Digital Commons Network^™

Spring Field Report, March-May 2020, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Although there were numerous early arrival dates, most were in the range of historically earliest expected dates; notable, however, was a lone record-early Whiterumped Sandpiper, nicely photographed. Record late by a month was a juvenile Redtailed (Harlan’s) Hawk, also confirmed by photo. Perhaps most prominent this spring were the large numbers of several species. Most eye-popping were record spring totals of 22 Glossy Ibises, 11 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, 14 Veeries, including five in the Panhandle, 48 Gray-cheeked Thrushes, 20 Bay-breasted Warblers, not long ago a rare bird in spring, 45 Golden-winged Warblers and 27 Canada Warblers, both of which were about …

Multiple Sclerosis With Depression, Dr. Siri Gangadkar, Dr. Megha Tandure, Dr. Kishor M

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Pancreatic Pseudocyst Following Acute Pancreatitis, Dr Hitha Suresh, Dr Madhu C P

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

No abstract provided.

Factors Associated With Larval Freshwater Drum Annual Peak Density In A Nebraska Irrigation Reservoir, Brett T. Miller, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal, Casey W. Schoenebeck

The Prairie Naturalist

Freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) represent one of the most widely distributed fish species in North America. Identifying biotic and abiotic factors that influence larval freshwater drum densities can improve understanding of early life history. Our objective was to investigate correlations between annual peak density of larval freshwater drum and combinations of five variables (chlorophyll a, growing degree days [GDD], reservoir discharge, turbidity, and cladoceran density) from a longterm (2003–2017) monitoring program in a Nebraska irrigation reservoir. Twenty-eight a priori candidate models were assessed to determine the relative support of explanatory variables associated with annual peak density of larval freshwater drum …

Revision Of New World Cosmorrhyncha Meyrick, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), With Descriptions Of Five New Species, John W. Brown, Jozef Razowski, Alicia E. Timm

Insecta Mundi

Although well studied in the Afrotropical Region, the genus Cosmorrhyncha Meyrick, 1913 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae), has received little attention in the New World, where it apparently is restricted to the Neotropics from Guatemala south to Paraguay. Seven species are recognized, five of which are described as new: C. tonsana (Walker, 1863) (Type locality: Brazil); C. ocelliferana (Walker, 1863) (TL: Brazil); C. landryi Brown and Razowski, sp. n. (TL: French Guiana); C. parintina Brown and Razowski, sp. n. (TL: Brazil); C. macrospina Brown and Razowski, sp. n. (TL: Brazil); C. albistrigulana Brown and Razowski, sp. n. (TL: Costa Rica); and C. …

New State Records Of Lady Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) From Missouri And Mississippi, Usa, Louis S. Hesler

Insecta Mundi

New state records for three species of lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) are reported from two states in the south-central USA. Hyperaspis bolteri LeConte and Exochomus childreni guexi LeConte are newly reported for the state of Missouri, and Hyperaspis connectens (Thunberg) is newly reported for the state of Mississippi.

Taxonomic Notes On Western Hemisphere Cyrtinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) Including Description Of Two New Cyrtinus Leconte Species, James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva, Francisco E. De L. Nascimento

Insecta Mundi

Cyrtinus pygmaeus (Haldeman, 1847) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) is redescribed and newly recorded from Mexico. The female of Decarthria stephensii Hope, 1834 is also redescribed, the number of specimens in the type series is corrected, as is the depository of the types, and the species is newly recorded from Dominica. Two new species of Cyrtinus LeConte, 1852 are described from Mexico: C. fisheri Wappes, Santos-Silva and Nascimento; and C. howdeni Wappes, Santos-Silva and Nascimento. A key to species of Decarthria Hope, 1834 (adapted from an earlier key to Cyrtinini) is provided.

The Trichoptera Of Panama Xiii. Further New Country Records For Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) From The Republic Of Panama, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris, Roger J. Blahnik, Robin E. Thomson, Tomas A. Rios Gonzalez, Yusseff Aguirre

Insecta Mundi

The Republic of Panama currently includes 414 recorded species of Trichoptera. Herein we add two new genera (Hydroptilidae: Angrisanoia Ozdikmen, 2008 and Mayatrichia Mosely, 1937) and 17 new country records (Philopotamidae: Chimarra (C.) tapanti Blahnik, Wormaldia bolivari Muñoz-Quesada and Holzenthal, and Wormaldia zunigae Muñoz-Quesada and Holzenthal; Hydropsychidae: Centromacronema pygmaeum Botosaneanu; Hydroptilidae: Brysopteryx esparta Harris and Holzenthal, Byrsopteryx solisi Harris and Holzenthal, Costatrichia falsa Santos, Takiya, and Nessimian, Mayatrichia illobia Harris and Holzenthal, Metrichia amplitudinis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, Ochrotrichia boquillas Moulton and Harris, O. conformalis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, O. quinealensis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, and O. unica Bueno-Soria and Santiago; …

The Identity Of The Adventive Gryllotalpa Latreille Species (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) In Hawaii, With Illustration Of Male Genitalia Of G. Orientalis Burmeister, J. H. Frank

Insecta Mundi

The adventive mole cricket species (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) in Hawaii is apparently Gryllotalpa krishnani Arun Prasanna et al., 2012. The adventive was long thought to be Gryllotalpa africana Palisot de Beauvois, 1805. From 1983 until 2008 it seemed that Gryllotalpa orientalis Burmeister, 1839 might be the adventive’s correct name. However, male genitalia and tegmental characters of Hawaiian specimens match features of G. krishnani and not G. orientalis.

A New Species Of Uvarus Guignot, 1939 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae: Bidessini) From Florida, Usa, J. H. Epler

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Uvarus Guignot, 1939 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae: Bidessini), is described from Florida, USA. It is most similar to U. suburbanus (Fall), but differs in the shape of the much stouter and broader median lobe of the male genitalia.

New Records Of Woodboring Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) For The Eastern United States, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

An abundance-based checklist of eastern Buprestidae (Coleoptera) was compiled from collection records from invasive insect surveys conducted during 2010–2018. Reported are 111 species in 17 genera based on 33,047 specimens examined from 10 states. Sixty-three new state records in nine states are reported. Collection date ranges by month for each state are provided.

Jumping Bristletail (Insecta: Apterygota: Microcoryphia) Records In The Southeastern United States, Grant D. De Jong

Insecta Mundi

Few records of Microcoryphia exist for the southeastern United States, with named species being reported only from Arkansas, Tennessee, and the mid-Atlantic states, and with an unnamed species being reported from Georgia. Records are here provided from 291 specimens housed in the Mississippi Entomological Museum, including ten new species-level state records. This is also the first published report of the order Microcoryphia from Alabama and Mississippi. Species include the machilids Pedetontoides atlanticus Mendes in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina; Pedetontus cf. atlanticus in Kentucky; Pedetontus (Verhoeffilis) gershneri Allen in Arkansas; and Pedetontus (Pedetontus) saltator …

Captive Ring-Necked Pheasant Response To Very High Experimental Doses Of Lead, Travis J. Runia, Alex J. Solem

The Prairie Naturalist

Ingestion of spent lead pellets is a well-documented source of lead exposure in free-ranging birds, although the consequence of lead ingestion varies widely among avian guilds. Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) appear to be less susceptible to lead poisoning than other game birds. Our objectives were to determine survival, liver lead accumulation, and body mass change of 129 captive-raised pheasants in response to being gavage-fed 5, 10, 20, or 40 lead pellets. All pheasants survived the 21-day experiment. Liver-lead levels were positively correlated with the number of lead pellets retained and negatively correlated with beginning body mass. Change in percent body …

Evaluation Of Four Larval Fish Sampling Methods In A Large Midwestern River, Nathan J. Lederman, Anthony R. Sindt, Douglas J. Dieterman, John D. Krenz, Shannon J. Fisher

The Prairie Naturalist

Understanding limitations of larval fish capture gears is critical for developing appropriate sampling protocols and interpreting catch data. We evaluated genera richness, genera diversity, assemblage similarities, abundance indices (i.e., density or catch per unit effort [CPUE]), and sample size requirements between a surface slednet and glow-stick light traps used in 2014 and 2015 and a benthic slednet and light-emitting diode light (LED) traps used in 2015 in the Minnesota River. The surface slednet captured the greatest number of larval fish genera (15) while the LED light trap captured the fewest (1). Similarities of assemblages sampled was highest between surface and …

Comparing Native Bee Communities On Reconstructed And Remnant Prairie In Missouri, Joseph Larose, Elisabeth B. Webb, Deborah Finke

The Prairie Naturalist

The tallgrass prairie of North America is an imperiled ecosystem that has been the subject of considerable restoration effort and research in the past two decades. While native prairie plant species are purposely introduced during restoration, prairie invertebrates, including native bees (Anthophila), are not and must colonize from surrounding remnants. Prairie restorations may not support the same bee communities as remnant prairies because of habitat differences and dispersal limitations. We sampled native bees on reconstructed and remnant prairies in Missouri in the summers of 2016 and 2017 and compared the communities by evaluating species richness, diversity, and community composition. We …

Greater Prairie-Chickens And Sharp-Tailed Grouse Have Similarly High Nest Survival In The Nebraska Sandhills, Larkin Powell, Walter Schacht, Julia P. Ewald, Kathryn R. Mccollum

The Prairie Naturalist

The ranges of two native galliform species overlap in the Nebraska Sandhills, the largest contiguous grassland in North America. We monitored nests of greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) and sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in Cherry County, Nebraska, in 2015 and 2016. Our objectives were to 1) compare daily probability of nest survival between species, 2) evaluate vegetation structure at nests for potential effects on nest survival, 3) compare nest site topography between species, and 4) use a simple model of breeding season success to evaluate the potential for stable populations at our study sites. We captured and …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 88 March 2020 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2019 - Feb. 2020, by W. Ross Silcock …2

2019-2020 Christmas Bird Counts …18, 27-41

Annual Color Photo Section …19-26

Annual Treasurer's Report for 2019, by Jan Johnson …42

Subscription and Organization Information …43

The Multiracial Undergraduate And Graduate Student Experience, Lauren N. Meaux

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Multiracial individuals have been largely overlooked by the government (Nagai, 2016) and in the education sector (Botts, 2016). The lack of social network and community resources (Miville et al., 2005) have contributed to the challenges that Multiracial individuals face when finding a sense of belonging and positive sense of identity. During the transition into college, unique opportunities are presented to Multiracial individuals as they experience detachment from one culture group and have the chance to begin interacting and affiliating with other cultural groups (Houston & Hogan, 2009). Most students have a natural desire to associate themselves with others (Beck & …

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys Picta) Home Range And Habitat Use In A Dam Impoundment, Bria Spalding

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Habitat fragmentation, including damming rivers, is a major threat to species conservation in urban areas causing reduced dispersal and biodiversity. Dam removal is typically beneficial to many species because dams restrict the movement of many organisms. However, the dam removal may negatively impact some species. The purpose of our study was to assess the potential effects that the removal of the Peninsular Paper Dam (Huron River, Ypsilanti) may have on painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) by monitoring their habitat use prior to dam removal. Chrysemys picta is a native species abundant in lentic systems (ponds and lakes) with muddy …

Characterization Of Cofilin Function In Xenopus Laevis, Verginio Persicone

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Proper cell migration is necessary for healthy embryonic development. The EphA4 receptor, when activated, triggers a cell migration response away from the signal molecule ephrin that is displayed by surrounding cells. Little is known about how the EphA4 receptor interacts with the actin cytoskeleton to trigger the migration response. We hypothesize that cofilin is key to downstream actin cytoskeleton regulation by the EphA4 pathway. In this study, we observed cofilin gene expression across several stages of early Xenopus laevis embryonic development by using RT-PCR. We observed cofilin protein presence across those same embryonic stages by using Western Blot. We also …

Focus Group Research For Health Promotion In Faith-Based Communities, Meghan K. Pendleton

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Examination Of The Relationship Between Biot 303 Students’ Achievement Goals And Metacognitive Reflective Writing, Anna Pathammavong

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Our motivation for engaging in certain behaviors, like the metacognitive process, is driven by the type of achievement goals we set for ourselves. Reflective writing is critical in the metacognitive process because it engages how we communicate our thoughts to others. In this study we classified twenty-one future elementary school educators as having set either mastery achievement goals or performance achievement goals for themselves in a science teaching methods course. Our study focused on the relationship between the type of achievement goals each student identified with and their engagement in metacognitive processes following specific learning activities. We hypothesized that students …

Mutation In Sgs1 Does Not Increase The Prevalence Of Mmbir But Causes A Reduction In The Proportion Of Gene Conversions, Joseph Oberlitner

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Several subtypes of double-strand break repair (DSB repair) exist, with the Rad51 dependent canonical break-induced replication (BIR) pathway being extremely well documented. In contrast, little is known about the error-prone Rad51 independent DSB repair pathway called microhomology-mediated break-induced replication (mmBIR). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that manipulation of the SGS1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae will influence the type of DSB repair, more specifically, the amount of repair done by canonical BIR and mmBIR. A mutant, sgs1-FD, was previously documented to show no interaction with Rad51p. The interaction between Sgs1p and Rad51p is integral to …

Rad51 Knockout Does Not Increase The Frequency Of Dna Repair Via Mmbir, Aubrey B. Martin

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Common fragile sites are large chromosomal regions that are especially prone to double-strand breaks and are associated with cancer progression. We are studying how breaks at Fragile Site 2 (FS2), on Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III, are repaired. Rad51p is a DNA-binding protein involved in DNA repair pathways. We hypothesize that the rad51Δ mutation, which results in complete loss of Rad51p, will promote the use of the error-prone mmBIR repair pathway. Because Rad51p is involved in higher fidelity repair pathways, we expect other repair pathways to be used when it is absent. Breaks were induced at FS2 in rad51Δ mutant …

Genetic Analysis Of Tarantulas In The Genus Brachypelma Using Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (Issr), Sarah Holtzen

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

There is a great deal of morphological and genetic species diversity on Earth that requires careful conservation. One such genetically diverse genus of tarantulas is that of Brachypelma. In this study, we employ a newer DNA fingerprinting technique known as Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR), to study the genetic variation among Brachypelma species and to determine if the invasive Brachypelma tarantula found in Florida B. vagans. Although B. vagans is a species protected under CITES Appendix II, this species has a wide distribution in Mexico and traits allowing for invasion to new habitats. It was hypothesized that the …

The Effects Of Dyslexia In College-Aged Students Studying Special Education, Kailah Hardy

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This project focused on the disadvantages students with dyslexia face in college as a result of the still present deficits in reading and writing. One-to-one interviews revealed gathered participant information such as demographic information, their history with dyslexia (such as the social, academic, and personal struggles each individual experiences and how they cope with these struggles), and their present challenges/difficulties related to dyslexia, but also with college-level writing. The findings of this study detailed the lingering effects of three college students who still struggle with dyslexia and in what ways it has affected their life.

Developing And Testing A Cognitive Field Test For Lead-Exposed Wild Songbirds, Samantha Glowacki

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Anthropogenic impacts drive global changes that can negatively impact wildlife. For example, using lead pipes in Flint, MI has resulted in contaminated drinking water that is likely to have moved into the environment through irrigation. Juvenile American robins (Turdus migratorius) captured in watered parks of Flint have blood-lead levels considered dangerous to brain functioning. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a feeder puzzle for assessing the cognitive effects of lead in wild urban songbirds. We predicted that songbirds could learn how to feed from a feeder puzzle, and if they visited the feeder in groups, then …

Advancing Cultural Competency In Eastern Michigan University's Undergraduate Health Professions Education Through Bias-Free Writing: Developing A Brief Training Module On The 7th Edition Apa Style Guide, Sydney Lawson

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This thesis is a formative evaluation of a training module titled, Tackling Cultural Competency through Bias-Free Writing . The module is a PowerPoint presentation combined with discussion questions to help undergraduate participants gain adequate insight into best practices for culturally-competent writing that can be transitioned into best practices as health professionals. Formative evaluation elements are appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility. A review of demographics, historical oppression, and health disparities outline how the training module is appropriate content for undergraduate students. The content within these sections shows how people of color perceive the healthcare field and how people of color are perceived …

Projecting The Urban Energy Demand For Indiana, Usa In 2050 And 2080, Shweta Singh, Liz Wachs

Energy Publications

Energy use is one of the largest drivers of climate change, but the large share of energy used for space heating and cooling is also driven by climate change. Demand for energy, particularly cooling, is important for long-range infrastructure planning. Urban areas represent a very small proportion of total land, but usually consume the majority of energy. In this work, statistical, top-down approaches are used to model residential and commercial urban energy demand changes in Indiana, a state in the Midwest region of the USA, in 2050 and 2080 under the climate change scenarios of RCP 4.5 and 8.5. By …

Occupational Therapy’S Needs Assessment For Service Navigation For Children With Autism, Kristina Lauren Paula

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background. This capstone project brings to our attention the importance of occupational therapy’s role in meeting the continued needs of children with autism. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) continues to increase, so does the disparity in the accessibility of services for children and their families. Therefore, it is imperative to facilitate a diagnostic process and identify the child’s specific needs, to implement early intervention strategies. The medical model of disability, an internationally recognized approach in diagnosing children withautism, views autism as a problem that individually belongs to the child. Although the current medical model is preferred by …