University of Illinois at Chicago
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<b>Charting the Advocacy Landscape: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Syllabi in Public Health Graduate Education</b>
No full text"This qualitative study sought to assess advocacy content and skills taught to Master of Public Health students enrolled in US accredited schools and programs of public health (SPPHs) by analyzing 98 course syllabi submitted to the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) between 2019 and 2021. Syllabi were submitted by SPPHs during their (re)accreditation process to demonstrate compliance with CEPH's advocacy competency requirement." See https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001889 </p
Building Mechanical Boys: A Raced and Gendered History of Autism in the United States
No full textA study of how discourse around autism served as a means of espousing changing views on race, gender, class, disability, intelligence, productivity, potential, and ultimately the definition of humanity in the mid to late 20th century United States. Beginning in the 1940s with the earliest writing on autism as a discrete diagnosis and continuing to the eve of the purported “autism epidemic” in the 1990s, I trace how autism became known as a white, male, middle-class disorder associated with technocratic intelligence in both the clinical and popular imagination. In doing so, I explore how medical professionals, clinicians, researchers, parent advocates, educators, and writers made arguments about the “humanity,” “worth,” “educability,” and “potential” of autistic people in ways that challenged or reified mid-twentieth century U.S. conceptions of race, gender, and disability
Functional Study of a Drosophila Hox Gene Enhancer Essential for Segment-Specific Sense Organ Patterning
No full textThe conserved Hox transcription factors (TFs) are well known for their functions in specifying segmental identity along the anterior/posterior (A/P) axis of developing animal embryos. However, Hox TFs also function post-embryonically to pattern limbs and other organs. During development, spatially modulated expression of the Drosophila Hox gene, Sex combs reduced (Scr), in legs of the first thoracic segment (T1 legs) is required for generation of segment-specific patterning of mechanosensory microchaete sense organs. Scr expression is specifically elevated in the primordia of a cluster of T1 microchaetes, called the transverse bristle rows (TBRs), and promotes their development by altering the leg microchaete patterning pathway. We have previously shown that an Scr enhancer, ScrE, controls Scr expression in the TBR microchaete primordia and is essential for the development of these bristles. In this study, we investigated the functions of the proximal/distal (P/D) patterning genes Distalless (Dll), dachshund (dac) and bric-a- brac1/2 (bab1/2) in regulating Scr expression through the ScrE enhancer. The homeodomain (HD) TF, Dll, activates Scr expression through several sites in the ScrE enhancer. Dac is a conserved transcriptional co-factor that is required for upregulated expression of both Scr and ScrE-GFP. Previous studies suggested that two paralogous genes, bab1 and bab2 of the bab locus, which encode structurally related TFs, regulate modulated Scr expression in T1 legs, but the individual functions of bab1 and bab2 in the process were not known. Our observations suggest that bab1 and bab2 function coordinately to control TBR patterning and Scr distal repression in T1 legs. In addition, ScrE is responsive to repression by Bab1/2, and potential Bab1/2-response sequences have been mapped to a 25 bp conserved region within ScrE. An in vivo function analysis of ScrE suggests this minimal Scr enhancer is sufficient to promote development of these sense organs in vivo and that specific ScrE sequences have functional relevance in vivo. This investigation provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying modulated Hox gene expression and generation of morphological diversity among Drosophila limbs and understanding the in vivo function of Hox gene enhancers
Persistence in a Fragmented Habitat: Genetic Diversity and Pollination Patterns in Asclepias viridiflora
No full textHabitat fragmentation poses many risks for plant populations, including reduced biodiversity and extinction (Fahrig, 2003; Wilson et al., 2016). This process may also have population genetic consequences as populations are reduced in size and isolated for generations. These consequences include reduced genetic variability from bottlenecks and genetic drift, the formation of spatial genetic structure, and reduced seed and pollen dispersal due to spatial isolation. While there is substantial evidence for these impacts in case studies of natural plant populations (Jacquemyn et al., 2010; Herrera and Garciá, 2010; Mannouris and Byers, 2013; Walisch et al., 2022), there have been an increasing number of studies portraying resistance to genetic declines amidst extensive fragmentation (Craft and Ashley, 2007; Kramer et al., 2008; DiLeo et al., 2017; Kubota et al., 2023). Thus, widespread predictions of negative fragmentation impacts may not be applicable to all circumstances. Many factors may govern resistance and vulnerability to fragmentation, such as time since fragmentation, cloning, and pollinator identity and specialization. While fragmentation affects all terrestrial ecosystems, grasslands, particularly Midwestern prairies have nearly disappeared due to exponential crop development and other land use changes. Therefore, case studies into grassland plant populations have become increasingly valuable to conservation practices.
In chapter one, I discuss the potential genetic impacts of fragmentation on plant populations and factors that may determine resistance or vulnerability to this process. I also outline the importance of population genetic investigations in grasslands. In chapter two, “Persistence in a Fragmented Habitat: Genetic Diversity and Pollination Patterns in Asclepias viridiflora”, I present an empirical investigation of population genetic parameters and pollen dispersal patterns to characterize the effects of fragmentation in a population of Asclepias viridiflora.
As the conservation and restoration of grasslands gain momentum, the research presented in this thesis will hopefully lead to better-informed practices. Here, we demonstrate that small plant populations existing in fragmented conditions cannot be overlooked, as they may retain genetic variation, remain connected through extensive gene flow, and support native pollinator communities
Mechanisms of Context-Specific Action of Classic Ribosome-Targeting Antibiotics
No full textThe ribosome is a universal molecular machine that synthesizes all cellular proteins. Although eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes serve the same purpose and share many structural features, the latter is sufficiently distinct to serve as a target for antibiotics. In recent years, growing evidence has reshaped our understanding of both the classical and modern ribosome-targeting drugs. Among these, chloramphenicol and macrolides are the most prominent examples. Since their discovery in the 40s-50s of the past century, these two classes of drugs have been considered inhibitors of every peptide bond formation regardless of the substrates bound to the ribosome. Recent studies revealed that, instead, they arrest translation only when the ribosome encounters a particular combination of P-site (peptidyl-tRNA) and A-site (aminoacyl-tRNA) substrates. This phenomenon was later termed context-specificity of drug action. How even the best studies of these selective ribosome inhibitors act at the molecular level is not understood: the structural details that underlie their context-specificity remain unknown. Our poor comprehension of how ribosome-targeting antibiotics work significantly hampers the ability to rationally develop potent new drugs to combat the growing number of resistant bacterial pathogens. The current work is dedicated to deciphering molecular mechanisms of context-specific action of two well-known and widely used classes of ribosome antibiotics – macrolides and phenicols
Measuring Accountability: Investigation Quality and Institutional Change in Chicago Police Oversight
No full textThis dissertation examines police accountability in Chicago through three interconnected studies that analyze racial and gender disparities in oversight outcomes, investigation quality, and institutional reform. Drawing from the author's experience as a Major Case Investigator at the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) from 2017 to 2022, the research employs quantitative methods to analyze complaint data and investigation reports spanning 2007-2023.
The first study reveals significant racial and gender disparities in complaint outcomes, with White complainants having substantially higher sustained rates (White females 25.79%, White males 21.69%) compared to Black complainants (Black females 9.76%, Black males 10.01%) and Hispanic complainants (Hispanic females 14.95%, Hispanic males 11.80%). These disparities persist across complaint categories, with particularly pronounced differences in excessive force cases.
The second study introduces a novel thoroughness score for assessing investigation quality, incorporating dimensions of timeliness (10%), interview comprehensiveness (30%), evidence collection breadth (40%), and analytical depth (20%). Surprisingly, analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in investigation thoroughness across demographic groups, suggesting that observed outcome disparities stem from factors in the evaluation and decision-making process rather than investigation thoroughness.
The third study evaluates the impact of transitioning from the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) to COPA in 2017. Analysis shows that COPA achieved higher sustained rates overall, with complaints approximately 40% more likely to be sustained. However, improvements varied notably across demographic groups, with the most significant increases for Hispanic/Latino/Spanish Origin females (38% increase) and White males (26.83% increase), while improvements for Black complainants were more modest (13.05% increase for males, 10.19% for females).
Collectively, these findings provide a comprehensive examination of Chicago's police accountability system, revealing persistent patterns of racial and gender disparities despite institutional reforms and consistent investigation thoroughness. The dissertation contributes valuable insights for enhancing the equity and effectiveness of police accountability mechanisms in Chicago and similar urban contexts facing challenges in police oversight and community trust
Federated Self-Supervised Learning and Deep Clustering
No full textAbstract: Self-supervised learning (SSL) is a key technique in the pretraining stage of large language models (LLMs), used across various tasks including natural language processing, computer vision, and speech processing. In SSL, models are trained on unlabeled data to learn meaningful representations that can be transferred to other downstream tasks. However, concerns around data privacy and limited computing resources for users and customers have led to the development of federated learning (FL) to address these issues. In our work, we focus on training models with self-supervised learning and extending it in a federated setting. We aim to train a global model that produces robust data representations and performs data clustering by tackling challenges from both self-supervised learning and federated learning. We propose a federated momentum contrastive clustering framework that simultaneously generates data representations and performs clustering through a novel two-stage federated learning setup. Additionally, we introduce a clustering-guided federated learning framework, designed to improve the quality of data representations. This is achieved by incorporating a novel clustering loss with a data selection strategy and a dynamic controller to update local networks during communication round, effectively mitigating client drift in federated learning. Moreover, we develop a resource-efficient federated clustering scheme that introduces a past negatives pool to combat client drift in FL and relief class collision issue in SSL. Finally, we apply federated learning to address a tomographic reconstruction problem with quantized inter-client communication, successfully demonstrating image recovery through compression schemes
Tumor-Derived JAGGED-1 Promotes Breast Cancer Lymphovascular Invasion and Lymph Node Metastasis
No full textMetastasis to tumor draining lymph nodes is a defining prognostic marker for breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis or surgery. Emerging animal models demonstrate that lymph node metastasis can promote breast cancer progression by acting as a vector for secondary metastasis or, perhaps concomitantly, inducing global immune tolerance. Expression of the Notch ligand JAGGED-1 (JAG1) is associated with tumor lymphangiogenesis, lymph node metastasis, and poor patient outcomes, but causality is unclear. Here, we provide the first evidence that tumor derived Jag1 promotes lymphogenous metastasis though the mammary fatpad and the tumor draining lymph node. Moreover, we demonstrate that tumor Jag1 promotes expression of Notch, VEGF, and inflammatory pathway genes that are involved in tumor-lymphatic endothelial cell interactions.
We utilized clinical samples in a tumor microarray (TMA) to determine if tumor derived JAG1 is associated with patient lymph node status. Expression of tumor-derived Jag1 was significantly enriched in lymph node samples compared to patient-matched primary tumors. Based on this evidence, we hypothesized that JAG1 promotes lymphogenous metastasis into lymphatic vessels and tumor draining lymph nodes. We addressed this hypothesis using both murine 66cl4 and human MDA231-LN breast cancer cells, the latter of which was treated with JAG1-targeted CRISPR/Cas9 (JAG1KO) to remove JAG1 expression. Using lymphangiography with high molecular weight dextran, we show 66cl4 and MDA231-LN-JAG1KO cell lines with JAG1 overexpression invade the mammary fatpad lymphatic vasculature significantly more than their respective controls. Moreover, JAG1 increases lymph node metastasis to the primary tumor draining lymph node in 66cl4/BALB.c syngeneic models. We conclude that JAG1 promotes early lymphogenous dissemination of breast cancer cells to the lymph node.
Patients rarely succumb to complications of the primary tumor, which is often excised at time of diagnoses. In order to recapitulate a clinically meaningful model, we surgically removed 66cl4- and MDA231-LN-JAG1KO derived tumors, with and without JAG1-overexpression, and followed lymph node metastasis after excision. JAG1 increased lymph node metastatic outgrowth in BALB.c syngeneic models, but there were no observable phenotypes in NCG immunosuppressed mouse models. We discuss the differences between the two models and possible explanations that can account for varying phenotypes.
We explore two signaling mechanisms JAG1-high tumor cells may use to communicate to lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). First, tumor cell JAG1 increases tumor Notch, VEGF, and inflammatory signaling pathways. Within these pathways, JAG1 increases expression of cytokines, including WISP1, CXCL1, IGFBP6, CX3CL1, and IL-6, which were identified by both unbiased mRNA sequencing and analysis with a cytokine profiler array. We show that JAG1 overexpressing breast cancer cells produce paracrine factors in conditioned media that activate LEC VEGFR3. Second, we determine gene expression in LECs when exposed to a plate-tethered Jag1 ligand, consisting of the Jag1 ectodomain. This isolates the effects of JAG1 presentation to LECs. Compared to LECs treated with control Fc, LECs interacting with JAG1 have significantly increased expression of inflammatory pathway genes, including those in NF-κB and TLR pathways. Thus, using unbiased profiling, we identified key pathways regulated in LECs directly by JAG1.
Since tumor JAG1 increases VEGF signaling pathways and media from JAG1-high breast cancer cells can activate LEC VEGFR3, we hypothesized that VEGFR3-inhibiton could attenuate lymph node metastasis. We administered the small molecule inhibitor MAZ51 to BALB.c mice bearing 66cl4 JAG1-overexpressing and control tumors. Preliminary analysis shows remarkable attenuation of lymph node metastasis in control 66cl4 tumors, but not tumors overexpressing JAG1. These findings indicate that tumor JAG1 overexpression is associated with resistance to VEGFR3 inhibition in vivo.
From this body of work, we conclude that JAG1 is a prognostic indicator for patient lymph node metastasis and an active agent in breast cancer metastasis via lymphogenous dissemination. We identified novel JAG1 mediated pathways in which tumor JAG1 can communicate to the lymphatic endothelium and potential mechanisms in which JAG1 high cells can resist VEGFR3-targeting therapy. Given the emerging importance of JAG1-signaling and lymph node metastasis in mediating immune tolerance in breast cancer progression, understanding JAG1-mediated lymph node metastasis will offer much needed insights into understanding and defeating metastasis
Problem Posing & Agency in Dialogic Practice: Exploring Critical Pedagogy in a High School Anatomy Class
No full textCritical pedagogy and science identity research have critiqued equity initiatives focused on increasing access and attainment in science, arguing that dominant science knowledges emphasized in science classrooms perpetuate inequities within and beyond the classroom. Critical pedagogies offer opportunities to challenge deficit perspectives and engage students in new ways of learning and applying science to address inequities and injustices in their communities and in society. This study examines the application of a critical pedagogy approach across three years in a high school Anatomy & Physiology class in an urban district. Drawing on dimensions of critical pedagogies, figured worlds of science and education, the structure-agency dialectic, and the space and place dialectic, I examined how class communities enacted critical pedagogies to reimagine and engage in science for equity and justice. Using teacher research and an embedded case study research design, I analyzed planning documents, student work, and class recordings collected over three years using qualitative methods focused on iterative rounds of coding and derived four findings.
First, the structure of dialogic practice that is foundational to critical pedagogies led to students being positioned as problem-posers and sense-makers as they shared their lived experiences and collectively grappled with complex issues. Second, students engaged in different forms of representational agency, including thematizing, characterizing, and relating structures that impact health and considering the affordances and limitations of science in solving health inequities. Third, students engaged in different forms of residential agency that involved both individual and collective action as students asserted their right to healthy outcomes, shared knowledge with others, engaged in collective action, and created or shared resources focused on education and its impact on health. Fourth, teacher and students engaged in dialogic practice within and across school years as student voices about curricular changes were heard and teacher continuous learning influenced the science curriculum. These findings point to the generative possibilities of spaces and places created through the combination of dialogic practice and problem-posing in a classroom centering critical pedagogies. They also highlight the dialectical relationship between representational and residential agency, where the enactment of one form of agency nurtures the other, and the ways that critical pedagogies can create structures that refigure the world of science to one where science is combined with other ways of knowing to identify and ameliorate inequities and injustices in communities. These conclusions have implications for further research and for both teacher practice and teacher education programs
Exploring Bilingual Teachers’ Callings to Dual Language Classrooms: Testimonios de Motivo y Capacitación
No full textIn the context of a growing popularity of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) alongside a persistent, nationwide bilingual teacher shortage, this qualitative study examined the callings of bilingual teachers to the dual language classroom and the professional experiences they value to learn pedagogy. Using testimonio methodologies, ten bilingual teachers from Chicagoland schools with two-way dual language programs were invited to share their sociolinguistic and educational histories and perspectives about teaching and learning in DLBE. Through a LatCrit lens, this research addresses the impact that a long history of socially and politically marginalizing and subtractive practices have had on bilingual teachers. I synthesize those impacts with the outcomes they envision, for themselves and their students, from their work as dual language teachers.
The main findings of this research are: (1) bilingual teachers elect to work in DLBE because they want to contribute to a language education model that contrasts the linguistically and culturally subtractive experiences they experienced in their own schooling, (2) dual language teachers find opportunities through their work to serve as advocates, enhance their own bilingualism, and offer their students a more positive, flexible approach to bilingualism, (3) dual language teachers appeal for resolved leadership to address the threat that gentrification poses to the integrity of their programs, (4) dual language teachers gain competencies from legitimate peripheral participation within communities of practice, and (5) the opportunity for dual language teachers to refine their ideological clarity creates confident praxis.
This research calls attention to more nuanced ways to recruit, retain, and support dual language teachers because these efforts are vital for the success of DLBE
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