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Stonewallin\u27 (2023) Image 19
No full textStonewallin\u27April 13-16, 2023Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater, Oberlin College
Written and directed by Kari Barclay
More information about this productionhttps://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/images_stonewallin/1018/thumbnail.jp
Development of whole-cell sensors for low concentration antibiotic detection
No full textAntibiotic resistance is a significant public health threat; even low concentrations of antibiotics still contribute to high levels of resistance. We are interested in constructing fluorescent sensors that detect low concentrations of antibiotics in complex solutions. We have used plasmids with a selective toxin-antitoxin system and green fluorescent protein (GFP). Using standard molecular biology techniques, we are working towards deleting the neomycin/kanamycin resistance cassette from this plasmid. We are working to insert different promoter regions corresponding to stress-responsive signaling pathways. To identify sensitive promoter regions of interest, we are using quantitative polymerase chain reaction to monitor transcript levels of several genes in stress-responsive signaling pathways after E. coli are exposed to various low antibiotic concentrations. Preliminary results focused on studying the aminoglycosides gentamicin and kanamycin by observing the activity of several transcriptional pathways involved in the periplasmic stress response. We monitored transcripts of genes in the BaeR, CpxR, and RpoE stress-responsive pathways. Future work includes adding different transcription factor binding sites as the promoter region ahead of the GFP in our exogenous plasmids and testing the sensitivity of our sensors by monitoring GFP fluorescence after treatment with different classes and concentrations of antibiotics
Testing a new algorithm for isometric embedding of black hole horizons
No full textIsometric Embedding is a classic problem in differential geometry and general relativity that involves constructing a surface in Euclidean space described by a metric tensor. The results from this problem have a long history for visualization, but are also relevant for calculating quantities like black hole mass and energy. Unfortunately, in general scenarios, this problem requires a solver capable of handling a system of strongly nonlinear and nonstandard PDEs, for which there is no generally established algorithm. We have explored a radically new approach to the embedding problem, applying it to a variety of specific test cases and confirming that the results converge as expected and agree with results obtained analytically and by other algorithms. This poster presents the results of a finite-difference-based C++ code that we have written to implement and test this novel algorithm
Solutions to Paradox and the Theoretical Virtues
No full textParticipants in recent debates over paradoxes of self-reference often turn to traditional theoretical virtues such as uniformity and non-ad hocness in order to evaluate competing solutions to paradox. A widely applied theoretical virtue unique to paradox solutions is that they avoid revenge, that is, that a solution to a traditional paradox not provide the materials for the formulation of a new paradox. I discuss the relationship between these desiderata for paradox solutions in relation to the paradoxes of denotation, such as Berry\u27s paradox and the Hilbert-Bernays paradox. In particular, I attempt to show how a recent line of argument due to Graham Priest that a paracomplete solution to the paradox of the liar cannot extend uniformly to the Berry paradox conflicts with certain commitments about other paradoxes and theoretical virtues held by Priest himself, among others. I also explore similar questions in relation to normative paradoxes and paradoxes of validity, as well as the connection between these issues and debates outside of philosophical logic, for instance in metaphysics
The Power of the Child’s-eye View: Reflections on Victor Erice’s El espíritu de la colmena and El Sur and Carla Simon’s Estiu 1993
No full textThe Franco dictatorship left an indelible mark on Spanish society. Those who lived during and after the conflicts were left with unresolved feelings and traumas that have been explored through countless art forms, including film. Two directors in particular, Victor Erice and Carla Simon, showcase what it was like to live through these events as children through their use of child protagonists in the films El espíritu de la colmena, El Sur, and Estiu 1993. In this project, I aim to explore how the use of child protagonists affects the storytelling and audience experience of watching a film. I argue that there are three main ways in which these films utilize their young protagonists to achieve a deeper impact on the audience: the “child’s-eye view”, the presence/absence of narration, and narrative parallels. Combined, these tools allow the audience to connect more fully with the embodied experience of living through these events and encourage the audience to approach difficult concepts with fierce curiosity, humility, empathy, and a childlike open mindedness
