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Finding Them Before They Find Us: Solving The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The human population grows daily, it’s on the move, and it’s carving a deep technological footprint on our planet. We alter landscapes and perturb ecosystems, inserting ourselves and other species into novel regions of the world, leading to potentially irreversible changes in the biosphere. This is not news. More than 75 years ago, Charles Elton, one of the founders of modern ecology, wrote, “We must make no mistake; we are seeing one of the greatest historical convulsions in the world’s fauna and flora.” We are also in the midst of a public health and epidemiological crisis. Climate change alters movements …

First Records Of The Spider Wasp Entypus Ochrocerus Dahlbom (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae) From The Continental United States, Jamaica, And The Bahamas, Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West, Dionne Newell, Scott Johnson

Insecta Mundi

A small population of Entypus ochrocerus Dahlbom, a predominantly Greater Antilles spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae), is reported for the first time from the continental United States based on photographs and associated information from iNaturalist.org. The species was initially misidentified online as E. unifasciatus unifasciatus (Say) or Entypus sp. However, Entypus u. unifasciatus individuals from east of the 100th Meridian in the United States typically have melanochromatic (dark) wings with a subapical xanthochromatic (orange-amber) patch. Entypus ochrocerus from Miami-Dade County, Florida is differentiated from E. u. unifasciatus by its black body with dark greenish blue reflections …

First Record Of The Mexican-M Hairstreak Parrhasius Moctezuma (Clench, 1971) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) In Texas, Usa, And Possible Sighting Of The Tequila Giant Skipper Aegiale Hesperiaris (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), Sajan Kc, Anisha Sapkota

Insecta Mundi

We report two significant butterfly sightings in the United States, observed during an opportunistic photographic survey conducted in south Texas between December 2022 and January 2023. Parrhasius moctezuma (Clench, 1971) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) was sighted at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas on January 5, 2023, marking the first documented record of the species in Texas and only the second in the United States, as confirmed by photographic evidence. Additionally, Aegiale hesperiaris (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) was potentially observed at the same location on December 4, 2022, although lacking photographic documentation or a collected specimen, highlighting the need for further …

The Puzzling Distribution Of Platphalonidia Aenigmana, New Species, From The Western U. S. A. And Colombia (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Cochylina), John W. Brown

Insecta Mundi

Platphalonidia aenigmana Brown, new species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is described and illustrated from Arizona, California, and Oregon, U. S. A. and Colombia, South America. The new species has been reared on numerous occasions from Garrya elliptica Dougl. ex Lindl. (Garryaceae) in northern California and Oregon, once on Arctostaphylos sp. (Ericaceae) in southern California, and once on Gomphrena globosa L. (Amaranthaceae) in Colombia. Various hypotheses are explored to explain the unusual disjunct geographic distribution of the species. In addition, Phalonidia bassii Razowski (Tortricidae) is transferred to Saphenista Walsingham, resulting in Saphenista bassii (Razowski, 1999), new combination.

A New Species Of Cymatodera Gray (Coleoptera: Cleridae) From Central Arizona, Jacques Rifkind

Insecta Mundi

Cymatodera campbelli, new species (Coleoptera: Cleridae), is described from central Arizona, United States. Though superficially similar to several other small species of Southwestern Cymatodera Gray that are commonly collected at lights, this apparently rare species has distinctive coloration and surface sculpturing. Its discovery suggests that systematic collecting even in areas that have historically attracted entomological attention may still yield additions to our fauna.

New Country Records For Macroscython Granulosus Otto, 2016 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Dromaeolinae: Dromaeolini), With Redescription Of The Female, Robert L. Otto, Jiří Háva

Insecta Mundi

New country records for Macroscython granulosus Otto, 2016 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Dromaeolinae: Dromaeolini), a eucnemid known only from Laos and Thailand, are reported from China and Nepal. A redescription and images of the female are provided.

Genomic Analysis Reveals Hidden Species Diversity In Emesis Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

Insecta Mundi

Genomic analysis of Emesis [Fabricius], 1807 (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae Grote, 1895) reveals species richness higher than anticipated. As a result, one subgenus, 22 species, and one subspecies are proposed as new (type species or type localities in parenthesis): Diogenia Grishin, new subgenus (Emesis diogenia Prittwitz, 1865), Emesis (Emesis) aerunda Grishin, new species (Peru: Rio Pachitea, Monte Alegre), Emesis (Emesis) bartica Grishin, new species (Guyana: Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Emesis (Emesis) fatimellina Grishin, new species (Brazil: Santa Catarina), Emesis (Emesis) panamella Grishin, new species (Panama: Darién), Emesis (Mandania) mandora Grishin, new species (Ecuador: …

Review Of Nealyda Dietz (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae: Apatetrinae) With Description Of A New Species From The Florida Keys, Sidney V. Bennett, James E. Hayden

Insecta Mundi

Nealyda grandipinella Bennett and Hayden, new species, is described from Big Pine Key, Florida, USA. Photographs of the adult and of male and female genitalia are provided for N. grandipinella and its congeners within the state of Florida. Nealyda Dietz (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is provisionally transferred from Anomologinae to Apatetrinae based on characters of the genitalia. The homology and terminology of the processes arising from the vinculum of gelechiid genitalia are explored. The potential host plant of the new species is discussed, along with other undescribed species of Nealyda.

First Record Of The Camphor Shot Borer, Cnestus Mutilatus (Blandford) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), In Massachusetts, Lawrence E. Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is reported from Massachusetts, United States for the first time. Brief trapping information is provided.

Student Comprehension Of Biochemistry In A Flipped Classroom Format, Ed Harris, Evan A. Schroder, Teryn J. Berks

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Concept-heavy courses such as Biochemistry in life and physical science curricula are challenging for many college-aged students. It is easy for students to disengage in a lecture and not learn the subject matter while in class. To improve student learning and participation, we employed a flipped format for the first half of the course and compared learning outcomes and attitudes with the traditional lecture in the second half of the course. The experimental course was an upper-level biochemistry course taken primarily by juniors (49%), seniors (40%), and some graduate students (10%) at the college level. Our results indicate that lower-performing …

Broad-Spectrum Resistance To Fungal Foliar Diseases In Wheat: Recent Efforts And Achievements, Amira M.I. Mourad, Asmaa A.M. Ahmed, P. Stephen Baenziger, Andreas Börner, Ahmed Sallam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Wheat (Triticum spp.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Several diseases affect wheat production and can cause 20-80% yield loss annually. Out of these diseases, stripe rust, also known as yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici), stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici), leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) are the most important fungal diseases that infect the foliar part of the plant. Many efforts were made to improve wheat resistance to these diseases. Due to the continuous advancement in …

Murdered In Indian Country: Expanding Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction For The Sake Of Indigenous Women, Courtney Shanahan

Nebraska Law Bulletin (Selected Issues)

This paper discusses the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Epidemic. Specifically, it analyzes what contributes to the disparate homiciderate for indigenous women by non-Indian offenders in IndianCountry. This paper concludes that to help combat the problem, the federal government should restore tribal criminal jurisdiction over crimes of homicide occurring in Indian Country where the victim is Indian, and the perpetrator is non-Indian.

Part II provides a brief history of colonialism, the use of the Discovery Doctrine in North America, and how the normalization of violence against Native women as a part of “conquest” has led to the violence against Indigenous …

Small Beef-Packer Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence And Policy Implications, Azzeddine Azzam, Sunil P. Dhoubadel, Binod Khanal

Cornhusker Economics

As part of a larger research project on the economics of beef supply chain resilience to natural disasters, financed in part by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, we obtained information from 289 processing plants across the United States about their operations during the peak COVID-19 period of March to June 2020 via a telephone survey. We collected data on plant type (slaughter, processing, both), the dominant livestock processed by the plant (predominantly beef, pork, poultry, and sheep/goat), plant capacity (maximum and typical capacity in slaughter head/day), age of establishment, and, whether the plant ceased, …

Porcine Peritoneal Macrophages Are Susceptible To Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Infection, Kassandra Durazo-Martinez, Jayeshbhai Chaudhari, Sushmita Kumari, Hiep Vu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have suggested that porcine peritoneal macrophages (PPMs) are resistant to PRRSV infection, whereas porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are highly susceptible. This contrast is intriguing, as both cell types belong to the same monocyte/macrophage family. The current study aimed to investigate the host factors contributing to the differing susceptibility of PPMs and PAMs to PRRSV infection. We found that PPMs exhibit a higher frequency of CD14+ cells compared to PAMs, suggesting a more immature macrophage phenotype in PPMs. Importantly, PPMs expressed both CD163 and CD169, the key receptors for PRRSV entry, although the frequency and intensity of CD163 and …

Disentangling Genotype And Environment Specific Latent Features For Improved Trait Prediction Using A Compositional Autoencoder, Anirudha Powadi, Talukder Zaki Jubery, Michael C. Tross, James C. Schnable, Baskar Ganapathysubramanian

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In plant breeding and genetics, predictive models traditionally rely on compact representations of high-dimensional data, often using methods like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and, more recently, Autoencoders (AE). However, these methods do not separate genotype-specific and environment-specific features, limiting their ability to accurately predict traits influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We hypothesize that disentangling these representations into genotype-specific and environment-specific components can enhance predictive models. To test this, we developed a compositional autoencoder (CAE) that decomposes high-dimensional data into distinct genotype-specific and environment-specific latent features. Our CAE framework employed a hierarchical architecture within an autoencoder to effectively separate …

Association Between In Situ Ventilation And Human-Generated Aerosol Exposure In Meatpacking Plants During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Joshua L. Santarpia, Josephine Lau, Debayan Shom, Shanna A. Ratnesar-Shumate, Eric C. Carnes, Gearge W. Santarpia, Vicki L. Herrera, Danielle N. Rivera, Daniel N. Ackerman, Ashley R. Ravnholdt, John J. Lowe, Athena K. Ramos

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

During the COVID-19 pandemic, meatpacking workers were disproportionately affected by disease. Large outbreaks at meatpacking facilities resulted in loss of life and threatened the well-being of workers across the globe. Much work was done throughout the pandemic to understand and prevent these outbreaks. This study combined ventilation system evaluation and measurement of human-generated respiratory aerosol to investigate and identify areas of highest risk for disease transmission. These findings confirm that improved ventilation reduces exposure to human-generated aerosols in meatpacking facilities, including those that may contain infectious agents, such as SARS-CoV-2. This study suggests areas of greatest risk are likely areas …

Industrial Hemp Biomass Negatively Affected By Herbicide Drift From Corn And Soybean Herbicides, Milos Zaric, Bruno Canella Vieira, Barbara Houston, Guilherme Sousa Alves, Samuel E. Wortman, Julie A. Peterson, Greg R. Kruger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The establishment of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fields near row crops has raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of herbicide drift on hemp production. This study examined hemp susceptibility to drift of herbicides registered for use in corn and/or soybeans. Herbicide solutions (2,4-D, dicamba, glufosinate, glyphosate, imazethapyr, lactofen, mesotrione) were applied separately in the wind tunnel (3.6 m s⁻¹ airspeed), simulating drift scenarios, with conventional TP95015EVS (TP) and air inclusion AI95015EVS (AI) flat fan nozzles calibrated to deliver 140 L ha⁻¹ carrier volume at 230 kPa. Mylar cards and hemp plants (20–25 cm tall) were placed …

In The Case Of Prince Ling Ching: Visualizing The Boxer Rebellion Through Puck Magazine, Mimi Yu

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Through the framework of orientalism, this paper examines the historicism behind satirical illustrations created by artists and editors in Puck Magazine which depict the Boxer Rebellion, spanning from 1899 to 1902. In doing so, I aim to explore the nuances in which mass-produced visual satire seeks to justify Western hegemony. Widely published and distributed in the United States, Puck was a satirical magazine from the late 19th and early 20th century, and one of the first satirical magazines to contain colored lithographic covers. Puck further contributed to discourse over the “Yellow Peril” by employing caricature art and passages of punchlines …

Alabama Agricultural Producers’ Experiences With Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) And Their Preferences Concerning Wild Pig Management, Hailey E. Ellis, Luren M. Jaebker, Alan D. Bright, Mark D. Smith, Keith M. Carlisle

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Government agencies and landowners use a variety of lethal methods to reduce invasive wild pig populations and resulting agricultural damages. To provide decision-makers with information regarding Alabama farmers’ experiences with wild pigs and their preferences for management actions, we surveyed Alabama Farmers Federation members in 2020. We found that wild pigs were commonly present on livestock, timber, and crop production acreage, but wild pig damages and costs were much more common among crop producers. Respondents' wildlife acceptance capacity for wild pigs was low and all lethal control methods were considered aceptable by most reposndents, particularly those performed by landowners. While …

Editorial: Leveraging Multi-Omics Approaches To Understand And Manage Gastrointestinal And Hepatic Diseases, Isis Trujillo-Gonzalez, Paul G. Thomes, Isin Tuna Sakallioglu, Kusum K. Kharbanda

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

The Research Topic “Leveraging multi-omics approaches to understand and manage gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases” proposed by the Frontiers in Pharmacology has attracted a total of four articles on preclinical studies that were covered in three original research manuscripts and one review article. Two research articles were on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously named non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is now recognized as a predominant cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting over 30% of the adult population (Teng et al., 2023; Miao et al., 2024). Current pharmacological treatments for MASLD are limited and, until a recent FDA-approved …

Financial Analysis, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

The investment in a financial analysis can seem like a painful task of gathering information but the information it provides gives you invaluable information about your operation, especially when you don’t want to see it. I was once told a producer didn’t want to do the analysis anymore because the information made it hard to sleep at night. While not knowing maybe helped him sleep then, the problems that were being highlighted by the analysis didn’t go away and eventually caught up to him.

Feasibility Of Technical Solutions For The Detection Of Falsified Images In Research, Phill Jones, Hylke Koers

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

In this report, we discuss the findings of an investigation into the feasibility of developing a research image integrity system. The focus was primarily on immunohistochemistry blots and microscopy images, although the findings are relevant to other types of research images such as gel blots and spectroscopy, geophysical, or astronomical images, as well as to any digital data type. The investigation comprised a mix of desk research and semi-structured (anonymized) interviews with nine stakeholders representing publishers, researchers, technologists, and microscopy companies.

We found that it would be possible to implement a system to assert image integrity and that the technology …

Classics And Contemporary Popular Culture [Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal Of Popular Culture And Pedagogy, Volume 1, Issue 1 (Spring 2014)], Lynnea Chapman King, Anna S. Cohenmiller

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Classics and Contemporary Popular Culture [Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, Volume 1, Issue 1 (Spring 2014)] (Online only)

Editorial

Moving Popular Culture Studies Scholarship into the Future, Lynnea Chapman King and Anna S. CohenMiller

Guest Editorial

“καλὸν ἀνθρωπίνου βίου κάτοπτρον”: Popular Culture as a Pedagogical Lens on Greco-Roman Antiquity, Kirsten Day and Benjamin Haller

Part I: Epic Reconsiderations

Wounds that Will Not Heal: Heroism and Innocence in Shane and the Iliad, Carl A. Rubino

O Homer, Where Art Thou?: Teaching the Iliad and the Odyssey through Popular Culture, Mallory Young

The Odyssey and its Odyssey …

Video Game Review — Final Fantasy Xiv: Level Up Forever, Brian Cowlishaw

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Review of the video game Final Fantasy XIV: Level Up Forever.

Graphic Novel Review — The Adventures Of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’Ll Ever Need, Robert G. Weiner

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Review of Daniel H. Pink and Rob Ten Pas's book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need, New York: Penguin, 2008.

Experiments In Love: Longus’ Daphnis & Chloe And Henry De Vere Stacpoole’S The Blue Lagoon, L. Kirsten Day

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Despite a chronological gulf of nearly two thousand years, the second century C. E. Greek romance writer Longus and the early twentieth century Irish novelist Henry de Vere Stacpoole were prompted to produce their best works by a similar motive: an urge to explore the world, and particularly the phenomenon of love and desire, from a standpoint of complete innocence. Although the resulting novels, Daphnis & Chloe and The Blue Lagoon respectively, have no evident direct connection, they exhibit surprising similarities not only in plot, setting, and characterization, but also in the values, perspectives, and worldviews they advance. The striking …

Ovid And Mel Gibson: Power, Vulnerability, And What Women Want, Geoff Bakewell

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Knowledge of Ovid is invaluable for analyzing Nancy Meyers’s film What Women Want (2000). Advertising executive Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) is a sexist, chauvinistic ladies’ man who acquires the ability to hear what women are thinking. He is in effect a second Tiresias, and this article examines him in light of the gender-bending seer from the Metamorphoses. Meyers links Nick’s miraculous transformation to his attempt to listen to women while simultaneously cross-dressing. He subsequently becomes an intermediary between the genders, especially on sexual matters. The article further examines the Nick/Tiresias parallel in light of Ovid’s treatment of other Theban …

The Labyrinth Of Memory: Iphigeneia, Simonides, And Classical Models Of Architecture As Mind In Chris Nolan’S Inception (2010), Benjamin Haller

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Chris Nolan’s 2010 film Inception uses architecture as a language whereby to comment upon the relationship of the protagonist, Dom Cobb, with his deceased wife, Mal. This paper argues that three classical models – Homer’s tomb of Myrhine described in the Iliad, Iphigeneia’s dream of the collapse of the house of Agamemnon in Euripides’s Iphigeneia Among the Taurians, and Simonides’ Memory Palace mnemonic technique – manifest parallel uses of architecture as a metaphor for mind.

The film identifies each of its main characters – Dom, Mal, and Ariadne – with different architectures and with different modes of cognition. The …

300 And Fellini-Satyricon: Film Theory In The Tertiary Classroom, Leanne Glass

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Pedagogical practices in Reception-based courses on ancient Greece and Rome in film often focus on an individual film’s connections to its historical themes and meta-narrative. In contrast, courses based on Film Studies often focus pedagogical discourses on filmic techniques or the filmmaking process per se. Regularly, the two approaches remain discrete and discipline-based.

In view of this disjuncture in teaching approaches and foci, the intention of this paper is to explore the benefits of film theory, including its consideration of film technique, within Classical Reception courses. Therefore, the suggestion offered herein is that more emphasis on the pedagogies of Film …

Theseus Loses His Way: Viktor Pelevin’S Helmet Of Horror And The Old Labyrinth For The New World, Alison Traweek

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This article explores the relationship between the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, and Viktor Pelevin’s 2006 adaptation of it, The Helmet of Horror, particularly how it can serve as a case study for the nature and significance of adaptation. It examines the idea of memory, a central theme of the novel, and considers how three aspects of the original myth – the Minotaur, Ariadne’s thread, and the labyrinth itself – shape and inform Pelevin’s retelling. Each of these is unique to this myth in antiquity, and together, they structure the story. Each is also fundamentally connected to the …