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Spatial And Social Cognition In Corvids: An Evolutionary Approach, Russell P. Balda, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

The central research questions that have guided our studies since 1981 combine issues and techniques from both comparative psychology and avian ecology. Most of our questions originate from the cognitive implications of extensive field studies on the natural history, ecology, and behavior of seed-caching corvids. Because our questions have evolved as our studies progressed, we have chosen to give a historical perspective outlining the progression of our ideas and questions.

Kinetic Properties Of Bifunctional 6-Phosphofructo-2-Kinase/Fructose-2,6-Bisphosphatase From Spinach Leaves, Jennifer E. Markham, Nicholas J. Kruger

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

A cDNA encoding 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase was isolated from a Spinacia oleracea leaf library and used to ex­press a recombinant enzyme in Escherichia coli and Spodoptera frugiperda cells. The insoluble protein expressed in E. coli was purified and used to raise antibodies. Western blot analysis of a protein extract from spinach leaf showed a single band of 90.8 kDa. Soluble protein was purified to homogeneity from S. frugiperda cells infected with recombinant baculovirus harboring the isolated cDNA. The soluble protein had a molecular mass of 320 kDa, estimated by gel filtration chromatography, and a subunit size of 90.8 kDa. The purified pro­tein …

Identification And Analysis Of A Conserved Immunoglobulin E-Binding Epitope In Soybean G1a And G2a And Peanut Ara H 3 Glycinins, Ping Ziang, Tom A. Beardslee, Michael G. Zeece, John P. Markwell, Gautam Sarath

Gautam Sarath Publications

To identify conserved immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding epitopes among legume glycinins, we utilized recombinant soybean G2a and G2a-derived polypeptide fragments.

‘Neuroecologists’ Are Not Made Of Straw, Robert Hampton, Susan Healy, Sara Shettleworth, Alan C. Kamil

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In the October issue of Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Bolhuis and Macphail criticized the functional/evolutionary approach to the neural mechanisms of learning and memory, and concluded that the approach is ‘often misleading and might provide us with the wrong answers’ [1]. Their critique touches on a number of interesting issues, and provides a useful prompt to examine the role of an adaptationist approach to the study of cognition. In their effort to stimulate discussion, however, Bolhuis and Macphail have overstated positions they attribute to ‘neuroecologists’.

Life History Response Of Mediterranean Fruit Flies To Dietary Restriction, James R. Carey, Pablo Liedo, Lawrence G. Harshman, Ying Zhang, Hans-Georg Müller, Linda Partridge, Jane-Ling Wang

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate medfly longevity and reproduction across a broad spectrum of diet restriction using a protocol similar to those applied in most rodent studies. Age-specific reproduction and age of death were monitored for 1,200 adult males and 1,200 females, each individually maintained on one of 12 diets from ad libitum to 30% of ad libitum. Diet was provided in a fixed volume of solution that was fully consumed each day, ensuring control of total nutrient consumption for every fly. Contrary to expectation and precedence, increased longevity was not observed at any level of …

The Pgp1 Mutant Locus Of Arabidopsis Encodes A Phosphatidylglycerolphosphate Synthase With Impaired Activity, Changcheng Xu, Heiko Härtel, Hajime Wada, Miki Hagio, Bin Yu, Chris Eakin, Christoph Benning

Bin Yu Publications

Phosphatidylglycerol is a ubiquitous phospholipid that is also present in the photosynthetic membranes of plants. Multiple independent lines of evidence suggest that this lipid plays a critical role for the proper function of photosynthetic membranes and cold acclimation. In eukaryotes, different subcellular compartments are competent for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylglycerol. Details on the plant-specific pathways in different organelles are scarce. Here, we describe a phosphatidylglycerol biosynthesis-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis, pgp1. The overall content of phosphatidylglycerol is reduced by 30%. This mutant carries a point mutation in the CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase motif of the phosphatidylglycerolphosphate synthase (EC 2.7.8.5) isoform encoded by …

Ecology And Host Specificity Of Laelapine Mites (Acari: Laelapidae) Of Small Mammals In An Atlantic Forest Area Of Brazil, Fernanda Martins-Hatano, Donald Gettinger, Helena G. Bergallo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Mesostigmaticm ites of the Laelapinae Berlese, 1892 (Acari:Laelapidae) are nidicolous arthropods that commonly occur in the fur of Neotropical small mammmals. In this 2-yr study, the laelapine acarofauna associated with the small mammal community in an area of Atlantic forest on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro State, was examined, including observations on patterns of host specificity, mite dispersal, ecology, and food habits. A total of 1,347 laelapines was sampled from the pelage of 6 species of small mammals( Marmosops incanus, Nectomyss quamipes, Oryzomys russatus, Rhipidomys n. sp., Oxymycterus dasytrichus, and Trinomys dimidiatus), all of which occurred exclusively in …

Phylogenetic Positions Of The Bothitrematidae And Neocalceostomatidae (Monopisthocotylean Monogeneans) Inferred From 28s Rdna Sequences, Jean-Lou Justine, Richard Jovelin, Lassâd Neifar, Isabelle Mollaret, L.H. Susan Lim, Sherman S. Hendrix, Louis Euzet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A molecular phylogeny was inferred from newly obtained partial (D1 domain) 28S rDNA gene sequences of Bothitrema bothi (Bothitrematidae), Neocalceostoma sp. (Neocalceostomatidae), Bravohollisia sp. (Ancyrocephalidae), and other already available sequences of Ancyrocephalidae, Anoplodiscidae, Pseudodactylogyridae, and Sundanonchidae, with the Diplectanidae as outgroup. Bothitrema, Anoplodiscus, and Sundanonchus formed a very robust clade that was the sister group to a group that included all other species examined. In this latter group, Neocalceostoma and Thaparocleidus were basal to a clade in which the Ancyrocephalidae and Pseudodactylogyridae were sister groups. Molecular results that suggest inclusion of the families Bothitrematidae, Anoplodiscidae, and Sundanonchidae in …

Implications Of Single-Particle Experiments For Track Theory, Therapy And Radiation Protection, Robert Katz, Francis Cucinotta

Robert Katz Publications

‘‘Because the predominant exposure of cells in humans is to single isolated tracks, a critical question is what effects a single track is capable of producing and with what probabilities.’’ ‘‘Most of the current biophysical models. . . make the clear prediction that a single track can produce virtually all of the detrimental stochastic effects of interest.’’ ‘‘But one model, in particular (the amorphous track model of Katz and coworkers), disagrees fundamentally that a single low LET track has the ability to cause the cellular changes.’’ ‘‘This model leads to very dramatic differences in the predicted risk at low doses. …

Conformational Strictness Required For Maximum Activity And Stability Of Bovine Pancreatic Ribonuclease A As Revealed By Crystallographic Study Of Three Phe120 Mutants At 1.4 Å Resolution, Eri Chatani, Rikimaru Hayashi, Hideaki Moriyama, Tatzuo Ueki

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The replacement of Phe120 with other hydrophobic residues causes a decrease in the activity and thermal stability in ribonuclease A (RNase A). To explain this, the crystal structures of wild-type RNase A and three mutants—F120A, F120G, and F120W—were analyzed up to a 1.4 Å resolution. Although the overall backbone structures of all mutant samples were nearly the same as that of wild-type RNase A, except for the C-terminal region of F120G with a high B-factor, two local conformational changes were observed at His119 in the mutants. First, His119 of the wild-type and F120W RNase A adopted an A position, whereas …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Proteolytic Activity Of Excretory-Secretory Products From Cyathostominea, Jane L. Kinsella, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, Michael F. Ryan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The excretory-secretory product (ESP) derived from Cyathostominea in vitro was assessed, in terms of subunit composition, and proteolytic activity using as substrates azocasein and two synthetic fluorogenic peptides. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) resolved 13 subunits, and the presence of the protein cysteine proteinase activator dithiothreitol (DTT) revealed 21 subunits.DTTalso enhanced azocaseinolysis, and hydrolysis of carbobenzoxy-phenylalanyl-arginine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin (Z-Phe-Arg-NHMec) and carbobenzoxy-arginyl-arginine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin (Z-Arg-Arg-NHMec). At the optimum pH of 5.5, hydrolysis of Z-Phe-Arg-NHMec was three-fold greater than that of Z-Arg-Arg-NHMec suggesting that the proteolytic specificities of the ESP are more like those of papain or cathepsin L, rather than cathepsin B. In SDS-PAGE …

The Structure Of The Nucleus Of Odonaticola Polyhamatus (Gregarinea: Actinocephalidae), A Parasite Of Mnais Strigata (Hagen) (Odonata: Calopterygidae), Kasumi Hoshide, John J. Janovy Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The nucleus of Odonaticola polyhamatus was isolated from the body and observed with light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. The nucleus had a thick thread-like structure with which it was tied to the septum. This thread-like structure has not been reported or described previously. The gregarine nuclear surface was covered with a fine fibrous net. This is the first report of the surface structure of a gregarine nucleus as revealed by SEM. Inside the nuclear membrane was a thin honeycomb layer similar to that reported for some other gregarines. Several spherical nucleoli and numerous electron dense small structures were …

Electrical Conductivity Monitoring Of Soil Condition And Available N With Animal Manure And A Cover Crop, R. A. Eigenberg, John W. Doran, John A. Nienaber, Richard B. Ferguson, B. L. Woodbury

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

Development of sustainable agricultural management systems will depend, in part, on the ability to better use renewable resources, such as animal manure, and to synchronize the levels of soil available N with crop plant needs during the growing season. This study was conducted at the US Meat Animal Research Center in the central USA to determine whether differences in electromagnetic (EM) soil conductivity and available N levels over a growing season can be linked to feedlot manure/compost application and use of a green winter cover crop. A series of soil conductivity maps of a research cornfield were generated using global …

Reductions In Grassland Species Evenness Increase Dicot Seedling Invasion And Spittle Bug Infestation, Brian J. Wilsey, H. Wayne Polley

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

Previous experiments that tested whether diverse plant communities have lower invasibility have all varied species richness. We experimentally varied evenness of four grassland species (three grasses and one forb) by planting a field experiment in Texas, and monitored the number of unplanted dicot and monocot species that invaded plots for two growing seasons. By varying evenness, we eliminated any sampling effect in our diversity treatment, because all plots contained the same plant species. Experimentally reducing evenness led to a greater number of dicot invaders, which emerged in plots throughout the growing season, but had less of an effect on monocot …

Oviducal Sperm Storage In Turkeys: Spatial Distribution Of Sperm Within The Uterovaginal Junction Sperm-Storage Tubules, M. R. Bakst, Bryan T. Vinyard

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

The spatial distribution of sperm within the sperm storage tubules (SST) found in
the uterovaginal junction (UVJ) of the turkey is not known. In this study, we inseminated sperm stained with a fluorescent dye (Hoechst 33342) to determine their distribution in SST in the ventral, dorsal, and lateral regions of the proximal, middle, and distal regions of the UVJ. There was no preferential filling in the ventral-dorsal axis of the UVJ. In contrast, preferential filling of the SST was observed in the middle section of the UVJ. Here the individual SST were clearly longer and more pleomorphic than the SST …

Physiology And Reproduction: Embryonic Development From First Cleavage Through Seventy-Two Hours Incubation In Two Strains Of Pekin Duck (Anas Platyrhynchos), V. Dupuy, B. Nersessian, M. R. Bakst

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

Embryonic mortality is a significant problem plaguing the commercial duck industry worldwide. Yet, an objective means to stage development of the duck embryo is lacking. Such a staging procedure, which is described in this study, is essential for the critical and reproducible assessment of embryo development. The morphological features associated with duck embryo development are very similar to those of the chicken, although the duck embryo develops more slowly. The staging scheme presented here provides objective morphological criteria describing the embryonic development of the duck.

Beet Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Host Plant Preferences For Oviposition, S. M. Greenberg, T. W. Sappington, T.-X. Liu

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

Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), oviposition preferences were determined on five host plants: cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in no-choice, two-choice, and five-choice tests. Tests were conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field cages. Oviposition preferences were compared on the basis of two measurements, the proportion of eggs laid on the plants to total that were deposited, and the oviposition preference index defined as [(number of eggs laid on the plant) - (number of eggs laid on …

Detecting Single Wheat Kernels Containing Live Or Dead Insects Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy, Elizabeth B. Maghirang, Floyd E. Dowell, James E. Baker, James E. Throne

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

An automated NIR system was used over a two-month storage period to detect single wheat kernels that contained live or dead internal rice weevils at various stages of growth. Correct classification of sound kernels and kernels containing live pupae, large larvae, medium-sized larvae, and small larvae averaged 94, 92, 84, and 62%, respectively. Pupae + large larvae calibrations were developed using live or dead internal insects. Validation results showed correct classifications ranging from 86 to 96% over the two-month storage period. Thus, wheat kernels containing either live or dead insects can be used to develop calibrations for detecting both live …

Soil Electrical Conductivity Classification: A Basis For Site-Specific Management In Semiarid Cropping Systems, Cinthia K. Johnson, David A. Mortensen, Brian J. Wienhold, John F. Shanahan, John W. Doran

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

Site specific management (SSM) has the potential to improve both economic and ecological outcomes in agriculture. Effective SSM requires strong and temporally consistent relationships between identified management zones, underlying soil physical, chemical and biological parameters defining yield potential, and crop yield. In a farm-scale (250 ha) experiment in semiarid northeastern Colorado, each of eight 31-ha fields was individually mapped for soil apparent electrical conductivity (EC_a) and classified into four management zones (ranges of EC_a). Soil analyses revealed a strong negative relationship between EC_a zones and soil parameters associated with innate fertility (P ≤ 0.06). …

Starter Fertilizer Effects On Soybean Grain Yield And Quality, S.L. Osborne, W.E Riedell, J.L. Pikul Jr

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

Fertilizing soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is not an entirely new concept; for a number of years, scientists have investigated the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on yield and quality of soybeans. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of starter fertilizer N rates and sources on soybean yield, protein, and oil content in the cool soils of the Northern Great Plains. A field experiment was established within a two-year corn (Zea mays L.) soybean rotation. Using a split-plot design with four replications. Whole plots were no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) and the split …

Tillage And Beef Cattle Manure Effects On Soil Nitrogen In A Dryland Rotation, R. C. Schwartz, R.L. Baumhardt, T.H. Dao

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

Minimum tillage practices used in dryland cropping systems that reduce soil water evaporation and erosion may also decrease efficiency of manure nutrient utilization. We initiated a study in 1997 to investigate the effects of surface-applied stockpiled and composted beef cattle (Bos taurus) manure on soil N and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields and N-uptake within a wheat-sorghum-fallow dryland crop rotation. Paired terraces with no-tillage (NT) and stubble-mulch tillage (ST) systems were main plots of a single rotation phase. Stockpiled manure, composted manure, or commercial fertilizer (urea + ammonium phosphate) were …

Development Of Hydrotaea Aenescens (Diptera: Muscidae) In Manure Of Unweaned Dairy Calves And Lactating Cows, Jerome Hogsette, Robert Farkas, Reginald Coler

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

In laboratory studies performed in the United States and Hungary, the dump fly Hydrotaea aenescens (Wiedemann) was reared successfully in manure of 1- to 8-wk-old dairy calves, and in manure from adult lactating dairy cows. Survival in manure collected from 1-wk-old calves was poor (7.2%), better in manure collected from 2- and 3-wk-old calves (53.5%), and best in manure collected from 4- to 8-wk-old calves (71.4%). Survival in cow manure was slightly lower (47.4%) than that in calf manure. Reasons for different rates of development in the United States and in Hungary, and by calf age are discussed as are …

Thermal Death Kinetics And Heatingrate Effects For Fifth-Instar Cydia Pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), S. Wang, J. N. Ikediala, J. Tang, J. D. Hansen

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

Thermal death kinetic parameters of fifth-instar codlingmoths (Cydia pomonella (L.)) and the effect of three heating rates (1°Cmin^-1, 10°Cmin^-1, and 18°Cmin^-1) on larval mortality were determined by a heatingblock system. The insects were heated to four temperatures (46°C, 48°C, 50°C, and 52°C) held for predetermined periods followed by 24 h storage at 4°C before mortality evaluation. Thermal death kinetics for fifth-instar codlingmoths followed a 0.5th order of kinetic reaction. Minimum time required to achieve 100% mortality of a given population decreased with temperature in a semi-logarithmic manner. No larval survival was observed in …

Quail V: Proceedings Of The Fifth National Quail Symposium (January 23-27, 2002 : Corpus Christi, Texas), Stephen J. Demaso, William P. Kuvelsky Jr., Fidel Hernández, Michael E. Berger

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

PLENARY SESSION

Arizona Quail: Species in Jeopardy? Ron Engel-Wilson and William P. Kuvlesky, Jr.

Emerging Trends in Midwest Bobwhite Culture, Thomas V. Dailey

Quail Management: Issues, Concerns, and Solutions for Public and Private Lands: A Southeastern Perspective, L. Wes Burger

Rangewide Trends in Landuse and Northern Bobwhite Abundance: An Exploratory Analysis, Markus J. Peterson, X. Ben Wu, and Paikho Rho

Keynote Address: Ideas, Landscapes, and Conservation's New Frontier, Shane P. Mahoney

Banquet Remarks: Sustaining the 'Quail Wave' in the Southern Great Plains, Dale Rollins

IMPACTS OF DEPREDATION ON QUAIL

Coyotes: Friend or Foe of Northern Bobwhite in Southern Texas, Scott …

Call Parameters And Facial Features In Bats: A Surprising Failure Of Form Following Function, Amanda Goudy-Trainor, Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We attempted to correlate echolocation call parameters to a comprehensive array of ear and nose measurements from 12 families of bats. Surprisingly, we failed to find any significant relationships. We did find consistent differences between nasal and oral emitters such as: (a) nasal emitters have higher frequencies with maximum energy for their size than oral emitters, (b) nasal emitting bats tend to have longer, narrower skulls, and (c) nasal emitters have a shorter distance from the nostril to the eye (muzzle length).

An Approach To Sequence Dna Without Tagging, Sanjun Niu, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

Microarray technology is playing an increasingly important role in biology and medicine and its application to genomics for gene expression analysis has already reached the market with a variety of commercially available instruments. In these combinatorial analysis methods, known probe single-strand DNA (ssDNA) “primers” are attached in clusters of typically 100 μm × 100 μm pixels. Each pixel of the array has a slightly different sequence. On exposure to “unknown” target ssDNA, the pixels with the right complementary probe ssDNA sequence convert to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by a hybridization reaction. To transduct the conversion of the pixel to dsDNA, the …

A New Flavor-Coated Sachet Bait For Delivering Oral Rabies Vaccine To Raccoons And Coyotes, Samuel B. Linhart, John C. Wlodkowski, Darrell M. Kavanaugh, Laurie Motes-Kreimeyer, Andrew J. Montoney, Richard B. Chipman, Dennis Slate, Laura L. Bigler, Malcomb G. Fearneyhough

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research was conducted during 1996–2000 to develop baits for delivering an oral rabies vaccine to raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans). A bait was sought that: (1) was attractive to the target species, (2) could be distributed by aircraft, (3) was as effective (or more so) than the currently used fish meal polymer bait, and (4) could be produced in large numbers by automated procedures and could be purchased by user groups at substantially lower cost.

Ten field trials were conducted to document raccoons’ bait flavor preferences, evaluate a new vaccine sachet bait coated with …

Discounting And Reciprocity In An Iterated Prisoner’S Dilemma, David W. Stephens, Colleen M. Mclinn, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

The Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma (IPD) is a central paradigm in the study of animal cooperation. According to the IPD framework, repeated play (repetition) and reciprocity combine to maintain a cooperative equilibrium. However, experimental studies with animals suggest that cooperative behavior in IPDs is unstable, and some have suggested that strong preferences for immediate benefits (that is, temporal discounting) might explain the fragility of cooperative equilibria. We studied the effects of discounting and strategic reciprocity on cooperation in captive blue jays. Our results demonstrate an interaction between discounting and reciprocity. Blue jays show high stable levels of cooperation in treatments with …

Does Increasing Daylength Control Seasonal Changes In Clutch Sizes Of Northern Pintails (Ana Acuta)?, Gary Krapu, Glen Sergeant, Alison Perkins

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

We evaluated spatiotemporal variation in clutch sizes of Northern Pintails (pintails; Anas acuta) nesting in California (1985 to 1996), North Dakota (1982 to 1985), Saskatchewan (1982 to 1985) and Alaska (1991 to 1993) to determine whether seasonal declines in clutch size varied in ways that were consistent with a controlling influence of increasing day length. Pintails began nesting in mid-March in California, mid-April in North Dakota and Saskatchewan, and mid-May in Alaska. Observed durations of nesting were 70 ± 2.6 days (SE) in California, 60 ± 6.3 days in North Dakota, 66 ± 1.3 days in Saskatchewan, and 42 …

Relating Net Nitrogen Input In The Mississippi River Basin To Nitrate Flux In The Lower Mississippi River: A Comparison Of Approaches, Gregory F. Mcisaac, Mark B. David, George Z. Gertner, Donald A. Goolsby

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A quantitative understanding of the relationship between terrestrial N inputs and riverine N flux can help guide conservation, policy, and adaptive management efforts aimed at preserving or restoring water quality. The objective of this study was to compare recently published approaches for relating terrestrial N inputs to the Mississippi River basin (MRB) with measured nitrate flux in the lower Mississippi River. Nitrogen inputs to and outputs from the MRB (1951 to 1996) were estimated from state-level annual agricultural production statistics and NO_y (inorganic oxides of N) deposition estimates for 20 states that comprise 90% of the MRB. A model …