12466 research outputs found
Sort by
Three Essays on Public Economics and Market Interventions
Get PDFThis dissertation examines how markets respond to government interventions. The first chapter looks at hoarding behaviors as a response to price distortions in the market, such as those introduced by price controls. The second assesses the impacts of clearer government communication on tax collection in Argentina. Finally, the last chapter explores the impact of procurement practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. I study the consequences of these policies using laboratory and field experiments and observational data analysis. The first chapter studies consumers' hoarding behavior as a rational response to anticipated price distortions, such as those introduced by market repression or market liberalization. In a two-period model featuring durable goods, this chapter explains how rationing explains the prevalence of hoarding behaviors. We empirically validate our model using four experimental setups: i) a free market without hoarding incentives, ii) a price-capped market in the first period followed by market liberalization in the second period, iii) a free market followed by a price-capped market, and iv) a market with a negative supply shock where hoarding is expected but rationing is not. Our experiments yield two primary findings. First, the model accurately predicts the patterns of shortages and prices. In particular, shortages are absent when participants hoard goods in anticipation of price controls and after market liberalization. Second, participants exhibit a tendency to store goods excessively, resulting in some market inefficiencies. The second chapter focuses on the role of direct communication between the government and taxpayers during a tax amnesty program in Santa Fe, Argentina. Enhancing traditional communication methods for clarity and directness improves taxpayers' understanding of the amnesty's benefits. We changed the notices sent to over 54,000 taxpayers. Some received the usual notifications, while others received redesigned messages. The new messages led to more taxpayers participating in the amnesty, collecting up to 8\% more from this group. However, in areas with a higher intensity of treatment, there was a negative impact among compliant taxpayers. This suggests that while clearer messages can increase debt collection, when done in the context of a tax amnesty, they might affect overall tax compliance. The final chapter examines the efficiency effects of changing rules to allow greater bureaucratic discretion in public procurement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chilean government changed procurement regulations to allow a faster response to the health emergency. The new rules increased discretion for small contracts and temporarily lifted restrictions on direct deals. This paper assesses the impact of these policy changes on procurement efficiency. Increasing bureaucratic discretion can have ambiguous effects. On one hand, it could lead to more corruption and rent-seeking. On the other hand, discretionary rules reduce administrative costs and could enhance efficiency by enabling bureaucrats to effectively apply their knowledge. To measure efficiency, this paper uses unit prices and transparency measures to purchase 65 standardized goods between 2019 and 2021. Our findings reveal that the expansion of bureaucratic discretion reduces processing times, lowers unit prices, and improves the quality of reporting for small contracts. However, these measurements deteriorate marginally for large contracts. This paper offers insights into procurement design. We conclude that while complex procurement regulations may address a principal-agent problem, they may impose a burden that affects the prices the government pays for goods and services
Opening the Gate: A Qualitative Analysis of National Communication Association Journal Editor Gatekeeping Practices
Get PDFJournal editors facilitate the process that determines what work is or is not published. They also have a role in creating and maintaining the canon. As such, editors have the potential to bring diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to journals and the field. I conducted in-depth interviews with 22 previous, current, and future editors of National Communication Association-sponsored journals to understand their roles in enabling and constraining research backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches to the field of communication. Conversations revealed that editors are making conscious efforts to not only publish diverse scholarship but also recruit diverse author backgrounds to journals. Editors also revealed that they have a significant amount of power over their journals and even within the field of communication but are aware of these power dynamics. Finally, editors acknowledged the limiting rules and structures set forth by the National Communication Association and their publisher, Taylor & Francis. Overall, findings from this study indicate that despite editors’ power and potential to act as gatekeepers who limit the diversity of scholarship in the field, many are making conscious efforts to counteract these choices. Notably, the NCA and Taylor & Francis structures, rules, and regulations had greater power in limiting and impacting editors’ ability to diversify scholarship
The Convert to Zion: The Mormon Conversion Experience in the Nineteenth Century
No full textThis work is embargoed by the author and will not be publicly available until December 2028.In the nineteenth century, tens of thousands of people converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormonism. Their diaries and reminiscences describe the personal experiences that contributed to their religious conversion and activity in the Church. Mormon historical scholarship has largely analyzed these conversion experiences at either the biographical or regional levels. By adopting an extensive geographic and chronological scope, this study traces the distinctive contours of the Mormon conversion experience from 1830 to the turn of the twentieth century. During this period, Mormonism adopted two practices that defined the conversion experience broadly: gathering to Zion and the principle of plural marriage (polygamy). The gathering doctrine appointed specific places as sites for the building of Zion and commanded the saints to gather out of a fallen and sinful world to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Mormon conversion experience culminated not in baptism, but in participating in this unique doctrine. At this time, baptism was a "declaration of intent" to gather. Embracing Mormonism and the gathering doctrine fundamentally shifted a convert's relationship with their surroundings. The migration journey was a spiritually charged undertaking, experienced as a religious pilgrimage. The gathering's foundational role in the conversion experience was universal across numerous groups and peoples in the nineteenth century. Mormonism's principle of plural marriage loomed large over the conversion experience, especially following the public announcement of its practice in 1852. This peculiar practice set Mormonism apart from the rest of Christianity and quickly became the faith's defining doctrinal practice. For many who entered plural marriages, it fulfilled important spiritual rites and reaffirmed their original conversion experience. Though most converts did not participate in the institution, accepting its divine origins remained necessary to their conversion. Nineteenth-century Mormon conversion linked these significant tenets with regional and cultural characteristics. As Mormonism spread to other nations and peoples, the conversion experience included their shared social and spiritual beliefs. The abandonment of the gathering doctrine and plural marriage at the end of the nineteenth century transformed the conversion experience into something wholly new for the twentieth century.2028-12-1
Novel Anti-viral Synthetic Peptides as a Therapeutic Strategy for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Infection
Get PDFThe new world alphavirus, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV), is endemic to the Americas and it is transmitted through vector borne arthropods (1). In humans, viral infection manifests in neurological sequelae, febrile illness, and sometimes death. Key to clinical manifestation of VEEV is viral entry across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (2,3). The BBB is crucial in facilitating nutrient entry while preventing entry of harmful compounds (2). There are no FDA approved therapeutic strategies to treat VEEV exposure. The overall focus of this research is to develop novel therapeutic solutions to treat VEEV infection. Specifically, in this project, the focus was on synthetic peptides as anti-viral agents. A small-scale library of 45 novel synthetic peptides was created in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and provided to George Mason University for anti-viral evaluation. Host defense peptides (HDPs) have long been studied for their bactericidal qualities during the innate immune response to microbial infection. Recent research has yielded that HDP hold antiviral properties as well and thus the focus of the proposed research is to evaluate the synthetic peptides for their promising anti-viral therapeutic potential (4). The synthetic peptide library was initially screened using a cytotoxicity assay to determine host cell viability following treatment. The peptides demonstrating 80-100% cell viability after twenty-four hours at concentrations between 10-100μg/ml. Nontoxic concentrations as determined by this assay were selected for each peptide for further testing. Following the initial screen, a nanoluciferase reporter virus (TC-83 backbone) was used to evaluate the anti-viral characteristics. Using the nano-luciferase reporter virus, cells were infected and then treated with the peptides at the nontoxic concentrations. Those peptides that demonstrated viral inhibition by 50-70% after twenty-four hours were selected for testing in the primary cells. The combination of studies indicated above have identified several candidate peptides that are well positioned for additional in-depth studies on mechanism on action and subsequent transition to in vivo models
Age and cholinergic mechanisms of mitochondrial signaling and toxicity in neural cells
Get PDFAging is a physiological process that entails physical and cognitive change however why some people experience age-related dementia due to neurodegeneration is not well understood. The most common form of neurodegeneration is non-familial, sporadic, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that is highly associated with aging. AD is also significantly higher in women than in men. Neurodegeneration of acetylcholine producing neurons, involved in memory and cognition, is a known hallmark in early AD and most FDA-approved medications operate as restorative pro-cholinergic drugs. In addition to the cholinergic deficit, AD is associated with the buildup of various amyloid type proteins (amyloid-beta and tau) within the brain. Studies show elevated levels of the neurotoxic amyloid beta 42 (A?42) within the brain of AD patients. A?42 appears to bind many cellular targets but recent compelling evidence points to an important role of altered mitochondrial function in amyloid-mediated neurodegeneration. This study uses mass spectrometry proteomics, bioinformatics, and functional cellular assays to uncover A?42 mediated damage to neuronal mitochondria. Using whole-cell proteomic analysis I demonstrate specific changes in mitochondrial protein pathways in response to A?42. In addition, I examine the involvement of the ?7 nAChR in mitochondrial responses to A?42 and test the effect of estrogen withdrawal on mitochondrial health and function. The overall findings indicate an important role for mitochondrial proteins in homeostatic responses to A?42 presentation and suggest an important role for estrogen signaling in mitochondrial neuroprotection
TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF EPICARDIAL ADIPOSE TISSUE AND MYOCARDIUM IN DIFFERENTIAL BODY MASS STATES
Get PDFThis work is embargoed by the author and will not be publicly available until May 15, 2025.Cardiomyopathy is characterized by a physiological change in the function and anatomy of the cardiovascular systems, leading to morbidity and mortality. Epicardial Adipose tissue (EAT) is functionally distinct from peripheral adipose, where it serves as a cardiovascular regulator rather than an energy repository. The molecular mechanisms by which epicardial adiposity could contribute to coronary artery disease remain poorly understood. This study examined the relative epicardial coverage by EAT, as well as gene expression and molecular pathways in the EAT and proximal myocardium of individuals belonging to three different weight categories. We showed that in both myocardium and EAT the changes from a normal body mass index to obesity result in adverse metabolic state. We have also determined that the positional coverages of epicardial adipose tissue in varying states of body differ, and can be used as a novel clinical marker for heart disease2025-05-1
Social Identity and Reconciliation: Devising a Genocide Education Model
Get PDFThis work is embargoed by the author and will not be publicly available until December 2025.This dissertation explores the overlooked aspects and applications of social identity theory within genocide education. In doing so, a Social Identity Model for genocide education and conflict reconciliation is devised, which can be integrated within pre-existing genocide education frameworks. Given the importance of developing teaching methods to adapt and grow with the new academic and real-world developments, the focus on social processes and structures outlines the role that identity holds within intergroup dynamics, rationalization, and decision-making processes that lead toward genocide and the effects it has on group formation, justification, and behavior that can be linked to understanding the escalation from violence to genocide. Drawing upon two comprehensive case studies- the Holocaust and Rwandan Genocide-, as tangible examples of implementation, and an empirical validation conducted within an educational setting, this dissertation seeks to clarify patterns of social identity concepts that escalate violence toward genocide to explain the human rationale of perceived threats to groups and promote individual and collective societal reconciliation.2025-12-1
Anywhere Else: Collaborative Learning Across Difference In a Prison
Get PDFThrough the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, incarcerated students and traditional university students come together for a semester to learn about topics and learn from one another. Drawing from community-based learning and critical pedagogical frameworks, the program trains instructors around the world to teach incarcerated and non-incarcerated students together and lays claim to learning, relational, and action-oriented outcomes for students based on a transformational experience of crossing social distance. This dissertation, constructed between an incarcerated scholar and non-incarcerated scholar, seek to understand the actual and potential outcomes for learning across social differences and distance. Through observations and interviews with students enrolled in two Inside-Out courses, the scholars examine possibilities contained in liberatory forms of learning and the tensions that emerge from placing it inside a prison where liberation is structurally discouraged, constrained, and denied
Creation of a Novel Fusion Protein WGA-eNpHR3.0 for Circuit Dissection in The Brain
Get PDFOver the last decade, optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity has redefined functional circuit analysis in the central nervous system. Combined with promoters for specific neuron types, optogenetic actuators permit activation or inhibition of select neurons within intact circuits. A major advance in this field would be to enable movement across synapses to direct the optogenetic actuator to specific afferents of the target neuronal population. Fusion constructs of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) have been shown to move retrogradely across synapses. In this thesis project, a transsynaptic optogenetic-construct was created by fusing WGA to the N-terminus of halorhodopsin (eNpHR3.0). This was done so by first amplifying the WGA sequence using mutagenic primers in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to flank the WGA fragment with restriction sites that match the insert location in eNpHR3.0. The PCR product was then ligated to the N-terminus of eNpHR3.0 and samples were transformed into E coli. Positive clones were verified to include the WGA sequence via restriction digest and electrophoresis. Positive plasmid samples were commercially sequenced in order to verify the WGA orientation. This novel WGA-eNpHR3.0 plasmid serves as a powerful tool to traffic eNpHR3.0 retrogradely both in vivo and in vitro
SPACE-BASED LIDAR FOR ESTIMATING VEGETATION STRUCTURE
Get PDFTropical Dry Forests and Shrublands, also known as "Savannas," cover over 20% of the Earth's land area and represent the third-largest carbon stock after Tropical Rainforest and Moist Forest ecosystems. Savannas contributes to approximately 24% of the global Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). These ecosystems generally have lower Aboveground Biomass Density (AGBD) at levels below 80 Mg/ha. Limited remote sensing studies have focused on the AGBD estimations in savannas since they are characterized by high heterogeneity, short-statured vegetation, which pose a substantial challenge. Models for biomass estimation often rely on sparse field measurements and Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data for parameterization, leading to large uncertainties in map products. The vast amount of height and vegetation cover data collected by spaceborne LiDAR missions, especially Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), are expected to significantly improve the accuracy of SAR-based models of AGBD. The study provided the first baseline calibration and validation of spaceborne LiDAR (GEDI and ICESat-2) canopy height and terrain metrics in southern African savannas. This study furthermore developed locally calibrated footprint-level GEDI AGBD products using local field measurements and ALS data. Finally, wall-to-wall AGBD maps were produced by leveraging ALOS PALSAR-1/2 data, with reference data derived from field measurements, ALS, and GEDI. This study also conducted an error propagation analysis to assess the uncertainty of the resultant AGBD products. The AGBD products derived from this research are essential to Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions mitigation activities under various programs, e.g. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) +. This research can also make a valuable contribution to the advancement of SAR-based AGBD mapping and monitoring of change in savannas, particularly with upcoming L-band spaceborne SAR missions like NASA/ISRO (NISAR)