Journey

Through my work, I would like to show that even though we are our own individuals, we are also all part of a global culture. As a Chinese American, I am part of a community in which Kung Fu is prevalent and I have spent a great deal of time studying it, along with many of my family members and friends. I believe that Kung Fu is a unique way to bridge cultural gaps; it aids in a mutual understanding in a way that language often fails to do. It is an art that is able to cross existing cultural barriers through practiced movement and shared experience. Photography, like Kung Fu, requires discipline and determination and the achievement of excellence through resilience and fortitude. Both forms of art teach the body and mind to work as one. Each photograph explores a unique Kung Fu form. They portray the intensity and the clarity of each of the forms in juxtaposition with a background that is meaningful to each person. The backgrounds symbolize a place that defines them as an individual today. The poses are the pivotal points of a much longer form that they have worked to perfect.Each subject wears comfortable clothing of their choosing instead of traditional garb. These modern clothes contrast with the ancient traditions of Kung Fu and bridge the time gap, showing that Kung Fu is an enduring art form that has touched the whole world. Kung Fu and photography are methods of communication. They provide alternatives to the spoken or written word, and a way of uniting many different lives and backgrounds without fear of a communication barrier

Comparative Studies of Health and Mortality

This dissertation consists of three comparative studies of health and mortality which address major topics in the field: persistent mortality disparities within the U.S., how mortality in the U.S. compares to other high-income countries, and early life determinants of adult morbidity in developing countries. The design of these studies is predicated on the belief that we can draw meaningful inferences from comparisons across populations. Chapter I examines the contribution of smoking to black-white mortality differences above age 50 from 1980-2005. This study shows that smoking-attributable mortality accounted for 20-40% of the black-white mortality gap among males between 1980-2005, but accounted for almost none of the black-white mortality gap among females. The results support the hypothesis that later initiation and lower rates of smoking cessation among black men may contribute to their higher levels of smoking-related mortality relative to white men. Chapter II provides a comprehensive assessment of U.S. mortality relative to other high-income countries. This study demonstrates that mortality differences below age 50 account for the majority of the gap in life expectancy at birth between American males and their counterparts in other high-income countries. Among females, this figure is 41%. The major causes of death responsible for Americans\u27 excess years of life lost below age 50 are unintentional injuries, noncommunicable diseases, perinatal conditions, and homicide. This study also finds that the U.S.\u27s unique pattern of age-specific mortality rankings holds for birth cohorts whose mortality experience spans the period 1935-2005. Chapter III explores the association between two measures of early life conditions and adult morbidity in six countries. The findings from this study indicate that those born during the autumn in Ghana, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa and during the monsoon in India experience a health advantage. In China, the autumn-born experience a health disadvantage. This study also finds that pre- and postnatal rainfall and temperature conditions are associated with adult health outcomes, particularly height and blood pressure. The results provide support for the hypotheses that early life disease and nutritional conditions are important influences on later life health

The Auto Show

I intend to create an auto show displaying the various cars of my own design. The palette of colors and the mosaic surfaces give the cars more personality and also emphasizes the various characteristics of the car that make it a unified whole. Overall, my work combines my interests in both automotive and digital imaging to portray the cars as works of art, rather than just a means of transportation. I would like to show that every automobile has its own unique personality, because each car has a distinctive shape, color, height, engine design, gear ratio, driving wheel, and a million other details. Cars have for me another characteristic: they are everyday objects that I want to turn into pieces of art. As someone who loves going to auto shows and admiring the different cars, I am interested in understanding the different layers of each one, and the functionality of each car. A car is a work of art, an architectural masterpiece on wheels. We are often asked the question: Does the form follow the function? Every car has a unique design. Every detail no matter how small has a purpose. If we just consider the function of a car, it is meant to help people get around. Every car can do that, so why are there so many different models? The answer is simple. A car reflects its owner’s personality

Chromatin Control of the Antiviral Response to Influenza

A key development for our understanding of the mechanisms that control gene expression has been the finding that the histones recruit proteins with effector functions to chromatin. This is mediated primarily by post-translational modifications that occur on the histone N-terminal domains (“tails”). Single or combinations of histone tail modifications serve as scaffolds for protein complexes controlling transcription or co-transcriptional processes, thus impacting gene expression. Histone tail modifications are regulated by multiple, often overlapping pathways in the cell, and as such, present an important regulatory “node” through which the cell is able to integrate and respond to environmental signals. However, a consequence of this is that any artificial or naturally occurring molecule that “mimics” the histone tails has the potential to strongly impact gene function and the cell’s response to the environment. Indeed, we were able to identify a novel pathway exploited by the influenza virus to directly dampen the host transcriptional response. The non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of the Influenza virus contains a histone H3-like sequence that is able to bind to and disrupt the activity of the human PAF1 transcription elongation complex (PAF1C). Loss of PAF1C function leads to an impaired antiviral response and increased influenza viral replication. Genome-wide binding analyses indicate that PAF1 is inducibly recruited to anti-viral and inflammatory genes during infection, and that its presence coincides with the recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and the expression of target genes. Altogether, our findings imply that exploiting histone mimicry could be a general strategy for pathogens to subvert or co-opt host-processes for their own benefit. Our studies also strongly suggest that proper regulation of transcription elongation by PAF1C is an important rate-limiting step in the transcriptional response to pathogens

Evaluating the Whitening and Microstructural Effects of a Novel Whitening Strip on Porcelain and Composite Dental Materials.

AimsThe aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of 2 different whitening strips on color, microstructure and roughness of tea stained porcelain and composite surfaces.Methods54 porcelain and 72 composite chips served as samples for timed application of over-the-counter (OTC) test or control dental whitening strips. Chips were divided randomly into three groups of 18 porcelain and 24 composite chips each. Of these groups, 1 porcelain and 1 composite set served as controls. The remaining 2 groups were randomized to treatment with either Oral Essentials® Whitening Strips or Crest® 3D White Whitestrips™. Sample surface structure was examined by light microscopy, profilometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Additionally, a reflectance spectrophotometer was used to assess color changes in the porcelain and composite samples over 24 hours of whitening. Data points were analyzed at each time point using ANOVA.ResultsIn the light microscopy and SEM images, no discrete physical defects were observed in any of the samples at any time points. However, high-resolution SEM images showed an appearance of increased surface roughness in all composite samples. Using profilometry, significantly increased post-whitening roughness was documented in the composite samples exposed to the control bleaching strips. Composite samples underwent a significant and equivalent shift in color following exposure to Crest® 3D White Whitestrips™ and Oral Essentials® Whitening Strips.ConclusionsA novel commercial tooth whitening strip demonstrated a comparable beaching effect to a widely used OTC whitening strip. Neither whitening strip caused physical defects in the sample surfaces. However, the control strip caused roughening of the composite samples whereas the test strip did not

The US Health Care System and Lagging Life Expectancy: A Case Study

Life expectancy in the United States fares poorly in international comparisons. Its low ranking is often blamed on a poor performance by the health care system rather than on behavioral factors. This paper compares mortality trends from prostate cancer in the United States to those in other developed countries. Prostate cancer is chosen because it can be detected at an early stage, because effective treatments are available, and because it is less heavily influenced by behavioral factors than most other chronic diseases. We find that, after the introduction of the PSA screening test for prostate cancer, mortality from the disease declined significantly faster in the United States than in the set of comparison countries. Trends in incidence and survival rates support the interpretation that the US health care system has worked very effectively to reduce mortality from this important disease. A brief consideration of breast cancer suggests that similar processes may have been at work among women

Low Life Expectancy in the United States: Is the Health Care System at Fault?

Life expectancy in the United States fares poorly in international comparisons, primarily because of high mortality rates above age 50. Its low ranking is often blamed on a poor performance by the health care system rather than on behavioral or social factors. This paper presents evidence on the relative performance of the US health care system using death avoidance as the sole criterion. We find that, by standards of OECD countries, the US does well in terms of screening for cancer, survival rates from cancer, survival rates after heart attacks and strokes, and medication of individuals with high levels of blood pressure or cholesterol. We consider in greater depth mortality from prostate cancer and breast cancer, diseases for which effective methods of identification and treatment have been developed and where behavioral factors do not play a dominant role. We show that the US has had significantly faster declines in mortality from these two diseases than comparison countries. We conclude that the low longevity ranking of the United States is not likely to be a result of a poorly functioning health care system

US Mortality in an International Context: Age Variations

Retirement Research Consortium. The findings and conclusions expressed are solel

Interactional formats and institutional context: a practical and exploitable distinction in interviews

This paper applies practically oriented discourse analysis to focus group interviews using conversation analytic principles to show how interactional qualities demonstrably different to analysts are also treated as such by participants. We take a grounded practical theory perspective to claim that the empirical and practical distinction is an exploitable resource for participants, with important implications for the goals of research interviewing, interviewee participation in focus groups, and analyses thereof. We identify participant techniques for doing and attending to conversational and institutional interaction formats, including turn-taking organization, embodied acts, addressivity, and emotion displays, and how those techniques allow participants to co-construct emergent stances alongside answering questions

Patellar Tendon Morphology in Trans-tibial Amputees Utilizing a Prosthesis with a Patellar-tendon- Bearing Feature

A patellar-tendon-bearing (PTB) bar is a common design feature used in the socket of trans-tibial prostheses to place load on the pressure-tolerant tissue. As the patellar tendon in the residual limb is subjected to the perpendicular compressive force not commonly experienced in normal tendons, it is possible for tendon degeneration to occur over time. The purpose of this study was to compare patellar tendon morphology and neovascularity between the residual and intact limbs in trans-tibial amputees and healthy controls. Fifteen unilateral trans-tibial amputees who utilized a prosthesis with a PTB feature and 15 age- and sex- matched controls participated. Sonography was performed at the proximal, mid-, and distal portions of each patellar tendon. One-way ANOVAs were conducted to compare thickness and collagen fber organization and a chi-square analysis was used to compare the presence of neovascularity between the three tendon groups. Compared to healthy controls, both tendons in the amputees exhibited increased thickness at the mid- and distal portions and a higher degree of collagen fber disorganization. Furthermore, neovascularity was more common in the tendon of the residual limb. Our results suggest that the use of a prosthesis with a PTB feature contributes to morphological changes in bilateral patellar tendons