VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Beyond the toolkit : lessons on implementation from a comparative study of a hybrid professional development for teachers of English learners
Keywords: Education.

Students classified as English learners (ELs) typically exhibit low academic achievement, relative to their peers who only speak English. One possible reason why ELs continue to underperform is because their teachers often receive meager training in strategies to support ELs' concurrent linguistic development and content acquisition. Scholars have addressed this concern by studying how specific professional development (PD) programs impact ELs' test scores and other numeric indicators of academic achievement. This dissertation diverges from current approaches to the study of PD for teachers of ELs by taking an systems-oriented approach. It considers PD context rather than content, with the goal of identifying factors relevant to the implementation of a hybrid PD for teachers of ELs. To that end, I conducted two rounds of semi-structured interviews (n=41) with 24 stakeholders (5 administrators, 5 coaches, and 14 teachers) from four schools, who all participated in the same hybrid PD. Interviews revealed that myriad factors interacted to influence PD implementation. At the organization level, coupling between the hybrid PD and routines of alignment and teacher supports impacted implementation. How stakeholders perceived the coach role—and the degree to which those perceptions were aligned—was also important. Finally, implementation was impacted by teacher motivation and, to an even greater extent, self-efficacy. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to support educators to develop systems of PD for teachers of ELs that are sensitive to sources of organizational variation, and that take into account coach and teacher-level variables. Attention to these contextual factors may increase PD effectiveness and, accordingly, improve outcomes for students classified as ELs
Biocompatible materials for fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window
Keywords: Chemistry.

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (1,000-1,700 nm, NIR-II window) benefits from reduced tissue scattering, absorption and autofluorescence compared to imaging in shorter wavelength windows, allowing deep tissue imaging with high spatial resolution. In particular, imaging in the long wavelength end of the NIR-II window (1,500-1,700 nm, NIR-IIb window) minimizes scattering and completely eliminates autofluorescence, affording tissue penetration up to sub-centimeter level. However, most NIR-II/NIR-IIb fluorophores rely on nanoparticles with long retention in the body, which limits their potential for clinical translation. This work aims to develop biocompatible nanomaterials for fluorescence imaging and cancer therapy in the NIR-II window. Firstly, a biocompatible theranostic nanoparticle was prepared based on polymeric micelles encapsulating an organic NIR-II dye FE and an anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. The theranostic agent demonstrated high tumor uptake in vivo as well as good therapeutic efficacy. Secondly, a hydrophilic cross-linked surface coating strategy (denote P3 coating) was devised, allowing rapid excretion of a wide range of nanomaterials, including erbium-based rare-earth nanoparticles (ErNPs), lead sulfide quantum dots (QDs), superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. Two-plex NIR-IIb in vivo molecular imaging of PD-L1 and CD8 with P3-coated ErNPs and QDs revealed infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment after immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Lastly, a deep learning-based approach was applied to transform fluorescence images in the shorter wavelength near-infrared window (900-1,300 nm) to images which resembled the ground-truth NIR-IIb images. With deep learning image translation, in vivo imaging with FDA-approved fluorophores such as indocyanine green (ICG) achieved an unprecedented signal-to-background ratio, which facilitated cancer imaging and imaging-guided tumor resection surgery
Biomechanical optimization of cardiac valve repair operations
Keywords: Mechanical Engineering.

Valvular heart disease is a highly prevalent and increasingly clinically addressed problem worldwide, with evolving treatment guidelines supporting earlier intervention as well as valve repair over replacement when possible. Most valvular pathologies are rooted in biomechanical changes, such as the nuanced interplay between tissue degeneration, valve kinematics, and cardiac function. However, advances in repair techniques have progressed in the clinical arena primarily based upon anatomic and physiologic premises. Thus, by using biomechanical engineering tools to investigate valvular disease and analyze treatments, quantitative data can be harnessed to optimize surgical repair techniques and devices. An innovative left heart simulator was designed and produced to study the mechanics of mitral and aortic valve specimens throughout the cardiac cycle. This ex vivo analysis enables rapid and safe testing of surgical operations and offers new insight into the nuances of valvular disease and repair. This dissertation first details significant advancements to heart simulator technology: the development of low-profile chordal strain gauges, coupled image-guided robots to replicate papillary muscle motion, and two mitral annular dilation devices. Building on this heart simulator technology foundation, novel disease models were developed and analyzed: Barlow's mitral valve disease, aortic regurgitation from cusp prolapse, and bicuspid aortic valve disease. Finally, facilitated by the simulator and modeling advancements, I analyzed contemporary operative techniques and devices: valve-sparing root replacement, posterior ventricular anchoring neochordal repair, and transapical neochordal repair devices. A novel artificial papillary muscle device was also designed and tested to integrate with current minimally invasive mitral valve repair devices under trials. The research outlined herein has resulted in a significant clinical impact on aortic and mitral valve repair, and this work will continue to serve as a foundation for future investigations of clinical therapies for valve disease that can be rapidly translated to intraoperative patient care
Birthday problems and rates of convergence for Gibbs sampling
Keywords: Mathematics.

This thesis is concerned with classical topics in probability theory: the birthday problem and mixing time for Markov chains. Some of this work is contained in \cite{Ottolini2020, Gerencsr2019}. \\ \\ The first two chapters deal with variations of the classical birthday problem: what does the maximum of $ discrete random variables with a given sum $ look like as $ and $ are large? The classical birthday problem is concerned with the maximum box count when =O(\sqrt n)$ balls are dropped into $ boxes. In the first chapter, variations of this problem are studied for a large class of allocation models when $ and $ are of the same order, using the tools of conditional limit theory. In the second chapter, this is done when the random variables follow an hyper-geometric distribution, and the result is used to give sharp estimates on the expected number of correct guesses in certain card-guessing games with feedback.\\ \\ The last two chapters are concerned with the Gibbs sampler, a Markov chain used to sample from intractable measures on product spaces. The third chapter analyzes the evolution of Hamming distance between a Gibbs sampler and its stationary distribution, in the case the latter is close to a product measure. This situation covers many statistical mechanical models at sufficiently high temperature, and we investigate this in details for the Curie-Weiss model. The fourth chapter analyses the performance of a Gibbs sampler used to sample from a class of measures introduced by de Finetti in the analysis of partially exchangeable binary data. \\ \\
Black Women's Representation in Television: a Deep Dive into the History of Television and the 1990s Sitcom Living Single
Keywords: Living Single
Bowser, Yvette Lee
Television
Women, Black
Technology transfer
Text
Thesis

Throughout history, Black women have been ostracized from reputable representations of themselves in the media. Over time, scholars began to notice that these representations were doing much to harm the social and emotional wellbeing of Black femme audiences (Anderson and Merritt Williams 1983, Noble and Tynes 2016). To understand the depths of these issues and to present an answer to how television may rise to the occasion of presenting socially just representations of Black women, I answered the questions: How has the scientific and technological design of television systems changed? How has this evolution affected access to “socially just" representations on television? What is “The Television?” To answer the next four questions, I focused on the first network-television show ever created by a Black woman, Living Single, as I surmise that this show provides one model for “socially just” representations which Noble and Tynes seek for Black girls. Therefore I ask: How has Living Single influenced representation in the context of non-familial centered Black experiences? How did the creator of the show use humor to normalize the “Angry Black Woman” trope, mental health, and homosexuality in the narratives of everyday Black women in the 1990s through reflection politics, instead of condemnation politics? Finally, I answer how television has evolved in “socially just” representations. I conducted exhaustive research on the history of television and technology through a host of sources to better understand the accessibility of socially just representations of Black women, followed by a multi-episodic analysis of the 1990s television show Living Single, and an analysis of the legacy of this culturally significant show.
Borrowing a Boat to Go Out to Sea: Chinese State Media Partnerships in East Asia and the Pacific
Keywords:  Center for International Security and Cooperation
CISAC
China
East Asia
Pacific
Mass media
Thesis

How do Chinese state media partnerships impact perceptions of China in East Asia and the Pacific? Content sharing partnerships allow Chinese state media to reach foreign audiences through local, trusted sources. Previous scholars identify media partnerships as the most impactful form of Beijing’s public diplomacy, but do not investigate variance in influence among partnerships. This thesis analyzes the relationship between partnerships and perceptions of China in 12 countries using an original dataset of 98 partnerships from 2006-2020. Partnerships are associated with an increase in favorable perceptions of China among foreign audiences. Unlike previous studies, this investigation records the size of partner groups, strength of ties, and language of publication. Surprisingly, the most influential partnerships are those with small, Chinese language media groups. These results contradict the conventional logic that partnerships with larger, multilingual media would have greater impact on perceptions of China. An interview with a Xinhua journalist and a case study of partner content during the Covid-19 pandemic suggest that small, Chinese language platforms are uniquely vulnerable to influence from PRC state media. Policymakers must support independent publishers to prevent the consolidation of the Chinese language media ecosystem.
Boys feel black : race and the erotics of minor migrant governance in Sicily
Keywords: Anthropology.

Known officially as MSNA (minori stranieri non accompagnati), over 80,000 'unaccompanied foreign minors' have entered Italy since January 2014. Italy immediately assumes guardianship of migrants under 18 and legally must act in their 'best interests.' Policymakers perceive young migrants as 'future Italians' and instruct them to embrace mandatory language courses and cultural competency lessons in migrant centers. Officially, care and integration programs make no reference to racial difference and aim to slowly transform young (ages 14- 17) migrants into Italians. In practice, however, such programs foster exploration of racial categories meanings. Young West African (Senegalese, Nigerian, and others) males develop understandings of blackness in Italy that are affective, bodily, and intellectual at once. These understandings often cast doubt for migrants over the benevolence of state care and the possibility of integration. My research examines 'unaccompanied foreign minor' as a remarkable category of governance alongside the emergence of novel racial subjectivities that complicate such governance. I ultimately demonstrate that youth migrant centers are affectively thick institutions where state-mandated care and integration policies entangle with the bodies and passions of young West Africans in unforeseen ways. In these centers, migrants forge notions of ethnoracial difference in the ambiguous and generative zones between feeling and knowing. Italian migrant centers are thus 'erotic' spaces where the interplay of bodies and affect produce racial understandings and practices that complicate African life-making and trouble the state ordering of foreign subjects
Bringing to light the magic of photochemistry via AB initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics
Keywords: Chemistry.

Controlling multistep chemical reactions triggered by internal conversion via a conical intersection is a challenging task that emphasizes limitations in theoretical and experimental techniques. Hypothesis-driven methodologies (e.g. characterization of critical points and biased molecular dynamics) are commonly employed to explore the chemical space and simulate reaction events. In this dissertation, I present a discovery-based, hypothesis-free computational approach based on first principles molecular dynamics to elucidate photochemical reaction pathways in organic chemistry. Using state-of-the-art graphical processing units-enabled electronic structure calculations we performed in total ~2ns of adiabatic and nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics to describe the natural evolution of both the nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom that govern the interconversion between Donor-Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts' ground state intermediates. Additionally, we present direct and unambiguous observation of the ring-opening reaction path in 1,3-cyclohexadiene (CHD) and a-phellandrene (aPH) on the femtosecond timescale and sub-Ångström length scale by megaelectronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction and ab initio Multiple Spawning. We follow the carbon-carbon bond dissociation and the structural opening of the rings in CHD and aPH by direct measurement of time-dependent changes in the distribution of interatomic distances. Our work provides unprecedented and significant elements for the future design strategies of molecular photoswitches
Building an Effective Smart Traffic Demand Management System in a Constrained Environment: A Design Thinking Approach
Keywords: Congestion pricing
Automatic License Plate Recognition
Road virtual currency
Auction-based road access
Autonomous vehicles
Text
Thesis

This study aims to assess the feasibility of building a smart cost-effective traffic management system using commercially available components. The benefits of these systems are not limited to traffic congestion reduction but also the employment of economic incentives that may change commuters’ patterns and behaviors. Based on the literature, the existing traffic management systems require costly roadside infrastructure changes. Therefore, a need has surfaced to create a cost-effective solution based on the intersection between technical feasibility, business viability, and public policy initiatives. The current study presents a prototype testing of the proposed system applied in Stanford Campus. These smart traffic demand management (TDM) systems can be applied in both private and public sectors through policy changes that foster efficient use of the existing infrastructure while creating an opportunity for revenue stream. The use of bidding and tradable token systems will allow ride-sharing, shipping companies, and individuals to access certain roads during times with high traffic demands. Finally, the study lists a set of recommendations, best practices, and a novel passenger routing scheme to adopt for the Los Angeles City council in order to address the anticipated traffic congestion associated with AVs when hosting the summer Olympic games in 2028.
Building robot intelligence by scaling human supervision
Keywords: Electrical Engineering.

Large-scale human supervision has been at the heart of some of the most significant recent advances in domains such as computer vision and natural language processing, enabling near-human or even super-human performance on decades-old problems such as image recognition and question answering. However, robotics has not witnessed such success - the manipulation capabilities of today's robots pale in comparison to the wide range of tasks that we perform effortlessly on a daily basis. Developing systems and algorithms to collect and learn from large-scale human supervision could help bridge this gap in robot and human abilities. In this dissertation, I discuss my work, which aims to make human supervision a viable path towards developing intelligent and capable robots. I first discuss RoboTurk, a system we developed to collect large datasets filled with rich interactions that embody human-like manipulation abilities. Next, I discuss how robots can make use of these rich datasets to learn physical manipulation skills such as picking, placing, inserting, and assembling various objects. Together, these form a general paradigm for building capable robots through the use of large human datasets. Finally, I discuss how this paradigm can enable us to tackle a wider range of problem settings by collecting and leveraging these datasets in new ways
Bulliciosos y gritones: The Labor of Ecuadorian Recognizability and Respectability in Minnesota
Keywords: Anthropology
Ecuadorians
Minnesota
racialization
capitalism
labor
migrant worthiness
Thesis

This project explores the various ways in which Ecuadorians come to experience and navigate life in Minnesota. Specifically, through individual interviews and online database research, I look at how class, labor, and conceptions of worthiness and deservingness are essential in understanding Ecuadorian experiences in the Minneapolis Twin Cities of Minnesota. Ecuadorian migrants engage with different politics of worthiness that shape the structural position they inhabit. Whereas Minneapolis Ecuadorianness could be framed as a self-evident set of characteristics associated with a particular demographic group, I show how this category is constructed in relation to ethnoracial and class dynamics that alternately reproduce Ecuadorian societal inclusion and exclusion as part of broader structures of racial capitalism. Notions of Ecuadorianness and the racio-social political context of Minneapolis and Minnesota simultaneously co-construct and transform each other. The long-standing history of Ecuadorian in/exclusion in the cities and racial and ethnic tensions in Minneapolis have shaped understandings of Ecuadorianness and racio-ethnic constructs.
C. elegans DSB-3 reveals conservation and divergence among protein complexes promoting meiotic double-strand breaks
Keywords: Genetics.

Meiotic recombination plays dual roles in the evolution and stable inheritance of genomes: recombination promotes genetic diversity by reassorting variants, and it establishes temporary connections between pairs of homologous chromosomes that ensure their future segregation. Meiotic recombination is initiated by generation of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by the conserved topoisomerase-like protein Spo11. Despite strong conservation of Spo11 across kingdoms, auxiliary complexes that interact with Spo11 complexes to promote DSB formation are very poorly conserved. Here, I identify DSB-3 as a DSB promoting protein in C. elegans. Mutants lacking DSB-3 are proficient for homolog pairing and synapsis but fail to form meiotic crossovers. Lack of crossovers in dsb-3 mutants reflects a requirement for DSB-3 in meiotic DSB formation. DSB-3 concentrates in meiotic nuclei with timing similar to DSB-1 and DSB-2 (putative homologs of yeast/mammalian Rec114/REC114), and DSB-1, -2, and -3 are interdependent for this localization. Bioinformatics analysis and interactions among the DSB proteins support the identity of DSB-3 as a homolog of MEI4 in conserved DSB-promoting complexes. This identification is reinforced by colocalization of pairwise combinations of DSB-1, -2, and -3 foci in structured illumination microscopy images of spread nuclei. However, unlike their counterparts in mouse and yeast, DSB-1 can interact directly with SPO-11, and C. elegans DSB protein complexes are not concentrated at meiotic chromosome axes. I suggest that rapid divergence of protein complexes that serve essential, yet auxiliary, roles in meiotic recombination may reflect an immediate impact of changes in such proteins on processes that directly affect reproductive success
Can four equal five? Essays on the four-day school week
Keywords: Education.

Four-day school weeks have proliferated across the United States in recent years, affecting over 650 public school districts in 24 states as of 2019, but very little is known about their implementation or their effects on students. The three chapters comprising this dissertation provide novel evidence regarding the implementation and effects of the four-day school week. The first two chapters employ difference-in-differences research designs and estimate causal impacts of the schedule on school finance, achievement, attendance, and student behavior. Results indicate that four-day school weeks reduce school spending by about 2%, have no detectable effect on achievement or attendance, and decrease school bullying and fighting incidents by 27-31%. The third chapter leverages a mixed-methods approach to describe the implementation of the four-day week in terms of the differences in students' experiences and time use on four- and five-day week schedules. Findings indicate that four-day week students spend less time at school per year, but differences in instructional time are unknown. Furthermore, four-day week students spend their fifth day primarily at home with adult supervision, and they spend more time per week outside of school on chores, non-school sports or exercise, hobbies, jobs, and homework relative to five-day week students. Taken together, the three chapters provide insights for policymakers and practitioners regarding the potential advantages and disadvantages of adopting a four-day week