VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
“Everyone Wants a Seat at the Table”: High School English Teachers’ Engagement and Challenges with Multicultural Education
Keywords: multicultural education
multiculturalism
multicultural literature
high school
English teachers
interviews
attitudes
engagement
challenges
Thesis

This thesis explores ten public high school English teachers’ attitudes toward multicultural education and literature. Specifically, the study attempts to discover common points of engagement and challenge for teachers to make greater use of multicultural literature. Data was collected through in-person interviews with English teachers in the Bay Area and Orange County, California. A majority of teachers reported engaging with multicultural education by: being aware of cultural differences among groups of students; including shorter, multicultural texts; and connecting literature to contemporary social and political issues. All teachers reported challenges, which included (from most to least prominent): department politics; the pressure of standardized testing and traditionalized English curriculums; multiculturalism not being prioritized; lack of multicultural knowledge and sensitivity; and funding. The findings suggest that English teachers feel pressured to teach Western literature—having studied those same texts in high school and college. In addition, the findings suggest that if English teachers have a desire to change their reading lists, then they should reach out to similarly-minded colleagues to mobilize change within their English departments. English teachers interested in increasing their multicultural pedagogy should commit time to research multicultural texts and acquire content knowledge about marginalized groups—even if it necessitates that less curriculum time is spent on more traditional texts.
Evolution of gene expression in humans and yeast
Keywords: Biology.

Examples of evolution are both the inspiration and the validation for the theories of evolutionary biology. To identify examples of evolution, genetic data are often used because evolution acts on genetic variation. But despite the utility of genetic data, we are limited in depth of our understanding of evolution because of the challenge in connecting genetic variation with phenotypes. One key strategy to overcome this challenge is to investigate gene expression. In this dissertation, I present two frameworks for identifying genetic variants that associate with gene expression and how we used these frameworks to identify new examples of evolution. Chapter 2 presents a framework for studying gene-by-environment interactions using gene expression. This approach was applied to sun-exposure-dependent gene expression data in humans and ultimately identified a genetic variant under local adaptation. Chapter 3 investigates high-resolution mapping of regulatory variants in yeast. This approach was used to identify gene expression evolution in clinical and non-clinical isolates of yeast. Together, these chapters present frameworks for studying the connection between DNA variation, gene expression, and their evolutionary consequences.
The evolutionary dynamics of rapidly adapting intra-patient pathogens through space and time
Keywords: Biology.

At the beginning of the HIV epidemic, drug resistance to treatment evolved quickly and predictably across all patients. Now we treat HIV with combination therapies of three drugs so any single HIV mutation is insufficient for viral replication. The rate of drug resistance evolution has plummeted in response. Despite these advances, a minority of viral populations become resistant nonetheless. Why and how do certain populations overcome efficacious combination therapy? In answer to the first question, I analyze how the mode of drug resistance evolution changed within patients throughout the epidemic using historical HIV sequences. I find evolution has shifted from multiple origins of drug resistance ("soft sweeps") to single origins ("hard sweeps") as treatments have improved. This observation suggests that while drug resistance was once inevitable, now patients that fail combination therapy are merely unlucky, and not predestined to fail due to factors like poor adherence. However, questions remain about how hard sweeps of drug resistance can occur at all under combination therapy. Theory suggests that spatial structure of the intra-patient population drive multidrug resistance through creating pockets of spatial monotherapy whereby mutations can be acquired sequentially instead of simultaneously (Moreno-Gamez et al., 2015). However within-body population structure remains unknown. To bridge this gap, I analyze Simian-HIV-infected macaques sampled spatially and temporally during drug resistance evolution. I observe that populations from different organs (gut, plasma, lymph node, vagina) within the same macaque can be significantly different although the magnitude of the difference varies through time as drug resistance emerges. From these data, I quantify the population genetic parameters of the intra-patient environment to aid modeling efforts such as the spatial-monotherapy hypothesis. Notably, I develop a new ABC framework for estimation in adapting populations that can estimate migration rates much larger than those possible to estimate from tracking neutral alleles. This represents the first quantitative description (to our knowledge) of the within-patient spatial structure of HIV that accounts for adaptation.
Exchange rate as a monetary-fiscal phenomenon
Keywords: Business.

I develop a framework that connects exchange rates to monetary and fiscal policies. In my framework, government is like a company. On the one hand, each government has liabilities, which are mostly debt denominated in local currency. On the other hand, each government also has earnings, which are tax revenues net of government spendings. The government's liabilities are affected by its monetary policy, while its earnings are affected by its fiscal policy. Because the government uses its earnings to pay back its local currency debt, the value of the local currency reflects the present value of government surpluses per unit of government debt. This relationship predicts that exchange rates comove with fiscal conditions, and that currency risk premia are determined by the cyclicalities of government earnings, both of which are validated in the data.
Experimental Challenges of Higgs Boson Identification in Vector Boson Fusing Final States at the Large Hadron Collider
Keywords:  Department of Physics
Higgs
VBF
Vector Boson Fusion
Particle
ATLAS
Physics
LHC
Thesis

While all LHC precision Higgs measurements up to date have been consistent with Standard Model predictions, improvements in Higgs identification and larger datasets can reveal couplings to new particles or evidence of new physics. Using the Higgs boson as a tool for discovery is one of the major physics efforts at the LHC. One of the most common but least well-measured Higgs production modes, Vector Boson Fusion (VBF), tends to leave a distinct signature which is especially useful to identify Higgs events whose decays cannot be triggered on directly. In this thesis, we focus on understanding various processes that affect the reconstruction of a candidate VBF event and on developing novel algorithms to better distinguish VBF from the much more common Gluon-Gluon Fusion (ggF) production mode, benchmarking on the H → γγ decay.
Exploration of integrated fuel transformations for high efficiency energy systems
Keywords: Mechanical Engineering.

Increasing the efficiency of fuel-based energy systems will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of natural resources. High efficiency energy system architectures are designed to maximize work extraction and minimize exergy destruction throughout the process. Energy conversion devices and processes are the building blocks of energy systems. This goal of this thesis is to illustrate how including fuel transformations as an additional building block in energy system design can lead to more efficient energy system designs where, ultimately, they can be deployed to benefit society. Two small-scale, high-efficiency systems were developed that illustrate the benefits of using integrated fuel transformations. These systems are discussed in detail in this thesis, including their theoretical foundations, the models used to refine the system design and understand system performance, and experimental investigations of the fuel transformations used in these systems. The first system discussed is the mixed combustion/electrochemical energy conversion engine. The main driving force behind this concept was to try and increase exergy efficiency by reducing exergy destruction due to combustion which destroys around 20-25% of the input exergy in most fuel-based energy systems. The modeling exploration indicated exergy efficiencies exceeding 60% were possible using this architecture by successfully reducing combustion and other reaction-related exergy losses. The model results of the fuel reformer in the system were experimentally validated using surrogate mixtures of rich-engine exhaust gas, methane, and steam at the modeled conditions (1000 degrees C and 5 bar). The other system explored in this thesis is the thermochemically recuperated Diesel engine. This system was developed based on recent low-heat-rejection Diesel engine research that showed it was possible to achieve around 30% more power than conventional Diesel engines while achieving exergy efficiencies in the 50-60% range. However, the main drawback of the low-heat-rejection Diesel is that it requires a fuel that will produce nearly zero soot at stoichiometric operation in a direct-injection, compression-ignition engine. The thermochemically recuperated Diesel strategy aims to eliminate this issue by integrating a fuel reformer into the engine, enabling the use of the high-performance low-heat-rejection concept with commercial fuels. Modeling results suggest it is possible to fully convert gasoline and steam into a methane and synthesis gas mixture that is expected to produce sufficiently low engine-out soot emissions. Additionally, the model indicates that the thermal energy recovery is effective, and the system can obtain exergy efficiencies of 55%. Finally, an initial experimental investigation concluded that gasoline steam reforming—at pressures up to 8 bar—is possible at the temperatures and water concentrations of interest. Gasoline steam reforming at Diesel injection pressures (> 250 bar) is proposed as the next step.
Exploring dark matter with improved numerical techniques
Keywords: Physics.

In this thesis, I discuss several computational physics developments. The context is the study of potential dark matter observables calculated from traditional cosmological N-body simulations. These particle-based simulation techniques often suffer from shot noise when sampling of the density field. Building on the phase space sheet (PSS) interpretation of Abel, Hahn and Kaehler (2012) of cold collisionless fluid, I develop a method for geometrically exact and robust volume- and point-sampling algorithms. These operate on a simplicial tessellation of a 3-manifold embedded in the 6-D phase space, such that the mass is interpolated between particles, which are interpreted as Langrangian flow tracers. This results in a smooth continuous and noise free density field that aids accurate interpretations of cosmological dark matter simulations. I discuss the application of these algorithmic developments to the indirect detection of dark matter (via decay and annihilation), studies of cosmic voids, the cosmic neutrino background, and simulations. I also present recent work on extending these concepts to radiation transport with "adaptive beam tracing." This method extends ray-tracing, which follows 1-dimensional rays along their trajectories, to beam tracing, which instead volume-samples 3-D photon packets called "beams".
Exploring social and linguistic diversity across African Americans from Rochester, New York
Keywords: Linguistics.

Linguists have problematized the presentation of African American English (AAE) as a uniform variety (Wolfram 2007; Yaeger-Dror & Thomas 2010). My work advances the discussion by examining social and linguistic diversity across African Americans' speech. I examine how linguistic heterogeneity can arise from differences in identity constructions, which are informed by social changes in the community, Rochester, New York. Specifically, I ask how sound change is enacted through personae like the Mobile Black Professional and the Hood Kid. Results indicate that in comparison to other community speakers, Mobile Black Professionals produce significantly lower TRAP tokens and Hood Kids produce significantly backer BOUGHT tokens. The findings demonstrate that African American language and identity are not monolithic.
Exploring the evolution of animal cell adhesion mechanisms : characterization of the cadherin-catenin complex of the sea anemone, nematostella vectensis
Keywords: Biology.

This dissertation investigates the evolution of cell-cell adhesion in animals. Cell-cell adhesion is the process by which cells interact and attach to neighboring cells through specialized protein complexes, and it is a fundamental necessity for the formation and integrity of tissues. Cell adhesion is therefore a universal property of all multicellular organisms, and represents a profound novelty that was likely coincident with the origin of animal multicellularity. Yet despite its necessity for the formation of multicellular structures, there is surprising diversity in the mechanisms by which cells adhere to one another across the different lineages of multicellular eukaryotic life (e.g., animals, plants, and fungi). In this dissertation, I test whether one specialized protein complex, the cadherin-catenin complex, is a deeply conserved cell-cell adhesion module in animals. In this work, I focus on the extant non-bilaterian animals, which are the living representatives of some of the earliest branches of the animal tree of life, and thus provide important phylogenetic context for testing hypotheses surrounding the evolution of cell-cell adhesion in early animals. Using a combination of biochemistry and functional genetic approaches, I show that a bonafide cadherin-catenin complex is present in the cnidarian sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, and demonstrate that many of the properties of the complex known from vertebrates were likely present in the last common bilaterian-cnidarian ancestor. Specifically, I provide evidence that the complex can be reconstituted from its purified components in vitro, and demonstrate that it is necessary for cell-cell adhesion and embryogenesis in the anemone embryo. In another line of evidence, I examine the structure and function of vinculin, a catenin-like adhesion protein, in the sea sponge Oscarella pearsei. I provide evidence that sponge tissues are organized like true epithelial tissues found in other animals with cadherin-catenin-associated junctional complexes, and that many of the properties of vinculin are conserved between sponges and bilaterian animals. Taken together, these data suggest that the properties of the cadherin-catenin complex are deeply conserved in animals, and support the notion that cadherin-catenin-mediated cell-cell adhesion may extend to the earliest periods of animal evolution.
Exploring the rheological properties of the upper mantle : from the field to the laboratory
Keywords: Geological Sciences.

The ductile deformation and flow of the upper mantle controls a wide variety of geologic phenomena, including the flexure of plates below glaciers, the formation of new plate boundaries, and the movement of tectonic plates. Olivine, the main mineral of the upper mantle, controls mantle deformation behavior, responding differently to applied stresses depending on the deformation conditions (including temperature, pressure, and composition). This dissertation provides constraints on the rheological properties of the Earth's upper mantle across multiple deformation regimes. In Chapter 1, I use nanoindentation experiments to show that the strength of olivine deforming at low temperatures and high stresses is controlled by its grain size, with smaller grains being stronger than larger grains. As the lithospheric mantle has a relatively large grain size, the mantle is likely weaker than many previous studies have suggested. Deformation throughout the lithosphere is sensitive to small concentrations of water, down to the parts per million level in olivine. Chapter 2 contains a comprehensive description of the methodology necessary for measuring water in the nominally anhydrous minerals of the upper mantle: olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene. Using this methodology, I measured water in samples from ductile shear zones in the Josephine Peridotite. In Chapter 3, I examine the relationship between water content and the lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine. Previous experiments found that olivine LPO, and thus the dominant active slip system, changes with increasing water content. However, my measurements suggest that the olivine LPO in the shear zones does not vary as a function of water content, and I use micromechanical modeling to show that deformation kinematics can drive the observed LPO changes. Chapter 4 then examines the role of water in shear localization in the same set of shear zones. While water concentrations are elevated relative to other peridotite settings like mid-ocean ridges, my geochemical data indicate that melt was the initial factor that led to shear localization.
Exploring Visual Memory Formation in Drosophila melanogaster
Keywords: Neuroscience
Drosophila melanogaster
Biology
Learning and memory
vision
behavior
Thesis

Visual memories represent fundamental elements of our daily experience. However, the circuit mechanisms underpinning visual learning remain unknown in any system. This work develops a series of behavioral paradigms to determine whether Drosophila melanogaster operant conditioning can be used to train flies to discriminate between different patterns of visual motion. Such visual discrimination would demonstrate that Drosophila have the ability to learn visual cues, a necessary step to dissecting the circuit mechanisms that underpin visual learning using the powerful toolkit available in this animal. However, we were unable to demonstrate visually learning under any of the conditions tested. Thus it remains unclear whether Drosophila are capable of visual learning.
Extracellular matrix mechanical plasticity regulates cancer cell migration through confining microenvironments
Keywords: Mechanical Engineering.

Breast cancer cells must invade and migrate through nanoporous basement membranes (BM) and dense stromal tissue to metastasize during ductal carcinoma progression. Studies of cancer cell migration have shown that there are two modes: one that is protease-dependent, involving cells degrading matrix with invadopodia, and one that is protease-independent, requiring micron-sized pores or pre-existing channels for cells to squeeze through. Invasion of the BM is thought to require protease degradation, due to its confining, nanometer-sized pores. However, many studies investigating how pore size limits invasion have utilized rigid or elastic pores. By contrast, many extracellular matrices (ECM) exhibit viscoelasticity and mechanical plasticity, irreversibly deforming in response to force, so that pore size may be malleable. Here, we examined the impact of matrix mechanical plasticity on cancer invasion in confining microenvironments. We developed nanoporous and BM ligand-presenting, interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogels for 3D culture in which plasticity could be modulated independent of stiffness and ligand concentration. Strikingly, cells in high plasticity IPNs exhibited spread morphologies and carried out protease-independent migration, while cells in low plasticity IPNs stayed rounded and did not migrate. Mechanistically, cells in high plasticity IPNs cyclically extended invadopodia, which were identified by their Tks5 dependence as well as their Tks5-actin and cortactin-actin colocalization. Cells used invadopodia, which were several microns wide and on the order of 20 microns long, to exert contractile and protrusive forces on the matrix and mechanically open up lasting channels within the matrix. These reveal a function of invadopodia in generating force, independent of their function in matrix degradation. Cells migrated only after channels were about 2-3 microns wide, which is the width required for the nucleus to deform through an opening during migration. Rac1 and Arp 2/3 mediated cellular protrusivity, while Rho-mediated actomyosin contractility was additionally required for cells to squeeze through the openings they formed. Finally, cells generated protrusive forces at the leading edge during migration. These findings uncover a new mode of protease-independent migration in which cells can migrate through confining matrix if it exhibits sufficient mechanical plasticity. Human breast cancer tissue, and the biological ECMs reconstituted basement membrane matrix and collagen-1, were all found to exhibit substantial mechanical plasticity, indicating the physiological relevance of this migration mode. Broadly, these results establish plasticity, a mechanical property distinct from stiffness, as an important regulator of cancer cell invasion and metastasis.
Extremal Kerr Entropy and the Attractor Mechanism
Keywords:  Department of Physics
physics
senior thesis
black hole
extremal
Kerr
attractor mechanism
entropy
Thesis

One of string theory's greatest successes has been its ability to provide a microscopic description for a large class of black holes, such that the thermodynamic entropy of those black holes can be reproduced at weak coupling by counting microstates. However, almost all such black holes exhibit supersymmetry, which does not manifest in our observable universe. On the other hand, non-supersymmetric black holes are usually too un-constrained and complicated to obtain a microscopic description. In between the two ends of the unphysical-complex spectrum lie extremal black holes, which are black holes that saturate the cosmic-censorship-required lower bound on their mass arising from their angular momentum or charge. Such black holes are not supersymmetric, but are constrained enough that a microscopic description in string theory is possible. The extremality condition also leads to attractor behavior, in which the asymptotic moduli of the theory are drawn to fixed values at the event horizon, determined only by the quantized charges of the black hole.
In this thesis, we review the string-theoretic description of the extremal Kerr black hole, and how that description can be used to compute the solution's statistical entropy at weak coupling. We then extend that work by applying the attractor mechanism to explain why the entropy at weak coupling matches the thermodynamic entropy at strong coupling.