Most of the literature on nail technicians has focus on Korean nail salons in New York City. The few studies on Vietnamese nail technicians have only focused on women’s roles but have not addressed Vietnamese men who also work in these spaces. On the other hand, studies on gendered work have looked at men in feminized occupations such as nursing, librarianship, elementary school teaching, and social work. But these occupations have not taken race into account. In order to bridge this gap, my research focuses on Vietnamese women and men working in nail salons. Therefore, this study provides a glimpse into gendered work, insight that has not been previously studied by other scholars.

Mathematical and computational models can provide unique insights into the dynamics of host-pathogen interactions in vivo. This dissertation explores these models in the context of multiple infection of cells and oncolytic virus therapy. In chapter one, we investigate the modeling of multiple infection using systems of ordinary differential equations, and demonstrate that the artificial truncation of the infection cascade required of numerical simulations can affect the distribution of multiply infection cells. As a result, models of multiple infection described by systems of differential equations require careful selection of parameter values and an appropriate cascade length to insure incorrect results are not observed. Chapter two explores this idea further in the context of two competing virus strains. Here, we find that cascade length can affect the equilibrium level of populations in numerical simulations. More specifically, competitive exclusion can be observed for shorter cascade lengths, whereas coexistence can be observed for longer cascade lengths. We also explore these models in a parameter regime in which cascade length does not affect the numerical simulations, and find that multiple infection can promote coexistence if there is a degree of intracellular niche separation. We further find that multiple infection has a reduced ability to promote coexistence if virus spread is spatially restricted compared to a well-mixed system. Finally, chapter three presents an agent-based model of oncolytic virus therapy for the eradication of drug resistant cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that even if it is not possible to eradicate cancer with oncolytic viruses, it may be possible to eradicate the subpopulation of drug resistant cancer cells through apparent competition. Furthermore, we find that an increase in the infection efficiency of the virus can lead to higher levels of suppression of drug resistant cancer cells. This can increase the success rate of subsequent drug therapies in eradicating the cancer.

This dissertation discusses the synthesis and characterization of aluminum(III) (Al3+) complexes with the non-innocent ligands bis(enol)amine (H3ONO) and di(imino)pyridine (I2P). This work contributes to the rich history of main group coordination chemistry by exploring the capacity of these non-innocent ligand Al3+ complexes to activate small molecules through novel ligand-based proton-, electron-, and hydride-transfer reactions. In chapter 2, a series of Al3+ complexes supported by the tridentate bis(enol)amine ligand (H3ONO, 1,1’-azanediylbis(3,3-dimethylbutan-2-one) is coordinated to Al are synthesized and characterized. Reaction of AlCl3 with singly deprotonated H2ONO- affords the pseudo-octahedral complex [(H2ONO-)2Al][AlCl4] (2.1). Reaction of AlCl3 with the doubly protonated HONO2- affords the five-coordinate, pseudo-trigonal bipyramidal complex (HONO2-)AlCl(THF) (2.2). Reversible ligand-based protonation/deprotonation of the Al complexes is demonstrated by the deprotonation of 2.1 with ¬Et3N to afford 2.2 and the protonation of 2.2 with HCl to afford 2.1. An attempt to deprotonate 2.2 with tBuOK yielded [(HONO2-)Al](μ-tBuO) (2.3), with no change to the ligand protonation state. An intermolecular C—H bond activation reaction takes place when 2.2 reacts with two equivalents of TEMPO to afford [(HONO2-)Al(TEMPO)(TEMPOH)] (2.4). In Chapter 3, di(imino)pyridine (I2P) Al¬3+ complexes are synthesized and characterized with ancillary unsupported primary phosphido ligands. (I2P2-)AlI reacts with LiP(H)Mes to form (I2P2-)Al(PHMes) (3.1) and (I2P2-)AlI reacts with LiP(H)Ph to form (I2P2-)Al(PHPh) (3.2). Solid-state structures reveal distorted tetrahedral geometry in 3.1 and 3.2 and single bond character in the Al—P bond. Near infrared spectra display low energy absorption bands near 1050 nm that are consistent with pincer ligand – Al charge transfer transitions and metalloaromatic character in the “(I2P2-)Al” fragment of the molecules. The phosphido ligands lie out of the I2P ligand plane by up to 15°, consistent with previous reports where π-donor halide ligands occupy a fourth coordination site on Al. In Chapter 4, an electrochemical characterization of V{N(SiMe3)2}3 (4.1) is presented. During the preparation of 4.1 a discrepancy between the observed violet color and the previously reported brown color prompted further investigation of the compound. As a result, electrochemical measurements are presented to contribute to the characterization of the purple compound.

Hoang Minh Phan never wanted to leave Vietnam. After his father was shot and killed by the Viet Cong, he vowed that he would stay by his mother's side and care for and protect her. However, one fateful morning, Hoang finds himself in a boat with other refugees looking to escape Vietnam. Realizing the situation he was in too late, he journeys to Malaysia, Greece, and finally settled in Texas, where he begins to rebuild his life. This paper explores not only Hoang's story, but the complicated history of many Southeast Asian refugees who escaped Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam after the American Wars in Southeast Asia.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured from exhaled breath have great promise for the diagnosis of bacterial infections. However, determining human or microbial origin of VOCs detected in breath remains a great challenge. For example, the microbial fermentation product 2,3-butanedione was recently found in the breath of CF patients; parallel culture-independent metagenomic sequencing of the same samples revealed that Streptococcus and Rothia spp. have the genetic capacity to produce 2,3-butanedione. To investigate whether the genetic capacity found in metagenomes translates to bacterial production of a VOC of interest such as 2,3-butanedione, we fed stable isotopes to three bacterial strains isolated from Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients: two Gram-positive bacteria, Rothia mucilaginosa and Streptococcus salivarius, and a dominant opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Culture headspaces were collected and analyzed using a gas chromatographic system to quantify the abundance of VOCs of interest; mass spectroscopy was used to determine whether the stable isotope label had been incorporated. Our results show that R. mucilaginosa and S. salivarius consumed D-Glucose-13C6 to produce labeled 2,3-butanedione. R. mucilaginosa and S. salivarius also produced labeled acetaldehyde and ethanol when grown with 2H2O. Additionally, we find that P. aeruginosa growth and dimethyl sulfide production are increased when exposed to lactic acid in culture. These results highlight the importance VOCs produced by P. aeruginosa, R. mucilaginosa, and S. salivarius as nutrients and signals in microbial communities, and as potential biomarkers in a CF infection.