Digital Commons Network^™

A Unifying Gravity Framework For Dispersal, E. Jongejans, O. Skarpaas, M. J. Ferrari Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fungal Morphogenesis, Xiaorong Lin, J. Andrew Alspaugh, Haoping Liu, Steven D. Harris

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

Morphogenesis in fungi is often induced by extracellular factors and executed by fungal genetic factors. Cell surface changes and alterations of the microenvironment often accompany morphogenetic changes in fungi. In this review, we will first discuss the general traits of yeast and hyphal morphotypes and how morphogenesis affects development and adaptation by fungi to their native niches, including host niches. Then we will focus on the molecular machinery responsible for the two most fundamental growth forms, yeast and hyphae. Last, we will describe how fungi incorporate exogenous environmental and host signals together with genetic factors to determine their morphotype and …

Early Initiation Of Antiretroviral Therapy Can Functionally Control Productive Hiv-1 Infection In Humanized-Blt Mice, Qingsheng Li, For Yue Tso, Guobin Kang, Wuxun Lu, Yue Li, Wenjin Fan, Zhe Yuan, Christopher J. Destache, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background—Recent reports showed that functional control of HIV-1 infection for a prolonged time is possible by early anti-retroviral therapy (ART); however its underlying mechanism needs to be studied with a suitable animal model. Recently, humanized-BLT (bone marrow, liver and thymus) mouse (hu-BLT) was shown to be an excellent model for studying HIV-1 infection. We thus tested the feasibility of studying functional control of HIV-1 infection using hu-BLT mice.

Methods—Animals in three treatment groups (Rx-6h, Rx-24h, Rx-48h) and untreated group were infected with HIV-1, followed by ART initiation at 6, 24 or 48 hours post-infection and continued daily for two weeks. …

The Role Of Dendritic Cell Subsets And Innate Immunity In The Pathogenesis Of Type 1 Diabetes And Other Autoimmune Diseases, Jeffrey D. Price, Kristin V. Tarbell

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key antigen-presenting cells that have an important role in autoimmune pathogenesis. DCs control both steady-state T cell tolerance and activation of pathogenic responses. The balance between these two outcomes depends on several factors, including genetic susceptibility, environmental signals that stimulate varied innate responses, and which DC subset is presenting antigen. Although the specific DC phenotype can diverge depending on the tissue location and context, there are four main subsets identified in both mouse and human: conventional cDC1 and cDC2, plasmacytoid DCs, and monocyte-derived DCs. In this review, we will discuss the role of these subsets in …

Status Of The World’S Baleen Whales, Peter O. Thomas, Randall R. Reeves, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

No global synthesis of the status of baleen whales has been published since the 2008 IUCN Red List assessments. Many populations remain at low numbers from historical commercial whaling, which had ceased for all but a few by 1989. Fishing gear entanglement and ship strikes are the most severe current threats. The acute and long-term effects of anthropogenic noise and the cumulative effects of multiple stressors are of concern but poorly understood. The looming consequences of climate change and ocean acidification remain difficult to characterize. North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales are among the species listed as Endangered. Southern …

Dynamics Of Virus Shedding And In Situ Confirmation Of Chelonid Herpesvirus 5 In Hawaiian Green Turtles With Fibropapillomatosis, T. M. Work, J. Dagenais, G. H. Balazs, N. Schettle, M. Ackermann

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Cancers in humans and animals can be caused by viruses, but virus-induced tumors are considered to be poor sites for replication of intact virions (lytic replication). Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease associated with a herpesvirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5), that affects green turtles globally. ChHV5 probably replicates in epidermal cells of tumors, because epidermal intranuclear inclusions (EIIs) contain herpesvirus-like particles. However, although EIIs are a sign of herpesvirus replication, they have not yet been firmly linked to ChHV5. Moreover, the dynamics of viral shedding in turtles are unknown, and there are no serological reagents to confirm actual presence of …

Educating Pastoralists And Extension Officers On Diverse Livestock Diseases In A Changing Environment In Tanzania, Christopher Gustafson, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Rudovick Kazwala, Asha Makweta, Goodluck Paul, Woutrina Smith, Jonna A. K. Mazet

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

East African pastoralists and their livestock are vulnerable to alterations in resource availability and disease transmission and frequently face poor access to livestock health services. Government veterinarians tasked with guiding health services must prioritize livestock health risks and allocate limited resources across disparate ecosystems with different disease threats. To identify livestock diseases of concern and strategies for improving herd health and resilience, we conducted community focus groups with pastoralists and interviewed pastoralist household leaders, village extension officers, and government veterinary officials in south-central Tanzania, an area experiencing rapid population growth and environmental change. All participants discussed pastoralist access to livestock …

Efavirenz Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics In Hiv-Infected Persons Receiving Rifapentine And Isoniazid For Tuberculosis Prevention, Anthony T. Podany, Yajing Bao, Susan Swindells, Richard E. Chaisson, Janet W. Andersen, Thando Mwelase, Khuanchai Supparatpinyo, Lerato Mohapi, Amita Gupta, Constance A. Benson, Peter Kim, Courtney V. Fletcher

United States Public Health Resources

Background. Concomitant use of rifamycins to treat or prevent tuberculosis can result in subtherapeutic concentrations of antiretroviral drugs. We studied the interaction of efavirenz with daily rifapentine and isoniazid in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals receiving a 4-week regimen to prevent tuberculosis.

Methods. Participants receiving daily rifapentine and isoniazid with efavirenz had pharmacokinetic evaluations at baseline and weeks 2 and 4 of concomitant therapy. Efavirenz apparent oral clearance was estimated and the geometric mean ratio (GMR) of values before and during rifapentine and isoniazid was calculated. HIV type 1 (HIV-1) RNA was measured at baseline and week 8.

Results …

Infectious Disease Physician Assessment Of Hospital Preparedness For Ebola Virus Disease, Philip M. Polgreen, Scott Santibanez, Lisa M. Koonin, Mark E. Rupp, Susan E. Beekmann, Carlos Del Rio

United States Public Health Resources

Background: The first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States and subsequent cases among two healthcare workers caring for that patient highlighted the importance of hospital preparedness in caring for Ebola patients.

Methods: Infectious disease physicians who are part of the Emerging Infections Network (EIN) were surveyed about current Ebola preparedness at their institutions from October 21-November 11, 2014.

Results: Of 1566 EIN physician members, 869 (55.5%) responded to this survey. Almost all institutions represented in this survey showed a substantial degree of preparation for the management of patients with suspected and confirmed Ebola virus disease. Despite concerns regarding …

Origins And Implications Of Neglect Of G6pd Deficiency And Primaquine Toxicity In Plasmodium Vivax Malaria, J. Kevin Baird

United States Public Health Resources

Most of the tens of millions of clinical attacks caused by Plasmodium vivax each year likely originate from dormant liver forms called hypnozoites. We do not systematically attack that reservoir because the only drug available, primaquine, is poorly suited to doing so. Primaquine was licenced for anti-relapse therapy in 1952 and became available despite threatening patients having an inborn deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) with acute haemolytic anaemia. The standard method for screening G6PD deficiency, the fluorescent spot test, has proved impractical where most malaria patients live. The blind administration of daily primaquine is dangerous, but so too are the …

Malaria Eradication And Elimination: Views On How To Translate A Vision Into Reality, Marcel Tanner, Brian Greenwood, Christopher J.M. Whitty, Evelyn K. Ansah, Ric N. Price, Arjen M. Dondorp, Lorenz Von Seidlein, J. Kevin Baird, James G. Beeson, Freya J.I. Fowkes, Janet Hemingway, Kevin Marsh, Faith Osier

United States Public Health Resources

Although global efforts in the past decade have halved the number of deaths due to malaria, there are still an estimated 219 million cases of malaria a year, causing more than half a million deaths. In this forum article, we asked experts working in malaria research and control to discuss the ways in which malaria might eventually be eradicated. Their collective views highlight the challenges and opportunities, and explain how multi-factorial and integrated processes could eventually make malaria eradication a reality.

Global Database Of Matched Plasmodium Falciparum And P. Vivax Incidence And Prevalence Records From 1985–2013, Katherine E. Battle, Carlos A. Guerra, Nick Golding, Kirsten A. Duda, Ewa Cameron, Rosalind E. Howes, Iqbal R.F. Elyazar, J. Kevin Baird, Robert C. Reiner Jr., Peter W. Gething, David L. Smith, Simon I. Hay

United States Public Health Resources

Measures of clinical incidence are necessary to help estimate the burden of a disease. Incidence is a metric not commonly measured in malariology because the longitudinal surveys required are costly and labour intensive. This database is an effort to collate published incidence records obtained using active case detection for Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria. The literature search methods, data abstraction procedures and data processing procedures are described here. A total of 1,680 spatiotemporally unique incidence records were collected for the database: 1,187 for P. falciparum and 493 for P. vivax. These data were gathered to model the relationship between …

Clinically Available Medicines Demonstrating Anti-Toxoplasma Activity, Andrew J. Neville, Sydney J. Zach, Xiaofang Wang, Joshua J. Larson, Abigail K. Judge, Lisa A. Davis, Jonathan L. Vennerstrom, Paul H. Davis

United States Public Health Resources

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite of humans and other mammals, including livestock and companion animals. While chemotherapeutic regimens, including pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine regimens, ameliorate acute or recrudescent disease such as toxoplasmic encephalitis or ocular toxoplasmosis, these drugs are often toxic to the host. Moreover, no approved options are available to treat infected women who are pregnant. Lastly, no drug regimen has shown the ability to eradicate the chronic stage of infection, which is characterized by chemoresistant intracellular cysts that persist for the life of the host. In an effort to promote additional chemotherapeutic options, we now evaluate clinically available …

Toward A More Accurate Estimate Of The Prevalence Of Hepatitis C In The United States, Brian R. Edlin, Benjamin J. Eckhardt, Marla A. Shu, Scott D. Holmberg, Tracy Swan

United States Public Health Resources

Data from the 2003-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that about 3.6 million people in the United States have antibodies to the hepatitis C virus, of whom 2.7 million are currently infected. NHANES, however, excludes several high-risk populations from its sampling frame, including people who are incarcerated, homeless, or hospitalized; nursing home residents; active-duty military personnel; and people living on Indian reservations.We undertook a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature and sought out unpublished presentations and data to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C in these excluded populations and in turn improve the estimate of the number of …

Assessing Prevention Measures And Sin Nombre Hantavirus Seroprevalence Among Workers At Yosemite National Park, Jason A. Wilken, Rebecca Jackson, Barbara L. Materna, Gayle C. Windham, Barryett Enge, Sharon Messenger, Dongxiang Xia, Barbara Knust, Danielle Buttke, Rachel Roisman

United States Public Health Resources

Background During 2012, a total of 10 overnight visitors to Yosemite National Park (Yosemite) became infected with a hantavirus (Sin Nombre virus [SNV]); three died. SNV infections have been identified among persons with occupational exposure to deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus).

Methods We assessed SNV infection prevalence, work and living environments, mice exposures, and SNV prevention training, knowledge, and practices among workers of two major employers at Yosemite during September–October, 2012 by voluntary blood testing and a questionnaire.

Results One of 526 participants had evidence of previous SNV infection. Participants reported frequently observing rodent infestations at work and home and not …

Population-Based Trends In High-Grade Cervical Lesions In The Early Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Era In The United States, Susan Hariri, Michelle L. Johnson, Nancy M. Bennett, Heidi M. Bauer, Ina U. Park, Sean Schafer, Linda M. Niccolai, Elizabeth R. Unger, Lauri E. Markowitz

United States Public Health Resources

BACKGROUND: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2, 3, and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) lesions can be monitored as early indicators of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine impact. Changes to screening utilization will affect observed reductions in CIN2+ rates and complicate the interpretation of vaccine impact. METHODS: From 2008 to 2012, 9119 cases of CIN2+ among 18- to 39-year-old residents of catchment areas in California, Connecticut, New York, and Oregon were reported to the HPV-IMPACT Project, a sentinel system for monitoring the population impact of HPV vaccine. Age-stratified CIN2+ incidence rates were calculated for each catchment.

Annual cervical screening was estimated for California, …

A Multicomponent Nutrient Bar Promotes Weight Loss And Improves Dyslipidemia And Insulin Resistance In The Overweight/Obese: Chronic Inflammation Blunts These Improvements, Joyce C. Mccann, Mark K. Shigenaga, Michele L. Mietus-Snyder, Ashutosh Lal, Jung H. Suh, Ronald M. Krauss, Ginny L. Gildengorin, Alisa M. Goldrich, Devan S. Block, Swapna V. Shenvi, Tara H. Mchugh, Don A. Olson, Bruce N. Ames

United States Public Health Resources

This study determined if twice-daily consumption

of a nutrient-dense bar intended to fill gaps in

Western diets, without other dietary/lifestyle requirements,

favorably shifted metabolic/anthropometric indicators

of dysregulation in a healthy direction. Three 8-wk

clinical trials in 43 healthy lean and overweight/obese

(OW/OB) adults, who served as their own controls, were

pooled for analysis. In less inflamed OW/OB [highsensitivity

C-reactive protein (hsCRP) <1.5], statistically

significant decreases occurred in weight (-1.1 ± 0.5 kg),

waist circumference (-3.1 ± 1.4 cm), diastolic blood

pressure (-4.1 ± 1.6 mmHg), heart rate [HR;-4.0 ± 1.7

beats per minute (bpm)], triglycerides (272638.2mg/dl),

insulin resistance (homeostatic model of insulin …

Comparing Electronic News Media Reports Of Potential Bioterrorism-Related Incidents Involving Unknown White Powder To Reports Received By The United States Centers For Disease Control And Prevention And The Federal Bureau Of Investigation: U.S.A., 2009–2011†, Geroncio C. Fajardo, Joseph Posid, Stephen Papagiotas, Luis Lowe

United States Public Health Resources

There have been periodic electronic news media reports of potential bioterrorism-related incidents involving unknown substances (often referred to as “white powder”) since the 2001 intentional dissemination of Bacillus anthracis through the U.S. Postal System. This study reviewed the number of unknown “white powder” incidents reported online by the electronic news media and compared them with unknown “white powder” incidents reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during a 2-year period from June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2011. Results identified 297 electronic news media reports, 538 CDC reports, …

Specific Behaviors Predict Staphylococcus Aureus Colonization And Skin And Soft Tissue Infections Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus- Infected Persons, Nancy F. Crum-Cianflone, Xun Wang, Amy Weintrob, Tahaniyat Lalani, Mary Bavaro, Jason F. Okulicz, Katrin Mende, Michael Ellis, Brian K. Agan

United States Public Health Resources

Background. Few data exist on the incidence and risk factors of Staphylococcus aureus colonization and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Methods. Over a 2-year period, we prospectively evaluated adults infected with HIV for incident S aureus colonization at 5 body sites and SSTIs. Cox proportional hazard models using time-updated covariates were performed.

Results. Three hundred twenty-two participants had a median age of 42 years (interquartile range, 32–49), an HIV duration of 9.4 years (2.7–17.4), and 58% were on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Overall, 102 patients (32%) became colonized with S …

Staphylococcus Aureus Metabolic Adaptations During The Transition From A Daptomycin Susceptibility Phenotype To A Daptomycin Nonsusceptibility Phenotype, Rosmarie Gaupp, Shulei Lei, Joseph M. Reed, Henrik Peisker, Susan Boyle- Vavra, Arnold S. Bayer, Markus Bischoff, Mathias Herrmann, Robert S. Daum, R. D. Powell, Greg A. Somerville

Robert Powers Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen is due in part to its many virulence determinants and resistance to antimicrobials. In particular, methicillin-resistant S. aureus has emerged as a major cause of infections and led to increased use of the antibiotics vancomycin and daptomycin, which has increased the isolation of vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus and daptomycin-nonsusceptible S. aureus strains. The most common mechanism by which S. aureus acquires intermediate resistance to antibiotics is by adapting its physiology and metabolism to permit growth in the presence of these antibiotics, a …

Site-Specific Differences In T Cell Frequencies And Phenotypes In The Blood And Gut Of Hivuninfected And Art-Treated Hiv+ Adults, Steven A. Yukl, Amandeep K. Shergill, Valerie Girling, Qingsheng Li, Maudi Killian, Lorrie Epling, Peilin Li, Philipp Kaiser, Ashley Haase, Diane V. Havlir, Kenneth Mcquaid, Elizabeth Sinclair, Joseph K. Wong

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Gastrointestinal T lymphocytes are critical for mucosal immunity and HIV pathogenesis, yet little is known about normal T cell numbers and phenotypes in different regions of the gut, or the degree to which ART can restore levels to those of HIV-uninfected individuals. To investigate these questions, we measured T cell frequencies and markers of memory, activation, anergy, and homing in the blood, ileum, and rectum of HIV- and ART-suppressed HIV+ adults. In HIV- individuals, T cell frequencies and phenotypes differed significantly between sites. Compared to HIV- adults, HIV+ adults had lower absolute CD4+T cell counts in the ileal lamina propria …

Transgenic Virus Resistance In Crop-Wild Cucurbita Pepo Does Not Prevent Vertical Transmission Of Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus, H. E. Simmons, H. R. Prendeville, J. P. Dunham, M. J. Ferrari, J. D. Earnest, Diana Pilson, G. P. Munkvold, E. C. Holmes, A. G. Stephenson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) is an economically important pathogen of cucurbits that is transmitted both horizontally and vertically. Although ZYMV is seed-transmitted in Cucurbita pepo, the potential for seed transmission in virus-resistant transgenic cultivars is not known. We crossed and backcrossed a transgenic squash cultivar with wild C. pepo, and determined whether seed-to-seedling transmission of ZYMV was possible in seeds harvested from transgenic backcrossed C. pepo.We then compared these transmission rates to those of non-transgenic (backcrossed and wild) C. pepo. The overall seed-to-seedling transmission rate in ZYMV was similar to those found in previous studies …

A Nuclear Fraction Of Turnip Crinkle Virus Capsid Protein Is Important For Elicitation Of The Host Resistance Response, Sung-Hwan Kang, Feng Qu, Thomas J. Morris

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The N-terminal 25 amino acids (AAs) of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) capsid protein (CP) are recognized by the resistance protein HRT to trigger a hypersensitive response (HR) and systemic resistance to TCV infection. This same region of TCV CP also contains a motif that interacts with the transcription factor TIP, as well as a nuclear localization signal (NLS). However, it is not yet known whether nuclear localization of TCV CP is needed for the induction of HRT-mediated HR and resistance. Here we present new evidence suggesting a tight correlation between nuclear inclusions formed by CP and the manifestation of HR. …

A Novel Codon-Optimized Siv Gag-Pol Immunogen For Genebased Vaccination, Catherine M. Crosby, Eric A. Weaver, Reeti Khare, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a robust pathogen used in non-human primates to model HIV vaccines. SIV encodes a number of potential vaccine targets. By far the largest and most conserved protein target in SIV is its gag-pol protein that bears many epitopes to drive multivalent immune T cell responses. While gag-pol is an attractive antigen, it is only translated after a frame shift between gag and pol with the effect that gag and pol are expressed at an approximate 10/1 ratio. The codon bias of native lentiviral genes are also mismatched with the abundance of tRNAs in mammalian cells …

Candida Albicans Quorum Sensing Molecules Stimulate Mouse Macrophage Migration, Jessica C. Hargarten, Tyler C. Moore, Thomas M. Petro, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

The polymorphic commensal fungus Candida albicans causes life-threatening disease via bloodstream and intra-abdominal infections in immunocompromised and transplant patients. Although host immune evasion is a common strategy used by successful human fungal pathogens, C. albicans provokes recognition by host immune cells less capable of destroying it. To accomplish this, C. albicans white cells secrete a low-molecular-weight chemoattractive stimulant(s) of macrophages, a phagocyte that they are able to survive within and eventually escape from. C. albicans opaque cells do not secrete this chemoattractive stimulant( s). We report here a physiological mechanism that contributes to the differences in the interaction of C. …

State-Space Modeling To Support Management Of Brucellosis In The Yellowstone Bison Population, N. Thompson Hobbs, Chris Geremia, John Treanor, Rick Wallen, P. J. White, Mevin B. Hooten, Jack C. Rhyan

United States National Park Service: Publications

The bison (Bison bison) of the Yellowstone ecosystem, USA, exemplify the difficulty of conserving large mammals that migrate across the boundaries of conservation areas. Bison are infected with brucellosis (Brucella abortus) and their seasonal movements can expose livestock to infection. Yellowstone National Park has embarked on a program of adaptive management of bison, which requires a model that assimilates data to support management decisions. We constructed a Bayesian state-space model to reveal the influence of brucellosis on the Yellowstone bison population. A frequency-dependent model of brucellosis transmission was superior to a density-dependent model in predicting out-of-sample …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 37, No. 1, Winter 2015, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

Contents

1 -- Editor's Note

2 -- Annual Meeting Data

3 -- Response to David S. Lindsay re: Self archiving of publications from the Journal of Parasitology

6 -- NCP Meeting – Nadler report

8 -- Job - Wyoming - Parasitologist

9 -- Meetings / Course Announceme

15 -- Post Doc

17 -- Announcement – Manter Laboratory

One Environment, One Health, Margaret Baker, Sienna Cipriano, Madeline Clark, Kelli Green, Hope Hemme, Jessica Horn, Jenna Jenkins, Brooke Jindra, Valerie Kesterson, Ashley Maher, Colleene Marriott, Joshua Poore, Kelly Schnoor, Chelsea Taylor

Strategic Discussions for Nebraska

Nebraska’s place as an international agricultural epicenter is important for feeding a hungry world, but the work that makes that position possible is truly incredible. Thanks to research conducted at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln by many of the world’s finest scientists, discoveries are being made that improve the health of all kingdoms–plant, animal, human and the natural environment.

The UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists are Growing a Healthy Future through their work in laboratories on campus and in the laboratories of the world – fields, rivers, pastures, feedlots, swine facilities, hen houses, zoos and public health clinics. …

Curatorial Implications Of Ophyra Capensis (Order Diptera, Family Muscidae) Puparia Recovered From The Body Of The Blessed Antonio Patrizi, Monticiano, Italy (Middle Ages), Johnica J. Morrow, Diesel A. Baldwin, Leon G. Higley, Dario Piombino-Mascali, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The discovery of dipteran remains on mummified individuals can lead to either cause for curatorial concern or to a better understanding of the individual’s post-mortem environment. The present study analyzed insect remains associated with the body of a unique medieval mummy of religious significance, that of the Blessed Antonio Patrizi da Monticiano. A total of 79 puparia were examined and all were identified as Ophyra capensis (Diptera: Muscidae). Additionally, a desiccated moth (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) was encountered. Puparia of O. capensis would be associated with normal decomposition shortly after the death of the mummified individual, and not an infestation beginning during …

Learning Biology Through Innovative Curricula: A Comparison Of Game- And Nongame-Based Approaches, Troy D. Sadler, William L. Romine, Deepika Menon, Richard E. Ferdig, Leonard Annetta

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study explored student learning in the context of innovative biotechnology curricula and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The quasi-experimentally designed study compared learning outcomes between two curricular approaches: one built around a computer-based game and the other built around a narrative case. The research questions addressed student learning of basic biological principles, development of interest in learning science, and how a game-based approach compared to a nongame-based approach in terms of supporting learning. The study employed a pre-post design with 1,888 high school students nested within the classes of 36 biology teachers. …