Digital Commons Network^™

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Beef Feedlot Surface Materials As Affected By Diet, Moisture, Temperature, And Time, Bryan L. Woodbury, John E. Gilley, David B. Parker, Bobbi S. Stomer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A laboratory study was conducted to measure the effects of diet, moisture, temperature, and time on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from feedlot surface materials (FSM). The FSM were collected from open-lot pens where beef cattle were fed either a dry-rolled corn (DRC) diet containing no wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) or a DRC diet containing 35% WDGS. The FSM were collected, air-dried or mixed with 3.0 L of water to represent dry or wet conditions, and then incubated at temperatures of 5°C, 15°C, 25°C, or 35°C. Static flux chambers were used to quantify GHG emissions over a 14-day period. …

Surface Detention On Cropland, Rangeland, And Conservation Reserve Program Areas, John E. Gilley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

One of the factors contributing to overland flow on upland areas is water stored temporarily in a thin sheet on the soil surface as surface detention. This study was conducted to quantify surface detention on selected cropland, rangeland, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites. Surface detention was determined from the recession portion of runoff hydrographs corresponding with the period when rainfall had ceased but runoff continued. The hydrographs were generated from six previously reported rainfall simulation studies conducted on paired 3.7 m wide  10.7 m long plots on which approximately 128 mm of rainfall was applied. Surface detention values …

Evaluation Of The Accuracy Of Machine Reported Can Data For Engine Torque And Speed (J1939), Rodney A. Rohrer, Joe D. Luck, Santosh K. Pitla, Roger M. Hoy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Most modern off-road machinery use embedded electronic controllers connected to a controller area network (CAN) to broadcast machine information for on-board processes and diagnostics. Commercially available tools can record CAN data for a variety of research and commercial uses. For agricultural tractors, there is an opportunity to create advanced test procedures that are more representative of field operations and that could supplement existing machine performance tests, such as the OECD Code 2 Standard Code for the Official Testing of Agricultural and Forestry Tractor Performance. CAN parameters provide an efficient way to collect tractor performance data during field operations. However, the …

Crop Evapotranspiration, Irrigationwater Requirement And Water Productivity Of Maize From Meteorological Data Under Semiarid Climate, Koffi Djaman, Michael O'Neill, Curtis K. Owen, Daniel Smeal, Komlan Koudahe, Margaret West, Samuel Allen, Kevin Lombard, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Under the semiarid climate of the Southwest United States, accurate estimation of crop water use is important for water management and planning under conservation agriculture. The objectives of this study were to estimate maize water use and water productivity in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. Maize was grown under full irrigation during the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017 seasons at the Agricultural Science Center at Farmington (NM). Seasonal amounts of applied irrigation varied from 576.6 to 1051.6 mm and averaged 837.7 mm and the total water supply varied from 693.4 to 1140.5 mm. Maize actual evapotranspiration was …

Unmanned Aerial Systems-Based Remote Sensing For Monitoring Sorghum Growth And Development, Sanaz Shafian, Nithya Rajan, Ronnie Schnell, Muthukumar Bagavathiannan, John Valasek, Yeyin Shi, Jeff Olsenholler

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Systems (UAV or UAS) have become increasingly popular in recent years for agricultural research applications. UAS are capable of acquiring images with high spatial and temporal resolutions that are ideal for applications in agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a UAS-based remote sensing system for quantification of crop growth parameters of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) including leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (f_c) and yield. The study was conducted at the Texas A&M Research Farm near College Station, Texas, United States. A fixed-wing UAS equipped with a …

Nitric Oxide Sensors For Biological Applications, Nicole M. Iverson, Eric M. Hofferber, Joseph A. Stapleton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential signaling molecule within biological systems and is believed to be involved in numerous diseases. As a result of NO’s high reaction rate, the detection of the concentration of NO, let alone the presence or absence of the molecule, is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed multiple assays and probes in an attempt to quantify NO within biological solutions, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. This review highlights many of the current NO sensors, from those that are commercially available to the newest sensors being optimized in research labs, to assist in the understanding and …

Evaluation Of Critical Nitrogen And Phosphorus Models For Maize Under Full And Limited Irrigation Conditions, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Proper nitrogen (N) fertiliser application rates and timing of application, coupled with optimum irrigation management can improve the sustainability of maize production and reduce the risk of environmental contamination by nutrients. The impact of full and limited irrigation and rainfed conditions on in-season maize (Zea mays L.) shoot biomass nutrient concentration and critical N and phosphorus (P) indices were evaluated using a combination of measured nutrients and critical N and P models in south central Nebraska in 2009 and 2010. Four irrigation treatments [fully-irrigated treatment (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT and 50% FIT) and rainfed] were imposed. Irrigation regimes …

Phenotypic Responses To Interspecies Competition And Commensalism In A Naturally Derived Microbial Co-Culture, Nymul Khan, Yukari Maezato, Ryan S. Mcclure, Colin J. Brislawn, Jennifer M. Mobberley, Nancy Isern, William B. Chrisler, Lye Meng Markillie, Brett M. Barney, Hyun-Seob Song, William C. Nelson, Hans C. Bernstein

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The fundamental question of whether different microbial species will co-exist or compete in a given environment depends on context, composition and environmental constraints. Model microbial systems can yield some general principles related to this question. In this study we employed a naturally occurring co-culture composed of heterotrophic bacteria, Halomonas sp. HL-48 and Marinobacter sp. HL- 58, to ask two fundamental scientific questions: 1) how do the phenotypes of two naturally co-existing species respond to partnership as compared to axenic growth? and 2) how do growth and molecular phenotypes of these species change with respect to competitive and commensal interactions? We …

Impacts Of Cover Crops On Soil Physical Properties: Field Capacity, Permanent Wilting Point, Soil-Water Holding Capacity, Bulk Density, Hydraulic Conductivity, And Infiltration, Suat Irmak, Vivek Sharma, Ali T. Mohammed, Koffi Djaman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Field experiments were carried out to quantify the effects of cover cropping on soil physical properties. Field capacity (FC), permanent wilting point (PWP), soil-water holding capacity (SWHC), bulk density (  b), saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks and Kus, respectively), and infiltration rates were measured and compared for four land cover treatments [cover crop without seed maize (CC), seed maize followed by cover crop (SCCC), bare soil, and seed maize without cover crop (SC)] in three large-scale production fields (~64 ha each) with silt loam soil in the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016 cover crop growing seasons. All production …

Diversity And Functional Evolution Of Terpene Synthases In Dictyostelid Social Amoebae, Xinlu Chen, Tobias G. Kollner, Gad Shaulsky, Qidong Jia, Jeroen S. Dickschat, Jonathan Gershenzon, Feng Chen

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Dictyostelids, or social amoebae, have a unique life style in forming multicellular fruiting bodies from unicellular amoeboids upon starvation. Recently, dictyostelids were found to contain terpene synthase (TPS) genes, a gene type of secondary metabolism previously known to occur only in plants, fungi and bacteria. Here we report an evolutionary functional study of dictyostelid TPS genes. The number of TPS genes in six species of dictyostelids examined ranges from 1 to 19; and the model species Dictyostelium purpureum contains 12 genes. Using in vitro enzyme assays, the 12 TPS genes from D. purpureum were shown to encode functional enzymes with …

Evaluating Effects Of Deficit Irrigation Strategies On Grain Sorghum Attributes And Biofuel Production, Bairen Pang, Ke Zhang, Isaya Kisekka, Scott Bean, Meng Zhang, Donghai Wang

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

With reduced water resources available for agriculture, scientists and engineers have developed innovative technologies and management strategies aimed at increasing efficient use of irrigation water. The objective of this research was to study the impact of deficit irrigation strategies on sorghum grain attributes and bioethanol production. Grain sorghum was planted at Southwest Research-Extension Center near Garden City, KS, under five different irrigation capacities (1 inch every 4, 6, 8,10, or 12 days) and dryland in 2015 and 2016 growing seasons. Results showed average kernel weight, kernel diameter and test weight of grain sorghum increased as irrigation capacity increased, whereas kernel …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2018, 138th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Biological and Medical Sciences

Chemistry and Physics>/p>

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Learn to Print 3-D Models for Your Classroom Workshop

Aeronautics and Space Science Poster Session

Maiben Memorial Lecture: Thomas Clemente

Anthropology

Applied Science and Technology

Earth Science

Environmental Sciences

Teaching of Science and Mathematics

Friend of Science Award: Mary Kalen Romjue and Michael Sibbernsen

Statistics Used In The Nebraska Beef Report And Their Purpose

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The purpose of beef cattle and beef product research at UNL is to provide reference information that represents the various populations (cows, calves, heifers, feeders, carcasses, retail products, etc) of beef production. Obviously, the researcher cannot apply treatments to every member of a population; therefore he/ she must sample the population. The use of statistics allows the researcher and readers of the Nebraska Beef report the opportunity to evaluate separation of random (chance) occurrences and real biological effects of a treatment. Following is a brief description of the major statistics used in the beef report. For a more detailed description …

The Relationship Between Marbling, Superoxide Dismutase, And Beef Tenderness, Nicolas J. Herrera, Emery K. Wilkerson, Katherine I. Domenech-Perez Perez, Felipe A. Ribeiro, Michael D. Chao, Chris Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationships between animal oxidative status (as indicated by superoxide dismutase [SOD] activity) to marbling and beef tenderness. Prime and Select-grade strip loins were selected and aged for 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days for Warner Bratzler shear force, Troponin-T, and SOD activity. Results showed that meat exhibiting higher levels of marbling had lower shear force values and thus were more tender. Low-marbled samples tended to have a greater tenderness response to aging. The effect of oxidative stress, however, was not evident in this study as SOD values were similar. Although the effects …

Production Of High-Quality Beef–The Nebraska Advantage, Chris R. Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Here is a clear description of the Nebraska Advantage in producing high-quality beef: the right genetics, numerous pastures, a multitude of cattle, great water resources, locally-grown corn, the availability of ethanol byproducts for feed, and young cattle that grow fast, with sufficient marbling and subcutaneous fat to ensure tender, flavorful, beef. The science of beef quality supports this production system. The state supports its citizens and agriculture through the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, augmenting the infrastructure. If one could invent an ideal place to produce high-quality beef, it would look much like Nebraska! The impact …

Potential Variation In Determination Of Longissimus Muscle Area In Carcasses From Heifers Fed With Or Without Zilpaterol Hydrochloride, Chris R. Calkins, Jenna J. O'Daniel, Govindarajan Konda Naganathan Naganathan, Kellen B. Hart, Katherine I. Domenech-Perez, T.B. Schmidt

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was conducted to evaluate some sources of potential variation in determination of longissimus muscle area between the 12th and 13th ribs of carcasses from heifers fed with or without zilpaterol hydochloride. Cross sections of the rib-loin were taken cranial to the 11th rib and caudal to the 13th rib, about 3–4 millimeters thick at 90 degrees perpendicular to the long axis of the longissimus muscle. Potential variation of longissimus muscle area can arise from the natural variation of muscle size when cutting between the 12th and 13th ribs (up to 9%). Deviation in cutting perpendicular to the long …

Breaking Barriers In Teaching And Learning: Using Student-Generated Questions To Promote Learning

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Faculty who teach gifted honors students often ask themselves, “How can I ask questions that foster higher-order thinking?” “How can I get more students to respond?” “How can I ensure that students are learning from question-based discussions?” Another key concern: “How can I get students to begin interacting with each other rather than conducting a discussion much like a ping-pong match where the rapid exchanges occur only between a single student and me and then another student and me?” This last question can lead faculty to a different model of questioning, one in which students generate questions that are then …

Impact Of Timing And Method Of Virus Inoculation On The Severity Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Disease, E. N. Wosula, Anthony J. Mcmechan, Allison L. Knoell, Satyanarayana Tatineni, Stephen N. Wegulo, Gary L. Hein

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), transmitted by the wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella, frequently causes significant yield loss in winter wheat throughout the Great Plains of the United States. A field study was conducted in the 2013–14 and 2014–15 growing seasons to compare the impact of timing of WSMV inoculation (early fall, late fall, or early spring) and method of inoculation (mite or mechanical) on susceptibility of winter wheat cultivars Mace (resistant) and Overland (susceptible). Relative chlorophyll content, WSMV incidence, and yield components were determined. The greatest WSMV infection occurred for Overland, with the early fall inoculations resulting in …

Ask Me About Ison: The Risks And Rewards Of Teaching An Interdisciplinary Honors Course On A Scientific Event Unfolding In Real Time, William L. Vanderburgh, Martin Ratcliffe

Honors in Practice Online Archive

On September 21, 2012, two astronomers using a telescope in the International Scientific Observing Network near Kislovodsk, Russia, discovered a comet that came to be formally known as C/2012 S1 and was popularly called Comet ISON. Just a year later, two honors instructors in Wichita, Kansas, found themselves teaching a course on Comet ISON that came to be formally known as Fire in the Sky and was popularly referred to as “the comet course.”

Student Preferences For Faculty-Led Honors Study Abroad Experiences, Nicholas R. Arens, Hanna Holmquist, Rebecca C. Bott-Knutson

Honors in Practice Online Archive

A critical component of any education, particularly an honors education, is an interdisciplinary curriculum that enriches the college experience. At South Dakota State University (SDSU), the Fishback Honors College strives to provide a robust and holistic educational experience through innovative honors courses paired with enriching co-curricular programs. One way to meet these goals is an honors study abroad experience included as part of the Fishback Honors College curriculum. The study abroad course is an integral part the honors curriculum, fulfilling the requirement of an interdisciplinary colloquium course and thus making it accessible to students from every field of study.

Utopia And Contemporary Human Society: A Model For Sustainable Continuance, David Blake Corman

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Sir Thomas More’s Utopia outlines a bustling, blissful society in which all individuals live equitably, happily, and comfortably. Utopia, which literally means “no-place,” simply does not exist. However, More provides Utopia as a progressive template through which analogous contemporary social and economic structure may be assessed. Juxtaposing contemporary society with Utopia, a relatively superior or perfect state, illuminates some factors inhibiting modern society from otherwise ascending to the state and functionality of a Utopia.

Bridging Aesthetic Theory: Comparing Scottish Enlightenment Theories To Modern Neuroscience Evidence, Calen Smith

UReCA: The NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Artistic disciplines burgeoned in Scotland during the eighteenth century. As fields such as sculpture, painting, literature, and music thrived, so did philosophy. Responding to the advancements of the fine arts, philosophers such as Hume, Reid, and Hutcheson began to write about the philosophy of art—aesthetics. Though they addressed a variety of themes in their writings, aesthetic theory can generally be characterized by three main questions: does beauty originate internally (person) or externally (object), are there universal traits that create beauty, and lastly, what is the role of the critique (expert) in recognizing and interpreting beauty? Three hundred years later, academic …

Ainsworth Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2018 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ainsworth on Sep. 14 – 16, with 48 in attendance. It was a hot and windy weekend, but 137 species were located. Two Sandhill Cranes in the Niobrara River at the Carns Bridge attracted birders, especially since the two cooperatively moved from one side of the river to the other, allowing county listers to count them in both. The bird of the weekend, however, was the Red-naped Sapsucker at Plum Creek Valley WMA. It was a county bird for everyone, a state bird for many and a life bird …

Escarabajos Longicornios (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae Y Disteniidae) Del Parque Nacional Darién, Panamá, Alfredo Lanuza-Garay, Alonso Santos Murgas

Insecta Mundi

Darién National Park (PND), a natural connection between South and Central America, is the largest national park not only in Panama but in all of Central America. Due to its strategic geographical situation, it is a place for the interchange of the North and South American fauna, where endemic invertebrates and vertebrates are very abundant. Through the use of malaise traps and light traps placed at different points within the PND, 183 individuals of 87 species of longicorn beetles in the families Cerambycidae and Disteniidae were collected. Also, four species of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) are reported for the first time …

A Review Of The Genus Beltia Jacoby (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), With Descriptions Of Fourteen New Species From Costa Rica, Panama, And Northwestern South America, R. Wills Flowers

Insecta Mundi

Adults of the Neotropical genera Beltia Jacoby (type species: Beltia nicaraguensis Jacoby) and Colaspoides Laporte (type species: Colaspoides limbata [Olivier]) (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini) are difficult to separate. In this paper, the genus Beltia Jacoby is redefined and diagnosed by features of the pygidium, lateral wings of the prosternum, and metatibiae to distinguish it from Colaspoides and other medium-sized, ovate Eumolpini. Fourteen new species from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are described and illustrated—Beltia awapita, B. confusa, B. gorgona, B. herreri, B. ledesmae, B. napoensis, B. osa, B. rugosa, B. sanchezae, B. talaga, B. tilarana, B. tisingalita, B. …

Taxonomic Study And Population Variation Of Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae And Diaspididae) And Associated Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) In An Olive Grove At Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, Vera R. S. Wolff, Caio F. S. Efrom, Daniel A. Aquino, Adilson Tonietto

Insecta Mundi

This study evaluated the population variation of Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and associated parasitoids in Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae) groves located in the municipality of Barra do Ribeiro (30°30′54.95″S; 51°30′20.84″W), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Eight samples were collected during the four seasons from November 2015 until October 2017; four branches with approximately 20 leaves were taken from 12 olive trees (four each from Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki varieties). The collected material was placed in plastic bags and taken to the laboratory for further study. Scale insects were slide-mounted and were identified according to morphological characteristics of the adult …

First Record Of The European Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis Cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae), In North America, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Rhagoletis cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is reported from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara County, New York, United States for the first time, new records. Specimens from Ontario were collected in 2016, and New York in 2017. This fly is subject to regulatory control and poses a risk to cherry and honeysuckle in North America.

The Trichoptera Of Panama. Vi. Seven New Species Of Microcaddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) From Mount Totumas Cloud Forest And Biological Reserve, Robin E. Thomson, Brian J. Armitage

Insecta Mundi

There have been 136 species of microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) recorded from the Republic of Panama. Herein we describe seven new species from the Mount Totumas Cloud Forest and Biological Reserve, in the upper reaches of the Río Chiriquí Viejo watershed (Costatrichia devestiva, C. dietrichi, Metrichia brocha, M. calla, Neotrichia atopa, Ochrotrichia anticheirion, and Rhyacopsyche totuma). These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the aquatic insect fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds.

Tenuiphantes Zelatus (Zorsch), T. Zibus (Zorsch), And Centromerus Mariannae Sp. Nov. (Araneae: Linyphiidae) In The Pacific Northwest, Jozef Slowik

Insecta Mundi

The linyphiid spiders Tenuiphantes zelatus (Zorsch, 1937), T. zibus (Zorsch, 1937), and Centromerus mariannae sp. nov. are diagnosed, described or redescribed and illustrated, including the previously undescribed female of T. zibus. All are common species of the Pacific Northwest of North America but were previously inadequately described (T. zelatus and T. zibus) or illustrated only but not described or named (C. mariannae).

Addendum To Barringer (2018): First Record Of The European Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis Cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae), In North America, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Rhagoletis cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was reported from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Acknowledgements of the individual’s identity for the initial detection, as well as her contributions, were not included.