Recent uclalib_libraryprize items

Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Affective Disorders: An Updated Review

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Hormonal contraceptives have given women historic freedoms and control over their fertility. At the same time, the potential side effects and unintended consequences of hormonal contraceptive use remain unclear due to a severe lack of funding and research. In this review, we summarize what is currently known about the impact of hormonal contraceptive use on mood symptoms, depression, and premenstrual disorders, and propose using the Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression as a framework to generate predictions about the mechanistic pathways through which contraceptive use is associated with depression risk. The highest-quality evidence suggests that some types of contraceptives increase depression risk for some women. However, some contraceptives also appear to decrease depression risk in some instances. Key risk factors that predict depression following hormonal contraceptive use include age/age at onset of contraceptive use and mental health history/susceptibility. Hormonal...

Evaluating and Optimizing Machine Learning Models to Predict Drug Side Effects

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Predicting drug side effects is crucial for drug safety and development. In our project, we extend a prior study on ML-based drug side effect prediction by (1) evaluating additional domain knowledge features (higher resolution ATC codes) and (2) optimizing the logistic regression (LR) model. After replicating the original study, we assess ATC levels 3-5 and fine-tune LR model parameters. Results show levels 2-4 perform comparably, while level 5 underperforms, likely due to overfitting. Adjusting decision thresholds and regularization also improved performance compared to the original study. Our study highlights the tradeoff between feature specificity and model generalizability, emphasizing the need for careful feature selection and parameter tuning. These insights can further ML-based drug safety research, informing future pharmacological studies that integrate computational approaches for improved side effect prediction.

Between Art Song And Activism: The Black Feminist Legacy of Bonds and Hughes

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this research, I examine the music of composer Margaret Allison Bonds and her collaborations with poet and social activist Langston Hughes. Drawing on Black feminist thought, I assert that the collaborations of Margaret Allison Bonds and Langston Hughes exemplify the importance of artistic collaboration between Black men and Black women in struggles for racial liberation and the significance of the experience of Black women in artistic expressions of Black vernacular culture. I also expand on previous literature’s analysis of the unique role Black women played in fostering artistic relationships and connection during the respective Black Renaissances of Harlem and Chicago. My analysis draws on a meta-synthesis of literature on both Margaret Allison Bonds and Langston Hughes’ artistic outputs, as well as works with archival materials such as correspondences between Bonds and Hughes, original musical scores, and program notes. I also consider musical quotes, form, rhythm, melody...

The Role of Violence on Gay Bodies in Establishing West Hollywood as a “Gay City”

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores how violence against the LGBTQ community in West Hollywood during the late 1980s catalyzed the city’s transformation into a nationally recognized “gay city.” Through an analysis of homophobia, police ignorance, and the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, the paper reveals how local government, particularly the West Hollywood City Council and its many committees, executed meaningful actions and plans to foster safety and inclusion. Drawing on archival documents, media coverage, and city reports, the research argues that violence on gay bodies enabled responses that redefined urban queer space, setting a precedent for LGBTQ advocacy and representation in city governance.

REMEMBERING THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO BEEF: HOW AFTOSA AND FIAO BECOME TOOLS OF RESISTING THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF ARTISANAL MEXICAN CHEESE

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This project aims to historically contextualize the bi-lateral campaign to eradicate foot and mouth disease to explain why rural communities in the western coastal region of Mexico resist the proliferation of their products. By studying how communities developed mistrust and skepticism in both federal and local government intervention in agricultural practices and examining the fiao (buying on credit) economic system in locales in Guerrero, this project documents oral testimonies to argue that rural cheesemakers resist globalization and industrialization to protect their socio-cultural practices.

From First to Fine: Facsimile, Fine Printing, and Cultural Patronage in William Andrews Clark, Jr.’s Christmas Gift Books

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As Los Angeles grew into a cultural epicenter in the 1920s, its flourishing fine printing scene prompted bookseller Jake Zeitlin to declare it "a small renaissance." A key figure in this movement was William Andrews Clark Jr., a philanthropist and bibliophile whose collection later founded the Clark Library. Between 1922 and 1933, Clark commissioned ten annual Christmas books for friends and institutions, each uniquely combining a facsimile of a rare first edition with a lavish modern reprint. This paper argues that these Christmas books represented a unique fusion of bibliographic scholarship and cultural patronage that redefined private collectors' relationship with public culture. Through analysis of production records and correspondence, this study reveals how these books transcended conventional gift-giving to create cultural artifacts that preserved bibliographic heritage, advanced fine printing aesthetics, built bibliographical networks, and forged a transformative legacy...

Implementing Green Infrastructure Near Industrial Zones in Los Angeles County: A Versatile Initiative to Combat Food Insecurity

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper was developed for Cluster MIA: Food and Sustainability as a research project addressing a solution to a food-related problem. In Los Angeles County, about 30% of households experience food insecurity, largely due to limited access to nutritious food and insufficient financial resources. The prevalence of industrial zones is linked to food insecurity and inefficient land use, which creates significant barriers for vulnerable communities in accessing fresh, nutritious food. By analyzing land use patterns in the county, I propose that transforming vacant areas with redevelopment potential into green belts and public spaces could enhance access to affordable fresh produce and alleviate transportation challenges. This study incorporates statistical analysis, policy recommendations, and partial economic projections to argue that strategically implementing green infrastructure can improve community nutrition and promote environmental health.

Cultural Misunderstandings in Iran-U.S. Relations: The 1979 Hostage Crisis

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis resulted in the 444-day captivity of 52 American hostages and proved one of the most dramatic diplomatic crises of the 20th century. This documentary explores how deep cultural misunderstandings between the ancient superpower of Iran and the modern superpower of the U.S. indirectly prolonged the crisis. Through archival footage and in-depth analysis, the documentary chronicles the historical roots, political tensions, and failed diplomatic efforts that fundamentally altered U.S.-Iranian relations.

The Relationship between Soil Structure and Insect Biodiversity

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This literature review examines how soil structure influences insect biodiversity, particularly in urban environments. Soil provides essential habitats for insects, while insects also support soil health through aeration, decomposition, and nutrient cycling. However, urbanization disrupts these interactions by causing soil compaction, reducing aeration, and depleting organic matter, leading to insect biodiversity loss.Key urban factors such as impervious surfaces, habitat fragmentation, pollution, and the urban heat island effect degrade soil conditions. This paper involved close analysis of these factors and case studies along urbanization gradients to reveal declining insect diversity and a shift toward pest-dominated ecosystems. This paper hopes to highlight soil-insect interdependence and the importance of their conservation in urban design.

Space, Control, and Resistance: Tlatelolco and the Postcolonial Right to the City

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The 1968 Tlatelolco massacre on October 2nd at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas strains Mexico’s memory, marked by violent state suppression and bloodshed against student resistance from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and National Polytechnic University (IPN). Through a postcolonial lens, this research analyzes the Tlatelolco massacre grounded in the concept of right to the city within the broader historical context highlighting the relationship between modernity, the carceral state, and spatial production. The Tlatelolco massacre represents a long history of colonization and the continuation of colonial logic by global powers, resulting in a cycle of death and violence on those most marginalized and resistant.

Binding the Mariner's Craft: On the Alienated Speech of Revolution in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This thesis aims to understand the motivations behind the form of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”—to find the reason behind the Mariner’s rhyme. The first phase of this exploration considers Coleridge’s contribution to the question of form-content continuity and culminates in a hypothesis that drives the rest of the paper: that though Coleridge’s location of poetic language as above nature participates in the view that form-content continuous poems (poems crafted exclusively in the realm of language) cannot exist as interrelated to nature, such a displacement of language fundamentally misconstrues the premises of mysticism Coleridge hybridizes it with. Namely, I consider Coleridge’s misuse of Jacob Boehme’s “The Seven Forms of Spirits” model.The remainder of the thesis analyzes “The Ancient Mariner” with two goals in mind: 1) to propose that Coleridge’s displacement of language outside of nature catalyzes the disjunctions between form and content that...

Borderline Bias: Gender Disparities and The Male Experience of BPD

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Historically, BPD has been diagnosed more frequently in women. However, recent studies suggest that the prevalence of BPD is nearly equal across genders, highlighting a potential diagnostic bias that disproportionately affects men. This paper explores gender disparities in BPD diagnosis and treatment, emphasizing the male experience. Diagnostic biases may result from differences in symptom expression, particularly explosive temperament and novelty-seeking behavior, which are often misattributed to masculinity. Furthermore, current treatment is less effective for men, as research and therapeutic approaches have primarily focused on women. These disparities contribute to increased distress and undertreatment in men with BPD. Addressing gender biases in diagnosis and treatment is critical for improving mental health outcomes for male BPD patients.

Gatekeeping Green Space: Minimum Lot Size Requirements, Private Lands, and Public Park Provision in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines how affluent neighborhoods control their spaces, from minimum lot size requirements to gatekeeping public parks in the City of Beverly Hills, California. Utilizing spatial analysis and ethnographic observations, the study reveals that restrictive land-use policies, such as minimum lot size requirements, limit public space availability, reinforcing socio-economic disparities. Public parks in northern areas often function as semi-private extensions of luxury properties, with numerous regulations catering to aesthetic preferences rather than inclusivity. Parks in the southern parts of Beverly Hills, though more community-oriented, still face regulatory barriers, revealing the city’s prioritization of property values and homeowner interests over accessible public spaces. Through analysis of city commission meetings and planning decisions, this paper demonstrates how the influence of affluent residents on urban policy perpetuates exclusivity, as public parks serve...

Animate Materiality: Hypertextuality in Lynd Ward’s Illustrated Frankenstein, in Conversation with Patchwork Girl