Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Pyrethroid Insecticide Resistance In The Alfalfa Pest Insects Hypera Postica (Alfalfa Weevil) And Lygus Spp. (Lygus Bugs) In Utah Alfalfa Fields, Rosalie Sepesy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Chemical insecticides are commonly used to manage the damage to crops caused by agricultural pest insects. Reliance on insecticides for pest management has resulted in insecticide resistance in many insect species worldwide. Alfalfa weevils (Hypera postica) and lygus bugs (species within the genus, Lygus), are major pests to alfalfa hay and seed respectively and cause significant economic damage. The goal of this dissertation was screen Utah alfalfa fields for resistant alfalfa weevil and lygus bug populations, investigate genetic mutations that can influence resistance in alfalfa weevils, and establish which species of lygus bugs are present in Utah …

Unveiling The Interactions Between The Antibiotic Resistome And Microplastics Influenced By Trace Elements And Ppcps In Wastewater Treatment Plants, Tahira Tasneem Rahman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global concern, and wastewater treatment plants play a critical role in controlling its spread. These facilities process water containing microplastics (small plastic particles), trace elements like copper and zinc, and chemicals from everyday products like pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Together, these pollutants may contribute to the survival and spread of bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes, but their combined effects are not fully understood. This study investigated how these pollutants behave and interact in wastewater treatment plants using two approaches: direct monitoring of real treatment plants and controlled lab experiments using synthetic wastewater. Results showed …

The Effects Of Lactoferrin And Iron-Enriched Whey On Iron Status Of Collegiate Females, Connor Kemp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Iron deficiency has remained a global issue even in developed countries despite food fortification and increased nutritional literacy, biological women of child baring age are at particular risk due to menstruation and reduced dietary intake of iron containing foods compared to men. This issue is of particular concern in athletics due to the critical role of iron in oxygen transport and energy metabolism. With nearly half of female athletes presenting low iron status iron supplementation is often necessary. With iron supplementation often resulting in gastrointestinal symptoms that could negatively impact sport performance itself there is a need to explore other …

Re: Approval Letter For The Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Butte Treatment Lagoons (Btl) Groundwater Treatment System Quarterly Operation And Maintenance Report – Quarter 1 2024 (Dated August 14, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-22 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Revised Draft Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-12 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Assessing Patient Experiences And Priorities In Traumatic Brain Injury Health Care, Temitayo R. Okusanya, Madeline D. Furie, Sergey Tarima, Courtney O. Barry, Terri Deroon-Cassini, Yuka Kobayashi, Michael A. Mccrea, Kathleen S. Williams, Staci A. Young, Lindsay D. Nelson

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Improving patient experiences and outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) will require understanding patient perspectives of current care systems. Experts have called for building more integrated, patient-centered systems of care to better support patients through stages of TBI recovery. Informed by an earlier qualitative study, we conducted a survey to quantify patient perspectives on discharge and post-discharge experiences across seven hospitals in a single southeastern Wisconsin health system. Eligible participants were English or Spanish speakers and received TBI care between February 2023 and June 2024 at one level I trauma center emergency department (ED) and inpatient unit, two level III …

A Bioinformatic Survey Of Rna Isoform Diversity And Expression Across 9 Gtex Tissues Using Long-Read Sequencing Data, Madeline L. Page, Bernardo Aguzzoli Heberle, J. Anthony Brandon, Mark E. Wadsworth, Lacey A. Gordon, Kayla A. Nations, David W. Fardo, Mark T.W. Ebbert

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Even though alternative RNA splicing was discovered nearly 50 years ago (1977), we still understand very little about most isoforms arising from a single gene, including in which tissues they are expressed and if their functions differ. Human gene annotations suggest remarkable transcriptional complexity, with approximately 252,798 distinct RNA isoform annotations from 62,710 gene bodies (Ensembl v109; 2023), emphasizing the need to understand their biological effects. For example, 256 gene bodies have ≥ 50 annotated isoforms, and 30 have ≥ 100, where one protein-coding gene (MAPK10) even has 192 distinct RNA isoform annotations. Whether such isoform diversity results from …

Association Of Genetic Scores Related To Insulin Resistance With Neurological Outcomes In Ancestrally Diverse Cohorts From The Trans-Omics For Precision Medicine (Topmed) Program, Chloé Sarnowski, Yixin Zhang, Farah Ammous, Lincoln M.P. Shade, Daniel Dicorpo, Xueqiu Jian, Donna K. Arnett, Thomas R. Austin, Alexa Beiser, Joshua C. Bis, John Blangero, Eric Boerwinkle, Jan Bressler, Joanne E. Curran, Charles S. Decarli, Harsha Doddapaneni, Josée Dupuis, David W. Fardo, Jose C. Florez, Stacey Gabriel, Richard A. Gibbs, David C. Glahn, Namrata Gupta, Hector M. González

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

To better characterize the potential biological mechanisms underlying insulin resistance (IR) and dementia, we derive cross-population and population specific polygenic scores [PSs] for fasting insulin and IR-related partitioned PSs [pPSs]. We conduct a cross-sectional study of the associations of these genetic scores with neurological outcomes in >17k participants (36% men, mean age 55 yrs) from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program (50% Non-Hispanic White, 23% Black/African American, 21% Hispanic/Latino American, and 4% Asian American). We report significant negative associations (P < 0.002) of the cross-population (P = 1.3 × 10^-5) and European (P_EA = 3.0 × 10^-8) fasting insulin PSs with total cranial volume, …

Do Communities Implementing The Communities That Heal Intervention Have Significantly Lower Rates Of High-Risk Opioid Prescribing And Dispensing?, Frances R. Levin, Douglas R. Oyler, Denise C. Babineau, Jennifer Villani, Redonna K. Chandler, Patricia R. Freeman, Daniel P. Alford, Naleef Fareed, Nicole Mack, Trang Q. Nguyen, Daniel M. Walker, Joella Adams, Trevor J. Baker, Donna Beers, Shoshana N. Benjamin, Jennifer Bhuiyan, Derek Blevins, James L. David, Netrali Dalvi, Lauren D'Costa, Daniel J. Feaster, La Shawn Glasgow, Dawn A. Goddard-Eckrich, Yi Han, Mallory Harris, Timothy Hunt, Charles Knott, Adrienne Matson

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Introduction: Prescription opioids can contribute to risk for opioid use disorder and overdoses. Improving prescription opioid safety is a critical component in reducing opioid risks. This report aims to determine whether communities randomized to the Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention have significantly different rates of prescription opioid safety measures. Study Design: A multisite, 2-arm, community-level, cluster randomized, unblinded, wait-list controlled comparison trial designed to assess the effectiveness of the CTH intervention in reducing opioid-related overdose deaths among community residents 18 years of age or older (adults). Setting/Participants: Sixty-seven (67) communities in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. “Participants” were communities …

Drug Overdose Deaths In Kentucky, 2019–2024, Aaron P. Smith, Juan Lang, Carmen Canedo, Patricia R. Freeman, Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Daniel R. Harris, Amber Kizewski, Peter Rock, Nima M. Seyedtalebi, Philip M. Westgate, Jeffery Talbert, Sharon L. Walsh, Svetla Slavova

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Kentucky has historically experienced a high burden of drug overdose deaths. During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state saw a 45% increase in overdose deaths in 2020, followed by an additional 15% increase in 2021. However, drug overdose deaths declined in 2023 and 2024. This study used electronic death certificate records from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics (2019–2024) to evaluate whether Kentucky’s 2024 drug overdose death rates have declined to pre-pandemic levels and if declines were observed across all demographic groups. The results from Poisson regressions are reported as rate ratios (RRs) and their 95% …

Quantifying Nuanced Differences In Hand Dexterity Between The Dominant And Nondominant Hands Of Healthy, Right-Handed, Young Adults, Brian J. Conway, Léon Taquet, Timothy F. Boerger, Kaitlin Goetschel, Kate B. Krucoff, Sergey Tarima, Brian D. Schmit, Max O. Krucoff

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

When individuals present with hand injuries, clinicians often use the contralateral hand as an internal control. However, subtle differences in baseline dexterous abilities between the dominant and nondominant hands are poorly understood. To address this gap, here we quantified such differences, measured as independence (individuation) and smoothness of finger movements. A cohort of 47 right-hand-dominant healthy adults (22 males and 25 females) moved each finger independently 10 times, while joint angle data were tracked with a dataglove (CyberGlove III, CyberGlove Systems, San Jose, CA). Each finger’s performance was compared with its counterpart on the opposite hand using Wilcoxon-signed rank tests. …

Using An Intersectional Framework To Explore Cannabis And Tobacco Co-Use Patterns, Bethany Shorey Fennell, Cherell Cottrell-Daniels, Kory Heier, Kristen Mcquerry

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Cannabis and tobacco co-use is an emerging public health concern linked to increased dependence and reduced cessation success for both substances. However, little is known about how co-use patterns vary by product type, motivation, and demographic characteristics. This protocol outlines a cross-sectional study designed to characterize the frequency, type, and context of cannabis and tobacco co-use among U.S. adult tobacco users using an intersectional framework. A national sample of adults who used tobacco in the past 30 days (N = 3777) were recruited via CloudResearch Prime Panels. Participants completed detailed measures of tobacco and cannabis use, co-use behaviors, motivations, expectancies, …

Radon And Tobacco Risk Counseling During Lung Cancer Screening Shared Decision-Making, Stacy R. Stanifer, Kathy Rademacher, Whitney Sedio, Naomi Cheek, Amanda Thaxton Wiggins, Mary Kay Rayens, Ellen J. Hahn

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Objective: Examine frequency of tobacco and radon risk counseling during lung cancer screening shared decision making among qualified health care providers and the relationship between radon beliefs, tobacco and radon counseling self-efficacy, and related tobacco and radon risk counseling among providers. Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study design employing a mailed self-report survey sent to a stratified random sample of 1,000 qualified health care providers in Kentucky. Regression analyses to examine the association among sociodemographic characteristics, radon beliefs, self-efficacy, familiarity with lung cancer screening guidelines, and tobacco or radon risk reduction counseling during lung cancer screening shared decision making. Results: In all, …

The Shifting Order Of Global Jurisprudence: Responses Of Intersectionality Towards Social And Economic Justice, Daniel Ketcher

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

This interdisciplinary study investigates how the second Trump administration is reshaping the capacity and legitimacy of central multilateral institutions and proposes a framework for Integrative Justice Governance ( IJG ) to counteract these effects. Guided by three research questions – projecting the budgetary and normative impacts on bodies such as the WHO, the WTO, and the ICC; identifying specific mechanisms of US disengagement; and testing the conditions under which IJG-based interventions could, in theoretical terms, offset the damage through concrete examples of implementation practices – the article advances three hypotheses: the renewed US withdrawal is causing measurable or observable declines …

Zinc-Based Amendments And Zn-Solubilizing Beneficial Bacteria Mitigate Lead-Induced Toxicity In Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.), Mohammad Shahid, Mohammad Abul Farah, Khalid Mashay Al-Anazi, Leonard Koolman

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Lead (Pb) is a toxic metal that disrupts plant physiological processes and poses significant human health risks. Fertilizers, nanomaterials, and mineral-solubilizing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) support phytoremediation as an emerging, eco-friendly strategy for metal detoxification by improving nutrient availability and minimizing metal toxicity in plants. This study explored the interactions of Zn-fertilizer, zinc-oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), and Zn-solubilizing Enterobacter cloacae (Zns-Ec) in mitigating Pb-induced phytotoxicity in 50, 100, and 150 mgPbkg ⁻¹ soil-stressed chickpea. Under Pb stress. Zn, ZnO-NP and Zns-Ec significantly (p < 0.05) improved root biomass (23.4, 52.3, and 71.4%), chl a (21.2, 26.5, and 39.8%), and carotenoids (26.7, 29.7 and 45.7%) in chickpea subjected to 50 mgPbkg ⁻¹ soil. Zn, ZnO-NP and Zns-Ec interactions reduced lipid peroxidation (LPO), hydrogen peroxide (H ₂O ₂) …

Genocidal Accusation, Steven Arrigg Koh

Faculty Scholarship

To accuse of genocide — what does it mean? Genocidal accusation is ubiquitous today, evident more in the public square than in any courtroom. At first glance, such accusation seemingly relies on a central assumption: genocidal accusation is critical to preventing atrocity. This Article argues that this widespread assumption is incomplete, obscuring genocidal accusation’s dual nature. In fact, genocidal accusation encompasses not only laudable atrocity prevention (for example, the Rwandan genocide), but also problematic punitive, carceral discourse that brands the “other” as morally polluted (such as President Putin’s Ukraine invasion). It is thus challenging to evaluate such accusation in the …

An Analytical Assessment Of Sentiment Analysis Trends And Methods Through Systematic Review And Topic Modeling, Chelsey Hill, Fatima Irshaidat, Marina Johnson, Jorge Fresneda

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Sentiment Analysis (SA) applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to identify and interpret opinions, emotions, and sentiment polarity in text data. This study presents a systematic literature review of SA research published between 2012 and 2024 using a dataset of 14,482 journal articles indexed in Scopus. The primary objective of this research is to provide a data-driven overview of the evolution of SA research, offering insights into methodological evolutions, emerging application areas, and the growing influence of AI in the field. The research findings reveal a multidisciplinary growth of SA research, with increasing contributions from Health Sciences …

An Analytics Framework For Healthcare Expenditure Forecasting With Machine Learning, John Wang, Shubin Xu, Yawei Wang, Houda El Bouhissi

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The United States healthcare system relies heavily on Medicaid, which serves nearly 80 million people and accounts for a substantial share of both state and federal budgets. This study employs a range of forecasting methods, including ARIMA, Holt's linear trend, polynomial regressions (degree 2 and 4), Prophet, and piecewise linear regression, as well as machine learning models such as random forest, gradient boosting, and support vector regression, to analyze the growth of Medicaid expenditures. Using data from 1966 to 2024, the analysis identifies historical patterns and evaluates model performance with Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and related metrics to project …

Optimizing Telehealth Utilization During Covid-19: Enhancing Efficiency And Equity Through Data Envelopment Analysis And Machine Learning, Ying Chih Sun, Ozlem Cosgun, Raj Sharman

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study investigates the efficiency of telehealth utilization across U.S. counties during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on identifying the key drivers of efficiency, especially in rural and underserved areas. The primary research goal is to assess the efficiency of telehealth utilization and examine patterns of resource misallocation. A hybrid methodological framework integrates Data Envelopment Analysis to measure county-level efficiency scores and Machine Learning techniques to uncover the most influential predictors of those scores, revealing patterns in resource distribution and infrastructure that contribute to disparities in telehealth performance. Using secondary data from CMS’s 5% Medicare Fee-For-Service claims and various …

Injury Prevention And Care Training Website, Samantha E. Myers

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Injury Prevention and Care is a University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) resource within Campus Recreation and Wellness. It serves a variety of students, staff, , and other membership holders with a variety of resources and treatments in caring for injuries and in seeking to prevent new or worsening of injuries. In facilitating the health and growth of this department and their staff, updating the current training resources, and making them more accessible was necessary. Moving forward, discussions of the importance of accessibility and providing various resources, both in IPC and across the UNO campus, were pivotal in the formation and …

Pathways To Aggression: Understanding Peer Victimization In Adolescence, Makenzie H. Clarken

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Insight into aggression among early adolescents is important to understanding its predictors and consequences. In adolescence, aggression is typically related to underlying issues. Addressing this is important, as unmanageable aggression progressing past early adolescence can result in involvement in the criminal justice system. Studies show that peer victimization is associated with increased levels of aggression. Aggressive adolescents may attract victimization from their peers, or those who are victimized may respond with aggression. The current study followed a sample of 182 fifth and sixth graders over the course of the school year. Constructs such as aggression, peer victimization, and social withdrawal …

Empowerment Or Imprisonment? The Line Between Sex Work And Sex Trafficking: A Comparison Of Law Enforcement And Academic Perspectives, Jocelyn Belcastro

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This research explores the line between consensual sex work and sex trafficking to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and pathways through which sex work may transition into sex trafficking. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with law enforcement professionals that work closely with survivors of sex trafficking to examine the pathways from consent to coercion. An interview with a former sex worker, now college professor, was also conducted to examine the lived experience and academic perspective. Both the law enforcement and academic perspectives were analyzed and compared to one another to form a nuanced understanding of the complex issue of …

Comparative Analysis Of The Effects Of Peppermint Oil On Colorectal Cancer Cells And Human Fibroblasts, Allen W. Mccumbers

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study contrasted the effects of Peppermint Oil on two cell lines, HT29s (colorectal adenocarcinoma cells) and HFFs (Human Foreskin Fibroblasts). Cytotoxic as well as genomic effects were compared between the cell lines. Trypan Blue, Alamar Blue, and qPCR assays were used to study these effects. Both cell lines were treated with a range of Peppermint Oil concentrations, and it was determined that there is a dose-dependent factor associated with cytotoxicity. To confirm results, Alamar and Trypan Blue assays were repeated at 300 and 500 cells/mL respectively. Effects were confirmed, and results were averaged and plotted. Alamar Blue revealed that …

Holistically Analyzing The Initial Athlete-Provider Interaction During Sports Injury Diagnosis, Tyler Baldwin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Recovering from injury is crucial for an athlete’s health-related quality of life and mental health. A potentially significant moment that could influence an athlete’s mindset towards recovery is the interaction between the provider and athlete during initial diagnosis. To analyze this moment from both perspectives, this study performs a thematic analysis of five semi-structured provider interviews and ten athlete interviews. In this study, all five providers exemplified an understanding of this moment’s significance, expressing awareness of their potential impact on the athlete’s mindset, and emphasizing mutual understanding to ensure streamlined recovery. Meanwhile, all ten of the athletes expressed self-awareness regarding …

Factors Associated With Stillbirth In Four Selected Hospital Maternity Units: An Unmatched Case-Control Study In Eswatini, Phetsile Thwala, Abednego Ongeso, Rose Maina, Benard Mutwiri

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Stillbirth is a substantially under-recognized adverse pregnancy outcome that predominantly occurs in low-middle-income countries. In 2019, Eswatini’s stillbirth rate was 13.2 per 1,000 births, higher than global targets. However, there is limited research on stillbirths in Eswatini. This study analyzed factors associated with stillbirths among women giving birth in four selected hospitals.

Methods: A multi-center unmatched case-control study was conducted using secondary data sources from July 1 to December 31, 2021. Birth records of 268 stillbirths (cases) and 1,151 live births (controls) were selected using consecutive and systematic random sampling, respectively. A piloted data extraction tool was used to …

Dinosaurs, Children's Health

Book Recommendations

Book recommendation list from the digital library collection focused on the topic of dinosaurs.

Espanol Chapter Books, Children's Health

Book Recommendations

Book recommendation list from the digital library collection focused on chapter books in Spanish.

Infant And Toddler, Children's Health

Book Recommendations

Book recommendation list from the digital library collection focused on books for infants and toddlers.

Espanol Kids, Children's Health

Book Recommendations

Book recommendation list from the digital library collection focused on children's books in Spanish.