71446 research outputs found
Sort by
The Value of Poverty: Neoliberal Development at the Bottom of the Pyramid in Rural Rajasthan
No full textIn 2023, the western Indian state of Rajasthan—home to some of India’s poorest populations—received Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding of close to $130 million from over 1,500 different private corporations, cementing a growing trend. In tandem with billions of dollars in World Bank and Government of India funding, the flood of CSR money into the state over the past decade has animated a vast new array of anti-poverty projects which, following the development industry’s valorization of entrepreneurship and financial inclusion as market-based solutions to poverty, often promote microenterprises and microcredit to Rajasthan’s rural poor. Through ethnographic fieldwork centered on two CSR-funded, non-governmental organization (NGO)-run development projects in peri-urban villages near Ajmer and Udaipur cities, this dissertation interrogates the cultural labors through which such development projects attempt to remake rural Rajasthan as a debt-saturated enterprise society; the new definitions of poverty which are generated in the process s; and the challenges of advancing other anti-poverty visions in a landscape dominated by privately-funded development.
Over four chapters that draw on fieldwork conducted primarily in 2018 and 2019, I attend to the point of interaction between developers and development beneficiaries which I term “the development encounter”—a site where the former attempt to remake the latter into entrepreneurial and credit-desiring subjects. In each chapter of this multi-sited ethnography, I interrogate how, why, and against what odds developers advance new enterprises and more credit to the already enterprising and indebted poor. I ethnographically track developers’ re-posing of the poverty problem as a lack of market-engagement rather than a lack of incomes. Further, I attend to the dissent that must be quelled for enterprises to be positioned as superior to better-paying wage labor, and for collective democratic demands for public funding to be redirected towards the individual market demand for credit. Scholars have argued that neoliberal development renders the world’s poorest populations surplus to the needs of capital. In contrast, this dissertation situates private development in rural Rajasthan within a broader attempt to reconceptualize the world’s poorest as a “fortune at the bottom of the pyramid.” By demonstrating the specific mechanisms through which the “bottom billion” continue to be approached as sources of profit and enfolded into wider circuits of accumulation, this dissertation intervenes in conceptualizations of the poor as surplus populations abandoned by state and capital, and sheds light on development projects’ efforts to insert new markets into the nooks and crannies of rural society.Anthropolog
Development of HaloTag-Based Tools for Recording Synaptic Dynamics
No full textSynaptic transmission and plasticity are fundamental processes that underlie inter-neuronal communication, learning, and memory. However, current methods for tracking synaptic changes in vivo have limited spatial resolution, imaging depth, and imaging volume. This dissertation presents two novel HaloTag-based molecular labeling techniques designed to map presynaptic activity and postsynaptic plasticity in situ in live animals.
The first technique, Extracellular Protein Surface Labeling in Neurons (EPSILON), uses a pulse-chase strategy with membrane-impermeable dyes to selectively track α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) exocytosis, a key indicator of synaptic potentiation. By labeling newly surface-exposed AMPARs at genetically targeted synapses, EPSILON provides high-resolution maps of synaptic plasticity in vivo. In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, EPSILON was employed to investigate the relationship between AMPAR exocytosis and cFos expression during contextual fear conditioning. This study revealed a strong correlation between synaptic potentiation and immediate early gene activation, suggesting a synapse-level mechanism for the formation of memory engrams. Additionally, EPSILON uncovered spatial patterns of synaptic plasticity, including preferential potentiation in perisomatic dendrites and localized clustering of potentiated spines, highlighting the structured organization of synaptic modifications during learning.
The second technique enables time-resolved tracking of presynaptic vesicle release, in vitro and in vivo. This method uses HaloTag fusion constructs of presynaptic proteins, such as synaptophysin and vesicular glutamate transporter 1, to selectively label active presynaptic terminals upon neurotransmitter vesicle exocytosis. In cultured neurons, optogenetic stimulation or chemical depolarization significantly increased HaloTag dye labeling on presynaptic boutons, demonstrating the method’s sensitivity to presynaptic activity. In live mice, this technique was used to map presynaptic activity under optogenetic stimulation or sensory deprivation, revealing distinct patterns of presynaptic vesicle release dynamics in response to neural activity changes in vivo. Furthermore, sequential labeling with multiple dyes confirmed that this approach enables multiplexed tracking of synaptic activity across different time points, providing a powerful tool for studying functional synaptic connectivity in naturalistic conditions.
Together, these two techniques offer complementary approaches for investigating the dynamics of synaptic activity and plasticity. Unlike conventional real-time imaging methods, which are limited by optical access and restricted fields of view, these HaloTag-based approaches enable synaptic events to be recorded in situ and read out ex vivo, allowing for comprehensive analysis of synaptic modifications throughout the brain. Future applications of these methods may include simultaneous tracking of presynaptic and postsynaptic changes, brain-wide mapping of synaptic modifications, and integration with advanced imaging, proteomic, or transcriptomic approaches. By enhancing the ability to study synaptic changes in vivo with high precision, this dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying functional neural circuits in the brain.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog
Essays on International Trade, Financial Intermediation, and Networks
No full textThis dissertation studies various aspects of how the macroeconomy is shaped by international trade and financial intermediation.
The first chapter analyzes trade in dual-use goods, items with both civilian and military applications. Xinyue Lin and I document that, historically, regulation and trade flows of critical goods have reacted to changes in the national security environment. We propose a theoretical definition of dual-use goods by integrating a military contest into a trade model.
Then we take our model to the data and deliver a ranking of dual-use goods, as well as macroeconomic magnitudes behind the consumption-security trade-off.
The second chapter, a joint work with Leonardo D’Amico, studies the dynamics of interest rate differentials for bank lending across the U.S. states between 1953 and 1983. When the national rate is high, savers invest in competitive financial instruments, and rates equalize across space. When the national rate is low, savers keep their money in checking
accounts that provide liquidity services, so demand for loans and supply of savings clear locally, resulting in a geographic dispersion of lending rates. Our model explores the spatial implications of this pattern for economic activity and considers branching counterfactuals.
The third, and final, chapter explores patterns of international currency invoicing and its implications for prices and quantities. When firms lock contracts on prices and quantities, their balance sheets become exposed to exchange rate movements. To reduce balance sheet volatility, firms match currencies of their exports to currencies of their imports. In networks, such invoicing behavior propagates beyond direct trade links, which leads to the amplification of more central currencies.Business Economic
Anti-DAPT: A “One-Pot” Multi-Omics Assay for Antibody-Directed DNA, RNA, and Protein Tagging
No full textThe role of epigenetic modifications in gene regulation is well established, with mechanisms such as histone modification and DNA methylation playing pivotal roles in gene expression and cellular identity. Elucidating the molecular compositions and local environments at these epigenetic markers may uncover new mechanisms and therapeutic targets in diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration. While recent methods such as CUT&Tag can efficiently identify the DNA sequences associated with such epigenetic features, there remains a lack of robust methodologies that allow simultaneous profiling of local protein and RNA environments that are also compatible with clinical specimens. Here, we present Antibody-directed DNA And Protein Tagging (Anti-DAPT), a novel epigenomic profiling assay that extends our previous iDAPT technology. Anti-DAPT employs an antibody-tethered protein A–Tn5 transposase–APEX2 peroxidase (pA-Tn5-APX) fusion protein to simultaneously tag DNA, RNA, and protein molecules proximal to epigenetic features of interest. As proof of concept, we demonstrate that all three protein domains of the pA-Tn5-APX fusion protein are appropriately functional for the purposes of the assay. Future application of the Anti-DAPT assay to various chromatin features, cell types, and tissues will enable unprecedentedly comprehensive and multi-omic mapping of the regulatory microenvironments that shape gene expression and drive human disease.Biomedical Engineering A
Driving Emissions Abroad? The Relationship Between Green Vehicles and Used Vehicle Exports to Developing Nations
No full textDeveloped countries have begun pursuing green industrial policy as a strategic
means to accelerate technological change and economic transformation towards more
sustainable economies. These shifts raise important questions concerning how green
industrial policies might interact with greenhouse gas flows through international trade.
Policies aimed at reducing transportation emissions are particularly important as the
sector is lagging others in decarbonization. As populations rise and economies develop
within developing countries, vehicular transportation emissions are projected to escalate
without policy interventions.
My research aimed to understand if used vehicle exports from developed
countries are part of a system preventing decarbonization in developing countries by
shifting emissions abroad. Do green industrial policies in developed nations drive the
export of used conventionally fueled vehicles to developing countries? How might this
apply to a region experiencing rapid urbanization and population growth, considering
sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is poised for rising transportation emissions that could
undermine global climate goals (Booysen et al., 2021; Rajé et al., 2018)?
Through quantitative analysis of two decades of customs data, my research
evaluated connections between major exporters' green vehicle policies and used vehicle
exports. Using a cross-national panel regression analysis, the effects of used vehicle trade
on CO2 fuel emissions were analyzed. This analysis explored associations between major
transport emissions sources in core countries transitioning to green vehicle fleets and
periphery nations continuing conventionally fueled imports.
This research draws on Eco-dependency theory literature and hypothesized and
found that: 1) The relationship between used vehicle trade flows and associated CO2
emissions demonstrates stronger alignment with Eco-dependency theory than Neoliberal
theoretical frameworks in the Global and Latin America regressions; and 2) the regions
of SSA, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, predominantly comprised of countries with
low and medium HDI, support Eco-dependency theory through positive correlation
between used passenger vehicle exports and CO2 fuel emissions. However, only the
region of Latin America showed support for Eco-dependency theory.
The analysis provided some empirical support for green industrial policy serving
as a potential new mechanism by which core countries maintain technological
dependencies with peripheries in Latin America. However, this relationship did not hold
in the cases of SSA and Southeast Asia. This casts doubt upon the relevance of Ecodependency theory and calls for further research on understanding how green industrial
policies interact with international development processes and prevent periphery
countries from decarbonizing. The link was not found in SSA and Southeast Asia,
challenging aspects of Eco-dependency theory by suggesting green development does not
inherently affect the environment in the way the theory proposes outside of Latin
America.
Policy makers should note that these unintended global emission flows through
international trade risk eroding emissions reductions achieved domestically in developing
countries, and hamper net zero efforts globallyExtension Studie
Oro
No full textIf a piece of gold could talk, what story would it tell?
Set in three distinct periods, the 1500s, 1700s and present day, Oro is a novel that weaves three tales that tell the story of gold's movement and influence across the world and through time. As Christopher Columbus once said: "Gold is a treasure, and he who possesses it does all he wishes to in this world."
Oro is a novel based on true historic events and people. It is a story that traces a single piece of gold from man's first discovery in the New World to the depths of the sea and back to man. It captures the power of gold to create riches, drive countries into battle, and entice many to their death in its pursuit. Gold has funded empires and fueled the demise of leaders and laymen alike. Part historical-reality, part adventure and tragedy on the high seas, part familial love story that transcends time and place, Oro is the tale of one piece of gold, in the hands of three storytellers over the span of 500 years.Extension Studie
The Dissemination and Availability of Western Ideas of the Agrarian in Modern China
No full text20th-century Chinese history has been widely interpreted as part of a perennial search for modernity. While city-making has undoubtedly played a significant part in China’s path to modernization, there were also key moments when reformers—such as Zhang Jian, Sun Yat-sen, Zhou Zuoren, Zhang Yongnian, Liu Shaoqi, and Mao Zedong—repeatedly turned their commitments to rural alternatives. Instead of following the dominant city-centered paradigm, a range of reformist projects demonstrated a shared belief that an agrarian modernity could be realized through mobilized localities and dedicated professionals. Although these rural reforms have left a notable imprint on China’s modern history and have been dealt with extensively across many disciplines, architecture and planning disciplines have remained largely disengaged from these agrarian topics, focusing instead on the more legible—and at times even ceremonious—results of urban development. This dissertation addresses this gap, focusing on the often-neglected rural reforms and the history of ideas that took shape well before the reforms themselves. It argues that a range of ideas, images, and models of the agrarian modern—though largely unfamiliar to most Chinese by the turn of the 20th century—were disseminated from the West and ultimately made available to relevant audiences in China. In doing so, this dissertation offers a more nuanced understanding of the often-overlooked notion of agrarian modernity in the design disciplines and, more importantly, situates modern rural schemes and practices in China within a global intellectual framework that transcends the conventional East-West divide.Advanced Studies Progra
Characterizing how social contexts shape risky decision making across adolescence
No full textAdolescence has been a focus in scientific research due to the dynamic social and cognitive development that unfolds during this transitional period between childhood and adulthood, as individuals begin to navigate a more complex social environment. Two of the characterizing features of this period are heightened rates of risk taking and elevated importance of peer relationships. While adolescent risk taking and susceptibility to peer influence are often viewed as negative and potentially harmful, this dissertation examines risk as a neutral concept, adopting the definition of risk as outcome variability from the judgment and decision making literature. Papers 1 and 2 used an economic decision making paradigm and computational modeling to assess age-related changes in risk preferences and the underlying decision processes, while Paper 3 used longitudinal data to expand our understanding of how fluctuations in social support in real life may impact adolescent risk taking, using both behavioral experiments and self-report survey measures. Paper 1 found early adolescence to be a window of heightened sensitivity to social contexts that require adjudicating between self- and peer-interest in risky decisions. Peer observation over Zoom did not evoke additional age-related differences in risk preference. Paper 2 found that individuals in general overestimated their friends’ risk preferences, and that older adolescents and young adults were more adept at flexibly taking friends’ perspectives in decision making. Paper 3 found that within-person fluctuations in perceived close friend support were not associated with levels of risk preference in adolescents, whereas between-person levels of perceived close friend support had a stronger association with risk preference among younger adolescents. Taken together, these findings shed light on social and cognitive mechanisms that unfold at different stages during adolescence that underlie individuals’ risky decision making.Psycholog
In the Nodule Provinces: A History of the Ocean that Minerals Promised
No full textThis dissertation is a history of aspirations to mine the deepest seabeds of the world’s oceans for manganese (polymetallic) nodules. Nodules are mineral concretions that, since the late 19th century but especially since the 1950s, have been framed as a novel resource frontier for valuable metals. While nodules have been recognized as an economic resource for more than a century, they have never been commercially extracted. Conceptions of nodules as an abundant, potentially limitless, resource frontier were propagated among new transnational communities of ocean scientists and ocean politicians in the mid-20th century. This fundamentally altered relationships between ocean territory, resources, and governance. To tell a history of the ocean that nodules promised, the dissertation takes nodules as they entered the hands of different but overlapping groups — late-19th century naturalists, and 20th century physical oceanographers and biogeochemists, economic geologists, resource economists, ocean politicians, and so-called pioneer investors. I show that we inherit an ocean whose governance is overdetermined by mid-century resource desires.History of Scienc
Investigating Staphylococcus aureus Cell Envelope Enzymes for Antibiotic Discovery
No full textThe rise of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has created an urgent need for new antibacterial strategies. The bacterial cell envelope—comprising the peptidoglycan cell wall, membrane-bound enzymes, and teichoic acids—remains a validated but underexploited target space for antibiotic discovery. This thesis describes three complementary approaches to address antibiotic resistance by investigating S. aureus cell envelope enzymes.
The first approach focuses on discovering small-molecule inhibitors of FtsW, a highly conserved and essential peptidoglycan polymerase involved in septal cell wall synthesis. To identify FtsW inhibitors, we developed a time-resolved FRET (TR-FRET) assay capable of detecting polymerase activity in vitro. Screening a curated library of compounds lethal to S. aureus revealed a set of candidate inhibitors, including compounds that act through substrate competition. Biochemical validation and substrate displacement assays confirmed their activity and provided insights into the mechanism of inhibition.
The second approach centers on the identification and characterization of SpbR, a previously uncharacterized membrane protein discovered through transposon sequencing under teichoic acid inhibition conditions. SpbR modulates lipoteichoic acid (LTA) length and physically interacts with SpsB, the essential type I signal peptidase in S. aureus. Genetic and biochemical evidence shows that SpbR inhibits SpsB-mediated cleavage of LtaS, the LTA polymerase, resulting in extended LTA polymers. SpbR also partially inhibits cleavage of other canonical SpsB substrates, functioning as a general modulator of SpsB activity. To our knowledge, SpbR is the first described modulator of a bacterial type I signal peptidase.
The third approach involves structure-guided discovery of inhibitors targeting DltB, a membrane protein involved in D-alanylation of teichoic acids. While D-alanylation is not essential under normal conditions, it plays a key role in virulence and antimicrobial resistance. Virtual screening against the cryo-EM structure of DltB identified compounds that inhibit growth only in strains missing a membrane protein that is synthetically lethal with the Dlt pathway, but not in wild-type S. aureus. Genetic suppressor analysis and saturation mutagenesis revealed a previously uncharacterized binding site and provided insight into the mechanism of inhibition.
Together, these studies advance our understanding of S. aureus cell envelope biology and highlight diverse strategies for antibiotic development—through inhibition of essential enzymes, identification of modulators of envelope biogenesis, and targeting of non-essential enzymes to potentiate existing antibiotics.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog