Wetterer, James

Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine involving the non-invasive treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. I spent 5 months working as an intern at Spine Design Chiropractic in Jupiter, Florida. For my thesis, I observe the current state of chiropractic care, using two case studies. The details I present display the use of chiropractic care in the diagnosis and treatment of two representative cases of patients at the clinic, outlining their different care plans and their outcomes.

The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the underrepresentation of South Florida in the field of mycology. Upon reviewing samples and comparing them to their closest genetic match, it is safe to conclude that there are a significant number of samples with either unidentified or unknown species. Of the samples observed and recorded, a surprising 17 of 39 or 43.5% have only been identified as far as the Genus. These findings indicate a necessity for further research beyond the Genus to produce results that are more accurately representative of the fungal diversity in South Florida.

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.

The spiny-backed orb weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis, is widely distributed in the Americas. Females are recognizable by their crab-like back plate with six spines. The back plate may be white, red, yellow, or black, and the spines may be red or black. I analyzed the geographic distribution of various color morphs using geo-tagged photographs posted to the iNaturalist website. I found great differences in which color morphs are most prominent in certain areas. For example, morphs with white back and red spines are dominant in the Florida peninsula, yet appear to be almost nonexistent in South America. This analysis may be useful in further research to determine what genetic and/or environmental factors influence this geographic distribution.

The ecological site at the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University, a 0.3 𝑘𝑚2 natural preserve site, is an excellent study in the effects of human disturbance at natural sites. A floral inventory was conducted using stratified sampling of macro plots to determine changes in biodiversity, nonnative species ratios, and wetland species ratios compared to a similar 1990 study. It was found that the site was 25.56% less biodiverse and contained 18.47% more nonnative species in the past thirty years. The percentage of wetland species found decreased 32.80% and upland species have increased by 19.86% in the same time period. These results are consistent with ecological trends found in natural sites in South Florida, a result of human alteration of the land in the past century.

The potential that honeybees hold to help treat or even cure chronic illnesses should not be overlooked. The venom from honeybees (Apis mellifera) includes enzymes and amino acids that can greatly affect different ailments. There has been research done in both in vivo and in vitro environments to determine if a direct bee sting or some type of injectable form of the venom can potentially treat several complications. There is an ongoing debate of whether it is morally acceptable for bee venom to be injected in the testing process of developing a plausible treatment option. With properties such as anti-protozoan, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer in it, the revolutionary discoveries that can come from bee venom therapy are endless.

Altruism plays an essential role in maintaining cooperative societies. From September 2021 to January 2022, I studied a group of seven chimpanzees (two males and five females) living in Lion Country Safari, recording acts of altruism related to grooming, food and water sharing, and border patrol. I found males on average both gave and received more grooming sessions. Among the few food and water sharing events I observed, males-males sharing was the most common. The two males performed almost all the border patrol. Altruistic behaviors among chimpanzees help bind their social groups in ways analogous to the human behaviors.

Tissue transplantation is a procedure used to treat a wide range of medical disorders. Suitable tissue for transplant, however, is often in short supply. Thus, some people conceive offspring for the sole purpose of harvesting compatible tissue, e.g., for transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells in a sibling or parent. A 2004 survey found that most Americans approve of using genetic testing of in vitro fertilized embryos to allow for the selective implantation of an embryo with compatible tissue for use in a sick older sibling. However, while using stem cells from the umbilicus of a newborn for medical treatments is relatively well accepted, using from tissue from an aborted fetus remains controversial. In my thesis, I examine the ethical issues that arise from the use of tissue from "savior offspring" in medicine, employing both survey tools as well as literature review. When the values were added from their perspective categories, the P-values indicate that age, gender, religion and political affiliation had no effect on the how the survey was answered.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted life around the world. As of early December 2020, more than 69 million people have tested positive for the virus, and more than 1.6 million people have died from the disease. Researchers are now rushing to find effective means of treating and preventing this disease. The urgency of this problem requires speed, but this must be balanced with caution to avoid possible negative impacts of deploying treatments that have been insufficiently tested for effectiveness and safety. For my thesis, I consider challenges of the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to balance the urgency of finding quick treatment with the long-term safety of the treatments they approve. I first examine three historical examples where past treatments have been prematurely approved and discuss the lessons that were learned from these mistakes. Finally, I examine two examples from the current COVID-19 pandemic: the emergency use authorization to use hydroxychloroquine to treat severe COVID-19 patients and the new vaccines developed to prevent COVID-19 infection. It is pertinent to ensure that the benefits of any treatment outweigh the risks for the long-term benefit of society, which is of critical importance today as we face the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019, also known as the COVID-19, is the disease caused by severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is first identified in Wuhan,
China and has spread across the world causing a pandemic. With the majority of countries
shutting down and the infection spreading exponentially, countries raced to find safe and
effective vaccines. Nearly a year after the first confirmed case in the United States, vaccines
were ready to be administered. The three major vaccines in the United States were Pfizer-
BioNTech, Johnson and Johnson and the Moderna Vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech and the
Moderna required two doses whereas the Johnson and Johnson required only one dose. Vaccines
around the world were created and administered at an alarming rate, However, it is still
insufficient, as only 5% of the global population has been administered as of April 9, 2021