VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The Economic Impact of Indigenous versus Colonial Languages as the Medium of Instruction in Africa: The Case of Tanzania
Keywords: Educational attainment, economic growth, Africa, colonialization, indigenous language, native language, Kiswahili, English, French.
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Thesis

When African lands were colonized by European powers, not only were new systems of governance, boundaries, and economics usually imposed, their educational institutions were often designed to mimic the institutions of the relevant colonial power. For instance, in African areas colonized by the English, educational institutions were often made to adopt English-style curricula, English testing, and the English language as the medium of instruction (especially in upper grades). The same could be said for areas colonized by the French, Germans, Belgians, or Italians. On the one hand, teaching students in the colonial language might be negative because it may make instruction less comprehensible; it may encourage the development of curricula that are less accessible and relevant; and it discourage the development of institutions that are the best “match” with the people and their culture. On the other hand, teaching students in the colonial language may give them more opportunities to attend university in or emigrate to the colonizing country which, in practice, nearly always has a higher standard of living, more advanced educational institutions, and—possibly—more occupational opportunities. Note, however, that the extent of all these opportunities depends on the degree to which the relevant Africans are discriminated against in access to or treatment at these opportunities. In this paper, I analyze these two competing hypotheses by studying the economic and other effects of Tanzania’s 1995 switch of its language of instruction from a colonial language (English) to an indigenous language (Kiswahili).
The Effect of COVID-19 on Human Capital in a Team Setting: Evidence from the VA
Keywords: Nursing, Labor Market, Healthcare, Human Capital, COVID-19, Shortage
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Thesis

At the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the healthcare industry faced unprecedented turnover and staff shortages caused in part by the difficulty of navigating a global pandemic. Registered Nurses (RN) in the United Sates were especially hard hit (Liss 2021). Research (Mark et al. 2004; Sales et al. 2008; Needleman et al. 2011; Bartel et al. 2014; Kelly et al. 2022) has shown RN staffing and specific human capital (proxied by tenure) strongly affect patient mortality and length of stay. If COVID-19 caused significant numbers of experienced RNs to retire or scale back their work hours, it may have adversely affected patient outcomes. Using unit level data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) I investigate how COVID-19 affected the specific human capital of RNs within the VHA.
The Effects of Occupational Licensing on Wages and Employment, 2014-2019
Keywords: Licensure
Certification
Credentials
Labor economics
Low-income occupations
Barriers to entry
Interstate compacts
Reciprocity agreements
Universal license recognition
Text
Thesis

This study updates and replicates the findings of Gittleman, Kleiner, and Klee (2017) that those with occupational licenses have higher wages and lower unemployment rates. The update is motivated by the changes that have occurred in licensing policy and the American economy between Gittleman et al.'s primary reference year of 2012 and this study's final reference year of 2019. This study also includes an original time series analysis of the effects of occupational licensure on wages and employment between 2014 and 2019. I consistently replicate Gittleman
et al.'s results on the impact of licensure on wages and find that the wage premium associated with licensure decreased by 6.6% between December 2016 and December 2019. I do not find a significant impact of licensure on the likelihood of employment beyond the simplest model and do not identify a time trend across these results.
THE IMPACT OF DE FACTO REFOULEMENT ON THE HEALTH SYSTEM AND THE MOST VULNERABLE IN LIBYA
Keywords: Health
Libya
Refoulement
Libyan Health System
Migrant Health Access
European Union
Frontex
European Border and Coast Guard Agency
Libyan Coast Guard
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Thesis

The ongoing migrant crisis in Libya is a multifaceted international security issue as well as a major humanitarian crisis. The Mediterranean has been the locus of migrant deaths for over a decade. This thesis examines the relationship between the European Union’s adherence to international refugee law and the Libyan health care system. Incorporating evidence from non-governmental organizations, individual reports, social media, and a number of other sources this thesis seeks to demonstrate that the European Union is engaged in de facto refoulement using the Libyan Coast Guard as a proxy force. Using a mixed-methods survey tool, this thesis attempts to show the effect of de facto refoulement on the Libyan health system. This thesis makes two main contributions. First, detailing the impact of de facto refoulement on health care provision, this thesis argues that the European Union’s de facto refoulement policies have led to an overburdening of Libya’s public health system, with associated negative implications for migrant medical care. I will argue that if the European Union fulfilled its obligations under the non-refoulement principle of international refugee law, the Libyan health care system would be better able to provide health access for migrants seeking refugee status in Europe and Libyans alike.
The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) on Chinese Adolescent Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Keywords:  Stanford Global Studies
mindfulness-based interventions
mental health outcomes
Depression in adolescence
Anxiety in adolescence
China
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Thesis

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the impact of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on adolescent mental health outcomes in China. Through a comprehensive search of seven international and three Chinese electronic databases, a total of fifteen (15) eligible studies were included in the analysis. The pooled effect size of the included studies reveals a substantial reduction in depression and anxiety levels among adolescents who underwent MBIs (standardized mean difference = -1.00, 95% CI [-1.34, -0.66]). The strongest evidence of effectiveness exists for MBIs implemented in clinical settings (standardized mean difference = -1.50, 95% CI [-2.09, -0.91]) and among adolescents with pre-existing mental health disorders (standardized mean difference = -1.37, 95% CI [-1.82, -0.92]). Across different types of MBIs, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based yoga or Tai Chi Chuan, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) demonstrate significant effects on improving adolescent mental wellbeing. While the field of MBIs in China is still emerging, these findings make a significant contribution and provide valuable insights for the future design and implementation of mindfulness interventions for adolescents.
The Junctional Epithelium Organoid: A Novel System for Periodontitis Research
Keywords:  Department of Biology
Junctional Epithelium
Oral Epithelium
Stem Cells
Periodontitis
Organoid
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Thesis

Periodontitis is an ultra-prevalent oral disease affecting more than half of the US population. The disease is characterized by the breakdown of the Junctional Epithelium (JE), an oral tissue with important barrier and antimicrobial functions in the mouth. The vast majority of research on JE dysfunction is conducted using animal models. However, these animal models have deficiencies replicating all the aspects of the disease.  In this work we describe the process of differentiating murine stem cells toward a JE organoid aimed to replicate the regional identity of the JE particularly the proliferative and anti-microbial functions of the organ. This project draws on the recent finding that the JE is maintained by its own stem cell population. This project aimed to develop a JE organoid from stem cells harvested from a murine model. Within the last 5 years the number of researchers that commonly use the organoid culture model has increased rapidly. Organoids have been grown mimicking brain, kidney, lung, intestine, stomach, and liver tissue. Organoids derived from patient biopsies faithfully replicate critical aspects of human disease; consequently, organoids can be used for drug screening. Similar to other organoid models, a validated JE organoid model could also be used to carry out a deep, unbiased interrogation of other unknown signaling pathways that participate in JE homeostasis. The development of a validated JE organoid system would represent a significant advance in the study of periodontal diseases.
The Limits of Permissiveness: International Law, the UN, and the War in Ukraine
Keywords: International law
United Nations
United Nations. Security Council
United Nations. General Assembly
Ukraine Conflict (2014-)
Justification (Law)
International relations
Diplomacy > Language
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Thesis

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is widely considered to be a gross violation of the Charter of the United Nations and, for some scholars, just another example of a major power undermining the international rule of law, akin to the beginning of the ‘War on Terror’. However, new scholarship on the justificatory power of international law provides a different outlook: While international law is used to serve political interests, there are limits. States must make appeals to law that accomplish a level of ‘plausible legality’ for their actions, or risk contestation and condemnation on the grounds of their betrayal of universal international principles. But, how are these discursive limits imposed by the international community and to what extent do they constrain state behavior?
In this thesis, I analyze the United Nations (UN) debates and resolutions that occurred in response to the war in Ukraine as a potential best case study for exploring how states draw upon international law in opposition, and the extent to which mass legal contestation impacts state behavior. Through a qualitative analysis of the first five resolutions and six meetings of the United Nations 11th Emergency Special Session, I show how legal principles dominate states’ efforts to discredit and delegitimize Russian actions and that states use broadly accepted legal principles to do so, like the UN Charter. Regardless of their position, states seek to portray themselves as supporters of the international rule of law, either by stating directly their disagreement with or indirectly distancing themselves from Russian actions.
Further, I investigate whether, by acting against an ‘illegal’ act, states can establish a discursive notion of “Russian illegality” to justify and empower actual cost-inflicting actions. I find that although states’ efforts to contest Russia’s actions on legal grounds is viewed as fair, there are varying degrees of and a limit to the amount of permissiveness that states can pursue when making legal arguments. Indeed, some states’ extrapolation of legal arguments seem to pass a limit of permissiveness, where their actions no longer clearly follow from the universal legal principles under discussion, leaving the door open to counter-contestation and dissent. In this light, legal contestation can be understood as a self-interested process, in which states attempt to use their questioning of other states' legality to build their own empowered position from which to act. This thesis provides insight into questions about the relevance and effectiveness of international law in foreign policy justifications and the extent to which law can both empower and constrain states’ actions and positions.
The New NCAA: The Impact of NIL Deals and Alston Benefits on Distributive Justice
Keywords: Student-Athlete Compensation, Cost - Benefit Analysis, Strict Egalitarianism
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Thesis

The changing compensation rules in the NCAA regarding both NIL and Alston reflect a significant departure from traditional amateurism norms. While these changes aim to address long-standing concerns about fairness and exploitation, they also introduce new challenges and complexities. I attempt to draw a relationship between institutions’ values and objectives, their athletic and academic reputations, and the extent to which they exploit the new opportunities such changes bring. More specifically, I closely examine the different approaches institutions of all demographics have taken concerning the NIL and Alston spaces. Furthermore, using different liberal theories of justice, I seek to better understand the implications of the changed compensation rules for student-athletes on economic welfare. I find that the new regulations had two effects – a “pecuniary” effect (redistribution) and a “real” or “efficiency” effect (causing an increase in aggregate economic welfare). Moreover, I argue that the new rules are improvements as they benefit the least well-off.
The Next Step: Reframing the Vulnerability and Difficulties of Undocumented Students Through Higher Education Milestones
Keywords: DREAMers
Undocumented students
Higher education
AB 540
California Dream Act
Education
College graduation
Post-college graduation
DACA
Undocumented
Immigrants
Student
High School
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Thesis

Over the last decade, undocumented students have been given access to the American dream of pursuing higher education which opens the doors to economic and social mobility. While undocumented students can pursue higher education, they can only achieve half the dream. The existence of education access policies is not enough for these students to access the benefits of higher education. This project seeks to understand the experiences of undocumented students as they pursue higher education with the existence of the following education access policies: Assembly Bill 540 and the California Dream Act. These two laws open the doors to higher education for undocumented students in California by providing access to in-state tuition and state financial aid, respectively. Through this project, I sought to learn what barriers these policies fail to address and how the experience of undocumented students differs with DACA and no DACA. My thesis will center on three higher education milestones: high school to college, navigating undergrad, and post-college graduation. I structured my interview guide around these three milestones to understand how my participants experienced these transitions. In the 11 interviews I conducted, I found themes of self-advocacy, exclusion from the typical college experience, the necessity of high levels of resilience, and differences in how both groups of students (DACA and no DACA) experience the transition post-college graduation. Undocumented students must achieve high levels of resilience and self-advocacy to persevere through the barriers they face pursuing higher education. I argue that pursuing higher education provides undocumented students without DACA protection from the limitations of their immigration status while DACA students are able to access the benefits of higher education. Lastly, I conclude that the existence of education access policies is not sufficient to support the journey of undocumented students pursuing higher education.
'The only race fitted for the work': Overseas Chinese, racial capitalism, and the making of British colonial Malaya, c. 1867-1909
Keywords:  Stanford Global Studies
British Empire
Malaya
Overseas Chinese
Imperialism
Race
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Thesis

Throughout the nineteenth century, British colonial officials in Malaya confronted the problem of having to develop a remote territory that was resource-rich but political factious and capital- and labor-deficient. To achieve their political and economic objectives, British administrators embarked on a developmentalist agenda based on the toleration, if not outright promotion, of large-scale Chinese immigration. Chinese were depicted in contemporary public and private intellectual discourse as a race uniquely suited to labor in the modern capitalist economy, but, having been simultaneously identified as a potential source of social unrest, one that required careful management. Although scholars have argued that Western conceptions of race were in large part the product of British colonial rule, this thesis applies the conceptual framework of racial capitalism to the specific context of empire to show that racialized epistemologies, centered on the overseas Chinese, were also foundational to the expansion of British influence over the Malay Peninsula beginning in 1870s. British Malaya and its overseas Chinese communities thus constituted an important historical site where the intersection of race, capitalism, and imperialism was demonstrated.
The Poisoning of Fort Ord: Veterans' Perspectives on Institutional Accountability
Keywords: Military base closures > Environmental aspects
United States Army Training Center, Infantry (Fort Ord, Calif.)
Environmental policy
Drinking water > Contamination
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Thesis

This honors thesis explores how veterans navigate military-caused pollution and the institutions responsible for poisoning the people and environment. Because there are loopholes in environmental legislation, the military is often exempt from the same regulations other corporations and industries are subject to. Their argument for this is to accomplish the goal of national security. Nevertheless, national security cannot be achieved without a sustainable environment for human welfare benefits. This work aims to understand the history behind military pollution and how veterans who have been personally impacted deal with the consequences. This thesis’ research questions are the following: 1) How do veterans reconcile a reality that was part and parcel of life on a military base that poisoned rather than protected them? 2) How does a veteran navigate military pollution and decipher which institutions should be held responsible for the resulting health consequences? Better understanding a veteran’s identity can help reveal how they still have a deep love for the military even when they have been diagnosed with a life-threatening health concern decades afterward or have lost a loved one. This information shows the ways in which veterans come to terms with what institution is responsible for their ailment. Based on this research, more public awareness around the issue of military pollution and institutional accountability is required for effective legislative action to be enacted.
The Problem of Pain in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Two Descriptive Vignettesof Biopsychosocial Correlates of Chronic Pain in Varying Health Contexts
Keywords: Systemic lupus erythematosus
Chronic pain
Epidemiology
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Thesis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which patients frequently experience pain. To improve treatments and advance pain management in SLE, we characterized pain in patients with SLE through a biopsychosocial lens, taking into account demographics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), mental health, other pain conditions, distribution of pain regions, and other measurements of pain and well-being. We investigated two research questions: 1. What distinguishes patients with SLE who are seen at the pain clinics and are in CHOIR, the Collaborative Health Outcomes Information Registry, from patients with SLE who are not seen at the pain clinics? and 2. What are the biopsychosocial correlates of pain in the patients with SLE seen at the pain clinics (in CHOIR)? Our cross-sectional regression analyses indicated that patients with SLE at CHOIR are more likely to be on public health insurance, to be Black, and have COPCs, mental health conditions, and functional comorbidities compared to patients with SLE who were not in CHOIR. Further, within the cohort of patients with SLE in CHOIR, pain widespreadness was significantly associated with worse PROMIS measures, pain intensity, and pain catastrophizing. In addition, socioeconomic status was significantly associated with average pain intensity. Ultimately, this work will lay the foundation for developing more targeted interventions or informing clinical practice to minimize and treat chronic pain in patients with SLE.
The Resurgence of the Korean War Blockbuster in Chinese Cinema: How China Uses the Korean War to Promote Nationalism
Keywords: China
Nationalism
Korean War (1950-1953)
Feature films
Propaganda films
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Thesis

Korean War films were a popular source of propaganda in Maoist China. The genre declined after Mao’s death, but there has been a recent resurgence of Korean War films under Xi Jinping. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how these new films are upholding and reshaping elements of the Korean War narrative, and what this means for modern Chinese nationalism. To date, there has been no comprehensive study examining the Chinese cinematic Korean War narrative from Mao to the recent blockbusters under Xi. This thesis therefore charts trends in the evolution of film depictions of the Korean War in China by focusing on changing portrayals of the in-group and out-group across three periods: 1) Mao’s leadership; 2) 1980s to 2016; and 3) Xi Jinping’s leadership. Across the Maoist period and the recent resurgence under Xi, the in-group and out-group largely corresponds to the loyal Chinese soldier and the American imperialist adversary. While the virtuous Chinese in-group has remained fairly consistent in its presentation – with the notable exception of whether to include or exclude North Korean characters within this group – the American adversary has evolved from a nondescript menace to a more fully defined character. This reflects the cinematic Korean War narrative’s interaction with the Century of Humiliation narrative, changing Sino-American relations, and the achievements Xi is seeking to claim in advancing China’s modernization and development.
The Right to be Desired: Combating Racist Gay Beauty Standards on Grindr with Therapeutic Photography
Keywords: Queer people of color
Therapeutic photography
Sexual Racism
Desirability
Mental Health
Grindr
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Capstone
Thesis
Student project report

Users on the popular gay networking app, Grindr, have perpetuated and reinforced racialized hierarchies of desirability. These hierarchies continue to have an immense negative impact on queer people of color's self-perception and mental health. To uplift queer people of color, I intervene on Stanford University's campus by offering queer students of color the opportunity to engage with therapeutic photography.
The Tactics of Community Organizations in the Environmental Justice Movement
Keywords: Science, Technology and Society
Community organization
Enviromental justice
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Thesis

Community organizations aim to create positive change surrounding public health and environmental policies, but which tactics are most successful? In my research I used archival and media materials to analyze two court cases brought by an environmental justice organization against a refinery expansion in California. In one court case, the organization created a coalition of like-minded organizations, which both increased their resources and allowed them to better utilize scientific research to articulate a legitimate argument against expansion, leading to a legal victory. In the other case, the organization did not partner with any other nonprofits and had less overall support from the community leading to a decrease in effectiveness and ultimately a settlement agreement. These findings suggest that community organization litigation may be most effective when organizations partner with other nonprofits, especially those with similar long-term goals.