Digital Commons Network^™

Viral Subjects: Stigma, Civil Society Activism, And The Making Of Hiv/Aids In Lebanon, Elizabeth Berk

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

This dissertation examines HIV/AIDS in Lebanon. It asks how people living with this illness do so in light of civil society activism to overcome social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and related issues. The first full-length ethnographic study of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East region, research for this project was conducted at various periods throughout 2015-2018 at civil society organizations, among physicians, and among people living with HIV. This dissertation employs the research techniques of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and media analysis. It argues, overall, that the subjectivities of those living with, treating, and advocating for HIV/AIDS cannot be understood without …

Latent Space Construction For Analyzing Large Genomic Data Sets, Wenlan N/A Zang

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new framework for extracting signal from high-dimensional data using a latent-space construction with applications in genomic data sets. This construction follows the standard approach of considering the rank of a matrix containing useful information (signal) with the addition of noise. While the rank estimation usually depends on ill-posed methods that may result in an overabundance of noise or an under-abundance of signal, our approach provides accurate and robust estimates of the detectable signal, including distributional bounds for the magnitude of signal required for it to be detectable in the presence of noise. Along with the proposed …

Next Generation Phenotyping In Clinical Trial Based On Real-World Data, Guannan Gong

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Real-world data (RWD) or information generated outside of a traditional clinical trial, including electronic health records (EHRs), insurance claims and billing activity, product and disease registries, medical devices used in the home, and applications (apps) on mobile devices, provide a key analyte that can be used to advance biomedical investigation and drive discovery. While RWD can have significant value, analysis of these data has limitations and often requires new analytic approaches. One of the key areas in utilizing RWD is identifying patients with certain characteristics of interest through a process known as digital phenotyping. Although great benefits and potentials, identifying …

Cross-Kingdom Expression Of Synthetic Genetic Elements Promotes The Discovery Of A New Class Of Nucleotide Analogs From The Human Microbiome, Jaymin Patel

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

The ability to mobilize functional genetic cargo into a versatile array of hosts is a defining challenge, as scientists increasingly reprogram diverse organisms as living therapeutics, for bioremediation, and as foundries for producing materials and molecules. However porting genetic material to diverse recipients is challenged by barriers to robust expression and mobilization. To address these challenges, we have developed an approach that integrates computer aided redesign of genetic sequences that are subsequently mobilized, expressed, and characterized cross-kingdom in diverse microbial hosts, including Gram negative and positive bacteria and yeast. Using the technology developed in this thesis, we were able to …

Rational Design And Self-Assembly Studies Of Mixed-Graft Block Copolymers, An Le

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

The self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) represents a promising route to the bottom-up fabrication of nanostructured materials, which have potential applications in areas including microelectronics, separations, photonics, and energy storage. The versatility of BCPs in various applications draws on their highly tunable bulk properties, and their high performance relies on the nanostructures having precisely defined size, morphology, orientation, and molecular functionality. Control over BCP nanostructure and bulk properties can be exercised through judicious control of various aspects of molecular structures, such as molecular weight, chemical composition, stereochemistry, and chain architecture or topology. This thesis focuses on control of polymer properties …

Directed Assembly Of Anisotropic Inorganic Nanomaterials Using Self-Assembled Soft Mesophases, Uri Roei Gabinet

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Anisotropic nanomaterials have propelled new technologies and materials in diverse fields ranging from electronics and photonics to catalysis and biomedicine. While initially nanomaterials’ utilization in application focused on their unique properties which are a direct result of their confinement to the nanoscale, such as size-dependent fluorescence or bandgap, more recently, additional properties and enhanced functionality are sought after by controlling the spatial organization and orientation of nanomaterials. Such advanced functionality can be enabled by controlling the juxtaposition of nanomaterials, eliciting an array-geometry-dependent effect from multiple individual nanostructures collectively interacting with one another, as is evident in plasmonic metamaterials. Another possibility …

Axonal Spheroids And Conduction Defects In Alzheimer’S Disease: Mechanisms And Therapeutic Implications, Mengyang Zhang

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by widespread disruption in neural connectivity. One of the major pathological hallmarks of AD is the extracellular deposition of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide, which is thought to trigger a cascade of events, eventually leading to cognitive decline. However, the precise mechanisms linking Aβ deposition and neural network disruption are not well understood. Extensive previous work has focused on mechanisms such as cell death and synapse loss as potential substrates for neural dysfunction. However, a significant but understudied pathology in AD is the markedly enlarged neuronal processes found around Aβ deposits, here termed …

The Embryology And Evolutionary Biology Of The Tetrapod Limb Musculature, Daniel Smith Paredes

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Tetrapods came out of water in great part thanks to the evolution of fins into limbs. This transition greatly modified the skeletal structure of fins but also its muscular anatomy. Land vertebrates exhibit a wide range of morphologies and lifestyles, enabled in many cases by their different limb morphologies. Different as they might be, a wing of a bird and a flipper of a whale are composed of the same bones, and the same muscles, but while we have a more achieved understanding of the homologies of the skeletal elements, the evolutionary identities and relationships between muscles of the limb …

Cell Biology Of Axon Degeneration And Regeneration In Vivo, Chen Ding

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Axons are fundamental connective units that mediate information flow in nervous systems. Axon degeneration breaks neural circuits and is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. Axon regeneration has the potential to repair damaged circuits. Here I investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying both axon degeneration and regeneration in C. elegans in vivo. In the first part of the dissertation, I examine a specific type of axon degeneration that is caused by mitochondria defects. I describe a novel calsyntenin-CaMKII-Sarm1-MAPK pathway involved in this type of axon degeneration. I further demonstrate that by modulating this signaling pathway, degeneration can be dramatically delayed. …

Identification Of Signaling Mechanisms Controlling The Development Of Organ-Specific Vascular Networks, Jinyu Li

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Blood vessels form highly branched networks that extend throughout the entire body. Endothelial cells forming the inner lining of blood vessels are responsible for vascular growth and physiological function, in that they control the exchange of gases, nutrients and immune cells between blood and tissues and respond to injury by mounting an appropriate repair response. While considered a homogenous cell population, endothelial cells display heterogeneity in structure and function and in health and disease. This structural and functional variability enables endothelial cells to adapt to their microenvironment and perform different roles in each organ. Various organotypic vascular beds have been …

Binary Logic: Race, Expertise, And The Persistence Of Uncertainty In American Sex Research, Beans Velocci

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, American researchers tried to sort the living world by sex. Their efforts created more taxonomic problems than they solved, but as they encountered vast quantities of evidence that did not at all show an obvious or stable division between male and female bodies, they used sexual uncertainty to their professional and ideological advantage. This dissertation traces a network of scientists who built their own claims to expertise, as well as theories of racial hierarchy rooted in sexual difference, out of sexually unruly bodies. While much scholarship on the history of sex science describes the …

Piwi-Mediated Control Of Tissue-Specific Transposons Is Essential For Somatic Cell Differentiation, Danyan Li

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

All eukaryote genomes lie under the constant threat of transposon invasion. About 45% of the human genome is derived from transposon elements. Although the vast majority of these transposons are inactive, they still lead to a mutagenesis rate of around 1 new insertion per 20 births. Multiple mechanisms have been evolved to silence transposons, among them is the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway. piRNAs rely strictly on PIWI proteins for their biogenesis and function, which includes target RNA cleavage and chromatin state alterations. PIWI and piRNAs are most well known for their transposon repression function in the germline, where PIWI depletion …

Rhodium-Catalyzed C–H Activation For The Synthesis, Elaboration, And Application Of N-Heterocyclic Compounds, Danielle Confair

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Nitrogen heterocycles are present in almost two-thirds of U.S. FDA approved pharmaceuticals, garnering interest in efficient ways to construct and functionalize these valuable scaffolds. The first two chapters of this dissertation will discuss the development of transition metal-catalyzed C–H activation methodology for the branched alkylation of benzimidazoles and the synthesis of [1,3,5]triazinones, respectively. The third chapter provides a review of N-heterocyclesynthesis from a 1,2-dihydropyridine intermediate, and the final chapter depicts the application of one of these methods in a new approach for small molecule ligand discovery via virtual library-guided synthesis. Chapter 1 describes a Rh(I)/bisphosphine/K3PO4 catalytic system allowing for the …

Up And Atom, Emily Plotnik, Elizabeth Struwe

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

"Up and Atom" is a hands-on and creative afterschool club geared towards fourth and fifth graders. Through conducting a variety of science experiments, the goal of this club is to inspire a creative and immersive perspective of the sciences for the younger generation.

Income And Happiness: A Philippine Context, Rosalina Palanca-Tan

Economics Department Faculty Publications

This paper adds to the relatively scant developing country perspective in the economic literature on happiness by investigating the relationship between income and happiness in the context of Koronadal, a low-income city in Mindanao, Philippines. Subjective happiness and potential contributory factors to happiness (demographic, economic, and social capital variables) are elicited through a survey and analyzed using descriptive and regression analyses. The study provides empirical evidence for the “happy poor” image of the Filipinos, with its survey data revealing that despite high poverty incidence and generally low-income levels, people in Koronadal are pretty happy with a mean self-reported happiness score …

Creating Pollinator Rest Stops For Monarch Butterflies, Andrew Baker, Matthew Holte, Noah Johnson

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community project, fall 2021

A poster titled Creating Pollinator Rest Stops For Monarch Butterflies for client Lincoln Electric System (Melissa Landis).

Supraspinatus-To-Glenoid Contact Occurs During Standardized Overhead Reaching Motion, Gaura Saini, Rebekah L. Lawrence, Justin L. Staker, Jonathan P. Braman, Paula M. Ludewig

Orthopedics Articles

Background: Rotator cuff tears may result from repeated mechanical deformation of the cuff tendons, and internal impingement of the supraspinatus tendon against the glenoid is one such proposed mechanism of deformation.

Purpose: To (1) describe the changing proximity of the supraspinatus tendon to the glenoid during a simulated overhead reaching task and (2) determine the relationship between scapular morphology and this proximity. Additionally, the patterns of supraspinatus-to-glenoid proximity were compared with previously described patterns of supraspinatus-to-coracoacromial arch proximity.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods: Shoulder models were created from magnetic resonance images of 20 participants. Standardized kinematics were imposed on …

Racial Differences In Treatments And Toxicity In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Thoracic Radiation Therapy, Anna Laucis, Kimberly Hochstedler, Matthew Schipper, Peter Paximadis, Thomas Boike, Derek Bergsma, Benjamin Movsas, Munther Ajlouni, Annette E. Kretzler, Daniel Spratt, Robert Dess, Melissa Mietzel, Michael Dominello, Martha Matuszak, Reshma Jagsi, James Hayman, Lori Pierce, Jolly Shruti

Radiation Oncology Meeting Abstracts

Background: Racial disparities are of particular concern for lung cancer patients given historical differences in surgery rates for African-American lung cancer patients that resulted in lower overall survival and higher recurrence rates compared with rates in White patients.

Objectives: The overall objective of this study was to examine racial differences in thoracic radiation therapy (RT) treatments and toxicities in a large cohort of patients from a multi-institutional consortium database of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: A large multi-institutional statewide prospectively collected patient-level database of locally advanced (stage II or III) NSCLC patients who received thoracic RT from March …

Friends Of Musselman Library Newsletter Fall 2021, Musselman Library

Friends of Musselman Library Newsletter

From the Dean (Robin Wagner)

Library Letter Box

By the Numbers

Library News

• A Moveable Feast: The Art of Robert Patierno
• Selections from The Columbus Suite
• Reclaiming the Story: Reflections on Carl Beam (Keira Koch ‘19)
• Librarians Guide Bio Blitz Week
• “Lattes” Program Branches Out
• Fund in Memory of Mary Margaret Stewart (1931–2021)
• Check It Out: Exploring Careers in Libraries

Is This Plagiarism?

New Faces

• Librarian Responds to Changing Student Needs
• The First-Year Experience is Key
• Night Owl Finds Satisfying Role as Mentor

Bringing Hidden Collections into the Spotlight (Beth Carmichael)

GettDigital: The Virtual Reading Room

African-Americans at Gettysburg College: …

My Internship Experience At Vardy Orthodontics And Family Dentistry, Beanna Cumella

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

No abstract provided.

Mutations In Α And Β Subunits Of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels In Neuropathic Pain: Functional Assessment In Rodent And Human Ipsc-Derived Sensory Neurons, Matthew Alsaloum

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels are key mediators of excitability in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, the primary afferents responsible for transmitting pain signals into the central nervous system. NaV channels are found as heterotrimeric complexes in humans, comprised of one pore-forming α-subunit and two non-ion conducting β-subunits. Gain-of-function mutations in NaV1.7, NaV1.8, and NaV1.9, the NaV channels preferentially expressed in the peripheral nervous system, confer hyperexcitability to DRG neurons and have been linked to the development of neuropathic pain. In this dissertation, I utilize dynamic clamp electrophysiology to precisely quantify the contribution of NaV1.8 and NaV1.9 to neuronal excitability. Furthermore, …

Fabrication Of Nanoporous Polymer Films From Self-Assembling Liquid Crystalline Mesogens, Omar Q. Imran

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Self-assembled liquid crystalline mesophases are attractive material platforms for various current and emerging applications. These materials provide nearly mono-disperse, periodic geometric features such as cylinders, lamellae and spheres of sizes as small as 1-2 nanometers. The preparation of thin films of such nanostructures is a critical step in a diverse array of applications ranging from photonics to separation science. In particular, advances in thin-film fabrication methods are sought to harness the emerging potential of self-assembled liquid-crystalline materials as next-generation membranes. In the first part of this work, we show that nanometer-scale control over the thickness of self-assembled mesophases can be …

Multiscale Regulation Of Lipid Metabolism By Cytokine Signaling In B Lymphocytes, Holly R. Steach

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

At the onset of an immune response lymphocytes receive activating signals in the form of antigen receptor ligation, co-stimulation, and cytokines that drive cellular growth, proliferation, and differentiation. This activation involves a transition from quiescence and catabolic metabolism to a metabolic state with noted similarities to that of cancer cells such as heavy reliance on aerobic glycolysis for energy demands and increased nutrient requirements for biomass accumulation and division. Specific nutrient requirements may be met either by synthesis from metabolite precursors, or by uptake from the extracellular environment. However, much like the intratumoral environment, dense proliferation of cells in lymphatic …

Interplay Between Oxidative Stress, Pax6 And The Immune Response In The Developing Eye, Brian S. Thompson

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Eye development and lens morphogenesis are complex processes that are carefully orchestrated by a multitude of factors including extracellular signals, local activators and signal-regulated DNA-binding transcription factors. Any perturbation to these factors can impair eye development and lens morphogenesis and result in a range of structural abnormalities of the lens (and other ocular structures) and a spectrum of human disease ranging from the complete absence of the eye (anophthalmia), reduced eye size (microphthalmia) or optic fissure closure defect (coloboma). Oxidative stress, an imbalance between oxidants (e.g., reactive oxygen species (ROS)) and antioxidants (e.g., glutathione) in favor of the oxidants, may …

The Development And Study Of Enantioselective Peptide-Catalyzed Halogenation And Oxidation Reactions, Elizabeth A. Stone

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Inspired by nature’s nonpareil catalysts, enzymes, our lab designs small peptides to catalyze selective transformations. This dissertation describes the catalytic prowess of peptides bearing β-dimethylaminoalanine (Dmaa) or aspartic acid (Asp) to mediate halogenation and oxidation reactions, respectively. The development of novel reactions goes hand in hand with understanding mechanistic nuances of known transformations. Herein, we focus on this synergy as we develop tools to better understand structure-activity relations and implications of reported peptide-catalyzed reactions and apply these lessons to uncover novel reactivity. In particular, we explore the ramifications of subtle structural changes to the substrate and catalyst motifs as well …

Investigating Human Neutrophil Development And Functionality In A Humanized Mouse Model, Yunjiang Zheng

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Mice with a functional human immune system serve as an invaluable tool to study the development and function of human immune system in vivo. A major technological limitation of all current humanized mouse models is the lack of mature and functional human neutrophils in circulation and tissues. To overcome this, we generated a humanized mouse model named MISTRGGR, in which the mouse granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was replaced with human G-CSF and the mouse G-CSF receptor gene was deleted (G-CSFR) in existing MISTRG mice. By targeting the GCSF cytokine-receptor axis, we dramatically improved the reconstitution of mature circulating and …

Engineering The Genetic Code And The Ribosome To Expand The Chemical Palette Of Living Systems, Felix Radford

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

There has been significant progress in the field of synthetic biology to develop modular tools with which to achieve greater ability to probe, manipulate and predict biological phenomena. Genetic code expansion aims to engineer genomes and the translation apparatus to enable site-specific incorporation of nonstandard amino acids (nsAAs) into proteins. However, the ability of living systems to incorporate multiple instances of nsAAs or even abiological monomers that are not L-α-amino acids into biopolymers is severely limited. Improved aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (aaRS) and tRNA pairs that are orthogonal to the native translation system, and new genomically recoded organisms (GROs) with open …

Wood Red/Green List, Aaron Mayers, Fatemeh Sheikholya Lavasani, Salix Sampson, Hacker Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

Heavy timber construction is gaining momentum within the architectural community because of its aesthetic and perceived sustainable qualities. But where exactly does the wood come from and how sustainable are these forestry practices?

Through research, we seek to analyze the forestry practices, social impacts, and biological aspects of temperate wood species in the Pacific Northwest used for structural lumber to then create a red/green list that displays and compares the sustainability of the forestry practices. The intent is to create a widely available and transparent document that architects and engineers can reference when making decisions on projects.

Ursinus College Women's Investment Management Company, Fall 2021, Maddy Sorokanych, Taylor Beaumont, Shelby Boyle, Laura Bradley, Olivia Defusco, Rachel Grossbauer, Jess Gutekunst, Rebecca Lewis, Alice Nathanson, Madelyn Nau, Ketlee Staz, Marcella Thanh-Guyet, Theodora Zeibekis

Business and Economics Presentations

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO) consists of groups of student analysts who manage endowment-style and stock selection funds on behalf of the college endowment. In 2020, a group of women students began to manage their own fund. This presentation reviews activities of the Fall 2021 semester and analyzes the stock performance of various companies including: Anthem, Inc., American Well Corporation, Netflix, Travel and Leisure Company, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Oshkosh and the Hershey Company.

Orpheus, Fall 2021: Mouthfeel, University Of Dayton

Orpheus: UD's Literary and Artistic Magazine

No abstract provided.