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Brazzaville's Diaspora: Colonial Development, Counterinsurgent Violence, and the Struggle for Self-Determination, 1941-1958
No full text“Brazzaville’s Diaspora” explores the relationship between colonial reform and mass violence during the revolutionary independence struggles in Madagascar (1947-48), Indochina (1945-1954), and Algeria (1954-1962). After the Second World War and especially following the Brazzaville Conference of 1944, officials throughout the French Empire confronted local demands for national autonomy and international calls for self-determination. This work demonstrates how French administrators appropriated the discursive foundations of anti-colonial nationalism – including doctrines of minority rights, national self-determination, and human development – to justify and perpetuate campaigns of unprecedented brutality wherever their rule was threatened. It traces how these liberal discourses intersected with long-standing French fears of “detribalization” and racial mixing, catalyzing colonial practices of violence including torture, mass population relocation, and state-sponsored civil war. Employing a multi-scalar approach, it sheds light on this process from both local and transnational perspectives. In particular, it reveals the integral role that local elites allied with the colonial government played in igniting cycles of intercommunal violence from Algiers to Saigon.
This text makes two central contributions to the study of decolonization and the history of the international order. First, it complicates the scholarly consensus positing national self-determination and nation-state sovereignty as the defining features of the international system after 1945. Instead, it illuminates an alternative vision of postcolonial sovereignty – fractured along racial, ethnic, or so-called “civilizational” lines – that advocates of European colonialism wove into the very foundations of the postwar international order. It argues that this alternative to the nation-state radicalized the violence of decolonization and helped create inter-communal rifts across the Global South that endure to the present. The work also challenges that prevailing historiographical view that attributes the extreme brutality of French colonial conflicts to “fascistic” officers and European settler communities. Tracing the entangled and transnational trajectories of France’s postwar colonial reformers, it illuminates the crucial enabling roles of colonial liberals and anti-fascists in repressive campaigns responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. It argues that the forms and norms of violence that the French army deployed overseas emerged from within the liberal civilizational project of the postwar French Republic.Histor
Deployable Online Reinforcement Learning Algorithms
No full textOnline reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms are being increasingly used in real-world set-
tings where dynamic environments may render offline algorithms ineffective. Such algorithms are
desirable in this setting because they learn and improve future decision-making using continually
collected data. Applications include robotics, recommender systems, fine-tuning large language
models, and digital health. However there are many constraints to deploying online RL algorithms
in the real world. Common challenges include limited data (sparse, partially-observable, etc.), ac-
counting for the complexity of the environment, ensuring stability and autonomy of the algorithm,
and facilitating intepretability and explainability of the algorithm. In this thesis, we have the use-
inspired goal of making online RL deployable and stable in real-world settings. To do so, we provide
a full end-to-end pipeline for online RL deployment. We start with guidelines for making various
design decisions for the algorithm before deployment. We highlight the reward design as one of
the most important design decisions. Next, we provide a framework for creating a monitoring sys-
tem to ensure the algorithm runs stably and autonomously during deployment. Then, we cover
post-deployment analyses that can be conducted to (1) explain what the algorithm learning and (2)
re-evaluate algorithm design for the next deployment. To make ideas concrete in the previous three
stages, we use real examples from the online RL algorithm deployed in the Oralytics clinical trial.
Finally, we study a theoretical non-stationary bandit problem inspired by the non-stationarity in
many real world problems. We conclude by discussing various open research problems for online
reinforcement learning deployment.Engineering and Applied Sciences - Computer Scienc
Good, Bad, or Indifferent: Effects of Brain Stimulation for Those Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects the social and behavioral abilities of those who are impacted by it. Because the disorder is not specific in who it affects (due to genetic and environmental factors), it is not easy to pinpoint the cause to apply a solution across the board. Which symptoms are displayed, and the severity in which they are experienced is a roll of the dice. From the time the term autism was first documented to have been spoken, consistent change is all we have known. Today, individuals who are on the spectrum have access to a more inclusive and accommodating experience when compared to historical accounts of those with ASD-like impairments.
Person-specific treatment plans and targeted therapies are available to increase quality of life while also managing the symptoms of ASD. While traditional methods such as treatment programs, medication, and the like have given this population relief, I think it is time for us to push the boundaries for our impaired brethren and sistren. Various forms of brain stimulation, as well as electroconvulsive therapy, currently provide alternative treatment measures that may be able to offer more than momentary relief for the individual as well as the caretaker. While the methodology was misused as a weapon in the past, I say we reclaim this restorative tool and look to give this population some life back to their years. By introducing case studies and other works, we will see how this tool can be utilized for the good of the ASD community.Extension Studie
Mechanistic Insights into Tau Proteostasis: Role of Lipid Dysregulation in Tauopathy & Potential for Targeted Protein Degradation
No full textTauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the abnormal accumulation and aggregation of Tau proteins in the brain, leading to neuronal dysfunction and cognitive decline. QC-01-175, a heterobifunctional small molecule degrader, targets aberrant Tau proteins by binding to them with one end and recruiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cereblon (CRBN) with the other, promoting their degradation by the proteasome. While QC-01-175 has shown promise in treating tauopathies, its effectiveness in the compromised cellular environments associated with aging—where proteostasis and metabolic functions are impaired—remains uncertain. In this thesis, as a model to examine how QC-01-175 functions under conditions that may impair proteasomal activity, I use cholesterol dysregulation, a metabolic pathway frequently disrupted in neurodegenerative diseases, to better understand the impact of cholesterol metabolic disruptions on Tau aggregation and the therapeutic potential of degraders (Chapter 2).
My results demonstrate that cholesterol and its esters accelerate Tau aggregation in a seed-dependent manner, yet QC-01-175 retains its ability to degrade aberrant Tau, even within a cholesterol-compromised environment. These findings highlight the potential of Tau degraders to function effectively in metabolically dysregulated neurons. Additionally, we investigate the native role of CRBN, the E3 ubiquitin ligase recruited by QC-01-175, to understand its biological significance in a neuronal environment (Chapter 3). Proteomic analyses of CRBN knockout neurons show that CRBN is crucial for preventing the accumulation of misfolded proteins, including Tau, and thereby indirectly responsible for maintaining neuronal resilience under cellular stress.
Finally, this thesis explores alternative E3 ligases that are preferentially expressed in the central nervous system, which could serve as more effective targets for the next generation of bifunctional degraders (Chapter 4). Collectively, this thesis provides new insights into how cholesterol dysregulation impacts Tau aggregation and how leveraging CRBN with QC-01-175 can mitigate this effect, the native role of CRBN in maintaining Tau proteostasis, and candidate E3 ligases for the development of the next generation of proximity-controlling agents and degrader with improved tissue specificity.Chemical Biolog
When Life Shifts: A Memoir in Essays
No full textIn this compelling memoir, journey through the raw, unfiltered landscape of resilience, trust, and self-discovery. The author takes readers on an emotional voyage, revealing what it means to face life's darkest chapters head-on and emerge stronger.
From the relentless challenges of caregiving for a loved one with Alzheimer’s to the battle against self-doubt and the pursuit of reclaiming one’s identity, each essay peels back the layers of human experience. The narrative is enriched by moments of unexpected hope and transformative connections that spark the courage to keep moving forward.
This memoir is a testament to the art of rebuilding trust—both in others and within oneself—and showcases the life-changing power of vulnerability and authentic living. Perfect for those seeking inspiration, it serves as a powerful reminder that even in the face of profound adversity, the path to renewal and lasting happiness is always within reach
Beveridge Beyond the British Isles: Health in Colonial Development and Postwar Visions of Societal Protection
No full textAuthor's Origina
Cellular communities reveal trajectories of brain ageing and Alzheimer’s disease
No full textAlzheimer’s disease (AD) has recently been associated with diverse cell states, yet when and how these states affect the onset of AD remains unclear. Here we used a data-driven approach to reconstruct the dynamics of the brain’s cellular environment and identified a trajectory leading to AD that is distinct from other ageing-related effects. First, we built a comprehensive cell atlas of the aged prefrontal cortex from 1.65 million single-nucleus RNA-sequencing profiles sampled from 437 older individuals, and identified specific glial and neuronal subpopulations associated with AD-related traits. Causal modelling then prioritized two distinct lipid-associated microglial subpopulations—one drives amyloid-β proteinopathy while the other mediates the effect of amyloid-β on tau proteinopathy—as well as an astrocyte subpopulation that mediates the effect of tau on cognitive decline. To model the dynamics of cellular environments, we devised the BEYOND methodology, which identified two distinct trajectories of brain ageing, each defined by coordinated progressive changes in certain cellular communities that lead to (1) AD dementia or (2) alternative brain ageing. Thus, we provide a cellular foundation for a new perspective on AD pathophysiology that informs personalized therapeutic development, targeting different cellular communities for individuals on the path to AD or to alternative brain ageing.Accepted Manuscrip
Historical Progress and Its Undoing: From Lessing's Ditch to Kierkegaard's Paradox
No full textAuthor's Origina
"That Hatred of a Lie": Nat Turner, John Brown, and Revolutionary Love
No full textThis paper explores the lives, theological convictions, and violent insurrections of Nat Turner and John Brown through the lens of political philosopher Joy James's concept of Revolutionary Love. By analyzing Du Bois's invocation of both Turner and Brown at the 1906 Niagara Movement gathering at Harper's Ferry, the paper examines the paradox of rejecting violence while remembering those who used it in the name of justice. It argues that both Turner and Brown exemplify Revolutionary Love—a form of agape-driven political will to organize and struggle, nonviolently or violently, for the dignity and liberation of the oppressed. The study delves into the religious experiences, social contexts, and moral choices of each figure, emphasizing their dedication to their cause, their willingness to sacrifice, and the unresolved ethical tensions arising from their violent actions. While not justifying their violence, nor the suitable analytic for that set of moral conclusions, this framework does help reinterpret their legacies, complicating simplistic portrayals of fanaticism and highlighting the enduring power of spiritually grounded, justice-oriented love in their struggles against systemic oppression.Author's Origina
Reform, Racism, and Propaganda: How a Progressive Era Lens Transformed the Japanese Immigration Discourse in America, 1906-1924
No full textAbstract
This thesis examines the transformation of regional anti-Japanese sentiment in California into national exclusionary policy through strategic propaganda campaigns between 1906 and 1924. Through comparative biographical analysis of four central figures—exclusionist leaders Olaf Tveitmoe and James Phelan alongside inclusionist advocates Yamato Ichihashi and Sidney Gulick—this study reveals how deliberate narrative construction elevated local prejudices to national immigration policy. The research demonstrates that the exclusionists’ success stemmed not merely from widespread racism or economic anxieties, but from sophisticated propaganda techniques that framed Japanese immigration as an existential threat to American identity while portraying inclusionists as traitors to the nation.
These competing propaganda campaigns drew upon distinct ideological frameworks about American identity and social evolution. Exclusionists embraced biological determinism that portrayed Japanese immigrants as permanently unassimilable based on race, while inclusionists argued for cultural adaptation and education as pathways to inclusion. Paradoxically, inclusionist arguments emphasizing Japanese immigrants’ educational achievements and economic contributions inadvertently planted seeds of what would later become the “model minority” stereotype.
Drawing on archival sources including personal papers, organizational records, and contemporary media, this research analyzes how Tveitmoe’s labor organizing and Phelan’s political networks created emotionally resonant narratives that proved remarkably resilient against rational, evidence-based counterarguments offered by Stanford professor Ichihashi and missionary Gulick. The study reveals a fundamental asymmetry: while exclusionists wielded emotional appeals about racial threats and national security, inclusionists relied on statistical data and policy analysis.
By focusing on the “who” and the “how” rather than simply the “why” of Japanese exclusion, this research illuminates the precise mechanisms through which racial ideology became enshrined in policy, establishing precedents that continue to influence contemporary immigration debates.Extension Studie