STRATA
STRATA, the STudent Research, Academic, and Talent Archive, is a collection of selected Fort Lewis College student work, including undergraduate research, senior seminar papers, published works, conference presentations, and other creative and artistic projects. Search by name, subject, title, or academic department.
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- Does Pseudoknot Formation Play a Role in HTLV-1 Pro-Pol Frameshift Efficiency?
- The translation of the Human T-cell Lymphoma Virus Type-I (HTLV-1) pol gene is dependent on a programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift. The HTLV-1 frameshift site consists of a heptanucleotide slippery sequence (UUUAAAC) followed by a spacer region and a downstream pseudoknot. During translation, the pseudoknot is thought to pause the ribosome over the slippery sequence. At that time, the tRNAs can repair in the -1 reading frame. This study focuses on investigating whether or not pseudoknot formation affects the rate of HTLV-1 pro-pol frameshifting. We hypothesize that the pseudoknot structure will affect the frameshift efficiency. To test this hypothesis, three variant pro-pol frameshift sites were designed so their frameshift efficiencies could be compared to that of the wild-type frameshift site. Pseudoknot mutant 1 (PKM1) has sequence changes in the loop that eliminate base-pairing between the loop region and downstream RNA sequence. Pseudoknot mutant 2 (PKM2) has sequence changes in the downstream sequence that eliminate base-pairing between the loop region and downstream RNA sequence. Finally, the downstream sequence involved in pseudoknot base-pairing was eliminated in the third frameshift site, creating the stem-loop (SL) structure. Using molecular cloning techniques, these variant frameshift sites were inserted into a dual-luciferase reporter plasmid between the rluc and fluc genes. Two plasmids (experimental and control) were created for each frameshift site (WT, PKM1, PKM2, and SL). In the experimental plasmid, the fluc open reading frame is in the -1 reading frame relative to rluc. In the control plasmid, the slippery sequence is mutated so frameshifting cannot occur and rluc and fluc are in the same reading frame. At present, seven of the eight plasmids have been successfully cloned, each verified by DNA sequencing. Once all of the plasmids have been successfully cloned, in vitro transcription of the DNA will be used for RNA synthesis. This RNA will be purified and utilized in an in vitro frameshift assay to determine the frameshift efficiency for each frameshift site.
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- Doom Tree
- Artwork by Timothy Plotke from the Fall 2013 - Winter 2014 issue of Images
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- Dragon Skull
- Artwork by Sophia Hampton from Fall 2013 - Winter 2014 issue of Images
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- Durango Nights
- Poem by Meredith Hoffmann from Fall 2012 - Winter 2013 issue of Images.
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- E. Coli in the Animas River
- Water is a vital part of every living thing and needs to monitored and tested regularly, to ensure it stays in good health. One of the many pollutants and bacterium tested in nearly all water systems is E.coli 0157:H7. E.coli has many different forms, most of which are present in the intestines of many animals and humans, but E.coli 0157:H7 is a dangerous form of E.coli that can wreak havoc on the body. Consequences of becoming contaminated with E.coli can result in diarrhea, severe dehydration, and, in worst cases, death. This study focuses on the E.coli levels in the Animas River located in Durango, Colorado. Samples were collected at 12 different sites locate along the Animas River beginning at the 9th Street bridge and ending just below the newly constructed rapid area called Smelter. Each sample site consisted of 3 individual samples above, at, and below the site. This is done so in order to create a comparison when looking at the results. Once the samples are collected the are tested through a specific procedure that requires exact measurements and precision to minimize any potential errors. The results are then analyzed and documented for future use. When analyzing the results it is essential to note how many colony forming units (CFU) there are per sample. Any samples containing more than 240 CFU's is considered toxic according to the EPA. The results of this research will help determine what levels of E.coli are in the Animas River and if there is any need for concern.
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- EMG Activity in Muscle Due to Varying Resistance Loads When Controlling for Movement Velocity
- The purpose of this study was to examine EMG activity in the quadriceps at varying speeds when different weights are used as resistance. The two hypotheses tested state that there will be no difference in the EMG readings between tests of constant velocity when the resistance due to increased mass is high versus when the resistance is at a low level of mass and that there will be no difference in EMG readings or torque exhibited at each velocity. Ten subjects aged 18 to 30 had EMG leads attached to their right quadriceps. Subjects then moved against resistances of 0, 5, and 10 lbs, each at velocities of 45, 75, and 210 degrees per second. Patterns were found for EMG levels as well as force, measured in torque, when plotted against the velocity of the movement. This leads to the interpretation that velocity is the primary determining factor in a movement's stimulation and force. ANOVA and HSD tests showed significance differences in the force (torque) across the different velocities (p=0.0001), resulting in the rejection of the second null hypothesis. Within that group, values between the 45 deg/sec and 210 deg/sec speeds and between the 75 deg/sec and the 210 deg/sec velocities provide the significant differences. The significant data shows that a movement's force is determined by its velocity. Though not significantly different, with increased loads from there was greater EMG at each speed which shows that motor units were being activated to accommodate for the increased resistance and maintain the velocity for any given muscle force. With a greater range of loads, from 0 to 75 pounds EMG data may change.
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- ETHNOGRAPHY OF MEMEING: The Efficacy of Using Internet Memes to Communicate Political Messages
- Many people who use the internet are familiar with internet memes and can likely visualize one. Envisioning an internet meme may also cause someone to chuckle to themselves. Even if an individual does not actively seek out or share internet memes, these sometimes comical images, videos and posts are ubiquitous. Internet memes are units of culture created and shared digitally (Shifman 2014). In 2017, the Digital Future Report concluded that Americans spend nearly 11 hours every day interacting with or watching content on the screen of a computer, phone, TV or gaming console (Cole 2017). It is no longer a question of if Americans or how much use the internet, but instead it is a question of how its usage affects their daily lives and communication styles. Due to the pervasiveness of internet memes their content, virality and impact on culture have been researched from sociological, media studies and anthropological perspectives. Understanding how individuals interpret internet memes as linguistic symbols from an anthropological perspective reveals that internet memes are more than online jokes. Internet memes are snapshots of contemporary pop and political culture used to share political messages and commentary within digital communities and in real life (Davis et al. 2016, Mondoza-Denton 2017 and Chow 2019). Internet meme’s democratic power, amateur participation and the ability to effectively discuss ideas through comedic images gives them great political potential (Carter 2013, Westfall 2018 and Bebic and Volrevic 2018). Political and applied anthropologists have studied how cultural groups and social movements use humorous internet memes to communicate collective ideologies (Westfall 2018 and Haynes 2019). However, there is a lack of research that seeks to understand how individuals interpret messages from internet memes. Shedding light on the emic, or insider, perspective of meme interpretation can broaden anthropology’s understanding of how internet memes are used to communicate. Using the photo elicitation method, 127 undergraduate students at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO were asked to describe and interpret internet memes used by activists in support of the Global Climate Strike, the environmental social movement comprised of youth around the world. The responses were analyzed to form an emergent thesis about the efficacy of using internet memes to communicate political messages. Content analysis of the participants’ responses to Global Climate Strike memes determined that humor, familiarity and age are three factors that influence how people interpret political memes. Researching the symbolic usage of internet memes is crucial to better understanding them as a form of communication in both online communities and the real world.
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- Early Snow Melt Effects on Soil Nitrogen Availability in the Alpine of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado
- Spring snow cover extent has decreased since the early 20th century due to climate warming and may affect alpine ecosystems by altering growing season length and modifying impacts of winter snowpack on microbial and plant nitrogen (N) availability. Early snowmelt when decoupled from seasonal warming may decrease microbial and plant N immobilization during snowmelt leading to increased leachable N. To better understand seasonal N availability in the alpine tundra of the San Juan Mountains of CO, we examined snow N concentrations and the effects of warming on extractable soil N and ion resin N pools during the growing season as well as net N mineralization rates during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. Lack of precipitation resulted in a shallow snowpack which melted early creating a temporal gap between soil N availability and plant N uptake. Mineralization rates, extractable N, and resin N each increased with increased soil moisture with higher available N after snowmelt and during the monsoons. The consequences of reduced snow cover due to climate warming are lower soil moisture levels and greater losses of N from the N-limited alpine ecosystem, which may produce limitations on plant productivity and modify N-cycling leading to decreased alpine ecosystem health.
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- Earth and Water: Landcover and River Health on the Missouri River
- The Missouri River Research Endeavor (MRRE) set out to conduct an empirical study of the Missouri River. Our team canoed from the official headwaters near Three Forks, MT to the confluence with the Mississippi River in Saint Louis, MO. The MRRE sought greater understanding of the river, its health, and how human practices on and near the river affect it. Dams, nutrients, and pollution can have dramatic impacts on rivers. The river was broken up into twelve reaches because of the effects of damming. Reaches were defined as a length of river from headwaters to the first dam, between dams, and from the final dam to confluence with the Mississippi River. At three sites per reach water was sampled at 1 m depth and analyzed in the field. From these samples seston was collected by filtration, while pH, total dissolved solids, conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), phosphate (PO4-) were measure from the filtrate. The seston samples were combusted to determine organic mass. Land cover was determined within 50 km of the river and its reservoirs using the USGS National GAP Land Cover dataset. Most phosphate measurements were outside 2.75 mgL-1 range of the colorimeter used, but the few low sites suggest a relationship between phosphate, conserved lands, and impoundment deltas. Nitrate levels showed no significant pattern and nitrite levels were within natural back ground levels. River modification, in the form of damming and channelization, severely reduce sediment load in the river and is disruptive to native riparian areas. Within 50 km of the river, 35% of the land is cropland and is the largest contributor of excess nutrients to the river system.
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- Eco-Education: Nature as a Window Into the World for K- 12
- This research explores the causes and effects of a generation of children who are not able to and do not want to experience the wonders of nature. I propose that the roots of this problem are in 1) the education system (specifically the origins of the education model, the approach to education, and the competitive character school instills), 2) the cultural view of the outside world as impartial and disenchanted, and 3) the loss of direct interaction with one another and nature. To understand strategies of introducing an eco-pedagogy, I worked for four months at Durango Nature Studies, a non-profit with a focus on hands-on learning, nature and environmental education. I investigated Environmental-based programs, the advantages of outdoor education, the benefits of unstructured time and play, and school models that build on communal efforts rather than a competitive environment. Based on my findings, I designed a curriculum based on a theoretical environmental-experiential education program. The curriculum encourages students to marvel over mystery, accept that not everything has a quantifiable answer, find beauty in the smallest of places and have time to do what is missing from so many of their lives, play.
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- Ecological Niche Modeling of the Genus Ostrya (Betulaceae): Past, Present, and Future Range Projections in the American Southwest and Northern Latin America
- Ostrya is a genus of generally small understory tree which exhibits a widespread distribution throughout the Arcto-Tertiary region. In North America, the distribution of Ostrya is ubiquitous throughout the extensive deciduous forest of the east. To the west, Ostrya exhibits a highly disjunct distribution throughout the desert southwest, western Texas, and northern Mexico. The genus continues its range south through the discontinuous high elevation cloud forests through Mexico south to Honduras. The disjunct distribution of Ostrya is hypothesized to be relictual, representing the remnants of a once widespread ancient deciduous forest that has been diminished by the action of continental climate shift since the last glacial period. To evaluate this hypothesis regarding past distribution we produced a set of ecological niche models using georeferenced localities of current populations and paleoclimate projections for the last inter-glacial (~120,000 - 140,000 years BP) and last glacial maximum (22,000 BP). We also modeled the potential for population persistence into the near future (2070) under two distinct climate projections. The potential for refugia was observed in the (current) desert southwest region of North America during the Last Glacial Maximum while northern Latin American habitats exhibited widespread habitat suitability. This pattern closely follows the current distribution of likely refugia across the American Southwest. Future models predict that potential habitat in the western U.S. may expand however these same models predict a further reduction of suitable habitat across the cloud forest regions of northern Latin America.