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A Fish in the Hothouse: Trophic Interactions and Heatwave Response in a Freshwater Community (supplementary files)
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/d10dd44e-44fd-4c8c-baf0-95628b0d5a0c/thumb/128.jpgTheoretical and experimental studies have suggested that directional warming under climate change may reorganize predator-prey dynamics by shifting the metabolic rates of producers and herbivores; however, the effects of short-term extreme heat on predator-prey dynamics are less clear. As natural communities exhibit variation in food web structure, it is crucial to consider how systems with different food chain lengths may respond to heat differently. In this thesis, I ask how top-down trophic effects impact a freshwater planktonic community’s response to, and recovery from, an experimental heatwave. I used a food web model to formulate predictions about the effects of a heatwave on predator-prey dynamics. Then, I performed a mesocosm experiment to determine how zooplanktivorous fish, a simulated heatwave, and the combination of the two impacted phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance over time. Consistent with my predictions, fish negatively impacted large zooplankton but positively impacted phytoplankton. The effects of the heatwave were smaller in magnitude than the model predicted, likely owing to the unexpectedly broad thermal tolerances of the organisms studied. However, the combination of fish and a heatwave drove a large increase in rotifer abundance, demonstrating that top predators can modify a community’s heatwave response through size-selective predation. Contrary to the model predictions, the presence of fish increased the planktonic community’s resilience to extreme heat. Overall, these findings suggest that differences in food web structure can select for communities that respond differently to heat. A fuller appreciation of interspecies interactions is necessary to predict community-level responses to heatwaves
Ecotourism and Unpredictability: Multispecies Ethnography in the Waters of Bonaire
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/96203b39-b004-422b-9813-6044dfffc4b8/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis explores how the practice of ecotourism, a commercial operation in which tourists’ recreational interests meet environmental conservation efforts, is complicated by climate change. Ecotourism relies on notions of “wilderness” which negate the existence of indigenous inhabitants and is thus tied up in important questions of authority, power, and oppression. To narrow the breadth of this topic, this thesis is centered around the island of Bonaire, and Bonaire Marine Park, which operates on the island and in its globally renowned fringing reefs. Bonaire, a Caribbean Island, offers a compelling point of analysis because of its complex colonial history and economic dependence on marine based ecotourism. This thesis highlights the significance of Bonaire’s historical context to a discussion of the current mode of economy on the island. Types of anthropology that move away from a Western human-centric focus, like object-oriented anthropology and multispecies anthropology, are used to illustrate this context and characterize Bonaire Marine Park. Drawing on case studies that showcase the variety of extractive interactions between scuba divers and nonhuman actants, this paper analyzes the effect that tourists have on the environment, concepts of invasiveness and indigeneity, and the way that “Science” and other Western ways of understanding the world invalidate local knowledge. Ultimately it is argued that as global warming introduces new elements of uncertainty into an entangled world, park management and tourists will need to pay close attention to contexts of power and control, emphasize lived experience, and prioritize local leadership to address regionally based climate issues
Using Generative Structures to Aid Live Performances
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/60fe07fc-8061-46a6-91e8-cf19dba55d46/thumb/128.jpgThe advent of personal computing and DAWs initiated a new era in music. In the modern day, a composer can produce a work that sounds exactly as they imagine every time it is played, for better or worse. While such precision is still widely used today in the popular music landscape, there is also a feeling of rigidity that comes with it. As many composers aim to maintain a feeling of naturality or humanity in their work, digital music making will have to advance. One route of finding such variance can be found in generative music, a concept that has been developing since the mid-1960s.Generative music, typically designed to produce ever-varying music for a desired length, has been used as the basis for several compositions ranging in styles from minimalist art music to electronic dance music. Composers from Laurie Spiegel to Terry Riley have expanded the concept of generative music, but the whole of these pieces focus only on the structures that have been created or the processes that unfold (like a set of tape loops or a program that runs a set function), not necessarily as elements to be interacted with in the context of a larger work of music. Nowadays, with advancements such as digital audio workstations, a composer can place and interact with a generative structure in the same environments they would compose any other music. Could, then, a model for generative music structures be integrated as an active member of an ensemble?I will be exploring generative music in order to create tools that interact with previously notated compositions without player input. In other words, the goal is to make structures that act as a collaborative part of an ensemble. To develop a base understanding of such structures, the history of generative music will be explored, taking notes and ideas from works such as Terry Riley’s “In C,” Laurie Spiegel’s “Interactive Music Mouse,” and Todd Barton’s “Krell Patch.” Notes on indeterminism, recontextualizing error, programming naturality, and Pauline Oliveros’ “Sonic Meditations,” will also be explored. To showcase these tools and structures, this thesis will culminate in a creative work, in addition toan accompanying analysis. The presentation will feature composed works alongside generative structures to demonstrate a variety of use cases. A key goal of this creative portion is to offer a model of accessible musical performance to audience members of any ability, specifically through the use of non-traditional interfaces
Toward a Semi-Classical Percolation Model
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/1b9f2331-a047-4e36-8788-a1ba1380757b/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis takes a step toward developing a semi-classical model of the Anderson transition in the quantum Hall regime by utilizing the phase-space formulation of quantum mechanics. To achieve this goal, we first investigate a two-dimensional electron gas model under a perpendicular magnetic field with impurities. We demonstrate that our results align with those obtained from traditional quantum mechanical analysis. Specifically, we show that the stationary Wigner quasi-probability distributions have the same ⋆-genenergies as the eigenenergies analyzed using quantum mechanics, and we confirm that the distributions drift along the equipotential lines of the disorder potential as expected in quantum mechanics. Our findings suggest that a network-type model could be used to construct a semi-classical percolation model. However, our investigation was limited to Landau gauge due to uncertainties surrounding the transformation of the Wigner quasi-probability distribution under gauge transformations. Additionally, we found that the stationary Wigner quasi-probability distributions are infinitely degenerate in each Landau band, in contrast to the finite degeneracy of eigenstates in each band; in quantum mechanics, the finite degeneracy is achieved since the system is finite, however, it is unclear for us how the phase-space formalism applies for a finite-size system. We also attempted to analyze saddle point scattering in the phase-space formulation by solving for the stationary Wigner quasi-probability distribution for an inverted harmonic oscillator. However, we could not connect our results to the transmission and reflection probabilities due to the difficulty of extracting these information from the stationary Wigner functions
Zero-Knowledge Proof for Norinori
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/2df05b3e-de9f-49a6-8662-a38f8d5c0df0/thumb/128.jpgIn this thesis, we establish a formal notion of a puzzle. We discuss categorizing the varying degrees of difficulty of problems. We also explore the idea of zero-knowledge proofs. A zero-knowledge proof is a proof structure where the solution to the relevant problem is not revealed. All of this is done through the puzzle Norinori. We will prove that Norinori is NP-complete and show a zero-knowledge protocol for Norinori. We will also prove that this protocol meets all conditions of zero-knowledge proofs
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Polymorph: Pharmaceutical Co- crystallization, Polymorphism, and Vanilla Flavored Crystals
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/d84a47cb-db54-4325-a901-0b8144657d76/thumb/128.jpgPharmaceutical cocrystallization is a growing field of research owing to its potential to improve upon existing pharmaceuticals rapidly and effectively. Though there are many methods of forming cocrystals, one of the most common is mechanochemistry. This thesis uses mechanochemistry, specifically ball milling, to produce cocrystals with a pharmaceutical used to treat Crohn’s disease, mesalamine. Out of the API-coformer combinations tested, cocrystals were successfully formed with vanillin and propyl gallate. Building on Goswami et al.’s work using bipyridines, these two generally regarded as safe (GRAS) compounds are the first cocrystals with mesalamine reported using a food-safe coformer.In pursuing cocrystals of mesalamine, a novel polymorph of mesalamine HCl, was found. The discovery of this polymorph is significant because mesalamine is often formulated as an HCl salt, and polymorphs can exhibit distinct and sometimes undesirable properties in pharmaceuticals. A mesalamine salt monohydrate was also found to form. This form exhibited a surprising and unique property; when heated, the crystal underwent a single-crystal-to-single- crystal transformation. This thesis presents the first reported case of an FDA approved pharmaceutical compound undergoing such a transformation. This transformation also gave rise to a highly isostructural third polymorph of mesalamine HCl
Surviving Political Sex Scandals
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/0ca0da4a-1e36-42e4-aa5f-2788c81d1bf9/thumb/128.jpgScholars tend to neglect studying sex scandals in politics. This thesis examines the effects sex scandals have on politicians’ careers. Why are some elected officials able to survive public scrutiny for their sexual indiscretions while others are not? Why do similar sex scandals have different effects on politicians’ careers? To answer this question, I examine the sex scandals of elected US politicians nationally from 2010 to 2020. My thesis provides an overview of all sex scandals and focuses on four cases to provide answers. Studying four extramarital affairs conducted by elected officials, two of them who continue having successful careers and two of them who failed, I build a theory of sex scandal survival. I find that two variables are key in explaining the success or failure of politicians’ survival after having an affair: Distancing and Image. Distancing refers to the timing of the scandal and the blame avoidance strategy the politician employed. Image includes media and PR strategies as well as context-dependent candidate quality. I find that placing enough time between the scandal and the politician’s next election is crucial. While multiple blame avoidance strategies can work, denials and ‘finding a scapegoat’ are particularly effective strategies. Similarly, minimizing the level to which the politician is associated with the scandal in the media by refusing to acknowledge details of the scandal and interrupting negative coverage with stories not related to the scandal helps the politician rehabilitate their image. Context-dependent candidate quality refers to special attributes a politician has that allow them to address an issue important to constituents with particular salience. This can make a politician more popular and less replaceable
Looking at Determinants of Health Status Using Machine Learning
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/20ebef8f-cbca-46da-a91b-82e539e316a1/thumb/128.jpgThis paper uses machine learning, specifically k-nearest neighbors, to analyze Survey of Income and Program Participation data and try to predict the health status of a person. Further, this paper uses Local Interpretable Model- Agnostic Explanations, or LIME, to understand how the model made its predictions by looking at the most important features for various data points. Then, with such information, the trustworthiness of the model can be ascertained due to the much more intuitive explanation of the model. Overall, the paper concludes that the model is not trustworthy and further works needs to be done to have more confidence in the predictions being made
Exploring Linsanity: the Model Minority Myth, Laboring Bodies, and Asian American Racialization through Sport
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/dc699d7e-dcc7-4d65-957e-f1676360a479/thumb/128.jpgThis thesis focuses on “Linsanity,” the social and cultural phenomenon of Jeremy Lin’s Basketball Rise in February and March of 2012. In the period of two months, Taiwanese-American Basketball player Jeremy Lin went from an ambiguous NBA player who rarely played meaningful minutes, to one of the most popular athletes in American sports, before sustaining a season ending injury. On one hand, I am interested in the historical forces that inform this phenomenon. I specifically focus on two histories, the history and role of immigration policies and politics in creating, changing, and remaking the Asian American figure. And secondly, I explore the racial history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and various figuring of Basketball superstars and their politics. On the other hand, I aim to use these histories to explain and unpack the corporate media coverage around “Linsanity,” with the goal of revealing how rhetoric and beliefs becomes mobilized through Jeremy Lin’s story and figure. Ultimately, I argue that Linsanity becomes a site by which the modern model minority myth associated with Asian Americans becomes reiterated and reified, which thus simultaneously creates a critique of Black communities’ inability to assimilate to White institutions and structures. Lastly, I argue that a critical reading of the media discourse around Linsanity demonstrates the need for a more socially and culturally responsible media and sporting audience. I conclude that the mobilization of model minority beliefs illustrates the need for a more self-aware and critical Asian American community. An emphasis on ensuring Asian American success does not necessitate a critique of Black communities might provide new avenues of solidarity
The Examination of Virtus, Slavery, and Civil War in the Third Servile War in Appian's Civil Wars
No full texthttps://rdc.reed.edu/v1/resources/3e1b04b2-8ae7-4e1d-ae05-701b52f7ba22/thumb/128.jpgMy thesis has been an examination of the link between virtus and civil war using the ideology of Roman slavery in Appian’s account of the Third Servile War. The initial argument was that, during the time of the Republic, the start of imperial expansion had led to the perversion of Roman values like virtus in exchange for new paths to power. No matter if the intentions were defensive or offensive, imperial expansion instigated mass cultural shifts due to the number of resources and wealth being funneled into Rome from their conquests, fueling everything from labor supply and agricultural operative changes to civil war. In exploring these cultural shifts, I discovered just how closely related they all are to each other. The Third Servile War takes those same people attempting to create a new status quo for themselves and pits them against enslaved gladiators who are somehow able to represent the best in Roman values beyond a shadow of a doubt. I examined how Appian depicted Spartacus, Crassus, and Pompey handled a shifting status quo for Roman values (and their subordinates’ reactions to their leaders’ respective decisions). Spartacus, as a slave and gladiator, held a strange position within Roman society, and yet Appian depicted him performing virtus like a proper Roman elite male, leading his men into battle personally and winning consistently against opponents who underestimated based solely on their assumptions of him because of his position within the Roman social hierarchy. Meanwhile, Crassus is unable to address the abnormal characterization of Spartacus, choosing instead to overcorrect his position in the eyes of his men. Pompey only served to further cement this overcorrection with his arrival. In my final chapter, I established that, at this point in Appian’s narrative, he demonstrates that the Third Servile War serves a double function for him: (1) as a model for the rest of the civil wars that he discusses in his work and (2) as a direct catalyst for the start of those civil wars