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Surface Features Of The Salt Basin Of Lancaster County, Nebraska, R. M. Joeckel, B. A. Clement

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Protecting Communication Departments: Reflections On The Nebraska Experience, Ronald Lee, William J. Seiler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Eight years ago, in the first week of the 1991 fall semester, the Acting Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs announced a series of vertical budget cuts that included the elimination of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s department of Speech Communication (now Communication Studies). Over the next seven months the department fought against the proposed action. In March 1992, the Budget Reduction Review Committee voted against the Vice Chancellor’s recommendation. Later in the month, the Academic Planning Committee also voted to rescind the budget cutting measure.

These actions ended the battle and assured the continuation of the department. In an earlier …

Henry Bryant Bigelow, Sue Ann Gardner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Over his long career Bigelow contributed substantially to the knowledge of Atlantic marine life, including such divergent forms as plankton, jellyfish, and sharks; completed a comprehensive oceanographic survey of the Gulf of Maine; and helped to establish Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In “The Oceanographic and How It Grew” (in Oceanography: The Past: The Proceedings of the Third International Congress on the History of Oceanography [1980]), Roger Revelle wrote, “Bigelow was certainly one of the fathers of oceanography in the United States in general and of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in particular through his pioneering Gulf of Maine studies, his …

The Insignificance Of Statistical Significance Testing, Douglas H. Johnson

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

Despite their wide use in scientific journals such as The Journal of Wildlife Management, statistical hypothesis tests add very little value to the products of research. Indeed, they frequently confuse the interpretation of data. This paper describes how statistical hypothesis tests are often viewed, and then contrasts that interpretation with the correct one. I discuss the arbitrariness of P-values, conclusions that the null hypothesis is true, power analysis, and distinctions between statistical and biological significance. Statistical hypothesis testing, in which the null hypothesis about the properties of a population is almost always known a priori to be false, is …

Influence Of Agriculture On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities Of Temporary Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region Of North Dakota, Usa, Ned H. Euliss Jr., David M. Mushet

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

We evaluated the influence of intensive agriculture on invertebrate communities of temporary wetlands as indicated by aquatic invertebrate resting eggs, shells, and cases remaining after wetlands dried. To facilitate the comparison, we sampled 19 wetlands within cropland areas and 19 wetlands within grassland areas. We found resting eggs, shells, and cases of significantly more taxa and greater numbers of cladoceran resting eggs (ephippia), planorbid and physid snail shells, and ostracod shells in wetlands within grasslands than in croplands. We also successfully incubated greater numbers of cladocerans and ostracods from soil samples collected from grassland sites. We were unable to detect …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Twenty-Year Home-Range Dynamics Of A White-Tailed Deer Matriline, Michael E. Nelson, L. D. Mech

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

We examined the seasonal migration and home-range dynamics of a multigeneration white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) matriline comprising six females from four generations spanning a 20-year period in northeastern Minnesota. All, from the matriarch to her great-granddaughter, migrated to the same summer and winter ranges, the longest individual record being 14.5 years. Three maternal females concurrently occupied exclusive fawning sites within their ancestral matriarch’s summer range, while two nonmaternal females explored new areas and ranged near their mothers. One great-granddaughter expanded her summer range 1 km beyond the matriarch’s summer range while essentially vacating half of her ancestors’ range …

Habitat Associations Of Migrating And Overwintering Grassland Birds In Southern Texas, Lawrence Igl, Bart Ballard

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

We report on the habitat associations of 21 species of grassland birds overwintering in or migrating through southern Texas, during 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. Ninety percent of our grassland bird observations were made during winter and spring, and only 10% occurred during fall. Grassland species made up a high proportion of the total bird densities in grassland and shrub-grassland habitats, but much lower proportions in the habitats with more woody vegetation. Fewer grassland species were observed in grassland and woodland than in brushland, parkland, and shrub-grassland habitats. Grassland birds generally were found in higher densities in habitats that had woody canopy …

Finding Of No Significant Impact Bank Stabilization Project Ponca State Park, Nebraska Missouri National Recreational River

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

An environmental assessment has been prepared that summarizes the expected effects of the proposed project on the existing environment. This is a project proposed by the Omaha District, Corps of Engineers to halt the erosion occurring along the riverfront at Ponca State Park in Dixon County, Nebraska, and protect the access road to the park's public boat ramp. This project is authorized under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act amendment of 1978 (Public Law 95-625). The proposed project is located along the right bank of the Missouri River between River Miles (RM) 753.9 and 753.5 at Ponca State Park about …

Final General Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

This Final General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement presents three alternatives for the future of the Missouri National Recreational River: a continuation of existing (conditions (no-action) alternative, a resource protection/recreation (preferred) alternative emphasizing protection and enhancement of biologic values and the history and culture of the area, and a recreational emphasis alternative. In both action alternatives, the Corps of Engineers (COE) and the National Park Service (NPS) would manage the area through a cooperative agreement. The Corps of Engineers would function as the day-la-day manager of the water-related resources, while the National Park Service would administer the land-related resources. …

Changes In Early Winter Abundance Of Four Gull (Larus) Species On Western Lake Erie, 1951-1995, Laura A. Tyson, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jerrod L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many gulls (Larus spp.) that nest on and north of the Great Lakes concentrate along the south shore of western Lake Erie in early winter. Monitoring population trends of these gulls is important because of increasing conflicts between gulls and humans. We used data from four Christmas Bird Count locations to examine population trends of four gull species on western Lake Erie during nine 5-year periods, 1951-1995. Overall, ring-billed gulls (Z. delawarensis} were the dominant species (59% of gulls counted) followed by herring (Z. argentatus, 20%), Bonaparte's (Z. Philadelphia, 18%) and great blackbacked (Z. marinus, 0.2%) gulls. Ring-billed gulls displayed …

Plasmd Bearing A Cdna Copy Of The Genome Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, Chimeric Derivatives Thereof, And Method Of Producing An Infectious Bovine Wral Darrheavirus Using Sad Plasmid, Ruben O. Donis, Ventzislav B. Vassilev

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

A plasmid bearing a cDNA copy of the genome of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), chimeric derivatives of the plasmid and a method of producing an infectious bovine viral diarrhea virus using the plasmid are disclosed. The invention relates to a plasmid DNA molecule that replicates easily in E. coli and contains a sufficient portion of the genome of BVDV, cloned as cDNA, to be a suitable template to produce RNA in vitro which, upon transfection into bovine cells, gives rise to infectious BVDV. The BVDV created by the process of the invention can be engineered for use as a …

Characterization Of The Jembrana Disease Virus Tat Gene And The Cis- And Trans-Regulatory Elements In Its Long Terminal Repeats, Hexin Chen, Graham Wilcox, Gde Kertayadnya, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Jembrana disease virus (JDV) is a newly identified bovine lentivirus that is closely related to the bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). JDV contains a tat gene, encoded by two exons, which has potent transactivation activity. Cotransfection of the JDV tat expression plasmid with the JDV promoter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) construct pJDV-U3R resulted in a substantial increase in the level of CAT mRNA transcribed from the JDV long terminal repeat (LTR) and a dramatic increase in the CAT protein level. Deletion analysis of the LTR sequences showed that sequences spanning nucleotides 268 to 153, including the TATA box and the predicted first …

Conjunctivitis Caused By A Swine Chlamydia Trachomatis-Like Organism In Gnotobiotic Pigs, Douglas G. Rogers, Arthur A. Andersen

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine whether a chlamydial strain recovered from growing and finishing swine with conjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis could cause the same infections in gnotobiotic pigs. The strain shares biological characteristics with Chlamydia trachomatis. After propagation in Vero cells and preparation of the inoculum (107 inclusion-forming units/ml), chlamydial strain H7 was instilled into the ventral conjunctival sac (0.15 ml/sac) of 12 anesthetized 3-day-old gnotobiotic piglets. Four age-matched gnotobiotic piglets were anesthetized and sham infected with uninfected cell culture lysates. None of the principal piglets developed clinical symptoms of conjunctivitis or keratoconjunctivitis. Principal piglets necropsied 7 …

In Situ Hybridization For The Detection And Localization Of Swine Chlamydia Trachomatis, C. Chae, D.-S. Cheon, D. Kwon, O. Kim, B. Kim, J. Suh, D. G. Rogers, K. D. E. Everett, A. A. Anderson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Gnotobiotic piglets were inoculated intralaryngeally with swine Chlamydia trachomatis strain R33 or orally with swine C. trachmatis strain R27. Archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from piglets euthanatized 4–7 days postinoculation were examined by in situ hybridization for C. trachomatis nucleic acid using a nonradioactive digoxigenin-labeled DNA probes that targeted specific ribosomal RNA or omp1 mRNA molecules of the swine C. trachomatis strains. Positive hybridization signals were detected in bronchial epithelial cells, bronchiolar epithelial cells, pneumocytes, alveolar and interstitial macrophages, and jejunal and ileal enterocytes. Chlamydia-infected cells had a strong signal that was confined to the intracytoplasmic inclusions. Positive hybridization signals were …

Atrazine Degradation In A Small Stream In Iowa, Dana W. Kolpin, Stephen J. Kalkhoff

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A study was conducted during 1990 through an 11.2-km reach of Roberts Creek in northeastern Iowa to determine the fate of atrazine in a surface water environment. Water samples were collected at ~1-month intervals from April through November during stable low to medium flow conditions and analyzed for atrazine and two of its initial biotic degradation products, desethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine. Samples were collected on the basis of a Lagrangian model of streamflow in order to sample the same parcel of water as it moved downstream. Atrazine concentrations substantially decreased (roughly 25-60% ) between water entering and exiting the study reach …

Quantitation Of Pyrethrum Residues In Brown Tree Snakes, John J. Johnston, Carol A. Furcolow, Stephanie A. Volz, Richard E. Mauldin, Thomas M. Primus, Peter J. Savarie, Joe E. Brooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A reversed-phase solid-phase extraction–gas chromatography (SPE–GC)–electron capture detection method is developed to quantitate individual rethrin residues in pyrethrum-exposed brown tree snakes. Aliquots (6 g) of homogenized snake tissue are extracted with 10 mL acetonitrile. The rethrins are recovered from the acetonitrile extract and concentrated using C₈ SPE. The rethrins are eluted from the SPE column with pentane, evaporated to near dryness, and reconstituted to 1 mL with 1-propanol. Individual rethrins are quantitated using GC analysis of the 1-propanol solution. Method limits of detection for rethrins range from 0.63 to 6.51 ng/g. The mean recovery for all rethrins is 70.8% …

The Response Of Muskmelon Growth And Development To Microclimate Modification By Shelterbelts, Dongsheng Zheng, James R. Brandle, Laurie Hodges, Entin Daningsih, Kenneth G. Hubbard

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The relationships between shelterbelt (tree windbreak)-induced microclimate and muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) growth and development were investigated at the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebr., during the 1992 and 1993 growing seasons. Wind speed, wind direction, air and soil temperatures, relative humidity, and soil moisture were monitored in both sheltered and nonsheltered areas. Plant growth parameters (plant height, vine length, plant dry weight, and leaf area) were measured at various stages of development. Shelterbelts provided improved growing conditions for muskmelon transplants. Direct wind damage and duration of higher wind speeds were reduced 47% to …

Stability Of Corn (Zea Mays)- Foxtail (Setaria Spp.) Interference Relationships, John L. Lindquist, David A. Mortensen, Philip Westra, W. J. Lambert, Thomas T. Bauman, Jason Fausey, James Kells, Steven Langton, R. Gordon Harvey, Brett H. Bussler, Kevin Banken, Sharon Clay, Frank Forcella

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Variation in interference relationships have been shown for a number of crop-weed associations and may have an important effect on the implementation of decision support systems for weed management. Multiyear field experiments were conducted at eight locations to determine the stability of corn-foxtail interference relationships across years and locations. Two coefficients (I and A) of a rectangular hyperbola equation were estimated for each data set using nonlinear regression procedures. The I and A coefficients represent percent corn yield loss as foxtail density approaches zero and maximum percent corn yield loss, respectively. The coefficient I was stable across years …

Native Wildflower Establishment With Imidazolinone Herbicides, Daniel D. Beran, Roch E. Gaussoin, Robert A. Masters

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Native wildflowers are important components of grassland communities and low-maintenance wildflower seed mixtures. Weed interference limits successful establishment of native wildflowers from seed. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the imidazolinone herbicides imazethapyr, imazapic, and imazaquin on the establishment of blackeyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.), upright prairieconeflower [Ratibida columnifera (Nutt) Woot. and Standl.], spiked liatris [Liatris spicata (L.) Willd.], blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata Pursh.), purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.], and spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata L.). Wildflower response to the herbicide treatments was variable and appeared to be influenced by the level …

A Review Of Issues Pertaining To Transgenic Turfgrasses, Paul G. Johnson, Terrance P. Riordan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Recombinant DNA technology is a rapidly growing field in plant and animal breeding. This technology involves the transfer of pieces of DNA, or genes, regardless of the organisms involved or how they are related. Transformation procedures in plants were first developed for important crop and model plant systems. Although turfgrass management and production is one of the fastest growing areas of agriculture, genetic transformation of turfgrasses lags behind that of many other important crop plants. Turfgrasses are becoming more important primarily because of their association with the ever-increasing urban population. The size of the turfgrass seed market is second only …

Transgenic Mammals Expressing Human Coagulation Factor Viii, Henryk Lubon, William N. Drohan, William H. Velander

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

A non-human transgenic mammalian animal, as described above, contains an exogenous double Stranded DNA Sequence Stably integrated into the genome of the animal, which comprises cis-acting regulatory units operably linked to a DNA sequence encoding human Factor VIII protein and a signal peptide, where the cis-acting regulatory units are active in mammary gland cells and the Signal peptide is active in directing newly expressed Factor VIII into the milk of the animal. The promoter may be a milk protein promoter Such as for whey acidic protein, casein, lactalbumin, or beta-lactoglobulin promoter. The transgenic mammals are preferably farm animals, for example, …

Measurement Of Sorghum Stalk Strength Using The Missouri-Modified Electronic Rind Penetrometer, Jeffrey F. Pedersen, J. J. Toy

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Resistance to lodging is critical in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grown for grain, yet adequate tools for plant breeders to assess this character at or before anthesis have not been developed. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether an electronic penetrometer previously shown to be an effective tool for measuring stalk strength in maize (Zea mays L.) could be usedd to differentiate among grain sorghum hybrids. Entries in three commercial grain sorghum hybrid trials were evaluated for rind penetrometer resistance (RPR) of the peduncle, the lower stalk anthesis and the lower stalk at maturity. Actual …

The Certified Safe Farm Project In Nebraska: The First Year, Jerry Jaspersen, Susanna Von Essen, Pam List, Larry Howard, David Morgan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Potentially preventable death, disabling injury, and serious illness are very common secondary to work in production agriculture in Nebraska and elsewhere. The traditional approach to farm safety has consisted largely of education designed to prevent traumatic injury. While education is of critical importance, additional incentives may be needed to reduce fatal and non-fatal events to an acceptable level. The Certified Safe Farm concept was developed in collaboration with two Nebraska health insurance companies. The program consists of combining an on-farm safety assessment and occupational health screening with an education program. The incentive to complete this program is to be eligible …

Nitrate Leaching In Irrigated Corn And Soybean In A Semi-Arid Climate, N. L. Klocke, Darrell G. Watts, J. P. Schneekloth, Don R. Davison, R. W. Todd, Anne M. Parkhurst

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitrate-nitrogen leached from the root zone of land in intensive corn production is a major groundwater contaminant in some of the intensively irrigated regions of the western Cornbelt, including central and western Nebraska. To obtain a clearer understanding of the amount and timing of nitrate leaching losses from irrigated crops, 14 monolithic percolation lysimeters were installed in 1989-1990 in sprinkler irrigated plots at the University of Nebraska’s West Central Research and Extension Center near North Platte, Nebraska. The lysimeters were used to provide a direct measure of leachate depth from continuous corn and a corn-soybean rotation. Both cropping systems were …

Wax Yield Of Grain Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) As Affected By Mechanical Harvesting, Threshing, And Handling Methods, K. R. Lochte-Watson, Curtis L. Weller

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Wax is found on the outer layer of the grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) kernel. Current harvesting and handling techniques cause abrasion and breakage, thereby potentially reducing wax yield from sorghum kernels. The purpose of this study was to determine wax yield of sorghum after mechanical harvesting and handling and to compare wax yield of whole and broken sorghum kernels. Combine threshing and auger conveying of grain caused abrasion and breakage, which reduced the wax yield by 5%. The monitored process in this experiment included a cleaning system which reduced the amount of broken kernels and sorghum particles, increasing …

Opto-Electronic Sensor System For Laboratory Measurement Of Planter Seed Spacing With Small Seeds, Y. Lan, Michael F. Kocher, John A. Smith

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

An opto-electronic sensor system for measuring seed spacing uniformity with different types of seeds is described in this paper. It consisted of a rectangular photogate block (124 × 92 mm) with 24 phototransistors (diameter, 3 mm) receiving light beams from 24 light emitting diodes (diameter, 3 mm) opposite them, a digital input/output board in a personal computer, and power supplies. The opto-electronic system was tested by comparing seed spacing measurements obtained from the opto-electronic system with measurements of the same seed spacings obtained from a grease belt test stand. The tests were conducted with different types of seeds including regular-pelleted …

Belts Vs Tires, Belts Vs Belts, Tires Vs Tires, Leonard L. Bashford, Michael F. Kocher

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Tractive performance comparisons among two different width rubber belt tracks, 46 cm (18 in.) and 81 cm (32 in.) wide, and two different size rear tires, 710/70R38 and 18.4R46, were made on two different surface conditions. The belts were tested on a Caterpillar 55 tractor equipped with the Mobil-trac™ system and the tires on a John Deere 8400 mechanical front-wheel-drive (MFWD) tractor. The performance tests were completed on two surfaces, one being a non-tilled wheat stubble field and the second, the wheat stubble field tilled approximately 23 cm (9 in.) deep with a Noble blade sweep. Performance comparisons using tractive …

Seepage Characteristics And Hydraulic Properties Of A Feedlot Runoff Storage Pond, David B. Parker, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Dennis D. Schulte, John A. Nienaber

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Water and chemical transport were investigated beneath a 22-year-old beef feedlot runoff storage pond. Soil and sludge samples were collected from 14 borings to 6.1-m depths in a cross-section across the pond. The soils consisted of silt loam and clay loam, and the groundwater level was about 30 m beneath the land surface. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, NO₃-N, NH₄-N, Cl, P, K, SO₄-S, TKN, and organic matter. Physical and hydraulic properties were measured on undisturbed samples of soil and sludge to compare saturated hydraulic conductivity, moisture release characteristics, and bulk density. Saturated …

The Effect Of Proximity On Landmark Use In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Kristy L. Gould-Beierle, Alan Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, store thousands of pine seeds during the autumn and retrieve them throughout the winter. It has been shown that these birds are able to use visual cues to relocate hidden food in the laboratory. In this set of experiments, we trained three groups of Clark’s nutcrackers to find a hidden food goal that was placed in the same spatial location relative to the testing room. During training, the location of two local cues in relation to the goal differed between the three groups. Group 1 learned the task with the cues closest to the goal, group …