In Memory of Roland E. Barth

On September 21, 2015, the NOU and the conservation community lost a good friend with the passing of Roland Barth. Barth served 30 years as a meteorologist in the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Colonel. Retirement allowed Roland to pursue his interest in nature and use his considerable leadership and organizational skills for the benefit of a number of conservation groups. He was a member of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union for over 20 years and served a term as Director from 2008 to 2011

In Memory of Loren ‘Bub’ Blake, Sept. 17, 1944-Oct. 5, 2004

Loren Blake, known to all of his friends as \u27Bub,\u27 entered many of our lives on a fall evening in the late 1980s. The occasion was the traditional shared nature slide session at the Nebraska Ornithologists\u27 Union Fall Field Days. Rumors circulated about a Sandhills rancher interested in birds and photography who was going to show up with a few slides he had taken “around the ranch.” And show up he did, with a carousel of his best! The room was soon buzzing with Oohs, Aahs, and Wows as Bub dazzled us with his crisp, well-composed photos of everything from sparrows to herons. Over the years, the slides continued. His photos began to appear elsewhere, including in NEBRASKAland magazine. After he retired from the ranch, Bub was a regular springtime volunteer at Rowe Sanctuary and Ashfall Fossil Beds. Bub left us much the same way he came. Quietly, without fanfare or advance notice. But his photos and the words of St. Francis that accompanied his presentations remain with us: All things bright and beautiful. All creatures great and small. All things wise and wonderful. The Lord God made them all

In Memory of Elizabeth Grenon

On November 11, 2016 cancer claimed the life of longtime member and friend of NOU Betty Grenon, perhaps best remembered as our very intelligent, personable, meticulous treasurer and tenacious guardian of organization funds. Our records indicate Betty became a member in 1991. Her talents and qualifications (CPA and Nebraska\u27s first female Certified Management Accountant) were soon recognized. She became NOU Treasurer in 1994, a position held until her death, except for a 3-year hiatus when her employment with Enron took her to Houston, Texas. NOU has benefited in a number of other ways from Betty\u27s organizational skills and attention to detail. Betty was often the glue that held things together or the grease that kept them moving. She was born in Connecticut and lived in a number of states and abroad with her Air Force family before coming to Bellevue, Nebraska, in 1974, where she and her family discovered Fontenelle Forest. She was the volunteer coordinator of the Omaha Christmas Bird Count (and the spring count) for many years, continuing the traditional chili potluck compilation at day\u27s end. Betty trained for and eventually obtained a bird banding permit, which qualified her to do educational programs and initiate a long-term MAPS station, using banding to investigate bird productivity and survival. She was active in the Inland Bird Banding Association and was also a certified Nebraska Master Naturalist. She loved the view of the woods from her home near Fontenelle Forest, witnessing the historic return of Wild Turkeys, nesting Cooper\u27s Hawks, and Pileated Woodpeckers from her living room as well as the birds she coddled at the feeders

Movement Patterns and Muscular Function Before and After Onset of Sports-Related Groin Pain: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Sports-related groin pain (SRGP) is a common entity in rotational sports such as football, rugby and hockey, accounting for 12-18 % of injuries each year, with high recurrence rates and often prolonged time away from sport. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review synthesises movement and muscle function findings to better understand deficits and guide rehabilitation. STUDY SELECTION: Prospective and retrospective cross-sectional studies investigating muscle strength, flexibility, cross-sectional area, electromyographic activation onset and magnitude in patients with SRGP were included. SEARCH METHODS: Four databases (MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, EBSCOhost and EMBASE) were searched in June 2014. Studies were critiqued using a modified version of the Downs and Black Quality Index, and a meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: Seventeen studies (14 high quality, 3 low quality; 8 prospective and 9 retrospective) were identified. Prospective findings: moderate evidence indicated decreased hip abduction flexibility as a risk factor for SRGP. Limited or very limited evidence suggested that decreased hip adduction strength during isokinetic testing at ~119°/s was a risk factor for SRGP, but no associations were found at ~30°/s or ~210°/s, or with peak torque angle. Decreased hip abductor strength in angular velocity in ~30°/s but not in ~119°/s and ~210°/s was found as a risk factor for SRGP. No relationships were found with hip internal or external rotation range of movement, nor isokinetic knee extension strength. Decreased isokinetic knee flexion strength also was a potential risk factor for SRGP, at a speed ~60°/s. Retrospective findings: there was strong evidence of decreased hip adductor muscle strength during a squeeze test at 45°, and decreased total hip external rotation range of movement (sum of both legs) being associated with SRGP. There was strong evidence of no relationship to abductor muscle strength nor unilateral hip internal and external rotation range of movement. Moderate evidence suggested that increased abduction flexibility and no change in total hip internal rotation range of movement (sum of both legs) were retrospectively associated with SRGP. Limited or very limited evidence (significant findings only) indicated decreased hip adductor muscle strength during 0° and 30° squeeze tests and during an eccentric hip adduction test, but a decrease in the isometric adductors-to-abductors strength ratio at speed 120°/s; decreased abductors-to-adductors activation ratio in the early phase in the moving leg as well as in all three phases in the weight-bearing leg during standing hip flexion; and increased hip flexors strength during isokinetic and decrease in transversus abdominis muscle resting thickness associated with SRGP. CONCLUSIONS: There were a number of significant movement and muscle function associations observed in athletes both prior to and following the onset of SRGP. The strength of findings was hampered by the lack of consistent terminology and diagnostic criteria, with there being clear guides for future research. Nonetheless, these findings should be considered in rehabilitation and prevention planning

In Memory of Roland E. Barth

On September 21, 2015, the NOU and the conservation community lost a good friend with the passing of Roland Barth. Barth served 30 years as a meteorologist in the US Air Force, achieving the rank of Colonel. Retirement allowed Roland to pursue his interest in nature and use his considerable leadership and organizational skills for the benefit of a number of conservation groups. He was a member of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union for over 20 years and served a term as Director from 2008 to 2011

Publications about Birds in Nebraska from \u3ci\u3eNebraska Bird Review\u3c/i\u3e (September 1994)

Birds of the Lake McConaughy Area and the North Platte River Valley. Nebraska. The author is Richard C. Rosche, a long-time member of The Nebraska Ornithologists\u27 Union (NOU), and the fine illustrations were done by Dorothy J. Rosche. The 119 page paper, which is in an 8 x 11½ spiral binder, is a detailed account of birdlife in the Lake Mcconaughy area, defined as the North Platte River Valley from Oshkosh on the west to Keystone on the east. The paper contains an annotated list of the 285 species known to have occurred in the region, with information on abundance and frequency, occurrence dates, breeding status, general habitat requirements, specific locations, and historical data when appropriate. Also included are McConaughy Christmas Bird Counts and a checklist of birds of the region. The paper draws on the Rosches\u27 extensive personal observations beginning in 1968, and a very complete literature survey, as the extensive bibliography attests. The paper is priced at $14.25 plus postage and handling to nonmembers of NOU. However, Mr. Rosche has kindly offered to make the paper available to NOU members for only$10.00 plus $2.00 for postage and handling. If you wish to obtain a copy, send your order and a check to Mr. Richard C. Rosche, 501 Shelton Street, Chadron, NE 68337

Nebraska Ornithologists\u27 Union Fall Field Days, Sept. 9-11, 1994

A total of 118 species were seen by 60 Nebraska birders and a few from other states, in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, Thomas County where the Forest is located, and three other nearby counties, Blaine, Cherry, and Brown (see Table 1). There was a nice variety of forest, lake, riparian, wetland, and sandhill habitats. Notable sightings were a subadult Mississippi Kite in the camp area of the Forest and along the Middle Loup River west of the bridge, and a White-faced Ibis. Ruth Green banded House Wrens, 1 Gray Catbird, 1 Yellow-breasted Chat, 2 Rufous-sided Towhees, 64 Chipping Sparrows, 2 Clay-colored Sparrows, and 20 Field Sparrows

In Memory of George W. Brown

NOU member, supporter and friend George Brown passed away on February 9, 2002, at the age of 80 following a 10 year battle with leukemia. His many contributions to this organization include service as President on two occasions, 1974-5 and 1992-4. Some of us remember smaller but equally memorable contributions, including the flower arrangements, gifts from George\u27s garden, that appeared on the tables at our Halsey Fall Field Days; his wonderful stories and good humor; his personal thriftiness which he applied with equal vigor to the NOV budget; and his love of only the most brief and concise presentations. The latter was not lost on George\u27s pastor, whose comments at his memorial service included: There is another visual that I guess I missed... when the preacher was preaching too long, his arm and his wristwatch went higher and higher. George was born on September 24, 1921. He spent his youth in Minden and graduated from Minden High School in 1939. He began college, but World War II intervened and George entered the United States Army Air Force, serving as a C47 cargo plane pilot in Africa and India. Following the war he returned to Kearney State College where he received his degree. The delightful George and Marian team so evident at many NOU meetings was formed on June 1, 1947, when he and Marian Wardrop were married. To this union four children were born: Gary, Randy, Linda and Laurie. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter

Time-domain response of the ARIANNA detector

The Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf Antenna Neutrino Array (ARIANNA) is a high-energy neutrino detector designed to record the Askaryan electric field signature of cosmogenic neutrino interactions in ice. To understand the inherent radio-frequency (RF) neutrino signature, the time-domain response of the ARIANNA RF receiver must be measured. ARIANNA uses Create CLP5130-2N log-periodic dipole arrays (LPDAs). The associated effective height operator converts incident electric fields to voltage waveforms at the LDPA terminals. The effective height versus time and incident angle was measured, along with the associated response of the ARIANNA RF amplifier. The results are verified by correlating to field measurements in air and ice, using oscilloscopes. Finally, theoretical models for the Askaryan electric field are combined with the detector response to predict the neutrino signature