Digital Commons Network^™

Long-Lived Pluvial Episodes During Deposition Of The Navajo Sandstone, David B. Loope, Clinton M. Rowe

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Navajo Sandstone of the American Southwest was deposited at approximately 190 Ma in a giant, subtropical dune field near the western margin of Pangea. From this unit, we report thick intervals of dune cross-strata that were churned by insects and trampled by reptiles. Although dunes continued to migrate freely, the distribution of trace fossils shows that plant life in wet interdune areas sustained high levels of animal activity on the dunes for many thousands of years. We interpret this suite of structures as the record of a pluvial episode climatologically similar to the period of “greening” in the Sahara …

Intercontinental Migration Of Large Mammalian Carnivores: Earliest Occurrence Of The Old World Beardog Amphicyon (Carnivora, Amphicyonidae) In North America, Robert M. Hunt Jr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

North American amphicyonid carnivorans are prominent members of the mid-Cenozoic terrestrial carnivore community during the late Eocene to late Miocene (Duchesnean to Clarendonian). Species range in size from <5 kg to >200 kg. Among the largest amphicyonids are Old and New World species of the genus Amphicyon: A. giganteus in Europe (18–~15? Ma) and Africa, A. ingens in North America (15.9–~14.2 Ma). Amphicyon first appears in the Oligocene of western Europe, surviving there until the late Miocene. Migration to Africa and North America takes place in the early Miocene. The genus occurs in the Arrisdrift fauna (Namibia) of southwest Africa, indicating migration south …

Male Brown-Headed Cowbird Attacks And Kills A Nestling, Lawrence D. Igl

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

I observed a male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) attack and kill a nestling of an unidentified passerine in a grassland field in Day County, South Dakota, in June 2000. The killing or removal of nestlings by female cowbirds has been reported by others, but this behavior has not been documented previously in male cowbirds.

Alteration Of Soil Water Content Consequent To Root-Pruning At A Windbreak/Crop Interface In Nebraska, Usa, Qingjiang Hou, James R. Brandle, Kenneth Hubbard, Michele Schoneberger, Carlos Nieto, Charles A. Francis

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Root-pruning is generally recommended as an appropriate treatment to reduce competition for soil water and/or nutrients and suppression of crop yield in areas adjacent to windbreaks. Several recent studies suggest, however, that factors other than soil water might be causing yield reduction at the interface. For two consecutive years, we evaluated root-pruning effects on soil water at the windbreak/crop interface under both cropped (soybean [Glycine max (L) Merr.] variety ‘Iroquois’, 1997) and non-cropped (1998) conditions in Mead, Nebraska, USA. Volumetric soil water content near the windbreaks was systematically measured at various soil depths, distances from the windbreak, …

Eolian Sand Transport Pathways In The Southwestern United States: Importance Of The Colorado River And Local Sources, Daniel R. Muhs, Richard L. Reynolds, Josh Been, Gary Skipp

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Geomorphologists have long recognized that eolian sand transport pathways extend over long distances in desert regions. Along such pathways, sediment transport by wind can surmount topographic obstacles and cross major drainages. Recent studies have suggested that three distinct eolian sand transport pathways exist (or once existed) in the Mojave and Sonoran Desert regions of the southwestern United States. One hypothesized pathway is eolian sand transport from the eastern Mojave Desert of California into western Arizona, near Parker, and would require sand movement across what must have been at least a seasonally dry Colorado River valley. We tested this hypothesis by …

The Turn Of The Sword: Length Increases Male Swimming Costs In Swordtails, Alexandra Basolo, Giollermina Alcaraz

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sexual selection via female mate choice can result in the evolution of elaborate male traits that incur substantial costs for males. Despite increased interest in how female mating preferences contribute to the evolution of male traits, few studies have directly quantified the locomotor costs of such traits. A sexually selected trait that could affect movement costs is the sword exhibited by male swordtail fishes: while longer swords may increase male mating success, they could negatively affect the hydrodynamic aspects of swimming activities. Here, we examine the energetic costs of the sword in Xiphophorus montezumae by experimentally manipulating sword length and …

Geography Of Religion And Belief Systems, Robert H. Stoddard, Carolyn V. Prorok

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

Spatial and environmental dimensions of religious behavior, artefacts, and attitudes are grist for the geographer’s intellectual mill because spiritually motivated convictions and actions play an important role in human affairs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the geography of religion and belief systems is an important, emerging field of study. We commence this chapter with a definition of the field, particularly as it entails distinctions that arise out of the highly personal nature that religious belief is accorded in the academy and society at large. A limited review and summary of trends in the field over the past decade follows, …

Where Are The Women Geoscience Professors?, Mary Anne Holmes, Suzanne O'Connel

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Compiles an extensive set of data on the status of women in the geosciences, identifying successful strategies for increasing diversity as well as obstacles that hinder efforts. The lessons learned and best practices that arise from this report will help geoscientists continue to increase the gender diversity of their community. Some of these lessons also provide insight into ways to improve the racial and ethnic diversity of the geosciences.

Bats Of Nevis, Northern Lesser Antilles, Scott C. Pedersen, Hugh H. Genoways, Matthew N. Morton, James W. Johnson, Siân E. Courts

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Only one species of bat, Molossus molossus, previously has been documented as occurring on the northern Lesser Antillean island of Nevis. Field research and reviews of existing museum collections have provided documentation based on voucher specimens for an additional seven species occurring on the island — Noctilio leporinus, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Monophyllus plethodon, Ardops nichollsi, Artibeus jamaicensis, Natalus stramineus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. The biological diversity of the chiropteran fauna on Nevis is similar to that found on other islands in the northern Lesser Antilles. Ecologically, this is a simple chiropteran fauna, including one …

Characterization Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 From Downer And Healthy Dairy Cattle In The Upper Midwest Region Of The United States, C. M. Byrne, I. Erol, J. E. Call, C. W. Kaspar, D. R. Buege, C. J. Hiemke, P. J. Fedorka-Cray, Andrew K. Benson, F. M. Wallace, J. B. Luchansky

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

While cattle in general have been identified as a reservoir of Escherichia coli O157:H7, there are limited data regarding the prevalence and clonality of this pathogen in downer dairy cattle and the potential impact to human health that may occur following consumption of meat derived from downer dairy cattle. In the present study, conducted at two slaughter facilities in Wisconsin between May and October of 2001, we established a higher prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in fecal and/or tissue samples obtained aseptically from intact colons of downer dairy cattle (10 of 203, 4.9%) than in those from healthy dairy cattle …

Influence Of The Pacific Decadal Oscillation On The Climate Of The Sierra Nevada, California And Nevada, Larry Benson, Braddock Linsley, Joe Smoot, Scott Mensing, Steve Lund, Scott Stine, Andre Sarna-Wojcicki

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Mono Lake sediments have recorded five major oscillations in the hydrologic balance between A.D. 1700 and 1941. These oscillations can be correlated with tree-ring-based oscillations in Sierra Nevada snowpack. Comparison of a tree-ring-based reconstruction of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index (D’Arrigo et al., 2001) with a coral-based reconstruction of Subtropical South Pacific sea-surface temperature (Linsley et al., 2000) indicates a high degree of correlation between the two records during the past 300 yr. This suggests that the PDO has been a pan-Pacific phenomena for at least the past few hundred years. Major oscillations in the hydrologic balance of the …

Aeolian Cliff-Top Deposits And Buried Soils In The White River Badlands, South Dakota, Usa, J. Elmo Rawling Iii, Glen G. Fredlund, Shannon Mahan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Aeolian deposits in the North American Great Plains are important sources of Holocene palaeoenvironmental records. Although there are extensive studies on loess and dune records in the region, little is known about records in aeolian cliff-top deposits. These are common on table (mesa) edges in the White River Badlands. These sediments typically have loam and sandy-loam textures with dominantly very fine sand, 0.5–1% organic carbon and 0.5–5% CaCO₃. Some of these aeolian deposits are atypically coarse and contain granules and fine pebbles. Buried soils within these deposits are weakly developed with A-C and A-AC-C profiles. Beneath these are …

Quaternary Loess-Paleosol Sequences As Examples Of Climate-Driven Sedimentary Extremes, Daniel R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis Iii

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Loess is a widespread, wind-transported, silt-dominated deposit that contains geologic archives of atmospheric circulation and paleoclimate on continents. Loess may cover as much as 10% of the Earth’s land surface. It is composed mainly of quartz, feldspars, and clay minerals, with varying amounts of carbonate minerals. The geochemistry of loess differs from region to region, depending on source materials, but all loess is very high in SiO2 with lesser amounts of other major elements. Trends in loess downwind from source areas include systematic decreases in thickness and amounts of sand and coarse silt, and increases in amounts of fine silt …

The Power Of Small Schools: Achieving Equal Educational Opportunity Through Academic Success And Democratic Citizenship, Gregory C. Malhoit, Derek W. Black

Nebraska Law Review

This article begins by reviewing the democratic foundations of education and the history of school finance litigation. Then, it explains the framework by which courts and legislatures resolve these cases and implement appropriate remedies, particularly discussing the role research and expert testimony play in influencing remedies. Third, this article recounts the research findings on small schools, interpreting them in relation to the ongoing reform efforts in courts and legislatures. In Part VI, this article explores the role small schools play in fostering democratic education, a significant factor in several prominent cases. Last, this article reaches conclusions about the ultimate efficacy …

Lists: Starting Points For Researching And Writing The Histories Of Academic Departments, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The discovery, imaginative construction, and methodical compilation of lists is a productive initial strategy for researching and writing the histories of academic department and small professional organizations. When purposefully conceptualized as inclusive, list construction provides a methodological framework that curtails the seemingly inherent tendency of historical writers to overlook the contributions and participation of minority members of professional organizations – I use the term “minority” here in the widest possible sense, to indicate virtually anyone who by one criterion or another has come to be defined or perceived as somehow “marginal” or “unimportant” to the historical record you are documenting.

The Ceres-Rice Model-Based Estimates Of Potential Monsoon Season Rainfed Rice Productivity In Bangladesh, Rezaul Mahmood, Mark Meo, David R. Legates, Mark L. Morrissey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Agricultural practices in Bangladesh are largely dependent on the monsoonal rainfall. Historically, Bangladesh often experiences severe droughts and floods during the monsoon months, with significant crop losses during both extreme conditions. This article provides a quantitative assessment of potential monsoon-season aman rice for four transplanting dates: 1 June, 1 July, 15 July, and 15 August. A crop-growth simulation model, the CERES-Rice, is applied to sixteen locations representing major rice-growing regions of Bangladesh to determine baseline yield estimates for four transplanting dates. The applications were conducted for 1975 through 1987. Average potential yield in Bangladesh is 6,907, 5,039, 3,637, and 1,762 …

Lake-Catchment Interactions With Climate In The Low Arctic Of Southern West Greenland, N. John Anderson, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Christopher E. Gibson, Bent Hasholt, Melanie J. Leng

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Arctic hydrology plays a central role in the earth’s heat balance and ocean circulation (Vörösmarty et al. 2001). Future changes associated with human influence on the climate system are also predicted to cause major changes in the energy and hydrologic mass balance of Arctic catchments. Climate change will likely affect permafrost and snowmelt, which dominate Arctic hydrology and control the chemistry of surface runoff (and hence streams and lakes) as water percolates through the active layer. However, the controls and dynamic impact of snowmelt are poorly understood, because this critical timeframe is often missed by sampling programs. In the Søndre …

Milesian Decrees Of Isopoliteia And The Refoundation Of The City, Ca. 479 Bce, Vanessa B. Gorman

Department of History: Faculty Publications

In summary, the events described in Herodotus 6.19.2–22.1 are not only plausible, but entirely consistent with the physical and epigraphic evidence from Miletos. Persia sacked the city and killed or relocated the entire population. For the next fifteen years, while Persia still clung to Ionia, some settlers may have returned from among those who fled the sack or were absent abroad at the time. They settled cautiously on Kalabaktepe, awaiting events. When the Battle of Mykale and subsequent events pushed the Persian authority out of Ionia, the settlers looked to restore their once-famous city to something of its former size …

Contrasting Patterns Of Divergence In Quantitative Traits And Neutral Dna Markers: Analysis Of Clinal Variation, Jay F. Storz

Jay F. Storz Publications

Clinal variation in quantitative traits is often attributed to the effects of spatially varying selection. However, identical patterns can be produced by the interplay between purely stochastic processes (i.e. drift in combination with spatially restricted gene flow). One means of distinguishing between adaptive and nonadaptive causes of geographical variation is to compare relative levels of between population divergence in quantitative traits and neutral DNA markers. Such comparisons can be used to test whether levels of trait divergence attributable to additive genetic effects (as measured by Q_ST) exceed null expectations based on the level of divergence at neutral marker …

Marking Places In The Southern Black Hills: A Preliminary Analysis, Ralph J. Hartley, Anne M. Wolley Vawser

United States National Park Service: Publications

Contents Introduction...................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................2 Methodology ..................................................................................................................3 Results...........................................................................................................................8 Discussion ....................................................................................................................14 Endnotes.......................................................................................................................21 References Cited...........................................................................................................22

List of Figures

List of Tables

Introduction

Anthropological archaeologists have long recognized that the nature of the archeological record at a “site”, defined spatially and by artifact assemblage, is sometimes the result of hundreds of years of intermittent and diverse activities by unrelated individuals or kin groups. Many “sites” with observable remains of prehistoric or historic Native American activities are places amenable to contemporary use by individuals in an era of sophisticated mobility. These means of moving about the landscape often result in increased use of a place …

Attracting Arctic Foxes To Relocate A Gull Colony At Keflavik International Airport (Poster), Pall Hersteinsson, Gundmundur Orn Jonsson

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 4th (2002)

The Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) colony at Keflavik International Airport has grown from around 1,000 pairs in 1975 to over 20,000 pairs in the early 1990s and to around 30,000 pairs in 2000. The colony is considered a serious hazard to both military and civil air traffic. The population of arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), the only predator in Iceland capable of preying on these gulls, was very small in this area from the late 1950s until the mid-1980s. A decade ago we noted that the location of the colony had shifted away from an arctic …

Great Plains Research Volume 12, Number 2, Fall 2002 - Table Of Contents

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Cover and table of contents

Review Of Teaching Spirits: Understanding Native American Religious Traditions By Joseph Epes Brown With Emily Cousins, Kathleen Danker

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

This volume passes on to readers some of the teachings of the late scholar and educator Joseph Epes Brown. In consultation with Brown's wife Elenita Brown and daughter Marina Brown Weatherly, writer and editor Emily Cousins has produced a clear and succinct synthesis of what Brown taught his classes at the University of Montana about Native American concepts of the sacred. She accomplishes this through the complex task of blending some of his class lecture notes, published articles, and conference talks with recollections from his students and quotations from published Native American sources.

Following Brown's example in his lectures, Cousins …

Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus, Joan Digby

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

At this point I think it is quite fair to say that technology is simply the machinery of our daily lives, in honors programs as in every other sphere of activity. For that reason the impact of technology on honors in particular is extremely difficult to assess. Of course, we keep our records on computers, contact students through e-mail and listservs, and utilize media of all kinds.

Editorial Matter For Volume 3, Number 2, Ada Long, Dail Mullins, Rusty Rushton

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Editorial Policy
Contents
Call for Papers
Submission Guidelines
Dedication to Ada Long
Editor's Introduction, Ada Long
About the Authors

A Longitudinal Approach To Great Plains Migration, John C. Hudson

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Students of population and regional studies are familiar with the demographic "accounting" equation,

Population _t+x = Population _t + Births _x

-Deaths _x + Immigration _x

- Emigration _x

In other words, the size of the population at time t + x is equal to the population at time t plus the births, minus the deaths, plus the immigrants, minus the emigrants, during the interval of time x. This simple formula can be used to derive a variety of rates and statistics describing population change. The equation's main application is to describe short-term change in a population in terms …

Flooding In Kansas Respondents’ Satisfaction With Emergency Response Measures And Disaster Aid, Bimal Kanti Paul

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Several counties of south-central and southeast Kansas experienced floods in the first week of November 1998. The communities of Arkansas City and Augusta were among those most severely affected by these floods. This study is based primarily on a mail questionnaire survey of residents of these two communities, and it examines respondents' satisfaction with four emergency response measures employed by local officials and emergency management agencies before and during the flood event. The extent of external support victims received and the level of their satisfaction with that support were also investigated. The analysis of the survey data shows that the …

Review Of The Cast Iron Forest: A Natural And Cultural History Of The North American Cross Timbers By Richard V. Francaviglia, Brock Brown

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Drawing on the term "cast iron forest" used by Washington Irving in the 1830s to describe a central Oklahoma component of the larger Cross Timbers region, Richard Francaviglia fashions a thoughtful, thorough, and updated account of this bio-region. Nurtured by American expansion westward, the Cross Timbers was a formidable barrier to transportation and of immediate interest to anyone traveling east-west through the region. From early Euro-American encounters to recent times many of the explorers, surveyors, adventurers, and scientists who encountered and observed the Cross Timbers recorded their experiences. Francaviglia does a superb job bundling the diverse types of accounts into …

Great Plains Research Volume 12, Number 2, Fall 2002 - Annual Index

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

annual index

Reasons For The Marginal Incorporation Of The Comanches By The Spanish, Martha Mccollough

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

When the Comanches, a Native American community originally from the Great Basin region, migrated to the Southern Plains in the early 1700s, they encountered Spanish colonies, missions, and military and administrative personnel as well as newly introduced trade items. Spain attempted to incorporate the Comanches into the region's emerging political economy through a variety of means including the use of treaties, coercive force, and economic inducements. Because of the Comanches' decentralized political organization, their conquest of the Apaches, and Spain's tenuous control over its northern frontier, the Comanches successfully retained control over their own articulation within the region's political economy. …