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Youth Sport Participation and Cognitive Development: The Need for Improved Measurement
Get PDFBackground: Youth sport participation is associated with numerous positive developmental outcomes, including potential cognitive benefits. However, research examining sport-cognition links often uses simplistic operationalizations of sport participation and cross-sectional designs, limiting causal inference and understanding of specific sport characteristics\u27 roles. This study aimed to develop and compare a novel, nuanced sport participation scoring method against common operationalizations in predicting cognitive outcomes in a large youth sample, while controlling for general physical activity and health as a first step towards more robust longitudinal analyses.Methods: Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Year 2 follow-up (n ≈ 9,000–11,000 depending on analysis, ages 10.6–14.0 years). Sport participation was operationalized using four methods: 1) binary athlete/non-athlete, 2) open-skill versus closed-skill sport participation, 3) strategic versus interceptive versus static (equivalent to closed-skill) sport participation, and 4) a novel Motor Skill Complexity-Volume Index (MSCVI) based on Gentile\u27s Taxonomy of Motor Skills, invasion game context, and estimated annual participation hours. Cognitive outcomes included NIH Toolbox cognition measures (Pattern Comparison Processing Speed, Picture Sequence Memory, Flanker Inhibitory Control & Attention, Picture Vocabulary, Oral Reading Recognition), Little Man Task Efficiency (a mental rotation task), and Rey’s Auditory Verbal Learning Test Delayed Recall. Latent variables representing general health and physical activity were included as covariates. Structural equation modeling was used to compare models and examine moderation by binary indicators of sex (male/female), poverty status (above/below the poverty line), and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White/any other race or ethnicity) using a multi-group approach.Results: All sport operationalizations showed statistically significant positive associations with most cognitive outcomes in the baseline models. After controlling for latent health and physical activity factors, these associations were attenuated but generally remained significant, though effect sizes were small (standardized βs \u3c 0.15). The MSCVI demonstrated significant positive associations with all measured cognitive outcomes after controlling for covariates. Differentiating sport types revealed nuances: open-skill, strategic, and interceptive sports generally showed broader cognitive associations than closed-skill/static sports after accounting for covariates. Significant moderation was observed, most notably by poverty status; sport-cognition associations were substantially weaker or non-significant in the below-poverty subgroup across most models and outcomes, although low statistical power in this subgroup warrants caution. Moderation by race/ethnicity and gender was also present for specific operationalizations and outcomes. The latent physical activity factor often showed unexpected negative associations with cognitive outcomes when controlling for health, suggesting that the cognitive benefits of physical activity are largely mediated through improvements in health.Conclusion: Quantifying youth sport participation using nuanced methods like the MSCVI, which considers skill complexity and volume, reveals significant relationships with cognitive function beyond general physical activity and health. However, effect sizes are modest, and benefits are moderated by socioeconomic context, although further research should explore whether these findings are attributable to subgroup imbalance or other confounders. Findings highlight the importance of detailed sport operationalization but underscore that sport participation\u27s cognitive correlates are complex and dependent on sport type. Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify causal pathways and the practical significance of these effects. However, such research should consider the potential benefits of sport across multiple domains beyond cognition (e.g., physical activity, physical and mental health, social-emotional development) before discounting small effects on individual outcomes.Advisor: James A. Bovair
Planting the Seed: Rumors and CEO Dismissal
Get PDFResearchers have investigated the short-term performance implications of CEO dismissals as assessed through investor reactions to CEO dismissal announcements. While the corporate governance mechanism of dismissal that boards orchestrate when CEOs underperform could be positively perceived by investors, empirical evidence suggests that a positive association between CEO dismissals and investor reactions is equivocal. Thus, in my dissertation, I examine investor reactions to S&P 500 dismissal announcements and further understanding about this intriguing relationship through the development of theory that incorporates the important theoretical mechanism of information uncertainty. Since it is increasingly hard for boards to reduce the information uncertainty surrounding a CEO dismissal before it is announced, I deploy the network theory of stakeholder influences to suggest that the news media—through its’ published content—influences investor reactions to CEO dismissal announcements. I specifically focus on rumors published by the news media about the potential exit of CEOs before their exits are officially announced to make the case that this news content will positively influence investor reactions to CEO dismissal events. I further probe the mechanism of information uncertainty I use in my theorizing by examining additional uncertainty at the industry, firm, and security analyst levels. My theory and results provide theoretical and practical contributions and pave the way for new research.Advisors: Robert J. Campbell and Varkey Titus, Jr
Ediacaran Paleocommunity Structure, Body Size Evolution, and the Rise of Complex Animals
Get PDFThe Ediacaran period (635-538ma) is a key interval in the evolution of life as it records the first macroscopic animal communities. Major extinction pulses appear to have altered the composition of the global marine biosphere between each sub-interval of the Ediacaran Period: the Avalon, White Sea, and Nama assemblage Zones. While considerable attention has been paid to the causes of these extinction pulses, less has been afforded to the consequences of Ediacaran biotic turnover for community organization and function. Moreover, it is unclear how body size - the defining trait of macrofauna - affected the transition between animal groups across the Ediacaran. Here we apply a multifaceted approach to better quantify community structure change across the Ediacaran and assess how body size affected origination and extinction patterns between Ediacaran groups. This includes the evaluation of co-occurrence patterns and functional diversity across the Ediacaran, how body size distributions changed, and what factors may have led to observed shifts in community structure and body size distributions. We find major changes in co-occurrence patterns, functional diversity, and origination selectivity at the White Sea-Nama transition, leading towards the end-Ediacaran. These implicate a rise in habitat filtering amongst Nama communities and changing spatial relationships between simpler and more derived Ediacaran fauna. In addition to segregating between communities, these “Ediacaran-type” and “Cambrian-type” genera also partition their body size niches at global spatial scales. Multiple factors, operating at different spatial scales (e.g. anoxia pulses and bioturbation), may have acted in tandem to change the ecological relationships between Ediacaran groups. This may include species habitat relationships, with Cambrian-type fauna associating with bioturbated habitat more so than Ediacaran-type fauna, as well as potential antagonism between Ediacaran and Cambrian-type fauna. Changing patterns of local habitat disturbance via bioturbation and anoxia may have acted together to promote new kinds (e.g. Cambrian-type) fauna and altered the global genus pool, as well as trends in animal evolution, potentially reshaping the trajectory of animal life to follow.Advisors: S. Kathleen Lyons and Simon A. F. Darroc
Applications of Archaeal Antioxidant Coenzyme M as an Agricultural Biostimulant
Get PDFAs the demand to meet global food security goals continue to increase, the need to increase efficiency and productivity of agricultural output also rises. This calls for innovative and cost-effective methods for improving plant growth and yield. Here we explore how antioxidants, molecules that inhibit oxidation and are necessary for redox based signaling and redox homeostasis, can be utilized as chemical biostimulants. Specifically, we investigated Coenzyme M, an antioxidant from archaea that holds potential economic advantages over other antioxidants. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive review of antioxidants and how exogenously application of them affects plant growth and biology, highlighting the roles and impacts of antioxidants in several plant specific pathways such as photosynthesis and phytohormones as well discussing the efficacy of exogenous antioxidants in augmenting plant growth and stress tolerance. Notably, several antioxidants have been shown to provide positive growth benefits under various conditions and with various plant species. Chapter 2 investigates Coenzyme M and it’s biostimulant properties in multiple plant species. Our analyses show that Coenzyme M can provide growth benefits in laboratory and greenhouse setting for multiple species and modulates photosynthetic parameters. Finally, Chapter 3 further explores the biomstimulant growth effects of Coenzyme M in the agriculturally relevant crop Soybean in greenhouse and field conditions to expand our understanding of how this novel chemical biostimulant can be used to increase agricultural productivity.Advisor: Rebecca L. Rosto
NEBLINE, January/February 2025
Get PDF2024 Extension Highlights
4-H Engaged 34,177 Youth
Nebraska Extension’s Strategic Direction
Reflflection, Growth and Whole-Person Wellness for 2025. Emily Gratopp
Recipe of the Month: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, Emily Gratopp
Extension’s 2025 Master Gardener Volunteer Training Begins Soon
Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month
Upcoming Green Industry Conferences
ProHort Lawn and Landscape Update
2025 Pesticide Applicator Trainings
Crop Production Clinics
Leaving a Lasting Legacy for Midwestern Farm Women
At Ag Literacy Festival, Students Learn How Agriculture Impacts Their Daily Lives
Managing Hard Water, Becky Schuerman
Don’t Let Fungus Gnats Bug You and Your Plants, Kait Chapman
2025 Lincoln Early Childhood Conference
Nurturing Empathy in Young Children: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers, Hayley Jackson-Perez
Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: David Smith, and Tom and Becky Schuerman
Wesely and Polk at National Horticulture Contest
2024 4-H Horse Awards Night Results
4-H Events Open to All Youth
4-H Announcements
Overnight Lock-in for 4th and 5th Graders
Meet the 2024–25 4-H Council
Meet the 2024–25 4-H Teen Council
4-H Thanks 2024 Sponsors
Extension Calendar
Landlord/Tenant Cash Rent Workshop
Extension New
PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR MARKETING ACADEMIC LIBRARY PRODUCT AND SERVICES
No full textAbstract
This paper clarifies the marketing techniques used to promote the product and services offered by academic libraries. Users are kept informed about the information resources accessible at the library by marketing of the services and information resources offered by the library. Library-produced materials such as reading lists, bibliographies, flyers, brochures, library e-mail, websites, posters, and other materials; special programs and events such as library orientation, workshops, and seminars; and social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and blogs are some of the promotional techniques used in marketing library resources. Marketing library product and services improves user perception of the library, raises user awareness and patronage, and adds value by helping to justify library expenditures
Balancing Old Wisdom with New Ideas on the Farm
No full textOlder generations often bring decades of experience and a deep understanding of the farm’s operations, land, and financial history. Their decisions are often rooted in practicality and a desire for stability, shaped by years of navigating volatile markets, weather uncertainties, and tight profit margins. For many older farmers, “tried-and-true” practices represent security, and any major changes to these routines can feel risky or unnecessary.
In contrast, younger generations entering farm management are frequently exposed to modern farming methods, technological advancements, and practices through education and external experiences. They may want to implement precision agriculture tools, diversify income streams, or adopt regenerative practices to address environmental concerns or increase profitability. While their enthusiasm and innovative ideas can inject fresh energy into the farm, these changes can sometimes be seen by older family members as a challenge to their authority or as risky ventures that disrupt the farm\u27s proven systems
Taking Care of Our Hearts Together in the American Indian/Alaska Native Community Fact Sheet
No full textHeart disease is largely preventable, yet many people will likely develop coronary heart disease, the most common form of it. The disease affects millions of Americans
The Overlooked Dynamics of Sibling Violence: Sociological Perspectives and Intervention Strategies
Get PDFSibling violence (SV) represents a pervasive yet underexplored dimension of family violence, encompassing physical, emotional, and psychological abuse. This paper critically examines the intersection of gender dynamics, societal norms, and family structures in shaping SV behaviors. Using social learning theory (SLT) as a foundational framework, the analysis explores how gendered expectations and traditional roles influence the prevalence and forms of aggression, with boys more likely to exhibit overt physical aggression and girls engaging in relational aggression. The paper critiques the deterministic tendencies of SLT, highlighting the agency of individuals in rejecting modeled behaviors, and incorporates intersectionality to address the interplay of social identities such as race, class, and socioeconomic status in SV dynamics. Findings emphasize that parental responses, sibling compositions, and external role models significantly affect how aggression is learned and internalized. The paper calls for longitudinal, mixed-methods research to further investigate these relationships and advocates for culturally sensitive, gender-informed interventions to mitigate the intergenerational transmission of violence. By incorporating a nuanced understanding of gender, intersectionality, and individual agency, this study provides actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to foster healthier sibling relationships
