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Peptide Power: Effects of Exendin-4 on Transitive Inference Learning in Rodents
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/64ce1b34-aeb4-4953-bd2b-263d02a3bde7/thumb/128.jpgThis study investigates the effects of Exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, on transitive inference (TI) and serial learning in male Long-Evans rats. TI, a form of relational reasoning, enables subjects to infer relationships such as A > C after learning A > B and B > C, and has been demonstrated across species including humans, nonhuman primates, birds, and fish. Using a lever-press apparatus and food reinforcement, rats (N = 5) were trained and tested on a TI task under either Exendin-4 or saline treatment. Data analysis revealed that, while control rats exhibited a robust symbolic distance effect, with accuracy improving as the hierarchical distance between stimuli increased, rats when treated with Ex-4 showed an attenuated effect. The Ex-4 group demonstrated a more variable learning trajectory, showing that Ex-4 reduced task engagement. Trial completion rates were significantly lower in the Ex-4 group, likely due to motivational or emotional changes. Despite these disruptions, Ex-4-treated rats showed a trend suggesting increased learning, indicating potential cognitive flexibility under extended exposure. These results highlight the complex role of GLP-1 receptor agonists in modulating both cognitive performance and motivational states and suggest that future research should consider both cognitive and affective factors when investigating the effects of GLP-1 analogs
Understanding Undergraduate College Admissions: A Causal Framework
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/cde7200a-e805-4122-922d-76f9b7784c43/thumb/128.jpgThe U.S. undergraduate college admissions process can be difficult for applicants to navigate. Selective schools evaluate applicants on criteria that can be unclear to students, often generalizing the qualities they seek in a freshman class because of the inherent challenge associated with formally defining what makes, for instance, a Reedie, \emph{a Reedie}. This leads some under-resourced prospective students to make ill-informed decisions regarding their post-secondary careers. This paper proposes a formal causal framework for understanding undergraduate admissions using tools from causal inference, natural language processing, and cluster analysis. We use mediation analysis, directed acyclic graphs, and the potential outcomes framework to model our variables of interests, also employing Latent Profile Analysis, Latent Cluster Analysis, and Structural Topic Modeling to estimate variables we are interested in studying but cannot inherently observe in data. This research proposes two methods for measuring students’ character attributes within the context of college applications and for identifying latent groups based on those attributes that, in turn, reflect the broader character of institutions. Our framework offers a foundation for colleges, students, and support networks to make more informed decisions about which interventions are most likely to drive change in key college outcomes, such as enrollment or admission
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Cell Cycle Kinetics in the Zebrafish Optic Tectum
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/5208e0a3-074d-4054-a78b-194f20699684/thumb/128.jpgThe vertebrate brain undergoes rapid and tightly regulated cellular proliferation during early development. In this thesis, I investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of cell cycle kinetics in the developing zebrafish optic tectum, a region crucial for visual processing and sensorimotor integration. Using a combination of fluorescent labeling techniques and light sheet microscopy, I tracked neural progenitor cell behavior across key developmental time points to quantify cell cycle length and proliferative activity. My findings may reveal region-specific variations in proliferative rates within the optic tectum, suggesting a coordinated spatial organization of neurogenesis during early development. These data provide insight into the cellular mechanisms that shape tectal architecture and lay the groundwork for future research into how intrinsic genetic programs and extrinsic environmental factors influence brain maturation. This work contributes to a broader understanding of neural development and may have implications for studying how early-life experiences, including trauma, can impact neurodevelopmental trajectories. By advancing knowledge of cell cycle dynamics in a model organism, this research helps inform the cellular basis of plasticity, resilience, and vulnerability in the developing brain
“Society has no clue what to do with my gender”: The mediating effect of transgender/gender non-conforming pride/shame on passing beliefs and mental health outcomes
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/bf0e685f-f6ee-4e5a-9329-bb20d6986316/thumb/128.jpgTransgender and gender non-conforming individuals have higher reported levels of depression, anxiety, and disordered eating than cisgender individuals. These heightened levels of negative mental health outcomes are being manifested as a result of internalized transphobia and, more specifically, internalized beliefs on passing. Past research has established a relationship between internalized passing beliefs and negative mental health outcomes but have neglected to account for an essential part of the gender-diverse experience: pride and shame in their identity. The current study assesses the mediating effect of pride/shame on the relationship between internalized passing beliefs and negative mental health outcomes. To do this, we collected data from a sample of 87 gender-diverse Reed College students (34% non-binary; Mage = 20.16; SD = 1.6) via Qualtrics and analyzed this data using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and linear regression analysis. Results indicated that non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals had higher levels of pride and lower levels of shame than trans-binary individuals. We also found significant positive correlations between shame and our passing belief measures. Finally, we found a mediating effect of pride/shame when using depression as the outcome measure, but not when using anxiety or discorded eating. These findings suggest that pride in one’s gender-diverse identity may block the relationship between passing beliefs and depression. Additionally, the results of the study hold strong implications for assessing risk transgender/gender non-conforming people for depression, anxiety, and disordered eating
Optimizing the Fluorescence of GFP Using Deep Learning
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/29f27fe7-3728-473c-a550-fbb3e4aad0a9/thumb/128.jpgProteins are incredibly useful tools for both research and medicine, but the vast majority of possible proteins have not yet been explored. Further, our ability to investigate new proteins and optimize existing ones is limited by slow cycles of ideating and manually testing mutants. Computational tools can greatly accelerate our ability to explore the space of possible proteins. Here, I optimize the fluorescence of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) using two neural network models, including Evolutionary Scale Modeling (ESM), and an innovative variant optimization protocol using gradient ascent. I show that this protocol has potential to work extremely well on GFP, suggesting that it should be explored with other proteins as well. Additionally, this protocol develops two GFP mutants that outperform GFP Superfolder, the industry standard for GFP variants. The protocol thus has implications for protein engineering on general proteins, as well as the specific application of GFP research
Spectral Characterization of the Closed Walk Matrix
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/5b61313e-6c0b-4756-ae83-e0cc16062ede/thumb/128.jpgOne of the central questions in matrix theory is the problem of similarity: when are two matrices similar? In introductory courses in linear algebra, we learn that two matrices are similar if they represent the same linear transformation under different choices of basis. This naturally leads to interesting questions: what happens when we restrict the domain for the entries of the basis vectors? For example, what if we only allow basis vectors to be orthogonal, or require that the entries of the basis vectors be integers, or restrict them to certain values (e.g., 0 and 1)? The story of my thesis revolves around this important concept in matrix theory. Like many topics in algebra — for example, irreducibility and group representation — matrix similarity finds meaningful extensions in graph theory. Graph theory helps expose underlying structures in fundamental algebraic objects like groups and matrices. An important, and often less understood, subject in graph theory is that of closed walks and their behavior under graph similarity. A walk on a graph is a sequence of steps between vertices through their connecting edges. A closed walk is one in which the walk starts and ends at the same vertex. The central object of interest in my thesis is the closed walk. I study how the number of closed walks in a graph, a combinatorial object, relates to a topic of immense importance in graph theory: the isomorphism problem. The isomorphism problem asks when two graphs are considered the same. Unsurprisingly, I explore this subject through the lens of matrix similarity. In Chapter 1, we motivate the study of closed walks and demonstrate their rich connections to matrix theory. In Chapter 2, we explore the combinatorial aspects of closed walks and test their usefulness in addressing important problems in graph theory. In Chapter 3, we narrow our focus to a special class of graphs known as strongly regular graphs and study their structural relevance to closed walks. In Chapter 4, we study closed walks using tools developed from spectral theory. In Chapter 5, we discuss the relevance of closed walks to contemporary problems
Blank Spaces: Poetry and History in Baudelaire, Valéry, and Char
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/a22ee36c-f91a-492c-99a0-0b0fa43534fa/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis investigates the relationship between the poetic text and history. In a series of three case studies, I investigate how the poetic text in question consciously attempts to articulate a language capable of grasping the critical historical moment it finds itself in. In Chapter 1, “Apostrophe, History, and Allegory in Baudelaire’s ‘Le Cygne,’” I analyze how the speaker of Baudelaire’s poem constructs an allegorical relationship, through a complex dynamic of poetic address, with the fragmentation of experience that occurs due to the modernization of Paris. In Chapter 2, “Paul Valéry’s La Jeune Parque: Reading History, Otherwise,” I read Valéry’s poem as a response to problems he raises and figures he employs in his comments on both poetics and history, all in the context of World War I. In Chapter 3, “Rene Char’s Feuillets d’Hypnos,” I analyze why Char turned to the fragment form in response to the event of World War II, in which he himself was a resistance fighter
Illuminating Neutrons: Investigation of Quantum Dot-Based Scintillators for Full Spectrum Neutron Detection
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/be694768-dde5-4c21-a6f5-b72926384bf4/thumb/128.jpgNeutron detection is an essential part of radiation safety, research, and industrial operations. Current neutron detection systems pose challenges in economic feasibility, maintenance, and material sourcing. Recent literature has shown that semiconductor nanoparticles are a viable alternative to available neutron detection systems. This thesis investigates the use of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as neutron detectors, using the experimental design proposed by a 2022 paper from Idaho National Lab from Ghosh et al. The resulting methods from this thesis showed that a polyacrylamide gel can be used to suspend the quantum dots in a matrix without impacting fluorescence, as shown by a strong fluorescence intensity of greater than 10,000 counts. It also successfully identified the needed CdSe/ZnS quantum dot concentrations in the gel to obtain fluorescence as 0.017-0.067 mg/mL. Future studies will prove the gel’s usability as a neutron detector
Plasmodium cynomolgi Gametocyte Kinetics using Orthologous qPCR assays in Japanese and Rhesus Macaques
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/07cb85ed-7eda-45cf-aac3-91cb40d838a4/thumb/128.jpgPlasmodium vivax, a human-infecting malaria species, has posed a challenge for global elimination efforts due to its widespread distribution and capacity for relapse. Studying gametocytogenesis, the process that produces the sexual stage gametocytes responsible for transmission, would aid in efforts to interrupt transmission. However, logistical challenges create barriers in deriving conclusions on gametocytogenesis; therefore, this thesis aims to investigate gametocytogenesis in P. vivax by characterizing it in a model malaria species, Plasmodium cynomolgi, using non-human primates as a model host. qPCR assays designed to target Plasmodium falciparum orthologous genetic markers (PcMGET, Pcs25, Pcs16, and PcAP2-G) were used to detect gametocyte presence and abundance post-infection alongside corresponding asexual parasitemia microscopy data, monitor gametocyte persistence through relapse infections and recrudescence, and determine female:male sex ratio dynamics. Gametocyte abundance and prevalence were detected in all induced P. cynomolgi infections. PcAP2-G was the most consistent marker, often detectable before asexual parasitemia and persistent post-treatment. Pcs25 and PcMGET also often showed up before asexual parasitemia, coincided with high parasitemia, and reactivated during relapse infections and recrudescence. Pcs16 was inconsistent or undetectable in most cases. There was consistent female bias in most cases (very few exceptions). Finally, qPCR was observed to be more sensitive than microscopy for early detection. These findings provide valuable insight into gametocytogenesis, suggest qPCR is a stronger method than microscopy at detecting transmission potential, and support using this model to understand P. vivax gametocytogenesis further
Animal Husbandry in Ancient Rome
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/e515b024-7024-4ae7-b15c-57bb47e27f47/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis is a broad overview of the style and political environment of some Latin agricultural and veterinary authors, along with an examination of the language used to describe animals and the ideological work each author does using animals. I will be examining the De Agri Cultura of Cato, the Rerum Rusticarum of Varro, and the Res Rustica of Columella. I will also be investigating elements of Pelagonius's Ars Veterinaria and Vegetius's Mulomedicina. The first chapter of this thesis will examine the authorial styles and differences among the Latin authors. The development and institution of the empire changed how authors established themselves as experts, and the epistemological system and vocabulary became more specialized over time. The second chapter will examine how each author's political climate and goals influenced how they presented the ideal age of Rome, the moral corruption and need for reform, and how these factors affected how they discussed and treated animals. This chapter will also address how cultural and symbolic associations with certain animals, namely, the ox and the horse, affected how the Romans talked about animals and what ideological work they did using animals. The third chapter addresses how Cato, Columella, and Varro define animals and the category of pecus ("livestock") and how an animal's classification changes how the authors describe the animal. It will also discuss how certain animals transgress the human-animal boundary and how the authors reassert that boundary. The final chapter focuses on how modern veterinary medicine defines animals, and how their categorization changes how they are treated by the text and what sort of medical treatment they are entitled to. It will also consider points of difference and similarity in modern and Roman veterinary practice, including in their use of magical folk elements, and the distinctions made and not made between professionals and educated laymen