JBC Commons (New College of Florida)
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ECHOLOCATING AND NON-ECHOLOCATING WHALES HAVE CONSERVED ASCENDING AUDITORY PATHWAYS BUT DIFFERENTIALLY LATERALIZED AUDITORY-CEREBELLAR CONNECTIONS
No full textIn the inaugural analysis of structural connectivity in a baleen whale (suborder Mysticeti) brain, we compared the white matter tracts of a non-echolocating sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) against those of three echolocating delphinids (suborder Odontoceti). Brains were opportunistically collected from stranded animals and imaged post-mortem at high resolution with a specialized acquisition sequence optimized for dead tissue. We then conducted probabilistic tractography to compare the qualitative features, white matter tract strength, and lateralization of potential ascending and descending auditory paths in the mysticete versus odontocete brains. Tracts were seeded in the inferior colliculi (IC), a nexus for ascending auditory information, and the cerebellum, a center for sensorimotor integration. Direct IC to temporal lobe pathways were found in all animals, replicating previous cetacean tractography and suggesting conservation of the primary auditory projection path in the cetacean clade. Additionally, odontocete IC-cerebellum pathways exhibited higher overall tract strength than in the mysticete, suggesting a role as descending acousticomotor tracts supporting the rapid sensorimotor integration demands of echolocation. Further, in the mysticete, contralateral right IC to left cerebellum pathways were 17x stronger than those between left IC and right cerebellum, while in odontocetes, the laterality was reversed, and left IC to right cerebellum pathways were 2-4x stronger than those between right IC and left cerebellum. The stronger left IC-right cerebellum connectivity observed in odontocetes corroborates the theory that odontocetes preferentially echolocate with their right phonic lips, as the right phonic lips are likely innervated by left-cortical motor efferents that integrate with left-cortical auditory afferents in right cerebellum. This interpretation is further supported by the reversed lateralization of IC-cerebellar tracts observed in the non-echolocating mysticete. We also found differences in the specific subregions of cerebellum targeted by the IC, both between the mysticete and odontocetes, and between left and right sides. This study establishes foundational knowledge on mysticete auditory connectivity and extends knowledge on the neural basis of echolocation in odontocetes
SPACE PYTHON: AN ONLINE SELF-GUIDED LEARNING PLATFORM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
No full textSpace Python is a website for middle school students to learn Python programming at home. It features student and parent accounts as well as a curriculum based on principles of constructivism. Focusing solely on middle school aged students and Python programming creates a targeted curriculum for students with little to no programming experience. Both students and parents can track student progress through the curriculum. Using video and textual instructions for lessons as well as building on concepts throughout the curriculum, students are able to work at their own pace through the material. Videos explaining concepts are brief to keep students attention and offer explanations of each piece of code the students learn. Space Python’s source code is available at https://github.com/fairyfade/Thesis. A demonstration is available at https://youtu.be/dUp6ojhq0F0?si=Fhdy7PhShbuWy1XZ. Space Python provides an easy to use website for students to learn Python programming
Community Impact: Murals & Public Art
No full textThis thesis project integrates social practice and multiculturalism theory with public art murals and involves producing art in both gallery spaces and public spaces resulting in two large mural installations that examine the benefits that public art and social activism have on communities, drawing inspiration from artists including Judy Baca and Michelle Angela Ortiz. Through this work, I examine both the role of public murals as a catalyst for community building as well as the impact of adolescent participation in the creation of community murals on their well-being using the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Theory (BPNS). As part of the thesis, the Boys & Girls Club teen participants of Manatee County were given pre and post-surveys, including the BPNS questionnaire, to evaluate their experience with a community art mural project. While the survey results did not show any clear pattern of change, the qualitative data revealed positive feedback from participants who felt more connected to their peers and inspired by the project. In addition to the mural I facilitated with the youth of Manatee County, my personal mural project and a series of smaller painted studies explore themes of home, migration, belonging, and memories through public art murals incorporating Chinese symbolism as a form of social activism. In my mural, I explore a visual iconography that breaks patriarchal traditions by incorporating feminine flowers and patterns and making it accessible to the community, fighting oppression through vivid and joyful colors
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF FREELY-CIRCULATING VS. EXOSOMAL MICRORNAS IN CANINE CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE SECONDARY TO MYXOMATOUS MITRAL VALVE DISEASE
No full textMyxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (MMVD) remains to be the number one cause of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) in dogs. Mainly characterized by mitral regurgitation in the left atrium, MMVD can lead to fatal heart failure down the line. MicroRNAs, which are small, noncoding RNAs about 21-25 nucleotides in length that regulate gene expression, can be found freely-circulating throughout the blood, extracellular fluid, intracellular fluid and interstitial fluid, or in extracellular vesicles such as exosomes. These vesicles play a role in the transportation of various molecules as well as in intercellular communication. Previous studies show microRNAs display statistically significant expression levels in dogs with MMVD compared to clinically normal dogs. This means the microRNA levels were either high or low enough in one of the dog groups to distinguish themselves as biomarkers. Since exosomes have been shown to protect the contents they are transporting, they are of special interest in microRNA studies, partially due to the potential for exosomal microRNAs to be better preserved. This project aims to first isolate exosomes from canine plasma in both normal dogs and dogs with MMVD/CHF. The isolation of exosomes will then allow for the isolation of the exosomal microRNAs in order to quantify their expression levels. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and subsequently Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) will be performed to confirm whether or not each freely-circulating microRNA has an exosomal counterpart to obtain information on the expression levels of the two types of microRNAs. Intellectual Merit The exact cause of MMVD is still unknown, and once a dog enters heart failure, there is no way to reverse it. Currently, the only methods of diagnosis of MMVD and CHF are auscultation (listening to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope), thoracic radiography, and echocardiography. Though these methods are effective once a dog starts to show symptoms and signs of MMVD, often the disease has progressed to a point where no further actions to delay the disease are effective. Therefore, there is a need for research on a method of earlier detection of the disease that does not require using invasive measures on live dog models. Current research methods include the purposeful induction of heart failure that eventually leads to death. Detecting microRNAs expression levels in a dog with MMVD would simply require a small blood sample collection. If MMVD was caught at an early stage, well before a dog started showing clinical signs of heart failure, the disease could potentially be further delayed. This research may even lead to the development of life-saving microRNA-based therapeutic drugs to treat MMVD, using synthetic microRNA mimics and inhibitors packaged inside of exosomes, increasing or decreasing microRNA expression back to normal levels. Broader Impacts MMVD poses many challenges for not only dogs, but owners and veterinarians as well, such as the dog\u27s quality of life, financial concerns for the owners, and the difficulty for vets to offer an accurate prognosis. However, this research offers a promising avenue not only for early disease detection and therapeutic drug development in the veterinary field, but in human medicine as well. In regard to heart disease in the broader sense, the canine heart is an ideal model for the human heart, which is a reason why live dogs have been used in the past for human medical research. This noninvasive study could alleviate ethical concerns of canine heart failure induction as well as minimize animal suffering
EXPLORING THE USE OF MAGNETS AS A FORM OF SHARK DETERRENT IN RECREATIONAL FISHERIES
No full textRecreational and commercial fisheries are responsible for a large quantity of elasmobranch (sharks, skates, and rays) deaths annually. A significant portion of this mortality is the result of bycatch, the unintentional capture of unwanted species while targeting a different species. Specifically, in hook and line fisheries, sharks are often caught as bycatch when they are subjected to baited lines or lines that have already caught a fish (e.g. a sport fish that is actively fighting on the line). As apex predators, these hunters are driven by food reward and cannot discern the difference between a sport fish caught on a fishing line and an easy meal. Previous research has suggested that magnets might be a feasible elasmobranch deterrent due to a sensory organ specific only to elasmobranchs called the ampullae of Lorenzini. This physical characteristic allows elasmobranchs to detect minute differences in electromagnetic field for the purpose of sensing the muscle contractions of their prey. The purpose of this study is to construct a prototype magnetic deterrent with an original case design and test the device in Sarasota Bay and the surrounding Gulf of Mexico under recreational fishing conditions (rod and reel). Two types of data collection were carried out including boat-based and shore-based data collection. For both categories, the presence of the magnet prototype was compared to deployments without the magnet, and the proportional difference in elasmobranch capture between the control group (no magnet) and the test group (magnet deterrent) was analyzed. A slight relationship was observed between the two groups, with the proportion of elasmobranchs caught in the control group being 6.7% higher than the proportion of elasmobranchs caught in the test group. However, the sample size for this experiment was very small (total sample size of 21; control group sample size of 15; test group sample size of 6) and therefore it is not possible to generalize the results and form conclusions about the population
DO YOU MIND? EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALING ABOUT PURPOSE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
No full textThe present paper examines mindfulness meditation as an accessible (more available and affordable than existing treatment options) intervention for depression and anxiety, and ultimately proposes journaling about purpose as an addition to mindfulness meditation practice that would address the issue of psychological engagement. Psychological engagement with mindfulness meditation is what mediates the neurological benefits, but unfortunately individuals with high levels of rumination and worry (characteristics of depression and anxiety) struggle with psychological engagement. Journaling about purpose is explored as a possible solution to this issue because Burrow et al. (2016) found that journaling about purpose had a relationship to effort perception; those who journaled about purpose predicted that a difficult task would require less effort when compared to a control condition. Over the course of 5 weeks participants completed surveys that included measures of rumination, worry, psychological engagement in mindfulness meditation, and level of purpose felt during journaling, journaled about assigned prompts, and participated in guided mindfulness meditations. The participants in the experimental group were asked to journal about something that gives them a sense of purpose, and those in the control condition journaled about a control prompt. When baseline and post-intervention psychological engagement scores were compared between groups, no significant differences were found. A moderate positive correlation was found between salience of purpose during journaling and psychological engagement score post-intervention. This suggests that although there was not an effect of condition, there may still be a relationship between the salience of purpose and psychological engagement
Biological Connections Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer\u27s Disease: A Review of Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, and Accumulation of Amyloid-β and Tau
No full textType 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are becoming more widespread as the aging population expands. Researchers have recently investigated the physiological links between T2DM and AD due to their co-occurrence. Insulin resistance plays a pivotal role in both, impacting cognitive function. Additionally, oxidative stress increases over time in both T2DM and AD, potentially impacting their progression. The accumulation of amyloid-β and tau is a central hypothesis in understanding AD, with T2DM suggesting a possible connection to amyloid-β accumulation. This paper explores the key connection between T2DM and AD, with a focus on insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and the accumulation of amyloid-β and tau
Do Dogs Really Watch TV? An Investigation into a Dog’s Preferences for Depictions of Real Humans, Dogs and Other Animals versus Cartoon Depictions of Humans, Dogs and Other Animals
No full textEnrichment has become a major focus in the animal community in recent years. Not only is this true for animals in a zoo environment, it is also true for household animals like dogs. Exploring ways to enrich a dog’s life when they are left alone could potentially improve their wellbeing. This paper investigates a dog’s preferences for (1) cartoon depictions of humans, dogs and other species; (2) video representations of real humans, dogs and other species; and (3) cartoon dogs versus real humans, dog, and other species. Two screens depicting pairs of video clips were presented to the dog while two cameras recorded the duration of time she spent watching the screens. Overall, the dog spent more time watching real animates versus cartoons characters, and her favorite videos were of a real German Shepherd, a real chicken, a cartoon dog (Bolt), and a real human woman (Reba McEntire). In addition, patterns of preferential looking were not the same across depictions of real animates versus cartoon animates, perhaps because the dog had favorite videos or because the dog did not recognize that cartoon animates represent real ones. The dog’s watching time suggests that television could be an efficient enrichment tool when used properly. However, preferred genres/shows may vary by individual dog
QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY: HARNESSING QUANTUM MECHANICS FOR CRYPTOGRAPHIC ADVANCEMENTS
No full textThis thesis delves into the world of quantum cryptography and explores the principles of quantum mechanics and their application in creating secure communication protocols. The research goes beyond conventional cryptographic methods to reveal quantum mechanics’ potential role in transforming the world of digital security. The center of this study is the theoretical foundations of quantum key distribution (QKD), a method utilizing unique quantum properties to generate secure cryptographic keys. This thesis does not just focus on theoretical discussion and will delve into real-world implementations, studying their efficiency and potential vulnerabilities or limitations. The research also extends to the post-quantum era, analyzing the potential of quantum cryptography with advancing quantum technology. This thesis aims to evaluate the practicality and prospects of quantum cryptography to bring to light the potential future of digital security