VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A Dangerous Game: China's State Media Perceptions of Strategic Competition with the United States

The perception of a “rising China” and “declining US” among Western academic and policymaking circles has sparked fears of an emboldened China that views military conflict as beneficial to their interests. This research aims to provide clarity on this issue by analyzing how Chinese state media portrays strategic competition with the US. Drawing from online Chinese-language news articles from media institutions that reflect the Chinese Communist Party’s official party line (People’s Daily, PLA Daily, Global Times, and Xinhua), I examine how these outlets depict economic, technological, military, political, and international competition with the US. This research analyzes these depictions against the backdrop of pivotal moments in 21st century US-China relations: the 2008 Great Recession, the 2012 Power Transition, the 2018 US-China Trade War, and 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic. Taking a random sample of articles from each time period, I assign each article a score ranging from “-1” to “1” to measure tone and calculate the percentage of positive, negative, and neutral stories within each time period and category of strategic competition. Second, I conduct a qualitative analysis of the articles within each random sample to identify general themes and messaging. This research identified a drastic rise in negative coverage of the US across the four time periods and five categories. This research also determined that Chinese state media has propagated a “peak-US” theory. According to this theory, the overall decline of the US has made it a more hostile power that aims to suppress China’s development and resurrect a “New Cold War.” Despite these views of a hostile US, state media narratives urged the US to return to cooperation and avoid war due to a recognition that China benefits more from overall cooperation with the US, especially in terms of economic and technological development.

Keywords: US-China Relations
Stanford East Asian Studies
Propaganda, Chinese
Great powers > Foreign relations
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Diamond Larry
A Living, Controllable Device:The Political Police and Informant Network in Socialist Hungary, 1956-1989

After coming to power in the wake of the infamous Hungarian Revolution of 1956, János Kádár built his regime upon a delicate balance between upholding socialist ideals and appeasing a disgruntled, scarred nation. The slogan that became Kádár’s central doctrine perfectly represented this balance: “those who are not against us, are with us.” Existing literature on Kádárist Hungary portrays the period’s stability as a product of the leader’s compromising personality and political cunning. While accurate, these accounts largely neglect the role of Kádár’s political police as a primary organ of two-way interaction between the party and populace. Internal informational documents from the Ministry of the Interior III. reveal that the mass informant network served as the spearhead of interaction between the party and population in the realm of national security, which was viewed as essential to the building of socialism. The informant network’s transformation alongside the political police from a crude, coercive, and inherently dishonest body into a more focused, sophisticated, and interactive machine reveal much about the implementation of János Kádár’s vision for socialist Hungary. Described as a “living, controllable device,” the political police’s informant network provided Hungarian citizens with an accessible and personally beneficial means of cooperation with the state. The network allowed Hungarians to prove themselves “not against” Kádár’s Party.

Keywords: Hungary
Socialism
Police > Political activity > History
Soviet Union
Revolution (Hungary : 1956)
Kádár, János, 1912-1989
Eastern Europe
Text
Thesis
A Mechatronic Solution for Time-Resolved Cryogenic Electron-Microscopy Sample Preparation

Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) is an established method of imaging biomolecules with an electron microscope. The current process of preparing samples for Cryo-EM involves loading the grid into a plunge-freezer and plunging it into liquid ethane to freeze the grid. As the grid falls into the liquid ethane, two samples are mixed and deposited on the grid using a microfluidic spraying device. In order to improve the practicality and repeatability of the plunge-freezer, a mechatronic device was built to simplify the process of replacing the microfluidic spraying device.

Keywords: Program in Engineering Physics
Time resolved cryo-EM
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Wakatsuki Soichi
Howe Roger
A Novel Application of Theoretical Models to Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Help-Seeking

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors’ help-seeking is influenced by a complex interplay of barriers and facilitators. This includes both internal and external factors that affect a survivor’s decision to seek and ability to obtain resources. While understanding these factors is crucial to ensuring appropriate care, there is currently no agreed upon, comprehensive framework for capturing IPV survivors’ help-seeking.
Objectives: We seek to answer the question: How can the Three Delays Model (3DM) and the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (BMHSU), as well as proposed adaptations of these models, provide a framework for understanding barriers and facilitators of IPV survivors’ help-seeking?
Methods: This secondary qualitative analysis was performed on transcripts from nine focus groups obtained as part of a larger study on IPV survivors’ help-seeking as influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative codes representing the theoretical constructs of each model and its adaptation were identified and set a priori, and to maintain a deductive coding approach, no new codes were added throughout data analysis. Manual coding of the transcripts was done by the first author. Once all transcripts were coded, code frequency and code co-occurrence analyses were performed to determine how well the different models mapped onto IPV survivors’ experiences.
Results: Codes from the BMHSU adaptation were applied most often, and codes from the 3DM adaptation were applied least often. The 3DM captured IPV survivors’ barriers to initially accessing care; however, it did not allow for a nuanced understanding of how the care system affected help-seeking. The BMHSU adaptation provided the richest understanding of IPV survivors’ barriers and facilitators to help-seeking with its expanded inclusion of psychosocial factors.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the strengths and limitations of two theoretical models and their adaptations, allowing for a better framework for understanding barriers and facilitators of IPV survivors’ help-seeking. Future research is needed to integrate these models into one comprehensive model for capturing factors contributing to IPV survivors’ help-seeking.

Keywords: Medicine
Intimate partner violence
Help-seeking behavior
Theoretical models
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Newberry Jennifer
Rajeev Sindhya
Acker Peter
A Precinct-Level Analysis of Latino Voting Behavior During The 2016 And 2020 Presidential Elections

The goal of this paper is to understand Latino voting behavior during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections using precinct-level analysis. The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were cases of elections where Latinos were demonstrated to have voted for Republican candidates in surprising numbers. Analysis of data from precincts with high proportions of Latino citizen voting age population was utilized to provide a comprehensive description of the Latino electorate and address the ecological inference problem that emerges when attempting to infer voting behavior of electorate subgroups like Latinos using aggregate data. Using precinct-level Latino demographic data created for this analysis, Latinos were found to have voted more Republican in 2020 than in 2016. Additionally, in 2020, Latinos were found to lean more Republican than non-Latinos in precincts with high proportions of Latino citizen voting age population.

Keywords: precinct
Latino
voting behavior
ecological inference
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Fouka Vasiliki
A Predictive Model of Human Transcriptional Activators and Repressors

The ability to predict which protein sequences can act as transcriptional activators or repressors is important for understanding the function of human and viral transcription factors (TFs) inside human cells and for building synthetic biology tools for gene control. Here, I integrate multiple high-throughput data sets acquired using a recently developed method (HT-Recruit) that tests hundreds of thousands of protein sequences for their effect on reporter genes in live human cells. I first created a data processing pipeline using ground truth validations to regularize results from multiple HT-Recruit screens, allowing cross-screen comparisons as well as proper model training. After processing these datasets, I built and trained convolutional neural network machine learning models that predict both activation and repression for protein sequences across the human transcription factors. These are the first models to be trained on human TF data, as well as the first to predict repressors. Some protein sequences are bifunctional in that they both activate and repress, so it is important to be able to predict both.

Keywords:  Department of Biology
Biology
Transcription factors
Genetic transcription
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Bintu Lacramioara
Fraser Hunter
A Proposed Framework of Manifesting 3D Forms from 2D Architectural AI Outputs

For much of recent history, the thought of machines being in any semblance within reach of human cognition has been one of imagination. But now, technology has speedily caught up to these aspirations, and society faces the daunting task of accepting, learning, and utilizing such tools. Specifically in the lens of design and architecture, what needs to be done at this point is to (1) reflect on how technology currently plays a role within it, and (2) determine how technology should continue to impact it.
In this thesis, I will survey artificial intelligence applications dedicated to image generation and explore how they serve the purposes of architectural design. In particular, I will utilize recently popular text-to-image applications, such as Midjourney alongside existing GANs. Given these current various outputs available from machine learning tools, there is yet no current framework or methodology defined for architects to utilize these tools to manifest a 3D structure out of them. I will propose a framework for how architects can use various generative architectural outputs, namely massing and programming, to realize an actual 3D structure that serves as inspiration in the early design stages. However, besides being a guideline for individuals who wish to use these tools, ultimately this framework could also be referenced as a preliminary model for those working on the continuous improvement of 3D machine learning algorithms. After all, as the design process inevitably becomes more digitized, it is important to maintain a humanistic and an authentically architectural approach within the algorithms that oversee our design outputs.

Keywords: Architecture
Artificial intelligence
Generative design
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Barton John
A Representative Role for the Alternative Splicing of Synaptic Genes

Alternative splicing enables the differential expression of multiple mRNA transcripts and multiple functionally unique protein isoforms derived from the same gene. Interestingly, genes encoding synaptic regulators are both alternatively spliced and implicated in the development of several neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and Tourette’s syndrome. Mechanisms by which synapses are formed and dynamically regulated remain unclear, but the alternative splicing of trans-synaptic regulators is thought to play a decisive role in mediating neuronal communication. To deduce a representative model for neuronal alternative splicing in the making and shaping of synapses (as reflected in changes to synaptic RNA and protein levels), Khdrbs (Sam68, Slm1, Slm2) and Nova splice factors (Nova1, Nova2) were virally overexpressed in primary neurons cultured from neonatal mice. In-vitro validation of RNA-seq-reported changes in synaptic splicing demonstrated that Khdrbs factors exclusively regulate the alternative splicing of multiple Neurexin (Nrxn) homologs, cell-adhesion molecules crucial for the development of functional synapses. Additionally, immunoblot analysis revealed a strikingly consistent loss of key synaptic proteins, coupled with decreased expression of astrocytic markers, in Slm1-overexpressed cultures, suggesting a splice factor-specific role in maintaining tripartite synapses by which glial contributions are likely paramount. In short, the experiments performed here capture the discrete effects of neuronal alternative splicing in the regulation of core synaptic components and offer insight into the molecular bases underpinning a broad range of animal behaviors.

Keywords:  Department of Biology
alternative splicing
synapses
synapse adhesion molecules
neurexins
autism
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Südhof Thomas
McConnell Susan
A Socio-hydrological Framework to Assess Rate Design for Urban Water Affordability through Drought

Unaffordable water threatens water access in the United States, particularly for low-income households that struggle to pay the rising cost for water. In water-scarce cities, water shortages necessitate either expensive infrastructure development or costly emergency measures to meet demand, which in turn increase household water costs. Rate design plays a key role in determining whether these costs threaten water affordability for low-income households, but water utilities are often constrained by local and state policy in their ability to set progressive rates. Therefore, new approaches to design rates that optimize water affordability within the local legal and hydrological context are needed in drought-prone regions. To address this gap, we design a socio-hydrological modeling framework that fuses legal analysis, behavioral economics, and hydrologic modeling to assess the impacts of rate design on household water affordability. We demonstrate this framework in an illustrative application in Santa Cruz, California, where droughts threaten water supplies and California Proposition 218 deters public water utilities in setting progressive rate design. Initial results demonstrate that flat drought surcharges reduce affordability, particularly under increasing block rate tariffs. This framework can both help utilities design rates to improve water affordability in their socio-hydrological context and also illuminate the impacts of state policy on affordability outcomes.

Keywords: Rachunok, Benjamin
Thompson, Barton
Water resources
Droughts
Rate design
Socio-hydrology
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Fletcher Sarah
A Syringe Tumbler for Ink Resuspension (STIR)

Embedded 3D bioprinting is advancing the field of regenerative medicine through the ability to create patient-specific tissues and organs that can fulfill the organ donor shortage. However, the process of 3D bioprinting is currently limited by cell settling within bioinks since printing of human-scale organs can take hours–or even days–to complete. To address the problem of cell settling, I designed and developed Syringe Tumbler for Ink Resuspension (STIR), a mixing system with a Zero-Dead-Volume (ZDV) magnetic tumbler that can prevent settling and maintain high cell viability throughout long-duration prints. In this thesis, cell settling at various mixing speeds and patterns are characterized by mixing of fluorescent beads that resemble embryoid bodies–a particularly challenging object for cellular mixing due to their large size. True cellular mixing is further characterized by the use of fibroblast cells. The effects of mixing are analyzed through cell concentration analysis and staining to ascertain cell viability while using the device. From the system characterization, I identified back-and-forth mixing as the most consistent method as it allows for improved ink homogeneity at lower mixing speeds, thus reducing the shear stress induced on cells. More specifically, by defining the degree of mixing through thresholding in image analysis, the back-and-forth mixing improved the homogeneity of a 10 mg/mL fibrinogen ink embedded with fluorescent beads by 33.68% over a 15.6 second window, whereas settling reduced the ink homogeneity by 48.84% over the same time frame. Similarly, for long-term cellular prints with and without STIR, a reduced variance in cell concentration was experienced. This suggests that STIR can yield more predictable tissue compositions for both short-duration and long-duration prints. To test the effects of tissue composition, I designed a tissue in the form of a flower, where each petal was to be printed with a cellular layer. The flower-shaped tissue was successfully printed without cells, and two leaflets were printed with fibroblast cells. Evidence of compaction was detected for the cellular constructs, highlighting the first successful tissue created with STIR. Future works will include repeating the tests developed in this thesis in order to confirm my initial findings.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting
cell sedimentation
cell settling
ink resuspension
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Skylar-Scott Mark
A Systematic Analysis of Model Sensitivity: Investigating the Effect of Wildfire Smoke PM2.5 on Mortality

Wildfire smoke-related fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) is a health hazard known to affect human health and has made up an increasingly large burden of overall PM2.5 pollution in the US over the past two decades. Previous literature studying PM2.5 and mortality has primarily relied on cohort studies and daily time series, with a smaller subset utilizing annually aggregated time series data. We identified several papers that used coarser, ecological data and two-way fixed effects (TWFE) models to study the association between PM2.5 and mortality. Within that literature, there are a variety of different preprocessing and modeling choices. These “researcher degrees of freedom” can lead to a “garden of forking paths”, in which reasonable a priori decisions can produce qualitatively different research findings. To investigate the potential sensitivity of these researcher decisions, we utilized county-month level all-cause mortality data from the CDC’s Multiple Cause of Death files along with new smoke PM2.5 estimates to systematically vary parameters within the TWFE modeling approach used by previous studies. We tested 75 models, 56 of which had negative point estimates. 59 of the models reported statistically significant results when using IID-based standard errors (SEs) while 8 were statistically significant when using robust SEs. The results of our systematic analysis suggest that applying TWFE models to non-daily time series data produces estimates that are minimally robust to different specifications and too wide to detect an effect when robust SEs are used. Based on our replication of Ma et al. 2023 and comparison of the `gnm` and `fixest` packages in R, we believe it is likely that studies finding significant associations between PM2.5 and mortality using non-daily data rely on the IID assumption, and that their confidence intervals may be insufficiently conservative. We recommend that future research studies in this area clearly define the assumptions behind their modeling choices, carefully choose appropriately conservative standard errors, and publish their code to maximize replicability and transparency.

Keywords: Particulate matter
Wildfires
Mortality
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Kiang Mathew
Rehkopf David
A Tale of Two Policies: Qualitative Perspectives on Efforts to Improve Emergency Department-to-Specialty Referrals in the Context of EMTALA and Local Insurance Networks

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) supports a basic minimum access to equitable emergency care for all patients but has led to well-documented unintended consequences including a high financial burden on hospitals and crowding of Emergency Departments. These consequences reach beyond the Emergency Department including affecting hospital capacity. However, it is less well understood how local hospital, regional/state, and insurance network policies impact health equity within the Emergency Department-to-outpatient referral processes. This qualitative study aimed to explore health equity impacts at the intersection of national policy (EMTALA) and local network considerations on Emergency Department-to-specialty referral processes. The context for this work was a quality improvement project piloted between our Emergency and Neurology Departments, which was identified as one of the highest volumes recipient (n = 1069 in 2022) of Emergency Department referrals in our single-site, high volume, academic medical system. We conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in this quality improvement project to specifically explore how policy and insurance network considerations impacted the process. Data were analyzed using rapid matrix analysis and keyword-in-context approaches. Our results found four main themes that represent barriers to equitable healthcare: 1) lack of health insurance and insurance network restrictions thwart people interfacing with the healthcare system: staff, patients, and physicians; 2) mistrust in the healthcare system; 3) inefficient communication between departments; and 4) limited outpatient access capacity. We organized our themes according to Fortney’s five access dimensions model and identified the need for simultaneous initiatives at various dimension levels to improve the issue of access. This work adds to existing literature by determining opportunities for health equity and access improvement in Emergency Department referral processes to specialty departments.

Keywords: Medicine
Qualitative research
Health equity
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (United States)
Health insurance
Referral processes
Text
Thesis
Advisor: Brown-Johnson Cati
Shaw Jonathan
Rose Christian