Digital Commons Network^™

Developing And Evaluating A Pollination Systems Knowledge Assessment In A Multidisciplinary Course, P. Citlally Jimenez, Doug Golick, Brian A. Couch, Jenny Dauer

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Although pollinators play an integral role in human well-being, their continued global decline reflects the need to provide and evaluate general pollinator knowledge to promote their conservation. Enhancing learners’ understanding of the complexity inherent in pollination systems within the science classroom may help them make more informed decisions regarding pollinator conservation actions. By measuring conceptual understanding of pollination systems, science educators can identify learners’ knowledge needs and inform their teaching in science classrooms. Based on previously developed theoretical frameworks describing pollination systems knowledge, we created and evaluated a new instrument to assess pollination systems and conservation actions knowledge. The …

Nebraska Summary 1242s: Fendt 514 Vario Gen3 Diesel, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Taking Down The Eighth Circuit Monolith: Big-Ag & Ag-Gag, Kelly Shanahan

Nebraska Law Review

The term “Ag-Gag” refers to a collection of laws passed by various state legislatures to protect farm animal operations from undercover investigations and whistleblowers that document animal cruelty.1 These laws are also often referred to as farm security laws or antiwhistleblower legislation.2 There have been two phases of these laws within the United States.3 First, in the 1990s, Kansas, Montana, and North Dakota legislators passed laws in response to an uptick in terroristic bombings and arsons occurring primarily at non-farm facilities like research laboratories.4 State legislatures passed the second phase of Ag-Gag laws in the 2010s largely in response to …

Play Like A Girl: Bostock, Title Ix’S Promise, And The Case For Transgender Inclusion In Sports, Rachel Tomlinson Dick

Nebraska Law Review

State-level legislation focused on the transgender1 community has exploded over the last several years.2 Proposed laws mandating the exclusion of transgender individuals from specific sectors of society have been increasingly focused on trans children and youth.3 In 2021, legislatures in thirty-one states introduced bills that would prohibit transgender student-athletes from taking part in school sports in a manner consistent with their gender identities.4 Eight of those states ultimately passed laws barring young women who are trans from participating in girls’ and women’s sports programs sponsored by federally- funded schools.5 Idaho enacted a bill that blocked transgender women and girls from …

Nebraska's Stress Relief: Solutions For Land, Soil, Water, People, And Animals, Laura E. Young, Rebel Sjeklocha, Rchael Williss, Mickayla Yard, Cade Adamson, Whitney Steckel, Dani Laible, Bella Chaffin, Sophia Svanda, Grace Mcdonald, Malina Lindstrom

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska

Nebraska's Stress Relief: Solutions for Land, Soil, Water, People, and Animals

Advancing production agriculture in a way that also takes care of our water and our land cannot happen without bringing together leading experts to share their expertise about stress biology. It is an honor to channel these efforts to serve the people and industries of Nebraska.

Inhumane Experiments On Humans, Dakota Harris

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This capstone projects is about inhumane experiments on humans around the world and how it effected the people involved or what it brought to light. Many of these experiments are kept secretive because of how they effected people’s livelihood. Inhumane experiments often lead to death, trauma, illness, shortening of life, disfigurement, or permanent disabilities in the victims, plus more trauma for the family. The reason why these experiments are considered inhumane is because they occur when the ‘patient’ couldn’t sign off on informed consent of the experiment, or they were unaware of the possible outcomes of what they were involved …

Need Finding For An Embodied Coding Platform: Educators’ Practices And Perspectives, Tommy Sharkey, Robert Twomey, Amy Eguchi, Monica Sweet, Ying Chun Wu

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Faculty Publications and Creative Activity

Eight middle- and high-school Computer Science (CS) teachers in San Diego County were interviewed about the major challenges their students commonly encounter in learning computer programming. We identified strategic design opportunities -- that is, challenges and needs that can be addressed in innovative ways through the affordances of Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). Thematic Analysis of the interviews yielded six thematic clusters: Tools for Learning, Visualization and Representation, Pedagogical Approaches, Classroom Culture, Motivation, and Community Connections. Within the theme of visualization, focal clusters centered on visualizing problem spaces and using metaphors to explain computational concepts, indicating that an AR/VR coding …

Heterogeneity Of Recreationists In A Park And Protected Area, Olivia A. Darugna, Mark A. Kaemingk, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Limited information and resources have caused many parks and protected areas (PPAs) to functionally manage recreationists as a single homogeneous group, despite potential negative social and ecological consequences. We aimed to evaluate the homogeneity of recreationists at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) by 1) quantifying frequencies of consumptive (i.e., hunting), intermediate-consumptive (i.e., fishing), and non-consumptive recreational-activity groups (e.g., wildlife viewing), and 2) evaluating sociodemographic differences among these groups. We used onsite surveys to determine that Valentine NWR supports heterogeneous groups of recreationists. The intermediate-consumptive group was most frequent (77% of all parties). All three recreational-activity groups varied in party …

Observations Of Whooping Crane Parental Provisioning Of Chicks, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Crane chicks are dependent on parent birds for provisioning during the first few months of life, but no study has examined this provisioning in detail. In 2014 research staff at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), in Laurel, Maryland, made multiple observations of parent whooping cranes (Grus americana) feeding or interacting with their chick during the 3 months from hatching to fledging. Both parents participated in the feeding of the chick and only 1 chick was raised by each pair of parent whooping cranes. Initially feeding frequency was low (0-20 times …

Surveys And Population Estimates Of A Distinctive Subpopulation Of Sandhill Cranes In The Fraser River Lowlands Of British Columbia, Myles M. Lamont

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A poorly understood subpopulation of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) breeds at scattered locations in the lower Fraser River Valley on the south coast of British Columbia. The area also harbors the northernmost population of overwintering sandhill cranes anywhere in its range. While sporadic monitoring has been carried out since the mid-1960s, no formal survey efforts have been attempted for the entire Fraser River lowland subpopulation. During 2014-2019 we collected groundbased survey data on presence and occupation of territories within the study area; this effort was supported by citizen science contributions. On 20 June 2019, we flew a fixed-width, …

Whooping Crane Nest Building In Southwest Indiana, Amy J. Kearns, Hillary L. Thompson, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The first documented case of whooping crane (Grus americana) nest building in Indiana is described. During spring 2015, a pair of whooping cranes did not leave their wintering grounds in Gibson County, Indiana, to return to their summering area in Wisconsin. Three nest platforms were discovered after the death of the female crane. To date, this is the only documented example of a whooping crane pair in the reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) building nest platforms outside of Wisconsin. Although fidelity to the core nesting areas in Wisconsin is strong, and natal dispersal is usually <30 km, this example from Indiana shows that whooping cranes in the EMP may have the potential to pioneer nesting areas far outside of core reintroduction areas.

Summary Of Mortality Among Captive Cranes At The International Crane Foundation: 2000–2020, Barry K. Hartup, Robert Phillips

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed mortalities of captive cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) between 2000 and 2020 to provide broad insights into contemporary factors affecting the collection’s health and survival. Sixty-three deaths were documented in 13 of 15 crane species held in the ICF collection. The mean annual mortality during the study was 2.6% and the mean age (±SD) at death was 28.4 (±12.7) years. The overall total number of deaths of males and females was similar, but there was an association between sex and death of adult versus geriatric (>25 years) cranes (P < 0.01); males were more likely to die at geriatric age than females. Deaths were commonly associated with chronic health and management problems (n = 44, 79%) versus …

Florida Sandhill Crane Relocates Egg During Incubation, Timothy A. Dellinger, Miranda L. Watford, Ronald R. Bielefeld

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Anecdotal accounts of birds moving their eggs to a new location have been reported in shorebirds, waterfowl, and woodpeckers. We report relocation of an egg, 2 days prior to hatching, by an adult Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis). We do not know why the egg was moved, but egg movement among other species appears to be associated with nest disturbance by humans, animals, or environmental conditions.

Initial Evaluation Of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Enzyme Immunoassay For Use With Crane Semen Samples, Megan E. Brown, Kim Boardman, Katie L. Edwards

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The management of ex situ and in situ populations of many wildlife species requires detailed knowledge of a species’ reproductive biology. For species such as cranes, where artificial insemination is a critical component of ex situ management strategies, understanding normal sperm function is especially important. Previous research has shown that captive cranes exhibit highly variable production and quality of semen samples produced by individual males and high levels of variation of cell concentration and motility across different species. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) has been implicated in regulating sperm function, such as cell motility, and may affect an individual’s ability …

How Stressful Is It To Move? Whooping Crane Glucocorticoid Response During Facility Transfer, Megan E. Brown, Christopher Martin, Christopher Crowe, Sprina Lui, Nucharin Songsasen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The ability to transfer animals between different facilities for genetic management is a critical component to the success of any cooperatively managed captive animal population despite the high cost and the need for a high level of coordination in logistical planning. Two issues of concern are the magnitude of potential stress responses incurred during shipment of adult cranes to a new facility and the duration of elevated glucocorticoid production during the acclimation periods. The objectives of this project were to assess adrenal responses of whooping cranes (Grus americana) during transfer from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) to …

Timber Talk, Vol. 60, No. 3, September 2022

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Timber Talk, Vol. 60, No. 3, September 2022

Dental Decay In Zambian School Children In Eastern And Southern Provinces, Elizabeth Graham

NUTR/GLST 498b: Global Research Experiences in Nutrition and Health

Introduction: Dental caries is the most prevalent and infectious disease worldwide. Zambia has a high rate of vitamin A deficiency, and this deficiency is associated with dental caries.

Methods: Visual dental checks, interviewing, and anthropometric assessments were done on 781 Zambian primary school children.

Results: Caries rates are 20% among sample populations, males have more decay than females, first molars are the most decayed, a majority use toothbrushes to clean their teeth, and children who eat vitamin A rich foods are less likely to have dental caries.

Discussion: Caries’ rates in the Southern and Eastern provinces are higher than in …

Wetlandology: A Kid's Book About Wetlands, Grace Gaard, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

What is a Wetland? You might think that any land that is wet would be a wetland, right? But if the occurrence of water was the only thing that made a wetland a wetland, then deeper parts of oceans and rivers would be considered wetlands. And we know that is not true! So, what actually makes a wetland a wetland? Wetlands are defined by three things:

1. Soil

2. Plants

3. Hydrology

Wetlands are spread throughout Nebraska, but it is useful to identify some of the larger wetland complexes in the state. Wetlands can be found everywhere! All rivers and …

Guide To Nebraska's Wetlands And Their Conservation Needs, Third Edition, 2022, Ted Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Wetlands: a source of great interest, and at times conflict. Wetlands represent different things to different people. To some people they may be considered shallow, muddy nuisances whereas to others they are considered to be wonderful, varied, and productive assets. This is because wetlands take on many roles as part of an elaborate and dynamic system. Understanding wetlands requires understanding the complex and varying roles they can play. To aid in this understanding, this guide defines wetlands, discusses their importance and dynamics, identifies threats and losses, describes conservation programs, and takes an in-depth look at Nebraska’s regional wetland complexes.

Nebraska’s …

Expanding Mouse-Adapted Yamagata-Like Influenza B Viruses In Eggs Enhances In Vivo Lethality In Balb/C Mice, Matthew J. Pekarek, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Adam Rubrum, Richard J. Webby, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Despite the yearly global impact of influenza B viruses (IBVs), limited host range has been a hurdle to developing a readily accessible small animal disease model for vaccine studies. Mouseadapting IBV can produce highly pathogenic viruses through serial lung passaging in mice. Previous studies have highlighted amino acid changes throughout the viral genome correlating with increased pathogenicity, but no consensus mutations have been determined. We aimed to show that growth system can play a role in mouse-adapted IBV lethality. Two Yamagata-lineage IBVs were serially passaged 10 times in mouse lungs before expansion in embryonated eggs or Madin–Darby canine kidney cells …

Dissecting The Cellular Landscape And Transcriptome Network In Viral Myocarditis By Single-Cell Rna Sequencing, Ninaad Lasrado, Nicholas Borcherding, Rajkumar Arumugam, Timothy K. Starr, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis is commonly employed to study viral pathogenesis in mice.Chronically affected micemaydevelop dilated cardiomyopathy, which may involve the mediation of immune and nonimmune cells. To dissect this complexity, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on heart cells from healthy and myocarditic mice, leading us to note significant proportions of myeloid cells, T cells, and fibroblasts. Although the transcriptomes of myeloid cells were mainly of M2 phenotype, the Th17 cells, CTLs, and Treg cells had signatures critical for cytotoxic functions. Fibroblasts were heterogeneous expressing genes important in fibrosis and regulation of inflammation and immune responses. The intercellular communication networks …

Water Current, Volume 54, No. 1, Winter 2022

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Salt And Drought Tolerance In Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.), Sevgi Saylak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Consequent to the increasing world population, food sources are needed to be increased to meet the nutritional needs. However, due to natural processes and agricultural activities, the most destructive environmental factors that limit crop production, soil salinity, and drought-exposed areas are growing. As one of the major oilseed crops, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), is considered to be moderately tolerant to salt and drought. Although it can grow in arid to semi-arid regions, increasing salinity and drought might adversely affect sunflower production. This study aimed to investigate several sunflower germplasms' morphological responses to salt and drought stresses. For this purpose, …

Nebraska Summary: 1231 John Deere 6r 120 Diesel Infinitely Variable Transmission, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Biochar: Properties And Potential Benefits For Agricultural Soil In Rwanda, Andromede Uwase

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Physical and chemical soil degradation is becoming a major challenge for agricultural productivity in Rwanda, which is the most important part of the country’s economy. The wide spreading soil degradation in Rwanda is mainly a result of naturally poor soils coupled with unsustainable soil management leading to, for example, accelerated soil erosion, acidification, nutrient loss, compaction, and to decreasing yields. Biochar, as an end product of pyrolysis of biomass in the absence of oxygen, has been proposed as a soil amendment in remediation strategies because of its positive effects on soil productivity relevant parameters such as soil pH, structure, nutrient …

Genomic Analysis Of Acetoanaerobium Sp. Vlb-1, An Anaerobic Bacterium Isolated From Nebraska's Eastern Saline Wetlands, Claire Martin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through the analysis of genetic code, the genomic and physiological characteristics of an environmental anaerobic bacterial isolate, Acetoanaerobium sp. strain VLB-1, can be determined and significant pathways can be identified in its significance to the environment. This particular organism was isolated from the Eastern Saline Wetlands in Lincoln, NE. With this isolate, an investigation into elemental and amino acid cycling via the Stickland reaction and the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway was conducted to determine possible metabolic products. The Stickland reaction is a relatively newly discovered pathway, observed in the genus Clostridium. A. sticklandii is the main model for this method of …

Targeting Transgenic Proteins To The Mitochondria In Plants, Susan Qudus, Jeffrey P. Mower

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in plants can convert an individual into female through sterilization of the male reproductive parts, creating an inability to produce functional pollen. In nature, this is advantageous for genetic diversity and producing progeny with unique genes that may be beneficial in evolution. For agriculture, this method is preferential for selection of desirable traits in crops when cross breeding. CMS is typically caused by genes in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), such as novel open reading frames (ORFs) that form after imperfect repair of double-stranded breaks in the mtDNA. Specific CMS genes vary among various plant species. It …

Tractor Test 2253: John Deere 9rx 590, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Tractor Summary: 1234 John Deere 6r 145, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2260: John Deere 9r 490, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …