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Investigating sexual dimorphism in lateral hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone neuron subpopulations
No full textThe lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) is an area crucial for coordinating key behaviors such as sleep, wakefulness, stress, and feeding. Within this area in the brain, Melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons are exclusive to the LHA and also contribute to these key homeostatic behaviors. These neurons can be divided into two different subpopulations: MCH neurons that express cocaine amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) tachykinin-3 receptor (NK3R) and MCH neurons that do not express CART and NK3R. These neuronal subpopulations have been implicated in coordinating key behaviors but have not been well studied.
In this paper, our project seeks to analyze how the amount of Tacr3, MCH, and CART expressing cells differ in male versus female mice in the LHA. We also investigate the colocalization percentages of Tacr3 and MCH/CART in the LHA. Determining these differences in Tacr3, MCH, as well as CART expression can provide useful information on the neuroanatomical differences in the LHA between male and female mice. Additionally, the levels of colocalization of Tacr3 with either MCH or CART will help us further understand how these subpopulations differ in males and females. By perfusing Tacr3-Flpo;tdT mice and immunostaining for MCH or CART, we are able to visualize and quantify its expression in male and female mice. Our findings have resulted in seeing significant differences in cell count of Tacr3 expression. While this differences exist, no consistent trends in male or female mice are found to be expressed more or less throughout
The Role of Oral Microbiota in the Causation of Colorectal Cancer Thomas Ko
No full textThe oral cavity and the gut are the two largest and most diverse microbiomes in the human body. While it may be obvious that bacteria found in the mouth can lead to oral diseases, it is also proven that the oral microbiome is directly linked to the gut microbiome. Oral bacteria has the capability to translocate itself to the gut and affect the immune defense. A dysbiotic gut microbiome has many negative implications on the body, including pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer. This literature review will specifically focus on colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cancer in the world. Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon and rectum that results in bloody bowel movements, constipation, and abdominal discomfort. Only recently have researchers been able to discover the specific microorganisms from the oral microbiome that contribute to colorectal cancer progression. This literature review has pinpointed Treponema denticola, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Porhpyromonas gingivalis, and Parvimonas micra as the major contributors to the disease and will discuss their specific mechanisms of action
Evaluating Food Metrics of Lanternfishes in Waters of the Southeastern Pacific Ocean
No full textUsing carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, we analyzed the trophic position (TP) and the isotopic niche width of lanternfishes from three different areas in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Fishes from Perú had slightly higher δ13C values compared with fish from Chilean areas. In contrast, δ15N values increased with latitude (North to South). Myctophids TP differed between the three study areas (highest in Central Chile, lowest in Peru). Peruvian fishes had a smaller isotopic niche than the lanternfishes of those from Chile
The Devil Made Me Do It: An Argument for Expanding the Anti-Kickback Statute to Cover Private Payers
No full textPrivate health insurance is the predominant source of health insurance coverage in the United States. Yet, the primary criminal anti-kickback law in the United States, the Anti-Kickback Statute, applies only to certain government-funded health insurance payers. This Article argues that the Anti-Kickback Statute should be expanded to protect all health insurance payers, including private ones. First, the harms that kickbacks cause— overutilization and fraud, patient harm, and an undermining of a competitive health care market—extend to private payers and their beneficiaries and any harms unique to government payers can be addressed through sentencing enhancements. Second, Congress has previously justified excluding private payers from the protections of the Anti-Kickback Statute on the grounds that as managed care entities, they are immune to kickback harms. That rationale, however, does not fare well against the facts: many private payers use fee-for-service models, many government payers use managed care models, and kickbacks can cause harm even under a managed care model. Further, concerns with the Anti-Kickback Statute’s interaction with managed care can be addressed through safe harbors. Third, excluding private payers from the Anti-Kickback Statute’s protections hampers prosecutors’ ability to address health care fraud because it results in fraud shifting, creates unnecessary intent problems, and forces prosecutors to charge cases in ways that do not fully reflect defendants’ conduct. Furthermore, the problems that accompany the Anti-Kickback Statute’s narrow reach are not resolved by looking to other federal laws. Existing laws such as the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, the Criminal Health Care Fraud Statute, the Travel Act, and the Honest Services Fraud Statute do not adequately fill the gap. Similarly, state laws and private claims by private payers are also inadequate gap-fillers, particularly given that not all states have anti-kickback laws. Moreover, the multi-state nature of health care fraud, the resources required to address this conduct, and skyrocketing health care costs, caused partly by health care fraud, warrant federal engagement
Always Busy Somewhere: Cooper Crafts an Entrée for the Other
No full textAfrican American ventriloquist John W . Cooper toured for a time with Richards and Pringle’s Famous Georgia Minstrels, but did not appear in blackface. Instead he used figures to get audiences to recognize the humanity and agency of a Black man.https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/ballinst_alterity/1013/thumbnail.jp
Puppetry for a Total War: French and German Puppet Plays in World War I
No full textComparing German, Austrian and French puppet repertoires composed during or in the aftermath of WW1, this paper examines how these productions took part in the “bourrage de cranes” (brainwashing) of public opinions, instilling the hate of other nations in the minds of the youngest.https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/ballinst_alterity/1011/thumbnail.jp
Characters of the Other in Slovak Folk Drama and Czech and Slovak Professional Puppet Theater
No full textThis chapter reflects on and compares depictions of the main heroes in folk theater in Slovakia as well as contemporary Slovak and Czech puppet theater and discusses reasons why the Romany ethnic minority was popular or a focal point of interest.https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/ballinst_alterity/1009/thumbnail.jp
Classroom Management and Student Behavior After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Five Elementary General Music Teachers
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine elementary general music teachers’ experiences and perspectives with classroom management within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants consisted of five practicing elementary general music teachers in Southern California who participated in three individual interviews, one focus group, and two classroom observations during the fall of 2022. I analyzed data through axial coding (Creswell, 2012), yielding four themes: positive classroom management, social and emotional learning, support from classroom teachers and administrators, and challenges. The findings of this study highlighted participants’ positive perceptions of classroom management, the importance of building relationships, students’ social and emotional struggles, and unique challenges the participants faced in their role as elementary general music teachers
Assessing Leadership in Business: A Critical Investigation of Susan Wojcicki
No full textUnderstanding what makes a good leader is a topic of ongoing interest in the practice of business. Research to-date has distinguished between being a manager and being a leader and also has established a set of principles to consider in assessing leadership. In this thesis, I draw upon principles of leadership, including emotional intelligence; vision creation; inspiring others; leading in good and difficult times; fostering, developing, and recognizing others; and creating a winning culture to offer a critical assessment of Susan Wojcicki as a leader within the business arena
The Effect of DB1976 on the Fibrotic Response in Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
No full textThe study of fibrosis in stickleback has been a growing field in which there have been a few studies conducted. This study examines two experiments involving the inhibition of fibrosis in stickleback. The first experiment used fish from the Kenai River Flats (KRF) in Alaska. The second experiment used fish from Roselle Lake in British Columbia, Canada. To determine the impact the drug had on fibrosis, sticklebacks from the KRF population were treated with DB1976 as well as alum, a pro‐inflammatory vaccine adjuvant that causes fibrosis (Kool et. al 2012). When each DB1976 + alum treatment group was compared with the alum treatment group, a significant reduction in fibrosis was found. With the Roselle Lake population, alum as well as proteins from S. solidus, a parasite found in Roselle Lake, were used to initiate fibrosis. No significant reduction in fibrosis was observed in either the DB1976 + worm protein group or the DB1976 + alum group. These results demonstrate a difference in response to treatment between two isolated populations of the same species