Digital Commons Network^™

Sequence-Characterized Amplified Regions That Differentiate New World Screwworms From Other Potential Wound-Inhabiting Flies, Joan A Christen, Steven R. Skoda, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Donald J. Lee, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Abstract. New World screwworms, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel, 1858), were once devastating pests of warmblooded animals in the United States before they were successfully eradicated using the sterile insect technique. Guarding against the introduction of screwworms to North America or any other screwworm-free area relies on rapid, reliable identification of suspected cases. In the current study, the DNA from excised markers generated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction was used as the basis to generate 2 species-specific sequence-characterized amplified region molecular markers. Resulting primer pairs, named CR92A1 and J1A2 (each with forward and reverse components), produced amplicons of 852 …

Transcriptional Profiling Of Resistant And Susceptible Buffalograsses In Response To Blissus Occiduus (Hemiptera: Blissidae) Feeding, Crystal M Ramm, Michael Wachholtz, Keenan Amunsen, Teresa J. Donze, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Paul Twigg, Nathan A. Palmer, Gautam Sarath, Frederick P. Baxendale

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT Understanding plant resistance mechanisms at a molecular level would provide valuable insights into the biological pathways impacted by insect feeding, and help explain specific plant tolerance mechanisms. As a first step in this process, we conducted next-generation sequencing using RNA extracted from chinch bug-tolerant and -susceptible buffalograss genotypes at 7 and 14 d after chinch bug feeding. Sequence descriptions and gene ontology terms were assigned to 1,701 differentially expressed genes. Defense-related transcripts were differentially expressed within the chinch bug-tolerant buffalograss, Prestige, and susceptible buffalograss, 378. Interestingly, four peroxidase transcripts had higher basal expression in tolerant control plants compared with …

Susceptibility Of Nebraska Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Populations To Bt Corn Events, David S. Wangila, Aaron J. Gassmann, Jennifer L. Petzold-Maxwell, B. Wade French, Lance J. Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Transgenic plants have been widely adopted by growers to manage the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, in field corn. Because of reduced efficacy in some Nebraska fields after repeated use of Cry3Bb1-expressing hybrids, single plant bioassays were conducted in 2012 and 2013 to characterize the susceptibility of western corn rootworm populations to the rootwormactive proteins Cry3Bb1, mCry3A, and Cry34/35Ab1. Results demonstrate that there are heritable differences in susceptibility of Nebraska western corn rootworm populations to rootworm-active Bt traits. Proportional survival and corrected survival data coupled with field histories collectively support the conclusion that a level of field resistance …

Degree-Day Prediction Models For The Flight Phenology Of Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Assessed With The Concordance Correlation Coefficient, Anthony A. Hanson, Roger D. Moon, R. J. Wright, Thomas E. Hunt, William D. Hutchinson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a native, univoltine pest of corn and dry beans in North America. The current degree-day model for predicting a specified percentage of yearly moth flight involves heat unit accumulation above 10°C after 1 May. However, because the moth’s observed range has expanded into the northern and eastern United States, there is concern that suitable temperatures before May could allow for significant S. albicosta development. Daily blacklight moth catch and temperature data from four Nebraska locations were used to construct degree-day models using simple or sine-wave methods, starting dates between 1 January …

Estimation Of Efficacy Functions For Products Used To Manage Corn Rootworm Larval Injury, N A. Tinsley, P. D. Mitchell, Robert Wright, Lance J. Meinke, R. E. Estes, M. E. Gray

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Maize, Zea mays L., is an economically important crop grown throughout the world. Corn rootworm, Diabrotica spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), larvae constitute a significant economic threat to maize production in the United States, where yield losses and management costs associated with corn rootworm species exceed $1 billion annually. Furthermore, the introduction of the western corn rootworm, D. virgifera virgifera LeConte, into maize-producing regions of Europe has made managing corn rootworm larval injury an international concern. Larvae injure maize plants by feeding on root tissue and are the primary target of management activities. Products commonly used to protect root systems from injury …

Diel Patterns Of Colaspis Brunnea And Colaspis Crinicornis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) In Southeastern Nebraska, Kentaro Miwa, Lance Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A field study was conducted to increase our understanding of diel activity patterns of Colaspis brunnea (F.) and Colaspis crinicornis Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in key crop habitats. Within 24-h periods, C. brunnea was sampled in clover fields (primarily red clover, Trifolium pretense (L.), with some sweet clover, Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pallas, and downy brome, Bromus tectorum (L.)) and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, fields, using a sweep-net, while whole-plant-count sampling was used to monitor C. crinicornis densities in field corn, Zea mays (L.). Sweep-net captures of C. brunnea were significantly greater at night than during the day, suggesting possible vertical …

Developmental Biology And Effects Of Adult Diet On Consumption, Longevity, And Fecundity Of Colaspis Crinicornis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Kentaro Miwa, Lance Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The chrysomelid beetle Colaspis crinicornis Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) occurs primarily in the Great Plains region of the United States. Little is known about the biology and ecology of this species, but over the last decade, it has become increasingly common in the corn, Zea mays L., and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, agroecosystem of southeastern Nebraska. As part of a larger comprehensive project to understand the natural history and pest potential of this species, laboratory experiments were conducted to study the developmental biology, morphological characters of immature stages, and the effect of adult diet on consumption, longevity, and fecundity. Females …

Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping And Functional Genomics Of An Organophosphate Resistance Trait In The Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera, B. S. Coates, A. P. Alves, H. Wang, X. Zhou, T. Nowatzki, H. Chen, M. Rangasamy, H. M. Robertson, C. W. Whitfield, K. K. Walden, Stephen D. Kachman, B. W. French, L. J. Meinke, D. Hawthorne, C. A. Abel, T. W. Sappington, B. D. Siegfried, N. J. Miller

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is an insect pest of corn and population suppression with chemical insecticides is an important management tool. Traits conferring organophosphate insecticide resistance have increased in frequency amongst D. v. virgifera populations, resulting in the reduced efficacy in many corn-growing regions of the USA. We used comparative functional genomic and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping approaches to investigate the genetic basis of D. v. virgifera resistance to the organophosphate methyl-parathion. RNA from adult methyl-parathion resistant and susceptible adults was hybridized to 8331 microarray probes. The results predicted that 11 transcripts were significantly up-regulated in …

Ethylene Contributes To Maize Insect Resistance1-Mediated Maize Defense Against The Phloem Sap-Sucking Corn Leaf Aphid, Joe Louis, Saumik Basu, Suresh Varsani, Lina Castano-Duque, Victoria Jiang, W. Paul Williams, Gary W. Felton, Dawn S. Luthe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Signaling networks among multiple phytohormones fine-tune plant defense responses to insect herbivore attack. Previously, it was reported that the synergistic combination of ethylene (ET) and jasmonic acid (JA) was required for accumulation of the maize insect resistance1 (mir1) gene product, a cysteine (Cys) proteinase that is a key defensive protein against chewing insect pests in maize (Zea mays). However, this study suggests that mir1-mediated resistance to corn leaf aphid (CLA; Rhopalosiphum maidis), a phloem sap-sucking insect pest, is independent of JA but regulated by the ET-signaling pathway. Feeding by CLA triggers the rapid accumulation of mir1 transcripts in the resistant …

Morphology And Proteome Characterization Of The Salivary Glands Of The Western Chinch Bug (Hemiptera: Blissidae), Crystal Ramm, Astri Wayadande, Lisa Baird, Renu Nandakumar, Nandakumar Madayiputhiya, Keenan Amundsen, Teresa Donze-Reiner, Frederick Baxendale, Gautam Sarath, Tiffany Heng-Moss

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western chinch bug, Blissus occiduus Barber, is a serious pest of buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides (Nuttall) due to physical and chemical damage caused during the feeding process. Although previous work has investigated the feeding behaviors of chinch bugs in the Blissus complex, no study to date has explored salivary gland morphology and the associated salivary complex of this insect. Whole and sectioned B. occiduus salivary glands were visualized using light and scanning electron microscopy to determine overall structure and cell types of the salivary glands and their individual lobes. Microscopy revealed a pair of trilobed principal glands and a pair …

Transcriptional Responses Of Tolerant And Susceptible Soybeans To Soybean Aphid (Aphis Glycines Matsumura) Herbivory, Travis J. Prochaska, Teresa Donze-Reiner, L. Marchi-Werle, N. A. Palmer, Thomas E. Hunt, Gautam Sarath, Tiffany Heng-Moss

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, was introduced in 2000 to North America and has become one of the most significant pests to soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, production. Possible solutions to this problem are the use of resistant plants and the understanding of the genes involved in plant resistance. In this study, we sought to better understand the genes involved in the tolerance response of soybean plants to the soybean aphid, utilizing tolerant (KS4202) and susceptible (K-03-4686) plants. Studies were conducted under greenhouse conditions. Leaf samples of both tolerant and susceptible plants were collected at day 5 and day …

Impact Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus And Triticum Mosaic Virus Coinfection Of Wheat On Transmission Rates By Wheat Curl Mites, C. Oliveira-Hofman, Stephen N. Wegulo, Satyanarayana Tatineni, G. L. Hein

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) are transmitted by the wheat curl mite (WCM, Aceria tosichella), and coinfections of wheat by these viruses are common in the field. Previous work has shown that mite genotypes vary in their ability to transmit TriMV. However, the degree to which coinfection of wheat modifies WCM vector competence has not been studied. The objective was to determine whether mite genotypes differed in virus transmission ability when feeding on wheat coinfected by WSMV and TriMV. First, WCM genotype type 2 was used to determine virus transmission rates from mock-, WSMV-, …

On-Plant Larval Movement And Feeding Behavior Of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) On Reproductive Corn Stages, Luiz E. R. Pannuti, Edson L. L. Baldin, Thomas E. Hunt, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (fall armyworm) is considered one of the most destructive pests of corn throughout the Americas. Although this pest has been extensively studied, little is known about its larval movement and feeding behavior on reproductive compared to vegetative corn stages. Thus, we conducted studies with two corn stages (R₁ and R₃) and four corn plant zones (tassel, above ear, ear zone, and below ear) in the field at Concord, NE (USA), and in the field and greenhouse at Botucatu, SP (Brazil), to investigate on-plant larval movement. The effects of different corn tissues (opened tassel, …

Selection Of Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr Analysis In The Monarch Butterfly, Danaus Plexippus (L.), A Migrating Bio-Indicator, Huipeng Pan, Xiaowei Yang, Keith Bidne, Richard L. Hellmich, Blair D. Siegfried, Xuguo Zhou

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a powerful technique to quantify gene expression. To facilitate gene expression study and obtain accurate results, normalization relative to stably expressed reference genes is crucial. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (L.), is one of the most recognized insect species for its spectacular annual migration across North America. Besides its great voyages, D. plexippus has drawn attention to its role as a bio-indicator, ranging from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to natural ecosystems. In this study, nine reference genes from D. plexippus genome were selected as the candidate reference genes. The expression profiles of these …

Abiotic And Biotic Stressors Causing Equivalent Mortality Induce Highly Variable Transcriptional Responses In The Soybean Aphid, Laramy S. Enders, Ryan D. Bickel, Jennifer A. Brisson, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Blair D. Siegfried, Anthony J. Zera, Nicholas Miller

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Environmental stress affects basic organismal functioning and can cause physiological, developmental, and reproductive impairment. However, in many nonmodel organisms, the core molecular stress response remains poorly characterized and the extent to which stress-induced transcriptional changes differ across qualitatively different stress types is largely unexplored. The current study examines the molecular stress response of the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) using RNA sequencing and compares transcriptional responses to multiple stressors (heat, starvation, and plant defenses) at a standardized stress level (27% adult mortality). Stress-induced transcriptional changes showed remarkable variation, with starvation, heat, and plant defensive stress altering the expression of …

Beetles (Coleoptera) Of Peru: A Survey Of The Families. Scarabaeoidea, Brett C. Ratcliffe, M. L. Jameson, L. Figueroa, R. D. Cave, M. J. Paulsen, Enio B. Cano, C. Beza-Beza, L. Jimenez-Ferbans, P. Reyes-Castillo

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The 1042 species of Scarabaeoidea known to occur in Peru are listed with their taxonomic placement in families, subfamilies, and tribes.

Determining Optimum Soil Type And Salinity For Rearing The Federally Endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) Nevadica Lincolniana Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae), Stephen M. Spomer, Gary J. Brewer, Michael I. Fritz, Robert R. Harms, Kay A. Klatt, Aimee M. Johns, Sarah A. Crosier, Joseph A. Palmer

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Effective rearing methods are needed to recover the federally endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) nevadica lincolniana Casey, a subspecies that occurs exclusively in saline wetlands and seeps along Little Salt Creek in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Experiments were initiated to determine soil type and salinity concentrations appropriate for stimulating female oviposition in laboratory settings to produce larvae and/or adults for reintroduction to native habitats. In 2013, there were highly significant differences between native soil and a sand/loess soil mixture, but no differences between two salinity levels, 0.354 M and 0.5 M. In 2014, using only a sand/loess soil mixture, …

Biological Control With Trichogramma Pretiosum Increases Organic Maize Productivity By 19.4%, Maria De Lourdes Corrêa Figueiredo, Ivan Cruz, Rafael Braga Da Silva, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera frugiperda is a major pest causing maize yield loss in Brazil. There is therefore a need for control methods, notably for organic farming because classical pesticides are not allowed. A potential solution for organic maize is to apply the biological control agent Trichogramma pretiosum to reduce S. frugiperda populations. Here, we tested the application of one, two, or three releases of T. pretiosum. We measured plant damage ratings, egg masses parasitized, and grain yield. Results show that 79.2% of egg masses were parasited. Maize yields for parasited plots increased of 701 kg/ha versus control plots. This result equals a …

Predation Of Introduced Mosquito Larvae By The Midge Metriocnemus Knabi In The Phytotelma Of The Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Purpurea And Colonization Following Dry Conditions, Gary Joseph Torrisi, W. Wyatt Hoback, John E. Foster, Elvis A. Heinrichs, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The leaves of the carnivorous Sarracenia purpurea (Purple Pitcher Plant) provide habitat for obligate insects. Within the pitchers of this plant, Metriocnemus knabi (Pitcher Plant Midge) larvae coexist with Wyeomyia smithii (Pitcher Plant Mosquito) larvae. No other mosquito species has been reported to utilize this habitat in the presence of the midge. We tested whether the midge larvae were responsible for the elimination of other mosquito species. We introduced 1 Aedes triseriatus (Eastern Treehole Mosquito) larva, into each of 90 different pitchers. After 45–75 minutes, we extracted the fluid from the Purple Pitcher Plant and counted mosquito and midge larvae. …

Linkage Of An Abcc Transporter To A Single Qtl That Controls Ostrinia Nubilalis Larval Resistance To The Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1fa Toxin, Brad S. Coates, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Field evolved resistance of insect populations to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystalline (Cry) toxins expressed by crop plants has resulted in reduced control of insect feeding damage to field crops, and threatens the sustainability of Bt transgenic technologies. A single quantitative trait locus (QTL) that determines resistance in Ostrinia nubilalis larvae capable of surviving on reproductive stage transgenic corn that express the Bt Cry1Fa toxin was previously mapped to linkage group 12 (LG12) in a backcross pedigree. Fine mapping with high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) anchor markers, a candidate ABC transporter (abcc2) marker, and de novo mutations predicted from …

Impact Of Spodoptera Frugiperda Neonate Pretreatment Conditions On Vip3aa19 Insecticidal Protein Activity And Laboratory Bioassay Variation, Karen F. Da Silva, Terence A. Spencer, Carolina Camargo Gil, Blair D. Siegfried, Frederick S. Walters

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Variation in response to insecticidal proteins is common upon repetition of insect bioassays. Understanding this variation is a prerequisite to detecting biologically important differences.We tracked neonate Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) susceptibility to Vip3Aa19 over 17 generations using standardized bioassay methods. Five larval pretreatment conditions and one bioassay condition were tested to determine whether susceptibility was affected. These included: storage time; prefeeding; storage at reduced temperature; storage at reduced humidity; colony introgression of field-collected individuals. Extremes of photoperiod during the bioassay itself were also examined.

RESULTS: LC₅₀ values for two strains of S. frugiperda varied 6.6-fold or 8.8-fold over …

Patterns Of Differential Gene Expression In Adult Rotation-Resistant And Wild-Type Western Corn Rootworm Digestive Tracts, Chia-Ching Chu, Jorge A. Zavala, Joseph L. Spencer, Matías J. Curzi, Christopher J. Fields, Jenny Drnevich, Blair D. Siegfried, Manfredo J. Seufferheld

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is an important pest of corn. Annual crop rotation between corn and soybean disrupts the corn-dependent WCR life cycle and is widely adopted to manage this pest. This strategy selected for rotation-resistant (RR) WCR with reduced ovipositional fidelity to corn. Previous studies revealed that RR-WCR adults exhibit greater tolerance of soybean diets, different gut physiology, and host–microbe interactions compared to rotation-susceptible wild types (WT). To identify the genetic mechanisms underlying these phenotypic changes, a de novo assembly of the WCR adult gut transcriptome was constructed and used for RNA-sequencing analyses of …

Development Of Listeriabase And Comparative Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Mui Fern Tan, Cheuk Chuen Siow, Avirup Dutta, Naresh Vr Mutha, Wei Yee Wee, Hamed Heydari, Shi Yang Tan, Mia Yang Ang, Guat Jah Wong, Siew Woh Choo

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Background: Listeria consists of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Reports of similarities between the genomic content between some pathogenic and non-pathogenic species necessitates the investigation of these species at the genomic level to understand the evolution of virulence-associated genes. With Listeria genome data growing exponentially, comparative genomic analysis may give better insights into evolution, genetics and phylogeny of Listeria spp., leading to better management of the diseases caused by them.

Description: With this motivation, we have developed ListeriaBase, a web Listeria genomic resource and analysis platform to facilitate comparative analysis of Listeria spp. ListeriaBase currently houses 850,402 protein-coding genes, 18,113 …

Revisiting Operons: An Analysis Of The Landscape Of Transcriptional Units In E. Coli, Xizeng Mao, Qin Ma, Bingqiang Liu, Xin Chen, Hanyuan Zhang, Ying Xu

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Background: Bacterial operons are considerably more complex than what were thought. At least their components are dynamically rather than statically defined as previously assumed. Here we present a computational study of the landscape of the transcriptional units (TUs) of E. coli K12, revealed by the available genomic and transcriptomic data, providing new understanding about the complexity of TUs as a whole encoded in the genome of E. coli K12.

Results and conclusion: Our main findings include that (i) different TUs may overlap with each other by sharing common genes, giving rise to clusters of overlapped TUs (TUCs) along the genomic …

Human Absorbable Microrna Prediction Based On An Ensemble Manifold Ranking Model, Jiang Shu, Kevin Chiang, Dongyu Zhao, Juan Cui

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs, a class of short non-coding RNAs, are able to regulate more than half of human genes and affect many fundamental biological processes. It has been long considered synthesized endogenously until very recent discoveries showing that human can absorb exogenous microRNAs from dietary resources. This finding has raised a challenge scientific question: which exogenous microRNAs can be integrated into human circulation and possibly exert functions in human? Here we present a well-designed ensemble manifold ranking model for identifying human absorbable exogenous miRNAs from 14 common dietary species. Specifically, we have analyzed 4,910 dietary microRNAs with 1,120 features derived based on …

Atmospheric Circulation Processes Contributing To A Multidecadal Variation In Reconstructed And Modeled Indian Monsoon Precipitation, Qianru Wu, Qi Hu

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

An analysis of the recently reconstructed gridded May–September total precipitation in the Indian monsoon region for the past half millennium discloses significant variations at multidecadal timescales. Meanwhile, paleo-climate modeling outputs from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model 4.0 show similar multidecadal variations in the monsoon precipitation. One of those variations at the frequency of 40–50 years per cycle is examined in this study. Major results show that this variation is a product of the processes in that the meridional gradient of the atmospheric enthalpy is strengthened by radiation loss in the high-latitude and polar region. Driven …

Diatoms At >5000 Meters In The Quelccaya Summit Dome Glacier, Peru, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Bruce E. Brinson, W. E. Billups, Lonnie G. Thompson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Diatoms were found in late Holocene age ice-core samples recovered from the Quelccaya Summit Dome in the tropical Andes of Peru and were imaged by environmental scanning electron microscopy and identified. Freshwater diatoms in the genera Hantzschia, Pinnularia, and Aulacoseira were the most common taxa in the samples and indicate a freshwater source for the material, which also is suggested by the presence of the freshwater alga Volvox. The overall species composition of the diatoms suggests that the majority of taxa originated from a high-elevation lake or wetland in the cordillera surrounding the ice cap. The abundant …

Diagenetic Incorporation Of Sr Into Aragonitic Bivalve Shells: Implications For Chronostratigraphic And Palaeoenvironmental Interpretations, Maria C. Marcano, Tracy D. Frank, Samuel B. Mukasa, Kyger C. Lohmann, Marco Taviani

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Aragonite is easily altered during diagenesis, therefore presumed pristine when present. In effect, beyond polymorphic transformation to calcite, alteration paths of aragonite remain poorly understood despite heavy reliance on such material to produce palaeoenvironmental and chronostratigraphic interpretations. Previous work on core material from Southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, showed that unlike their calcitic counterparts, seemingly unaltered aragonite shell fragments invariably produced older than expected ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ages. In this study, we pursued additional analyses of these aragonite shells and of the porewater of the core to understand this discrepancy. Aragonite mineralogy was reconfirmed and elemental mapping of shell fragments …

Polarimetric Tornadic Debris Signature Variability And Debris Fallout Signatures, Matthew S. Van Den Broeke

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Values of polarimetric radar variables may vary substantially between and through tornadic debris signature (TDS) events. Tornadoes with higher intensity ratings are associated with higher average and extreme values of reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization ZHH and lower values of copolar cross-correlation coefficient rhv. Although values of these variables often fluctuate through reported tornado life cycles, ZHH repeatably decreases and rhv repeatably increases across the volume scan immediately following reported tornado demise. Land cover has a relatively small effect on values of the polarimetric variables within TDSs, although near-radar urban TDSs may exhibit relatively high ZHH values. TDS areal extent …

A Communication-Based Approach To Adoptive Identity: Theoretical And Empirical Support, Colleen Warner Colaner, Jordan Soliz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The current study uses structural equation modeling to examine adoptive parent communication as it relates to adoptee adjustment directly and indirectly through adoptive identity. Using retrospective accounts of 179 adult adoptees, findings indicate that both adoption- (adoption communication openness) and non-adoption-related (parental confirmation and affectionate communication) parental communication are related to adoptive identity work and positive affect about adoption and birth parents. Preoccupation mediates the relationship between parental communication and adoptee adjustment. The current study integrates research and theorizing from identity, adoption, and communication literatures to develop a communication-centered conceptual model of adoptive identity development to inform future adoption research …