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Sean Nash

Learning in Plants: Lessons from Mimosa pudica - 4 views

  • there is a lack of observational data on the behavior of plants
  • Observational research allows the researcher to establish baseline activity and response levels of the subject
  • Perhaps the first study of learning in plants was a habituation experiment reported by Pfeffer (1873) using the sensitive plant Mimosa. In this experiment, repeated mechanical stimulation of leaflets led to a decrease in sensitivity
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  • the question naturally arises as to whether Mimosa can discriminate between stimuli. This was answered in the affirmative by Holmes and Gruenberg (1965) whose experimental design included a drop of water and finger touch as stimuli
  • the results suggest that Mimosa can discriminate between stimuli
  • Thomas performed an experiment on classical conditioning in Mimosa that took advantage of the finding that, under field conditions, the leaflets of Mimosa slowly drop as dusk approaches and slowly rise at dawn (personal communication). In the experiment, the CS was turning on the light in the growth chamber and the US was touching selected leaflets. Thomas found that leaflets in the paired condition showed conditioning compared to a light only or alternating stimulation condition. This finding should be replicated with controls for pseudoconditioning.
  • Given the importance of the Gagliano et al. (2014) experiment and the failure to replicate some previous experimental results it is critical that the Gagliano et al. (2014) results be repeated by an independent laboratory.
  • In addition to Mimosa, habituation has been found in the carnivorous plant Drosera (sundew
  • Applewhite (1975) cites an experiment by Darwin reportedly showing habituation in the passion flower (Passiflora gracilis). During this experiment, when Darwin mechanically stimulated the passion flower tendrils, the tendrils no longer responded after 54 h of training.
  • Abramson et al. (2002) investigated the use of bioelectrical potentials as a method to explore plant behavior.
  • In an interesting article, Karpinski and Szechynska-Hebda (2010) discuss the intellect of plants from memory to intelligence. By studying recall, the researcher investigates a host of independent variables and that are solidly anchored to a set of dependent variables. This study focused on recall at the cellular level rather than as an externally observable behavior. The discussion of plant learning at various levels, from cellular to organismal and from different scientific fields is exactly what is advocated for in this article
  • There is also interest from behavioral scientists seeking to determine whether the similarities and differences in learning found among invertebrates and vertebrates could also be found in plants (Warden et al., 1940; Applewhite, 1975; Abramson et al., 2002; Guiguet, 2013).
  • The majority of early plant studies used the Sensitive plant (M. pudica). Mimosa has much to recommend it for learning studies. They are easy to maintain, much is known about its natural history, and they have a visible leaf closure response to external stimuli. However, there are drawbacks in the use of Mimosa, for example, it takes about 15 min for a leaf to recover (Holmes and Gruenberg, 1965) and not much is known about its genome in contrast to model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana whose entire genome is known.
  • In the following section we will focus on methods to develop studies utilizing habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning techniques. Instrumental and operant conditioning will not be covered because at this time there are no Mimosa studies in these areas; although one can envision a situation where the opening and closing of a leaf can be detected electronically. Once detected, the response would produce a consequence such as an airpuff or changes in light intensity.
    • Sean Nash
       
      The remainder of this comprehensive article is to outline the main lines of research in this area:
  • Learning in Plants: Lessons from Mimosa pudica
    • Sean Nash
       
      This well-compiled article does a really nice job of outlining the history of study regarding plant behavior. It also suggests model organisms for study. Mimosa is a favorite of mine as their response is VERY rapid and quite visible for a plant! There are all sorts of feasible project ideas that could arise from this area of research.
katherine-medina

Sci-Hub | Dandelion Root and Lemongrass Extracts Induce Apoptosis, Enhance Chemotherape... - 1 views

    • katherine-medina
       
      They found cancer cell-fighting properties in the dandelion root, lemon grass, long pepper, and hibiscus extract. (I should probably look into what makes these plants prone to killing cancer cells.)
    • katherine-medina
       
      In order to further understand how these complex extracts exhibit their anticancer efects, the mechanism of apoptotic induction should be investigated. In order to determine if apoptosis is induced through oxidative stress, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is used
    • katherine-medina
       
      Okay, so they made sure to have a control group of cancer cells, then a group of healthy cells that are being experimented on with the liquid, then they had the cancer-ridden cells.
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    • katherine-medina
       
      s. Tus, we have shown for the frst time that these NHPs can be used as adjuvants to chemotherapies and potentially enhance their effect.
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    I will likely come back to this if I so choose to look into how dandelion roots fight cancer.
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    Yes. Another approach is often... once (if) you can find a suggested mechanism of action... you can often pivot with that action into looking for similar effects in other areas (doesn't have to be human or mammal cancer cells). That area isn't a no-go, but it does present feasibility issues to be tackled. If you can find a suggested mechanism, then you can think more widely about how else could you look to see if that effect can be leveraged in other areas. That is often how you can move toward an easily feasible model organism to test that effect on. Keep up the good work!
katherine-medina

Sci-Hub | A droplet-based electricity generator with high instantaneous power density. ... - 0 views

    • katherine-medina
       
      We find that when a falling water droplet spreads on the PTFE surface, it bridges the originally disconnected components (the PTFE/ITO and aluminum electrode) into a closed-loop, electrical system Interesting.
    • katherine-medina
       
      Fig. 1 | Design of the DEG. a, Schematic diagram. b, Optical image showing four parallel DEG devices fabricated on a glass substrate. The volume of each droplet is 100.0 μl. c, As individual droplets continue to impinge on the asfabricated device, the amount of charge on the PTFE surface increases gradually and eventually reaches a stable value. d, One hundred commercial LEDs can be powered when one droplet, released from a height of 15.0 cm, is in contact with the device. e, Under the same experimental conditions (for example, the same droplet size and height of release), the output voltage measured from the DEG (in red, with the frequency of impinging droplets being
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    Interesting to see a different method on creating power out of water. I kinda of want to look into the science of water.
katherine-medina

Sci-Hub | Antimicrobial activity of pomegranate fruit constituents against dr... - 0 views

    • katherine-medina
       
      The peel extracts exhibited greater antimycobacterial activity (MIC 64-1024 mg/mL) than the potable juice (MIC 256 -41024 mg/mL). Cool an early answer,
    • katherine-medina
       
      "exhibited estrogen-like activity" Why does it act like that, and that is crazy.
    • katherine-medina
       
      I think that the Hodge tests will be something important for me to look into as I go further and further down the road of polyphenolic study.
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    An interesting article that basically shows that pomegranate polyphenols can kill bacteria.
katherine-medina

Sci-Hub | Amyloid-β as a Blood Biomarker for Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of... - 0 views

    • katherine-medina
       
      So seeing as if scientists have mostly studied AB40-42, and 38 why don't they look at the other peptides under the name of AB.
    • katherine-medina
       
      I shall take note of this excerpt of the passage for future reference, "The discrep- 104 ancy between these two ultrasensitive assays may 105 be due to the different principle and design that 106 IMR assay could inhibit the oligomerization of A42 107 by the iron-chelating effect of magnetic Fe3O4 108 nanoparticles."
    • katherine-medina
       
      Important to see that they are figuring out that, "that there is a blood-brain transportation mechanism 261 for A and indicated that plasma A may be able to 262 reflect the brain A condition."
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    • katherine-medina
       
      Maybe I could look into the blood plasma levels AB1-40 and make it into a sort of predictor that could show if somehow may in future years live with some sort of Alzeheimer's Dementia.
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    A good look at what scientist have found about the presence of Amyloid B in the blood as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease
Sean Nash

Camouflaging wheat with a wheat smell could be a new approach to pest control - 1 views

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    This is a simple concept I wanted to toss out there. A sort of "drowning sensory input" in order to "make finding less effective" sort of approach. I wonder if there are other things this concept might be applied to?
Sean Nash

"I Wonder...": Reconnecting with Our Natural Curiosity - YouTube - 0 views

  • Reconnecting with Our Natural Curiosity
    • Sean Nash
       
      This is Caitlyn with the Society for Science (the group that sponsors the ISEF & RTS. I saw her give this talk in person last October. she gives some really good suggestions for reconnecting to the curiosity and wonder of your childhood. It is THIS skill that separates the typical student from the creative mind of a scientist. Will YOU try out any of her suggestions??
Sean Nash

Study shows experimental evidence of an altruistic nature in small convict cichlid fish - 0 views

  • Study shows experimental evidence of an altruistic nature in small convict cichlid fish
    • Sean Nash
       
      This is a big favorite model organism for me and for a handful of former students. They are fascinating little fish with complex behaviors. However, the struggle is always: studies with vertebrate model organisms are always subject to far more scrutiny and paperwork. You have to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that your study is not invasive, and you have a proper plan for their care before/during/after experimentation. I am actually switching out the back aquarium (that previously had African Cichlids) for these in August.
Sean Nash

Low-dose radiation from A-bombs elongated lifespan and reduced cancer mortality relativ... - 1 views

  • individuals
    • Sean Nash
       
      These "individuals" could just as easily be plants of lower invertebrates (as model organisms at this level). This is fascinating to me. There is no doubt that we would be limited in our ability to work with ionizing radiation, but that's not to say a project couldn't be developed along these lines. I never cease to be amazed at what a motivated student can resourcefully come up with when their passion for a particular line of research is so high.
Sean Nash

Shining the Light on Baby Crabs | Hakai Magazine - 2 views

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    I added this one, which includes detail of an environmental study, to illustrate how creative use of everyday materials can sometimes work to design scientific methods that work!
Sean Nash

Large Data Sets - Society for Science - 1 views

  • Locate a data set that interests you, see how others students have used large data sets in their research, and learn about current scientific studies fueled by big data.
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    Another really solid pathway into project development is the examination and study of already existing large data sets. I have seen excellent projects that didn't even require students to generate their own data. Instead, they utilize already existing data to answer questions others may not have posed before in relation to that data set. At the very least, becoming familiar with these lines of research can help you discover a line of research that is most compelling to you!
Sean Nash

Taurine slows aging in mice. Will it ever work for people? - 1 views

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    Interesting bit on the potential benefits of taurine in the diet. Don't rush out and start an energy drink habit, but if you've had one, you likely know the unique taste of this chemical. There are a ton of things mentioned in this short article. Perhaps dig into what we already know about biochemical pathways of taurine...
Sean Nash

E-learning courses - GrowNextGen - 2 views

  • These self-guided digital resources allow students to work independently. Pre- and posttests can be used to check knowledge gains.
    • Sean Nash
       
      An interesting set of open online courses to take your learning to the next level in some area... These might be interesting early on in the problem-finding phase, but also once a topic is chosen... you need to get up to speed in an area of science much more quickly than in traditional teacher-led courses. Perhaps one of these can help you build early background expertise in some area?
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