Digital Commons Network^™

The Parasite Giardia, Ashley Anderson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

Genetic Diversity Of Potassium Ion Channel Proteins Encoded By Chloroviruses That Infect Chlorella Heliozoae, Carter Murry

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chloroviruses are large, plaque-forming, double-stranded DNA viruses that infect chlorella-like green algae that live in a symbiotic relationship with protists. Chloroviruses have a genome from 290 to 370 kb, and they encode as many as 400 proteins. One interesting feature of chloroviruses is that they encode a potassium ion (K⁺) channel protein named Kcv. K⁺ channels are essential proteins for life. They cross the membrane of the cell to quickly and selectively allow K⁺ in or out of the cell. This helps regulate the electrical charge of a cell which in turn helps control electrical signaling …

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

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

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

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

Adaptations Of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 During Transition From Terrestrial To Aquatic Life, Monica Angeletti

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and IRF7 are closely related IRF members and play a major role in the induction of interferons, which are a key component in vertebrate innate immunity. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the evolution and adaptation of these IRFs to the environment. Two unique motifs in IRF3 and 7 were identified. One motif, GASSL, is highly conserved throughout the evolution of IRF3 and 7 and located in the signal response domain. Another motif, DPHK, is in the DNA-binding domain. The ancestral protein of IRF3 and 7 seemed to possess the DPHK motif. In the ray-finned …

Development And Implementation Of A Biochemistry Argumentation Task To Promote Scientific Literacy Among Undergraduate Students, Lukas Hall

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Science education reform efforts at the postsecondary level have been lacking regardless of meaningful reform at the K-12 level. Of these reforms, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) serve to reframe effective science teaching and learning as three-dimensional (3D). That is, 3D instruction integrates core disciplinary ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and science practices to support students’ science learning. There have been calls to extend this 3D model to the postsecondary level. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a 3D task in a university-level biochemistry course. The task was implemented as a homework assignment to 107 students …

Validating A Cs Attitudes Instrument, Ryan Bockmon, Stephen Cooper, Jonathan Gratch, Mohsen Dorodchi

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the validation of a modified computer science attitudes instrument. Dorn and Tew’s Computing Attitude Survey was modified by adding questions on gender issues and questions regarding students’ perceptions of the utility of computing. Current trends indicate an increasing gap in the genders graduating with degrees in computer science. The new questions explore student attitudes and perceptions of women in computing while items related to computer science utility explore the importance of CS in students’ lives and careers. These modifications necessitated the re-validation of the new revised instrument and comparison of the results obtained with in the original …

Evidence Of Arithmetical Uncertainty In Estimation Of Light And Water Use Efficiency, Meetpal S. Kukal, Suat Irmak Dr.

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

It was demonstrated that conventional resource use efficiency (RUE) estimation methodology is largely subject to arithmetic weakness. Extensive field research data on aboveground biomass (AGB), absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR), and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) in maize, soybean, sorghum, and winter wheat confirmed this methodological bias for light use efficiency (LUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) estimation. LUE and WUE were derived using cumulated (data aggregates across samplings) and independent (data increments across samplings) approaches. Use of cumulated data yielded strong-but-false correlation between AGB and APAR or Etc, being a statistical artefact. RUE values from an independent (data increments across samplings) …

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

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

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

Friendship At The Feeding Station, Anisha Pokharel

Zea E-Books Collection

A young steppe eagle and his mother fly to Nepal from Mongolia, where Griffy, a Himalayan griffon, chases the hungry Steppe from the feeding station, but Garuda, a white-rumped vulture, intervenes and becomes Steppe's friend. Steppe's mother is angered at first, but learns the lesson that each species has its role to play.

Designed by Breanna Epp with Maeve Lausch

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

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

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

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

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

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

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

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

Acoustically Advertising Male Harbour Seals In Southeast Alaska Do Not Make Biologically Relevant Acoustic Adjustments In The Presence Of Vessel Noise, Leanna P. Matthews, Michelle E.H. Fournet, Christine Gabriele, Holger Klinck, Susan E. Parks

United States National Park Service: Publications

Aquatically breeding harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) males use underwater vocalizations during the breeding season to establish underwater territories, defend territories against intruder males, and possibly to attract females. Vessel noise overlaps in frequency with these vocalizations and could negatively impact breeding success by limiting communication space. In this study, we investigated whether harbour seals employed anti-masking strategies to maintain communication in the presence of vessel noise in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Harbour seals in this location did not sufficiently adjust source levels or acoustic parameters of vocalizations to compensate for acoustic masking. Instead, for every 1 dB …

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

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

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

Sandhill Crane Abundance In Nebraska During Spring Migration: Making Sense Of Multiple Data Points, Andrew J. Caven, Dana M. Varner, Jeff Drahota

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The USFWS conducts an annual one-day aerial survey of the North and Central Platte River Valleys, generally on the fourth Tuesday in March, to estimate the abundance of the midcontinent Sandhill Crane population. However, these abundance indices demonstrate unrealistic inter-annual variation as a result of deviations in migration chronology and other factors. Additional research efforts have been undertaken within the region to estimate Sandhill Crane abundance over time and space but these projects generally seek to answer unique questions, employ differing survey methods, and cover overlapping yet distinct survey areas. Despite the wealth of information there remains significant uncertainty regarding …

Functional Connectivity Evoked By Orofacial Tactile Perception Of Velocity, Yingying Wang Dr., Fatima Sibaii, Rebecca Custead, Hyuntaek Oh, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The cortical representations of orofacial pneumotactile stimulation involve complex neuronal networks, which are still unknown. This study aims to identify the characteristics of functional connectivity (FC) evoked by three different saltatory velocities over the perioral and buccal surface of the lower face using functional magnetic resonance imaging in twenty neurotypical adults. Our results showed a velocity of 25 cm/s evoked stronger connection strength between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right thalamus than a velocity of 5 cm/s. The decreased FC between the right secondary somatosensory cortex and right posterior parietal cortex for 5-cm/s velocity versus all three velocities …

Geographic Variation In The Genetic Basis Of Resistance To Leaf Rust Between Locally Adapted Ecotypes Of The Biofuel Crop Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum), Acer Van Wallendael, Jason Bonnette, Thomas E. Juenger, Felix B. Fritschi, Philip A. Fay, Robert B. Mitchell, John Lloyd-Reilley, Francis M. Rouquette Jr, Gary C. Bergstrom, David B. Lowry

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

Local adaptation is an important process in plant evolution, which can be impacted by differential pathogen pressures along environmental gradients. However, the degree to which pathogen resistance loci vary in effect across space and time is incompletely described.

To understand how the genetic architecture of resistance varies across time and geographic space, we quantified rust (Puccinia spp.) severity in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) plantings at eight locations across the central USA for 3 yr and conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for rust progression.

We mapped several variable QTLs, but two large-effect QTLs which we have named Prr1 and Prr2 were …

Compounds For Increasing Lipid Synthesis And Storage, Concetta C. Dirusso, Nishikant Wase

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

This invention relates to methods for increasing lipid production in cells. Methods of producing biofuel from cells and preparing mutraceuticals comprising lipids produced according to a method provided herein are also provided.

Innovation In Pedagogy And Technology Symposium, 2019: Selected Conference Proceedings, University Of Nebraska Online, University Of Nebraska Information Technology Services

Zea E-Books Collection

Advancing Technology in Education at the University of Nebraska, May 7, 2019

Welcome Address • Susan Fritz, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Provost, University of Nebraska 6

Opening Remarks • Mary Niemiec, Associate Vice President for Digital Education, Director of University of Nebraska Online 6

Keynote Presentation: Shaping the Next Generation of Higher Education • Bryan Alexander, Ph.D. 6

Featured Extended Presentation: Redesigning Courses & Determining Effectiveness Through Research • Tanya Joosten, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Erin Blankenship, Ph.D. (UNL), Ella Burnham (UNL), Nate Eidem, Ph.D. (UNK), Marnie Imhoff (UNMC), Linsey Donner (UNMC), Ellie Miller (UNMC) 7

5 Ways to …

Small But Mighty: How A Team Of Four Administers A Robust Library Publishing Program, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

A team of four people administers the UNL institutional repository (https://digitalcommons.unl.edu), which is one of the largest (109,000-plus full text items) and most-accessed (over 62,000,000 downloads) in the United States. The team also administers a robust library publishing program with over 80 scholarly monographs and 12 peer-reviewed journals. A recent focus of the program has been open educational resources, partnering with scholars to identify or create free online learning objects.

This talk will include details about how such a small team accomplishes so much. Staffing, task assignment, workflow, author relations, reader relations, education, administration, policy generation, platform management, …

A Rapid Population Assessment Method For Wild Pigs Using Baited Cameras At 3 Study Site, Peter E. Schlichting, James C. Beasley, Raoul K. Boughton, Amy J. Davis, Kim M. Pepin, Michael P. Glow, Ryan S. Miller, Kurt C. Vercautern, Jesse S. Lewis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reliable and efficient population estimates are a critical need for effective management of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa). We evaluated the use of 10‐day camera grids for rapid population assessment (RPA) of wild pigs at 3 study sites that varied in vegetation communities and wild pig densities. Study areas included Buck Island Ranch, Florida; Tejon Ranch, California; and the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, USA, during 2016–2018. Rapid population assessments grids were composed of baited camera traps spaced approximately 500 or 750 m apart. Two RPA grids were deployed per study site and each grid was deployed twice (4–6 months …

Asynchronous Carbon Sink Saturation In African And Amazonian Tropical Forests, Wannes Hubau, Simon L. Lewis, Et. Al. Authors

United States National Park Service: Publications

Structurally intact tropical forests sequestered about half of the global terrestrial carbon uptake over the 1990s and early 2000s, removing about 15 percent of 1–3 anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Climate-driven vegetation models 4,5 typically predict that this tropical forest ‘carbon sink’ will continue for decades . Here we assess trends in the carbon sink using 244 structurally intact African tropical forests spanning 11 countries, compare them with 321 published plots from Amazonia and investigate the underlying drivers of the trends. The carbon sink in live aboveground biomass in intact African tropical forests has been stable for the three decades to …

Using Ndvi To Differentiate Wheat Genotypes Productivity Under Dryland And Irrigated Conditions, Mohammed A. Naser, Raj Khosla, Louis Longchamps, Subash Dahal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Crop breeders are looking for tools to facilitate the screening of genotypes in field trials. Remote sensing-based indices such as normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) are sensitive to biomass and nitrogen (N) variability in crop canopies. The objectives of this study were (i) to determine if proximal sensor-based NDVI readings can differentiate the yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes and (ii) to determine if NDVI readings can be used to classify wheat genotypes into grain yield productivity classes. This study was conducted in northeastern Colorado in 2010 and 2011. The NDVI readings were acquired weekly from March to …

Relationships Between Survival And Habitat Suitability Of Semi- Aquatic Mammals, Isidro Barela, Leslie M. Burger, Jimmy Taylor, Kristine O. Evans, Ryo Ogawa, Lance Mcclintic, Guiming Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Spatial distribution and habitat selection are integral to the study of animal ecology. Habitat selection may optimize the fitness of individuals. Hutchinsonian niche theory posits the fundamental niche of species would support the persistence or growth of populations. Although niche-based species distribution models (SDMs) and habitat suitability models (HSMs) such as maximum entropy (Maxent) have demonstrated fair to excellent predictive power, few studies have linked the prediction of HSMs to demographic rates. We aimed to test the prediction of Hutchinsonian niche theory that habitat suitability (i.e., likelihood of occurrence) would be positively related to survival of American beaver (Castor canadensis), …

Predictors And Impact Of Psychotherapy Side Effects In Young Adults, Tierney K. Lorenz

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

What should we tell our younger clients—who may or may not have chosen to come to therapy—about possible risks of engaging in psychotherapy? To explore this question, we examined psychotherapy side effects in 366 young adults with a history of psychotherapy or counseling. Psychotherapy side effects were common, with 41% of participants reporting at least one. Perceived lack of control over the decision of when and how to engage in therapy was the strongest predictor of experiencing therapy side effects. Of the different kinds of side effects, feeling that therapy had gone on too long and experiencing worsening of existing …

Critical Factors For Effective And Equitable Ngss Science Teaching Practices, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Elizabeth Hasseler, Brandon Helding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Presentations

With the widespread adoption and adaption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its implicit focus on inquiry-based instruction, reformed science teaching practices are critically important to meeting the U.S. vision of scientific literacy for all students. Thus, the role of teacher learning through both teacher preparation and professional development must be well understood and informed through empirical findings. Accordingly, the theme of this NARST conference paper set is to identify effective science teaching practices using the lens of the NGSS science and engineering practices (SEPs), science subject matter knowledge, and equitable teaching practices. We found that inquiry-based instruction …

The Nebraska Bird Review, 2020 Annual Color Section

Nebraska Bird Review

Our theme this year is Odd Couples: two or more different species captured in the same photo frame. Examples appear on the first three pages of photos.

Blue Jay with Great Horned Owl in Plum Creek SRA, Dawson Co., 23 Dec. 2019. Photo by Elizabeth Winter.

Green Heron with Baltimore Oriole on Dark Island Trail, Merrick Co., June 2020. Photo by Colleen Childers.

Wilson’s Phalarope surrounded by Longbilled Dowitchers and Stilt Sandpipers along highway 30 east of North Platte, Lincoln Co., 12 May 2020. Photo by Boni Edwards.

Downy Woodpecker with Carolina Wren on suet feeder in photographer’s yard, La …

Winter Field Report, December 2019-February 2020, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As with any of these Seasonal Reports, there was plenty to entertain us and to contemplate this winter. The most obvious feature of this winter’s reports was the taxonomically widespread incidence of midwinter occurrences of species normally absent at that time. Snow, Ross’s, and Greater White-fronted Geese occurred in good numbers, and Jan to early Feb reports of dabbling and diving ducks often far from expected winter occurrence locations were notable. Among passerines, notable midwinter reports were of Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, and Northern Mockingbird, Nebraska’s first record for Feb of American Pipit, and 6th winter record of Lesser Goldfinch. …