The brain is a complex dynamic and self-organizing system. Normal brain function emerges from synchronized neuronal firing between local neurons which are integrated into large scale networks via white matter tracts. Normal brain function and consciousness arise from the continual integration and dissolution of neuronal networks, and this fluctuation in synchronization is termed variability. Brain electrical activity is recorded as local field potentials using electroencephalography (EEG). The phase synchrony and variability of EEG waveforms can be quantified. The healthy brain exhibits a relatively low degree of phase synchrony and a high degree of variability. Clinicians are interested in using a complex system approach to brain function to provide dynamic information on neuronal physiology and pathology not available by other evaluation methods. A common challenge in paediatric critical care is evaluation of the comatose child post brain injury. Coma and medical interventions confound the clinical examination making monitoring and prognostication of outcome difficult. Brain cells and white matter tracts are disrupted post injury altering the phase synchrony between neuronal networks. It is proposed in this thesis that the estimation of the variability in EEG phase synchrony can evaluate paediatric brain function. The EEG recordings of normal children and patients in coma post brain injury are used, in a series of studies, to test the main hypothesis that slow EEG wave brain states associated with brain injury have higher magnitudes of EEG phase synchrony and lower variability values than those of EEG waves associated with consciousness. Further, the effects of age, brain development brain and the effect of a conscious slow wave EEG state (hyperventilation) on phase synchrony and variability are evaluated. Results of the studies showed that EEG phase synchrony is increased in all slow wave states and is highest in comatose children with poor neurological outcome. Younger children’s brains have higher phase synchrony than older children. The variability of the EEG phase synchrony differentiates between the awake (higher values) and unconscious states (lower values). Physiologic models underlying EEG phase synchrony are discussed. The EEG phase synchrony and variability measures provide new insight into paediatric brain function.

Changes in phenology due to climate warming could disrupt temporal overlap between interacting organisms when previously synchronized species respond to climate change at different rates. Phenologies of plants and insects are known to be sensitive to temperature and/or timing of snowmelt, with warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt generally advancing spring flowering and emergence; however, some groups of pollinators, such as solitary bees, have been little explored in this context. One striking aspect of eastern hardwood forests is the emergence of understory wildflowers each spring, most of which rely, at least to some extent, on wild native pollinators for seed set. Without an understanding of the environmental drivers of phenology of these species, we have little ability to predict whether pollinators will continue to be well synchronized with flowering as the climate changes. In this study, I determined how spring temperatures and timing of snowmelt influence the phenology of spring wildflowers, activity of bees, and their temporal overlap in Gatineau Park, Québec. From 2013 to 2018, I characterized bee activity phenology and flowering phenology of understory plants in multiple study plots, focusing on early-flowering Anemone spp. and later-flowering Trillium grandiflorum. The sampled bee community was dominated by Andrena, Lasioglossum, and Nomada, all of which have similar activity periods. Degree-day accumulation was a better predictor of Anemone and Nomada phenology than were day of year or snowmelt date, whereas T. grandiflorum appeared to be more sensitive to photoperiodic cues; since day of year was the variable that best described its phenology. Activity periods of Andrena and Lasioglossum were equally well described by degree-day accumulation and by day of year. No taxon’s phenology was best predicted by snowmelt date. Despite these differences among taxa in the identities of the best predictors of phenology, bee activity and plant flowering phenologies responded at similar rates to interannual and among-site variation in snowmelt date and early spring temperature. Temporal overlap between flowering and bee activity was similar over the years of this study and was affected neither by snowmelt date nor by temperature. These results suggest that interacting plant and bee taxa may respond to different environmental variables but still maintain their synchrony under the conditions recorded so far.

Neurons and networks of the brain may use various strategies of computation to provide the neural substrate for sensation, perception, or cognition. To simplify the scenario, two of the most commonly cited neural codes are firing rate and temporal coding, whereby firing rates are typically measured over a longer duration of time (i.e., seconds or minutes), and temporal codes use shorter time windows (i.e., 1 to 100 ms). However, it is possible that neurons may use other strategies. Here, we highlight three methods of computation that neurons, or networks, of the brain may use to encode and/or decode incoming activity. First, we explain how single neurons of the brain can utilize a neuronal oscillation, specifically by employing a ‘spike-phase’ code wherein responses to stimuli have greater reliability, in turn increasing the ability to discriminate between stimuli. Our focus was to explore the limitations of spike-phase coding, including the assumptions of low firing rates and precise timing of action potentials. Second, we examined the ability of single neurons to track the onset of network bursting activity, namely ‘burst predictors’. In addition, we show that burst predictors were less susceptible to an in vitro model of neuronal stroke (i.e., excitotoxicity). Third, we discuss the possibility of distributed processing with neuronal networks of the brain. Specifically, we show experimental and computational evidence supporting the possibility that the population activity of cortical networks may be useful to downstream classification. Furthermore, we show that when network activity is highly variable across time, there is an increase in the ability to linearly separate the spiking activity of various networks. Overall, we use the results of both experimental and computational methods to highlight three strategies of computation that neurons and networks of the brain may employ.

The goal of this study was to determine if hatching synchrony occurs in loggerhead sea turtle nests and if it does, what mechanism(s) promote that synchrony. Synchrony may occur because oviposition takes place during a single evening, and because incubation temperatures within the nest show relatively little variation; thus, rates of embryonic development among the eggs are similar ("temporal synchrony hypothesis"). Alternatively, synchrony might be enhanced through embryo-to-embryo communication that stimulates and synchronizes development ("coordinated hatching hypothesis"). Experiments were designed to distinguish between these two hypotheses. I found that if only a few embryos survive, temporal synchrony occurs. However, if many embryos survive, the duration of incubation and hatching shortens, presumably because embryonic movements inside soft-shelled eggs are detected by and transmitted between eggs and stimulate development, expediting hatching synchrony. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

<p> The ɣ-radiosensitivity of haploid and diploid Oedogonium cardiacum cells was measured and compared to other cell lines. With the doubling of the chromosome complement, the Do value doubled, but the extrapolation number decreased four-fold. A general conclusion was drawn from the results that at all doses of ɣ-radiation, the diploids were more resistant than the haploids. A new radiation technique was used and compared to that used routinely in the laboratory. The further use of the technique was not recommended since the data obtained with the diploid line only was not as reliable as one would like.</p> <p> The degree of synchrony of Oe. cardiacum zoospore cultures was measured using cell division as the biological end-point and a mathematical expression, the percent phasing, as the index of synchrony. It was intended that this research problem be secondary to the radiation studies. The percent phasing values were determined for cells growing in two inorganic media and in the presence of an inhibitor, hydroxyurea. However the degree of synchrony was not improved beyond that of the routine laboratory procedure. Attempts to improve the size of the synchronous populations collected also proved unsuccessful.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

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Synchrony is a multi-faceted construct, defined here as the mutual warmth and responsiveness between a mother and her child. As children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) struggle to navigate various aspects of social life, we expected that impairments in synchrony would be seen, but that mothers would show adaptability. Twenty-five children (10 met ASD criteria on a gold standard autism assessment) completed a brief cognitive assessment and nine semi-structured play tasks with their mother, adapted from the Marschak Interaction Method. Synchrony was not found to moderate the relationship between ASD severity and externalizing behaviors, as hypothesized. ASD severity did predict externalizing behaviors. While children in the ASD group were more negative during the observed play tasks, there were no group differences on mother or dyad scores. Despite power limitations, our findings suggest important future directions for examination of mother and dyad mechanisms that better explain these differences. / Master of Science

Prior entry refers to the notion that attended stimuli are perceived sooner than unattended stimuli due to a speed up in sensory processing. The century long debate regarding the prior entry phenomenon’s existence has always been grounded in the degree to which the methods applied to the problem allow for cognitive response bias. This thesis continues that trend by applying the synchrony comparison judgment method to the problem of audiovisual prior entry. Experiment 1 put this method into context with two other common psychophysical methods – the temporal order judgment and the synchrony judgment – that have been applied to the prior entry problem. The results of this experiment indicated that the temporal order judgment method was out of step with the other two methods in terms of the parameter estimates typically used to evaluate prior entry. Experiment 2 evaluated and confirmed that a specific response bias helps explain the difference in parameter estimates between the temporal order judgment method and the other two. Experiment 3 evaluated the precision of the synchrony comparison judgment method. The results indicated that the method was precise enough to detect potentially small prior entry effect sizes, and that it afforded the ability to detect those participants with points of subjective synchrony that deviate substantially from zero. Finally, Experiment 4 applied the synchrony comparison judgment method to a prior entry scenario. A prior entry effect was not realized. Overall, this thesis highlights the drawbacks of all previous methods used to evaluate audiovisual perception, including prior entry, and validates the use of the synchrony comparison judgment. Further, due to the resistance of this method to response bias, this result now stands as the most convincing evidence yet against the prior entry phenomenon.

Prior entry refers to the notion that attended stimuli are perceived sooner than unattended stimuli due to a speed up in sensory processing. The century long debate regarding the prior entry phenomenon’s existence has always been grounded in the degree to which the methods applied to the problem allow for cognitive response bias. This thesis continues that trend by applying the synchrony comparison judgment method to the problem of audiovisual prior entry. Experiment 1 put this method into context with two other common psychophysical methods – the temporal order judgment and the synchrony judgment – that have been applied to the prior entry problem. The results of this experiment indicated that the temporal order judgment method was out of step with the other two methods in terms of the parameter estimates typically used to evaluate prior entry. Experiment 2 evaluated and confirmed that a specific response bias helps explain the difference in parameter estimates between the temporal order judgment method and the other two. Experiment 3 evaluated the precision of the synchrony comparison judgment method. The results indicated that the method was precise enough to detect potentially small prior entry effect sizes, and that it afforded the ability to detect those participants with points of subjective synchrony that deviate substantially from zero. Finally, Experiment 4 applied the synchrony comparison judgment method to a prior entry scenario. A prior entry effect was not realized. Overall, this thesis highlights the drawbacks of all previous methods used to evaluate audiovisual perception, including prior entry, and validates the use of the synchrony comparison judgment. Further, due to the resistance of this method to response bias, this result now stands as the most convincing evidence yet against the prior entry phenomenon.

Prior entry refers to the notion that attended stimuli are perceived sooner than unattended stimuli due to a speed up in sensory processing. The century long debate regarding the prior entry phenomenon’s existence has always been grounded in the degree to which the methods applied to the problem allow for cognitive response bias. This thesis continues that trend by applying the synchrony comparison judgment method to the problem of audiovisual prior entry. Experiment 1 put this method into context with two other common psychophysical methods – the temporal order judgment and the synchrony judgment – that have been applied to the prior entry problem. The results of this experiment indicated that the temporal order judgment method was out of step with the other two methods in terms of the parameter estimates typically used to evaluate prior entry. Experiment 2 evaluated and confirmed that a specific response bias helps explain the difference in parameter estimates between the temporal order judgment method and the other two. Experiment 3 evaluated the precision of the synchrony comparison judgment method. The results indicated that the method was precise enough to detect potentially small prior entry effect sizes, and that it afforded the ability to detect those participants with points of subjective synchrony that deviate substantially from zero. Finally, Experiment 4 applied the synchrony comparison judgment method to a prior entry scenario. A prior entry effect was not realized. Overall, this thesis highlights the drawbacks of all previous methods used to evaluate audiovisual perception, including prior entry, and validates the use of the synchrony comparison judgment. Further, due to the resistance of this method to response bias, this result now stands as the most convincing evidence yet against the prior entry phenomenon.