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The present analysis sought to determine the relationship between Middle Woodland (ca. 2000-1700 BP) and Late Woodland (ca. 1700-1100 BP) mortuary practices in the Lower Illinois Valley. It applies alternative mortuary theories to elucidate larger social implications and the relationship between these practices. This was accomplished by first reconstructing a Late Woodland mortuary feature from the Helton Site in the Lower Illinois Valley (HN 20-36). The reconstructed feature was then assessed to identify if Middle Woodland mortuary practices were continuous with those of the Late Woodland. Lastly, the feature was interpreted in accordance with processualist, post-processualist and individual identity theories on mortuary behavior to determine the larger social implications of the funerary practices associated with the feature. From this analysis, it was concluded that Late Woodland mortuary practices exhibited elements of both continuity with, and change from their Middle Woodland predecessors. Further, the theoretical interpretations reveled that Late Woodland social systems existed as an evolved and reorganized extension of those systems that were present during the Middle Woodland period.
ContributorsSchultz, Nicholas Ryan (Author) / Buikstra, Jane E. (Thesis director) / Michelaki, Konstantina-Eleni (Committee member) / King, Jason L. (Committee member) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
An organism's ability to maintain optimal body temperature is extremely important for sustaining physiological and behavioral processes necessary for survival. However, like other physiological systems, thermobiology can be influenced by the availability of resources. Water is a vital resource that has profound implications on many aspects of biological function, including thermoregulatory pathways. However, water availability has a tendency fluctuate within any given ecosystem. While several studies have investigated the influence of water availability on a range of thermoregulatory pathways, very little attention has been given to its influence on Voluntary Maximum Temperature (VMT). We investigated the effects of dehydration on Voluntary Maximum Temperature in a captive population of Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum). Gila monsters are large-bodied, desert dwelling lizards that experience periods of seasonal dehydration. Additionally, the effects of dehydration on their physiology and behavior have been extensively studied. We hypothesized that dehydration would reduce VMT. As expected, there was a significant decrease in exit temperature as blood osmolality increased. This is presumed to be in an effort to decrease water loss. Adaptations that allow desert dwelling organisms to conserve water are highly advantageous due to seasonal water constraints. Our findings offer insight on how the behavior of these organisms may change in response to changes in climate.
ContributorsHartson, Callie Elizabeth (Author) / DeNardo, Dale (Thesis director) / Angilletta, Michael (Committee member) / Camacho, Agus (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
A single splice site mutation in the mitochondrial methionyl-tRNA formyltransferase (MTFMT) gene is described in three patients with mitochondrial disease from two unrelated families. Nuclear-encoded MTFMT localized to the mitochondria is responsible for the formylation of Met-tRNAMet necessary for the initiation of translation in the mitochondria. This mutation has been associated with mitochondrial disease (oxidative phosphorylation deficiencies due to a decreased expression of MTFMT), Leigh syndrome, and developmental delay. However, there is significant phenotypic variation between patients, which is not uncommon in mitochondrial disease. Though the variation was not clearly elucidated through analysis of gene expression, this data supported two potential gene modifiers as well as proposed an alternative energy producing pathway in the cell—glutamine metabolism. This nonsynonymous mutation at site c.626C>T generates a splicing suppressor in the coding region on exon 4 resulting exon skipping in almost all transcripts in homozygotes during splicing. It is hypothesized that antisense oligotherapy will be effective in rescuing this mutation by inhibiting the splice silencer and promoting exon inclusion as well as an increased expression of MTFMT protein in affected patients. Patient fibroblast cells were treated with MTFMT Oligo 3, which was shown to be promising in previous experiments. Real-Time qPCR was used to measure mRNA expression showing a significant up-regulation of wild-type MTFMT with treatment. In order to test whether this therapy increases mitochondrial function as well, three mitochondrial functional assays measuring superoxide species in the mitochondria, the mitochondrial membrane potential, and calcium uptake in the mitochondria were tested for optimization of results. Success has been shown in the measurement of superoxide species and mitochondrial membrane potential in patient cells without treatment. Oligotherapy will hopefully be considered as a viable therapeutic option in the future as further testing is conducted and perfected.
ContributorsMoskowitz, Abby Mae (Author) / Huentelman, Matt (Thesis director) / Schrauwen, Isabelle (Committee member) / Rangasamy, Sampath (Committee member) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
2015 marks the deadline for the UN Millennium Development Goal 5 to reduce global maternal mortality rate (MMR) by 75% since 1990. As of 2015, MMR has only been reduced by 45%. Many international organizations claim that more medically trained midwives can meet global maternal health care needs. This study investigates two major questions. What is the role of midwives in diverse international maternal healthcare contexts? How do midwives in these different contexts define their roles and the barriers to providing the best care for women? From May to August 2015, I conducted over 70 interviews with midwives in Netherlands, Sweden, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Australia and Guatemala, interviewing between 6 and 13 midwives from each country. The majority of midwives defined their roles as supporting women's individual capacities and power through normal birth, and knowing when to refer when high-risk complications arise. Although thematic barriers vary by country, midwives in all countries believed that maternal healthcare can be improved by increased collaboration between midwives and other health care professionals, better access to culturally appropriate services, and greater public awareness of the role of midwives.
ContributorsCarson, Anna Elizabeth (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Maupin, Jonathan (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Background: High risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are known to cause cancer, including cervical (99%) and oropharyngeal cancer (70%). HPV type 16 is the most common subtype. Three antigens that are critical for integration or tumor progression are E2, E6 and E7. In this study, we developed a systematic approach to identify naturally-processed HPV16-derived HLA class I epitopes for immunotherapy development. Methods: K562 cells, which lack HLA expression, were transduced with each HPV16 antigen using lentivirus and supertransfected with HLA-A2 by nucleofection. Stable cell lines expressing each antigen were selected for and maintained throughout the investigation. In order to establish a Gateway-compatible vector for robust transient gene expression, a Gateway recombination expression cloning cassette was inserted into the commercial Lonza pMAX GFP backbone, which has been experimentally shown to display high transfection expression efficiency. GFP was cloned into the vector and plain K562 cells were transfected with the plasmid by nucleofection. Results: Expression of K562-A2 was tested at various time points by flow cytometry and A2 expression was confirmed. Protein expression was shown for the transduced K562 E7 by Western blot analysis. High transfection efficiency of the pMAX_GFP_Dest vector (up to 97% GFP+ cells) was obtained 48 hours post transfection, comparable to the commercial GFP-plasmid. Conclusion: We have established a rapid system for target viral antigen co-expression with single HLA molecules for analysis of antigen presentation. Using HPV as a model system, our goal is to identify specific antigenic peptide sequences to develop immunotherapeutic treatments for HPV-associated cancers.
ContributorsVarda, Bianca Marie (Author) / Anderson, Karen (Thesis director) / Borges, Chad (Committee member) / Krishna, Sri (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This project created a teaching curriculum resource guide for using the popular series, The Hunger Games, in 6th-8th grade classrooms to introduce cultural issues such as child soldiers and international development to students. Studies have shown that literature can cultivate empathy and encourage youth to act. This combined with the expanding phenomenon of participatory culture and fandom activism as outlined by Henry Jenkins demonstrate the potential for youth to learn and act when given the opportunity and resources to do so. The curriculum is composed of three units: The first is a three-week reading of the books with various activities for students to really understand the narrative and source text. The second and third units address the issues of child soldiers and international development using The Hunger Games as a framework and a keystone to build connections so that these complex issues are accessible to youth. This project is a first step in the development of a curriculum that spans the full trilogy and covers a variety of current event topics.
ContributorsSimpson, Rebecca (Author) / Sivak, Henry (Thesis director) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Nelson, Margaret (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
How are perceptions of morality and disgust regarding meat consumption related to each other? Which factor is more salient in determining one's willingness to eat the meat of a specific animal? How do these answers vary across religious groups? This study investigates the ways that concepts like morality and disgust are related to food preferences and hopes to shed light on the mechanisms that enforce culturally sanctioned food taboos. The study compares 4 groups of people in the U.S.: Christians (n = 39), Hindus (n = 29), Jews (n = 23), and non-religious people (n = 63). A total of 154 participants were given surveys in which they rated their feelings about eating various animals. Data from Christian and non-religious groups exhibited similar patterns such as a high likelihood of eating a given animal when starving, while results from Jews and Hindus were consistent with their religion's respective food taboos. Despite these differences, morality and disgust are strongly correlated with one another in almost all instances. Moreover, morality and disgust are almost equally important considerations when determining willingness to eat when starving.
ContributorsParekh, Shaili Rajul (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
Throughout the course of the Honors Thesis/Creative Project, the intent was to gain knowledge regarding national, state and community initiatives regarding Indigenous Language Revitalization and Maintenance (ILRA). For over a year, I had the opportunity to visit a total of five indigenous communities, including Pine Ridge, SD, Gila River Indian Community, AZ, White Mountain Apache, AZ, Cochiti Pueblo, NM and Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM. The goal was to learn about the status of their language, current ILRA initiatives as well as challenges and successes that face American Indian nations. During each visit, key elements to successful language revitalization initiatives were identified that could benefit those continuing their effort to reverse language loss as well as those looking to enter in the field of language revitalization.
ContributorsHutchinson, Jenna Michelle (Author) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Thesis director) / Begay, Jolyana (Committee member) / Sims, Christine P. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / American Indian Studies Program (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
While public transit systems are perceived to produce lower GHG emission intensities per passenger miles traveled (PMT) and per vehicle miles traveled (VMT), there is a limited understanding of emissions per PMT/VMT across cities, or of how emissions may change across modes (light, metro, commuter, and bus) and time (e.g., with changing electricity mixes in the future). In order to better understand the GHG emissions intensity of public transit systems, a comparative emissions assessment was developed utilizing the National Transit Database (NTD) which reports energy use from 1997 to 2012 of rail and bus systems across the US. By determining the GHG emission intensities (per VMT or per PMT) for each mode of transit across multiple years, the modes of transit can be better compared between one another. This comparison can help inform future goals to reduce GHG emissions as well as target reductions from the mode of transit that has the highest emissions. The proposed analysis of the NTD and comparison of modal emission intensities will be used to develop future forecasting that can guide public transit systems towards a sustainable future.
ContributorsCano, Alex (Author) / Chester, Mikhail (Thesis director) / Seager, Thomas (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This project explores a variety of ways of framing the problem of obesity, beginning with a multidisciplinary assessment of genetic, environmental, cultural, nutritional, and socioeconomic factors involved in the structure and the consequences of each frame. How obesity is framed as a problem has a profound impact on the kinds of solutions that may be deemed scientifically appropriate. But frames are not entirely evidence-based, inasmuch as political and moral values infuse debates about the nature of obesity. Drawing on interdisciplinary resources from bioethics and the philosophy of science, I strive to offer strategic insight in to how to navigate the complexity of these issues.
ContributorsYanamandra, Meghana (Author) / Robert, Jason (Thesis director) / Wharton, Christopher (Committee member) / Drago, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-05