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Investigating environmental effects upon alternative reproductive tactic frequencies in an urban salamander
No full textA major challenge in biology is understanding the mechanisms maintaining genetic and phenotypic variation. Genetically determined alternative reproductive tactics—discrete, intrasexual variation within populations—provide a unique opportunity to investigate this question. In Southern Two-lined Salamanders (Eurycea cirrigera), two male tactics are determined by a Y-linked genetic polymorphism and coexist in metro Atlanta: “searching” males have mental glands and cirri used in terrestrial courtship, while “guarding” males have enlarged jaws for mate-guarding in aquatic environments. As part of a Team Research course, we evaluated how spatial heterogeneity in environmental variables influences the frequencies of searching and guarding males. We collected environmental data from streams and tissue samples from larvae, extracted DNA, and used three qPCR assays to genotype samples from 26 streams across metro Atlanta. We then modeled how environmental variables (e.g., substrate type, stream size, microhabitat, and land cover) influence tactic frequency. We hope that our results provide insight about how urbanization influences the frequency of searching and guarding male Eurycea and, more broadly, how spatial heterogeneity supports the maintenance of genetic and phenotypic variation
HOW CAN AN EDUCATIONAL FACILITY HELP FARMERS IN NIGER AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE?
No full textNiger is currently facing a severe food crisis worsened by climate extremes, with 80% of its population depending on rain-fed agriculture. The country ranks 19th among those affected by climate change and is the second most vulnerable nation in the world in terms of climate adaptation. It is experiencing rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall that threaten health and food security, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and mothers. In 2022 alone, over 4.4 million people required humanitarian assistance due to crop failures caused by drought, with nearly half of the children suffering from stunting. To tackle these challenges, a proposal has been made to establish an educational facility for farmers. This center will provide essential tools and resources to help them adapt to changing conditions. The facility will facilitate knowledge sharing in local languages and will include infrastructure such as a seed bank, research facilities, and community support areas. A strong focus on agricultural adaptation strategies—such as crop diversification and improved irrigation—will help prevent migration, create livelihoods, and enhance food security. The design of the facility will emphasize sustainability, serving as a model for how architecture can respond to climate change while minimizing environmental impact. By analyzing reports, scientific research, and case studies, this initiative aims to provide targeted support to farmers and foster a resilient community in Niger. Acknowledgments: Prompts I wrote - rewrite a conclusion in a more understandable format with stronger vocabulary There were other prompts, but those were strictly for stronger and better vocabulary throughout the paper
Comprehensive Evaluation of Over-the-Counter Magnesium Tablets Using Quality Control Analysis, EDTA Titration, ICP-OES, and UV/Vis Spectroscopy
No full textOver-the-counter supplements are often underregulated by the FDA, causing the label claims made by manufacturers to be inaccurate. The objective of the research was to determine the accuracy and uniformity of the API in over-the-counter supplements. In this study, a pharmaceutical analysis of magnesium tablets was performed according to USP guidelines. Three brands of magnesium oxide tablets were analyzed. Friability, disintegration, and dissolution testing were conducted. The dissolution test was performed to investigate the rate of drug release when in conditions similar to the human stomach. Two dissolution tests were performed, one in degassed water and one in degassed 0.1 M HCl. An initial assay of the tablets was conducted through an EDTA titration, and additional assays were done using UV/Vis and ICP-OES. One brand of tablets failed the friability test, while the other two brands passed. All three tablet brands passed the disintegration test. For all three tablet brands tested, the assay using EDTA titration indicated that the actual amount of magnesium was close to the label claim. Further results will be described
Efficient Summarization with Lightweight LLMs through Sparse Input Activation and Adaptive Prompting.
No full textLarge Language Models are powerful tools that are designed to read, reason and generate in human language. They help us by making knowledge, problem-solving and communication easier through natural language understanding and generation. However, their performance heavily depends on the effectiveness of the prompt given and the size of the model. Light-weight LLMs(sub-10B parameters) struggle with summarizing complex technical documents like research publications due to technical jargon, lengthy citations, and mathematical notations, often leading to hallucinations that reduce reliability and accuracy.
Our project introduces the hybrid framework that combines NLP driven pre-processing techniques, sparse input activation and prompt engineering to enhance the summarization capacity of the small-scale models by minimizing hallucinations and maximizing factual accuracy. The pipeline starts with cleaning and segmenting full articles into sections, removing references, citations, and formulas. On this normalized output, salient sentence extraction and keyphrase extraction is performed as part of the sparse input activation module. The activated input and optimized prompt is fed to LLMs of different scales and the summary is benchmarked with respect to different prompting strategies and scale of the models.
This workflow significantly enhances the factual accuracy and reliability of summaries generated by Light-weight LLMs, making them competitive for complex scientific and technical summarization tasks
Expansion and Contraction through Mechanisms: Exploring through Design Build
No full textThrough the exploration of expansion and contraction, efficient spatial experiences are created through architectural design. For this studio-built project, it will focus on understanding how mechanisms can help with pulling and pushing outwards creating a kind of tension that makes space feel more dynamic and alive. The studio-built design will explore the expansion and contraction using mechanisms.
For the design methodology, the process began with researching various types of mechanisms that examine the expansion through strategies of extension, projection, and spatial opening that connect interior to the surrounding context. The concentration is explored through the enclosure and spatial focusing that creates moments of intimacy and concentration. This paper aims to help position the contraction and expansion of the studio-built design to work together to create a space that people can experience.
By using spatial sequences that alternate between expansion and contraction, the studio-built design creates open areas and tighter, more focused areas of the space. The expansion and contraction of the design creates a rhythm through the space that gives the illusion that the pod is breathing. The material choices and the lighting strategies are used to emphasize the rhythmic quality. Having textured surfaces such as the wood, will allow for the experience of the building to feel more grounded and contained. Light becomes an important aspect of the space as it floods the space to open and create a focus beam that compresses the feeling of the room.
The research of this studio-built design demonstrates that expansion and contraction function to create experiential conditions that shape how the architecture is perceived and inhabited. The duality creates a unified design concept that responds to the programmatic needs of the design
Sculpting the Soundscape: Creating Refuge Spaces for Neurodivergent People
No full textLoud honking, steady movement, constant chatter, and tumult. Cities are full of sound. For most people, this background noise fades away. Yet, for many neurodiverse individuals, these sounds can become overstimulating, exhausting, if not stifling. Clinical research has shown how a controlled environment can improve the neurodivergent experiences, especially when space filters sound in nuanced ways. However, such controlled spaces are not typically in reach in urban settings. How can we insert spaces for relief in urban life beyond clinical facilities? This design research explores the capacities of architectural interventions to create spaces for neurodivergent refuge. The challenge is that architecture is often approached as something to be seen and occupied. This research explores how we can intentionally sculpt sound to create restorative, yet sensory-inclusive retreats within urban environments.This work begins with the idea that sound can be designed. By using methods such as shaping geometries, surfaces, and natural buffers, architecture can turn noise into calm. This is achieved by diffusing, absorbing, reflecting, and reframing sound into a rhythm. This study focuses on how these spatial and acoustic strategies can help regulate sensory input, giving users a sense of calm, control, and grounding within the intensity of the city.This proposal develops a network of small, neuro-inclusive spaces that sit within the city while providing separation from it. In an effort to shift sound by creating transitions between intensity into quietness, techniques such as gravel paths, wood paths, water, and planted buffers will be used.This paper argues that architecture can act as an instrument for listening while also shaping how sound is perceived and felt. By reframing urban design through sound and sensory inclusion, this research imagines a city that doesn’t just make room for quiet but essentially learns how to listen
Two Geographies, Similar Concerns About Natural Disasters: The Work of Marina Tabassum in Bangladesh and Carme Pigem in Spain
No full textAward winning architects use design to mitigate against natural disasters by taking into account the local environment in their choices of sustainable materials and thoughtful design. Marina Tabassum reimagines a mobile home for families in Bangladesh built with materials that are locally sourced, and Carme Pigem designed an underground winery in Spain incorporating natural light while protecting the building. This paper demonstrates how building sustainable and environmentally conscious structures can be resilient in the face of climate challenges. This paper draws on the work of Duanfang Lu in Third World Modernism and an examination of the works of Pigem and Tabassum to explore the challenges of designing and building in the developing world. Marina Tabassum and Carme Pigem were awarded and recognized for their projects due to how they designed their buildings. These buildings are incorporated into the environment to mitigate climate issues and to make them resilient from natural disasters. Marina Tabassum’s mobile housing in Bangladesh is made out of bamboo to incorporate the material of the overall surrounding environment which allows for faster building. Carme Pigem’s Bell-Lloc Winery is designed to have natural light and to be embedded underground, and she also uses material from vegetation around the area to blend in with the environment
Development of Anti-Inflammatory Drug–Based Deep Eutectic Solvents for Ointment Formulation
No full textTopical drug delivery is often limited by poor solubility and bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have emerged as promising green alternatives that enhance solubility, stability, and penetration, making them attractive for topical formulations. This study focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of DES systems using two widely used anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen and aspirin, with various hydrogen bond donors to evaluate their potential application in ointment bases. Ibuprofen DES were prepared with different co-formers, while aspirin DES were synthesized with menthol in a 1:3 molar ratio. The prepared DES mixtures were analyzed using Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy, which confirmed hydrogen bonding interactions and functional group shifts, indicating therapeutic DES formation. Ibuprofen-based DES displayed significant broadening of O–H stretching bands (3100–3400 cm⁻¹) and a downward shift in the C=O stretching peak from ~1720 cm⁻¹, while aspirin-based DES showed O–H broadening and shifts in both the ester C=O band (~1750 cm⁻¹) and the carboxylic acid C=O band (~1680 cm⁻¹). These results confirm stable therapeutic DES formation for both ibuprofen and aspirin, demonstrating that each drug can be successfully incorporated into eutectic systems to yield stable formulations capable of improving drug solubility and delivery. Overall, this work highlights the pharmaceutical potential of c DES systems for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs in topical applications, with future research directed toward evaluating biological activity, storage stability, and clinical relevance
Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Cosmeceutical Peptides for Skin Care
No full textAs life expectancy continues to grow, humans are looking for a way to prevent or change their looks. The demand for products to tighten skin or get rid of wrinkles opens a market for cosmeceutical industries to produce cosmetics that will enhance the skin. Reasons for skin defects can include sun exposure, genetic makeup, and getting older. While not a new development, more cosmetic formulas include chemicals such peptides, polynucleotides and alcohols so that consumers can get their desired look. Peptides are made up from a chain of Amino Acids (AA). There is a plethora of amino acids but there are 20 that are essential to the human body. Humans can produce 11 out of the 20, so the other nine need to be acquired by diet. Peptides are used to boost metabolism, wound healing, and promote weight loss. Peptides in skincare are used primarily for skin repair and to reduce the anti-aging process. Peptides regarding skincare are usually extracted from plasma and other sources. The aim of this research is to chemically synthesize some notable skincare peptides (GHK, KTTKS, and GQPR) using solid phase peptide synthesis approach and test their membrane permeability. These peptides were synthesized using rink-amide resin, then cleaved employing high percentage of TFA, and precipitated with cold-ether. Peptides were characterized by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. As these peptides are very hydrophilic in nature, they were eluted at the beginning of the reverse phase chromatography while C18 column was used. GHK showed an intense peak at m/z 340.2 which corresponds to its theoretical mass. Two peptides, KTTKS and GQPR, also demonstrated representative peaks at m/z 563.3 and 456.3, respectively which agree with the theoretical mass. The current research focuses on the membrane permeability of these peptides to ensure and improve skin penetration
A Preliminary Evaluation of Environmental DNA for Detecting Many-Lined Salamanders
No full textThe many-lined salamander (Stereochilus marginatus) is a rare and secretive species whose behavior makes it difficult to monitor using traditional field surveys. Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a promising, non-invasive tool that may provide higher detection probabilities and allow researchers to identify habitats where this species persists. This study evaluates the potential of eDNA as a method for locating many-lined salamanders and guiding future monitoring strategies. Water samples were collected from a site where the species has been documented previously by colleagues from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), who filtered samples to preserve DNA material. We then extracted eDNA from these filters in the laboratory. Next, we made metabarcoding libraries using two sets of primers: one custom-designed for lungless salamanders and one targeting all vertebrates. We analyzed sequence data using QIIME2 and a reference database. Our goal was to determine whether eDNA can serve as a reliable method for detecting many-lined salamanders in habitats where they are known to occur, thereby validating its use in broader surveys to uncover new populations. If eDNA proves effective, it could provide a valuable tool for conservation biologists by improving monitoring efficiency and expanding the ability to track the distribution of this little-known amphibian