Digital Commons Network^™

Parelaphostrongylus Odocoilei In Columbia Black-Tailed Deer From Oregon, Jack A. Mortenson, Arthur Abrams, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Detiger Dunams, Eric P. Hoberg, Robert J. Bildfell, Richard L. Green

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Documenting the occurrence of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei has historically relied on the morphological examination of adult worms collected from the skeletal muscle of definitive hosts, including deer. Recent advances in the knowledge of protostrongylid genetic sequences now permit larvae to be identified. Dorsal-spined larvae (DSLs) collected in 2003–2004 from the lung and feces of six Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) from Oregon were characterized genetically. The sequences from unknown DSLs were compared to those from morphologically validated adults and larvae of P. odocoilei at both the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome …

Prairie Suite: A Celebration, Twyla Hansen, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

25 poems by Twyla Hansen, with illustrations by Paul A. Johnsgard, including:

Walk on the Prairie

There is mystery here, in the shapes of grass,
in the dim movements of an inland sea,
connections to an earlier time. Wander barefoot,
hypothesize the dance of millennia, the unbearable
carvings of the built environment, this ragtag escape.

Let its divine simplicity ooze into your pores.
Comb the steel from your hair, blanket your
tongue with orange. Your breathing will slow.
Breathing slow, unbutton the child within.
Give her permission to go fly a kite.

Radio Frequency Identification Technology: Applications, Technical Challenges And Strategies, Suhong Li, John K. Visich, Basheer M. Khumawala, Chen Zhang

Management Department Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technology behind RFID systems, identify the applications of RFID in various industries, and discuss the technical challenges of RFID implementation and the corresponding strategies to overcome those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach - Comprehensive literature review and integration of the findings from literature. Findings - Technical challenges of RFID implementation include tag cost, standards, tag and reader selection, data management, systems integration and security. The corresponding solution is suggested for each challenge.

Research limitations/implications - A survey type research is needed to validate the results.

Practical implications - This research offers useful …

An Artificial Intelligence Approach To International Market Screening Dss, Kelly E. Fish

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper applies artificial intelligence (AI) computing, Kohonan Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), to the problem of international market selection (IMS). Broadly speaking, IMS can be summarized to consist of three stages a) screening stage, b) identification stage and, c) selection stage. The screening stage often employs some type of grouping technique so that firms can begin to view the potential markets in terms of similarities and differences over variables of interest. The underlying purpose is to screen out or eliminate markets that do not meet certain criteria established by the firm. Statistical techniques such as cluster analysis, discriminant analysis or factor …

Glucocorticoid Hormone Levels Increase With Group Size And Parasite Load In Cliff Swallows, Samrrah A. Raouf, Linda C. Smith, Mary Bomberger Brown, John C. Wingfield, Charles R. Brown

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals often cope with adverse events by releasing glucocorticoid hormones, which in turn promote increased energy assimilation. In captive animals, crowding also leads to increased glucocorticoid activity, probably because of increased levels of social competition. We investigated how group size and ectoparasite infestations affected endogenous levels of the glucocorticoid hormone, corticosterone, in colonial cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, in southwestern Nebraska, USA. Parasites were removed from some colonies by fumigating nests. Baseline levels of corticosterone in breeding adults varied significantly with whether parasites were present, colony size (measured by total number of active nests at a site), and nesting stage. …

Nonparametric Estimation Of Natural Selection On A Quantitative Trait Using Mark-Recapture Data, Olivier Gimenez, Rita Covas, Charles R. Brown, Mark D. Anderson, Mary Bomberger Brown, Thomas Lenormand

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Assessing natural selection on a phenotypic trait in wild populations is of primary importance for evolutionary ecologists. To cope with the imperfect detection of individuals inherent to monitoring in the wild, we develop a nonparametric method for evaluating the form of natural selection on a quantitative trait using mark-recapture data. Our approach uses penalized splines to achieve flexibility in exploring the form of natural selection by avoiding the need to specify an a priori parametric function. If needed, it can help in suggesting a new parametric model. We employ Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling in a Bayesian framework to estimate …

A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism Debate Over A Single Fecal Fossil Offers A Cautionary Tale Of The Interplay Between Science And Culture, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

As the object of my scientific study, I’ve chosen coprolites. It’s not a common choice, but to a paleonutritionist and archaeoparasitologist, a coprolite—a sample of ancient feces preserved by mineralization or simple drying—is a scientific bonanza. Analysis of coprolites can shed light on both the nutrition of and parasites found in prehistoric cultures. Dietary reconstructions from the analysis of coprolites can inform us about, for example, the origins of modern Native American diabetes. With regard to parasitology, coprolites hold information about the ancient emergence and spread of human infectious disease. Most sensational, however, is the recent role of coprolite analysis …

Privies And Parasites: The Archaeology Of Health Conditions In Albany, New York, Charles L. Fisher, Karl Reinhard, Matthew Kirk, Justin Divirgilo

Karl Reinhard Publications

Large numbers of parasites were identified in archaeological samples collected from privies and other features in excavations in Albany, New York. This information provides the largest database available for the study of parasite infections in historical period American cities. The greatest numbers of parasites were in contexts related to the expansion of the city in the late-18th century. Parasites remained, but their quantities decreased in the 19th century during another period of rapid population growth. The city was able to control parasite infection during this period through several means, including new techniques of privy construction, new water supply systems, and …

The Problem Of Secular Sacredness: Ronald Dworkin, Michael Perry, And Human Rights Foundationalism, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of human rights ultimately rests on the premise that there are some things that ought to be done for human beings and other things that ought not to be done to human beings in light of the fact that they are human. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these rights stem from the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” (Ishay 1997: 407). Some would argue that this notion has its roots in the natural law and natural rights tradition that is an important …

Paired-End Sequence Mapping Detects Extensive Genomic Rearrangement And Translocation During Divergence Of Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Tularensis And Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Holarctica Populations, Michael P. Dempsey, Joseph Nietfeldt, Jaques Ravel, Steven H. Hinrichs, Robert Crawford, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Comparative genome hybridization of the Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis and F. tularensis subsp. holarctica populations have shown that genome content is highly conserved, with relatively few genes in the F. tularensis subsp. tularensis genome being absent in other F. tularensis subspecies. To determine if organization of the genome differs between global populations of F. tularensis subsp. tularensis and F. tularensis subsp. holarctica, we have used paired-end sequence mapping (PESM) to identify regions of the genome where synteny is broken. The PESM approach compares the physical distances between paired-end sequencing reads of a library of a wild-type reference F. tularensis …

Determination Of Diphacinone Residues In Hawaiian Invertebrates, Thomas M. Primus, Dennis J. Kohler, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatographic analysis combined with a solid-phase extraction clean-up method is used to assess the quantity of diphacinone residue found in invertebrates. Three invertebrate species are exposed to commercially available diphacinone-fortified bait used for rat control. The invertebrate samples are collected, frozen, and shipped to the laboratory. The samples are homogenized after cryogenic freezing. A portion of the homogenized samples are extracted with acidified chloroform–acetone, followed by cleanup with a silica solid-phase extraction column. Diphacinone is detected by UV absorption at 325 nm after separation by the chromatographic system. The method limit of detection (MLOD) for snail …

Developing And Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract, Michele Schoeneberger, Gary Bentrup, Charles A. Francis, Richard Straight

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

Conclusions

Based on the practical community applications of woody buffe rs and multifuncti onal areas that grew from the ini tial concepts ofecobelts. we are convinced that this type of initiative is a viable option in establishing a positive interface between different types of human activities. The challenge becomes more real every day, as cities expand and both city-edge subdivisions and acreages create ever more interfaces between people with different and often con!1icting activities and basic values. There is a need to provide some logical and acceptable boundary between these people and their different lifestyles. It is also desirable to …

Status Of Feral Pigs In Kansas And Nebraska, Philip S. Gipson, Charles D. Lee, Sam Wilson, James R. Thiele, Deke Hobbick

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Wild pigs have expanded their range markedly during the last 30 years. In Kansas feral pigs from domestic stock were first reported in 1994 on Fort Riley Army Base. During 2005, 2006, and 2007 the occurrence of reproducing wild pigs was confirmed on 18 sites throughout Kansas and 4 sites in Nebraska. One Nebraska population is in a county neighboring Kansas. Estimated numbers of pigs ranged from 8-10 individuals at each of 2 sites in Kansas to more than 30 on each of 3 other sites. The wild pig population in Kansas appears to be changing from 1 predominantly of …

Use Of Mammal Manure By Nesting Burrowing Owls: A Test Of Four Functional Hypotheses, Matthew D. Smith, Courtney J. Conway

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Animals have evolved an impressive array of behavioural traits to avoid depredation. Olfactory camouflage of conspicuous odours is a strategy to avoid depredation that has been implicated only in a few species of birds. Burrowing owls, Athene cunicularia, routinely collect dried manure from mammals and scatter it in their nest chamber, in the tunnel leading to their nest and at the entrance to their nesting burrow. This unusual behaviour was thought to reduce nest depredation by concealing the scent of adults and juveniles, but a recent study suggests that manure functions to attract arthropod prey. However, burrowing owls routinely …

Comprehensive Genetic Analyses Reveal Evolutionary Distinction Of A Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) Proposed For Delisting From The Us Endangered Species Act, Tim L. King, John F. Switzer, Cheryl L. Morrison, Michael S. Eackles, Colleen C. Young, Barbara A. Lubinski, Paul Cryan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Zapus hudsonius preblei, listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), is one of 12 recognized subspecies of meadow jumping mice found in North America. Recent morphometric and phylogenetic comparisons among Z. h. preblei and neighbouring conspecifics questioned the taxonomic status of selected subspecies, resulting in a proposal to delist the Z. h. preblei from the ESA. We present additional analyses of the phylogeographic structure within Z. hudsonius that calls into question previously published data (and conclusions) and confirms the original taxonomic designations. A survey of 21 microsatellite DNA loci and 1380 base pairs from two mitochondrial …

Sex Determination Of Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers Using Morphological And Molecular Genetic Techniques, Dylan C. Kesler, Iara F. Lopes, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Conservation-oriented studies of Micronesian Kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus) have been hindered by a lack of basic natural history information, despite the status of the Guam subspecies (T. c. cinnamominus) as one of the most endangered species in the world. We used tissue samples and morphometric measures from museum specimens and wild-captured Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers (T. c. reichenbachii) to develop methods for sex determination. We present a modified molecular protocol and a discriminant function that yields the probability that a particular individual is male or female. Our results revealed that females were significantly larger than males, …

The National Wildlife Refuge System, Robert P. Davison, Alessandra Falcucci, Luigi Maiorano, J. Michael Scott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has played a key role in conserving at-risk species from its beginnings in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt established apreserve to protect Pelican Island, in Florida, as a breeding ground for an imperiled population of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) (Fischman 2003). Today, the Atlantic coast population of the brown pelican is no longer in need of protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) , but Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge provides protection for nine threatened and endangered species.

Management of the refuge system has changed significantly since the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, …

Hybrids And Policy, Susan M. Haig, Fred W. Allendorf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Hybridization (the interbreeding of individuals from genetically distinct populations, regardless of their taxonomic status) is the double-edged sword of conservation biology. On one hand, increased rates of hybridization because of human activities have led to the extinction of populations and species in plant and animal taxa throughout the world (Rhymer and Simberloff 1996; Allendorf et al. 2001). On the other, hybridization is an important and natural part of the evolutionary process. Thus, hybridization between isolated populations can be an important tool for recovery (Mansfield and Land 2002). However, it has been difficult to develop conservation policies that treat the problems …

Introduction To "The Endangered Species Act At Thirty, Volume 1", J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble, Frank W. Davis

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

This book examines one legislative effoft to resolve the dilemma, the Endangered Speeies Aet of 1973 (ESA 1973). The ESA was an idealistic and perhaps naive attempt to preserve humanity by preserving other species in the ecological support system that makes life possible. In the words of the House report accompanying the bill:

A certain humility, and a sense of urgency seem indicated .... One might analogize the case to one in which one copy of all the books ever printed were gathered together in one huge building. The position in which we find ourselves today is that of custodians …

By The Numbers, J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble, Leona K. Svancara, Anna Pidgorna

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The current endangered species list has its administrative beginnings in 1964 when the Department of the Interior's Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Species published a preliminary list of 62 species at risk of extinction (Goble, forthcoming). Following the enactment of the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 (ESPA), the secretary of the interior in 1967 published the first official list of 78 "native fish and wildlife threatened with extinction" (ESPA sec. l(c); U.S. Department of the Interior 1967; Wilcove and McMillan, this volume). By the time the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was adopted in 1973, there were 392 species …

A Screening-Level Assessment Of Lead, Cadmium, And Zinc In Fish And Crayfish From Northeastern Oklahoma, Usa, Christopher J. Schmitt, William G. Brumbaugh, Gregory L. Linder, Jo Ellen Hinck

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate potential human and ecological risks associated with metals in fish and crayfish from mining in the Tri-States Mining District (TSMD). Crayfish (Orconectes spp.) and fish of six frequently consumed species (common carp, Cyprinus carpio; channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris; largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; spotted bass, M. punctulatus; and white crappie, Pomoxis annularis) were collected in 2001–2002 from the Oklahoma waters of the Spring River (SR) and Neosho River (NR), which drain the TSMD. Samples from a mining-contaminated site in eastern Missouri and …

Distinguished Fellowship Awards Luncheon, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

It seems to me the best way to start off any congratulatory remarks is to say, quite simply - congratulations.

Dinsdale Family Luncheon, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Today we celebrate and honor the 2006 recipients of the Dinsdale Family Faculty Awards, made possible by the generosity of the Dinsdale family.

Aglec Advisory Council Meeting, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Thank you for inviting me to be with you today to discuss one of my favorite topics - education and the terrifically talented young people who come to study with us in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, or CASNR, in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Abn Summer Meeting, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

It is such a pleasure to have you on campus with us today. While we couldn't do anything to turn the heat down outside, at least we've had some hot topics to go right along with it! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the wide variety of information we've shared with you today. It is our pleasure to have this opportunity to host you here on campus, and I thank everyone who has been part of presenting and putting this day's program together. I also thank each of you, and every member of ABN, for all you do in support of …

Casnr Salute To Graduates, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

We appreciate your being with us this afternoon as we celebrate, the accomplishments of tomorrow's graduates from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Thank you for attending and, congratulations to the new alumni! This ceremony is rapidly becoming both a fixture and a tradition in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. As a matter of fact, it took the national "First Place Award" in a competition this year that was open to all the universities in the United States.

Water Conference, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

We've all heard Mark Twain's old adage: "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over." Twain penned those words in 1884, and while I won't touch his commentary on whiskey, his comment on water remains on target today.

Casnr Salute To Graduates, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

We appreciate your being with us as we celebrate the accomplishments of tomorrow’s graduates from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Thank you for attending. This ceremony is rapidly becoming both a fixture and a tradition in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

2006 Master Conservationist Presentations, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Kirk and William Laux (locks) of Bridgeport in the Panhandle will receive the first Master Conservationist recognition in Production Agriculture. Will Kirk and William please come forward? This family limited partnership includes 5,000 acres of rangeland, 160 acres of dryland, 1200 acres of irrigated land, a cow-calf operation, and a feedlot. They began farming in the 1960s and later purchased several "tired" eroded units. These units were improved by “applying" erosion control practices including seeding, cross-fencing, and improved watering.

Seven New Species Of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From Colubrid Snakes Of Guatemala And A Discussion Of What To Call Ellipsoid Tetrasporocystic, Dizoic Coccidia Of Reptiles, I. M. Asmundsson, Donald W. Duszynski, J. A. Campbell

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

During a survey of Guatemalan herpetofauna in the summers of 1998–2000, 29 presumed new species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 were found, seven of which have a distinct elongate-ellipsoidal shape (L/W ratio ≥ 1.7) and are described herein. Six of the seven new species are similar in oöcyst length, width and L/W ratio and sporocyst length, width and L/W ratio, lack a micropyle, oöcyst residuum, Stieda body, sub- and parastieda bodies, have a polar granule and sporocyst residuum, and their sporocysts appear to have dehiscence sutures. The seventh is slightly smaller and has sporocysts with a Stieda body. The new species …