Sewanee: Scholarship Sewanee 2022
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Item Air pollution may exacerbate neurodegenerative disease risk by enhancing proteostasis decline in Caenorhabditis elegans(University of the South, 2022-04-22) Garcia Manriquez, BaileyAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disease that degrades cognitive function resulting in memory loss, difficulty in completing daily tasks and dementia. Both endogenous and external factors can significantly impact risk, such that development of AD has become one of the most common progressive diseases in the United States. Unfortunately, the causal mechanism of this complex disease is still unknown. One hypothesis, the amyloid cascade hypothesis, posits that AD is caused by accumulation of Aβ plaques due to misfolded proteins. The proteostasis network works to maintain protein folding and a healthy proteome through regulating protein synthesis, degradation, and folding. As AD progresses, amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau proteins aggregate and misfold exemplifying proteostasis collapse. In mice, exposure to nano-particulate matter (nPM) from traffic-derived air pollution increases Aβ aggregation. The mechanism by which this occurs is also still unknown, but we hypothesize that it does so by contributing to proteostasis collapse. To test this hypothesis, we used the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans expressing the neurodegenerative disease-associated proteins polyglutamine (polyQ) and Aβ as aggregation-prone sensors of proteostasis decline. In animals expressing polyQ in body wall muscle cells, protein aggregation increased and mobility decreased upon exposure to nPM compared to control animals which were not exposed to nPM. Similarly, animals expressing polyQ in intestinal cells showed increased aggregation upon nPM exposure compared to controls. In animals expressing Aβ in body wall muscle cells, Aβ protein aggregate formation into large visible proteins increased upon exposure to nPM when compared to controls. Protein aggregation and decreased mobility signify proteostasis decline. Together, these findings support our hypothesis that nPM acts, at least in part, by disrupting proteostasis.Item Ash Inventory and Management Options for Emerald Ash Borer Response(University of the South, 2022-04-22) Muth, Adam; Edwards, Graham; Mainolfi, Andrew; Kuers, Dr. KarenThe invasive emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis F.) has eradicated populations of ash (Fraxinus sp.) trees across the United States. The major response options include tree removal and stem chemical treatments. To examine the potential impact of emerald ash borer on the ash trees in the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly (MSSA), in fall 2021 we inventoried all the ash trees on leaseholds and along trails. We mapped the tree location, and measured stem diameter at breast height (stems >2 inches), height (estimated and exact), percentage dieback of the crown, and general notes. Tree locations on leaseholds were approximately marked on paper maps for entry in ArcGIS software, and trees along trails were mapped with a GPS. The inventory identified 126 ash stems on leaseholds. One or more ash were found on 53 leaseholds, with some leaseholds having up to 12 stems. The ash had an average DBH of 14.8 inches. With respect to canopy dieback, one and two inch diameter dead branches were the most common, with the larger sizes being much less common. Ash trees become very brittle after infection, with the most common target of dead branches and trees being houses and powerlines. An inventory of trees in the MSSA commons in 2018 reported 54 additional ash stems, with an average DBH of 16.2 inches. Ash trees along the trails were more common below the bluff and showed that there are some large ash trees in striking distance of a trail. A comparison of the effectiveness, environmental considerations, and costs were made of stem removal and the two main chemicals available to treat EAB (imidacloprid and emamectin benzoate). Input was used from tree service providers, public land management agencies, and university resources. A management plan comparing treatment options is being prepared for MSSA. We recommend that the MSSA begin their response to EAB this year, and that they group sectors of the property for treatment or removal to reduce the overall cost of their response.Item Air Cannon Physics: Approaching the Sound Barrier(University of the South, 2022-04-27) Graham, HughA ping-pong ball “cannon” was built and tested, first with the usual air, and then with single composition gases, such as helium and argon. A plastic tube (the canon) containing a ping pong ball snugly fitted inside the tube is sealed with tape on both ends and evacuated with a mechanical pump to a pressure of about 100 mTorr. A pin is used to prick the tape nearest the ball causing the outside air to rush in, accelerating the ball forward and out the other end of the tube at speeds approaching the speed of sound. Light switches were used along the length of the tube to measure the acceleration and speed of the ping pong ball. The number and placement of the light switches were adjusted to get the best possible measurements of the movement of the ball. Experiments with different gases with very different speeds of sound were performed to study the balls’ performancesItem Ancient Diversity and Genetics in Roman Britain(University of the South, 2022-04-22) Graf, PaigeWhat do you picture when you think of an ancient Roman? What is their gender? How old are they? What is their race? These questions are difficult ones, as just five years ago in 2017, a controversy occurred over a historical cartoon portraying a Roman soldier at Hadrian’s Wall in Britain as a black man. People have firm opinions about what ancient Romans looked like in their minds, and often, they looked like them. But what do ancient people really look like in Roman Britain? What do they look like when our biases and prejudices are put aside? Following a review of commonly held academic and pop-cultural perceptions of race in ancient Rome, we compared them to the actual archaeological findings and genetic data of what some of these ancient people looked like. This research will examine the ethnic populations we find in Roman Britain through a literature study of archaeology journals, genetic research, epigraphical inscriptions, and classical texts. Although we cannot know the exact percentage of ethnic populations from this ancient empire, we can create a comprehensive catalog for the individuals we know lived at this time. Looking at evidence drawn from bioarcheological sources, we have created a storytelling project featuring ancient individuals who lived and breathed in Roman Britain long ago. This collection hopes to dispel the idea that Romans were mostly white, affluent, wealthy men. It includes finds of diverse people who lived all over Britain and the stories of their lives and deaths two thousand years ago. So what did ancient Romans in Britain really look like? You might just be surprised by the answer.Item Portfolio Analysis Project: FINC 410(University of the South, 2022-04-22) Mabry, Katherine; Edwards, EthanAs our comprehensive project in Advanced Security Analysis, we construct and analyze a portfolio consisting of five publicly traded companies. Our investment strategy revolves around blue-chip stocks that have shown consistent, long-term growth with relatively low risk. With this in mind, we assemble a portfolio composed of J.P. Morgan & Co., Microsoft Corporation, Amazon.com Inc., BlackRock, Inc., and Lululemon Athletica Inc. We examine and utilize risk vs. reward analysis, the Portfolio Theory Model, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), and the Fama-French Three-Factor Model as modes of analysis. From these methods, we gain insight into the optimal composition of our portfolio and an in-depth analysis of our portfolio’s performance. This paper presents macroeconomic conditions, the theories and algorithms that we used for our analysis and reallocation, and the performance of our portfolio.