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Biofuels From Crop Residue: Soil Organic Carbon And Climate Impacts In The Us And India, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

The transformation of crop residue to soil organic carbon and CO₂ is a conserved process that occurs globally. Due to the mathematics of carbon intensity calculations found in government regulations, the amount of CO₂ emitted from crop residue per unit of energy in biofuel is largely independent of the amount of residue removed and the location of its removal, as shown by results from the US and India.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) levels are at equilibria determined by carbon inputs from plant material (+I_c) and loss from oxidation to CO₂

Are the US results relevant …

Metalloproteases Of The Inner Mitochondrial Membrane, Roman M. Levytskyy, Iryna Bohovych, Oleh Khalimonchuk

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

The inner mitochondrial membrane (IM) is among most protein-rich cellular compartments. The metastable IM sub-proteome where the concentration of proteins is approaching oversaturation creates a challenging protein folding environment with high probability for protein malfunction or aggregation. Failure to maintain protein homeostasis in such a setting can impair functional integrity of the mitochondria and drive clinical manifestations. The IM is equipped with a series of highly conserved, proteolytic complexes dedicated to the maintenance of normal protein homeostasis within this mitochondrial sub-compartment. Particularly important is a group of membrane-anchored metallopeptidases commonly known as m-AAA and i-AAA proteases, and the ATP-independent Oma1 …

Description Of A New Genus Of Primitive Ants From Canadian Amber, With The Study Of Relationships Between Stem- And Crown-Group Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Leonid H. Borysenko

Insecta Mundi

A detailed study of the holotype of Sphecomyrma canadensis Wilson, 1985 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Canadian amber has led to the conclusion that the specimen belongs to a new genus, here named Boltonimecia gen.n. Since the taxonomy of stem-group ants is not well understood, in order to find the taxonomic position of this genus, it is necessary to review the classification of stem-group ants in a study of their relation to crown-group ants. In the absence of data for traditional taxonomic approaches, a statistical study was done based on a morphometric analysis of antennae. Scape elongation is believed to play an …

Review Of Carelli, A., And M.L. Monné, 2015. Taxonomic Revision Of Phygopoda Thomson, 1864 And Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), Robin O. S. Clarke

Insecta Mundi

The taxonomic history of the rhinotragine genera Phygopoda Thomson, 1864 and Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian and Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) are discussed, and evidence is presented to suggest that some recent taxonomic changes made by Carelli and Monné (2015) were unjustified. Consequently, Phygopoda nigritarsis Gounelle, 1911 is moved to the genus Neophygopoda Melzer, 1933, creating the new combination Neophygopoda nigritarsis, the genera Panamapoda Clarke, 2014 and Paraphygopoda Clarke, 2014 are revalidated, and the species Paraphygopoda viridimicans (Fisher, 1952) and Paraphygopoda nappae Clarke, 2014 are also revalidated.

The Role Of Interactions Of Long Non-Coding Rnas And Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins In Regulating Cellular Functions, Xinghui Sun, Mohamed Sham Shihabudeen Haider Ali, Matthew Moran

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators of various biological processes and human diseases. The mechanisms of action involve their interactions with proteins, RNA and genomic DNA. Most lncRNAs display strong nuclear localization. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are a large family of RNA-binding proteins that are important for multiple aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. hnRNPs are also predominantly expressed in the nucleus. This review discusses the interactions of lncRNAs and hnRNPs in regulating gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels or by changing genomic structure, highlighting their involvements in glucose and lipid metabolism, immune response, DNA damage response, …

Comparative Genomics Of Two Super-Shedder Isolates Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7, Robab Katani, Rebecca Cote, Indira T. Kudva, Chitrita Debroy, Terrance M. Arthur, Vivek Kapur

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

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) are zoonotic foodborne pathogens and of major public health concern that cause considerable intestinal and extra-intestinal illnesses in humans. O157 colonize the recto-anal junction (RAJ) of asymptomatic cattle who shed the bacterium into the environment through fecal matter. A small subset of cattle, termed super-shedders (SS), excrete O157 at a rate (104 CFU/g of feces) that is several orders of magnitude greater than other colonized cattle and play a major role in the prevalence and transmission of O157. To better understand microbial factors contributing to super-shedding we have recently sequenced two SS isolates, SS17 …

Cross-Species Transmission Potential Between Wild Pigs, Livestock, Poultry, Wildlife, And Humans: Implications For Disease Risk Management In North America, Ryan S. Miller, Steven Sweeney, Chris Slootmaker, Daniel A. Grear, Paul A. Di Salvo, Deborah Kiser, Stephanie A. Shwiff

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Cross-species disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals and humans is an increasing threat to public and veterinary health. Wild pigs are increasingly a potential veterinary and public health threat. Here we investigate 84 pathogens and the host species most at risk for transmission with wild pigs using a network approach. We assess the risk to agricultural and human health by evaluating the status of these pathogens and the co-occurrence of wild pigs, agriculture and humans. We identified 34 (87%) OIE listed swine pathogens that cause clinical disease in livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans. On average 73% of bacterial, 39% of …

Common Birds Of The Brinton Museum And Bighorn Mountains Foothills, Jackie Canterbury, Paul Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Part I. The Brinton Museum and Its Birds

Part II. Profiles of 48 Common Local and Regional Birds: Ring-necked Pheasant, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Western Wood-Pewee, Say’s Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, House Wren, American Dipper, Mountain Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, …

Impact Of Seed Protein Alleles From Three Soybean Sources On Seed Composition And Agronomic Traits, Lillian F. Brzostowski, Timothy I. Pruski, James Specht, Brian W. Diers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Evaluation of seed protein alleles in soybean populations showed that an increase in protein concentration is generally associated with a decrease in oil concentration and yield.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] meal is one of the most important plant-based protein sources in the world. Developing cultivars high in seed protein concentration and seed yield is a difficult task because the traits have an inverse relationship. Over two decades ago, a protein quantitative trait loci (QTL) was mapped on chromosome (chr) 20, and this QTL has been mapped to the same position in several studies and given the confirmed QTL …

Effects Of Source And Seasonal Variations Of Natural Organic Matters On The Fate And Transport Of Ceo2 Nanoparticles In The Environment, Zhen Li, Endalkachew Sahle-Demessie, George A. Sorial, Changseok Han

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Natural organic matter (NOM) affects the stability and transport of nanoparticles (NPs) in natural waters by modifying their physiochemical properties. Source location, and seasonal variations, influence their molecular, physical and electrical charge properties. To understand the variations of NOM on the mobilization of NPs, large volumes of water were collected fromthe Ohio River (OR) over winter and summer seasons and dissolved NOMs were concentrated. The chemical and structural differences of these NOMs were compared with the Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) SRHA using 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Thermal analysis and FTIR …

Assessing The Influence Of Temporal Autocorrelations On The Population Dynamics Of A Disturbance Specialist Plant Population In A Random Environment, Eric A. Eager, Diana Pilson, Helen M. Alexander, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological populations are strongly influenced by random variations in their environment, which are often autocorrelated in time. For disturbance specialist plant populations, the frequency and intensity of environmental stochasticity (via disturbances) can drive the qualitative nature of their population dynamics. In this article, we extended our earlier model to explore the effect of temporally autocorrelated disturbances on population persistence. In our earlier work, we only assumed disturbances were independent and identically distributed in time. We proved that the plant seed bank population converges in distribution, and we showed that the mean and variance in seed bank population size were both …

Label Position And Its Impact On Willingness To Pay For Products Containing Genetically Modified Organisms, Ruskin Gautam

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Food labels play an important role in communicating information. Labels provide information about production techniques, nutrition and ingredient information, and quality of a product (i.e. federal grade standards for eggs, U.S.D.A. quality grades on beef and pork). These are some of the key product attributes that consumers seek while making purchasing decisions. However, labels can be confusing and misleading and at times consumers simply ignore them. Research on the placement and effectiveness of labels conducted over the past few decades have found that information on the label influences buying habits. Food manufacturers could strategically use or place such attributes of …

Relative Contribution Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Open Reading Frames 2–4 To The Induction Of Protective Immunity, Katherine Kimpston-Burkgren, Ignacio Correas, Fernando A. Osorio, David Steffen, Asit K. Pattnaik, Ying Fang, Hiep L. X. Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The minor glycoproteins (GPs) of PRRSV, GP2, GP3, and GP4, form a heterotrimer that is required for viral infectivity, presumably due to its interaction with the key cellular receptor CD163. These 3 GPs are encoded by open reading frames (ORFs) 2a, 3, and 4 (herein referred to as ORFs 2–4), respectively. The goal of this study was to investigate the immunogenicity of the PRRSV-2 minor GPs. Through the use of reverse genetics, a chimeric virus (designated SDFL24) was constructed by replacing ORFs 2–4 of the PRRSV-1 strain SD01-08 with the corresponding genes of the PRRSV-2 strain FL12. While the parental …

Cytonuclear Discordance In The Florida Everglades Invasive Burmese Python (Python Bivittatus) Population Reveals Possible Hybridization With The Indian Python (P. Molurus), Margaret E. Hunter, Nathan A. Johnson, Brian J. Smith, Michelle C. Davis, John S.S. Butterfield, Ray W. Snow, Kristen M. Hart

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) has been reproducing in the Florida Everglades since the 1980s. These giant constrictor snakes have caused a precipitous decline in small mammal populations in southern Florida following escapes or releases from the commercial pet trade. To better understand the invasion pathway and genetic composition of the population, two mitochondrial (mtDNA) loci across 1,398 base pairs were sequenced on 426 snakes and 22 microsatellites were assessed on 389 snakes. Concatenated mtDNA sequences produced six haplotypes with an average nucleotide and haplotype diversity of π = 0.002 and h = 0.097, respectively. Samples collected …

Can Windbreaks Benefit Your Soil Health Management System?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Yes, windbreaks can benefit your soil health management system.

Can Alley Cropping Support Soil Health?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Can alley cropping support soil health?

Alley cropping, the planting of rows of trees and/or shrubs to create alleys within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced, can improve soil health and provide other benefits.

Alley cropping is one of several soil health management practices designed to increase organic matter, infiltration rates, water holding capacity, soil biological diversity and, with these changes, enhance crop yields.

Differentially Regulated Orthologs In Sorghum And The Subgenomes Of Maize, Yang Zhang, Daniel W. Ngu, Daniel Santana De Carvalho, Zhikai Liang, Yumou Qiu, Rebecca Roston, James C. Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Identifying interspecies changes in gene regulation, one of the two primary sources of phenotypic variation, is challenging on a genome-wide scale. The use of paired time-course data on cold-responsive gene expression in maize (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) allowed us to identify differentially regulated orthologs. While the majority of cold-responsive transcriptional regulation of conserved gene pairs is species specific, the initial transcriptional responses to cold appear to be more conserved than later responses. In maize, the promoters of genes with conserved transcriptional responses to cold tend to contain more micrococcal nuclease hypersensitive sites in their …

Structure-Based Design Of Hepatitis C Virus Vaccines That Elicit Neutralizing Antibody Responses To A Conserved Epitope, Brian G. Pierce, Elisabeth N. Boucher, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Monir Ejemal, Chelsea A. Rapp, William D. Thomas Jr, Eric J. Sundberg, Zhiping Weng, Yang Wang

Food for Health: Publications

Despite recent advances in therapeutic options, hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a severe global disease burden, and a vaccine can substantially reduce its incidence. Due to its extremely high sequence variability, HCV can readily escape the immune response; thus, an effective vaccine must target conserved, functionally important epitopes. Using the structure of a broadly neutralizing antibody in complex with a conserved linear epitope from the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein (residues 412 to 423; epitope I), we performed structure-based design of immunogens to induce antibody responses to this epitope. This resulted in epitope-based immunogens based on a cyclic defensin protein, as …

Identification And Metabolite Profiling Of Chemical Activators Of Lipid Accumulation In Green Algae, Nishikant Wase, Boqiang Tu, James Allen, Paul N. Black, Concetta Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Microalgae are proposed as feedstock organisms useful for producing biofuels and coproducts. However, several limitations must be overcome before algae-based production is economically feasible. Among these is the ability to induce lipid accumulation and storage without affecting biomass yield. To overcome this barrier, a chemical genetics approach was employed in which 43,783 compounds were screened against Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and 243 compounds were identified that increase triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation without terminating growth. Identified compounds were classified by structural similarity, and 15 were selected for secondary analyses addressing impacts on growth fitness, photosynthetic pigments, and total cellular protein and starch concentrations. TAG …

A Case Of Fragmented High School Earth And Space Science Education In The Great Plains: Tracing Teacher Certification Policy To Students' Access, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Jia Lu

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

While U.S. high school students’ access to Earth and space science (ESS) varies widely from state to state, nationally ESS content is the most neglected area of science education and scientific literacy. States have been considering if they will formally adopt, or less formally adapt, the new national science education standards, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which have been carefully developed and articulated in conjunction with state educational leaders. However, there are many challenges with which states, school districts, and teachers must grapple in order to enact standards-aligned ESS science lessons. This study of one Great Plains state investigated …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Production Of A Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 2 Receptor Knockdown (Gnrhr2 Kd) Swine Line., Amy T. Desaulniers, Rebecca Middleton, Ginger A. Mills, Clay A. Lents, Brett R. White

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Swine are the only livestock species that produce both the second mammalian isoform of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH2) and its receptor (GNRHR2). Previously, we reported that GNRH2 and GNRHR2 mediate LH-independent testosterone secretion from porcine testes. To further explore this ligand-receptor complex, a pig model with reduced GNRHR2 expression was developed. Small hairpin RNA sequences targeting porcine GNRHR2 were subcloned into a lentiviral-based vector, lentiviral particles were generated and microinjected into the perivitelline space of zygotes, and embryos were transferred into a recipient. One GNRHR2 knockdown (KD) female was born that subsequently produced 80 piglets from 6 litters with 46 hemizygous …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 29, No. 4, August 2017

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations Graduates - Publications - Faculty News - North Central Branch Meeting News - Student News - Meet an Online Student - Grants - Bee Fun Day 2017 - Busy as a Bee, er, BugMaster

Metabolic Regulation By Stress Mediators In Fetal Ovine Skeletal Muscle And Adult Bovine Myoblasts, Elena Marie Merrick

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

Our objective was to determine the effect of stress mediators such as inflammatory cytokines and β adrenergic agonists on developing skeletal muscle. Fetal sheep exposed to chronic maternal inflammation had decreased skeletal muscle glucose oxidation rates when stimulated with insulin or TNFα. In addition, activation of Akt by insulin was decreased after maternal inflammation when compared to controls and there were not differences in skeletal muscle fiber type ratios between the two treatment groups. This indicates that maternal inflammation does not affect overall oxidative capacity in the developing fetus, but rather insulin signaling pathways are disrupted.

We sought to determine …

Exploring The Telecommunications Properties Of The Human Nervous System: Analytical Modeling And Experimental Validation Of Information Flow Through The Somatosensory System, Natalie Hanisch

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The growing field of Body Area Networks (BANs) is providing solutions to the wireless connectivity of wearable and implantable devices with applications in medicine, entertainment, fitness, and military, amongst others. While electromagnetic wave propagation has been the main BANs' enabling technology, the increasingly pervasive nature of these devices encourages novel solutions with added bio-compatibility and sustainability. In this thesis, a novel communication system is proposed for BANs based on the natural propagation of tactile stimuli through the nervous system. This system is composed of a tactile stimulator coupled to an ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) system, and realizes the propagation of somatosensory signals …

Geology And Paleontology Along Part Of The Niobrara River In Northern Nebraska, Robert Matthew Joeckel, S. T. Tucker, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Lessons To Be Learned: How A Comprehensive Neurobiological Framework Of Atypical Reading Development Can Inform Educational Practice, Ola Ozernov-Palchik, Xi Yu, Yingying Wang, Nadine Gaab

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Dyslexia is a heritable reading disorder with an estimated prevalence of 5–17%. A multiple deficit model has been proposed that illustrates dyslexia as an outcome of multiple risks and protective factors interacting at the genetic, neural, cognitive, and environmental levels. Here we review the evidence on each of these levels and discuss possible underlying mechanisms and their reciprocal interactions along a developmental timeline. Current and potential implications of neuroscientific findings for contemporary challenges in the field of dyslexia, as well as for reading development and education in general, are then discussed.

An Economic Analysis Of A Total Allowable Catch-Individual Transferable Quota System In A Developing Country Heterogeneous Fishery: An Application To The Digha Fishery In West Bengal, India, Nadeeka Weerasekara

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis contributes to the literature of economics of small-scale fishery communities and fishery management in developing nations. In the first section we review literature on state of the fishery resource and the livelihoods in the globe and performance of fishery management systems in developing and developed countries. Second section discusses the results of an empirical study on the economics of subsistence fishers in Digha-Shankarpur in Eastern India. Results of the empirical study shows by-catch by the trawlers leads to the depletion of target fish stock of the subsistence fishers. Underutilization of the capacity by the subsistence fishers due to …

Conservation Biological Control Of Western Bean Cutworm: Molecular Gut Content Analysis Of Arthropod Predators, Feeding Trials For Key Predators And Agricultural Surveys For Integrated Pest Management, Westen Ray Archibald

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta, is a major pest of corn in western Nebraska. In 1999, its range expanded into much of North America causing damage from Nebraska to Canada and Mexico. WBC periodically causes kernel damage as severe as 15 bu/ac for one larva/plant. Control for WBC relies on Bt corn hybrids with Vip3A and Cry1F traits and insecticides. There has been a 5.2-fold decrease in efficacy of Cry1F for WBC. Concerns over management tactics may be creating space for conservation biological control to become part of a WBC integrated pest management (IPM) program. Objective 1, used …

Evaluation Of Host Plant Resistance Against Sunflower Moth, Homoeosoma Electellum(Hulst), In Cultivated Sunflower In Western Nebraska, Dawn M. Sikora

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sunflower moth, Homoeosoma electellum, is a serious pest of oilseed and confection sunflowers. In this study, we determine efficacy of resistance against this pest. Thirty commercial hybrids, inbreds, and varieties of sunflowers were tested in replicated field and laboratory studies. Trait efficacy is determined by pericarp strength by means of physical compression tests and damage to achenes. Initial sunflower entries were planted May 2014 and data collection began in early August 2014. A second season was planted June 2015, with sampling beginning late August the same year.

In 2014, oilseed varieties showed a strength average of 2.71 ± 0.11 N …