Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College

The Abacoa Gopher Tortoise Preserve is a 60-ha section of the Abacoa Greenway (designated RangeⅠ) consisting of scrubby pine flatwood habitat. For this thesis, I used the iNaturalist app as a tool to identify and create a comprehensive list of all plant species in Range Ⅰ. I organized this information by IUCN conservation status to distinguish between invasive, native, and endemic species. I compare this list to similar floral surveys done in this preserve to obtain a view of how the composition of the preserve is changing over time. I used the initial conservation targets for the Abacoa Greenway to determine whether the standards for percent penetration of invasive/exotic species and fire treatment were being upheld and how this may have influenced the floral composition. Lastly, I discuss the species found within the preserve that contain known nutritional or medicinal properties that could be valuable for human use.

Nathaniel Brazill, when 13, fatally shot one of his schoolteachers. Brazill was tried as an adult and sentenced to 28 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Such harsh sentences for such young offenders seem drastic and unfair, therefore I argue that the juvenile justice system should take not a punitive but a rehabilitative approach to minors. I first discuss different theories of why society punishes and whether they apply to the way juveniles are punished today. Drawing on research in psychology, I detail key cognitive differences between minors and adults to argue that juveniles have no place in adult correctional facilities as they are not designed to cater to the special needs of growing adolescents and expose them to harsher conditions than are found in juvenile facilities. Finally, I propose an alternative strategy that focuses more on prevention or the rehabilitation of convicted juveniles rather than punishing them.

Literature is an integral medium through which individuals use language to create a shared experience with an audience. Writing as an act is an intimate expression of identity. So, what does it mean that there are some voices who are not equally represented and heard in literature?
There is an interesting juxtaposition between literature and disabilities. Certain people with disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) struggle at communication, articulation, and interpretation. This paper seeks to analyze representations and portrayals of individuals with ASD in fiction, and compare differences in these representations based on whether the author has an ASD diagnosis. The authors who have received a diagnosis of ASD do portray a more nuanced understanding of ASD in day to day life; however, the authors who lack a diagnosis still represented character’s with ASD in an accurate light.

On March 30th, 1981, John Hinckley tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan using a .22 caliber revolver. As a result, he wounded Reagan, Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy, police officer Thomas Delahanty, and White House Press Secretary James Brady (who was left permanently disabled and died in 2014 from his gunshot injuries). Hinckley did so to grab the attention of Jodie Foster from the film Taxi Driver. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and placed into psychiatric care. I argue that Hinkley should be found guilty but insane under the retributive theory of punishment. After discussing Hinckley’s background leading up to the attempted assassination of Reagan, I explain two ethical theories of punishment (utilitarianism and retributivism). Then, I address how they would rule in Hinckley’s case. Lastly, I will defend the retributive theory, and argue that it would support a guilty but insane verdict.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, union rates in the United States were at their lowest since the 1980s. The recent success of unionization efforts at companies such as Amazon and Starbucks raise questions about what makes unionization successful and which factors explain the current resurgence in labor organizing. This thesis explores theories about what drives workers to unionize, including feelings of dissatisfaction and estrangement (Marx), the gap between an employee's expectations and achievements (Wheeler), community and social movement solidarity, legal frameworks, and other factors. I conclude that the communication between workers and the resources of the movement are directly proportional to its success, while shop size is inversely proportional. The current state of weak union laws in the United States, particularly in Republican-controlled states, causes employees to face adversity in unionizing and negotiating with employers.

Post generalized electroencephalographic suppression (PGES) following a generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS) may be a biomarker for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) risk. The interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) induces inflammatory response which may be exaggerated in epilepsy, with evidence that the release of inflammatory mediators produced by GTCSs influences epileptogenesis. Preliminary experiments used a transgenic mouse model of adult-onset, progressive epilepsy with an overexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (TgBDNF). Electrode implantation recorded controlled seizures that develop at adulthood and increase in severity/frequency with age. PGES duration prolongs with progression, with cellular loss in the nucleus pontis oralis, a brainstem arousal structure. TgBDNF mice were bred with IL-1R knockout (KO) strain to determine if the course or severity of epileptogenesis could change. TgBDNF/IL-1RKO mice develop GTCSs, however the prolongation of PGES with successive seizures is abolished. This is critical for understanding the mechanisms underlying the risk of death associated with adult-onset epilepsy.

Frenchman’s Forest Natural Area in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a 172-acre (70-hectare) preserve that includes diverse ecosystems, including scrub flatwoods, pine flatwoods, wet flatwoods, and swamp. Earlier floral inventories of this site listed 477 plant species. For my thesis, I surveyed plants in Frenchman’s Forest and compiled a list of plant species documented in Frenchman’s Forest in 2022-2023 based on photographs posted to the iNaturalist website. I found that most of the plant species I documented, a total of 179 plant species, include 37 native and eight non-native species not previously listed. These eight non-native species are described further in detail on their invasive status and how they made their way into the preserve.

Florida is home to 13 species of bats, all of which are insectivorous. As humans immigrated into areas that were previously natural, bats have had to adjust their habits to live alongside us. Bats in Florida are commonly seen foraging for insects attracted to artificial lights. For my thesis, I set up ultrasonic recording equipment at highway rest areas under large streetlights in Martin and Palm Beach County to see how frequently different bat species visited each area. I identified a total of 1598 calls, including 159 calls of rare or endangered species. I found most frequently recorded species at both sites was the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), a very common species in South Florida. My other findings suggest that the known rarity and range of some species should be reconsidered. The importance of streetlights to the survival of insectivorous bats certainly deserves additional attention.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions and repetitive patterns of behaviors, symptoms which manifest differently among individuals. This is due to ASD being caused by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Although ASD is not caused by a single factor, various risk genes have been identified that are associated with particular phenotypes. Among these genes are the Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and the Dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A), both are involved in cellular processes that affect cell division, brain growth, and neurodevelopment. Macrocephaly and microcephaly are symptoms displayed in approximately 20% and 15% of individuals with autism, respectively, and in these same population subsets, mutations in PTEN and DYRK1A occur at a greater frequency. Two mouse models of ASD associated with PTEN and DYRK1A mutations display deficits in social and sensorimotor behaviors; however, social buffering has not yet been studied in these models. Social buffering is a phenomenon in which the presence of a conspecific diminishes the negative effects of stressors. Considering how individuals with ASD struggle with social impairments, and how social isolation increases the risk of health issues, this behavior is of interest to investigate. The objective of this project is to identify if Pten haploinsufficient and Dyrk1a cHet mice experience social buffering by measuring freezing time compared to controls. Based on social interaction deficits displayed by both models, we hypothesize that these animals will be refractory to the effects of social buffering. Testing this hypothesis is the goal of the project, which we anticipate will lead to a deeper understanding of social behavior in two models of autism, macrocephaly caused by PTEN mutations, and microcephaly caused by DYRK1A mutations.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are perpetuated by the formation of drug-associated memories. Methamphetamine (METH)-associated memories undergo immediate and long-lasting disruption after treatment with blebbistatin (blebb), a nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) inhibitor, but cocaine (COC) associated memories do not. This suggests that the mechanisms of METH and COC-associated memories are different. To visualize these potential differences, RNA-sequencing was conducted. Crhr2, a gene that encodes corticotropin releasing factor receptor 2 (CRF2), was uniquely upregulated in the BLA after METH learning. Action upon CRF2 after memory consolidation did not have an effect. However, pretreating brains with CRF2 antagonist Astressin-2B (AS2B) prevented blebb’s ability to disrupt established METH-associated memories. Additionally, overexpressing CRF2 in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) plus providing its ligand UCN3 during conditioning, and then administering blebb resulted in disruption of COC-associated memory. CRF2 is the first upstream regulator of NMII inhibition of METH-associated memory to be identified.