Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring And Explaining Weight Changes In First Semester Freshmen College Students: Relationship To Enrollment In A Wellness Course And Other Variables Using A Mixed Method Design, Janice L. Jewett

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

The purpose of this study was to examine and explain causes of body weight changes in first-semester freshmen. A mixed method design was used to conduct an experimental component, search for statistical relationships among variables, and explore and further explain the findings related to body weight changes.

The quantitative results revealed that there was no significant difference in change in body weight between the experimental and control group. Major findings in the quantitative analysis were that freshman males are gaining more weight than freshman females during their first semester in college. Drinking contributes to this weight gain. In addition, feeling …

The Evolution Of Color Polymorphism: Crypticity, Searching Images, And Apostatic Selection, Alan B. Bond

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The development and maintenance of color polymorphism in cryptic prey species is a source of enduring fascination, in part because it appears to result from selective processes operating across multiple levels of analysis, ranging from cognitive psychology to population ecology. Since the 1960s, prey species with diverse phenotypes have been viewed as the evolved reflection of the perceptual and cognitive characteristics of their predators. Because it is harder to search simultaneously for two or more cryptic prey types than to search for only one, visual predators should tend to focus on the most abundant forms and effectively overlook the others. …

College Of Agricultural Sciences And Natural Resources: 14th Annual Report August 1, 2006-July 31, 2007

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR): Annual Reports

It is our pleasure to provide the Fourteenth Annual Report for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR). We believe in the importance of reflecting on the accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students. The annual report offers the opportunity to review the year, and serves as an archive of accomplishments for our College. This report covers the period August 1, 2006 to July 31, 2007.

We can be very proud of our University. Seventy-three schools competed for recognition as innovators in undergraduate education. Only 16 were selected. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is one of the 16--the …

Utilization Of Dried Distillers Grains For Developing Beef Heifers, J. L. Martin, Andrea S. Cupp, Richard J. Rasby, Z. C. Hall, Richard N. Funston

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A 2-yr study was conducted at 2 locations to determine if supplementing beef heifers with dried distillers grains (DDG) as an energy source affected growth or reproduction. Spring-born crossbred heifers (n = 316) were blocked by age or sire and age and assigned randomly to DDG or control (dried corn gluten feed, whole corn germ, urea) supplement. Heifers received prairie hay in amounts sufficient for ad libitum intake and 0.59% of BW DDG or 0.78% of BW control supplement (DM basis). Supplements were formulated to be isocaloric, but protein degradability differed. Supplemental undegradable intake protein intake from DDG averaged 267 …

Parents’ And Teachers’ Beliefs About Parental Involvement In Schooling, Mary Kelly Haack

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

Parental involvement in schooling is critical for children’s academic success. Despite its importance, parental involvement appears to be discouragingly low. Attribution theory may provide an explanation for perceived limited parental participation in specific activities to support their children's schooling and for strained parent/teacher relations. This study identified and compared the causal attributions made by teachers and parents for a hypothetical situation in which a parent was not sufficiently involved in their elementary aged child’s schooling. In addition, differences in attributions based on the education level of the parent were examined. Participants for the study were 80 regular education teachers in …

Relaxin As A Diagnostic Tool For Pregnancy In The Coyote (Canis Latrans), Debra A. Carlson, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The diagnosis of pregnancy in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) often employs specialized equipment, experienced staff, and the cooperation of the bitch. These procedures can be challenging when the subject is a wild canid, particularly in a field setting. In addition, reproductive hormone assays are unreliable as a diagnostic tool because the estrous profiles of pregnant and pseudopregnant canines are similar. However, research has demonstrated that the hormone relaxin can be detected in maternal blood after embryonic implantation, but remains negligible in non-pregnant females. We investigated the use of relaxin as a diagnostic marker of pregnancy in the …

The Future Of Unl Energy Sciences

Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research: White Papers and Presentations

UNL has a large number of faculty conducting research on energy-related topics. However, strategic coordination needs improvement, and there are significant opportunities to leverage synergies across departments and colleges, centers, and institutes. In addition, there are critical gaps in expertise that need filling to achieve critical mass and national prominence in key areas.

This white paper seeks to identify a set of thematic areas that would help focus UNL faculty resources on emerging opportunities in the energy-related sciences and serve as a framework to achieve the following goals:

♦ Develop innovative research programs that enhance renewable energy resources and energy …

Development Of A Set Of Forage Standard To Estimate In Vivo Digestibility Of Forages And Prediction Of Forage Quality Of Diets Consumed By Cattle Grazing Nebraska Sandhills Range Pastures, Bobbi Gene Geisert

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

In beef cattle productions systems, feed costs accounts for the majority of production costs. In year-round grazing systems, knowledge of diet quality is important for supplement formulation and predicting animal response in order to meet production goals without increasing feeding costs. The objectives of these two trials were: to develop a set of feed standards to use in in vitro laboratory procedures to estimate in vivo digestibility of forages, determine the effect of moisture, day, and grazing level on diet quality, and develop prediction equations to estimate diet quality using the variables moisture, day and grazing level. Trial 1 used …

Wpa News 79 (2007), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2007), number 79

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Center For Grassland Studies Newsletter, Summer 2007, Volume 13, No. 3

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents:

Managing the Meeting of the Cow and the Grass by Pat Reece, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, UNL, Scottsbluff

A Prairie Green Roof by Richard Sutton, Departments of Landscape Architecture and Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL

Carbon Sequestration Pilot Project Wraps Up Steve Chick, USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lincoln, NE

CGS Council Tours North Central Nebraska

The Nature Conservancy Expands Its Scope

Restored Wetlands Capture Missouri River Water Reducing Flooding

Lpe Center News, July 2007

Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center: Newsletters

In this issue:

• Webcast Planning Survey Complete- Top Picks Are

• LPE Learning Center to be Part of eXtension

• Feed Management Fact Sheets Now Available

• EPA Develops a Matrix of Agriculture Related Regulations

• Upcoming EPA Workshop to Focus on Hormones; ASABE Hosts Symposium on Air Quality and Waste Management

Animal Science Alumni Newsletter, Summer 2007

Department of Animal Science: Departmental News

Contents:

Inaugural NBIS Class
Schroeder Presents Special Seminar
From the Department Head’s Desk
Scheideler Named Interim Department Head
Japanese Agricultural Training Program (JATP) — 40 Years of Success
Van Vleck Receives Pioneer Award from National Dairy Shrine
New Stained Glass Window a Tribute to Roy L. Carlson
Larson Retires After 35 Years
Levis Swine Specialist at Haskell Ag Lab
Stalker Hired at West Central Research and Extension Center
Ellicott New Animal Science Extension Educator
Sitzman Appointed To Lead Pork Producers
Bud Britton Golf Classic
Al Svajgr Block & Bridle Honoree for 2007
Block and Bridle Awards
Officers and Advisors for …

Nebline, July 2007

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Beneficial Insects in the Yard & Garden
Backyard Farmer’ Offers How-to Video on Tomatoes
What is that Bump on the Tree Leaves?
Black Knot on Plums
Saved From the Birds—Rescue of a Baby Owl
Raptor Recovery Nebraska
Pine Wilt Disease
How to Sample for Pinewood Nematode
Pine Species to Avoid Planting
Pesticide Container Recycling Program
Scrap Tire Collection
Mosquitoes
Mole Control
Calculating Water Volume
Test Water for Toxic Algae to Prevent Illness
Food and Fun at the Farmers’ Market
Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad with Mint Recipe
$ave Time & Money by Planning Meals
Focus on Watermelon
President’s Notes …

The Fusarium Verticillioides Fum Gene Cluster Encodes A Zn(Ii)2cys6 Protein That Affects Fum Gene Expression And Fumonisin Production, Daren W. Brown, Robert A. E. Butchko, Mark Busman, Robert H. Proctor

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

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by some Fusarium species and can contaminate maize or maize products. Ingestion of fumonisins is associated with diseases, including cancer and neural tube defects, in humans and animals. In fungi, genes involved in the synthesis of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites are often located adjacent to each other in gene clusters. Such genes can encode structural enzymes, regulatory proteins, and/or proteins that provide self-protection. The fumonisin biosynthetic gene cluster includes 16 genes, none of which appear to play a role in regulation. In this study, we identified a previously undescribed gene (FUM21) located adjacent …

The Leading Object: July 2007

Leading Object

Content::
Perspectives: John C. Owens
East Union Prepares to Celebrate 30-Year Anniversary with Some Noticeable Changes
Hayes Named Director of Drought Mitigation Center
Moser thankful for his decision to attend UNL
Extension Initiative Transforms Delivery of Information
IANR-Fine Arts Partnership Spreads the Arts Around the State
Extension Personnel Gather at UNL for Tech Conference
North Central Region Meets in Lincoln

Tracking ‘Organic’ Agricultural Research In The United States, 1970-1989: What Federal Legislative And Selected Usda-Sponsored Documents Reveal, Leslie M. Delserone, Charles D. Bernholz

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

This paper enumerates federal government documentation of the period 1970-1989 pertaining to organic agriculture in the United States, identified in the Congressional Information Service’s Cumulative Indices and in bibliographies published by the United States National Agricultural Library. These Congressional hearings, federal legislation, and selected U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-sponsored documents provide an historical context for the 1990 legislation that created the National Organic Program (NOP) and the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The paper provides chronological tabulations of the historical documents, and discusses the communication difficulties and relationships revealed therein between the Congress, the USDA, and organic producers of …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 23, Number 2 (July 2007), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

SCWDS History Continued: The CapChur Gun

SCWDS Honored

More Interesting HD Events from 2006

Fever Ticks

Ehrlichia in White-tailed Deer

Meningeal Worms in Sika Deer

The Devils’ Disease

Recent SCWDS Publications Available

Functional Analysis Of The Fructooligosaccharide Utilization Operon In Lactobacillus Paracasei 1195, Yong Jun Goh, Jong-Hwa Lee, Robert W. Hutkins

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The fosABCDXE operon encodes components of a putative fructose/mannose phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) and a β- fructosidase precursor (FosE) that are involved in the fructooligosaccharide (FOS) utilization pathway of Lactobacillus paracasei 1195. The presence of an N-terminal signal peptide sequence and a LPQAG cell wall anchor motif at the C-terminal region of the deduced FosE precursor amino acid sequence predicted that the enzyme is cell wall-associated, indicating that FOS may be hydrolyzed extracellularly. In this study, cell fractionation experiments demonstrated that the FOS hydrolysis activity was contained exclusively in the cell wall extract of L. paracasei previously grown on FOS. …

Common Genome-Wide Patterns Of Transcript Accumulation Underlying The Wing Polyphenism And Polymorphism In The Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon Pisum), Jennifer A. Brisson, Gergory K. Davis, David L. Stern

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, exhibits several environmentally cued polyphenisms, in which discrete, alternative phenotypes are produced. At low-density, parthenogenetic females produce unwinged female progeny, but at high-density females produce progeny that develop with wings. These alternative phenotypes represent a solution to the competing demands of dispersal and reproduction. Males also develop as either winged or unwinged, but these alternatives are determined by a genetic polymorphism. Winged and unwinged males are morphologically less distinct from each other than winged and unwinged females, possibly because males experience fewer trade-offs between dispersal and reproduction. To assess whether shared physiological differences mirror …

The Introduction And Emergence Of Wildlife Diseases In North America, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contents:

Specific Invasive and Emerging Wildlife Diseases: West Nile Virus, Hantavirus, Lyme Disease, Monkeypox, Raccoon Rabies
Foreign Wildlife Diseases That Could Invade the United States: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Rift Valley Fever, Nipah Virus, Japanese Encephalitis
Prevention, Detection, and Control of Invading and Emerging Diseases
References

Coyotes As Sentinels For Monitoring Bovine Tuberculosis Prevalence In White-Tailed Deer, Todd C. Atwood, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Thomas J. Deliberto, Holly J. Smith, Justin S. Stevenson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), is endemic in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 5 counties (Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Presque Isle) in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The presence of a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis in Michigan and the incidence of bTB in cattle (Bos taurus) resulted in Michigan losing its bTB accredited-free status. Subsequent wildlife surveillance programs identified relatively high disease prevalence in coyotes (Canis latrans), generating interest in their potential to serve as a sentinel species to detect bTB prevalence in white-tailed deer. …

Cameras, Coyotes, And The Assumption Of Equal Detectability, Eveline Se Quin Larrucea, Peter F. Brussard, Michael M. Jaegar, Reginald H. Barrett

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Remote cameras are an increasingly important tool in management and wildlife studies. However, we often do not know if they provide an unbiased sample of populations. Using a marked, radio-collared population of coyotes (Canis latrans) of known social status, we evaluated the influence of temporal (daily and seasonal) and spatial (distance between units, habitat, and proximity to human structures) factors on vulnerability to photo-captures. During 8 unbaited camera sessions of 6 weeks each, we obtained 158 coyote photographs at a photo-capture success rate of 1.6%. We were able to identify not only marked individuals, but also a number …

Microwave Pretreatment Of Switchgrass To Enhance Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Deepak R. Keshwani, Jay J. Cheng, Joseph C. Burns, Laigeng Li, Vincent Chiang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Switchgrass is a promising lignocellulosic biomass for fuel-ethanol production. However, pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials is necessary to improve its susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis. The objectives of this study were to examine the feasibility of microwave pretreatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of switchgrass and to determine the optimal pretreatment conditions. Switchgrass samples immersed in water, dilute sulfuric acid and dilute sodium hydroxide solutions were exposed to microwave radiation at varying levels of radiation power and residence time. Pretreated solids were enzymatically hydrolyzed and reducing sugars in the hydrolysate were analyzed. Microwave radiation of switchgrass at lower power levels resulted in more …

Can Organic Agriculture Feed The World?, Catherine Badgley, Ivette Perfecto, Kenneth Cassman , Responder, Jim Hendrix , Responder

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

During the past 30 years there has been a steady decrease in funding allocated to agricultural research in both developed and developing countries because of the widespread view that food insecurity is primarily caused by poverty and a lack of purchasing power rather than the inability to produce enough food. However, these views are being challenged by three global mega-trends: (1) a steady decrease in arable land area suitable for intensive food crop production as a result of farmland conversion to urban, industrial and recreational uses, (2) a steady reduction in the relative rate of yield gain for the major …

An Avidin-Based Assay For Histone Debiotinylase Activity In Human Cell Nuclei, Yap Ching Chew, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

The covalent binding of biotin to histones participates in heterochromatin formation, cell cycle progression and cellular response to DNA breaks. Biotinylation of histones appears to be a reversible process, but the identity of enzymes that remove biotin marks is largely unknown. Our long-term goal is to identify histone debiotinylases in human cells. Here we developed an avidin-based plate assay to quantify histone debiotinylase activities in nuclear extracts. This assay is an essential first step in purifying and identifying histone debiotinylases from human cells. Using this assay, we demonstrated that debiotinylation of histones depends on temperature and pH, consistent with enzyme …

Final Environmental Impact Statement: Light Goose Management, James R. Kelley Jr., Robert Blohm

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The term “light geese” refers collectively to three taxa of geese that have light coloration: greater snow geese, Ross’s geese, and lesser snow geese. Various light goose populations in North America have experienced rapid population growth, and have reached levels such that they are damaging habitats on their arctic and subarctic breeding areas. Habitat degradation in arctic and subarctic areas may be irreversible, and has negatively impacted light goose populations and other bird populations dependent on such. Natural marsh habitats on some migration and wintering areas also have been impacted by light geese. In addition, goose damage to …

Status Of Blue Whales Off Isla De Chiloe, Chile, During 2007 Field Season, Bárbara Galletti Vernazzani, Carole A. Carlson, Elsa Cabrera, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Since 2004, a collaborative research program of the Alfaguara Project on blue whales off Isla de Chiloe, Chile, has produce important new information on present day conservation status of this population. This paper presents preliminary findings from 2007 and compares such data with that reported in previous years. Land-based monitoring in 2007 resulted in 36 days of observations with 262.85 h of land-based effort. The maximum number of individuals sighted from land ranged from 2 to 44, with an average of 18.14 individuals per day (SD=12.00 ; CI95% =14.08 - 22.20). Preliminary results on fifteen of seventeen photo-identification surveys conducted …

One-Time Tillage Of No-Till: Effects On Nutrients, Mycorrhizae, And Phosphorus Uptake, J. P. Garcia, Charles S. Wortmann, Martha Mamo, Rhae A. Drijber, David D. Tarkalson

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Stratification of nutrient availability, especially of P, that develops with continuous no-till (NT) can affect runoff nutrient concentration and possibly nutrient uptake. The effects of composted manure application and one-time tillage of NT on the distribution of soil chemical properties, root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), and plant P uptake were determined. Research was conducted on Typic Argiudoll and Moffic Hapludaff soils under rainfed corn (Zea mays L.) or sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] rotated with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Men.] in eastern Nebraska. Tillage treatments included NT, disk, chisel, moldboard plow (MP), and mini-moldboard plow (MMP). …

Ard News June 2007

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

Contents:

Comments from the Dean
Williams Endowment
ARD Advisory Council Election Results
Sampson Range and Pasture Management Endowments
Undergraduate Honors Research Program
ARD Interdisciplinary Research Grants Program
Helpful Hints
David H. and Annie E. Larrick Fund 2007
Arch and Frances Jorgenson Fund
Ralph H. Bainbridge Memorial Fund
William G. Whitmore Student Travel Endowment
Helen Porter Van Spronssen Charitable Trust
New or Revised Projects March and April 2007
Proposals Submitted for Federal Grants March and April 2007

Optimal Foraging In Eastern Fox Squirrel: Food Size Matters For A Generalist Forager, Robert Tatina

The Prairie Naturalist

Classical optimal foraging theory (OFT) predicts that an animal forages optimally when it chooses foods with the highest energy benefit or minimizes time searching for and handling food. r evaluated OFT by presenting eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) multiple food items (i.e., sunflower seeds and • fruits) in various density combinations. When the choice was between foods of equal energy benefits but different costs, they chose forage items with greater costs, seemingly not foraging optimally. However, individuals showed a partial preference for food items which minimized search time, but not handling time. The eastern fox squirrel also was …