Efficient photochemical activity and strong dichroism of single crystals of reaction centers from Rhodopseudomonas viridis

Crystallized reaction centers from Rhodopseudomonas viridis (i) are photochemically active with electron transfer from the special pair to the quinones, (ii) show dichroism giving valuable information on the orientation of the different chromophores and (iii) allow chemical treatment in the crystalline phase

Relationships Between Snake River Paleofloods, Occupational Patterns and Archaeological Preservation at Redbird Beach Archaeological Site in Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho

The Snake River basin drains 282,000 km2 of the northwestern U.S. and is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. Redbird Beach, an archaeological site located in the lower Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River, contains extensive vertical exposures of archaeological materials interbedded with Snake River flood sediments. Redbird Beach formed in the lee of the Redbird Creek debris fan, is composed of interfingering deposits from large floods on the Snake River and locally-derived alluvial sediments from Redbird Creek. Through stratigraphic analyses of slackwater deposits, this study compares the temporal and spatial patterns of human occupation at Redbird Beach with variations in the magnitude and frequency of floods from the Snake River. Results of this study will form a key component of a regional synthesis of floods and climate change in the inland Northwestern U.S., and contribute to our understanding of the archaeological record along this major regional waterway

Developing Adaptive Clothing for Patients with Advanced ALS Disease

In 2017, over 30,000 people were battling with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells within the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord (ALS Association, 2023). The individual’s brain loses connection with muscles, slowly taking away one’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. The currently is no cure for this disease or even treatment to halt the progression, however the treatment available can help ease the symptoms. Despite the physical challenges associated with ALS, there is a significant lack of adaptive clothing options that provide comfort, functionality, and affordability (Kabel, 2017). This study seeks to address this gap by identifying the clothing needs of ALS patients and developing garment designs that accommodate their challenges while preserving dignity and independence. Through background research, patient input, and material analysis, two adaptive garments were designed: a sweatshirt with a feeding tube access port and drop-seat sweatpants for ease of dressing and restroom use. The design considerations included fabric selection for warmth and breathability, adaptive closures such as Velcro and magnetic snaps, and alterations for improved accessibility. Prototypes were created using computer-aided design software and were enhanced refined through a continuous refinement process. Findings revealed that ALS patients prioritize loose-fitting clothing, easy-access closures, and soft, stretchable fabrics. The study highlights the importance of adaptive apparel in maintaining self-expression, comfort, and practicality for those with severe physical impairments. Patients suffering from other neurodegenerative illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and other traumatic brain injuries would greatly benefit from an adaptive garment as such. While the produced garments address many of these concerns, future research and patient trials are necessary to refine designs further. The project ultimately contributes to increasing awareness of the need for inclusive fashion and aims to improve the quality of life for individuals with ALS. Kadence Trosper’s Research was funded by a Bumpers Honors Undergraduate Research and Creative Grant

Developing Adaptive Clothing for Patients with Advanced ALS Disease

In 2017, over 30,000 people were battling with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells within the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord (ALS Association, 2023). The individual’s brain loses connection with muscles, slowly taking away one’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. The currently is no cure for this disease or even treatment to halt the progression, however the treatment available can help ease the symptoms. Despite the physical challenges associated with ALS, there is a significant lack of adaptive clothing options that provide comfort, functionality, and affordability (Kabel, 2017). This study seeks to address this gap by identifying the clothing needs of ALS patients and developing garment designs that accommodate their challenges while preserving dignity and independence. Through background research, patient input, and material analysis, two adaptive garments were designed: a sweatshirt with a feeding tube access port and drop-seat sweatpants for ease of dressing and restroom use. The design considerations included fabric selection for warmth and breathability, adaptive closures such as Velcro and magnetic snaps, and alterations for improved accessibility. Prototypes were created using computer-aided design software and were enhanced refined through a continuous refinement process. Findings revealed that ALS patients prioritize loose-fitting clothing, easy-access closures, and soft, stretchable fabrics. The study highlights the importance of adaptive apparel in maintaining self-expression, comfort, and practicality for those with severe physical impairments. Patients suffering from other neurodegenerative illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and other traumatic brain injuries would greatly benefit from an adaptive garment as such. While the produced garments address many of these concerns, future research and patient trials are necessary to refine designs further. The project ultimately contributes to increasing awareness of the need for inclusive fashion and aims to improve the quality of life for individuals with ALS. Kadence Trosper’s Research was funded by a Bumpers Honors Undergraduate Research and Creative Grant

Lactate-proton co-transport and its contribution to interstitial acidification during hypoxia in isolated rat spinal roots

Exposure of nervous tissue to hypoxia results in interstitial acidification. There is evidence for concomitant decrease in extracellular pH to the increase in tissue lactate. In the present study, we used double-barrelled pH-sensitive microelectrodes to investigate the link between lactate transport and acid-base homeostasis in isolated rat spinal roots. Addition of different organic anions to the bathing solution at constant bath pH caused transient alkaline shifts in extracellular pH; withdrawal of these compounds resulted in transient acid shifts in extracellular pH. With high anion concentrations (30 mM), the largest changes in extracellular pH were observed with propionate >l-lactate ≈ pyruvate >62; 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate. Changes in extracellular pH induced by 10 mMl- andd-lactate were of similar size. Lactate transport inhibitors α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 4,4′-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid significantly reducedl-lactate-induced extracellular pH shifts without affecting propionate-induced changes in extracellular pH. Hypoxia produced an extracellular acidification that was strongly reduced in the presence of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 4,4′-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid. In contrast, amiloride and 4,4′-di-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulphonate were without effect on hypoxia-induced acid shifts. The results indicate the presence of a lactate-proton co-transporter in rat peripheral nerves. This transport system and not Na+/H+ or C1−/HCO−3 exchange seems to be the dominant mechanism responsible for interstitial acidification during nerve hypoxia

When Pain Lies

"When Pain Lies" discusses how conscious thinking affects our body, despite the traditional view that mind and body are separate. The research is focused on Chronic pain being a result not of a physiological abnormality but a complex network of psychological processes that act as forerunners to Chronic Pain

THE INTERNET IS HOLY: NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS AND THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET

What can the intersection of information technology and religious creativity in contemporary culture reveal about the nature of modernity? Through close readings of three case studies (Open Source Scientology, the Missionary Church of Kopimism, and Jason Silva’s influential video series Shots of Awe), I show how the value and nature of information is highly contested and that religion has been a particularly important site in which debates about information and information access have been framed. Despite the differences in how each of the religious movements considered in this dissertation stages the debates about information, each demonstrates in a concrete way the impossibility of the binaries that are at the heart of the fragile myth of modernity (religion and science, religion and technology, religion and secularism). The religious movements considered here are hybrids. Their religious creativity reveals important and surprising insights into the ongoing cultural development of the concept of religion, into changing cultural perceptions of technology, and into the brittle, mythic nature of modernity. These religious movements demonstrate how information access has been configured as a religious right and how the control and freedom of information has been used to legitimize and delegitimize new forms of religious expression. All parties formulate these debates in such a way that that they are actively transforming what the very categories of the religious and the secular might mean. In their fight over information flows on the internet, they are reworking the mythic contours of modernity. They undermine the modern myth of disenchantment, and they confirm that there can never be any stable differentiation between religion and technology at all.Doctor of Philosoph

"Religion is Free $cientology is Neither:" Legal and Media Authorities in the Negotiation of Religious Pluralism

The Church of Scientology is one of the most controversial new religious movements of our contemporary time. As an esoteric organization the church has struggled to attain legal recognition as a religion while maintaining the secrecy of its core materials and has utilized a unique combination of religious freedoms, copyright, and trademark law in order to do so. I argue that the relationships between money, secrecy, and religion within the Church of Scientology are interpreted by many through the lens of censorship and fraud, but that the politics of religious pluralism in the U.S. ensured the overall protection of the church structure through religious rights legislation. When the Church of Scientology continued to receive legal support in their efforts to slow the widespread dissemination of church materials online, the hacktivist collective Anonymous responded with the launch of Project Chanology in order to restore a perceived loss of social justice. I argue that when a religious movement is understood to betray two of the cardinal principles of religious toleration (freedom of choice and freedom of non-belief), lay citizen activism can successfully challenge traditional cultural authority governing how we think about religion, religious rights, and religious pluralism

Three Essays in Local Public Finance

This dissertation targets three questions relating to local public finance. Given the importance of local public finance on the average person's everyday life (consider the state of local roads and schools), understanding economic elements associated with local revenue generation are integral to our knowledge of how municipalities can affect their local fiscal situation. To this end, three essays are provided here to consider two major topics; capitalization effects, and local budget composition issues. The first two chapters discuss how local public services, in particular fire stations, police stations, and hospitals, can impact the value of nearby land. In particular, the first chapter concentrates on how single family home values will, on average, decrease in value if they are located too close to these emergency service stations, but can also decrease in value if they are located too distantly. Understanding these effects and modeling them are the targets of the first essay. Incorporating similar ideas, the second chapter utilizes the same stations, but now tackles the question of how these services can affect non-residential structures such as office buildings, retail centers, and manufacturing plants. Of interest here is the large heterogeneity of land use, leading to concerns over prior research and its tendency to aggregate land uses when considering these capitalization effects. The final chapter utilizes fiscal override and budget data to analyze how changes in local budget composition can be driven by fiscal overrides in revenue constrained municipalities. When communities are fiscally constrained in their ability to raise own-source revenue, local budget officials may be incentivized to use voter approved fiscal overrides and local budget fungibility to drive expenditures into different portions of the budget. Findings suggest that local budget composition tends to favor certain kinds of spending, such as public works, over other types such as education