Factors Affecting Clutch Size in a Population of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) in Northwestern New Jersey

The salamander family Plethodontidae is known for being an indicator of environmental health and has been labeled as the “canary in the coal mine” of forest ecosystems (Urban et al. 2014). One of the most widely distributed and commonly studied plethodontid species is the red-backed salamander (RBS, Plethodon cinereus). Populations of P. cinereus will be influenced by different variables within the environment including temperature, humidity, and leaf litter. Fundamental data on populations of P. cinereus must be gathered before we can understand how these intercorrelated variables will influence P. cinereus distribution and demographics. In this study I aimed to gather foundational data on the reproductive ecology of female red-backed salamanders in Stokes State Forest, Sussex County, New Jersey. Reproductive data were collected on 366 clutches from April 2017 to October 2019. I analyzed yearly and seasonal data as well as measured the effects of body size on clutch size. Results showed a positive correlation between body size and clutch size of P. cinereus. When seasons were analyzed separately, there were significant differences in clutch size among years for both the fall and the spring. Additionally, I manipulated leaf litter quantity and measured its impact on the clutch size of P. cinereus. I found that clutch size was positively associated with the quantity of leaf litter and decreased as leaf litter was removed from the study sites. This investigation provides a foundational analysis on the clutch size of P. cinereus in Stokes State Forest, providing significant information necessary for monitoring this population

Immunomodulator expression in trophoblasts from the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cat as a contributor to placental immunopathology and reproductive failure at early- and late-term pregnancy

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV accounts for more than 90% of pediatric infections worldwide, yet the mechanism of vertical transfer remains unknown. The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cat is a cost-effective, small-animal model of HIV pathogenesis and MTCT, which produces a high rate of reproductive failure and fetal infection in litters delivered at early- and late-term gestation. Our previous data suggest that FIV infection may dysregulate placental cytokines and compromise pregnancy. We hypothesized that FIV-infection may cause dysregulation of placental cytokine expression, and aberrant expression of these cytokines may potentiate inflammation and transplacental infections. The purpose of this project was to evaluate feline placental immunopathology at the whole and cellular levels during early- and late-term gestation to understand how lentiviruses may perturb placental immune parameters. To determine whether placentas were vulnerable to FIV infection, we quantified the expression of the FIV receptors, CD134 and CXCR4, in RNA extracted from late-term placental tissue. We found higher expression of CD134 and CXCR4 in placentas from successful pregnancies. To evaluate relative cytokine expression in randomly-sampled, whole placental specimens, we quantified representative pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and a chemokine. IL-6 and IL-12p35 were increased in early-gestation, FIV-infected queens; IL-6 was increased in late-gestation, FIV-infected queens. To evaluate placental immunopathology at the cellular level, we developed a novel immunohistochemistry method to identify trophoblastic cells selectively. Trophoblasts were collected using laser capture microdissection, and RNA was extracted from captured cells. We detected expression of several anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 (the FIV co-receptor) in trophoblasts at both stages of gestation. However, we failed to detect expression of other cytokines and CD134, the FIV primary receptor. FIV infection slightly lowered expression of all cytokines at both early and late pregnancy, although only the decrease in IL-5, from early pregnancy, and IL-4 and IL-12p35, from late pregnancy, reached significant levels. Fetal non-viability was associated with decreased trophoblast expression of IL-4, IL-6, IL-12p35, and CXCR4 at early gestation and decreased expression of IL-4, IL-12p35, IL-12p40 at late gestation. Collectively, these data indicate that FIV infection negatively impacts pregnancy outcome and alters placental immunomodulation

Intentionally Inflicted: The Baze Plurality Painfully Executed the Purpose of the Eighth Amendment

On April 16, 2008, the United States Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of lethal injection as a method of execution. In its analysis, the Court recognized, as it had in prior cases, that the government\u27s choice of a particular method of execution did not violate the Eighth Amendment\u27s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. As a result, the Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injection in Baze v. Rees, rendering a seven-to-two plurality decision

The Effects of Punicalagin and Tannic Acid on Caenorhabditis elegans Models of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the fifth leading cause of death in the US. This neurodegenerative disease involves neuronal death associated with amyloid-beta (AB) plaques. Current treatments can manage symptoms, but there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Our study focused on C. elegans models of Alzheimer’s disease and the ability of punicalagin and tannic acid, plant polyphenols, to prevent the onset of disease symptoms. Behavioral assays were used to study the ability of these extracts to combat the effects of AB expression in C. elegans. These assays tested chemosensory and muscular deficits, similar to olfactory defects and paralysis seen in patients. Our results suggest that punicalagin reduces neuronal deficits caused by the expression of AB, while tannic acid does not

Ethical Elitism: A Burkean Analysis of the Rhetorical Construction of a Moral Persona in the First Term of President George W. Bush

On November 4, 2004, President George W. Bush won re-election. According to exit polls, a majority of people who voted for Bush over his opponent, Senator John Kerry, did so because they believed that Bush was the “moral values” candidate. In this dissertation, I assess the moral persona that the President rhetorically constructed during his first term in office. To do so, I utilize Kenneth Burke‟s cluster and pentad tools to analyze Bush‟s statements on embryonic stem cell research, 9/11 and the ensuing War on Terror, and same-sex marriage, three issues that the elite press explicitly identified as being “moral values” during Bush‟s first term. The analyses reveal that Bush‟s rhetoric frames the ethical struggle as being between himself and an elite/powerful few others. The majority of Americans are thus stripped of their agent status and the corresponding ability to act and left to feel the effects of a “moral” decision that is made in their absence yet affects their very being. I term this sort of ethics “elitist ethics” as ethics and morality are made to seem like a power struggle between an elite few. In the conclusion I assess the effects of elitist ethics in the public sphere

The Experiences of Cuban American Women Attending a Hispanic Serving Institution and the Influences on Identity Development

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding and gather insight into the experiences of Cuban American women attending a 4-year, public, Hispanic Serving Institution and how those experiences influenced their identity development. This was accomplished by conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with 12 self-identified Cuban American women who were classified as sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate students. All of the participants had attended Florida International University for at least 1 year. The women had varying degrees of on and off campus academic and campus involvement activities. Participants were asked about six topics: (a) family, (b) cultural influences, (c) gender, (d) ethical and moral development, (e) education, and (f) ethnic identity. Based on the coding of the data provided by the participants, several interconnected themes emerged including the importance of family, familial support, cultural pride, expected gender roles, core values, decision making, biculturalism, and the value of attending a Hispanic Serving Institution. These themes were found to be all related to the identity development of the participants. It was found that looking at identity through a multidimensional lens is essential. Looking at personal growth and development through anthropological, sociological, and psychosocial lenses gave greater insight to a population of students who have been largely underrepresented in the literature. The findings of this case study are that culture is contextual and identity development is complex for first and second generation Cuban American women attending a Hispanic Serving Institution in a majority minority city. It was found that several factors, including the importance of family and gender roles, were not found to be more important than one another; rather they supported each other in regards to the participants’ identity development. The notion of biculturalism as it has been presented in the literature was challenged in this study as it was found that the participants’ experiences living and attending a school in a majority minority city presented a new way of understanding what it might mean to be bicultural. For professionals in the field, the findings of this study may lead to a broader understanding of nuances within the Hispanic community and a better understanding of the distinctiveness of what it means to be a Cuban American woman

What skills are needed in personnel management utilizing telecommunication as a training tool

According to Daniel Bissonnet (1990) in his article, The role of high technology in training , as trainers, whether we are firmly entrenched in traditional modes of teaching or are adept at using new tools, the changes that technology imposes on the role of training in corporations are intimidating. The fact remains, though, that high-tech communication products will be used in training. Most consultants agree that as we move into the next decade, technology will require better learning and a broader array of skills and knowledge in the area of telecommunications

Reporting adverse events during anesthesia procedures

Although Anesthesiology has had a long successful record in patient safety dating back to the start of the Closed Claim Project of 1984, there is still room for improvement in a field dedicated to patient safety.34 Such improvements include addressing the issue of underreporting of adverse events and errors in the healthcare systems. Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and their department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine is committed to ensuring a culture of patient safety by encouraging an increase in voluntary event reporting by providers. To determine the frequency of voluntary reporting and to compare the effectiveness of the reporting systems in place at BCH, three systems were used. The Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS), was used in this study to determine the incidence of adverse events through manual chart review. The two reporting systems in place at BCH are Anesthesia System for Clinical Event Tracking (ASCENT) which is fully integrated within AIMS and the Safety Event Reporting System (SERS) which is an independent system for reporting events. After approval from the IRB, the current retrospective study includes a manual chart review of 9,088 anesthesia cases during January 2018, June 2019, and January 2020 to determine the incidence of adverse events that were documented in AIMS. In addition, the reported events captured in both ASCENT and SERS were queried for this same period. Using statistical analysis, the event data was illustrated using total event counts and the frequency of event types reported. It was determined that overall there was a significant increase in voluntary reports captured in ASCENT after improvements were made to the system as well as a higher frequency of reports captured in ASCENT than in SERS. Along with corresponding literature, the data supports the importance of a user-friendly and integrated reporting system in healthcare