Digital Commons Network^™

State Of The Strait Use Of Remote Sensing And Gis To Better Manage The Huron-Erie Corridor, Steve Francoeur, Luca Cargnelli, Anna Cook, John Hartig, John Gannon, Greg Norwood

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Understanding the Patterns and Successes of Our Huron-Erie Corridor

The Huron-Erie Corridor, centered by Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, is an exceptional example of a place with a concentration of various natural and human boundaries, contrasts, and complex dynamics. The inherent diversity and abundance of habitats in the Corridor in relation to the North American continent and the Great Lakes Basin gives it a centrality that has long attracted both wildlife and people. Of primary importance is the U.S.-Canada border which bisects the Corridor, oft en cited as the location of the largest flow of transnational trade on Earth. Here, …

Influence Of Carbon And Lipid Sources On Variation Of Mercury And Other Trace Elements In Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus), Heli Routti, Robert J. Letcher, Erik W. Born, Marsha Branigan, Rune Dietz, Thomas J. Evans, Melissa A. Mckinney, Elizabeth Peacock, Christian Sonne

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

In the present study, the authors investigated the influence of carbon and lipid sources on regional differences in liver trace element (As, Cd, Cu, total Hg, Mn, Pb, Rb, Se, and Zn) concentrations measured in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) (n=121) from 10 Alaskan, Canadian Arctic, and East Greenland subpopulations. Carbon and lipid sources were assessed using δ¹³C in muscle tissue and fatty acid (FA) profiles in subcutaneous adipose tissue as chemical tracers. A negative relationship between total Hg and δ¹³C suggested that polar bears feeding in areas with higher riverine inputs of …

From Protozoan Infection In Monarch Butterflies To Colony Collapse Disorder In Bees Are Emerging Infectious Diseases Proliferating In The Insect World?, Rebecca Bartel, Sonia Altizer

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

In the late 1990S, scientists first noticed mysterious declines in several wild bumble bee species (Bombus spp.) in both eastern and western North America, with one species now possibly extinct (Colla and Packer 2008). These bumble bee losses mirrored declines in the abundance of many other native pollinators (National Research Council 2007). Interestingly, the timing of bumble bee declines in the United States coincided with reports of disease outbreaks in commercial- reared bumble bees sold for use in the production of greenhouse tomatoes and peppers (Evans et al. 2008). This observation, together with reports of a higher incidence of …

Marine Biotoxins: Emergence Of Harmful Algal Blooms As Health Threats To Marine Wildlife, Spencer E. Fire, Frances M. Van Dolah

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) affect aquatic ecosystems around the world, adversely affecting marine animal and human health, coastal ecosystem integrity, and economies that depend on coastal resources. Shellfish poisoning events involving humans who had ingested bivalves contaminated with HAB toxins primarily drove early scientific and social interest in HABs. More recently, research efforts have shown that HABs are often temporally and spatially correlated with the occurrence of acute morbidity or mortality of marine animals (Landsberg et al. 2005), and to date at least four classes of algal toxins have been associated with such events. Although fish, seabirds, and many other …

Snow Cover Monitoring From Remote-Sensing Satellites: Possibilities For Drought Assessment, Cezar Kongoli, Peter Romanov, Ralph Ferraro

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Snow cover is an important earth surface characteristic because it influences partitioning of the surface radiation, energy, and hydrologic budgets. Snow is also an important source of moisture for agricultural crops and water supply in many higher latitude or mountainous areas. For instance, snowmelt provides approximately 50%–80% of the annual runoff in the western United States (Pagano and Garen, 2006) and Canadian Prairies (Gray et al., 1989; Fang and Pomeroy, 2007), which substantially impacts warm season hydrology. Limited soil moisture reserves from the winter period can result in agricultural drought (i.e., severe early growing season vegetation stress if rainfall deficits …

Recent Progress In West Nile Virus Diagnosis And Vaccination, Marina De Filette, Sebastian Ulbert, Mike Diamond, Niek N. Sanders

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Copper Pellets Simulating Oral Exposure To Copper Ammunition: Absence Of Toxicity In American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), J. Christian Franson, Lesanna L. Lahner, Carol U. Meteyer, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper

(Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun

pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on

wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu

exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco

sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered

5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets

(1.18–2.00 mm in diameter) nine times during 38 days and

10 controls were sham gavaged on the same schedule. With

one exception, all birds retained the pellets for at least 1 h,

but most (69%) regurgitated pellets during …

A Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Platform For In Situ Measures Of Chemistry, Bioaccumulation And Toxicity. Part 1: System Description And Proof Of Concept, G. Allen Burton Jr., Gunther Rosen, D. Bart Chadwick, Marc S. Greenberg, W. Keith Taulbee, Guilherme R. Lotufo, Danny D. Reible

United States Navy: Publications

In situ-based testing using aquatic organisms has been widely reported, but is often limited in scope and practical usefulness in making decisions on ecological risk and remediation. To provide this capability, an integrated deployment system, the Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment (SEA) Ring was developed, which incorporates rapid in situ hydrological, chemical, bioaccumulation, and toxicological Lines-of-Evidence (LoE) for assessing sediment and overlying water contamination. The SEA Ring system allows for diver-assisted, or diverless, deployment of multiple species of ecologically relevant and indigenous organisms in three different exposures (overlying water, sediment-water interface, and bulk sediment) for periods ranging from two days to …

The Population Structure Of Escherichia Coli Isolated From Subtropical And Temperate Soils, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Tao Yan, Matthew J. Hamilton, Satoshi Ishii, Roger S. Fujioka, Richard L. Whitman, Michael J. Sadowsky

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

While genotypically-distinct naturalized Escherichia coli strains have been shown to occur in riparian soils of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior watersheds, comparative analyses of E. coli populations in diverse soils across a range of geographic and climatic conditions have not been investigated. The main objectives of this study were to: (a) examine the population structure and genetic relatedness of E. coli isolates collected from different soil types on a tropical island (Hawaii), and (b) determine if E. coli populations from Hawaii and temperate soils (Indiana, Minnesota) shared similar genotypes that may be reflective of biome-related soil conditions. DNA fingerprint and …

Dynamics Of Envelope Evolution In Clade C Shiv-Infected Pig-Tailed Macaques During Disease Progression Analyzed By Ultra-Deep Pyrosequencing, For Yue Tso, Damien C. Tully, Sandra Gonzalez, Christopher Quince, On Ho, Patricia Polacino, Ruth M. Ruprecht, Shiu-Lok Hu, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Understanding the evolution of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope during disease progression can provide tremendous insights for vaccine development, and simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection of nonhuman primate provides an ideal platform for such studies. A newly developed clade C SHIV, SHIV-1157ipd3N4, which was able to infect rhesus macaques, closely resembled primary HIV-1 in transmission and pathogenesis, was used to infect several pig-tailed macaques. One of the infected animals subsequently progressed to AIDS, whereas one remained a nonprogressor. The viral envelope evolution in the infected animals during disease progression was analyzed by a bioinformatics approach using ultra-deep …

Coxsackievirus B3 Infection Leads To The Generation Of Cardiac Myosin Heavy Chain-Α-Reactive Cd4 T Cells In A/J Mice, Arunakumar Gangaplara, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Deborah M. Brown, Gustavo A. Delhon, Asit K. Pattnaik, Nora Chapman, Noel Rose, David J. Steffen, Jay Reddy

Jay Reddy Publications

Enteroviruses like coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) are common suspects in myocarditis/dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Autoimmunity has been proposed as an underlying mechanism, but direct evidence of its role is lacking. To delineate autoimmune response in CVB3 myocarditis, we used IA^k dextramers for cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc)-α 334–352. We have demonstrated that myocarditis-susceptible A/J mice infected with CVB3 generate Myhc-α-reactive CD4 T cells and such a repertoire was absent in naïve mice as measured by proliferative response to Myhc-α 334–352 and IA^k dextramer staining. We also detected Myhc-α 334–352 dextramer⁺ cells in the hearts of CVB3-infected mice. The autoreactive …

University Of Nebraska- Lincoln Fact Book 2011-2012

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administration: Reports, Papers, Publications, and Presentations

Fact Book Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents .......................................................................................... 2

General Information

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Core Values ................................................ 4

The Role of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ........................................ 5

The Missions of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ......................................... 5

Teaching...................................................................................................... 6

Research. .............................................................................. 7

Service........................................................................................... 7

Institutional and Professional Accreditations..................................................... 8

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administrative Organization Chart ................... 11

Student Credit Hours (SCH)

Total SCH: Fall Semester Since 1979 ....................................................... 12

Total SCH: Spring Semester Since 1993 ......................................................... 13

SCH by College and Course Level, Fall and Spring Semester - 5 Year Trend ..... 14

SCH by College and …

Water Current, Volume 44, No. 1, Winter 2012

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Growth Promotants On The Occurrence Of Endogenous And Synthetic Steroid Hormones On Feedlot Soils And In Runoff From Beef Cattle Feeding Operations, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, William L. Kranz, Terry L. Mader, Charles A. Shapiro, Simon Van Donk, David P. Shelton, David Tarkalson, Tian Zhang

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Supplements and growth promotants containing steroid hormones are routinely administered to beef cattle to improve feeding efficiency, reduce behavioral problems, and enhance production. As a result, beef cattle manure will contain both synthetic steroids as well as a range of endogenous steroids including androgens, estrogens, and progestogens. A two-year controlled study was conducted in which beef cattle were administered steroid hormones via subcutaneous implants and feed additives and the occurrence of 16 endogenous and synthetic steroid hormones and metabolites was evaluated in runoff from beef cattle feedlots and in manure and soil collected from feedlot surfaces. Samples were extracted and …

Faculty Senate Minutes, April 4, 2012 (Draft), Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Minutes and Reports

No abstract provided.

The Post And Lintel, Winter 2012, Preservation Eastern

Post & Lintel

No abstract provided.

Stochastic And Deterministic Processes Regulate Spatio-Temporal Variation In Seed Bank Diversity, Alejandro A. Royo, Todd E. Ristau

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

Question: Seed banks often serve as reservoirs of taxonomic and genetic diversity that buffer plant populations and influence post-disturbance vegetation trajectories; yet evaluating their importance requires understanding how their composition varies within and across spatial and temporal scales (α- and β-diversity). Shifts in seed bank diversity are strongly governed by the deterministic role of differential seed longevities. Nevertheless, spatio-temporal variability in propagule depletion from and recruitment into seed banks may alter both α- and β-diversity. Here, we ask to what degree deterministic seed exhaustion, stochasticity in recruitment and mortality, or both, shape α- and β-diversity?

Location: Temperate hardwood …

Adaptive Divergence At The Margin Of An Invaded Range, Francis F. Kilkenny, Laura F. Galloway

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

Invasive plant species threaten biological communities globally. However, relatively little is known about how evolutionary processes vary over the course of an invasion. To evaluate the importance of historical and adaptive drivers of range expansion, we compare the performance of North American populations of invasive Lonicera japonica from areas established 100–150 years ago, now the southern core of the range, to populations from the northern range margin, established within the last 65 years. Growth and survival of individuals from 17 core and 14 margin populations were compared in common gardens at both regions. After three years, margin plants were larger …

Identification Of Sprague's Pipit Nest Predators, Stephen K. Davis, Stephanie L. Jones, Kimberly Dohms, Teslin Holmes

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

Nest predation is the primary factor influencing grassland songbird reproductive success. Understanding factors driving spatial and temporal variation in nest survival requires that we identify the primary nest predators and factors influencing predator abundance and behavior. Predation events are rarely witnessed, and the identification of nest predators is inferred, often incorrectly, from nest remains or observations of potential predators. We used video photography to identify predators of Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) nests in Saskatchewan and Montana. We monitored 60 nests in Saskatchewan and 11 nests in Montana and documented at least ten different species preying upon eggs and …

Nest Defense- Grassland Bird Responses To Snakes, Kevin Ellison, Christine Ribic

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

Predation is the primary source of nest mortality for most passerines; thus, behaviors to reduce the impacts of predation are frequently quantified to study learning, adaptation, and coevolution among predator and prey species. Video surveillance of nests has made it possible to examine real-time parental nest defense. During 1999-2009, we used video camera systems to monitor 518 nests of grassland birds. We reviewed video of 48 visits by snakes to 34 nests; 37 of these visits resulted in predation of active nests. When adult birds encountered snakes at the nest (n = 33 visits), 76% of the encounters resulted …

Insights From A Synthesis Of Old And New Climate-Proxy Data From The Pyramid And Winnemucca Lake Basins For The Period 48 To 11.5 Cal Ka, Larry Benson, J.P. Smoot, S.P. Lund, S.A. Mensing, F.F. Foit Jr., R.O. Rye

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A synthesis of old and new paleoclimatic data from the Pyramid and Winnemucca lake basins indicates that, between 48.0 and 11.5∙10³ calibrated years BP (hereafter ka), the climate of the western Great Basin was, to a degree, linked with the climate of the North Atlantic. Paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) records from Pyramid Lake core PLC08-1 were tied to the GISP2 ice-core record via PSV matches to North Atlantic sediment cores whose isotopic and(or) carbonate records could be linked to the GISP2δ¹⁸O record. Relatively dry intervals in the western Great Basin were associated with cold Heinrich events and …

Development And Evaluation Of A Quantitative Pcr Assay Targeting Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis) Fecal Pollution, Hodon Ryu, Jingrang Lu, Jason Vogel, Michael Elk, Felipe Chávez-Ramírez, Nicholas Ashbolt, Jorge Santo Domingo

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

While the microbial water quality in the Platte River is seasonally impacted by excreta from migrating cranes, there are no methods available to study crane fecal contamination. Here we characterized microbial populations in crane feces using phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene fecal clone libraries. Using these sequences, a novel crane quantitative PCR (Crane1) assay was developed, and its applicability as a microbial source tracking (MST) assay was evaluated by determining its host specificity and detection ability in environmental waters. Bacteria from crane excreta were dominated by bacilli and proteobacteria, with a notable paucity of sequences homologous to Bacteroidetes and …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Large-Scale Decontamination Approaches, M. W. Calfee, S. P. Ryan, J. P. Wood, L. Mickelsen, C. Kempter, L. Miller, M. Colby, A. Touati, M. Clayton, N. Griffin-Gatchalian, S. Mcdonald, R. Delafield

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of two spray-based decontamination methods for surface contamination reduction and to determine the potential for contamination spread by these methods.

Methods and Results: Material coupons (treated plywood and concrete) were contaminated with c. 1 × 10⁷ spores of Bacillus atrophaeus by aerosol deposition. Decontaminants (pH-adjusted bleach or Spor-Klenz^® RTU) were applied to coupons by either backpack sprayer or gas-powered sprayer. Contact time, reapplication frequency and rinse method were also varied. In addition to surface removal efficacy, partitioning of contamination between the rinsate and aerosol fractions was determined. Results indicated that pH-adjusted bleach …

Poster Abstract: Crane Charades: Behavior Identification Via Backpack Mounted Sensor Platforms, William P. Bennett, Megan Fitzpatrick, David Anthony, Mehmet C. Vuran, Anne Lacy

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

The Whooping Crane is an endangered species native to North America and there are approximately 575 in existence. There have been recent efforts to provide ecologists with a tool to study the multifaceted behavior of the endangered species. Like many species, cranes display distinctly identifiable movements while being threatened, acting territorial, migrating, or preening. The preliminary experiments described in this poster provide evidence that sensor data presented by a novel sensing platform, the CraneTracker, can be used to identify crane behaviors on-board. With the ability to identify these behaviors, ecologists will have a more granular insight on what occurs during …

How One Writes, Makes, Markets A Movie And How An Audience Reads The Movie: Two Biographical Films Of Hitler As A Case Study, Nick Chi-Shu J. Yeh

CGU Theses & Dissertations

According to John Lukacs, German people's views on Hitler and Nazism once got examined right after the fall the Third Reich in the 1950s but this subject has lost its appeal since then. How do Germans nowadays, specifically those young ones raised in the "New Germany" after the fall of the Berlin Wall, think of Hitler and their country's Nazi legacy? This dissertation is to explore how six young Germans growing up in the new "unified Germany" interpret two films' representations of Hitler and Nazism.

Optimization And Development Of In Vitro Bioassays To Determine Structure-Activity Relationships For Cannabinoid Receptor 1 And Cannabinoid Receptor 2, Afeef Husni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis has been around for thousands of years and has been used recreationally, medicinally, and for fiber. Over 400 compounds have been isolated from Cannabis sativa with approximately 100 being cannabinoids. Of those 100 compounds, Δ9-THC has been determined as the primary constituent, which is also responsible for the psychoactivity associated with Cannabis. Along with Δ9-THC, cannabidiol has been studied in depth for its therapeutic effects. This has currently been the focus of many researchers since cannabidiol does not cause psychotropic effects.

Cannabinoid receptors belong to the large superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Approximately 30% of marketed drugs target …

Recent Advances In The Application Of Non Thermal Methods For The Prevention Of Salmonella In Foods, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Books/Book Chapters/ Proceedings

Food-borne illness as a result of consumption of foods contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is a world-wide concern. The presence and subsequent growth of micro-organisms in food in addition to improper storage not only results in spoilage but also in a reduction of food quality. The microbiological safety in ready to eat products is a cause of big concern not only for the consumers and food industries but also for the regulatory agencies. The number of documented outbreaks of foodborne diseases has increased in the last decade with Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli being responsible for the largest number …

The Rollamo 2012, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Yearbooks

No abstract provided.

Graduate Showcase 2012: Education For The Future, The Graduate School, Grand Valley State University

Graduate Showcase Previous Years

No abstract provided.

Astronomical Tourism: An Often Overlooked Sustainable Tourism Segment, Fredrick M. Collison Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

Astronomical tourism is a potential attraction for visitors to destination areas where dark skies free from artificial light pollution can be enjoyed. This situation presents an opportunity for locations with specific product offerings such as astronomical observatories, (Robson, 2005; Weaver, 2011), auroral displays (Weaver, 2011), national/state/local parks, amateur astronomy organizations that offer public programs, and miscellaneous other providers. The focus here is on parks that have both dark skies and an organized astronomy program. The purpose of this research is two-fold: 1) to provide background research on necessary elements for astronomical tourism and 2) to examine the potential for this …