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Legacy Nutrient Transport By Overland Sheet Flow, John E. Gilley, Ryan P. Mcgehee, Kenneth M. Wacha

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The transport of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from sites containing varying quantities of legacy nutrients was evaluated in this investigation. The data that were examined were collected during four previously reported field hydrologic studies performed in eastern Nebraska. Additional flow was introduced to the top of the rainfall simulation plots to replicate runoff conditions occurring along a hillslope. It was observed that both P and N delivery were influenced by runoff rate on sites where beef cattle manure or inorganic fertilizer had been applied. Legacy nutrient delivery appeared to have been influenced by the quantity of nutrients released at …

Reaction Control Mechanism In Deoxyuridine 5'-Triphosphate Nucleotidohydrolase, Aaron Delay

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) is an enzyme involved in the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway, a key component of cellular DNA metabolism. It regulates intracellular uracil carrying triphosphate levels by hydrolyzing dUTP, thereby providing a substrate for thymidylate synthase (TS). The effective inhibition of dUTPase is expected to enhance TS-targeted chemotherapy by promoting thymine-less apoptosis.

Although the reaction mechanism of dUTPase has been studied, the human nuclear homotrimeric form remains complex, as all three subunits cooperatively form a single active site. As a result, the detailed molecular dynamics of its catalysis are still not fully understood. In this study, I investigated the …

Evaluating The Effects Of Row Spacing, Legume Intercropping, Fertilizer Source, And Fertilizer Timing On Intermediate Wheatgrass In Eastern Nebraska, Madeline M. Johnston

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Kernza^® is the trademarked name of the perennial crop intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). In addition to its potential for dual-use as a grain and forage crop, Kernza is marketed to provide needed environmental services by increasing crop biodiversity, sequestering soil carbon, and reducing nitrate leaching. However, more work is needed in cultivar selection and crop management to increase total grain yields and prevent long-term grain yield decline. Furthermore, research in quantifying and understanding Kernza’s ability to affect soil properties and water dynamics is limited.

Two field experiments were conducted at the Eastern Nebraska Research Extension and Education …

Evaluating Biodegradable Mulch As A Soil Conservation Tool And The Impact On Soil Properties And Yield In Soybean (Glycine Max) Cropping Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Ana Clara Gomes

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study, conducted during the 2024 growing season, evaluated short-term effects of soil management practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil microclimate, nitrogen dynamics, weed suppression, and soybean (Glycine max) yield. In addition to conventional tillage and no-till, this research included cereal rye (Secale cereale) cover cropping and a novel sprayable biodegradable mulch (BioWRAP®) to assess emerging strategies for sustainable soybean systems under contrasting moisture regimes.

Field trials were established at two eastern Nebraska locations: Havelock (dryland, silty clay loam) and ENREEC (irrigated, clay loam). A strip-block randomized design with four replications tested six soil management …

Exploring And Characterizing Organic Chemistry Students’ Meaningful Engagement In Science Practices, John Zhou

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Undergraduate organic chemistry frequently engages students in key science practices such as analyzing and interpreting spectroscopic data and constructing explanations through reaction mechanisms. However, these activities are often framed as procedural tasks rather than as tools for constructing knowledge. As a result, students may develop incomplete understanding of these practices, making it harder for them to see how scientific knowledge is generated and to use them meaningfully as tools for sensemaking. To better understand how students take up these practices as epistemic tools, three qualitative studies were conducted in this dissertation to investigate how undergraduate organic chemistry students reason with …

Willa Cather’S Uneven Ground: Guest Editor's Introduction, Emily J. Rau

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Guest editor's introduction to the summer 2025 issue of Western American Literature, a special issue on resettling Willa Cather’s West.

Gmos And Public Perception: College Students’ Opinions And Knowledge Of Genetic Engineering, Serene M. Cheng

RURALS: Review of Undergraduate Research in Agricultural and Life Sciences

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be developed and implemented to address significant global challenges, including nutrient deficiencies, climate change, and crop disease. However, widespread opposition has prevented the success of GMOs. We believe this opposition is strongly connected to a lack of understanding about genetics in general, which has been reflected by previous studies.

In this study, we considered the relationship between GMO support and genetics knowledge by comparing results from a brief quiz and responses to prompts relating to GMOs. Using a survey of college students, we found that support for GMOs and general knowledge of genetics are positively …

Annotated Checklist And Distribution Of The Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Of Idaho, Luc Leblanc, Emma L. Eakins

Insecta Mundi

An annotated checklist of the 102 species of Buprestidae (Coleoptera) known to be present in the state of Idaho is provided, with photographs and detailed distribution maps for each species. The checklist is based on label data from 7,506 museum specimens, 21 observations obtained from iNaturalist.org and Bug-Guide.net, and 63 distribution records from published literature. Buprestis consularis Gory is a new record for Idaho, formerly reported as Buprestis nutalli Kirby, which is not known to occur in the state. Obscure past records of Anthaxia retifera LeConte and Melanophila occidentalis Obenberger published in the literature are regarded as dubious and are …

Genomics-Based Taxonomic Refinement Of Emesis Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

Insecta Mundi

Expanded genomic sequencing of Emesis [Fabricius], 1807 (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae Grote, 1895) reveals additional taxonomic insights. As a result of this study, one subgenus and 10 species are proposed as new (type species or type localities in parenthesis): Sinuata Grishin, new subgenus (Emesis sinuatus Hewitson, 1877) of Exoplisia Godman and Salvin, 1886; Emesis (Mandania) mandaca Grishin, new species (Mexico: Oaxaca); Emesis (Mandania) mantunga Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Tungurahua); Emesis (Tenedia) hidalga Grishin, new species (Mexico: Hidalgo); Emesis (Tenedia) vera Grishin, new species (Mexico: Veracruz); Emesis (Tenedia) nica Grishin, new species …

The Millipede Genus Alocodesmus Silvestri, 1896 (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae: Batodesmini): Description Of A New Species From Colombia And The Identity Of A. Hanseni (Silvestri, 1898), Juan Romero-Rincon, Santiago Alvear

Insecta Mundi

The genus Alocodesmus Silvestri, 1896 (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae: Batodesmini) currently comprises six valid species, three of which are recorded for Colombia, including A. danielae Romero-Rincon and Alvear, new species, from Yondó, Antioquia Department. Two species are known from Panama and one from Venezuela. The new species differs from its congeners by having a spoon-shaped prefemoral process that is ventrally extended forming a conspicuous concave space with branch Z being shorter than branches X and Y. The identity of A. hanseni Silvestri, 1898, previously of uncertain status, is revised, and the species is herein proposed as a new synonymy …

Three New Species Of Dichotomius Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) From Mexico And Central America, Ángel Solís, Burt Kohlmann

Insecta Mundi

Three new species assigned to the satanas species-group of Dichotomius Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) are described from North and Central America: Dichotomius pisuicas Solís and Kohlmann, new species, from the Caribbean slope of Honduras to Panama; D. lucifer Solís and Kohlmann, new species, from the Costa Rican and Panamanian Pacific rainforests; and D. chamuco Solís and Kohlmann, new species, from Mexico to Honduras. A description, diagnosis, images, and distributional map are presented for each species.

A Battle Of Armies: Massive Attack Of Natural Enemies To The True Armyworm Mythimna Unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In Forage Crops, Armando Falcon-Brindis, Raul T. Villanueva

Insecta Mundi

Understanding the interactions between plant-host-parasitoid plays a major role in insect pest management. Farmers in the southeastern United States rely on pasture systems for cattle milk and beef production, but the benefits of parasitoids and predators on major lepidopteran pests on pasture lands are still overlooked. Here, we aimed to identify and quantify the effect of parasitism on the true armyworm Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) attacking teff grass Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter (Poaceae) and crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (Poaceae) in western Kentucky. In early August of 2023, 547 larvae of M. unipuncta were collected from experimental …

In Memoriam: Donald B. Thomas, Jr., January 26, 1949–November 10, 2024, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Joseph E. Eger Jr., David Rider

Insecta Mundi

We honor the life and contributions of Donald Byron Thomas, Jr. (January 26, 1949–November 10, 2024) with a short review of his professional life followed by three appendices listing his published papers, taxa described, and patronyms.

Erratum To Golovatch Et Al. (2025): Contributions To The Taxonomy Of The Neotropical Millipede Genus Iulidesmus Silvestri, 1895 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae: Catharosomatini), Sergei I. Golavatch, Juan Romero-Rincon, Nesrine Akkari, Santiago Alvear

Insecta Mundi

After publication of Golovatch et al. (2025), it was noticed that Figure 3 was accidentally omitted. The authors and the Insecta Mundi editorial staff apologize for this error. Figure 3 is reproduced here. Insecta Mundi has also released a revised version of the Golovatch et al. (2025) manuscript, with this error corrected. However, the revised version is not an official version of record, and anyone wishing to reference the findings of Golovatch et al. (2025) should cite the original manuscript or this erratum.

A New Species Of Leaf Litter Inhabiting Species Of Stevenaltica Konstantinov, Linzmeier And Savini From The United States (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini), Amy L. Brown, Shawn M. Clark, Alexander S. Konstantinov

Insecta Mundi

A new species, Stevenaltica parvarotunda Bown, Clark, and Konstantinov (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is described from Ohio, U.S.A. This is the first report of this genus in North America. Brief comments are made regarding Exoceras Jacoby and Leptophysa Baly.

The Enigmatic Samuel Aughey: Nebraska’S Pastor Naturalist, Hugh H. Genoways, Margaret R. Bolick, Mary Anne Andrei

Zea E-Books Collection

Samuel Aughey at age 39 became the first Professor of Natural Science at the new University of Nebraska in Lincoln, serving from 1871 to 1883. He was an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, with an addendum degree from Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) in 1856 and an A.M. degree two years later. His early pastoral work was in Pennsylvania, but in 1864 he became a home missionary to a church in Dakota City, Nebraska. Aughey’s career at the university was marked with successes and honors, but also criticism and questions about his basic knowledge of the sciences. While …

Science Communication Through Cool Critters: An Informal Learning Experience For Youth, Jamila L. Bajelan, Mary J. Harner

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

There are numerous ways to communicate science and assess the effectiveness of that communication. One approach focuses on increasing awareness, enjoyment, interest, opinion, and/or understanding of science. For this study, we created an informal learning experience for youth to communicate the science of animals in Nebraska. We developed Cool Critters, a weeklong summer camp for elementary school-aged students, to increase participants' enjoyment, interest, and opinion of Nebraska animals. In 2023, Cool Critters was led in three educational settings in central Nebraska and reached sixty-six participants. Surveys were used to determine the camp's success in effective science communication and whether …

The Current 'Ban-Demic': School Book Bans In The U.S., Barbara Perez, Jane Caputi

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay examines the alarming rise of U.S book. Our stance is grounded in our experiences as educators and academics in Florida, the state with the highest number of book bans and legislation that has significantly impacted education. Book bans infringe on freedom of expression, right to access information, = students’ right to education, and real harm to targeted communities (i.e., LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities), as the bans contribute to the ongoing marginalization and stigmatization of these communities. Diverse representation is key in literature and education. Banning popular culture texts from the classroom stifles critical thinking, social dialogue, and, ultimately, …

Abstracts Of Posters Presented At South Sioux City Nou Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

A scientific poster session featuring the work of 9 ornithological researchers from UN-Kearney, USD-Vermillion and Hitchcock Nature Center was held Friday evening. Thanks to Dr. Jacob Cooper from UNK, Dr. David Swanson from USD, and the students who participated.

Wandering from the River: On- and Off-River Abundance of Interior Least Terns along the 59-Mile Reach of the Missouri National Recreational River. Zoe Donelan, Hannah Slattery, Kyle Jorgensen, and David L. Swanson, University of South Dakota, Department of Biology.

Preliminary Results of Raptor Migration Monitoring at Hitchcock Nature Center. Kellie Hayden, Jerry Toll, and Sandy Reinken, Hitchcock Nature Center, Pottawattamie Conservation, …

The Nebraska Bird Review (June 2025) 93(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2025, by W. Ross Silcock

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in South Sioux City, May 16–18, 2025

Abstracts of posters presented at Spring 2025 NOU Meeting

Spring 2025 NOU Meeting Species Tally

An Unusual Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) in Nebraska: Albinism or Leucism? by Jacob C. Cooper, Peggy M. Huss, Eugene A. Huryn, and Cody McGregor

Subscription and Organization Information

Rethinking Assessment In Asynchronous Learning: A Benchmark Portfolio For Mngt 301, Pedro J. Agüero Arroyo

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This teaching portfolio evaluates the instructional redesign of MNGT 301 Introduction to Management at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, focusing on improving student learning outcomes, addressing performance disparities across demographic groups, and enhancing assessment alignment with course goals. The redesign primarily involved modifying assessment types and implementing clearer structure and grading expectations. The analysis compares student performance data from Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, disaggregated by demographic indicators including gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, neighborhood opportunity index, and rural/urban background. In addition, student perceptions were assessed through a midsemester Keep-Stop-Start survey. Findings suggest that redesign elements enhanced student engagement and equity by …

Simulations Of Differential Reflectivity Columns In Quasi-Linear Convective Systems, Devon Jacob Healey

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Much research over the past decade has revealed that dual-polarization radar is a powerful tool in furthering our understanding of severe storm dynamics and subsequently improving warning strategies for these hazardous events. However, there are currently very few studies examining a particularly prolific severe convective storm mode with dual-polarization radar: quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs). These storms can occur in any season of the year throughout most of the contiguous United States and can have immense societal impacts. Warning for the hazards produced by QLCSs is currently a significant operational challenge, therefore, research is needed to see if applying dual-polarization radar …

Four Synonyms Of Tetraleurodes Mori (Quaintance, 1899) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae), Natalia Von Ellenrieder, Raymond J. Gill, Ian C. Stocks

Insecta Mundi

Examination of type specimens of Aleyrodes errans Bemis, 1904, A. dorseyi Kotinsky, 1907 (replacement name for A. quaintancei Bemis, 1904), and A. splendens Bemis, 1904 and comparison with a large series of specimens of Tetraleurodes mori (Quaintance, 1899) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) confirms that the first four names represent new junior subjective synonyms of the latter species, since their types do not differ from it in any significant way and display the combination of diagnostic characters that identifies that species.

Resumen

El análisis de ejemplares tipo de Aleyrodes errans Bemis, 1904, A. dorseyi Kotinsky, 1907 (nombre de …

New Species Of Phaea Newman (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Tetraopini), With Notes On Some Known Species And New Records, Antonio Santos-Silva, Frederick W. Skillman Jr.

Insecta Mundi

Four new species of Phaea Newman, 1840 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Tetraopini) are described: P. antiguaensis Santos-Silva and Skillman, new species, from Guatemala; P. autlanensis Santos- Silva and Skillman, new species, from Mexico (Jalisco); P. hildebranti Santos-Silva and Skillman, new species, from Mexico (Jalisco and Michoacán); and P. minatitleca Santos-Silva and Skillman, new species, from Mexico (Colima). Notes on the identity of Phaea vitticollis Bates, 1872 are provided. Phaea lingafelteri Heffern, Santos-Silva and Nascimento, 2018 is recorded from Honduras and Phaea quadrimaculata Wappes and Santos- Silva, 2021 is recorded from the Mexican state of Guerrero. Notes on the chromatic and morphological …

Contributions To The Taxonomy Of The Neotropical Millipede Genus Iulidesmus Silvestri, 1895 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae: Catharosomatini), Sergei I. Golavatch, Juan Romero-Rincon, Nesrine Akkari, Santiago Alvear

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of Iulidesmus Silvestri, 1895 (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), one of the most species-rich genera of Diplopoda globally that currently encompasses about 90 species, are described from the Andes: I. inga Golovatch, Romero-Rincon, Akkari and Alvear, new species, from Colombia. I. bilobus Golovatch, Romero-Rincon, Akkari and Alvear, new species, from Ecuador, and I. zakharovi Golovatch, Romero-Rincon, Akkari and Alvear, new species, from Peru. The following new combination is proposed: Iulidesmus alagoanus (Schubart, 1950), from Brazil, new combination, ex Habrodesmus Cook, 1896. The female holotypes of Strongylosoma glabrum Peters, 1865, from Colombia, and …

Melittological Notes From Guatemala (Hymenoptera: Anthophila), 2. New Country Records For Apidae (Anthophorini And Centridini) And Halictidae (Augochlorini), Ana Cristina Garcia-Cordon, José Monzón-Sierra, Richard S. Zack, Silas Bossert

Insecta Mundi

We report three new country records of bee species (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) from Guatemala: Centris flavifrons Fabricius and Deltoptila costaricensis Friese, both in the family Apidae, and Caenaugochlora costaricensis Friese, in the family Halictidae. We illustrate the species and discuss their present-day distribution. These new data contribute to the growing knowledge on native bee diversity from Central America, especially from Guatemala.

Resumen

Reportamos tres nuevos registros de abejas (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) en Guatemala, Centris flavifrons Fabricius y Deltoptila costaricensis Friese, ambas de la familia Apidae, y Caenaugochlora costaricensis Friese, de la familia Halictidae. Presentamos las especies y discutimos su distribución actual. Estos …

A New Species Of Chrysobothris Eschscholtz, 1829 And Synonymy Of Two Species Of Acmaeodera Eschscholtz, 1829 From Baja California Sur, Mexico (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Richard L. Westcott

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Buprestidae (Coleoptera), Chrysobothris bajacalifornica Westcott, is described from Baja California Sur, Mexico and discussed in relation to species I consider related to it. Acmaeodera lagunae Van Dyke, 1945 is newly synonymized under A. flavosticta Horn, 1878, and A. lucana Van Dyke, 1942 is newly synonymized under A. subbalteata LeConte, 1863. A lectotype is designated for A. flavosticta Horn.

Discovery Of Anisobas Irwini Claridge, New Species, And New Host And Distribution Records Of Anisobas Coloradensis (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae: Ichneumonini), Brandon R. Claridge, Kyri A. Forman

Insecta Mundi

Anisobas Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae: Ichneumonini) is a moderately diverse parasitoid wasp genus present in the Holarctic and Indo-Malaysian regions. Here, we advance taxonomic knowledge of western Nearctic Anisobas by documenting new rearing and distribution records for A. coloradensis (Cresson) and describe A. irwini Claridge, new species, from central Arizona. There are now seven known Nearctic Anisobas species.

A New Genus And New Synonyms For Liburnia Reducta Van Duzee, 1907 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacoidea: Delphacidae), Charles R. Bartlett, Adam M. Wallner

Insecta Mundi

The delphacid species Liburnia reducta Van Duzee is transferred to the new genus Calkinodelphax Bartlett and Wallner (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacoidea: Delphacidae) and is designated the type species of this genus under the name Calkinodelphax reductus (Van Duzee), new combination. Calkinodelphax reductus is broadly distributed from Florida, the Antilles, Central America, and northern South America. Calkinodelphax reductus is the subjective senior synonym of Pissonotus striolus Osborn, Delphacodes cornuta Beamer, and Euides fasciatella auct. (nec. Osborn). A new lectotype is designated for Liburnia reducta Van Duzee. The female holotype and male allotype of Liburniella fasciatella Osborn were reviewed and found to …

New Records Of Liparthrum Squamosum Blackman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Hypoborini) In Pennsylvania, Dani J. Firth, Lawrence E. Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Liparthrum squamosum Blackman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Hypoborini) is reported for the first time from Pennsylvania. A single specimen was found in 2015 and four subsequent specimens were collected in 2024 through several insect trap and lure combinations. These records increase the known range for this species in the eastern United States.