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Geez, that’s bananas: Quantifying perivascular spaces in aged rhesus macaques with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/cb11cecb-5810-4499-bdb9-5a2f99778990/thumb/128.jpgThe aging human population is rapidly expanding, with a projected United States population of 82 million adults 65 and over by 2050. With this comes an increased burden, and age-related decline in cognitive and brain function significantly impacts our public health systems. The brain ages differently than other organs in ways that are yet to be fully understood. This study investigates age-related changes in brain morphology using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of rhesus macaques (n=25), aiming to establish a non-human primate model of age-associated MRI-visible enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS). ePVS, critical for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) clearance, may serve as early biomarkers for glymphatic system dysfunction implicated in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease (AD). When large these changes are associated with features of AD. However, morphological changes in healthy, cognitively intact individuals are still observed with advancing age. It is difficult to focus on older aging human populations and compare healthy and cognitively impaired individuals, which leads to the benefits of a nonhuman primate model. Leveraging an archive of T2w MRI scans from the Oregon National Primate Research Center, ePVS were quantified and analyzed across age groups ranging from young adults to very old monkeys. Statistical analyses explored the relationship between ePVS burden, age, and sex and indicated a moderately positive correlation between ePVS burden increasing with age (r=0.39) but no detected sex effects. A longitudinal experiment analyzing two time points showed significant findings of increasing ePVS with age (p=0.03). The findings from this study hold promise for enhancing our understanding of age-related brain changes and identifying potential biomarkers for those at risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative diseases
De-centered and Embraced: The Re-union of Character and Setting in Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Seven Steeples
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/e4f120aa-93d1-4e39-afa0-20443d156389/thumb/128.jp
Towards the Characterization of a Bacterial Zinc Importer from Bacillus Subtills
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/772db5cc-380c-4d0b-a4b8-7a9b59936d8d/thumb/128.jpgZn(II) is a critical micronutrient for all life, providing a site for enzymatic activity and structural stability. In a host-bacteria interface, bacteria have evolved complex and efficient uptake systems in the face of Zn(II) and other critical metal scarcity caused by calprotectin sequestration by the host. The Zn(II) importer ZnuABC, an ATP binding cassette transporter, has been shown to increase the pathogenicity in certain bacteria. This class of importers operates through the delivery of the substrate through its requisite binding protein to a transmembrane pore, opened and closed through ATP hydrolysis. In this thesis, we report the optimization of the expression and membrane purification of ZnuBC from the gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtills. Following purification into detergent micelles, we attempt to reconstitute the ZnuBC complex into nanodiscs. We also express and purify the Zn (II) binding protein ZnuA. We attempt to crystallize ZnuA into diffraction quality crystals and compare its sequence and structure to bacterial homologs of ZnuA
Plans for an Amphitheater: A Novella
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/03ba5546-2079-418e-a47a-870aee7f30fb/thumb/128.jpgA novella in three movements exploring the intersections of interdisciplinary artmaking, collaboration, and queer desire
The alTerCation: One Man’s Fight Against a Bacterial Transmembrane Protein Involved in Tellurium Resistance and Other Stressors
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/060ef401-18a0-4421-a955-18460a62de7d/thumb/128.jpgIn contrast to the low crustal abundance of metalloid tellurium, the ter operon, which confers resistance to tellurium’s toxic anion tellurite, is widely conserved across bacterial genomes. The transmembrane component of the operon, TerC, has been found to be necessary for tellurite resistance by way of the operon, and has also been implicated in manganese efflux, pathogenesis, and even protein folding. The work done in this thesis attempts to uncover the structural characteristics to further the understanding of the ter operon and tellurite resistance more broadly. We present an optimized membrane purification protocol for increased protein yield, the first reconstitutions of TerC into lipid nanodiscs, and mass spectrometric evidence for the rapid instability of TerC outside of the cell. In addition, we employed mass photometry and x-ray crystallography to give promising evidence for the future structural analysis of TerC
Social Emergence in Tabletop Role-Playing Games: An Analysis of the Rituals of Immersive Gameplay as a Model for the Cultural Forces Influencing Social Transformation
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/aebb2f98-3b2c-40ab-8112-908a4f002e36/thumb/128.jpgThe tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) serves as a framework for analyzing and understanding the rituals of social transformation within the game world as a model for their occurrence in the actual world. The implications are that scenarios such as anticipating, responding to, or influencing social transformation in the actual world can be more fully understood through the phenomenological lens of TTRPG gameplay. Central to this active process are player-characters (PCs) who follow rites of passage through world narratives constructed by and collaboratively developed with gamemasters (GMs) who act as their guides. This paper extends the existing scope of studies investigating TTRPG transformation as a medium for personal growth leading to ideal outcomes. While my line of inquiry considers personal outcomes in TTRPG immersion, it does so as one explanatory element in a broader transformation process inherent in the TTRPG game structure that follows a “rite of passage” as developed by Victor Turner. Through interviews with TTRPG players, designers, and community builders and research into worldbuilding, gameplay, liminality, and socialities, my thesis explores a unique, complex, adaptive game design for emergent social structures and narrative-based gameplay. Thus, TTRPGs provide an active, immersive environment for observing and analyzing the continuous, emergent development of novel social formations in the actual world
CRISPR/Cas9 Targeted Disruption of tshz1a Reveals New Role in Axial Patterning and Extension
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/e1cd1ecd-2abc-40b5-9e6e-d3ef9f0be832/thumb/128.jpgDevelopment requires intrinsic control of gene expression – often by regulation of transcription – as well as coordination of cell behaviors and states through cell-cell signaling. One understudied signaling pathway required for vertebrate development is the Retinoic acid (RA) pathway. RA, a small molecule derived from Vitamin A, plays a pivotal role in vertebrate development by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation by binding to retinoic acid receptor (RAR) complexes to regulate transcription of RA-target genes. This study focuses on the recently identified immediate target gene of the RA pathway in zebrafish, tshz1a, which encodes a zinc-finger transcription factor linked to a variety of early developmental processes including axial patterning, eye specification, and ear and nose development. By generating tshza1 mutants (crispants) and comparing their morphological changes to wild-type zebrafish, this study is beginning to elucidate the function of tshz1a role in early development. For example, tshz1a crispants exhibited impaired somite segmentation, suggesting a role in regulation of axial extension in early development. To confirm the success of gene disruption, real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) coupled with high-resolution melt curve analysis (HRMA) and Sanger sequencing provide insight into the types of mutations at the molecular level that arise in the tshz1a crispants. These findings will offer valuable insights into the role of tshz1a in vertebrate development and its function in early embryogenesis and axial patterning
Tripping Over Sobriety: Examining the Potential of 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine on Alcohol Relapse Behavior in Rat Models of Addiction
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/c9bd8cec-4d77-44c9-819b-0bcf301e993c/thumb/128.jpgThis multi-experimental research study investigates the effects of the 5-HT2AR agonist DOI on binge-like drinking behaviors, chronic dependent-like alcohol consumption, and relapse behaviors in rat models of alcohol addiction. Experiment 1 employed the Intermittent Access to Two-Bottle Choice (IA2BC) paradigm, while Experiment 2 utilized the Leiber DeCarli Alcohol Liquid Diet model. Unexpected challenges arose in Experiment 1, including issues with the drinking apparatus and lack of acclimation to ethanol, leading to inconclusive results. Experiment 2 showed promising escalations in ethanol intake levels overtime and the relationship between ethanol consumption, DOI dosage, and locomotor activity. While the findings did not fully support the hypothesized effects of DOI on relapse prevention in rat models of alcohol addiction, they underscore the need for continued exploration of psychedelic assisted therapy’s potential for aiding in recovery from those who suffer from alcohol use disorders. Further research should focus on refining experimental protocols to ensure more conclusive findings. As well as investigating alternative psychedelic compounds such as psilocybin to elucidate their long-term therapeutic effects through their cognitive impacts. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on psychedelic-assisted therapy approaches for addressing alcohol addiction
In the Company of the Marquis: Reevaluating the Collapse of the Aztec Empire
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/b5f78391-4757-45b1-8a07-8b7b35c3f7f1/thumb/128.jpgLooking at the conquest of Tenochtitlan through sources written in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries reveals that the pre-established narrative histories penned by Hernándo Cortés, Francisco López de Gómara, and Bernal Díaz del Castillo fall short of capturing the entire picture. These narratives asked, "How was the Aztec empire conquered and destroyed?" Comparing these "conquistador" sources with "revisionist" works, penned in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to redress negative or lacking Indigenous representation within the earlier narratives, reveals that revisionist authors sought to posit a different question when recounting the history of the conquest: "How did the Triple Alliance collapse?" In shifting the central question, revisionist authors redefined their identity and vassalage within the political landscape of New Spain and commemorated their history
Working Lives of Jazz Musicians: Labor and Value in Portland's Jazz Scene in 2023/2024
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/4dc77d9c-fd51-4c22-8087-c5545cea4973/thumb/128.jpgPortland has been known as a jazz city for quite a long time. Portland attracts a wide range of people and personalities, embracing new and weird topics as if they were any other type of art. Throughout this thesis, I study jazz musicians here in Portland to ascertain what they do on a day-to-day basis as well as how they believe they are being valued in three different ways: aesthetically, financially, and socially. I focus primarily on the words of the musicians I talked with to understand their stance on each of these three values. I also used my own personal experience as both a musician and an observer to support what they say. The chapters are split into three subjects that all musicians I interviewed said makes a good gig: the music, meaning the quality of tthe music and how fun it is, the money, meaning how much they are getting paid, and lastly the hang, the people they are with and being supported by. I then put those three to each of the values, music being the aesthetic value, money being the financial value, and the hang being the social value. Throughout my observation and study, I’ve come to many conclusions about the value of each of those and how it stands to the musician. When it comes to music, the thing these musicians enjoy the most is how fun and engaging the music is, working with each other to curate an energy that allows to bring out the most of each of them. Financially, it is not glamorous, these musicians are frequently underpaid and audience members here in Portland have an apathy towards paying for live music. Clubs frequently pay musicians less than their going rate and they all have other jobs they do aside from gigging to make ends meet. They create new opportunities and try to help each other as much as possible. This also fits into the social value. Musicians help musicians and create spaces that allow for the growth of newer players to enter the jazz world with less fear. They actively support each other and make people feel as welcome as possible when entering this challenging sphere. What matters about all of this is that the musicians are front and center throughout this writing, making sure that I am telling their story