Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting The Initial Spread Of Novel Asian Origin Influenza A Viruses In The Continental Usa By Wild Waterfowl, Alan. B. Franklin, Sarah N. Bevins, Jeremy W. Ellis, Ryan S. Miller, Susan A. Shriner, J. Jeffrey Root, Daniel P. Walsh, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Using data on waterfowl band recoveries, we identified spatially explicit hotspots of concentrated waterfowl movement to predict occurrence and spatial spread of a novel influenza A virus (clade 2.3.4.4) introduced from Asia by waterfowl from an initial outbreak in North America in November 2014. In response to the outbreak, the hotspots of waterfowl movement were used to help guide sampling for clade 2.3.4.4 viruses in waterfowl as an early warning for the US poultry industry during the outbreak. After surveillance sampling of waterfowl, we tested whether there was greater detection of clade 2.3.4.4 viruses inside hotspots. We found that hotspots …

Invasion Of The P Elements: Tolerance Is Not Futile, Colin D. Meiklejohn, Justin P. Blumenstiel

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Organisms are locked in an eternal struggle with parasitic DNA sequences that live inside their genomes and wreak havoc on their host’s chromosomes as they spread through populations. To combat these parasites, host species have evolved elaborate mechanisms of resistance that suppress their activity. A new study in Drosophila indicates that, prior to the acquisition of resistance, individuals can vary in their ability to tolerate the activity of these genomic parasites, ignoring or repairing the damage they induce. This tolerance results from variation at genes involved in germline development and DNA damage checkpoints and suggests that these highly conserved cellular …

Landscape Genetics Reveal Broad And Fine‐Scale Population Structure Due To Landscape Features And Climate History In The Northern Leopard Frog (Rana Pipiens) In North Dakota, Justin M. Waraniak, Justin D. L. Fisher, Kevin Purcell, David M. Mushet, Craig A. Stockwell

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Prehistoric climate and landscape features play large roles structuring wildlife populations. The amphibians of the northern Great Plains of North America present an opportunity to investigate how these factors affect colonization, migration, and current population genetic structure. This study used 11 microsatellite loci to genotype 1,230 northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) from 41 wetlands (30 samples/wetland) across North Dakota. Genetic structure of the sampled frogs was evaluated using Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods. All analyses produced concordant results, identifying a major east–west split between two R. pipiens population clusters separated by the Missouri River. Substructuring within the two major identified …

Landscape Genetics Reveal Broad And Fine‐Scale Population Structure Due To Landscape Features And Climate History In The Northern Leopard Frog (Rana Pipiens) In North Dakota, Justin M. Waraniak, Justin D.L. Fisher, Kevin Purcell, David M. Mushet, Craig A. Stockwell

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Prehistoric climate and landscape features play large roles structuring wildlife populations. The amphibians of the northern Great Plains of North America present an opportunity to investigate how these factors affect colonization, migration, and current population genetic structure. This study used 11 microsatellite loci to genotype 1,230 northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) from 41 wetlands (30 samples/wetland) across North Dakota. Genetic structure of the sampled frogs was evaluated using Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods. All analyses produced concordant results, identifying a major east–west split between two R. pipiens population clusters separated by the Missouri River. Substructuring within the two major identified …

Bats Of St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Scott C. Pedersen, Hugh H. Genoways, Peter A. Larsen, Roxanne J. Larsen, Justin D. Hoffman, Fitzroy Springer, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The chiropteran fauna of the island of Saint Vincent, represented by 12 species, is among the most complex in the Lesser Antilles, being represented by four families including Noctilionidae (1 species), Mormoopidae (1), Phyllostomidae (8), and Molossidae (2). This fauna includes four trophic guilds as represented by Noctilio leporinus (piscivore/insectivore); Glossophaga longirostris and Monophyllus plethodon (nectarivore/pollenivore); Artibeus lituratus, A. schwartzi, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Ardops nichollsi, and Sturnira paulsoni (frugivore); and Pteronotus fuscus, Micronycteris buriri, Molossus molossus, and Tadarida brasiliensis (insectivore). One species—Micronycteris buriri—and two subspecies—Sturnira paulsoni paulsoni and Ardops nichollsi vincentensis …

Good Riddance Rodents, Elizabeth Killinger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Holidays will be here soon and that means house guests might be coming. Take a few steps now to make sure your ‘guests’ are the ones you want at your house, not the furry, unwelcome kind. House mice are common guests once the outdoor temperatures drop. These small light gray, furry rodents have large ears and long tail. Their preferred food is grains, but they will munch on just about anything. One reason mice can be a problem once inside is due to their rapid ability to reproduce. Each year, a female mouse can produce 5-10 litters, with about 5-6 …

Mouse Genome-Wide Association Studies And Systems Genetics Uncover The Genetic Architecture Associated With Hepatic Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamic Properties Of A Constrained Ethyl Antisense Oligonucleotide Targeting Malat1, Elaine Pirie, Shayoni Ray, Calvin Pan, Wuxia Fu, Andrew F. Powers, Danielle Polikoff, Colton M. Miller, Katrina M. Kudrna, Edward N. Harris, Aldons J. Lusis, Rosanne M. Crooke, Richard G. Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have demonstrated variation of efficacy in patient populations. This has prompted our investigation into the contribution of genetic architecture to ASO pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD). Genome wide association (GWA) and transcriptomic analysis in a hybrid mouse diversity panel (HMDP) were used to identify and validate novel genes involved in the uptake and efficacy of a single dose of a Malat1 constrained ethyl (cEt) modified ASO. The GWA of the HMDP identified two significant associations on chromosomes 4 and 10 with hepatic Malat1 ASO concentrations. Stabilin 2 (Stab2) and vesicle associated membrane protein 3 ( …

Assessment Of Soil Fertility Under Different Land-Use Systems In Dhading District Of Nepal, Sudarshan Kharal, Babu Ram Khanal, Dinesh Panday

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Unscientific land use and cropping techniques have led high soil erosion and degradation of soil quality in the mid-hills of Nepal. To understand the effects of land use systems for selected soil chemical properties in mid-hills, composite soil samples at 0 cm to 20 cm depth were collected from five different land-use systems: Grassland, forest land, upland, lowland, and vegetable farms from Dhading district of Nepal in 2017. Soil samples were analyzed for soil fertility parameters: Soil pH, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K) and its effect due to different land use systems were …

A Novel Tetracycline-Responsive Transgenic Mouse Strain For Skeletal Muscle-Specific Gene Expression, Masahiro Iwata, Davis A. Englund, Yuan Wen, Cory M. Dungan, Kevin A. Murach, Ivan Jose Vechetti Jr, Christopher B. Mobley, Charlotte A. Peterson, John J. Mccarthy

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: The tetracycline-responsive system (Tet-ON/OFF) has proven to be a valuable tool for manipulating gene expression in an inducible, temporal, and tissue-specific manner. The purpose of this study was to create and characterize a new transgenic mouse strain utilizing the human skeletal muscle α-actin (HSA) promoter to drive skeletal muscle-specific expression of the reverse tetracycline transactivator (rtTA) gene which we have designated as the HSA-rtTA mouse. Methods: To confirm the HSA-rtTA mouse was capable of driving skeletal muscle-specific expression, we crossed the HSA-rtTA mouse with the tetracycline-responsive histone H2B-green fluorescent protein (H2B-GFP) transgenic mouse in order to label myonuclei. Results: …

"I Imagine The Male Isn't In The Video And It Is Me:" A Mixed Methods Study Of Internet Pornography, Masculinity, And Sexual Aggression In Emerging Adulthood, Christina Richardson

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Research on Internet pornography has consistently found that men are more likely to view mainstream porn than women and that most men view pornography. Additionally, mainstream porn content has been found to portray highly stereotyped views of gender with men in positions of dominance over women and men engaging in aggression toward women. Despite the consistent finding that pornography is a gendered phenomenon, there is little research exploring the connection between masculinity and pornography use. Furthermore, research on the effects of pornography use on sexual aggression has been mixed, with some findings indicating that men who view porn are more …

Digital Soil Mapping In The Bara District Of Nepal Using Kriging Tool In Arcgis, Dinesh Panday, Bijesh Maharjan, Devraj Chalise, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Bikesh Twanabasu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Digital soil mapping has been widely used to develop statistical models of the relationships between environmental variables and soil attributes. This study aimed at determining and mapping the spatial distribution of the variability in soil chemical properties of the agricultural floodplain lands of the Bara district in Nepal. The study was carried out in 23 Village Development Committees with 12,516 ha total area, in the southern part of the Bara district. A total of 109 surface soil samples (0 to 15 cm depth) were collected and analyzed for pH, organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P, expressed as P_{2 …}

Multi-Element Fingerprinting Of Waters To Evaluate Connectivity Among Depressional Wetlands, Yuxiang Yuan, Xiaoyan Zhu, David M. Mushet, Marinus L. Otte

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Establishing the connectivity among depressional wetlands is important for their proper management, conservation and restoration. In this study, the concentrations of 38 elements in surface water and porewater of depressional wetlands were investigated to determine chemical and hydrological connectivity of three hydrological types: recharge, flow-through, and discharge, in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Most element concentrations of porewater varied significantly by wetland hydrologic type (p < 0.05), and increased along a recharge to discharge hydrologic gradient. Significant spatial variation of element concentrations in surface water was observed in discharge wetlands. Generally, higher element concentrations occurred in natural wetlands compared to wetlands with known disturbances (previous drainage and grazing). Electrical conductivity explained 42.3% and 30.5% of the variation of all element concentrations in porewater and surface water. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the similarity decreased from recharge to flowthrough to discharge wetland in each sampling site. Cluster analysis confirmed that element compositions in porewater of interconnected wetlands were more similar to each other than to those of wetlands located farther away. Porewater and surface water in a restored wetland showed similar multi-element characteristics to natural wetlands. In contrast, depressional wetlands connected by seeps along a deactivated drain-tile path and a grazed wetland showed distinctly different multi-element characteristics compared to other wetlands sampled. Our findings confirm that the multi-element fingerprinting method can be useful for assessing hydro-chemical connectivity across the landscape, and indicate that element concentrations are not only affected by land use, but also by hydrological characteristics.

Quantitative Appraisal Of Non-Irrigated Cropland In South Dakota, Shelby Riggs

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This appraisal attempts to remove subjectivity from the appraisal process and replace it with quantitative analysis of known data to generate a fair market value of the subject property. Two methods of appraisal were used, the income approach and the comparable sales approach. For the income approach, I used the average cash rent for the region, the current property taxes for the subject property, and a capitalization rate based on Stokes' (2018) capitalization rate formula to arrive at my income-based valuation. For the comparable sales approach, I utilized Stokes' (2018) research in optimization modeling to estimate a market value for …

Exposure Of A Population Of Invasive Wild Pigs To Simulated Toxic Bait Containing Biomarker: Implications For Population Reduction, Nathan P. Snow, Michael J. Lavelle, Joseph M. Halseth, Michael P. Glow, Eric H. Vannatta, Amy J. Davis, Kim M. Pepin, Rustin T. Tabor, Bruce R. Leland, Linton D. Staples, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: An international effort to develop an acute and humane toxic bait for invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is underway to curtail their expansion. We evaluated the ability to expose a population of wild pigs to a simulated toxic bait (i.e., placebo bait containing a biomarker, rhodamine B, in lieu of the toxic ingredient) to gain insight on potential population reduction. We used 28 GPS-collars and sampled 428 wild pigs to examine their vibrissae for evidence of consuming the bait.

RESULTS: We estimated that 91% of wild pigs within 0.75 km of bait sites (total area = 16.8 …

Open Textbook Project, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

An overview of an open educational resource textbook project administered from the University Libraries, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Images of some of the textbook authors are included.

Hemodynamics And Pathology Of An Enlarging Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model In Rabbits, Hongmei Chen, Yonghua Bi, Siyeong Yu, Linxia Gu, Xiaoyan Zhu, Xinwei Han

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Hemodynamics may play an essential role in the initiation and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We aimed to study the mechanism of self-healing process by the changes of hemodynamics and pathology in an enlarging AAA in rabbits. Seventy-two rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. Rabbits underwent extrinsic coarctation and received a 10-minute elastase incubation in Group A and Group B. Absorbable suture used in Group A was terminated by balloon dilation at week 4. Diameter was measured after 1, 3, 5, and 15 weeks, computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed at week 3 and week 15. Rabbits were …

Lethal And Repellent Effects Of The Botanical P-Anisaldehyde On Musca Domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), Allan T. Showler, Jessica L.. Harlien

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

The house fly, Musca domestica L., is a globally distributed nuisance and disease-carrying urban and livestock pest. Control mostly relies on synthetic insecticides but resistance to them has become problematic. p-Anisaldehyde, a compound found in many edible plants, was assessed for its effects on different life stages of M. domestica. Whereas p-anisaldehyde, applied as an adult contact spray, caused >80% mortality by 30 min at a 30% concentration, egg mortality on treated substrate was complete at 0.1%, and the LC90 was 0.024%. Only 0.5 and 1 ml of 1.5% p-anisaldehyde mixed into 100 g of cow manure curtailed pupation. When …

Remembrance Of Things Past, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

An overview of faculty development leave taken January 2018 through June 2018, University Libraries, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

A Tale Of Three Kingdoms: Members Of The Phylum Nematoda Independently Acquired The Detoxifying Enzyme Cyanase Through Horizontal Gene Transfer From Plants And Bacteria, Dante Zarlenga, M. Mitreva, P. Thompson, R. Tyagi, W. Tuo, E.P. Hoberg

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

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has played an important role in the evolution of nematodes. Among candidate genes, cyanase, which is typically found only in plants, bacteria and fungi, is present in more than 35 members of the Phylum Nematoda, but absent from free-living and clade V organisms. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the cyanases of clade I organisms Trichinella spp., Trichuris spp. and Soboliphyme baturini (Subclass: Dorylaimia) represent a well-supported monophyletic clade with plant cyanases. In contrast, all cyanases found within the Subclass Chromadoria which encompasses filarioids, ascaridoids and strongyloids are homologous to those of bacteria. Western blots exhibited typical multimeric …

Comparing Virtual Reality Tourism To Real-Life Experience: Effects Of Presence And Engagement On Attitude And Enjoyment, Adam Wagler, Michael D. Hanus

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

With the advent of 360-degree video technology, Virtual reality (VR) headsets can take users to locations in the real world. Despite the increasing number of virtual tourism opportunities using digital VR technology, little research has assessed the effective realism of 360-degree video tourism. This study took users on a guided audio tour of a state Capitol building. Users either took the tour via two-dimensional (2-D) video, immersive 360-degree video using a VR headset, or physically went to the location and walked around the grounds. Users were measured on spatial presence, emotional engagement with the tour, sponsor liking, and tour outreach …

Biological And Environmental Data Sets From The August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, Emma M. Brinley Buckley, Andrew J. Caven, Benjamin L. Gottesman, Mary J. Harner, Bryan C. Pijanowski, Michael L. Forsberg

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The datasets in this article are associated with the research article 'Assessing biological and environmental effects of a total solar eclipse with passive multimodal technologies' (Brinley Buckley et al., 2018). We documented biotic and abiotic changed during a total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017, in south-central Nebraska, USA, with a multimodel suite of tools, including time-lapse camera systems, data loggers, and sound recording devices. Time-lapse images were used to approximate changes in light, data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity, and sound recordings were used to calculate acoustic indices characterizing variation in the soundscape, as well as …

Checklist Of Bloodfeeding Mites (Acari: Spinturnicidae) From The Wings Of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) In The Manú Biosphere Reserve, Peru, Donald Gettinger

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

A survey collection of mites of the family Spinturnicidae from Peruvian bats includes 11 species of Periglischrus (acutisternus, gameroi, grandisoma, herrerai, hopkinsi, iheringi, micronycteridis, ojasti, paracutisternus, paravargasi, and ramirezi) and 2 Spinturnix (americanus and bakeri); almost all represent new locality records. This survey collection is available for further study at the following repositories: The Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; and the Laboratório de Espeleobiologia y Acarologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. When spinturnicid mites are …

Elucidating Sorghum Biomass, Nitrogen And Chlorophyll Contents With Spectral And Morphological Traits Derived From Unmanned Aircraft System, Jiating Li, Yeyin Shi, Arun-Narenthiran Veeranampalayam-Sivakumar, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provide an efficient way to phenotype cropmorphology with spectral traits such as plant height, canopy cover and various vegetation indices (VIs) providing information to elucidate genotypic responses to the environment. In this study, we investigated the potential use of UAS-derived traits to elucidate biomass, nitrogen and chlorophyll content in sorghum under nitrogen stress treatments. A nitrogen stress trial located in Nebraska, USA, contained 24 different sorghum lines, 2 nitrogen treatments and 8 replications, for a total of 384 plots. Morphological and spectral traits including plant height, canopy cover and various VIs were derived from UAS flights …

Tracking Drought Perspectives: A Rural Case Study Of Transformations Following An Invisible Hazard, Theresa Jedd, Deborah J. Bathke, Duane Gill, Bimal Paul, Nicole Wall, Tonya K. Bernadt, Jacob Petr, Anthony James Mucia, Milan Wall

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Rural towns are especially susceptible to the effects of drought because their economies are dependent on natural resources.However, they are also resilient in many ways to natural hazards because they are rich in civic engagement and social capital. Because of the diverse nature of drought’s impacts, understanding its complex dynamics and its effects requires a multidisciplinary approach. To study these dynamics, this research combines appreciative inquiry, the Community Capitals Framework, and a range of climatological monitoring data to assess the 2012–14 Great Plains drought’s effect on McCook, Nebraska. Community coping measures, such as water-use reduction and public health programs, were …

Detection, Occurrence And Fate Of Emerging Contaminants In Agricultural Environments, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada, Saptashati Biswas, Mohammedreza Shafieifini, Xu Li, Matteo D'Alessio, Laura Carter, J. Brett Sallach

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

A total of 75 papers published in 2017 were reviewed ranging from detailed descriptions of analytical methods, to fate and occurrence studies, to ecological effects and sampling techniques for a wide variety of emerging contaminants likely to occur in agricultural environments. New methods and studies on veterinary pharmaceuticals, steroids, antibiotic resistance genes, and engineered nanoparticles agricultural environments continue to expand our knowledge base on the occurrence and potential impacts of these compounds. This review is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Analytical Methods, Fate and Occurrence, Pharmaceutical Metabolites, Anthelmintics, Antibiotic Resistance Genes, and Engineered Nanomaterials.

Center For Grassland Studies, Volume 24, Issue 3, Fall 2018

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Nebraska Grazing Conference Follow-Up

Director's Comments

Steffen Siblings Pursue GLS Degrees

2018 Nebraska Grazing Conference (NGC) Stats at a Glance

UNL PGA Golf Management: Faculty, Staff, and Students Leave Footprints Across the Globe in 2018

The Center for Grassland Studies Welcomes Liz Husmann

Process of Land Stewardship: Producer Reflections on the 2018 Nebraska Grazing Conference

Dr. Jason Rowntree Presentation

Katie Cumming Receives NACTA Award

2018-2019 GLS Officers Selected

2018 Leu Lecturer: Chuck West, Texas Tech University

Nebline, October 2018

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Nebraska Extension’s CHIME program: Enhancing childcare professionals’ well-being with mindfulness

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Art Club, Elizabeth Griggs

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of this art club is to introduce students to various painting techniques. This club is designed for those students who enjoy being creative and learning various painting techniques.

Girls Who Code 3rd-5th, Khristina Polivanov

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of the club is to encourage girls to be confident in themselves and their abilities while teaching them basic concepts used in computer science.

Nebraska’S Wildlife Club; Nebraska Honors Program Clc Expanded Learning Opportunity Clubs, Alexandrea E. Otto

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of the club is to educate and explore with students the wildlife and nature that surrounds them every day. The main focus was to educate students on wildlife native to Nebraska; ranging all the way from West Nebraska to the wildlife found in cities such as Lincoln.