JBC Commons (New College of Florida)
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EFFECTS OF VISITOR DISTURBANCE ON THE FLUSHING BEHAVIORS OF AMERICAN ALLIGATORS (ALLIGATOR MISSISSIPPIENSIS) IN MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK
No full textAnthropogenic presences and influence spread into wildlife spaces and can negatively affect species living in areas that were previously less disturbed. In this thesis, a study was conducted in which the flight initiation distances and flushing behaviors of American alligators in a wild-living congregation within the Myakka River State Park Wilderness Preserve, an area within a state park in Southern Florida, were measured and analyzed. Flight initiation distances in reptiles are an important component of population risk assessment, which influences wildlife management decisions, that often goes understudied in these species. Potential negative effects of an increased human presence in wild areas include habituation, human-wildlife conflict, and potential decreased fitness in local species. This study aimed to determine the flight initiation distance for alligators within the Myakka “Deep Hole” congregation as a baseline for alligator populations in wild freshwater sites which are regularly visited by humans. Over the course of 84 hours of data collection, of 212 alligators performing flushing behaviors, 202 (95.28%) were flushed by direct human approach. 84.43% of flushing behaviors displaced alligators from basking platforms, where alligators perform thermoregulatory behavior. The average flight initiation distance for this population was 12.54 m. The number of humans approaching before flushing occurred is significantly correlated with greater flight initiation distances. To protect alligators, visitors of wild alligator congregations should not congregate in groups and should keep their distance (at least 13 m) from the animals. Education on preventive measures of flushing could serve to reduce human-alligator disturbances at this site in the future
THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON EQUINE ANHIDROSIS IN THE FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED
No full textThis work explores the connection between equine anhidrosis and climate change, focusing on the Florida thoroughbred horse. Equine anhidrosis is an affliction of horses primarily in warm climates and presents as a cessation of sweating. It is more common in thoroughbreds than other equine breeds and is most frequently seen in Florida. Climate change refers to the broad phenomenon of global warming due to human activities. It has particular relevance as an issue in Florida due to Florida’s geographic location. The severity of climate change could impact the future of horses in Florida. To examine the overlap of climate change and anhidrosis, this thesis looks at the central Florida region in different time periods and compares incidences of anhidrosis in the Florida thoroughbred. It was found that anhidrosis rates seem to be increasing and that more thoroughbreds are suffering. It is important to note that the general number of thoroughbreds has also increased over time. The main difference in temperature in the last 50 years in Florida has been changing in the winter months. This suggests that winter temperatures may be more relevant in causing anhidrosis than has been previously thought
LOCOMOTORY BEHAVIORS IN THREE MARINE-ASSOCIATED ARTHROPODS: A FILM-BASED ANALYSIS OF ARATUS PISONII (Edwards, 1837) (Crusacea; Decapoda; Sesarmidae), LIGIA BAUDINIANA (Edwards, 1840) (Crusracea; Isopoda, Ligiidae), & ANURIDA MARITIMA (Guerin-Menevill, 1836), (Crustacea; Collembola, Neanuridae)
No full textMarine-associated arthropods are subject to a wide array of environmental challenges. While they risk desiccation on land, they are subject to a variety of threats in water ranging from its chemistry and physical characteristics to predation. Aratus pisonii, Ligia baudiniana, and Anurida maritima– semiterrestrial marine-associated arthropods– demonstrate tidal-driven daily rhythms that minimize their time in the water. Their existence at the land-water interface nevertheless forces them to enter the water at times where it is critical that the animals be capable of moving quickly and effectively back to land. Through this study, I sought to understand what locomotory forms and behaviors these animals demonstrate in or on the water versus on land. By filming numerous experimental trials where the animals were subject to both terrestrial and aquatic conditions, I compared quantitative parameters of their movements and produced descriptions of behavior and locomotory forms where descriptions were non-existent or lacking. I found that all three arthropods were highly capable of moving under (or on in the case of A. maritima) water where they achieved velocities comparable to or even greater than their velocities on land despite the presence of hydrodynamic forces that resisted their movement. This was accomplished through modifications to their standard gait or by adopting a completely separate locomotory technique. Flaws in my methodology contributed to less than representative values for the mean velocities and accelerations the arthropods demonstrate across media but I nevertheless gained significant insight into the extensive capabilities of these animals and the modifications they make to move through drastically different environments
FORGING THE FIBERS OF FEMININITY
No full textThrough a series of crocheted and forged sculptural objects, I recount personal experiences and observations of how the feminine is interacted with, portrayed, and lived. I examine my own ambivalence towards the feminine within my work, my enjoyment of producing for others, and the burden of what the product truly represents. Metal and string form both a material and gendered tension, expressing my own knotted relationship to the production of objects for consumption by others. The stories my pieces tell represent everyday conflicts and internal discomfort, they are not intended to take a revolutionary stance. They embody the comforts and confines of domesticity in the context of feminine expectations, as well as the pressure to abandon such expectations. Femininity is a warm blanket and an inescapable cage, and my work frees myself and viewers from choosing a singular, incomplete truth. Therefore love and the iconography of the culturally feminine––soft colors, organic forms, sentimental symbols, and “domestic” craft––are threaded throughout my works
Enhanced Efficiency in Natural Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Fine Tuning Pigment Interactions
No full textTraditional methods of solar energy are expensive and inaccessible for many people, especially in times of such economic disparity. Natural dye-sensitized solar cells may provide a solution to this due to their low-cost, accessibility and simple fabrication methods. This form of energy remains in preindustrial phases due to low efficiency and rapid degradation of the dye. This thesis proposes that by fine tuning pigment interactions, both through intentional selection of compounds present and purification by thin layer chromatography, efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells can be enhanced. In crude dye samples of anthocyanin containing dyes, efficiencies increased slightly with the addition of the keto-carotenoid astaxanthin. To further examine this, dyes extracted from D. regia and astaxanthin were purified through Thin Layer Chromatography and tested for efficiency. The highest efficiencies were found in the bottom fraction of D. regia (ɳ%=0.79±0.10) and the combination of the anthocyanin containing fraction of D. regia with the monoester fraction of astaxanthin (ɳ%=0.91±0.08). The crude counterparts showed efficiencies of ɳ%=0.52±0.15 and ɳ%=0.64±0.18, respectively. This suggests that choosing specific compounds for dye alteration as opposed to dyes in their crude form may enhance solar cell efficiency
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND IMPLICIT RACIAL BIAS
No full textIn an attempt to combat racism, bias reduction programs focus on aspects of various cognitive processes to reduce implicit racial bias with only moderate effectiveness. However, no research has looked at the connection between creativity and implicit racial bias, despite their strong and inverse conceptual linkage through underlying cognitive rigidity. The current study measured creativity with the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and implicit racial bias toward black individuals by using the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to examine brain activity in frontal-parietal cortical areas associated with creative divergent thinking during the AUT and in areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with implicit stereotypes during a black-versus-white friendliness rating task. Based on prior neuroimaging research linking higher cortical activity to increased energy expenditure, it is hypothesized that participants with relatively higher creativity scores as well as those with relatively lower bias scores will show greater hemodynamic activity in the frontal-parietal regions of interest during the respective creativity and bias tasks. Results showed that the AUT and IAT were negatively correlated, as hypothesized. The results did not support hypotheses regarding neural activity; i.e., there were no significant differences in task-associated patterns of hemodynamic activity between participants grouped as high and low creative or high and low bias. Implications for bias reduction programs and the aspects of cognition on which they should focus are discussed. Additionally, interesting hemodynamic trends that were observed are discussed, as are their implications for future fNIRS research aiming to explore the neurophysiological underpinnings of social cognition constructs
WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND: AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION OF “ALMA GUAJIRA” AND SELECTED WORKS BY MARCELO SALINAS
No full textDespite being one of the most prominent anarchist figures in Cuban history, Marcelo Salinas is widely forgotten today. His career as an author is even more obscured, and his writings are very seldom included in the Latin American literary scholarship of the 21st century. The primary aim of this thesis is to provide an English translation of some of Salinas’ works: his short story “El maestrico,” his play Alma Guajira, and a representative two-chapter fragment of his novel Un aprendiz de Revolucionario. The translations are accompanied by an introductory chapter as well as individual introductions, a translator’s statement, a literary contextualization and brief analysis, and numerous annotations that detail certain aspects of the source texts and rationalize translation decisions. By revealing Salinas’ writing to a new audience, I hope to reinstate their rightful value
WRITING MYSELF INTO THE RHIZOME: CONSTRUCTING LITERARY IDENTITY THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS
No full textI open this portfolio with three critical essays, exploring a variety of literary traditions through varied lenses. Next, I share translations of seven pieces from Spanish and two from French, as well as commentary on my translation methodology. Throughout, I think about how relationships to others, to the world at large, and to language construct identity for characters, authors, and their readers
THE PROMOTION OF THE ARTIST IN THE WEBSITES OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND ITS HISTORICAL ROOTS IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY DEALER-CRITIC SYSTEM
No full textIn my thesis, I draw upon the precedence of the 19th century French art market and the dealer critic system to contextualize choices made with contemporary artist’s websites, in order to shed light on this underexplored aspect of artistic promotion. To do this, I break down the Academy and salon system, highlight the dealer and critic’s role, and the artist’s positioning within this complex network. Then, I examine three contemporary artist’s websites, Jeff Koons, Banksy, and Shepard Fairey - connecting choices they have made in their websites and the display of their work to the historical examples of artistic promotion. This leads into a brief examination of vital artist portfolio elements, and how artist’s websites legitimizes the practice, and allows the artist to emphasize or obscure the commercial character of their art
Exploring Genome Reorganization and Gene Expression in Cancer Metastasis
No full textCancer describes a broad group of diseases that results from ubiquitous and unchecked cellular growth and proliferation. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and disease burden is expected to increase globally throughout the next several decades, with the majority of cancer-related deaths occurring due to metastatic disease. Cancer cells exhibit known hallmarks that endow them with increased survival and proliferative capabilities, frequently as a result of de-stabilizing mutations. However, the genomic features that resolve metastatic clones from primary tumors are not yet well-characterized, as no mutational landscape has been identified as predictive of metastasis. This suggests a larger role for non-mutational genome re-organization in promoting dissemination. In this thesis, we analyzed sequencing datasets to interrogate epigenetic reprogramming as related to gene expression in metastases relative to primary tumors to discern pathways that may be indicative of metastasis. We additionally checked the pluripotency signature of metastases relative to primary tumors to determine whether disseminating clones attain a more embryonic stem cell-like state than their non-metastatic counterparts. We were unable to verify this hypothesis, but we confirmed consistent enrichment of cancer hallmarks across tumor systems and discovered possible future sources of investigation for selectively identifying cells with metastatic potential