Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of Humans As Guinea Pigs For Birth Control Pill In Puerto Rico, Adam V. Sewnarine

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

This article is about the history of Puerto Rico and the creation of the oral contraceptive pill. A history of the events leading up to the testing of the pill in the United States colony of Puerto Rico. The article talks about the many human rights violations scientists have imposed on this entire group of people. Dr. Ashford, Dr. Rhoads, and Gregory Pincus are depicted throughout the paper, showing the chronological order of how the pill came to be.

The Therapeutic Potential Of Targeting Cardiac Rgs4., Giselle Del Calvo, Teresa Baggio Lopez, Anastasios Lymperopoulos

HPD Articles

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play pivotal roles in regulation of cardiac function and homeostasis. To function properly, every cell needs these receptors to be stimulated only when a specific extracellular stimulus is present, and to be silenced the moment that stimulus is removed. The regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are crucial for the latter to occur at the cell membrane, where the GPCR normally resides. Perturbations in both activation and termination of G protein signaling underlie numerous heart pathologies. Although more than 30 mammalian RGS proteins have been identified, each RGS protein seems to interact only with a …

Thyroid Predictors Of Postpartum Mood Disorders, Sean Backer, Janeta Yancheva, Camelia Garcia, Deepesh Khanna

HPD Articles

Postpartum mood disorders (PMD) are currently among the leading causes of maternal postpartum morbidity and mortality. PMD include the conditions of postpartum blues (PB), postpartum depression (PPD), and postpartum psychosis. The pathogenesis of PMDs are ambiguous, and there are no reliable prenatal predictive markers despite current research efforts. Even though reliable indicators have not been found, leading ideas suggest an etiology of hormonal fluctuations. Although thyroid markers have long been linked to psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), how they correlate with PMDs is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the pathophysiological link between thyroid function, PMDs, …

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement Through Variable Loading Maintains Power Output Over Five Sets In Highly Trained Athletes, Robert Rocanelli, Morgan Siegel, Pedro Yunes, Pete Bommarito, Monique Mokha

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

The goal was to examine the acute effects of five sets of variable loading (VL) on the post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) response during a live training session in highly trained athletes. PAPE is the phenomenon where acute improvements in power production in light loaded movements occur post near maximal loaded muscle contraction. PAPE may be induced with VL where resistance in the form of chains or bands is added to the bar as it displaces in the concentric phase. Participants were American football players from a variety of field positions (n=12, height =188 ± 0.01 cm, total body mass = …

Assessing Non-Invasive Imaging Devices To Detect Temperature Differentiation And Lymphatic/Venous Flow To The Head And Neck During Head Down Tilt, Supine, And Sitting Positions The Niid Study (Non-Invasive Imaging Device), Matthew Melin, Heather Hettrick, Frank Aviles, Johanna Pannunzio, Nathan Sirkis, Chantel Hubbard, Patrick Hardigan, Sabrina Ginsburg, Harvey N. Mayrovitz

HPD Articles

Under the influence of standard developmental physiology on the Earth’s surface (1 gravity equivalent known as “1G”), 70% of body fluids reside below the level of the heart.Fluid shifts towards the cephalic region during microgravity have also been speculated to contribute towards spaceflight associated neuroocular syndrome (SANS).Although a significant barrier to spaceflight, the underlying mechanism of SANS is not well understood, partially due to the spaceflight environment and limited medical capabilities including invasive diagnostic testing. Thus, non-invasive approaches to studying real-time fluid shifts in weightlessness could serve as critical areas of research to further SANS study and effective countermeasure protocol …

The Effects Of Inhaled Anesthetic Agents On Long-Term Cognitive Decline, Viktor Kunder, Matthew Tayem, Sneh Parekh

HPD Articles

Background: Anesthesia is generally considered safe, but studies have shown the potential relationship between anesthetic agents and dementia after surgery. Several studies have pointed out how the commonly used anesthetic drugs induce cytotoxicity, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration and even Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Specifically, inhaled anesthetics such as isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane have been shown to impact the neurophysiology of the brain. However, there is no established relationship between aesthetics and long-term postoperative cognitive decline.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the available research on anesthetic agents and the potential role that they have played in postoperative cognitive …

Biology Teachers’ Perspective On Change Of Curriculum Policy: A Case For Implementation Of “Independent” Curriculum, Kintan Limiansi, Suranto Aw, Paidi Paidi, Caly Setiawan

The Qualitative Report

Curriculum change is one way of adapting education in the face of various scientific and technological developments. These changes lead to different views from numerous educational actors, one of which is teachers. This study aims to explore biology teachers' perspectives on curriculum change in Indonesia. A qualitative phenomenological study with semi-structured interviews explored the biology teachers' perspectives. The interview results were analyzed using the thematic analysis method with ATLAS.ti 22 software to determine themes. The results showed four themes from biology teachers' perspectives on curriculum change, which are (1) the factors affecting independent curriculum implementation; (2) the teachers' concerns; (3) …

The Current - Volume 34 Issue 1, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Major Factors Influencing The Utilization Of Maternal Health Services In Nepal, Kaitlyn Alessi, Michael Ierardi, Nadia Anderson, Sujan Babu Marahatta, Cyril Blavo

HPD Articles

According to the World Health Organization, maternal health services (MHS) include antenatal care, perinatal care, and postnatal care. MHS have been underutilized in Nepal and are contributing to an increased morbidity and mortality in the region leading to various adverse outcomes for both mothers and their newborns. Many of these adverse outcomes can be avoided with increased use of antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal checkups.

Proceedings From The Third Annual Society For Neurosports Conference, Neurosports Editorial Staff

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Proceedings from the Third Annual Society for NeuroSports Conference

Cytokine Data For Cytokine Profile Assessment From Peruvian Pinniped (Arctocephalus Australis And Otaria Byronia) Plasma, Mykenzee Munaco, Milton Levin, Michael Adkesson, Susana Cárdenas-Alayzad, Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Amy C. Hirons

SECLER Data

Large colonies of two vulnerable, sympatric pinniped species, Peruvian fur seals (Arctocephalus australis Peruvian subpopulation; PFS) and South American sea lions (Otaria byronia; SASL), reside and reproduce in Punta San Juan, Peru (PSJ) where they are exposed to stressors such as contaminants and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The use of cytokines as immune biomarkers can be indicative of an animal’s health and function by allowing for the assessment of an individual's cytokine balance as type I helper T cells (Th1) or type II helper T cells (Th2) dominant. Utilizing archived pinniped plasma samples from 2009-2019 …

Novel Anti-Melanoma Compounds Are Efficacious In A375 Cell Line Xenograft Melanoma Model In Nude Mice, Sadeeshkumar Velayutham, Ryan Seerattan, Maab Khalid Sultan, Trisha Sea, Samaya Danthurthy, Baskaran Chinnappan, Jessica Landi, Kaitlyn Pearl, Aveta Singh, Keiran S. M. Smalley, Julia Zaias, Jun Yong Choi, Dmitriy Minond

HPD Articles

Despite the successes of immunotherapy, melanoma remains one of the deadliest cancers, therefore, the need for innovation remains high. We previously reported anti-melanoma compounds that work by downregulating spliceosomal proteins hnRNPH1 and H2. In a separate study, we reported that these compounds were non-toxic to Balb/C mice at 50 mg/kg suggesting their utility in in vivo studies. In the present study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of these compounds by testing them in A375 cell-line xenograft in nude athymic mice. Animals were randomized into four groups (n = 12/group): 10 mg/kg vemurafenib, and 25 mg/kg 2155-14 and 2155-18 thrice …

Infrared, Michelle L. Gorodisky

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Acute Aerobic Exercise On Measures Of Stress And Inflammation In Healthy Young Adults, Julien Tartar, Anthony Ricci, Jonathan Banks, Hannah Murphy, Cassandra Evans, Jose Antonio, Jaime Tartar

Faculty Articles

Introduction: While the effects of long-term measures of inflammation and stress are well studied, less is known about the effects of an acute exercise challenge on exercise in young healthy individuals. Methods: This was a randomized crossover design (mean age = 19.25, SD = 1.45)that measured biomarkers of stress (cortisoland salivary alpha amylase, sAA)and inflammation (IL-1β, CRP)in an exercise and control condition. In the exercise condition, participants walked or ran on a treadmill at 75-85% of their maximum heart rate for 40minutes. Under the control condition, participants stood for 40 minutes to control for orthostatic effects. Biomarkers were quantified from …

Recombination As An Enforcement Mechanism Of Prosocial Behavior In Cooperating Bacteria, Isaiah Paolo A. Lee, Omar Tonsi Eldakar, J. Peter Gogarten, Cheryl P. Andam

Biology Faculty Articles

Prosocial behavior is ubiquitous in nature despite the relative fitness costs carried by cooperative individuals. However, the stability of cooperation in populations is fragile and often maintained through enforcement. We propose that homologous recombination provides such a mechanism in bacteria. Using an agent-based model of recombination in bacteria playing a public goods game, we demonstrate how changes in recombination rates affect the proportion of cooperating cells. In our model, recombination converts cells to a different strategy, either freeloading (cheaters) or cooperation, based on the strategies of neighboring cells and recombination rate. Increasing the recombination rate expands the parameter space in …

“Connecting Better And Wider”: A Constructivist Grounded Theory And Situational Analysis Exploration Of Community Resilience In The Anthropocene Among The Transition Network, Deanne M. Boisvert, Caroline Suransky

The Qualitative Report

For decades qualitative researchers have used grounded theory methodologies in their investigations. Although the grounded theory literature is extensive, less well documented are qualitative studies which incorporate complementary grounded theory approaches into their designs; or studies that validate the use of grounded theory strategies for applied research projects. This paper seeks to add to both margins of the grounded theory literature. First, it provides a detailed methodological account of how constructivist grounded theory and grounded theory situational analysis were used in a Ph.D. study exploring how ecologically concerned networks understand community resilience and respond to current and anticipated challenges of …

Exploring Chemovar-Specific Cannabis Extracts Quantification And Evaluation Of Cytotoxic Compounds For Targeting Glioblastoma Multiforme, Ashraf Duzan, Mufeed Basti, Travis Cesarone, Waldemar Debinski, Daniel Todd

HPD Articles

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) represents one of the most aggressive and metastatic brain tumors, with a dismal success rate of less than three percent after five years, particularly in tumors with active immune checkpoints. This necessitates the development of targeted endogenous agents for precise GBM treatment. Previous experiments utilizing Chemovar Specific Cannabis Extractions (CSCEs), fractionated with polar solvents and quantified using Liquid and Gas Column Chromatography combined with Mass Spectrometry (LC/GCMS), have shown reduced viability and motility in human GBM cell lines. However, the complexity of the botanical substance has hindered the personalization of standard cannabis medicines for GBM due to …

Measures And Models Of Visual Acuity In Epipelagic And Mesopelagic Teleosts And Elasmobranchs, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Eric J. Warrant, Sönke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Eyes in low-light environments typically must balance sensitivity and spatial resolution. Vertebrate eyes with large "pixels" (e.g., retinal ganglion cells with inputs from many photoreceptors) will be sensitive but provide coarse vision. Small pixels can render finer detail, but each pixel will gather less light, and thus have poor signal relative-to-noise, leading to lower contrast sensitivity. This balance is particularly critical in oceanic species at mesopelagic depths (200–1000 m) because they experience low light and live in a medium that significantly attenuates contrast. Depending on the spatial frequency and inherent contrast of a pattern being viewed, the viewer’s pupil size …

The Plastic Pandemic: Examining Surgical Face Mask Degradation In The Marine Environment In Times Of Covid-19, Christopher J. Mayer

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The development and use of single-use plastics skyrocketed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the support of world governments, manufacturing companies exponentially increased their output of personal protective equipment (PPE), and wearing surgical grade face masks became a ubiquitous aspect of reopening public society as they proved to significantly reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Over the course of the pandemic, however, environmental researchers began taking note of the improper disposal and increased waste of face masks and other pandemic-associated PPE throughout a wide range of environments.

This study assessed metrics of degradation of black …

Parasites Versus Predation: The Role Of Chronic And Acute Parasite Exposure In Infection Risk And Anti-Predator Behavior, Delaney Farrell

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Parasites with complex, multi-host lifecycles often engage in host behavior manipulation to increase transmission between successive hosts. In intermediate fish hosts, previous research has measured increased frequency of conspicuous behaviors, decreased swimming performance, and reduced antipredator behavior, which would collectively increase the fish’s risk of predation. In ecosystems where this type of parasite increased trophic transmission (PITT) occurs, parasites can play a substantial role in food webs. In this study, I investigate how chronic versus acute exposure to the trematode Euhaplorchis sp. A. affects the antipredator behavior of the Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis. Using a fully crossed design, I …

The Current - Volume 34 Orientation And Sports Edition, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Desperate Larva Or Death Before Dishonor: Can Old Coral Larvae Replenish Degraded Reefs?, Nepsis García Lara

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The recovery of coral populations depends largely on larval recruitment. Coral larvae settle in response to environmental cues that indicate habitat quality. Newly competent larvae typically avoid settling on substrates with high macroalgal cover and sedimentation, and thus might never recruit to degraded reefs, hindering their recovery. What is unknown is if settlement preferences change as larvae age. In the absence of suitable settlement cues, lecithotrophic larvae delay settlement and might do this until either dying (Death Before Dishonor Hypothesis) or becoming less discriminatory and settling regardless of their specific habitat requirements (Desperate Larva Hypothesis). To test these hypotheses in …

Sex Differences In Metabolic Phenotype And Hypothalamic Inflammation In The 3xtg-Ad Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease., Lisa S. Robison, Olivia J. Gannon, Abigail E. Salinero, Charly Abi-Ghanem, Richard D. Kelly, David A. Riccio, Febronia M. Mansour, Kristen L. Zuloaga

Faculty Articles

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is notably associated with cognitive decline resulting from impaired function of hippocampal and cortical areas; however, several other domains and corresponding brain regions are affected. One such brain region is the hypothalamus, shown to atrophy and develop amyloid and tau pathology in AD patients. The hypothalamus controls several functions necessary for survival, including energy and glucose homeostasis. Changes in appetite and body weight are common in AD, often seen several years prior to the onset of cognitive symptoms. Therefore, altered metabolic processes may serve as a biomarker for AD, as well as a target for treatment, …

Nutrient Supplementation For Pre- And Post Acl Operation & Rehabilitation In Female Basketball Players, Mackenzie Steele, Joshua Munoz

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Understanding how nutrition and dietary protocols can help female athletes in the process of “returning to sport” after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair surgery should be discussed amongst interprofessional post-operational care teams. Amongst athletes, female counterparts experience ACL injuries at a higher incidence rate than males, this is due to a variety of biological factors while returning to sport at a lower rate. Due to this, it is important to analyze and evaluate the data available from sports journals on the effects diet and supplements may have on the musculoskeletal system. ACL grafts are often taken from a donating …

Evaluating Post-Release Survival And Distribution Of Juvenile Swordfish (Xiphias Gladius) Caught On Buoy Gear Within The Gulf Of Mexico And The Florida Straits, Cody Rewis

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Buoy gear used to target swordfish (Xiphias gladius) has become an increasingly popular commercial gear type throughout the United States fisheries in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Buoy gear can be defined as a series of independent free-floating gear where each rig consists of at least one floatation device, a vertical mainline, and no more than two hooks. Because of the potential modifications to the component parts and deployment strategies, buoy gear has been hypothesized to decrease bycatch interaction and dead discard numbers by targeting specific depths of swordfish habitat throughout various times of the day. Under the Deepwater …

A Review Of Endoparasites Found In Order Pelecaniformes And Order Ciconiiformes Birds Of Southeast Florida, Kaya C. Wells

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to investigate the parasite diversity for common wading birds from four families, Pelecanidae, Ardeidae, Threskiornithidae and Ciconiidae found in southeast Florida which includes Broward, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. This study also determined gaps in the literature for the selected species. A total of 116 papers were used to create host-parasite and parasite-host checklists for the nineteen wading bird species selected from the four families, twenty-eight of these studies occurred within the state of Florida. Statistical analyses demonstrated strong correlations between the number of papers found for each species and the number of …

Cytokine Profiles In Peruvian Pinnipeds And Their Relationships With Environmental Stressors, Mykenzee L. Munaco

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Large colonies of two vulnerable, sympatric pinniped species, Peruvian fur seals (Arctocephalus australis Peruvian subpopulation; PFS) and South American sea lions (Otaria byronia; SASL), reside and reproduce in Punta San Juan, Peru (PSJ) where they are exposed to stressors such as environmental contaminants and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Cytokine concentrations can be indicative of an animal’s health and immune function by allowing for immunoresponse characterization as Th1 or Th2 dominant. Utilizing an archived pinniped plasma collection of samples from 2009-2019 (n=148), 13 cytokines were analyzed in PFS and SASL: GM-CSF, IFN-γ, KC-like, MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6, …

Optimization Of Light Spectrum During Coral Grow-Out, Daisy N. Ponce

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Direct and indirect anthropogenic stressors have led to a global decline of coral populations. Coral restoration aims to mitigate this loss and facilitate reef recovery. In particular, the sexual propagation of corals ex situ allows for the production and outplant of genetically diverse coral recruits on the reef. However, optimization at ex situ coral nurseries is required to scale-up production. This project aims to investigate and develop methods that reduce the duration of grow-out ex situ by determining the optimal light spectrum under which to rear for sexual recruits of the tropical scleractinian coral species Pseudodiploria strigosa and P. …

Applying Integrative Systematics To The Poorly Explored Symbiotic Relationships Between Echinoderms And Zoanthidea, Savannah Renken

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Epizoic Zoanthidea are highly diverse and live symbiotically with at least six invertebrate phyla, but little is known about zoanthideans living on urchin spines. To better understand symbiotic interactions between Echinodermata and Zoanthidea, Atlantic deep-sea Cidaridae urchin specimens from five museums were surveyed to characterize Zoanthidea colonies on their spines. Specimens were obtained from the Gilbert and Nancy Voss Marine Invertebrate Collection at University of Miami, the Florida Museum Invertebrate Zoology Collection, and the collections of James Reimer and Hiroki Kise at the University of the Ryukyus. This research uses an integrative approach to species discovery and systematics. Integrative systematics …

The Effect Of Water Flow Rates On The Survival And Growth Rates Of Three Caribbean Bouldering Coral Species Juveniles In An Indoor Versus Outdoor Environment, Ian Michael Johnson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Coral reefs are vital ecosystems for the world’s oceans and humanity; however, they are threatened by climate change, disease, and local anthropogenic stressors, and need assistance to recover. Traditional reef restoration efforts (fragmentation and outplanting are helping but are limited in effectiveness by not increasing genetic diversity. Ex situ sexual propagation for corals provides new, genetically different coral recruits. However, this process is laborious, expensive and time consuming, especially at the scale required to effectively contribute to the widespread recovery. To lower costs, two key parameters that require optimization to hasten the growth of coral recruits are water flow and …