VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Technological Automation: Past and Present

The advancement of mankind is often thought to be linked to developments in science and technology. For thousands of years, we have invented technologies that are meant to make life more efficient. By automating cumbersome tasks, humans can focus their efforts elsewhere and increase their productivity. However, the automated technologies of today - such as robots, robo-advisors (non-human financial advisors based on software algorithms), and customer service bots – are capable of performing operations thought to be out of a science-fiction movie. The number of tasks that a human can carry out that a robot can’t is becoming fewer and fewer each year, putting much of our society at risk of unemployment. This paper examines technological automation through a historical lens, analyzing Classical Antiquity and the British Industrial Revolution in order to have a better understanding of how societies of the past have dealt with waves of automation. How have these episodes been viewed by their respective society? What debates dominated these episodes? And how is the current wave of automation similar to, and different from, these past waves? In addition to the historical analysis, I conducted original research in the form of a survey in order to gather and generalize current public opinion on automation. I find that there is overwhelming support for our current trajectory. John Maynard Keynes warned of technology outpacing human skill, coining the term “technological unemployment.” For him, it was a temporary state in which humans must catch up in order to adapt and learn how to work with these advanced devices. Regardless of whether the current episode is temporary or not, society must have an open conversation about this pressing issue and take steps to mitigate serious negative consequences.

Keywords: Technological automation
automation
classical antiquity
industrial revolution
robots
machines
artificial intelligence
STS
technology
survey
water wheel
aqueduct
steam engine
machine learning
autonomous vehicles
Thesis
Telomerase expression in the germline cycle [electronic resource]

Telomerase inactivation causes loss of the male germline in worms, fish and mice, indicating a conserved dependence on telomere maintenance in this cell lineage. Here, using telomerase reverse transcriptase (Tert) reporter mice, we find that very high telomerase expression is a hallmark of the germline. Telomerase levels in undifferentiated spermatogonia and embryonic stem cells are comparable, and much greater than in somatic progenitor compartments. Within the adult male germline, we uncover an unanticipated gradient of telomerase activity that enables isolation of subpopulation of undifferentiated spermatogonia, the mitotic population where germline stem cells reside, and more mature populations. We exploit this gradient for robust isolation of pure, phenotypically defined subpopulation with the goal of transcriptional and functional analysis. RNA-Seq shows subpopulations of undifferentiated spermatogonia (GFRα1+ and GFRα1- cells) differ principally in receptor tyrosine kinase signaling and cell cycle. We also identify cell surface molecule Melanoma Cell Adhesion Molecule (MCAM) as differentially expressed in these populations. Antibodies to MCAM allow robust isolation of highly enriched populations of GFRα1+ and GFRα1- spermatogonia from adult, wild-type mice without the need to rely on reporter mouse strains. Transplantation into sterile recipients, a proven assay for stem cell activity, shows that both populations demonstrate high transplantation activity and that no germline stem cell activity is found outside the TERTHigh KIT- population. Together, these data provide support for a model for a stem cell pool in which the GFRα1+ and GFRα1- cells make up a heterogeneous stem cell pool and interconvert between these two states based, in part, on access to niche factors. In addition to undifferentiated spermatogonia in adult, the germline expresses high telomerase levels through development and in mature oocytes. We show that primordial germ cells arise from cells expressing high TERT. As development progresses, TERT levels are downregulated with lineage commitment in the soma but remain high in the germline. This pattern to Tert expression is very similar to what is seen for Oct4, an established pluripotency and germline marker.

Keywords: Genetics.
Advisor: Artandi Steven E. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Brunet Anne
Sage Julien advisor. Thesis advisor
Winslow Monte advisor. Thesis advisor
Temperature compensation of epitaxially encapsulated silicon MEMS resonators [electronic resource]

Silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator-based timing references have been considered as a promising alternative to quartz crystal resonators. However, due to the intrinsic temperature coefficient of elasticity (TCE) of silicon, most systems exhibit a linear temperature coefficient of frequency (TCf) of -30ppm/℃. This makes temperature compensation essential for high precision timing reference applications, such as timekeeping, inertial measurement or communication. In this thesis, I will present fabrication techniques and various temperature compensation schemes for achieving high temperature stability of silicon MEMS resonators. First, we will discuss two variations of the baseline wafer-level encapsulation (epi-seal) process to allow large lateral transduction gaps and bottom electrodes, respectively. This enables the fabrication of various kinds of high performance resonating MEMS devices that are not available with the baseline process. The second part of this dissertation will focus on two active temperature compensation schemes based on ovenization, which uses Joule heating to operate the resonator at a fixed temperature. Lastly, we will demonstrate the amplitude-frequency effect of anharmonic coupling between two resonant modes, and a novel passive compensation method that utilizes this phenomenon. Interesting nonlinear dynamics behaviors of 1:2 internal resonance will also be presented and discussed.

Keywords: Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor: Kenny Thomas William primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Howe Roger Thomas advisor. Thesis advisor
Senesky Debbie advisor. Thesis advisor
Templating low dimensional metal organic chalcogenide crystals via diamondoid self-assembly [electronic resource]

Low dimensional metal chalcogenides have emerged in the spotlight in recent years and have become principal targets for new material discovery. In my dissertation, I explore a new way to synthesize single crystal metal chalcogenides in low dimensions, by templating their growth using 'diamondoid' self-assembly. Diamondoids are hydrogen-terminated molecular diamonds that share the basic building blocks of bulk diamond. These molecules exhibit unusually strong intermolecular van der Waals interactions. The diamondoids present an unexplored class of 'structure-directing agents' that can be used to direct the synthesis of low dimensional metal chalcogenides, with new structures previously not accessible. Using diamondoids, we have synthesized 1D metal-organic chalcogenide (MOC) single crystals through directed self-assembly. The Copper Adamantylthiolate (1ADCu) MOC crystal shows the smallest copper sulfide nanowire structure with a 3-atom cross-section. We performed density functional theory and molecular dynamics calculations on the 1ADCu MOC crystal, and found that the formation of the copper sulfide nanowire is guided by strong van der Waals attraction between diamondoid ligands, enabling a unique "face-on" growth mechanism for forming extended 1D structures. The same synthetic route can be applied to grow 1D selenium-based MOC crystals. Lastly, we have successfully doped the MOC crystals with different chalcogens, without affecting the overall crystal structure, and demonstrated that these MOC crystals can be optically tuned. Our method to synthesize crystalline metal chalcogenides through diamondoid self-assembly presents a promising route to grow 1D metal chalcogenide structures with tailorable properties. The wide range of low dimensional metal chalcogenide crystals that can be synthesized using diamondoids as structure-directing agents could offer potential candidates in a variety of applications.

Keywords: Materials Science and Engineering.
Advisor: Melosh Nicholas A. primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Salleo Alberto
Shen Zhi-Xun advisor. Thesis advisor
Temporal characteristics of intrinsic brain activity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging [electronic resource]

Since its inception in 1992, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has become an indispensable tool for studying cognition in both healthy and dysfunctional brains. FMRI monitors changes in the oxygenation of brain tissue resulting from altered metabolism consequent to a task-based evoked neural response, or from spontaneous fluctuations in neural activity in the absence of conscious mentation (the "resting state"). Efforts undertaken in this dissertation focus on how temporal information collected by fMRI can be harnessed and carefully processed to exploit two new directions of resting state functional connectivity: brain network dynamics and high-frequency functional connectivity. The first part of the dissertation presents advancements on a single-time-frame-based methodology that builds upon co-activation pattern analysis, to quantify and synthesize dynamic functional information. With this proposed approach, we reveal elaborate changes exerted by a sustained working memory task compared to resting state, as well as distinct anti-correlation patterns of dorsal and ventral branches of the brain default-mode network. The second part of this dissertation presents first and preliminary explorations into the mechanisms of recently reported high-frequency (> 0.1 Hz) spontaneous neural activity. We show that fractional contributions of non-blood-oxygen-level-dependent components increase as frequency goes up; and that part of existing observations on high-frequency phenomena may stem from improper preprocessing.

Keywords: Electrical Engineering.
Advisor: Glover Gary H.
Greicius Michael D. advisor. Thesis advisor
Pauly John (John M.) advisor. Thesis advisor
Poldrack Russell A.
Temporal determinants of fungal community assembly [electronic resource]

Factors related to the temporal scale of fungal community assembly remain poorly defined. In this dissertation I explore two temporal determinants of fungal community assembly, ecosystem age and species arrival order. First, I explore the effect of ecosystem age using an observational study of the fungi associated with the roots of an ericaceous plant, Vaccinium calycinum, across a 4.1 myr soil chronosequence in Hawaii. I show that soil development promotes greater diversity in ericaceous root-associated fungal communities and that soil-age related nutrient limitation facilitates colonization of ericaceous roots by a greater diversity of non-mycorrhizal fungi in both young and old soils. Second, I use a laboratory microcosm study of root-associated fungi to show that fungal species pools from older ecosystems include species that are more likely to coexist within the roots of a single seedling. Finally, I use a community of wood-decomposing fungi in a microcosm experiment to show that the interactive effects of top-down (grazing) and bottom-up (nutrient availability) forces determine the importance of immigration history (i.e., priority effects) for community composition and function. Taken together these results demonstrate that temporal processes occurring at both short and long time scales can be important determinants of fungal community assembly.

Keywords: Biological Sciences.
Advisor: Fukami Tadashi
Mordecai Erin advisor. Thesis advisor
Peay Kabir
Vitousek Peter Morrison advisor. Thesis advisor
Territorial Disputes in Court: Power, Compliance, and Defiance

This thesis focuses on the conditions under which powerful states comply with adverse international court rulings on interstate territorial disputes. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague ruled on Philippines v. China with respect to the legality of China’s claims and activities in the South China Sea. The arbitration court decisively ruled in favor of the Philippines, though China vowed to reject and not comply with the arbitral ruling. Although realist theory suggests that international courts are ineffective, this thesis finds reason for cautious optimism concerning Chinese compliance with the arbitration court ruling in the long term. Powerful states primarily comply with adverse international court rulings on territorial disputes out of convenience and to improve their reputation. In addition, domestic politics can either facilitate or hinder compliance. This thesis analyzes the Chamizal dispute between the United States and Mexico as well as the Bakassi Peninsula dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon. Furthermore, great powers rarely seek out international legal dispute mechanisms and are usually able to screen out cases that might result in adverse outcomes. Those cases that make it to court involve peripheral territories. By showing how powerful states have historically responded to international court cases on territorial disputes, this thesis examines the prospect of China complying with Philippines v. China and how this affects the longstanding disputes in the South China Sea.

Keywords:  Center for International Security and Cooperation
Center for International Security and Cooperation
territorial disputes
international courts
great powers
South China Sea
Bakassi Peninsula
Chamizal
Thesis
Advisor: Schultz Kenneth A.
Testing the Role of Heat Killed Staphylococcus aureus in Exacerbating Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Disease and Systemic Pathology in Mice Depleted of RABGEF-1 in Keratinocytes

Atopic dermatitis (AD) disrupts epidermal keratinocytes and causes an impaired structural and immune skin barrier. This results in an environment favored by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S.a), which colonizes the skin of 90% of AD patients. While colonization with S.a. exacerbates the disease, the molecular mechanisms underlying AD are not completely understood. We have previously found that keratinocyte-specific deletion of the gene encoding RAB guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (RABGEF-1) activates the MyD88 pathway and severely impairs epidermal barrier function in mice. This induces many features of the AD phenotype. Deletion of RABGEF-1 in keratinocytes also activates the MyD88 signaling pathway, which subsequently activates transcription of inflammatory cytokines and thus contributes to the disrupted skin homeostasis. Furthermore, the Galli lab has found that the increased presence of commensal S.a., as well as clinically relevant toxin-positive and toxin-negative S.a. strains, can exacerbate the AD-like skin condition in RABGEF-1 deficient mice. We therefore hypothesized that only the cell wall of gram-positive heat-killed (HK) S.a. is sufficient to exacerbate AD-like pathology, as peptidoglycan and lipoteichoic acid—major components of such cell walls—can stimulate Toll-like Receptor 2 (TLR2), which can subsequently activate MyD88. Using a cre-inducible mouse model, we applied tamoxifen to excise the RABGEF-1 gene and induce an AD-like skin condition. We then applied heat killed (HK) S.a., which did not substantially exacerbate AD-related skin pathology in mice whose keratinocytes were depleted of RABGEF-1. However, it did increase their weight loss when compared to the corresponding mice treated with water or LPS. This revealed that HK S.a., whether acting on TLR2 or other pathogen recognition receptors, is not sufficient to exacerbate the features of AD-like skin pathology in mice whose keratinocytes are depleted of RABGEF-1; yet, HK S.a. may increase systemic effects of RABGEF-1-mediated skin disease.

Keywords:  Department of Biology 2017
Biology
Pathology
Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic Eczema
Thesis
Advisor: Galli Stephen
Jones Patricia
Textual malleability and cultural divergence [electronic resource] : a voice-oriented philological study of the manuscripts of the Libro de Buen Amor

ABSTRACT The present dissertation is a direct philological study of the three surviving manuscripts that scholars refer to when they speak about the Libro de Buen Amor (fourteenth century Spain). It tries to lay the ground for a new philological approach that, rather than create a hypothetical hybrid of the three MSS in the tradition of the critical edition, seeks to uncover their differences and the different cultural contexts from which they emerge. Moving away from stemma-oriented philology, an approach that requires an original genealogical axis, this study directly examines the language of the manuscripts as independent texts. It seeks to uncover the multifaceted relation of textuality with voice, and points to the body of the codex as a malleable agent for expressing cultural variance. This research has led to the discovery of Sephardic undercurrents and other components from the historical contexts that have never been considered before. This study, also, presents an innovative approach to historical research that integrates the digital sciences with the study of manuscripts.

Keywords: Iberian and Latin American Cultures.
Advisor: Gumbrecht Hans Ulrich primary advisor. Thesis advisor
Galvez Marisa advisor. Thesis advisor
Greene Roland
Predmore Michael P. advisor. Thesis advisor
The Effect of Palm Cooling on Volume Training Response of Female Athletes

Athletes and coaches are constantly looking for innovative ways to expedite and enhance strength and volume training responses. Previous research demonstrated a clear correlation between increased core temperature and fatigue onset during strength and volume training. This muscle fatigue can be rapidly reversed by extraction of heat from the body core. A novel device that puts the hand in a mild vacuum and cools the palmar surface, rapidly extracts considerable heat from the core. Palm cooling applied between sets of physical exercises has shown to be effective in increasing the performance of male athletes. Since female subjects have not been specifically tested, this study investigated strength conditioning in women and whether the palm-cooling technique could enhance their performance to a similar extent as in men although both sexes have different body compositions and hormonal environments. The study involved strength exercise sessions three times a week for a period of six weeks. Every session consisted of five sets of pushups whereby per set each subject executed pushups until exhaustion. Three weeks were dedicated to baseline testing in which nine sessions were completed with three minutes of only rest without cooling in between sets and the other three weeks comprised of nine sessions with 3 minutes rest with cooling in between sets. The results confirm that palm cooling had similar positive effects on strength and endurance development of female athletes. Heat extraction through the palm could thus be a novel and effective way to improve athletic performance in females.

Keywords:  Department of Biology
Stanford University Department of Biology
palm cooling
exercise physiology
core temperature
strength and volume improvement
female athlete
Thesis
Advisor: Heller Craig
Jones Patricia
The Effect of Rental Assistance on Household Spending Behavior

Policymakers are often interested in understanding how the receipt of a subsidy affects economic behavior. In the case of housing assistance, they may want to understand how cost savings (if they exist) from the receipt of a rental subsidy affects their spending on other goods. This paper analyzes Consumer Expenditure (CE) Survey data to investigate the relationship between rental assistance and household expenditures. In summary, I find that that for the median renter household, receipt of a subsidy is associated with a significant decrease in spending on rent and utilities. These cost savings are met with increases in expenditure on food, apparel, entertainment, and housewares. Households with relatively higher incomes experience an increase in transportation expenditures and a decrease in healthcare expenditures. Conversely, households with relatively lower incomes experience a decrease in their expenditures on transportation and an increase in their expenditures on healthcare. Taken within the context of existing research, our findings suggest that there may be a relationship between expenditure
changes and various economic outcomes.

Keywords:  Department of Economics
Stanford Department of Economics
Consumer Expenditure Survey
rent subsidy
household expenditures
Thesis
Advisor: Pistaferri Luigi
The fate of Box City and San Francisco's enduring homeless camp epidemic

An examination of San Francisco's homeless encampment epidemic seen through the lens of Box City, a shanty village that was cleared by the city in January of 2017. The eviction of Box City was part of an initiative by San Francisco's new Encampment Resolution Team to solve the tent camp crisis by offering camp dwellers a 30-day stay at the Mission Navigation Center, a progressive-minded shelter with services to help them transition off the streets.
The story follows Roland, a homeless man, from his box into the navigation center, and back out onto the streets. Figures from the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing show that nearly three-quarters of camp dwellers return to the streets after their stay at the Mission Navigation Center.
Opinions from homeless people, advocates, and city officials are voiced in order to uncover the complexities of the issue and possible solutions.

Keywords:  Department of Communication and Journalism
homelessness
encampments
San Francisco
Communications
Journalism
data journalism
narrative journalism
Thesis
Advisor: Zacharia Janine
The functional roles of site-specific and tissue-specific A-to-I RNA editing events in Drosophila melanogaster

Adenosine-to-Inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a biological mechanism that produces targeted modifications to the nucleotide sequence of mRNA transcripts. The functional roles of many site-specific and tissue-specific editing events are unknown and require further investigation to uncover novel editing functions. Previous work has shown that mice and flies deficient in A-to-I RNA editing undergo seizures and neurodegeneration, but these studies fail to demonstrate the more nuanced roles that this mechanism plays in neurological regulation and animal behavior. Here, CRISPR-Cas9 recombinant technology and the UAS-Gal4 RNAi knockdown system were used to perturb editing at specific sites and throughout specific tissues to assess how targeted editing events are correlated with complex behaviors and neuronal gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster. Abnormal behaviors were not found in mutants with perturbed editing at targeted sites in the genes GluClα, para, qvr, sei, and RyR. However, flies with knockdown of editing in glial cells exhibited reduced climbing activity, which provided evidence that editing at the cellular level can regulate subtle behaviors. These findings indicated that complex cellular and phenotypic responses were linked to regulation of many editing sites within a specific tissue, rather than regulation of one editing site across many tissues, providing novel insights about the roles of A-to-I RNA editing in the generation of crucial neurological processes.

Keywords:  Department of Biology
Biology
Molecular Genetics
RNA editing
Thesis
Advisor: Li Jin B.
Hanawalt Philip