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A Power in the Land: The First Transcontinental Railroad and the Second American System
No full textThis Senior Independent Study examines how railroad men built the first transcontinental railroad by redefining the political relationships between the state and private corporations. The project builds on the work of other historians by arguing that railroad companies constructed the railroad within the context of a second American system of economic development. Personal accounts, railway papers, and congressional testimony demonstrate that politicians, financiers, and engineers utilized political power to manifest new networks of wealth. Private businessmen fulfilled their personal ambitions in service of a public project funded by federal bonds and land grants. The state and railroad companies subsidized, occupied, and reorganized public lands as workers built the railroad across the Great Plains. As part of national reconstruction in the West, railroad men formed a political system that determined the nature of westward expansion and laid the tracks for a continental empire
The Effects of Benfotiamine on Motor Impairment in a 6-OHDA Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease
No full textPrevious studies have suggested that a decrease in glucose metabolism is a trademark of Parkinson’s disease. Prior investigations have indicated that benfotiamine is a possible form of treatment to upregulate glucose metabolism in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of benfotiamine on motor impairment in a 6-OHDA mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Sixteen mice received 6-OHDA through stereotaxic injections in the striatum before getting a 200mg/kg/day of benfotiamine treatment for 3 weeks. Then, mice underwent the open field, pole test, and rotarod task to assess for motor impairment. Results show no significant difference in the motor tasks after benfotiamine treatment. Moreover, no significant difference was found in the pole test two weeks after the 6-OHDA injections. Yet, the results give valuable insight into the role of benfotiamine as a treatment for Parkinson’s and the relationship between motor impairment and concentration of the injected 6-OHDA. Future studies could investigate a longer treatment period, a different mouse model of Parkinson’s, as well as different motor tasks when testing for behavioral improvement
Addressing the Terminology: Scholarship on Gender Non-Conformity in Ancient Rome
No full textA great diversity of gender expressions has been present throughout time and space. This type of gender fluidity and non-conforming performance is even seen in ancient Rome. My present examples include the followers of the Anatolian mother goddess, Cybele, and literary characters in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Apuleius’ The Golden Ass. What is the appropriate terminology to describe these individuals’ expressions of gender? Some scholars believe the proper terminology lies in modern Western terms of queer gender, such as “transgender,” “trans,” and “non-binary.” Is this how we should refer to them?
In this Independent Study, I argue that scholars should not apply these presentist labels onto ancient Romans because modern Western understandings of gender do not map cleanly onto ancient Rome. To support this argument, I utilize agency theory and queer theory to emphasize the importance of recognizing sociocultural contexts when making interpretations about the past. Likewise, I conduct content analysis on a sample of the scholarship that applies these modern terms, and I find that this imposition not only takes agency away from the subjects of study, but that it also neglects emic understandings of Roman gender constructions
Discovering the Most Practical Solution to Cyberbullying: A Study on Eliminating the Negative Impact of Yik Yak’s Anonymity
No full textThe focus of this research is to investigate the perception of cyberbullying on Yik Yak across The College of Wooster to find the most effective solution to resolving the issue. The primary objective was to determine the effectiveness and applicability of strategies suggested by past research for preventing cyberbullying on Yik Yak. My method for collecting data was a survey of 210 students at The College from different class years and demographics and the subsequent analysis through the One-Way ANOVA test, Spearman Correlation, and T-Test. The analysis indicates several important points. First, almost ⅔ of respondents have the app downloaded on their phone, while about 45% of all respondents have either been cyberbullied or know someone who has been bullied on Yik Yak in the past. In addition, 52% of respondents selected anonymity as the most common reason for cyberbullying. However, college students do not support banning the app or removing the anonymity feature from the app. Moreover, 71% of participants disagreed that the College administration is prepared to handle the cyberbullying situation, while 50% disagreed with their involvement in the cases. Nevertheless, students showed strong student support for initiatives focused on educating individuals about the dangers of cyberbullying and enhancing self-regulation. Based on the findings, my proposed solution to cyberbullying on Yik Yak is to combine the two most supported solutions. I argue that creating an educational program through the Wellness Center might increase awareness and self-regulation
Home is Where the Hate is: An Investigation into the Influence of Social Bonds on the Experiences of Former Members of White Supremacy Groups
No full textWhite Supremacy Groups operate under an ideology that promotes the power and pride of the white race over other racial groups. These organizations may aim to impose their views through political acts, subversion of media, or explicit acts of violence. Due to the rising discussions of extremism and political divide in the United States, this research looks to understand the functions behind white supremacy groups: Who is involved, why do they become involved, what does involvement look like, and how do they leave? This project will first address current literature on the topic of white supremacy groups, hate groups, and extremist organizations. This will be followed by a brief discussion of various academic theories that help to explain the trends seen within the literature review. Further data will then be collected through a detailed review of public sources on the life histories of six former white supremacy group members. This data will be analyzed for common themes, which will then be discussed in terms of existing literature and the aforementioned academic theories. This work then concludes with a discussion of the major findings as well as suggestions for the ways in which this discussion could be expanded with further research
Boolean Modeling of the Molecular Dynamics Governing the Epithelial and Endothelial Hypoxic Response
Get PDFThe progression of solid tumors inevitably leads to a hypoxic tumor microenvironment, promoting metastatic cell behaviors such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), as well as the formation of new, aberrant vasculature. In epithelial cells, the Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) protein family is the primary driver of downstream signaling. Many of its transcriptional targets overlap with those of the well-established EMT inducer, Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β). While crosstalk between these signals has been documented, the effect of the biophysical environment – another modulator of EMT – on the hypoxia response remains unexplored. Additionally, cells expressing HIF proteins promote the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), in turn driving angiogenesis in hypoxic tissues. In this study we use Boolean modeling to capture the dynamics of molecular signals that govern these cancer-linked behaviors in differing tumor microenvironments. We expand upon an existing mechanosensitive model to demonstrate the synergistic way hypoxia and TGF-β induce EMT. Our model indicates that each pathway can independently induce partial EMT under specific conditions, while their joint effect expands the microenvironments in which full EMT occurs. To model the dynamics behind angiogenesis, we have developed a central pattern generator capable of selecting tip and stalk phenotypes for endothelial cells in response to VEGF signaling. Our model reproduces Notch signaling induced lateral inhibition, which prevents hyper-sprouting in healthy endothelial vessels. We also predict that transition to a fully uninhibited tip cell state involves partial EMT, leading to migration as well as proliferation. Interestingly, even mild lateral inhibition could block tip cell proliferation in our model, without impacting its hybrid E/M phenotype. These models lay the groundwork for building a comprehensive network model of all single-cell level cancer hallmarks. Then, future development of tissue-level models of tumor development and angiogenesis can help disentangle the impacts of the tumor microenvironment vs. cancer-driving mutations
What do you Rhoda-Mean? A Study of the Photostability and Degradation Kinetics of Two Rhodamines
No full textDaylight fluorescent paints found widespread use in psychedelic and pop artwork in the 1960s- 80s. As these objects age, the complicated conservation issues that they present are apparent, and work is being done to understand the fading of daylight fluorescent (DF) dyes in order to better preserve artwork made using them. Rhodamine 3B and rhodamine 6G are commonly used in red, orange, and pink DF paints, so being able to quantify their degradation on both a visual and a molecular level is important. Past work has focused on quantifying the visual fading and decrease in fluorescence of rhodamine dyes, and photoproducts have been detected. This project focuses on dye degradation kinetics and production of photoproducts under UV-B light using UV-Visible spectroscopy. Both solution and paint samples were used to assess visual changes, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to separate photoproducts from dyes in solution. This work will help inform future conservation of artwork involving DF paints, pigments, and dyes
How Gender Framing Affects the Success of Women’s Rights Movements
No full textThis study aims to explore the effects of gender framing for women’s rights movements success. It examines gender framing as both conforming and nonconforming to traditional gender norms and roles, and success in the short and long-term. This study establishes that how women’s rights movements frame their gender has impacts on the type of success experienced. My hypotheses are (1) when women’s rights movements frame their gender in a manner that conforms to gender norms and roles, they are more likely to gain success in the short term. (2) when women’s rights movements frame their gender in a manner that does not conform to gender norms and roles, they are more likely to gain success in the long-term. I explore these hypotheses through two case studies: Take Back the Night at Columbia University and SlutWalk at the University of Virginia, both of which took place in 2014. There was evidence in support of the gender-nonconforming movement success both in the short and long-term, whereas no evidence was found that the gender-conforming movement experienced any success. The study concludes with insight into the findings and suggestions for future research
How does Black-Issued Media from the Pre- and Post-Emancipation Era Speak of and Display Lincoln as a Political Figure? Louisiana vs. New York
No full textThis Independent Study focuses on Abraham Lincoln through a historical African American lens and asks, “How does Black-issued media from the pre and post-emancipation era speak of and display Lincoln as a political figure?” To further this research topic, I investigated a sub-question, “Are there differences in opinion between Black media in New York versus Louisiana?” To answer these questions, an investigation and comparison of African American media in Louisiana and New York will help me discover the oppressed opinions of those most affected by Lincoln\u27s policies. From Louisiana, I investigated articles published in L’Union (1862 - 1864) and New Orleans Tribune (1864 - 1868). I looked into Freedom’s Journal (1827 - 1829) and The North Star (1847 - 1864) from New York. This research aims to unveil the suppressed opinions of those most impacted by Lincoln\u27s policies, providing valuable insights into the experiences and perspectives of African Americans during the challenging Civil War era
