pdf

Intellectual disability (ID) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant limitations in both adaptive behavior and intellectual function that arises prior to reaching adulthood. Studies revealed a prevailing correlation between patients with ID and a sporadic SYNGAP-1 gene mutation. The SYNGAP-1 gene encodes for the protein SYNGAP that controls intracellular signaling and is directly linked with synaptic transmission. Mouse models were used to analyze the structure of somatosensory cortical neurons in different layers of the cortex during brain development. Neurons of SynGAP-1 mutant mice in layer V of the somatosensory cortex displayed a much more complex structure than the wildtype during development but no differences once they reached adulthood. Adversely, in layer II/III, the neurons of mutant mice were less complex during the developmental stages. This research suggests that a SynGAP-1 haploinsufficiency causes ID by disrupting the natural timing of neuronal growth and brain development.

The purpose of this thesis is to take a knitting pattern and to flip or rotate it, creating a new pattern. In order to accomplish this, knitting patterns are converted into matrices and then matrix properties, such as the matrix transpose and matrix multiplication, are used to transform the pattern. This project finds a particular order of matrix properties that can be applied to create rotations and flips of the original pattern. The transformed matrix can then be converted back into a knitting pattern. A program in JAVA that allows a user to input a knitting pattern and produce a rotated or flipped pattern is created using these matrix properties.

Bioprospecting’s main goal is to discover natural compounds with beneficial properties. Previous studies have shown diverse, bio-active organic compounds found in the venom of different species of ants. In my research, I tested the venom of an acrobat ant from Albania, Crematogaster schmidti, for anti-bacterial properties by using the disc diffusion method. I found a decrease in bacterial colony growth where the venom was applied onto the agar plate.

Jury nullification is defined as a "Jury's knowing and deliberate rejection of the evidence, or refusal to apply the law" (Black's Law Dictionary). Originally, U.S. jurisprudence recognized a juror's power to nullify a law as a necessary element of an impartial jury. However, U.S. courts have since been evolving an increasingly prohibitive stance regarding jury nullification. After careful examination of common law, U.S. case law, and analysis of legal and political theories which shaped the U.S. judicial system, I argue that a defendant's sixth amendment right will always be violated when a jury is prohibited from knowing its power of nullification and/or when a juror is reprimanded for exercising the nullification power.

In this thesis, I first describe three strategies used around the world to encourage or enforce vaccination. I then review the vaccine standards of both the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization and present a number of common reasons used by individuals to justify vaccine refusal. I then outline a number of ethical tenets that can be used to evaluate vaccine policies and apply those principles to the policies described above. In this evaluation, I assert that ethical vaccine policies should not seek either to punish individuals for exercising their right to autonomy or to coerce them with threats. Rather, they should attempt to ensure the maintenance of public safety among vaccine compliant individuals and those who are unable to vaccinate for health-related reasons rather than elective ones.

Exotic species are a substantial threat to native species and understanding
their interactions is important. The focus of this study is to analyze the competition
between two non-native gecko species, Hemidactylus mabouia and Hemidactylus
garnotii. These two species occupy similar niches on buildings in Florida, with H.
mabouia being the more successful of the two species,, leading to higher abundances
of H. mabouia. The Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, another exotic species
of the Florida mainland,preys on these species an on some of the same prey of those
geckos. In the presence O. septentrionalis, H. garnotii numbers overtake H. mabouia.
Understanding interspecies interactions will further our understanding of how to
potentially control these exotic species

Excessive fear is a hallmark of various anxiety and stress disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current pre-clinical research has focused on identifying behavioral and neuropharmacological methods of facilitating fear extinction in order to improve well-being of PTSD patients. The present experiment investigated the effects of voluntary exercise on fear memory and object recognition memory in male C57BL/6J mice. Results suggested that mice that exercised voluntarily exhibited significantly less fear-elicited freezing behavior during cued fear extinction trials compared to that of non-exercise control mice. Results from assessment of object memory revealed no difference in object memory retention between voluntary exercise mice and control mice. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of exercise in mice appear to be specific to the task and to the specific memory process. These results suggest that voluntary exercise may hold utility for remediation of PTSD and anxiety symptoms in humans.

I will be looking in depth between the similarities and differences of brand name and generic medications. I will see what makes one a brand name and one a generic and how similar and different the drugs can be from each other before they are considered an entirely different drug. After that, I will talk about the FDA guidelines, and how my research shows evidence for something entirely different. Finally, I will then look at case studies, my own experience, and surveys to see which drug is preferred more among people and why they chose what they do, and if they think one type is better than the other.

Opioids are considered the most efficacious drugs for management of moderate to severe pain, yet their use clinically is often restricted due to the onset of adverse side-effects. Drugs in this class produce most of their physiological effects (analgesia, nausea, vomiting) through activation of the μ-opioid receptor; however, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that opioids can activate distinct downstream responses, a phenomenon termed functional selectivity. This project attempts to determine the amino acid residues involved in the activation of the μ-opioid receptor and the role they play in the binding of ligands to the receptor. The highly conserved DRY motif (aspartic acid-arginine-tyrosine) found commonly in GPCRs was mutated via site directed mutagenesis, aspartic acid-164 to alanine (A), glutamic acid (E), and arginine (R) and G-protein coupling and competition binding assays were performed to test whether ligand affinity and activity differed in the mutant receptors compared to the wild-type.

The Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum is an established man-made habitat on the FAU Jupiter campus grounds, which features native Florida plants that showcase four of Florida’s major habitats (Mixed Hardwood Swamp, Pine Flatwoods, Oak/Cabbage Palm Hammock, and Tropical Hardwood Hammock). The arboretum also contains a butterfly garden, which includes specific Florida native plants that attract over 20 different species of Lepidoptera. This study uses a variation of the transect count method developed by E. Pollard (1977), to obtain data on Lepidoptera populations within the arboretum and to determine which habitats are preferred most. Sidewalks that pass through each habitat were used as the transects, and Lepidoptera species were counted and recorded at least twice a week. A total of 17 individual Lepidoptera taxa were identified, with 382 total individuals counted in the fall/winter and 275 individuals in the spring. The Butterfly Garden was by far the most densely populated habitat, with a total of 399 individuals identified there throughout the study.