Digital Commons Network^™

Ammonia: Measurement Issues, Lowry A. Harper

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

Ammonia (NH₃) is a colorless gas under standard conditions, whose pungent odor is easily discernible at concentrations above about 10 ppm, and to some persons, down to almost 1 ppm. It is the major basic neutralizing gas in the atmosphere so it has an important role in the neutralization of atmospheric acids generated by the oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). As a result, the reaction product of NH3, ammonium (NH₄ ⁺), forms an aerosol that is a major component of atmospheric aerosols and in precipitation (Asman et al., …

Beet Poleroviruses: Close Friends Or Distant Relatives?, Mark Stevens, Benjamin Freeman, Hsing-Yeh Liu, Ethienne Herrbach, Olivier Lemaire

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

Taxonomy: There are three members of the genus Polerovirus (family Luteoviridae ) that induce yellowing of sugar beet: Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV), Beet chlorosis virus (BChV) and Beet western yellows virus -USA (BWYV-USA, Fig. 1). Non-beetinfecting isolates of BWYV found particularly within Europe have now been re-named Turnip yellows virus (TuYV). Species-specific antibodies are unavailable, but the viruses can be distinguished by RT-PCR using primers specifically designed to the 5 ′ end of their respective genomes. Physical properties: The isometric virus particles are approximately 26 nm in diameter and the genome consists of a single strand of positive sense …

Litigating Educational Adequacy In North Carolina: A Personal Account Of Leandro V. State, 488 S.E.2d 255 (N.C. 1997), Robert H. Tiller

Nebraska Law Review

In the spring of 1994, a group of school districts in North Carolina investigated the possibility of a lawsuit challenging the State’s school finance system. In fall 2002, we received a favorable decision from the state supreme court regarding the right to a sound basic education, which was followed by a lengthy trial and a largely favorable decision from the trial court. The State appealed, and the appeal process lasted several months. This article contains the background and high points of the litigation and the July 30, 2004, ruling in the case.

Annual Movements Of Pacific Coast Sandhill Cranes, Gary L. Ivey, Caroline P. Herziger, Thomas J. Hoffmann

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The subspecies composition of migratory sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) which stage and winter along the Lower Columbia River in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington is uncertain, but may include all 3 using the Pacific Flyway: lesser (G. c. canadensis), Canadian (G. c. rowani), and greater (G. c. tabida). However, the status of rowani has been debated. During 2001-02, we captured and marked 8 cranes using a noose line trapping technique, and attached Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) to 6 to ascertain locations of their breeding areas, migration corridors and winter sites. Morphometric data …

Molecular Characterization Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex Isolates From Wild Ungulates In South-Central Spain, Christian Gortazar, Joaquín Vicente, Sofia Samper, Joseba M. Garrido, Isabel Fernandez-De-Mera, Patricia Gavín, Ramón A. Juste, Carlos Martín, Pelayo Acevedo, Manuel De La Puentea, Ursula Höflea

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Bibliography and Database

The role of European wild ungulates in the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) is still under discussion. This study describes the geographical distribution and molecular typing of 77 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates belonging either to M. bovis or to M. caprae, cultivated from hunter harvested red deer (Cervus elaphus) and European wild boar (Sus scrofa) in 24 Spanish localities, and compares them with spoligotypes detected previously in humans, livestock or wild animals, as described in the literature. The distribution of the molecular type patterns suggests that the population of M. tuberculosis complex strains isolated from Spanish …

Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network – Winter 2004/05

Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network

Content:

Sand Hills Biocomplexity Project 2005 by Monica Sanford

The Sand Hills Biocomplexity Project: An Interview with Dr. Dave Wedin by Monica Sanford

Science: Think Outside the Box by Monica Sanford

New UNL Web Site Sells Everything from Maps to Rocks

Geographic Educators of Nebraska Sponsors Summer Workshops

Amphibian Research And Monitoring Initiative: Concepts And Implementation, Paul Stephen Corn, Michael J. Adams, William A. Battaglin, Alisa L. Gallant, Daniel L. James, Melinda Knutson, Catherine A. Langtimm, John R. Sauer

United States Geological Survey: Publications

This report provides the basis for discussion and subsequent articulation of a national plan for the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). The authors were members of a task force formed from within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that included scientists with expertise in biology, cartography, hydrology, and statistics. The assignment of the task force was to extend work begun by the National Amphibian Leadership Group. This group, composed of senior USGS scientists, managers, and external authorities, met in Gainesville, Florida, in February 20001. The product of this meeting was a document outlining the framework for a national program to …

Perchlorate: Sources, Uses, And Occurrences In The Environment, Clayton W. Trumpolt, Michael Crain, Geoffrey D. Cullison, Susan J. P. Flanagan, Lenny Siegel, Stephen Lathrop

United States Navy: Publications

Perchlorate contamination of groundwater and soil continues to be a hot topic in many sectors, including industry, the federal Departments of Defense and Energy, regulators, and the general public. This article presents information on what is currently known regarding perchlorate uses, known and suspected naturally occurring versus anthropogenic perchlorate sources, and past and present manufacturing locations. It provides the reader with a baseline as well as background information to facilitate an understanding of perchlorate in the environment for the ultimate purpose of remediation. The article is based on research conducted by the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council for a forthcoming, more …

Basal Tissue Structure In The Earliest Euconodonts: Testing Hypotheses Of Developmental Plasticity In Euconodont Phylogeny, Xi-Ping Dong, Philip C. J. Donoghue, John E. Repetski

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The hypothesis that conodonts are vertebrates rests solely on evidence of soft tissue anatomy. This has been corroborated by microstructural, topological and developmental evidence of homology between conodont and vertebrate hard tissues. However, these conclusions have been reached on the basis of evidence from highly derived euconodont taxa and the degree to which they are representative of plesiomorphic euconodonts remains an open question. Furthermore, the range of variation in tissue types comprising the euconodont basal body has been used to establish a hypothesis of developmental plasticity early in the phylogeny of the clade, and a model of diminishing potentiality in …

University Of Nebraska- Lincoln: Fact Book 2004-2005

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administration: Reports, Papers, Publications, and Presentations

Fact Book 2004-2005 Table of Contents

General Information

Role and Mission Statement....................................................................4

Institutional & Professional Accreditations......................................................7

UNL Organizational Chart..................................................................9

Student Credit Hours

Student Credit Hours UNL Student Credit Hours Total Fall, by College 2000 to 2004................................................................10

UNL Student Credit Hours Total Spring, By College 2000 to 2004....................................................11

UNL Student Credit Hours Total Fall & Spring Semester, by College 1999—2003..........................12

Summer Sessions 2004 Student Credit Hours..........................................13

Retention, Degrees and Majors

Retention, Degrees and Majors UNL Student Retention & Graduation Rate Analysis..................................................................................14

Total Degrees conferred by UNL Fiscal Year 1994-95 to 2003-2004............................................................15

Degrees Conferred July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004...............................................................................16

Types …

Systemic High School Reform In Two States: The Serendipity Of State-Level Action, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Maine and Vermont have been national leaders in state-level coordination of high school reform. Both recently developed almost interchangeable, new, voluntary, statewide frameworks that describe multiple ways high schools should change. Both frameworks—Promising Futures (Maine Commission on Secondary Education 1998) and High Schools on the Move (Vermont High School Task Force 2001)—were published in book form and include extensive bibliographies grounding their claims that they are research based. Both frameworks recommend principles and practices for improving high schools for all students. Both frameworks were drafted primarily by leading local educators with only modest support from experts based beyond the …

Sociological Thought Experiments: Five Examples From The History Of Sociology, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Iam honored to speak with you today about several topics close to my professional and personal heart. I say personal as well as professional because for some twenty years now my interest in the history of sociology has developed and deepened in tandem with the pioneering research conducted by my life-partner, MaryJo Deegan. Her work on Jane Addams and the Men of the Chicago School, 1892-1918 (Deegan 1988a) has become the paradigm example for the “new history” in sociology, and it is my inspiration for today’s discussion.

The Degree Of Chlmpanzee Theory Of Mind And The Evolution Of Modularity, Benjamin Grant Purzycki

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Whether or not chimpanzees have the ability to mentally represent others' mental states or theory of mind (ToM) has yet to be definitively established. This results from three problems. First, modular theory of mind accounts lead researchers to adopt an either/or approach to psychological faculties which obfuscates both within- and across-species variability. Second, present research continues to rely on the continued trend to polarize nature and nurture. Third, the bulk of the work compares humans with chimpanzees rather than looking at the entire range of primate species. I propose "degree approach" by way of the Integrated Causal Model which particularizes …

Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga Of The Shortgrass Prairie, Paul A. Johnsgard

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

For hundreds of years black-tailed prairie dogs inhabited the Great Plains by the millions, improving the grazing for bison and pronghorn antelope, digging escape holes and homes for burrowing owls and rodents, and serving as prey for badgers, coyotes, hawks, and bobcats. This book by the renowned naturalist and writer Paul A. Johnsgard tells the complex biological and environmental story of the western Great Plains under the prairie dog’s reign—and then under a brief but devastating century of human dominion. An indispensable and highly readable introduction to the ecosystem of the shortgrass prairie, Prairie Dog Empire describes in clear and …

High-Resolution Ocean Color Remote Sensing Of Benthic Habitats: A Case Study At The Roatan Island, Honduras, Deepak R. Mishra, Sunil G. Narumalani, Donald Rundquist, Merlin P. Lawson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Natural resource managers clamor for detailed reef habitat maps for monitoring smaller scale disturbances in reef communities. Coastal ocean color remote sensing techniques permit benthic habitats to be explored with higher resolution than ever before. The objective of this research was to develop an accurate benthic habitat map for an area off the northwest coast of Roatan Island, Honduras, using high-resolution multispectral IKONOS data. Atmospheric (Rayleigh and aerosol path radiance) and water column corrections (water depth and water column attenuation) were applied to the imagery, making it a robust method for mapping benthic habitats. Water depth for each pixel was …

A Multilocus Population Genetic Survey Of The Greater Sage-Grouse Across Their Range, S. J. Oyler-Mccance, S.E. Taylor, T. W. Quinn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The distribution and abundance of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have declined dramatically, and as a result the species has become the focus of conservation efforts. We conducted a range-wide genetic survey of the species which included 46 populations and over 1000 individuals using both mitochondria1 sequence data and data from seven nuclear microsatellites. Nested clade and STRUCTURE analyses revealed that, in general, the greater sage-grouse populations follow an isolation-by-distance model of restricted gene flow. This suggests that movements of the greater sage-grouse are typically among neighboring populations and not across the species, range. This may have important …

Amphibian Research And Monitoring Initiative (Armi): A Successful Start To A National Program In The United States, Erin Muths, Robin E. Jung, Larissa L. Bailey, Michael J. Adams, P. Stephen Corn, C. Kenneth Dodd Jr., Gary M. Fellers, Walter J. Sadinski, Cecil R. Schwalbe, Susan C. Walls, Robert N. Fisher, Alisa L. Gallant, William A. Battaglin, D. Earl Green

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Most research to assess amphibian declines has focused on local-scale projects on one or a few species. The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is a national program in the United States mandated by congressional directive and implemented by the U.S. Department of the Interior (specifically the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS). Program goals are to monitor changes in populations of amphibians across U.S. Department of the Interior lands and to address research questions related to amphibian declines using a hierarchical framework of base-, mid- and apex-level monitoring sites. ARMI is currently monitoring 83 amphibian species (29% of species in the …

Geographic And Ontogenetic Variation In The Contact Calls Of The Kea, Alan B. Bond, Judy Diamond

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Regional and ontogenetic variation in the contact calls of the kea (Nestor notabilis), an omnivorous and socially complex New Zealand parrot, were examined throughout the range of the species. We recorded samples of kee-ah contact calls from sixteen resident adults and eleven juveniles and demonstrated significant differences between age classes in the acoustic form of the vocalization. Canonical correlation analysis revealed a gradient in the form of the kee-ah call in both adults and juveniles along and across the escarpment of the Southern Alps, the primary longitudinal mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand. Although the …

Abdominal Pigmentation Variation In Drosophila Polymorpha: Geographic Variation In The Trait, And Underlying Phylogeography, Jennifer A. Brisson, Daniela Cristina De Toni, Ian Duncan, Alan R. Templeton

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Drosophila polymorpha is a widespread species that exhibits abdominal pigmentation variation throughout its range. To gain insight into this variation we combined phenotypic and genotypic data to test a series of nested hypotheses. First, we tested the null hypothesis that geographic variation in pigmentation is due to neutral factors. We used nested clade analysis to examine the distribution of haplotypes from a nuclear and a mitochrondrial locus. Restricted gene flow via isolation by distance, the primary inference of this phylogeographic analysis, was then used to generate and test the hypothesis of increasing average abdominal pigmentation difference with increasing geographic distance. …

Faunal Survey Of Streblid Flies (Diptera: Streblidae) Associated With Bats In Paraguay, Carl W. Dick, Donald Gettinger

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

An extensive survey of the ectoparasites infesting bats in Paraguay provides information regarding the taxonomy and host distribution of streblid bat flies at a geographic interface between subtropical and temperate habitats. Five families of bats representing 45 species, including Molossidae (5 genera and 15 species), Natalidae (1 genus and 1 species), Phyllostomidae (11 genera and 15 species), Noctilionidae (1 genus and 2 species), and Vespertilionidae (4 genera and 12 species) were collected from 24 localities across Paraguay and sampled for ectoparasites. In total, 2,467 bat flies were collected, representing 11 genera and 31 nominal species of Streblidae, of which 6 …

Holocene Paleoecology Along The Blekinge Coast, Southeast Sweden, And Implications For Climate And Sea-Level Changes, Shi-Yong Yu, Björn E. Berglund, Per Sandgren, Sherilyn C. Fritz

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

To investigate the Holocene vegetation history and shoreline displacement along the southeastern Swedish coast, two radiocarbon dated pollen, macrofossil, and mineral magnetic sequences were studied in the western Blekinge coast: Hunnemara Lake and Smygen Bay. Both pollen records show mosaic vegetation with grasslands, heaths and woodlands prior to 11,300 cal. BP. Pinus-dominated mixed forest was initially established by 11,000 cal. BP. By 10,000 cal. BP, mixed forest with higher species diversity was fully established. Expansion of broad-leaved trees began at about 8,600 cal. BP, indicating the onset of the mid-Holocene thermal maximum in Scandinavia. Following the Ulmus decline ~5,800 …

Phylogeny For Genera Of Nematodirinae (Nematoda: Trichostrongylina), Eric P. Hoberg, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, Lora G. Rickard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Monophyly for the Nematodirinae, with five genera, Murielus, Rauschia, Nematodiroides, Nematodirus, and Nematodirella was confirmed based on comparative morphology and phylogenetic analysis of structural characters. This concept for the nematodirines excludes the monotypic Lamanema chavezi, but otherwise corroborates generic-level diversity as defined in prior studies. Exhaustive analysis resulted in one most parsimonious tree (36 steps; consistency index [CI] = 0.94; retention index [RI] = 0.93; excluding phylogenetically uninformative characters, CI = 0.92). As an inclusive or monophyletic group, Nematodirinae was diagnosed by eight synapomorphies (seven are unequivocal): (1) large eggs, (2) long filiform spicules, (3) basal division of …

Beringia: Intercontinental Exchange And Diversification Of High Latitude Mammals And Their Parasites During The Pliocene And Quarternary, Joseph A. Cook, Eric P. Hoberg, Anson Koehler, Heikki Henttonen, Lotta Wickström, Voitto Haukisalmi, Kurt Galbreath, Felix Chernyavski, Nikolai Dokuchaev, Anatoli Lahzuhtkin, Stephen O. Macdonald, Andrew Hope, Eric Waltari, Amy Runck, Alasdair Veitch, Richard Popko, Emily Jenkins, Susan Kutz, Ralph Eckerlin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Beringia is the region spanning eastern Asia and northwestern North America that remained ice-free during the full glacial events of the Pleistocene. Numerous questions persist regarding the importance of this region in the evolution of northern faunas. Beringia has been implicated as both a high latitude refugium and as the crossroads (Bering Land Bridge) of the northern continents for boreal mammals. The Beringian Coevolution Project (BCP) is an international collaboration that has provided material to assess the pattern and timing of faunal exchange across the crossroads of the northern continents and the potential impact of past climatic events on differentiation. …

Thucydides [From Encyclopedia Of Social Measurement], Peter A. Furia, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Thucydides (5th Century B.C.E.) is arguably the first person to engage in systematic social measurement. His lone surviving masterwork. The Peloponnesian War, stands as a founding text for the disciplines of history and political science. On its surface, The Peloponnesian War comprehensively and objectively chronicles the 27 year military struggle between Athens and Sparta from which the latter emerged victorious in 404 B.C.E. Yet Thucydides’ aim and approach in recounting the Peloponnesian War is extensively debated, often reflecting enduring disagreements about the philosophy and methodology of social science.

Topographic, Bioclimatic, And Vegetation Characteristics Of Three Ecoregion Classification Systems In North America: Comparisons Along Continent-Wide Transects, Robert Thompson, Sarah Shafer, Katherine Anderson, Laura Strickland, Richard Pelltier, Patrick Bartlein, Michael Kerwin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Ecoregion classification systems are increasingly used for policy and management decisions, particularly among conservation and natural resource managers. A number of ecoregion classification systems are currently available, with each system defining ecoregions using different classification methods and different types of data. As a result, each classification system describes a unique set of ecoregions. To help potential users choose the most appropriate ecoregion system for their particular application, we used three latitudinal transects across North America to compare the boundaries and environmental characteristics of three ecoregion classification systems [Küchler, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Bailey]. A variety of variables were used …

Pound, Nathan Roscoe (1870-1964), Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Roscoe Pound was born on 27 October 1870 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was classically trained in languages and the sciences at the University of Nebraska and received the BA degree in 1888. Pound’s innovative graduate studies in botany under the tutelage of Charles E. Bessey, resulted in a doctoral dissertation written jointly with Frederic E. Clements, published in 1898, on The Phytogeography of Nebraska. The Phytogeography established the American school of plant ecology (Tobey 1981) and for his part Pound received the first Nebraska PhD earned “in course” in 1899. Already a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma …

Predicting Plant Extinction Based On Species-Area Curves In Prairie Fragments With High Beta Richness, Brian J. Wilsey, Leanne M. Martin, H. Wayne Polley

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

Species-area relationships and island biogeography theory are commonly used to predict how species richness will decline with fragmentation. There are a variety of largely untested assumptions in these approaches, including the assumptions that populations are distributed uniformly before fragmentation, and that local extinctions are due to effects of small population sizes. If populations are not distributed uniformly, then populations can be abundant locally but rare globally. This would cause extinction rates to be smaller than predicted.We tested extinction theory by developing estimates of the number of plant species that should be present in small tallgrass prairie fragments and then testing …

Habitat Corridors Function As Both Drift Fences And Movement Conduits For Dispersing Flies, Joanna H. Fried, Douglas J. Levey, Jerome Hogsette

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

Corridors connect otherwise isolated habitat patches and can direct movement of animals among such patches. In eight experimental landscapes, we tested two hypotheses of how corridors might affect dispersal behavior. The Traditional Corridor hypothesis posits that animals preferentially leave patches via corridors, following them into adjacent patches. The Drift Fence hypothesis posits that animals dispersing through matrix habitat are diverted into patches with corridors because they follow corridors when encountered. House flies (Musca domestica L.), a species that prefers the habitat of our patches and corridors, were released in a central patch (100x100 m) and recaptured in peripheral patches …

Post-Release Evaluation Of Biological Control Of Bemisia Tabaci Biotype ‘‘B’’ In The Usa And The Development Of Predictive Tools To Guide Introductions For Other Countries, John A. Goolsby, Paul J. Debarro, Alan A. Kirk, Robert W. Sutherst, Luis Canas, Matthew A. Ciomperlik, Peter C. Ellsworth, Juli R. Gould, Diana M. Hartley, Kim A. Hoelmer, Steven E. Naranjo, Mike Rose, William J. Roltsch, Paul A. Ruiz, Charles H. Pickett, Don C. Vacek

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

Climatic matching and pre-release performance evaluation were useful predictors of parasitoid establishment in a retrospective analysis of a classical biological control program against Bemisia tabaci biotype ‘‘B’’ in the USA. Laboratory evaluation of 19 imported and two indigenous parasitoid species in quarantine on B. tabaci showed that the Old World Eretmocerus spp, had the highest attack rate. The climate matching program CLIMEX was used to analyze the establishment patterns of five Old World Eretmocerus spp. introduced to the Western USA. The top matches ±10% for the climate of the area of introduction and origin of the introduced parasitoids always included …

An Assessment Of Key Aspects Of Warm And Cool Season Severe Flash Flooding In The Southern Appalachians, W. M. Baldwin, R. Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.