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Fish And Other Aquatic Resource Trends In The United States A Technical Document Supporting The Forest Service 2010 Rpa Assessment, Andrew J. Loftus, Curtis H. Flather

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

The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 requires periodic assessments of the status and trends in the Nation’s renewable natural resources including fish and other aquatic species and their habitats. Data from a number of sources are used to document trends in habitat quality, populations, resource use, and patterns of imperilment among aquatic fauna. Freshwater habitat quality varied widely across the United States. Nationwide, more than half of monitored lakes were ranked in good condition, but the percentage ranged from a high of 91 percent in the upper Midwest to a low of 1 percent in …

Nebraska’S Forest Resources, 2012, Dacia M. Meneguzzo, Chuck Barnett

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

This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for Nebraska based on an annual inventory conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program at the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service. These estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information please refer to page 5 of this report.

Profitable Farms And Woodlands: A Practical Guide In Agroforestry For Landowners, Farmers And Ranchers, J. O. Idassi

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

This handbook is part of an interdisciplinary, interinstitutional and comprehensive effort to develop a practical guide to assist underserved and limited resource small farmers and woodland owners to adopt best management technologies in agroforestry. Funding for this effort was provided through the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) from the US Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under cooperative agreement number 68-7482-7-361 with Tennessee State University, Cooperative Extension Program and the 1890/1862 Agroforestry Team.

This guide was prepared by an agroforestry team of research and extension specialists from the 1862 and 1890 Land Grant Universities in collaboration with …

Agroforestry: Accounting For Windbreak's Climate Change Contributions, Michele Schoeneberger, Jim Brandle, Xinhua Zhou, John Kort, Tom Sauer

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

No abstract provided.

Six Reasons For Invoking Evolution In Decision Theory, Peter Hammerstein, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The study of games and decisions has long been guided by a philosophical discourse on concepts of rationality and their implications. This discourse has led to a large body of mathematical work and kept generations of researchers busy, but few serious attempts have been made to understand decision making in the real world. Over the last decades, however, decision theory has moved toward the sciences and developed its “taste for the facts.” Research is now guided by experimental economics, cognitive psychology, behavioral biology, and—most recently—neuroscience. Despite the increasingly empirical leanings of decision science, the explanatory power of evolutionary theory has …

Iptakalim Preferentially Decreases Nicotine-Induced Hyperlocomotion In Phencyclidine-Sensitized Rats: A Potential Dual Action Against Nicotine Addiction And Psychosis, Nick Volf, Gang Hu, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Iptakalim is a putative ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opener. It is also a novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) blocker and can antagonize nicotine-induced increase in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Our recent work also shows that iptakalim exhibits a clozapine-like atypical antipsychotic profile, indicating that iptakalim may possess a dual action against nicotine addiction and schizophrenia.

Methods: The present study examined the potential therapeutic effects of iptakalim on nicotine use in schizophrenia. We created an animal model of comorbidity of nicotine addiction and schizophrenia by injecting male Sprague-Dawley rats with nicotine (0.40 mg/kg, subcutaneously［sc］) or saline, in combination …

Differential Effects Of Acute Amphetamine And Phencyclidine Treatment And Withdrawal From Repeated Amphetamine Or Phencyclidine Treatment On Social Interaction And Social Memory In Rats, Ming Li, Wei He, Rebecca Munro

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although animal models based on amphetamine (AMPH) or phencyclidine (PCP) treatment have been used extensively to study the neurobiological and behavioral characteristics of schizophrenia, there are conflicting reports regarding their validity in modeling the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. The present study examined how acute AMPH or PCP treatment (Experiment 1) and withdrawal from repeated AMPH treatment (Experiment 2) or PCP treatment (Experiment 3) affects social behavior and social recognition memory in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Each subject was tested on two consecutive days. On the first day, the rats were tested four times (5 min/each) at 10-min intervals …

Disentangling The Nature Of The Nicotine Stimulus, Rick A. Bevins, Scott T. Barrett, Robert J. Polewan, Steven T. Pittenger, Natashia Swalve, Sergios Charntikov

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Learning involving interoceptive stimuli likely plays an important role in many diseases and psychopathologies. Within this area, there has been extensive research investigating the interoceptive stimulus effects of abused drugs. In this pursuit, behavioral pharmacologists have taken advantage of what is known about learning processes and adapted the techniques to investigate the behavioral and receptor mechanisms of drug stimuli. Of particular interest is the nicotine stimulus and the use of the two-lever operant drug discrimination task and the Pavlovian drug discriminated goal-tracking task. There is strong concordance between the two methods when using “standard” testing protocols that minimize learning on …

Endoscopic And Stroboscopic Presentation Of The Larynx In Male-To-Female Transsexual Persons, Derek Palmer, Angela M. Dietsch, Jeff Searl

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background. Male-to-female transsexual (MFT) persons often attempt to produce a female-sounding voice as part of the transition process. Endoscopic and stroboscopic data about how they accomplish this with an anatomically male larynx are lacking.

Objectives. To describe vocal fold activity in MFT persons producing their feminine voice and identify signs of vocal misuse or hyperfunction in MFT speakers, if any.

Study Design. Prospective, nonrandomized, descriptive study of a convenience sample of MFT persons.

Methods. All MFT persons had endoscopic and stroboscopic procedures completed. Images were rated on a range of parameters by two experienced voice therapists …

Frequency Modulation And Spatiotemporal Stability Of The Scpg In Preterm Infants With Rds, Steven M. Barlow, Mimi Burch, Lalit Venkatesan, Meredith Harold, Emily Zimmerman

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The nonnutritive suck (NNS) is an observable and accessible motor behavior which is often used to make inference about brain development and pre-feeding skill in preterm and term infants. The purpose of this study was to model NNS burst compression pressure dynamics in the frequency and time domain among two groups of preterm infants, including those with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, N = 15) and 17 healthy controls. Digitized samples of NNS compression pressure waveforms recorded at a 1-week interval were collected 15 minutes prior to a scheduled feed. Regression analysis and ANOVA revealed that healthy preterm infants produced longer …

The Effects Of Vestibular Stimulation Rate And Magnitude Of Acceleration On Central Pattern Generation For Chest Wall Kinematics In Preterm Infants, Emily Zimmerman, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objective—To examine the role of vestibular inputs on respiratory and oromotor systems in healthy preterm infants.

Study Design—27 preterm infants were quasi-randomly assigned to either the VestibuGlide treatment or control groups. VestibuGlide infants were held in a developmentally supportive position, given a pacifier and received a series of vestibular stimuli, counterbalanced across rate and acceleration conditions, 15 minutes 3x/day for 10 days. The control infants were also held in a developmentally supportive position, given a pacifier for 15 minutes 3x/day for 10 days but did not receive the VestibuGlide stimulation.

Result—A multi-level regression model revealed that treatment infants increased their …

Adolescent Violent Victimization And Precocious Union Formation, Danielle C. Kuhl, David F. Warner, Andrew Wilczak

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This article bridges scholarship in criminology and family sociology by extending arguments about “precocious exits” from adolescence to consider early union formation as a salient outcome of violent victimization for youths. Research indicates that early union formation is associated with several negative outcomes; yet the absence of attention to union formation as a consequence of violent victimization is noteworthy. We address this gap by drawing on life course theory and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine the effect of violent victimization (“street” violence) on the timing of first coresidential union formation—differentiating between marriage …

Correlates Of Homeless Episodes Among Indigenous People, Les B. Whitbeck, Devan M. Crawford, Kelley J. Sittner Hartshorn

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study reports the correlates of homeless episodes among 873 Indigenous adults who are part of an ongoing longitudinal study on four reservations in the Northern Midwest and four Canadian First Nation reserves. Descriptive analyses depict differences between those who have and have not experienced an episode of homelessness in their lifetimes. Multivariate analyses assess factors associated with a history of homeless episodes at the time of their first interview. Results show that individuals with a history of homeless episodes had significantly more individual and family health, mental health, and substance abuse problems. Periods of homelessness also were associated with …

Implicit And Explicit Alcohol-Related Motivations Among College Binge Drinkers, Laura C. Herschl, Dennis E. Mcchargue, James Mackillop, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Krista B. Highland

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Positive alcohol outcome expectancies and behavioral economic indices of alcohol consumption are related to binge drinking among college students and may reflect explicit and implicit motivations that are differentially associated with this behavior. Objectives: The present study hypothesized that implicit (alcohol purchase task) and explicit (positive expectancy for alcohol’s effects) motivations for drinking would not be correlated. It was also hypothesized that greater implicit and explicit motivations would predict alcohol-related risk. Methods: Participants were 297 college student binge drinkers (54% female; 88% European-American; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: M = 9.53, SD = 5.04). Three indices from the …

Band Encounters Of Wintering European Starlings Captured In Kansas, Nebraska, And Texas, H. Jeffrey Homan, James R. Thiele, Garrett W. Unrein, Shannon M. Gaukler, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are agricultural and societal pests in the U.S., thus, understanding their migratory behavior is of practical importance to resource managers. We leg-banded starlings and used publicly reported encounters with them to estimate migration distances traveled by wintering populations to reach their reproductive territories. We captured and banded 9,939 starlings at 6 sites between November and February 2005–2010 in 3 states. We banded birds in industrial areas surrounding Omaha, Nebraska, and at cattle feedlots in central Kansas (n = 2) and the Texas Panhandle (n = 3). Banding sites were associated with wintering …

Freshwater Clams As Bioconcentrators Of Avian Influenza Virus In Water, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jenny S. Carlson, Kevin T. Bentler, Kacy R. Cobble, Dale L. Nolte, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report experimental evidence for bioconcentration of a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (H6N8) in the tissue of freshwater clams. Our results support the concept that freshwater clams may provide an effective tool for use in the early detection of influenza A viruses in aquatic environments.

Assessment Of Bird Damage To Sunflower And Corn In North Dakota, Megan E. Klosterman, George M. Linz, Anthony A. Slowik, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

North Dakota is the top sunflower-producing state in the United States, annually harvesting about 404,686 ha (1 million acres). Since the early 2000s, corn also has become a major crop within the state due to increases in corn prices. Blackbirds (Icteridae) can cause significant damage to both ripening corn and sunflower. The National Sunflower Association considers blackbird depredation to be a key factor in the reduction in sunflower acreage in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). In order to better quantify the amount of damage caused by blackbirds, we assessed blackbird damage to ripening sunflower and corn in 120 …

Sunflower Growers Use Nonlethal Methods To Manage Blackbird Damage, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbird damage to sunflower in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota is an unyielding challenge to the industry. Large populations of blackbirds and environmental concerns have driven the direction of research toward nonlethal methods that can be implemented locally. Currently, Wildlife Services field specialists lend propane cannons to growers and spray wetlands with glyphosate to fragment dense cattail stands used by roosting blackbirds. After researchers demonstrated decoy crops (wildlife conservation sunflower plots), some growers have adapted the basic principles and have started diverting blackbirds from sunflower, a high value crop, to alternative lesser-value crops, such …

Integrity And Retention Of Ear-Tag Radiotransmitters In Domestic Cattle And Feral Horses, Bryan M. Kluever, Laura Lagos, Stewart W. Breck, Larry D. Howery, Manuel L. Sanmartín, David L. Bergman, Felipe Bárcena

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Radiotelemetry is an important tool for wildlife management and research, but in some cases attachment of neck collars can be problematic. An alternative in large mammals is to attach transmitters to the ear, though little is published about ear-tag radiotransmitter integrity (i.e., how long a transmitter emits a useful signal) and retention (i.e., how long a transmitter remains attached to an animal). Here we report eartag transmitter integrity and retention from 2 studies monitoring free-ranging calves (Bos taurus) in eastern Arizona, USA, and feral horse (Equus ferus) foals in northwestern Spain. Transmitter integrity and retention was …

North American Birds As Potential Amplifying Hosts Of Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Nicole M. Nemeth, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Paul T. Oesterle, Dennis Kohler, Richard Bowen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an emerging arbovirus, and inter-continental spread is an impending threat. The virus is maintained in a transmission cycle between mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts, including birds. We detected variation in interspecies responses among North American birds to infection with strains of two different JEV genotypes (I and III). Several native North American passerine species and ring-billed gulls had the highest average peak viremia titers after inoculation with a Vietnamese (genotype I) JEV strain. Oral JEV shedding was minimal and cloacal shedding was rarely detected. The majority of birds, both viremic (72 of 74; 97.3%) and …

The Use Of Diazacon™ To Limit Fertility By Reducing Serum Cholesterol In Female Grey Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, Brenda A. Mayle, Mark Ferryman, Andrew Peace, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, David Cowan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: The grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, is an invasive alien species introduced into Great Britain in the late nineteenth century and into Northern Italy during the early twentieth century. Grey squirrels have displaced the native European red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris L., throughout much of Great Britain and have a significant impact on trees and woodlands through bark-stripping activity. In Britain, eradication is no longer an option at a regional scale, but fertility control offers a non-lethal approach to reducing negative impacts. The cholesterol mimic DiazaCon™ has been successfully used to inhibit reproduction in some species. These studies aimed to …

Oblique Color Vision In An Open-Habitat Bird: Spectral Sensitivity, Photoreceptor Distribution And Behavioral Implications, Bret A. Moore, Patrice Baumhardt, Megan Doppler, Jacquelyn Randolet, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Ellis R. Loew, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Color vision is not uniform across the retina because of differences in photoreceptor density and distribution. Retinal areas with a high density of cone photoreceptors may overlap with those with a high density of ganglion cells, increasing hue discrimination. However, there are some exceptions to this cell distribution pattern, particularly in species with horizontal visual streaks (bands of high ganglion cell density across the retina) that live in open habitats. We studied the spectral sensitivity and distribution of cone photoreceptors involved in chromatic and achromatic vision in the Canada goose (Branta canadiensis), which possesses an oblique rather than …

Detection Of Prion Protein In The Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) With Chronic Wasting Disease Using Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification, Tracy A. Nichols, Terry R. Spraker, Tom Gidlewski, Jenny G. Powers, Glenn C. Telling, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Mark D. Zabel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been examined as a possible source for preclinical diagnosis of prion diseases in hamsters and sheep. The present report describes the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the CSF of elk and evaluates its usefulness as an antemortem test for CWD. The CSF from 6 captive and 31 free-ranging adult elk was collected at necropsy and evaluated for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein that has been associated with CWD (PrP^CWD) via protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Additionally, the obex from each animal was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Four out …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 8. Eleutherodactylus Planirostris, The Greenhouse Frog (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae), Christina A. Olson, Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The greenhouse frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, is a direct developing (i.e., no aquatic stage) frog native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It was introduced to Hawai‘i via nursery plants in the early 1990s and then subsequently from Hawai‘i to Guam in 2003. The greenhouse frog is now widespread on five Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Infestations are often overlooked due to the frog’s quiet calls, small size, and cryptic behavior, and this likely contributes to its spread. Because the greenhouse frog is an insectivore, introductions may reduce invertebrates. In Hawai‘i, the greenhouse frog primarily consumes ants, mites, and springtails and obtains …

Assessment Of Toxicity And Potential Risk Of The Anticoagulant Rodenticide Diphacinone Using Eastern Screech-Owls (Megascops Asio), Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Karen M. Eisenreich, Carol U. Meteyer, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton, John D. Eisemann, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, new regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. This action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds (e.g., diphacinone; DPN). Single-day acute oral exposure of adult Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio) to DPN evoked overt signs of intoxication, coagulopathy, histopathological lesions (e.g., hemorrhage, hepatocellular vacuolation), and/ or lethality at doses as low as 130 mg/kg body weight, although there was no dose–response relation. However, this single-day exposure protocol does not mimic the multiple-day field exposures required to cause mortality in rodent pest species and non-target birds and …

Genetic Evaluation Of An Attempted Rattus Rattus Eradication On Congo Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands, Identifies Importance Of Eradication Units, Julie A. Savidge, Matthew W. Hopken, Gary W. Witmer, Susan M. Jojola, Judy J. Pierce, Patrick W. Burke, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Congo Cay, U.S. Virgin Islands, has high value for breeding seabirds and is a potential reintroduction site for the endangered Virgin Islands tree boa (Epicrates monensis granti). However, introduced ship rats (Rattus rattus) undermine its conservation value. Three unsuccessful eradication attempts have been conducted since 1990, with the latest in 2006; rats were trapped 1.5 years later. We examined microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA sequences of ship rats from Congo Cay and three other nearby cays to determine if rats found after the most recent eradication effort were surviving individuals or reinvaders from neighboring cays; we …

Territory Fidelity, Space Use, And Survival Rates Of Wild Coyotes Following Surgical Sterilization, Renee G. Seidler, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sterilization of wild canids is being used experimentally in many management applications. Few studies have clearly demonstrated vasectomized and tuballigated canids will retain pair-bonding and territorial behaviors. We tested whether territory fidelity, space use, and survival rates of surgically sterilized coyote (Canis latrans) packs were different from sham-operated coyote packs. We captured and radio-collared 30 coyotes in December 2006. Sixteen of these animals were sterilized via vasectomy or tubal ligation, and 14 were given shamsurgeries (i.e., remained intact). We monitored these animals using telemetry and visual observations through 2 breeding seasons and 1 pup-rearing season from December 2006 …

Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild House Mice, Susan A. Shriner, Kaci K. Vandalen, Nicole L. Mooers, Jeremy W. Ellis, Heather J. Sullivan, J. Jeffrey Root, Angela M. Pelzel, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Avian influenza viruses are known to productively infect a number of mammal species, several of which are commonly found on or near poultry and gamebird farms. While control of rodent species is often used to limit avian influenza virus transmission within and among outbreak sites, few studies have investigated the potential role of these species in outbreak dynamics.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We trapped and sampled synanthropic mammals on a gamebird farm in Idaho, USA that had recently experienced a low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Six of six house mice (Mus musculus) caught on the outbreak farm …

Synergistic Stressors And The Dilemma Of Conservation In A Multivariate World: A Case Study In Allegheny Woodrats, T. J. Smyser, S. A. Johnson, L. Kristen Page, Olin Eugene Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contemporary patterns of species decline frequently stem from multiple, synergistic pressures, which much like the genetic concept of lethal equivalents, must be interpreted in sum rather than as independent deleterious entities. For example, the recent, range-wide decline of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is likely a result of numerous, minor, human-mediated stressors including habitat fragmentation and disruption of metapopulation dynamics, reduced hard mast availability associated with the functional extirpation of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and recent shifts in forest composition, and expansion of a human adapted species, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the parasites …

Developing An Effective Management Plan For Starlings Roosting In Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, James R. Thiele, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Garrett W. Unrein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) began roosting in downtown Omaha, Nebraska during the fall of 2004 causing significant financial loss and threats to human health and safety. Property owners exhausted a variety of nonlethal methods to deter roosting starlings before contacting U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services in January 2005. We developed an integrated wildlife damage management plan that incorporated local population reduction through the use of the avicide DRC-1339^®, trapping, hazing, and habitat modification. Strong working relationships developed as we provided technical assistance to the city of Omaha, building managers, …