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Performing Motherhood: post-dictatorship Chilean theatre (1990-2020)
No full textThis dissertation examines representations of motherhood in Chilean post-dictatorship theater as metaphors for State power and modes of resistance. I analyze mother figures in three plays from different decades of the transición period in order to explore how authors voice out their critiques and note the political tensions of Chile’s neoliberal project.
Through close readings of Benjamín Galemiri's El Cielo Falso (1997), Guillermo Calderón's Villa+Discurso (2011), and Macarena Araya Lira's Dame un minuto, esto va a ser breve (2019), and a general reading of Jesús Urqueta's staging of Taská (2012), I identify different four maternal figures that emerge in post-dictatorship Chilean theater: the Administrative Mother, who embodies neoliberal governance; the Tortured Mother, whose violated body represents national trauma; the Austere Mother, who perpetuates neoliberal self-sacrifice; and the Archivist Mother, who preserves the memory of those who are gone. These figures serve as frameworks for understanding how theater makers have mobilized maternal metaphors in order to critique or legitimize institutional power. My methodological approach combines feminist theater theory, memory studies, and political analysis that draws on Elin Diamond's feminist recontextualization of Brechtian gestus, Marianne Hirsch's notion of postmemory, Steve Stern’s metaphor of memory knots, and Nelly Richard's cultural criticism of the post-dictatorship.
I conclude that these theatrical representations of motherhood during the last 30 years in Chile show an evolving critique from the administrative logic of early transition governments to grappling with intergenerational trauma and memory, and finally to confronting the austere hopelessness of neoliberalism. These maternal figures that I propose map out the political subjectivity of the transición period, revealing how memory itself has become both a weapon and a commodity in the ongoing struggle to reckon with Chile’s past. I close with an analysis of the importance of performing our memory in order to maintain the sense of hope, reclaim the sacred, and be able to imagine an alternative future
Beyond Access: Indigenous Sovereignty & Digital Equity in Alaska’s Broadband Future
No full textThe research finds that while many communities turn to immediate solutions such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet, they are also building tribally owned networks, pursuing spectrum sovereignty, and developing local digital platforms to reclaim control over digital infrastructures. These Indigenous-led efforts improve service reliability, strengthen community decision-making, and lay the groundwork for long-term autonomy. Even as federal broadband funding increases, national programs often fall short by failing to address Indigenous governance needs and cultural priorities.
At this moment of historic broadband investment, these findings point to the urgent need to center Indigenous leadership in connectivity efforts. By focusing on tribal agency, this thesis presents broadband development as a matter of planning, power, and infrastructural justice. Indigenous communities are not passively awaiting connection—they are actively creating digital futures that reflect their own values, governance structures, and collective aspirations. Achieving meaningful digital equity will require a shift in policy and practice that recognizes digital sovereignty as essential to a just and inclusive connectivity future
Gestational Surrogacy, the Pope, and Needs for Regulations
No full textAs surrogacy grows, many states and countries are enacting or considering relevant regulations, while others oppose it. Ethical, legal and policy questions arise: how to balance the rights of various kinds of parents (e.g., heterosexual and same-sex couples and single individuals) against the rights and well-being of surrogates. Concerns include risks of exploitation, autonomy, benefits of enabling prospective parents to create loving families, and mitigating possible harms through regulations. Though a few instances of abuse have been reported in developing countries, these do not appear to have occurred in developed countries, where robust regulations exist. The limited data available on surrogates in general (i.e., including traditional and non-commercial surrogacy) do not suggest exploitation or trafficking. In 2021, New York State enacted robust regulations allowing commercial surrogacy. Subsequent competing bills have sought to loosen or enhance certain restrictions. These regulations may be a model for commercial surrogacy regulations elsewhere, but certain ethical, legal and policy questions remain (e.g., where to draw the line to prevent trafficking). Additional data and exploration of these challenges are crucial
What Really Causes Autism and What We Should Do About It
No full textRecently, given Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s attacks on vaccines as the cause of autism, I have been thinking about Billy. Kennedy’s assaults, dissuading Americans from getting immunizations, are already causing outbreaks of measles and will soon likely spread otherwise preventable diseases, including polio and influenza, potentially killing thousands of Americans.
His critics have focused on why he shouldn’t attack vaccines, but crucial questions also arise about what does in fact cause autism and how to prevent and address it
Targeting the genetic susceptibility of CD33 in Alzheimer's disease
No full textGenetic studies have indicated a causal role for microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The AD- associated rs3865444CC risk variant reduces splicing of the sialic acid-binding domain and increases expression of the full-length (sialic acid-binding) CD33 isoform seven-fold compared to the rs3865444AA protective genotype, suggesting that CD33’s sialic acid-dependent binding may be critical to its genetic association to AD. Here, we identify CD45 as an immune cell-specific sialic acid-dependent cis CD33 binding partner, whose phosphatase activity is inhibited by CD33.
Furthermore, we establish a genetic and functional interaction between CD33 and CD45 relevant to AD susceptibility and systemic myeloid dysfunction in this disease. Using a competitive inhibitor peptide, IMAD-001, we demonstrate that this interaction can be physically and functionally inhibited. By disrupting CD33’s interaction with its binding partners, we demonstrate inhibition of CD33 activity, which enhances uptake and clearance of amyloid beta in vitro and in in vivo mouse and zebrafish models of AD. Furthermore, IMAD-001 driven increases in uptake of amyloid beta monomers were positively correlated with the cell surface expression of CD33 on monocytes, further validating its effects are driven through inhibition of the CD33 receptor.
We also observed a reduction in cell surface triggering receptor expressed on myeloid 2 (TREM2), likely due to increased cleavage of the receptor resulting in increased levels of the soluble ectodomain (sTREM2) in the supernatant. Finally using single cell RNA sequencing, we show that IMAD-001 mediated inhibition of CD33 in 5xFAD mice results in an upregulation of homeostatic marker genes and down-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes.
Together, our findings indicate that inhibition of CD33 activity by disrupting its interactions with its binding partners is a promising strategy to reprogram microglia towards a homeostatic state to enhance protective microglial function, including clearance of pathologic amyloid beta, and ultimately confer neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s disease
Engaging Students in Mathematical Reasoning in School Calculus: A Case Study
No full textSince the early 2000’s, ongoing efforts for educational reform in the teaching of school mathematics have taken place to foster students’ mathematical reasoning in the classroom. Nevertheless, teachers have been hesitant to embrace the newfound role of reasoning in their instructional approach, as they continue to primarily focus on fact recall, symbolic manipulation, and procedural fluency. However, engaging students in reasoning is crucial because it allows students to analyze problems as they learn how to break them down into manageable parts and instills confidence so they can regard themselves as capable problem-solvers.
The study aims to identify mathematical practices that calculus students engage in to develop their reasoning ability as well as teacher moves employed to facilitate students’ learning of those practices and the reasons for them. Data collected for this case study were derived from class observations as well as semi-structured interviews individually with each of three experienced calculus teachers.
Findings suggest that the teachers often helped students to make connections. In particular, teachers frequently summarized students’ prior knowledge that was relevant to the completion of a task, in order to help students link new concepts with already familiar ideas. Such a move in making ideas public has evidently signaled to students their ability to solve a problem by applying what they already know. Asking students to discuss multiple approaches to a task help them think about how best to approach problems.
This move in eliciting student ideas causes students to look for connections or similarities between their ideas or processes with those of their peers. Making connections between current learning and prior knowledge can decrease the cognitive load, while making connections across different representations can address potential misconceptions, as visuals do not always lead to accurate conclusions
Singing, Moving, and Learning: A Reflective Teacher Study Group for Creative Early Childhood Educators in China
No full textThis qualitative case study investigates how early childhood educators in China integrate music and movement into everyday teaching through a collaborative Teacher Study Group (TSG). To address the gap between preservice musical training and classroom practice, this study asks: (1) How do early childhood educators transition from using music and movement primarily for engagement to embedding these creative elements as structured, pedagogically driven strategies? (2) In what ways can music function as a multidimensional pedagogical tool to foster young children’s holistic development? (3) How do educators leverage a collaborative TSG, grounded in reflective practice and action research, to refine and continually innovate their instructional methods?
Over 12 weeks, three early childhood English teachers in China engaged in an adapted TSG model that combined shared readings (drawing on Education Through Music and SongWorks), collaborative lesson design, classroom trials, and iterative reflection. Data included session recordings, teaching artifacts, lesson plans, and reflective notes. Three interlocking findings emerged.
First, teachers’ integration of music and movement unfolded nonlinearly: they progressed from early hesitations through iterative cycles of trial and reflection, culminating in coherent, pedagogically aligned routines. Second, student engagement served as the most sensitive barometer of pedagogy; teachers progressively used multimodal, observable evidence (e.g., participation and autonomy) to adjust instruction in real time. Third, functioning as adynamic scaffold, the TSG leveraged collegial feedback and action research cycles to help teachers transition from an objective-delivery mindset to creative, inquiry-driven practice.
Implications include designing professional development that honors nonlinear growth; positioning multimodal indicators of student engagement as formative evidence when integrating music- and movement-based strategies; and leveraging culturally resonant Teacher Study Group (TSG) structures to bridge theory and practice. This study offers a context-grounded example, together with practical design principles, to support the adoption of music-infused, creative pedagogy in early childhood settings in China
The Role of Lipid Metabolism in Microglia Immune Responses and the Link to ALS
No full textThe role of cholesterol metabolism and lipid homeostasis in regulating immune cell function has been well-studied in the context of specific pathways, such as TLR signaling and interleukin signaling, particularly in cardio-metabolic diseases where inflammation plays a crucial role. We now know that lipid dysregulation is also a common feature of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the exact mechanisms by which alterations in specific lipid species cause immune dysfunction and neuroinflammation are not well understood. Current studies to understand and develop a lipid ‘signature’ for neurodegenerative diseases have used patient plasma or CSF samples, and there is still a large gap in our understanding of these lipid alterations at a cellular level.
To address this gap, we first sought to understand how lipid homeostasis, specifically cholesterol metabolism, is regulated by the uptake of different lipoproteins. We then investigated cholesterol-mediated regulation of immune responses in the brain, focusing on microglia-like cells. We found that cholesterol internalization mediated by HDL induces an increase in IL-1β secretion by driving cholesterol uptake and accumulation of free cholesterol. LDL, on the other hand, does so at higher concentrations and drives an increase in cellular triglyceride levels. Inhibiting the HDL-specific lipoprotein receptor SR-B1 was sufficient to reduce cholesterol uptake and cytokine expression in microglia stimulated with LPS.
Finally, we investigated the role of cholesterol homeostasis in ALS, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by neuroinflammation and lipid dysregulation, and attempted to identify converging lipid pathways that may be driving pathology across different ALS mutations. We used shRNA knockdown to reduce the expression of six genes – three of these are well-known ALS-risk genes (TARDBP, FUS, and SOD1), and the other three are lipid genes that have been linked to cases of ALS (ERLIN2, SPTLC1, and TREM2). There were several overlapping alterations in lipid metabolism genes, specifically, we found cholesterol biosynthesis pathways to be downregulated in FUS, TARDBP, and ERLIN2 knockdowns. TARDBP knockdown had the most differentially expressed lipid metabolism genes in microglia-like cells.
To understand the functional consequences of this, we measured lipid droplets, cholesterol uptake, triglyceride levels, and alterations in phagocytosis and cytokine expression in both TARDBP and FUS knockdowns. Our data showed significant accumulation of lipid droplets in both, driven by triglyceride accumulation. We further characterized the TARDBP knockdown and showed that nuclear depletion of TDP-43 results in increased fatty acid uptake and triglyceride synthesis. Inhibiting triglyceride synthesis using DGAT enzyme inhibitors in TARDBP knockdown MDMi rescued most of the observed phenotypes, suggesting these alterations were driven by triglyceride accumulation
Examining Parent Strategy Use within a Randomized Controlled Trial of The Incredible Years® Autism Spectrum Language Delays Program
No full textThis dissertation uses a mixed methods approach to examine parent strategy use during the Incredible Years® Autism Spectrum Language Delays (IY-ASLD) program, an intervention designed to support parents of preschool-aged children with autism and language delays. The IY-ASLD program was implemented via telehealth in three waves by developer-trained group leaders across 12 groups, each running for 14 weekly sessions, with a total of 59 parents participating.
This study examined three aims to understand parent strategy use. First, parental use of IY-ASLD strategies from the curriculum was measured using video coded observations of zoom-recorded parent-child interactions at baseline and post-intervention timepoints. Three IY-ASLD strategies, descriptive commenting, emotion coaching, and persistence coaching, showed a significant increase in uptake by parents between the baseline and post intervention timepoints. Second, parent conversations around strategy uptake were examined using qualitative analysis of the IY-ASLD group intervention session transcripts.
The identified themes from the analysis focused on strategy utilization, parents’ cognition, child development, and the family context. Findings indicated that parents’ conceptualization of strategies and contextual factors, such as daily demands, routine settings and child responsiveness, were perceived by parents to have played an important role in strategy uptake. Third, associations were examined between self-reports of parental self-efficacy (baseline) with changes in use of strategies from baseline to post interventions as well as with self-reports of confidence (post intervention) and perceived usefulness of the strategies (post intervention).
Findings indicated that parental self-efficacy was not associated with changes in observed strategy use. Positive associations were found between parental self-efficacy and self-reports of confidence and perceived usefulness of strategies. The integration of quantitative and qualitative data highlighted the importance of tailoring interventions to family-specific needs to support the generalization of the program beyond structured sessions. This study contributes to the literature on autism interventions for parents by identifying factors that influence the uptake of IY-ASLD strategies in naturalistic parenting contexts
Essays in Financial Economics
No full textThis dissertation comprises three empirical studies in corporate finance that examine how information and incentives shape insider conduct, firm decisions, market outcomes, and regulatory policy. Using large-scale datasets and modern empirical methods, the chapters analyze (i) insider trading and insiders’ behavior on social media, (ii) interactions between activist hedge funds and short sellers, and (iii) interest groups’ influence on financial regulation.
Chapter 1, Insider Tweets Around Insider Trades, investigates whether corporate insiders’ Twitter activity is systematically linked to their trading behavior. Matching 1,473 verified insider Twitter accounts to their transactions from 2010 to 2022, we find that increased Twitter activity predicts a higher likelihood of selling and a lower likelihood of buying in the future, particularly in settings more conducive to opportunism. Trades accompanied by shifts in Twitter activity before and after the transaction yield significant abnormal returns, while trades with stable tweeting behavior in that period do not. Tweets surrounding these profitable trades are more positive in tone and more focused on the insider’s firm, yet they do not generate immediate market reactions. These patterns suggest that insiders may use social media to subtly shape perceptions around their trades without disclosing material information.
Chapter 2, Power Tussle: Hedge Fund Activists and Short Sellers, studies instances in which activist hedge funds and short sellers target the same stock, using European data on activism and mandatory disclosures of large short positions. Large short sellers are associated with a 22.6% increase in the likelihood of a firm becoming an activist target. This effect is linked to higher campaign success rates and greater profitability. Moreover, activists employ fewer hostile tactics, launch shorter campaigns, and achieve better post-activism corporate outcomes when large short positions were disclosed in the previous quarter. These findings suggest that firms become more receptive to activists’ demands after facing pressure from short sellers.
Chapter 3, Influencing Financial Regulations, examines how interest groups shape financial regulation through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) public comment process. Using 295 rules issued between 1962 and 2018 and 39,385 associated comment letters, we identify which submissions the SEC cites in footnotes or incorporates into final rules. We find that although individuals submit most letters, they are rarely cited or accepted, whereas industry organizations submit fewer but are disproportionately influential. We then document two stylized facts: (i) longer and more complex letters are significantly more likely to be incorporated, and (ii) a higher share of individual submissions reduces the citation rate of industry letters. To interpret these patterns, we develop a parsimonious model in which commentators strategically choose the informativeness of their letters subject to participation costs, and the regulator aggregates their input when setting regulatory tightness. Overall, our results indicate that the SEC’s comment process reflects both the informational content of submissions and the strategic environment in which they arise