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A Dispersive Force Model Of Caribbean Island Biogeography, Anthony Sarkiss

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Framework-based models serve as an important tool to describe, predict and manage ecological systems. In this paper I construct one such model, a dispersive force model based on MacArthur and Wilson’s (1963) theory of island biogeography, in order to assess island species richness with varying climatic patterns. Specifically, I use island–mainland distance (d), insular area (A), a climatic dispersal parameter (f), and a climatic disturbance parameter (h) to calculate the insular species richness ratio at equilibrium. To test this model through hurricane impact on marine islands, it was executed with data from islands of the Dutch Caribbean. Future climatic conditions …

The Impact Of Community Masking On Covid-19: A Cluster-Randomized Trial In Bangladesh, Jason Abaluck, Laura H. Kwong, Ashley Styczynski, Ashraful Haque, Md. Alamgir Kabir, Ellen Bates-Jeffries, Emily Crawford, Jade Benjamin-Chung, Salim Benhachmi, Shabib Raihan, Shadman Rahman, Neeti Zaman, Peter J. Winch, Md. Maqsud Hossain, Hasan Mahmud Reza, Stephen P. Luby, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Abdulla All Jaber, Shawkee Gulshan Momen, Faika Laz Bani, Aura Rahman, Tahrima Saiha Huq

Discussion Papers

Background: Mask usage remains low across many parts of the world during the COVID- 19 pandemic, and strategies to increase mask-wearing remain untested. Our objectives were to identify strategies that can persistently increase mask-wearing and assess the impact of increasing mask-wearing on symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial of community-level mask promotion in rural Bangladesh from November 2020 to April 2021 (N=600 villages, N=342,126 adults). We cross-randomized mask promotion strategies at the village and household level, including cloth vs. surgical masks. All intervention arms received free masks, information on the importance of masking, role modeling by community …

Tail-Anchored Protein Insertion Under Er Stress Conditions: Calcium Is Key, Matthew Jordan, Malaiyalam Mariappan

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Tail-anchored (TA) membrane proteins are critical for protein translocation, intracellular trafficking, and programmed cell death. TA proteins contain hydrophobic transmembrane domains and traverse through the cytosol to post-translationally insert into cellular membranes. It is unclear how this post-translational insertion is affected by Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress. Here, we find that TA protein insertion is significantly reduced with ER stress inducer thapsigargin (Tg), a calcium pump inhibitor that blocks the import of calcium into the ER causing ER stress, but not when treated with other ER stress inducers. Interestingly, out data suggests that increased calcium in the cytosol may decrease TA …

Turning Science Fiction Into Reality: Enhanced Motor Learning For Prosthetic Limbs, Makayla Conley

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

In science fiction, prosthetic limbs appear as seamless extensions of the human body that function as if the limbs were made of flesh and bone. With recent technological and scientific advancements, the prosthetic limbs of today are beginning to resemble those we once only imagined. Patients are now able to perform simple, everyday tasks like drinking from a glass of water. However, there are many limitations to this technology, including lack of fine motor movement, absence of reflexes, and missing sensory feedback from the prosthetic limb. These restrictions prohibit prosthetics patients from having the same experience as someone with a …

The Morality Of Pronoun Flexibility: Connections Between Language And Cognitive Identity Alignment, Mafalda Von Alvensleben

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

The power of words we use to refer to one another is gaining recognition in contemporary socio-political discourse. Yet, interplay between language and complex cognitive processes, including moral judgments and identity formation, largely remains a subject of philosophical and theoretical debate. In order to begin examining the existence of such interactions empirically, this paper investigates the syntactic shift of the third person plural pronoun they/them to the third person singular, used to refer to gender non-binary/gender nonconforming individuals. Using grammaticality acceptance ratings and the Worthen 2016 moral attitudes test, administered under timed pressure, this study measures both intuitions surrounding the …

Recognising The Pitfalls Of The Past: Community Health Workers In The Time Of Covid-19, Sam Brakarsh

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Since their formal inception in the 1960s, Community Health Worker (CHW) programs have been revered as a panacea by some and critiqued as a delusion by others (R. N. Labonte et al., 2017; R. Labonte & Saunders, 2015). CHW programs can yield up to a 10:1 return on investment, mobilising communities to take preventative actions to tackle some of the most overwhelming diseases of our time (Earth Institute at Columbia University, 2013; WHO, 2015). However, when carried out without appropriate support or integration into broader health systems, CHW programs cease to be comprehensive tools for resilient preventative health and, instead, …

Returning To The Gender Gap In College Major: How Much Can Pre- College Skills Explain?, Nathalie Beauchamps

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

The gender wage gap in the United States is a well-known phenomenon and researchers across many disciplines have tried to pinpoint its cause. One popular explanation is the gender gap in college major choice; however, it is still unknown why women tend to major in so-called soft sciences and men in hard sciences. This paper builds upon Speer (2017)’s work studying the gender gap in major choice as explained by test scores. Rather than utilizing OLS regressions, I employ a Kitagawa-Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method, which also shows how unspecified discrimination works for or against women (or men) in how much their …

Tabula Rasa: Mechanism, Intelligence, And The Blank Slate In Computing And Urbanism, Claire Gorman

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Investigating Factors That Affect Hiv-1 Capsid Stability, Max Mao, Joshua Temple

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

TKH HIV caSVLd, a SURWHLQ VKHOO cRPSRVHd RI PRQRPHULc XQLWV RI CA, IRUPV a IXOOHUHQH cRQH WKaW SURWHcWV HIV¶V YLUaO JHQRPH aQd enzymes during infection. I am interested in elucidating the factors that influence stability of the capsid shell and capturing the structural interactions between HIV capsid, host restriction factors, and small molecules using biochemical and structural biology techniques. HIV capsid shell was broken down and purified into hexamer and pentamer units for in vitro study. Structural assays were performed using X-ray crystallography and biochemical analysis was performed using pelleting assays. By understanding capsid structure with factors that confer stability, …

Caught Not By Surprise: Captatio In Roman Satire And Law, Alisia Pan

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

What constitutes the legacies left behind by the Roman Empire and who has been empowered to evaluate their value and legitimacy? The Romans left wills, expressions of the most solemn and honest emotions prompted by a sense of duty and declarations which insured one’s remembrance in life and death. The authors left evaluations, through which the frequent appearance of certain topoi characterized vivid aspects of daily life and expected societal practices. Scholars are left conflicted. To reconstruct the social world of family, friends, enemies, and community members, it is necessary to interact with both literary and legal texts to understand …

Examining Variations In Community Benefit Generation Across Namibian Conservancies, Amanda Zhang

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Centered around Namibia’s Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) program, this analysis explores varying levels of community benefit generation across 51 of Namibia’s conservancies by comparing benefits across four conservancy subsets and using multiple linear regressions (MLRs) to examine relationships between selected conservancy characteristics and benefit generation. The statistically significant models predict that the presence of one additional major species is linked to an additional $N 1.458 in meat value per capita, $N 0.543 in conservancy wage per employee, and 0.661 in community game guard employment. While there appears to be a positive correlation between the number of species and …

Altering Sensory Learning By Chronic Inactivation Of Vip Interneurons, Christopher Alba, Hannah Selwyn, Katie Ferguson, Jessica Cardin

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons (VIP-INs) play a key role in the regulation of cortical circuits and are implicated in perceptual function and psychiatric disease. However, their role in perceptual augmentation and learning remains understudied. We performed chronic, localized ablation of VIP-INs in the primary visual cortex of adult mice using caspase-induced apoptosis to better understand how VIP-INs contribute to visual perception and the ability to learn a visual detection task. We find that chronic VIP-IN ablation does not affect naïve performance on a full-screen visual contrast detection task. However, mice with suppressed levels of VIP-INs achieved their final expert state …

In Search Of Play, Margaret Saunders

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

This thesis addresses the existence, inclusion, and access to play spaces in the built environment. It proposes that play is fundamental to the wellbeing of people of all ages, not only children, and analyzes how play spaces are or are not inclusive to people of all ages, then further addresses this in regard to gender, race, and socioeconomic class. This project presents the perspectives of social theorists such as Johan Huizinga, Guy Debord/ SI International, and Henri Lefebvre to analyze the role of space and social production of play. Additionally, it looks at historical case studies like New Babylon, Modellen …

A Comparison Of The Evolution, Structure, And Function Of Sars-Cov And Sars-Cov-2 Spike Proteins, Tai Michaels

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

As the COVID-19 pandemic has developed into the largest pandemic of the twenty-first century, it has become apparent that this disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is unlike anything the modern world has faced before. Not only has the disease infected more than 16 million people worldwide, but its rapid spread has drawn global attention to the gaps in our understanding of its pathogenesis and the development of vaccines and treatments. One of the most important topics of research in the disease is the viral spike (S) protein which facilitates binding and entering host cells and plays a key role …

High-Spatial-Resolution Transcriptomic Map Of The Mouse Lymph Node Microenvironment Using Deterministic Barcoding, Archibald Enninful, Yang Liu, Rong Fan

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Spatial transcriptomics is an emerging approach which characterizes gene expression profiles for a more nuanced understanding of biological processes at a tissue level. This offers significant advantages over traditional omics which require the digestion of tissues and subsequent isolation of cells, during which the spatial information is completely lost. Lymph nodes are an integral part of the immune system and an in-depth analysis of its spatial organization will provide useful insights which can be applicable in the development of novel immunotherapies. In this study, the mouse lymph node is characterized using the newly developed microfluidic-based approach, Deterministic Barcoding in Tissue …

The Structural Grammaticalization Of The Biblical Hebrew Ethical Dative, Oliver Shoulson

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper offers a structural analysis of the evolution of a grammatical phenomenon in Biblical Hebrew known as the Ethical Dative (ED). My analysis is rooted in the grammaticalization chain proposed by Talmy Givón wherein the Ethical Dative evolves incrementally from other dative forms, accounting for its lopsided distribution across the Bible. Via its similarity to the Personal Dative in Appalachian English, I propose a derivation for the ED whose locus is the specifier of a high Applicative Phrase, allowing us to account for Givón’s progression through the gradual reduction of merge-operations and feature-valuation at that node. My analysis bolsters …

The Misunderstood Monstrous: An Analysis Of The Word “Monster” In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein, Caroline Benedetti

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Although Mary Shelley invented her chimerical creature in Frankenstein over 200 years ago, the Being still thrives within modern horror mythology. Recognizing that filmmakers, authors, and the characters within the original book itself often refer to Victor’s creation as a “monster”, this essay seeks to investigate how the application of this word impacts Shelley’s work. While the Being assumes many monstrous characteristics, from his abnormal body–built from a conglomeration of parts–to his murderous behavior, he often shows a softer side, driven by human desire. However, individuals with whom the Being interacts with repeatedly reduce him to the role of a …

Applications Of Bayesian Inference For Modelling Dynamic Instability In Neuronal Dendrite Morphogenesis, Daniel Fridman

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

Neurons are complex biological systems which develop intricate morphologies and whose dendrites are essential in receiving and integrating input signals from neighboring neurons. While much research has been done on the role of dendrites in neuronal development, a further understanding of dendrite dynamics can provide insight into neural development and the cellular basis of neurological diseases such as schizophrenia, Down’s syndrome, and autism. The Jonathon Howard lab hypothesizes that microtubules are a primary driving force in dendrite dynamics. Since it is known that microtubules display dynamic instability, rapidly transitioning between growth, paused, and shrinking states, the Howard lab proposes a …

Lgbtq In Russia: Obstacles In The Late Post-Socialist Period, Mary Tate

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

In the lead up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, President Putin passed a law that placed a ban on all homosexual "propaganda" in the country. The "gay propaganda" law was met with an international outcry, as advocacy groups around the world condemned Russian state-sponsored homophobia. Despite their heightened involvement before the Sochi Olympics, international activists had little impact on LGBTQ oppression in Russia as they failed to address two key obstacles facing the Russian LGBTQ movement: enforcement of conservative "traditional values,” and Putin's nationalist project to return Russia to a misremembered imperial past. This essay argues that we must understand …

From “Pseudowomen” To The “Third Sex:” Situating Antisemitism And Homophobia In Nazi Germany, Gabriel Klapholz

The Yale Undergraduate Research Journal

In this article, I examine how Nazi antisemitism and homophobia built upon one another, employing parallel narratives about femininity, foreignness, and threats to the nation state. I explore how early historiography of the Nazi period links the two phenomena as part of a single project, variations on the same theme of Nazi hatred. Ultimately, however, I work to challenge the earlier historiographical narrative and illuminate the ways in which Nazism treated Jews and gays very differently. In order to do so, I examine the two main strands of German sexology at the time, that of Magnus Hirschfeld and that of …

Economic Development, The Nutrition Trap And Metabolic Disease, Nancy Luke, Kaivan Munshi, Anu Mary Oommen, Swapnil Singh

Discussion Papers

This research provides a single explanation for: (i) the persistence of malnutrition and (ii) the increased prevalence of metabolic disease (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease) among normal weight individuals with economic development. Our model is based on a set point for BMI or bodyweight that is adapted to conditions of scarcity in the pre-modern economy, but which subsequently fails to adjust to rapid economic change. During the process of development, some individuals thus remain at their low-BMI set point, despite the increase in their consumption, while others who have escaped the nutrition trap (but are not necessarily overweight) are at increased …

Efficacy Of Rimegepant Plus Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Monoclonal Antibody For Migraine, Carina Leggio

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Migraine is a paroxysmal pain disorder managed with abortive therapy during a pain attack, prophylactic therapy to prevent attacks, and often a combination of both. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and its receptor have a role in the provocation of migraines, and therefore have been targeted in the development of both preventive and abortive therapies. However, there is limited research investigating concomitant use of the therapies. This study will examine the safety and efficacy of oral rimegepant when used for acute treatment concomitantly with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the CGRP ligand or receptor for the preventive treatment of migraine. A …

Sudarshan Kriya Yoga And Alteration In Depression Severity And Default Mode Network Connectivity, Elizabeth Togneri

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common and burdensome psychiatric disorders. Many individuals still experience symptoms despite pharmacological treatment. Breathing techniques have shown potential for stress, depression, and anxiety reduction. A second promising treatment are mindfulness-based interventions, which have been shown to effectively decrease depression with fewer side effects than pharmacological agents. Both interventions are accessible via remote instruction. This study will investigate the effect of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga breathwork on depression symptoms. Using a prospective, randomized controlled trial, subjects will receive Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, or standard care for 8-weeks. We will measure changes …

Coronary Angiogram Plus Invasive Physiologic Tests In Women With Nonobstructive Coronary Dysfunction, Megan Mccauley

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the Western hemisphere. Women with ischemic heart disease typically present to the emergency department with acute coronary syndrome, and subsequently undergo coronary angiography. In 66% of women, no evidence of obstructive disease is found, and current standard of care recommends no further diagnostic testing. However, nonobstructive diseases cannot be ruled out with coronary angiography alone and therefore are frequently missed. This study will examine whether invasive physiological testing with coronary angiography can impact multiple adverse cardiac events in adult women. Using a prospective comparative effectiveness trial, we will …

Sexual Function In Women Undergoing Risk Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy With Or Without Hysterectomy, Madeline Perez

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomies are offered to women with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes as prophylaxis to reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer. These surgeries induce acute surgical menopause and often result in compromised sexual function including decreased desire, sexual discomfort, and diminished sexual satisfaction. However, little is known about the differences in sexual function in women who undergo surgery with hysterectomy versus those that leave their uterus intact. Using a prospective cohort study, we will compare the effects of Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy alone versus Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy plus hysterectomy on sexual function in premenopausal women with breast cancer gene mutations. We will …

The Effect Of Plasma Levels Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 On Intracranial Aneurysm Progression, Peter Stampfel

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Intracranial aneurysms are a common vascular abnormality identified incidentally or after rupture leading to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. However, accurately assessing the risk of aneurysmal disease progression is challenging. Here we propose a prospective cohort study to identify if elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9, a molecular marker of vascular degeneration, in the peripheral blood samples of subjects with unruptured intracranial aneurysms correlate with aneurysm progression over a follow up period. This study aims to aid in identifying patients at increased risk of aneurysm progression in order to guide treatment decisions and ultimately decrease subarachnoid hemorrhage morbidity and mortality.

Yale Medicine Magazine July 2021, Issue 167, Yale University. School Of Medicine

Yale Medicine Magazine - alumni bulletin and magazine

This is the July 2021 issue of Yale Medicine Magazine, issue 167. Prepared in cooperation with the alumni and development offices at the School of Medicine. Earlier volumes are called Yale School of Medicine alumni bulletins, dating from v.1 (1953) through v.13 (1965) and Yale Medicine: alumni bulletin of the School of Medicine, v.1 (1965) through v. 52, no.1. (Autumn 2017).

Assimilating To Art-Religion: Jewish Secularity And Edgar Zilsel’S Geniereligion (1918), Abigail Fine

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

In 1918, Edgar Zilsel—a Marxist-Jewish philosopher who was soon to be exiled from Vienna—published a sociological study that later readers have found prescient of fascism. In Die Geniereligion (“The Religion of Genius”), Zilsel cautioned against the hidden dangers of elevating secular figures to the status of deities. As early as 1912, Zilsel was disturbed by how art-religion shaped music culture: his earliest published essay ruminated on timelessness and canonicity, on striving for heavenly tones while cast down to the earthly squalor of the concert hall. Indeed, in Zilsel’s Vienna, art-religion had come to dominate the music world—biographers made Beethoven a …

Recorded Maternal Song To Reduce Crying Duration In Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Alecia Cunniff

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a constellation of symptoms that include high pitched crying and irritability resulting from abrupt postnatal cessation of opioid exposure. Maternal recorded song reduces crying duration in preterm and full-term infants. However, the effect of maternal recorded song on crying duration in affected infants is unknown. In this prospective single-blind randomized control trial, we compare the effect of maternal recorded song and ambient noise in reducing crying duration in infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. We hypothesize that exposure to maternal recorded song will result in a significant difference in mean duration of crying compared to ambient noise …

Video Cognitive Behavioral Therapy To Prevent Depression In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Monica Narsolis

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program Theses

Inflammatory bowel disease patients have higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to other diseases and the general population, which can lead to a lower quality of life. There is a critical need to investigate treatments for mental health in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Cognitive behavioral therapy is widely studied and has proven effective in improving depression. There are no randomized controlled trials comparing early psychotherapeutic intervention with standard of care for this population. We hypothesize that early initiation of cognitive behavioral therapy will reduce depression and anxiety severity and improve quality of life in newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel …