Digital Commons Network^™

President's Annual Report, Brooks Keel

Office of the President: Annual Report (Archived)

No abstract provided.

The Law Of Death And Dying, Laura Ann Green

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Carnosic Acid Enriched Rosemary Extract Prevents Obesity And Metabolic Syndrome In High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice, Rashin Sedighi

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of rosemary leaf extract (RE) and its active components on prevention of weight gain and associated metabolic disorders in high-fat-fed mice; determine the effective doses of the chief compound in RE to reduce weight gain and hyperglycemia; and try to understand the underlying anti-obesity mechanism. For this purpose, commercial RE with 45% carnosic acid (CA) was enriched with CA to 80%. Animals were given low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), high fat with 0.50% RE (enriched with 45% CA, RE#1), high fat with 0.28% w/w RE (enriched with 80% …

School Surveillance And The Fourth Amendment, Jason P. Nance

UF Law Faculty Publications

In the aftermath of several highly-publicized incidents of school violence, public school officials have increasingly turned to intense surveillance methods to promote school safety. The current jurisprudence interpreting the Fourth Amendment generally permits school officials to employ a variety of strict measures, separately or in conjunction, even when their use creates a prison-like environment for students. Yet, not all schools rely on such strict measures. Recent empirical evidence suggests that low-income and minority students are much more likely to experience intense security conditions in their school than other students, even after taking into account factors such as neighborhood crime, school …

Culture Clashes: Indigenous Populations And Globalization-The Case Of Belo Monte, Berta E. Hernández-Truyol

UF Law Faculty Publications

There exists a significant schism between the world of indigenous persons and the process of globalization. To resolve conflicts at the intersection of these divergent worlds, it is imperative to develop a paradigm that recognizes the trade and human rights discourses are intertwined parts of the larger legal and human universe. Such a framework will enable a bridge between the spheres that will benefit humanity so the world will be not only a richer place, but also a better place.

Artificial Diets Used In Mass Production Of The New World Screwworm, Cochliomyia Hominivorax, H Chen, M F. Chaudhury, A Sagel, P L. Philips, S R. Skoda

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

The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), has been eradicated from North and Central America using the sterile insect technique. This success has been based on mass production of high-quality screwworms using artificial diets since 1958. Many diet formulations for both larvae and adults have been developed, mainly driven by cost efficiency and material supply. However, only four larval and two adult diet formulations have been applied in the six sterile fly mass production plants in the USA, Mexico and Panama. Herein, we briefly review the history of screwworm diet research and development, introduce the diet formulations used …

Combined Effects Of Phosphorus Nutrition And Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentration On Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Photosynthesis, And Nutrient Efficiency Of Cotton, Shardendu K. Singh, Vangimalla R. Reddy

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

To examine the combined effects of phosphorus (P) nutrition and CO2 on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), and nutrient utilization and uptake, two controlled-environment experiments were conducted using 0.01, 0.05 and 0.20 mM external phosphate each at ambient and elevated CO2 (aCO2: 400 and eCO2: 800 mmol mol–1, respectively). The CF parameters were affected more by P nutrition than by CO2 treatment. Photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII) was due to increased minimal CF (Fo') and decreased maximal CF (Fm'), and efficiency of energy harvesting (Fv'/Fm'). In addition, reduced electron transport rate (ETR), the quantum yield of PSII (FPSII) and CO2 assimilation …

The Molecular Basis Of Peanut Allergy, Geoffrey A. Mueller, Soheila J. Maleki, Lars C. Pedersen

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

Peanut allergens can trigger a potent and sometimes dangerous immune response in an increasing number of people. The molecular structures of these allergens form the basis for understanding this response. This review describes the currently known peanut allergen structures and discusses how modifications both enzymatic and non-enzymatic affect digestion, innate immune recognition, and IgE interactions. The allergen structures help explain cross-reactivity among allergens from different sources, which is useful in improving patient diagnostics. Surprisingly, it was recently noted that similar short peptide sequences among unrelated peanut allergens could also be a source of cross-reactivity. The molecular features of peanut allergens …

Artificial Diets Used In Mass Production Of The New World Screwworm, Cochliomyia Hominivorax, S. R. Skoda, H. Chen, M. F. Chaudhurry, A. Sagel, P. L. Phillips

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

The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), has been eradicated from North and Central America using the sterile insect technique. This success has been based on mass production of high-quality screwworms using artificial diets since 1958. Many diet formulations for both larvae and adults have been developed, mainly driven by cost efficiency and material supply. However, only four larval and two adult diet formulations have been applied in the six sterile fly mass production plants in the USA, Mexico and Panama. Herein, we briefly review the history of screwworm diet research and development, introduce the diet formulations used …

Switchgrass, Robert B. Mitchell, D. K. Lee, Mitchael Casler

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

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennialwarm-season grass native to the grasslands of North America, is a model perennial grass for bioenergy, and is the most advanced herbaceous perennial bioenergy feedstock. Best management practices have been developed for switchgrass bioenergy production for the agroecoregions to which it is adapted. Field production of switchgrass likely will occur on cropland that is marginally productive for row crops, similar to land that was enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Long-term, field-scale research demonstrates that switchgrass for bioenergy is productive, profitable for the farmer, and protective of the environment. Switchgrass was selected by the …

Beef Species Symposium: Potential Limitations Of Nrc In Predicting Energetic Requirements Of Beef Females Within Western U.S. Grazing Systems, M. K. Petersen, C. J. Mueller, J. T. Mulliniks, A. J. Roberts, T. Delcurto, R. C. Waterman

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

Assessment of beef cow energy balance and efficiency in grazing-extensive rangelands has occurred on a nominal basis over short time intervals and has not accounted for the complexity of metabolic and digestive responses; behavioral adaptations to climatic, terrain, and vegetation variables; and documentation of the effects of nutrient form and supply to grazing cattle. Previous research using pen-fed cows demonstrated differences (P < 0.01) in efficiency of weight change ranging from 135 to 58 g/Mcal ME intake. Furthermore, variation in efficiency of ME use for tissue energy gain or loss ranged from 36% to 80%. In general, energy costs for maintenance, tissue accretion, and mobilization were greatest in Angus-based cows, intermediate in Brahmanand Hereford-based cows, and least in dairy-based cows. The most efficient cattle may reflect the types that are successful in semiarid grazing environments with low input management. Successful range cattle systems are likely the result of retention of animals that best adapted to the grazing environment and thus were potentially more efficient. Animals exposed to a variety of stressors may continually adapt, so energy expenditure is reduced and may tend to depart from the modeled beef cow in the 1996 NRC Beef Cattle Requirements. Critical factors comprising cow lifetime achievement, including reproductive success, disease resistance, and calf weaning weight, may be driven by cow total energy utilization in energy-limiting environments. Therefore, energy adjustments for adapted cattle within these landscapes and seasonal BW changes can alter seasonal NEm requirements. Evaluated studies indicate that in static grazing environments, NRC prediction fitness was improved compared with predictions from dynamic systems where cattle were influenced less by management and more by environmental conditions. Preliminary herd analyses cast doubt on the accuracy of NRC BCS descriptions representing NEm requirements of adapted females utilizing semiarid rangelands. Possible gaps are proposed that could be the basis for prediction inaccuracies. A more complete understanding of mechanisms contributing to productivity in the field than the current model predicts will improve future models to better simulate energetic accountability and subsequent female performance.

Potential Involvement Of Aspergillus Flavus Laccases In Peanut Invasion At Low Water Potential, R. S. Arias, V. S. Sobolev, V. A. Orner, P. M. Dang, M. C. Lamb

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

Aspergillus flavus accumulates carcinogenic aflatoxins in peanuts, mainly in immature kernels during drought. Aspergillus flavus invasion induces accumulation of phytoalexins, mostly stilbenoids in peanut, as a plant defence mechanism. Because fungal laccases are often related to pathogenicity and can degrade stilbenoids, this study reports for the first time the expression of A. flavus laccases in the presence of kernels, hulls and low water potential in relation to the accumulation of phytoalexins in peanut kernels. Packed-cell volume (PCV) of A. flavus biomass was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) in the presence of mature kernels, dead kernels, and mature and immature peanut …

Biochemical Acclimation, Stomatal Limitation And Precipitationpatterns Underlie Decreases In Photosynthetic Stimulation Of Soybean(Glycine Max) At Elevated [Co2] And Temperatures Under Fully Open Airfield Conditions, David M. Rosenthala, Ursula M. Ruiz-Vera, Matthew H. Siebers, Sharon B. Gray, Carl J. Bernacchi, Donald R. Ort

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

The net effect of elevated [CO₂] and temperature on photosynthetic acclimation and plant productivityis poorly resolved. We assessed the effects of canopy warming and fully open air [CO₂] enrichment on (1)the acclimation of two biochemical parameters that frequently limit photosynthesis (A), the maximumcarboxylation capacity of Rubisco (V_c,max) and the maximum potential linear electron flux through photo-system II (J_max), (2) the associated responses of leaf structural and chemical properties related to A, as wellas (3) the stomatal limitation (l) imposed on A, for soybean over two growing seasons in a conventionallymanaged agricultural field …

Exploring Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems In Different Ecoregions Ofthe United States, R Mark Sulc, Alan J. Franzluebbers

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

Large-scale, energy-intensive, specialized production systems have dominated agricultural production inthe United States for the past half-century. Although highly productive and economically successful, thereis increasing concern with unintended negative environmental impacts of current agricultural systems.Production systems integrating crops and livestock have potential for providing additional ecosystem ser-vices from agriculture by capturing positive ecological interactions and avoiding negative environmentaloutcomes, while sustaining profitability. A diversity of ecologically sound integrated crop-livestock sys-tems have been and can be employed in different ecoregions: sod-based crop rotations, grazing covercrops in cash-crop rotations, crop residue grazing, sod intercropping, dual-purpose cereal crops, and agro-forestry/silvopasture. Improved technologies in conservation tillage, …

Biochar Impact On Midwestern Mollisols And Maize Nutrient Availability, Natalia Rogovska, David Laird, Samuel J. Rathke, Douglas Karlen

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

Biochar applications have been shown to increase crop yields on acidic and low activity soils in the tropics but fewer positive yield responses have been reported for temperate soils. We hypothesized that even without a yield response, applying biochar to a Midwestern Mollisol could improve soil quality and plant nutrient availability because of the carbon it supplies and its conditioning effect. Eighteen small field plots (23.7m²) on a glacial-till derived soil were established by incorporating 0 to 96 Mg ha⁻¹ of hardwood biochar to a depth of 30 cm. Several soil quality indicators, plant nutrient availability, uptake, …

Borrowing By Any Other Name: Why Presidential "Spending Cuts" Would Still Exceed The Debt Ceiling, Neil H. Buchanan, Michael C. Dorf

UF Law Faculty Publications

On three occasions since mid-2011, the United States has come perilously close to exhausting its borrowing authority under a statutory limit commonly called the "debt ceiling." In prior work, the current authors argued that, in the event that the debt ceiling is reached, the President will face a "trilemma" in which any realistic action he takes — defaulting on government obligations, raising taxes, or issuing debt in excess of the statutory ceiling — would unconstitutionally usurp legislative power. We argued that in such circumstances, violating the debt ceiling would be the "least unconstitutional option." Nonetheless, most pundits and politicians, including …

The Effects Of Friendship And Discussion On Individuals' Responses To Anti-Sugary Drinks Television Ads, Kaitlin R. Lilienthal

Theses and Dissertations

The current study tested if friendship and discussion would interact with anti-sugary drinks television ads exposure to promote attitudes, intentions, and behaviors consistent with sugary drinks consumption reduction. College students (N= 109) viewed anti-sugary drinks ads either with or without a friend, and either discussed or did not discuss the ads after viewing them. Changes in baseline sugary drinks health knowledge, attitudes toward reducing sugary drinks consumption, sugary drink consumption social norm perceptions, and intentions to reduce sugary drinks consumption were examined at post-exposure and one week follow-up. Changes in baseline self-reported sugary drinks consumption were also examined at one …

Artificial Soil Formation And Stabilization Of Material Cycles In Closed Ecological Systems For Mars Habitats, Joshua D. Borchardt

Theses and Dissertations

Scientists are increasingly pressured to investigate novel ways in which to feed astronauts for the first mission to Mars in the 2030s. It is the aim of this thesis to conduct a preliminary investigation for soil formation of NASA JSC Mars-1A Regolith Simulant in an environmentally closed ecosystem to simulate plant growth within these initial habitats, and the prospect of soil formation from a Mars parent material for agricultural purposes. The rhizosphere and plant stress will be the main regions of research focus. It is hypothesized rhizosphere activity will determine the rate of stable soil formation adequate to support the …

Economic Attainment By Religion, Emma Wetten

Theses and Dissertations

Religion is an important determinant of the socioeconomic behavior of individuals. This thesis is an attempt to describe how various religious denominations in the United States have differing levels of education, different patterns in college degree attainment, and different household incomes even when certain demographic factors are controlled. This thesis describes differences in economic outcomes among religions and uses regression models of college attainment and average years of education with demographic controls including race, gender, region, and parents' educational attainment from the early 1980s through 2012. The results suggest that differences in economic attainment between American religious denominations in terms …

Songbird Response To Mixed Ungulate Herd Reduction Through Changes In Vegetation At Sullys Hill National Game Preserve, Bethany J. Walters

Theses and Dissertations

Big game management traditionally focused on single species management with less emphasis, until recently, on community interactions. Sullys Hill National Game Preserve (SHNGP) is a 678 hectare preserve where extirpated Plains bison (Bison bison) were reintroduced along with Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). These large ecosystem engineers have been managed at varying densities within a fenced area of deciduous woods, wetlands, and native prairie since 1918. Grazing, browsing, and rubbing by ungulates, along with additional refuge management prescriptions (e.g. prescribed fire), shape the understory and midstory and in turn …

Novel Approaches Investigating Predisposition For Maternal Group B Streptococcus Colonization, Michelle Lynn Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of infectious neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Maternal GBS colonization is the primary risk factor associated with neonatal infection. However, maternal risk factors for GBS colonization are ambiguous. A conceptual framework of gene-environment interactions guided the approach for this study analyzing DNA methylation, serum cytokines, and vitamin D levels. The purpose of this study was to identify potential maternal biomarkers associated with GBS colonization. Descriptive statistics were conducted to depict sample characteristics (n=42 pregnant women) and identify potential confounding variables including, but not limited to: medical history, race, weight, …

The Interplay Between Aging, Growth Hormone, The Methionine Pathway, And Epigenetic Methylation Marks And Mechanisms, Vanessa Louise Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

Methylation reactions are important for the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic methylation tags on DNA and histone molecules that are critical for the development and life-long function of an organism. While epigenetics has been studied extensively during embryological development and age-related disease such as cancer, little is known about whether epigenetic methylation enzyme expression change in normally aging or long-living mammals. Because growth hormone (GH) plays an important role in determining the lifespan of many organisms, we have focused our studies on the long-living growth hormone deficient model the Ames dwarf mouse. We focused our studies on epigenetic methylation in …

A Ten-Year Study Of Earned Income Tax Credit Utilization In Western South Dakota: Where You Live Matters, Lizabeth Ann Diers

Theses and Dissertations

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the largest government anti-poverty programs, helping low-income families to build and maintain economic security. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine if where taxpayers live in western South Dakota impacts the utilization of EITC. Results of analysis of tax return information, higher education accounting programs, and interview records were combined to answer the study questions.

Ten years of data (tax return averages) were retrieved from the Brookings Institution and were analyzed to determine if geography was a predictor of the likelihood of filing for EITC and the amount …

Impact Of Reverse Ethnocentrism On Competence Regarding Food Related Behaviors As A Function Of Attachment Style, Ethnic Identity, And Locus Of Control, Sheryl Holter Vogel

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated associations between attachment styles, locus of control (LOC), ethnic identity, and competence regarding food-related behavior (competence) among 168 White and 61 American Indian participants. An experimental manipulation was also conducted in which the concept of reverse ethnocentrism was tested. Attachment style accounted for the most significant variance of competence at 9% followed by ethnicity at 2%. Ethnic identity and LOC accounted for nonsignificant variance at 4% and less than 1% respectively. Prior to the experimental manipulation, results found competence was significantly negatively associated with low anxiety and high avoidance (dismissing attachment style), and American Indian participants …

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Of Two Tibetan Wild Barley Genotypes In Responses To Low Potassium, Jianbin Zeng, Xiaoyan He, Dezhi Wu, Bo Zhu, Shengguan Cai, Umme Aktari Nadira, Zahra Jabeen, Guoping Zhang

Publications

Potassium (K) deficiency is one of the major factors affecting crop growth and productivity. Development of low-K tolerant crops is an effective approach to solve the nutritional deficiency in agricultural production. Tibetan annual wild barley is rich in genetic diversity and can grow normally under poor soils, including low-K supply. However, the molecular mechanism about low K tolerance is still poorly understood. In this study, Illumina RNA-Sequencing was performed using two Tibetan wild barley genotypes differing in low K tolerance (XZ153, tolerant and XZ141, sensitive), to determine the genotypic difference in transcriptome profiling. We identified a total of 692 differentially …

Inhibition Of Activities Of Individual Subunits Of Intestinal Maltase-Glucoamylase And Sucrase-Isomaltase By Dietary Phenolic Compounds For Modulating Glucose Release And Gene Response, Meric Simsek

Open Access Dissertations

The occurrence of Type 2 diabetes is on the increase all over the world. Since free glucose is released through digestion of starch in the human diet, control of the starch digesting enzymes, particularly the intestinal mucosal alpha-glucosidases [Maltase-Glucoamylase (MGAM) and Sucrase-Isomaltase (SI)], has a potentially important role in both the etiology and treatment of this metabolic disorder. Inhibition of the activities of the intestinal alpha-glucosidases may be a promising way to moderate glucose delivery to the body. Although some commercial inhibitors, such as acarbose, have strong effect on these enzymes, and essentially block starch digestion, there is a need …

Crown Ideotypes For Genetically Improved Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Clones Under An Intensive Management Regime In Indiana, Usa, Kejia Pang

Open Access Dissertations

Developing crown ideotypes is important for more efficiently producing timber from black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), a valuable hardwood species that mainly grow in the Central Hardwood Region, US. To develop black walnut crown ideotypes for timber growth under an intensive management regime in North-Central Indiana, the following investigations were conducted:

Crown Ideotypes For Genetically Improved Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.) Clones Under An Intensive Management Regime In Indiana, Usa, Kejia Pang

Open Access Dissertations

Developing crown ideotypes is important for more efficiently producing timber from black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), a valuable hardwood species that mainly grow in the Central Hardwood Region, US. To develop black walnut crown ideotypes for timber growth under an intensive management regime in North-Central Indiana, the following investigations were conducted:

Characterization Of Molecular Functions Of Polyamines In Fruit Development And Ripening In Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum), Raheel Anwar

Open Access Dissertations

Putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) are three major polyamines (PAs) present in all living organisms. These biogenic amines have been implicated in diverse plant growth and development processes, including seed germination, tissue lignification, organogenesis, flowering, pollination, embryogenesis, fruit development, ripening, abscission, senescence, and stress responses. To elucidate molecular roles of PAs in fruit development and ripening, I characterized transgenic tomato plants ectopically expressing yeast spermidine synthase (ySpdSyn) or S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (ySAMdc) under constitutive CaMV 35S and/or fruit-specific SlE8 promoters. The ySpdSyn-expression enhanced PUT, SPD and SPM level in floral buds and fertilized developing ovaries by 2- to 3-fold …

Evaluation Of A Novel Feedstuff For Horses, Catherine Whitehouse

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Determining digestibility of feed ingredients is a challenge. While forage type feeds may be fed as the sole dietary component, concentrates cannot. To determine the apparent digestibility of these ingredients a by difference method can be utilized. The study was conducted to investigate the nutritional value of corn germ dehydrated (AAFCO 48.32) for horses in comparison to two processed corns commonly fed to horses. The second objective was to compare total tract digestibility of the treatments to determine differences in digestibility of the various fiber fractions due to added concentrate and to use the difference method to determine nutrient digestibility …