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A Spoonful of CYP3A4 Helps the Kratom Go Down: Kratom metabolism in the liver and purification of the responsible enzyme CYP3A4
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/4b68ed60-2d2d-4cd5-990b-14ade160a535/thumb/128.jpgKratom is a plant consumed for both its stimulant and sedative effects at different doses, and its psychoactive effects come from alkaloid compounds found in its leaves. There are more that 50 different alkaloids found in kratom at different proportions, and their varying effects are still not well understood. One property contributing to the varying alkaloid profile is their metabolism in the body and formation of new compounds. Metabolism occurs in the liver catalyzed by cytochrome P450s (CYPs), and the primary enzyme responsible for kratom metabolism is CYP3A4. In order to better understand the mechanism of CYP3A4 mediated metabolism of kratom, it is important to resolve the structure of the CYP3A4-substrate interaction with kratom alkaloids like mitragynine. This requires developing a procedure for the expression and purification of CYP3A4. In this thesis, I did this by expressing CYP3A4 in E. coli cells and using SDS- PAGE gels to analyze the effectiveness of separating out the protein using Ni- NTA and cation-exchange columns. Some key modifications that must be made to the procedure include increasing the volume of resin on the Ni-NTA column and decreasing the salinity of the sample before injection on the cation-exchange column
Music Sampling: At the Crossroads of Audio Innovations and Intellectual Property Regulations
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/6188581a-a83a-4ece-ac54-d6e0fe419f3c/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis traces the transformative capabilities of audio sampling. Sampling sits at the intersection of justice and creativity. While sampling technology provided new frameworks for creativity, it also inspired further restrictions in copyright law. By showing how sampling practices impact creative culture and law, we can highlight why sampling is criminalized. My self-produced titled Ultraviolet Lichen highlights uses a variety of sampling techniques as a means to understand sampling as a cultural practice that is criminalized through regulation of copyright law
Charged Particle Dynamics in Uniform Magnetic Fields
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/aeb6dbd5-709d-430b-9873-61b08763e095/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis seeks to determine the position of a charged particle in some magnetic field B = B(t)ˆz. An overview is given in the first chapter of the general motion we expect, some context for some different possible B(t) configurations, as well as the solution in the uniform, constant magnetic field case. The next chapters include several methods attempting to solve for the velocity and position of a charged particle in several more complex magnetic fields. The final chapter gives the cumulative results of these methods, and offers possible continuations of this project
Fly With Me: Cell-ECM Interactions as Regulators of D. melanogaster Neuron Morphology
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/b822bff7-e740-437e-8eb5-6d0f73aae3d7/thumb/128.jpgThe extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a crucial role in guiding and transmitting developmental signals to cells, especially highly motile cells like neurons that grow intricate branched structures. Responsible for sequestering soluble ligands and sometimes playing a direct role in cellular signaling as ligands to growth factor receptors, ECM proteins are an important and dynamic part of cell signaling systems. Interactions between the ECM and diverse cell-surface receptors coordinate the cytoskeleton to enable cell-surface adhesion and migration. These are critical processes for every cell in your body, but are especially important to neuronal innervation in the compartments of the developing brain. The present research continues experiments with the Applewhite lab's *Drosophila* primary neuronal cell culture system to investigate the specific roles of the cellular adhesion factor syndecan. Cells are grown on a conventional *in vitro* substrate, ConA, and on purified ECM proteins. Prior research in the Applewhite lab has indicated a difference in cells' ability to form focal adhesions to these substrates consistent with what we know about the affinities of syndecan and integrins. *Drosophila* syndecan function is interrogated using transgenically expressed RNAi, and the effect of knockdown on neuron growth and morphology is examined by visualizing the cytoskeleton with TIRF microscopy. Syndecan was found to be necessary for maintaining adhesion and cell morphology for neurons grown on the ECM substrate, while knockdown had no effect on adhesion or morphology for cells grown on ConA and actually increased neurite growth. These results indicate a role for Syndecan in *Drosophila* neuronal cytoskeletal development and establish the need for further research into the mechanisms of FA formation in *Drosophila* neurons. The results corroborate that cells grown on ConA do so without engaging endogenous cell adhesion machinery
Like Water: A Cross-cultural Journey through Philosophical and Poetical Tides
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/5c6cb966-fe6a-4b90-854a-b63239342718/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis takes a bold direction of reframing how to read poetry by starting from a Chinese philosophical standpoint, instead of a Western one. Through this experimental reading, I aim to use Chinese thought as a lens to look at the role of water in nature poetry, from a variety of ancient Chinese poetry to select 17th century Western classics written in English. The first chapter contextualizes several ways water is seen in Chinese thought: in cosmology, the Confucian school, and Daoism with Laozi. The second chapter focuses on nature poetry from the Tang, Song, and Ming eras, beginning with poems that reflect on the Yangtze River and history, before drifting into an exploration on the evolution of the boat motif from the writings of male poets to female poet Li Qingzhao’s brilliant renditions subverting the motif. The third chapter attempts to utilize the above discussion to examine poems from William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman, those of which also involve journeys of boat through water and parallel themes. Ultimately, this thesis serves as a starting point for readers to use a different cultural perspective to read literature and hopefully gain new insights
Inflamed in the Brain: Exploration of the Role of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Hyaluronic Acid Related Neuroinflammation
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/82c0b677-85d1-4548-8857-94bc92b2b261/thumb/128.jpgChronic alcohol consumption is a widespread and costly behavior, the effects of which are felt worldwide. On the biological level, chronic alcohol use causes changes in the brain and body, including increased neuroinflammation and disruption of neurogenesis. In the hippocampus, the center for learning and memory, hallmarks of neuroinflammation include increases in proinflammatory molecules such as IL-6 and TNF-α and changes in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). One notable change in the ECM is increased levels of a long-chain glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronic acid (HA) especially low molecular weight forms. Whether inflammatory cytokines alter levels or structure of HA is an open question. One hypothesis is that hyaluronidases, such as CEMIP, are activated by proinflammatory cytokines. This research aims to better understand ethanol-induced neuroinflammation, specifically by focusing on whether CEMIP links ethanol-induced increases in HA to ethanol-induced increases in proinflammatory cytokines. When hippocampal cells were treated with IL-6, we observed more CEMIP in the perinuclear region, indicating that more CEMIP will be secreted. To test whether CEMIP transcription was increased by pro-inflammatory cytokines qPCR experiments were performed on cells incubated with IL-6 and TNF-α for 6, 12, or 24 hours. Relative levels of CEMIP appeared to increase after 6 hours of treatment but returned to baseline by 12 hours. Increased post-translational levels of CEMIP, coupled with the induction of CEMIP gene expression at early time points, suggest a pathway by which elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines create lasting changes in HA abundance and composition. Further investigations into how CEMIP is regulated may provide key insights into chronic neuroinflammation, including neuroinflammation linked to alcohol use disorder (AUD)
Reel Identities: The Portrayal of Asian American Experience in U.S. Cinema
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/f6e33464-d969-4280-96e1-e3c3fc616dab/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis explores the emergence of Asian American identity as represented in contemporary media, specifically film and television, and how these representations are understood across both Asian and Non-Asians audiences. Considering this, I ask: How do contemporary audiences consider the meanings of films produced by and for Asian American communities, and how do they adapt transformative interpretations of the works? I analyze the intent of filmmakers’ works, as they often resist the former expectations of Asians’ role in film, and whether those meanings translate or if new meanings arise from viewership. I model my research after Shively’s study that compared the reception of a popular Western “cowboys and Indians” film between white and Indigenous male audiences, I similarly move in trying to see if there are similarities or differences in how non-Asian and Asian/Asian American groups receive Asian American films. Through the in-person screening of a curation of clips from 5 different Asian American films, I utilize pre- and post-screening questionnaires and a focus group interview model to see if the themes that the viewers identify are 1) aligned or different from the intent of the filmmakers’ and 2) similar or different from the other focus group. What I found is that there are 3 key themes from the films that emerge from the focus groups: 1) matriarch over patriarchal influence, 2) generational tensions, 3) conservation of culture through rituals and practices
Demystifying the One-Man Toast: UPPS-P Personality Predictors and Solitary Drinking in Emerging Adults
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/e8707ee3-6a90-49a0-aacf-63e0cad0f3d8/thumb/128.jpgSolitary alcohol consumption, defined as drinking alone or when others are not drinking with you, is increasingly common among emerging adults in the United States and has been linked to long-lasting alcohol-related and other health problems. Individuals who engage in solitary drinking typically report doing so as a coping mechanism to handle negative affect (e.g., sadness, anger, shame, guilt). While two models of drinking and risk-taking have been developed to understand the motivations behind alcohol consumption, there is room to better understand complex behaviors such as solitary drinking. Within this thesis, predictors of solitary drinking, general alcohol consumption, and alcohol problems within young adults focused on personality, motives for drinking, and contexts of alcohol use. The UPPS-P, a multifaceted impulsivity personality index covering premeditation (lack of), perseverance (lack of), sensation seeking, positive and negative urgency, was the primary explanatory variable and was examined in conjunction with motives and behavioral willingness to drink alone. Participants included 259 (96% cis, 4% trans, 55% white) individuals between the ages of 21-25 years of age recruited through CloudResearch Connect. Results suggest that sensation-seeking and positive urgency directly relate to alcohol problems and hazardous drinking. Mediation was supported for positive and negative urgency's relations to potentially problematic drinking via coping motives and solitary drinking contexts. Results suggest that using the UPPS-P as a screening tool may help with generating risk assessment and unique treatment plans and prevention/intervention strategies for solitary drinking
Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca: The Poetics, Places, and Gender Politics of the Lesbian Gothic
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/f374f072-e1df-4548-b504-e02d56148de8/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis uses a historical analysis of the Gothic genre to analyze psychological literary themes in Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca. Chapter 1 analyzes the emergence of the Female Gothic and Bluebeard Gothic, and how Du Maurier uses the literary themes of these sub-genres to influence the self-concept of her characters. I argue that Du Maurier subverts the traditional Male Gothic by removing men from the literary equation and centering the plotline on women and their intimate relationships with other women. Chapter 2 studies the use of the De Winter’s ancestral home Manderley, and how the spectral presence of Rebecca draws the narrator’s attention away from Maxim. I employ Bachelard’s rhetoric from The Poetics of Space to analyze the Haunted House motif in Gothic literature and unpack the interactions between the narrator and Mrs. Danvers. I argue that the situating of Manderley in Cornwall - a previously Celtic territory - demonstrates the aristocratic desire to preserve English possession. Chapter 3 unpacks the absence of sex in Rebecca and analyzes the Madonna-Whore complex created by Rebecca’s hypersexuality and the narrator’s lack thereof. I analyze the lack of consummation, the portrayal of the narrator as virginal and childlike, and Maxim’s use of infantilization to make her obedient and submissive. This section analyzes societal punishments inflicted on women for straying from patriarchal expectations, and how Rebecca’s death can be seen as a consequence for her actions. I argue that the triangulation of sexual relationships between the female characters – the narrator, Rebecca, and Mrs. Danvers - overshadows the relationship between the narrator and Maxim, who becomes a secondary character in Du Maurier’s reimagining of the traditional heterosexual Gothic
It's Not Just The Straws: Investigating the Biology and Genetics of Sea Turtles and the Implications of Climate Change
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/17510c11-1b11-47c8-ab86-9df7072d6c2b/thumb/128.jpgThis undergraduate thesis delves into the evolutionary genetics of green sea turtles, aiming to uncover insights into their population dynamics, implications for conservation efforts; and newer perspectives on the consequences of extinction. Through a combination of literature review, bioinformatics analysis, and integration of historical and environmental data, this thesis addresses critical questions of green sea turtle populations within an evolutionary genetics framework. By examining patterns of genetic diversity and population structure, I intend to shed light on the adaptive potential of green sea turtles and their capacity to cope with environmental challenges, especially in our current climate crisis. Furthermore, this thesis examines the impact of anthropogenic activities - including habitat loss, pollution, and climate change - on the genetic health and resilience of green sea turtle populations. By integrating genetic data with ecological and environmental parameters, this analysis explores the intricate interplay between genetic factors and environmental stressors, offering insights into the driving factors behind population decline. Ultimately, this research presents evidence-based conservation strategies for safeguarding sea turtle’s long-term survival, in the hope of contributing to their preservation and the maintenance of healthy marine ecosystems