A Family Affair: Whaling as Native American Household Strategy on Eastern Long Island, New York

Nineteenth-century Native Americans from the northeastern United States became locally famous as mariners in the commercial whaling fleet. In the struggle to protect their small land bases and maintain their communities, going to sea became part of household practices for cultural and economic survival. From approximately 1800 through 1880, indigenous whaling families from Long Island used wages from commercial whaling to combat the limitations of land, credit, and capital that they faced on and off reservations. Whaling’s opportunities supported household formation and property accumulation among Shinnecock and Montaukett people for three generations, but whaling’s instability and risk meant that these gains were hard to pass on during and after the industry’s collapse

The activation of carbon oxides by low valent group IV and thorium complexes

Following discoveries in our laboratory that mixed-ring uranium(III) complexes reductively couple CO to produce new C-C bonds and transform this small molecule into potentially useful small organic things, further research has taken place into the synthesis, characterisation and reactivity of the zirconium, hafnium and thorium analogues. The first part of this thesis describes the preparation of the novel zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) mixed-sandwich chloride complexes using sterically demanding cyclopentadienyl and cyclooctatetraenyl ligands, and their subsequent reduction into the desired low valent M(III) compounds. The second part considers the reaction between carbon oxides and three different zirconium(III) complexes in which differently substituted cyclopentadienyl ligands are employed. Reaction with CO generated two novel complexes that displayed C-C bond formation, with the products influenced by the sterics of the systems. Reaction with CO2 produced products resulting from reduction and/or reductive disproportionation of CO2, which were independent of the steric bulk of the cyclopentadienyl ligand. The third and final part of the thesis considers the synthesis of two novel mixed-ring thorium(IV) halide species, before a description of their in situ reduction in the presence of CO2 to yield products different to those previously described in this work. The reactivity illustrated here demonstrates a new approach to the reductive coupling of CO via characterised zirconium(III) complexes and provides insight into the reactivity of a transient thorium(III) sandwich complex

Sensory Psychophysiology

Objective: Sensory processing issues can have a large negative impact on the ability to participate in daily occupations such as ADLs, access to work, school and leisure environments, and social interactions (Dunn, 2001). The evidence documenting sensory processing issues in adults is sparse. Physiological information can be used as objective evidence to support the claim that those with over-responsivity to sensations are experiencing their environment differently than the typical population. Understanding more about sensory processing in adults may lead to increased recognition of the problem and more opportunities for intervention to increase occupational participation. The purpose of this quantitative study compared the physiological responses to sensation in people who self-report as high in sensory sensitivity compared to people who self-report as low in sensory sensitivity. Method: Using a quasi-experimental design, physiological responses to sensation in typical adults was measured. The use of the Sensory Profile assessment as a behavioral self-reported measure was used as a pretest and the Sensory Challenge Protocol was used as our physiological outcome measure to quantify participants’ physiological responses to sensation.Results: No significant differences were shown between experimental and control groups in EDR responses to stimuli. Based on the sensory profile, participants’ in the experimental group who identified as sensory sensitive had higher EDR responses to more the intense sensations, such as mower (1.3), feather (1.8), and camphor (1.7). There is a significant correlation between low registration and sensory sensitive (.678), sensory avoidant (.847) and sensory defensive (.817) for the experimental group’s self-reported scores on the Sensory Profile supporting the idea that people who have sensory sensitivities may also suppress responses to sensation.Conclusion: There are differential, meaningful patterns observed in how people with sensory sensitivities are responding to sensations. There is high variability in individuals’ personal understanding of their own sensory sensitivities and what sensory stimuli they are responding to. Therefore, it is important to know and understand what certain people in the general population do because overtime it can lead to maladaptive behaviors in daily functioning.https://scholar.dominican.edu/ug-student-posters/1064/thumbnail.jp

Measuring Physiological Responses to Sensation in Typical Adults

Objective: Sensory processing issues can have a large negative impact on the ability to participate in daily occupations such as ADLs, access to work, school and leisure environments, and social interactions (Dunn, 2001). The evidence documenting sensory processing issues in adults is sparse. Physiological information can be used as objective evidence to support the claim that those with over-responsivity to sensations are experiencing their environment differently than the typical population. Understanding more about sensory processing in adults may lead to increased recognition of the problem and more opportunities for intervention to increase occupational participation. The purpose of this quantitative study compared the physiological responses to sensation in people who self-report as high in sensory sensitivity compared to people who self-report as low in sensory sensitivity.Method: Using a quasi-experimental design, physiological responses to sensation in typical adults was measured. The use of the Sensory Profile assessment as a behavioral self-reported measure was used as a pretest and the Sensory Challenge Protocol was used as our physiological outcome measure to quantify participants’ physiological responses to sensation.Results: No significant differences were shown between experimental and control groups in EDR responses to stimuli. Based on the sensory profile, participants’ in the experimental group who identified as sensory sensitive had higher EDR responses to more the intense sensations, such as mower (1.3), feather (1.8), and camphor (1.7). There is a significant correlation between low registration and sensory sensitive (.678), sensory avoidant (.847) and sensory defensive (.817) for the experimental group’s self-reported scores on the Sensory Profile supporting the idea that people who have sensory sensitivities may also suppress responses to sensation.Conclusion: There are differential, meaningful patterns observed in how people with sensory sensitivities are responding to sensations. There is high variability in individuals’ personal understanding of their own sensory sensitivities and what sensory stimuli they are responding to. Therefore, it is important to know and understand what certain people in the general population do because overtime it can lead to maladaptive behaviors in daily functioning

Function and Mechanism of the Single-Minded 2 gene

Single-Minded 2 (SIM2) is a member of the basic Helix-Loop-Helix PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH/PAS) family of transcription factors which are known to play diverse roles in development, cellular homeostasis, and disease. The amino-terminal halves of bHLH/PAS transcription factors contain a basic DNA binding region followed by a helix-loop-helix dimerisation domain. This is then followed by a PAS domain consisting of two PAS repeats, PAS-A and PAS-B which also function in dimerisation and protein:protein interaction and ligand binding. Their carboxy-terminal halves contain transactivation or transrepression domains for target gene regulation. In mice Sim2 is essential for normal development. Mice lacking Sim2 have been found to have multiple abnormal phenotypes, including abnormal skeletal structures and overgrowth of gut bacteria. SIM2 has also been implicated in the progression of several cancers, with its function appearing to be highly context dependent. Upregulation of SIM2 in prostate, pancreatic and colon cancers favours tumour progression, whereas downregulation of SIM2 in breast cancer favours tumour progression. There is still much to discover regarding the function and target genes of SIM2 during development and in human disease. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to further investigate the functions and mechanisms of action of SIM2 both in developmental and disease contexts. To investigate whether SIM2 may contribute to the pathogenesis of human developmental disorders, SIM2 non-synonymous gene variants identified in patients with neurological phenotypes were functionally assessed to determine their impact on activity of SIM2 as a transcription factor. This study identified five variants that caused a significant reduction in the transcriptional activating potency of SIM2 and were further characterised to determine the mechanism associated with the deficiency. This work identified a set of residues that are important for the function of SIM2 as a transcription factor and may contribute to human pathology. To investigate the function of SIM2 in breast cancer, the weak SIM2 expressing MDAMB- 231 cell lines was modified to enable inducible upregulation of SIM2 and subsequently subjected to RNA-sequencing. This study found a set of genes that were significantly differentially expressed upon upregulation of SIM2, culminating in a proposed mechanism whereby SIM2 crosstalks with other bHLH/PAS transcription factors to modulate their protumourigenic functions. To investigate the function of Sim2 during development, a conditional Sim2 knockout mouse model was generated to selectively remove Sim2 expression from the brain. These mice underwent feeding and behavioural studies to assess the impact of Sim2 knockout in the brain, however the tests did not identify any significant differences between the conditional knockout animals and their normal litter mate controls. An epitope tagged SIM2 mouse line was generated that will provide a valuable tool for assessing endogenous SIM2 protein functions and interactions in vivo. In addition, attempts were made to generate a reporter mouse in which expression of Sim2 would be replaced with a fluorescent protein. While various CRISPR based attempts were not successful in replacing a Sim2 allele with fluorescent Tomato coding sequence in zygotes, cultured mouse embryonic stem cells were successfully targeted. These Sim2- Tomato ES cells can be used in future to generate the desired Sim2-Tomato reporter mouse line.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Biological Sciences, 202

Toward three-dimensional in vitro models to study neurovascular unit functions in health and disease

The high metabolic demands of the brain require an efficient vascular system to be coupled with neural activity to supply adequate nutrients and oxygen. This supply is coordinated by the action of neurons, glial and vascular cells, known collectively as the neurovascular unit, which temporally and spatially regulate local cerebral blood flow through a process known as neurovascular coupling. In many neurodegenerative diseases, changes in functions of the neurovascular unit not only impair neurovascular coupling but also permeability of the blood-brain barrier, cerebral blood flow and clearance of waste from the brain. In order to study disease mechanisms, we need improved physiologically-relevant human models of the neurovascular unit. Advances towards modeling the cellular complexity of the neurovascular unit in vitro have been made using stem-cell derived organoids and more recently, vascularized organoids, enabling intricate studies of non-cell autonomous processes. Engineering and design innovations in microfluidic devices and tissue engineering are progressing our ability to interrogate the cerebrovasculature. These advanced models are being used to gain a better understanding of neurodegenerative disease processes and potential therapeutics. Continued innovation is required to build more physiologically-relevant models of the neurovascular unit encompassing both the cellular complexity and designed features to interrogate neurovascular unit functionality. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cerebrovasculature; in vitro; model; neurodegeneration; neurovascular unit

Addressing Overlapping Migratory Categories within New Patterns of Mobility in Peru

This article reflects on the construction and application of different migratory categories in the Peruvian context, including irregular migrants, refugees, victims of trafficking, and smuggled migrants. Through legal analysis and interviews with key migration actors in the country, the paper explores the ways in which Peru responds to migrants in these different categories, in view of the recent changes in human mobility in the country. The article aims to shed light on the fragmentation of migratory categories and the negative effects this has on migrants’ human rights. It is exploratory in nature and serves as a starting point for further debate on the subject

Craniodental functional evolution in sauropodomorph dinosaurs

AbstractSauropodomorpha included the largest known terrestrial vertebrates and was the first dinosaur clade to achieve a global distribution. This success is associated with their early adoption of herbivory, and sauropod gigantism has been hypothesized to be a specialization for bulk feeding and obligate high-fiber herbivory. Here, we apply a combination of biomechanical character analysis and comparative phylogenetic methods with the aim of quantifying the evolutionary mechanics of the sauropodomorph feeding apparatus. We test for the role of convergence to common feeding function and divergence toward functional optima across sauropodomorph evolution, quantify the rate of evolution for functional characters, and test for coincident evolutionary rate shifts in craniodental functional characters and body mass. Results identify a functional shift toward increased cranial robustness, increased bite force, and the onset of static occlusion at the base of the Sauropoda, consistent with a shift toward bulk feeding. Trends toward similarity in functional characters are observed in Diplodocoidea and Titanosauriformes. However, diplodocids and titanosaurs retain significant craniodental functional differences, and evidence for convergent adoption of a common “adaptive zone” between them is weak. Modeling of craniodental character and body-mass evolution demonstrates that these functional shifts were not correlated with evolutionary rate shifts. Instead, a significant correlation between body mass and characters related to bite force and cranial robustness suggests a correlated-progression evolutionary mode, with positive-feedback loops between body mass and dietary specializations fueling sauropod gigantism.</jats:p

Emotional recognition training modifies neural response to emotional faces but does not improve mood in healthy volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms

Background: There is demand for new, effective and scalable treatments for depression, and development of new forms of cognitive bias modification (CBM) of negative emotional processing biases has been suggested as possible interventions to meet this need. Methods: We report two double blind RCTs, in which volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory ii (BDI-ii) > 14) completed a brief course of emotion recognition training (a novel form of CBM using faces) or sham training. In Study 1 (N = 36), participants completed a post-training emotion recognition task whilst undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural correlates of CBM. In Study 2 (N = 190), measures of mood were assessed post-training, and at 2-week and 6-week follow-up. Results: In both studies, CBM resulted in an initial change in emotion recognition bias, which (in Study 2) persisted for 6 weeks after the end of training. In Study 1, CBM resulted in increases neural activation to happy faces, with this effect driven by an increase in neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala. In Study 2, CBM did not lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms on the BDI-ii, or on related measures of mood, motivation and persistence, or depressive interpretation bias at either 2 or 6-week follow-ups. Conclusions: CBM of emotion recognition has effects on neural activity that are similar in some respects to those induced by Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) administration (Study 1), but we find no evidence that this had any later effect on self-reported mood in an analogue sample of non-clinical volunteers with low mood (Study 2).</br