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Evaluating a Video Modeling Approach to Teach Shelter Volunteers How to Interact With Dogs in the Shelter
Full text linkWell-trained volunteers are required to help meet the daily needs of dogs waiting to be adopted in animal shelters and to find new homes for them. Inadequate volunteer training leads to mismanagement and attrition of volunteers who are essential to helping shelter dogs get adopted. However, animal shelters often lack access to the resources and funds required to provide adequate training for volunteers. Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, this study evaluated a cost-effective program consisting of video modeling with voiceover instruction, on-screen text, examples, and non-examples that instructed volunteers to interact with the dogs in a specific manner to help the dogs learn behaviors that could help in adoption. To demonstrate the secondary effects of the behaviors acquired by the volunteers, investigators collected data on the behavior of the dogs. Data on the volunteers’ behavior was collected during the study and recorded for evaluation by an independent observer afterward. The results of this study demonstrate that video modeling with voiceover instruction, on-screen text, examples, and non-examples can teach shelter volunteers how to interact with dogs in the shelter. These findings could provide new insight into types of procedures for which video modeling might be useful and conditions that promote successful outcomes
The Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria on Plantsin Martian Regolith
Full text linkFuture Martian settlements require sustainable agricultural methods for long-duration missions. Surface soil conditions on the red planet are clay like and lacking in easy access nutrients for plants. Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) could aid agriculture on mars the same way they do on Earth. The bacteria strains selected were collected on the ISS by the NASA’s Vegetable production program (VEGGIE). I hypothesize that these PGPB can aid plant growth in L. sativa via seed inoculation in Martian regolith
Exploring The Feasibility and Habitability of Our Solar System
Full text linkOur Solar System is often been used as a reference when studying other planetary systems, to answer questions such as “How could that planet have formed there?” But it is less often that our own Solar System is examined through that same scope. This research hopes to shed some light on that question by examining how the Solar System would be affected by the Sun’s mass – and therefore stellar classification – changing. Method
Decentralized Astronomical Data Storage on the Blockchain
Full text linkThe centralization of astronomical data repositories poses significant challenges to data accessibility, consistency, and real-time research. This work introduces a decentralized framework that utilizes blockchain technology and smart contracts to transform the way astronomical data is stored, retrieved, and shared. By integrating decentralized application architectures with established astronomical data protocols, this research establishes a foundational layer that promotes enhanced data redundancy, resilience, and scalability, thereby addressing critical limitations inherent in traditional centralized systems
The effect of conditioned media on quorum sensing in the model algae C. reinhardtii
Full text linkQuorum sensing (QS) microorganisms couple phenotypic plasticity to cell density, thereby ensuring that specific phenotypes are expressed only when sufficient cells are present for them to be beneficial. QS is regulated by the production and exchange of species-specific quorum-sensing molecules (QSMs)
Neurodevelopmental defects in a tauopathy model are affected by the microtubule stabilizer PTRN-1
Full text linkIs decreased microtubule stability a key mechanism for tauopathies? Do Tau mutations cause developmental defects? Here, we show disease-associated Tau mutations induce developmental defects. Further, we test the effects of modulating microtubule stability through genetic deletion of the key stability regulator, ptrn-
Patterns of Fire History and Vegetation Changes in the Last 5000 Years: A Paleoecological Study of Iquitos
No full textThe vegetation of the Amazonian rainforest is hypothesized to have been shaped by pre-Columbian activities, such as burning and palm management to various extents. Management of palms is hypothesized to have caused some of the most useful species to become hyperdominant in Amazonia. This study investigated the extent to which human activities over the past 5000 years affected palm abundances in mature lowland rainforests near Iquitos, Peru. I used phytoliths and charcoal from soil cores to determine the history of local floras, and modern palm surveys to compare modern phytolith occurrence with modern vegetation. Because pre-Columbian activity clustered along the rivers in the Amazon, the proximity of rivers was considered in the experimental design. I found 89 out of 180 samples contained charcoal. The particles large enough to date (n =19) provided an age range from c. 5160 to c. 1000 calibrated radiocarbon years before present, but no sample contained phytoliths of crops. The modern phytoliths reflected the local dominance of Oenocarpus bataua. The soil cores indicated an increase in the palm abundance over time. A rise in O. bataua most likely drives this increase. The distance to the nearest river was not correlated with this increase in O. bataua phytoliths. Similar studies from northwestern Amazonia also found an increase in palms evident in the last 4000 years. Although humans were present in the forest at Iquitos, as indicated by the charcoal, the primary influence on palm populations appears to be related to long-term climate change rather than human activity
StabiliKnee: A Novel EMG and Pneumatic Compression Knee Sleeve
Full text linkThe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a crucial stabilizer of the knee. Approximately 150,000 ACL tears occur each year in the US, creating a $17.7 billion rehabilitation industry. Injuries to the ACL leave significant strain on muscles located in the hamstrings and quadriceps. Compression aids in reducing the fatigue of these muscles while expediting the healing process
DripDrop: Systems Engineering for Hemodynamic Modeling
No full textSimulation modeling has become an essential tool for optimizing complex systems, especially in healthcare, where it plays a significant role in advancing decision-making and improving patient outcomes. One critical area benefiting from simulation is the study of cardiovascular diseases, where fluid dynamics modeling aids in understanding hemodynamics, the flow of blood through the body. Accurate hemodynamic simulations help personalize treatment plans, minimize risks, and reduce the need for invasive procedures.
This thesis explores the intersection of systems engineering and biomedical fluid dynamics modeling, aiming to bridge the gap between simulation and clinical practice. The research introduces a framework for enhanced fluid visualization that can model a variety of cardiovascular geometries, which will be implemented in the Multiscale Cardiovascular Fluids Lab at the Florida Institute of Technology. The research further presents the development of DripDrop, a hemodynamic simulation tool, which integrates systems engineering principles to enhance the accuracy and accessibility of fluid dynamics modeling. While DripDrop is in its early stages, it addresses several usability challenges, and ongoing development aims to improve its accuracy and expand its clinical applications. This work provides a foundation for using fluid dynamics modeling as a more practical and accessible tool for research and clinical decision-making in cardiovascular care
Microplastics Collection in Crane Creek
Full text linkSeveral studies have established that yearly microplastics consumption varies from 39000 to 52000 particles per person. There is concern over harmful additives that may be found in these microplastics, which are described as a mixture of hazardous chemicals. There is a lack of knowledge on the harmful effects of these plastic additives and microplastics in general, though they generally considered harmful to humans and wildlife. Crane Creek, a tributary of the brackish-water Indian River Lagoon contains microplastics that can be filtered from its surface waters. For this project, samples were taken and then sieved to determine if the locations more downstream Crane Creek would have less microplastics