Life Sciences Commons^™

Nebline, September 2001

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

4-H Centennial–1902-2002
4-H Centennial Quiz
Poison Ivy
Seasonal Needle Drop on Evergreens
Horticulture information center
Norfolk Island Pine
Tiny Flies in the House? Find the Source
Simple Fruit Fly Trap
The Kids are Back in School – So are Head Lice...
New Home? New Bugs!
Fall Household Hazardous Waste Collections
New Home? New Bugs!
Fall Is a Good Time to Control Problem Weeds
Prepare Grain Bins and Equipment Before Harvest
Nitrogen Fertilizer Sources
Crop Residues: An Economical Source of Feed
Nebraska Forest Service Ends Tree Distribution Program
Fall Dandelion Treatment
Livestock Buildings
Water Quickies for September
Fall Fertilizing is Best …

Genomes, Gould, And Emergence, Ursula Goodenough

Biology Faculty Research

The publication of the human genome has elicited commentary to the effect that, since fewer genes were identified than anticipated, it follows that genes are less important to human biology than anticipated. The flaws in this syllogism are explained in the context of a treatise on how genomes operate and evolve and how genes function to produce embryos and brains. Most of our most cherished human traits are the result of the emergence of new properties from preexisting genetically scripted ideas, offering countless opportunities to celebrate the evolutionary process.

Online Bayesian Tree-Structured Transformation Of Hmms With Optimal Model Selection For Speaker Adaptation, Shaojun Wang, Yunxin Zhao

Kno.e.sis Publications

This paper presents a new recursive Bayesian learning approach for transformation parameter estimation in speaker adaptation. Our goal is to incrementally transform or adapt a set of hidden Markov model (HMM) parameters for a new speaker and gain large performance improvement from a small amount of adaptation data. By constructing a clustering tree of HMM Gaussian mixture components, the linear regression (LR) or affine transformation parameters for HMM Gaussian mixture components are dynamically searched. An online Bayesian learning technique is proposed for recursive maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation of LR and affine transformation parameters. This technique has the advantages of …

Springtails, Jay B. Karren, Alan H. Roe

All Current Publications

Springtails are small, abundant, wingless insects of the order Collembola that live in a variety of moist habitats. Because of their small size and micro- habitat, they are seldom observed. Most of them live in the soil or in other concealed situations.

Eicosanoids Act In Nodulation Reactions To Bacterial Infections In Newly Emerged Adult Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera, But Not In Older Foragers, Jon C. Bedick, Hasan Tunaz, A. R. Nor Aliza, Sean Putnam, Marion D. Ellis, David W. Stanley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Nodulation is the first, and qualitatively predominant, cellular defense reaction to bacterial infections in insects. We tested the hypothesis that eicosanoids also mediate nodulation reactions to bacterial challenge in adults of a social insect, the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Treating newly-emerged experimental bees with the eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitor, dexamethasone, impaired nodulation reactions to bacterial infections, and the influence of dexamethasone was reversed by treating infected insects with arachidonic acid, an eicosanoid precursor. Several other eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors, including the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, and the dual cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor, phenidone, also impaired the ability of experimental honeybees to form nodules in …

Review Of: Risk In The Modern Age: Social Theory, Science And Environmental Decision Making (Maurie J. Cohen, Ed.), Amy Cutler

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the book: Risk in the Modern Age: Social Theory, Science and Environmental Decision Making (Maurie J. Cohen, ed., St. Martin's Press 2000). List of Figures and Tables, List of Contributors, Preface, Index. ISBN 0-312-22216-5 [264 pp. $65.00. Hardbound, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010].

Public Perceptions Of Genetically Engineered Foods: Playing God Or Trusting Science, Michael D. Mehta

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author considers whether levels of religiosity or scientism affect public perceptions of genetically engineered foods.

African Black Beetle In Vineyards, Diana Fisher, Stewart Learmonth

Bulletins 4000 -

The African black beetle, Heteronychus arator, is an important pest of horticultural crops, ornamentals and pastures in Western Australia. They also attack lawns and are commonly referred to as the black lawn beetle. This beetle was first recorded in Australia during the 1920s and originates from southern Africa where it is a major establishment pest of maize.

The Good Food Guide For Sheep : Feeding Sheep For Meat Production In The Areas Of Western Australia, Keith Croker, Peter Watt, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

The Good Food Guide for Sheep has been produced to provide Western Australian farmers with a concise compilation of current information on feeding sheep for meat production. Although there are already numerous publications about sheep nutrition,many of them relate to wool production, reproduction or drought feeding, or they concentrate on particular feeds or feeding systems.

This book contains information on a wide range of feeds and feeding methods. Just as there is no single ‘best’ sheep breed for meat production, there is no ultimate feed regime for sheep for growth.

Murine Monoclonal Antibodies Against Escherichia Coli O4 Lipopolysaccharide And H5 Flagellin, Mildred Rivera-Betancourt, James E. Keen

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

Two murine monoclonal antibodies (MAb), 2C5-F10 and 8D1-H10, reactive with Escherichia coli O4 and H5 antigens, respectively, were generated and characterized. Enzyme immunoassays and immunoblots demonstrated that MAb 2C5-F10 reacted specifically with lipopolysaccharide O antigen of E. coli O4 isolates, while MAb 8D1-H10 reacted with E. coli strains expressing H5 flagella.

Membrane Glycoprotein Gp130 Of Dictyostelium Discoideum Is Lipid-Linked And Its Fate Altered In The Presence Of Tunicamycin, Betsy L. Barent, Catherine P. Chia

Papers in Microbiology

We are studying the structure and role in phagocytosis of gp130, a glycoprotein located on the extracellular surface of D. discoideum amoebae. Predictions from the protein sequence of gp130 deduced from the cDNA indicate its attachment to the membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GP1)-anchor. This was confirmed when radiolabeled palmitic acid was incorporated into gp130 of axenically grown cells, and when nitrous acid deamination released gp130 from purified membranes. The GPI-anchor of gp130 resisted cleavage by bacterial and mammalian phosphoinositol-specific phospholipases. However, in the presence of protease inhibitors, we detected in vitro a time-dependent cleavage of gp 130 that was effectively …

Invited Synthesis Paper: Principles And Practices For Managing Rangeland Invasive Plants, Robert A. Masters, Roger Sheley

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

Invasive plants reduce the capacity of ecosystems to provide goods and services required by society, alter ecological processes, and can displace desirable species. They can reduce wildlife habitat quality, riparian area integrity, rangeland economic value, and enterprise net returns. The invasion process is regulated by characteristics of the invading plant and the community being invaded. The presence and spread of invasive plants is often symptomatic of underlying management problems that must be corrected before acceptable, long-term rangeland improvement can be achieved. Disturbance appears to be important early in the invasion process because it creates vacant niches that alien plants can …

Genotypic Analyses Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And O157 Nonmotile Isolates Recovered From Beef Cattle And Carcasses At Processing Plants In The Midwestern States Of The United States, Genevieve A. Barkocy-Gallagher, Terrance M. Arthur, Gregory R. Siragusa, James E. Keen, Robert O. Elder, William Laegreid, Mohammad Koohmaraie

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

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O157 nonmotile isolates (E. coli O157) previously were recovered from feces, hides, and carcasses at four large Midwestern beef processing plants (R. O. Elder, J. E. Keen, G. R. Siragusa, G. A. Barkocy-Gallagher, M. Koohmaraie, and W. W. Laegreid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:2999–3003, 2000). The study implied relationships between cattle infection and carcass contamination within single-source lots as well as between preevisceration and postprocessing carcass contamination, based on prevalence. These relationships now have been verified based on identification of isolates by genomic fingerprinting. E. coli O157 isolates from all positive samples were analyzed …

Functional And Structural Adaptations Of Skeletal Muscle To Microgravity, Robert H. Fitts, Danny R. Riley, Jeffrey J. Widrick

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Our purpose is to summarize the major effects of space travel on skeletal muscle with particular emphasis on factors that alter function. The primary deleterious changes are muscle atrophy and the associated decline in peak force and power. Studies on both rats and humans demonstrate a rapid loss of cell mass with microgravity. In rats, a reduction in muscle mass of up to 37% was observed within 1 week. For both species, the antigravity soleus muscle showed greater atrophy than the fast-twitch gastrocnemius. However, in the rat, the slow type I fibers atrophied more than the fast type II fibers, …

Characterization Of Transepithelial Potential Oscillations In The Drosophila Malpighian Tubule, Edward M. Blumenthal

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The Malpighian tubule of Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model system for studying the regulation of epithelial ion transport. In acutely isolated tubules, the transepithelial potential (TEP) undergoes large oscillations in amplitude with a period of approximately 30s. The TEP oscillations are diminished by reductions in the peritubular chloride concentration in a manner consistent with their being caused by fluctuations in chloride conductance. The oscillations are eliminated by pretreating tubules with the calcium chelator BAPTA-AM, although removal of peritubular calcium has no effect, suggesting that the oscillations are a result of either the release of calcium from intracellular stores or …

Precipitation And Temperature Effects On Populations Of Aedes Albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae): Implications For Range Expansion, B W. Alto, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

We investigated how temperature and precipitation regime encountered over the life cycle of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) affects populations. Caged populations of A. albopictus were maintained at 22, 26, and 30 degreesC. Cages were equipped with containers that served as sites for oviposition and larval development. All cages were assigned to one of three simulated precipitation regimes: (1) low fluctuation regime - water within the containers was allowed to evaporate to 90% of its maximum before being refilled, (2) high fluctuation regime - water was allowed to evaporate to 25% of its maximum before being refilled, and (3) drying regime - …

Spectral Response And Spatial Pattern Of Fraser Fir Mortality And Regeneration, Great Smoky Mountains, Usa, Thomas R. Allen

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

High elevation Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) forests of the Southern Appalachians have undergone widespread mortality since the introduction of the balsam woolly adelgid in the 1950s. Resulting changes in ecosystem pattern and process (e.g., stand dynamic processes) have greatly affected floral and faunal communities. In this project, we integrated field observations, geographic information system topographic models, and 1988–1998 satellite imagery to analyze spatial and temporal conditions of Fraser fir and spruce-fir ecosystems in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tasseled cap indices (brightness, greenness, and wetness) and associated spectral changes for Landsat TM digital data were statistically modeled by …

Schizaphis Minuta (Van Der Goot) (Homoptera: Aphididae), New To The United States, Susan E. Halbert, Kenneth L. Hibbard, David J. Voegtlin

Insecta Mundi

Schizaphis minuta (van der Goot) (Fig. 1) was found for the first time in the Western Hemisphere in suction trap samples in Florida. The first specimen was collected in a trap at Quincy (Gadsden County) for the period 16 - 23 November 1998. The record subsequently was verified by collections on several species of Cyperus in the Ft. Pierce area. The aphid is specific to Cyperus and is unlikely to pose any threat to agriculture. Schizaphis minuta probably is native to Asia and has been recorded previously in Africa and Australia. It is not known to be a pest.

A New Species Of Neonella (Araneae: Salticidae) From Southeast Florida, G. B. Edwards

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Neonella is described that has a distribution apparently restricted to the southeast coast of Florida. So far, it has only been found in Brevard and Monroe counties. It is closely related to N. mayaguez Galiano from Puerto Rico.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 33, No.3 September 2001

The Prairie Naturalist

SEASONAL REPRODUCTION IN SIGMODON HISPIDUS INHABITING TALLGRASS PRAIRIES OF OKLAHOMA ▪ J. A. Wilson and R. L. Lochmiller

USE OF THE INDEX OF BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOtA RIVERS ▪ C. L. Milewski, C. R. Berry, and D. Dieterman

SEED USE BY VERTEBRATES AND INVERTEBRATES IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ A. W. Reed, G. A. Kaufman, J. E. Boyer, Jr., and D. W. Kaufman

RANGE EXPANSION OF THE PILEATED WOODPECKER IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ J. A. Dechant 163

LAB FATTENING AND NON-INVASIVE ESTIMATES OF BODY COMPOSITION IN DEER MICE ▪ E. T. Unangst, Jr., M. J. Blair, M. W. Granger, …

Analaysis Of Long-Eared Owl (Asio Otus) Pellets From Eastern Nebraska, Rachel D. Mahan, Emily C. Mahan, Brandon D. Sachtleben

Nebraska Bird Review

A common way to determine the food habits of an owl is to analyze prey remains found within regurgitated pellets, called "owl pellets." We collected and analyzed owl pellets found under a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) roost in eastern Nebraska as part of two grade school science fair projects. The results are presented here to add to the knowledge about the food habits of this species in Nebraska.

Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue September 2001 Volume 69 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Summer Field Report, compiled by W. Ross Silcock................................. 106

Species Accounts................................. 108

Bird Hunts of Omaha Sportsmen's Clubs, 1858-1887
by J. E. Ducey .................................133

NOU Spring Meeting Bird Count .................................148

Analysis Of long-eared Owl (Asio Otus) Pellets From
Eastern Nebraska by Mahan, Mahan, and Sachtleben .................................152

A Poem by Shelly Clark .................................155

New Species And Records Of Rhyssa And Rhyssella (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Rhyssinae) From Florida And Central America, Charles C. Porter

Insecta Mundi

Abstract: Rhyssa neotropicae n. sp. is the first Rhyssa to be recorded from the New World tropics, where it was collected in cloud forest at 1800 m on Monte Uyuca near Zamorano, Honduras. It is closely related to the Nearctic R. hoferi Rohwer and R. howdenorurn Townes but differs from all other Rhyssa by its complexly yellow and black marked head and body, whose color pattern mimics that of aggressive social vespid wasps (Agelaia) which occur in the same habitat. Rhyssa howdenorurn Townes is recorded for the first time from Florida and Oklahoma. The genus Rhyssella, previously …

Small Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Cholevinae) From Burrows Of Geomys And Thomomys Pocket Gophers (Rodentia: Geomyidae) In The United States, Stewart B. Peck, Paul E. Skelley

Insecta Mundi

The cholevine beetles inhabiting burrows of Geomys and Thomomys pocket gophers (Rodentia: Geomyidae) are reviewed. Catops geomysi n. sp. and Ptomaphagus geomysi n. sp. are described. Both of these species and Ptomaphagus schwarzi Hatch appear to be regular and obligate inhabitants of Geomys burrows but are not host specific. Nemadus hornii Hatch, Sciodrepoides ruatsoni hornianus (Blanchard), Catops simplex Say, Ptomaphagus cavernicola Schwarz, Ptomaphagus consobrinus (LeConte), Ptomaphagus fisus Horn, and Ptomaphagus texanus Horn were less frequently collected and are probably facultative inhabitants of Geomys burrows, as well as nests or dens of other small mammals. Ptomaphagus nevadicus Horn is an inhabitant …

A Checklist Of The Limnichidae And The Lutrochidae (Coleoptera) Of The World, P. J. Spangler, C. L. Staines, P. M. Spangler, S. L. Staines

Insecta Mundi

A checklist of the world species of Limnichidae (35 genera, 345 species) and Lutrochidae (1 genus, 11 species) is presented. The author, year of publication and page number, synonyms, distribution by country, and a terminal bibliography are given for each genus and species. Biological information is also reviewed.

New Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Records For Florida, David Almquist

Insecta Mundi

Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche) was released by the USDA for the purpose of dung removal and control of pestiferous dung-breeding flies in Texas, California, and Georgia around 1978-1979, although it did not become established in Georgia at that time (Blume 1984; Fincher 1986; Montes and Halffter 1998). Apparently, it has not been officially recorded outside of Arizona, California, and Texas in the contiguous U.S., although Montes and Halffter (1998) did a detailed study of its migration into Mexico.

New Records And Synonyms In The Colydiinae And Pycnornerini (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), Michael A. Ivie, Stanislaw Adam Slipinski, Piotr Wegrzynowski

Insecta Mundi

New synonyms are proposed for: Pethelispa arizoizica Dajoz 1992 = Pycnomerus arizonicus Stephan 1989 NEW SYNONYW Microprius cubanus Slipinski 1985 = Eudesmula california Dajoz 1992 = Microprius rufulus (Motschulsky 1863) NEW SYNONYMIES; and Auloniuln chilense Dajoz 1980=Aulonium parallelopedium (Say 1826) NEW SYNONYMY. Colobicus parilis Pascoe is recorded from Louisiana, a new distributional record for the New World.

Ron Horst, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

No abstract provided.

Habitat Use, Population Density, And Home Range Of Elf Owls (Micrathene Whitneyi) At Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Christopher Michael Gamel, Timothy Brush

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

We collected data on the habitat use, home range size, and population density of the Elf Owl (Micrathene Whitneyi Idonea) in the Santa Ana National Wildlife refuge (SANWR) Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Fourteen nocturnal surveys in 1995 and 1996 indicated that Elf Owls used chaparral habitat (92%) more than riparian woodlands(8%). Habitats used had high foliage densities(greatest density = 2.5-3.0 m) with partial canopies (x = 3.8 +_ 0.36 m [+_SE] and semi-open understories (greatest density< 1 m). Unused chaparral habitat lacked high canopy coverage and had a denser understory, while riparian woodlands had greater canopyheights (• = 5.25 m) and open understories. Home range size determined by radiotelemetry averaged1.0.5+_0.33 ha (range = 0.24-2.60, N = 9). We estimated the maximum potential population size in SANWR to be 802 Elf Owls, assuming a home range size of 1.05 ha per breeding pair and saturation of preferred habitat.

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Colectamos datos sobre el uso de habitat, tamafio del rango de hogar y densidad poblacional de Micrathene whitneyi idonea en el Refugio …

Book Review: Grazing Management, 2nd Ed., Lowell E. Moser

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Grazing management is critical in obtaining optimum production from grasslands and maintaining the grazing resource. Grazing management involves a complex relationship among the herbivores, vegetation, and other biotic and abiotic factors. Proper grazing management of grazing lands has a tremendous importance in agriculture and natural resource conservation because much of the earth’s surface is covered with grazable vegetation. This book is an updated second edition of Grazing Management, which was first published in 1990. This edition is increased in size and coverage compared with the first edition.. A lot of progress in grazing management has been made in the 11 …