VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
CAD/CAM Veneered and Monolithic Posterior Zirconia FDPs under Simulated Conditions of Function

Zirconia has been widely utilized in dentistry for crowns and fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). Despite the remarkable mechanical strength of zirconia, its application has originally been limited to substructures, as the absence of glassy content makes it opaque. In order to obtain a tooth-colored restoration, zirconia substructures must be veneered with translucent dental porcelain, which results in a high incidence of veneer failure. Monolithic zirconia with an improvement of its translucency has become a viable choice when constructing FDPs. This thesis consisted of three projects. The aim of these projects was to evaluate different factors that are influenced by the restoration design (bi-layered vs. monolithic) and fabrication techniques. The first project aimed to evaluate the effect of zirconia restoration design (monolithic vs. bi-layered) on the veneer fracture behaviour of 3-unit bridges. Results indicated that monolithic and CAD/CAM veneered zirconia 3-unit FDPs resisted veneer fracture compared to manual and pressed-on veneered zirconia FDPs. The second project of this thesis aimed to assess the influence of restoration design and veneering technique on the marginal and internal fit of bi-layered and monolithic 3-unit zirconia FDPs. Results showed that the marginal opening of monolithic and bi-layered zirconia three-unit fixed prostheses was within the clinically acceptable range in both abutments. Therefore, the restoration design and veneering methods had no effect on the marginal discrepancy. The third project aimed to analyze the stress distribution of monolithic and veneered 3-unit zirconia FDPs using finite element analysis. The results indicated that the maximum principal stresses were located under the mesial connectors of both bi-layered and monolithic zirconia FDPs. When the load applied over small contact area, the stresses were created adjacent to the contact area in monolithic zirconia FDPs while these stresses in bi-layered zirconia models spread through the veneer layer and concentrated at the interface between the framework and the veneer layer. In conclusion, CAD/CAM veneering technique improved the veneer fracture resistance of bi-layered posterior 3-unit zirconia FDPs compared to conventional and over-pressed veneering techniques. The utilization of monolithic zirconia is, however, the more promising alternative approach to enhance the mechanical performance of posterior FDPs.

Keywords: Bi-layerd
Bridge
CAD/CAM
Monolithic
Zirconia
Advisor: El-Mowafy, Omar
When Facts Become Figures: Figurative Dynamics in Youth Holocaust Literature

This thesis traces the fluctuations of figurative language and imagery in youth literature, illustrating how the Holocaust has been and continues to be represented and manipulated. Youth Holocaust literature, often a young person’s first introduction to the events of the Nazi genocide, exposes the ways we imagine, narrate, communicate, and alter the facts of war and trauma. Examining what I term figurative dynamics, the process and movement of literary techniques that position themselves in contrast to strictly literal tellings and retellings of the Holocaust, this thesis reveals the developments, dialectics, and problematics of youth Holocaust literature as time propels authors farther away from the event itself. My first chapter demonstrates the narrative flexibility of works written during the Second World War by exploring figurative experimentation in Anne Frank’s diary, Yankev Glatshteyn’s Emil and Karl, and the children’s opera and subsequent picture book, Brundibár. Chapter 2 places Elie Wiesel’s Night in conversation with other postwar memoirs and early scholarship on Holocaust literature to examine how narrative flexibility transformed into rigidity in texts that purport to tell the true story of the survivor-as-author’s experiences during the Holocaust. Works from the 1980s and 1990s by Art Spiegelman and Jane Yolen form the basis of my third chapter, departing from strict postwar traditions of factual life-writing for young people and literalizing the figurative to achieve a new kind of authenticity that was separate from and in many ways moved beyond the representational scope of earlier writers. Finally, through works by J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and Ransom Riggs, my fourth chapter shows that in our contemporary moment, when the impulse toward generalizations, soundbites, and monolithic narratives is pervasive, the Holocaust can become not only an event to be explored by carefully using the tools of metaphor and fantasy, but a metonymic tool in itself employed in service of particular political, social, narratological, moral, emotional, and pedagogical agendas. Proceeding chronologically, this thesis thus demonstrates how multiple and morphing figurative dynamics and imaginative strategies in the ever-changing genre of youth Holocaust literature raise and complicate questions of representation in and beyond the field of genocide studies.

Keywords: figurative dynamics
Holocaust literature
representations of trauma
youth literature
Advisor: Most, Andrea
Corporations and Early Modern Literature, 1580-1640

This dissertation is a study of the complex effects of early modern corporate culture on English literature at the turn of the seventeenth century, when modern conceptions of the corporation were first taking shape. Then, as now, corporations were an intermediary source of identity and agency that could extend, complement, or contravene the work of the nation-state. But in early modern England the corporation was a more versatile form than it is now. This elasticity produces a curious moment of potential not only for overlapping identities but also alternative forms of political imaginary. The literary writers examined here lived in an era when corporations threatened, enabled, and extended the emergent focus on the rights of the individual subject. Accordingly, each chapter offers a case study in one of four canonical authors — Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John Donne, and Ben Jonson — demonstrating through careful reading of their works how they conceived of and responded to the corporation as a political form for imagining their own and others’ relationships to the emerging English nation-state. The first two chapters focus on the figurative representation of the corporation as a discrete person. Chapter One recovers Spenser’s personification of an ancient Roman municipal corporation; this ancient form provides him with an ideal model for envisioning the English empire. Chapter Two then examines Shakespeare and his collaborators’ theatrical “personation” of a national corporation on stage, foregrounding the disjunctions between the imagined person and its embodiment in various representatives. The subsequent two chapters explore the ways early modern writers understood their personal and professional identities through the figurative lens of corporations. Chapter Three recovers Donne’s sense of “good company” as the nexus for his cosmopolitan connections to the political state and the world beyond. Chapter Four then demonstrates that Jonson’s anxious attempts to assert his independence from early modern corporate structures ultimately reinscribe these structures in his work. Overall, by recovering these complex early modern responses to corporate forms, these case studies defamiliarize our predominant sense of the corporation as a for-profit business enterprise and suggest historical alternatives in advance of the corporate relationships yet to come.

Keywords: Donne
John
early modern literature
Jonson
Ben
law and literature
Shakespeare
William
Spenser
Edmund
Advisor: Stevens, Paul
Tau Interactome Analyses in CRISPR/Cas9-engineered Neuronal Cells Reveal ATPase-dependent Binding of Wildtype but not P301L Tau to Non-muscle Myosins

Protein interactions of Tau are of interest in efforts to decipher pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease, a subset of frontotemporal dementias, and other tauopathies. Tauopathies can be caused by mutations in Tau, e.g. the P301L mutation, and they may have disturbed expression profiles of the two major classes of Tau isoforms, namely Tau with 3-repeat domains and those with 4-repeat domains. To capture early differences that manifest in cells expressing wildtype or mutant P301L Tau, we edited two human cell lines with CRISPR-Cas9 technology to generate broadly adaptable inducible models for neurodegeneration research. We applied the system to express 3-repeat and 4-repeat Tau in a temporally resolved manner and to study if the P301L mutation affects Tau protein-protein interactions. Following a 12-h induction, quantitative mass spectrometry revealed the Parkinson’s disease-causing protein DJ-1 and a family of non-muscle myosins as interactors whose binding to Tau was influenced by the presence or absence of the P301L mutation. In particular, the non-muscle myosins preferentially interacted with wildtype Tau in both cell models. Strikingly, in human differentiated co-cultures of neuronal and glial cells, the preferential interaction of non-muscle myosins to wildtype but not P301L Tau depended on myosin ATPase activity. Consistently, transgenic P301L Tau mice exhibited reduced phosphorylation of regulatory myosin light chains known to activate this ATPase. Furthermore, Tau knockout cells and Tau Knockout mice both showed reduced expression of non-muscle myosins, suggesting a potential regulatory mechanism may exist between Tau and the non-muscle myosins. The direct link of Tau to non-muscle myosins corroborates independently proposed roles of Tau and non-muscle myosins in maintaining dendritic spines and mitochondrial fission biology, two subcellular niches affected early in tauopathies.

Keywords: CRISPR
DJ-1
frontotemporal lobe dementia
mass spectrometry
Non-muscle myosins
Tau
Advisor: Schmitt-Ulms, Gerold
The Effects of Probiotic Lactobacilli on the Intestinal MiRnome and Microbiome during Postnatal Development in C57BL/6-VAF/Elite® Mice

Of critical importance to intestinal ontogeny and homeostasis is the intimate interplay between the intestinal microbiome, intestinal microRNAs, and fecal microRNAs. Previous evidence has indicated that intestinal microRNAs are microbiome-dependent and fecal microRNAs have been demonstrated to be derived from the intestinal epithelium, to impact the microbiome, and utilized as valuable biomarkers of intestinal disease; yet this web of interactions has not been elucidated at the weaning transition when microbial evolution poses substantial implications for life-long health and is marked by ecological plasticity potentially modifiable by probiotics. Here, I investigated the developmental intestinal tissue and content microRNA and microbiome signatures, their associations, and their impact on intestinal maturation in response to probiotics. I report that microRNA and microbiome signatures are developmentally regulated and modifiable by probiotics, with implications for intestinal maturation. Additionally, I identified microRNAs as potential biomarkers of gut microbiome diversification and/or probiotics supplementation. These findings may aid in designing strategies for the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and promotion of intestinal maturation in early life.

Keywords: development
intestinal
mice
microbiome
microRNA
probiotics
Advisor: Comelli, Elena M.
"The Chocolate Crossroads of the World:" The Hershey Company, 1903-2003

“‘The Chocolate Crossroads of the World’” investigates the history of American capitalism through the lens of the Hershey Chocolate Company and its namesake town of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Building on the work of scholars who have shown how seemingly marginal categories of analysis (like food) can open up new vistas of analysis, my study of the Hershey Company uses a non-staple food, chocolate, to simultaneously tell a story of one company and one town during the long twentieth century. It unearths the story of struggle between the Hershey community and the chocolate company, conflict between workers and management, enduring debates over Milton Hershey’s legacy, and the company’s relationship to international commodity chains and consumer markets. This social and cultural history shows how ideas about the nature of chocolate as a joyful rather than necessary commodity shaped identity formation among the residents of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and corporate narratives about the Hershey Company. While the importance of cocoa and other confections in the economic survival of Hershey, Pennsylvania, has diminished over time, chocolate has been constantly meaningful in structuring the lives of workers, residents, visitors, and consumers. Further, the legacy of Milton Hershey as the “Chocolate King” has continued to influence the town and the company. Not only has this legacy been central to the economic history of Hershey, Pennsylvania, it has also shaped the social and cultural character of the region and influenced corporate strategy. Chocolate connects the seemingly insular Hershey, Pennsylvania, to international supply chains in Latin America and West Africa as well as to consumer markets around the world. These global connections have been both celebrated and contested throughout the company’s history. Further, the popular notion of Hershey as a bucolic American company town and Milton Hershey’s reputation as a beloved entrepreneur and philanthropist, not to mention the supposedly “American” flavor of Hershey’s chocolate, all serve to reinforce the idea of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Hershey Company as insulated and unconventional. “‘Chocolate Crossroads of the World’” elucidates the ways in which both are embedded in a larger story of modern capitalism.

Keywords: chocolate
consumption
food
Hershey
labor
tourism
Advisor: Halpern, Rick
Combination Chemotherapy and In vivo Modeling of BRCA-deficient, High-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal cancer in women with over 60% of patients succumbing to the disease. Mutations in a number of homologous recombination repair genes have been implicated in hereditary ovarian and breast cancer. Specifically, over half of ovarian cancer cases exhibit BRCA-deficiency by either germ line or somatic mutation, or epigenetic silencing. The importance of BRCA-deficiency is highlighted in its association with increased platinum sensitivity. Novel therapeutics such as PARP inhibitors have also been developed by exploiting the synthetic lethal phenotype of BRCA inactivation and PARP inhibition. However over 80% of patients still relapse with resistant disease. Therefore, strategies for more effective treatment are needed. The aim of this thesis was to investigate a chemotherapeutic ratiometric approach for treatment of ovarian cancer and provide a relevant pre-clinical model for evaluation of new therapeutic entities. The combination of carboplatin and olaparib resulted in profound synergism in BRCA-deficient high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines when carboplatin was administered at a higher molar ratio relative to olaparib. The combination achieved effective cytotoxicity by inducing greater DNA damage than either of the drugs alone. Synergism of carboplatin-olaparib combinations was also observed in a subset of BRCA-proficient cell lines, suggesting a potential for broader therapeutic applications. To further investigate the impact of BRCA status on therapeutic efficacy, a bioluminescent, BRCA-deficient xenograft model was developed. The model demonstrated characteristics resembling the disease clinically, including high disseminative tumor pattern, ascites production, and platinum sensitivity. Bioluminescent imaging as a means of non-invasion tumor monitoring correlated well with disease burden. Lastly, a systematic literature search identified potential limitations in utilization of bioluminescent imaging techniques in animal models. The correlation between bioluminescent signal and tumor burden is affected by many experimental aspects and it is difficult to identify a general limiting factor. Nonetheless, consideration must be given to methods of tumor measurement, heterogeneity of tumor cell population, and the location of the xenograft when developing the model. Overall, results presented herein provide encouraging data on the utilization of synergistic combinations and a valuable pre-clinical model for evaluation of such combinations for ovarian cancer treatment.

Advisor: Piquette-Miller, Micheline
Allen, Christine J.
Memory, Image-making, and Literary Structure in Dante, Chaucer, and Christine de Pizan

Abstract My dissertation, “Memory, Image-making, and Literary Structure in Dante, Chaucer, and Christine de Pizan, considers classical and medieval theories of the art of memory and analyzes how several late medieval works of vernacular literature exhibit mnemonic techniques. The dissertation highlights the importance of image-making in the Middle Ages for the processes of remembering and invention and discusses examples of architectural structures, memory buildings, and mnemonic movement from major vernacular literary works of the Middle Ages, including examples from Dante’s Commedia, Boccaccio’s Teseida, Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale and House of Fame, and Christine de Pizan’s Livre de la Cité des Dames. My research also examines the relationship between rhetorical language and image-making in the Middle Ages, considering how images write their way into our memories and how powerful descriptions, such as allegories and similes, create cognitive maps. Medieval writers made use of these techniques of ars memoriae for the organization of the text—its unity and coherence provides a significant structure for memorial storage while images provide a clear visual thread useful for marking the text in memory, but also for networking cognitively and for making useful associations and connections. I argue that the precepts of locational memory underpin important aspects of the structure and presentation of some major vernacular literary works of the late Middle Ages.

Keywords: active images
ductus
memory-house
Mnemonic techniques
poetic structures
vernacular literature
Advisor: Robins, Will
Sources, Phase Partitioning and Transport of Organic Contaminants in Contrasting Landscapes during Runoff Events

Transport of many contaminants to receiving waters increases during precipitation events. Measuring the dissolved and particle-phase concentrations of a diverse group of organic contaminants during baseflow and a summer storm at high temporal resolution in an urban and a largely agricultural peri-urban watershed, allowed for the observation of the contaminants’ storm-driven transport behavior, revealing plausible sources and factors influencing their amplification and removal from waterways. Total loads for all contaminant groups were higher in the urban watershed, especially for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Quinones (PAQs) (>x20) and less so for Organophosphate Esters (OPEs) (x2). The bulk of event transport for all groups was particle-driven. Water concentrations of particle-bound compounds showed first flush behavior and increased with discharge, which was often correlated with suspended solid concentrations, pointing to contaminated particles as a major source. Temporal variation of dissolved phase concentrations was less apparent, with most compounds experiencing dilution or chemostatic behavior. Contaminant profiles in rainfall generally matched that in streamflow, and mass loads from rain exceeded stream-fluxes at most sampling sites. Benzotriazole Ultraviolet Stabilizers (BT-UVs) in stream water, commonly attributed to wastewater given their use in personal care products and textiles, could also be associated with additive-containing plastics, atmospheric deposition, and especially contaminated road dust, the latter potentially related to applications in automotive clearcoats. Concentrations of particle-bound PAHs and BT-UVs were respectively, 2–37 times and 2–75 times lower than during previously investigated cold-weather events in the same rivers. Whereas seasonal emission strength was responsible for this difference in the agricultural watershed, event characteristics (length of the antecedent dry period, ambient temperature, runoff ratio) played more of a role in the urban watershed. The diverse effects of variable event characteristics were visualized using concentration-discharge relationships. Whereas field-based organic carbon-water partitioning coefficients for the BT-UVs were in good agreement with predictions, the OPEs, especially chlorinated ones, partitioned more into organic particles than expected.Overall, this work expands existing knowledge on phase partitioning, property prediction, event scale transport dynamics, and sources of PAHs, PAQs, OPEs, and BT-UVs in urban stormwater.

Keywords: Organic contaminants
Partitioning
Runoff
Transport
Urbanization
Advisor: Wania, Frank
Parasitism, Predation Prediction: Modelling Variations in Ecological Interactions from Mechanisms to Networks

Ecological interactions are fundamental to ecology and evolution, regulating population dynamics as well as influencing the biodiversity and stability of communities. Intraspecific and environmental variations are often present in ecological interactions and are typically observable within the processes that regulate the existence and strength of these interactions as well as in the topology of ecological interaction networks. The main objectives of my PhD thesis were to improve the frameworks and methodologies used for predicting and quantifying variations in interactions and their processes and to understand how intraspecific variation can influence the topology of ecological networks. In Chapter 2, I introduced a framework for creating efficient predictive models, which summarizes the three main stages of the modelling process – (1) Framing the Question; (2) Model-Building and Testing; and (3) Uncertainty Evaluation – and outlines stage-specific interdisciplinary strategies designed to improve the accuracy, reliability, and transparency of predictive modelling. As understanding ecological interactions requires insight into the mechanisms underpinning these interactions, in Chapter 3, I evaluated common approaches for measuring resistance and tolerance processes, two key defense strategies regulating host-parasite interactions. Using individual-based models to simulate host-macroparasite experiments, I demonstrated how the design of experiments and methodologies could interact with resistance and tolerance processes to produce unreliable and biased measures and outlined how modifications to the experimental set-up, sampling design, and statistical analyses could help improve the accuracy and precision of these measurements. As intraspecific variation is expected to influence ecological interaction networks, in Chapter 4, I demonstrated how to detect a major source of this variation, ontogenetic variation, in inferred interaction networks using a framework of count-based inferential methods and graphlet-based techniques. I showed that for freshwater stream fish communities, the inclusion of juveniles – specifically larger species’ juveniles – fundamentally altered the structure of their interaction networks. Altogether, the findings in my thesis emphasize both the importance of considering variations in ecological interactions and their processes and the need for appropriate research designs and methodologies to inform our inferences and predictions.

Keywords: freshwater fish
inferred networks
macroparasites
prediction
resistance
tolerance
Advisor: Fortin, Marie-Josée
Molnár, Péter