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Constructive Competition: A Strategic Framework for U.S. Engagement and PolicyAlternatives to the Belt and Road Initiative
No full textChina’s Great West: Environment and Economy in Late Qing Xinjiang, 1877-1917
No full textPh.D.This dissertation examines the environmental dimensions of Qing colonization of Xinjiang. It explores how the late Qing administration established political dominance over Xinjiang through the constant struggles between the arid environment and the state. Qing colonialism in Xinjiang was, among other things, a form of ecological colonialism aimed at transforming the landscape, exploiting resources, and integrating the local population into the Qing state. The ideas, tools, and practices of this Qing ecological colonialism came from both Chinese approaches and global changes, particularly ecological pressures, industrialization, and shifting economic dynamics worldwide. Yet Han Chinese administrators in Xinjiang often found themselves constrained by the ecological limitations and cultural differences in Xinjiang, necessitating reliance on local intermediaries, indigenous practices, and private investment. I demonstrate that the Qing environmental colonization of Xinjiang was not a linear process of economic development or expansion of arable land. Rather, the Qing Chinese state’s transformation efforts often clashed with the region’s ecological and geopolitical constraints, and these clashes had environmental consequences. By the early twentieth century, Xinjiang underwent significant environmental changes as a consequence of multiple factors, especially the expansion of arable land and Qing’s population growth. These changes were further manifested in various forms of ecological degradation, such as the drying-up of rivers and lakes, collapses of irrigation facilities, land abandonment, locust plagues, and the extinction of Caspian tigers in the Tarim Basin. By examining these dynamics that converged in the turn-of-the-century Xinjiang, I identify three major historical processes: (1) Qing’s increasing political dominance over Xinjiang, (2) the increase in the number of Chinese settlers and the growing significance of Chinese authority and expertise in the management of local human and natural resources, and (3) ecological degradation in the region. Moreover, I argue that the environment in Central Asia in general, and in the Tarim Basin in particular, was imbricated in the global expansion of empires into arid regions. It prompted geographers and environmental historians to investigate the relationship between climate changes and historical trajectories on a global scale
IP-3.9: St. Alphonsus Church, Woodstock, Md. - Attendance Book - St. Peter Claver's Sunday School
No full textAttendance book for St. Peter Claver Sunday School
Motion to Unseal, In re DNI/AG 702(h) Certification 2024-A, 2024-B, 2024-C and Predecessor Certifications
No full textFirst page of documen
Investigations of Mitochondrial Function and Distribution in Cdk5-associated Neurodegeneration in Drosophila
No full textPh.D.Age-related neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) represent a significant personal and public health burden, in large part, because no therapeutics exist to slow the course of these diseases. Many of the pathophysiological features that are shared amongst these diseases are associated with mitochondria. However, it remains unclear how changes in mitochondria observed in age-related NDDs contribute to, or potentially counteract, the cellular and organismal decline accompanying these diseases. Here, I utilize a Drosophila melanogaster model that relies upon reducing the activity of cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) to investigate the roles of mitochondrial function and distribution changes in age-related NDD. I first examine Cdk5-associated changes in mitochondrial function, and I find the mitochondrial redox environment to be perturbed. To understand whether these changes are contributing to or counteracting Cdk5-associated neurodegeneration, I utilize a pharmacologic approach to modulate the mitochondrial redox state. In Cdk5-affected tissue, I unexpectedly find lower mitochondrial H2O2 concentration and, contrary to what might be expected, this change is contributing to the demise of the organism. Perhaps most important, I find that manipulating the mitochondrial glutathione redox potential, an integrative marker of multiple ROS and antioxidant pathways, affects Cdk5-associated survival through the induction of compensatory metabolic responses and not from changes in the final, absolute level of this redox parameter. The presence of such compensatory mechanisms and their implications for disease have been previously underexplored, and I show here that these compensatory responses can be modulated by both age and a neurodegeneration-associated perturbation, reduction of Cdk5 activity. Finally, I show that the distribution of mitochondria is unlikely to be playing a causal role in Cdk5-associated neurodegeneration, isolating the mitochondrial deficits in this model to the function of the mitochondria rather than their subcellular localization. Interestingly, I did observe changes in mitochondrial localization at the axon initial segment which may be relevant to the normal physiology of neurons. In summary, the work presented in this dissertation uncovers unexpected insights into how changes observed to correlate with age-related neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model are implicated in that pathology
Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech on College Campuses
No full textJoin us in welcoming Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America, the leading human rights and free expression organization. Nossel is a leading voice on free expression issues in the United States and globally, writing and being interviewed frequently for national and international media outlets. She is author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All, which will be available for raffle at this year's Book Raffle event.
For this keynote, Nossel will be in conversation with Robert Groves, Georgetown Provost, who will help to provide the Georgetown context for these issues
What Made War Inevitable: Great-Power Competition and Civil War in Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War
No full textSense and Sense Ability: Giardia in Mucus-Like Viscoelasticity
No full textPh.D.Microorganisms' ability to navigate and survive in mucus, a viscoelastic fluid, is often the first step to infection. Giardia lamblia, a flagellated protozoan parasite that interacts with intestinal mucus, infects humans and other mammals. Current in vitro studies of Giardia utilize low-viscoelastic media or buffered saline, resulting in a limited understanding of its response to the mechanical challenges posed by mucus. This study examines Giardia's growth, behavior, and transcriptional profile in physiological-relevant viscoelastic environments. In Chapter I, we induce synthesis, purify, and isolate Muc2 protein from intestinal cell culture. In Chapter II, we create tunable viscoelastic media, mirroring the in vivo mucosal environment, by introducing biocompatible polymers into traditional Giardia culture media. We then establish a novel microcapillary culture method and use it for systematic imaging and tracking of Giardia growth and behaviors in a viscoelastic environment. In Chapter III, we perform an RNAseq analysis to assess how different viscoelastic conditions affect Giardia's gene expression. Our findings revealed that the viscoelastic media did not significantly impact Giardia's cell doubling time or gene expression pattern. However, notable shifts in attachment patterns were observed. Giardia trophozoites typically settle to the floor of culture chambers in traditional, low-viscosity media, whereas a substantial fraction was found attached to the ceiling in viscoelastic media. Moreover, while cells are evenly dispersed in traditional media, they form colony-like aggregates in the viscoelastic media. Collectively, these findings suggest that although Giardia behavior in culture conditions is responsive to the physical environment, these changes are not mediated at the level of gene expression. While surprising, this might reflect that Giardia is already adapted to survival in its native viscoelastic mucosal environment and the concomitant mechanical stresses. Thus, the behavioral changes we observe may involve modifying motility behaviors without substantial changes to its cellular machinery. Our investigation is the first in the field to explore how viscoelastic stresses influence Giardia growth dynamics and gene expression. Our discoveries shed light on cellular responses to physiological-relevant mechanical stresses, particularly for motile pathogens in mucosal interfaces, and underscore the need to consider the mechanical property of mucus in the study of intestinal pathogens
Evaluating the Impact of Telehealth Prenatal Care
No full textD.N.P.During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prenatal care programs had to reimagine how to safely deliver care by adapting to telehealth. A federally qualified health center in the MidAtlantic region, built an innovative telehealth group prenatal care (T-GPNC) program to ensure equitable and safe healthcare access during the COVID-19 emergency. T-GPNC includes an individual telehealth assessment, group education and support, and direct connection to community resources. The purpose of this program evaluation is to describe adequacy of prenatal care for T-GPNC clients, in comparison to individual prenatal care (IPC) clients, and to describe client satisfaction with T-GPNC.This evaluation is a mixed methods design that uses a retrospective chart review of T-GPNC and IPC Spanish speaking clients, and satisfaction surveys for T-GPNC clients. Measures included the adequacy of prenatal care utilization index, completion of standard screenings, recorded blood pressure, and satisfaction surveys. The satisfaction surveys included questions on usefulness of topics, satisfaction rating, and open-ended questions. Electronic health record data was collected for client encounters from July 1, 2021 to August 31, 2023 with nurse midwives. Data was analyzed using SPSS software to provide descriptive statistics. Qualitative surveys were analyzed with inductive coding.The final analysis includes 141 T-GPNC and 193 IPC clients. The majority of clients are Latinx, and 97.9% receive public insurance or are uninsured. T-GPNC clients were significantly more likely to receive adequate or adequate plus care at 67.9% versus only 39.1% for IPC clients. T-GPNC clients reported they like to receive prenatal care in group sessions (95.7%) with a high average rating (4.85 out of 5, SD = 0.63). Most clients identified all of the topics covered as very useful. Qualitative themes included: gaining knowledge, shared experiences, and systems level support.
T-GPNC provided critical support to a marginalized community during a pandemic and resulted in higher rates of adequate prenatal care for T-GPNC clients than those receiving IPC. T-GPNC clients were highly satisfied with their care. Clinical practices should continue to implement this model with resources that ensure equitable access to technology and equipment for adequate telehealth care