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Constrained Reinforcement Learning using Lagrange multipliers
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/05d0a51b-24c9-42a9-8083-5ac308147fff/thumb/128.jpgEnsuring safety in reinforcement learning (RL) for autonomous vehicles is critical, as unsafe actions can lead to catastrophic failures. While modern RL algorithms prioritize reward maximization, they often fail to account for safety constraints. To address this, we propose a safety-aware RL framework that penalizes unsafe actions using Lagrange multipliers, dynamically making unsafe states progressively harder to reach during training. Our method integrates cost constraints into the policy optimization process without overly restricting exploration. Benchmarking against state-of-the-art algorithms demonstrates that our approach achieves higher rewards while significantly reducing safety violations. The results underscore the effective- ness of constrained optimization in balancing performance and safety for autonomous systems
The Contestation of Nature: Indigenous Religion and Nature in the Mexican Inquisition
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/a72fbe6a-6b0a-4790-b9e8-29f0457d032a/thumb/128.jpgThe Mexican inquisition began in the 17th century and lasted into the 19th century, with many changes happening throughout. The first inquisitor general had kept indigenous people under the jurisdiction of the inquisition and targeted indigenous leaders for falling back to their native religions and propitiating. In 1571, indigenous people were exempt from the inquisition, although they could still testify and even denounce some people, although they were not to be subjects of the inquisition themselves. The spiritual conversion of indigenous people was vital to the campaign of domination and acquisition of land, labor, and wealth. This question of indigenous presence in the Mexican inquisition is prevalent throughout many cases. To what extent did the Mexican inquisition serve a purpose to eradicate indigenous beliefs throughout Mexico? Edicts of faith issued against practices that had been previously tied to indigenous practices and beliefs, along with the attribution of certain powders and roots and other natural objects to witchcraft may have at first glance seem like they simply go against the Catholic faith, but a closer analysis reveals a pattern to demonize indigenous beliefs. In a new society that is characterized by people of all different racial and religious backgrounds, yet with a propensity to view the Spanish and creole people of Mexico as better than the people they subjugate, the facilitation of the these seemingly ‘heretical’ actions and beliefs come to threaten both the Spanish Crown and the Catholic Church
Characterization through Physicality in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Everybody
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/8ac8ab5f-3a7f-4fb0-9c79-9fc1413e264d/thumb/128.jpgIn this thesis I am documenting my acting and performance process throughout the 2024 Fall semester’s mainstage production of Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Kate Ming T’ien Duffly. Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a play based on the 15th-century morality play titled Everyman. The author of Everyman is unknown, but it is assumed the author was Catholic due to its themes of sin and repentance. Lawrence V. Ryan analyzes Everyman as “a concise presentation of the orthodox teaching on the matter of man’s salvation.” (Ryan 725) Everybody also represents “man’s salvation,” but strays from Everyman’s Catholic origins to tell a more secular story about life and death as perseverance and surrender. The goal of my thesis is to experiment with various acting techniques to develop character-building skills so that I may better understand and portray my characters on the stage. I will be studying three theatre practitioners’ methodologies by experimenting with play to discover how different acting techniques influence my characterization—thus stage presence—in the 2024 Fall mainstage show Everybody
Home is Where the Sun Crosses the Horizon: A Collection About a Mixed-Asian Experience
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/96f3a77a-d1de-4ac1-8409-2c1700657c4c/thumb/128.jpgA collection of short semi-fiction pieces that, through a lens of fantasy, describe a real world experience of being mixed-Asian. Mixed-Asian identities in America have a history of being erased and ignored, both in broader cultural ideas and on interpersonal levels, but that has just begun to change in the last couple of years. This thesis seeks to add another perspective to that budding conversation
Equality among Whom? On the Margins of Respect for Persons
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/a83930c8-7254-4704-8d30-5494fd1f98f3/thumb/128.jpgRespect is a foundational principle of the Western conception of justice, warranting deep consideration of what obligations ought to spring from it. My thesis surveys how respect has been utilized across moral contexts with two aims. The first is clarification of the demands that may be made most coherently on the basis of respect for persons. The second is to trace how the traditional grounds of respect have marginalized the moral duties owed to persons with severe cognitive disabilities. The origins of this exclusion and alternative approaches to remedy it are explored. Each chapter explores these questions using a different strain of thought on respect. Chapter One lays foundation using Kant's concept of respect and notes early translocations of his argument. Chapter Two considers respect's relationship with institutions in egalitarian thought and its viability to address unequal relations. Chapter Three determines the nature of an approach to respect founded on an ethics of care and demonstrates its advantages in light of the previous discussion. The product of this inquiry is advocacy for a conception of respect consistent with the recognition of all human beings and a central position for caring relationships in thought on morality. I argue that focus on these margins provides a multi-dimensional perspective that addresses respect's application across a range of interpersonal relations. A role for Kantian respect and relational equality are carved within this final framework
Untangling the Threads between Climate Change and Foodborne Disease
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/8b203089-35db-4d03-bb62-0c522d540d1b/thumb/128.jpgFoodborne disease is a constant burden around the globe, especially for impoverished regions, children, elders, and immunocompromised populations. The effect of climate change only grows as time passes. There are many aspects of infectious disease transmission that are affected by the temperature and water availability in a region, but there are few predictions for the future of foodborne illness in a changing climate. This thesis uses NOAA climate records on monthly average temperature and precipitation to contextualize CDC foodborne disease outbreak data, finding that the confounding variables affecting the outbreak reporting rates are distinct enough between U.S. climate regions that accurately forecasting future foodborne disease trends should include accounting for their effect. Even though the specific influence of climate change is uncertain, however, the data do suggest that there is a pattern there to be explored in the future
Set, Setting, and Predictors of Psychedelic-Induced Mystical Experiences: A Retrospective Survey Study
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/3fa8a53d-e8ed-4d5e-b2bf-e06d2c74e415/thumb/128.jpgMystical experiences have been identified as key predictors of the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic journeys, yet the relative influence of set (mindset) and setting (context) on the intensity of these experiences remains underexplored. The present retrospective survey study examined predictors of mystical experience intensity, as measured by the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) among 188 adults reporting on their most recent psychedelic experience. Participants completed measures of demographic and biological factors (e.g., psychotic or bipolar diagnosis), psychedelic use characteristics (e.g., subjective dose, type of psychedelic), set-related variables (e.g., expectation, preparation, intention), and setting-related variables (e.g., location, facilitation, social atmosphere). One-way ANOVAs and a hierarchical multiple regression were conducted to assess the unique contributions of each domain. Set variables accounted for substantially more variance in mystical experience intensity than setting variables. Intention, importance placed on having a mystical experience and the expectation that it would occur, emerged as the strongest predictors of MEQ score, while subjective dose also showed a robust positive association. In contrast, setting variables contributed minimally once set variables were controlled for. Exploratory analyses indicated that internal engagement with contextual elements, such as emotional resonance with music, was more predictive than the mere presence of music during the experience. Together, these findings highlight the foundational role of mindset in shaping psychedelic-induced mystical experiences and offer practical implications for the development of evidence-based preparation and support guidelines across clinical and naturalistic contexts
Drinking Motives, Gender, and Alcohol-Related Decision Making in Emerging Adults
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/7f775818-ae45-4eda-ae30-53cf481a1fe0/thumb/128.jpgAlcohol use among emerging adults is a major public health issue. Drinking motives—the reasons people consume alcohol—are well-established predictors of consumption and related risks. While gender differences in drinking patterns exist, research has often overlooked transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals. This study examined the relations between drinking motives and alcohol outcomes and tested whether gender identity moderated these associations. A sample of 273 emerging adults who drank alcohol in the past month completed an online survey. Measures assessed drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping-anxiety, coping-depression, conformity), weekly drinking quantity, hazardous drinking, heavy episodic drinking, and behavioral willingness to drink in simulated social scenarios. Results confirmed that all five drinking motives were significant positive predictors of alcohol use across all outcomes. Counter to some expectations, TGD participants reported significantly lower weekly alcohol consumption and weaker social and conformity motives than their cisgender peers. A critical finding was a significant interaction: the positive link between coping-depression motives and both hazardous drinking and HED was stronger for cisgender participants than for TGD participants. These findings reinforce the importance of drinking motives in understanding alcohol use in emerging adulthood. The results challenge broad assumptions of elevated risk in TGD populations and suggest that motivational pathways to drinking may differ by gender identity. This highlights the need for inclusive research and interventions that consider unique stress and resilience processes across all gender groups
First Impressions Matter? How Initial Exposure to a Film Sequence Shapes Subsequent Understanding of Cause and Effect
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/c1b63bd8-ccc1-4b39-b1f5-2b7a06a43244/thumb/128.jp
The Becoming of the High Cross: Reimagining the Materiality and Meaning of the Cross of the Scriptures
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/746b8d39-bba7-4073-8b9b-ed44da4eba8d/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis reexamines the Irish High Cross–specifically the Cross of the Scriptures at Clonmacnoise–not as a static artifact of early medieval Ireland but as a dynamic phenomenon shaped through ongoing material and discursive intra-actions. Drawing on Karen Barad’s theory of agential realism, this thesis moves beyond traditional archaeological and historical interpretations to investigate how meaning, matter, and agency are created in the becoming of the High Cross phenomenon. Rather than viewing the cross as a passive object upon which meaning is imposed and its matter is constructed, this thesis argues that the High Cross actively participates in shaping religious, political, and cultural processes across time. Through a case study of the Cross of the Scriptures, Co. Offaly, this thesis analyzes interactions with its construction, spatial arrangement, figural iconography, later representations, and scholarly engagements to demonstrate how it continuously emerges through entanglements with both human and non-human actors. Each chapter builds toward the rethinking of the High Cross as a phenomenon in motion. A phenomenon that does not contain a fixed identity but is continually reconfigured through its interactions with masons, monks, monarchs, antiquarians, and scholars. This approach challenges anthropocentric and objectivist assumptions within material culture studies and offers a new way to engage with material culture as a universe of ongoing meaning-making. Ultimately, the Irish High Cross is not merely a symbol of the past but an active participant in shaping the present