Prototype and innovation : case studies in the evolution of fixed-use development

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1988, and Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1988.Includes bibliographical references.by Paul David Sehnert, Baird McCargo Standish.M.S

Visualization and phenotyping of proinflammatory antigen-specific T cells during collagen-induced arthritis in a mouse with a fixed collagen type II-specific transgenic T-cell receptor beta-chain

Introduction: The Vbeta12-transgenic mouse was previously generated to investigate the role of antigen-specific T cells in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis. This mouse expresses a transgenic collagen type II (CII)-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain and consequently displays an increased immunity to CII and increased susceptibility to CIA. However, while the transgenic Vbeta12 chain recombines with endogenous alpha-chains, the frequency and distribution of CII-specific T cells in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse has not been determined. The aim of the present report was to establish a system enabling identification of CII-specific T cells in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse in order to determine to what extent the transgenic expression of the CII-specific beta-chain would skew the response towards the immunodominant galactosylated T-cell epitope and to use this system to monitor these cells throughout development of CIA. Methods: We have generated and thoroughly characterized a clonotypic antibody, which recognizes a TCR specific for the galactosylated CII(260-270) peptide in the Vbeta12-transgenic mouse. Hereby, CII-specific T cells could be quantified and followed throughout development of CIA, and their phenotype was determined by combinatorial analysis with the early activation marker CD154 (CD40L) and production of cytokines. Results: The Vbeta12-transgenic mouse expresses several related but distinct T-cell clones specific for the galactosylated CII peptide. The clonotypic antibody could specifically recognize the majority (80%) of these. Clonotypic T cells occurred at low levels in the naïve mouse, but rapidly expanded to around 4% of the CD4+ T cells, whereupon the frequency declined with developing disease. Analysis of the cytokine profile revealed an early Th1-biased response in the draining lymph nodes that would shift to also include Th17 around the onset of arthritis. Data showed that Th1 and Th17 constitute a minority among the CII-specific population, however, indicating that additional subpopulations of antigen-specific T cells regulate the development of CIA. Conclusions: The established system enables the detection and detailed phenotyping of T cells specific for the galactosylated CII peptide and constitutes a powerful tool for analysis of the importance of these cells and their effector functions throughout the different phases of arthritis

Scarcity, engagement, and value

Scarcity has been found to intensify value, positive or negative, rather than simply enhancing it. Some researchers have proposed that scarcity affects value by increasing how much attention is paid to a stimulus. We conceptualized sustained attention as stronger engagement and operationalized a situation of scarcity by telling participants who were choosing between two objects that the object that was chosen would then be replaced (Replenish) or not replaced (Scarce). To distinguish sustained attention-stronger engagement in a situation of scarcity from grabbing attention (salience from distinctiveness), the choice was between one option with a single instance (solitary-high salience) and a second option with several duplicates (abundant-low salience). We predicted that stronger engagement from a situation of scarcity would, first, intensify the value of the chosen item regardless of whether it was solitary or abundant, with positive items becoming more positive and negative items becoming more negative, and second, the stronger engagement from the situation of scarcity would transfer intensification to another separate object in the same setting. The results of Studies 1 and 2 supported both of these predictions. Study 3 tested a boundary condition for these scarcity–engagement effects in terms of how real participants experienced the choice items to be, where ‘realness’ is another source of engagement strength. As expected, the scarcity–engagement effect on intensifying value was replicated for participants who experienced the activity as real but was eliminated for those who did not

Looking at the True Costs of Environmental Degradation

Progress is why we change, and innovation drives that progress. It is already very clear to scientists around the globe that our current framework for living is not sustainable. 97 percent of climate scientists are in consensus that there is a major threat to our ecosystem and action needs to be taken. Overpopulation, pollution, water scarcity, natural disasters, overfishing, deforestation are all issues that must be reevaluated with sustainability in mind. However only 49 percent of the general population share this belief, and even less, only 29 percent of CEOs are actively addressing climate change. The shortcoming for the general population is simply all of the misinformation available at the click of a button. On the other hand, the major lapse in understanding between scientists and CEOs needs to be addressed. I believe this is simply due to a lack of a universal language in which both parties can use to communicate. Ecologists will continue to care about the Earth and corporations will continue to care about profit. We can’t blame them for thriving in a free market. However, there must be a common ground in which we can get them to understand the impacts of frivolous resource extraction and endless pollution dumping into the atmosphere. The quickest way to understanding, in my opinion, is putting it in the terms of cold hard cash. Maybe if we add an actual dollar value to the things we are destroying, we might be more inclined to be more responsible with those resources. According to a study done by economist Robert Costanza in 1990; Globally, ecosystems and the services they provide equal roughly $33 trillion. Adjust that for inflation and it comes out to approximately$62 trillion, and these are just the positives. Imagine if we invested the time into calculating the future costs of dumping tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Maybe then we would see real change from corporations, governments, and those with the power to make those changes. There is no guarantee that these figures will sway company decisions in any way. However, without communication, there can be no progress and creating common ground creates an avenue in which this communication can occur. In 2009 a major step in the right direction was made when the US government created a formal measure of the value of reducing carbon pollution. This is being referred to as the social cost of carbon. According to the ‘Technical Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis’ of 2016, by 2020 the social cost of carbon emitted into the atmosphere is projected to reach $42 per ton. At 9 billion tons of carbon emissions in 2014, that equals approximately$378 billion per year, and that number will only continue to rise. I think about the issue of inaction a lot. A quote from the movie “Interstellar” always seems to come to mind as to why we continue to sit back and do nothing. “Evolution has yet to transcend that simple barrier. We can care deeply - selflessly - about those we know, but that empathy rarely extends beyond our line of sight.” We see this behavior in today’s society quite frequently. People continue to consume and pollute with little to no regard for the well-being of future generations. It\u27s time to change that notion, if not for us, then for the betterment of our children and our children’s children. It’s time to evolve

The Introduction of a Carbon Market: A Regression Analysis of the Impacts on Participating Firms

In this study, we strive to analyze the economic impacts on the firms participating in an emission trading system. Many studies have analyzed the impact on emission control and whether or not it is an effective tool in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This was achieved by running a log regression of sales against emissions from before and after the introduction of the carbon market. The statistical technique of Difference in Differences (DID) was used to observe the outcome against a control group, or those that had not participated in said market. The Korea Emission Trading Scheme (KETS) was the focus of this study as it is relatively new and not many studies of this sort have been conducted for the region. Unfortunately, the KETS has seen it’s share of issues in the rollout of this policy which in turn has resulted in a strain on those firms participating in the market. Shortage of permits, Emission cap disputes, and international opinion concerns have led to a reduction of 20 percent in production and an 18 percent reduction in efficiency as compared to where these firms would have been had they not entered the carbon market

Power and the Polis: A Study in MacIntyrean State Theory

Alasdair MacIntyre’s theory of the state is often viewed by critics as being unnecessarily hostile to modern political arrangements, particularly the modern state. However, many critics of MacIntyre do not argue on MacIntyre’s own terms, that is, they argue from distinctly modern positions. The first section of the thesis will be devoted to explaining why such criticisms of MacIntyrean state theory are bound to fail or at least be easily dismissed. I will discuss in particular MacIntyre’s theory of tradition-dependent rationality and how one must work to develop an idea within a tradition rather than attacking it from the outside. In the second section, I will give a brief outline of this tradition through Aristotle and discuss how MacIntyre himself ignores Aristotle’s Politics in outlining a theory of the state. Using the Politics and drawing upon the Greek history, both intellectual and political, I will demonstrate that MacIntyre’s theory of the state need not be inherently antagonistic to non-ideal forms of the political organization. On the contrary, the Aristotelian tradition not only recognizes the legitimacy of political arrangements quantitatively and qualitatively different from the ideal polis but also allows for citizens to participate in and engage with non-ideal states

Student diversity and curriculum in the basic public speaking course: implications for creating an advanced public speaking course

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2001This research study employs qualitative narrative analysis in order to develop an understanding of the lived experience of Graduate Teaching Assistants teaching the basic public speaking course at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Interviews with Graduate Teaching Assistants reveal three themes. First, it is important to recognize and address each student's abilities and experience as unique. Second, based on individual students' abilities and experience, they should be allowed to select and define their own speaking situations and goals. Finally, students must have a comfortable and collaborative environment in which to experiment, practice, and respond to the choices made by their classmates. In a subsequent focus group interview, the co-researchers responded to a published course description for an advanced public speaking course. Co-researchers identified specific aspects of the advanced course description as addressing the emergent themes, providing implications for creating an advanced public speaking course at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Structure and pathogenicity of antibodies specific for citrullinated collagen type II in experimental arthritis

Antibodies to citrulline-modifi ed proteins have a high diagnostic value in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their biological role in disease development is still unclear. To obtain insight into this question, a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies was generated against a major triple helical collagen type II (CII) epitope (position 359 – 369; ARGLTGRPGDA) with or without arginines modifi ed by citrullination. These antibodies bind cartilage and synovial tissue, and mediate arthritis in mice. Detection of citrullinated CII from RA patients ’ synovial fl uid demonstrates that cartilage-derived CII is indeed citrullinated in vivo. The structure determination of a Fab fragment of one of these antibodies in complex with a citrullinated peptide showed a surprising beta -turn conformation of the peptide and provided information on citrulline recognition. Based on these findings, we propose that autoimmunity to CII, leading to the production of antibodies specific for both native and citrullinated CII, is an important pathogenic factor in the development of RA