y and e contribute to abdominal pigmentation variation in Drosophila ananassae.

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ABSTRACTS
y and e Contribute to Abdominal
Pigmentation Variation in Drosophila ananassae
Taruna Aggarwal
Sponsor: Artyom Kopp Ph.D., Evolution and Ecology
In Drosophila species, abdominal pigmentation is a highly
variable trait with a well understood genetic and biochemical
basis that makes pigmentation an excellent model for
reconstructing the molecular mechanisms behind evolutionary
changes. My study investigated the genetic basis for
intraspecific variation between light and dark strains of
D. ananassae. Genes ebony (e) and yellow (y), which encode
enzymes required for the synthesis of light and dark
pigments respectively, are known to contribute to color
pattern variation in several Drosophila species. To test the
hypothesis that y and e also contribute to pigmentation
regulation and intraspecific variation in D. ananassae,
I genotyped an introgression cross between light and dark
strains of D. ananassae. I found that both gene y and e exhibited
a strong linkage with the phenotypic variation observed in
D.ananassae, supporting my hypothesis that these genes
do contribute to pigmentation variation. I am currently
investigating which regions of e and y genes are responsible
for this pigmentation variation. To accomplish this, DNA
sequencing is in progress for e and y loci from multiple
dark and light strains of D.ananassae originating from
different geographic locations. My current results show that
the upstream regions of y and e are highly differentiated
between the light and dark populations of D. ananassae. These
findings suggest that the molecular differences in the regulatory
regions of these genes may be responsible for evolution of
abdominal pigmentation.
Oral Infection of Deer Mice
(Peromyscus Maniculatus) with Toxoplasma Gondii
to Test for Tranplacental Transmission
Beatriz Aguilar
Sponsor: Andrea Packham M.S.,
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Contributors: P. A. Conrad Ph.D. and D. Rejmanek Ph.D.
Toxoplasma Gondii is an intracellular protozoal parasite that
is able to infect a variety of animals including humans.
It sexually reproduces in the intestines of felines forming
oocysts that later shed into the environment through
their feces. Rodents get infected by the consumption
of water, soil, and vegetation that is contaminated by
oocysts. The parasite undergoes asexual reproduction in
the rodent to form tissue cysts. Studies done on hamsters,
mice, and rats have shown that T.Gondii can also be acquired
through vertical transmission. Some rodents such as the house
mice (Mus musculus) and field mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) are
known to infect their offspring through many generations;
other rodents such as guinea pigs and rats infected for the first
time during their pregnancy infect their first litter. The question
arose whether deer mice can also transplacentally infect their
offspring? Our research is set to investigate how different
routes of transmission influence infection in deer mice.
To test this, 80 mice were divided up and orally infected
with 1, 5, 10, or 100 oocysts. Ten weeks following the
infection, 15 seropositive female mice were allowed to breed
two successive litters. The mice in the four categories tested
positive by DNA amplification and serology. Transplacental
transmission was also detected in both litters by PCR
with numbers such as 7/8 in the first and 4/7 in the second
litters. These results show that deer mice can maintain T.Gondii
in the environment through transplacental transmission
without a feline host.
Fabrication and Characterization
of Silicone Nanoparticles
Roozbeh Ahmadi
Sponsor: Tingrui Pan Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering
Contributor: S. P. Garland
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a commonly used silicone-
based polymer in biomedical applications. Due to its
transparency and biological inertness, it serves as a suitable
material for biological MEMS devices. We are formulating
a protocol for fabricating micrometer-scale particles composed
of PDMS. The PDMS prepolymer is combined with a mixture
of water and an emulsifying agent, sodium dodecyl sulfate
(SDS), then agitated via mechanical stirring to form oil-in-
water emulsions. The emulsions are allowed to sit and set
inside a glass vial for 24 hours so that the PDMS prepolymer
can cure. Once curing is complete, the mixture is put through
a series of diluting, centrifuging, and decanting in order to
remove the residual SDS. The result is a mixture of water
with PDMS microbeads suspended in it. We are evaluating the
fabrication of the microbeads by layering them on a substrate
and measuring their size and distribution, and fine-tuning the
fabrication protocol to narrow the distribution and decrease
the diameters of the beads to nanometer-scales. We are also
experimenting with different solvents for the microbeads that
would serve to suspend them more efficiently.
Defining Internal Enemies: The Military
Construction of the Mayans as an Internal
Enemy During the Guatemala Civil War
Katie Alvarado
Sponsor: Charles Walker Ph.D., History
Guatemala’s history in the 20th century has been heavily
guided by land reform, the ownership of land, and cultural
divisions. Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz Guzman’s
(1951-1954) attempt to initiate an agrarian reform led to a joint
CIA and Guatemalan military overthrow of his administration.
Military regimes ruled Guatemala ostracizing the left which
led to the formation of guerrilla groups and a civil war.
I have focused my research on why the Guatemalan military
targeted the Mayans as internal enemies and responded with
force designed to demolish their communities, regardless of
the Mayan’s isolation and general lack of cooperation with the
guerrillas. Scholars have debated whether it was out of political
necessity to remove potential supporters of the guerrillas or
whether the reasons were cultural and dependent on the
mestizo’s view of the Mayans as an obstacle to modernization.
I am proposing that the reasons were cultural; I base this on
(1) the history of Guatemalan land ownership and reform
(2) the Mayan’s cultural and physical isolation which led to
their refusal to integrate into Guatemalan culture (3) the weak
relationship between the Mayans and the guerrillas and (4)
the extreme military power and force implemented against
the Mayans. I have used recent reports including the Report
of the Commission for Historical Clarification, the Guatemala
Documentation Project, and documents on Operation Sofia,
along with personal research and accounts by Rigoberta
Menchu and Daniel Wilkinson to develop my research.

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Beware Proteins;
You May Be Affected by RUB
Dianna Amaya
Sponsor: Judy Callis Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biology
Contributors: V. Vuong, M. Castro and S. Hotton
Production and degradation of proteins is important for
maintaining homeostasis in organisms. Regulation of protein
degradation in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant is the focus
of research in our lab. An enzyme complex called the 26S
proteasome degrades proteins in eukaryotes. Attachment of
ubiquitin to a protein is the signal for its degradation by the
26S proteasome. We work with RUB, a small protein Related
to ubiquitin; RUB is also capable of attachment to proteins.
Putative RUB-interacting proteins, called targets, were initially
identified by mass spectrometry. My project has been to
confirm new target proteins that either interact with, or are
modified by, RUB. In preparation for interaction tests, we
cloned target genes into plant expression vectors. To confirm
that targets are modified by RUB, we co-express the target and
RUB in tobacco leaves. We then extract proteins and detect
interactions by immunoblot analysis. So far, several targets have
been confirmed with this method. The long-term goal for the
project will be to determine the physiological significance of
the interactions between our targets and RUB.
Interactions of DNA Repair-Linked Proteins
in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Amy Anderson
Sponsor: Wolf-Dietrich Heyer Ph.D., Microbiology
Contributor: X. Zhang Ph.D.
DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) occur frequently in the
chromosomes of eukaryotic cells, both in natural pathways
such as DNA replication and as genotoxic lesions resulting
from ionizing radiation or other mutagenic agents. DNA repair
mechanisms are therefore a necessary component in all forms
of life, protecting cells from genomic instability. Failure of
these DNA repair mechanisms due to dysfunctional or deleted
proteins can have lethal consequences for a cell, and lead to
carcinogenesis in humans. Because repair pathways are highly
conserved in all eukaryotes, studies of these mechanisms
in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) provide insight
into the function of mammalian repair genes. Biochemical
elucidation of entire pathways requires investigation of many
protein-protein interactions. Chosen for this study are the
known DNA repair proteins Rad54 and Rad55, DNA structure-
specific endonucleases Mus81 and Yen1 (suspected role in
DNA recombination) and control protein Rad27. Glutathione
S-transferase (GST) tags were incorporated and amplified
via PCR in an E.coli plasmid, then transformed into wild
type yeast at the C-termini of genes encoding these relevant
proteins. Each mutant strain will produce the specific GST-
fusion protein, which can be purified from the cells due to its
high affinity for glutathione via affinity chromatography. Any
proteins occurring in complex with the tagged proteins will be
identified using mass spectrometry. This project aims to confirm
known repair protein associations (Rad54-Mus81) as well as to
hopefully identify new complexes for future study and possible
incorporation into our current DNA repair models.
Act1 Induction Human Beta Defensin
4 Expression in Airway Cells
Johnathon Anderson
Sponsor: Reen Wu Ph.D., Anatomy,
Physiology and Cell Biology
Contributor: S. Velichko
Act1 (CIKS) is a unique adaptor protein that has been shown
to be a critical component of IL-17 signaling. It is thought to
function both as an adaptor protein, linking the IL-17 receptor
to further downstream molecules such as TRAF6 and the
classical NFkB signaling pathway, as well as an E3 ubiquitin
ligase. We have previously shown that IL-17 is a potent
stimulator of human beta defensin 4 (DEFB4) expression in
airway epithelial cells. DEFB4 is a small cationic peptide that
has direct antimicrobial activity as well as the ability to recruit
cells of the adaptive immune system via its ability to function as
a chemotactic ligand of the receptor CCR6. Therefore, DEFB4
plays a critical role in airway host defense against extracellular
pathogenic infection. Interestingly, we have recently shown that
over-expression of Act1 alone is sufficient to upregulate DEFB4
expression in human airway epithelial cells. Surprisingly,
upregulation of DEFB4 by Act1 is independent of the classical
NFkB signaling pathway. We show evidence that Act1 has novel
signaling activities independent of its function as an adaptor
protein. As in-human trials of IL-17 inhibitors for autoimmune
diseases proceed, we believe it is important to further elucidate
the mechanisms (i.e. potential targets for therapeutics) by
which IL-17 functions to avoid the possibility of chronic lung
infections that may arise from blanket inhibition of IL-17.
Microbial Fuel Cell Technology
to Incorporate Winery Wastewater
for Electricity Generation
Safyre Anderson
Sponsor: Ruihong Zhang Ph.D.,
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Contributors: E. L. Vonasek and M. D. Ong
Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have gained recent popularity for
their ability to simultaneously treat wastewater and generate
electricity. Microorganisms attached to an anode via biofilm
oxidize organic compounds in wastewater along with other
nutrients and compounds. Electrons are byproducts of
the microbes’ anaerobic metabolism and are transferred to
the anode and flow to the cathode. This flow of electrons
from anode to cathode is the harnessed electricity. Current
MFC research seeks to improve electricity generation by
experimenting with electrode materials, design configuration,
and inoculum preparation, all the while employing a liquid
substrate feed. Little emphasis has been placed on the feed
and as a result, current MFCs cannot oxidize solid substrates
(e.g. grape pomace) where the most energy potential lies.
A huge hurdle has been to keep track of the mass transfer of
electrons from solids to the anode. In this study, we seek to
reconcile this weakness by designing and constructing a system
using a single chamber anaerobic MFC that incorporates winery
wastewater solids into the electricity generation process.

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IAPP Preamyloid Oligomers,
the Pathogen Link Between Type-2 Diabetes
and Diabetic Cardiomyopathy?
Laura Andronic
Sponsor: Florin Despa Ph.D., Pharmacology
Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a hormone co-secreted
with insulin by pancreatic b-cells, forms amyloids when
overexpressed. IAPP amyloids accumulate in pancreatic islets
and are a hallmark of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data
from our laboratory demonstrated that IAPP preamyloid
oligomers circulate through the blood and accumulate in the
heart, contributing to cardiac dysfunction in type 2 diabetes
mellitus (T2DM). Hypothesis: We test the hypothesis that IAPP
is increased in heart protein homogenates from T2DM humans
and rats transgenic for human IAPP (HIP rats) compared to
normal.Methods: To test this hypothesis we used western
blot, dot blot and immunoprecipitation in hearts from pre-
diabetic and diabetic humans and HIP rats. For western blot
and immunoprecipitation we used anti-IAPP antibodies. We
verify the specificity of the higher molecular bands in Western
blots by pre-adsorbing the anti-IAPP antibody with purified
IAPP. The specific bands are then be integrated to determine
the total IAPP level, independent on the oligomeric state. For
dot blot assays we use conformation-dependent antibodies,
A11 and OC. A11 recognizes the oligomeric conformation and
not the monomer or the incipient fibrillar structure. Conversely,
OC recognizes the fibril, but not oligomers or monomers.
Results: Our results indicate the presence of significant deposits
of amyloidogenic IAPP entities (oligomers and fibrils) in failing
hearts from human diabetics and in hearts from diabetic rats
transgenic for human amyloidogenic IAPP. Conclusion: IAPP
oligomers, which are toxic molecular products secondary to
an increased demand for insulin biosynthesis, are possible
pathogens of diabetic cardiac dysfunction.
Taking the Law into His Own Hands: The Tumultuous
History of Batman, the Comics Code, and the Presence
of Rampant Censorship in Post-Modern America
Kristin Aratoli
Sponsor: Colin Milburn Ph.D., English
Once thought of to be the idle pursuit of bored children,
Comic Books in modern American society have morphed into
a respectable medium, and are now acknowledge for their
vast contributions to the American literary Canon. However,
comics go far beyond the realm of the written word, and are
socially reflective of the era in which they where penned,
in ways that more traditional literary media cannot hope to
compete with. Comics are unique in that they transcend the
ages, and are able to present the same characters but from an
ever evolving social perspective. They are also special in that
they are subject to the Comics Code, which forces comic book
creators to not only censor their work, but find creative ways
in which to subvert regulations. There is no better example of
this sort of literary acrobatics than the superhero staple known
as Batman. In an effort to understand how the political and
social climates of different generations are reflected in the comic
book medium, and just how much of the ‘real world’ is reveled
(or masked) in the stories told by comics, I have chosen to
research Batman in regards to vigilante and censorship laws in
America from the 1950s to the late 1980s. Through my research
I shall uncover the manner in which social ideologies and laws
affect the way comics are written, and how these laws affect
the way in which Batman has been shaped and presented as
a byproduct of an endlessly shifting society.
Non-elastic Plate Weakening at Tonga,
Costa Rica and Japanese Subduction Zones
Katrina Arredondo
Sponsor: Magali Billen Ph.D., Geology
Deformation of subducting plates in covergent margins has
been successfully modeled by elastic, plastic and viscous
rheology plate-bending models, which average plate properties
over the length scale of bending and are insensitive to variations
in plate strength. Direct measurements of plate strength
at these boundaries may allow us to differentiate between
these rheologies and permit more detailed models of how
plates deform during subduction. Using spectral analysis of
shipboard bathymetry and satellite gravity data along profiles
that run parallel to the trench, we calculate the coherence and
admittance as a function of wavelength for each profile, using
concepts of flexural isostacy. We show that the plate flexural
rigidity increases with distance from the trench in the Tonga,
Costa Rica and Japanese subduction zones, in agreement with
previous results for the Kermadec subduction zone (Billen et
al. 2005). This weakening indicates that the plate does not
act elastically as it is subducted, giving credence to the use
of viscous or plastic rheology for tectonic plates undergoing
large magnitude deformation. We present the sensitivity
of the admittance calculations on track location, length, sampling
rate and other variables. Comparison of the flexural rigidity results
to the tectonic characteristics of each subduction zone suggest
that plate age (thickness) and kinematics (rate of convergence)
have a strong affect on the length scale and degree of weakening
of the subducting plate.
Effects of Extracellularly Applied Amphiphilic
Molecules on the Pore of CLC-0
and CLC-1 Chloride Channels
Jerome Atputhasingam
Sponsor: Tsung-Yu Chen Ph.D., Neurology
Chloride channels are found in the cells of many species,
from bacteria to human, and play vital roles in tranepithelial
ion transport, vesicular acidification, and membrane potential
stabilization. The structurally defined CLC family is composed
of chloride channels and chloride-proton antiporters. CLC-0
and CLC-1 are voltage-dependent chloride channels of this
family. Previous studies have shown that intracellularly applied
amphiphilic molecules can block various pore-open mutants of
CLC-0. In this study, the pore-open mutant E166A in CLC-0
and the corresponding E232A mutant in CLC-1 will be used
to study if extracellularly applied amphiphilic blockers have
any effect in blocking the pore of these two channels. The
pore-open mutants will be expressed in Xenopus oocytes
and two-electrode voltage clamp recording technique will
be employed to measure the current before and after the
application of blockers. It is predicted that extracellularly
applied amphiphilic blockers should also block E166A/CLC-0
and E232A/CLC-1 mutants because these blockers can cross
lipid membranes. Furthermore, the affinity of the block may
depend on the lipid solubility of these blockers, with more
hydrophobic molecules being more effective in blocking the
pore of CLC channels.

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Quantifying Thiol Ligand Attachment
to Gold Nanoparticles
Matthew Auyoung
Sponsor: Ting Guo Ph.D., Chemistry
Contributors: N. Cheng, Z. Starkewolfe and A. Davidson
Coupling thiolated hydrophilic compounds to gold
nanoparticles (AuNP) is a common strategy for producing
water - soluble, densely functionalized nanostructures.
Thus, it is desirable to have a reliable method for
quantifying thiol ligand - gold surface attachments.
This study investigates the use of Ellman’s Reagent
(5,5’- dithiobis(2 -nitrobenzoic acid)) as a chemical means for
thiol ligand quantification. Thiol ligand - Ellman exchanges
under alkaline conditions furnish highly detectable anions
(UV-Vis, 412 nm), which serve as the basis for this study.
Citrate-reduced AuNP (15 nm diameter) functionalized with
thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG, 2000 Daltons) are probed
with non-excess concentrations of Ellman’s Reagent. When this
initial reaction reaches equilibrium, further addition of free,
thiolated PEG allows for an analysis of the reagent’s utility.
High concentrations of Ellman’s Reagent are expected to yield
acceptable estimates of the actual nanoparticle surface ligand
count. Future study will include a comparison to alternate
Raman spectroscopy-based quantification methods.
Exploring Rice Sgt1 Modulated
Innate Immune Response to Cell Stress and
Pathogens Using Budding Yeast as a Model
Justin Badal
Sponsor: Kenneth B. Kaplan Ph.D.,
Molecular and Cellular Biology
The Hsp90 co-chaperone Sgt1 is highly conserved between
yeast, plants and humans and functions in a variety of essential
cell processes, including chromosome segregation and cell
stress response. In addition, a number of studies show that
Sgt1 plays a key role in the innate immune response in both
plants and animals. Together, Hsp90 and Sgt1 appear to
modulate the activity of the innate immune response, balancing
pathogen clearance with cell stress and thus tissue damage. By
understanding how Sgt1 and Hsp90 contribute to a balanced
pathogenic response in plants, we hope to reduce the level of
damage to pathogen affected crops. To this end, we are using
budding yeast and our knowledge of yeast Sgt1 to identify the
domains of plant Sgt1 involved in the cell stress response. As
a first step, a plasmid was constructed containing the SGT1
gene from Oryza Sativa (rice) and transformed into S. Cerevisiae
to replace the essential yeast SGT1 and to determine if the
rice homologue complements yeast Sgt1 function. Colonies
exhibiting growth with the transformed plasmid will show
us that rice Sgt1 functions in yeast. Yeast strains containing
the newly transformed plasmids will be used as a tool to
explore innate immunity response. Mutants will be created
at known binding domains and the amino acid residues that
are important to Sgt1 function. Mutants that change how
yeast respond to cell stress will be identified by plating assays
and transferred to rice to determine their effect on plant
pathogen response.
Convection-Enhanced Delivery
of Camptothecin Analogs: Lipotecan
and SN38 in Rodent Intracranial
Brain Tumor Xenografts
Saif Baig
Sponsor: Krystof Bankiewicz M.D.,
Neurological Surgery, UCSF
Camptothecin-based liposomal chemotherapeutics have been
shown to be effective against malignant glioma cell lines both
in-vitro and in-vivo. In this study, we have evaluated the safety
of using liposomal drugs Lipotecan, SN38-B, and SN38-2B as
potential chemotherapeutics in future U87MG and 9L-2-based
intracranial rodent brain tumor xenograft survival studies.
Different doses of each drug were tested in-vitro to determine
the relative cytotoxicities against U87MG. In addition, in-vivo
toxicity studies were done with rodent models to determine
the drug toxicity on normal tissue, in order to optimize dosing
for future survival studies. Lastly, drug half-life testing was
also done in-vivo, however results are still pending. In-vitro
cytotoxicity assays have shown that lipotecan and SN38-B
are potent formulations in against U87MG. In addition, the
toxicity of lipotecan and SN38-B was relatively low in-vivo on
normal tissue making it a potential drug for survival studies.
Survival studies are currently being carried out to determine
the effectiveness of lipotecan as a potential chemotherapeutic
for clinical trials.
Gene Expression Differences
in Acidothermus Cellulolyticus as
a Response to Different Temperatures
Anisha Bajaj
Sponsor: Alison Berry Ph.D., Plant Sciences
Contributor: R. D. Barabote, Ph.D.
The isolation of Acidothermus cellulolyticus from acidic hot
springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming have opened
up a wide realm of questions to be asked about this organism.
A.cellulolyticis has significant importance as it is a thermophillic,
aerobic bacterium that can produce useful thermostable
enzymes for industrial applications. Previous studies have
shown that A.cellulolyticis produces a high lipid percentage
of membrane hopanoids, a class of isoprenoids. Isoprenoid
intermediates are attractive molecules for the production of
hydrocarbon biofuels. A further understanding of growth
conditions, gene expression patterns, and metabolic pathways
is relevant to studying this biosynthetic pathway. In order to
study this, cells from three different temperature conditions
will be grown and harvested. Different temperature conditions
will be studied as they can lead to differences in amount of
membrane hopanoids produced. A.cellulolyticus cells will be
tested in mid-log and stationary phase in order to ensure
that the entire population is physiologically identical. RNA
will then be extracted from cells, and then mRNA will be
purified, and used to make cDNA. With the different samples
from different temperatures, gene expression patterns in the
biosynthetic pathway will be tested through real-time PCR.
CANCELLED

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Mutual Deception; Agent Orange
and the Vietnam War: A Case Study
James Baker Jr.
Sponsor: Larry S. Berman Ph.D, Political Science
This thesis analyzes the political decision-making process
the U.S. government used when deciding to employ Agent
Orange during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. The U.S. Air
Force dropped millions of gallons of Agent Orange, a chemical
defoliant, on Vietnam’s extensive jungles to overcome an
enormous tactical advantage enjoyed by North Vietnamese
forces. While it largely helped protect American soldiers
from jungle ambushes and snipers, it secretly devastated the
health of U.S. troops, civilians and the Vietnamese ecosystem.
The chemical’s effects on generations of Americans and
Vietnamese raised numerous questions about the extent to
which military officials and commercial manufacturers knew of
Agent Orange’s harmful effects on man and nature. This paper
takes the position that both private manufacturers and key
components of the U.S. military actively avoided discovering
Agent Orange’s health risks to avoid public outrage and to
keep the defoliant as a viable military weapon.
Two Generations Later:
How Partition Violence and the Refugee Crisis
Impacted Notions of Servitude in
Present Day West Bengal
Shruti Banerjee
Sponsor: Sudipta Sen Ph.D.,
Middle East/South Asia Studies
During the late 1940’s, within the span of a few months
twelve million people crossed the newly demarcated borders
between Indian and Pakistan. The British withdrew from the
fractured Indian subcontinent, leaving it in a precarious and
unstable state. With the absence of an imperial power the
nascent Pakistani and Indian governments could not control
the recalcitrant religious rioters. The rampant violence left
many people with no recourse but to be uprooted from their
homelands and migrate to the ‘other side of the border’.
Thousands of refugees appeared in camps, quickly realizing
that these dire camp conditions were unlivable and they could
not rely on their political leaders for help. For the uprooted
and impecunious masses migrating to West Bengal, domestic
servitude became a viable option for work. The influx of
refugees willing to work as servants to ameliorate the penury
they faced in camps permeated into the homes of upper
and middle class Bengalis, until it ossified into a new social
structure. The present day culture of servitude in West Bengal
finds its historical roots during the colonial period, but only
solidified once a myriad of desperate refugees inhabited the
city. In this paper I will be analyzing the experiences of these
refugees and how their circumstances lead them into domestic
servitude. I will also be looking at how this refugee crisis
impacted social stratification in present day Bengal, specifically
how the norms of servitude strengthened over the last two
generations and has shaped the experience of servants today.
A Student-Run Project to Study
Induced Lactation in Heifers
I. Mammary Growth and Development
Catherine Barich
Sponsor: Russ Hovey Ph.D., Animal Science
Contributors: Hatley McMicking,
Animal Science 124 Lactation Class 2010
The physiological changes that occur in mammals during
pregnancy, around parturition and until weaning of the young
are complex, and are crucial for optimal mammary gland
growth and a successful subsequent lactation. In this study,
eight nulligravida Holstein heifers were used in a teaching
setting to study the hormonal control of mammogenesis,
lactogenesis, and galactopoiesis. All procedures in this study
were performed by students in the ANS 124 Lactation class.
Heifers were housed at UC Davis between January and April,
2010. To stimulate pregnancy-induced udder development,
heifers received daily subcutaneous injection of estradiol
(0.075 mg/kg) and progesterone (0.25 mg/kg) for seven days.
The onset of parturition was then simulated by administering
dexamethasone (15 mg/day) for two days. Hand-milking
then ensued daily from this point. Individual body weights,
udder measurements (distance between front or back teats,
and individual teat length), and photographs were recorded
daily. Blood samples were collected every 2 to 3 days to
measure the circulating levels of a-lactalbumin, a protein
unique to the mammary gland, as an indication of epithelial
cell polarization. Although the reproductive insufficiency of
these heifers was mostly unknown, one heifer was determined
to be a freemartin, wherein her male twin induced her sterility
in utero. This discovery raises questions as to whether she will
undergo normal hormone-induced mammogenesis given that
her reproductive anatomy is significantly compromised. In
conclusion, students learned all aspects of the physiological
changes associated with mammary gland development
in preparation for lactation through a unique hands-on
hormonally induced lactation project.
Flaubert, the Bourgeoisie,
and the Role of Art
Anita Barooni
Sponsor: Michael Saler Ph.D., History
It is well known that the 19th century writer Gustave
Flaubert had an unyielding devotion to Art and style, as well
a vehement hate of the bourgeoisie. This research attempts
to explore the relationship between these two seemingly
unrelated characteristics. An examination of his life reveals
that Flaubert had from a very young age cultivated a deep
imagination, which led him to resist the realities of upper-class
obligations, as he grew older. We will see that Art became a way
for Flaubert to operate outside the sphere of the bourgeoisie.
His preoccupation with style and the never-ending search
for the right word can be seen as a retreat into the academic,
Ivory tower aspect of Art, a realm far removed from bourgeois
practicality. Additionally, a close reading of Gustave Flaubert’s
A Simple Heart will reveal how he used the art of writing to
dissect the bourgeois ideals he so despised. In considering these
factors, it becomes apparent that for Flaubert, Art functioned
dually as a means through which he could escape bourgeois
life as well as a tool he used to critique it.