Investigations in Immunology: TACI Localization in B Cells

Thesis advisor: Thomas C. ChilesFor ten weeks during the summer of 2005, I was a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow in an immunology laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. My research focused on the BLyS/APRIL system and the receptor TACI on the surface of B cells. Going into my summer research, I had very little experience in immunology. Throughout the process of writing this thesis, I have sought to improve upon my knowledge of immunology, building a cohesive story that begins with basic biology and ends with the results of the summer's experiments. The first part of this thesis covers topics in general immunology, and narrow down in focus to cover the function and development of lymphocytes and B cell maturation and activation. In the second part of the thesis, the background for my research is described in more detail, and topics such as autoimmunity and cancer, lipid rafts, cell polarization, the BLyS/APRIL system for B cell survival, and TACI are covered extensively. The final portion of this thesis discusses the experimental logic, a background on materials and methods, and the results of the experiments I conducted over the summer. By reading this thesis, anyone with a background in biology should become familiar with basic subjects in immunology, advanced concepts in the study of lymphocytes, the ligands BLyS and APRIL, and the receptor TACI in B cells.Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program

Make Your Data Work for You: True Stories of People and Technology

Thesis advisor: Alan LawsonTechnology should enhance the human experience. Instead, it often alienates people from aspects of life that are considered most important. Artists are separated from their works, friends are separated from each other, and human ingenuity is filtered though computers before it can impact the world. These five short stories focus mainly on alienations inherent to communications and media technology, but also touch on database management and copyright concerns. Some take place in the present day; others present views of the future. All five stories use fiction to explore the truth of humanity's absurd relationship to technology.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program

The Great Escape: Modern Women and the Chick Lit Genre

Thesis advisor: Elizabeth K. WallaceThis thesis uses a cultural studies approach to study the contemporary "chick lit" genre. These novels written by women, for women may be dismissed as frivolous, but their immense popularity proves that they have tapped into a cultural tension. Their target readers are young women who have grown up in a post-feminist revolution society and face unique issues unknown to any other generation of women. Blending feminist, Marxist, and formalist theories, this thesis attempts to discover how this genre functions in contemporary society – what does it do to its readers? While trying to respect the readers at all times, this thesis will discuss the failure of the genre to provide a new space for women to escape to. The conclusion discusses the potential of chick lit to do more; the genre has captured a "zeitgeist" among young women and its popularity reaches a wide audience. In the future, chick lit could serve as a genre that discusses women's issues, prompting its readers to question gender roles, consumerism, and the global status of women.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: English.Discipline: College Honors Program

Capital inflows, Dutch disease effects, and monetary policy

Thesis advisor: Fabio GhironiThesis advisor: Peter N. IrelandThis dissertation consists of three essays on Dutch disease effects of capital inflows in emerging market economies. In chapter one, I develop a twosector dynamic, stochastic, general equilibrium model of a small open economy, incorporating an investment technology that utilizes both domestic and foreign capital, and show that as capital inflow increases, tradable sector output increases initially but later contracts as output of the nontradable sector expands in response to an increase in consumption of nontradables. The increase in nontradables consumption causes the relative price of nontradables to rise, thereby exerting pressure on the real exchange rate to appreciate. The model is consistent with features of the business cycle in emerging market economies that were recipients of capital inflows. Chapter two investigates the question of whether capital inflows cause the real exchange rate to appreciate, and whether different forms of capital inflow have variable effects on the real exchange rate. I use panel data for a group of sub-Saharan African countries to estimate a dynamic real exchange rate model specifying a set of capital inflow variables. The results reveal that increases in foreign direct investment and, especially official aid cause the real exchange rate to appreciate. Chapter three develops a monetary version of the model in the first chapter, with monopolistic competition and sticky prices in the nontradable sector. I examine the roles and welfare implications of a set of monetary policy rules in a small open economy that is susceptible to the Dutch disease. The results show that Dutch disease effects occur under a fixed nominal exchange rate regime, mimicking the dynamics in economies that pegged the nominal exchange rate during episodes of capital inflow; whereas Taylor-type interest rate rules featuring either the real exchange rate or the nominal exchange rate avert Dutch disease effects. Welfare results reveal that the optimal rule is a generalized Taylor rule consistent with nominal exchange rate flexibility.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Economics

The Economic Impact of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City

Thesis advisor: Christopher F. BaumThis paper seeks to estimate the impacts generated from the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Using a data set representing 76 metropolitan statistical areas in the western United States, and later 31 metropolitan statistical areas in Utah and its bordering neighbors, I construct an Arellano-Bond dynamic panel data regression that seeks to model metropolitan employment growth had the Olympics never taken place. With this logic I apply the Arellano- Bond regression to real personal income and real average wages, in a vector autoregression framework, estimating gains to those variables over a reasonable timeframe. The predictions from these variables are then compared to actual figures in which a picture of the economic impact of the 2002 Games is generated. Using out of sample predictions I estimate Salt Lake City's Olympic impact in employment is roughly between 20,487 and 36,150 job-years, between $381 and$ 2,470 to real per-capita personal income, and a decrease of $273 to$ 2004 in real average wages.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Economics Honors Program

Role of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Enzyme Thioredoxin Peroxidase in Oxidative Stress Resistance

Thesis advisor: Clare O'ConnorWithin cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are synthesized naturally and in response to environmental stimuli. However, ROS have deleterious effects on a wide range of cellular molecules. Oxidative stress, caused by the ROS generated by the partial reduction of oxygen, is a major cause of cell damage linked to the initiation and progression of numerous diseases. Thioredoxin peroxidase (Tpx1) plays important roles in cellular defense against ROS. Although homologous genes and their functions have been identified in other eukaryotes, the level of activity as well as the necessity of this protective enzyme in S. pombe exposed to oxidative stress has yet to be fully elucidated. To explore the role of the Tpx1 protein in oxidative stress resistance, novel strains were constructed in which the tpx1 gene was overexpressed. The polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify txp1, and the amplified sequence was cloned into the yeast overexpression plasmid, pNMT41, which allows overexpression under the control of the powerful promoter. DNA sequencing was used to determine that the sequences had been properly inserted into the vector. The plasmids were transformed into two leu- yeast strains: FWP6 and TP108-3C. Production of the Tpx1 protein was ensured using Western Blot techniques. Experimentation to test the responses of the tpx1 strain to oxidative stress will employ a variety of reactive oxygen generators, including hydrogen n peroxide, menadione, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and paraquat. The results generally supported the proposed role of Tpx1 to confer additional resistance against the oxidative stress. In a complementary line of investigation, knockout strains are being constructed to reduce the levels of the Tpx1 in S. pombe. Gene deletion cassettes were constructed for tpx1. Currently, the strains are being analyzed for the successful replacement of the endogenous tpx1 gene by homologous recombination. If the absence of the protein results in decreased cell viability, the role of Tpx1 indicated by the overexpression experiments could be supported.Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Biology.Discipline: College Honors Program

Characteristics of Shy and Socially Phobic Individuals

Thesis advisor: Donnah CanavanThis study examines the relationship between shyness/social phobia and other personality traits, as manifested in college students. Very few studies have compared shyness and social phobia, and even fewer have contrasted them. However, we believe that there are several important differences between the two. Mainly, one hypothesis is that social phobics long to be more extroverted and, thus, are more conflicted in many aspects of their personalities. Moreover, very few studies have found a conclusive link between shyness or social phobia and self-esteem. One of our main hypotheses is that there is a link between shyness/social phobia and low social self-esteem, although not necessarily overall self-esteem. We sought support for these hypotheses and others in the analysis of data obtained through a survey, composed of several standard questionnaires, as well as original material covering areas of self-image, behaviors, emotions, and personality traits. The results did indicate substantial differences between shyness and social phobia, with social phobics having higher levels of extraversion and, overall, more conflict within themselves.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Psychology.Discipline: College Honors Program

Lessons China Can Learn from the East Asian Financial Crisis: A Comparative Study of the Pre-Crisis East Asian and Modern-Day Chinese Economies

Thesis advisor: Zhijie XiaoThis paper attempts to deliver a side-by-side examination of the similarities and differences between the economies of East Asia (Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea Republic, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines) and China. After the devastating 1997 Crisis, many investing eyes have turned to China as the next Asian growth engine. China has been opening its economy to foreign investors and its accession into the World Trade Organization will push for increased transparency and efficiency. The paper discusses the internal and external forces that drove the economies, with focused attention on its financial systems, using pre-crisis data. With foreign banks allowed entry into China by the end of 2006, its financial system will be an important component in economic longevity. Lastly, the question of whether or not China is vulnerable to a crisis is assessed based on the same factors that caused it in East Asia.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Economics Honors Program.Discipline: College Honors Program

Homelessness: Reflections of Fragmentation & Despair in Our Society

Thesis advisor: Susan A. MichalczykFor my thesis I not only looked at the research that has been done on the topic of homelessness, but I also used my first-hand experience from volunteering at Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in Boston's South End. Although I focused more specifically on the older homeless population, I also looked at how society perceives the homeless in general. I realized that the homeless are constantly looked down upon by the more fortunate members of society, and that they are seen as some how deserving of their situation. I came to the conclusion that before we can eradicate homelessness, we, as a society, must change out attitudes and perceptions of the homeless. We must view the homeless as individuals, as human beings.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program

The HIPC Initiative, HIV/AIDS and Growth: A Tri-Country Case Study of Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Uganda

Thesis advisor: Harold PetersenBy now, it is no secret to the global community that the many African countries lag far behind the rest of the world in terms of poverty rates, life expectancy, standard of living, per capita income, health, GDP and economic growth. This thesis examines the economic impact of HIV/AIDS on African economies and the potential for debt relief to mitigate some of the negative impacts of HIV/AIDS on African economies.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Economics Honors Program