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The Eternal Nerve
No full text132 p.“The Eternal Nerve” is a story about Mordechai Aaronsohn, a young Jewish man who becomes immortal through a mysterious process, where he is both dead and alive at the same time. Throughout his life, he navigates the ever shifting political landscape of Eastern and Central Europe from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. As he grows older, he explores who he is, how he relates to the world, and what it means to exist in a liminal space. He also faces the extent of what he can endure, to the point where he must split from himself to survive tremendous horrors. The story talks about the dialectics of living, how one must balance several parts of themselves, and the complexities of surviving past one’s time of expiration
Blood Over Territory: Guest Workers, Jus Sanguinis, and Ethnocultural National Identity in the Federal Republic of Germany
No full text82 p.This essay examines the paradoxical dynamics of exclusionary political rhetoric and inclusive migrant rights and residence during West Germany’s guest worker program. In doing so, I hope to provide a deep historical overview of the guest worker program from 1955-1973, while focusing on the program’s implications for sovereignty, citizenship, and national belonging. Through an analysis of the historical evolution of German nationality, this essay interrogates how post-war Germany engaged with the dialectic of its newly liberal democratic identity and its historically ethnocultural national self-identity
Towards the Optimization of 1,3-Diyne Building Blocks for Peptoid-Based Cross-Linked Nanomaterials
No full textv, 21 p.1,3-Diynes are highly reactive in the solid state, exhibiting unique topochemical polymerization properties that make them promising candidates for cross-linked nanomaterials. Their ability to undergo controlled polymerization is dependent on solid-state packing and specific topochemical parameters such as their molecular orientation and spacing. This research focuses on the synthesis of 1,3-diyne monomers for potential incorporation into sequencedefined peptoids. Diyne compounds are notable for their stability and compatibility in cycloadditions, cross-coupling, or polymerization reactions. Using a modified Glaser-Hay coupling reaction, we studied the reactivity of phthalimide alkyne with three alkynes: phenylacetylene, 3-phenyl-1-propyne, and 4-phenyl-1-butyne. Phenylacetylene successfully coupled and the desired product was isolated in a good yield, while the other alkynes failed to react. This indicates that the reaction is selective for cross-coupling between conjugated aryl and non-conjugated alkyl alkynes. The conditions will need to be further modified for different substrates. Notably, we used green solvents, ethyl acetate and pyridine, as replacements for toxic and halogenated solvents. We have established the successful synthesis of a 1,3-diyne building block and next steps will involve incorporating them into peptoids via submonomer solid-phase synthesis. Future studies will focus on refining reaction conditions and exploring structural properties of synthesized compounds
Exploring High-Performance Python Using Concurrency and Different Interpreters
No full textvii, 44 p.Python has established itself as one of the top programming languages in the last decade, thanks to its ease of learning and versatility across various fields. Its community spans both academia and industry, including areas such as data science, machine learning, web development, and scripting. As the demand for Python continues to grow, there is a strong push to discover methods for enhancing its performance in safe and effective ways. However, this convenience comes with a limitation, the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL), which is a builtin mechanism to synchronize the execution of threads. This feature makes code writing in Python much more user-friendly but restricts Python’s capabilities in distributed and parallel computing. In this SIP, I will study the ways to achieve high-performance Python from coding style to libraries and interpreters. All the code used in this paper can be found at https:// github.com/chauta03/python-parallel.git
Synthesis of antimicrobial Peptoid-Coumarin Hybrids
No full textiv, 18 p.The rise in antimicrobial resistant bacterial strains has resulted in the need for the creation of new antibiotic compounds. Alternative mechanisms target lysis of a bacterial cell membrane through interaction of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic sections of a candidate antibiotic and the bacterial cell membrane. This research is based on the use of antibacterial microbial peptide (AMP) sequence Tyr-Gly-Ser that was combined with a coumarin compound and aims to develop a peptoid trimer hybrid with similar antibacterial characteristics. Peptoids are a novel approach to fulfill the role of antibacterial use over peptides due to stability. Peptides are readily broken down once they enter the body due to protease, a structural difference between peptides and peptoids make peptoids resistant to this process. Hydroxy coumarins are naturally occurring and have innate antibacterial activity in particular they are effective against gram-negative bacteria. This research will focus on the synthesis of these antimicrobial peptoid-coumarin hybrid compounds, the hybrids will consist of a coumarin group attached to a peptoid trimer. Once created the hybrids will then have retention time and molecular mass recorded. This will aid in determining which series of monomers produce the most hydrophilic and hydrophobic hybrid compound. This paper will serve as a base for future research that tests the efficiency of these antibacterial compounds
Towards the Synthesis of Mn(II) Complexes with Carbene Ligands
No full textvii, 16 p.Catalysis allows access to chemical reactions that are slow or challenging, saving both time and energy. Photoredox catalysis uses a transition metal complex that absorbs visible light, accessing an excited state that can transfer electrons to an organic substrate to start a reaction. Photoactive complexes of ruthenium (II) and iridium (III) are commonly used as photocatalysts due to their high efficiency. However, Ru and Ir are scarce, expensive, and toxic. Abundant firstrow transition metals, such as manganese, serve as cheap, nontoxic alternatives to these metals. This project focuses on making Mn(II) complexes with tridentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. The target complex is [Mn(BbimMe)2]2+, where BbimMe is 2,6-bis(3-methylbenzimidazole- 2-ylidene)pyridine. In this paper, we report the synthesis of the ligand and work towards its optimization, as well as progress towards the synthesis of the corresponding Mn(II) complex
COVID-19 and the S&P 500 : An Examination of Industry Performance and Different Market Capitalization Segments Using Financial Ratio Analysis
No full text66 p.The S&P 500 is an important stock market index that is widely used by investors to achieve maximum profitability long-term and contains the 500 largest companies listed on the stock market. This paper is an analysis of trends found in the S&P 500 and how the different industries as well as market cap sized companies within the index reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial metrics and ratios used to find these trends include gross revenue, market cap, net profit margin, debt-to-equity ratio, asset turnover ratio, common-sized total debt, and common-sized free cash flow. Using the sample years of 2017-2022, the 50-company sample was broken up into industries as well as ranked in groups of five based on their market cap size. The industries were then divided into two groups – Want and Need industries. The initial hypothesis was that Want industries would struggle more during the pandemic due to the consumer not needing the goods and services provided by those industries in their daily lives. Regarding companies ranked on market cap, the initial hypothesis was that smaller companies would struggle more due to their lessened resources, weaker financials, and appealing to more niche markets. After conducting the research and analysis, the data showed that there is no significant difference between Want and Need industries as well as larger companies and smaller companies and their reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings further suggest that individually analyzing industry and companies based on market cap size is not a sufficient way to research and find trends within the S&P 500. Additional external factors are needed to get a more representative view of the market. Future research would benefit by also analyzing geographical location, government intervention/policy passed, supply chain issues, and non-financial metrics like labor and technological advancements
Anorexia Nervosa : Dying to Be Thin
No full textvi, 79 p.Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating restrictive eating disorder (ED) marked by a fear of weight gain that affects all aspects of life and all bodily systems. AN is often treatment-resistant with high rates of chronic illness, and is thought to be the most lethal mental disorder as a result of its physiological implications. Understandings of its etiology are still unclear, however findings have explored the biological, psychological, and social aspects that may contribute to its onset and maintenance. While previous research focused exclusively on the psychological and socio-cultural factors of AN, newer information indicates that biological mechanisms via the gut microbiome and genetic predispositions play a significant role in the disorder. Physiological and psychological complications can contribute to mortality via suicide or malnutrition-induced consequences. Although evidence-based treatments exist, there are significant barriers to treatment accessibility, and the lack of standardization in the treatment process contributes to negative outcomes such as treatment failure and relapse. Due to these high rates of treatment resistance, novel forms of treatment and management have recently been proposed, including nutrition-based psychiatric treatments and neuromodulation techniques. Despite the improvements in AN research, more research and greater funding are needed to understand and manage AN. Non-white and male populations are largely understudied and should be analyzed to improve global rates of the disorder, in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of various forms of severity levels of AN. Inconsistencies in the literature and treatment process should also be addressed and standardized. AN-related terminology and management practices need to be clarified to increase treatment efficacy, reduce treatment drop-out rates, and improve the overall well-being of AN patients both in their acute illness and in the recovery process
Assessing Invasive Species Risk: Comparison of the Diet and Range of S. Niger and T. Douglasii on Orcas Island, Washington
No full textiii, 25 p.Invasive alien species (IAS) pose significant threats to biodiversity, ecosystems, and human livelihoods, especially as their establishment and spread increase. Squirrels, particularly tree species, are highly adaptable and frequently transported by humans, making them successful IAS across many regions. Invasive squirrel species such as Sciurus niger disrupt ecosystems by competing for food and habitat, altering ecosystem functions, and directly harming native species. This paper states initial findings on the diet and habitat of a population of Sciurus niger on Orcas Island, WA, in order to analyze their potential impact on native species (including native Tamiasciurus douglasii). We found that the diet of the Orcas population of S. niger primarily consists of unnatural food items (i.e. bird seed, peanuts, and sunflower seeds). Due to a small sample size, further research is required to identify the overlap of S. niger and T. douglasii diets. Future studies are required in order to conclude if, and to what extent, the presence of the invasive S. niger harms T. douglasii through direct or indirect food resource competition. Additional research should focus on increasing the understanding of how competition for habitat, and potential increased survival of S. niger due to supplemental food resources, may affect T. douglasii