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Banned but Still Toxic: Gail Carlson Serves Notice that Chemical in Ski Racers\u27 Waxes Still Lurk at the Starting Line
Get PDFWe live in a chemical world, exposing ourselves all day long to scary toxins created in laboratories—to the traces of herbicide that lurk in our water, to the carcinogenic Teflon coating our cookware, and to the pesticides sprayed on our vegetables
Characterizing Cellular Stress, Hippocampal Function, and Behavior in a Novel Rat Model of Alzheimer\u27s Disease
No full textAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 5 million individuals in the United States alone. While AD is primarily thought of as a disease that destroys neural networks required for memory recall and formation, AD also cause impairment in emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and executive function pathways. The cause of AD is unknown; however, the allele ApoE4 has been identified as a risk factor for the onset of AD. ApoE4 provides a valuable opportunity to study AD through animal models. This thesis utilized a human ApoE4 transgenic rat model (hApoE4) to investigate the biological and behavioral consequences of this AD risk allele. Cellular stress, hippocampal regulation, and behavioral tests evaluating rat cognitive function were analyzed. Cellular stress was assessed through the quantification of a novel biomarker, Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15). Hippocampal regulation was examined in the context of neurogenesis occurrence (Doublecortin) and GABAergic neuron prevalence (Parvalbumin). It was revealed that GDF-15 serum concentrations significantly increase with age in wildtype and ApoE4 male rats, but not in ApoE4 female rats. In addition, ApoE4 males demonstrated a trend towards a reduction in PVB+ interneurons. These findings were correlated with behavioral testing data. Correlational analysis suggested the investigated biomarkers were associated with the cognitive function of hApoE4 rats, as evaluated through behavioral tests. Of most significance, this paper provides evidence suggesting the ApoE4 allele functions in a sex-dependent manner in rats, and directly alters GDF-15 levels in a potentially neurodestructive manor in female ApoE4 rats
Leading by Example
No full textIn our Q&A, Dean of the College Karlene Burrell- McRae ’94 discusses advocating for women and underrepresented communities on Mayflower Hill
What Is Speedrunning? Industry, Community, Identity
No full textWhat drives interaction in online contexts? How do “internet communities” form, and how do they generate a sense of interpersonal closeness? I address such questions through a cultural analysis of video game “speedrunning,” an emergent online community that some commentators have noted for its remarkable commitment to compassion and mutual advancement. While several game scholars have explored the narrative and temporal implications of the live-streamed and recorded speedrun, few have directed their attention to the ways in which video game speedrunning, as a community of dedicated practitioners and spectators, is informed by historical precedents and contemporary social processes. I place the term speedrunning within its proper historical and cultural contexts as it indicates an emerging industry, a paradoxically competitive and collaborative community, and a basis for participants’ identity. To this end, the project has three objectives: 1) chart the industrial, technological, and cultural developments that facilitated the emergence of speedrunning as both a topic of interest and a viable activity, from internet forums and early media sharing practices to group messaging and livestreaming services; 2) identify the pathways of communication and media(-ted) exchange that have allowed a community to form around a shared articulation of the activity and its goals; and 3) explore how the communal dynamics of speedrunning rehearse and reproduce specific styles of conduct within internet-age collectives
