated based on digestible energy (DE) content as predicted by NIRS and heifers were fed low or high DE barley, or a 50:50 blend of the two. Feeding low DE barley improved weight gain, dry matter intake (DMI), and mortality; with little effect on carcass composition compared …

Agronomy & Horticulture Newsletter, April 10, 2012, Kathy Schindler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Monthly Newsletters

Spring Affair Celebrates 26th Year.........1

Staff Appreciation BBQ Set for April 27.........1

Please Attend Staff Meeting on April 18.........1

Department Wins Emeriti Engagement Award.........2

Francis Recognized with UNL Award.........2

Specht Recognized as New Member of Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.........2

Thanks to our Department’s Student Workers!.........2

Scholarships Available for 2012 NAIPSC.........3

Information For and About Grad. Students.........3

Information from the Office Pros.........3

Seventh Annual Department of Agronomy & Horticulture Student Awards Banquet.........4

The Nurse In The School Health Office: Exploring Health Care In A Public School, Pamela A. Rademacher

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

To provide a high-quality education for all its students, schools must address a variety of needs that are related to physical, social and/or emotional health. School nurses are positioned to do that in the schools that they serve. Exploring how the school nurse intervenes to help children and their families to maintain a high level of health may contribute to an understanding of health care and academic achievement in the educational community. The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain an understanding of what a nurse does on a regular basis to provide health care to all children in …

Response Of Channel × Blue Hybrid Catfish To Chronic Diurnal Hypoxia, Bartholomew W. Green, Steven D. Rawles, Benjamin H. Beck

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

Performance traits and metabolic responses of the channel × blue hybrid catfish (Ictalurus punctatus female × I. furcatus male) in response to chronic diurnal hypoxia were evaluated in this 197-d study. Sixteen 0.1-ha earthen ponds were stocked with 15,169 hybrid catfish/ha (47 g/fish) and managed to maintain the minimum dissolved oxygen concentration greater than 12%, 24%, 36%, or 48% of saturation. Growth and yield of channel × blue hybrid catfish were significantly related to minimum nightly dissolved oxygen concentration. The cumulative effect of nocturnal dissolved oxygen concentration and the duration of exposure to hypoxia (termed dissolved oxygen minutes) …

Diversification Of Organic Cropping Systems With Cover Crop Mixtures: Influence On Weed Communities, Soil Microbial Community Structure, Soil Moisture And Nitrogen, And Crop Yield, Samuel E. Wortman

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

Organic grain cropping systems typically depend on intensive mechanical cultivation for weed control and manure or compost applications to meet plant nutrient demands. However, cover crops may contribute to weed suppression and soil fertility, potentially increasing crop yield and sustainability of the system. The utility of individual cover crop species have been well documented, but the agronomic benefits of diverse cover crop mixtures have received less attention. Cover crop mixtures are an appealing option for farmers, as increasing species diversity has been shown to increase resource-use efficiency, stability, resiliency, and productivity of plant communities. Despite the growing interest in cover …

I, Synthesis Of Β-Sitosterol And Phytosterol Esters. Ii, New Methodology For Singlet Oxygen Generation From 1,1-Dihydroperoxides, Jiliang Hang

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phytosterols are steroid compounds structurally similar with cholesterol and vary in the nature of carbon side chain. β-Sitosterol is commercially available in preparative amount only as mixtures with other phytosterols. New semipreparative synthesis of pure β-sitosterol and sidechain-modified phytosterols is discussed in this dissertation. This new synthesis is achieved via a temporary masking of the stigmasterol 5,6-alkene as an epoxide. Following performance of the desired modification, the alkene is regenerated through a mild deoxygenation. Preparation of phytosterol esters for cholesterol metabolism study is also discussed in this dissertation.

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) is the lowest excited state …

Misting Effects Of The Microbial Quality Of Retail Leaf Lettuce, Rachel Rossman, David Giraud, Julie A. Albrecht

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Limited research has been done on the microbial quality of produce that has been misted at retail food settings. Therefore, our objective was to determine the microbial quality of leaf lettuce displayed at retail in misted or non-misted displays. Three grocery stores that mist and three grocery stores that do not mist lettuce were selected to obtain leaf lettuce. Leaf lettuce was analyzed for aerobic plate count (APC), yeast, mold, and Enterobacteriaceae. APC ranged from 6.23 to 6.36 Log10/g for misted leaf lettuce compared to 5.20 Log10/g for non-misted leaf lettuce. Yeast counts ranged from 4.34 to 4.91Log10g for misted …

Digital Detectives Deciper Ingredients, Rosalie Marion Bliss, James M. Harnly, Pei Chen

Agricultural Research Magazine

Television shows featuring crime scene investigators have been keeping viewers intrigued for years. But the Agricultural Research Service’s intriguing “food composition investigators” are just as innovative at deciphering truth from fiction relating to ingredients of plant-based foods and dietary supplements. The researchers are at the ARS Food Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, which is headed by research leader James Harnly. The laboratory is part of the Beltsville [Maryland] Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC).

They’re using new equipment and a metabolomics approach to discover compounds and to accurately identify ingredients in foods and supplements. They are also looking at chemical composition …

A New Approach Tomolecular Plant Breeding, Dennis O’Brien, Jean-Luc Jannink

Agricultural Research Magazine

An ARS scientist in Ithaca, New York, is using a new statistical approach to help speed the development of improved varieties of crops.

Plant breeders constantly strive to breed new varieties that yield more, resist emerging pests and pathogens, tolerate heat and drought, and grow in marginal soils and environments. Increasingly, molecular tools are used to speed those efforts. By identifying genes associated with desirable traits, scientists don’t have to wait for timeconsuming field observations.

“To grow wheat and evaluate it for traits in the field takes 5 to 9 years. Using genomic data, we can do it in about …

What's In Your Blood? The Ongoing Hunt For Metabolites, Marcia Wood, John W. Newman

Agricultural Research Magazine

At any given time, blood circulating through your body carries thousands of small molecules known as “metabolites.” Medical and nutrition researchers are eager to discover more about these compounds—amino acids, sugars, fats, and more—that are formed in and by our bodies.

Metabolites are of interest because the presence and concentrations of some of them can provide meaningful profiles, sometimes referred to as “metabolic signatures” or “fingerprints.”

In the future, for instance, yourmetabolic fingerprint—detected in a small sample of blood taken for your annual physical examination—might prove to be a reliable indicator of your health and a predictor of certain diseases. …

Use Of Cti Grinders For Sorghum Flour Production And Utilization: Final Report, Vilma Ruth Calderón De Zacatares, Lily Marisol López, Kris Emillee Duville, Carla Elizabeth Bermúdez

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The use of sorghum for human consumption to add value to the crop and increase its profitability, especially for small and medium producers, has contributed to food security and nutrition in El Salvador. CENTA is promoting the cultivation of sorghum as an alternative to food production in rural and urban areas. Since 2010 when wheat prices lower again, sorghum was no more an alternative to replace wheat in certain types of food, but is being used in more stable markets, as people allergic to gluten, people with diabetes and to correct nutritional deficiencies such as iron deficiency anemia because of …

Sorghum Flour Production Manual For Compatible Technology International (Cti) Burr Grinders, Kris Emillee Duville

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The importance of sorghum in human nutrition and food security

The grinders of Compatible Technology International (CTI) were brought to El Salvador in 2009, for a project of CENTA-INTSORMIL/USAID to promote the grinding of sorghum for human nutrition. In 2011, ten of these grinders had been installed in small bakers associations, individual bakers, or persons producing ethnic drinks based on roasted and ground cereals. These people had been trained in sorghum use for human nutrition at the food technology laboratory of CENTA. The grinders are being used in areas were the access to other foods is limited and were sorghum …

Single-Chain Vαvβ T Cell Receptors Function Without Mispairing With Endogenous Tcr Chains1, David H. Aggen, Adam S. Chervin, Thomas M. Schmitt, Boris Engels, Jennifer D. Stone, Sarah A. Richman, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian M. Baker, Philip D. Greenberg, Hans Schreiber, David M. Kranz

Food for Health: Publications

Transduction of exogenous T cell receptor (TCR) genes into patients’ activated peripheral blood T cells is a potent strategy to generate large numbers of specific T cells for adoptive therapy of cancer and viral diseases. However, the remarkable clinical promise of this powerful approach is still being overshadowed by a serious potential consequence: mispairing of the exogenous TCR chains with endogenous TCR chains. These “mixed” heterodimers can generate new specificities that result in graft-versus-host reactions. Engineering TCR constant regions of the exogenous chains with a cysteine promotes proper pairing and reduces the mispairing, but, as we show here, does not …

Agricultural Research Magazine April 2012

Agricultural Research Magazine

Tuning In to Technology

Benefits of Biotech,
Computational Tech,
and Nanotech

Effects Of Leptin Replacement Alone And With Exendin-4 On Food Intake And Weight Regain In Weight-Reduced Diet-Induced Obese Rats, Roger Reidelberger, Alvin Haver, Prasanth K. Chelikani, Bettye Apenteng, Curtis Perriotte-Olson, Krista Anders, Sharalyn Steenson, James E. Blevins

United States Public Health Resources

Reidelberger R, Haver A, Chelikani PK, Apenteng B, Perriotte-Olson C, Anders K, Steenson S, Blevins JE. Effects of leptin replacement alone and with exendin-4 on food intake and weight regain in weight-reduced diet-induced obese rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 302: E1576–E1585, 2012. First published April 17, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00058.2012.—Weight loss in obese humans produces a relative leptin deficiency, which is postulated to activate potent orexigenic and energy conservation mechanisms to restrict weight loss and promote weight regain. Here we determined whether leptin replacement alone or with GLP-1 receptor agonist exendin-4 attenuates weight regain or promotes greater weight loss in weight-reduced …

Farm Women, Solidarity, And The Suffrage Messenger Nebraska Suffrage Activism On The Plains, 1915-1917, Carmen Heider

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In the weeks and months following the November 3, 1914, vote on the Nebraska suffrage amendment, activists picked up the pieces after male voters for the third time defeated the proposition in their state. Thomas Coulter explains that in the days leading up to the vote, ''A feeling of impending victory suffused the hearts of pro-suffrage workers," but in the days after, "a sense of shock was widespread."¹ The vote had been close: 90,738 for the Nebraska amendment and 100,842 against it.² In fact, Attorney General Willis Reed later stated that had there been a recount, the amendment …

Not Your Family Farm Apiculture In South,Central Montana, Miles Lewis

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The rolling prairies and sheltering mountain ranges of the Upper Musselshell Valley in Montana are nearly perfect for cattle and sheep grazing. Some areas, more topographically similar to the Great Plains than to the mountainous West, are (at least in wet years) highly conducive to growing alfalfa or wheat. Overall, the pastoral setting calls to mind images of weathered cowboys, grizzled sheepherders, and stoic farmers. However, closer inquiry into the region's agriculture reveals that cattle and wheat are by no means the only product being harvested from the land. Found buzzing around flowering foliage or swarming the rearing hindquarters of …

Growing A Healthy Future, Spring 2012

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Institute Publications

On Deck with STEC; Algae Test Drive; IANR's Water Research; Entrepreneurship; Around nebraska; Flat Water; Faces to Watch; Alumni Spotlight; Robotics; By the Numbers

Nebline, April 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Helping New Americans Choose Healthy Foods

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

Error Reduction And Effect Of Step Size In Adjustment Calculus For Cam Applications, Sai Siddhartha Nudurupati

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Any measurement, however carefully done, will never be free from errors. Similarly, machining of cams for automobiles is prone to contain errors. These errors are naturally a part and parcel of cam manufacturing. The nature of deviations of the manufactured cam profile from the theoretical cam determines its usability. Sometimes, allowable deviations in high speed cams may be in the order of 2540 µm. Larger deviations will disqualify the cams for applications.

Velocity and acceleration of the cam are estimated from the measured displacement of the cam follower during quality control implementation. This data helps in eliminating the unfit cams. …

Utilization Of Corn Residue, Winter Range, Or Dry Lot In Beef Heifer Development Systems, Stetson P. Weber

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

Post-weaning heifer development systems that maximize reproductive efficiency and reduce input costs associated with feed is beneficial for cow/calf producers. Two research experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of post-weaning development systems in beef heifers. In Exp. 1 heifers were developed on corn residue (CR), or dry lot (DL). Heifers developed in DL had increased BW after winter treatment until breeding. Both heifer groups were similar in percent of heifers cycling, AI conception, AI pregnancy, and final pregnancy diagnosis. A subset of AI pregnant heifers were blocked by weight and stratified by winter development system and individually fed using …

Effects Of Feeding Insect-Protected Corn And Corn Residue To Cattle, And Evaluation Of Distillers’ Grains Storage When Mixed With Crop Residue On Cattle Performance, Barry Weber

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

Research has been conducted on genetically modified corn fed to livestock since the introduction of insect resistant hybrids. While the overwhelming conclusion of these trials demonstrate nutritional equivalency to corn from non-transgenic hybrids, the introduction of new transgenes and combinations of resistance traits necessitates continued evaluation of genetically modified corn hybrids. Expansion of the ethanol industry has resulted in the increased availability of co-products for use as a livestock feed, as well as an increase in crop residues that offer unique opportunities for use by cattle producers. A finishing trial was conducted with corn and corn silage from MON 89034, …

Review Of Texas Bobwhites: A Guide To Their Foods And Habitat Management. By Jon A. Larson, Timothy E. Fulbright, Leonard A. Brennan, Fidel Hernandez, And Fred C. Bryant., Markus J. Peterson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Texas Bobwhites: A Guide to Their Foods and Habitat Management is a pictorial guide to the identification of seeds commonly consumed by northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus)-- and the plants that produce them--in Texas. The authors "hope that interest in what constitutes good bobwhite habitat among hunters and nature enthusiasts will be enhanced by this guide to the identification of seeds eaten by quail." Targeting this lay audience leads to certain constraints regarding how the text, particularly, is presented. Regardless, because Texas includes much of the southern terminus of the Great Plains, this book is directly relevant to readers …

Assessment Of Nutrition Knowledge And Self-Efficacy Of Ncaa Athletes, Melissa M. Wallinga

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

BACKGROUND Little data has been collected on the nutrition knowledge and self efficacy of NCAA Athletes, and if Sports Nutrition Departments at Universities do positively affect the nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy of athletes. OBJECTIVES To determine and compare differences in nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy of athletes at two NCAA Division I Universities, one with a Sports Nutrition Department, and one without.

SETTING Participants completed a survey in person at their respective University.

PARTICIPANTS Male and female student athletes (n=327) from two Division I Universities, participating in men’s football, men’s wrestling, women’s soccer, or women’s swimming/diving.

RESULTS Approximately 42% of the …