Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Facilitation By Drug States Does Not Depend On Acquired Excitatory Strength, Matthew I. Palmatier, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Three experiments examined the effects of drug-extinction when a drug state served as a conditional stimulus (CS) for sucrose delivery or as a positive feature for pairings between a discrete CS (e.g., 15-s light-on) and sucrose. Some conditioning models predict that drug-state will facilitate the conditional response (CR) based on an association with sucrose whether the drug is trained as a CS or as a facilitator. If so, repeated presentation of the drug state alone (drug-extinction) should decrease the CR in both situations. Nicotine (0.4 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMP, 1 mg/kg), and chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 5 mg/kg) facilitated a goal-tracking conditioned response …

Naltrexone Renders One-Session Exposure Therapy Less Effective: A Controlled Pilot Study, Andrea T. Kozac, C. Richard Spates, Dennis E. Mcchargue, Katherine C. Bailey, Kristin L. Schneider, Michael R. Liepman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In vivo exposure has become the gold standard treatment for specific phobia. The endogenous opioid system is one mechanism proposed to explain why exposure provides such quick and effective treatment for specific phobia. The effect of naltrexone on fear and avoidance behavior was investigated among 15 specific phobia participants who received exposure treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to receive naltrexone, placebo, or no drug prior to attending one-session exposure treatment. Mixed effects regression results revealed that across time, the naltrexone group tolerated significantly less time in the room with the feared animal (Behavioral Avoidance Index) as compared to the placebo …

Developmental Risks And Psychosocial Adjustment Among Low-Income Brazilian Youth, Marcela Raffaelli, Silvia H. Koller, Elder Cerqueria-Santos, Normanda Araujo De Morais

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Exposure to developmental risks in three domains (community, economic, and family), and relations between risks and psychosocial well-being, were examined among 918 impoverished Brazilian youth aged 14-19 (M = 15.8 years, 51.9% female) recruited in low-income neighborhoods in one city in Southern Brazil. High levels of developmental risks were reported, with levels and types of risks varying by gender, age, and (to a lesser extent) race. Associations between levels of risks in the various domains and indicators of psychological (e.g., self-esteem, negative emotionality) and behavioral (e.g., substance use) adjustment differed for male and female respondents. Findings build on prior …

Managing Bovine Tuberculosis In White-Tailed Deer In Northwestern Minnesota: A 2007 Progress Report, Michelle Carstensen, David Pauly, Michael Doncarlos, Lou Cornicelli

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Bovine tuberculosis (TB), first discovered in 2005, has now been found in 11 cattle operations in northwestern Minnesota. To date, all of the infected cattle herds have been depopulated and the Board of Animal Health (BAH) has continued an investigation of herds in the area as well as conducted a statewide surveillance effort. The strain has been identified as one that is consistent with bovine TB found in cattle in the southwestern United States and Mexico. In November 2007, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) conducted bovine TB surveillance of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) within a …

Coyotes As Sentinels For Monitoring Bovine Tuberculosis Prevalence In White-Tailed Deer, Todd Atwood, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Thomas Deliberto, Holly Smith, Justin Stevenson

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is endemic in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 5 counties (Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle) in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The presence of a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis in Michigan and the incidence of bTB in cattle (Bos taurus) resulted in Michigan losing its bTB accredited-free status. Subsequent wildlife surveillance programs identified relatively high disease prevalence in coyotes (Canis latrans), generating interest in their potential to serve as a sentinel species to detect bTB prevalence in white-tailed deer. …

Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange: Public Health Reporting – Where Does All The Data Go?, Keerun Kamble, Nancy C. Shank, Kim Woods, Mark Dekraai, Elizabeth T. Willborn

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Public Health Reporting - Schematics and Matrix outlines the current requirements of public health surveillance and reporting from rural healthcare providers to local, state, and national entities. The report was created to enhance the understanding of public health reporting for members of the Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange Network.

The Public Health Reporting- Schematics and Matrix:

- Highlights the complex processes, duplicate steps, and challenges with public health reporting and information sharing in Western Nebraska.

- Enables public health administrators, educators, and policy makers to make reporting systems more efficient.

- Illustrates an effective way to document a public …

Elder Research: Filling An Important Gap In Psychology And Law, Eve M. Brank

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

In the past few decades, psychology-law as a discipline has made great strides in understanding and guiding public policies on issues related to eyewitnesses, confessions, juries, judges, juveniles, the mentally ill, and many others. As a field, we have largely neglected the oldest subset of the population, with only a few scholars focusing specifically on elder issues or systematically including elders in their studies. The current article is a call to research. It first outlines why elders should be considered as a specific subset of the population even though they have not been an area of focus in the field. …

Impulsivity And The Reinforcing Value Of Cigarette Smoking, Neal Doran, Dennis E. Mcchargue, Lee Cohen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study tested the hypothesis that impulsivity would predict perceptions of positive and negative reinforcement from smoking. The secondary hypothesis was that the relationship between impulsivity and smoking reinforcement expectations would be mediated by the character trait of self-directedness. College students (n= 202) who reported smoking cigarettes participated in the survey study. Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that impulsivity predicted expectations about positive (β = .22, p = .001) and negative (β = .25, p = .001) reinforcement from smoking. These relationships were also mediated by self-directedness. Results suggest that impulsive smokers in the early stages of dependence …

Granny, (Don’T) Get Your Gun: Competency Issues In Gun Ownership By Older Adults, Edith Greene, Brian H. Bornstein, Hannah Dietrich

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This article explores the possible risks associated with gun ownership by older adults. We summarize existing regulations on who may own firearms, especially with respect to age. We then present data on older gun owners and violence committed by older adults in general, followed by a discussion of gun violence perpetrated by gun owners whose functional and cognitive abilities have declined, perhaps as a result of dementia. For comparison purposes, we review regulations on driving among older adults, drawing parallels to gun ownership. The paper concludes with recommendations for ensuring the safety of older gun owners and others, balanced against …

Cognitive Psychology And Survey Methodology: Nurturing The Continuing Dialogue Between Disciplines, Robert F. Belli, Frederick G. Conrad, Daniel B. Wright

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

For quite some time, survey researchers have sought to understand the causes of re¬sponse errors, that is the difference between what respondents report and the truth of their circumstances (O’Muircheartaigh, 1997). Within the past 20 years, a dialogue has emerged between cognitive psychologists and survey researchers to explore the role that cognition plays in response errors (Jabine, Straf, Tanur, & Tourangeau, 1984; Jobe & Mingay, 1991). The dialogue has been known as the cognitive aspects of survey methodology (CASM) movement. Of course, to survey researchers, the aim is to reduce response errors. By adopting perspectives and methods from cognitive psychology, …

Hantavirus And Arenavirus Antibodies In Persons With Occupational Rodent Exposure, North America, Charles F. Fulhorst, Mary Louise Milazzo, Lori R. Armstrong, James E. Childs, Pierre E. Rollin, Rima Khabbaz, C.J. Peters, Thomas G G. Ksiazek

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Rodents are the principal hosts of Sin Nombre virus, 4 other hantaviruses known to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North America, and the 3 North American arenaviruses. Serum samples from 757 persons who had worked with rodents in North America and handled neotomine or sigmodontine rodents were tested for antibodies against Sin Nombre virus, Whitewater Arroyo virus, Guanarito virus, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Antibodies against Sin Nombre virus were found in 4 persons, against Whitewater Arroyo virus or Guanarito virus in 2 persons, and against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in none. These results suggest that risk for infection with hantaviruses or …

Development Of An Assay To Determine Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Prion Gene For The Genetic Diagnosis Of Relative Susceptibility To Classical Scrapie In Sheep, Mary Lynn Johnson, Jessica M. Evoniuk, Charles L. Stoltenow, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Dale A. Redmer

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

The objective of this study was to develop a reliable Taqman® 5' Nuclease Assay for genotyping sheep for scrapie susceptibility. The sheep prion gene contains 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may mediate resistance to classical scrapie, one at codon 136, alanine (A) or valine (V), and another at codon 171, arginine (R) or glutamine (Q). The R allele appears to confer resistance to classical scrapie, with the AA₁₃₆ RR₁₇₁ genotype the most resistant to scrapie and QR₁₇₁ only rarely infected in the US sheep population. The Assays by Design^SM protocol was used for development of …

Issues Associated With Secondary Analysis Of Population Health Data, Sandra C. Garmon Bibb

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Analysis of population health data is crucial for the success of population health. Secondary analysis of data contained in publicly available clinical, administrative, and national health survey databases is a cost-effective and scientific method for generating data to support population health. There are several issues associated with secondary analysis of population health data that must be addressed if analyses are to be expedient, economical, and reliable. This article outlines the value of using secondary analysis to generate population health data, discusses issues associated with secondary analysis of population health data, and offers suggestions for addressing these issues.

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (Epr) In Medical Dosimetry, David A. Schauer, Akinori Iwasaki, Alexander A. Romanyukha, Harold M. Swartz, Sandro Onori

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

This paper describes the fundamentals of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and its application to retrospective measurements of clinically significant doses of ionizing radiation. X-band is the most widely used in EPR dosimetry because it represents a good compromise between sensitivity, sample size and water content in the sample. Higher frequency bands (e.g., W and Q) provide higher sensitivity, but they are also greatly influenced by water content. L and S bands can be used for EPR measurements in samples with high water content but they are less sensitive than X-band. Quality control for therapeutic radiation facilities using X-band EPR spectrometry …

Eating Disorder Pathology Among Overweight Treatment-Seeking Youth: Clinical Correlates And Cross-Sectional Risk Modeling, Kamryn T. Eddy, Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Heather Thompson-Brenner, David B. Herzog, Timothy A. Brown, David S. Ludwig

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Preliminary research suggests that pediatric overweight is associated with increased eating disorder pathology, however, little is known about which overweight youth are most vulnerable to eating disorder pathology. We therefore investigated 122 overweight treatment-seeking youth to describe eating disorder pathology and mental health correlates, and to identify psychopathological constructs that may place overweight youth at increased risk for eating disorder pathology. Youth participated in a comprehensive assessment of eating disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, general psychopathology, and risk variables involving semi-structured clinical interviews and self- and parent-report questionnaires prior to the initiation of weight-loss treatment. Ten youth met criteria for …

The Birth Of A Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Khur) In India’S Little Rann Of Kutch, Gertrud Neumann-Denzau

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The birth of a wild ass was completely described and photographed in the wild for the first time. It happened in the daytime, in the open desert, and in the vicinity of other wild asses. The mother isolated her foal afterwards for an entire day. After birthing she drove away her male yearling, which did not join her any longer from this moment on.

Avian Influenza Vaccination: A Commentary Focusing On H5n1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza, Karen Burns Grogan, David A. Halvorson, Richard D. Slemons

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Avian influenza (AI) is a viral disease of poultry, caused by influenzavirus A, classified in the family Orthomyxoviridiae. The influenza A viruses maintained in birds are commonly referred to as avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The AIVs are antigenically, genetically, and biologically diverse, are found worldwide in birds, and infect a variety of avian species.

Planning “Discrete” Movements Using A Continuous System: Insights From A Dynamic Field Theory Of Movement Preparation, Anne R. Schutte, John P. Spencer

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The timed-initiation paradigm developed by Ghez and colleagues (1997) has revealed two modes of motor planning: continuous and discrete. Continuous responding occurs when targets are separated by less than 60° of spatial angle, and discrete responding occurs when targets are separated by greater than 60°. Although these two modes are thought to reflect the operation of separable strategic planning systems, a new theory of movement preparation, the Dynamic Field Theory, suggests that two modes emerge flexibly from the same system. Experiment 1 replicated continuous and discrete performance using a task modified to allow for a critical test of the single …

Department Of Veterinary And Biomedical Sciences 2007 Annual Report

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Information and History

The first class of twenty· five Nebraska students began their DVM degree program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The new program provides for students from Nebraska to complete their first two years of the professional school at UNL. The second two years of training will be completed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University. Under the agreement, the students will pay Iowa State resident tuition rates all four years.

To prepare for the new program, an anatomy teaching laboratory, classroom and microbiology laboratory were develop by renovating space in the Animal Science Complex. New faculty members hired to …

The Class Ii Major Histocompatibility Complex Molecule Bola-Dr Is Expressed By Endothelial Cells Of The Bovine Corpus Luteum, Matthew J. Cannon, John S. Davis, Joy L. Pate

United States Public Health Resources

Cells expressing class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are found within the corpus luteum (CL) of several species. Expression and localization of class II MHC molecules in the bovine CL were examined in the present study. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed class II MHC molecules on single cells in early CL (days 4 and 5 post-estrus). Two class II MHC-expressing cell types were observed in midcycle CL (days 10–12 post-estrus), single cells similar to those observed in the early CL, and endothelial cells. Not all endothelial cells expressed class II MHC, and further investigation revealed expression of only one type of …

Global Scale Climate–Crop Yield Relationships And The Impacts Of Recent Warming, David Lobell, Christopher Field

United States Public Health Resources

Changes in the global production of major crops are important drivers of food prices, food security and land use decisions. Average global yields for these commodities are determined by the performance of crops in millions of fields distributed across a range of management, soil and climate regimes. Despite the complexity of global food supply, here we show that simple measures of growing season temperatures and precipitation—spatial averages based on the locations of each crop—explain ∼30% or more of year-to-year variations in global average yields for the world’s six most widely grown crops. For wheat, maize and barley, there is a …

Demographic Factors Associated With Prevalence Of Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice In The Western United States, Charles Calisher, Kent Wagoner, Brian Amman, J. Jeffrey Root, Richard J. Douglass, Amy Kuenzi, Ken Abbott, Cheryl Parmenter, Terry Yates, Thomas Ksiazek, Barry J. Beaty, James N. Mills

United States Public Health Resources

We used long-term data collected for up to 10 yr (1994–2004) at 23 trapping arrays (i.e., webs and grids) in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico to examine demographic factors known or suspected to be associated with risk of infection with Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in its natural host, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Gender, age (mass), wounds or scars, season, and local relative population densities were statistically associated with the period prevalence of antibody (used as a marker of infection) to SNV in host populations. Nevertheless, antibody prevalence and some of the risk factors associated with antibody …

Identification Of Vibrio Isolates By A Multiplex Pcr Assay And Rpob Sequence Determination, Cheryl L. Tarr, Jayna S. Patel, Nancy Puhr, Evangeline Sowers, Cheryl A. Bopp, Nancy A. Strockbine

United States Public Health Resources

Vibrio, a diverse genus of aquatic bacteria, currently includes 72 species, 12 of which occur in human clinical samples. Of these 12, three species—Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus—account for the majority of Vibrio infections in humans. Rapid and accurate identification of Vibrio species has been problematic because phenotypic characteristics are variable within species and biochemical identification requires 2 or more days to complete. To facilitate the identification of human-pathogenic species, we developed a multiplex PCR that uses species-specific primers to amplify gene regions in four species (V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. …

Annual Report To The Nation On The Status Of Cancer, 1975–2004, Featuring Cancer In American Indians And Alaska Natives, David K. Espey, Xiao-Cheng Wu, Judith Swan, Charles Wiggins, Melissa A. Jim, Elizabeth Ward, Phyllis A. Wingo, Holly L. Howe, Lynn A. G. Ries, Barry A. Miller, Ahmedin Jemal, Faruque Ahmed, Nathaniel Cobb, Judith S. Kaur, Brenda K. Edwards

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND. The American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries collaborate annually to provide updated information on cancer occurrence and trends in the U.S. The 2007 report features a comprehensive compilation of cancer information for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN).

METHODS. Cancer incidence data were available for up to 82% of the U.S. population. Cancer deaths were available for the entire U.S. population. Long-term (1975 through 2004) and fixed-interval (1995 through 2004) incidence and mortality trends were evaluated by annual percent change …

One-Year Changes In Glucose And Heart Disease Risk Factors Among Participants In The Wisewoman Programme, Jc Will, O Khavjou, Ea Finkelstein, Rk Loo, Ky Gregory-Mercado

United States Public Health Resources

Background: WISEWOMAN provides chronic disease risk factor screening, referrals and lifestyle interventions to low-income, uninsured women, to reduce their heart disease and stroke risk. Participants learn behaviour-changing skills tailored to low-income populations, such as collaborative goal setting, the need to take small steps and other empowerment techniques.

Aim: To quantify the baseline prevalence of pre-diabetes (fasting blood glucose 5.5–6.9 mmol/l) and diabetes among WISEWOMAN participants and assess one year changes in glucose levels and other diabetes risk factors.

Methods: We used 1998–2005 baseline and one-year follow-up data from WISEWOMAN participants. Using a multilevel regression model, we assessed …

Poxviral B1 Kinase Overcomes Barrier To Autointegration Factor, A Host Defense Against Virus Replication, Matthew S. Wiebe, Paula Traktman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Barrier to autointegration factor (BAF) is a DNA-binding protein found in the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells that functions to establish nuclear architecture during mito-sis. Herein, we demonstrate a cytoplasmic role for BAF in host defense during poxviral infections. Vaccinia is the prototypic poxvirus, a family of DNA viruses that replicate ex-clusively in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Mutations in the vaccinia B1 kinase (B1) com-promise viral DNA replication, but the mechanism by which B1 achieves this has remained elusive. We now show that BAF acts as a potent inhibitor of poxvirus replication unless its DNA-binding activity is blocked …

A Scale-Free Systems Theory Of Motivation And Addiction, R. Andrew Chambers, Warren K. Bickel, Marc N. Potenza

United States Public Health Resources

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical–striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical–striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development …

Are Smokers Only Using Cigarettes? Exploring Current Polytobacco Use Among An Adult Population, Jennifer M. Bombard, Linda L. Pederson, David E. Nelson, Ann M. Malarcher

United States Public Health Resources

Background: The primary focus of tobacco prevention and cessation interventions has been on cigarette smoking. Polytobacco use (the concurrent use of cigarettes and one or more other tobacco product[s]), may present additional health risks and make cessation more difficult.
Methods: We determined population estimates of tobacco product use and of polytobacco use for more than 50000 adults from 10 states. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors independently associated with polytobacco use among men only (due to low use among women).
Results: The overall adult prevalence was 22.4% for cigarettes and 3.4% for polytobacco use. Polytobacco use was more …

Relaxin Receptors In Hepatic Stellate Cells And Cirrhotic Liver, Robert G. Bennett, Shana R. Dalton, Katrina J. Mahan, Martha J. Gentry-Nielsen, Frederick G. Hamel, Dean J. Tuma

United States Public Health Resources

The polypeptide hormone relaxin has antifibrotic effects on a number of tissues, including the liver. Central to the progression of hepatic fibrosis is the transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) from a quiescent state to an activated, myofibroblastic phenotype that secretes fibrillar collagen. Relaxin inhibits markers of HSC activation, but relaxin receptor expression in the liver is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression of the relaxin receptors LGR7 and LGR8 in activated HSC. Production of cAMP was induced by treatment of HSC with relaxin, or the relaxin-related peptides InsL3 or relaxin-3, selective activators of LGR8 …

Performance Of A Commercial Immunoglobulin M Antibody Capture Assay Using Analyte-Specific Reagents To Screen For Interfering Factors During A West Nile Virus Epidemic Season In Nebraska, Anthony R. Sambol, Steven H. Hinrichs, Wayne R. Hogrefe, Beth K. Schweitzer

United States Public Health Resources

In 2003, the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory tested more than 10,371 serum and 516 cerebral spinal fluid specimens. Results showed that without performing the interfering factors screen for specimens in the low positive index value range of >1.1 to ≤3.5, a false positivity rate of 6.5% would have been realized.