Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Affecting White Bass Abundance In Two Missouri River Reservoirs, William J. Radigan, Mark J. Fincel

The Prairie Naturalist

Annual angler harvest of white bass (Morone chrysops) increased from 1985–2005 in Lake Oahe and Lake Sharpe, two mainstem Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota. In 2006, harvest rates dropped appreciably in both reservoirs and remained low through 2015. It is hypothesized that a confirmed 2005 columnaris disease outbreak led to reduced annual angler harvest of white bass from both reservoirs. Mean annual angler harvest prior to the outbreak (1985–2005) in Lake Oahe decreased 65% and in Lake Sharpe decreased 57% post outbreak (2006–2015). To assess potential causes of sustained decreased adult white bass abundance in the reservoirs, …

Identifying And Testing Recursive Vs. Interdependent Links In Simultaneous Equation Models Via The Sire Package, Gianmarco Vacca, Maria Grazia Zoia

The R Journal

Simultaneous equation models (SEMs) are composed of relations which either represent unidirectional links, which entail a causal interpretation, or bidirectional links, due to feedback loops, which lead to the notion of interdependence. The issue is of prominent interest in several respects. Investigating the causal structure of a SEM, on the one hand, brings to light the theoretical assumptions behind the model and, on the other hand, pilots the choice of the befitting estimation method and of which policy to implement. This paper provides an operational method to distinguish causal relations from interdependent ones in SEMs, such as macro-econometric models, models …

Rssampling: A Pioneering Package For Ranked Set Sampling, Busra Sevinc, Bekir Cetintav, Melek Esemen, Selma Gurler

The R Journal

Ranked set sampling (RSS) is an advanced data collection method when the exact measurement of an observation is difficult and/or expensive used in a number of research areas, e.g., environment, bioinformatics, ecology, etc. In this method, random sets are drawn from a population and the units in sets are ranked with a ranking mechanism which is based on a visual inspection or a concomitant variable. Because of the importance of working with a good design and easy analysis, there is a need for a software tool which provides sampling designs and statistical inferences based on RSS and its modifications. This …

Integration Of Networks And Pathways With Starbiotrek Package, Claudia Cava, Isabella Castiglioni

The R Journal

High-throughput genomic technologies bring to light a comprehensive hallmark of molecular changes of a disease. It is increasingly evident that genes are not isolated from each other and the identification of a gene signature can only partially elucidate the de-regulated biological functions in a disease. The comprehension of how groups of genes (pathways) are related to each other (pathway-cross talk) could explain biological mechanisms causing diseases. Biological pathways are important tools to identify gene interactions and decrease the large number of genes to be studied by partitioning them into smaller groups. Furthermore, recent scientific studies have demonstrated that an integration …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Fairbury, May 17-19, 2019, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Annual Meeting and Spring Field Days, organized by Jan Johnson, was held in Fairbury on May 17-19, 2019, with 64 in attendance. Our meetings and meals took place in the 4-H building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Despite the forecast for rain, the weather was perfect on Saturday morning, with rain arriving only in the late afternoon. Wind made listening for nightjars difficult on both evenings and it continued to be a problem on Sunday, but the total species list for the meeting was 165. Field trips were led by Shari Schwartz, John Carlini, Bill Flack, and Ross …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 87 June 2019 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2019, by W. Ross Silcock …42-61

Book Review: Sparrows of North America by Rick Wright, reviewed by W. Ross Silcock …62-65

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Fairbury, May 17-19, 2019, by Janis Paseka … 65

Subscription and Organization Information …71

Review Of Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Approach To Identification By Pete Dunne And Kevin T. Karlson, Garrett J. Macdonald

The Prairie Naturalist

The title of Pete Dunne and Kevin Karlson’s new book, Gulls Simplified, may seem like an oxymoron to many birders. Gulls are, after all, one of the most vexing groups of North American birds due to their myriad identification challenges, and many seasoned birders simply “don’t do gulls.” Indeed, Dunne, in the first line of the Introduction (page 13), writes, “Ask any bird-watcher to name the bird group that is most intimidating, and to a man, woman, and tour leader they often shout: GULLS!” The genesis of the book, and the authors’ approach to identification within, arises from the notion …

Incidental Captures Of Plains Spotted Skunks In Central South Dakota, Samantha Fino, Joshua D. Stafford, Aaron T. Pearse, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

The plains spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius interrupta) had a historically broad distribution in the central United States, extending from the Mississippi River west to the Rocky Mountains. This subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk (S. putorius) has experienced population declines in recent decades possibly due to habitat loss and reduction of prey through conversion of grasslands and forests to croplands, as well as reductions in abandoned buildings, fence rows, creek bottoms, and wood piles throughout the region (Crabb 1948, Kaplan and Mead 1991, Gompper and Hackett 2005, Sasse 2017). Woody debris provides access to prey, and …

Rarely Observed Behaviors And Occurrences Of Blackfooted Ferrets Preconditioning For Wild Release 2014–2017, Tyler N. Tretten

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Black-footed ferrets Mustela nigripes became extinct in the wild in 1987 when the last known wild animals were removed from a remnant population in an attempt to save the species by beginning a captive breeding program. Breeding efforts were successful, and since 1991 wildlife managers have annually released ferrets back into the wild at sites within the ferrets’ historic range. Before their release into the wild, ferrets undergo a preconditioning stage in a quasi-natural habitat which better prepares them for life in the wild after a captive upbringing. Due to their nocturnal, fossorial, and largely solitary lifestyle, combined with their …

Invasive Species Removal Promotes Habitat Restoration But Does Not Immediately Improve The Condition Of A Threatened Plant Subspecies, Kali Z. Mattingly, John J. Wiley Jr., Donald J. Leopold

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Impacts of invasive species on rare species are relevant to conservation. We studied the response of Leedy’s roseroot Rhodiola integrifolia subsp. leedyi, a subspecies listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, to removal of the invasive species Japanese knotweed Fallopia japonica. Japanese knotweed has invaded the largest known population of Leedy’s roseroot, affecting about 10% of all Leedy’s roseroot in the world. Japanese knotweed shaded Leedy’s roseroot, but the two did not share belowground resources because of their position on cliffs. To study this interaction and, ultimately, to restore Leedy’s roseroot habitat to an open, high-light condition, we removed …

Song Production By The North Pacific Right Whale, Eubalaena Japonica, Jessica L. Crance, Catherine L. Berchok, Dana L. Wright, Arial M. Brewer, Daniel F. Woodrich

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This paper describes song production by the eastern North Pacific right whale (NPRW, Eubalaena japonica) in the southeastern Bering Sea. Songs were localized in real-time to individuals using sonobuoys. Singers whose sex could be determined were all males. Autonomous recorder data from 17 year-long deployments were analyzed to document and characterize song types. Four distinct song types were documented over eight years (2009–2017) at five distinct locations. Each song type consists of a hierarchical structure of 1–3 different repeating phrases comprised predominantly of gunshot sounds; three of the four songs contained additional sound types (downsweep, moan, and low-frequency pulsive call). …

Ifn-Γ: A Cytokine At The Right Time, Is In The Right Place, J. Daniel Burke, Howard A. Young

United States Public Health Resources

Interferon gamma has long been studied as a critical mediator of tumor immunity. In recent years, the complexity of cellular interactions that take place in the tumor microenvironment has become better appreciated in the context of immunotherapy. While checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically improved remission rates in cancer treatment, IFN-Γ and related effectors continue to be identified as strong predictors of treatment success. In this review, we provide an overview of the multiple immunosuppressive barriers that IFN-Γ has to overcome to eliminate tumors, and potential avenues for modulating the immune response in favor of tumor rejection.

An Analysis Of Differential Reflectivity Arc Characteristics In 109 Supercell Storms, Matthew Wilson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Differential reflectivity (Z_DR)arcs are one of the most prominent dual-polarization features of supercell storms, and are manifest as an arc-shaped area of high Z_DR along a supercell’s forward flank reflectivity gradient. Since previous modelling studies have hypothesized that the magnitude of the drop-size sorting by the storm-relative wind which creates the arc signature is related to the strength of the low-level shear and SRH in a storm’s environment, the presence of a strong Z_DR arc is often said to indicate that a storm may have the potential to develop strong low-level rotation and potentially become tornadic. …

Critical Introduction: Responsibility And Representation & Introduction To All My Mother’S Lovers, Ilana Masad

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This critical component of the creative thesis All My Mother’s Lovers explores the question of fiction writers’ responsibility to themselves, their work, and their readers in the age of social media and easy access of readers to writers and vice versa. Using two examples of recent online controversies, this piece explores the varying ways in which readers respond to writers and writers to readers and rhetorically analyzes the responses of those in positions of power (writers, publishers) as well as the cultural contexts from within which they respond. It then draws conclusions as to the trajectory of these two controversies, …

Factors Associated With Return To A Child Advocacy Center For A Subsequent Sexual Abuse Allegation: A Longitudinal Analysis, Jessica Pogue

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Child sexual abuse is a widespread problem impacting substantial numbers of youth (Finkelhor, Shattuck, Turner, & Hamby, 2014). There are many factors that make telling someone about sexual abuse difficult for children, which can mean disclosures are delayed and children are at-risk longer. After initial victimization, there is increased risk for children to experience subsequent sexual abuse victimization (Pittenger, Pogue, & Hansen, 2018). Using the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, the present study examined predictors to distinguish children who are at the highest risk of returning to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) for a subsequent sexual abuse referral. It also …

Single And Multi-Trait Gwas Identify Genetic Factors Associated With Production Traits In Common Bean Under Abiotic Stress Environments, Atena Oladzad, Timothy G. Perch, Juan Carlos Rosas, Samira Mafi Moghaddam, James Beaver, Steve E. Beebe, Jimmy Burridge, Celestina Nhagupana Jochua, Magalhaes Amade Miguel, Phillip N. Miklas, Bodo Raatz, Jeffery W. White, Jonathan Lynch, Phillip E. Mcclean

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

The genetic improvement of economically important production traits of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), for geographic regions where production is threatened by drought and high temperature stress, is challenging because of the complex genetic nature of these traits. Large scale SNP data sets for the two major gene pools of bean, Andean and Middle American, were developed by mapping multiple pools of genotype-by-sequencing reads and identifying over 200k SNPs for each gene pool against the most recent assembly of the P. vulgaris genome sequence. Moderately sized Bean Abiotic Stress Evaluation (BASE) panels, consisting of genotypes appropriate for production in …

The Roles Of Parents In Shaping Fathering Across Generations In Cebu, Philippines, Lee T. Gettler, Patty X. Kuo, Abet Bas, Judith B. Borja

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined how parental caregiving and parent–child closeness are associated with future fathering among 335 Filipino men who are participants in a long-running birth cohort study.

Background Few studies have multidecade longitudinal data to test the pathways through which parenting is transmitted across generations, with most relevant research conducted in the United States, Europe, and other similar settings. The roles of mothers and fathers in shaping their sons’ future parenting is particularly understudied despite fathers having the potential to positively influence child health and development.

Method: Participants’ mothers (Generation 1 [G1]) reported on caregiving during Generation 2 (G2) …

Dielectric Function Tensor (1.5 Ev To 9.0 Ev), Anisotropy, And Band To Band Transitions Of Monoclinic Β-(AlXGa1–X)2O3 (X ≤ 0.21) Films, Matthew Hilfiker, Ufuk Kilic, Alyssa Mock, Vanya Darakchieva, Sean Knight, Rafal Korlacki, Akhil Mauze, Yuewei Zhang, James Speck, Mathias Schubert

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

A set of monoclinic β-(Al_xGa_1–x)₂O₃ films coherently grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy onto (010)-oriented β-Ga₂O₃ substrates for compositions x ≤ 0.21 is investigated by generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry at room temperature in the spectral range of 1.5 eV–9.0 eV. We present the composition dependence of the excitonic and band to band transition energy parameters using a previously described eigendielectric summation approach for β-Ga₂O₃ from the study by Mock et al. All energies shift to a shorter wavelength with the increasing Al content in …

Metabolism Underlies Physiological Homeostasis In Drosophila, Omera B. Matoo, Cole R. Julick, Kristi Montooth

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Organismal physiology emerges from metabolic pathways and subcellular structures like the mitochondria that can vary across development and among individuals. Here, we tested whether genetic variation at one level of physiology can be buffered at higher levels of biological organization during development by the inherent capacity for homeostasis in physiological systems. We found that the fundamental scaling relationship between mass and metabolic rate, as well as the oxidative capacity per mitochondria, changed significantly across development in the fruit fly Drosophila. However, mitochondrial respiration rate was maintained at similar levels across development. Furthermore, larvae clustered into two types—those that switched to …

Enhancing Rural Economies Through Agroforestry, Gary Bentrup, Dean Current, Christopher Hartley, Marlen Eve, Tricia Kovacs, Kate Mcfarland, Eric Norland, David Smith, Susan Stein, Richard Straight

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Executive Summary

Accelerating the adoption of agroforestry will require a better understanding of the economic opportunities and financial benefits to society, says a recent assessment of United States agroforestry.1 Providing this understanding is critical for agroforestry to reach its full potential, whereby it enhances rural economies and provides ecological services that people need, such as clean drinking water. To assess emerging opportunities, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) convened more than 60 people in March 2018 to learn, network, and, above all, generate ideas for raising the economic profile and viability of agroforestry in the United States.

The effort …

The Future Of Open Access Books: Findings From A Global Survey Of Academic Book Authors, Ros Pyne, Christina Emery, Mithu Lucraft, Anna Sophia Pinck

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

This report presents the findings from an online survey conducted in February and March 2019 to gather author feedback on open access (OA) books. Survey questions were designed to build on previous studies of OA for journal authors, as well as previous research on OA books, to assess the current awareness, attitudes and behaviours of authors who have and have not previously published OA. The raw anonymised data has been made freely available under a CC BY licence.2 Of 5,509 responses, 2,542 book authors completed the survey, and only these responses have been analysed here. Of these, 407 authors had …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 51, No. 1

The Prairie Naturalist

1 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

3 Factors Affecting White Bass Abundance in Two Missouri River Reservoirs, William J. Radigan and Mark J. Fincel

17 Suitability of single-pass backpack electrofishing to estimate fish abundance and describe assemblage structure in prairie streams, Morgan J. Kauth, David A. Schumann, Katie N. B. Graeb, and W. Wyatt Hoback

NOTES

25 Channel Catfish Reproductive Traits in the Lower Platte River, Nebraska, USA - Mackenzie Zwiener, Jonathan Spurgeon, & Mark Pegg

30 Quantifying Signpost Usage By Captive Male White-Tailed Deer - Cassie L. Auxt, Eric S. Michel, and Jonathan A. Jenks.

33 Incidental Captures of Plains …

Suitability Of Single-Pass Backpack Electrofishing To Estimate Fish Abundance And Describe Assemblage Structure In Prairie Streams, Morgan J. Kauth, David A. Schumann, Katie N.B. Graeb, William Wyatt Hoback

The Prairie Naturalist

Electrofishing is commonly used by fisheries professionals to assess fish assemblage structure and species abundance in streams. Accurate estimates of fish abundance and, consequently assemblage metrics, are typically generated with mark-recapture or maximum-likelihood depletion techniques, but doing so requires considerable sampling effort. Less intensive sampling approaches may be beneficial to fisheries managers, particularly in cases where frequent sampling of many streams is preferred. We used regression and Spearman rank-order correlation analyses to compare species catch rates and the assemblage metrics generated from single-pass electrofishing samples with multiple-pass depletion abundance estimates in Nebraska streams. We examined the influence of instream habitat …

Channel Catfish Reproductive Traits In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Usa, Mackenzie Zwiener, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark Pegg

The Prairie Naturalist

Reproductive traits including fecundity, egg diameter, and condition of freshwater fishes influence offspring survival and abundance and may provide insight regarding timing of reproduction (Winemiller and Rose 1992, Johnston and Leggett 2002). Fish size (i.e., length or weight) may influence the number of eggs produced by an individual female (i.e., fecundity; Michaletz 1998). Larger individuals may, thus, disproportionately contribute to year-classes through increased fecundity if egg and larval survival is similar or greater than those from smaller reproductive females (Gwinn et al. 2015). Likewise, maternal fish size may influence egg diameter and offspring survival, whereby larger egg diameters are associated …

Beef Production Systems In The Nebraska Sandhills, Mckay Reed Erickson

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

Four studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of improving production systems of beef cattle in the Sandhills region of Nebraska. These studies were to determine impacts of modified estrus synchronization protocols, genomic testing heifer calves for longevity, and evaluation of 2 differing calving systems (March or May) for improving biological outcome and improved production. Experiment 1 utilized 180 yearling heifers to determine the effectiveness of a second dose of prostaglandin F_2α(PGF) with those females not expressing estrus after an initial 14 d MGA-PG estrus synchronization protocol. The treatment of PGF did increase estrus expression, but did not …

Neural Correlates Of Emotion Processing Comparing Antidepressants And Exogenous Oxytocin In Postpartum Depressed Women: An Exploratory Study, Tierney K. Lorenz, Hu Cheng, Julia R. Heiman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite common use of antidepressants to treat postpartum depression, little is known about the impact of antidepressant use on postpartum brain activity. Additionally, although oxytocin has been investigated as a potential treatment for postpartum depression, the interaction between antidepressants and exogenous oxytocin on brain activity is unknown. We explored postpartum depressed women’s neural activation in areas identified as important to emotion and reward processing and potentially, antidepressant response: the amygdala, nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area. We conducted a secondary analysis of a functional imaging study of response to sexual, crying infant and smiling infant images in 23 postpartum depressed …

Opportunities For Behavioral Rescue Under Rapid Environmental Change, Samuel B. Fey, David A. Vasseur, Karla Alujević, Kristy J. Kroeker, Michael L. Logan, Mary I. O'Connor, Volker H.W. Rudolf, John Delong, Scott Peacor, Rebecca L. Selden, A Sih, Susana Clusella‐Trullas

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Laboratory measurements of physiological and demographic tolerances are important in understanding the impact of climate change on species diversity; however, it has been recognized that forecasts based solely on these laboratory estimates overestimate risk by omitting the capacity for species to utilize microclimatic variation via behavioral adjustments in activity patterns or habitat choice. The complex, and often context‐dependent nature, of microclimate utilization has been an impediment to the advancement of general predictive models. Here, we overcome this impediment and estimate the potential impact of warming on the fitness of ectotherms using a benefit/cost trade‐off derived from the simple and broadly …

Analysing Habitat Connectivity And Home Ranges Of Bigmouth Buffalo And Channel Catfish Using A Large-Scale Acoustic Receiver Network, Eva C. Enders, Colin Charles, Douglas A. Watkinson, Colin Kovachik, Douglas R. Leroux, Henry Hansen, Mark Pegg

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The determination if fish movement of potadromous species is impeded in a river system is often difficult, particularly when timing and extent of movements are unknown. Furthermore, evaluating river connectivity poses additional challenges. Here, we used large-scale, long-term fish movement to study and identify anthropogenic barriers to movements in the Lake Winnipeg basin including the Red, Winnipeg, and Assiniboine rivers. In the frame of the project, 80 Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and 161 Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were tagged with acoustic transmitters. Individual fish were detected with an acoustic telemetry network. Movements were subsequently analyzed using a continuous-time Markov model …

River-Wide Habitat Availability For Fish Habitat Guilds: Implications For In-Stream Flow Protection, Jonathan Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg, Piotr Parasiewicz, Joe Rogers

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The variation in river discharge alters habitat heterogeneity with implications for the distribution of fish species with different habitat requirements. Assessments of habitat availability following changes in river discharge are difficult to apply at broad spatial scales and with relevance to multiple species. We used a MesoHABSIM modeling approach to quantify river-wide changes in habitat availability for five fish habitat guilds under three river discharge levels along the Niobrara River, NE, USA.We used a time-series of river discharge (1958–2010) to create uniform continuous under-threshold habitat duration curves that identified habitat conditions that may result in periods of stress for fish …

Seasonal Dynamics Of Lipid Metabolism And Energy Storage In The Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat, Elizabeth J. Rogers, Amie S. Sommers, Liam P. Mcguire

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As small, flying, mammalian endotherms, insectivorous bats are adapted to operate at high levels of energy expenditure. In response to seasonally variable challenges, we predicted that bats should balance energy budgets by flexibly adjusting aspects of their physiology or behavior in ways that elevate metabolic capacity. We examined variation in energy storage and pathways for oxidative metabolism in Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) related to estimated costs associated with reproduction and migration. We collected pectoral muscle and liver from female T. brasiliensis at six time points during the summer and fall and measured changes in the activity of four enzymes …