Housing and Business Investment in Nebraska

Editor\u27s Note: The 1975 Legislative Session of the Nebraska Legislature recognized the need to analyze all available options for dealing with the problems of urban redevelopment: lack of adequate housing, revitalization of older business districts, and possible incentives for investment in older neighborhoods in Nebraska. Accordingly, Resolution 53 directed the Legislature\u27s Urban Affairs Committee to study a) causes of urban decay, b) current Federal and State programs in urban redevelopment, c) laws and programs of other states that encourage redevelopment, d) incentives to encourage urban redevelopment and e) needs for changes in Nebraska law. The study here summarized was completed by the Center for Applied Urban Research under contract with the Urban Affairs Committee of the Nebraska Legislature and the State Office of Planning and Programming as one aspect of the larger program. The study was designed a) to ascertain the demand for housing and business investment funds and the factors which dis~ courage such investment in declining neighborhoods of Nebraska\u27s two major metropolitan cities, Omaha and Lincoln, and in Nebraska\u27s nonmetropolitan communities, and b) to recommend areas for consideration by the administrative and legislative branches of the Nebraska government. The study was financed in part through a comprehensive planning assistance grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under contract with the Nebraska Legislature and the Nebraska State Office of Planning and Programming. Comprehensive Planning Grant, Project No. NEB-P-7070

Koinonia

Reclaiming the Higher in Higher Education: Can Wholeness be Whole?, Russell R. Rogers Say Something Nice , David W. Aycock ACSD Executive Committee Meeting; Position Changes CoCCA: Activities are not just for fun anymore: Promoting Values through Student Activities ACSD Regional Conferenceshttps://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_koinonia/1049/thumbnail.jp

Natural resources of Lake Earl and Smith River Delta

The Lake Earl/Smith River Delta area is a key coastal wetland situated in northern California. The Lake and Delta have retained much of their value to wildlife and serve as an important link in a chain of such wetlands that extend southward along the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to South America. Millions of water-associated birds of the Pacific Flyway utilize these areas as feeding and resting stops along their migration paths. In California, these wetlands also serve as a significant portion of the available wintering grounds for a major share of the birds within the flyway. The Smith River is also one of the State's most productive salmon and steelhead streams. Anadromous fish produced here provide thousands of angler use days to sport fishermen and contribute substantially to the commercial fishing catch off the northern coast. Because of the importance of coastal wetlands to the fish and wildlife of California, the Department of Fish and Game has initiated a high priority statewide inventory and assessment of these wetlands. This publication is an integral part of that program. This report identifies specific resources and uses; directs attention to problems; and recommends courses of action needed to insure resource protection. It is intended as a guide for citizens, planners, administrators and other interested in the use and development of California's coastal land and waters. (132pp.

Sexual Selection: The Importance of Long-Term Fitness Measures

New results from a 20-year study of free-living song sparrows confirm that attractive males contribute more offspring than less attractive males. They also reveal that the offspring of preferred males produce more descendents themselves. Females prefer males with a large song repertoire, which further work shows is a condition-dependent indicator of male quality

Polarization and Charge Transfer in the Hydration of Chloride Ions

A theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of the chloride ion and water molecules in the first hydration shell is presented. The calculations are performed on an ensemble of configurations obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of a single chloride ion in bulk water. The simulations utilize the polarizable AMOEBA force field for trajectory generation, and MP2-level calculations are performed to examine the electronic structure properties of the ions and surrounding waters in the external field of more distant waters. The ChelpG method is employed to explore the effective charges and dipoles on the chloride ions and first-shell waters. The Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) is further utilized to examine charge transfer from the anion to surrounding water molecules. From the QTAIM analysis, 0.2 elementary charges are transferred from the ion to the first-shell water molecules. The default AMOEBA model overestimates the average dipole moment magnitude of the ion compared with the estimated quantum mechanical value. The average magnitude of the dipole moment of the water molecules in the first shell treated at the MP2 level, with the more distant waters handled with an AMOEBA effective charge model, is 2.67 D. This value is close to the AMOEBA result for first-shell waters (2.72 D) and is slightly reduced from the bulk AMOEBA value (2.78 D). The magnitude of the dipole moment of the water molecules in the first solvation shell is most strongly affected by the local water-water interactions and hydrogen bonds with the second solvation shell, rather than by interactions with the ion.Comment: Slight revision, in press at J. Chem. Phy

Late-season Insect Pests of Soybean in Louisiana: Preventive Management and Yield Enhancement (Bulletin #880)

The velvetbean caterpillar and the soybean looper are important pests of soybeans in Louisiana. These late-season soybean insect pests create the need for the continuous development of insecticide programs that are cost effective, maintain profitable yields and conserve natural enemies.https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agcenter_bulletins/1020/thumbnail.jp

Global data for ecology and epidemiology: a novel algorithm for temporal Fourier processing MODIS data

Background. Remotely-sensed environmental data from earth-orbiting satellites are increasingly used to model the distribution and abundance of both plant and animal species, especially those of economic or conservation importance. Time series of data from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on-board NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites offer the potential to capture environmental thermal and vegetation seasonality, through temporal Fourier analysis, more accurately than was previously possible using the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor data. MODIS data are composited over 8- or 16-day time intervals that pose unique problems for temporal Fourier analysis. Applying standard techniques to MODIS data can introduce errors of up to 30% in the estimation of the amplitudes and phases of the Fourier harmonics. Methodology/Principal Findings. We present a novel spline-based algorithm that overcomes the processing problems of composited MODIS data. The algorithm is tested on artificial data generated using randomly selected values of both amplitudes and phases, and provides an accurate estimate of the input variables under all conditions. The algorithm was then applied to produce layers that capture the seasonality in MODIS data for the period from 2001 to 2005. Conclusions/Significance. Global temporal Fourier processed images of 1 km MODIS data for Middle Infrared Reflectance, day- and night-time Land Surface Temperature (LST), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) are presented for ecological and epidemiological applications. The finer spatial and temporal resolution, combined with the greater geolocational and spectral accuracy of the MODIS instruments, compared with previous multi-temporal data sets, mean that these data may be used with greater confidence in species' distribution modelling

Three microtubule severing enzymes contribute to the “Pacman-flux” machinery that moves chromosomes

Chromosomes move toward mitotic spindle poles by a Pacman-flux mechanism linked to microtubule depolymerization: chromosomes actively depolymerize attached microtubule plus ends (Pacman) while being reeled in to spindle poles by the continual poleward flow of tubulin subunits driven by minus-end depolymerization (flux). We report that Pacman-flux in Drosophila melanogaster incorporates the activities of three different microtubule severing enzymes, Spastin, Fidgetin, and Katanin. Spastin and Fidgetin are utilized to stimulate microtubule minus-end depolymerization and flux. Both proteins concentrate at centrosomes, where they catalyze the turnover of γ-tubulin, consistent with the hypothesis that they exert their influence by releasing stabilizing γ-tubulin ring complexes from minus ends. In contrast, Katanin appears to function primarily on anaphase chromosomes, where it stimulates microtubule plus-end depolymerization and Pacman-based chromatid motility. Collectively, these findings reveal novel and significant roles for microtubule severing within the spindle and broaden our understanding of the molecular machinery used to move chromosomes