Digital Commons Network^™

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Entomology Incorporation In U.S. Secondary Science Instruction, Erin M. Ingram

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To encourage understanding and appreciation of insects, entomology education advocates have supported and encouraged K-12 teachers to integrate insects and insect-related content into formal science instruction. However, research examining how and why science teachers incorporate entomology into secondary science courses is limited.

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research study was conducted to address this gap. The study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase, quantitative survey research was conducted with a representative sample of 254 U.S. secondary life science teachers. During the subsequent qualitative phase, follow-up interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 18 survey participants and an …

A Pint Of Dirt, Kristen Friesen

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This collection of poetry consists of 50 pieces focused on events and observations experienced by the author: a midwestern, middle-aged teacher, wife, and mother of three now-grown daughters. As much as it is an attempt to process and package the ordinary and unexplainable, it is also a study in metaphor, description, and the ways in which specificity of time and place can, hopefully, render a piece universal.

Advisor: Stacey Waite

Modeling Waterfowl Hunter And Ducks Unlimited Member Behavior Using Mark–Recapture Methods, Katherine Graham

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

The number of individuals actively participating in waterfowl hunting has substantially declined since the 1980s, despite relatively abundant waterfowl populations and hunting opportunities. To avoid further losses in political support for wildlife management, losses in habitat conservation revenue, and broaden the base of waterfowl and wetland conservation support, there has been an increased focus on growing the number of waterfowl hunters and waterfowl and wetland conservation supporters. The purpose of this study was to estimate resident waterfowl hunter and Ducks Unlimited (DU) member recruitment rates, retention probabilities, and license/membership purchase probabilities; provide a better understanding of the factors influencing these …

Pixel-Level Deep Multi-Dimensional Embeddings For Homogeneous Multiple Object Tracking, Mateusz Mittek

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

The goal of Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) is to locate multiple objects and keep track of their individual identities and trajectories given a sequence of (video) frames. A popular approach to MOT is tracking by detection consisting of two processing components: detection (identification of objects of interest in individual frames) and data association (connecting data from multiple frames). This work addresses the detection component by introducing a method based on semantic instance segmentation, i.e., assigning labels to all visible pixels such that they are unique among different instances. Modern tracking methods often built around Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and additional, …

Doing Family: The Reproduction Of Heterosexuality In Accounts Of Parenthood, Emily Kazyak, Nicholas K. Park

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The cultural and legal landscape in the United States has shifted towards increased recognition of LGBQ-parent families. This shift raises questions about the everyday experiences of LGBQ parents and whether the cultural and legal changes also manifest in diminished experiences of discrimination. Drawing on data from 74 interviews with LGBQ parents, we analyze their accounts of whether they are read as a parent by others in their daily interactions. Our findings reveal the ways in which heterosexuality is a key component of how membership to the category of ‘parent’ is produced in social interactions. Our findings also illustrate how assumptions …

Persistence And Mitigation Of Antibiotic Resistance In Manure And Manure-Amended Soils, Mara J. Zelt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emergence of antibiotic resistance (AR) is a growing global threat to human and animal health. The work described here asses the AR mitigation potential of management strategies at critical control points in livestock production, and agricultural land management as well as the effectiveness of a communication strategy to convey research-based information to empower behavioral change that could mitigate AR.

The first study evaluates the impact of beef cattle diet management strategies on AMR prevalence in manure. Two treatments – forage concentration and essential oils – in cattle diets were evaluated for their impact on AMR bacteria in feedlot manure. …

Changes In The Diet And Body Size Of A Small Herbivorous Mammal (Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus) Following The Late Pleistocene Megafauna Extinction, Catalina P. Tomé, Emma A. Elliott Smith, S. Kathleen Lyons, Seth D. Newsome, Felisa A. Smith

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The catastrophic loss of large-bodied mammals during the terminal Pleistocene likely led to cascading effects within communities. While the extinction of the top consumers probably expanded the resources available to survivors of all body sizes, little work has focused on the responses of the smallest mammals. Here, we use a detailed fossil record from the southwestern United States to examine the response of the hispid cotton rat Sigmodon hispidus to biodiversity loss and climatic change over the late Quaternary. In particular, we focus on changes in diet and body size. We characterize diet through carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen …

Identification Of The Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (Kshv) Surface Glycoprotein Targets Of Human Kshv-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses, Yasaman Mortazavi

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

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), is the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), and is also associated with two B cell malignancies, primary effusion lymphoma and multicentric Castleman's disease. The distribution of KSHV varies globally with high prevalence in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where seroprevalence can be as high as 80%. It is estimated that nearly 44,000 new cases of KS emerge annually globally, with the highest incidents occurring in Africa, where KSHV is endemic. Currently, there is no prophylactic vaccine against KSHV, and efforts to develop prophylactic vaccines have been limited. …

The Prairie Naturalist, Vol. 51, Issue 2, December 2019

The Prairie Naturalist

45 EDITOR’S NOTE: Final Thoughts as Editor-in-Chief, by Christopher N. Jacques

RESEARCH ARTICLES

47 Bats of the Loess Hills Ecoregion of Southeast Nebraska, by Virgil Brack, Jr., Dale W. Sparks, and Darwin C. Brack

58 Serological Survey and Pathogen Exposure of Adult Female White-tailed Deer in the Western Dakotas, by Katherine L. Moratz, Bailey S. Gullikson, Eric S. Michel, Daniel M. Grove, Jonathan A. Jenks, and William F. Jensen

68 Factors Limting Reintroduced Plains Topminnow, Fundulus sciadicus, Populations in Central Great Plains Streams, by Joseph D. Thiessen, Keith D. Koupal, and Casey W. Schoenebeck

NOTES

77 Recent Observations of Water …

Integration Of Cover Crops Into Midwest Corn-Soybean Cropping Systems And Potential For Weed Suppression, Joshua S. Wehrbein

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

Cover crops have potential to provide benefits to agricultural systems, such as improved soil productivity, nutrient scavenging, weed suppression, and livestock forage. There are several challenges associated with cover crop integration into traditional Midwest corn-soybean cropping systems. One of these challenges is timely establishment in the fall, which is limited by the relatively late harvest of corn and soybean. Cover crop effectiveness is related to the amount of biomass produced, thus maximizing the growth period in the fall is desired. To address this challenge, we evaluated the potential to utilize early-season soybean maturity groups (MGs) to allow for earlier soybean …

Benchmarking On-Farm Maize Nitrogen Balance In The Western U. S. Corn Belt, Fatima Amor Tenorio

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

A nitrogen (N) balance, calculated as the difference between N inputs and grain-N removal, provides an estimate of the potential N losses. We used N balance with other N-related metrics (partial factor productivity for N inputs, and yield-scaled N balance), to benchmark maize yields in relation with N input use in the US Corn Belt. We first used experimental data on grain-N concentration (GNC) to assess variation in this parameter due to biophysical and management factors. Subsequently, we used N balance and N-related metrics to benchmark yields in relation with N inputs in irrigated and rainfed fields in Nebraska using …

Impact Of Myoglobin Oxygenation State On Color Stability Of Beef Steaks During Frozen Storage And Thawed Retail Display, Morgan Lee Henriott

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

Meat color is the most important product characteristic that impacts consumer purchasing decisions. Therefore, the major objectives of this thesis were to determine the impact of myoglobin oxygenation level and frozen storage duration on both frozen and thawed beef color. USDA Choice strip loins (n = 36) were aged for 4 d or 20 d and cut into steaks. Steaks were randomly assigned to a myoglobin oxygenation level [deoxymyoglobin (DeOxy; immediately packaged), oxygenation (Oxy; oxygenated in air for 30 minutes), or high oxygenation (HiOxy; packaged for 24 h in 80% O₂)]. Steaks were then vacuum packaged in …

Feasibility Analysis Of Adipic Acid Production, Serpil Unlu

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adipic acid is an essential intermediate chemical feedstock for the production of nylon-6,6; hence it is valuable from an industrial perspective. Currently, commercial adipic acid production includes a combination of two stages. The first stage produces a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol called ‘’KA oil” derived from cyclohexane. In the second stage, KA oil is reacted with nitric acid to produce adipic acid. The second stage generates excess N₂O emission, which is considered as 310 times more potent than CO₂. Renewable feedstocks that can be converted to value-added chemicals offer significant potential for the necessary transition …

Exposure And Potential Effects Of Pesticides And Pharmaceuticals In Protected Streams Of The Us National Park Service Southeast Region, Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Jeffrey R. Duncan, William A. Battaglin, Jimmy M. Clark, Michelle L. Hladik, Bradley J. Huffman, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Kelly L. Smalling

United States National Park Service: Publications

Globally, protected areas offer refugia for a broad range of taxa including threatened and endangered species. In the United States (US), the National Park Service (NPS) manages public lands to preserve biodiversity, but increasing park visitation and development of surrounding landscapes increase exposure to and effects from bioactive contaminants. The risk (exposure and hazard) to NPS protected-stream ecosystems within the highly urbanized southeast region (SER) from bioactive contaminants was assessed in five systems based on 334 pesticide and pharmaceutical analytes in water and 119 pesticides in sediment. Contaminant mixtures were common across all sampled systems, with approximately 24% of the …

Male Burmese Pythons Follow Female Scent Trails And Show Sex-Specific Behaviors, Shannon A. Richard, Eric A. Tillman, John S. Humphrey, Michael L. Avery, M. Rockwell Parker

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Animals communicate with potential mates using species-specific signals, and pheromones are powerful sexual signals that modify conspecific behavior to facilitate mate location. Among the vertebrates, snakes are especially adept in mate searching via chemical trailing, which is particularly relevant given that many snake species are invasive outside their native ranges. Chemical signals used in mate choice are, thus, potentially valuable tools for management of invasive snake species. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is an invasive snake in the Florida Everglades where it is negatively impacting native fauna. In this study, we sought to: (i) determine if males can follow conspecific …

Variation In Host Home Range Size Decreases Rabies Vaccination Effectiveness By Increasing The Spatial Spread Of Rabies Virus, Katherine M. Mcclure, Amy T. Gilbert, Richard B. Chipman, Erin E. Rees, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Animal movement influences the spatial spread of directly transmitted wildlife disease through host-host contact structure. Wildlife disease hosts vary in home range- associated foraging and social behaviours, which may increase the spread and intensity of disease outbreaks. The consequences of variation in host home range movement and space use on wildlife disease dynamics are poorly understood, but could help to predict disease spread and determine more effective disease management strategies.
2. We developed a spatially explicit individual-based model to examine the effect of spatiotemporal variation in host home range size on the spatial spread rate, persistence and incidence of rabies virus …

Multi-Scale Modeling Of The Lamellar Unit Of Arterial Media, Hozhabr Mozafari, Lulu Wang, Yuguo Lei, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The heterogeneity of the lamellar unit (LU) of arterial media plays an important role in the biomechanics of artery. Current two-component (fibrous component and a homogenous matrix) constitutive model is inappropriate for capturing the micro-structural variations in the LU, such as contraction/relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), fragmentation of the elastin layer, and deposition/disruption of the collagen network. In this work, we developed a representative volume element (RVE) model with detailed micro-configurations, i.e., VSMCs at various phenotypes, collagen fibers, and elastin laminate embedded in the ground substance. The fiber architecture was generated based on its volume fraction and orientations. …

Adaptation To Variable Environments, Resilience To Climate Change: Investigating Land, Water And Settlement In Indus Northwest India, Cameron A. Petrie, Ravindra N. Singh, Jennifer Bates, Yama Dixit, Charly A.I. French, David A. Hodell, Penelope J. Jones, Carla Lancelotti, Frank Lynam, Sayantani Neogi, Arun K. Pandey, Danika Parikh, Vikas Pawar, David I. Redhouse, Dheerendra P. Singh

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This paper explores the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia’s Indus Civilization (ca. 3000–1300 BC). Most early complex societies developed in regions where the climatic parameters faced by ancient subsistence farmers were varied but rain falls primarily in one season. In contrast, the Indus Civilization developed in a specific environmental context that spanned a very distinct environmental threshold, where winter and summer rainfall systems overlap. There is now evidence to show that this region was directly subject to climate change …

Keeping Allergen Names Clear And Defined, Sanny K. Chan, Anna Pomés, Christiane Hilger, Janet M. Davies, Geoffrey Mueller, Annette Kuehn, Andreas L. Lopata, Gabriele Gadermaier, Marianne Van Hage, Monika Raulf, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The World Health Organization/International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee was established in 1986 by leading allergists to standardize names given to proteins that cause IgE-mediated reactions in humans. The Sub-Committee’s objective is to assign unique names to allergens based on a critical analysis of confidentially submitted biochemical and clinical data from researchers, often prior to publication to preserve consistency. The Sub-Committee maintains and revises the database as the understanding of allergens evolves. This report summarizes recent developments that led to updates in classification of cockroach group 1 and 5 allergens to animal as well as environmental and …

Conservation And Management Of Salmon In The Age Of Genomics, Robin S. Waples, Kerry A. Naish, Craig R. Primmer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Salmon were among the first nonmodel species for which systematic population genetic studies of natural populations were conducted, often to support management and conservation. The genomics revolution has improved our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of salmon in two major ways: (a) Large increases in the numbers of genetic markers (from dozens to 10⁴– 10⁶) provide greater power for traditional analyses, such as the delineation of population structure, hybridization, and population assignment, and (b) qualitatively new insights that were not possible with traditional genetic methods can be achieved by leveraging detailed information …

Comparison Of Unused Water And Year-Old Used Water For Production Of Channel Catfish In The Biofloc Technology System, Bartholomew W. Green, Kevin K. Schrader, Steven D. Rawles, Carl D. Webster, Matthew E. Mcentire

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Since excreted feed nitrogen is bio-transformed efficiently in a fully functional mixotrophic biofloc technology production system, re-using this biofloc water over multiple production cycles should be beneficial. The present study, conducted in an outdoor biofloc technology production system, evaluated impacts on fish production characteristics and mineral status, common microbial off-flavors, and water quality dynamics for channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) reared in one-year-old waters with low or high total suspended solids used previously for two consecutive catfish biofloc studies or in unused (new) water. Total suspended solids were maintained at 300 to 400 mg/L in the unused and low …

Food Habits Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Suzanne J. Gifford, Eric M. Gese, Robert R. Parmenter

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers needed to understand coyote (Canis latrans) ecology in order to develop management plans on the nascent Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico. Managers concerned about low elk (Cervus elaphus) recruitment had observed an increase in sightings of coyotes and observations of coyote predation on elk calves. Our objective was to identify and quantify coyote diet, and assess the temporal variation in coyote diet on the Valles Caldera National Preserve, particularly as related to elk calf consumption. We examined coyote food habits using 1,385 scats analyzed monthly from May 2005 to November 2008. …

Genome-Wide Variation In Potyviruses, Deepti Nigam, Katherine Latourrette, Pedro F.N. Souza, Hernan Garcia Ruiz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Potyviruses (family Potyviridae, genus Potyvirus) are the result of an initial radiation event that occurred 6,600 years ago. The genus currently consists of 167 species that infect monocots or dicots, including domesticated and wild plants. Potyviruses are transmitted in a non-persistent way by more than 200 species of aphids. As indicated by their wide host range, worldwide distribution, and diversity of their vectors, potyviruses have an outstanding capacity to adapt to new hosts and environments. However, factors that confer adaptability are poorly understood. Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases introduce nucleotide substitutions that generate genetic diversity. We hypothesized that selection imposed by …

Macrophage-Associated Wound Healing Contributes To African Green Monkey Siv Pathogenesis Control, Fredrik Barrenas, Kevin Raehtz, Cuiling Xu, Lynn Law, Richard R. Green, Guido Silvestri, Steven E. Bosinger, Andrew Nishida, Qingsheng Li, Wuxun Lu, Jianshui Zhang, Matthew J. Thomas, Jean Chang, Elise Smith, Jeffrey M. Weiss, Reem A. Dawoud, George H. Richter, Anita Trichel, Dongzhu Ma, Xinxia Peng, Jan Komorowski, Cristian Apetrei, Ivona Pandrea, Michael Gale Jr.

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) avoid AIDS despite lifelong infection. Here, we examined how this outcome is achieved by comparing a natural SIV host, African green monkey (AGM) to an AIDS susceptible species, rhesus macaque (RM). To asses gene expression profiles from acutely SIV infected AGMs and RMs, we developed a systems biology approach termed Conserved Gene Signature Analysis (CGSA), which compared RNA sequencing data from rectal AGM and RM tissues to various other species. We found that AGMs rapidly activate, and then maintain, evolutionarily conserved regenerative wound healing mechanisms in mucosal tissue. The wound healing protein fibronectin …

Prophylactic Effects Of Isomaltodextrin In A Balb/C Mouse Model Of Egg Allergy, Yoshinori Mine, Yan Jin, Hua Zhang, Prithy Rupa, Kaustav Majumder, Takeo Sakurai, Yoshifumi Taniguchi, Ryodai Takagaki, Hikaru Watanabe, Hitoshi Mitsuzumi

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of isomaltodextrin (IMD), a dietary saccharide polymer derived from enzymatically produced from starch, on the ability to alter immune response (IR) bias to hen egg ovalbumin (Ova) induced allergic inflammation in mice. Groups of Balb/c mice were pre-treated with various doses of IMD in drinking water (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0% w/v) for 6 weeks and subsequently sensitized to the Ova together with continuous administration of IMD. To evaluate changes in immune response bias, immunoglobulin isotype-associated antibody activity, concentrations of type 1 and 2 cytokines and the percentage of T-regulatory …

Impact Of The Human Footprint On Anthropogenic Mortality Of North American Reptiles, Jacob E. Hill, Travis L. Devault, Jerrold L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human activities frequently result in reptile mortality, but how direct anthropogenic mortality compares to natural morality has not been thoroughly investigated. There has also been a limited examination of how anthropogenic reptile mortality changes as a function of the human footprint. We conducted a synthesis of causespecific North American reptile mortality studies based on telemetry, documenting 550 mortalities of known cause among 2461 monitored individuals in 57 studies. Overall 78% of mortality was the result of direct natural causes, whereas 22% was directly caused by humans. The single largest source of mortality was predation, accounting for 62% of mortality overall. …

Understanding Factors Related To Undergraduate Student Decision-Making About A Complex Socio-Scientific Issue: Mountain Lion Management, Ashley Alred, Jenny Dauer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We outline an instructional strategy for supporting students’ science literacy skills using a structured decision-making tool in an interdisciplinary undergraduate course. Instructional tools support basing complex socioscientific issues decisions on a reasoned analysis of tradeoffs among multiple conflicting values rather than heuristics, such as social norms. We explored the factors related to students’ decision-making about mountain lion management by examining if students’ value orientations, identity, or knowledge predicted their management decisions before, during, and after engaging in structured decision-making where they performed a tradeoffs analysis. We found that student decision-making may align more closely to students’ value orientations and identity …

A Co-Optimal Coverage Path Planning Method For Aerial Scanning Of Complex Structures, Zhexiong Shang, Justin Bradley, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

The utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in survey and inspection of civil infrastructure has been growing rapidly. However, computationally efficient solvers that find optimal flight paths while ensuring high-quality data acquisition of the complete 3D structure remains a difficult problem. Existing solvers typically prioritize efficient flight paths, or coverage, or reducing computational complexity of the algorithm – but these objectives are not co-optimized holistically. In this work we introduce a co-optimal coverage path planning (CCPP) method that simultaneously co-optimizes the UAV path, the quality of the captured images, and reducing computational complexity of the solver all while adhering to …

Nebline, November/December 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H Horse Program Grows Youth for Life

Thanksgiving Food Safety

Recipe of the Month

Successful Farmer Series Starts Jan. 10

Produce Safety Workshop, Nov. 19

Pesticide Applicator Trainings

Upcoming Green Industry Conferences

A New Can of Worms: Asian Jumping Worms

Use Caution to Avoid Deer-Vehicle Collisions

Reuse Your Fresh Cut Christmas Tree for Wildlife

Gifts For The Gardener

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

High-Quality Child Care Depends on Effective Family Engagement

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Beverlee Keller

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Dave Hattan

4-H Video Companion Animal Showmanship Contest Results

Outgoing 4-H Council Members

2019 4-H …

Impact Of Feeding Distillers Grains Or Isolated Components In Distillers' Grains To Growing And Finishing Cattle, And The Comparison Of Protein Content And In-Situ Digestibility Of Feeds Commonly Used In Feedlot Diets, Brianna B. Conroy

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

The use of distillers' grains originating from biofuel production has become widely used in feedlot diets. Distillers' grains has been identified as having an increased feeding value relative to dry-rolled corn, in recent years the composition of distillers' grains has begun to change due to greater refinement in the ethanol production process. Two feedlot trials were conducted to evaluate the contribution of fat, fiber, and protein from distillers' grains in the diets of growing and finishing cattle. Growing steers were fed a grass hay-based ration, including a corn control diet compared to a diet containing modified distillers' grains plus solubles, …