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A HIDDEN FIGURE, A BEAUTIFUL MIND IN THE THEORY OF MATHEMATICAL GAMES
No full textAlain A. Lewis, an African-American researcher, was a 1983 Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University. He obtained a B.A. in Philosophy, Economics, and Statistics from George Washington University in 1969, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University in 1979. The title of his dissertation: “A Nonstandard Theory of Games.” His advisor was Kenneth Arrow. It was during his first year at Cornell, where his sponsor was Prof. Anil Nerode, that he enjoyed his Ford award. The result, which is an important application of game theory, is described by Philip Mirowski in the book Machine Dreams as: “…now considered in some circles as an underground classic in the theory of computational economics.
APPLICATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS IN MARINE CHEMISTRY – A FIELD STUDY**
No full textWe applied for the Educational Days on UGA’s R/V Savannah and was awarded 2-day ship time in 2020. During the Spring 2020 semester, a team of 11 students was divided into five groups, each of which received over two months of training on one of the following research topics: analysis of heavy metals in seawater using ICP-MS; analysis of pesticides in seawater using HPLC; microplastic analysis in marine organisms and sediments using microscopy; total water-soluble organic carbon and total nitrogen in marine aerosols; nutrients in seawater (nitrate and phosphate), salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen measurements. The original planned date was March 28–29, 2020, when we would all pack and board UGA\u27s R/V Savannah for a 2-day cruise. We would sail along the coast of Georgia before heading further out to collect samples to understand the differences between coastal and open ocean environments, which are often good indicators of industrial pollution. Students would learn to collect air and seawater samples from CTDs and other devices, and take nutrient (nitrate and phosphate), salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen measurements on board. For the other four projects, collected samples would be brought back to the GGC Chemistry laboratory for analysis. In this course, students would have the opportunity to choose their own research topic, plan a cruise, gain first-hand experience working in the field, learn to work in teams and deal with real-time problems. Unfortunately, USG went into full quarantine in mid-March of 2020 due to COVID-19, so the voyage did not take place as scheduled. This poster only presents the general design of this course and the laboratory training that participants received. Now that the pandemic is over, we hope to resume sailing as soon as possible and complete the field work in the near future
MENTOR SCIENCE IDENTITIES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCIENCE: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE IBEARS PROGRAM
No full textThis qualitative study aims to investigate the individual properties present within the science identities of undergraduate mentors and how these science identities are shared with students in the (virtual) classroom to improve learning in science education and STEM programming. In this study, we used the constant comparison method to identify individual aspects of the science identities of undergraduate mentors participating in the iBEARS program over 15 weeks. Four prevalent themes emerged: a sense of community, being built by intrinsic and extrinsic attitudinal factors, a match between real science and school science, and a perception of science. These themes are broken down further to emphasize the individual properties in our data set. Our results primarily reflect the previous literature on science identities held by students, mentors, and teachers in the classroom. We look to investigate further components of science pedagogy that may explain the relationship between mentor science identity and student reaction
FROM THE PROFANE TO THE SECULAR: IDENTIFYING ANCIENT MAYA ARCHITECTURAL SPACE AT PACBITUN, BELIZE
No full textInvestigations in Plazas A and B of the site core at Pacbitun indicate that initial occupation began in the early Middle Preclassic period (900–600 BC). At this time, a small agricultural community was established in Plaza B beginning with a few domestic structures built just above bedrock. These early domiciles would also function as workshops for the production of marine shell beads. During the late Middle Preclassic (600-300 BC), the size of the community in Plaza B expanded five-fold, with rectangular-shaped platforms replacing the early apsidal structures and the shell bead industry intensifying significantly. It is during this period that two large ceremonial platforms were erected at the site. In Plaza B, to the south of the domestic structures, a large round platform was constructed in the center of what would become Courtyard 2. In Plaza A, a large rectangular platform was built on the highest point of the site. While these buildings represent the first two monumental constructions at Pacbitun, their unique physical and spatial attributes say much about their distinct identities as they relate to each another and to the domestic structures of Plaza B. The purpose of this presentation is to detail these distinct identities and discuss what each might tell us about the residents living and working in Plaza B. Comparative data from other sites will be utilized to see how Pacbitun fits within the broader period sphere sweeping across the lowlands at this time
TESTING THE VALIDITY OF DOWSING FOR APPLICATIONS IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
No full textDowsing is a method of locating buried items using rods that react as the user walks over an object. There has been controversy surrounding this practice because of the lack of understanding and empirical data available. Forensic anthropologists are interested in dowsing for possible application in clandestine grave recovery because 1) it is cheap and easily accessible, 2) it does not require specialized knowledge, 3) it is not time consuming, and 4) it is not destructive to the crime scene. Prior to its implementation in a forensically significant context, empirical research must be done to meet the Daubert Standards of court admissibility. This study investigates the validity of dowsing rods through empirical experiments taking place at the Forensic Anthropology Field Lab at Kennesaw State University. In the first phase of this study, nine participants were asked to dowse the fields and drop pin-flags at every indication they received from the L-shaped rods. Our preliminary results revealed that all participants felt indications from the rods, and a map of all of the pinflag locations revealed little consistency between participants. There were six 2 sq.ft. areas where more than half of the participants dropped flags, and three 8 sq.ft. areas where no flags were dropped at all. This preliminary data warrants further research on the validity of dowsing
USING PERCENTAGES TO CALCULATE CHI-SQUARE TESTS OF INDEPENDENCE
No full textThe commonly accepted assumptions for the Chi-square test of independence are the sample is randomly selected, observations are independent, and the size of expected frequencies is at least five. Alternatively, some sources include as many as six assumptions, and regardless of whether they explicitly claim it is an assumption, there is a consensus that the cell data used for calculating Chi-square should not be percentages or any other type of transformed data. Standard practice is to convert percentages to frequencies which can create problems because cell values could ultimately be an impossible decimalized fraction. For instance, if the conversion from percentage data to frequency data generated cell values of 28.2 or 28.9 people, no such thing as a 0.2 or 0.9 person exists. Those cell values would be adjusted down to 28 and even though transformed data is frowned upon, the rounding down produces an acceptable statistic because doing so generates a more conservative estimate than the mathematical practice of rounding to the nearest whole number. Standard mathematical rounding to 28 and 29 could potentially generate two different solutions, but rounding down for both would generate the same solution for 28.2 and 28.9. Numerical manipulations are ultimately at the discretion of the statistician. The current research used contrived data to illustrate when using percentages to calculate Chi-square tests of independence is acceptable and cost of doing so
OEDICEROTIDAE (CRUSTACEA: AMPHIPODA) OF BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA
No full textMarine amphipods belonging to parvorder Oedicerotidira comprise greater than 300 species distributed around the world. The parvorver is divided into three families (Exoedicerotidae, Oedicerotidae, and Paracalliopiidae) based on distinct morphological characteristics. Amphipods in the family Oedicerotidae typically burrow or furrow into sand and are an important food source for fish and other invertebrates. Other ecosystem services provided by burrowing amphipods include nutrient recycling and sediment turnover. The Caribbean waters of Panama are expected to be highly diverse, yet, prior to this study, only one species in the Oedicerotidira had been documented from Bocas del Toro, Panama: Aceroides (Patoides) synparis (Barnard, 1964) at a depth of 850 meters. We hypothesize that there will more species in the parvorder in the Caribbean waters of Panama. Collection of shallow sand in Bocas del Toro in 2021 revealed two more species in the parvorder: Hartmanodes nyei (Shoemaker, 1933) and Synchelidium sp. nov. Specimens were examined for morphological differences and are described herein. The functional morphology of amphipod species will be used to determine their roles within the ecosystem. Once documented, certain species can be used as bioindicators to observe the underlying factors causing population fluctuations. Oedicerotid amphipods might especially be useful for understanding sediment toxicity patterns
HOW DO PAINTED NEST BOXES AFFECT EASTERN BLUEBIRD NEST TEMPERATURE?
No full textThe rise of global temperatures as a result of climate change has created the need for new practices to ensure the survival of managed species. For birds, temperature is a primary factor in nest site selection and a driver of success, so successful management will require temperature mitigation techniques. Cavity nesting birds such as Eastern Bluebirds are particularly vulnerable because natural cavities and nest boxes can experience temperatures higher than the outside ambient temperature. If the interior temperature reaches 41⁰C, this can be lethal to eggs and nestlings. Additionally, temperature can drastically affect nesting bird physiology and behavior, which can also negatively impact nest success. The goal of this study is to determine if painting nest boxes white can reduce the interior temperatures. We monitored 50 Eastern Bluebird nest boxes, 25 were painted white and 25 were left unpainted, at Panola Mountain State Park in central Georgia. Each nest box contained two temperature data loggers, one inside and one on the underside, and recorded temperatures every hour from June 4th to August 15th, 2022. Throughout the whole season, the daily high temperature in control boxes remained approximately 2oC warmer than outside while the daily high temperature in painted boxes remained approximately 2oC cooler than the outside. Painting the boxes not only provides better conditions for nesting bluebirds, but provides a cooler environment than ambient temperature. Especially in hot climates such as central Georgia, cooling nest boxes will become increasingly important as global temperatures rise. Painting nest boxes colors that reflect solar rays may inform habitat management for this and other cavity-nesting species
THE EFFECT OF PH ON THE LARVAE OF TWO SEA URCHIN SPECIES USING DIFFERENT PH MANIPULATION METHODS**
No full textClimate change alters ocean pH, temperature, and salinity, which presents challenges for oceanic organisms, especially those with calcium carbonate skeletons. Our research examines how decreasing pH impacts larval survivorship and calcium carbonate skeletal development of two sea urchin species, Lytechinus variegatus and Arbacia punctulata. Based on previous work in various sea urchin species, it is expected that as pH decreases, survivorship decreases and skeletal malformations increase. Both L. variegatus and A. punctulata have been used in prior studies to explore pH change on survivorship and development, but these studies incorporated various outcomes and pH manipulation methods, limiting how comparable they are. Therefore, we wanted to measure the same outcomes between species and compare the effect of different pH manipulation within species. We altered pH by either HCL addition or CO2 bubbling through seawater. Larvae, at a concentration of 3 larvae/ml, were exposed to seawater of pH 8.4, 8.0, or 7.6. For each treatment, survivorship of 30-40 larvae was measured daily for 10-14 days depending on the trial. Larval malformations were quantified for about 10 larvae from daily fixed samples. Larval arm length, body length, and body width were measured using Image J. For both methods of pH manipulation and both species, there was a statistically significant (p\u3c0.001) decrease in survivorship as pH decreases consistent with the prediction. Preliminary analysis of skeletal deformities suggests malformations increase as pH decreases, but data are still being collected. Similar abnormalities observed between species regardless of pH manipulations include uneven or missing arms and misshapen aboral sides. The effect of pH on larval survivorship and development in L. variegatus and A. punctulata are comparable to observations in other species suggesting effects are consistent across manipulation methods and species. With this research, we can continue to fine-tune methodology and build on our understanding of how climate change-driven ocean acidification can impact species
SSSSS-SLIPPERY SYSTEMATICS OF SLITHERING SNAKE WORMS**
No full textMembers of the family Cyathocotylidae (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) parasitize the intestines of reptiles (including birds), mammals and fishes around the world. Little is known about the interrelationships of cyathocotylid genera, and few molecular phylogenetic works included DNA sequences from adult cyathocotylids. This is particularly true in the case of cyathocotylids from snakes. Gogatea and Szidatia are the most diverse genera of cyathocotylids parasitic in snakes. Gogatea spp. have only been reported in the Indomalayan realm, while Szidatia spp. are more widely distributed in the Afrotropic, Indomayan and Palearctic realms. No members of these genera have been reported so far in Australia. Prior authors have debated the status of these genera, which were differentiated based on a single morphological feature, namely the confluent vs non-confluent vitellarium. At the same time, it was shown in literature that vitellarium may appear confluent or non-confluent depending on the fixation method. Currently, DNA sequences are only available from 2 Gogatea spp. in Southeast Asia. Our goal was to assess the diversity of Gogatea and explore the validity of Szidatia. In the present study, we studied morphology of freshly collected, quality cyathotylids from snakes in Vietnam, Thailand and Australia. Fragments of the large ribosomal subunit (28S) rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) mtDNA genes were sequenced from a subset of specimens. The new and previously published DNA sequences were used to test the monophyly of Gogatea and explore interrelationships of cyathocotylids from snakes. In doing so, we obtained some insights into the unique biogeographic and host-switching history of these parasites, and revealed the presence of 2 new species of Gogatea from Vietnam and Australia. The current study expands the knowledge of the diversity and interrelationships of cyathocotylids parasitic in snakes