Digital Commons Network^™

Bollgard Cotton: An Assessment Of Global Economic, Environmental, And Social Benefits, Julie M. Edge, John H. Benedict, John P. Carroll, H. Keith Reding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Insect-protected crops like Bollgard (Monsanto Company, St. Louis) Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton are bringing cotton growers new alternatives to broad-spectrum insecticide use in integrated pest management. After five years (1996-2000) of commercial use, a number of benefits of Bt cotton technology to growers, the environment, and society at large have been reported; however, the benefits of the technology have not been examined to date from a holistic point of view. Accordingly, the objectives of this paper were to examine the potential economic, environmental, and social benefits of Bt cotton compared with broad-spectrum insecticide use, as reported in current literature, …

Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Free-Ranging Deer In Nebraska, David G. Renter, Jan M. Sargeant, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jeff D. Hoffmann, Jerry R. Gillespie

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In order to determine the prevalence and distribution of the human pathogen, Escherichia coli O157:H7, in free-ranging deer, hunters were asked to collect and submit fecal samples from deer harvested during a regular firearm season (14–22 November 1998). Prior to the season, 47% of the hunters with permits in the southeastern Nebraska (USA) study area indicated a willingness to participate in the study. Approximately 25% of successful hunters in the area submitted deer fecal samples. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was cultured from four (0.25%) of 1,608 total samples submitted. All of the fecal samples that were properly identified (1,426) and all …

Non-Destructive And Remote Sensing Techniques For Estimation Of Vegetation Status, Anatoly A. Gitelson, M. N. Merzlyak, Y. Zur, R. Stark, U. Gritz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The goal of this work is to develop non-destructive techniques that can conveniently, rapidly and accurately assess crop physiological status and objectively evaluate plant responses to environmental factors, both natural and anthropogenic. High spectral resolution reflectance and absorption spectra of different and unrelated plant species were analyzed to determine spectral variability and information content in the visible and near-infrared spectrum at leaf and canopy levels. Techniques were developed to quantitatively retrieve chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin content from reflectance in a wide range of pigment content and composition.

Techniques for vegetation fraction retrieval those based on channels in visible range of …

The Maryland Gemstone Program, William W. Destler

Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education: Proceedings of the Second Schreyer National Conference 2001

The Maryland Gemstone Program is a unique four-year honors program in which undergraduates from all majors are teamed together in groups of 10-15 students and challenged to address some aspect of a major societal problem containing technological, social, ethical, and business elements. At the conclusion of the program, each team submits a team thesis, which is reviewed by academic, corporate, and governmental representatives. Upon successful completion of the program, Gemstone students receive their undergraduate degrees with a special Gemstone Citation. The process of curriculum development, research project management, and particular lessons learned from the first cohort to complete the program …

A Historical Perspective On Interdisciplinarity And Undergraduate Research In Honors Education, Julianna Chaszar

Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education: Proceedings of the Second Schreyer National Conference 2001

Honors education and curricular innovations have gone hand in hand since the first honors courses appeared in the 1920s. Undergraduate research and interdisciplinary studies are among the approaches that honors programs have adopted to further learning among their students. Both approaches provide students with opportunities to experience how knowledge is produced. Recent thinking on knowledge production, including the idea of "transdisciplinarity," parallels trends on campuses and in the broader society. Honors faculty might continue their historic role of curricular leadership by examining these emerging issues with their students

The Insiders: Undergraduates Critically Examine The Pros And Cons Of A Team-Based Marine Research Program, Traci J. Heincelman, Edward J. Majzlik, Christie A. Robinson, Lindsey J. Wise

Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education: Proceedings of the Second Schreyer National Conference 2001

The Marine and Aquatic Research Experience (MARE) is a student-generated, facultyguided not mandated, model for hands-on, team-based, environmental science research for undergraduates, of any class rank and any academic major. MARE is unique in many ways compared to traditional undergraduate research models. MARE was envisioned and established in the fall of 1998 as part of two Research-Based Learning (RBL) Critical Connection Courses (CCC) entitled Design of Inquiry in Science and Implementation of Inquiry in Science. The initial goal was to study the dynamic processes occurring in Winyah Bay, South Carolina. As we began to establish research directions, MARE members organized …

Ii. Curriculum Models That Include Undergraduate Research

Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education: Proceedings of the Second Schreyer National Conference 2001

This chapter features different perspectives on integrating research into the curriculum. The series of papers describes programs, credit bearing as well as non-credit bearing, that include a significant research component.

The first four papers provide an excellent contrast of approaches to bringing research into the undergraduate curriculum. The Gemstone Program at the University of Maryland is a fouryear honors program that includes research methods courses and a four-year-long, team-based research project. The students identify the topic, propose the research question and are mentored by a faculty member. The next model describes the efforts in Muhlenberg College's Biology Department to include …

Limited Attention: The Constraint Underlying Search Image, Reuven Dukas, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Recent models of predator search behavior integrate proximate neurobiological constraints with ultimate economic considerations. These models are based on two assumptions, which we have critically examined in experiments with blue jays searching for artificial prey images presented on a computer monitor. We found, first, that when jays had to switch between searching for two distinct prey types, they showed no reduction in detection rates compared to no-switching to no-switching conditions, and second, that when jays divided attention between searching for two prey types at the same time, they had lower detection rates than when they focused attention on one prey …

Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 1, J. P. Harner, T. D. Strahm, D. Key, T. L. Strahm, J.P. Murphy

Manure Matters (newsletter)

Time and motion (TM) studies are useful in determining labor requirement to perform a specific task in manufacturing processes. These studies have been used in the dairy industry to evaluate the labor requirements for various tasks associated with milking routine and milk parlor. Data may be used to evaluate the impact of changes or help in understanding labor requirements. The objective of this project was to determine the labor requirements for removing manure from concrete basins prior to land applications.

The Potential For Spread Of Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Via Commercial Sweet Cherry Fruit: A Critical Review And Risk Assessment, C. H. Wearing, J. D. Hansen, C. Whyte, C. E. Miller, J. Brown

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory

The identity, geographical distribution, and host range of codling moth is reviewed, and the evidence for sweet cherry being a host is critically analyzed. A model is described which assesses the risk of codling moth being spread through international trade in sweet cherries, as exemplified by exports from, respectively, New Zealand and USA to Japan in winter and summer. The model is based on the recorded incidence of codling moth in cherries and its estimated probability of survival during storage, transport to, and arrival in Japan, using data from specific studies and from wider knowledge of the phenology, life history, …

Enhancing Rural Sustainability Project Status Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

For the past year, the PPC has been working to identify a small list of key issues related to enhancing rural sustainability that would benefit from University research, with special attention paid to research activities already underway or in the planning process at the University. We also have been considering procedural options to determine the best way to facilitate the research to be conducted.

Grouse News 21-30 (2001-2005), World Pheasant Association International, Birdlife International, Species Survival Commission, Grouse Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 21 (2001)

Chairman's column, Ilse Storch

Present distribution and numbers of black grouse in the Czech Republc, I. Malkova Petra, Stastny Karel, and Bejcek Vladimir

Capercaillie in the Czech Republic, Malkova Petra, Stastny Karel, and Bejcek Vladimir

Avalanche prevention causes disturbance of grouse around French ski stations, Emmanuel Menoni

New fencing material tested in France, Emmanuel Menoni

The fate of the black grouse, Ing. Roelof Heringa

Co Co Co Cocks, Michele Loneux

Update of number of capercaillie in the Vosges Mountains, Jean Poirot and Francoise Preiss

Use of Sandsage habitat by lesser prairie-chickens in Southwestern Kansas, Cristian Hagen. James …

Teaching In Action: Multicultural Education As The Highest Form Of Understanding, Christine A. Stanley

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

To enhance the multicultural understanding of students, this essay offers conceptions and suggestions relating to course and curricular change. We can indeed all practice multicultural teaching!

Emotion Inthe Classroom, Edward Vela

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Theories of cognition give little attention to the role of emotion. Nevertheless, affect is intimately involved in learning. As educators we must understand emotional aspects of the learning environment.

Ec01-798 Residential Off-Site Wastewater Treatment : An Overview, Jan Hygnstrom, Wayne Woldt, Sharon Skipton

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

EC 01-798: This circular gives information about on-site wastewater treatment. The circular provides homeowners without access to city wastewater systems information about on-site wastewater treatment, including the process of building a new system and how to maintain one already in place.

Suggestions For Presenting The Results Of Data Analysis, David R. Anderson, William A. Link, Douglas H. Johnson, Kenneth P. Burnham

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

We give suggestions for the presentation of research results from frequentist, information-theoretic, and Bayesian analysis paradigms, followed by several general suggestions. The information-theoretic and Bayesian methods offer alternative approaches to data analysis and inference compared to traditionally used methods. Guidance is lacking on the presentation of results under these alternative procedures and on nontesting aspects of classical frequentist methods of statistical analysis. Null hypothesis testing has come under intense criticism. We recommend less reporting of the results of statistical tests of null hypotheses in cases where the null is surely false anyway, or where the null hypothesis is of little …

Statistics For Wildlifers: How Much And What Kind?, Douglas H. Johnson, Terry L. Shaffer, Wesley E. Newton

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

Quantitative methods are playing increasingly important roles in wildlife ecology and, ultimately, management. This change poses a challenge for wildlife practitioners and students who are not well educated in mathematics and statistics. Here we give our opinions on what wildlife biologists should know about statistics, while recognizing that not everyone is inclined mathematically. For those who are, we recommend that they take mathematics coursework at least through calculus and linear algebra. They should take statistics courses that are focused conceptually, stressing the "why" rather than the "how" of doing statistics. For less mathematically oriented wildlifers, introductory classes in statistical techniques …

Managing Minnesota's Recovered Wolves, L. David Mech

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

The Minnesota wolf (Canis lupus) population was estimated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 2,450 during winter 1997-1998 and had increased at an average annual rate of 4.5°% since winter 1988-1989. The population may be removed from the federal endangered species list by 2002, and management would then return to the state. A federal recovery team recommended a population goal of 1,250-1,400 wolves for Minnesota, with none in the agricultural region. A plan approved by the Minnesota legislature, however, continues the protection of wolves, except for pet and livestock depredation control, for at least 5 years …

Multistage Multiantigen Heterologous Prime Boost Vaccine For Plasmodium Knowlesi Malaria Provides Partial Protection In Rhesus Macaques, William O. Rogers, J. Kevin Baird, Anita Kumar, John A. Tine, Walter Weiss, João C. Aguiar, Kalpana Gowda, Robert Gwadz, Sanjai Kumar, Mark Gold, Stephen L. Hoffman

United States Navy: Publications

A nonhuman primate model for malaria vaccine development allowing reliable, stringent sporozoite challenge and evaluation of both cellular and antibody responses is needed. We therefore constructed a multicomponent, multistage DNA vaccine for the simian malaria species Plasmodium knowlesi including two preerythrocytic- stage antigens, the circumsporozoite protein (PkCSP) and sporozoite surface protein 2 (PkSSP2), and two blood stage antigens, apical merozoite antigen 1 (PkAMA1) and merozoite surface protein 1 (PkMSP1p42), as well as recombinant canarypox viruses encoding the four antigens (ALVAC-4). The DNA vaccine plasmids expressed the corresponding antigens in vitro and induced antiparasite antibodies in mice. Groups of four rhesus …

Evidence For Different Mechanisms Of Chloroquine Resistance In 2 Plasmodium Species That Cause Human Malaria, Takashi Nomura, Jane M-R. Carlton, J. Kevin Baird, Hernando A. Del Portillo, David J. Fryauff, Dharmendar Rathore, David A. Fidock, Xin-Zhuan Su, William E. Collins, Thomas F. Mccutchan, John C. Wootton, Thomas E. Wellems

United States Navy: Publications

Chloroquine (CQ)–resistant Plasmodium vivax malaria was first reported 12 years ago, nearly 30 years after the recognition of CQ-resistant P. falciparum. Loss of CQ efficacy now poses a severe problem for the prevention and treatment of both diseases. Mutations in a digestive vacuole protein encoded by a 13-exon gene, pfcrt, were shown recently to have a central role in the CQ resistance (CQR) of P. falciparum. Whether mutations in pfcrt orthologues of other Plasmodium species are involved in CQR remains an open question. This report describes pfcrt homologues from P. vivax, P. knowlesi, P. berghei, and …

Invasion Of Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells By Bordetella Pertussis: Possible Role For A Filamentous Hemagglutinin Arg-Gly-Asp Sequence And Α5Β1 Integrin, Yoshio Ishibashi, David A. Relman, Akemi Nishikawa

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Bordetella pertussis, the agent of whooping cough, is capable of invading human respiratory epithelial cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms by which B. pertussis invades the human lung epithelial cell line A549 and normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells. In vitro adhesion and invasion assays using both cell types with a virulent B. pertussis strain and its isogenic mutants revealed profound defects in a mutant deficient in filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) expression. In addition, a mutant in which an FHA Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) site had been changed to Arg-Ala-Asp had significantly diminished invasiveness, although its adhesiveness was comparable to …

Visual P3 Findings In Mission Indian Youth: Relationship To Family History Of Alcohol Dependence And Behavioral Problems, Cindy L. Ehlers, Tamara L. Wall, Consuelo Garcia-Andrade, Evelyn Phillips

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Native Americans have some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse and dependence, yet risk factors for problem drinking remain relatively unknown. The amplitude of the P3 component of the event-related potential (ERP) has been suggested to be an index of ‘vulnerability to alcoholism’, especially when it is elicited by visual tasks in younger individuals. Visual P3 tasks, however, have not been previously investigated in Native American youth. One hundred and four Mission Indian youth between the ages of 7 and 13 years participated in the study. ERPs were collected using two visual target paradigms: a facial discrimination and an …

Killer Whale Predation On Sperm Whales: Observations And Implications, Robert L. Pitman, Lisa T. Ballance, Sarah I. Mesnick, Susan J. Chivers

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

In October 1997 we observed a herd of approximately 35 killer whales (Orcinus orca) attack a pod of nine sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) 130 km off the coast of central California. During the four hours we watched, adult female killer whales, including some with calves, attacked in waves of four to five animals in what was apparently a “wound and withdraw” strategy. Adult male killer whales stood by until the very end when one charged in and quickly killed a seriously wounded sperm whale that had been separated from the group. The sperm whales appeared largely …

Ecoregions Of Nebraska And Kansas, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. Ecoregions are directly applicable to the immediate needs of state agencies, including the development of biological criteria and water quality standards, and the establishment of management goals for nonpoint-source pollution. They are also relevant to integrated ecosystem management, an ultimate goal of most federal and state resource management agencies. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise …

Field-Scale Electrical Conductivity Mapping For Delineating Soil Condition, Cinthia K. Johnson, John Doran, Harold R. Duke, Brian J. Wienhold, Kent M. Eskridge, John F. Shanahan

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Traditional sampling methods are inadequate for assessing the interrelated physical, chemical, and biological soil properties responsible for variations in agronomic yield and ecological potentials across a landscape. Recent advances in computers, global positioning systems, and large-scale sensors offer new opportunities for mapping heterogeneous patterns in soil condition. We evaluated field-scale apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) mapping for delineating soil properties correlated with productivity and ecological properties. A contiguous section of farmland (250 ha), managed as eight fields in a no-till winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–corn (Zea mays L.)–millet (Panicum miliaceum L.)–fallow rotation, was EC_a mapped (≈0- to …

Conceptual Framework For Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Alternatives, Gary D. Lynne, Colby E. Kruse

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The earth has a limited atmospheric capacity to absorb more greenhouse gases generally, and carbon dioxide in particular. It also has a limited capacity for agricultural lands to store a stock of carbon that might be drawn from the atmosphere and thus help alleviate the global warming problem. There are alternative mechanisms and mixes of mechanisms that might be used to address both scarcities and to work within the atmospheric limits on emissions and agricultural limits represented the capacity of soil and land to store carbon. These include a) government regulation, b) tax and subsidy programs, c) spontaneous evolution of …

Potential For Market Systems/Carbon Trading, Gary D. Lynne, Colby E. Kruse

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

If carbon sequestration concerns are to be addressed through markets, the cap and trade mechanism is perhaps the most likely approach that will be taken in solving the carbon problem. This is based in part on experience with the sulfur allowances market that is being implemented starting with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. It is recognized, however, that a great deal of uncertainty surrounds the matter of whether we might see emission allowance markets and the related carbon storage markets anytime soon. As a result, the bulk of the report is devoted to highlighting the major parameters that will …

Estimating Abundance Of Galliformes: Tools And Application, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A large number of techniques are available for assessing populations of vertebrates. However, application of many of those techniques to Galliformes is hampered by a variety of constraints. These problems are often magnified by poor understanding of the biology of many species of concern, and an absence of valid estimates of abundance and demographic parameters. Researchers interested in developing estimates of Galliformes populations must address a number of key issues before collecting field data, to avoid biases in the resulting population estimates. General guidance exists for the identification of appropriate population estimation techniques, and a dichotomous key has been developed …

Nf01-460 Total Maximum Daily Loads, Tmdls, For Surface Water Pollutants: What They Mean To Nebraska Agriculture, Christopher G. Henry, Thomas G. Franti

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

What is the TMDL Process? A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a written plan specific to a pollutant and a body of water that incorporates water quality monitoring data, exceedence frequency, sample time flow conditions, and the sources that may be contributing to the water quality problem. Its purpose is to identify pollution sources and propose a plan that will help achieve water quality standards for the body of water. The Clean Water Act calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with state agencies which in turn work with interested parties in an effort to develop TMDLs …

A Rapid Twofold Dilution Method For Microbial Enumeration And Resuscitation Of Uninjured And Sublethally Injured Bacteria, D. H. Kang, G. R. Siragusa

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Aims: A rapid and simple method for enumerating uninjured and sublethally injured bacterial cells, the twofold dilution method (2FD), was developed and evaluated.

Methods and Results: Following twofold serial dilution of samples in a 96 well microtiter plate, double strength selective broth or nonselective broth was added to each well. For resuscitation of heat-injured (55°C for 10 min) coliforms, the selective broth was added to the wells after 3 h preresuscitation time in buffered peptone water. The results of the 2FD were compared to plating methods for total and coliform plate counts from mixed cultures and beef carcass surface tissue …