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Impact of Management Strategies of the San Antonio River on Mosquito Diversity and Abundance
No full textThe San Antonio River (SAR) has undergone restoration efforts which has led to certain sites having improved riparian zones, which can provide breeding and resting sites for mosquitoes. We hypothesized that the SAR riparian areas serve as sources of mosquitoes and that historically unmanaged and restored areas show greater abundance and diversity of mosquitoes than heavily managed locations. We selected 8 locations along the SAR with varying levels of management. In 2022 and 2023 we conducted weekly larval and adult surveillance during the summer. Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus accounted for the majority of the mosquitoes collected across sites. All heavily managed sites showed low mosquito abundance and diversity. Most historically unmanaged or restored sites had relatively higher mosquito abundance and diversity. We conclude that the SAR is not a major source of mosquitoes, but that restoration efforts and unmanaged areas along the river may influence mosquito abundance
Nurturing Student\u27s Academic Belongingness and Success Within a Hispanic Majority Institution
No full textWith the growing population of Hispanic students pursuing higher education, a limited scope of research focuses on their academic outcomes outside of Primarily White Institutions (PWIs). Although previous research has shown that minority students at PWIs experience upward social comparison (identification/contrast) and strive for self-improvement, Hispanic Majority Institutions (HMIs) may offer a culturally-relevant environment that creates a different sense of community. Nevertheless, limited research has explored how HMIs facilitate the multifaceted aspects of the student experience to shape students’ academic success and sense of belonging. This presentation brings together perspectives from different disciplines (e.g., sociocultural and cognitive psychology, education, business) to synthesize and describe different hypothesized relationships between academic belonging and success, multiply defined. After capturing the state of the literature, we propose future research directions necessary to address these empirical gaps
Transcriptomics of Typhlatya
No full textAnchialine caves are coastal subterranean ecosystems with stratified water layers (freshwater-to-saline) and typically lack a direct connection to the surrounding ocean. These systems are dominated by invertebrates among which crustaceans are the most abundant and taxonomically diverse, with strict adaptation to life in complete darkness, low oxygen, and limited food resources. The goal of this study is to gain insight into the genes that potentially support adaptation to anchialine habitats and evaluate them comparatively among related species. Transcriptome data from three cave shrimp species in the genus Typhlatya (family Atyidae), were sequenced, de novo assembled, functionally annotated, and screened for protein coding genes related to osmoregulation, oxidative stress, and important biological functions of interest. These data provide a foundation to establish a novel draft transcriptome for Typhlatya and include identifying key functional genes to better understand the biological and molecular basis for life in extreme environments
Where are the Latinas? An Analytical Analysis of the Media and the DOD
No full textFor years, sexual assault in the military has gone under reported and still is. Another concern is how racial/ethnic groups are represented in the media. This discourse analysis study fills a gap where there is no research currently. I analyzed official DoD sexual assault reports from 2004-2022 reflecting the restricted and unrestricted reporting and the racial demographics. I also analyzed news articles from three separate significant military sexual assault events/scandals from national newspapers and local newspapers for each event. This study discovered the media shifting attitudes towards victims of military sexual violence from 1997-2020. The DoD reports show they have recently started publishing race demographics for sexual assaults in 2021, but Latinas are not included in those demographics. There is increased support for sexual assault victims, but the U.S. military still has a road ahead, starting with including Latinas in the official statistics
JagCoach: AI-Assisted Coaching Platform to Enhance Oral Communication Skills for College Students
No full textPublic speaking is a critical skill for students entering the workforce, and is often refined by experienced professionals. However, in academia, human feedback is not consistently available, and faculty may be unable to offer it consistently. Moreover, there are other important performance indicators, such as the usage of filler words and speech pace, that add further complexity to faculty feedback. While commercial options exist to provide automated feedback, they are often expensive, lack student-oriented features, or pose privacy concerns. The goal of our research is to create an AI-assisted platform hosted within the A&M-SA campus framework, enabling students to evaluate their oral presentations. This system will utilize advanced AI technologies, including large language models, to provide clear, actionable insights and feedback statistics on students\u27 presentation skills. Our research investigates the effectiveness of deploying AI technologies to elevate the presentation skills and learning experience of A&M-SA students on a broad scale
Comparative Thermal Ecology of a Recently Urbanized and a Wild Population of Sceloporus olivaceous in San Antonio
No full textThe Texas Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus olivaceous, is a common lizard found in a variety of habitats throughout central Texas and northeastern Mexico. These lizards thrive in both urban and wild habitats where they experience vastly different temperatures. We studied two populations of this lizard to determine differences in their thermal ecology: one population living on the Texas A&M University – San Antonio campus and another population living in the adjacent scrub forest. We found no difference in body temperature between populations despite vast differences in habitat temperatures. This indicates that the lizards are actively seeking cooler or warmer sites within each habitat to maintain similar active body temperatures. Continuing studies of these two populations will compare differences in metabolic rate, thermal preference, and performance at ecologically-relevant temperatures
Mosquito Abundance Within the San Antonio Zoo
No full textMosquito-borne illnesses have a significant impact on public health as well as wildlife and captive animals in zoological settings. Most mosquito surveillance is done only in residential areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mosquito species distribution and abundance within the San Antonio (SA Zoo). Mosquitoes were collected using three different trap types during the summers of 2022 and 2023. Mosquitoes were identified morphologically to species. It was found that the most abundant species was Culex quinquefasciatus followed by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti in both years. Gravid traps and BG traps captured more mosquitoes than light traps. Finally, in 2022 the highest number of mosquitoes were captured in epi-weeks 42 and 43 and in 2023 it was during epi-weeks 37 and 38. Understanding species diversity and distribution in zoos can help prevent zoonotic transmission of vector-borne diseases to and from the human public
Two Wrong Decisions are Worse Than One: Dual-Task Performance on an ID Screening Task
No full textUsing identification documents (IDs) is important to many security-related professionals who compare an ID to a live person. ID screening is a two-part process - the card and identity need to be authenticated. Psychology research has focused on identity verification without considering card verification or eye movements. Participants will wear eye tracking glasses while making 50 card and/or identity authentication decisions. Each trial will present a physical ID card depicting a facial image beside a facial video. Afterwards, participants will complete a standard face matching test (KFMT). We predict that dual-task interference (the Card and Identity authentication) will reduce accuracy and increase reaction times compared to single-task performance (Card or Identity verification). We also predict that fixation count, fixation duration, and saccade count may vary by condition and accuracy. This research may inform real-world ID screening situations to support implementation-oriented initiatives to increase safety at ID screening checkpoints
The Activity and Origin of Chitinases in the Gut of the Mediterranean Gecko
No full textChitin is a major component of the exoskeleton of arthropods and the cell wall of fungi. This aminopolysaccharide polymer provides structure and protection to these organisms and represents a significant barrier to digestion of arthropod prey and fighting fungal infections. Chitinases are enzymes that break down chitin. Smaller insectivores, based upon the higher surface-to-volume ratio of their even smaller prey, ingest a larger amount of chitin per unit prey item. Therefore, they represent high-likelihood opportunities to bioprospect for novel chitinases that may figh pathogenic fungi. Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to treat, and they are the cause of ailments whose severity ranges from mild skin irritation to systemic infections resulting in mortality. This study documents the activity of chitinase produced by a small vertebrate insectivore, the Mediterranean Gecko, and determines its source for future studies that will test the efficacy of these enzymes against potentially pathogenic fungi
