Yale Research Articles

Feargal Cochrane. Belfast: The Story of a City and its People New Haven: Yale University Press, 2023. Pp. 320. $30.00 (cloth).

Feargal Cochrane. Belfast: The Story of a City and its People New Haven: Yale University Press, 2023. Pp. 320. $30.00 (cloth).

Bruce Holsinger. On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022. Pp. 448. $40.00 (cloth).

Bruce Holsinger. On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022. Pp. 448. $40.00 (cloth).

History of the Yale Peabody Museum Invertebrate Paleontology Collection

While the Yale Peabody Museum itself did not exist as an entity until 1866, the collections that are its core have been on campus much longer. Yale College had a cabinet of natural wonders including zoological oddities (a taxidermied two-headed calf), anthropological material (wooden shoes from France and China), and other interesting items (including a bottle of water from the Ganges River) (Narendra 1979) dating back to the American Revolution and the late 1700s. This “Cabinet of Yale College” had been housed in multiple places around campus prior to the construction of the Peabody Museum. Some of the earliest collections came from exchanges between Benjamin Silliman (Anonymous 2024b) and Gideon Mantell (Anonymous 2024c), two well-known scientists of the early 1800s. It was not until 1876, when the first Peabody Museum building opened, that the museum had its own space Suppl. material 1. The appointment of paleontologist Charles Beecher (Anonymous 2024a) in 1888 gave the invertebrate paleontology collection its first dedicated staff member. Under Beecher the collections continued to grow with multiple accessions from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. By the late 1860s, fossils from the American West were being shipped back to Yale by train. Dinosaurs described by O. C. Marsh (Anonymous 2024d) are the most well-known (particularly Brontosaurus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus), but the invertebrate paleontology division received extensive collections of Western Interior Seaway specimens from the central portion of the United States. Charles Schuchert took over the division in 1904, bringing with him an extensive collection of brachiopods, which he continued to expand over his lifetime. Graduate student dissertation collections significantly added to the growth of the museum's holdings throughout the twentieth century. Significant additions in the last quarter century include the Samuel J. Ciurca (Anonymous 2024e) eurypterid collection, an Early Ordovician Fezouata Formation Lagerstätte collection, the CLIMAP (Climate: Long range Investigation, Mapping, And Prediction (Anonymous 2024f)) collection of Foraminifera slides and vials, and an incredibly diverse collection of Green River Formation insects (all of the catalogued specimens in these collections can be found on our search portal. Many fossils are on display in the newly renovated Yale Peabody Museum, which reopened in April of 2024 (Suppl. material 1).

Modeling cigarette smoking exposure in subsets of the population

Modeling cigarette smoking exposure in subsets of the population Understanding and acknowledging various factors that impact cigarette smoking and exposure is critical when creating public health interventions to curb tobacco use. Here, Theodore R. Holford from Yale University discusses the impact of different approaches to tobacco control. The harmful effects of cigarette smoking have been widely recognized for more than 50 years (1), and the huge toll that it has taken in shortening lives has led to the recognition of an urgent need to reduce associated exposure. Because cigarette smoking is an addictive behavior, it has been a public health challenge to reduce the level of exposure in the population, even though alternative approaches have been used. These approaches include the introduction of taxes that increase cost to users, changing the legal age at which cigarettes can be purchased, introducing clean air laws that limit locations where individuals are allowed to smoke, and establishing resources that will assist those who wish to quit smoking. These efforts can be undertaken on a national level, but more often, such efforts are implemented at different times and in different ways in different regions. In the US, these laws are more commonly introduced by a state, county, or city. (2) This introduces geographic disparities in cigarette smoking exposure, and it is important to understand these differences when planning approaches to protect public health.

B-030 Performance evaluation of Siemens Atellica® IM Anti-Müllerian Hormone Assay

Abstract Background Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a glycoprotein dimer, is produced by ovarian granulosa cells and its levels have been shown to directly correlate to the number of eggs remaining in the ovaries (ovarian reserve). Thus, measurements of AMH are widely used as an aid in the assessment of the ovarian reserve in women presenting to fertility clinics. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the Siemens Atellica® IM AMH assay and compare it to the Beckman Access AMH assay. Methods The Atellica AMH assay is a fully automated chemiluminescent monoclonal sandwich immunoassay, while the Beckman Access AMH assay is also an automated chemiluminescent monoclonal sandwich immunoassay. Precision and linearity were assessed for the Atellica AMH assay using manufacturer-provided standards. Inter-laboratory correlation studies were completed using deidentified patient samples collected from 120 reproductive-age women undergoing fertility outpatient evaluation at Yale New Haven Health. Blood was drawn on the first office visit for fertility workup. AMH values were initially performed at Yale University using the Beckman Access AMH assay. Serum samples were then frozen (-20°C) and shipped on dry ice to the laboratory at the Ohio State University where they were thawed and analyzed using the Siemens Atellica AMH assay. Linear regression was employed for data analysis. Overall percent agreement using an AMH cut-off value of 1.77 ng/mL was calculated. AMH values >1.77 ng/mL were classified as positive and values ≤1.77 were classified as negative. Results The Siemens Atellica AMH assay exhibited good performance across the measuring range, with intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) ranging from 1.4% to 3.2% and 2.5% to 6.0%, respectively. The assay demonstrated linearity over the four recommended ranges (0.043-24.0 ng/mL) without significant bias observed. The Access and Atellica AMH assays demonstrated good overall agreement of 97% and were well-correlated with a R2 value of 0.9721. Conclusions The AMH assay was validated and routinely measured in-house using the Atellica automated assay. The Siemens Atellica AMH assay performs well across its measuring range and shows good agreement with Beckman Access AMH at the AMH cut-off of 1.77 ng/mL.

Placebo rates in Crohn’s disease randomized clinical trials: An individual patient data meta-analysis

Understanding placebo rates is critical for efficient clinical trial design. We assessed placebo rates and associated factors using individual patient data (IPD) from Crohn's disease (CD) trials. We conducted a meta-analysis of phase 2/3 placebo-controlled trials evaluating advanced therapies in moderate-to-severe CD (2010-2021). Deidentified IPD were obtained through Vivli Inc. and Yale University Open Data Access Project. Primary outcomes were clinical response and remission. Pooled placebo rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using one- and two-stage meta-analytical approaches. Regression analyses identified patient-level factors associated with placebo rates. Using IPD from eight induction (n=1147) and four maintenance (n=524) trials, overall placebo clinical response and remission rates for induction were 27% (95%CI=23-32%) and 10% (95%CI=8-14%) respectively, and 32% (95%CI=23-42%) and 22% (95%CI=14-33%) for maintenance, respectively. Among bio-naïve patients, placebo response and remission rates during induction were 29% (95%CI=24-35%) and 11% (95%CI=8-15%) respectively, and 26% (95% CI=20-33%) and 10% (95% CI=8-14%) for bio-exposed, respectively. During maintenance, bio-naïve response and remission rates were 41% (95%CI=34-48%) and 32% (95%CI=24-40%), respectively, and 29% (95%CI=24-34%) and 16% (95%CI=13-21%) for bio-exposed, respectively. Higher baseline C-reactive protein concentration predicted lower placebo rates, while higher baseline albumin levels and body mass index increased the odds of placebo outcomes. Increased baseline Crohn's Disease Activity Index and 2-item patient-reported outcome scores predicted higher response rates in induction, lower response rates in maintenance, and lower remission rates in induction and maintenance. Patient- and trial-level characteristics influence placebo rates in CD trials. Careful implementation of eligibility criteria, outcome definitions, and patient stratification may reduce placebo rates.

Nina Rowe, The Illuminated World Chronicle. Tales from the Late Medieval City. London, Yale University Press 2020

Nina Rowe, The Illuminated World Chronicle. Tales from the Late Medieval City. London, Yale University Press 2020

Revisiting elastic string models of forward interest rates

Twenty five years ago, several authors proposed to describe the forward interest rate curve (FRC) as an elastic string along which idiosyncratic shocks propagate, accounting for the peculiar structure of the return correlation across different maturities. In this paper, we revisit the specific ‘stiff’ elastic string field theory of Baaquie and Bouchaud [Stiff field theory of interest rates and psychological future time. Wilmott Mag., 2004, 2–6] in a way that makes its micro-foundation more transparent. Our model can be interpreted as capturing the effect of market forces that set the rates of nearby tenors in a self-referential fashion. The model is parsimonious and accurately reproduces the whole correlation structure of the FRC over the time period 1994–2023, with an error around 1% and with only one adjustable parameter, the value of which being very stable across the last three decades. The dependence of correlation on time resolution (also called the Epps effect) is also faithfully reproduced within the model and leads to a cross-tenor information propagation time on the order of 30 minutes. Finally, we confirm that the perceived time in interest rate markets is a strongly sub-linear function of real time, as surmised by Baaquie and Bouchaud [Stiff field theory of interest rates and psychological future time. Wilmott Mag., 2004, 2–6]. In fact, our results are fully compatible with hyperbolic discounting, in line with the recent behavioral Finance literature Farmer and Geanakoplos [Hyperbolic Discounting is Rational: Valuing the Far Future with Uncertain Discount Rates, Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers, 2009 (Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University)].

Kevin W. Hector, Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2023), pp. xv + 308. $40.00

Kevin W. Hector, Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2023), pp. xv + 308. $40.00

The people behind the papers - Joey Ghersi and Stefania Nicoli.

Akt is believed to be important for vascular development, but complex tissue-specific loss-of-function studies have been difficult in mice because of embryonic lethality. In a new study, Wenping Zhou, Joey Ghersi, Stefania Nicoli and colleagues report the phenotype of a complete Akt mutant zebrafish and its role in arterial specification via Notch signaling. To learn more about their work, we spoke with corresponding authors Joey Ghersi, Assistant Professor at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine, Canada, and Stefania Nicoli, Associate Professor Tenure at Yale University, USA.

Hungry Listening in the Archive

In this article I honor Dylan Robinson’s Hungry Listening: Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies by exploring what it means to adopt a “critical listening positionality” in conducting archival work involving Indigenous materials. The subject of my inquiry is a brief correspondence between Hopi artist, performer, and knowledge holder Ernest (Eagle Plume) Naquayouma (1906–1985) and the comparative musicologist Helen Heffron Roberts (1888–1985) kept in the Helen Heffron Roberts Papers in the archives at Yale University. I examine the problems that arose for me in telling this story because of the one-sided settler perspective documented in the archive, and how I tried to redress this injustice. I also consider how Robinson’s “hungry listening” neologism functioned as a heuristic for me in understanding the Naquayouma–Roberts encounter, and in learning about what respecting Naquayouma’s sovereignty in the archive entails. My goal is to dialogue with Robinson’s work as a way of showing my gratitude to him, and also to tell this story in a way that allows these materials to find their way back to Naquayouma’s family and the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office.

"A Liability to the University"-Addressing Student Mental Health Needs on Campus.

Students at colleges and universities report high rates of mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, and frequent suicidal ideation. School policies toward such students, however, often have appeared punitive or aimed primarily at reducing the institution's potential liability. A recent lawsuit against Yale University highlighted allegations of practices that violated several federal statutes by failing to provide reasonable accommodations for students with psychiatric disabilities. The resolution of those claims in a sweeping settlement agreement can provide a model for the many other universities that need to align their policies with federal disability law.

Huw J. Davies, The Wandering Army. The Campaigns that Transformed the British Way of War, Yale University Press, New Haven–London 2022, ss. 500 (review)

Huw J. Davies, The Wandering Army. The Campaigns that Transformed the British Way of War, Yale University Press, New Haven–London 2022, ss. 500 (review)

The combination of donepezil and cognitive training for improving treatment outcomes for alcohol use disorder: Design of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major concern in public health, and cognitive impairments caused by alcohol are involved in this process. Emerging neurobiological evidence suggests that donepezil, an anticholinesterase agent, may improve AUD treatment outcomes by enhancing neurocognitive functioning. Previous research has also suggested that cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) could potentially improve cognitive function and AUD treatment outcomes. We present the rationale and design of a trial to evaluate the combination of donepezil and cognitive remediation therapy (donepezil + CRT) as an intervention for AUD. MethodsWe propose a 13-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subjects trial comparing 4 groups (donepezil + CRT vs. donepezil alone vs. CRT alone vs. placebos) as an intervention for AUD. The main goal of the study is to evaluate if donepezil + CRT is superior to placebo in reducing heavy drinking days and improving neurocognitive functioning. A total of 160 patients (4 groups, 40 per each group) with AUD between the ages of 18–80 years will be recruited at Yale University and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Primary outcome measures include 1) heavy drinking by Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) over 13 weeks and 2) global neurocognitive functioning by a global index of neurocognitive function score at 7 and 13 weeks. DiscussionThis protocol paper describes the rationale and proposed methods for the randomized controlled trial for improving AUD treatment outcomes. This project has significant clinical potential to help patients suffering from AUD by improving their cognition and reducing alcohol consumption.Trial Registration:NCT05042102

Helen Fry, Women in Intelligence. The Hidden History of Two World Wars. London, Yale University Press 2023

Helen Fry, Women in Intelligence. The Hidden History of Two World Wars. London, Yale University Press 2023

Wolf Gruner, Resisters. How Ordinary Jews Fought Persecution in Hitler’s Germany. London, Yale University Press 2023

Wolf Gruner, Resisters. How Ordinary Jews Fought Persecution in Hitler’s Germany. London, Yale University Press 2023

미동북부 지역 대학교의 교양 음악교과 운영현황 분석 -예일 대학교, 존스 홉킨스 대학교, 컬럼비아 대학교, 바너드 대학교를 중심으로-

This study aims to analyze the operation status of liberal arts music education courses at universities in the Northeastern United States and draw implications for South Korea. The study investigated the liberal arts curricula and music courses listed on the official websites of Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University and Barnard College. Across all universities, a total of 106 liberal arts courses were offered from the spring of 2023 to the spring of 2024. The research findings are as follows: First, liberal arts music education courses focused more on theoretical lectures rather than practical lessons, regardless of the scale or educational content of music majors. Second, all types of liberal arts music courses were distribution requirements. Columbia University had both core and distribution requirement courses. Additionally, advanced courses were offered based on students’ musical background knowledge. Third, the category names of liberal arts music courses were related to ‘Humanities’ or ‘Humanities & Arts’. Fourth, the courses were classified into music courses (theory 76.93%, performance 24.53%) and convergence courses (theory 5.66%, performance 1.89%). Fifth, the content of the courses, if theoretical, covered various fields of musicology, while practical courses provided actual musical experiences such as composition and stage performance. They included classical music, jazz, popular music, and ethnic music from certain period. Integrated courses included subjects related to popular culture studies, theater, and literature. Based on these findings, the study suggests improving the liberal arts music education infrastructure of domestic universities, expanding core or distribution requirements, designating specific categories related to music or humanities, and developing courses of various topics and difficulties.

Comparative analysis of Turkey’s environmental performance with Eastern European countries according to international EPI 2022 data

In order to effectively address environmental issues, it is important for governments to identify the problems causing environmental pollution within their scope and to develop appropriate solution policies. In order to identify environmental problems and develop necessary policies, it is necessary to consider the environmental performance of countries. Therefore, measuring the environmental performance of countries is of great importance. One of the prominent indices in measuring environmental performance today is the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) developed by Yale University. The main purpose of EPI is to quantitatively measure and compare the environmental performances of countries in order to monitor their progress in environmental sustainability. As of 2022, EPI consists of three main criteria: climate change, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. In this study, Turkey’s environmental performance was evaluated using the Entropy-based PROMETHEE method with international EPI 2022 data. Subsequently, the environmental performances of Turkey and other Eastern European countries were compared in terms of criterion superiority to determine their strengths and weaknesses. In this context, various sub-criteria were analyzed under main criteria such as climate change mitigation, air quality, sanitation and drinking water, heavy metals, waste management, biodiversity and habitat, ecosystem services, fisheries, acid rain, agriculture, and water resources. As a result of the analysis conducted as of 2022, it emerged that Turkey generally exhibited weak environmental performance among Eastern European countries and there is a need for improvement in each criterion. Giving priority to criteria such as Climate Change Mitigation, Sanitation and Drinking Water, Biodiversity and Habitat, Fisheries, and Acid Rain, in which Turkey obtained the lowest scores in the ranking, would be a more strategic approach.

The Secret of the Writing: James Welch and the Drafting of Winter in the Blood

ABSTRACT Winter in the Blood has an extremely interesting archival back story. Buchanan discovered in James Welch’s archives at the Beinecke Library at Yale University that, as a student at the University of Montana, Welch had already formed the thematic core of the novel nearly ten years before its publication. In a folder with a sticky note on it that reads “In his box in closet. ORIGINAL stuff from writing class!” rests a number of short stories that Welch wrote for a 1964 creative writing course. One of these documents is a short snippet of a story that features a young Indian man named Moses First Raise discovering a dead man lying along a trail in a ravine near a pen of cows. This plot event points to a similar plot event in the opening pages of the novel, though the point of view shifts around and confuses the relationship between the narrator, Moses, and the dead man. Moreover, it is the first time that the brother Moses appears in any of Welch’s other papers or published work. The article explores this and other elements of the compositional history of Welch’s masterpiece, Winter in the Blood.

The Value of Faculty Book Donations: A Case Study of Botany Books at Marx Science and Social Science Library, Yale University

The Value of Faculty Book Donations: A Case Study of Botany Books at Marx Science and Social Science Library, Yale University