Digital Commons Network^™

Learning Styles: Teaching Technology Subjects Can Be More Effective, Ronald I. Sutliff, Virginia A. Baldwin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Learning style theory has been developed and applied in various curricula for all levels of education. Kolb (1985) developed one particular method of assessing student learning style. The use of this method has been documented in the engineering and technology programs of several universities. Variations in learning style due to cultural diversity have been studied and are described in the literature.

This article describes and recommends the use of learning style theory to assess individual learning styles in the classroom and the use of teaching methods to accommodate various learning styles. Sutliff (one of the authors) administered the Learning Style …

Mitochondrial Phylogeography, Subspecific Taxonomy, And Conservation Genetics Of Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis; Aves: Gruidae), Judith M. Rhymer, Matthew G. Fain, Jane E. Austin, Douglas H. Johnson, Carey Krajewski

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

Six subspecies of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) have been denoted based on perceived morphological and/or breeding locality differences among them. Three subspecies are migratory, breeding from the high arctic in North America and Siberia (lesser sandhill, G. c. canadensis), south through central Canada (Canadian sandhill, G. c. rowani) and into the northern United States (greater sandhill, G. c. tabida). A review of sandhill crane taxonomy indicates that the size variation, on the basis of which these subspecies were named, may be clinal and not diagnostic. The other three subspecies, all listed as endangered or threatened, …

Implementation Of The Biological Opinion For The Missouri River Main Stem System, Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the Corps of Engineers (Corps), in coordination with the appropriate resources agency, will ensure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally listed threatened or endangered species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Formal consultation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Corps under Section 7 of the ESA culminated with the "Biological Opinion on the Operation of the Missouri River Main Stem System, Operation and Maintenance of the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and …

Fluvial Processes And Passive Rehabilitation Of The Lisbon Bottom Side-Channel Chute, Lower Missouri River, Robert B. Jacobson, Mark S. Laustrup, Michael D. Chapman

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Multiple large floods in 1993-1997 on the Lower Missouri River carved a side-channel chute through the river bottom at Lisbon, Missouri. Although similar in some respects to engineered side-channel chutes designed for habitat rehabilitation projects, the Lisbon Bottom chute has been unique in that it was allowed to evolve for more than four years with minimal stabilization. During the wet years, 1996-1999, the chute was subjected to abnormally high discharges and passed as much as 20% of the total discharge of the Missouri River. Relatively unrestrained fluvial processes during this time created a wide channel with highly diverse habitats. The …

Differential Effects Of Incentive Motivators On Work Performance, Alexander D. Stajkovic, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

In this field experiment, we first compared the performance effects of money systematically administered through the organizational behavior modification (O.B. Mod.) model and routine pay for performance and then compared the effects of O.B. Mod.- administered money, social recognition, and performance feedback. The money intervention based on the O.B. Mod. outperformed routine pay for performance (performance increase = 37% vs. 11%) and also had stronger effects on performance than social recognition (24%) and performance feedback (20%).

A Critical Look At Self-Dual Codes, Judy L. Walker

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

We investigate self-dual codes from a structural point of view. In particular, we study properties of critical indecomposable codes which appear in the spectrum of a self-dual code. As an application of the results we obtain, we revisit the study of self-dual codes of dimension at most 10.

In the late 1950’s, Slepian [4] became the first to take an abstract approach to the study of error-correcting codes. He introduced a structure theory for binary linear codes, developing in particular the idea of an indecomposable code; that is, a code which is not isomorphic to a nontrivial direct sum of …

Efficient Traitor Tracing Algorithms Using List Decoding, Alice Silverberg, Jessica Staddon, Judy L. Walker

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

We use powerful new techniques for list decoding error-correcting codes to efficiently trace traitors. Although much work has focused on constructing traceability schemes, the complexity of the tracing algorithm has received little attention. Because the TA tracing algorithm has a runtime of O(N) in general, where N is the number of users, it is inefficient for large populations.We produce schemes for which the TA algorithm is very fast. The IPP tracing algorithm, though less efficient, can list all coalitions capable of constructing a given pirate. We give evidence that when using an algebraic structure, the ability to …

The Aspergillus Nidulans Snt Genes Are Required For The Regulation Of Septum Formation And Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Peter R. Kraus, Steven D. Harris

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In Aspergillus nidulans, germinating conidia undergo multiple rounds of nuclear division before forming a septum. Previous genetic results suggest that the ability to separate nuclear division and septum formation depends upon a threshold level of activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase NIMXcdk1. Mutations in nimX and nimT, the gene encoding the NIMXcdk1-activating phosphatase, have revealed that Tyr-15 phosphorylation is important for determining the timing of the formation of the first septum. Here, we describe a screen for suppressors of nimT23 (snt), designed to identify additional components of the pathway regulating septum formation. We show that a subset …

Serological Responses Of Coyotes To Two Commercial Rabies Vaccines, Frederick F. Knowlton, Marianna Roetto, Deborah Briggs

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Between August 1993 and September 1994 we documented serological responses of coyotes (Canis latrans) vaccinated with two commercial rabies vaccines licensed for use in domestic dogs. Serologic responses were documented by testing for rabies virus neutralizing antibodies with the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) at 30, 90, 180, 270, and 365 days post-vaccination. All coyotes vaccinated with Imrab 3^® (Rhone-Merieux, Inc.), and 75% of those vaccinated with Dura-Rab 3^® (Immunovet, Inc.) seroconverted, as evidenced by the presence of antirabies antibody titers ≥1:5 in one or more of the five post-vaccination samples. The percent of coyotes …

Crop Potassium Nutrition – Implications For Fertilizer Recommendations, Achim R. Dobermann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

During the past 35 years, average corn yields in the North Central Region (NCR) have increased at a rate of 1.7 bu/acre per year, mainly due to the adoption of improved crop management technologies and genetic improvement of corn hybrids. Fertilizer K rates used on corn are typically within a range of 0 to 110 lb K₂O/acre, but average usage varies widely among states. Commercial fertilizer use rose sharply in the 1960s and 1970s, but corn yield increases since 1980 were achieved with stagnating fertilizer-N use and declining rates of P and K. Signs of emerging K deficiencies …

Testing The Effects Of Moisture On Seedcoat Color Of Pinto Dry Beans, Muharrem Ergun, Ellen T. Paparozzi, Dermot P. Coyne, Durward Smith, Stephen D. Kachman, David S. Nuland

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Seedcoat color is an important trait, as it affects marketing and consumer acceptance of pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Pinto breeding line NE 94-4 showed seedcoat yellowing in on-farm field trials in Nebraska in 1996 and 1997. Hail, sprinkler irrigation, and fall rainfall appeared to be involved in increasing seedcoat yellowing, based on analysis of field and weather data of on-farm trial sites. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of moisture on seedcoat yellowing of pinto line NE 94-4 (susceptible) and pinto ‘UI-114’ (highly resistant). Two greenhouse experiments were conducted involving misting of bean plants …

Tillage And Fallow Effects On Selected Soil Quality Characteristics Of Former Conservation Reserve Program Sites, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran, Bahman Eghball

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Tillage and fallow have been suggested as management options for converting Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) areas to cropland. This study was conducted to measure selected soil quality characteristics of former CRP sites in Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Dakota that were tilled and then left fallow for 21 or 22 months. Soil samples from depth intervals of 0-7.6 cm and 0-30.5 cm were collected for laboratory assessment of the following soil quality indicators: bulk density, EC, pH, total C, organic C, total N, NO₃-N, NH₄-N, PO₄-P, biomass C, biomass N, anaerobic NH₄-N, lab …

Estimation Of Reference Crop Evapotranspiration Using Fuzzy State Models, Lameck O. Odhiambo, R. E. Yoder, D. C. Yoder

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Daily evapotranspiration (ET) rates are needed for irrigation scheduling. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining accurate field measurements, ET rates are commonly estimated from weather parameters. A few empirical or semi–empirical methods have been developed for assessing daily reference crop ET, which is converted to actual crop ET using crop coefficients. The FAO Penman–Monteith method, which is now accepted as the standard method for the computation of daily reference ET, is sophisticated. It requires several input parameters, some of which have no actual measurements but are estimated from measured weather parameters. In this study, we examined the suitability of fuzzy …

A Direct Correlation Function For Mesomorphic Polymers And Its Application To The ‘Smectic’ Phase Of Isotactic Polypropylene, Y Cohen, Ravi F. Saraf

Papers in Materials Science

A general model to calculate the structure of a smectic to nematic-like order in polymer systems is proposed. The model is limited to well-aligned molecules with respect to each other. It is especially suited for systems where the packing between neighboring chains is described by liquid-like disorder with axial registration in the chain-axis direction. In such a case the diffraction pattern from the oriented structure exhibits broad liquid-like reflections on the equatorial but sharper reflections on the layer lines. An Ornstein-Zernike approach is adopted to calculate the inter-chain packing and inter-chain registration, where the direct correlation function of packing and …

Rab11-Like Gtpase Associates With And Regulates The Structure And Function Of The Contractile Vacuole System In Dictyostelium, Ed Harris, Kunito Yoshida, James Cardelli, John Bush

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Screening of a cDNA library revealed the existence of a Dictyostelium cDNA encoding a protein 80% identical at the amino acid level to mammalian Rab11. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence studies revealed that DdRab11 was exclusively associated with the ATPase proton pump-rich contractile vacuole membrane system, consisting of a reticular network and bladder-like vacuoles. Video microscopy of cells expressing GFP-DdRab11 revealed that this Rab was associated with contractile vacuolar bladders undergoing formation, fusion and expulsion of water. The association of DdRab11 with contractile vacuole membranes was disrupted when cells were exposed to either hypo-osmotic conditions or an inhibitor of the ATPase …

Selenoprotein Oxidoreductase With Specificity For Thioredoxin And Glutathione Systems, Qi-An Sun, Leo Kirnarsky, Simon Sherman, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione (GSH) systems are considered to be two major redox systems in animal cells. They are reduced by NADPH via Trx reductase (TR) or oxidized GSH (GSSG) reductase and further supply electrons for deoxyribonucleotide synthesis, antioxidant defense, and redox regulation of signal transduction, transcription, cell growth, and apoptosis. We cloned and characterized a pyridine nucleotide disulfide oxidoreductase, Trx and GSSG reductase (TGR), that exhibits specificity for both redox systems. This enzyme contains a selenocysteine residue encoded by the TGA codon. TGR can reduce Trx, GSSG, and a GSH-linked disulfide in in vitro assays. This unusual substrate specificity …

Molecular Characterization Of Cephalothorax, The Tribolium Ortholog Of Sex Combs Reduced, Carmelle D. Curtis, Jennifer A. Brisson, Mark A. Decamillis, Teresa D. Shippy, Susan J. Brown, Robin E. Denell

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sex combs reduced (Scr), a Hox gene located in the Antennapedia complex of Drosophila melanogaster, is required for the proper development of the labial and first thoracic segments. The Tribolium castaneum genetically defined locus Cephalothorax (Cx) is a candidate Scr ortholog based on the location of Cx in the beetle Homeotic complex and mutant effects on the labial and first thoracic segments. To address this hypothesis, we have cloned and characterized the Tribolium ortholog of Scr (TcScr). The transcription unit is less complex and encodes a smaller protein than Scr. The predicted …

Rhinocyllus Conicus: Initial Evaluation And Subsequent Ecological Impacts In North America, A. Gassmann, Svata M. Louda

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Renewed debate over the risk of non-target effects in biological control reflects, in part, the recent quantification of direct and indirect ecological effects of the flowerhead weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus Frol., in North America. To help resolve the issue, we review the published data for R. conicus from both Europe and North America: pre-release (1961-1968), post-release (1969-1985) and more recent (1986-1999). Our aim was to determine the extent to which host range expansion on to native North American species, and the associated ecological effects, were predicted or predictable. Our overall conclusion is that more was known than is generally realized, yet …

Secreted Euryarchaeal Microhalocins Kill Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaea, Cynthia Haseltine, Tiffany Hill, Rafael Montalvo-Rodriguez, Samantha K. Kemper, Richard F. Shand, Paul H. Blum

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Few antibiotics targeting members of the archaeal domain are currently available for genetic studies. Since

bacterial antibiotics are frequently directed against competing and related organisms, archaea by analogy

might produce effective antiarchaeal antibiotics. Peptide antibiotic (halocin) preparations from euryarchaeal

halophilic strains S8a, GN101, and TuA4 were found to be toxic for members of the hyperthermophilic

crenarchaeal genus Sulfolobus. No toxicity was evident against representative bacteria or eukarya. Halocin S8

(strain S8a) and halocin R1 (strain GN101) preparations were cytostatic, while halocin A4 (strain TuA4)

preparations were cytocidal. Subsequent studies focused on the use of halocin A4 preparations and Sulfolobus …

A New Lungworm In Muskoxen: An Exploration In Arctic Parasitology, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Ruminants are vital elements of the Holarctic ecosystem. Little is known, however, of the structure or biology of their parasite fauna, particularly in North America. Global warming, coupied with increasing human activity in the Arctic, requires enhanced intemational interdisciplinary efforts to better understand the many factors, including parasites, that influence the population health of caribou, reindeer, muskoxen and wild sheep. The discovery of an unusual new genus of protostrongylid lung nematode in muskoxen from the central Canadian Arctic is described, and the intricacies of the parasite's relationship with its muskoxen definitive hosts, its gastropod intermediate hosts and the arctic environment …

Economic Education And Government Reform In The Republic Of Georgia, Craig Macphee

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

The author describes public education through the media and training for government officials and for journalists undertaken as part of economic reform efforts in the Republic of Georgia of the former Soviet Union. The article concludes with a discussion of the necessary conditions for success of these broad-based educational efforts.

Two-Center Effect On Low-Energy Electron Emission In Collisions Of 1-Mev/U Bare Ions With Atomic Hydrogen, Molecular Hydrogen, And Helium. I. Atomic Hydrogen, Lokesh C. Tribedi, P. Richard, L. Gulya´S, M. Eugene Rudd, R. Moshammer

M. Eugene Rudd Publications

We have investigated ionization mechanisms in fast ion-atom collisions by measuring the low-energy electron emission cross sections in a pure three-body collision involving bare carbon ions (v=6.35 a.u.) colliding with atomic hydrogen targets. The measurements have also been extended to molecular hydrogen and helium targets. In this paper we provide the energy and angular distributions of double differential cross sections of low-energy electron emission for atomic hydrogen targets. The Slevin rf source with a high degree of dissociation was used to produce the atomic H target. It is found that the two-center effect has a major influence on …

Search For Electroweak Production Of Single Top Quarks In Pp̅ Collisions, B. Abbott

Gregory Snow Publications

We present a search for electroweak production of single top quarks in the electron+jets and muon+jets decay channels. The measurements use ≈90 pb^-1 of data from Run 1 of the Fermilab Tevatron collider, collected at 1.8 TeV with the D Ø detector between 1992 and 1995. We use events that include a tagging muon, implying the presence of a b jet, to set an upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the cross section for the s-channel process pp̅→tb+X of 39 pb. The upper limit for the t-channel processpp̅→tqb+X …

Are Saudi Arabian Hospitals Prepared For The Threat Of Biological Weapons?, Manuel W. Mah, Ziad A. Memish

Saudi Medical Journal

The use of biological weapons has been recorded repeatedly in history. Until recently, biological terrorism had been little discussed or written about. However, events over the past 12 to 18 months have made it clear that likely perpetrators already envisage every possible scenario. Nations and dissident groups exist that have both the motivation and access to utilize biological weapons. In April 1994, a Russian biological weapons expert presented the conclusions of the Russian experts as to the agents most likely to be used: smallpox, anthrax, and plague. Health care workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (physicians, nurses, and emergency …

Transformational Leadership And Mentoring: Theoretical Links And Practical Implications, Lynda St. Clair, Ronald J. Deluga

Management Department Faculty Working Papers

Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of generating a stream of transformational leaders who will be able to successfully move their companies into the future. Yet, theory providing guidance for developing such leaders is at a premium. In particular, prior research has not explored in detail the complexity of the relationship between mentoring and the development of transformational leaders. To address this important topic, we develop logical links between traditional mentoring activities and the behaviors associated with the "Four I's" of transformational leadership (individualized consideration, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation). Based upon our review and synthesis of …

Space For Dispute Settlement Mechanisms - Dispute Resolution Mechanisms For Space? A Few Legal Considerations, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

1. Introduction-The subject of dispute settlement is at the heart of every legal system or subsystem, whether national or international, and in principle it should not be any different for space law either. Indeed, amongst space law experts often attention has been paid to this issue, if indeed usually confined to such experts, like in the context of the International Law Association where a draft convention for the settlements of space law disputes was developed.

2. The issue of dispute settlement in space law-The general picture sketched above has of course undergone considerable change over the last years, perhaps most …

Cultivar-Dependent Expression Of A Maize Lipoxygenase Responsive To Seed Infesting Fungi, Richard A. Wilson, Harold W. Gardner, Nancy P. Keller

Fungal Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions

Maize kernels are highly susceptible to Aspergillus spp. infection and aflatoxin (AF) contamination. Fatty acid signaling molecules appear to mediate the plant–fungal interaction by affecting the growth, development, and AF production of the fungus. In particular, fatty acid derivatives of the plant lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway are implicated in the Aspergillus spp.-seed interaction. The 9(S)-hydroperoxide derivative of linoleic acid promotes transcription of AF genes, whereas the 13(S)-hydroperoxide derivative decreases AF gene expression and production; both are sporulation factors. Our goal was to identify LOX genes responsive to Aspergillus spp. colonization and determine their specificities, 9(S)- …

The Social Dimensions Of A Networked World: Will The Internet Promote Productivity And Fulfillment Or Result In A More Volatile And Ruthless World?, Ross A. Miller

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Technological change has the potential to have profound effects on politics, the economy, and society. Indeed, the Industrial Revolution provides ample evidence of the significant effect of technology on humankind. Today the Internet has transformed the way we communicate, learn, work, and play. What are the dangers and opportunities presented by this new technology? One hundred years from now, will society look back upon this period of technological change as one that led to a more productive and peaceful world, or will they view it as the beginning of a dark period in human history, one characterized by political instability, …

Chlorophacinone Residues In Rangeland Rodents: An Assessment Of The Potential Risk Of Secondary Toxicity To Scavengers, Thomas M. Primus, John D. Eisemann, George H. Matschke, Craig Ramey, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Field studies were conducted in California to assess efficacy of chlorophacinone-treated steam-rolled oats for controlling rangeland rodents. An objective of these studies was to assess the potential hazards of chlorophacinone residues in rangeland rodent carcasses and livers to mammalian and avian scavengers, especially raptors. Belding's ground squirrels, valley pocket gophers and Microtus spp. carcasses collected during the efficacy studies were analyzed for chlorophacinone residues. The method limit of detection (MLOD) for liver and carcass tissue samples averaged 0.036 μg/g and 0.034 μg/g, respectively. Chlorophacinone residues in Belding's ground squirrel (n=62) liver and carcass tissue ranged from Microtus sp. (n=3) tissue …

Major Herbicides In Ground Water: Results From The National Water-Quality Assessment, Jack . E. Barbash, Gail P. Thelin, Dana W. Kolpin, Robert J. Gilliom

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

To improve understanding of the factors affecting pesticide occurrence in ground water, patterns of detection were examined for selected herbicides, based primarily on results from the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The NAWQA data were derived from 2227 sites (wells and springs) sampled in 20 major hydro- logic basins across the USA from 1993 to 1995. Results are presented for six high-use herbicides—atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-iso-propylamino- s-triazine), cyanazine (2-[4-chloro-6-ethylamino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]amino]-2-methylpropionitrile), simazine (2-chloro-4,6-bis- [ethylamino]-s-triazine), alachlor (2-chloro-N-[2,6-diethylphenyl]-N- [methoxymethyl]acetamide), acetochlor (2-chloro-N-[ethoxymethyl]- N-[ 2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl]acetamide), and metolachlor (2-chloro-N- [2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl]-N-[2-methoxy-1-methylethyl]acetamide)— as well as for prometon (2,4-bis[isopropylamino]-6-methoxy-s-triazine), a nonagricultural herbicide detected frequently during the study. Concentrations were <1 μg L^-1 at 98% …