Processing of Visual and Social Stimuli in the Green Anole Lizard Brain

Many studies of animal behavior use video technology to mimic live interactions and minimize the variability of natural animal behavior. Here, I seek to understand how information processing differs among Anolis carolinensis (green anole lizards) exposed to a live lizard compared to a video representation of a lizard. I conducted behavioral trials in which I placed a male lizard in a visually neutral arena, presented it with visual information from a live anole or from carefully constructed video playback, and recorded their behavioral responses. Each lizard (n=40) was randomly assigned to one of four treatments – Live Anole (two live males interacting with each other), Anole Video (focal lizard shown video of a lizard displaying on a perch), Scrambled Video (focal lizard shown video of a lizard displaying on a perch, but with the pixels scrambled to remove social context), or Control (focal lizard shown video of a stationary perch). Immediately after each trial, lizard brains were flash-frozen in isopentane. To measure neural activity, I then used immunocytochemistry to quantify expression levels of the immediate early gene c-fos in two visual brain regions, the Nucleus Rotundus (NROT) and Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN), and one social brain region, the Pre-Optic Area (POA). Behaviorally, I found that lizards in the Live Anole and Anole Video conditions did not differ in social display behaviors (pushups and dewlap extensions) or attentiveness, but lizards in both these conditions displayed more than lizards in the Scrambled Video and Control conditions – evidence that suggests there is no difference in lizard’s behavioral responses to live lizards compared to video lizards. I also found evidence for the inhibitory nature of the POA, as the POA showed the least neural activity in the Live Anole condition, and there was a negative correlation between attentiveness and POA activity within the Live Anole condition. Finally, I saw no differences in LGN and NROT activity across the four treatments, providing evidence that lizards process visual information in the visual brain regions independently of the social context of that information. Overall, this study provides a greater understanding of the behavioral similarities, but neural differences, in visual and social processing of a live anole compared to a video representation of an anole, suggesting caution in the use of video representations of behavior

Preliminary study of the airborne pollen in the atmosphere of Puerto Ayora (Galapagos Islands, Ecuador)

Galapagos is an archipelago of volcanic islands located 972 km west from the continental Ecuador. They were declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve due to their singular environmental value, where a third part of the native plants are endemic to this archipelago (Jaramillo et al., 2011). In spite of the numerous scientific studies carried out in Galapagos, there are not any aerobiological samplings being performed currently. The main objectives of this study were to install a pollen trap for detecting the presence of pollen in the atmosphere of Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands) and qualitatively identify the different pollen types detected during the studied period. A Durham (1946) gravimetric pollen trap was modified to turn it into a passive impact pollen trap based on Pla Dalmau (1957) modifications. It was placed on the roof of the Galapagos National School (Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island) at a height of 15m above ground level. The samples were obtained by using silicone fluid as adhesive substance and glycerine gelatine as mounting mean. The pollen grains were counted in a surface of 14 x 48 mm in each sample. The pollen types were identified with the aid of the pollen guide of the Galapagos Island by Jaramillo & Trigo (2011) and the Charles Darwin Foundation pollen bank. Pollen types of endemic plants such as Darwiniothamnus sp., Passiflora foetida var. galapagensis Killip, Justicia galapagana Lindau and Castela galapageia Hook. f. were detected together with those of other native and introduced species. A high diversity of pollen types was detected, reflecting the particular vegetation of the island. This preliminary aerobiological information can be used as precedent for further studies on the pollination of native and introduced species of the Galapagos Islands, as well as for detecting possible allergic diseases in the population.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Inspección y análisis científico de las torres atalaya que defendieron el último reino islámico de la Península Ibérica

The Islamic Nasrid kingdom of Granada occupied the mountainous areas of the south-eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula. The Baetic mountain range worked as a natural frontier between the Nasrid kingdom and the Christian kingdom of Castile from 1232 to 1492. An extensive network of watchtowers was built by Nasrid to control this frontier stablishing visual communication between them and the Nasrid centre at the Alhambra citadel. Many of them are still standing, disperse through the provinces of Granada, Malaga, Almeria and the eastern parts of Jaen, Cordoba and Cadiz. Even being this military architecture protected by Spanish Heritage law, many of these medieval towers and their cultural landscapes are in severe risk. There are studies of individual towers, but any global comparative study has been developed. For this reason, within the framework of the R&D project called ‘Las atalayas que defendieron el reino nazarí de Granada. Análisis y documentación científica (Nazalaya)” (HAR2016-79689-P) financed by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain, the towers are being studied as individual exemplars as well as components of the same typological group. This generates a complete documentation constituted by a homogenous and exhaustively planimetry which supplements the existing information and enabling comparative analysis. Furthermore complete architectural surveys are being carried out using techniques as photogrammetry. In addition to the analysis of construction systems, the structural safety of these towers is evaluated formulating guidelines for its restoration.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Proyecto del Plan Nacional I+D+i (Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigación Científica y Técnica de Excelencia) entitled ‘Las atalayas que defendieron el reino nazarí de Granada. Análisis y documentación científica (Nazalaya)’ (HAR2016-79689-P) Proyecto de Investigación Precompetitivo (mod. A) del Plan Propio de la Universidad de Málaga ‘La construcción de un paisaje: arquitectura de tapial en la Alta Andalucía en el siglo XIII. Estudio y análisis del sistema de torres andalusíes en el valle de Segura de la Sierra’ X Convocatoria de Proyectos de Investigación de la Fundación Pública Andaluza Centro de Estudios Andaluces en la modalidad de proyectos individuales, PRY/259/17 ‘Torres medievales y modernas conservadas en Andalucía. Documentación gráfica, análisis científico e interrelaciones

Deliberation across Deep Divisions. Transformative Moments

In group discussions of any kind there tends to be an up and down in the level of deliberation. To capture this dynamic we coined the concept of Deliberative Transformative Moments (DTM). In deeply divided societies deliberation is particularly important in order to arrive at peace and stability, but deliberation is also very difficult to be attained. Therefore, we wanted to learn about the conditions that in group discussions across the deep divisions of such societies help deliberation. We organized such group discussions between ex-guerrillas and ex-paramilitaries in Colombia, Serbs and Bosnjaks in Srebrenica, and poor residents and local police officers in the favelas (slums) of Brazil. We could identify factors that help to transform discussions from low to high deliberation and risk transformations in the opposite direction. We could also identify factors that help to keep a discussion at a high level of deliberation, and, in a next step, we could determine to what extent long sequences of deliberation had a positive impact on the outcomes of the discussions. Finally, we show how our research results can have a long term effect if it is used in schools of such deeply divided societies

Deliberation across Deep Divisions. Transformative Moments

From the local level to international politics, deliberation helps to increase mutual understanding and trust, in order to arrive at political decisions of high epistemic value and legitimacy. This book gives deliberation a dynamic dimension, analysing how levels of deliberation rise and fall in group discussions, and introducing the concept of 'deliberative transformative moments' and how they can be applied to deeply divided societies, where deliberation is most needed but also most difficult to work. Discussions between ex-guerrillas and ex-paramilitaries in Colombia, Serbs and Bosnjaks in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and police officers and locals in Brazilian favelas are used as case studies, with participants addressing how peace can be attained in their countries. Allowing access to the records and transcripts of the discussions opens an opportunity for practitioners of conflict resolution to apply this research to their work in trouble spots of the world, creating a link between the theory and practice of deliberation

Para Rosi : fotografias de memórias

These photographs, integral aspects to this final project, display a compilation of family photography, an archive of the work of Rosa Mercedes Jaramillo Cabezas, Rosi Jaramillo, Ecuadorian pastry chef. The project includes family photographs and photographs of her work from around the 1930s until her death in 2005 juxtaposed with photographs taken in April 2022 of the tools of her trade, handwritten recipes and the people who worked alongside her and continue her legacy. In these images you can see her work in the pastry shop, and how it portrays the role of a woman who broke free from societal and social barriers of the time. It reflects the paradoxical relationship between her work in the traditional Ecuadorian pastry shop and the break with the conservative model of women in Ecuador in the 1950s. The preservation of the photographic archive is not only important on a personal and familial level, but also to preserve the memory and culture of a community. Photographs function as priceless documents that safeguard the record and memory of moments, of figures and of individual events that frame and are associated with relevant facts at a collective level. This is the objective of this project, a recognition of the figure of Rosi Jaramillo, a woman who knew how to build her autonomy at a time when this was very conditioned and restricted by social mandates.Estas fotografias, parte do projeto final do mestrado em fotografia, são uma compilação do arquivo fotográfico familiar da obra de Rosa Mercedes Jaramillo Cabezas, Rosi Jaramillo, pasteleira equatoriana. O projeto inclui fotografias de família e fotografias do seu trabalho desde cerca da década de 1930 até à sua morte em 2005 justapostas a fotografias feitas em abril de 2022 das ferramentas do seu trabalho, receitas manuscritas e das pessoas que trabalharam ao seu lado e continuam o seu legado. Nestas imagens podemos ver o seu trabalho na pastelaria, e o papel de uma mulher que quebrou com os padrões da época. Refletem a relação paradoxal entre o trabalho na pastelaria tradicional equatoriana e a rutura com o modelo conservador de mulheres no Equador nos anos 50. A preservação do arquivo fotográfico é importante não só a nível pessoal e familiar, mas também para a preservação da memória de uma comunidade. As fotografias funcionam como documentos que salvaguardam o registo de momentos, de figuras e também de eventos individuais que enquadram e estão associados a eventos relevantes a nível coletivo. Este é o objetivo deste projeto, um reconhecimento da figura de Rosi Jaramillo, uma mulher que soube construir a sua autonomia numa altura em que esta era muito condicionada por mandatos sociais

Molecular and Functional Identification of Two Mucin Secretory Pathways

In airways, secreted mucins absorb large volumes of water to form viscoelastic mucus, which is then propelled proximally by ciliary beating and swallowed. Mucins are secreted both at a low baseline rate and a high agonist-stimulated rate; baseline secretion is primarily responsible for clearance of inhaled particles and pathogens, while stimulated secretion can induce airway obstruction protectively to trap helminths traversing the lungs or pathologically in asthma. Exocytosis requires a SNARE complex acting in concert with a Munc18 scaffolding protein. We previously found that Munc18b has the major scaffolding role in stimulated mucin secretion using heterozygous knockout mice. Here, we sought to identify the Munc18 protein mediating baseline secretion, and to test the hypothesis that selective impairment of stimulated secretion can protect against airway mucus obstruction. Using conditional airway epithelial deletant mice, we found that Munc18a has the major role in baseline mucin secretion, Munc18b has the major role in stimulated mucin secretion, and Munc18c does not function in mucin secretion. In an allergic asthma model, Munc18b deletion reduced airway mucus occlusion and airflow resistance. In a cystic fibrosis model, Munc18b deletion reduced airway mucus occlusion and emphysema. Munc18b deficiency in the airway epithelium did not result in any abnormalities of lung structure, particle clearance, inflammation, or bacterial infection. Our results show that regulated secretion in a polarized epithelial cell may involve more than one exocytic machine at the apical plasma membrane, and that the protective roles of mucin secretion can be preserved while therapeutically targeting its pathologic roles

The metaphor of battle in the mysticism of Teresa of Avila

Study of the influence of chivalric romances in the language of Saint Teresa of Avila. Anaylisis of the metaphor of religion as the battle of a knight

Mathematical literacy: A case study of pre-service teachers

This study addresses the question of whether or not pre-service teachers are ready and prepared to use and teach the highly-specialized language of each discipline. The disciplinary languages present teaching and learning challenges due to their lack of parallels in the daily language (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). Additionally, the languages of the disciplines are rarely taught and are commonly acquired through an isolated representation of words without a situated meaning within the theory (Gee, 2002). The knowledge of the particular ways of reading, writing, listening to, and talking in the content areas provides opportunities for students’ apprenticeship within the disciplines required for success in higher education contexts (Dobbs, Ippolito, and Charner, 2017). Moreover, this study addresses the question of how future teachers develop disciplinary knowledge and skills. The purpose of this case study was to investigate how mathematical literacy is shaped and defined by the experiences, language, and disciplinary practices of pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics. This overall aim was unfolded by three guiding research questions: 1) What do the Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers and Experts in Mathematics Reveal about their Understanding of Mathematical Literacy? 2) RQ 2. How do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics use language when solving mathematical problems? and 3) What literacy practices do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics utilize when presented with modules that require mathematics problem-solving? To structure the elements of analysis for the participants’ responses, I adopted the theoretical support from the emerging disciplinary literacy framework, the novice-expert paradigm, and the tenets of M. K. Halliday’s functional linguistic theory (i.e., Systemic Functional Linguistics; [SFL]). Four faculty in the Department of Mathematics and four pre-service teachers in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at a large Midwest university agreed to participate in this case study. For the data collection, I asked the participants to participate in two sessions. In the first sessions, the participants responded to a semi-structured interview. Afterward, in a second session, the participants solved modules of mathematical problems following three protocols: a think-aloud, a silent-solving, and an oral-explanatory. The results of the participants’ responses to the semi-structured interview and the three protocols indicated that their experiences as learners and teachers of mathematics are tied to their definitions of literacy and disciplinary literacy. The SFL analysis showed that for the experts of mathematics, mathematical problem-solving is a more abstract and cognitive practice. The pre-service teachers’ registers indicated that mathematical problem-solving is experienced as more concrete and real practice. The unique literacy practices that these participants displayed showed the strong connection between language, literacy, and mathematical thought.The implications of this study are discussed in terms of the importance of language and disciplinary literacy in preparation for future teachers as they progress in their course of study within their teaching education programs

Facebook and online-shopping patterns as segmentation tools for the apparel e-tailing industry

Companies that understand social media platforms as a channel for selling, listening, and getting constant feedback from customers have the possibility to expand beyond the limits of traditional enterprises. Social media is thus, a way of developing the business as well as a lifestyle for modern firms. Nevertheless, little research has been done on how to best transform social media audiences into loyal customers. This dissertation aims to investigate the potential of Facebook, one of the most used social network sites, as well as the Facebook audience online-shopping patterns, as segmentation tools for the apparel industry in the e-tailing channel. Its results should empower firms in this type of industry, to better understand the customer segments that arise from Facebook page audiences. An online survey targeting users of an apparel retailer‟s Facebook page was undertaken in Colombia. The brand has been selling online for five years and it was founded twelve years ago. They specialized in feminine swimwear luxury apparel and have been expanding to the masculine and children‟s market, as well as to sport wear and accessories. The survey was posted in the retailer‟s page on December 2015 and gathered 233 valid responses. Its objectives were to assess users‟ social media and online buying behaviour, as well as the underlying motivations, and identify distinct groups of consumers accordingly. A two-step clustering procedure of behavioural measures yielded the existence of four clusters: The Happily married customer, the resignedly non-interested non-customer, the slippery frequent shopper non-customer and the sales hunter low frequency shopping costumer. Cluster members showed distinct characteristics in terms of their socio-demographic and psychological profile. Recognizing different segments among a bigger audience can help marketers at the time of understanding customers in a less standardized way but to observe them as individuals in order to communicate with them and see the world through their various perspectives.As empresas que compreendem as redes sociais como um canal privilegiado para a venda, ouvir e receber realimentação constante tem a possibilidade de se expandir para além dos limites da empresa tradicional. As redes sociais são então uma forma de desenvolver o negócio, assim como um estilo de vida para as empresas modernas. No entanto, pouca investigação tem sido feita sobre a melhor forma de transformar as audiências de redes sociais em clientes fiéis. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo investigar o potencial do Facebook, uma das redes sociais mais utilizadas, tambem compreender os comportamentos de compras on-line enquanto ferramentas de segmentação para a indústria do vestuário no canal de e-tailing. Os seus resultados devem ajudar este tipo de empresas a compreender melhor os segmentos de clientes que surgem a partir de audiências em páginas de Facebook. Em dezembro de 2015 foi lançado um questionário na página de Facebook duma empresa de vestuário na Colômbia, que reuniu 233 respostas válidas. Esta empresa tem operado on-line desde há cinco anos e foi fundada há douce anos, sendo especializada em vestuário de luxo swimwear feminino. A mesma têm-se expandido para o mercado masculino e infantil assim como para as categorias de roupa de desporto e acessórios. Os objetivos do questionário foram avaliar o comportamento os utilizadores no Facebook e de compra on-line, assim como as suas motivações subjacentes. Pretendeu-se ainda identificar grupos distintos de consumidores. Uma análise de clusters em duas etapas resultou na identificação de quatro grupos distintos de consumidores, em termos socio-demográficos e psicológicos: os felizmente casados com a marca, os que não são clientes e são pouco interesados (Resignados), os compradores resbaladizos frequentes que não são clientes e finalmente os cazadores de ofertas. Reconhecer os diferentes segmentos dentro duma audencia maior pode ajudar os profisionais do mercadeo na hora de compreender os consumidores como individuos que fazem parte de um grupo com carateristicas específicas através das quais as empresas podem comunicarse e interatuar com elas