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Nietzsche & the Destiny of Man: Human Greatness & Great Politics
No full textThis thesis explores the notion of human greatness and great politics in the political thought of Friedrich Nietzsche. Throughout his life, Nietzsche concerned himself both with the meaning and significance of the great human being, this figure’s relationship to the many, and how human greatness could be reawakened in democratic modernity. Through a diverse series of artful and philosophic engagements with this theme, Nietzsche generated a number of visions of human greatness, ranging from a more communitarian view in his early period to a rarified notion of the singular value-legislating philosopher-ruler in his latter period. Engaging his philosophy from a cultural viewpoint, I argue that Nietzsche’s philosophical and political reflections on human greatness are both compatible with and a benefit to liberal democracy. I begin to demonstrate this first by exploring Nietzsche’s critique of modernity, which takes as its central diagnosis the loss of human greatness and a growing nihilism. In my second chapter, I move into a close analysis of key texts like Schopenhauer as Educator in order to trace his early positive vision charting the path back towards human greatness. Finally, in the third chapter, I engage Nietzsche’s latter vision of human greatness as set out in works like Beyond Good and Evil. This vision, and especially the relationship it depicts between the people and the great philosopher, is carefully considered. Ultimately, I argue that a thoughtful, responsible engagement with Nietzsche’s positive philosophic and cultural project provides us with a salutary, non-coercive, democracy-compatible means of transforming human life
A phylogenomic approach to the blue-barred parrotfish (\u3ci\u3eScarus ghobban\u3c/i\u3e) complex across the Indian and Pacific Oceans
No full text[Abstract embargoed.
Early life adversity induces sex-specific behavioral changes and does not alter precocial neural recruitment in response to basolateral amygdala stimulation
No full textExtensive stress during developmental periods such as adolescence or childhood predisposes individuals to develop mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression in the future. Early-life adversity (ELA) contributes to these outcomes through disrupting the development of brain regions directly related to stress and emotional regulation such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). In response to ELA, the connections from the BLA to the PFC develop at different rates for males and females, with females experiencing precocial maturation earlier than their male counterparts. By stimulating the BLA via concentric bipolar electrode, we observed the downstream changes in neuronal activation within the PFC. ELA caused significant changes in baseline parvalbumin-containing interneurons in the PFC of ELA males. To connect the neurological results to larger scale changes, rat behavior in response to an aversive social stimulus (ultrasonic vocalization) was assessed and correlated with cellular markers for activity and cell type. Behavioral hyper-responsivity was found in response to the aversive stimulus exclusively in ELA females. Overall, results suggest a lack of functional integration of the precocial maturation of the BLA-PFC circuit seen in juvenile females who undergo ELA. The behavioral changes seen in ELA females may be independent of PFC changes or function via different neurons within the PFC
Efficacy of Curcumin as a Neuroprotectant Against Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) - Induced Effects on the Mammalian Spinal Cord Locomotor Neural Network
No full textGlobal plastic consumption and disposal present significant environmental and public health risks, especially impacting vulnerable groups. Current policies predict a doubling of plastic pollution by 44 million tons annually, with estimates of tripling by 2060 to 400 million tons per year. Phthalates (phthalate esters), such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), are a commonly used plasticizer made of synthetic ester-based compounds derived from phthalic acid. Phthalates are known to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), causing central nervous system impairment, oxidative stress, inflammation, and impaired locomotion. Curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, demonstrates anti-inflammatory and potential neuroprotective properties. This study uses the neonatal mouse spinal cord as our research model to explore curcumin’s potential role as a neuroprotectant against DBP-induced damage. What is the efficacy of curcumin as a neuroprotectant on the spinal cord when exposed to the damaging effects of DBP? Will the pattern of the locomotor rhythm be preserved or rescued if we pre-incubate the spinal cord in curcumin prior to exposure to DBP? DBP application disrupted the locomotor rhythm, with curcumin showing mild neuroprotective effects at 10 μM, though this high concentration slightly disrupted the locomotor rhythm. At 5 μM, curcumin provided better neuroprotection but did not fully protect against DBP-induced damage, indicating curcumin’s potential as a neuroprotective agent and the importance of continued research into this role. This study has important implications for public health and how environmental stressors such as plastic pollution can affect the physiology and neural function of animals and humans alike
Modulation of the stretch feedback pathway in the cardiac neuromuscular system of the American lobster, \u3ci\u3eHomarus americanus\u3c/i\u3e
Full text linkThe cardiac ganglion (CG) is a central pattern generator, a neural network that, when activated, produces patterned motor outputs such as breathing and walking. The CG induces the heart contractions of the American lobster, Homarus americanus, making the lobster heart neurogenic. In the American lobster, the CG is made up of nine neurons: four premotor pacemaker neurons that send signals to five motor neurons, causing bursts of action potentials from the motor neurons. These bursts cause cardiac muscle contractions that vary in strength based on the burst duration, frequency, and pattern.
The activity of the CG is modulated by feedback pathways and neuromodulators, allowing for flexibility in the CG’s motor output and appropriate responses to changes in the animal’s environment. Two feedback pathways modulate the CG motor output, the excitatory cardiac muscle stretch and inhibitory nitric oxide feedback pathways. Despite our knowledge of the modulation of the CG by feedback pathways and neuromodulators separately, little is known about how neuromodulators influence the sensory feedback response to cardiac muscle stretch. I found one neuromodulator to modulate each phase of the stretch response differently, one neuromodulator to generally not affect the stretch response, and three neuromodulators to suppress the stretch response. These results suggest neuromodulators can act to produce flexibility in a CPG’s motor output, allowing the system to respond appropriately to changes in an organism’s environment, and allow for variation in CPG responses to different stimuli
An Alternative Perspective on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs): Underpricing in the “No Target Phase
Full text linkSpecial Purpose Acquisition Companies marked a restructuring of the often-fraudulent 1980s blank check company, an entity gathering funds to merge or acquire another business entity. Based on the Special Purpose Acquisition Company structure, “the stock price should be greater than or equal to the pro-rata trust value, discounted from the SPAC’s expiration date, at all times prior to the shareholder vote date.” In this study, I research the “no target” phase of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company’s lifecycle to evaluate whether there is a difference between their trust value and their market capitalization. Based on previous research, we know that there is a discount to trust value prior to 2009; however, I postulate the decoupling of the SPAC merger approval vote and the vote for investors to redeem may eliminate this discount. Using a first difference regression to establish the premium to the average trust value of 1,057 Special Purpose Acquisition Companies traded between 2005 and 2022, we find that both the period before 2010 and after 2010 trades at a negative premium, or discount. Because the decoupling of the merger vote and the redemption vote did not eliminate the negative premium to trust value, I postulate that the structure of SPAC redemptions, modeled as a call option with decaying time value, may be responsible for this mispricing. I also draw opportunities for future research to investigate if the embedding of a call option into the SPAC redemption structure discourages shareholders from desiring merger outcomes early in the SPAC lifecycle
Rhythmic behaviors: Understanding neuromodulation at the neuromuscular level
Full text linkNeuromodulation allows for the flexibility of neural circuit dynamics and the outputs they produce. Studies of the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) have expanded our knowledge on the actions of neuromodulators, small molecules that most often activate G-protein coupled receptors and reconfigure circuit activity and composition. In these systems, modulation has been found to occur at every level, from sensory-motor coupling to neuromuscular transmission (Harris-Warrick and Marder 1991). Neuromodulators have complex effects on motor output; they can alter the firing of individual neurons while also modulating muscle properties, neuromuscular transmission, and sensory neuron response to muscle activity (Fort et al. 2004).
We investigated this further by recording the motor output produced by the gastric mill rhythm of the lobster STNS under neuromodulator conditions. How is this neuromuscular system as a whole modulated to produce motor flexibility? We hypothesized that these neuromodulators act on individual receptors of component neurons of central pattern generator (CPG)-effector system themselves and at the periphery, coordinately altering muscle contraction by altering all levels of the crustacean neuromuscular system.
Application of NRNFLRFamide, RPCH, oxotremorine, and proctolin to the gastric mill 4 (gm4) muscles of the Cancer crab showed that neuromodulators that have been found to have variable, yet significant effects on the activity of the neurons of the STNS directly alter the activity of the gm4 muscles as well, suggesting that coordination of peripheral actions and direct neuronal modulation regulates patterned motor output
Characterizing the Roles of Toll7 in the \u3ci\u3eGryllus\u3c/i\u3e Bimaculatus Peripheral Nervous System Development
Full text linkThe study of neuronal development could provide foundational information on neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. The small size and relatively simple nervous system of Orthoptera make them ideal models for neurodevelopmental studies. The peripheral nervous system development is an intricate and precise process that each sensory neurons are able to reach their central nervous system partners in a relatively short amount of time. Although the peripheral nervous system in limb buds and their genetic regulations are well understood in grasshopper embryos, few studies have explored the developing nervous system in a cricket model. Therefore, the first goal of the current experiment is to characterize the normal peripheral nervous system development in cricket embryos. Previous studies in Drosophila have suggested Toll6 and Toll7 receptors could serve as important targets for the neurotrophic-like factors Spaetzle2 and 5. Malfunctioning neurotrophic pathways could lead to abnormal nervous system development. Therefore, the second goal of the current study is to explore the roles of Toll7 in the development of the cricket peripheral nervous system. Immunohistochemical staining using anti-horseradish peroxidase (Anti-HRP) was used to illustrate crickets\u27 embryonic developing peripheral nervous system in the limb buds from developmental stage 7.0 to 11.0. Cricket eggs were injected with Toll7 double stranded RNA (dsRNA) and rhodamine dye to suppress the Toll7 mRNA level. The control eggs were injected with GFP dsRNA and rhodamine dye. The peripheral nervous system development in cricket embryos is largely homologous to that observed in grasshopper embryos. All later-emerged sensory neurons followed the pathway established by the first pioneer neuron Ti1. Ti1 made stereotypical turns following the steering signals on epithelial and guidepost cell surfaces and eventually fasciculate with lateral motor axons from the central nervous system. When examining the peripheral nervous system development with Toll7 knockdown, a decrease in limb bud volume was observed at stage 7.7 and stage 8.0, suggesting Toll7’s potential roles in aiding cell-cell intercalation processes in Orthoptera embryos. Furthermore, a delay in Ti1 pioneer neuron development was observed with Toll7 knockdown at early developmental stages, providing evidence for Toll-Spaetzle pathway’s neurotrophic-like functions. The results of the current experiment provide the first description of the peripheral nervous system development in the cricket limb buds and further evidence of Toll-Spaetzle pathway’s neurotrophic properties
Phenylisonitrile Ligand Synthesis and Coordination to Cobalt to Form a Catalyst for the Selective Dimerization of Linear Alpha Olefins
No full textLinear alpha olefins (LAOs) are used as precursors to various shampoos, lubricants, and detergents, and are essential within the petrochemical industry. The goal of this project is to develop a cationic cobalt catalyst for the linear dimerization of LAOs. The current catalyst yields an unfavorable branched‑to‑linear product ratio, which is due to the steric bulk of the supporting ligand. To optimize the formation of the linear product, various para‑substituted phenylisonitriles are synthesized as a less bulky supporting ligand. These ligands are successfully coordinated to the neutral pre‑catalyst, and the pre‑catalyst is activated with a strong acid in the presence of linear alpha olefins to test dimerization
Bodies, Memories, Ghosts, and Objects or Telling a Memory
Full text linkI think it started in December 2017, when my Mama sent me to Japan to take care of my grandparents, Baba and Jiji, alone. I had been to Japan almost every year since I was eleven years old, and several times before that too, but this was my first time without Mama. When Mama was there, Japan was filtered through her. I could poke bits of myself through her editing and approval. I could read street signs because of the way she read them, and I could understand my grandparents’ sighs from the timbre of her translation. That December, though, I had to see and hear alone. The tiny shakes in Baba’s legs and the indentation in Jiji’s forehead from when he fell down the stairs crystallized in my memory, and I had to write about it.
This project includes a series of creative nonfiction and fiction pieces centered around telling my family stories. Writing from interviews, observations, and generational memories, I weave together these story fragments to discuss Asian American identity and immigration, WWII trauma, aging, and inheritance