Examining the Effect of Varying Dilutions of Octopamine on the Gut Microbiome of Lab-raised and Wild Acheta Domesticus By Brandon Nelson University of Puget Sound Biology

For my research I am comparing the gut microbiome of lab raised A. Domesticus that are given various levels of Octopamine, a stress hormone, and comparing that to the gut microbiome of wild cricket types. Crickets are a widely used organism across the world for various experiments as both subject and feed. Knowing how the gut microbiome of these crickets is affected by various levels of stress will allow us to better take care of these crickets. This could also help us determine if there are any diseases that lab raised crickets may be susceptible to. A large part of this research has been exploratory, finding various bacteria from frass samples. This project uses genomic DNA extraction kits, PCR, nanodrop, and other microbiology techniques

The Beast Inside Your Head: A Look at Mental Health Issues in Samoa

Mental illness remains a very controversial and prevalent problem for the entire world, especially the Pacific. This study examines some prevalent mental health issues and looks at how suicide, youth, alcohol, and prison correlate with mental health issues and illness in Samoa. It also looks at the Mental Health Unit (MHU) at National Hospital and programs implemented to help Samoans suffering within the four areas of mental health researched. Quantitative data from international organizations, government bureaus, and surveys, helps describe the current status of mental health issues in Samoa. One hundred twenty four surveys (124) were distributed about mental health awareness and what people deemed as the best way to treat mental illness. Interviews and observations rounded out the study. Results show most Samoans understand mental health and its importance. Analysis also suggests that Samoa is progressing in clinical terms and treatment of mental illness, as well as being proactive in mental health education. Overall, this research documents the programs that the National Hospital provides in terms of mental health treatment and education to communities. Ke

Atypical hemispheric specialization for faces in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder

Among the many experimental findings that tend to distinguish those with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are face processing deficits, reduced hemispheric specialization, and atypical neurostructural and functional connectivity. To investigate the earliest manifestations of these features, we examined lateralization of event-related gamma-band coherence to faces during the first year of life in infants at high risk for autism (HRA; defined as having an older sibling with ASD) who were compared with low-risk comparison (LRC) infants, defined as having no family history of ASD. Participants included 49 HRA and 46 LRC infants who contributed a total of 127 data sets at 6 and 12 months. Electroencephalography was recorded while infants viewed images of familiar/unfamiliar faces. Event-related gamma-band (30-50 Hz) phase coherence between anterior-posterior electrode pairs for left and right hemispheres was computed. Developmental trajectories for lateralization of intra-hemispheric coherence were significantly different in HRA and LRC infants: by 12 months, HRA infants showed significantly greater leftward lateralization compared with LRC infants who showed rightward lateralization. Preliminary results indicate that infants who later met criteria for ASD were those that showed the greatest leftward lateralization. HRA infants demonstrate an aberrant pattern of leftward lateralization of intra-hemispheric coherence by the end of the first year of life, suggesting that the network specialized for face processing may develop atypically. Further, infants with the greatest leftward asymmetry at 12 months where those that later met criteria for ASD, providing support to the growing body of evidence that atypical hemispheric specialization may be an early neurobiological marker for ASD.R01 DC010290 - NIDCD NIH HHS; R01-DC010290 - NIDCD NIH HH

ForestQC: Quality control on genetic variants from next-generation sequencing data using random forest.

Next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) enables the discovery of nearly all genetic variants present in a genome. A subset of these variants, however, may have poor sequencing quality due to limitations in NGS or variant callers. In genetic studies that analyze a large number of sequenced individuals, it is critical to detect and remove those variants with poor quality as they may cause spurious findings. In this paper, we present ForestQC, a statistical tool for performing quality control on variants identified from NGS data by combining a traditional filtering approach and a machine learning approach. Our software uses the information on sequencing quality, such as sequencing depth, genotyping quality, and GC contents, to predict whether a particular variant is likely to be false-positive. To evaluate ForestQC, we applied it to two whole-genome sequencing datasets where one dataset consists of related individuals from families while the other consists of unrelated individuals. Results indicate that ForestQC outperforms widely used methods for performing quality control on variants such as VQSR of GATK by considerably improving the quality of variants to be included in the analysis. ForestQC is also very efficient, and hence can be applied to large sequencing datasets. We conclude that combining a machine learning algorithm trained with sequencing quality information and the filtering approach is a practical approach to perform quality control on genetic variants from sequencing data

Gamma power in rural Pakistani children: links to executive function and verbal ability

Children in low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of cognitive deficits due to environmental deprivation that compromises brain development. Despite the high prevalence of unrealized cognitive potential, very little is known about neural correlates of cognition in this population. We assessed resting EEG power and cognitive ability in 105 highly disadvantaged 48-month-old children in rural Pakistan. An increase in EEG power in gamma frequency bands (21–30 Hz and 31–45 Hz) was associated with better executive function. For girls, EEG gamma power also related to higher verbal IQ. This study identifies EEG gamma power as a neural marker of cognitive function in disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. Elevated gamma power may be a particularly important protective factor for girls, who may experience greater deprivation due to gender inequality.This research was supported by Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains Initiative Grant 0061-03. The preparation of this article also was supported by a Scholar's Award from the William T. Grant Foundation to Jelena Obradovic. (0061-03 - Grand Challenges Canada Saving Brains Initiative; William T. Grant Foundation)Published versio

Probing RNN Encoder-Decoder Generalization of Subregular Functions using Reduplication

This paper examines the generalization abilities of encoder-decoder networks on a class of subregular functions characteristic of natural language reduplication. We find that, for the simulations we run, attention is a necessary and sufficient mechanism for learning generalizable reduplication. We examine attention alignment to connect RNN computation to a class of 2-way transducers

“Speak up!” An Examination of the Language Capacities of Children Displaying Various Forms of Social Withdrawal and Aggression

Language serves as a mechanism through which children are able to interact and communicate with others. Thus, when children do not develop language at a typical pace, there may be cause for concern. The purpose of the current study was to examine the language production of children displaying various forms of social withdrawal (reticent, solitary-passive, and solitary-active behavior) and children engaging in subtypes of aggression (relational, physical, and comorbid). Participants came from preschools operated by a large private university located in the intermountain region of the western United States (N = 220, Mage = 4.58, 53% female). We observed the participating children, and teachers and parents completed reports on the children’s behaviors. Results revealed that reticent, solitary-passive, and solitary-active children produced less language compared to their nonwithdrawn peers. Further analyses revealed language differences between subtypes of social withdrawal. Physically aggressive children produced less language compared to nonaggressive children, and comorbid aggressive children produced more language compared to their nonaggressive, physically aggressive, and relationally aggressive peers. The discussion focuses on contextual and conceptual factors that may play a role in understanding the relation between language production, social withdrawal, and aggression

Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed Management Plan

The Elk River Chain of Lakes (ERCOL) watershed is located in northwestern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. It is the largest sub-watershed of the Grand Traverse Bay watershed and covers over 500 square miles of land, has over 60 square miles of open water, and 200 miles of shoreline. The lakes and streams found in this watershed are some of the most pristine inland waterbodies in the entire country and provide a multitude of recreational and economic benefits for both full time residents and tourist. Despite continual efforts to protect the watershed, emerging issues such as land development pressures, invasive species, failing septic systems, and barriers to hydrologic connectivity threaten to impair these waters and degrade their ecological and economic treasures. The SNRE team developed a comprehensive watershed management plan under the guidance of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and in conjunction with local lake associations and the ERCOL Watershed Plan Implementation Team (ERCOL-WPIT). The team’s efforts included: conducting road stream crossing and streambank erosion surveys across the watershed, leading town hall meetings, performing a priority parcel analysis, and generating spatial analysis reference sets and maps. Ultimately, the ERCOL Watershed Protection Plan will be submitted for approval by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The lessons learned on restoration and protection can be carried over to similar geographies throughout the Great Lakes region, to cumulatively protect and enhance Great Lakes’ water quality and ecosystems.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117589/1/2016-04-18_ERCOL_Final.pd