Life Sciences Commons^™

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 27, 2016, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 27, 2016 (12/27/16) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Can Sub-Saharan Africa Feed Itself?, Martin K. Van Ittersum, Lenny G. J. Van Bussel, Joost Wolf, Patricio Grassini, Justin Van Wart, Nicolas Guilpart, Lieven Claessens, Hugo De Groot, Keith Wiebe, Daniel Mason-D'Croz, Haishun Yang, Hendrik Boogard, Pepijn A. J. Van Oort, Marloes P. Van Loon, Kazuki Saito, Ochieng Adimo, Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, Alhassane Agali, Abdullahi Bala, Regis Chikowo, Kayuki Kaizzi, Mamoutou Kouressy, Joachim H. J. R. Makoi, Korodjouma Ouattara, Kindie Tesfaye, Kenneth G. Cassman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although global food demand is expected to increase 60% by 2050 compared with 2005/2007, the rise will be much greater in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). Indeed, SSA is the region at greatest food security risk because by 2050 its population will increase 2.5-fold and demand for cereals approximately triple, whereas current levels of cereal consumption already depend on substantial imports. At issue is whether SSA can meet this vast increase in cereal demand without greater reliance on cereal imports or major expansion of agricultural area and associated biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies indicate that the global increase …

Changes In Male Hunting Returns, Raymond B. Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Research on changes in male hunting among hunter-gatherers addresses two important issues in early human evolution: the nature of the family and trade-offs in mating and parenting effort as well as the development of embodied capital. In the hunter-gatherer literature, there is a debate about the function of male hunting that has implications for understanding the role males play in the evolution of the pair bond. The traditional model argues that male hunting and other economic activities are forms of male provisioning or parenting effort designed to enhance a man’s fitness through his wife’s reproduction and the survivorship of their …

Invasive Species Impacts On Infrastructure, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Executive Summary

Invasive species represent one of the most significant threats to ecosystems, human and animal health, infrastructure, the economy, and cultural resources. Because potentially invasive, non-native species typically enter the United States through ports of entry in urban environments, some of the first observable impacts may be to infrastructure, yet little is known about the economic costs associated with these impacts to the “built” environment. In addition, federal agencies currently lack the authority necessary to effectively prevent, eradicate, and control invasive species that impact the human-built environment. This lack of authority prevents rapid response to some of the most …

The Coat Protein And Nia Protease Of Two Potyviridae Family Members Independently Confer Superinfection Exclusion, Satyanarayana Tatineni, Roy French

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Superinfection exclusion (SIE) is an antagonistic virus-virus interaction whereby initial infection by one virus prevents subsequent infection by closely related viruses. Although SIE has been described in diverse viruses infecting plants, humans, and animals, its mechanisms, including involvement of specific viral determinants, are just beginning to be elucidated. In this study, SIE determinants encoded by two economically important wheat viruses, Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV; genus Tritimovirus, family Potyviridae) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV; genus Poacevirus, family Potyviridae), were identified in gain-of-function experiments that used heterologous viruses to express individual virus-encoded proteins in wheat. Wheat plants infected …

The Influence Of Diet And Oxidation On Calcium Retention Of The Mitochondria In Fresh Beef, Emery K. Wilkerson

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Distillers grains (DG) contribute to cattle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane instability by increasing poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in the SR membrane, possibly resulting in early postmortem calcium (Ca) leakage and improved tenderness. Mitochondria are relatively easy to isolate intact and provide the opportunity to study Ca in an SR model. The objective of this research was to determine the influence of diet and oxidation on Ca release from mitochondria. Cattle (n=48) were fed a corn-based finishing diet with or without deoiled, dried DG (50% DM basis). Steaks from each strip loin were aged for 2, 8, 14, and 21 …

Effects Of Field Pea Usage In Growing And Finishing Diets For Beef Cattle, Hannah L. Greenwell

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The value of field peas (FP) as a feedstuff has not been thoroughly assessed and compared to other feeds, such as corn, to better establish an economic value. Field peas are characterized by a high CP content (23-26%), a large portion (80%) being rumen degradable protein (RDP), and containing almost a third less starch (31-40%) than corn. Three research trials were performed to better understand the value of FP as a grazing supplement, finishing diet component, and any effects on digestion. Experiment 1 assessed the value of FP as a grazing supplement compared to corn. Grazing was followed by a …

Edible Insects As A Source Of Food Allergens, Lee Palmer

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

Increasing global population increasingly limited by resources has spurred interest in novel food sources. Insects may be an alternative food source in the near future, but consideration of insects as a food requires scrutiny due to risk of allergens. Currently, the insect Dactylopius coccus, known as cochineal, is used to produce carmine, a natural red pigment used in food, which has caused allergic reactions. This study investigated allergens of cochineal focusing on purification from the pigment. Mass spectrometry identified a previously described major allergen of cochineal and a tropomyosin, although further work is required.

Tropomyosin is a major cross-reactive allergen …

Exploration Of Student Biodiversity Knowledge And Decision-Making For A Wildlife Conservation Socioscientific Issue, Ashley R. Alred

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global biodiversity, a foundation for ecosystem function, is diminishing at a rate unprecedented in the last 50 years. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem services deterioration is linked to increased food insecurity, reduced water quality and availability, decreased energy security, higher economic losses and human suffering (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Consequently, educators should invest in supporting students in their development of ecological understanding and formal decision-making skills so they are equipped with meaningful tools they can use as scientifically literate citizens. To contribute to that mission, this study seeks to explore student 1) comprehension and explanation of biodiversity concepts and 2) decision-making …

Insecticide Sensitivity Of Native Chloride And Sodium Channels In A Mosquito Cell Line, Lacey J. Jenson, Troy D. Anderson, Jeffrey R. Bloomquist

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of cultured Anopheles gambiae Sua1B cells for insecticide screening applications without genetic engineering or other treatments. Sua1B cells were exposed to the known insecticidal compounds lindane and DIDS, which inhibited cell growth at micromolar concentrations. In patch clamp studies, DIDS produced partial inhibition (69%) of chloride current amplitudes, and an IC50 of 5.1 μM was determined for Sua1B cells. A sub-set of chloride currents showed no response to DIDS; however, inhibition (64%) of these currents was achieved using a low chloride saline solution, confirming their identity as chloride channels. In …

Resistance Of Rice Varieties To Sitophilus Oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Diana Cristina Da Silva Costa, André Cirilo De Sousa Almeida, Marcio Da Silva Araújo, Elvis Arden Heinrichs, Mabio Chrisley Lacerda, José Alexandre Freitas Barrigossi, Flávio Gonçalves De Jesus

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

Rice, Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae), is one of the world’s most important food crops. Among the insects that damage rice grains, the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important species. The objective of this study was to identify rice varieties with resistance to S. oryzae as measured by grain feeding damage and S. oryzae reproduction. The rice varieties evaluated were obtained from the germplasm bank of the National Center of Research Rice and Beans, Embrapa, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized with 3 replications and 22 treatments (varieties). The varieties Bonança, Esmeralda, and Rio …

Investigating The Practices And Needs Of Agricultural Researchers At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Leslie M. Delserone, Andrea L. Dinkelman

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Libraries was one of 19 libraries participating in a national study, initiated by Ithaka S+R, of the research practices and needs of agricultural researchers. Two UNL Libraries faculty members participated in this study by interviewing 11 UNL agricultural scholars during the summer of 2016. The ethnographic research approach revealed four core themes explored in this UNL-specific report: interdisciplinarity and collaborations; scientific communication practices; scientific research data; and challenges and opportunities. Illustrated by the sample of faculty comments presented here, the themes have direct implications for the UNL Libraries, while in other cases these point to concerns …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Molly B. Davis, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) and Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFire).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight long-term monitoring plots on May 23-25, 2016 to collect data on the plant communities at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort to better understand the condition of the vegetation at SCBL. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundance of individual native and non-native …

Distribution, Abundance, And Migration Timing Of Greater And Lesser Sandhill Cranes Wintering In The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Region Of California, Gary L. Ivey, Bruce D. Dugger, Caroline P. Herziger, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph P. Fleskes

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region of California (hereafter, Delta region) is an important wintering region for the Central Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) and lesser sandhill cranes (G. c. canadensis), but basic information about the ecology of these birds is lacking to design a biologically sound conservation strategy. During the winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09, we conducted roost counts, roadside surveys, aerial surveys, and tracked radio-marked birds to define the geographic area used by sandhill cranes in the Delta region, document migration chronology, and estimate subspecies-specific abundance. Radio-marked sandhill cranes arrived in our study area …

Burwell Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The meeting of2016 NOU Fall Field Days took place at the Burwell Legion Club on Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 2016. There were about 50 in attendance at the meeting, which was organized by Robin Harding, Lanny Randolph, and Betty Grenon.

On Friday evening Chad Christiansen, who works for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Fort Niobrara/Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Complex, spoke about the goals of the Natural Legacy Project to identify a set of priority landscapes that, if properly managed, would conserve the majority of Nebraska's biological diversity. These landscapes, called Biologically Unique Landscapes, were selected based on …

In Memory Of Elizabeth Grenon, Neal Ratzlaff

Nebraska Bird Review

On November 11, 2016 cancer claimed the life of longtime member and friend of NOU Betty Grenon, perhaps best remembered as our very intelligent, personable, meticulous treasurer and tenacious guardian of organization funds. Our records indicate Betty became a member in 1991. Her talents and qualifications (CPA and Nebraska's first female Certified Management Accountant) were soon recognized. She became NOU Treasurer in 1994, a position held until her death, except for a 3-year hiatus when her employment with Enron took her to Houston, Texas. NOU has benefited in a number of other ways from Betty's organizational skills and attention to …

Fall Field Report, August–November 2016, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As usual, there was quite a bit to chew over in the Fall Seasonal Report, although it was generally a pretty uneventful season, especially among waterfowl and shorebirds. The mild fall allowed some good counts to occur, such as the 20+ Surf Scoters, 465 meadowlarks in Garfield Co, and at least 11 White-winged Doves.

First State Records are hard to come by; amazing was an Anna's Hummingbird that showed up in the Manning Family's central Omaha yard. How many pass through the yards of non-birders undetected? Always a mind-boggling thought. A 3rd state record Costa's Hummingbird came to light from …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2016) 84(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2016 ... 154

In Memory of Elizabeth Grenon … 180

Burwell Fall Field Days ... 182

Index to Volume 84 … 187

Subscription and Organization Information ... 203

Index To Volume 84

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams, R. J. 95
Aguillon, Stepfanie 62
Allen: Brian 60; Edward 4, 61, 156
Allin, C. C. 95
Anderson: Brayden 53; Chris 60; Jon 61, 94
Appell, Roger A. 62
Arthur, Noah 5, 147
Atkins, Gordon 4
Aubushon: Cathy 52; Dorothy 52
Avery, Mele 157
Avocet, American 69, 104, 110, 118, 164

. . .

Yellowlegs: Greater 2, 12, 69, 100, 104, 119, 165; Lesser 70, 100, 104, 119, 165, 184
Yellowthroat, Common 80, 106, 128, 175, 186
Young: E. A. 95, 137; Lowell 157; Matthew 62

Zeilinger, Ray 163
Zimmerman, Jerald 53

Mechanism Of Resistance, Gene Flow, And Integrated Management Of Ragweeds (Ambrosia) In Nebraska, Zahoor Ahmad Ganie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) and giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) are native annual broadleaf weeds in the United States found in diverse agroecosystems, roadsides, and wastelands. They are economically important weed species in the Midwest and sources of pollen allergies. Confirmation of glyphosate-resistant (GR) common and giant ragweed in Nebraska justified the need to determine the mechanism of resistance, dispersal of resistance genes via pollen, and to develop an integrated management program. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine the mechanism of glyphosate resistance in a common ragweed biotype from Nebraska; 2) evaluate the effect …

Characterization Of Ground Nozzles For Pesticide Applications, Ryan Henry

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pesticide applications are a common component of crop production systems in the United States (US). For row crop systems (e.g. corn, soybean, or wheat), pesticides are applied by ground, aerial, or chemigation methods. The exact method of pesticide delivery is not universally regulated/ prescribed in the US, and the equipment and application technique are largely defined by the individual applicator. A wide variety of choices and decisions must be made by applicators to result in a successful pesticide application. Examples of these choices include proper active ingredient(s), carrier volume and equipment (e.g. nozzle type, spacing, and operating pressure) selection while …

Evaluations Of Biological Control Agents For The Management Of Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera Glycines) In Soybean (Glycine Max L. Merr.), Kelsie M. Musil

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) is the most yield limiting pathogen of soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.). Current management strategies of crop rotation and using resistant varieties are not completely effective and alternative management strategies are needed. Commercial seed treatments with biological agents are available to protect against yield loss from SCN, but have not been evaluated in Nebraska. Field studies were conducted in eight Nebraska locations (six infested with SCN and two non-infested) during 2014 and 2015 to evaluate seed treatment effects on soybean establishment, SCN population density, and yield. The seed treatments were CruiserMaxx® …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2016]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Aaron T. Rasor, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six long-term plant community monitoring (PCM) plots and the Northern Great Plains Fire Effects Crew (NGPFire) visited nine fire plant community monitoring (FPCM) plots to collect data on the plant communities at AGFO. This effort is part of a long-term monitoring program established to better understand the condition of the mixed-grass prairie, riparian, and upland regions in AGFO. …

A Novel Codon-Optimized Siv Gag-Pol Immunogen For Gene-Based Vaccination, Catherine M. Crosby, Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a robust pathogen used in non-human primates to model HIV vaccines. SIV encodes a number of potential vaccine targets. By far the largest and most conserved protein target in SIV is its gag-pol protein that bears many epitopes to drive multivalent immune T cell responses. While gag-pol is an attractive antigen, it is only translated after a frame shift between gag and pol with the effect that gag and pol are expressed at an approximate 10/1 ratio. The codon bias of native lentiviral genes are also mismatched with the abundance of tRNAs in mammalian cells …

Regulation Of Alpha-Herpesvirus Reactivation From Latency By Stress, Insun Kook

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1) and Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) are crucial etiological viral agent of clinical diseases. HSV-1 and BHV-1 establish latent infection in sensory neurons. Periodically, reactivation from latency occurs resulting in virus excretion and transmission. Stress increases corticosteroid levels and the incidence of HSV-1 and BHV-1 reactivation from latency. The synthetic corticosteroid, dexamethasone (DEX) mimics stress and induces BHV-1 and HSV-1 reactivation. However, molecular mechanisms by which corticosteroid mediates viral reactivation are not well understood. My dissertation has focused on elucidating events that induce BHV- 1 or HSV-1 reactivation during the early stages of stress-induced escape …

The Plasticity Of Functional Traits In The Dipterocarps Of Borneo, Ju Ping Chan

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Plasticity plays an important role in the adaptation of sessile organisms like plants to the environment. Plants have been shown to respond plastically in heterogeneous environments, with plants originating from more resource-diverse environments thought to display greater plasticity. There is also evidence that fast-growing species show greater plasticity, as acquisition of resources from resource flushes is greatly aided by faster adaptations. We tested these theories in a Bornean tropical rain forest among three soil specialization groups (clay specialists, sandy loam specialists, and generalists) using two treatments of soil (clay versus sandy loam) and two treatments of light (high versus low). …

Characterization Of Molecular Communication Based On Cell Metabolism Through Mutual Information And Flux Balance Analysis, Zahmeeth Sayed Sakkaff

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Synthetic biology is providing novel tools to engineer cells and access the basis of their molecular information processing, including their communication channels based on chemical reactions and molecule exchange. Molecular communication is a discipline in communication engineering that studies these types of communications and ways to exploit them for novel purposes, such as the development of ubiquitous and heterogeneous communication networks to interconnect biological cells with nano and biotechnology-enabled devices, i.e., the Internet of Bio-Nano Things. One major problem in realizing these goals stands in the development of reliable techniques to control the engineered cells and their behavior from the …

Testing The Independence Hypothesis Of Accepted Mutations For Pairs Of Adjacent Amino Acids In Protein Sequences, Jyotsna Ramanan

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evolutionary studies usually assume that the genetic mutations are independent of each other. However, that does not imply that the observed mutations are independent of each other because it is possible that when a nucleotide is mutated, then it may be biologically beneficial if an adjacent nucleotide mutates too.

With a number of decoded genes currently available in various genome libraries and online databases, it is now possible to have a large-scale computer-based study to test whether the independence assumption holds for pairs of adjacent amino acids. Hence the independence question also arises for pairs of adjacent amino acids within …

Determination Of Plant Architecture And Component Phenotyping Based On Time-Lapse Image Analysis, Srinidhi Bashyam

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Plant breeding and the development of new food production depend on accurate measurement of different phenotypes (observable physical traits) of a plant. The plant phenotypes play a very important role in the agronomic production. The successful computation of plant phenotypes largely depends on the determination of the architecture of the plant, i.e., the arrangement of its parts (leaves, stems, flowers, etc.) relative to each other, and how the size, shape, and positions of those parts change over time. Researchers and breeders extract valuable information from these types of data to make an informed decision on which individuals to advance to …