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A Leveled Analysis and Guide to Selected Pedagogical Piano Works of Mel Bonis and Marie Jaëll
Get PDFThis paper analyzes and discusses selected piano literature from an elementary to early advanced level by Mel Bonis and Marie Jaëll. While many outstanding women composers have received recent attention and inclusion in concert programs and academic publications, the scope, leveling and use of their pedagogical works is an area which deserves greater focus. I will note which compositions could be useful to help prepare a student for more advanced music by composers including Cécile Chaminade, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Gabriel Fauré, and discuss the leveling of specific technical and musical skills demanded by the French school of pianism. This project focuses on a range of pedagogical music from late elementary through mid-advanced levels by Bonis and Jaëll, including suites, collections and single works.</p
The Hidden Enhancer: LTR18 and its Effect on Ovarian Cancer
Get PDFHigh grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and deadliestepithelial ovarian cancer histotype due to late-stage diagnosis and developed resistanceto common therapeutics. A deeper understanding of the mechanism in which genes getabberantly turned on in HGSC is crucial for advancements in prevention, detection, andtreatment options for to ovarian cancer patients.
Transposable element (TEs) make up nearly half of the human genome and arerepetitive segments of DNA derived from ancient retroviral infections. In a disease state,epigenetic dysregulation can occur and reactivate TEs that are normally repressedthrough mechanisms like Histone 3 Lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). Loss of this tightcontrol over TE-derived regulatory elements can lead to the misregulation of nearbygenes and contribute to disease states. Emerging research has demonstrated that TEsare rich sources of cis-regulatory elements, like promoters and enhancers, that regulategene expression. While there have been several examples of TE-derived promotorsreported in cancer, the role of TE-derived enhancers have in cancer biology is relativelyunexplored.
In this study, CRIPSRi technology was used to silence a specific TE family,LTR18, on a local and global level within the genome. This investigation presents howthe locally and globally targeted LTR18 knockdowns (KDs) both have decreasedexpression of the TIPARP gene. Additionally, LTR18-global KD demonstrated a drasticdecreased in cell viability compared to LTR18-TIPARP KD. These findings 1) supportthat LTR18 has gene-regulatory effects and 2) suggests that global LTR18 elements arebeing co-opted in ovarian cancer cells to promote tumor growth by affecting genes otherthan TIPARP. Further investigation can reveal how we might utilize this under-appreciated mechanism of TE-derived enhancer activity in ovarian cancer treatment.</p
Investigation of Uncertainty Related to the Origin of Silica Nanograins in Saturn's E Ring
Get PDFSpectral data recorded by Cassini’s Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) in Saturn’s E ring haverevealed nanometer-sized silica grains which, like the large population of micron-sizedice grains, are most likely sourced from the nearby Saturnian moon Enceladus. However,the formation and distribution processes of these grains and their link to Enceladus areuncertain. Enceladus likely harbors a global subsurface ocean like several other icymoons in the Saturnian and Jovian systems. Previous work has hypothesized that theobserved silica nanograins formed via hydrothermal alteration at the interface betweenEnceladus’ ocean and its silicate interior. However, these studies do not consider alternateformation processes. My investigation of low-temperature interactions between water andmaterial introduced via impact events has revealed potential alternate silica-generatingsystems which could exist in cold environments on Enceladus, such as within the iceshell or at ice shell-ocean boundary. In this project, I explore chemical modeling of coldwater-rock systems and review previous studies of low-temperature silica generation toidentify potential formation processes. Additionally, cratering records and numericalmodelling are used to evaluate the likelihood that impactor material could account for theobserved abundance of E Ring silica. Enceladus has long been considered an excellentcandidate for sample collection due to its water vapor plume, which allows for easyaccess to materials via flyby encounters and could potentially serve as an access point toa global subsurface ocean. Thus, there is much discussion surrounding the possibility of amission to Enceladus in the hopes of obtaining valuable astrobiological samples. Theresults of this research could have implications for such a mission, as it proposes alternatemethods of silica generation that do not necessitate a subsurface ocean.</p
Niwot the Peacemaker: The Peace Chiefs of the Arapaho and Cheyenne’s Struggle for Nonviolence, Survival and Memorialization
Get PDFOn November 29th, 1864, one of the most infamous chapters in American history unfolded as a volunteer regiment of Federal troops attacked a peaceable band of Cheyenne and Arapahos camped under the military's express orders on Sand Creek. The band consisted mainly of Cheyenne under the leadership of Black Kettle, while Chief Left Hand or Niwot headed the few lodges of Arapaho. Niwot was there in pursuit of a peace agreement that he would never see, as he lost his life along with hundreds of other victims. According to popular memory and the primary source material from the era, Chief Niwot had struggled for peace with the expressed intent to never resort to violence. How could such an effort for peace and non-violence end in one of the most horrifically violent episodes in the annals of American history?
This thesis uses the model of the history of peace and nonviolence to understand Niwot and his allies, the Peace Chiefs, philosophy, and actions of nonviolence. It will recount the peacemaking traditions critical to Cheyenne and Arapaho culture, spirituality, and politics, and how the Peace Chiefs used the practice of peacemaking to confront colonial challenges to survival. To understand this confrontation, this thesis will explore how violence, societal breakdown, and the colonial systems of rhetoric and military force led to the physical defeat of the peace faction at Sand Creek. The thesis will then follow the direct aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre to explore how Niwot and the Peace Chief’s actions and ideas of peace and nonviolence set into motion and defined the lasting struggle over the history and memory of Sand Creek and U.S. colonial violence.</p
Digital Divides: Exploring Narrative within the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict through X
Get PDFSocial media has become deeply embedded in global culture, serving not just as a source of entertainment, but also as a widely trusted news outlet. The interaction on existing posts and the creation of new content by individuals foster a “community” where users can engage with each other and shape or amplify narratives and biases based on the content shared. This thesis examines social media, specifically X, as both a news source and a tool for mass communication in the context of international civil conflict, using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study. The goal is to understand how individual biases in posts about the conflict align with or differ from the narratives and biases expressed by news organizations on X. To achieve this, I will address the question: “Do the demonstrated narratives and biases surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on X differ between individual users and news organizations?”</p
State Grant Aid and First-Year Enrollment: The Impact of Eligibility Restrictions on States and Universities
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This paper investigates the effects of state funded grant aid supply on first-year enrollment and the share of first-year students who are attending in-state at 4-year universities. I employ OLS and 2SLS models with two-way fixed-effects on panel data covering 48 states from 2009 to 2019 at the state and institution-levels. By separating aid into groups based on eligibility restrictions, I examine which programs are effective at increasing enrollment. I find that an additional $1,000 in potential state grant aid restricted to residents attending in-state public universities increases in-state enrollment by 1%. I also estimate large effects on non-resident enrollment when aid lacks residency requirements. At the institution-level, I find that aid restricted to residents attending in-state schools shifts in-state enrollment to public universities and away from private ones. Universities with high research activity experience much larger increases in all enrollment compared to other institutions, regardless of aid eligibility restrictions. I find no significant effects on changes in the composition of resident and non-resident students as a result of available state grant aid.</p
Rings of Fire: The Olympic Institution Behind its “Diplomatic” Veneer
Get PDFThe modern Olympic Games, lauded as a celebration of global unity and international peace, operates within a systemic framework riddled with paradoxes. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) espouses noble goals of inclusivity and diplomacy through sport, its historical foundations of exclusivism, colonialism, and elitism trickle into the 21st century, underscoring the institution’s complex reality. Rings of Fire begins in its historical analysis of the Olympic Games, revealing the linkage between the institution’s aristocratic foundations and its contemporary operations. This analysis examines the IOC’s evolution from a self-proclaimed humble, not-for-profit athletic showcase to a profit-driven and exploitative enterprise, one which directly contributes to the mass displacement and lowered socioeconomic conditions of a nation’s most vulnerable. My approach will critically assess the IOC’s role in perpetuating inequality and occidental hegemony, analyzing the paradoxical nature of the institution’s mission versus its tangible execution. My thesis seeks to understand the influence of systemic exploitation, sporting imperialism, and systemic inequality as integral facets of the IOC’s operations, ultimately providing an examination of the institution’s performativity and ulterior prerogatives beyond the strife of unity through sport. Exploring both the socioeconomic and geopolitical repercussions of the Olympics will contribute to a critique of the institution, assessing the behind-the-scenes operations of the Games. Effectively, I seek to position the IOC as a point of focus for international scrutiny.
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Redefining Traditional Islam: A New North American Muslim Identity
Get PDFThis thesis explores the newly created Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, CA. This college teaches an Islamic liberal arts education and publishes a twice annual journal, titled Renovatio. This paper seeks to explore Zaytuna's message by analysis of the entire Renovatio catalog. Ultimately, Zaytuna focuses on medieval Islamic history in order to create a new Islamic identity in North America. This identity positions itself as fundamentally opposed to the Western world, while attempting to make a different attack on the modern world than Islamists. This thesis first traces this identity, using excerpts from Renovatio to show how Zaytuna positions itself against major philosophical movements, namely the Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution. The following chapters examine two specific examples. First, Zaytuna' relationship with science, specifically evolution and artificial intelligence. Second, Zaytuna's relationship with the earth and the climate crisis. The conclusion draws in both ideas to explain what identity Zaytuna creates for Muslims in North America. The thesis explores what the creation of Zaytuna, a recent college focused on creating a new identity for educated Muslims, means for the North American religious landscape. The strengths and weaknesses of Zaytuna's arguments are explored throughout.</p
How Gesture Impacts Children’s Behavior, and How Children’s Behavior Relates to their Performance in a Narrative Comprehension Task
Get PDFThere is general consensus that gestures aid learning in children in multiple contexts. However, there seems to be a lack of understanding regarding why and how gestures help children. Scholars have proposed multiple possible mechanisms for this facilitatory effect of gestures, including that gestures encourage deeper processing, more robust representations, or increase attention. The present study looks at a task in which young children watch a video of someone telling a story with or without gestures. We ask two questions: First, are aspects of attention and engagement, namely head turns, gaze, utterances and words produced, influenced by watching gestures? Second, is there a relationship between a child’s memory and inference scores and their attention, engagement, and gestures they produce? The design of this study is a between-groups experimental study. 36 3-7 year old children completed the study. The results showed that the duration of head turns, but not gaze, differ between children in the gesture condition and children in the no gesture condition. Measures of utterances and amount of words spoken, did not differ between conditions. Further analyses suggest that different aspects of attention, engagement, and gestures children produce, may drive children’s ability to recall details or make inferences about the stories they heard. This suggests that the mechanisms behind gestures' beneficial role in learning are likely complicated and multifaceted. These findings can help inform professionals that work with children and future researchers who are interested in understanding the mechanisms behind gestures aiding learning in children. </p
An Optimized Protocol for Volatile Suspended Solids Quantification by Loss on Ignition at 550°C and Extraction of Biofilm Extracellular Polymeric Substances using Cation Exchange Resin
Get PDFThis thesis provides a refined method utilizing loss on ignition (LOI) at 550 Celsius to accurately measure Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS), Fixed Suspended Solids (FSS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). A 2001 Draft EPA Method 1684 was referenced and revised using positive control experiments and current studies. The method reporting and detection limits were determined following Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines. LOI at 550°C can be used for soil organic carbon, sludge, sediment analysis, wastewater treatment plant monitoring, and water quality assessment. A sample collection method was developed for periphyton algae samples from Boulder Creek, Boulder, CO for LOI 550°C. Periphyton is primarily made up of diatom algae cells, which produce a microbial extracellular film called biofilm to survive harsh conditions. Environmental biofilms can be used as bioindicators for contaminants in the water and provide potential degradation pathways for toxins. Biofilm is composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that can be separated into colloidal EPS and bound EPS, consisting of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and divalent metals such as Ca2+ and Mg2+. The second section of this thesis optimizes an EPS extraction method of biofilms utilizing CER (cation exchange resin) by introducing lab-grown biofilm Bacillus Subtilis as a standardized control, allowing reproducibility across labs. Currently, there are no standard controls used between EPS extraction methods. </p
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