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Tangled Nets: Reckoning with Precarity in Bristol Bay, Alaska
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/128ca741-904d-4c11-a7c6-c51958ac3222/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis examines the contemporary “tradwife” phenomenon, a social media resurgence of women publicly embracing traditional gender roles, and situates it within the broader historical and ideological context of American antifeminism. The first chapter defines the tradwife identity, exploring its aesthetic, rhetorical strategies, and contradictions, particularly how it engages audiences through digital platforms to promote domestic submission as a lifestyle “choice.” The second chapter draws a comparative analysis between the tradwife movement and the antifeminist activism of Phyllis Schlafly, highlighting their shared reliance on biological essentialism, postfeminist rejection of feminism’s progress, and ironic use of feminist tools to advance anti-feminist goals. The final chapter explores how nostalgia functions as a political and emotional engine in conservative and antifeminist movements, analyzing how both Schlafly and tradwives deploy idealized visions of the past to critique modern politics. Methodologically, this thesis employs cultural and rhetorical analysis of primary texts including digital content, posts, memes, and speeches as well as secondary literature in political theory, and gender studies. The thesis concludes that the tradwife movement is not a retreat from politics but a rebranded continuation of historical antifeminist sentiment, made palatable through aesthetic appeal and cultural nostalgia. It also concludes that the tradwife movement is a manifestation of persistent anxieties about gender, labor, and identity in a post 2016 conservative discourse
The Effects of Chemogenetic Inhibition of the Medial Amygdala on Alcohol Drinking Mice: A Potential Role for Oxytocin Receptors
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/30dcca61-f6f9-4682-a7d0-54ba1f2f6262/thumb/128.jpgAlcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a devastating condition that effects 28.1 million people in the United States and contributes to 178,000 preventable deaths per year. AUD is found to have very few pharmacotherapies that aid with decreasing alcohol drinking. Understanding mechanisms regulating alcohol drinking could help develop such treatments. While previous studies have suggested the involvement of the amygdala in regulation of alcohol consumption, there are limited studies targeting the medial amygdala. Therefore, this study’s aim is to investigate the role of the medial amygdala in alcohol drinking using mice. To achieve this aim, mutant mice were transfected with AAV viruses expressing inhibitory Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) into glutamatergic neurons and oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) in the medial amygdala were tested. In wildtype mice glutamatergic neurons were selectively targeted and in OXTR-Cre mice, OXTRs were targeted. Following the establishment of alcohol consumption in a 2-bottle choice drinking procedure, male and female mice were treated with the DREADD activator CNO as well as Saline IP injections (1mg/kg) to see if inhibiting the medial amygdala with this DREADD activator influenced alcohol consumption levels in mice. Results suggests that inhibiting glutamatergic neurons in WT mice and OXTRs of the medial amygdala in OXTR-Cre mice did not alter alcohol consumption. Further testing is needed to develop strategies to selectively target these neurons in future studies to help the treatment of AUD
The Search for Stable, Periodic, Coexisting Solutions Within a Delayed Relay System
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/58722e25-49de-45be-a1b8-42981c5af183/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis explores the stable, periodic, and coexisting solutions of a time-delayed relay system with bandpass filtering and feedback. Coexisting stable solutions are autonomously generated oscillatory waveforms of different periods that all can exist and are experimentally observable for the same value of the delay; the initial conditions determine which of the waveforms are produced asymptotically. This predicted property was tested utilizing an experimental setup in which the initial history determining the subsequent autonomous behavior can be controlled. This new experimental setup allowed for the observation of periodic solutions right up to the theoretically predicted stability boundary, an improvement over previous work
Trumpism and Identity
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/aa809b42-318d-4af2-ac18-7f532293de6f/thumb/128.jpgAnalysis of the political impacts and ideas of 45th and 47th President of the United States Donald John Trump have focused on a populist narrative of coalition building. Flipping this idea on its head, my aim is to first read through authors Carl Schmitt and Hannah Arendt and to then articulate their ideas within the corpus of President Trump's actions. I would like to focus on how he ostracises groups, by looking at transgender athletes, and I would like to focus on whom he calls friend, by looking at his 2016 victory speech when he used the phrase "Forgotten people." I conclude in the Transgender Identities chapter that Trump villainises and makes political enemies of groups in order to split the coalition they currently find themselves in and gain more followers for himself
Why is Fentanyl so Deadly? The Non-MOR Mediated Effects of Fentanyl at α₂-Adrenergic Receptors
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/96e6a74c-e5ff-4cea-a0b9-b511b318fbb6/thumb/128.jpgThe current opioid epidemic is a public health emergency. Opioid overdoses were responsible for more than 107,000 deaths in the United States during the past year alone. While the u-opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist naloxone has previously proved to be an effective reversal drug, fentanyl-related drug overdoses and deaths continue to rise, indicating our current form of treatment is not sufficiently effective. Additionally, physiological effects and complications such as wooden chest syndrome, cardiovascular dysfunction, and respiratory depression have been shown to be fundamentally different after fentanyl administration compared to other opioids, suggesting that those toxicities may not be mediated by MOR. To test one possible mechanism for non-MOR-mediated toxicity of fentanyl, I investigated the interaction between fentanyl and α2-adrenergic receptors (2A, 2B and 2C), which regulate arousal, cardiovascular and laryngeal function. First, I examined the binding interactions of fentanyl at α2-adrenergic receptors using the radioactively labeled [3H] RX821002 in a competitive inhibition assay. Next, I determined the ability of fentanyl to activate α2-adrenergic receptors by measuring the accumulation of [35S] GTPγS in a functional assay. The results showed that fentanyl has higher binding affinity at α2B-ARs and α2C-ARs and had lower binding affinity for α2A-ARs. The current study suggested that fentanyl may be an antagonist at α2B-ARs and α2C-ARs, indicating the toxic effects of fentanyl may be mediated through α2-adrenergic pathways creating this highly toxic and lethal drug
The Role of the Dorsomedial Striatum In Stable Information Seeking Behavior
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/47da1cb5-fa8f-4cd7-b827-cd715230c4fa/thumb/128.jpgThe process of information seeking can provide one with useful knowledge which can be used to make decisions. However, animals often seek information even when it provides no direct value to them, and even at the expense of other resources such as food or water. This phenomenon is called non-instrumental information seeking. While several theories have suggested explanations for this seemingly paradoxical choice, we do not yet have a comprehensive understanding of the brain processes that encode and evaluate the value of informative stimuli, and what regions come together to form this circuit. Some candidate loci for this circuit include the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and basolateral amygdala, all of which have been shown to be involved with decisions involving information. The dorsomedial striatum, a subcortical region, receives projections from several of these regions and has been implicated in goal-seeking behavior, making it an ideal candidate for further exploration. Using chemogenetic inhibition of the dorsomedial striatum, we found no evidence that activity in this region is necessary for maintaining stable information preferences during a suboptimal choice task in rats. However, the dorsomedial striatum may still contribute to other aspects of preference development, such as motivating engagement with the task or supporting the gradual acquisition of a preference over time
What’s the buzz? Using simulated territory intrusions to test whether buzz syllables serve intersexual or intrasexual purposes in House finches (Haemorhous mexicanus)
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/88ac5a27-b952-43bd-be55-b1cee097bcab/thumb/128.jpgBird song is an important model for vocal communication and sexual selection. Bird songs are complex behaviors that can achieve multiple purposes by having different types and syllables. We used house finches as a model to test whether a specific peculiar and characteristic element —the "buzz syllables"— serve intersexual or intrasexual purposes. In other words, whether buzzes in males serve as an ornament for mate attraction or weapon for aggression. We conducted 9 simulated territory intrusions in SE Portland using 3D printed, hand-painted dummies and playbacks constructed from control and modified buzz and non-buzz songs. Playback experiments were not successful because it was not possible to pinpoint focal males due to aggregation, dense foliage, and observer presence. Because of the audience effect, it is possible that responses to playback experiments were impacted by aggregation. We discuss technical and biological limitations in using simulated territory intrusions on House finches. Future attempts at simulated territory intrusions should be conducted in aviary settings, or in open areas where finches visibly aggregate
Exhausted Blossoms: Man's Search for Meaning in Uterine Landscapes
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/0b210bc8-d004-43ab-9b0b-8f2c63d63d61/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis works within the fields of religious studies to investigate circumstances and beliefs that may help me understand the vast absence of respect, knowledge, and medical support that have shaped my life and body as a young woman growing up in 21st century U.S.A. I critique U.S. gynecology by distinguishing between physiological female reproductive anatomy, and the various conception s of divine wombs. As an investigation of the religious reasons for the deeply under researched and violent history of the uterus, I examine how the body’s purity, or otherwise its defilement, is central to different religious beliefs and practices, which also cite the uterus as the original corruptive agent, or impure void from which all earthly ailments are to blame. However, the interesting thing about a uterus that is found too unsavory to speak of is that due to its nature as an origin point, it cannot be simply written out – it can however, be transformed. The various ways the uterus is transformed through words, stories, and religious ideals into depictions of divine wombs holds a rich supply of information about culturally/ religiously specific attitudes towards the environment, and the human relationship to control within that environment. As a unique organ whose traits lend themselves superbly to conceptualizations of cosmic origin, demise, and the meaning of either phenomenon, the uterus works as a microcosm of the universe. It is conceptualized as our original cradle, inside of which rocks the weight of our eventual tomb. In this way, tiny muscle that it is, the uterus quickly becomes a convenient crutch to lean against the whole weight of humanity’s response to being sprung into a mortal coil. When this weight is applied, the uterus cannot remain merely an organ- it must expand to become the great infinite womb, the underpinning language for how origin, endings, environment, and uncertainty are conceptualized in so many religious traditions. Once these epic transformations have taken place, how are the resulting narratives reflected in the gynecological treatment of the organic uterus
Indians At Work: The Civilian Conservation Corps “Indian Division” as Federal Reform in Depression-Era Washington State
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/c25cdba6-4d06-4aa8-84b7-e8623c9421f4/thumb/128.jpgThe federally funded magazine Indians at Work (1933-1945) was spearheaded by the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, John Collier. The magazine presented the Bureau’s need for New Deal funding to taxpayers and Congress. Indians at Work defended and displayed the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division. It also provided information about reservations for Native Americans across the nation. I analyze the articles and photos of Indigenous Washington State workers to show how the BIA changed the purpose of federally funded Native American education and highlighted Indigenous women’s labor. I explore how colonialist stereotypes of Native identity persisted throughout Indians at Work. Articles about BIA work in Washington State concealed historical Indigenous knowledge, argued for the industrialization of Native American arts, and reinforced stereotypes around Indigenous women to construct ideals on “authentic” Native behavior. I argue that Collier’s widespread publication of progressive support for Indigenous people reflected his genuine desire to change federal policy. It was also an attempt to rectify the relationship between the federal government and the Indigenous people it had subjugated. Utilizing Congressional reports and writings from BIA workers, I examine how the department endorsed its work in Washington State. Despite Collier’s supposed goals, the BIA never completely ceded sovereignty back to the people living on the reservations while he was Commissioner. I use the work of educator Beverly Klug to understand how Native education evolved under Collier. I qualify my arguments on the commodification of Native American women’s art with the works of historians Jennifer McLerran and W. Jackson Rushing
Does Aspectual Framing Shape Reasoning in Educational Contexts?
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/c85dc0f1-5c31-4502-b6c1-c93f28f0e1b9/thumb/128.jpgGrammatical aspect is a linguistic property that describes the way an event has unfolded in time. Aspect has two forms: imperfective (e.g., “was struggling”), which emphasizes an event’s unfinished nature, and perfective (e.g., “struggled), which emphasizes the event’s completion. Previous research has demonstrated that imperfective aspect implies greater action than perfective aspect, and can impact judgments of a described individual (e.g., a politician’s future electability). The current research explored the impact of aspectual framing in educational contexts. In Study 1, participants read sentences describing a student struggling to complete an academic activity in either perfective or imperfective aspect. Then they evaluated the student on several education-related dimensions (e.g., mindset, persistence, future success). The results revealed no significant effect of aspect overall. However, exploratory analyses suggested that imperfective aspect may imply greater struggle in the present, but greater future success, than perfective aspect. In Study 2, participants read an aspect-framed passage describing a student’s academic struggles and then rated the student’s success in past, present, and future situations. The effect of aspect was again nonsignificant, though there was a significant effect of timeframe: participants judged the student’s success as lowest in the past and highest in the future in both the perfective and imperfective conditions. These results suggest that features of the sentences other than aspect drove participants’ judgments. Overall, the results were inconclusive and suggest that further research is necessary to understand the relationship between aspect and event judgments