This project aims to answer why Mao was a more effective charismatic leader than Lenin. A charismatic leader is a leader who convinces their followers to change their identities to reflect the identity of the leader. Through a comparative case study of most similar circumstances concerning communes in early Maoist China and the Leninist Soviet Union, evidence will be presented that explores Mao and Lenin’s leadership and policies, to evaluate the success of each individual as a charismatic leader. Both Lenin and Mao formed ardently national ideologies in response to Marxism. These ideologies were implemented by two charismatic leaders who had the ability to totally encapsulate the people of their states. This paper argues that Maoism was a more successful implementation of Marxism because of the Maoist-specific concept and presence of struggle; therefore it makes the argument that Mao was a more successful charismatic leader than Lenin. This can be examined in the comparison of Leninist communes and Maoist communes. The analyses presented will argue that Mao had a greater ability to change and control the identities of the Chinese people through the way that they engaged with nationalism and struggles.

I am exploring the differences in both tea and the culture surrounding it in China and countries in the western hemisphere, and how the history of these areas affects modern tea consumption. Tea is noticeably very different in taste between the East and west hemispheres, even if the same plant is being brewed. I have learned over my research that this is due to the difference in brewing methods for tea in these different locations, and how eastern tea culture has a large impact on this. Chinese style teas are meant to be enjoyed slowly, and drinking tea is more of a full experience than simply the consumption of a drink. It is intended to be drunk without additives as it is naturally flavorful, while western tea brewing methods make the tea bitter, and require additives such as sugar and creamers for those who don’t have a palette for the bitterness.

This paper explores Mao’s leadership style during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in comparison to Stalin’s. In thinking about the differences between the two, we ask “Why was there more violence under Stalin than under Mao given they were both considered totalitarian leaders?” Through several possible explanations, we’ll explore Mao/Stalin as totalitarian, Marxism/economic reform, and the charismatic leadership from both leaders. We’ll argue that Mao’s leadership was influenced by Stalinist ideology and resulted in significant impacts on China’s landscape, including fear, censorship of criticism/dissent, and less individual freedoms. We’ll explain this thesis through a most similar systems design comparing the outcomes of China and The Soviet Union. Conducting a review of the secondary literature and translations of Maoist and Stalinist works, we’ll see the similarities and differences that explain the contrasting outcomes of a more violent and less violent regime.

This study examines the relationship between stock market performance and Covid-19 cases and deaths using data from January 21, 2020 to February 6th, 2023. In addition, the impact of eight major pandemic related announcements, for example, the declaration of the Covid-19 virus as a pandemic, on stock performance are estimated. The S&P500 index is used as a proxy for stock market performance and the daily adjusted close price of that index is the dependent variable in this analysis. The total number of COVID cases and deaths in the US, the number of new cases and deaths per day, and the date of policy announcements are used as explanatory variables. Controls include the 10-year treasury bond yield, effective federal funds rate, inflation rate, and unemployment rate. All estimates are based on time-series OLS regressions on data drawn from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, Yahoo Finance, and the New York Times.

Birds appear in many ancient Chinese images, writing, and names. The Oracle Bone writing, the first documented writing system ever, made use of the characters of birds for many words and signs that are used even today. Even the oldest collection of poetry, the Book of Songs (Shijing) refers specifically to many bird species. Further, Tang dynasty poets as well as local historians documented which particular birds inhabited their respective areas. Overall, birds are routinely cataloged in specifics throughout Chinese literature. Through this representation of birds, Chinese writers reveal a vital interest in nature, and we can see that the environment is consistently important in Chinese culture. For my topic, I will explore how and where birds appear in Chinese literature and culture as an indicator of engagement with the natural world— how they are alive to the world around them. While I may not discover a groundbreaking conclusion nor find all that there is on this topic in the centuries of poetry and literature, this project aims to explore a less talked about subject and share that knowledge with peers.

Hoyoverse’s hit game, Genshin Impact, explores and connects many aspects of real-life cultures into a fictional universe. In this presentation, we will be focusing on one region of the game’s world that represents many different facets of Chinese culture. From the folklore of the guardian Yakshas to the nuances of in-game fashion, we can compare these depictions to real culture in China and explore their significance. We will also delve into the significance of the game’s created religion and its relation to Taoism, the architecture of the region inspired by Chinese architecture, and its display of Chinese Opera. By comparing in-game scenes and character models to cultural artifacts and practices in the real world, we are able to get a sense of how Hoyoverse has thoroughly encompassed Chinese culture into their game.

This presentation explores Mao Zedong’s emphasis on art throughout the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Specifically, it looks at why Mao focused on art as much as he did and compares his government to other regimes that also emphasized the creation of art sympathetic to their cause. I argue that Maoist ideology sought specifically to encourage the creation of art by the lower class as a political tool, and contrast it with fascist Germany, which emphasized an upper class of artists for a similar purpose. Additionally, I consider the systems in place to facilitate the connection between the government and artists.

My research will explore two influential politicians who were amongst the world’s most successful charismatic leaders: CCP Chairman Mao Zedong and US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Employing a most similar systems methodology, I will examine how despite similar rhetorical tactics, political strategies, and the unique charismatic bond pursued by both leaders China was not able to achieve the peaceful socialist reforms that FDR did due to bureaucratic inefficiencies and geographic scope. Conventional wisdom has tended to either avoid a comparison of cross-political ideologies or to attribute the resulting state of society as a direct product of political ideology. This paper takes up an underexplored thread of research seeking to explain socio-political outcomes outside the binary of democracy versus communism and contribute to our understanding of charismatic leadership across political ideologies.

Two ancient cultures from either side of the world shared a strong veneration of jade thousands of years ago: the Olmec of Central America and Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures of Neolithic China. I am interested in exploring a comparison between these two cultures and speculating about what the similarities may mean, if anything. Both areas practiced craftsmanship of religious jade objects, placed carved jade objects in ritual burials, had preference for certain colors, and engaged in trade networks to acquire and distribute jade. In both Mesoamerica and China, the smooth, detailed carving of the jades supports the deep importance that jade had to both cultures, and points to labor organization and specialization, denoting a complex civilization that separates them from the Paleolithic era. This project aims to simply discuss the similarities between these two otherwise vastly different cultures I noticed when taking Ancient Chinese art history and Ancient Andean art history courses at the same time.

The education that Chinese youth received under Mao Zedong is unprecedented and significant to the progression of the Cultural Revolution in China. The youth experienced drastic changes in their formal schooling that eventually permeated and restructured every aspect of their life. Why was Mao able to gain large support in the revolution from the Chinese youth in a relatively short period of time? I argue that when the educational institution was re-established under Maoist rule, there was a constant and forceful societal pressure to agree and follow Maoism in every action taken in life. This societal restructuring occurred through physical and psychosocial tactics aimed at prioritizing Mao and the fight for revolution. Thus, the implementation of new social norms and standards through formal schooling was most effective at gaining rapid and large support from the Chinese youth during the Cultural Revolution.The indoctrination of the lost generation continues to affect Chinese politics today and therefore, is vital to understanding the international world order.

The Chinese game Genshin Impact has become popular internationally. Because of this popularity, the game developers MiHoYo had the opportunity to showcase Chinese culture globally without common prejudices and political controversies associated with China in the world today. For example, they added a region in the game that was based on China. The geography and landscape were well-researched and based on real places in China. Outfits incorporated elements and symbols in accordance with ancient Chinese culture. Even foods were based on different styles of food in China from the various provinces. MiHoYo also annually holds a Lantern Rite Festival in-game. It is based on the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. They put a lot of effort towards developing an annual festival. The animation is beautiful; there is always a long-cut scene; many characters come together for the event; the city of Liyue is also beautifully decorated; there are free in-game rewards given out; and they go out of their way to hire professionals to accurately depict their culture. The region of Liyue is truly MiHoYo’s love letter to China.

In Chinese, each character has its own definition, which helps native Chinese speaker to pick up the new vocab by understanding the definition of each character. However, in English language it is just a combination of the character which reader would not be able to understand what does the word mean by reading it.

Photosynthetic Diatoms inhabit various aquatic systems. The fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c binding protein (FCP) is a unique light-harvesting antenna complex in diatoms that is highly capable of absorbing blue-green light. These antennas move excitations via consecutive downhill energy transfers to photosystem cores, where charge separation leads to photosynthetic reactions. Preliminary results show subtle differences in energy transfer between the coastal and oceanic strains of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum grown under high white light. Due to varying irradiance qualities in coastal and oceanic habitats, we hypothesized that diatoms sampled from such locations would present differences in their light-harvesting machinery and energy transfer pathways when grown under more stressful light conditions. In the current study, we have grown our diatoms in three different light conditions— high white light (40 µmol/m2s), low white light (20 µmol/m2s), and red-light (20 µmol/m2s). We measured pigment absorption and characterized the growth rate of each strain under different light conditions using UV-vis spectroscopy. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy was used to observe differences in energy transfer pathways and timescales. When grown under these stressors, coastal and oceanic diatom light-harvesting show more pronounced spectral differences. Under white light, both coastal and oceanic diatoms have similar growth rates. Phase contrast microscopy also reveals altered morphology in the red light incubated cells. The results of our study reveal how photosynthetic organisms can fine-tune their light-harvesting systems to better acclimate to environmental stressors.

In this presentation, I explore how theatre is more than just entertainment, but rather is a vehicle for social change, a means by which values and norms can be challenged and even a forum for political discussion. In fact, it can be used as an opportunity to convey information and inspire action in regards to socio-political issues, further encouraging discourse and involvement in both salient and subtle political topics. This presentation explores how theatre can be used as a tool to educate and encourage audiences to question and explore politics through deliberation and discourse through comparing research from academic journals and articles, as well as studying political movements that advocate for using the arts to inform politics and vice versa. Theatre is a powerful tool that can be used to further educate audiences, influence engagement in political discourse and politics and be used as an opportunity to enact change in regards to our current (and future) political state.

An oriented graph with n vertices has a difference distance magic (DDM) labeling if it is possible to label the vertices with distinct values from $|$ such that at each vertex the sum of the labels of vertices from the in-neighborhood is equal to the sum of the labels of vertices from the out-neighborhood. In this talk, the properties that must be true in order for various classes of oriented graphs to have DDM labelings will be examined. Some classes we may discuss include wheels, multipartite graphs, and regular graphs. In addition, we will discuss how bidirectional edges can create additional DDM labelings. The talk will conclude with a connection to creating home-away equalized tournaments.

Queerness in American musical theatre was hidden in supporting characters and caricatures of queerness in what is known as the “Golden Age” of the american musical. Contemporary musicals now feature authentic, more nuanced queer characters and their stories. By looking closely at three pieces from different periods in the history of american musical theatre: Oklahoma! (Golden Age), Falsettos (Pre-Contemporary), and Fun Home (Contemporary), one can trace the rise the fully conceived LGBTQ+ character that goes beyond the caricature and 2 dimensional presentation and make logical conclusions as to where queer representation will go in the future. This research serves to highlight how queer representation in american musical theatre has improved due to diverse groups of collaborators, the recognition of gay literature, and shifts in American culture. While the industry has managed to develop queer characters and provide a space for queer people to express themselves, the data still shows a lack of representation.

Theatre pedagogical approaches to education are not always commonplace outside of the fine and performing arts. With significant educational budget cuts occurring annually since the 1980s, young students have a lesser opportunity to participate in educational spaces that elevate theatrical pedagogy. The lessons that a theatrical pedagogical approach provides community and empathy through practices such as the use of creative problem solving, collaboration among peers and teachers, and more, are integral in the support of students. If the use of these skills in creating community and facilitating empathetic growth in students, why are theatre pedagogical techniques not prioritized in public school education? Why is funding so hard to procure for theatre education? Students need a theatrical pedagogical approach that provides empathy through theatre practices, creative problem-solving skills, the ability to collaborate with peers, and creates a secure community. It is of the utmost importance that the generations of students to come not only have the skills developed from a well-rounded education, but also the community and empathy developed from a theatre pedagogical approach to give them a support system that empowers them and helps create a supportive community.

An antimagic square is an n x n grid of integers (normally using the values 1 up to n^2) whose rows, main diagonals, and columns add up to distinct, consecutive integers. The k-domino set is the set of distinct domino tiles where the two numbers on each tile are any number from 0 to k. Recently, antimagic domino squares were defined as antimagic squares formed by using the standard 6-domino set. In this talk, we discuss what other antimagic configurations (not strictly limited to squares) can be constructed from a subset of the 6-domino set such that the sums of the rows and columns form a set of distinct, consecutive integers. We will restrict our domino configurations to using at most four different dominoes. We will also explore the minimum sized k-domino set that will create such configurations.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective semipermeable membrane that protects cortical tissue from neurotoxins; however, this same selective permeability blocks many therapeutics from being delivered via the circulatory system. Using 3D bioprinting and a deep understanding of cell-material interactions, our aim is to fabricate an in vitro model of the BBB to evaluate the delivery of therapeutics to the brain. GelMA and HAMA have been used to simulate the extracellular conditions of the brain microenvironment. Previous work has focused primarily on the functionality and biocompatibility of these biomaterial inks to support cell propagation and proliferation but not much work has been done to understand the rheological and physical properties. We hypothesize that the addition of PLGA nanoparticles to GelMA and HAMA will improve the printability of our final construct, while serving as a way to study drug delivery across the BBB.

From the classic works of Shakespeare to more modern pieces such as Frankenstein, Death of a Salesman, Waiting for Godot, plays have been adapted and redesigned by the imagination of the director and the production team. Theatre is adaptable and changeable through directorial concepts, script interpretation, and audience perception and response. This allows for the vision of the production to breathe, grow, be reconceptualized, and to create new interpretations of a text. Changes such as these allow the audience to connect with the characters, locations, or moments differently each time they view the production. 52 Pick Up by Rita Bozi and TJ Dawe, is a script that embraces the idea of flexibility within each performance and production, always allowing the audience to bring their unique perspective to the story. By producing this work, I am exploring the directorial and production process, creating three distinct performances using one central script. Post-production feedback from the audience will also be utilized to better understand the differences and dynamics between each rendition of the piece.

The development of 3D bioprinting promises to aid in the fabrication of biomimetic tissues for organ replacement, drug screening, and pathological modeling. Unfortunately, bioprinters can be cost-prohibitive for some laboratories and utilize proprietary software that limits what settings a user can manipulate. In response, many labs have developed low-cost open-source DIY extruders to convert thermoplastic 3D printers to bioprinters. When 3D printing, the settings used to print differ greatly depending on the material, especially when using various biomaterials. Currently the method to derive these settings is largely a guess and check process with no structure. We have formulated a procedure that streamlines the work of finding the correct settings for a specific extruder, the Replistruder 4 (Feinberg et al., HardwareX 2021). This procedure was also adapted to a novel bioprinter extruder that has been customized for a Creality Ender 3 V2 FDM 3D printer. This system will enable the widespread adoption of DIY bioprinters and will empower other labs to more efficiently advance research in the 3D bioprinting field.

What does one expect when they go to see a theatrical production? They most likely assume that they will be viewing a narrative told by an ensemble of actors who are supported by technical elements, immersing the audience into the world of the story. Lighting, audio, and scenery have long been used to supplement the scripted performance for the actor as far back as the days of open-air theatre in ancient Greece. New advancements in each of these fields such as moving lights, holographic imagery, and stage-mounted speakers have begun to suggest that these design components can hold their own in terms of guiding audiences through the storytelling and live experience. By removing the theatre’s reliance on actors as a mode of storytelling, we propose that design elements can elicit the same emotional response from the audience and develop the same narrative as actors have traditionally done within a theatrical setting.

El tiempo entre costuras de María Dueñas trata del desarrollo de Sira de modista joven en Madrid a empresaria en Tetuán, y de vuelta a Madrid como modista marroquí disfrazada y espía secreta a principios de la dictadura franquista y la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La nacionalidad marroquí de Arish, la nueva identidad falsa de Sira cuando vuelve a Madrid, le permite que viva una feminidad exotizada, algo más característica de la «chica rara» definida por Carmen Martín Gaite, al mismo tiempo que la personalidad real de Sira se sitúa dentro del papel extendido de la mujer de los años de la Guerra Civil. En su vida pública, Sira rechaza la feminidad española prescrita y acoge lo «raro» de su identidad exotizada. Su trabajo de espía requiere que observe su alrededor, y como chica rara, puede ocupar el papel de testigo más fácilmente. Su identidad y su feminidad están fragmentadas: por un lado, lo público y transgresivo, y por el otro, lo privado y tradicional. El análisis de esta fragmentación muestra cómo Sira cambia su presentación del género femenino para apoyar su trabajo de espía, usando la chica rara como herramienta, mientras simultáneamente persigue metas que coinciden con una feminidad más tradicional.

3D bioprinting will aid in fabricating biomimetic tissues for organ replacement, drug screening, and pathological modeling. Multiple groups have developed low-cost open-source DIY extruders to convert traditional thermoplastic 3D printers to bioprinters. Our design aims to address typical issues by engineering a low-cost open-source extruder for an Ender 3 FDM printer. Our design goals were to have a low center of gravity, extruder movement in all 3 dimensions, and the ability to retract. We achieved the first goal by moving the stepper motor to the bottom of the extruder. We then replaced the wheel-driven carriage with a linear rail to address the second goal, encouraging an even weight distribution and smoothing movement along the x-axis. To address the third goal, we designed a 3D-printed plunger piece that connects the biomaterial ink-loaded syringe to a lead screw directly attached to a motor. After multiple design iterations, we produced a prototype that could extrude a low-viscosity biomaterial ink (alginate at 2% w/v in PBS). This modification achieved our first two goals of lowering the center of gravity and enabling 3D axis movement. We are currently working to increase the torque of the extruder and to test the extruder’s retraction capabilities rigorously.

Four-membered cyclic structures are widely found in natural compounds and display a variety of biological activities, allowing them to be used in medical treatment. Despite the prevalence of cyclobutanes in pharmaceuticals, methods employed in the synthesis of these compounds rarely deviate from the traditional [2 + 2] cycloaddition between two alkenes. Because of this, a novel method for the synthesis of substituted cyclobutanones has been developed using low-valent titanium intermediates. The addition of Grignard reagents to a mixture of titanium(IV) complexes and tosylated cyanohydrins has produced cyclobutanones in yields approaching 31%. These “Kulinkovich reagents” are believed to act as 1,2-dicarbanionic intermediates that react with electrophilic cyanotosylates to produce substituted cyclobutanones. The optimization of this novel method is still underway.