Abandoned Allies: A Case Study Analysis of the Special Immigrant Visa Program

Employing a qualitative case study approach, the current study aims to critically analyze the U.S.’s use of the Special Immigrant Visa program in Iraq and Afghanistan by examining the individuals it serves, the agencies through which services are rendered, and the state’s vested geopolitical interests in the program. Engaging in active participation, I observed and interacted with those who work within, assist, or utilize the services of Commonwealth Catholic Charities’ refugee resettlement program, including case workers, service providers, and resettlement clients themselves. Examined through the lens of neoliberal harm, the theoretical frameworks of realpolitik and Simmel’s (1950) concept of the stranger were used to highlight the major themes that emerged from the fieldwork. These themes include the existence of bureaucratic hurdles throughout the resettlement process, the placement of SIVs and refugees into the least desirable positions within society, and the state’s use of calculated kindness, a term coined by Loescher and Scanlan (1998) referring to America’s calculated response to refugee crises to advance foreign policy objectives. Under the SIV program, the U.S. entered into a predatory and parasitic relationship with Iraqi and Afghan nationals, relying upon them to fill vital positions to fuel the American war machine. Despite the invaluable role SIVs played in U.S. campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is abundantly clear that the U.S. did not hold up their end of the bargain. The message is loud and clear: you were “worthy” enough to die for us, but not to live with us

Treatment Buddies Improve Clinic Attendance among Women but Not Men on Antiretroviral Therapy in the Nyanza Region of Kenya.

Background. Kenyan antiretroviral (ART) guidelines encourage treatment buddies (TBy) to maximize treatment adherence. This study examined the effect of TBys on clinic attendance in men and women on ART. Methods. This retrospective cohort study included all adult patients initiating ART from August 2007 to December 2011 at four health facilities in Kenya. Data were abstracted from electronic medical records and analyzed using Poisson regression. Results. Of 2,430 patients, 2,199 (91%) had a TBy. Relationship between TBy and clinic attendance differed in females and males (interaction p = 0.09). After demographic and clinic factor adjustment, females with a TBy were 28% more likely to adhere to all appointments than those without (adjusted aRR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.08-1.53), whereas males were no more likely to adhere (aRR = 1.01; 95% CI 0.76-1.32). Males reported partner/spouse (33%) or brother (11%) as the TBy while females reported sister (17%), partner/spouse (14%), or another family member (12%). Multivariable analysis found no association between clinic attendance and TBy relationship in either gender. Conclusion. Clinic attendance was higher among women with TBys but not men. Results support TBys to help women achieve ART success; alternate strategies to bolster TBy benefits are needed for men

Track Alternative Design and Construction Management Software

This project created an alternative support system for the suspended track in WPI’s new Recreation Center. The development of the alternative design primarily addressed structural integrity. A comparative analysis between the existing and alternative design was completed for the design, cost, and schedule. Two Building Information Modeling software applications: Autodesk Robot and Revit were used in supporting the study. Robot was explored as a new program in structural analysis and Revit was used to create 4-D models of both designs

Molecular and Biological Mechanisms of the ARAP1 Type 2 Diabetes Locus

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 70 loci associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but for most, the underlying causal variants, associated genes, and functional mechanisms remain unknown. At a T2D- and fasting-proinsulin-associated locus on 11q13.4, we have identified a functional regulatory DNA variant, a candidate target gene, and plausible underlying molecular and biological mechanisms. We confirmed the existence of a single major association signal between fasting proinsulin and noncoding variants (p = 7.4 × 10-50). Measurement of allele-specific mRNA levels in human pancreatic islet samples heterozygous for rs11603334 showed that the T2D-risk increasing and proinsulin-decreasing allele (C) is associated with increased ARAP1 expression (p < 0.02). By performing transcriptional reporter assays in rodent pancreatic beta cell lines, we determined that the C allele of rs11603334, located at the ARAP1 P1 promoter, exhibits 2-fold higher transcriptional activity than T allele (p < 0.0001). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated decreased binding of pancreatic beta cell transcriptional regulator PAX6 to the rs11603334 C allele. Collectively, these data suggest that the T2D-risk allele of rs11603334 could abrogate binding of a complex containing PAX6 and thus lead to increased P1 promoter activity and ARAP1 expression in human pancreatic islets. We went on to determine that the ARAP1 protein isoform corresponding to ARAP1 mRNA transcripts transcribed from P1 is a major isoform present in human islets, and that adenoviral overexpression of this ARAP1 isoform in intact human islets led to decreased levels of glucose-stimulated proinsulin secretion (p = 0.02). Using G-LISA GTPase activity assays, we also determined that, through the activity of its ARF-GAP domain, increased ARAP1 expression in human islets decreases the levels of ARF6-GTP (p = 0.02), a known regulator of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the beta cell. We also showed that ARAP1 and ARF6 partially colocalize in the cytoplasm of dispersed human beta cells. Altogether, this body of evidence demonstrates a connected set of molecular and biological mechanisms that may explain GWAS association of the ARAP1 locus with proinsulin and T2D.Doctor of Philosoph