The Effects of Interactivity on Memory Relating to Presence in Virtual Environments

The overall effectiveness of virtual environments is often linked to and measured by degrees of presence, commonly defined as the psychological sensation of “being there” (Schubert et al., 1999). Psychologists agree that attention and involvement through interactivity play a role in presence (Hartmann et al., 2015; Schubert et al., 1999; Witmer and Singer, 1998). Because attention is critical in encoding information into memory storage, looking at how memory relates to presence is another topic of interest. In this study, participants (N = 30) played through a 3D virtual reconstruction of a Pompeian house under one of two conditions: free-roam and task-oriented. No significant difference emerged between the conditions for feelings of presence. There was also no difference between conditions in terms of memory recognition of the virtual environment. However, as predicted, a significant difference emerged for the memory recall test, as participants in the interactive task-oriented condition exhibited higher accuracy in vase placement relative to the original target locations compared to the free-roam condition. This difference suggests improved memory recall due to interactivity rather than presence

Neurotrophin Signaling and Alzheimer’s Disease Neurodegeneration − Focus on BDNF/TrkB Signaling

Neurotrophins are small proteins vital for neuronal growth, differentiation, survival, and plasticity. Members of the mammalian neurotrophin family include nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin- 4/5 (NT-4/5). Their neurotrophic effects are mediated by the tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) receptors, membrane-bound receptor tyrosine kinases (NGF for TrkA, BDNF and NT4/5 for TrkB, and NT-3 for TrkC) which activate various cell signaling pathways linked to growth, differentiation, and survival. The importance of neurotrophin signaling in brain development is highlighted by findings showing that knockout mice for any one of the neurotrophins or their receptors are fatal or exhibit severe neural defects

A culturally sensitive support group for Chinese families : redesigning the Bright Beginnings curriculum

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the goodness-of-it between the Bright Beginnings curriculum and people who identify with the Chinese culture

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Strategies for in vivo Neurochemical Monitoring with Microdialysis.

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful analytical tool for multi-analyte quantification. This method can be combined with microdialysis sampling to study small molecules and neuropeptides within discrete brain regions. This thesis focuses on the development of targeted LC-MS assays to analyze dialysate samples collected from awake animals to correlate neurochemical dynamics with behavior. Previous LC-MS assays used benzoyl chloride derivatization to enable quantification of 17 neurotransmitters and metabolites in dialysate samples. In this work, derivatization conditions were modified to improve sensitivity up to 25-fold and reduce complexity of the procedure. The assay was also expanded to 70 compounds including amino acids, polyamines (e.g., putrescine, spermidine, spermine), compounds from catecholamine biosynthesis pathways (e.g., tyrosine and tryptophan metabolic pathways), and trace amines (e.g., tyramine, octopamine, synephrine). Besides measurements in dialysate, the method was able to analyze plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples. This work improves the utility of benzoyl chloride, which labels multiple important functional groups, for widely targeted metabolomics methods. Neuropeptides constitute the largest group of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Neuropeptide signaling is involved in many physiological functions but detection in vivo is challenging due to low picomolar concentrations. Targeted capillary LC-MS methods were developed for neurotensin, oxytocin, dynorphin, and enkephalins. The assays utilize desalting and preconcentration on a single analytical column to achieve low picomolar limits of detection. Detection was improved by optimizing all facets of neuropeptide handling from sampling to detection with capillary LC-MS. These techniques were applied to examine several aspects of neuronal function. Specific neuronal circuits were defined, confirmed, and targeted by combining these analytical tools with pharmacogenetic and optogenetic methods. Novel pathophysiological changes to opioid neuropeptide (dynorphin and enkephalins) dynamics were elucidated in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, and a potential neuropeptide-based treatment was established to reduce the abnormal dyskinetic movements associated with chronic dopamine replacement therapies in Parkinson’s Disease. These new multiplexed approaches will advance our understanding of the complex processes underlying neuronal function at the molecular and circuit levels, as well as provides an improved set of experimental tools to better understand lingering questions in the field of neuroscience.PHDChemistryUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135792/1/jmtwong_1.pd

'I could smell the sound of winter' : Children's aesthetic experiences in their local forest through digital storying

Peer reviewe

Children’s Augmented Storying in, with and for Nature

Drawing on a relational ontology and scholarship of new literacies, we investigate the materiality and performativity of children’s augmented storying in nature. Our study is situated in a Finnish primary school in which a novel, augmented reality application (MyAR Julle) was utilized as a digital storytelling tool for children (n = 62, aged 7–9), allowing them to explore, interact, and imagine in nature and to create/share their stories. The data corpus consists of their narrations of their augmented stories in nature, their augmented story artefacts, and video/observational data from their construction of such stories in nature. Narrative analysis reveals how the children’s augmented storying in nature was performed through playful, affective, and sensuous, identity, cultural, and critical literacies, which were imaginatively constructed into being at the nexus of their sensed reality and fantasy. These literacies make visible human–material–spatial–temporal assemblages during which the children played with/through the augmented character Julle, felt and sensed with/through Julle, and re-storied their experiences, cultural knowledge, and identities with/through Julle. They also engaged in critical thinking with/through Julle. The study contributes to knowledge on the meaning of materiality in children’s storying in, with, and for nature and the educational possibilities of augmented storying for children’s (eco)literacies

Children’s Augmented Storying in, with and for Nature

Drawing on a relational ontology and scholarship of new literacies, we investigate the materiality and performativity of children’s augmented storying in nature. Our study is situated in a Finnish primary school in which a novel, augmented reality application (MyAR Julle) was utilized as a digital storytelling tool for children (n = 62, aged 7–9), allowing them to explore, interact, and imagine in nature and to create/share their stories. The data corpus consists of their narrations of their augmented stories in nature, their augmented story artefacts, and video/observational data from their construction of such stories in nature. Narrative analysis reveals how the children’s augmented storying in nature was performed through playful, affective, and sensuous, identity, cultural, and critical literacies, which were imaginatively constructed into being at the nexus of their sensed reality and fantasy. These literacies make visible human–material–spatial–temporal assemblages during which the children played with/through the augmented character Julle, felt and sensed with/through Julle, and re-storied their experiences, cultural knowledge, and identities with/through Julle. They also engaged in critical thinking with/through Julle. The study contributes to knowledge on the meaning of materiality in children’s storying in, with, and for nature and the educational possibilities of augmented storying for children’s (eco)literacies