Digital Commons Network^™

Part Ii Common Questions And Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation: What Does The Scientific Evidence Really Show?, Jose Antonio, Ann F Brown, Darren G Candow, Philip D Chilibeck, Stacey J Ellery, Scott C Forbes, Bruno Gualano, Andrew R Jagim, Chad Kerksick, Richard B Kreider, Sergej M Ostojic, Eric S Rawson, Michael D Roberts, Hamilton Roschel, Abbie E Smith-Ryan, Jeffrey R Stout, Mark A Tarnopolsky, Trisha A Vandusseldorp, Darryn S Willoughby, Tim N Ziegenfuss

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Creatine monohydrate supplementation (CrM) is a safe and effective intervention for improving certain aspects of sport, exercise performance, and health across the lifespan. Despite its evidence-based pedigree, several questions and misconceptions about CrM remain. To initially address some of these concerns, our group published a narrative review in 2021 discussing the scientific evidence as to whether CrM leads to water retention and fat accumulation, is a steroid, causes hair loss, dehydration or muscle cramping, adversely affects renal and liver function, and if CrM is safe and/or effective for children, adolescents, biological females, and older adults. As a follow-up, the purpose …

Reply To Chaïbi And Tandjaoui-Lambiotte And To Young And Scott, Joan B Soriano, Francesca Polverino

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Transoral Robotic-Assisted Removal Of A Submucosal Pyriform Sinus Foreign Body, Elisabeth Wenneker, Rebecca Doctor, Ari Schuman, Adam Szymanowski, Ray Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Submucosal foreign bodies of the medial pyriform sinus represent a challenge given limited visualization and difficult retraction with endoscopic approaches, and risk of injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve with open approaches. Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) offers improved visualization and multiple working arms to facilitate retraction. We present a novel case utilizing the Da Vinci SP system for removal of an embedded fishbone of the medial pyriform sinus.

Results: An 84-year-old woman presented with five days of odynophagia and globus sensation after swallowing a fish bone. Non-contrast computed tomography scan revealed a 3.0 cm submucosal object within the post-cricoid …

Screening For Diabetes After Solid Organ Transplantation: A 10-Year Retrospective Study, Ridwan B Ibrahim, Sneha Kumar, Sahil Malik, Joseph A Spinner, Daniel H Leung, Sridevi Devaraj

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common and important complication after solid organ transplantation, affecting long-term outcomes. Graft rejection, decreased patient survival, infections and increased cardiovascular risk are associated with PTDM and may arise from both transplant-related and traditional risk factors. Early screening for PTDM is crucial for early detection and management. Despite clinical guidelines recommending regular screening for PTDM, screening rates remain suboptimal. This retrospective study analyzes PTDM screening rates between January 2014-January 2024 among pediatric kidney, liver, heart and lung transplant recipients at a large quaternary academic pediatric transplant center. PTDM screening rates vary by organ type, with …

Sport Participation, Academic Engagement, And Well-Being Among Adolescents Impacted By Parental Incarceration, Sarah Kaja, Amy L. Gower Ph.D., Frederique Corcoran, Ingie Osman, Elizabeth Shaver, Samantha J. Adler, Rebecca Shlafer

Journal of Youth Development

Millions of American adolescents have experienced the developmental consequences associated with parental incarceration. Positive youth development activities, including sports team participation, could buffer some of the risks of parental incarceration. Research on sports involvement among adolescents impacted by parental incarceration is scant and suggests their participation may be limited, though a significant body of research among adolescents in general demonstrates sports team participation is associated with better outcomes. We addressed important gaps in research by 1) estimating the prevalence of sports team participation among adolescents impacted by parental incarceration, 2) examining whether sports team participation differed by socioeconomic status in …

High-School-Age Youth Serving As “Emotion Coaches” For Young Children In The Early Grades: A Feasibility Study Of A Cross-Age Approach To Social And Emotional Learning, Amanda Moreno, Maria Kontoudakis, Whitney Davis-Mcintosh, Anita Evans, Olivia Bobbitt

Journal of Youth Development

While the benefits of cross-age programming within youth have been understood for decades, such programs are rarely employed with curricula specific to social and emotional learning (SEL) or with a wide age range between the two groups of youth. This article describes the findings of a pilot implementation and feasibility study of the Emotion Coaches program, which sought to explore whether the conceptual and pragmatic challenges involved in bringing early childhood students (i.e., preschool to second grade) together with adolescent teachers delivering an SEL curriculum could be overcome. Findings from the pilot evaluation suggested that middle-school-age students are likely too …

Optimizing Cobb Mx X 500 Broiler Diets Through The Investigation Of Lysine And Energy Synergies, Soybean Processing “Add-Backs” Ingredients, And Soybean Genotype Amino Acid Selection, Savannah Caroline Wells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored strategies to optimize Cobb MX x 500 broiler chicken nutrition by investigating lysine and energy synergies, the utilization of soybean processing by-products (“add-backs”), and soybean genotype selection for enhanced amino acid composition. Three independent but complementary research objectives were pursued to improve feed efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness in modern broiler production. The first objective assessed the interactive effects of dietary lysine and metabolizable energy (ME) on the performance and carcass traits of Cobb MX × 500 broilers. Using a central composite design, nine dietary treatments were formulated across multiple feeding phases. Results demonstrated that broiler performance responded …

Hyperspectral Indicators And Characterization Of Glyphosate-Induced Stress In Common Lambsquarters (Chenopodium Album L.), Mario Andrés Soto Valencia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hyperspectral sensing enables detection of herbicide stress in weeds, but practical use requires strategies for redundancy control, rating variability management, and evaluator bias mitigation. This thesis evaluates common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) under glyphosate exposure, aiming to identify key wavelengths, construct vegetation indices, and improve injury modeling. Greenhouse experiments used dimensionality reduction methods (principal component analysis, Relief F, Bayesian discriminant analysis) to isolate 34 unique wavelengths from about 3,200 bands. Calibration data were collected 14 days after treatment (DAT) to support wavelength selection and model development, while data from 27 DAT were used for independent validation. Class comparisons across six statistically …

Establishment Of Native Warm-Season Forages Using Organic Practices, Kolten Ray Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Grassland agriculture is seen as a particularly sustainable form of agriculture. Many opportunities are known to use organic production methods or incorporate native warm-season grasses (NWSG) to accomplish both production goals and environmental or social outcomes. Environmental concerns have led some practitioners to question the use of organic methods to establish NWSG. As limited work has been accomplished in the northern bermudagrass belt, this project sought to compare organic establishment strategies for common NWSG species. A field trial conducted at the USDA ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, AR found that NWSG establishment success in the …

Ecological Elemental Homeostasis And Stoichiometric Shifts: Biotic Responses To Ionic And Viral Stress, Samuel Anthony Tooru Dias

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities are reshaping the elemental composition of freshwater ecosystems, often creating stoichiometric imbalances that influence the growth, physiology and interactions of aquatic organisms. Ecological stoichiometric theory (EST) provides a framework for examining these changes by linking organismal elemental regulation to broader ecosystem processes. While traditionally focused on elements, such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), emerging stressors highlight the need to expand this framework to be more elementally inclusive for the examination of novel interactions. My dissertation integrates abiotic (salinization) and biotic stressors (viral infection) into an EST framework to evaluate how these factors alter elemental regulation …

Using Color And Fluorescent Spectrometry As A New Rapid Cleaning Verification Method In Poultry Processing Plants, Clark Griscom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry is expected to be growing at 3% in the total global market with the U.S. being the largest producer of poultry meat. Poultry processing plants are expected to produce 140 birds per minute with the potential of up to 175 birds per minute to meet the market demand. With the growing market and need for faster production, maintaining food safety needs to be a priority to ensure the safety of consumers. Over 9.9 million foodborne illness cases are reported each year in the United States. A change in food safety is needed, and one area lacking is …

Next-Generation Salmonella Inactivated Vaccine Platforms And Phytobiotic-Modulated Immune Responses In Poultry, Santiago Uribe Diaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here, a comprehensive understanding of immune responses triggered by either a multimeric CD40 receptor-agonistic DNA aptamer-based or mannosylated chitosan-based Salmonella Enteritidis inactivated vaccine platforms, along with phytobiotic supplementation as an immune modulatory strategy in response to Salmonella lipopolysaccharides, is presented. This dissertation supports the development of next-generation Salmonella vaccine platforms that simultaneously stimulate both protective cell-mediated and humoral immune responses, while indicating the potential immunomodulatory effects of phytobiotics supplementation to reduce the immunological impact of Salmonella lipopolysaccharides in chickens. The first chapter describes that both vaccine platforms administered in broiler chickens initiated local inflammatory responses, recruiting heterophils and macrophages from …

Micro-Greens, Not Micro-Yellows: Evaluating Dehydration-Based Preservation Techniques For Reducing Foodborne Pathogens And Quality Preservation On Microgreens, Travis S. Sananikone

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microgreens are increasingly popular among consumers due to their high nutritional value. However, their limited shelf-life remains a significant challenge. To extend their usability, small-scale growers increasingly apply home preservation methods like warm air drying or freeze-drying. However, the effects of these methods on common foodborne pathogens are not well understood. Radish and alfalfa microgreens were inoculated with cocktails of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes 4b (ca. 8.0 log CFU/g). Treatments included dehydration in a commercial dehydrator, freeze-drying (-20°C, 24 h), and convective drying in an oven (60°C for 4 h), and convective drying in an oven …

Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy-Derived Oxygen Desaturation Rates During Post-Exercise Circulatory Occlusion As Predictors Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Markers, Carstell Lee

Honors Theses

Cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) is a critical predictor of all-cause mortality and overall cardiovascular health. Metabolic carts are the current gold standard for evaluation of VO₂max, but are inaccessible to most facilities and individuals, and are expensive ($20,000+). Near-Infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has emerged as an accessible and affordable ($5,000-$10,000) alternative for evaluating skeletal muscle oxygenation kinetics and mitochondrial oxidative capacity. However, there is limited research in examining whether NIRS-derived oxygen desaturation rates can be a predictor of cardiorespiratory fitness markers (such as VO₂max and peak power output [PPO]), and whether these measurements show a superior predictive …

Investigating The Cardiovascular And Autonomic Responses To Energy Drink Consumption: The Role Of Energy And Calorie Content, Sophia Schmidt

Honors Theses

Energy drinks (EDs) are among the most consumed functional beverages, often marketed to enhance focus, alertness, and physical performance. Despite their popularity, the combined cardiovascular and autonomic effects of caffeine and sugar during exercise remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute cardiovascular, metabolic, and autonomic responses to sugar-sweetened (ED-S), non-nutritive sweetened (ED-NNS), and placebo beverages during submaximal cycling in healthy young males.

Nine male participants (age 22.2 ± 2.4 yrs; BMI 26.2 ± 2.9 kg/m²) completed three experimental visits in a randomized, repeated-measures design. Each visit involved ingestion of one drink (ED-S, ED-NNS, or …

A Story Of Life Through Death: An Osteobiography Of Two Individuals From The Late Saxon Period, Isabella Ragazzi

Honors Theses

The Anglo-Saxons were the most influential inhabitants of the British Isles in the years AD 450-1066, reigning during a time marked by much warfare, pestilence, and famine. Their impact on British history is still seen through archival materials as well as the archeological and bioarchaeological records. A recent development in the field of bioarchaeology is the osteobiography, which places skeletal analysis in context of the overall culture to create the most complete interpretation of the individual and their life history. Involving both traditional bioarchaeological evaluation and isotopic analysis, this method was applied to two Anglo-Saxon skulls donated to the University …

An Assessment Of The Relationship Between Stress And Glucose Levels In Medical Laboratory Science Students, Jayla Edwards

Honors Theses

Stress is prevalent among college students. Prolonged, unmanaged stress can affect physiological processes such as glucose metabolism. This study aimed to examine the effects of stress on glucose levels of medical laboratory science (MLS) students at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). To achieve this, the participants’ perceived stress levels and glucose levels were measured at the beginning of the semester and during finals week, a period when college students typically experience the most stress. There were nineteen MLS students that participated. Data was collected at two phases: phase 1 at the beginning of the semester and phase 2 during …

Defining The Causal Contribution Of The Gut Microbiota To Cardiomyopathy Pathogenesis As A Basis For Developing Microbiome-Targeted Therapies, Xu Shi

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

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, placing substantial clinical and economic burdens on society. Although advances in therapy have improved patient outcomes, the biological mechanisms that drive HF onset and progression remain incompletely understood. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota, the trillions of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract, plays a key role in some forms of heart disease, especially cardiovascular disease. Moreover, gut microbial dysbiosis has been associated with systemic inflammation, metabolic imbalance, and immune dysregulation, all of which contribute to the pathophysiology of HF. Cardiomyopathy, a primary disorder of the heart …

Knowing One's Place At The Table: Taste As A Means Of Othering In The American Colonies, 1700-1775, Nicholas Harp

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This thesis began as an inquiry into a simple question. How did people in the American colonies talk about the food that they ate? This question led to a fascinating look into the social dynamics of the people living in eighteenth century America. Their own personal writings demonstrate how they understood their place in society through the food that they ate. Moreover, they often wrote about the way that other people ate in ways that alienated or discriminated against different ethnic groups. A look into the secondary historiography revealed that other historians had noticed this trend. However, very few addressed …

Mental Health Outcomes Of A Pediatric-Focused Obesity Randomized Control Trial In Rural Communities, Brittany D. Lancaster, E. Goldenberg, A. S. Trofimoff, Y. Dai, B. Forseth, R. S. Romine, K. Fleming, Ann M. Davis

Publications

Objective: This study explores the impact of iAmHealthy, a rurally focused pediatric obesity intervention, on mental health outcomes and examines how baseline mental health affects body mass index (BMI) outcomes for child–parent dyads in rural communities. Method: Eighteen schools were randomly assigned to iAmHealthy or the Newsletter Control group. iAmHealthy consists of health coaching and group sessions via televideo. Child and parent height and weight, child depression, child quality of life, and parent distress were assessed at baseline, posttreatment (8 months), and follow-up (20 months) from October 2017 to December 2021. Multilevel modeling assessed treatment effects on mental health and …

An Integrated Modeling Framework To Evaluate Circularity Of The Corn–Water–Ethanol–Beef Nexus, Heydi Han

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the transition from conventional linear agricultural and food bioenergy systems toward more circular, resilient, and resource-efficient configurations. Prior research indicates that spatial and temporal variability in soil, weather, animal biological responses, and management decisions strongly influences productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and profitability. Studies have also shown that a diversified circular system can buffer these sources of variability, improving stability and adaptive capacity. Building on these insights, the central focus of this work is to develop an integrated modeling framework to evaluate circularity within the Corn-Water-Ethanol-Beef (CWEB) nexus and explore how climate variability and management choices shape system-wide performance. …

Ai-Enabled Robotic Nitrogen Management, Ankita Kalra

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Nitrogen management in corn agriculture faces economic and environmental challenges, motivating development of precision, site-specific solutions. This dissertation presents AIR-N (AI-Enabled Robotic Nitrogen Management), a novel system that integrates cloud-based artificial intelligence with an autonomous field robot (Flex-Ro) to optimize nitrogen fertilizer application in real time. The research is driven by the need to improve nitrogen use efficiency while reducing leaching and emissions.

Comprehensive architecture (Cloud-E) was designed using Amazon Web Services to ingest multi-modal agronomic data (soil sensors, crop reflectance, weather) and host machine learning models. A Random Forest-based model was trained on historical field data to predict spatially …

Public Perceptions Of Leadership Effectiveness In Ethiopia Over The Last Decade, Fikadu Reta Alemayehu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Africa, with a fast-growing economy, rich history, diverse agroecology, more than 70 languages, and a population exceeding 130 million. However, the country continues to face serious internal conflict, high malnutrition, and economic hardship, while the study of leadership effectiveness remains limited and lacks consistent longitudinal research. To help fill this gap, this study examined how public perceptions of leadership effectiveness and development outcomes changed in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2023, using Afrobarometer survey data. The analysis explored how citizens’ views about governance, wellbeing, and access to services evolved during a decade of …

Development Of Databases For Glycan Utilization And Anti-Prokaryotic Defense In Microbiomes, Yuchen Yan

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Microbiomes in humans, animals, plants, and other environments are necessary components of the biosphere for global nutrient cycling and maintaining ecosystem balance. In particular, the gut microbiome plays an essential role in modulating human health through glycan utilization. Carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), CAZyme gene clusters (CGCs), and polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) are key genomic features that determine microbial capacities for carbohydrate metabolism. Meanwhile, the arms race between phages and prokaryotes has led to the evolution of various anti-prokaryotic immune systems (APIS) in phages to counteract prokaryotic immune systems (PIS).

As bioinformatics methods used to analyze microbiome information advance rapidly, there is …

Advancing Precision Agriculture Through The Application Of Remote Sensing Technologies In Plant Health Assessment, Thomas Wilbur Davis

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Monitoring plant health, including nutritional status assessment, is an important component of crop management decisions. This doctoral document addresses the use of agricultural remote sensing through focused investigations of plant disease detection and nutrient status assessment technologies that advance precision agriculture. The first chapter provides a comprehensive overview of remote sensing technologies in agriculture and examines current capabilities, limitations, and future directions. The final two chapters address studies that evaluated the virus-nitrogen interaction in wheat and compared methods to determine the nitrogen status of midseason field corn.

The first study evaluated the wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) × nitrogen interaction …

The Role Of Peroxisomal Acot4 And Acot8 In Modulating Lipid Metabolism And Stress Pathways In Steatotic Hepatocytes, Sylwia Miekus

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

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and the development of lipotoxic stress that disrupts cellular homeostasis. Peroxisomal lipid metabolism plays an important role in maintaining acyl-CoA balance during fatty acid overload, yet the contribution of peroxisomal acyl-CoA thioesterases to early lipotoxic responses remains insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional involvement of the peroxisomal enzymes acyl-CoA thioesterase 4 (ACOT4) and acyl-CoA thioesterase 8 (ACOT8) in hepatocyte lipid handling under acute lipotoxic conditions. An in vitro model of steatosis was established in AML12 cells through exposure to a …

Exploring The Relationship Between Social Media And Anxiety In Deaf Community Students: A Mixed-Methods Approach., Gigi Zheng

Theses

The mental health of Deaf individuals, particularly in relation to social media engagement, is an understudied area amid growing global concerns about anxiety disorders. Deaf individuals face unique challenges, including communication barriers, social isolation, and stigma, all of which can heighten anxiety levels. Although social media offers valuable opportunities for connection and self-expression, it may also amplify stress and feelings of inadequacy when accessibility barriers persist. This mixed-methods study examined anxiety among Deaf college students and explored the cultural validity of two widely used anxiety measures—the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Quantitative data were collected …

Evaluating The Role Of Seaweeds In Dairy Production: Impacts On In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation, And In Vivo Mineral Utilization And Metabolic Status, William Mitchell Sims

Doctoral Dissertations

Dietary inclusion of seaweed in ruminant diets has been studied for more than 5 decades. Early research in seaweed focused primarily on potential health benefits, but recent interest has shifted the paradigm for its use as a nutritional tool to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. As new seaweeds are identified for their ability to reduce gas emissions, the pendulum will swing once more to understand the impact seaweeds have on ruminant health and production. The overall objective of this dissertation is to investigate digestibility and fermentation, as well as alterations in metabolic and mineral status in ruminants fed various seaweed species. …

Current Knowledge And Perspectives Of Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport In An Athletic Environment, Meredith Rebecca Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sport performance personnel are in a unique position to directly impact athletes. While the primary individuals who manage athlete health are physicians, sport dietitians, and certified athletic trainers, sport coaches and strength and conditioning coaches also play an impactful role in an athlete’s performance and well-being. Using an original survey, this study investigated REDs knowledge by certified athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and sport coaches. The survey was employed to assess sport performance professionals’ general knowledge of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and low energy availability (LEA) and opinions on the role of health professionals in REDs identification, …

Energy Assimilation And Thermoregulatory Behavior In Populations Of A Vertebrate Ectotherm (Sceloporus Consobrinus) Along A Geographic Thermal Gradient, Brandon Wolfsohn

Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Ectothermic organisms make up a vast majority of animal species and fill many vital roles in ecosystems due to their prevalence. Because ectotherms are inherently affected by the thermal environment, they are severely impacted by environmental issues such as climate change and other human driven processes that may affect thermal habitats. To better understand how ecosystems are affected by changes in climate, we need a greater understanding of how ectothermic organisms respond and adapt to altered environmental temperatures. This study aims to understand some of the adaptational differences between populations of a widespread lizard species, Sceloporus consobrinus, that inhabit a …