ISA Valencia, Spain: Hispanic Linguistics, Summer

STEP Category: Education AbroadI am going to Valencia, Spain summer of 2019 through an ISA study abroad program. I will depart from the United States on June 26, 2019 and will return from my experience abroad on August 4, 2019. I am registered to take two classes (six credit hours) at the University of Valencia in the heart of the historic city, which fulfill the diversification requirement for my Spanish major. I plan to enroll in Spanish Cinema and Spanish Culture with Spanish Literature (Neoclassism to contemporary) as my back up course. While I will be taking classes during my time abroad, I will be learning about the history of Valencia and Spain, practicing my speaking skills, experiencing the culture, and growing as a global citizen. My 40 days abroad will be spent soaking up as much Spanish culture and customs as possible and shifting my perspective of the world. I am looking forward to this experience and am actively preparing for my time abroad.The Ohio State University Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP)Academic Major: Psycholog

Diel and seasonal timing of sound production by black drum (Pogonias cromis)

Acoustic recorders were used to document black drum (Pogonias cromis) sound production during their spawning season in southwest Florida. Diel patterns of sound production were similar to those of other sciaenid fishes and demonstrated increased sound levels from the late afternoon to early evening—a period that lasted up to 12 hours during peak season. Peak sound production occurred from January through March when water temperatures were between 18° and 22°C. Seasonal trends in sound production matched patterns of black drum reproductive readiness and spawning reported previously for populations in the Gulf of Mexico. Total acoustic energy of nightly chorus events was estimated by integration of the sound pressure amplitude with duration above a threshold based on daytime background levels. Maximum chorus sound level was highly correlated with total acoustic energy and was used to quantitatively represent nightly black drum sound production. This study gives evidence that long-term passive acoustic recordings can provide information on the timing and location of black drum reproductive behavior that is similar to that provided by traditional, more costly methods. The methods and results have broad application for the study of many other fish species, including commercially and recreationally valuable reef fishes that produce sound in association with reproductive beha

Plants, Parasites, and Pollinators: The Effects of Medicinal Pollens on a Common Gut Parasite in Bumble Bees

Declines in several pollinator species are due to a variety of factors, including pathogens. Incorporating pollinator-friendly plant species into wild and agricultural habitats could reduce the stress of pathogens if food sources act medicinally against pathogens. Previous research demonstrated one domesticated sunflower cultivar (Helianthus annuus) can dramatically reduce a gut pathogen (Crithidia bombi) of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens. To ascertain the breadth of this medicinal trait, we tested whether pollen from several H. annuus cultivars and four relatives could also reduce C. bombi infections in B. impatiens. We also investigated whether timing of exposure to sunflower pollen relative to time of infection affected the strength of this medicinal trait. In all experiments, bees were infected and then fed their respective pollen diets for a week before they were dissected to assess infection. In our first experiment, all pollen from Helianthus species and relatives reduced C. bombi cell counts compared to our single species control of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). In our timing of exposure experiments, a one-time exposure to sunflower pollen present at the time of infection did not lower infection levels. In longer exposure trials, sunflower pollen suppressed C. bombi infection with a strength inversely proportional to the time between treatment and infection. Our results suggest that medicinal pollen may be widespread in the Helianthus genus and potentially throughout the Asteraceae family. Thus, these results provide insights into how strategic plantings of certain floral resources can help mediate and influences pollinator disease dynamics

Assessing the stability and distribution of a newly discovered endangered bumble bee population in Northeastern Illinois

Many species of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) have been declining in abundance across North America. In the Midwest declines, including that of B. affinis, recently listed as a federally endangered species, are attributed to several factors including habitat loss. Native tallgrass prairies could be ideal areas for Bombus spp. communities to sustain populations, due to native floral resources. However, few studies have been done to determine this. Our objective was to determine the stability and consistency of B. affinis populations at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and to investigate whether Goose Lake Prairie, a nearby prairie remnant, provides a stable habitat that may be sources for B. affinis and other Bombus species of conservation concern in the region. We used nets to survey twelve 100m transects throughout both sites, representing three different habitat types; remnant prairie, restored prairie, and cattle pasture/other. B. affinis was not found at either habitat type, despite records of their presence from a previous year, however we did find several other species of conservation concern at very low numbers. We also found that the remnant prairie had greater species abundance and richness of Bombus species with two very common species, B. griseocollis and B. impatiens, being very common. With our findings we were able to determine that there are indeed habitat preferences among Bombus species, although we were unable to detect a habitat preference for species of conservation concern

Assessing the stability and distribution of a newly discovered endangered bumble bee population in Northeastern Illinois

Many species of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) have been declining in abundance across North America. In the Midwest declines, including that of B. affinis, recently listed as a federally endangered species, are attributed to several factors including habitat loss. Native tallgrass prairies could be ideal areas for Bombus spp. communities to sustain populations, due to native floral resources. However, few studies have been done to determine this. Our objective was to determine the stability and consistency of B. affinis populations at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and to investigate whether Goose Lake Prairie, a nearby prairie remnant, provides a stable habitat that may be sources for B. affinis and other Bombus species of conservation concern in the region. We used nets to survey twelve 100m transects throughout both sites, representing three different habitat types; remnant prairie, restored prairie, and cattle pasture/other. B. affinis was not found at either habitat type, despite records of their presence from a previous year, however we did find several other species of conservation concern at very low numbers. We also found that the remnant prairie had greater species abundance and richness of Bombus species with two very common species, B. griseocollis and B. impatiens, being very common. With our findings we were able to determine that there are indeed habitat preferences among Bombus species, although we were unable to detect a habitat preference for species of conservation concern

COMMUNAL TRADITION AND THE NATURE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY AMONG THE PREHISPANIC HOUSEHOLDS OF EL HATILLO (HE-4), PANAMA

Prehispanic chiefdoms of Central Panama provide interesting cases for investigating whysocieties first began to organize themselves hierarchically and why members began to relate toone-another in ways that emphasized the relative status of each. The particular activities throughwhich a small number of individuals elevated their social status above the majority of apopulation, gaining influence over them, and the broader social circumstances that permitted thistransformation are critical to understanding processes that lead to the emergence of socialinequality. This dissertation presents data from archaeological excavations of households at thevillage of El Hatillo/He-4 -the principal political center of a prehispanic chiefdom that existed in the Río Parita Valley of Central Panama between about A.D 700 and A.D. 1522. These data and the patterns they reveal provide a basis for comparison of domestic activities and contexts across time within El Hatillo/He-4. Identifying differences in households (observed synchronically and diachronically), like the organization of space and activities that were undertaken within, is among the best ways to understand why certain groups were socially more important and influential than others. The Río Parita chiefdom, like most, also consisted of multiple villages socially unified under an elite leader, or chief, forming a more-or-less cohesive political unit, or chiefdom. Thus, principles of social organization and bases of authority extended beyond relationships among households at El Hatillo/He-4 to also include larger communities and outlying villages. Since household data do not permit us to understand interactions among groups across the village, let alone other villages in the polity, as clearly, the data presented in this dissertation

On the composition of neural and kernel layers for machine learning

Deep Learning architectures in which neural layers alternate with mappings to infinitedimensional feature spaces have been proposed in recent years, showing improvements on the results obtained when using either technique separately. However, these new algorithms have been presented without delving into the rich mathematical structure that sustains kernel methods. The main focus of this thesis is not only to review these advances in the field of Deep Learning, but to extend and generalize them by defining a broader family of models that operate under the mathematical framework defined by the composition of a neural layerwith a kernel mapping, all of which operate in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces thatare then concatenated. Each of these spaces has a specific reproducing kernel that we can characterize. Together all of this defines a regularization-based learning optimization problem, for which we prove that minimizers exist. This strong mathematical background is complemented by the presentation of a new a model, the Kernel Network, which manages to produce successful results on many classification problems

An Overview of Longitudinal Data Analysis Methods for Neurological Research

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise, broad and readily accessible overview of longitudinal data analysis methods, aimed to be a practical guide for clinical investigators in neurology. In general, we advise that older, traditional methods, including (1) simple regression of the dependent variable on a time measure, (2) analyzing a single summary subject level number that indexes changes for each subject and (3) a general linear model approach with a fixed-subject effect, should be reserved for quick, simple or preliminary analyses. We advocate the general use of mixed-random and fixed-effect regression models for analyses of most longitudinal clinical studies. Under restrictive situations or to provide validation, we recommend: (1) repeated-measure analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), (2) ANCOVA for two time points, (3) generalized estimating equations and (4) latent growth curve/structural equation models