Westward Expansion by Juniperus virginiana of the Eastern United States and Intersection with Western Juniperus Species in a Novel Assemblage

Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) is increasing in density in the eastern United States and expanding in range to the west, while western Juniperus species also are increasing and expanding, creating the potential for a novel assemblage. I estimated range expansion and intersection by comparing recent USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis surveys (mean year = 2009) to the oldest available surveys (mean year = 1981), with adjustments for sampling changes, and predicted climate envelopes during the following year ranges: 1500–1599, 1800–1849, 1850–1899, 1900–1949, and 1960–1989. During approximately 28 years, eastern redcedar range expanded by about 54 million ha (based on ≥0.5% of total stems ≥12.7 cm in diameter in ecological subsections). Combined range of western species of juniper did not expand. Range intersection of eastern redcedar and western Juniperus species totaled 200,000 km2 and increased by 31,600 km2 over time, representing a novel assemblage of eastern and western species. Predicted ranges during the other time intervals were 94% to 98% of predicted area during 1960–1989, suggesting major climate conditions have been suitable for centuries. The southern western Juniperus species and Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.) have the greatest potential for intersection with eastern redcedar, whereas eastern redcedar may have concluded westward expansion.

Genomic Insights Into the Genetic Structure and Natural Selection of Mongolians

Mongolians dwell at the Eastern Eurasian Steppe, where is the agriculture and pasture interlaced area, practice pastoral subsistence strategies for generations, and have their own complex genetic formation history. There is evidence that the eastward expansion of Western Steppe herders transformed the lifestyle of post-Bronze Age Mongolia Plateau populations and brought gene flow into the gene pool of Eastern Eurasians. Here, we reported genome-wide data for 42 individuals from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of North China. We observed that our studied Mongolians were structured into three distinct genetic clusters possessing different genetic affinity with previous studied Inner Mongolians and Mongols and various Eastern and Western Eurasian ancestries: two subgroups harbored dominant Eastern Eurasian ancestry from Neolithic millet farmers of Yellow River Basin; another subgroup derived Eastern Eurasian ancestry primarily from Neolithic hunter-gatherers of North Asia. Besides, three-way/four-way qpAdm admixture models revealed that both north and southern Western Eurasian ancestry related to the Western Steppe herders and Iranian farmers contributed to the genetic materials into modern Mongolians. ALDER-based admixture coefficient and haplotype-based GLOBETROTTER demonstrated that the former western ancestry detected in modern Mongolian could be recently traced back to a historic period in accordance with the historical record about the westward expansion of the Mongol empire. Furthermore, the natural selection analysis of Mongolians showed that the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) region underwent significantly positive selective sweeps. The functional genes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and lactase persistence (LCT), were not identified, while the higher/lower frequencies of derived mutations were strongly correlated with the genetic affinity to East Asian/Western Eurasian populations. Our attested complex population movement and admixture in the agriculture and pasture interlaced area played an important role in the formation of modern Mongolians.

HETEROLOCHA LAMINARIA (HERRICH-SCHÄFFER, 1852) (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE) — A NEW SPECIES FOR THE UKRAINIAN FAUNA

The first records of Heterolocha laminaria (Herrich-Schäffer, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Ukraine are presented. Until the recent past, the European registrations of H. laminaria had been only reported from Rostov Region of Russia. New records were made at several localities within Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Poltava regions, in Southern, South-Western, South-Eastern and Central Ukraine. These findings were revealed from mid-June to mid-August in various habitat types: steppes, artificial deciduous and mixed forests, agrocenosis. The current records significantly shift westward the range limits of H. la­mi­na­ria. Thus, a newly-discovered locality in Savran Forest is the westernmost point in the entire species range. Most likely the westward expansion of this species has occurred in recent decades. The habitats, adults, and male genitalia of H. laminaria are illustrated.

Libraries and White Supremacy

Shortly after the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020, I came across the 1872 painting American Progress. In this painting, westward expansion is being led by a large floating white woman with a schoolbook in one arm and telegraph wires in the other. The indigenous inhabitants of the west cower before this apparition. It is indeed a haunting image. In this paper, I explore the legacy of enlightenment constructs of civilized/savage in the operations of academic libraries. I then introduce indigenous authors Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Shawn Wilson who offer some alternatives to western knowledge practices. Finally, I conclude by reflecting on what theological librarians can contribute to our professional conversation on White Supremacy.

Precipitation Changes in Semi-arid Regions in East Asia Under Global Warming

The semi-arid regions of East Asia are located in the transition area between regions dominated by the monsoon system and by westerly winds; their interaction is the key to understand precipitation changes, especially in the summer. Our results show that the enhancement of both the monsoon and westerly winds occurs in wet years, leading to stronger convergence and more rainfall. Weakening of both the monsoon and westerly winds occurs in dry years and results in less rainfall. Such interaction between the monsoon and westerlies is not constant; the boundary of their effects is changing all the time. As the monsoon strengthens, it shifts to the west in wet years and covers most of the semi-arid regions, and the negative effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system on precipitation in the semi-arid regions becomes obvious. However, westward expansion has not been evident over the past 70 years in historic data. In the future, the monsoon will obviously expand westward, and the precipitation over the Loess Plateau will gradually increase as the monsoon boundary expand westward until the end of the 21st century. This change indicates that more rainfall will occur in the semi-arid regions of East Asia, which could dramatically change the ecological environment, especially over the Loess Plateau.

American Intellectual History: A Very Short Introduction

American Intellectual History: A Very Short Introduction provides an introduction to the history of American thought from the sixteenth century up until the present. Long before the United States was a nation, it was a set of ideas, projected onto the New World by European commentators and explorers. American thought grew from this foundation of expectation and experience, both enriched and challenged over the centuries by developments including the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, the rise of capitalism, the proliferation of diverse religions, immigration, industrialization, and the emergence of the United States as a superpower. This introduction provides an overview of some of the most compelling episodes and abiding preoccupations in American thought, while showing how ideas have been major forces driving the course of American history.

3. From republican to Romantic

‘From republican to Romantic’ discusses how Enlightenment ideas came under pressure from the dramatic changes in American life during the early republic. Rapid population growth, westward expansion, urbanization, and industrialization tested the limits of Enlightenment thought, while new Romantic sensibilities shaped Americans’ response to their changing political and social realities. A shared concern during this period was the perceived absence of a truly “American” democratic culture, and this fostered efforts to build a variety of new intellectual institutions. The transcendentalists played a central role in trying to create a unifying intellectual culture befitting a new democracy, while the mental and moral worlds of Northerners and Southerners pulled farther apart over the issue of slavery.

Spillover of West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV) in a Domestic Cat and Westward Expansion in the Palearctic Region

In June 2020, a cat from Arezzo (Italy) that died from a neurological disease was diagnosed with West Caucasian Bat Lyssavirus (WCBV). The virus retained high identity across the whole-genome with the reference isolate found in 2002 from a Russian bent-winged bat. We applied control measures recommended by national regulations, investigated a possible interface between cats and bats using visual inspections, bioacoustics analyses and camera trapping and performed active and passive surveillance in bats to trace the source of infection. People that were exposed to the cat received full post-exposure prophylaxis while animals underwent six months of quarantine. One year later, they are all healthy. In a tunnel located near the cat’s house, we identified a group of bent-winged bats that showed virus-neutralizing antibodies to WCBV across four sampling occasions, but no virus in salivary swabs. Carcasses from other bat species were all negative. This description of WCBV in a non-flying mammal confirms that this virus can cause clinical rabies in the absence of preventive and therapeutic measures, and highlights the lack of international guidelines against divergent lyssaviruses. We detected bent-winged bats as the most probable source of infection, testifying the encroachment between these bats and pets/human in urban areas and confirming free-ranging cats as potential hazard for public health and conservation.