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Analysis of EEG Data Using Complex Geometric Structurization
Get PDFElectroencephalogram (EEG) is a common tool used to understand brain activities. The data are typically obtained by placing electrodes at the surface of the scalp and recording the oscillations of currents passing through the electrodes. These oscillations can sometimes lead to various interpretations, depending on, for example, the subject’s health condition, the experiment carried out, the sensitivity of the tools used, or human manipulations. The data obtained over time can be considered a time series. There is evidence in the literature that epilepsy EEG data may be chaotic. Either way, the Embedding Theory in dynamical systems suggests that time series from a complex system could be used to reconstruct its phase space under proper conditions. In this letter, we propose an analysis of epilepsy EEG time series data based on a novel approach dubbed complex geometric structurization. Complex geometric structurization stems from the construction of strange attractors using Embedding Theory from dynamical systems. The complex geometric structures are themselves obtained using a geometry tool, the α-shapes from shape analysis. Initial analyses show a proof of concept in that these complex structures capture the expected changes brain in lobes under consideration. Further, a deeper analysis suggests that these complex structures can be used as biomarkers for seizure changes
A Continuous-Time Mathematical Model and Discrete Approximations for the Aggregation of \u3cem\u3eβ\u3c/em\u3e-Amyloid
Get PDFAlzheimer\u27s disease is a degenerative disorder characterized by the loss of synapses and neurons from the brain, as well as the accumulation of amyloid-based neuritic plaques. While it remains a matter of contention whether β-amyloid causes the neurodegeneration, β-amyloid aggregation is associated with the disease progression. Therefore, gaining a clearer understanding of this aggregation may help to better understand the disease. We develop a continuous-time model for β-amyloid aggregation using concepts from chemical kinetics and population dynamics. We show the model conserves mass and establish conditions for the existence and stability of equilibria. We also develop two discrete-time approximations to the model that are dynamically consistent. We show numerically that the continuous-time model produces sigmoidal growth, while the discrete-time approximations may exhibit oscillatory dynamics. Finally, sensitivity analysis reveals that aggregate concentration is most sensitive to parameters involved in monomer production and nucleation, suggesting the need for good estimates of such parameters
The Local Labor Market Impacts of US Megafires
Get PDFAs we learn to sustainably coexist with wildfire, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of its multidimensional impacts on society. To this end, we undertake a nationwide study to estimate how megafires (wildfires \u3e 100,000 acres in size) affect US labor market outcomes in communities located within the flame zone. Both year-of-fire and over-time dynamic impacts are studied between 2010−2017. We find that counties located within a megafire flame zone experience significantly lower per capita wage earnings across multiple sources of earnings data for up to two years after megafire event occurrence. We find preliminary evidence that impacts are nonlinear over megafire size. These results highlight a new dimension of megafire impacts and expand the scope of the potential costs of megafires that should be considered in benefit-cost analyses of wildfire control and suppression decisions, especially along sustainability dimensions
In These Unprecedented Times: A Critical Incidents Technique Examination of Student Perceptions\u27 of Satisfying and Dissatisfying Learning Experiences
No full textHigher education has and continues to be sharply disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, our focus is on the pandemic’s impact on higher education, specifically on undergraduate marketing students’ perceptions of learning experiences during the switch from traditional face-to-face learning to online approaches. Understanding student perspectives on which specific aspects of their learning experience were satisfying or dissatisfying offers faculty valuable insight as to how to navigate this (for many) new teaching environment and enhance student experiences and outcomes. Collecting data during spring semester 2020 offers a unique view from students as universities abruptly pivoted from previously face-to-face instruction to online learning. The Critical Incidents Technique was used to capture the voice and perceptions of marketing students. Results are reported and aligned with teaching strategies for faculty to utilize in this new (for many) learning environment, as well as future learning/teaching shifts necessitated by other disruptions in higher education
Grief, Tranquility, and \u3cem\u3eŚānta Rasa\u3c/em\u3e in Raviṣeṇa\u27s \u3cem\u3ePadmapurāṇa\u3c/em\u3e
No full textJains have long celebrated the serene ascetic, senses controlled and emotionally unperturbed. Examining the seventh-century author Raviṣeṇa\u27s Sanskrit Padmapurāṇa, a Jain version of the Rāma story, this chapter demonstrates the role of emotion and, in particular, of grief, in the realization of that ultimate state of dispassionate emotionlessness. Arguing that the Padmapurāṇa aims to encourage the renunciation through the production of śānta rasa, Clines demonstrates that Raviṣeṇa engenders grief in both Rāma and the reader, and tracks how that grief both motivates Rāma to renounce the world and encourages the reader outside the text to do the same
A Tri-Project Approach: Expanding Three Different Frontiers of Neuroscience
Get PDFWe identify three routes in which we can advance the field of neuroscience’s ability to model increasingly complex systems. We identified and reviewed the in vitro neuronal model of HT22 cells, while also offering the field a comprehensive and optimized culturing protocol to produce a matured in vitro model. We also identify a novel optogenetic construct and neural circuitry labeling technique that will base their in vitro modeling within the established HT22 differentiation protocol we present. The constructed optogenetic construct can facilitate dual input recording within the Mesolimbic excitatory neurons, advancing the reach of optogenetic evaluation in the context of the Beaudoin Lab as well as the field at large. The proposed neurocircuitry method also advances the Beaudoin Lab’s interest in reward circuitry, as we propose a Notch-Cre and Delta-based mechanism that can ultimately facilitate structural and functional mapping within one experiment without neurotoxicity. Ultimately, we extend the utility of the labeling method to encompass more complex field-wide interests of circuit-specific knock-ins or knock-outs in an immensely efficient and regulated fashion. We detail three novel and distinct models with dual utility for the Beaudoin lab and the field
Accessibility is An Opportunity, Not a Burden: A Study on the Accessibility of E-commerce Sites for Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Get PDFOnline shopping has become a common denominator in people’s lives. The world has been changing and becoming more digital than ever before, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the benefits of online platforms and the convenience of online shopping, the fashion industry has a long way to go to provide inclusive and welcoming platforms for individuals with disabilities. The following study will explore the theories of online identity construction, the social model of disability, and the role of fashion in the lives of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Simultaneously, the analysis will explain and detail the needs of individuals who are blind or visually impaired as they relate to the fashion industry, and will explore the potential benefits of improving accessibility through communication technologies
Tools for Neuroscience: Differentiation of HT22 Cells into Mature Neurons, Optimization of a Red-Shifted Channelrhodopsin, and Selective Destruction of Synapses
No full textNeuroscience is a rapidly expanding field that is outgrowing the currently available techniques. To help remedy this issue, we are developing new techniques that help to expand the molecular toolbox available to neuroscientists.
Cell culture work is typically a necessary first step before moving to an animal model. Many cell culture lines are inadequate representations for the cells they are trying to emulate. To help remedy this issue differentiation of HT22 cells, an immortalized hippocampal cell line, was tested to induce neuronal maturation and upregulate the expression of the neuron specific promoter CaMKII-α. This cell line has potential uses in studying CaMKII-α promoted genes prior to in vivo study.
Another technique is optogenetics. Optogenetics is the use of light as a stimulus to elicit a desired response. Previous research in our lab has used a blue-light gated cation channel, channelrhodopsin-2, for the selective activation of neurons in the context of understanding cocaine addiction. While useful, a single channelrhodopsin only provides understanding within a singular pathway. Usage of a second channelrhodopsin that responds to a different wavelength of light would allow for two pathways to be characterized both individually and together. Thus, a red-light gated channelrhodopsin, ChrimsonR, was thoroughly characterized and optimized for in vivo expression for optogenetic purposes. It was found that ChrimsonR can be effectively expressed in an in vivo model and displayed unique properties in comparison to other channelrhodopsins.
Lastly, current techniques exist to map various neural pathways and control synapses generally in the brain, but determining the information transferred between two areas of the brain has been extremely difficult. Utilizing adhesion proteins and neural repulsion signals, we developed a new chimeric protein, CadPlexin, to selectively destroy synapses between two brain regions without affecting additional outputs from those areas. This protein was first created and is currently being tested using in vitro cell culture models. Current results suggest that CadPlexin is expressed and properly trafficked to the cell membrane and the cells expressing the protein exhibit unique morphology, suggesting that the protein is potentially working as expected. Together, my thesis has laid the groundwork for sophisticated in vivo experiments vital for identifying necessary neural circuit components critical for encoding drug addiction
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
No full textAn essential work of twenty-first-century cinema, Alfonso Cuarón’s 2004 film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an elegant exemplar of contemporary cinematic trends, including serial storytelling, the rise of the fantasy genre, digital filmmaking, and collaborative authorship. With craft, wonder, and wit, the film captures the most engaging elements of the novel while artfully translating its literary point of view into cinematic terms that expand on the world established in the book series and previous films.
In this book, Patrick Keating examines how Cuarón and his collaborators employ cinematography, production design, music, performance, costume, dialogue, and more to create the richly textured world of Harry Potter―a world filtered principally through Harry’s perspective, characterized by gaps, uncertainties, and surprises. Rather than upholding the vision of a single auteur, Keating celebrates Cuarón’s direction as a collaborative achievement that resulted in a family blockbuster layered with thematic insights.https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/mono/1166/thumbnail.jp
Use It and Bruise It: Copulation Rates are Associated with Muscle Inflammation Across Anole Lizard Species
No full textThe use of skeletal muscles causes cellular damage, a process that leads to inflammation. Although this process is well studied in mammals, it is largely unexplored in other taxa, and the behavioral use of a muscle has not been linked to muscle inflammation in a comparative framework. In this study, we examined the relationship between muscle use and inflammation across 22 anole lizard species. We tested the hypothesis that inflammation in the retractor penis magnus (RPM), a muscle used only during mating, is positively associated with copulation rate and/or with hemipenis size. We measured copulation rates for each species in the field and measured RPM inflammation for both wild-caught males and, for one species, captive virgin male anoles. We found a positive relationship between RPM inflammation and copulation rate, yet there was no correlation between RPM inflammation and hemipenis size or body size. This finding supports the generality of the relationship between muscle use and inflammation within and across species, suggesting that inflammation could act as a snapshot of recent muscle activity across vertebrate taxa