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Dendritic mechanisms of memory encoding in the hippocampus
No full textThe mammalian brain learns and forms memories continuously throughout an individual’s lifetime, with an astonishing capacity to acquire, retain, and retrieve relevant new information while simultaneously filtering and forgetting behaviorally irrelevant experiences. Memories are thought to be encoded during ‘online’ periods of awake exploration and subsequently consolidated into stable memories during ‘offline’ periods of sleep; otherwise, memories are forgotten. Both the rapid encoding of spatial and episodic memories and their subsequent consolidation rely critically on the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Pyramidal neurons in CA1 rapidly form spatially selective firing fields called place fields, which serve as the cellular basis for memory encoding.
The primary neural basis for these memory processes is thought to be synaptic plasticity, which underlies changes in the functional connectivity of neuronal circuits in the brain. Various forms of experience-dependent synaptic modifications, particularly at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, are widely considered to be the primary substrates of memory encoding and consolidation. However, causal links have yet to be made in vivo between synaptic plasticity and memory formation due to the difficulty of monitoring and manipulating plasticity at the single-neuron resolution in awake behaving animals. To address this, we combined high-resolution in vivo single-cell labeling (Chapter 1), 3D real-time motion correction (Chapter 2), and multicompartment two-photon dendritic glutamate, calcium, and voltage imaging to examine the subcellular plasticity mechanisms supporting hippocampal-dependent memory formation (Chapter 3)
Minerals on Stage: Twenty-First-Century Western Theatre and Extractivism
No full textThis dissertation examines how twenty-first-century Western theatre represents and responds to extractivism—a process that renders both humans and land expendable. Focusing on the representation of minerals in text and performance, I trace how theatre registers and defamiliarizes the extractive habitus, that is, the dispositions that reproduce and legitimize resource-dependent subjectivities. Drawing on theatre studies, ecodramaturgy, and energy humanities, I analyze works centered on uranium, coltan, and lithium, three minerals with outsized material and metaphorical significance in the post–World War II West.
Chapter 1 explores the perceptual mechanics of Marie Clements’s Burning Vision (2002), which complicates the habitual separation of the mundane and the nuclear. Chapter 2 examines the relationship between extractive habitus and theatrical spectatorship in Lynn Nottage’s Ruined (2007) and Adam Brace’s They Drink It in the Congo (2016), two plays addressing coltan dependency. Chapter 3 analyzes nostalgia and utopia in green extractivist dispositions through Al Smith’s Rare Earth Mettle (2021) and Het Nieuwe Instituut’s Lithium (2020–21).
All of these works place a mineral at their center, subvert its expendability, decenter the resource-dependent subject, and use theatre or immersive space to ask what it would take for spectators/participants to alter their modes of perception and imagine coexistence beyond extractivism. I argue that theatre’s versatility—as a medium that remediates other media and collapses the divide between the material and the cultural—makes it uniquely capable of re-constellating human–mineral relations in anticipation of a post-extractive future
Plateau potentials underlie calcium indicator signals in vivo
No full textCalcium imaging is widely used to measure the activity of neuronal populations, as calcium accumulations are interpreted as proxies for action-potential (APs) firing. However, by using simultaneous whole-cell and two-photon calcium imaging, we recorded spontaneous activity of pyramidal neurons in mouse layer 2/3 visual cortex in vivo and find that somatic calcium transients correlate better with plateau potentials than with AP trains. Our results demonstrate that somatic calcium signals in vivo primarily reflect plateau potentials, which should be explicitly considered when interpreting calcium imaging data and calibrating spike-inference models.
Keywords: Cortex, Imaging, Pyramidal neuron, Two-photo
GRID3 NGA - Settlement Extents v4.0
No full textThe GRID3 NGA - Settlement Extents v4.0 dataset consists of a geographic representation of settlements in Nigeria. Settlement extents are further delineated into settlement blocks nested within urban and small settlement areas, generated from integrated road, railway, river, settlement extent, building footprint, and remote-sensing inputs. Each block is enriched with morphological, environmental and building metrics.
This version supersedes GRID3 NGA - Settlement Extents v3.1 (https://doi.org/10.7916/x9xg-e262). The following changes were made:
Creation of blocks in urban and semi-urban areas; and
Removal of falsely detected settlements identified during fieldwork
Keywords: Settlement
Aged to Perfection: Performing Old Age and the Elderly Actor in Noh Theater
No full textThis dissertation explores the ways in which the old age of the performed body (characters) and the performing body (actors) intertwine, in particular in rōjomono performances of Japanese noh theater. Rōjomono, or “elderly woman plays,” are considered a prestigious set of works that only veteran actors are allowed to play the role of elderly female protagonists. I discuss the cultural implications given to the aged body and how noh changed those values, with particular attention to female old age. Chapter One provides a literary analysis of how views of the aged body were differentiated by gender in early Japan. While elderly male characters and their unclean bodies could embody both marginalization and sanctification, elderly female characters were cast in a constant negative light because of the fixation on their “grotesque” bodies.
Chapter Two turns to theatrical depictions of the aged body before noh. Compared to earlier genres in which the infirm bodies of the elderly were foregrounded with derision, the audience in the early medieval period harbored more sympathy and respect toward performers who were no longer young. I argue that the audience’s close interaction with the aged performers contributed to a more positive appraisal of them.
Chapter Three covers the plays and treatises of Zeami (1363?-1443?). His writings highlighted the nuanced mental and physical states of elderly characters and actors, and his validation of the aged infirm body undergirds the valorization of rōjomono.
Chapter Four approaches four rōjomono plays: Sotoba Komachi, Sekidera Komachi, Higaki, and Obasute. The gradual departure from the famous literary trope of the elderly “fallen” Ono no Komachi character resulted in the de-corporealization of the aged female body; the protagonists’ aestheticization occurs in tandem with the reduced emphasis on their aged physical states.
Chapter Five follows the stage practices of rōjomono after the age of Zeami. Through the discussion of treatises and katatsuke choreographic notations, I examine what actions or scenes were considered most effective in representing the aged female protagonists. Specifically, the choreographic “rest” indicates that the delicate balance is a norm for elderly actors; they avoid mimicry of the performed (female) bodies, while also demonstrate the reality of their own aged performing bodies.
The Epilogue addresses trends and changes in contemporary Japan, in particular the increasing opportunities of staging rōjomono, and the multiple reproductions of Goō, another play with an elderly female protagonist. In doing so, I demonstrate how, even today, rōjomono performances are a vital aspect of noh, existing in flux even within strict stage conventions
“Everything in ye universe in thair own nature”: An Archaeology of Natural History at Bartram’s Garden
No full textThis dissertation asks what the plants collected and cached by rodent inhabitants of a historic botanic garden can reveal, not only about themselves and the Natural Historians who cataloged them, but also about the laborers, residents, and non-human life that shaped and were shaped by the garden’s evolving landscape. Focusing on Bartram’s Garden, founded in 1728 by Quaker farmer and naturalist John Bartram and later expanded by his descendants, I explore how plants, people, and animals together generated knowledge and transformed domestic and intellectual life across the 18th and 19th centuries.
Drawing on archival, archaeological, and ecological sources, I develop interdisciplinary methods that center not only on human actions but also on non-human contributions to historical recordkeeping. This includes novel archaeobotanical analyses of desiccated plant remains stored by black rats in historic structures which offers insight into how pests, like humans, curated fragments of the past. These rodent assemblages challenge traditional Enlightenment classifications, offering a new lens through which to interpret the botanical legacy of Bartram’s Garden.
By tracing how plants moved through scientific, commercial, and domestic circuits, this study contributes to archaeological, historical, and ecological scholarship. It argues that the production of natural history knowledge in this period cannot be fully understood without accounting for the diverse, entangled relationships between humans and non-humans. Ultimately, the dissertation shows that sites like Bartram’s Garden were not only nodes in global botanical networks but also lived environments where daily human-animal-plant interactions helped shape understandings of the natural world
Academics, Chroniclers, and the Writing of Political History
No full textIn June 2025, at the request of the eminent historian of U.S. institutions Donald T. Critchlow, I participated in a plenary session at the biennial meeting of the Policy History Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. The topic of our panel was “Does Political History Have a Future?” My contribution to this forum is below. It has been revised to make it suitable for publication. My angle of vision is that of a historian of the United States who continues to believe in the Enlightenment ideals that have inspired the nation’s democratic experiment at a moment in the history of the republic in which these ideals have been challenged by the course of events and the pronouncements of elected officials
Fair and Accountable Adaptation Planning: 5 key roles for co-governance
No full textFrontline communities demand and deserve protection from flooding, along with repair from past harms, celebration of strengths, and fair planning processes (Morris et al. 2024). While large-scale investments are necessary for coastal flood adaptation, advocates emphasize the importance of integrating the strengths of residents and community-based organizations alongside governmental agencies (ibid). Yet relatively little research to date has foregrounded the specific components of the networks and initiatives that have protected frontline communities beyond formal plans, which frequently lag in participation and ‘justice issues’ (Rekien et al. 2023). Addressing this research gap is urgent: urban flood adaptation epitomizes many of the built-in challenges of equitable action, with complex and compounding factors that are highly contextual at the physical and social scale, block to block, and creek to creek (Sun et al. 2024); and which are particularly sharp for frontline and environmental justice communities (Liao et al. 2019). Nevertheless, equity remains amorphous in most adaptation plans (Angelo et al. 2022), and coastal adaptation processes continue to prioritize short-term, hierarchical relationships and transactional exchanges (e.g. USACOE 2025).
Building off a multi-year co-produced research project involving a partnership between a university and an umbrella environmental justice organization, this white paper examines the experiences of 32 cases of flood adaptation nationwide that have been described as successful from the point of view of communities themselves. The research team conducted interviews with 22 leaders that participated in these processes, across state agencies, consultancies, local government and community-based organizations, selected using snowball sampling. Findings were then analyzed for key common themes and elements and refined in collaboration with participants in a collaborative workshop. We define these spaces as those that marshal the resources of the many entities involved and simultaneously advocate for the protection and inclusion of groups historically left out of formulas, investment, and protection in coastal adaptation planning. Further, our results suggest that equitable actions stem from long-term relationships and networks of respect underpinned by values, such as the understanding that everyone engaged brings valuable knowledge and experiences. Further, we identified key roles and arenas for action that dynamically interplay to foster equitable planning processes. These roles - facilitators who connect people and resources, educators who foster knowledge exchanges, mediators who create spaces for diverse stakeholders, challengers who advocate against injustices, and mentors who guide communities to long-term empowerment - collectively inspire new modes of action and lay the foundation for successful, relationship-centered planning.
Keywords: co-production, collaboration, resilience, planning, restorative justic
Teacher Archetypes in Urban Public Schools: A Study Through Literary Analysis, Focus Groups, and Interviews
No full textThe No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is still the most influential and controversial educational policy that has directly informed ongoing power dynamics of administrators, teachers, and students (Darling‐Hammond, 2007). Though this policy, along with the long legacy of other educational policies, is promoted as opportunities that should improve conditions in public schools (especially for students of color), a greater number of educators and educator researchers have illuminated that these policies create more challenging conditions and, consequently, have impacted teacher identity development and student achievement (Wells, 2014). Teachers enter the profession with deeply held beliefs about identity, purpose, and relational responsibility, yet public school systems often require them to perform narrowly defined roles that prioritize compliance, productivity, and emotional restraint.
This dissertation examined how teachers construct, perform, and negotiate professional identity through the lens of archetypes, drawing on Carl Jung’s analytical psychology to explore the psychological and symbolic dimensions of teaching. Using a qualitative, narrative-based methodology and grounded theory, this study analyzed data from multiple teachers through focus group sessions over 10 months, six individual interviews, reflective journals, and educator memoirs. Participants included teachers at varying career stages working primarily in public and urban school contexts.
Through thematic and discourse analysis, this research identified recurring teaching archetypes such as the Caregiver, the Ruler, the Innocent, and the Wounded Healer. It examined how these archetypes serve as adaptive responses to institutional expectations, power structures, andaccountability systems. This study provided information that may further develop teacher-preparation programs that center on teacher identity and how it impacts decisions made in the classroom. This study can be helpful in the development of educators and administrators throughout their careers. It could also be an asset for policymakers whose decisions directly impact the ecosystem of schools and classrooms
Blurring Boundaries: Acculturation Of Asian-Indian American Parents and Their Perspectives on Their Children’s Mathematics Education
No full textAsian-Indians, often referred as the forgotten Asians, are usually grouped with other Asians even though they come from diverse backgrounds and are culturally different from other Asian ethnic groups. Although extensive research exists on Korean, Chinese, and Filipino American populations, Asian-Indian Americans have received far less attention, especially with regard to the academic performance of their children in the field of mathematics, where they excel and outperform other ethnic groups.
Drawing inspiration from Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Lydia Jos’s study on Asian American College Students’ Mathematics Success and the Model Minority Stereotype, the study explores how Asian Indian American parents’ beliefs and cultural values influence their children’s mathematics education. The purpose of the study was twofold: first, to explore the extent to which AIA parents report satisfaction with the mathematics education of their children in U.S. schools and to determine whether that satisfaction relates to their level of acculturation; and second, to identify the alternative educational resources they employ to enhance their children’s mathematical performance.
The theoretical foundation rests on Berry’s Acculturation Framework, which contextualizes the parenting strategies of immigrant families, Baumrind’s Parenting Styles (based on two factors: demandingness and responsiveness), and Epstein’s Parental Involvement Model, exploring the role of parents in shaping children’s academic trajectories. These studies form a pathway: acculturation influences parenting style, which shapes involvement, and all three contribute to children’s mathematics attitudes and educational outcomes.
The present study employed an ethnographic mixed research design. A sample of Asian-Indian American parents (n=69) whose children were attending or have attended a school in the United States and were in honors or advanced mathematics class participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected and a subgroup (n=7) participated in a follow-up semi-structured interview for the qualitative part of the study. The Instruments used in this study were the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) to measure the acculturation of parents and the Attitude Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) to understand parental attitudes, confidence, value, motivation, and enjoyment in mathematics education.
Results indicated that higher acculturation was associated with greater satisfaction, greater adaptability, and a shift from hierarchical, control-oriented parenting toward more democratic and responsive practices. Moreover, higher acculturation corresponded with greater adaptability and emotional responsiveness, indicating a cultural shift from hierarchical to more democratic family dynamics. In line with Epstein’s Parental Involvement Model, both groups emphasized learning at home and community collaboration, reflecting active educational engagement adapted to their degree of acculturation.
In short, AIA parents run a parallel support system along with school mathematics but the degree and intensity of the program varies depending on the acculturation level of the parents and their evolving negotiation between Indian and American educational values. Parents do not rely solely on school-based instruction but instead construct an ecosystem—merging formal tutoring, online learning, home instruction, and cultural community resources—to reinforce mathematical success