Showing 3551 - 3600 of 5831 Items

• Embargo End Date: 2026-05-18

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Holden D. Hadfield

Access: Embargoed

• Restriction End Date: 2028-06-01

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Jada Scotland

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Rowland Luo

Access: Open access

The study of neuronal development could provide foundational information on neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. The small size and relatively simple nervous system of Orthoptera make them ideal models for neurodevelopmental studies. The peripheral nervous system development is an intricate and precise process that each sensory neurons are able to reach their central nervous system partners in a relatively short amount of time. Although the peripheral nervous system in limb buds and their genetic regulations are well understood in grasshopper embryos, few studies have explored the developing nervous system in a cricket model. Therefore, the first goal of the current experiment is to characterize the normal peripheral nervous system development in cricket embryos. Previous studies in Drosophila have suggested Toll6 and Toll7 receptors could serve as important targets for the neurotrophic-like factors Spaetzle2 and 5. Malfunctioning neurotrophic pathways could lead to abnormal nervous system development. Therefore, the second goal of the current study is to explore the roles of Toll7 in the development of the cricket peripheral nervous system. Immunohistochemical staining using anti-horseradish peroxidase (Anti-HRP) was used to illustrate crickets' embryonic developing peripheral nervous system in the limb buds from developmental stage 7.0 to 11.0. Cricket eggs were injected with Toll7 double stranded RNA (dsRNA) and rhodamine dye to suppress the Toll7 mRNA level. The control eggs were injected with GFP dsRNA and rhodamine dye. The peripheral nervous system development in cricket embryos is largely homologous to that observed in grasshopper embryos. All later-emerged sensory neurons followed the pathway established by the first pioneer neuron Ti1. Ti1 made stereotypical turns following the steering signals on epithelial and guidepost cell surfaces and eventually fasciculate with lateral motor axons from the central nervous system. When examining the peripheral nervous system development with Toll7 knockdown, a decrease in limb bud volume was observed at stage 7.7 and stage 8.0, suggesting Toll7’s potential roles in aiding cell-cell intercalation processes in Orthoptera embryos. Furthermore, a delay in Ti1 pioneer neuron development was observed with Toll7 knockdown at early developmental stages, providing evidence for Toll-Spaetzle pathway’s neurotrophic-like functions. The results of the current experiment provide the first description of the peripheral nervous system development in the cricket limb buds and further evidence of Toll-Spaetzle pathway’s neurotrophic properties.

• Embargo End Date: 2026-05-18

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Bjorn Ludwig

Access: Embargoed

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Colby Silva Santana

Access: Open access

Of Russia's cultural and religious icons, the holy fool (iurodivy) is quite possibly the most significant one of contemporary times. The holy fool – a historical and cultural character that feigns insanity to produce moral and spiritual reflections and hide the purity of their souls – has left its traces over a significant portion of Russia's literary history, postmodern tradition, and socio-political thought. In its uniquely positioned role as a powerful form of institutional critique, today taking shape in modern-day political protest performance culture, the holy fool has often been utilized to interrogate the intertwined relationship of the Russian state and the Orthodox Church. This analysis reviews the scholarship on holy foolery and how it has manifested in various fields of study. Although scholarship on this subject is significant, there exists a lack of research into representation of the holy fool in contemporary Russian cinema. Cinema is uniquely positioned to portray holy foolery, thanks to the unique form of spectatorship the film camera allows. This thesis analyzes several case studies of 21st-century Russian cinema that feature characters representing qualities of iurodstvo and its related models. In doing so, this work traces the history and development of iurodstvo through the lens of cinema and suggests new ways of understanding holy foolery's manifestation as a political tool.

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Hafsa Hossain

Access: Open access

In 1985, Mohd. Ahmad Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, known commonly as the Shah Bano Case, became a flashpoint for Indian democracy. The Shah Bano case revolved around the maintenance of a divorced woman, not the first of its kind by any means. A case that sparked major social and political upheaval during a broader period of political turmoil, the Shah Bano case has long been interpreted as an expression of the crisis and contradictions between the democratic rights of women as citizens and the democratic rights of Muslims as a religious minority in the Indian nation-state. In the immediate aftermath of the case, critical feminist and post-colonial scholarship grappled with the dilemmas it involved, but to some extent remained caught up in those dilemmas. This thesis builds upon the important work of these and later scholars, but it also draws new attention to the specific role of the English-language public sphere in shaping the terms of debate that surrounded the case in the 1980s. This paper argues against the binary understanding of the landmark Shah Bano Case as either a failure or success of Indian secularism. I argue that the case and its aftermath demonstrate the continual nature of Indian secularism and democratic practice, especially laden in the post-Emergency era.

• Restriction End Date: 2029-06-01

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Olivia Sewon Choi

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Marcus Gadsden

Access: Open access

This dissertation examines the existence of racial bias within capital punishment. Since colonial times discriminatory death sentencing has impacted racial minorities, and despite living in a post-colonial epoch, the United States Justice system continues to produce alarming racial disparities. Consequently, both law reviews and social science journals indicate that race remains a significant factor in criminal trials. So, to what extent does racial bias influence capital punishment trials? Given that it does exist, how can it be alleviated? Through a statistical/qualitative analysis of psychological studies, Supreme Court cases, and jury instructions, this dissertation suggests that implicit cognitive bias continues to produce daunting realities in contemporary criminal punishment processes. Notably among juries, traditional judicial procedures have ostensibly triggered implicit bias and psychological intimidation, i.e. jury instructions. Moreover, do long and complicated jury instructions heighten instances of partial judgment? In Racial Bias within Capital Punishment: Instructional Comprehension, I argue that inaccessible jury instructions provide a space where jurors adhere to subtle racial preferences. Consequently, the swaying capacity of juries in capital punishment trials proceeds to arbitrarily produce discrepancies in sentencing rates.

• Embargo End Date: 2028-05-17

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Lyn Stephanie Miranda Portillo

Access: Embargoed

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Isabella de la Luz Quintana

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

• Embargo End Date: 2026-05-18

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Andrew YH Chang

Access: Embargoed

• Embargo End Date: 2028-05-18

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Annika Moore

Access: Embargoed

Date: 2023-01-01

Creator: Arav Agarwal

Access: Open access

We begin with the classical study of the Riemann zeta function and Dirichlet L-functions. This includes a full exposition on one of the most useful ways of exploiting their connection with primes, namely, explicit formulae. We then proceed to introduce statistics of low-lying zeros of Dirichlet L-functions, discussing prior results of Fiorilli and Miller (2015) on the 1-level density of Dirichlet L-functions and their achievement in surpassing the prediction of the powerful Ratios Conjecture. Finally, we present our original work partially generalizing these results to the case of Hecke L-functions over imaginary quadratic fields.

Date: 2008-04-21

Creator: Michael 'Mike' M Hastings

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Michael M. Hastings, a native of Morrill, Maine, graduated from Tilton School (NH) in 1968 and Bowdoin College in 1972. Following a year of graduate study in Public & International Affairs at George Washington University, he worked for seven years as a foreign and defense policy aide to Senator William S. Cohen (1973-1980) and for four years for Senator George J. Mitchell (1980-1984). In October 1984, he joined the international staff of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and moved to Africa. Over a span of eight years, he worked as a CRS development administrator in Kenya, Tanzania, Togo and The Gambia. During the same period, he assisted in the provision of emergency food for people displaced by civil wars in the Southern Sudan and Liberia. In 1992, he returned to Maine to direct a “center for excellence,” focusing on aquaculture and economic development. Since 2004, he has worked for the University of Maine as its director of Research and Sponsored Programs. Between 1992 and 2008, he also served on several civic boards and institutions including the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, the Maine Oil Spill Advisory Committee, the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission, the Down East Institute, and the Maine Sea Grant Policy Advisory Committee. Between 1996 and 2001, he was elected three times to be a member of the Town Council of Hampden, Maine, where he resides with his wife, a middle school teacher.

Summary

The interview includes discussion of: the culture of Belfast, Maine during the ‘50s and ‘60s; family history; University of Maine campus atmosphere during the ‘60s; influential teachers; Bowdoin College atmosphere and cultural changes during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s; Ten-College Exchange; the draft and its effect on Bowdoin College students; influential Bowdoin College professors; Athern Daggett; Chris Potholm and connection to Bill Cohen; War Powers Act; working for the Cohen congressional campaign; political identity of Androscoggin and Oxford counties; the Cohen walk; differences between Maine’s Republican and Democratic parties; job responsibilities under Bill Cohen; description of Bill Cohen; appointment of George Mitchell to fill Edmund Muskie’s Senate seat; and moving from Senator Cohen to Senator Mitchell’s staff.

Date: 2008-12-11

Creator: W. 'Steve' Stephen Hart

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Walter Stephen Hart was born January 17, 1955, in Washington, DC, to Peter William Hart and Mary Jane Strauss Hart; his parents were librarians. He attended Arizona State University, where he earned a degree in mass communications. He worked at a radio station in New Hampshire and covered the 1980 presidential primaries. He returned to school at Ball State, graduating with a degree in journalism and a minor in public relations, after which he moved to Maine, where his wife was working. He worked for Maine congressional candidate Phil Merrill in the 1982 primary, and after Merrill lost to John Kerry, Hart worked as Kerry’s press secretary. Hart was hired as a legislative assistant to Senator Mitchell in March of 1983. He was primarily responsible for Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, Governmental Affairs and Energy and Natural Resources issues. He remained on Mitchell’s staff until the senator’s retirement in January, 1995. At the time of this interview Hart was deputy director of legislative affairs for the USDA Forest Service.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: 1982 congressional election in Maine; his role in Mitchell’s office; how Senate members and staff cooperate to get the best information; how Mitchell’s role changed when he became majority leader and how that impacted the staff; parochial interests; earmarks and the purpose they serve; Maine Blueberry Commission earmark; the Bicentennial Lighthouse Fund; the Coast Guard facility at Cape Elizabeth; maple syrup regulation on the Nurses Training Bill; the appropriations process; Mitchell staff salaries and his idea of “psychic remuneration”; the importance Mitchell placed on meeting with and responding to constituents; lobbyists’ role in providing information; the appropriations bill after hurricane Hugo; the senator’s division of time between the work of the Senate and being the public face of the Democratic Party; comparing Robert Byrd and Senator Mitchell as majority leaders; the reasoning behind retiring from the Senate when he did; anecdote about Hart and the chief of staff of Agriculture; Togus hearing on PTSD; the White Mountain National Forest nuclear waste disposal hearing; and the Northern Forest Study proposal hearings in Bangor.

Date: 2009-05-07

Creator: Patrick J Griffin

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Patrick J. Griffin was born June 22, 1949, in New York to Daniel and Edith Griffin. He attended St. Peter’s College in New Jersey, then the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for graduate studies in urban policy. He worked as a Health, Education and Welfare fellow for a year, then spent a year on the Senate Budget Committee staff before becoming a member of Senator Byrd’s leadership staff, the Democratic Policy Committee staff, and later a Senate Floor staffer, where he met Senator Mitchell. He held the position of secretary of the Democratic Caucus, an elected position. He later started a lobbying firm with David Johnson, returning to politics to join the Clinton administration.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family, educational, and career background; responsibilities of Senate floor staff; majority leader race an Inouye; Iran-Contra; Acid Rain and Senator Byrd; Crime Bill; Byrd’s decision to move to the Appropriations Committee; Griffin’s relationship with Senator Byrd; experiences in the Clinton White House; health care debate; Mitchell-Clinton relationship; background on the Northern Ireland appointment and Clinton conversation; comparison of several majority leaders; and Tip O’Neill.

Date: 2010-02-05

Creator: Deborah 'Debbie' B Ward

Access: Open access

Biographical Note

Deborah “Debbie” (Bedard) Ward was born in Saco, Maine, on March 22, 1951. She was graduated from Thornton Academy in 1969 and then attended Westbrook College. Subsequently, she worked as a secretary for the Westbrook College Department of Nursing. In 1972, she became involved in reviving the Saco Young Democrats, and in 1973 George Mitchell hired her as the first staff person for his gubernatorial campaign. After Mitchell lost the election to Jim Longley, Ward returned to Westbrook College to work as a house mother. She took the position of calendar clerk for the Maine state legislature, then was elected assistant clerk and held that position for eighteen years.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Saco in the 1950s and 1960s; splitting time between Virginia and Maine; reviving the Saco Young Democrats with Mike Aube and Barry Hobbins when Bill Hathaway ran against Margaret Chase Smith; campaigning as a part of the Young Democrats; being hired by Mitchell; Mitchell’s gubernatorial campaign volunteer base; working with Tony Buxton and Mike Aube; Mitchell’s running against and beating Joe Brennan in the primary; the state party structure; surprise at Longley winning the campaign; working as calendar clerk and assistant clerk for the state legislature; observing Mitchell’s progress to senator; and Joe Angelone.

Date: 2009-06-19

Creator: James L Ladd

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

James Loring Ladd was born February 18, 1933, in Milo, Maine, to Marianne Louise McKechnie and Vaughn Loring Ladd. He grew up in Milo and attended Foxcroft Academy. He was graduated from Bowdoin College in 1954 with a major in psychology; he and George Mitchell were classmates. Prior to the beginning of his senior year, he became married to Shirley Ladd; they have four children. He spent a year teaching, then was drafted into the Army and served in Korea for two years. He made a career in the real estate business in Milo, Maine, and is now retired.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Milo, Maine; traveling to Boston as a child; attending Foxcroft Academy; watching baseball and playing sports; attending Bowdoin College; George Mitchell at Bowdoin; the fraternities at Bowdoin; train service in Maine; participating in ROTC at Bowdoin and serving in Korea; teaching eighth grade at Mattawamkeag and coaching basketball and baseball at Newport High School; the Milo, Maine area; seeing George Mitchell when he would visit the local high school; Ladd’s children; and the increasing cost of a Bowdoin education.

Date: 2009-10-07

Creator: Scott F Hutchinson

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Scott Frederick Hutchinson was born in Gardiner, Maine, on April 16, 1929, to Helen Frances and Scott Arthur Hutchinson. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was employed by New England Telephone Company, rising in the ranks from line worker to vice president. Scott’s childhood was spent living in various communities throughout New England. He attended Northeastern University, and after college served in the Army during the Korean War. Coming back to Maine, he began a career in banking. During Ken Curtis’ campaign for governor, he served as treasurer. He then served as treasurer for Ed Muskie’s senatorial campaigns, vice presidential campaign, and as treasurer for Muskie's presidential primary race. He served as George Mitchell’s campaign treasurer.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: working on Muskie’s staff with Mitchell in 1976; Maine gubernatorial campaign (1974); why Mitchell lost to Longley; Joe Angelone; Mitchell's running for Senate majority leader; Mitchell’s 1982 reelection campaign; David Emery; Mitchell’s relationship with Bill Cohen; the role of Independents in Mitchell’s campaigns; campaign changes for Mitchell between 1974 and 1982; and Hutchinson’s reaction to Mitchell’s announcement of retirement.

Date: 2019-05-31

Creator: James Pierce

Access: Open access

James A. “Jim” Pierce (Class of 1969) recounts his sight-unseen arrival to Bowdoin in 1965. He speaks about the fraternity system’s dominance over everything from food and lodging to social life. He describes the fraternities’ drinking culture and hazing rituals, as well as the “eccentric” nature of his own fraternity, Alpha Rho Upsilon. Pierce comments on the milieu of “rugged Christianity” he felt at Bowdoin, especially through mandatory chapel attendance. Additionally, he talks about his experiences with the Glee and Drama Clubs, Bowdoin’s academic rigor, and the prank group the Green Hornet Construction Company. Pierce also reflects on feeling the presence and impacts of the Vietnam War on campus.

Date: 2019-06-01

Creator: Christopher Lierle

Access: Open access

Christopher “Chris” Lierle (Class of 1989) discusses adjusting to Bowdoin life from the West Coast and making close friendships despite the culture shock. He speaks about the importance of extracurricular activities during his time at Bowdoin and reminisces on his experiences with the football team and winning the Best Actor award in the One Act play competition. Lierle also reflects on not completing his Bowdoin education and the events in his life that led him to reconnect with the Bowdoin community twenty-five years later. He discusses the cherished relationships he forged during his time on campus and how they defined his time at college.

Date: 2019-06-01

Creator: Cathy Scheiner

Access: Open access

Cathy Scheiner (Class of 1979) describes the culture-shock she felt when transitioning to Bowdoin from public high school. She speaks about meeting many different types of people in Hyde Hall and joining various extracurricular activities like the Outing Club, the Sailing team, and the Cross-Country Ski team. She talks about being independent from the Greek system while navigating the fraternity-dominated social landscape. Scheiner reminisces on her classes and professors, adventures around Maine with friends, and being a Biochemistry major. Also, she reflects on the discussions of the time surrounding efforts to not be just a Bowdoin student, but a member of the broader Maine community as well.

Date: 2019-08-16

Creator: Richard Burns

Access: Open access

Richard “Dick” Burns (Class of 1958) describes being “very impressed” by Bowdoin when he first visited and the busyness of his first few weeks at the College. He talks about how the social life of the school revolved around fraternities and his own experience joining Chi Psi, despite ambivalence about the Greek system. Burns reminisces about various mentors and memorable professors, including his long-standing friendship with former athletic trainer Mike Linkovich. He talks about his job washing dishes in his fraternity, Ivies Weekend, and the drinking culture of the time. Finally, he comments on his multi-generational view of Bowdoin, Brunswick, and New England, and remarks on some of the most notable ways that the College has changed.

Date: 2017-05-01

Creator: Abby Elizabeth Motycka

Access: Open access

What was the impact of Brown v. Board of Education on the United States and how did pro-segregationists in the South respond? In order to answer this question, I argue three key arguments over the course of three chronological chapters. In chapter one, I argue that segregationists from southern states responded to Brown by fighting to preserve segregation in order to protect a racial hierarchy they believed was essential. This racial hierarchy is magnified in the southern capital of Little Rock, Arkansas, which I argue in chapter two exposed segregationists’ political defiance and poor organization around racial integration of public schools. After a year of integration, analyzed in chapter three, I conclude my chapters by arguing the first year slowed down the segregationist organizations, but did not persuade them that racial integration would improve the “southern way of life.”

Date: 2017-05-01

Creator: Savannah Blake Horton

Access: Open access

This is What You Want: Stories is a collection of nine stories exploring the role of humor in dark situations. It is a work of fiction.

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Jared Lynch

Access: Open access

The mitochondrial genome has historically been relegated to a neutral genetic marker, but new evidence suggests mitochondrial DNA to be a target for adaptation to environmental stress. The invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) exemplifies this in the Gulf of Maine’s hybrid zone, where interbreeding populations exhibit thermal tolerances influenced by mitochondrial genotype. To better understand the mechanism behind this phenomenon, the effect of mitochondrial genotype on mitochondrial activity was tested by measuring mtDNA copy number (mtCN) and the activity of complex I, II, and IV of the electron transport system via high-resolution respirometry. Mitochondria isolated from frozen heart tissue were measured at three temperature points—5°C, 25°C, and 37°C—to represent thermal stresses and a control. It was predicted that cold-adapted haplogroups would exhibit both higher mtCN and increased activity for each complex, either across all temperatures or exclusively at 5°C compared to a warm-adapted haplogroup. Initial comparisons of mitochondria from fresh and frozen tissue at 25°C found lower activity for complex II and IV in frozen extracts, but they continued to be used for convenience. No differences were observed across haplogroups for mtCN or high-resolution respirometry, suggesting that mitochondrial activity does not underlie differences in thermal tolerance. However, temperature greatly influenced activity measurements with complex II and IV exhibiting the highest rates at 37°C while complex I exhibited optimal activity at 25°C. This study represents the first of its kind for C. maenas, providing a foundation for future experiments to continue exploring mitochondria in the context of adaptive evolution.

• Embargo End Date: 2029-05-16

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Juliana Keyes Vandermark

Access: Embargoed

• Restriction End Date: 2027-06-01

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Oliver Wang

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2020-12-01

Creator: Andrew E. Christie, Cindy D. Rivera, Catherine M. Call, Patsy S. Dickinson, Elizabeth A., Stemmler, J. Joe Hull

Access: Open access

Over the past decade, in silico genome and transcriptome mining has led to the identification of many new crustacean peptide families, including the agatoxin-like peptides (ALPs), a group named for their structural similarity to agatoxin, a spider venom component. Here, analysis of publicly accessible transcriptomes was used to expand our understanding of crustacean ALPs. Specifically, transcriptome mining was used to investigate the phylogenetic/structural conservation, tissue localization, and putative functions of ALPs in decapod species. Transcripts encoding putative ALP precursors were identified from one or more members of the Penaeoidea (penaeid shrimp), Sergestoidea (sergestid shrimps), Caridea (caridean shrimp), Astacidea (clawed lobsters and freshwater crayfish), Achelata (spiny/slipper lobsters), and Brachyura (true crabs), suggesting a broad, and perhaps ubiquitous, conservation of ALPs in decapods. Comparison of the predicted mature structures of decapod ALPs revealed high levels of amino acid conservation, including eight identically conserved cysteine residues that presumably allow for the formation of four identically positioned disulfide bridges. All decapod ALPs are predicted to have amidated carboxyl-terminals. Two isoforms of ALP appear to be present in most decapod species, one 44 amino acids long and the other 42 amino acids in length, both likely generated by alternative splicing of a single gene. In carideans, a gene or terminal exon duplication appears to have occurred, with alternative splicing producing four ALPs, two 44 and two 42 amino acid isoforms. The identification of ALP precursor-encoding transcripts in nervous system-specific transcriptomes (e.g., Homarus americanus brain, eyestalk ganglia, and cardiac ganglion assemblies, finding confirmed using RT-PCR) suggests that members of this peptide family may serve as locally-released and/or hormonally-delivered neuromodulators in decapods. Their detection in testis- and hepatopancreas-specific transcriptomes suggests that members of the ALP family may also play roles in male reproduction and innate immunity/detoxification.

• Embargo End Date: 2025-05-16

Date: 2024-01-01

Creator: Leopold Felix Spieler

Access: Embargoed

Date: 2019-10-01

Creator: Patsy S. Dickinson, Heidi M. Samuel, Elizabeth A. Stemmler, Andrew E. Christie

Access: Open access

The SIFamides are a broadly conserved arthropod peptide family characterized by the C-terminal motif –SIFamide. In decapod crustaceans, two isoforms of SIFamide are known, GYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Gly1-SIFamide), which is nearly ubiquitously conserved in the order, and VYRKPPFNGSIFamide (Val1-SIFamide), known only from members of the astacidean genus Homarus. While much work has focused on the identification of SIFamide isoforms in decapods, there are few direct demonstrations of physiological function for members of the peptide family in this taxon. Here, we assessed the effects of Gly1- and Val1-SIFamide on the cardiac neuromuscular system of two closely related species of Cancer crab, Cancer borealis and Cancer irroratus. In each species, both peptides were cardioactive, with identical, dose-dependent effects elicited by both isoforms in a given species. Threshold concentrations for bioactivity are in the range typically associated with hormonal delivery, i.e., 10−9 to 10−8 M. Interestingly, and quite surprisingly, while the predicted effects of SIFamide on cardiac output are similar in both C. borealis and C. irroratus, frequency effects predominate in C. borealis, while amplitude effects predominate in C. irroratus. These findings suggest that, while SIFamide is likely to increase cardiac output in both crabs, the mechanism through which this is achieved is different in the two species. Immunohistochemical/mass spectrometric data suggest that SIFamide is delivered to the heart hormonally rather than locally, with the source of hormonal release being midgut epithelial endocrine cells in both Cancer species. If so, midgut-derived SIFamide may function as a regulator of cardiac output during the process of digestion.

Date: 2007-05-15

Creator: Elizabeth A. Stemmler, Emily A. Bruns, Noah P. Gardner, Patsy S. Dickinson, Andrew E., Christie

Access: Open access

In invertebrates, peptides possessing the carboxy (C)-terminal motif -RXRFamide have been proposed as the homologs of vertebrate neuropeptide Y (NPY). Using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, in combination with sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation and chemical and enzymatic reactions, we have identified the peptide pEGFYSQRYamide from the neuroendocrine pericardial organ (PO) of the crab Pugettia producta. This peptide is likely the same as that previously reported, but misidentified, as PAFYSQRYamide in several earlier reports (e.g. [Li, L., Kelley, W.P., Billimoria, C.P., Christie, A.E., Pulver, S.R., Sweedler, J.V., Marder, E. 2003. Mass spectrometric investigation of the neuropeptide complement and release in the pericardial organs of the crab, Cancer borealis. J. Neurochem. 87, 642-656; Fu, Q., Kutz, K.K., Schmidt, J.J., Hsu, Y.W., Messinger, D.I., Cain, S.D., de la Iglesia, H.O., Christie, A.E., Li, L. 2005. Hormone complement of the Cancer productus sinus gland and pericardial organ: an anatomical and mass spectrometric investigation. J. Comp. Neurol. 493, 607-626.]). The -QRYamide motif contained in pEGFYSQRYamide is identical to that present in many vertebrate members of the NPY superfamily. Mass spectrometric analysis conducted on the POs of several other decapods showed that pEGFYSQRYamide is present in three other brachyurans (Cancer borealis, Cancer irroratus and Cancer productus) as well as in one species from another decapod infraorder (Lithodes maja, an anomuran). Thus, our findings show that at least some invertebrates possess NPY-like peptides in addition to those exhibiting an -RXRFamide C-terminus, and raise the question as to whether the invertebrate -QRYamides are functionally and/or evolutionarily related to the NPY superfamily. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Margaret Broaddus

Access: Open access

ABSTRACT CHAPTER I: All nervous systems are influenced by circulating hormones, which can modulate neural circuits to produce different outputs from the same set of neurons. Invertebrate models, particularly crustaceans, serve as excellent models for studying neuromodulation because they contain neural circuits that continue to generate fictive activity when dissected out of the animal. The stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of the Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis) has long been used to study neuromodulation due to its well-characterized circuits. Even in such a compact neural network, little is known about how these circuits are modulated, and this remains a question in all animals, particularly in humans. Here we investigated the modulation of the pyloric circuit by applying bulk hemolymph to the dissected STNS preparation. The hemolymph contains all of the circulating modulators, some of which have known effects on the pyloric rhythm (though many are still unknown). Interestingly, when hemolymph is applied to the isolated STNS, the pyloric rhythm is suppressed. This is surprising given that in vivo the STNS is continually exposed to hemolymph (the STG is situated within an artery, and thus, exposed to circulating hemolymph) and the pyloric rhythm is constitutively active. Therefore, I hypothesized that there are synaptically released neurotransmitters that excite the pyloric rhythm. To test this hypothesis, we applied three different excitatory modulators – proctolin, serotonin, and oxotremorine – separately in the presence of hemolymph. I found that proctolin and oxotremorine restore the pyloric rhythm in the presence of hemolymph. However, serotonin did not consistently overcome the inhibition of hemolymph. ABSTRACT CHAPTER II: A plethora of work has begun to identify how endogenous neural and hormonal modulators interact to influence the pyloric network. Here we examined the modulation of the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) via two excitatory endogenous modulators CabTRP Ia and corazonin. CabTRP Ia and corazonin both excite the pyloric rhythm, but in distinct ways. Preliminary data by Nusbaum and Christie from 2003 suggested that an initial corazonin application gated a stronger response to subsequent CabTRP Ia when compared the inverse application of these neuromodulators. We sought to validate this gating phenomenon, but found no significant difference between the effects of the first and second applications of CabTRP Ia. Given that these animals are wild caught and surviving in a changing oceanic environment, it is possible that this modulatory effect in the Jonah Crab has changed over the last few decades due to environmentally driven shifts in receptor expression and channel conductances.

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Carina Lim-Huang

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Hamda Abdirahman Hussein, Fatima K Kunjo

Access: Open access

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Cara Sydney Nova Fields

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Rhys Edwards

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Sujan Garapati

Access: Open access

Since 2001, Japan has experienced two extended quantitative easing (QE) periods that aimed to address its low growth and deflationary environment. This paper investigates the transmission channels of the country’s QE policies during both periods: QE1 and Abenomics. Investigating three primary QE channels, signaling, inflation, and safety, the analysis identifies a signaling channel with different characteristics during both periods, no inflation channel, and a safety channel with different strengths during both periods. During QE1, event dates signaled low yields on short- and medium-term bonds but not on long-term bonds, suggesting a weak signaling channel. In contrast, under Abenomics, the signaling channel was strong for long-term bonds, reflecting a credible commitment to sustained low interest rates. Event dates in both periods were associated with deflation, so the evidence does not support the presence of an inflation channel. Across both periods, a significant safety channel was present. Investors paid a premium for safe assets that decreased yields as the BOJ purchased bonds, especially during Abenomics. The findings suggest that Abenomics was more successful at decreasing interest rates than QE1. Overall, this paper reveals that QE can effectively lower yields through signaling and safety effects but fails to raise inflation expectations in Japan.

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Philip Spyrou

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2025-01-01

Creator: Aeri Ko

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2020-01-01

Creator: Sabrina Lin

Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Date: 2020-01-01

Creator: Dani Paul Hove

Access: Open access

Comfortable locomotion in VR is an evolving problem. Given the high probability of vestibular-visual disconnect, and subsequent simulator sickness, new users face an uphill battle in adjusting to the technology. While natural locomotion offers the least chance of simulator sickness, the space, economic and accessibility barriers to it limit its effectiveness for a wider audience. Software-enabled locomotion circumvents much of these barriers, but has the greatest need for simulator sickness mitigation. This is especially true for standing VR experiences, where sex-biased differences in mitigation effectiveness are amplified (postural instability due to vection disproportionately affects women). Predictive trails were developed as a shareable Unity module in order to combat some of the gaps in current mitigation methods. Predictive trails use navigation meshes and path finding to plot the user’s available path according to their direction of vection. Some of the more prominent software methods each face distinct problems. Vignetting, while largely effective, restricts user field-of-vision (FoV), which in prolonged scenarios, has been shown to disproportionately lower women’s navigational ability. Virtual noses, while effective without introducing FoV restrictions, requires commercial licensing for use. Early testing of predictive trails proved effective on the principal investigator, but a wider user study - while approved - was unable to be carried out due to circumstances of the global health crisis. While the user study was planned around a seated experience, further study is required into the respective sex-biased effect on a standing VR experience. Additional investigation into performance is also required.

Date: 2009-03-05

Creator: Dale L Bumpers

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Dale L. Bumpers was born on August 12, 1925, in Charleston, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas, and during World War II he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After being discharged, he attended Northwestern University Law School in Evanston, Illinois, where he received his law degree in 1951. He then returned to Charleston, Arkansas, where he began practicing law the following year. He ran for the state House in 1962 but lost. In 1970, he made a successful run for governor of Arkansas. He was elected to the U.S. States Senate in 1974, where he served until his retirement in 1999. During his tenure in the Senate, he never voted in favor of a constitutional amendment. He is married to Betty Flanagan Bumpers, who has spearheaded efforts to immunize children through the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center.

Summary

Interview includes discussions of: coming into the Senate in the class of ’74; how George Mitchell rose to be majority leader: 1988 majority leader race; the role of money in politics and campaign finance reform; comparing leadership styles of Senators Byrd and Mitchell; Howard Baker as majority leader; Women Against Nuclear War / Peace Links and Betty Bumpers’ role in the organization, and the amendment Bumpers proposed to declare a national Peace Day; Robert Dole as majority leader; Tom Daschle as majority leader and as Mitchell’s protégé; George Mitchell’s inner circle; the evolution of partisanship in the Senate; the invasion of Iraq in 1991; the idea of constitutional amendments and Bumpers’s stance against them; the effects of living through the Depression and World War II on Bumpers’s generation; Mitchell’s decision to leave the Senate; Bumpers’s defense of Bill Clinton during the impeachment hearing; Bumpers’s presidential ambitions and choosing not to run in 1984; and the Bumpers’ involvement in desegregating the school in Charleston, Arkansas.

Date: 2009-02-07

Creator: Jeffrey 'Jeff' W Peterson

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Jeffrey Ward Peterson was born on March 23, 1954, in Lexington, Massachusetts, to Jean H. and Dr. Merrill D. Peterson. He grew up in Lexington until age ten, then moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1964. He attended Bowdoin College and studied away for a semester at American University, where he held an internship with the Senate Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations. After graduation he worked in Maine for two years, married, and moved to Seattle, Washington, to attend the University of Washington Graduate School of Public Affairs, where he earned a master’s degree while working part-time for the Environmental Protection Agency. He was later hired by the EPA to work at its Washington, DC, headquarters, and several years later he had the opportunity to work in Senator Mitchell’s office advising on water issues. He worked for the Environment and Public Works Committee for approximately eight years and then returned to work for the EPA. At the time of this interview, he was a senior policy advisor in the EPA Office of Water.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia; Bowdoin College; working for the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle, Washington; being a McGovern delegate to the Virginia state convention in high school and how Mitchell staffers later gave him a hard time about it; Peterson’s connection with Maine; figuring out a way to get the EPA to have him work for Mitchell; working in Senator Mitchell’s personal office as an EPA consultant; Senators Chafee’s and Mitchell’s working relationship; working on Clean Water; Mitchell’s role in Clean Water hearings; the National Estuaries Program; working with the House staff; lengthy description of the Clean Water Act history; Mitchell’s role in maintaining ties between the Clean Water Act and Maine; the difficulty and benefits of reconciling Senate and House versions of a bill; conference process for the Clean Water Act; working for the Environment and Public Works Committee staff and the transition to that from working for the EPA in Mitchell’s office; Mitchell staff relationships; memo writing; the Clean Water reauthorizations; Peterson’s internship at the Senate Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, chaired by Senator Muskie; Maine senators and the environment; other issues that Mitchell worked on; the issue of combined sewer overflows and the effect of Mitchell’s introducing legislation that addressed it; and Mitchell’s retirement from the Senate.

Date: 2009-04-03

Creator: Norman 'Norm' S Reef

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Norman S. “Norm” Reef was born on August 16, 1933, in Portland, Maine, where he grew up with his parents, Samuel Reef and Dora Reef, and seven siblings. His father emigrated from Lithuania at age fourteen and worked as a cobbler. Norm grew up in the Jewish community of Portland, and the family struggled to make ends meet during the Depression and World War II. He attended Boston University and after two years joined the Army; the Korean War ended just as he completed training. He returned to study public relations at Boston University and then attended law school to help with his brothers’ insurance finance business. After being married, he set up a law practice in Portland. He became part of the fund-raising group for the Maine Democratic Party and encouraged Governor Brennan to appoint Mitchell to the Senate. He has also done legal work for Mitchell and is a personal friend. His daughter, Grace Reef, worked as a legislative assistant in Mitchell’s U.S. Senate office. He retired in 1989 from full-time practice of law. At the time of this interview, he was working on bringing about the production of a patent he holds for an industrial waste incinerator that generates power, associated with the firm Maine Microfurnace.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family and educational background; the Jewish community in Portland; growing up in a large family during WWII; the Army and being a dental technician in Texas; Boston University and being president of a fraternity; working with his brothers and going to law school; joining the finance committee for the Maine Democratic Party; Muskie’s swearing in as secretary of state 1980; meeting President Clinton; why Mitchell lost the 1974 gubernatorial race; a meeting in Augusta and Brennan’s decision to appoint Mitchell to the Senate; Mitchell at hockey games and his involvement with the Red Sox; Mitchell’s relationship to Muskie; Mitchell as U.S. attorney; humorous anecdotes about Grace’s internship in Mitchell’s office; Reef’s retirement and return to work; the Microfurnace patent; and Mitchell’s exceptional character.

Date: 2009-09-11

Creator: Carol Shapiro, Samuel 'Sam' Shapiro

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Samuel Shapiro was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on August 26, 1927. His parents were Maurice and Anna (Silver) Shapiro. His father was born in the Ukraine and his mother in Lithuania. He spent two years in the Navy, then attended the University of Pittsburg on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1952. He married and moved to Waterville, Maine, in 1953 and served as Maine Democratic Party treasurer for thirteen years. He also ran several furniture stores with his father-in-law. He served as Maine state treasurer for 16 years (1980-1996) during the Brennan, McKernan, and King administrations. He worked with George Mitchell on the Democratic State Committee in the early 1960s; he was especially close to George Mitchell’s brother, Robbie, and they often played tennis. Carol Shapiro was born and raised in Waterville, Maine, and attended Colby College. She and George Mitchell were high school classmates.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: family background; 1974 Maine gubernatorial campaign; Jim Longley story; military service; anti-Semitism; description of George Mitchell’s character and personality; state treasurers story; dating story; George Mitchell’s mother, Mary (Saad) Mitchell; Mitchell-Muskie comparison; Ken Curtis; and Bill Clinton story.

Date: 2010-01-22

Creator: John E Nale

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

John Elias Nale was born on September 4, 1949, in Farmerville, Louisiana, to Caroline Theresa (Boles) and Melvin Travis Nale. The family had moved to Louisiana from Bangor, Maine, returning first to Bangor and then to his mother’s home town, Waterville, Maine, during his childhood. He is a second cousin of George Mitchell; his grandmother and George Mitchell’s mother were sisters. Nale is a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono and the Franklin Pierce Law Center. Upon joining the bar, he practiced law in Waterville and Portland, Maine, including practicing law with his three brothers for fifteen years. At the time of this interview, he was practicing elder law at Nale Law Offices, Waterville, Maine.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: growing up in Waterville, Maine, as next-door neighbor of the Mitchells; the Lebanese community in Waterville; Nale’s immigrant Lebanese ancestry; practicing elder law; Lebanese emigration to the United States; visiting Mitchell in Washington, DC, to celebrate Mitchell’s elevation to Senate majority leader; recollections of Mitchell’s mother, Mary (Saad) Mitchell.

Date: 2009-03-26

Creator: Grace Reef

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Grace Reef grew up in Portland, Maine, with her father, Norman Reef, an attorney, and her mother, Patricia Reef. In 1974, as a twelve-year-old, she was the first female Little League baseball player, having sued to integrate girls into the program. She first heard of Senator Mitchell when he ran for governor in 1974. She attended Colby College, graduating in 1983 with a degree in public policy. During college she interned in Mitchell’s Senate office in Washington, D.C.; she worked as a legislative correspondent and was later promoted to be a legislative assistant, eventually becoming one of Mitchell’s senior advisors on children and poverty issues and economic development. She worked for minority leader Tom Daschle after Mitchell retired in 1994, continuing to work on issues of welfare reform and child care. She also worked for Senator Chris Dodd as the minority staff director of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families. She has served as director of intergovernmental affairs for the Children’s Defense Fund. At the time of this interview, she was chief of policy and evaluation for the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: interning in Mitchell’s Senate office; the legislative process; tax reform in the mid-1980s; Mitchell’s decision-making process; the Family Support Act; doing research on child care providers in Maine; child care and development block grants; the Better Child Care Act; the structure of the Senate and the work Mitchell had to do to get legislation passed; Title 4A At Risk Child Care; the compromise on child care vouchers (church-state); Mitchell’s “divide and conquer” approach to dealing with different senators’ doubts and bringing them on board; the Family Medical Leave Act; anecdote of Reef’s presence in the Rose Garden with Mitchell when the Family Medical Leave Act was signed; George H.W. Bush’s saying that they needed a “kinder, gentler nation”; Environment and Public Works Committee work and highway funding; the formula for gas tax returns; miscalculating the formula and watching the bill on the floor of the Senate for three weeks; the National Affordable Housing Act; Mitchell and the Maine delegation; Mitchell’s patience as his greatest attribute; and Mitchell’s sense of humor.

Date: 2010-04-12

Creator: Paul P Brountas

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Paul Peter Brountas was born on March 19, 1932, in Bangor, Maine. He and George Mitchell were classmates at Bowdoin College, where he was graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1954; he took bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Oxford in 1956 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1960. That same year, he joined Hale and Dorr, the predecessor of WilmerHale. He became a partner in 1968 and served as senior counsel to the firm from 2003 until his retirement in 2005. In 1987 and 1988, he served as national chairman of the Committee to Elect Michael S. Dukakis President of the United States, and in 1968 he served as a campaign aide to Senator Edmund Muskie during the Humphrey-Muskie presidential campaign.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: student life at Bowdoin College in the early 1950s; George Mitchell’s basketball skills; the Edmund Muskie vice presidential campaign (1968), especially working with Don Nicoll and the Press; friendship with and gubernatorial (Mass.) and presidential campaigning for Michael Dukakis, especially the selection process for filling the vice presidential candidacy (Lloyd Bentsen, and consideration of Jesse Jackson); the Kennedy-Johnson ticket (1960) and Kennedy’s assassination; Harvard Law School; George Mitchell’s negotiating skills.

Date: 2009-05-26

Creator: Regina Sullivan

Access: Open access

Biographial Note

Regina Sullivan was born on January 16, 1957, to Richard and Julia Sullivan in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in Washington, DC. Her father was chief counsel to the House Public Works and Transportation Committee and her mother ran a nonprofit organization called Candle Lighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. Regina was graduated from Bishop Dennis J. O’Connell High School and went on to Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where she received a degree in economics. During her senior year of college, she worked for Denver Mayor Bill McNichols. After graduation she returned to Washington, D.C., where she took a temporary job in Senator Ed Muskie’s office. She worked there for approximately four months helping the receptionist and doing filing. She went back to Denver to help run a city council race, and then decided to move back to Washington as a legislative correspondent in Muskie’s office. She stayed on when Mitchell was appointed to fill Muskie’s vacant Senate seat. When Charlie Jacobs came on staff as head of scheduling, she became his assistant. She worked on scheduling in Maine for the 1982 campaign; after Mitchell won the seat, she returned to Washington and worked as the deputy press secretary, later going back to the front office to do scheduling and worked as a liaison between Mitchell’s Senate staff and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) staff. In 1986 she left Mitchell’s office and started a government relations firm, now R. Sullivan & Associates, where she continued to work at the time of this interview.

Summary

Interview includes discussion of: Regis University; starting work in Senator Muskie’s office; working on a city council race in Denver, Colorado; working for Mayor McNichols in Denver; learning about Congress while growing up in Washington, D.C.; working as a legislative correspondent for Muskie; the transition in the office when Mitchell was appointed to fill Muskie’s seat; the degree of changeover or continuity in staff between Muskie and Mitchell; Mitchell’s first Banking Committee hearing and Senator Proxmire’s praise of his performance; working on Mitchell’s scheduling in Maine; working in Maine on the 1982 election; Mitchell’s work ethic, especially on the campaign; Mitchell’s relationship with Senator Cohen; 1982 U.S. Senate campaign and David Emery; moving over to the press office; the complications that arose from Mitchell’s attempts to travel back to Maine every weekend; Mitchell’s relationship with the women on his staff; the “fun times” they had on the campaign; commiserating with other senators’ schedulers; what Sullivan learned from and respected about Senators Muskie and Mitchell; the increasing partisanship on Capitol Hill; and Mitchell’s ability to see other opportunities to do public service beyond his Senate career.