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Obituary: Thomas Henry Kunz (1938–2020), Allen Kurta, Winifred F. Frick, M. Brock Fenton, Polly Campbell, Gary F. Mccracken, Robert M. Timm, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Dr. Thomas Henry Kunz, an internationally recognized expert on the ecology and behavior of bats and Professor at Boston University, passed away on April 13, 2020 in Dedham, Massachusetts, at the age of 81 as the result of complications from COVID-19. “Tom,” to his many friends and colleagues, was born on June 11, 1938 in Independence, Missouri, to William H. and Edna F. (Dornfeld) Kunz. He married Margaret Louise Brown on December 27, 1962 in Faucett, Missouri, Margaret’s hometown. Two children were born to Margaret and Tom—Pamela Kunz (Jeffrey Kwan) and David Kunz (Nicole, née D’Angelo), and five grandchildren.

As …

Population And Harvest Dynamics Of Midcontinent Sandhill Cranes, Aaron T. Pearse, Glen A. Sargeant, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt

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

Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) inhabiting the midcontinent of North America have been hunted since the 1960s under management goals of maintaining abundance, retaining geographic distribution, and maximizing sustainable harvest. Some biologists have raised concerns regarding harvest sustainability because sandhill cranes have lower reproductive rates than other game birds. We summarized demographic information in an age‐structured matrix model to better understand population dynamics and harvest. Population indices and recovered harvest since the early 1980s suggest midcontinent sandhill cranes have experienced an average long‐term annual growth of 0.9%; meanwhile, harvest has increased 1.8% annually. Adult survival and recruitment rates estimated from field …

Estimating Abiotic Thresholds For Sagebrush Condition Class In The Western United States, Stephen Boyte, Bruce K. Wylie, Yingxin Gu, Donald J. Major

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Sagebrush ecosystems of the western United States can transition from extended periods of relatively stable conditions to rapid ecological change if acute disturbances occur. Areas dominated by native sagebrush can transition from species-rich native systems to altered states where non-native annual grasses dominate, if resistance to annual grasses is low. The non-native annual grasses provide relatively little value to wildlife, livestock, and humans and function as fuel that increases fire frequency. The more land area covered by annual grasses, the higher the potential for fire, thus reducing the potential for native vegetation to reestablish, even when applying restoration treatments. Mapping …

Host Transcriptional Response To Persistent Infection With A Live-Attenuated Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain, Jayeshbhai Chaudhari, Chia-Sin Liew, Aspen M. Workman, Jean-Jack Riethoven, David J. Steffen, Sarah Vitosh-Sillman, Hiep Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Both virulent and live-attenuated porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strains can establish persistent infection in lymphoid tissues of pigs. To investigate the mechanisms of PRRSV persistence, we performed a transcriptional analysis of inguinal lymphoid tissue collected from pigs experimentally infected with an attenuated PRRSV strain at 46 days post infection. A total of 6404 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected of which 3960 DEGs were upregulated and 2444 DEGs were downregulated. Specifically, genes involved in innate immune responses and chemokines and receptors associated with T-cell homing to lymphoid tissues were down regulated. As a result, homing of virus-specific …

First Records Of Established Populations Of Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected From Three Nebraska Counties, Lindsey E. Nielsen, Roberto Cortinas, Paul D. Fey, Peter C. Iwen, David H. Nielsen

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reported cases of Lyme disease in Nebraska have been assumed to be imported from other endemic areas. Previous surveillance efforts provided no evidence of established populations as only individual specimens of Ixodes scapularis (Say) had been collected. In the winter of 2018, adult I. scapularis were found on a dog at Two Rivers State Recreation Area, Douglas County, prompting tick collection at the site and nearby natural areas. In May 2019, all life stages of host-seeking I. scapularis were collected using dragging and flagging techniques in sites located near the Platte River in Douglas, Sarpy, and Saunders counties. This is …

Intimate Attachment Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 To Urinary Bladder Epithelium In The Gnotobiotic Piglet Model, Rodney A. Moxley, Tom W. Bargar, Stephen D. Kachman, Diane R. Baker, David H. Francis

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a pathogenic subset of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), is an important cause of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic–uremic syndrome (HUS), and a rare cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) with associated HUS. EHEC strains attach intimately to intestinal epithelium with formation of actin pedestals (attaching-effacing (A/E) lesions); however, the mechanism of EHEC attachment to the uroepithelium is unknown. We conducted a retrospective study on archived urinary bladder specimens from gnotobiotic piglets that naturally developed cystitis associated with EHEC O157:H7 infection following oral inoculation and fecal shedding. Paraffin-embedded bladder tissues from three piglets with cystitis and immunohistochemical …

Triggers Of Inflammatory Heart Disease, Ninaad Lasrado, Bharathi Yalaka, Jay Reddy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Inflammatory heart disease (IHD) is a group of diseases that includes pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis. Although males appear to be more commonly affected than females, IHD can be seen in any age group. While the disease can be self-limiting leading to full recovery, affected individuals can develop chronic disease, suggesting that identification of primary triggers is critical for successful therapies. Adding to this complexity, however, is the fact that IHD can be triggered by a variety of infectious and non-infectious causes that can also occur as secondary events to primary insults. In this review, we discuss the immunological insights into …

Current Status Of Zika Virus Vaccines: Successes And Challenges, Aryamav Pattnaik, Bikash R. Sahoo, Asit K. Pattnaik

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The recently emerged Zika virus (ZIKV) spread to the Americas, causing a spectrum of congenital diseases including microcephaly in newborn and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in adults. The unprecedented nature of the epidemic and serious diseases associated with the viral infections prompted the global research community to understand the immunopathogenic mechanisms of the virus and rapidly develop safe and efficacious vaccines. This has led to a number of ZIKV vaccine candidates that have shown significant promise in human clinical trials. These candidates include nucleic acid vaccines, inactivated vaccines, viral-vectored vaccines, and attenuated vaccines. Additionally, a number of vaccine candidates have been …

Rapid Differentiation Of Moraxella Bovoculi Genotypes 1 And 2 Using Maldi-Tof Mass Spectrometry Profiles, Matthew M. Hille, Aaron M. Dickey, Kara Robbins, Michael L. Clawson, John Dustin Loy

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Moraxella bovoculi is the most frequently isolated bacteria from the eyes of cattle with Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), also known as bovine pinkeye. Two distinct genotypes of M. bovoculi, genotype 1 and genotype 2, were characterized after whole genome sequencing showed a large degree of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity within the species. To date, both genotypes have been isolated from the eyes of cattle without clinical signs of IBK while only genotype 1 strains have been isolated from the eyes of cattle with clinical signs of IBK. We used 38 known genotype 1 strains and 26 known genotype …

Viscacha: Luxury, Fate And Identification In Precolumbian Textiles, Elena Phipps, Caroline Solazzo

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Since the sixteenth century, references by Spanish chroniclers to the use of chinchilla hair (Andean rodents of several species including viscacha) by Andean weavers indicate that the fine hair of these animals had been incorporated into textiles. Their fine soft hair, often mottled in color, has distinctive characteristics which vary and, as a result, make them difficult to identify. Some archaeological finds, primarily in Chile have reported viscacha skins and fur bags, but few if any reports have identified the presence of textiles or spun yarns that incorporate this special fiber. The depiction of the animal takes on special meaning …

Geographic Distribution Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1f Toxin Resistance In Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations In The United States, Brad S. Coates, Craig A. Abel, Katharine A. Swoboda-Bhattarai, Debra E. Palmquist, Débora Goulart Montezano, Sarah N. Zukoff, Yangzhou Wang, Jeffery D. Bradshaw, Christina D. Difonzo, Elson Shields, Kelley J. Tilmon, Thomas Hunt, Julie A. Peterson

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), can be a severe pest of transgenic corn in the western Plains and Great Lakes regions of North America, including on hybrids expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1F toxin. The level and geographic distribution of Cry1F resistance are not completely known. Neonate S. albicosta from 10 locations between Nebraska and New York state were subjected to dose–response trypsin-activated native Cry1F toxin overlay bioassays. In 2017, the mean estimated lethal concentration causing 50% larval mortality (LC50) ranged from 15.1 to 18.4 μg Cry1F cm−2, and were not significantly different among locations. In …

Agroecosystems Entomology Lab, Research Summary 2020

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Contents

Introduction: Agroecosystems Entomology Lab

Project # 1: Chemigation efficacy and spray deposition on corn for the control of western bean cutworm

Project #2: Insecticide application on western bean cutworm eggs and response of predators to treated eggs

Project #3: Investigating the Role of Spiders in Integrated Pest Management for Biological Control of Nebraska Crop Pests

Project #4: Modeling the potential global geographic distribution of Striacosta albicosta using MaxEnt

Project #5: Diversity and abundance of arthropods in industrial hemp fields of Nebraska

Transcriptomic Data-Driven Discovery Of Global Regulatory Features Of Rice Seeds Developing Under Heat Stress, Mohammad Mazharul Islam, Jaspreet Sandhu, Harkamal Walia, Rajib Saha

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Plants respond to abiotic stressors through a suite of strategies including differential regulation of stress- responsive genes. Hence, characterizing the influences of the relevant global regulators or on stress- related transcription factors is critical to understand plant stress response. Rice seed development is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures. To elucidate the extent and directional hierarchy of gene reg- ulation in rice seeds under heat stress, we developed and implemented a robust multi-level optimization- based algorithm called Minimal Regulatory Network identifier (MiReN). MiReN could predict the minimal regulatory relationship between a gene and its potential regulators from our temporal transcriptomic dataset. …

Environmental Factors On The Arctic Food Chain, Sydney Hansen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

As the Arctic is encountering many environmental changes, a multi-species meta-analysis was conducted from peer-reviewed scientific data gathered from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) library’s bibliographic databases to determine 1) the main polar warming impacts on species of the Arctic food web such as polar bears, ringed seals, Arctic cod, copepods, and primary producers, 2) determine climatic impacts by looking at population sizes and migratory patterns over several years, and 3) discover impacts of a top-down cascade and look into conservation efforts. In the Arctic, species within its’ ecosystem are experiencing more dramatic impacts from climatic warming because of the …

Nutritional Value Of Crops Affected By Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations In Atmospheric Conditions, Alex Joseph Cusimano

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and the nutritional quality of crops. Using Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) and Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) to simulate elevated carbon dioxide levels, more review of previous literature was studied. Studies found that although there is a negative loss of nutrient availability, there are major signs that nutrient deficiencies. Nitrogen(protein), Iron, and Zinc are the most impacted with elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions. Further research and experiments regarding long term plant growth should be considered moving forward. With only limted situations and different CO2 …

Analysis Of Trees Damaged From Flooding And Ice In Columbus, Nebraska, Alaina Kapla

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In the spring of 2019, an intense storm system came through eastern Nebraska resulting in a historic flooding event. This flood caused many trees throughout the state to be uprooted, broken, or scarred. This study looks at trees on the Quail Run golf course in Columbus, Nebraska to determine the extent of damage on trees caused by flooding and recommend tree care solutions to ensure safety. The cottonwood trees endured the most damage compared to other species on the property. All of the trees showed wound wood meaning that the trees were recovering from their injuries. Dead and broken branches …

Fungal Mycelium: The Key To A Sustainable Future, Sawyer Krivanek

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study focuses on fungal mycelium-based packaging as a biodegradable replacement of polystyrene packaging. In this thesis project, there will be a thorough study of the characteristics of fungal mycelium and how it can be combined with other products to create biodegradable packaging. Polystyrene packaging is unsustainable and poses threats to human health and our natural environments. It is pivotal that alternative packaging options for polystyrene are researched and tested to prove reliability as packaging systems develop. Research questions answered in this thesis include: Can fungal mycelium be a biodegradable replacement for plastic/polystyrene packaging at a large scale? What is …

What Are The Impacts Of Plastic Pollution On Sea Turtles And How Can We Prevent Them?, Stacey Safarik

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper will address the impacts of plastic pollution on sea turtles and how humans can combat the issue. Sea turtles are often harmed due to human activities because the ocean is used as a dumping ground for trash, and humans need to take it upon themselves to change this. The purpose of this project was to learn how plastic can impact the lives of sea turtles, and to find out if there are prevention efforts in place. A thematic literature review was conducted in order to find all of the data. Once all of the data was compiled, it …

The Effects Of Phosphate On The Metamorphosis Of Larval Western Barred Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Mavortium), Alexis Jean Polivanov

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This investigation will collect data to assist in determining if elevated aquatic phosphate levels affects the metamorphosis rate of larval western barred tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium). Monoammonium phosphate fertilizers are being used on crops in Nebraska (NDA, 2017). This area lines up with the area the western barred tiger salamanders are disappearing from (Damme, 2018). Monoammonium phosphate is made up of nitrogen and phosphate. There have been several studies showing how nitrogen is harmful to amphibians such as this salamander (Griffis-Kyle, 2007) (Griffis-Kyle & Richtie, 2007), but there have not been many showing how phosphate affects amphibian’s metamorphosis …

Diet Composition And Analysis Of Fish Species Consumed By The Eurasian Otter In A Marine/Costal Environment, Alexandrea Otto

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Understanding prey preference in Eurasian otters, Lutra lutra, is important to provide greater insight into aquatic predator-prey relationships which will inform conservation efforts. Identifying the composition of an organism’s diet is one of the primary steps in understanding an organism and developing effective conservation strategies. This study expands upon basic identification of consumed items to estimate size of fish eaten by Eurasian otters to provide information on the diet of these important aquatic predators. Many studies on the Eurasian otter have considered diet from river systems, yet less is known of their diet in marine systems. The goal of my …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Environments And Human Death Practices, Carly Elizabeth Thody

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper analyzes connections between environmental factors and human death practices from several locations throughout the world. Using a thorough literature review, a thematic analysis is applied to combine a variety of sources to draw conclusions regarding how death practices are influenced and evolve over time. Environments, broken down into physical geography, religious, social, and political influences, are examined for the United States, Mexico, Japan, The Torajans of Sulawesi, Indonesia, and Tibet. Factors such as religion and culture have been an important component in the development of many societies’ practices revolving around death. The interconnectedness of cultures makes it difficult …

Lincoln, Ne Composting In Restaurants, Brodie Baum

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study aimed to investigate restaurants across the city of Lincoln, Nebraska that compost as a way to reduce food waste. Food waste is a growing environmental concern because it leads to climate change, eutrophication and acidification of bodies of water, pollutes the air and more. This study utilized a software program to distribute a survey that restaurants owners/personnel would take. The survey asked a variety of questions that provided information about the restaurants and who runs it. This information allowed us to draw important conclusions. Based on the results of the survey we can begin to speculate about possible …

Non-Homology-Based Prediction Of Gene Functions In Maize (Zea Mays Ssp. Mays), Xiuru Dai, Zheng Xu, Zhikai Liang, Xiaoyu Tu, Silin Zhong, James Schnable, Pinghua Li

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Advances in genome sequencing and annotation have eased the difficulty of identifying new gene sequences. Predicting the functions of these newly identified genes remains challenging. Genes descended from a common ancestral sequence are likely to have common functions.As a result, homology is widely used for gene function prediction. This means functional annotation errors also propagate from one species to another. Several approaches based on machine learning classification algorithms were evaluated for their ability to accurately predict gene function from non-homology gene features. Among the eight supervised classification algorithms evaluated, random forest-based prediction consistently provided the most accurate gene function prediction. …

Deciphering The Past To Inform The Future: Preparing For The Next (“Really Big”) Extreme Event, Debra Pc Peters, N Dylan Burruss, Gregory S. Okin, Jerry L. Hatfield, Stacey Lp Scroggs, Haitao Huang, Colby W. Brungard, Jin Yao

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

Climate change will bring more extremes in temperature and precipitation that will impact productivity and ecosystem resilience throughout agroecosystems worldwide. Historical events can be used to identify drivers that impact future events. A catastrophic drought in the US in the 1930s resulted in an abrupt boundary between areas severely impacted by the Dust Bowl and areas that were less severely affected. Historical primary production data confirmed the location of this boundary at the border between two states (Nebraska and Iowa). Local drivers of weather and soils explained production responses across the boundary before and after the drought (1926–1948). During the …

Reflection And Inquiry-Based Teaching: Exploring Reflective Practices In Beginning Secondary Science Teachers, Ana Rivero, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Science teachers’ reflections can be used as an opportunity to improve teaching through inquiry-based instruction (White, Frederiksen, & Collins, 2009), especially during their first years as teachers. Yet more work is still needed to support the development of beginning teachers’ reflective practices (Russell & Martin, 2014). The purpose of this exploratory multi-methods study was to describe: (a) beginning secondary science teachers’ reflective practices up to 4 years after completing their teacher education program, (b) the factors that might have an effect on these practices for participants, and (c) the connection (if any) between their inquiry-based instruction and reflective practices. We …

Educating Effective Science Teachers: Preparing And Following Teachers Into The Field, Elizabeth Lewis, Ana Rivero, Aaron Musson, Lyrica L. Lucas, Amy Tankersley, Brandon Helding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This chapter focuses on: (a) our development of a research-based, graduate- level science TPP for teachers with a degree in science; (b) an analysis of teachers’ subject matter knowledge (SMK) as it relates to their subsequent use of inquiry-based instruction; and (c) results of a longitudinal study of beginning science teachers who graduated from a master’s level TPP in comparison with the instructional practices of science teachers prepared through a traditional undergraduate program. We offer what we consider to be a typical case of an undergraduate and less typical case of a graduate science teacher preparation program that occur at …

Serotonin 5-Ht2a And 5-Ht2c Receptors Regulate Rat Maternal Behavior Through Distinct Behavioral And Neural Mechanisms, Jun Gao, Lina Nie, Yu Li, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Serotonin 5-HT_2A and 5-HT_2C receptors play important yet distinctive roles in the regulation of rat maternal behavior. The present study investigated their neural substrates and explored the possible behavioral mechanisms (i.e., behavioral organization or maternal motivation). Sprague-Dawley postpartum females were microinjected with either a selective 5-HT_2A agonist (TCB-2, 0.4 or 4.0 μg/side) or a 5-HT_2C agonist (MK212, 2.5 or 5.0 μg/side) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or ventral tegmental area (VTA). Ten and 60 min later, their maternal activities were observed in the home cage; and their motivational responses towards pups were examined in a …

Big Five, Self-Regulation, And Coping Strategies As Predictors Of Achievement Emotions In Undergraduate Students, Jesús De La Fuente, Paola Paoloni, Douglas Kauffman, Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, Paul Sander, Lucía Zapata

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The study focused on the analysis of linear relations between personality, self-regulation, coping strategies and achievement emotions. The main objective was to establish a model of linear, empirical, associative to infer needs and proposals for intervening in emotional health in the different profiles of university students. A total of 642 undergraduate students participated in this research. Evidence of associative relations between personality factors, self-regulation and coping strategies was found. The neuroticism factor had a significant negative associative relationship with Self-Regulation both globally and in its factors; especially important was its negative relation to decision making, and coping strategies focused in …

Identifying And Addressing Barriers To Treatment For Child Sexual Abuse Survivors And Their Non-Offending Caregivers, Kate Theimer, Akemi E. Mii, Emily Sonnen, Kelsey Mccoy, Katie Meidlinger, Brittany Biles, T. Zachary Huit, Mary F. Flood, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Mental health treatment is a critical part of an effective and compassionate response to the disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA). Given the vast negative consequences for children and families following CSA, engagement in treatment can benefit youth and their non-offending caregivers. Yet, these families face unique barriers to treatment initiation, adherence, and effectiveness. The identification of these barriers allows clinicians, researchers, and policy makers to increase treatment utilization, engagement, and value. The current review and its recommendations derive from the existing literature combined with knowledge gained from a clinical research team with more than 20 years of experience offering …

Attributions Of Blame In A Hypothetical Child Sexual Abuse Case: Roles Of Behavior Problems And Frequency Of Abuse, Kate Theimer, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Youth who are blamed for their sexual abuse may experience increased negative outcomes, such as amplified self-blame. Similarly, blaming nonoffending parents can impede their ability to support their child following disclosure. Understanding the factors that influence how people perceive victim, caregiver, and perpetrator responsibility is imperative for the protection and treatment of families who have experienced sexual abuse. Little research has explored victim and abuse characteristics that influence the perception of sexual abuse. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the roles of behavior problems and frequency of abuse in the attribution of blame in a hypothetical …