Emma Greiderer
Research
Welcome to my independent research portfolio, an interdisciplinary project uniting quantitative mathematical modeling, cellular metabolic kinetics, and comparative literature analysis. This collection features three original investigations exploring dynamic human physiology, metabolic thresholds in eukaryotic systems, and non-linear narrative themes in philosophical fiction.
Multivariable Modeling & Cardiovascular Dynamics
3D Surface Interaction
Proves that speed and incline are biologically coupled (c = -0.4796 interaction coefficient); higher running speeds reduce the marginal cardiac cost of added gradients.
The Efficiency "Sweet Spot"
Disproves the assumption that flat running is always most efficient, demonstrating that high-velocity uphill running yields the highest mechanical work return per heartbeat.
My study moves beyond standard 2D linear modeling to construct a 3D quadratic surface that maps the dynamic interaction between treadmill speed and incline on heart rate. By evaluating partial derivatives and defining a novel Efficiency Metric (E) paired with the Marginal Rate of Substitution (MRS), the model isolates the exact mathematical coordinate where physiological work output is maximized relative to cardiac cost.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS & SPORTS SCIENCE
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Cardiovascular Plateau Effect
Identifies a concave-down ceiling effect along the speed axis, demonstrating that cardiac response stabilizes near maximum aerobic effort.
Effects of Caffeine on Yeast Cellular Respiration
Biphasic (Hormetic) Curve
Low caffeine concentrations (0.5%–1.0% w/v) trigger compensatory metabolic hyperactivity, increasing CO2 output as cells adapt to TOR pathway inhibition.
Eukaryotic Relevance: Provides insights into the dose-dependent metabolic stress responses shared across eukaryotic systems.
Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a eukaryotic model organism, this investigation examines how varying concentrations of caffeine modulate cellular respiration and glycolytic flux. By measuring stoichiometric CO2 production under high dextrose conditions, the study establishes the physiological threshold at which caffeine transitions from a metabolic stimulant to a cellular toxin.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & METABOLIC KINETICS
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High-Dose Cytotoxicity: Concentrations at or above 2.0% w/v cause a sharp decline in respiration rates through pyruvate decarboxylase inhibition and mitochondrial strain.
Literary Depictions of Cycles, Dualities, and the Search for Oneness
Nature as the Ultimate Teacher
Both authors personify natural entities, Hesse’s river and Shafak’s fig tree/rhizome, to reveal timeless, non-linear truths concealed from fragmented human perception.
Interconnectedness & Memory
Explores how overcoming the illusion of separation allows individuals to reconcile personal and intergenerational trauma.
Written nearly a century apart across vastly different historical contexts, Hermann Hesse’s spiritual bildungsroman and Elif Shafak’s contemporary ecocritical fiction converge in their usage of natural symbolism to explore life's recurring cycles. This thesis argues that both texts present human suffering not as a fracture of existence, but as an essential force necessary to experience overarching unity and grace
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE & PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
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Reconciliation of Dualities
Demonstrates that opposing forces (joy and despair, love and destruction) do not cancel each other out, but rather complete one another within an endless spiral of renewal.
