University of Illinois at Chicago
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Essays on Industrial Pollution, Regulation, and Health
No full textThis dissertation examines the effects of industrial pollution and environmental regulation on health outcomes and health-improving behaviors. It draws on quasi-experimental variation from two distinct settings to evaluate the consequences of pollution exposure and the potential for regulatory interventions to mitigate these health costs.
Chapter 1 studies the impact of New Hampshire’s first statewide policy regulating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water on mortality and healthcare utilization among residents exposed to industrial pollution. Using a difference-in-differences design that exploits proximity to polluting manufacturing facilities, I find that the PFAS regulation led to a decline in mortality and an increase in healthcare utilization and investment in preventive care. I find that these effects extend beyond the areas formally designated as contaminated, suggesting that the costs of industrial pollution and the benefits of regulation can extend beyond the boundaries defined by observed pollution and water quality violations.
Chapter 2 examines the impact of mining activity on water pollution and infant mortality in India. Using global mineral price shocks as an exogenous source of variation in local mining activity, I find that infant and neonatal mortality increase in communities located downstream, though the estimates are not statistically precise. To assess how mineral price shocks affect downstream infant health through river pollution, I employ an instrumental variables strategy that uses upstream mineral price shocks to instrument for downstream exposure to river pollution. The results indicate that increased upstream mining activity worsens downstream water quality and is associated with imprecise but poorer infant health outcomes.
Together, the chapters highlight the critical role of environmental regulation and spatial spillovers in shaping the health impacts of industrial activity
Enhancing Natural Language Inference through Multi-Agent Deliberation
No full textMulti-agent AI systems offer a promising pathway to enhance the robustness of Natural Language Inference (NLI), a key task in semantic understanding. However, this thesis demonstrates that the benefits of collaboration are not guaranteed. The effectiveness of a multi-agent system is critically dependent on the architecture of its deliberation protocol and the richness of the information exchanged between agents. To investigate this, we designed a systematic 3x4 experimental matrix to test three prompting strategies (from basic responses to step-by-step reasoning) against four deliberation protocols (individual baseline, self-deliberation, peer review, and judge-mediated consensus). Using the Llama-3.2 and Phi-3-Mini models on the challenging SciNLI, MSciNLI, MISMATCHED, and ConjNLI benchmarks, we systematically evaluated the interplay between these two key variables. The central finding of this work is the discovery of "protocol-induced instability," a failure mode where simple peer-to-peer protocols can actively degrade performance. We provide empirical evidence that in low-information settings, less capable agents often become unreliable when asked to re-evaluate agreed-upon answers, revealing that their initial consensus was frequently based on shallow, brittle reasoning. Our results establish two clear solutions to this instability: either enriching the information agents exchange with explanations or employing an architecturally robust judge-mediated protocol. The judge-based approach proved to be the most stable and effective method across all experimental conditions. We conclude that for complex reasoning tasks, the design of the deliberative architecture is as critical as the capabilities of the individual agents, offering a foundational principle for building more reliable collaborative AI
Development of Glyco-RNA Technologies & Elucidating the Roles of miRs in Head and Neck Cancer Metastasis
No full textThis thesis presents two separate projects, both pertaining to RNA. The former project discusses the development of a novel glyco-RNA enrichment method that utilizes lectins. A method which is essential for the field of glyco-RNA research to progress faster. Currently there is only one way for glyco-RNA enrichment which both time and resource intensive. We developed a lectin-based method through optimization of many different conditions that can enrich glyco-RNA. We also explore other methods to improve enrichment which include control of cell culture conditions and heat treatment-based enrichment. These discoveries are essential to lower the barrier of entry to glyco-RNA research.
The latter project focuses on miR-206 and its regulation of TAGLN2 and metastatic potential in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Metastasis is a critical factor for survival in head and neck cancers with patients often presenting or developing metastatic tumors during clinical presentation or treatment. It is essential to elucidate the mechanisms which this process arises from and find druggable targets. Our findings uncover miR-206 as a differentially regulated miR in metastatic tumors. We then predict and validate its downstream target TAGLN2 to regulate metastatic potential. These discoveries are important as they highlight both miR-206 and TAGLN2 as a potential druggable target
Time-Restricted Eating and Prebiotic Supplementation in Young Adult Pediatric Cancer Survivors
No full textPediatric cancer has historically been a leading cause of child mortality, however, over the past several decades, survival rates have increased from 58% in the 1970’s to a current 5-year survival rate of 85%. Despite long term remission, PCS experience chronic disease at an earlier age than matched controls which may be a result of increased biological aging, or inflammaging, in this population. Anti-cancer treatment may initiate inflammaging promoting systemic inflammation and gut dysbiosis and cardiometabolic disease risk. Dietary behavior may further enhance inflammaging in the years following diagnosis and treatment. This dissertation project explores lifestyle interventions, particularly as it relates to diet, on markers of cardiometabolic disease risk, inflammation and gut microbiome in PCS.
First, a systematic review of the literature as it pertains to diet and exercise interventions in PCS and markers of cardiometabolic risk, inflammation and gut microbiome will be presented. Second, the feasibility, and acceptability of TRE with and without a prebiotic supplement in young adult PCS will be examined. Additionally, preliminary effects related to cardiometabolic risk will be explored. Finally, the preliminary effect of TRE with and without a prebiotic related the gut microbiome, metabolites related to the gut microbiome, satiety hormones and inflammatory markers will be examined. This dissertation will provide crucial information on current research centered on lifestyle behavioral interventions in PCS, explore if TRE with and without a
prebiotic supplement may provide a novel and accessible easy to implement solution for chronic disease risk reduction in this vulnerable population and provide guidance on future direction for interventions related to diet in PCS
Equivalence Class Formation and Attitudes Toward Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
No full textStigma related to neurodevelopmental disabilities can lead to negative experiences, such as social isolation and unjust disparities across life domains. Despite efforts, interventions have been largely ineffective in altering implicit attitudes toward individuals with developmental disabilities. Basic behavior analytic research has discovered a reflective relationship between equivalence class formation and implicit attitudes, as measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Research has also confirmed that performance on the IAT can be altered through equivalence class reorganization. However, this has not yet been evaluated in the context of socially loaded stimuli, which generally fail to produce typical equivalence class formation when class members belong to opposing social categories. This dissertation examined the relationship between implicit attitudes and equivalence formation, or resistance to formation, using socially loaded stimuli related to neurodevelopmental disabilities. Experiment 1 assessed whether pre-existing bias, measured by the IAT, predicted equivalence class formation. Participants completed a baseline IAT, followed by conditional discrimination training and tests for equivalence class formation. Participants completed a baseline IAT, followed by conditional discrimination training and tests for equivalence class formation using either medical model terminology (stigma-congruent) or disability accepting terminology (stigma-incongruent) class members. An IAT post-assessment was then administered to evaluate changes in bias and examine potential differences in outcomes between the two stimulus sets. Experiment 2 expanded upon the analysis by assessing stimulus blocking as a potential mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of stigma. Experiment 3 integrated both the IAT and the equivalence blocking procedure into the equivalence model of social categorization to evaluate whether pre-existing bias influenced equivalence class formation or evidence of the blocking effect. It also examined whether stigma-congruent versus stigma-incongruent class members produced differential outcomes in both the formation of equivalence classes and implicit bias. Results of experiment 1 indicated that participant baseline IAT performance was strongly linked to equivalence class formation (namely transitivity and equivalence tests) and changes in implicit bias, but no differences were found between participants who received training with stigma-congruent relative to stigma-incongruent training. Differential outcomes were found in Experiment 2, where those trained with arbitrary base-class stimuli and socially loaded X stimuli performed better on tests for X-equivalence class formation relative to those trained with all arbitrary stimuli or primarily socially loaded stimuli. Whereas pre-existing bias was the strongest predictor of emergent relations test outcomes, this was not the case in experiment 3 when IAT attributes were used in conditional discrimination training and testing phases. However, pre-existing bias did predict both IAT post-test performance and overall IAT change scores. The current experiments offer important insights into the formation and maintenance of harmful stereotypes related to developmental disabilities and the role of derived relational responding and stimulus blocking in maintaining or weakening harmful stereotypes
Low Genus Curves on Compact Shimura Surfaces
No full textWe investigate and compare the behaviors of complex curves on two types of compact Shimura surfaces: compact variants of Picard and Hilbert modular surfaces. For the compact variant of Picard modular surfaces, we prove there are no curves of a fixed genus when the defining discriminant is sufficiently large. For the compact variant of Hilbert modular surfaces, we prove there are no nonspecial rational and elliptic curves when the defining discriminant is sufficiently large, but rational and elliptic special curves can persist. These can be viewed as special cases of complex function field analogs of uniform boundedness on the endomorphism types of abelian varieties
Beyond In-Role Performance: How Developmental Job Challenges Inspire Leaders’ Extra-Role Behaviors
No full textAlthough Developmental Job Challenges (DJCs) are widely recognized for cultivating leaders’ managerial skills, leadership effectiveness, and promotability, it remains unclear whether these high-stakes assignments also stimulate leaders’ extra-role contributions. Drawing on identification-based perspectives, this study proposes that DJCs strengthen leaders’ organizational identification—a “we” mindset—thereby increasing the levels of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Furthermore, the research posits that this positive relationship is moderated by leaders’ growth need strength (GNS). Leaders high in GNS, who actively seek development and growth, are likely to view DJCs as opportunities for professional advancement, thereby enhancing their identification with the organization and exhibiting higher levels of OCBs. In contrast, those low in GNS may regard DJCs as undue burdens, weakening the link between challenging assignments and extra-role behavior. Using a three-wave survey of leader–supervisor dyads (n= 295), the findings support all hypothesized relationships. This study advances the DJC literature by illuminating extra-role outcomes and clarifying the psychological mechanism (organizational identification) and individual difference (GNS) that influence how DJCs shape leaders’ discretionary efforts. Implications are discussed for optimizing developmental assignments that cultivate leaders who go beyond formal role requirements to benefit the broader organization
Developing a Round Robin Module to Integrate Consensus Standards in a BME Course
No full textPurpose: Proficiency with consensus standards is essential for biomedical engineers to develop effective, safe, and compliant medical devices. However, biomedical engineering curricula often omits or limits standards content to select topics. This study aims to bridge this gap by developing and implementing a novel, standards-based module that enhances students’ ability to interpret, apply, and revise consensus standards by identifying sources of error through round-robin testing.
Methods: A hands-on learning module was designed and implemented in an upper-level biomedical engineering course. The curriculum incorporated the use of a custom-designed tensile testing device alongside a mock standard to introduce students to protocol development, standard revision, and real-world challenges in testing variability. Eight student teams conducted round-robin testing using devices configured with deliberate adulterations. Assessment included a group report, a post-module survey, and student reflections on identifying and applying standards.
Results: Students reported confidence in extracting requirements from standards, applying them to verification testing, and identifying potential limitations in testing protocols. Teams were generally successful in recognizing adulterations. The post-module survey indicated that students found the activity effective for increasing their confidence in preparing them for industry applications, though some suggested extending the module duration and improving instructional clarity for increased effectiveness.
Conclusion: This study describes the development and implementation of a standards-based module in biomedical engineering. Ultimately, students engaged in higher-order problem-solving and improved their understanding of standards implementation, testing variability, and collaborative verification processes. The findings suggest that this curriculum model could be expanded across engineering disciplines to enhance workforce preparedness in quality engineering and R&D roles
Cognitive Health in Black and Latina Midlife Women: The Role of Sleep and Vasomotor Symptoms
No full textBackground:
Women experience changes in memory during the menopause transition, with these changes tending to be more severe and persistent in Black and Hispanic women compared to White women. Women also represent two-thirds of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Black and Hispanic women are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to develop AD than their White counterparts. With growing evidence that AD-related pathological changes begin in midlife and no current cure available, identifying modifiable, female-specific risk factors for cognitive dysfunction is critical to promote brain health and reduce health disparities.
Objective:
The goal of this study was to examine associations between objectively measured sleep disturbance, vasomotor symptoms (VMS), rest-activity rhythms (RAR), and memory performance in Black and Hispanic midlife women, thereby identifying potential midlife risk factors for cognitive decline and AD.
Methods:
Fifty-five peri- and postmenopausal Black and Hispanic women completed three consecutive days and nights of at-home monitoring using wearable devices to objectively assess sleep, VMS, and RAR. Cognitive function was evaluated using the California Verbal Learning Test–II (CVLT-II) and a pattern separation task sensitive to hippocampal subfield function.
Results:
Sleep disturbance was not significantly associated with cognitive performance. However, a greater frequency of VMS during sleep—though not across 24 hours—was significantly associated with poorer pattern separation performance. In a subset of participants with sleep EEG data, more frequent sleep-related VMS were also associated with elevated beta power, a marker of cortical hyperarousal during sleep.
Conclusions:
This is the first study to integrate objective assessments of VMS, sleep, and memory performance in midlife Black and Hispanic women. While general sleep disturbance was not linked to cognitive function, sleep-related VMS emerged as a unique, previously underrecognized contributor to hippocampal-dependent memory impairment, particularly pattern separation. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating menopause symptoms in the context of brain aging and highlight the need for continued research in larger, diverse, and longitudinal cohorts to identify modifiable risk factors and address racial and ethnic disparities in cognitive aging
Mechanistic Studies of Small Molecule Entry Inhibitors of Influenza A Viruses
No full textInfluenza A viruses (IAVs) are the most problematic among the four genera of influenza viruses owing to their high abilities to genetically adapt to various animal species. Infections caused by IAVs, termed “flu”, lead to seasonal epidemics and have thus far caused 4 large-scale pandemics in the past 100 years. Annual vaccinations against epidemic flu pose problems of reformulation requirements and low efficiencies. A complementary protective measure against influenza infections is the use of antivirals and, among those that are FDA approved, the prevalence of antiviral resistance is greatly concerning. Hence, it is crucial to develop anti-influenza inhibitors that exhibit strong effectiveness against novel viral targets. Considering the criticality of the IAV surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) for IAV receptor binding and fusion, the focus of this thesis was the following: 1) identification of highly effective and metabolically stable IAV antivirals targeting HA, 2) biophysical characterization of these IAV small molecule inhibitors, and 3) gaining structural insights into the small molecule inhibition of these antivirals. We report the development of highly potent IAV inhibitors, as evaluated by pseudo- and infectious influenza virus assays. Our results also provide strong evidence for the binding of these small molecule inhibitors to HA, proving their mechanism of action to be the stabilization of a neutral conformation of HA. This stabilization will prevent the low pH-dependent irreversible conformational change of the glycoprotein in the late endosomes which is crucial for virus and host organelle fusion. Additionally, we provide data for the assessment of the biophysical properties of protein-drug binding that was done using recombinant HA protein which indicated favorable binding properties based on their kinetic parameters. We also studied the effect of pH on some of these inhibitors and discovered that a decrement in binding affinity (KD) values occur when the pH was reduced from 7.2 to 6.2. Furthermore, using structural analyses, corroborated by in vitro mutagenesis studies, we provide molecular insights into the binding of these small molecule inhibitors to HA, information that will aid the structure-activity relationship studies for further anti-IAV HA-targeting drug development. Our studies focused on one of the two phylogenetic groups of HAs; our group and others have observed that most, if not all, of the HA-targeting small molecule inhibitors possess group-specific activities, and in this thesis, we offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying their group-specific inhibition
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