Continuous Theta Rhythm During Spatial Working Memory Task in Rodent Models of Streptozotocin-induced Type 2 Diabetes

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder altering memory loss thought to be due to neuropathological symptoms such as the buildup of beta amyloid plaques (Ab) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). The etiology of Alzheimer’s is still unknown; however, potential risk factors such as diabetes may lead to its development. The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes known for persistent insulin resistance leading to a state of hyperglycemia. Insulin resistance has been shown to affect cognitive abilities such as learning, memory and also alters synaptic plasticity. Neural connections between the hippocampus (HC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are known to be very important for learning and memory and are highly plastic, making them an intriguing target that could be altered by hyperglycemia. We hypothesize that hyperglycemic rodents will exhibit spatial memory deficits that may be associated with cognitively linked interactions between the HC and ACC. Minimal doses of streptozotocin (STZ), which is toxic to insulin producing beta cells, were given for 9-10 weeks. Using a spatial working memory task known as delayed alternation we found significant differences between control and experimental rats in working memory accuracy. This task places strong working memory demands on subjects which may be compromised by a hyperglycemic state. We measured EEG recordings from the HC and ACC during task performance and found that hyperglycemic rats had nearly continuous theta rhythm during the 30-minute session. Control rats however, displayed normal transitions between theta and lower frequency delta. Neural connectivity may be altered due to a change in frequency activity between the HC and ACC due to diabetes which is a risk factor in the development of AD impairments. These results show that hyperglycemia leads to changes along the circuit critical for learning and memory

A transdisciplinary evaluation of forest retention policies and practices in the Australian context

The reduction or loss of habitat for conversion to extractive uses, urban development, or resource production is a key threat to biodiversity. Protected areas and vegetation management policy are essential mechanisms for abating species decline in the face of these compounding pressures. The thesis examines the effectiveness of policy responses for protected areas in Australia, and also evaluates key de facto arrangements that have a bearing on conservation outcomes, specifically, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Stephanie Hernandez uses an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach to investigate the complexities, effectiveness and future directions for conservation policy in Queensland, Australia. The overall goals of this thesis are to: 1) review policies and programs for retaining natural forested habitats in Australia; 2) estimate the impact of current protected areas in terms of preventing forest cover loss; 3) describe the impact of policy changes on vegetation 4) develop evidence-based recommendations for retaining Queensland's forests in the future. In addressing these respective knowledge gaps, this research provides an essential contribution to future protected area policy and the academic literature concerning conservation planning

Surviving or Thriving? The Impact Community Collaborations Can Make During a Global Pandemic

The focus of this Capstone Project is to determine the ways in which communities and schools can help support students and their families during the current global pandemic. This is an important issue for students and their families because due to differences in socioeconomic status, language, and/or time and availability, not all resources are available to everyone. It is argued that regardless of the presence of any of the factors listed above, all students and their families deserve equitable access to resources, especially in the midst of a global pandemic when resources are not as readily available as they normally would be. Considerations of this issue should include the perspective of employees at the Blueland Community Science Workshop because of their relevant experience in working closely with students and their families in collaboration with schools. After interviewing two employees at Blueland Community Science Workshop, three action options emerged as ways to help increase community collaborations with schools. Establishing schools as community learning centers is argued to be the most effective way to achieve the goals of every student and their families having access to resources

Beliefs About Substance Abuse Among Adolescents: What Works?

The purpose of this study was to explore beliefs about what works in substance abuse treatment among adolescents. This was a qualitative study that was comprised of fourteen counselors who were interviewed regarding what works in substance treatment with adolescents. The study identified four themes that contribute to our knowledge about what works in substance abuse treatment among adolescents. The study recommends that future research explore further what works with adolescents in substance abuse treatment, including collaborating with family members, identifying strengths in adolescents, building an authentic rapport with adolescents, and using the latest evidence-based practices

The impact of strictly protected areas in a deforestation hotspot

Protected areas are often thought of as a key conservation strategy for avoiding deforestation and retaining biodiversity; therefore, it is crucial to know how effective they are at achieving this purpose. Using a case study from Queensland, Australia, we identified and controlled for bias in allocating strictly protected areas (IUCN Class I and II) and evaluated their impact (in terms of avoiding deforestation) using statistical matching methods. Over the 30 years between 1988 and 2018, approximately 70,481 km2 of native forest was cleared in the study region. Using statistical matching, we estimated that 10.5% (1,447 km2) of Category I and II (strict) protected areas would have been cleared in the absence of protection. Put differently, 89.5% of strictly protected areas are unlikely to have been cleared, even if they were never protected. While previous studies have used statistical matching at a country or state level, we conducted an analysis that allows regional comparison across a single State. Our research indicates that strictly protected areas are marginally effective at preventing deforestation, and this likely due to biases in establishing protected areas on unproductive land

Indicators of Simulated Driving Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Adolescents are at high risk for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). Teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have an even greater risk for MVCs due to impaired visual, cognitive, and motor skills critical for driving. This prospective two group study demonstrated the demographic, clinical, and simulated driving skill differences of seven adolescents with ASD (mean age = 15.14, SD ±1.22) compared to 22 healthy controls (HC) (mean age = 14.32, SD ±.72) through a comprehensive driving evaluation (CDE) conducted by an occupational therapist certified driving rehabilitation specialist (OT-CDRS). Adolescents with ASD performed poorer on right eye acuity (Fischer’s (F) = 13.44, p = .003), cognition (Mann-Whitney Statistic (U) = 29.00, p = .01), visual motor integration (U = 27.50, p = .01), motor coordination (U = 5.00, p = .001), operational skills for managing simulator controls (U = 4.00, pU = 30.50, p = .02), speed regulation (U = 13.50, p = .001), lane maintenance (U = 34.00, p = .03), signaling (U = 38.50, p = .03), and adjustment to stimuli (U = 9.00, pU = 5.00, pConclusion). Compared to the HC, adolescents with ASD performed worse on visual, cognitive, motor, simulator operational, and fitness to drive skills, suggesting that an OT-CDRS may play an important role in assessing teens with ASD before they pursue traditional driver’s education

What drives modern protected area establishment in Australia?

Protected areas are a fundamental mechanism for ensuring the persistence of biodiversity. The strategic policy objectives set by governments for protected area land acquisition are strong determinants of biodiversity outcomes. An examination of these objectives is necessary to determine those most influential in designing protected area networks and understand why Australia's extinction rates exceed those elsewhere despite actively establishing protected areas over the past several decades. To examine spatio-temporal trends in policy objectives for protected areas, we evaluated the strategic priorities in Federal, State, and Territory policy documents across Australia between 1992 and 2019 using thematic analysis. We classified priorities into seven themes: adequacy, Indigenous and cultural values; representation of ecosystem and species types; threatened species and their habitat; social and recreational values; unique values and avoiding threatening processes. We found that the representation of ecosystem and species types was the most prevalent theme in policy documents, and the least common theme was social and recreational values. We posit several reasons for this trend and warn that emphasizing extent, in terms of area or representativeness, may diminish the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for biodiversity outcomes. We found that policies were generally supportive of the strategic identification of particular species or communities that would quantifiably benefit from protection (referred to as avoided loss). Risked-based approaches to the establishment of protected areas are supported by modern conservation literature to enhance the protected area network's effectiveness. To maximize limited resources, we recommend that governments continue encouraging urgency to avoid species and habitat loss in their strategic priorities. This urgency should be accompanied by clear and consistent funding for on-the-ground actions which facilitate the socio-ecological outcomes that characterize modern protected area policy

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Remote Learning: Parents’ Perspectives on Their Child’s Learning at Home

The global COVID-19 pandemic led to the universal restricted access of school grounds and caused students to transition to a remote learning environment. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are eligible for special educational services and are normally provided additional support during school. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of multiple support resources became limited, and parents needed to consider how their child’s education and support would be incorporated in their new educational environment. During the pandemic, parents had the opportunity to provide various instructional assistance and support at home. Scaffolding, a type of guidance used when a child is working on an accomplishable task with the help of a more knowledgeable person, would normally be used in a child’s learning environment to achieve their next level of development. However, this study illustrates that parents did not provide scaffolds, but instead provided prompting as they were aware of their child’s zone of proximal development and implemented prompts that their child could learn from accordingly. Prompts ranged from physical hand to hand guidance to verbal repeating of a question to visually displaying math problems on a white board. Additionally, parents also described a strong sense of communication between their children using these prompts. Initially, parents felt concerned during the transition to remote learning. However, once their child became accustomed to the new learning environment, parents noticed positive outcomes and expressed that having additional resources, such as service providers, aided them and their child to succeed in the home learning environment

Building an Evaluation Framework for The Smith Center’s Education & Outreach Department

The Smith Center, Clark County’s premier performing arts center, offers professional development opportunities through their Education and Outreach Department to teach local educators how to incorporate arts integration strategies into their classrooms. Research has shown that arts education, particularly in the form of arts integration, can bolster student achievement, increase student engagement and motivation, develop critical and creative thinking patterns, and boost social competences, such as collaboration and self-confidence. Given the great possibility of improving student achievement via arts integration and the poor educational outcomes that the Clark County School District has been struggling with for years, The Smith Center’s professional development program has much to offer Southern Nevada