Into the Great Wide Open...

Nick will discuss the Open Source philosophy, the tools, and realistic ways for your projects to become more open and successful

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

The purpose of this research is to thoroughly explain a rare neurological disorder called Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) and more accurately derive its origin within the brain. AIWS is a visual-time perception complication, where the individual experiences distortion in spatial and depth perception alongside perceiving time in an altered manner. The first phase of the project involves a systematic review with a meta-analysis of existing literature in conjunction with applying chaos theory in an attempt to either bring order to the array of precursors this syndrome has, or in hopes of potentially finding a new chaotic attractor within the areas of the brain this disorder afflicts. The second phase of the project involves a screening diagnostic survey of participants who have frontal lobe meningiomas, temporal lobe meningiomas, or shunts in place where we identify AIWS and Non-AIWS participants. We also use the medical records to further validate answers received from the surveys. The final phase involves providing assessments on depth, spatial, and time perception to the control and AIWS groups in order to examine which area(s) of the brain is directly affected by this syndrome. By identifying AIWS as a neurological disorder, which should be properly recognized by medicine, we would begin to eliminate the existing stigma people may experience for having such an abstract set of symptoms, which is an actual disorder. Furthermore, this research will allow for more precise consideration of etiology and symptomology people experience in hopes of directing future research on the neuronal mapping of such a rare ailment

Identity as Politics, Politics as Identity: An Anthropological Examination of the Political Discourse on Same-Sex Marriage

Marriage has come to be center-stage in a semiotic and ideological “culture war.” The issue of same-sex marriage has emerged as a defining political argument shaping the manner by which the contemporary gay rights movement positions itself. In Georgia’s 2004 election, a constitutional amendment was proposed defining marriage as legal unions between only biological men and women. In response, campaigns were organized by both supporters and opponents to same-sex marriage. This thesis examines the politics of spectacle at play through which both sides of this argument positioned themselves. This thesis employs anthropological theory, queer theory and public sphere literature to illuminate the campaign against same-sex marriage as one of not only the denial of citizenship rights, but of identity recognition. The methods of theatricality employed by both sides of this debate are examined alongside the manners by which they represented themselves as legitimate voices in the fight over “marriage.

The molecular mechanisms of vernalization induced flowering in temperate cereals

Plants coordinate development with environmental cues to ensure flowering occurs under optimal seasonal conditions. Many plants from temperate regions only flower after exposure to prolonged cold: vernalization. While the molecular mechanisms of the vernalization response have been studied extensively in the model plant Arabidopsis, this seasonal flowering response has probably evolved independently in other plants. For instance, no homologues of FLOWER LOCUS C (FLC), the gene central to the vernalization response in Arabidopsis, have been found in economically important crops such as barley and wheat. Instead VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) is central to the vernalization response in these plants. This highlights a need to study the vernalization response directly in cereal crop species. Previous studies have identified VRN1 as a master regulator of the vernalization response in cereals, but the extent to which other genes contribute is unclear. To identify genes that are potentially involved in regulating the vernalization response the Barley1 Affymetrix chip was used to compare gene expression in barley seedlings during short or prolonged cold treatments. Additionally, gene expression was assayed when plants were shifted to normal growth temperatures following prolonged cold treatment. This identified genes that show lasting changes in transcriptional activity, which might contribute to vernalization-induced flowering. Only a small group of genes showed a lasting change in activity when plants were shifted to warm conditions following prolonged cold. These included VRN1 and another MADS box gene, ODDSOC2 (OS2). OS2 belongs to a group of MADS box genes only found in grasses. Expression analysis showed that OS2 is down-regulated by cold and that long term repression of OS2 is dependent on VRN1. Overexpression of OS2 in barley delayed flowering and caused dwarfing. These phenotypes could be due to the down-regulation of FLOWERING PROMOTING FACTOR1 (FPF1)-like genes. In Arabidopsis FPF1 promotes flowering and elongation. Thus down-regulation of OS2 likely contributes to the acceleration of flowering through the de-repression of FPF1-like genes as daylength increases in spring. To determine if any components of the vernalization response pathway are conserved between Arabidopsis and temperate cereals, barley homologues of the Arabidopsis MADS box gene SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) were identified and characterised. In Arabidopsis SOC1 promotes flowering and is positively regulated by vernalization, long-days, and development. Similar to SOC1, the expression of a barley SOC1-like genes increases during development. Unlike Arabidopsis, the expression of a barley SOC1-like gene, HvSOC1-like1 was similar regardless of daylength suggesting that photoperiod does not regulate the expression of these genes. The regulation of HvSOC1-like genes by vernalization is also different. The expression of HvSOC1-like genes was lower in the leaves and crown tissue of vernalized plants versus non-vernalized plants. Over-expression of one of the barley SOC1-like genes, HvSOC1-like1, delayed flowering and caused dwarfing in barley plants. The phenotypes of these plants are different SOC1-like genes. Overall these data suggest that cereal SOC1-like genes have evolved differently and have different regulatory functions than SOC1 from Arabidopsis. Overall the findings from this thesis extend our understanding of the vernalization response in temperate cereals and highlight the difference of how this seasonal flowering response is regulated in temperate cereals and Arabidopsis. Since VRN1 is one of only a limited number of genes that initiates flowering in temperate cereals, understanding how VRN1 is regulated and identifying the targets of VRN1 will be of critical importance to understanding the mechanisms of seasonal flowering responses in these plants

Tell Your Story to No One: ‘Re-Servicing’ Virtue in the Magdalen House

Thearticle probes the amphibious character of the ‘slippery’ servant-maid who methodically migrates between servitude and prostitution. It focuses in particular on the revision of the servant-maid/prostitute in the 1759 novel The Histories of Some of the Penitents in the Magdalen House, published concomitantly with the opening of the Magdalen Hospital for Penitent Prostitutes as an aid in its object of re-training fallen women for domestic service. The literary re-imagining of Histories is analysed here through its engagement with the most significant topoi in master-servant relations recurring in both anti-servant literature and domestic conduct manuals as well as within the larger context of the so-called Pamela controversy.

BASES PARA FORTALECER LAS EXPORTACIONES DE SOFTWARE Y SERVICIOS INFORMÁTICOS DEL PAÍS

The Software Industry has shown remarkable growth worldwide, for its innovative nature and knowledge. Cuba is immersed in the updating of its economic model, which aims to achieve a productive, efficient and sustainable system, where The Software Industry plays an important role in the computerization of Cuban society and in the implementation of the Guidelines for Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution. Cuba has ventured into this industry, but its results are below those expected. The objective of this article is to establish the bases for the strengthening of exports of computer software and services in Cuba, with the purpose of increasing exportable income and contributing to the economic development of the country. The scientific methods were used: work with the sources, analytical-synthetic, of the prospective. Matrix techniques, cause-effect and Pareto diagrams, and 7S model were used.La Industria de Software ha presentado un crecimiento notorio a nivel mundial por su carácter innovador y de conocimientos. Cuba, se encuentra inmersa en la actualización de su modelo económico, que tiene como propósito lograr un sistema productivo, eficiente y sostenible, donde la Industria del Software juega un importante rol en la informatización de la sociedad cubana y en la implementación de los Lineamientos de la Política Económica y Social del Partido y la Revolución. Cuba ha incursionado en esta industria, pero sus resultados están por debajo de los esperados. El presente artículo persigue como objetivo, establecer las bases para el fortalecimiento de las exportaciones de software y servicios informáticos de Cuba, con el propósito de elevar los ingresos exportables y contribuir al desarrollo económico del país. Se emplearon los métodos científicos: trabajo con las fuentes, analítico-sintético, de la prospectiva. Se utilizaron técnicas matriciales, diagramas causa-efecto y Pareto, y modelo de las 7S.&nbsp

Radiocarbon analysis of methane emitted from the surface of a raised peat bog

We developed a method to determine the radiocarbon (14C) concentration of methane (CH4) emitted from the surface of peatlands. The method involves the collection of ~ 9 L of air from a static gas sampling chamber which is returned to the laboratory in a foil gas bag. Carbon dioxide is completely removed by passing the sample gas firstly through soda lime and then molecular sieve. Sample methane is then combusted to CO2, cryogenically purified and subsequently processed using routine radiocarbon methods. We verified the reliability of the method using laboratory isotope standards, and successfully trialled it at a temperate raised peat bog, where we found that CH4 emitted from the surface dated to 195-1399 years BP. The new method provides both a reliable and portable way to 14C date methane even at the low concentrations typically associated with peatland surface emissions

ODDSOC2 Is a MADS Box Floral Repressor That Is Down-Regulated by Vernalization in Temperate Cereals

In temperate cereals, such as wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), the transition to reproductive development can be accelerated by prolonged exposure to cold (vernalization). We examined the role of the grass-specific MADS box gene ODDSOC2 (OS2) in the vernalization response in cereals. The barley OS2 gene (HvOS2) is expressed in leaves and shoot apices but is repressed by vernalization. Vernalization represses OS2 independently of VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) in a VRN1 deletion mutant of einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum), but VRN1 is required to maintain down-regulation of OS2 in vernalized plants. Furthermore, barleys that carry active alleles of the VRN1 gene (HvVRN1) have reduced expression of HvOS2, suggesting that HvVRN1 down-regulates HvOS2 during development. Overexpression of HvOS2 delayed flowering and reduced spike, stem, and leaf length in transgenic barley plants. Plants overexpressing HvOS2 showed reduced expression of barley homologs of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) gene FLOWERING PROMOTING FACTOR1 (FPF1) and increased expression of RNase-S-like genes. FPF1 promotes floral development and enhances cell elongation, so down-regulation of FPF1-like genes might explain the phenotypes of HvOS2 overexpression lines. We present an extended model of the genetic pathways controlling vernalization-induced flowering in cereals, which describes the regulatory relationships between VRN1, OS2, and FPF1-like genes. Overall, these findings highlight differences and similarities between the vernalization responses of temperate cereals and the model plant Arabidopsis

The Promoter of the Cereal VERNALIZATION1 Gene Is Sufficient for Transcriptional Induction by Prolonged Cold

The VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1) gene of temperate cereals is transcriptionally activated by prolonged cold during winter (vernalization) to promote flowering. To investigate the mechanisms controlling induction of VRN1 by prolonged cold, different regions of the VRN1 gene were fused to the GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) reporter and expression of the resulting gene constructs was assayed in transgenic barley (Hordeum vulgare). A 2 kb segment of the promoter of VRN1 was sufficient for GFP expression in the leaves and shoot apex of transgenic barley plants. Fluorescence increased at the shoot apex prior to inflorescence initiation and was subsequently maintained in the developing inflorescence. The promoter was also sufficient for low-temperature induction of GFP expression. A naturally occurring insertion in the proximal promoter, which is associated with elevated VRN1 expression and early flowering in some spring wheats, did not abolish induction of VRN1 transcription by prolonged cold, however. A translational fusion of the promoter and transcribed regions of VRN1 to GFP, VRN1::GFP, was localised to nuclei of cells at the shoot apex of transgenic barley plants. The distribution of VRN1::GFP at the shoot apex was similar to the expression pattern of the VRN1 promoter-GFP reporter gene. Fluorescence from the VRN1::GFP fusion protein increased in the developing leaves after prolonged cold treatment. These observations suggest that the promoter of VRN1 is targeted by mechanisms that trigger vernalization-induced flowering in economically important temperate cereal crops