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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 …

River-Aquifer Interactions, Geologic Heterogeneity, And Low-Flow Management, Jan H. Fleckenstein, Richard G. Niswonger, Graham E. Fogg

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Low river flows are commonly controlled by river-aquifer exchange, the magnitude of which is governed by hydraulic properties of both aquifer and aquitard materials beneath the river. Low flows are often important ecologically. Numerical simulations were used to assess how textural heterogeneity of an alluvial system influences river seepage and low flows. The Cosumnes River in California was used as a test case. Declining fall flows in the Cosumnes River have threatened Chinook salmon runs. A ground water–surface water model for the lower river basin was developed, which incorporates detailed geostatistical simulations of aquifer heterogeneity. Six different realizations of heterogeneity …

When Reintroductions Are Augmentations: The Genetic Legacy Of Fishers (Martes Pennanti) In Montana, Ray S. Vinkey, Michael K. Schwartz, Kevin S. Mckelvey, Kerry R. Foresman, Kristine L. Pilgrim, Brian J. Giddings, Eric C. Lofroth

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

Fishers (Martes pennanti) were purportedly extirpated from Montana by 1930 and extant populations are assumed to be descended from translocated fishers. To determine the lineage of fisher populations, we sequenced 2 regions of the mitochondrial DNA genome from 207 tissue samples from British Columbia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Montana. In northwestern Montana, fishers share haplotypes with samples from the upper Midwest and British Columbia; in west-central Montana, we detected haplotypes found in British Columbia samples, but also detected a control region and cytochrome-b haplotype not found in source populations. Based on the unique haplotypes found in west-central Montana, …

Biotinylation Of K8 And K12 Co-Occurs With Acetylation And Mono-Methylation In Human Histone H4, Yap Ching Chew, Ashraf S. Raza, Gautam Sarath, Janos Zempleni

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

Histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 are proteins that are critical for folding of DNA into chromatin. Posttranslational acetylation, methylation, and biotinylation of histones participate in gene silencing, mitotic condensation of chromatin, and the cellular response to DNA damage. Various modifications of histones are known to interact ("cross-talk") in chromatin-remodeling events; interactions may be synergistic or antagonistic. Here, we sought to identify biotinylation sites in human histone H4 by using mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and we sought to determine whether biotinylation co-exists with acetylation and methylation in the same H4 molecule. Nuclear histones from human lymphoid (Jurkat) cells were digested …

Volume 26, Number 4 Editorial Matter

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Table of Contents, News, and Notes.

Documentary Editing, Volume 28, Number 4, Winter 2006.

Documentary Editing: Journal of the Association for Documentary Editing (1979–2011)

No abstract provided.

Postcolonial Tragedy In The Crowsnest Past: Two Rearview Reflections By Sharon Pollock And John Murrell, Anne Nothof

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In two very different versions of a story of rum-running along the British Columbia-Alberta border in the Crowsnest Pass in the early 1920s, Sharon Pollock and John Murrell replay history as tragedy. Murrell's libretto for the opera Filumena captures the passion and pathos of the exceptional true-life story of Filumena, who at the age of twenty-two was the last woman to be hanged for murder in Canada. In the context of an Italian community compromised by bigotry and ambition, Filumena is rehabilitated and written back into history as a woman who resists a transplanted patriarchal authority. Pollock's play Whiskey Six …

Book Review: Citizen Indians: Native American Intellectuals, Race, And Reform, David Rich Lewis

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Lucy Maddox explores issues of race and progressive reform in the early twentieth century by examining how American Indians positioned themselves to claim a place and a voice in American public life. Maddox focuses on "Indian intellectuals," individuals who wrote and spoke publicly about pan-Indian issues arising from federal wardship, and who organized the Society of American Indians (SAl) as a space for disseminating that Indian voice. Responding to an American public that could not comprehend Indian culture and history outside their own mythic and racialized images (often expressed in pageants depicting a savage or vanishing race), this generation of …

Book Review: Teaching In Eden: Lessons From Cedar Point, Gregg Siewert

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Judging from the title, one might expect this book to offer some resolution to America's ongoing debate regarding the teaching of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design. It is, instead, Janovy's attempt to shake higher education by the shoulders and bring it to its senses, asking that university instruction shift its focus from content to larger questions of process and values (for want of a better term: liberal arts and sciences). As Janovy states, "I contend that the arts and sciences ideals - breadth of understanding, courage to explore anywhere, patience with disagreement - are the best antidotes to our current …

Eolian Additions To Late Quaternary Alpine Soils, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Colorado Front Range, Daniel R. Muhs, James B. Benedict

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Surface horizons of many alpine soils on Quaternary deposits in high-mountain settings are enriched in silt. The origin of these particles has been debated, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region of North America. The most common explanations are frost shattering of coarser particles and eolian additions from distant sources. We studied soil A horizons on alpine moraines of late-glacial (Satanta Peak) age in the Colorado Front Range. Surface horizons of soils on these moraines are enriched in silt and have a particle size distribution that resembles loess and dust deposits found elsewhere. The compositions of sand and silt fractions of …

Paleoclimatic Evidence For Future Ice-Sheet Instability And Rapid Sea-Level Rise, Jonathan T. Overpeck, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Gifford H. Miller, Daniel R. Muhs, Richard B. Alley, Jeffrey T. Kiehl

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Sea-level rise from melting of polar ice sheets is one of the largest potential threats of future climate change. Polar warming by the year 2100 may reach levels similar to those of 130,000 to 127,000 years ago that were associated with sea levels several meters above modern levels; both the Greenland Ice Sheet and portions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet may be vulnerable. The record of past ice-sheet melting indicates that the rate of future melting and related sea-level rise could be faster than widely thought.

Multi-Species Patterns Of Avian Cholera Mortality In Nebraska’S Rainwater Basin, Julie A. Blanchong, Michael D. Samuel, Gene Mack

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin (RWB) is a key spring migration area for millions of waterfowl and other avian species. Avian cholera has been endemic in the RWB since the 1970s and in some years tens of thousands of waterfowl have died from the disease. We evaluated patterns of avian cholera mortality in waterfowl species using the RWB during the last quarter of the 20th century. Mortality patterns changed between the years before (1976–1988) and coincident with (1989–1999) the dramatic increases in lesser snow goose abundance and mortality. Lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) have commonly been associated with mortality …

Estimation Of Large Insurance Losses: A Case Study, Tine Buch-Kromann

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

This paper demonstrates an approach to analyzing liability data recently developed by a Danish insurance company. The approach is based on a Champernowne distribution, which is corrected with a non-parametric estimator. The correction estimator is obtained by transforming the data set with the estimated modified Champernowne cdf and then estimating the density of the transformed data set by using the classical kernel density estimator. Our approach is illustrated by applying it to an actual data set.

On Some Risk-Adjusted Tail-Based Premium Calculation Principles, Edward Furman, Zinoviy Landsman

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

This paper explores two tail-based premium calculation principles, the tail standard deviation (TSD) premium and the tail conditional expectation (TCE) premium, in their risk-adjusted and unadjusted forms. They are risk-adjusted using so-called distortion functions. We prove that the proportional hazard (PH) risk-adjusted TCE premium is larger than the unadjusted TCE premium. Additionally, given a risk distribution with location and scale parameters, we prove that the PH risk-adjusted TCE premium reduces to the unadjusted TSD premium.

An Honors Pilot Course: Cross-Cultural Service And Inquiry-Based Learning In Mérida, Mexico, Theresa Minick, Victoria Bocchicchio

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The guiding document for Kent State University’s Honors College, “The Nature of an Honors Course,” describes some of the unique aspects that set Honors courses apart from non-Honors courses. We expect an Honors course to be an experience and a process; we encourage students to take initiatives in determining the directions of the courses. One of our driving goals is to find ways to help students extract more intellectual value out of their university experiences, and the cross-cultural pilot course in Mérida, México described here was designed with that goal in mind.

Spatial Distribution Of Frequency And Severity Of Water Claims In California, Gurbhag Singh, Max Tang, Don Mcneill, Lyn Hunstad

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We examine the frequency and severity of water loss claims for homeowners insurance across the state of California for the experience years 2000, 2001, and 2002. The spatial distribution patterns of frequencies and severities are mapped and analyzed at the zip code level. The maps reveal the pockets of high frequencies and severities. The information provided in this paper will assist actuaries and policy makers in their quest to set accurate rates for homeowners insurance.

Bayesian Analysis Of Insurance Losses Using The Buhlmann-Straub Credibility Model, Abraham J. Van Der Merwe, Kobus N. Bekker

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We propose a Bayesian analysis to develop credibility estimates of the well known Biihlmann-Straub model. We describe simple numerical methods to obtain exact posterior distributions and predictive densities under this model. These distributions are obtained through Monte Carlo simulations that generate independent samples from the joint posterior distribution. Our methods are therefore preferable to methods such as Gibbs sampling, which generates dependent samples from the joint distribution. The methods discussed also can be extended to more complicated credibility models.

Changes In Post-Marital Residence Rules In An Era Of National Reform: The Urban To Rural Disjunction In Contemporary China, Michaela S. Clemens

Nebraska Anthropologist

Alternatives to the traditional practice of patrilocal postmarital residence exist in modern day China and vary from urban to rural areas. Social and economic reforms that were instituted in postMao China had an influence on post-marital residence rules. These reforms include marriage laws, reproduction restrictions, the return to family farms, and greater access to employment. Government reforms had different impacts on urban and rural families, creating different family structures and compositions. Family customs, like post-marital residence, also diverged along rural and urban lines. In rural areas, patrilocality persists, but matrilocal marriage arrangements are increasing. In urban areas, a strong preference …

An Understanding Of The Relationship Between Maquiladoras And Women's Rights In Central America, Mara D. Giles

Nebraska Anthropologist

The impacts of globalization, deregulation, and free trade on Central American women, whether married or single, are numerous. On either side of the political borders, individual lives and cultures are impacted, often with dire results. Because of traditional gendered roles in these cultures, women's entrance into the formal economic sector has been slow and difficult. Maquiladoras created by globalization provide jobs for poor and undereducated women with few other options of employment. Because of the natures of the global economic system and issues of gender, the positions of these women of poverty are easily exploited. Though the consequences can be …

Lakota Struggles For Cultural Survival: History, Health, And Reservation Life, Benjamin Jewell

Nebraska Anthropologist

The effects of alcohol use on Pine Ridge are epidemic and have had a devastating impact on the current status of the residents. The historic effect of u.s. colonial relations with the Lakota has engendered a system of dependency, making the transition from an independent trading economy to capitalism difficult. This paper is an attempt to investigate the current life of Pine Ridge residents and relate how the past has shaped the present through a successful attempt by the u.s. to bring an end to the life-ways of the Lakota. This analysis will include a detailed statement of the economic …

Homosexuals In The Periphery: Gay And Lesbian Rights In Developing Africa, Brett Kennedy

Nebraska Anthropologist

Slowly but surely American and Western European culture is being eased into an approximate acceptance of homosexuality and other non-heterosexual orientations. Great leaps have been taken in the past four decades to improve the quality of life for non-heterosexuals in almost all parts of the developed world However, in those countries which lie on the outside of this small core group of economic power, the issue of gay rights is often not even considered In this analysis, I will be looking at the attitudes and treatment of homosexuals in developing Africa. Primarily, the focus will rest on South Africa and …

Analysis Of An Insurance Risk Model With Thinning Dependence And Common Shock, Lai Mei Wan, Kam Chuen Yuen, Wai Keung Li

Journal of Actuarial Practice (1993–2006)

We consider a continuous-time insurance risk model with m dependent classes of business with dependent claim number processes due to thinning dependence and a common shock. The impact of the dependence is studied via the adjustment coefficient. The case m = 2 is investigated analytically for exponential claim distributions and via simulation for non-exponential claim distributions.

Transboundary Protected Areas As A Solution To Border Issues, Catherine Pool

Nebraska Anthropologist

Transboundary Protected areas (TBP As) and peace parks are possible solutions to conflict and environmental problems that can occur along the borders separating countries. Though there are many possible benefits to the parks creation, they can cause problems for those that live along the borders. A series of case studies are examined to determine what factors can help or hinder the success of the parks. Without communication at all levels, from government to locals, the parks are unsuccessful. If the people at the border are not part of the decisions made regarding the parks they are much more likely to …

Fun And Games Of Teaching: Simulations In A Social Problems Course, Lisa New Freeland

Honors in Practice Online Archive

In attempts to move my honors social problems course from a passive environment to a more active and student-centered one, I drew on my experience and the experience of others using simulations to produce a course model committed to “games” and student-initiated learning. I stepped back and reevaluated what I wanted my students to gain while in my class and what impact I wanted the course to have on their future in society. Simulation games provide an opportunity for students to discover knowledge and drive their own education rather than passively taking in information. These “games” are simulations of real …

Anti-Microbial And Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of 'Pilostigma Reticulatum' Leaf Extract, Mutalib A. Aderogba, E. K. Okoh, Iruka N. Okeke, M. Olajide

Biology Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Age-Related Body Mass And Reproductive Measurements Of Gray Wolves In Minnesota, L. David Mech

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

Based on 65 free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) of known age and 25 of estimated age examined during summers of 1970–2004 in northeastern Minnesota, body mass of both males and females peaked at 5 or 6 years of age, with mean masses of 40.8 kg and 31.2 kg, respectively. Testis size varied as a function of age and month through at least 8 years of age, with length plus width ranging from 1.9 to 7.8 cm. Most females aged 4–9 years bred based on assessment of nipple sizes; those that had not bred had average lower body mass …

2006 Devils Lake Basin Water Management Plan

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

It was determined by the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board (Joint Board) in early 2002, that a need existed to update the 1995 plan, and to re-evaluate its objectives based on more current and enhanced data. That report supercedes the 1995 Devils Lake Basin Water Management Plan (Water Plan) that was a product of the Devils Lake Basin Conceptual Water Management Plan. When the 2002 plan was completed, it was decided by the Joint Board to update the plan at least every three years. There are three main objectives of the 2006 update of the Water Plan; the …

Xinfang: An Alternative To Formal Chinese Legal Institutions, Carl F. Minzner

Faculty Scholarship

Formal legal institutions are almost entirely absent from the lives of most Chinese citizens. A range of petitioning institutions and practices operate as a dysfunctional proxy for formal legal channels. Deeply rooted in imperial Chinese history, these practices and institutions have survived into the present in the form of citizen petitioning efforts directed at numerous “letters and visits” (xinfang) bureaus distributed throughout Chinese government organs, including the courts.

This Article examines the historical origins and regulatory basis for the modern xinfang system. It outlines the characteristic tactics of Chinese petitioners who seek to use the system to resolve their grievances. …

Magic Alkali-Fullerene Compound Clusters Of Extreme Thermal Stability, Axel Enders, N. Malinowski, D. Ievlev, E. Zurek, Jochen Autschbach, Klaus Kern

Axel Enders Publications

The thermal stability of free pure C₆₀-, as well as C₆₀-alkali, and -alkaline-earth metal compound clusters is investigated. We find that small (C₆₀) _m-clusters (m ≤ 6) decay at comparatively low temperatures below 400 K, as a consequence of weak intermolecular van der Waals interaction. Adding barium or potassium to the clusters dramatically increases the decay temperatures for “magic” configurations of (C₆₀)_mBa_2m−1 and (C₆₀)_mK_2m, which reach values as high as 1780 K. Contrary to common belief, the superstable compound …

Bullets On What's Happening At Unl Ianr, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

No abstract provided.