The Man in the Black Leather Coat: Panopticism and Historical Fiction

A panoptic analysis of Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 Trilogy and David Benioff’s City of Thieves proved the existence of surveillance themes. This work examines the relevance of panoptic analysis to historical fiction and the Soviet Union, as well as generates an understanding of how history is understood

Characterization of CD9 as an Alternative Receptor for IL-16 Signaling in Cerebellar Granule Neurons

Interleukin-16 (IL-16) was initially described as a pro-inflammatory cytokine. IL-16 has diverse immunoregulatory effects in various tissues and has recently been shown to induce neurite outgrowth in cerebellar granule neurons. In neurons IL-16 binds to the CD4 receptor, which triggers a signaling pathway that upregulates the expression of c-Fos. c-Fos transcriptionally regulates genes that promote proliferation, growth, and survival of neurons (Fenster et al., 2010). In previous studies, cerebellar granule neurons isolated from CD4 knockout mice still exhibited c-Fos expression and increased neurite outgrowth when treated with IL-16 (Fenster et al., 2010). This indicates that in cerebellar granule neurons, IL-16 could be binding to an alternative receptor in order to elicit this response. We hypothesize that the tetraspannin receptor CD9 may be the alternative to CD4 in cerebellar granule neurons. In other cells throughout the body, CD9 has been identified as an alternative receptor for IL-16 signaling. For instance, human mast cells respond to IL-16 treatment in a CD9-mediated pathway (Qi et al., 2005). Using several cellular and molecular biology techniques, we characterized the CD9 receptor in cerebral granule neurons. In this study we demonstrated that CD9 is present in high concentrations in cerebellar granule neurons as well as the whole brain. In addition, CD9 is highly dispersed throughout neurons and co-localization occurs with the synaptic protein PSD-95. Also CD9 is expressed in higher concentrations in neurons in comparison to CD4. Our data provides evidence to the support the hypothesis that CD9 acts as an alternative receptor of CD4 in cerebellar granule neurons. Our analysis will lay the foundation for further studies of IL-16-mediated signaling through CD9 in neurons

Determination of the secondary RNA structure and its importance to the HTLV-1 pro-pol frameshift site

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are a group of macromolecules that encode genetic information. Primary RNA structures can fold into various complex secondary structures, which are important for numerous cellular functions. Many single-stranded RNAs serve as the genetic material for several viruses, such as the Human T-Cell Lymphotrophic Virus Type I (HTLV-1). Five to ten percent of the time, HTLV-1 infections result in leukemia. HTLV-1 is a retrovirus that uses cis-acting regulatory elements in RNA to prompt a frameshift during viral mRNA translation, allowing for the translation of genes in alternative reading frames that are critical to viral infectivity. The pro-pol frameshift site is the second frameshift site in the virus’ genome and is defined by two signals: a slippery sequence and an RNA structure downstream of the slippery site. In order to target HTLV-1, it is important to experimentally determine RNA structures that contribute to its pathogenic characteristics. The RNA structure downstream of the slippery site is proposed to be a pseudoknot (a structural motif formed when the nucleotides in the loop of a stem-loop base-pair with nucleotides downstream of the structure). So far no structural evidence supporting or refuting this structure has been published. The goal of my work is to determine the RNA structure in the HTLV-1 pro-pol frameshift site. Thus far, I have designed RNA constructs containing the HTLV-1 frameshift site, predicted their structures, and successfully cloned the DNA that codes for the RNAs into a puc19 vector. I have also transcribed and purified one of these RNAs. Future experiments will include chemical modification of the RNAs using selective 2-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) to determine which regions of the RNA structure are base-paired and which regions are not and secondary RNA structure prediction using SHAPE data and various computer programs

Modeling and Characterization of Porous Silicon Reflectance

Abstract—Porous silicon offers remarkable optical properties which have a wide range of applications. A method to predict the reflectance of arbitrarily etched porous silicon structures using a numerical thin film model is posed. Porous silicon samples were created using an anodization cell of our design and reflectance measurements were compared to the model. The theoretical reflectance curves show a promising correlation to the actual data. More samples including AC etched ones need to be created and characterized using more precise methods in order to further validate the modeling method

Cognitive Reasoning and Decision Making in Regards to Personal Biases

In this study, we replicated Kahan’s (2013) two famous studies. He examined motivational reasoning and cognitive reflection and formulated a mathematical equation on crime increase/ decrease in cities that did/did not ban carrying concealed handguns in public. He also created a control equation on rashes that did/did not improve on people who did/did not use rash cream. Kahan’s results showed that those who scored greater than 7 on the Numeracy scale were more likely to get the answer correct when asked to identify if the rash cream helped and that those whose Numeracy test scores were high were still more likely to answer incorrectly when asked about gun control if their political views opposed the findings. Our research tests the validity of Kahan’s original two experiments, although we tested crime increase/decrease in regards to mental health screening in cities instead of concealed carry. It also gives us insight on how people view mental health and gun control. Since we are replicating Kahan’s original study, we decided to use two of this three hypothesis which follow: 1) subjects high in Numeracy would be more likely to get the right results in both the skin-treatment conditions; and 2) subjects higher in Numeracy would be more likely to construe the data correctly not only when it was consistent with their ideological predisposition but also when it was inconsistent with them and thus likely to display less ideological polarization than subjects lower in Numeracy. We used 128 students from Fort Lewis, 62.5% were female and 37.5% were male. We found that in the control group, 34.3% got the wrong answer compared to 53.2% in the experimental group. We were able to confirm the first hypothesis: 1) subjects high in Numeracy were more likely to get the right results in both the skin-treatment conditions. However, we had to reject the second: 2) subjects higher in Numeracy were no more likely to construe the data correctly when it was inconsistent or consistent with their political view. Kahan also had to reject his second hypothesis. Our results show that we are all susceptible to our own biases regardless of mathematical and scientific evidence

Music Tonality and Mindfulness

The integration of instruments designed to measure aspects of ones physical well-being have nuzzled their way into the daily lives of many individuals. Devices, such as Fitbits and smart watches, effectively monitor the amount of physical activity one endures throughout the day; this allows he or she to gage their productivity in accord to the fitness goals the individual sets for his or her self—thus, facilitating a desired awareness of physical well-being and promoting healthier lifestyles. However, when the concern is shifted from purely physical aspects of daily life to aspects of cognitive and emotional well-being, there are currently no available metrics that congeal with the demands and common routines affiliated with modernity. The language surrounding cognitive and emotional well-being often colloquial and conveys abstract concepts—engendering arbitrary measurements. When one speaks of a feeling, he or she is speaking of an experience that has been processed through the Limbic region of the brain; the reason persons often find it difficult to express their feelings is because the Limbic region of the brain does not have the capacity to form language. Because of this disconnect between how people process their emotions and how they manifest into thought, individuals often fail to resolve such issues as they misattribute the cause of his or her emotional discomforts to entities that conveniently invite blame—the weather, traffic, relationships, etc. The purpose of the current study is to explore the efficacy of an alternative method of mindfulness practice, which incorporates a specific faculty of daily life that has transcended the barriers of modernity. The proposed method analyzes music to which persons, on an individual basis, have a strong, positive emotional reaction. By investigating the relationship between the keynote and tempo of the individual’s (N=61) song choice to data collected from a 25 item, self-report, emotional well-being inventory. I intend to highlight specific song traits as they relate to specific emotional needs. Under the assumption that an individual’s song choice facilitates an emotional longing, I hypothesize that the keynote of each music sample will correlate to a specific set of emotional needs not met. The tempo, I hypothesize, will indicate the participants’ needs for increased stimulation (higher tempo) or decreased stimulation (slower tempo): tempo is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Using a convenience sample of Fort Lewis College students, the results indicate a moderately positive relationship between keynote choice and their affiliated emotions according to previous literature—though more participants will be needed in order to increase the external validity of these findings. There was no clear relationship identified between tempo and a need for stimuli modification. However, this may be due to an instrumental error, which confounded the internal validity of the tempo analysis. Altercations will be necessary as this research continues

Pumping Profit: Postnatural Bodies and Consumer Masculinities

Issues concerning masculinity and men’s bodies have become increasingly tied to a culture of consumerism in modern America. This research addresses the impact of postnatural physiques in media on American men’s beliefs about their bodies, their definitions of what it means to “look” masculine, and how they approach embodying that definition. Why are men spending more and more money on gym fees and supplements without corresponding increases in health and fitness? By considering the evolution of idealized male bodies within American culture, the paradoxical relationship between masculine embodiment and modern consumerism are examined

Confirming Exoplanets Using the Fort Lewis Observatory

The transit method was used to detect exoplanets at the Fort Lewis Observatory. Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars. Using the telescope at the Fort Lewis College Observatory, eight transits were captured. The change in magnitude was determined for all eight transit stars and the transit duration was determined for six of the stars. The change in magnitude recorded by the Fort Lewis telescope was compared to the change in magnitude reported on the Exoplanet Transit Database (ETD). All eight transits had an average difference from the ETD of within 0.004 magnitude or 21%. Through this data analysis and comparison it was determined that the telescope at the Fort Lewis Observatory is capable of observing exoplanet transits having a change in magnitude of as small as 0.0087

The Effects of Media Violence on Fort Lewis College Students

We investigated whether there was a correlation between perceived media violence and aggressive behavior. Human aggression is defined as “as any behavior intended to harm another person who does not want to be harmed” (Bushman & Huesmann, 2010). The harm can be psychological or physical. Most researchers define violence as aggression that has as its goal extreme physical harm, such as injury or death (Bushman & Huesmann, 2010). A person who verbally abuses another would not be committing an act of violence by this definition. Thus, all violent acts are aggressive, but not all aggressive acts are violent—only the ones designed to cause extreme physical harm or injury are violent (Bushman & Huesmann, 2010). 151 pre-video media violence surveys, and 151 post-video response surveys were administered. The surveys were administered to Fort Lewis College students by investigators. Students filled out the pre-video media violence survey and then were shown one of two videos. The control group watched the “The Most Heartfelt & Inspiring Commercial Ever made” video, whereas the experimental group watched the “MMA Fight Videos-knockouts, takedowns, submissions” video. Both groups filled out the post-video response survey to the video they watched. We collected the surveys and analyzed the data in the SPSS system to see whether there was any correlation between the perceived media violence and aggressive behavior. We found overall that the Heartwarming video had a more positive emotional effect than the MMA wrestling video. A two-tailed Independent t-test was conducted and found a significant change in the effect of the film clip on the participants, emotional change, and emotions felt the most. Also participants reported that the media did not influence them to want to cause harm. A limitation of our study is that we had to use a less powerful violent film clip than we had wanted due to ethics concerns. Our study shows that prosocial videos can exert powerful influences on people’s emotions

South Fork Texas Creek Gas Seep Area Subsurface Analysis

The San Juan Basin is the most productive coal bed methane reserve in the United States (EIA, 2007). In the northern part of the San Juan Basin, there are major methane seeps near South Fork Texas Creek, about 20 miles east of Durango, Colorado. One might expect that the highest methane seepage would follow the outcrop of the Cretaceous Fruitland Formation. This seepage has been monitored and mitigated since 1994. The mitigation system appears to have an effect, but not all of the methane is being captured. The methane gas may be taking other preferred pathways to the surface. In this area, the seep pattern seems to cut across the strike of the outcrop (K. Hannula, personal communication, February 2015). One possible explanation for high methane seepage at a strange orientation is that there is a fault there. The current CGS geological map (Carroll et al., 1997) of the area does not contain a fault in the suspected area. Therefore, a three dimensional structural model was created in Move™ to test this competing hypothesis: no fault, as mapped by the Colorado Geological Survey (Carroll et al., 1997) or an unmapped fault. Two models were created based on where the ground surface contact of the Fruitland/Pictured Cliffs lies. Model one was based on the CGS geologic map, where in model two, the ground surface contact was reinterpreted based on an aerial photograph. Planar beds were extended into the subsurface created from mapped bedding orientations along the Fruitland/Pictured Cliffs surface contact. In both models, there existed an outlier plane. The outlier plane in each model expressed offset in strike and dip when compared to the surrounding planar surfaces. This supports the hypothesis of a fault perpendicular to strike. The offset perpendicular to bedding would demonstrate the preferred pathway of methane seepage. Further 3D modeling and research of the area would greatly improve the placement and design of the gas collecting and mitigating systems at South Fork Texas Creek