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Research paper thumbnail of APS's Local Outreach Team in New Jersey reports on middle and high school “Neural Networks” teacher workshops

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Citizen science helps in the study of fungal diversity in New Jersey

Scientific Data, Jan 4, 2023

the history of fungal diversity of the Northeastern United States is currently fragmentary and re... more the history of fungal diversity of the Northeastern United States is currently fragmentary and restricted to particular functional groups or limited geospatial scales. Here, we describe a unique by its size, lifespan and data originators dataset, to improve our understanding of species occurrence and distribution across the state and time. Between the years 2007 to 2019, over 30 parks and nature preserves were sampled during forays conducted by members of the New Jersey Mycological Association (USA), a nonprofit organization of fungi enthusiasts. The dataset contains over 400 000 occurrences of over 1400 species across the state, made up mostly of the phylum Basidiomycota (89%) and Ascomycota (11%), with most observations resolved at the species level (>99%). The database is georeferenced and openly accessible through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) repository. this dataset marks a productive endeavor to contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity of fungi in the Northeastern United States leveraging citizen science to better resolve biodiversity of this critical and understudied kingdom. Background & Summary Fungi are highly diverse and crucial for a wide variety of ecosystem services. They are one of the largest groups of decomposers, playing an essential role in nutrient cycling as saprotrophs or mycorrhiza, and facilitating ecosystem feedback to climate changes 1-4. Fungi are a species-rich taxon of approximately 2.2-3.8 million species 5 , lesser in number to only compared with terrestrial arthropods (over 7 million species 6). The global inventory of fungal species presents a greater challenge compared to other taxonomic groups, due to a temporal nature of bodies of the most fungi. For example, plants (ca 374 000 species 7) have a lower estimated species number, but are much better studied and documented in a biodiversity context. While plants do play critical roles in global carbon cycling, justifying historical focus on that group, fungi play an equally important role as decomposers and nutrient cyclers. Functional groups such as the mycorrhizae are key players in regulation of carbon dioxide 8 , nitrogen and phosphorus cycling 9,10 , with up to 80% of nutrient cycling being provided via fungal symbionts. Given that much of the nutrient cycling associated with gross primary production as well as climate change (mediated through carbon dioxide consumption by plants) may be so strongly tied to fungi, understanding their diversity is critically important, making the bias against fungi a major gap in our understanding of taxa relevant to these cycles. Occasional surveys of fungal diversity based on fruiting bodies have been conducted for limited geographic scales 11 , however, more often fungi are included in larger biodiversity surveys but are disproportionally under described in resulting datasets 12,13. While some large-scale studies of certain important fungal groups like mycorrhizae or parasitic species have been conducted 14,15 , broader evaluation of fungal biodiversity at larger spatial scales is still limited. Publicly available datasets 11,12,16-19 of fungi provide critical data for specialists studying biodiversity, ecology, environmental science, and mycology but more data is required to access the full extent of global fungal diversity. With recent developments in DNA sequencing technologies allowing detection and description of fungal species based on DNA evidence alone, the number of fungal species is expected to rapidly grow 20. The limited detectability, attraction for research, and identification of fungi by both professionals and amateurs are constantly expanding. This rapidly growing inclusion of fungi into our overall study of biodiversity will only continue to expand existing DNA reference libraries 21. Citizen science, too, takes new shapes as not

Research paper thumbnail of JoVE Video Dataset

Research paper thumbnail of The Epidemiology of the AIDS Pandemic

Journal of Student Research, 2019

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a bloodborne pathogen that targets the body’s immune system... more Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a bloodborne pathogen that targets the body’s immune system by attacking T cells. Having originated from Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, the first confirmed case was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the 1980s, the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) pandemic began, and by the end of that decade, the World Health Organization reported the presence of HIV in 145 countries and nearly 400,000 cases worldwide. This rapid spread left the scientific community perplexed, and the general population scared. Our literature review explores which factors led to the rapid global spread of HIV. Through historical records and peer-reviewed articles, we sought to uncover and piece together practical applications to enhance understanding of the history and knowledge of potential dangers in the spread of future pandemics.

Research paper thumbnail of Uretero What? Gynecological Health Issues, Pregnancy, and an Infant with a Birth Defect

Research paper thumbnail of Case Study for the Classroom: a Child with Huntington Disease

Research paper thumbnail of Online Low-Stakes Assignments To Support Scientific Lab Report Writing in Introductory Science Courses

Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2020

Using a combination of online tools (discussion board, submission of reports, grading with rubric... more Using a combination of online tools (discussion board, submission of reports, grading with rubrics) and scaffolded low stakes writing, we designed a comprehensive writing assignment that teaches first and second year undergraduates a basic scientific skill: written communication in the form of a laboratory report. Scaffolding of the assignment into small sections helps students concentrate on topics and writing technique, and ensures the instructor can grade the reports quickly while still providing valuable feedback. Hence, students get a chance to practice lab report writing consistently throughout the semester, simultaneously learning how to do it and improving their results. The assignment prepares students for the lab report in advanced courses or writing scientific reports in their later career. The assignment was used in biology courses, but can be used in other science courses where lab report preparation is required. This system was well received by students.

Research paper thumbnail of APS's Local Outreach Team in New Jersey reports on middle and high school “Physiology of Fitness” workshops for teachers and students

Research paper thumbnail of Uretero What? A Systems-Level View of a Pregnancy with Medical Complications

Research paper thumbnail of Determination of tolerable fatty acids and cholera toxin concentrations using human intestinal epithelial cells and BALB/c mouse macrophages

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2013

The positive role of fatty acids in the prevention and alleviation of non-human and human disease... more The positive role of fatty acids in the prevention and alleviation of non-human and human diseases have been and continue to be extensively documented. These roles include influences on infectious and non-infectious diseases including prevention of inflammation as well as mucosal immunity to infectious diseases. Cholera is an acute intestinal illness caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It occurs in developing nations and if left untreated, can result in death. While vaccines for cholera exist, they are not always effective and other preventative methods are needed. We set out to determine tolerable concentrations of three fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) and cholera toxin using mouse BALB/C macrophages and human intestinal epithelial cells, respectively. We solubilized the above fatty acids and used cell proliferation assays to determine the concentration ranges and specific concentrations of the fatty acids that are not detrimental to human intestinal epitheli...

Research paper thumbnail of APS's Local Outreach Team in New Jersey reports on middle and high school “Neural Networks” teacher workshops

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Citizen science helps in the study of fungal diversity in New Jersey

Scientific Data, Jan 4, 2023

the history of fungal diversity of the Northeastern United States is currently fragmentary and re... more the history of fungal diversity of the Northeastern United States is currently fragmentary and restricted to particular functional groups or limited geospatial scales. Here, we describe a unique by its size, lifespan and data originators dataset, to improve our understanding of species occurrence and distribution across the state and time. Between the years 2007 to 2019, over 30 parks and nature preserves were sampled during forays conducted by members of the New Jersey Mycological Association (USA), a nonprofit organization of fungi enthusiasts. The dataset contains over 400 000 occurrences of over 1400 species across the state, made up mostly of the phylum Basidiomycota (89%) and Ascomycota (11%), with most observations resolved at the species level (>99%). The database is georeferenced and openly accessible through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) repository. this dataset marks a productive endeavor to contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity of fungi in the Northeastern United States leveraging citizen science to better resolve biodiversity of this critical and understudied kingdom. Background & Summary Fungi are highly diverse and crucial for a wide variety of ecosystem services. They are one of the largest groups of decomposers, playing an essential role in nutrient cycling as saprotrophs or mycorrhiza, and facilitating ecosystem feedback to climate changes 1-4. Fungi are a species-rich taxon of approximately 2.2-3.8 million species 5 , lesser in number to only compared with terrestrial arthropods (over 7 million species 6). The global inventory of fungal species presents a greater challenge compared to other taxonomic groups, due to a temporal nature of bodies of the most fungi. For example, plants (ca 374 000 species 7) have a lower estimated species number, but are much better studied and documented in a biodiversity context. While plants do play critical roles in global carbon cycling, justifying historical focus on that group, fungi play an equally important role as decomposers and nutrient cyclers. Functional groups such as the mycorrhizae are key players in regulation of carbon dioxide 8 , nitrogen and phosphorus cycling 9,10 , with up to 80% of nutrient cycling being provided via fungal symbionts. Given that much of the nutrient cycling associated with gross primary production as well as climate change (mediated through carbon dioxide consumption by plants) may be so strongly tied to fungi, understanding their diversity is critically important, making the bias against fungi a major gap in our understanding of taxa relevant to these cycles. Occasional surveys of fungal diversity based on fruiting bodies have been conducted for limited geographic scales 11 , however, more often fungi are included in larger biodiversity surveys but are disproportionally under described in resulting datasets 12,13. While some large-scale studies of certain important fungal groups like mycorrhizae or parasitic species have been conducted 14,15 , broader evaluation of fungal biodiversity at larger spatial scales is still limited. Publicly available datasets 11,12,16-19 of fungi provide critical data for specialists studying biodiversity, ecology, environmental science, and mycology but more data is required to access the full extent of global fungal diversity. With recent developments in DNA sequencing technologies allowing detection and description of fungal species based on DNA evidence alone, the number of fungal species is expected to rapidly grow 20. The limited detectability, attraction for research, and identification of fungi by both professionals and amateurs are constantly expanding. This rapidly growing inclusion of fungi into our overall study of biodiversity will only continue to expand existing DNA reference libraries 21. Citizen science, too, takes new shapes as not

Research paper thumbnail of JoVE Video Dataset

Research paper thumbnail of The Epidemiology of the AIDS Pandemic

Journal of Student Research, 2019

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a bloodborne pathogen that targets the body’s immune system... more Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a bloodborne pathogen that targets the body’s immune system by attacking T cells. Having originated from Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, the first confirmed case was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the 1980s, the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) pandemic began, and by the end of that decade, the World Health Organization reported the presence of HIV in 145 countries and nearly 400,000 cases worldwide. This rapid spread left the scientific community perplexed, and the general population scared. Our literature review explores which factors led to the rapid global spread of HIV. Through historical records and peer-reviewed articles, we sought to uncover and piece together practical applications to enhance understanding of the history and knowledge of potential dangers in the spread of future pandemics.

Research paper thumbnail of Uretero What? Gynecological Health Issues, Pregnancy, and an Infant with a Birth Defect

Research paper thumbnail of Case Study for the Classroom: a Child with Huntington Disease

Research paper thumbnail of Online Low-Stakes Assignments To Support Scientific Lab Report Writing in Introductory Science Courses

Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2020

Using a combination of online tools (discussion board, submission of reports, grading with rubric... more Using a combination of online tools (discussion board, submission of reports, grading with rubrics) and scaffolded low stakes writing, we designed a comprehensive writing assignment that teaches first and second year undergraduates a basic scientific skill: written communication in the form of a laboratory report. Scaffolding of the assignment into small sections helps students concentrate on topics and writing technique, and ensures the instructor can grade the reports quickly while still providing valuable feedback. Hence, students get a chance to practice lab report writing consistently throughout the semester, simultaneously learning how to do it and improving their results. The assignment prepares students for the lab report in advanced courses or writing scientific reports in their later career. The assignment was used in biology courses, but can be used in other science courses where lab report preparation is required. This system was well received by students.

Research paper thumbnail of APS's Local Outreach Team in New Jersey reports on middle and high school “Physiology of Fitness” workshops for teachers and students

Research paper thumbnail of Uretero What? A Systems-Level View of a Pregnancy with Medical Complications

Research paper thumbnail of Determination of tolerable fatty acids and cholera toxin concentrations using human intestinal epithelial cells and BALB/c mouse macrophages

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 2013

The positive role of fatty acids in the prevention and alleviation of non-human and human disease... more The positive role of fatty acids in the prevention and alleviation of non-human and human diseases have been and continue to be extensively documented. These roles include influences on infectious and non-infectious diseases including prevention of inflammation as well as mucosal immunity to infectious diseases. Cholera is an acute intestinal illness caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It occurs in developing nations and if left untreated, can result in death. While vaccines for cholera exist, they are not always effective and other preventative methods are needed. We set out to determine tolerable concentrations of three fatty acids (oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) and cholera toxin using mouse BALB/C macrophages and human intestinal epithelial cells, respectively. We solubilized the above fatty acids and used cell proliferation assays to determine the concentration ranges and specific concentrations of the fatty acids that are not detrimental to human intestinal epitheli...