VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Administrative Decision-making in a Time of Resource Decline: The Case of California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program

This dissertation is a qualitative study on the decision-making of administrators within California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) teacher induction program. The study focuses on examining how declining resources act as a pressure, how well-established research on cutback management predict the behaviors of the BTSA administrators and how well it predicts the outcomes that result from their decisions. Further, the study looks at different interpretations of BTSA program goals, how administrators decide which elements of the program to protect and which elements to de-emphasize given the declining resources that most programs are facing. To get at all of these issues, four central questions lie at the heart of this dissertation:/n*What pressures are facing BTSA administrators?/n*How are declining resources and related pressures impacting decision-making by BTSA administrators?/n*How do different interpretations of BTSA program goals impact the decision-making process when facing declining resources?/n*How well does established cutback management research predict the decisions that BTSA administrators make and the outcomes that result from their decisions?/nTo get an understanding of the pressures that face BTSA administrators, as well as the legislation and standards that govern BTSA, this study had four phases. The first phase, problem identification & background knowledge, consisted of reviewing the legislation and documents that indicate the goal of the BTSA program and document its process of development. The second phase involved the development of conceptual understanding of why BTSA is matters and what strategies cutback management research recommends for preserving the program. The third phase involved two rounds of interviews with state BTSA administrators, district BTS Administrators and state legislators involved with creating laws related to BTSA. Finally all of the data were reviewed using a constructivist approach and organized into themes which were then used to extract findings./nThe findings of the study were that that there are three key pressures impacting decision-making for BTSA administrators: the pressure to implement cuts, pressure to compromise and pressure to implement the program to fidelity. These three pressures, that run counter to each other have resulted in BTSA administrators taking actions to either resist cuts, smooth organizational decline or compromise to protect key elements of the program. Further, this study concludes that research on cutback management accurately predicts the challenges and behaviors of BTSA administrators as they respond to pressures to cut spending.

Advisor: Warren-Little, Judith
Rickettsia Sca2 is a bacterial formin-like mediator of actin-based motility

Diverse intracellular pathogens subvert the host actin polymerization machinery to drive movement within and between cells during infection. Rickettsia in the spotted fever group (SFG) are Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that undergo actin-based motility and assemble distinctive `comet tails' containing long, unbranched actin filaments. Despite this distinct organization, it was proposed that actin in Rickettsia comet tails was nucleated by the host Arp2/3 complex and the bacterial protein RickA, which assemble branched actin networks. To identify additional rickettisal proteins that might function in actin assembly, we searched translated Rickettsia genome databases for proteins with WASP homology 2 (WH2) motifs, which are actin-binding peptides found in many cellular proteins. We identified WH2 motifs in Rickettsia Sca2 (surface cell antigen 2), a protein of the autotransporter family. Here, we demonstrate that R. parkeri Sca2 represents a new class of bacterial actin assembly factor that functionally mimics the eukaryotic formin family of actin nucleators. R. parkeri Sca2 nucleates unbranched actin filaments, processively associates with growing barbed ends, requires profilin for efficient elongation, and inhibits the activity of filament capping proteins, all properties shared with formins. Sca2 localizes to the R. parkeri surface, is enriched at the actin tail interface, and is sufficient to promote the assembly of long actin filaments in cytoplasmic extract. There is a strong correlation between the domain organization of Sca2 and the actin-based motility phenotype in diverse Rickettsia species. These results suggest that Sca2 mimics formins to determine the unique organization of actin filaments in Rickettsia tails and drive bacterial motility, independently of host nucleators.

Advisor: Welch, Matthew D
Essays in International and Development Economics

Standard analysis of consumer behavior uses theory and evidence on quantities and prices to measure consumer welfare, particularly through the use of price indexes that capture the cost-of-living. In three essays I go beyond this standard analysis to analyze the impact of household variety, store variety, and energy requirements on food demand, consumption patterns and consumer welfare, with implications for several important topics in development and international economics./nIn the first essay I develop theoretical and empirical tools for analyzing variety-seeking behavior by households in a non-homothetic setting, showing how changes in the slope and intercept of ``variety Engel curves'' map into the level and distribution of consumer welfare in a way that is not captured by standard analysis. The ``cost'' of variety is introduced as an important concept for analysis that is distinct from price, e.g. the ``cost'' of quantity. The application to Indian food consumption indicates that increases in food variety over time and greater urban food variety are not attributable solely to income growth, with significant implications for both the size and distribution of welfare gains from variety./nIn the second essay, co-authored with Shari Eli, we continue to explore empirical patterns in Indian food consumption and draw attention to the decline in calorie intake at all expenditure levels. Once again the Engel curve is used as a guiding framework for the empirical analysis and once again there are changes in consumption patterns that are not explained by movements in prices and income alone. In this case the ``cost'' of calories is represented by the role of calories (as opposed to other food attributes) in satisfying household caloric requirements. Using data on time-use to impute caloric requirements and combining this with data on ownership of labor-saving durables, we find support for the hypothesis that a decline in energy requirements has had an important impact on variation in calorie intake over time and space, explaining most of the rural-urban discrepancy in calorie intake but only a modest share of the decline in calorie intake over time./nIn the third essay I examine product variety from the point of view of retailers rather than consumers, showing that differences in variety across different stores of a North American grocery retailer have large impacts on consumer welfare. I argue that these differences in variety can be largely attributed to differences in store size and international borders, and provide a stylized partial equilibrium model to analyze what factors influence the retailer's choice of store size in different locations. I find empirical support for the predictions of the model, with larger markets (higher income per capita, higher population density) leading to larger store size and variety while greater competition reduces store size and variety, with significant impacts on consumer welfare across different geographic areas.

Advisor: Gourinchas, Pierre-Olivier
Essays in Applied Economics

This dissertation combines research on three topics in applied empirical economics. The first paper, which is based on joint work with Patrick Johnston, examines the effect of development projects on civil conflict. The second paper estimates the effect of subsidized employment on the happiness of the unemployed. The third paper, based on joint work with Santiago Guerrero, analyzes the effect of restrictions to alcohol accessibility on Marijuana use./nThe first paper develops a theoretical model of bargaining and conflict in the context of development projects. The model predicts that development projects cause an increase in violent conflict if governments cannot (1) ensure the project's success in the face of insurgent opposition and (2) credibly commit to honoring agreements reached before the start of the project. The model is tested by estimating the causal effect of a large development program on conflict casualties in the Philippines. Identification is based on a regression discontinuity design that exploits an arbitrary poverty threshold used to assign eligibility for the program. Consistent with the model's predictions, we find that eligible municipalities suffered a substantial increase in casualties, which lasts only for the duration of the project and is split evenly between government troops and insurgents./nThe second paper estimates the causal effect of a type of subsidized employment projects - Germany's \emph{Arbeitsbeschaffungsmassnahmen} - on self-reported happiness. Results from matching and fixed effects estimators suggest that subsidized employment has a large and statistically significant positive effect on the happiness of individuals who would otherwise have been unemployed. Detailed panel data on pre- and post-project happiness suggests that this effect can neither be explained by self-selection of happier individuals into employment nor by the higher incomes of the employed. This suggests that subsidized employment programs are more effective at increasing the happiness of the unemployed than an increase in unemployment benefits./nThe third paper estimates the effect of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 years on Marijuana use. The casual effect of this law is estimated through a regression discontinuity design that compares Marijuana use among individuals just below and just above age 21. We find a significant drop in Marijuana use at age 21, which suggests that individuals substitute between alcohol and Marijuana. Policies that restrict alcohol accessibility are therefore likely to have the unintended consequence of increasing Marijuana use.

Advisor: Sadoulet, Elisabeth
de Janvry, Alain
Statistical Learning of Syntax (Among Other Higher-Order Relational Structures)

Fluency in a language requires understanding abstract relationships between types or classes of words - the syntax of language. The learning problem has seemed so overwhelming to some that - for a long time - the dominant view was that much of this structure was not or could not, in fact, be learned (e.g. Crain, 1992; Wexler, 1991). The object of my thesis work is to examine whether and under what conditions we can learn one particular aspect of language often assumed to be innate, namely phrase structure. In three experiments, I examine acquisition of category relationships (i.e. phrases) from distributional information in the context of two miniature artificial language paradigms - one auditory and one visual. In this set of studies, I find that learners are able to generalize on the basis of strong distributional cues to phrase information with the assistance of a non-distributional cue to category membership. While it was possible to learn some aspects of phrase structure from distributional information alone, in a large language the non-distributional cue appears to enable high-order abstract generalizations that depend on category membership and category relatedness. The third experiment creates a visual analogue to the auditory phrase structure learning paradigm. Learning outcomes in the visual system were commensurate with those from the auditory artificial language, suggesting the ability to learn higher-order relationships from distributional information is largely modality independent.

Advisor: Hudson Kam, Carla L
Understanding Inkjet Printed Pattern Generation

Inkjet printing has been actively pursued as a means of realizing integrated electronic devices. To date, the vast majority of work on this topic has centered on the development of inks and process integration, while little research has focused on the details of pattern generation./nIn this work, we first examine inkjet-printed conductive lines. We show several different printed-line morphologies and explain the causes of these forms of varying utility. More generally, we develop and demonstrate a methodology to optimize the raster-scan printing of patterned, two-dimensional films. We show that any fixed line spacing can not maintain the constant perimeter contact angle necessary for arbitrary patterned footprints. We propose and demonstrate a printing algorithm that adjusts line spacing to print optimal features./nOur work analyzing patterned drops reveals that drop contact angle is a function of position and shape. Numerical solutions to the Young-Laplace equation enable us to predict the sharpest corners possible in a rectangular bead with a given wetting behavior. We verify our computational results with printed rectangles on substrates with variable wetting. Finally, we motivate future research directions including general solutions to a patterned drop's surface in any corner and the behavior of line junctions and other concave corners of printed lines.

Advisor: Morris, S.J.S.
Subrmanian, Vivek
Family Support: How Does Perceived Emotional and Instrumental Support for Latino Families with Children with Disabilities Relate to Caregiver and Family Well-being?

Research shows that mothers who raise a child with a severe intellectual disability may experience more stress than mothers who care for typically developing children, or other caregivers who care for children with less severe intellectual disabilities (Olsson & Hwang, 2001, 2002; Stores, Stores, Fellows, & Buckley, 1998). These mothers may benefit from support. Latina mothers in particular who care for a child with an intellectual disability experience more stress and depression than non-Latina mothers (Blacher, Shapiro, Lopez, Diaz, & Fusco, 1997). The research examining the specific types and sources of support that are relevant to Latino families with children with disabilities is limited. In this study I examined the types and sources of support that are available to 146 mothers (84 Latina mothers, and 62 non-Latina mothers), with children with disabilities, and how that support relates to family and caregiver well-being. Specifically, I described the types and sources of familial support available to Latina and non-Latina mothers. Then, I examined the relation between perceived familial support and three dimensions of family and caregiver well-being: caregiver satisfaction with life, parenting self efficacy/empowerment, and family quality of life. Finally, I examined how culturally situated beliefs about family obligation moderate the relation between perceived support and family and caregiver well-being. Results indicate that Latina mothers had significantly less partner emotional support than non-Latina mothers. Latina and non-Latina mothers did not differ on other dimensions of support (i.e., instrumental). Also, partner emotional support and some instrumental support significantly predicted caregiver and family well-being. Finally, familism moderated the relationship between familial support and family well-being but not caregiver well-being. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Advisor: Holloway, Susan D.
Assembling the Property Market in Imperial Britain, c. 1750-1925

“Assembling the Property Market in Imperial Britain, c. 1750-1925” examines how the market for British property was made over the course of a long nineteenth century. I argue that while land had long been subject to commercial interests, the institutions and practices configuring its exchange changed over time and in ways that reflected larger cultural transformations in the meaning of marketable property. The very idea of a "property market" did not enter common discourse until the second half of the nineteenth century, and, rather than see this as simply a new way of representing already existing practices, I suggest that, in fact, the concept of a coherent property market was entirely new and that it had arisen over the previous century and within the context of Britain's broader social, commercial and imperial transformations. This property market depended, moreover, upon a variety of new spatial, cultural and material practices that brought the buying and selling of land into greater public view./nOne way it became possible to see the market, for example, was through the practice of market agents, such as auctioneers and estate agents, whose ranks swelled throughout the nineteenth century and whose newfound knowledge of the market bolstered their claims to professional status. These professionals and other property interests built new facilities modeled on other commodity exchanges that made it possible to imagine a single national market and that provided a venue for negotiating the cultural meaning and social relations of marketable property. They designed new methods for gathering, analyzing and reporting market information and for communicating to the wider public the coherency of the market and its relationship to society and politics. Finally, they conceived new legal and bureaucratic mechanisms, such title registration, for securing more efficient real property transactions. In each of these developments the status of property as a commodity was always in question and depended as much upon the coordination of people, places and things as it did on any single idea of what it meant to buy and sell land and houses./nFinally, this dissertation seeks to broaden historical understanding about what it means to speak of a market for property in Britain and more generally. It proposes a more contingent notion of markets and explores some of the multiple ways in which they have evolved out of and been sustained by the local coordination of space, people and things. In this way, it opens an agenda for considering how cultural histories of the economic might contribute to larger inquiries into the relationship between economy and society in the modern world.

Advisor: Vernon, James
The Effects of Non-Uniform Electronic Properties on Thin Film Photovoltaics

Thin film polycrystalline photovoltaics, typically made with CIGS and CdTe absorber layers, are promising sources of renewable energy due to their high efficiencies (>10%) and low cost. However, a fundamental understanding of their device physics is lacking. One of the primary reasons for this is the difficulty in modeling and quantifying the influence of electronic non-uniformities on device operation. Contrary to conventional silicon cells, which are typically cut from a monocrystalline ingot with relatively homogenous electronic properties, CIGS and CdTe solar cells exhibit both intentional and unintentional spatial variations in electronic properties. Therefore, in order to develop the physics of these photovoltaics, it is necessary to develop new characterization techniques and methods to probe the spatial variation in electronic properties in these material systems./nCIGS solar cells grown at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory were studied using a variety of techniques to quantitatively determine the impact of both intentional and unintentional electronic non-uniformities on device performance. The method of electron beam induced current (EBIC) was extended to characterize the depth dependent electronic properties in compositionally graded absorbers. It was experimentally shown using this EBIC technique that gallium gradients along the depth of the CIGS solar cells improve carrier collection through the introduction of quasi-electric fields. Furthermore, the improvements in the EBIC technique allowed for a quantitative determination of the bulk diffusion length in compositionally graded samples. It was experimentally determined that the bulk diffusion length in CIGS solar cells has no correlation with the device open circuit voltage, in sharp contrast to silicon solar cells. This result could be due to either lateral non-uniformities in the CIGS electronic properties or different defects dominating recombination in the space charge region. Therefore, a theory of electroluminescence intensity was developed for thin film photovoltaics to quantitatively determine the influence of lateral electronic non-uniformities on device performance. Using a combination of electroluminescence and electron beam induced current, it was determined that lateral non-uniformities in the quasi-neutral bulk electronic properties do not dictate device performance. These results show the defect properties in the space charge region strongly influence device performance thereby providing a theoretical justification for the gallium depth profile observed in the highest efficiency CIGS solar cells. Furthermore, non-uniform secondary blocking barriers were experimentally detected on CIGS solar cells using electroluminescence and attributed to an unpinned Fermi-level at the CIGS/CdS interface combined with a conduction band offset. A discussion on how these results influence other characterization techniques and modeling efforts is provided.

Advisor: Wu, Junqiao
Mechanisms and Regulation of Cellulose Degradation by Clostridia papyrosolvens C7 and Neurospora crassa

Microbial degradation of plant biomass plays a central role in the global carbon cycle. However, the turnover of cellulose in plants poses a difficult challenge due to its microcrystalline nature and its protection by other polymers in the plant cell wall. Bacteria and fungi have evolved diverse strategies for breaking down plant biomass, involving suites of cellulolytic enzymes that are produced at appropriate times to degrade the recalcitrant substrate. The work presented here provides an analysis of two cellulolytic organisms and their potential as model systems in the study of cellulose degradation./nWe probed the cellulolytic system in Clostridium papyrosolvens C7 by sequencing its genome and characterizing the cellulosomal components. Comparisons to other cellulosome producing organisms revealed many unique enzymes and non-catalytic cellulosome components. When grown on different carbon sources, C. papyrosolsovens C7 upregulates enzymes incorporated into cellulosomes with surprisingly little compositional diversity or dynamic range. These results provide a framework for using C. papyrosolvens C7 in the engineering of designer cellulosomes, as well as understanding the regulation and efficiency of these heterogeneous multienzyme complexes./nThe tools available for studying N. crassa have recently been applied to its cellulolytic system and much has been quickly learned about its degradative capability. However, the processes that produce its strong and specific induction of cellulase genes are not well understood. Through a screen for deletion strains that affect cellulose degradation, a kinase (NCU07399) was identified that seems to affect the transcriptional activation of several cellulase genes. Preliminary characterization of this kinase reveals an unusual domain architecture and in vitro phosphorylation activity that mimic studies on its yeast and human homologs. The screen and subsequent assays used to analyze NCU07399 presented here should provide a basis for dissecting the pathways involved in cellulase upregulation by N. crassa.

Advisor: Cate, Jamie