Digital Commons Network^™

First Report Of Brachyplatys Subaeneus (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae) In The United States, Joseph E. Eger Jr., Adam J. Pitcher, Susan E. Halbert, Cory Penca, Amanda C. Hodges

Insecta Mundi

Brachyplatys subaeneus (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), is reported from Miami Beach, FL, the first report from the United States. It was noticed first on a photo-sharing site (iNaturalist) providing an example of the importance of these sites for helping to track introduced species. Information on distribution, host plants and potential spread are provided along with photos and taxonomic characters to assist with identification of this recently introduced species.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:332C0E76-9AE9-4069-9240-F55CADC64165

Checklist Of The Caddisfly Family Rhyacophilidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) In India, Tabaraq Ali, Sajad H. Parey, Manpreet S. Pandher, Malkiat S. Saini

Insecta Mundi

The present checklist covers the fauna of the Trichopteran family Rhyacophilidae Stephens, 1836. Based on extensive surveys done during 2003–2019 and previous species records, we find that the family Rhyacophilidae is represented by two genera and 184 species in India. The genus Rhyacophila Pictet contains 165 species in India while the genus Himalopsyche Banks contains 19 described species. The Indian Himalayan region is inhabited by more species than the rest of India.

A New Species Of Parorectis Spaeth From The North-Central United States, With Notes On Prothoracic And Head Morphology Of The Genus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini), Edward G. Riley

Insecta Mundi

A new species of tortoise beetle from the north-central United States, Parorectis arenaria new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini), is described and illustrated. Comparative remarks and a key are provided to distinguish the new species from the three other species comprising the genus. Adults and larvae of the new species feed on Physalis L. (Solanaceae). The circum-foraminal ridge and antennal groove of the prothorax are described in detail. The pars stridens (file) of the stridulatory apparatus on the male cranium of the new species is illustrated. The pars stridens is present only in males of Parorectis Spaeth species. A patch …

First Record For Cypherotylus Dromedarius (Lacordaire) (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) From Panama, Brian J. Armitage, Alonso Santos Murgas

Insecta Mundi

Cypherotylus dromedarius (Lacordaire, 1842) (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) was described from French Guiana. Information about its current distribution is scattered throughout the literature and the internet. Specimens of this species were recently observed and photographed in the Boquete area, Chiriqui Province, Panama, and constitute a new record for the country of this species. Subsequently, we located two specimens deposited in the National Reference Collection of the G. B. Fairchild Museum of Invertebrates, University of Panama, from the same locality in Chiriqui Province. We summarize the distribution of this species from scattered sources and provide five new records.

Cypherotylus dromedarius (Lacordaire, 1842) (Coleoptera: …

Additional Type Designations For Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Of The Biologia Centrali Americana Housed In The Natural History Museum, London, Gavin J. Martin, Natalie A. Saxton

Insecta Mundi

Firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) taxonomy has undergone numerous changes over the past 100 years. In order to help provide stability to the group, types for several of the Lampyridae of the Biologia Centrali Americana were determined or designated in early 2019. Here we provide treatments for the remaining Lampyridae and determine the holotype specimens for four species and designate lectotype specimens for 33 species.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1EBF8DAB-3EC5-4671-9E15-C3D2213E3164

The Genus Ochodaeus In Italy: Taxonomy And Distribution (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

The author provides a taxonomic, nomenclatural and distributional review of the genus Ochodaeus Dejean, 1821 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae) in Italy. All Italian populations have been confirmed to belong to a single species, O. chrysomeloides (Schrank, 1781). After the study of a syntype, O. cychramoides Reitter, 1892, formerly considered an Italian endemic, is confirmed to be a junior synonym of O. chrysomeloides. Type material of O. chrysomeloides is believed to be destroyed, therefore a neotype is here designated and deposited at the Natural History Museum of Vienna, Austria. A lectotype is here designated for O. cychramoides and deposited in the Hungarian …

A New Central American Genus Of Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) From The Ischyrus-Megischyrus Complex, Paul E. Skelley

Insecta Mundi

Antoinettia, new genus (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae: Tritomini), is erected for three species: A. audbala (Skelley), new combination, A. huhnei Skelley, new species, and A. kovariki (Skelley), new combination. A genus complex involving Ischyrus Lacordaire, 1842, and Megischyrus Crotch, 1873, is defined and a preliminary key to neotropical genera of Tritomini with coarsely facetted eyes is presented.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7CF5D30C-C46E-4135-A188-B53B0A77B34E

Dos Nuevas Especies De Gorgojos Que Barrenan Los Frutos De Palma De Chontaduro De Los Géneros Parisoschoenus Y Cylindrocerus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae) De La Costa Pacífica De Colombia, Luis Miguel Constantino, Luis Carlos Pardo-Locarno

Insecta Mundi

Actualmente existen dos especies de gorgojos (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) que barrenan los frutos de la palma de chontaduro Bactris gasipaes Kunth en Colombia y que ocasionan pérdidas de hasta el 100% de la producción. Palmelampius heinrichi O’Brien es la principal plaga del cultivo en toda la costa pacífica y en vastas regiones de la amazonia y el piedemonte llanero. En este trabajo se describe una nueva especie del género Parisoschoenus Faust, P. bactrisae Constantino y Pardo-Locarno que ocurre simpátricamente con P. heinrichi en la costa pacífica de Colombia causando un daño similar y que se diferencia de la especie anterior por …

Making A First Impression: Exploring What Instructors Do And Say On The First Day Of Introductory Stem Courses, A. Kelly Lane, Clara L. Meaders, J. Kenny Shuman, Mackenzie R. Stetzer, Erin L. Vinson, Brian A. Couch, Michelle K. Smith, Marilyne Stains

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Student impressions formed during the first day of class can impact course satisfaction and performance. Despite its potential importance, little is known about how instructors format the first day of class. Here, we report on observations of the first day of class in 23 introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses. We first described how introductory STEM instructors structure their class time by characterizing topics covered on the first day through inductive coding of class videos. We found that all instructors discussed policies and basic information. However, a cluster analysis revealed two groups of instructors who differed primarily in …

Oddpub – A Text-Mining Algorithm To Detect Data Sharing In Biomedical Publications, Nico Riedel, Miriam Kip, Evgeny Bobrov

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Open research data are increasingly recognized as a quality indicator and an important resource to increase transparency, robustness and collaboration in science. However, no standardized way of reporting Open Data in publications exists, making it difficult to find shared datasets and assess the prevalence of Open Data in an automated fashion.

We developed ODDPub (Open Data Detection in Publications), a text-mining algorithm that screens biomedical publications and detects cases of Open Data. Using English-language original research publications from a single biomedical research institution (n = 8689) and randomly selected from PubMed (n = 1500) we iteratively developed a …

Developing A Computer-Controlled Treat Dispenser For Canine Operant Conditioning, Walker Arce, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

When performing canine operant conditioning studies, the delivery of the reward can be a limiting factor of the study. While there are a few commercially available options for automatically delivering rewards, they generally require manual input, such as using a remote control, in accordance with the experiment script. This means that human reaction times and transmission distances can cause interruptions to the flow of the experiment. The potential for development of non-supervised conditioning studies is limited by this same factor. To remedy this, we retrofitted an off-the-shelf treat dispenser with new electronics that allow it to be remotely controllable as …

Using Dna Barcoding For Identification Of Some Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) Intercepted At South Korea Ports-Of-Entry, Soo-Jung Suh, Deuk-Soo Choi

Insecta Mundi

Quick and accurate identification of intercepted psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) is an essential requirement for effective pest management and phytosanitary procedures. However, due to lack of morphological characters in the immature stages that can be used to distinguish species, other molecular methods, such as DNA barcoding are proving to be useful. The current study was to designed to generate comprehensive information on the identification of all developmental stages of eight species of psyllids intercepted on consignments of infested fresh cut flowers at the ports of entry in South Korea using DNA barcoding. It is considered that DNA barcoding is a reliable …

Curie Temperature Engineering In A Novel 2d Analog Of Iron Ore (Hematene) Via Strain, Renu Singla, Timothy A. Hackett, Sarvesh Kumar, Jyotsna Sharma, Manish K. Kashyap

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

As a newly exfoliated magnetic 2D material from hematite, hematene is the most far-reaching ultrathin magnetic indirect bandgap semiconductor. We have carried out a detailed structural analysis of hematene via prefacing strain by means of first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). Hematene in the pristine form emerges out to be a magnetic semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.0/2.0 eV for the majority/minority spin channel. The dependence of magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE), T_C, and the bandgap on compressive and tensile strains has been scanned exclusively. It is examined that T_C depends firmly on the compressive strain …

Energy Balance In The Dssat-Csm-Cropgro Model, Santiago V. Cuadra, Bruce A. Kimball, Kenneth J. Boote, Andrew E. Suyker, Nigel Pickering

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

One potential way to improve crop growth models is for the models to predict energy balance and evapotranspiration (ET) from first principles, thus serving as a check on “engineered” ET methodology. In this paper, we present new implementations and the results of an energy balance model (EBL) developed by Jagtap and Jones (1989) and then implemented in DSSAT’s CROPGRO (CG-EBL) model by Pickering et al. (1995) as a linked energy balance-photosynthesis model that has not been field-tested until now. The energy balance code computes evapotranspiration and other energy balance components, as well as a canopy air temperature, based on three …

Inheritability Of Ciprofloxacin-Induced Mitochondrial Mutations From Parental To Offspring Generation Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, Rose Mccoy

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In all eukaryotes, mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell (Siekevitz, 1957). In plants, however, their mitochondrial genome is especially strange. Plant mitochondrial genomes are extremely large and contain both linear and circular subgenomic DNA fragments. Plant mitochondrial genomes undergo a significant amount of mutations in the form of rearrangements. However, it is not known how often these rearrangements are inherited by the next generation. It is thought that plant cells that are still dividing have higher rates of DNA repair, such as double-strand break repair, to ensure the quality of that plant lineage. As follows, it is …

Anthropogenic Change On The Distribution Of Marine Megafauna And Their Prey, Baylie Fadool

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Anthropogenic change is impacting the distribution and survival of marine megafauna and their prey. Humans are changing every aspect of the marine environment, with effects reaching as large as changing the composition of marine environments to directly overexploiting species through the fishing industry. The role that marine megafauna play in balancing ecosystems, including as top apex predators, leads to detrimental results in the absences and population declines of these species. Migrations and declines due to threats on marine apex predator species will alter their environments by causing mesopredator release and changes in community structure, which is often associated with reduced …

Designing A Week-Long Biomedical Engineering Summer Camp To Increase Young Students’ Interest And Self-Efficacy In Stem, Kayla Ney

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In order to combat the negative feelings many young students have towards STEM, I designed a week-long summer camp that teaches students about biomedical engineering as well as collaboration, communication, and confidence with STEM subjects. This work includes a literature review outlining what STEM is and current issues in STEM education, including disinterest in STEM and attrition in STEM degree programs. The literature review outlines current methods and ideas being utilized to combat these issues, namely, inclusive pedagogical strategies, and how some of these concepts can be applied to the summer camp. The curriculum document included outlines each activity, its …

Loci Associated With Antibody Response In Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa) Infected With Brucella Suis, Courtney F. Pierce, Vienna R. Brown, Steven C. Olsen, Paola Boggiatto, Kerri Pedersen, Ryan S. Miller, Scott E. Speidel, Timothy J. Smyser

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are a destructive invasive species widespread throughout the United States that disrupt ecosystems, damage crops, and carry pathogens of concern for the health of domestic stock and humans including Brucella suis—the causative organism for swine brucellosis. In domestic swine, brucellosis results in reproductive failure due to abortions and infertility. Contact with infected feral swine poses spillover risks to domestic pigs as well as humans, companion animals, wildlife, and other livestock. Genetic factors influence the outcome of infectious diseases; therefore, genome wide association studies (GWAS) of differential immune responses among feral swine can provide …

A New Species Of Diolcus Mayr (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Pachycorinae) With A Reexamination Of The Subfamily And Generic Placement Of Nesogenes Boscii (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Elvisurinae Or Pachycorinae), Joseph E. Eger Jr.

Insecta Mundi

Diolcus thomasi Eger new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Pachycorinae), is de­scribed from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Island and compared to D. chrysorrhoeus (Fabricius), its closest congener. Nesogenes boscii (Fabricius) is removed from the Elvisurinae and placed in the Pachycorinae. The relationship of N. boscii to D. thomasi and D. chrysorrhoeus is discussed.

Diolcus Mayr (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Pachycorinae) currently contains six valid species: D. cassi­doides (Walker) from Hispaniola, D. chrysorrhoeus (Fabricius) from the southeastern US and Texas, D. disjunctus Barber from Puerto Rico, D. irroratus (Fabricius) from Florida and many of …

Detailed Genetic Analysis For Identifying Qtls Associated With Drought Tolerance At Seed Germination And Seedling Stages In Barley, Yasser S. Moursi, Samar G. Thabet, Ahmed Amro, Mona F.A. Dawood, P Stephen Baenziger, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drought induces several challenges for plant development, growth, and production. These challenges become more severe, in particular, in arid and semiarid countries like Egypt. In terms of production, barley ranks fourth after wheat, maize, and rice. Seed germination and seedling stages are critical stages for plant establishment and growth. In the current study, 60 diverse barley genotypes were tested for drought tolerance using two different treatments: control (0-PEG) and drought (20%-PEG). Twenty-two traits were estimated for seed germination and seedling parameters. All traits were reduced under drought stress, and a significant variation was found among genotypes under control and stress …

Underground Diversity: Uropodina Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) From European Badger (Meles Meles) Nests, Przemysław Kurek, Krzysztof Nowakowski, Tomasz Rutkowski, Agnieszka Ważna, Jan Cichocki, Michał Zacharyasiewicz, Jerzy Błoszyk

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Badgers can gather huge quantities of organic material to build their nests for winter time and to rear their cubs. Moreover, badger burrows (setts) are characterized by specific microclimate with quite stable temperature and humidity. Their fauna is poorly studied, especially in respect of saprobiontic Uropodina mites. In 2018–2019, we monitored 94 badger setts to search for nest material that had been thrown away during cleaning of the chambers after mating and winter sleep. In the collected material from 32 badger nests, we found 413 Uropodina mites of 16 species, in various stages of development (adults, protonymphs, and deutonymphs). The …

Optimal Control Of Active Nematics, Michael M. Norton, Piyush Grover, Michael F. Hagan, Seth Fraden

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this work we present the first systematic framework to sculpt active nematic systems, using optimal control theory and a hydrodynamic model of active nematics. We demonstrate the use of two different control fields, (i) applied vorticity and (ii) activity strength, to shape the dynamics of an extensile active nematic that is confined to a disk. In the absence of control inputs, the system exhibits two attractors, clockwise and counterclockwise circulating states characterized by two co-rotating topological þ1 2 defects. We specifically seek spatiotemporal inputs that switch the system from one attractor to the other; we also examine phase-shifting perturbations. …

A Review Of Avian Influenza A Virus Associations In Synanthropic Birds, Susan A. Shriner, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Avian influenza A viruses (IAV) have received significant attention due to the threat they pose to human, livestock, and wildlife health. In this review, we focus on what is known about IAV dynamics in less common avian species that may play a role in trafficking IAVs to poultry operations. Specifically, we focus on synanthropic bird species. Synanthropic species, otherwise known as peridomestic, are species that are ecologically associated with humans and anthropogenically modified landscapes, such as agricultural and urban areas. Aquatic birds such as waterfowl and shorebirds are the species most commonly associated with avian IAVs, and are generally considered …

Sex Related Differences In Skeletal Muscle Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue, Cross-Sectional Area, And Grayscale, Christina Sullivan

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of ultrasonography to assess subcutaneous adipose tissue, cross-sectional area (CSA), and grayscale for muscle. The purpose of the present study was to examine the sex-related differences in subcutaneous adipose tissue, as well as cross-sectional area and grayscale for the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL). Five recreationally trained males (mean ± SD: age= 25.6 ± 1.9 years; height= 182.29 ± 5.88 cm; body mass= 84.67 ± 9.88 kg) and five recreationally trained females (mean ± SD: age= 21 ± .71 years; height= 162.71 ± 12.41 cm; body mass= 77.02 ± 14.91 kg) visited …

The Endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps Californianus) Population Is Exposed To Local Haemosporidian Parasites, M. Andreína Pacheco, Chris N. Parish, Timothy J. Hauck, Roberto F. Aguilar, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is the largest New World Vulture in North America. Despite recovery program success in saving the species from extinction, condors remain compromised by lead poisoning and limited genetic diversity. The latter makes this species especially vulnerable to infectious diseases. Thus, taking advantage of the program of blood lead testing in Arizona, condor blood samples from 2008 to 2018 were screened for haemosporidian parasites using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol that targets the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Plasmodium homopolare (Family Plasmodiidae, Order Haemosporida, Phylum Apicomplexa), was detected in condors captured …

Wetland Edge Trampled By American Bison (Bos Bison) Used As Basking Site For Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta), Keith Geluso, Carter Kruse, Mary Harner

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Prairies of the Great Plains once were influenced by large-scale disturbances, such as fire and herbivory by large ungulates, that promoted ecosystem functioning. American Bison (Bos bison) created many types of disturbances as they traversed grassland landscapes. Trampling, a common type of bison disturbance, occurred when large herds moved through an area denuding aboveground vegetation, exposing prairie soils, and restarting succession. Bison reintroductions now allow researchers to use contemporary observations to examine influences of these large, hoofed mammals on system functions. Herein, we report on the immediate benefit of trampling along a wetland edge for another vertebrate species. …

Microfluidic Systems With Embedded Cell Culture Chambers For High Throughput Biological Assays, Arian Jaberi, Amir Monemian Esfahani, Fariba Aghabaglou, Jae Sung Park, Sidy Ndao, Ali Tamayol, Ruiguo Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The ability to generate chemical and mechanical gradients on chips is important both for creating biomimetic designs or enabling high-throughput assays. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap in the generation of mechanical and chemical gradients in a single device. In this study, we developed gradient-generating microfluidic circuits with integrated microchambers to allow cell culture and to introduce chemical and mechanical gradients to cultured cells. A chemical gradient is generated across the microchambers, exposing cells to a uniform concentration of drugs. The embedded microchamber also produces a mechanical gradient in the form of varied shear stresses induced upon cells …

A Detailed Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In The Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, And Suitability For Future Development, Hussain Ali Jawadi, Jay Sagin, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Kabul is one of the most populated cities in Afghanistan and providing resources to support this population in an arid climate presents a serious environmental challenge. The current study evaluated the quality of local Kabul Basin groundwater to determine its suitability water for drinking and irrigation purposes now and into the future. This aim was aided through groundwater parameter assessment as well as determination ofWater Quality Index (WQI) developed from 15 observation points near the city. The results of our physicochemical analysis illustrate that groundwater in the majority of areas of the Kabul Basin is not generally suitable for human …

Description Of A New Species Of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) From The Sierra Azul, Oaxaca, Mexico, A New Synonymy, And Notes On Chrysina Species Found In The Sierra Azul, José Monzón Sierra, Julian Federico Blackaller-Bages, David C. Hawks

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Chrysina Kirby, C. clavellina Monzón, Blackaller, and Hawks (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini) is described from Santiago Clavellinas in the Sierra Azul in Oaxaca, Mexico. Chrysina cosijoezai (Ramírez-Ponce and Curoe) is placed as a junior synonym of C. lacordairei (Boucard), and notes on the Chrysina fauna of this mountain range are included.

Se describe una nueva especie de Chrysina Kirby, C. clavellina Monzón, Blackaller, y Hawks (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) de Santiago Clavellinas en la Sierra Azul en Oaxaca, México. Chrysina cosijoezai (Ramírez-Ponce y Curoe) se sitúa como un sinónimo de C. lacordairei (Boucard) y se incluyen notas …

A Detailed Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In The Kabul Basin, Afghanistan, And Suitability For Future Development, Hussain Ali Jawadi, Jay Sagin, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Abstract: Kabul is one of the most populated cities in Afghanistan and providing resources to support this population in an arid climate presents a serious environmental challenge. The current study evaluated the quality of local Kabul Basin groundwater to determine its suitability water for drinking and irrigation purposes now and into the future. This aim was aided through groundwater parameter assessment as well as determination ofWater Quality Index (WQI) developed from 15 observation points near the city. The results of our physicochemical analysis illustrate that groundwater in the majority of areas of the Kabul Basin is not generally suitable for …