Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Empathy Across The Lifespan: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Approach, Abi M. Heller

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This thesis project aimed to utilize functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology in order to assess empathy in a lifespan sample. fNIRS is a non-invasive brain imaging technique that uses properties of light to infer brain activity. Participants ranged in age from 19-75 and were recruited to participate in an fNIRS experiment to assess empathy. Each participant was asked to assume the mental perspective of players on a computer game, and witnessed the player win, lose or tie the game involving a monetary reward. After the fNIRS recording, participants completed personality trait questionnaires related to empathy and emotional contagion. Results …

Effect Of Dual-Task Walking On Long-Range Correlations In People With Parkinson's Disease, Shane Meltz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) causes gait to be more variable and more random. Gait variability is related to disease severity, and may be a marker of fall risks. Gait in PD is attention-dependent, meaning a distraction while walking could be detrimental. The effects of dual-task walking on gait variability in PD are unclear (in particular fractal fluctuations). This study will determine if dual-task walking impacts stride-to-stride variability compared to normal walking in people with Parkinson’s Disease. We predict that dual-tasking will lead to more random stride-to-stride variability in people with PD, compared to controls. Also, within the PD group, we predict …

Depressive Symptoms, Social Activity, And Physical Activity In Older Adults, Hyeon Jung (Judith) Kim

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Depressive symptoms are negatively related to mental health and quality of life. Social and physical activities have been used as indicators of depressive symptoms in older populations. Participation in high levels of social and physical activities has been associated with decreased depressive symptoms. This pilot study explored the relationship between the levels of social and physical activities and depressive symptoms among older adults living in an independent living facility. Twenty-two participants (Age M=87.50; SD=7.50; 82% women) were recruited and completed The Geriatric Depression Scale short form, the Revised Change in Activity and Interest Index (assessed social activity level), and Godin …

Pilot Study Of Empathy In Adults, Libby Moberg

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Empathy is of critical public health importance due to its association with relationship satisfaction and well-being (Davis & Oathout, 1987; Davis, 1983). There is growing evidence that bilingual individuals may have higher levels of empathy (Javor, 2016). One potential mechanism for this relationship is that bilingual individuals tend to have higher levels of executive functioning (Costa et al, 2008), which is linked to higher empathy because individuals are able to more easily adopt others’ perspectives. Previous studies examining this question have largely relied on self-report questionnaires assessing empathy as a general tendency (i.e., trait). No studies have examined differences in …

An Altered Spatiotemporal Gait Adjustment During A Virtual Obstacle Crossing Task In Patients With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, Chun-Kai Huang, Vijay Shivaswamy, Pariwat Thaisetthawatkul, Lynn Mack, Nicholas Stergiou, Ka-Chun Siu

Journal Articles

This study investigates spatiotemporal gait adjustments that occur while stepping over virtual obstacles during treadmill walking in people with/without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Eleven adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, ten DPN, and 11 age-matched healthy adults (HTY) participated in this study. They stepped over forthcoming virtual obstacles during treadmill walking. Outcomes such as success rate, spatiotemporal gait characteristics during obstacle crossing, and correlations between these variables were evaluated. The results partially supported our hypotheses that when comparing with HTY and DM, people with DPN adopted a crossing strategy which decreased obstacle crossing success rate and maximal toe elevation, …

2019 Year In Review, Leonard And Shirley Goldstein Center For Human Rights - University Of Nebraska At Omaha

GCHR Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

New Year’s Eve 2019 marks the end of the second year of the new Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights at the University of Nebraska at Omaha – and what a year! Housed in the UNO College of Arts and Sciences as a result of a long partnership between the Religious Studies program and the family of Leonard and Shirley Goldstein, the Goldstein Center not only grew rapidly but successfully took upon projects and programs with local, regional, national, and international impact.

Annual Report 2019, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR) was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain criminal justice research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our goal is to assist the Legislature, justice agencies, practitioners, foundations, and stakeholders with research and evaluation to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. This annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. In this past year, NCJR once again crafted our Adult Justice in Nebraska report to provide a foundation of data trends in areas such as law …

Fact Book, Academic Year 2018, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

The Fact Book presents important campus information in data tables and charts. Included are details regarding students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Generally, data are broken out by college, rank, level, gender, age and ethnicity for both spring and fall semesters, past to present. There are a few academic year tables that include information on tuition & fees, student credit hours by program, and degrees conferred. We wish to thank the many individuals and departments at the University for their contributions to the Fact Book.

The Power And Potential Of An Aging Nebraska, Julie L. Masters, Christopher M. Kelly

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Annual Report 2018-2019, College Of Public Affairs And Community Service, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Dean’s Office

The College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) was created in 1973 to ensure the university was responsive to the critical social needs of our community and state. The College was given the mission not only to provide educational programs of the highest caliber and to prepare students for leadership in the public service, but also to reach out to the community to help solve public problems.

The College has become a national leader among similar colleges, with seven programs ranked in the top 30 in the nation. Our faculty ranks are among the finest in their disciplines. Moreover, …

The Power And Potential Of An Aging Nebraska, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Past Publications

Sources: 2010 Decennial Censuses, 2006-2010, 2012-2016, and 2013-2017 American Community Survey, all U.S. Census Bureau, June 2013 Population Projections, UNO CPAR

University Of Nebraska At Omaha 2019-2020 Course Catalog, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Undergraduate Catalogs

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness, and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community

Cognitive Processes That Indirectly Affect Olfactory Dysfunction In Parkinson's Disease, Attakias T. Mertens, Jonathan B. Santo, Katerina Markopoulou, Bruce A. Chase

Biology Faculty Publications

Introduction
Accurate early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is hampered by its long prodromal period and the variable manifestations of its motor symptoms. While olfactory dysfunction can occur before motor-symptom onset and serve as a non-disease-specific diagnostic aid, its underlying causes are incompletely understood.

Methods
Correlation analyses, univariate density estimates, ANOVA and regression evaluated relationships between scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and those on the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test in 1280 Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative subjects placed into five diagnostic categories. Structural equation modeling identified cognitive measures having significant indirect effects on olfactory-function-test …

Completions 2019-20, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

IPEDS Completions

Welcome to the IPEDS Completions survey component. The Completions component is one of several IPEDS components that is conducted during the Fall data collection period. It collects the number of degrees and certificates awarded by field of study, level of award, race/ethnicity, and gender. The reporting period for the Completions component is during the 12-month time period beginning July 1 of the previous calendar year and ending June 30 of the current calendar year; therefore, for this year’s Completions component, the reporting period is between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. The Completions component is also collecting the number …

Optic Flow Improves Step Width And Length In Older Adults While Performing Dual Task, Taylor Leeder, Farah Fallahtafti, Molly Schieber, Sara A. Myers, Julie Blaskewicz Boron, Jennifer M. Yentes

Journal Articles

Background

Dual-task paradigms are used to investigate gait and cognitive declines in older adults (OA). Optic-flow is a virtual reality environment where the scene flows past the subject while walking on a treadmill, mimicking real-life locomotion.

Aims

To investigate cost of environment (no optic-flow v. optic-flow) while completing single- and dual-task walking and dual-task costs (DTC; single- v. dual-task) in optic-flow and no optic-flow environments.

Methods

Twenty OA and seven younger adults (YA) walked on a self-paced treadmill in 3-min segments per task and both environments. Five task conditions included: no task, semantic fluency (category), phonemic fluency (letters), word reading, …

External Funding Bulletin, July - December 2018, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features recent award recipients.

Resiliency And Adolescent Motherhood In The Context Of Residential Foster Care, Autumn M. Bermea, Brad Forenxa, Heidi Adams Rueda, Michelle L. Toews

Social Work Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current study was to explore how adolescent mothers experienced pregnancy and parenthood within the context of residential foster care. Adolescent mothers in foster care are a vulnerable population although little research has explored their experiences, particularly from a resiliency framework. The present study begins to fill this gap by conducting focus group interviews with 39 adolescent mothers living in residential foster care. Using thematic analytic methodology, we uncovered themes that highlighted not only the mothers’ struggles, but also their capacities for resilience. Specifically, the mothers experienced societal stigma, parenting judgment, and challenging relationships with their child(ren)’s …

Quantification Of Daily Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior Of Claudicating Patients, Hernan Hernandez, Sara A. Myers, Molly Schieber, Duy M. Ha, Sarah Baker, Panagiotis Koutakis, Kyung-Soo Kim, Constance Mietus, George P. Casale, Iraklis Pipinos

Journal Articles

Background

Methods

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Critical For Helping Others Who Are Suffering, Janelle N. Beadle, Sergio Paradiso, Daniel Tranel

Gerontology Faculty Publications

Neurological patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are reported to display reduced empathy toward others in their daily lives in clinical case studies. However, the empathic behavior of patients with damage to the vmPFC has not been measured experimentally in response to an empathy-eliciting event. This is important because characterizing the degree to which patients with damage to the vmPFC have lower empathic behavior will allow for the development of targeted interventions to improve patients’ social skills and in turn will help family members to better understand their impairments so they can provide appropriate supports. For the …

Phonemic Switching In Single And Dual Task Environments, Angeline L. Roth

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Deficits in the frontal lobes are the first and earliest signs of cognitive aging. Older adults activate the frontal regions in the brain that are not active in younger adults for performance on the same tasks. Verbal fluency is just one way to test cognitive functioning, with both phonemic (letters) and semantic (categories) fluencies used for testing. More specifically in dual task research, different age, education, and various cognitive abilities such as working memory, selective attention, episodic memory, executive control, and speed and information processing, while also engaging in the motor task of walking have provided various results based on …

Fact Book, Academic Year 2017, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

The Fact Book presents important campus information in data tables and charts. Included are details regarding students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Generally, data are broken out by college, rank, level, gender, age and ethnicity for both spring and fall semesters, past to present. There are a few academic year tables that include information on tuition & fees, student credit hours by program, and degrees conferred. We wish to thank the many individuals and departments at the University for their contributions to the Fact Book.

Aviation Outreach Model And Gap Analysis: Examining Solutions To Address Workforce Shortages, Rebecca K. Lutte

Aviation Institute Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research is to examine aviation outreach programs to identify best practices and areas for improvement in the endeavor to recruit youth to the aviation industry. The research includes creation of a model of aviation outreach and development and application of an aviation outreach gap analysis design. Three programs are analyzed, Women in Aviation Girls in Aviation Day, Experimental Aviation Association Young Eagles, and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association High School Aviation Initiative. Each program takes a unique approach to recruiting youth and the strengths and weaknesses, based on the aviation outreach model, are discussed. Results of …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha 2018-2019 Course Catalog, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Undergraduate Catalogs

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness, and community engagement efforts.Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Completions 2018-19, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

IPEDS Completions

Welcome to the IPEDS Completions survey component. The Completions component is one of several IPEDS components that is conducted during the Fall data collection period. It collects the number of degrees and certificates awarded by field of study, level of award, race/ethnicity, and gender. The reporting period for the Completions component is during the 12-month time period beginning July 1 of the previous calendar year and ending June 30 of the current calendar year; therefore, for this year’s Completions component, the reporting period is between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018. The Completions component is also collecting the number …

Factors Influencing Organization Commitment: Internal Marketing Orientation, External Marketing Orientation, And Subjective Well-Being, Steven A. Schulz, Thomas Martin, Healther M. Meyer

Management Faculty Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of internal marketing orientation, external marketing orientation, and subjective well-being on the affective organizational commitment of frontline employees.

Design/methodology/approach

Previous research was used to develop hypotheses and develop a questionnaire for this project. An online survey was completed by 108 frontline employees.

Findings

The hypothesized model of all three variables having positive effects on organization commitment was supported. Internal marketing orientation, external marketing orientation, and subjective well-being were significant predictors of affective organizational commitment.

Research limitations/implications

A key limitation of this study is the cross-sectional, data collection design. A …

Spr Bulletin, Spring 2017, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features Recent Grant Recipients.

The Good Crisis: How Population Stabilization Can Foster A Healthy U.S. Economy, Owen G. Mordaunt

International Dialogue

Even though there is a notion of a birth dearth, this text aims at debunking the common belief that a population that is not growing due to declining fertility spells disaster for our world. The population has declined over time, but in reality the world continues to add 83 million people each year. Some birth dearthers, citing low fertility in affluent nations, express concern about “moral decay” (vi). For example, “smaller and unconventional families” will harm the United States because there will be fewer children and there will not be enough people to care for the elderly (vii). The authors …

Queerness And Dating Violence Among Adolescent Mothers In Foster Care, Autumn M. Bermea, Heidi Adams Rueda, Michelle L. Toews

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescent mothers, queer, and foster youth are all groups at heightened vulnerability for teen dating violence victimization. It is unknown how mothers in residential foster care perceive and experience violence within same-sex relationships. Literature suggests, however, that violence within these contexts may be met by minimization and even denial on behalf of practitioners (e.g., social workers) who may not have a comprehensive understanding of how to best serve queer clients, especially clients who may not be automatically perceived as queer (e.g., adolescent mothers). The present study utilized a mixed qualitative methodological approach to triangulate the perspectives of program staff ( …

Enrollment Report - Fall 2017, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Enrollment Reports

This Enrollment Profile Report provides administrative- and delivery-site information on enrollment headcount and student credit hours, as well as the demographic characteristics of enrolled students. Delivery-site reporting counts all students, including those in UNL programs delivered at UNO, but excludes UNO programs delivered in Lincoln (CPACS programs). Administrative-site reporting counts students enrolled in UNO programs only (including the CPACS programs delivered in Lincoln).

The purpose of this profile is to provide the undergraduate and graduate enrollments and student credit hour information by college or equivalent academic unit, class, gender and ethnicity. A glossary at the end of the report provides …

28th Annual Nebraska Data Users Conference: Participant List, Nebraska State Data Center

28th Annual Data Users Conference Reference Documents

No abstract provided.