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Cultivating School and Community Connectedness to Empower Youth to Thrive
No full textWe face an epidemic of loneliness and a crisis in youth wellness. Reflective of challenges across the education sector, youth in Reading, Massachusetts face unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression, the impact of the Covid pandemic, and disconnection. Schools and communities are a crucial part of the solution. The heart of the strategic project I carried out as a doctoral resident in Reading Public Schools is to mitigate challenges through a multi-faceted focus on connectivity: strengthening connections among young people, with families, staff, and community partners.
This capstone illustrates the power of place-based collaborative action to cultivate school and community connectedness. Through strategic alliances with Reading Public Schools, the Reading Children’s Cabinet, the Reading Office of Equity and Social Justice, and the Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support, I developed and implemented a comprehensive initiative to cultivate connectedness and resilience through four major strategies:
● Elevate youth voice and agency to build a community of belonging through youth listening sessions at Reading Memorial High School to discuss students’ sense of belonging as members of Reading Public Schools and in the greater Reading community.
● Strengthen family and community engagement through a year-long event series with Phyllis Fagell, author of Middle School Superpowers, with concrete strategies and tactics to empower middle school students to thrive.
● Build capacity among staff for healthy, respectful relationships in the workplace – at school and in the broader community.
● Leverage an array of community partners to prioritize and coordinate youth mental health services as a community-wide strategy.
The capstone and strategic project it describes shed light on the powerful potential of public education in cultivating healthy interconnectedness. In a complex and evolving context, the school district serves as a vibrant hub of community engagement, illustrating the unique convening power of schools to build healthy relationships, connections, and find common ground – for young people and their communities to thrive.Educatio
Quantitative Aspects of Arakelov Theory in Arithmetic Dynamics
No full textLet be a number field and \vphi: \bb{P}^m \to \bb{P}^m be an endomorphism of degre that is defined over . Let \h_{\vphi}: \bb{P}^m(\ovl{K}) \to \bb{R}_{\geq 0} be the canonical height associated to \vphi. Given a sequence (x_n) \in \bb{P}^m(\ovl{K}), we say that it is generic if no hypersurface contains infinitely many 's. Yuan \cite{Yua08}, using Arakelov theory, proves that given a generic sequence of points with \h_{\vphi}(x_n) \to 0 and a place , the Galois orbits of will equidistribute to the equilibrium measure \mu_{\vphi,v}.
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The aim of this thesis is to prove a quantitative version of Yuan's theorem for archimedean places. Given a smooth function f: \bb{P}^m(\bb{C}) \to \bb{R} and an \eps > 0, we bound the degree of a hypersurface Z(f,\eps) and a constant such that
\left|\frac{1}{|F_x|} \sum_{y \in F_x} f(y) - \int f d \mu_{\vphi,v} \right| \eps
holds for all x \not \in Z(f,\eps) and \h_{\vphi}(x) \delta, where F_x = \Gal(\ovl{K}/K) \cdot x is the Galois orbit of . This upper bound on \deg Z(f,\eps) tells us how generic has to be.
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There are two main new ingredients in the proof which follows Yuan's approach. The first is a quantitative form of the asymptotic expansion of the Bergman kernel, first established by Tian \cite{Tian90}, and the second is a construction of a ``dynamical" basis of polynomials due to Looper \cite{Loo24}. As an application, for \bb{P}^2 or smooth projective surfaces in general, we are able to deduce an exponential rate of convergence of -periodic points \Per_n to the equilibrium measure. A more arithmetic application is that we are able to deduce an exponential growth of the degree [K(\Per_n):K] in terms of , generalizing results due to Baker \cite{Bak06} in dimension one.Mathematic
Neural Response Recovery Despite Persistent Cochlear Synaptopathy After Noise Exposure
No full textSynaptopathic noise exposure may preferentially target low-spontaneous rate auditory neurons. Here, we report on two models of noise-induced synaptopathy in gerbil in which hair cells remain intact and two that use higher-level exposures to produce outer hair cell (OHC) damage/loss in the cochlear base, where synaptopathy also is greatest. For all models, with and without hair cell damage, we consider a battery of functional measures that may help predict the extent and frequency location of synapse loss, as well as the nature of the fibers/synapses affected and their patterns of recovery. Experiments were conducted in Mongolian gerbil, an animal with a range of hearing sensitivity largely overlapping human, with known cochlear distributions of auditory nerve fibers by spontaneous rate (SR) subtype. Animals were noise-exposed then tested, with age-matched controls, at post-exposure time points from 24 hr to 36 wk. We recorded sound-evoked distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), compound action potentials (CAPs), and peri-stimulus time responses (PSTRs) across a broad range of frequencies, as well as unstimulated spontaneous neural activity. Hair cells and afferent synapses were quantified in immunolabeled cochlear tissue.
A single 2-hour octave-band noise exposure at 100 or 103 dB SPL yielded threshold shifts and response amplitude reductions (DPOAE, CAP) that recovered by 2wk post exposure, without hair cell loss. High-SR-dominated CAP and PSTR peak responses and spontaneous neural noise all recovered, exceeding control values at some post-exposure times. PSTR plateaus, reflecting contributions of neurons from all subgroups, also recovered but never exceeded controls. In the same ears, synapse loss was persistent, even 36 wk post exposure. With increased exposure level, synaptopathy was accompanied by permanent threshold shifts and persistent OHC injury or frank loss. After the 112 dB SPL exposure, permanent threshold shifts and mild OHC loss were restricted to the highest frequencies/cochlear regions evaluated. CAP amplitudes recovered more fully than DPOAE amplitudes. PSTR peaks and even plateaus were like control by 36 wk. Following the 115 dB SPL exposure, large threshold shifts and suprathreshold amplitude declines remained evident at the longest post exposure time. OHC loss was largest in the extreme base. For both higher-level exposures, spontaneous neural noise declined significantly, with incomplete post-noise recovery.
For a range of noise exposure levels, we observed persistent synaptopathy with recovery of neural response thresholds and amplitudes and augmented spontaneous activity. Through multiple functional assays and offline analyses, we focused on characterizing these neural responses. Post-noise recovery and even overshoot of control values for high-SR dominated onset responses was surprising given the synapse loss evident even in our longest held animals, perhaps signifying a compensatory mechanism. Our data suggest that there may be a range of noise doses that activates such a dynamic recovery process, whereas other exposures may be too low to activate it or too damaging to benefit from it.Medical Science
Partisan Polarization in Local Politics
No full textA growing body of scholarship investigates the extent to which national partisan polarization filters down to the local level. There has been little evidence, however, on: (1) the size of the local partisan divide; (2) the extent to which it varies by policy issue; and (3) how these divides compare at the elite and the mass public levels. Using responses to questions about local policy preferences from nearly a decade of nationwide surveys of mayors and from 25,521 members of the public in 87 cities between 2020 and 2023, we uncover notable variation in local partisan polarization. We find substantial polarization across a number of local policy issue areas and less in others. Just as others have found at the national level, we find that elite partisan polarization is more substantial than it is among members of the public on nearly every policy issue for which we have directly comparable data. We also find, by using the subset of data for which we have mayors and their constituents answering identical questions, that mayors take positions aligned with their constituents’ about 61% of the time. While Democratic mayors align with their Democratic constituents more than with their Republican ones, and Republican mayors do the opposite, the differences are modest against the background of polarization in America. Together, these results reaffirm the pre-eminence of partisanship in the formation of public opinion, challenge a traditional consensus that local politics is apartisan, and establish scope conditions on when partisanship might shape the policy outputs of local government.Author's Origina
Bioinformatic Sequence Analysis Reveals Evolutionary History of Synaptic Genes
No full textSynapse is an innovation that occurred early in animal evolution, possibly during the very emergence of animals hundreds if not thousands of millions years ago (Südhof, 2023). Synapses were likely stitched together from pre-existing components, possibly by altering some of these components sequence features. This mini-PhD research paper (1) determined the evolutionary history of key components of synapses using sequence analyses as an approach and analyzed existing literature on the ultrastructural of synapses in evolutionarily old animals, and (2) leveraged the resulting information into a hypothesis on how synapses possibly evolved. Exploring the evolutionary roots of behavior is a key objective in the field of biology and has the potential to offer valuable insights into human disorders. Similarly for neuroscience, as my thesis director Dr. Südhof presented (2013), studying synapses (the basic computational units of the brain) was fundamentally important to understand our brain. 1970 Nobel Laureate Bernard Katz (1966) proposed that all synapses operated by the same principle, although they differed in properties. So, the key question was how the assembly of a presynaptic secretory machinery, incorporating evolutionarily older components, contribute to the evolution of synapses as a rapid mechanism for initiating the first muscle contraction? In this project, I researched on early synapse evolution, not the differences between various branches of Bilateria (which include all insects, mammals etc.) but the evolution of synapses before the Bilateria body plan emerged from Cnidaria, Placozoa, Porifera, Ctenophora and Choanoflagellata, when the nervous system was organized in nerve nets
Extracting Foresight from Hindsight: Is Automated Warfare, Law Fair?
No full textThere is no settled position on whether Automated Weapons Systems (AWS)
should be prohibited or permitted. Speculation as to what AWS might look like, allows
different people, who take different views of what AWS will become, to produce
different conclusions as to how the future of AWS should be regulated. This also means
that there is a lack of a clear line between different definitions – the same weapon, over
time, can be programmed to perform in different modes.
History suggests an innate skepticism of technological advancements and an
anxiety about “future shock.” Such fears are magnified by the role and influence of
popular media who highlight the dangers of automation. Such fears do not allow for a
rational basis on which to assess the lawfulness of weapons system in general, or AWS in
particular.
A linguistic analysis of the term, “autonomous weapons system” reveals that
although the term “weapons system” is readily susceptible to clear linguistic analysis, the
term “autonomous” is not.
The lack of an agreed definition of AWS has allowed states to emphasize
different parts of AWS, to advance their own geo-political interests. This has resulted in
12 different declared state positions as to AWS. This thesis adopts a working definition
of AWS as a non human instrument, which is capable of deploying force against a person
or object, in response to a pre programmed or learned stimulus. The device may or may
not be overridden by human command.
Contrary to the focus on AWS as a future technology, this thesis argues that AWS
already exist. Current weapons of all types are judged on the basis of their compliance
with the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC). This thesis argues that AWS, whether in
existence, or whether a future capability, should be judged using the LOAC standard.
Some of the arguments in the literature in favor of or against AWS focus on
AWS’s legitimacy or undesirability based on efficiency or effectiveness. While these
arguments are powerful, they can be difficult to reconcile or assess – because, like the
definition of AWS, they come at the problem from differing perspectives. What is
needed, is to re-consider the arguments, using LOAC as the common platform of
analysis.
A current AWS, the Close in Weapons System (CIWS), is used as a case study to
demonstrate the usefulness of compliance with LOAC as a way of determining whether
an AWS should be permitted to be used or not.Extension Studie
Unveiling Veils of Infinitivity Apophasis and Envisioning the Invisible in the Study of Mysticism
No full textVersion of Recor
A Novel Algorithm for Calculating Explicit Sampling Probabilities
No full textReinforcement learning (RL) is a branch of machine learning that tackles sequential decision making problems via an agent-environment framework, with the objective of maximizing a scalar reward signal. Many online reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms lack explicit sampling probabilities, the probability that an action is selected given the observed history up to that point. These explicit sampling probabilities are necessary for calculating estimators used in off-policy evaluation. Our primary contribution is the development of a Monte Carlo integration (MCI) based algorithm that closely matches the performance of randomized least squares value iteration (RLSVI), an efficient Bayesian RL algorithm that does not offer explicit sampling probabilities. Moreover, we present an application of this algorithm in the context of the ADAPTS-HCT clinical trial, which uses a novel hierarchical RL algorithm in a dyadic patient-caregiver structure to improve medication adherence following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Computer Scienc
Mouse Connectome: Enhancing the Pipeline for Building a Complete Brain Circuit Map
No full textThe fundamental mechanisms underlying the operation of the brain remain one of the biggest mysteries in science. The realization of a complete wiring diagram of the mouse hippocampal formation will revolutionize research by enabling detailed investigations into cognitive functions, memory, learning, and neurological disorders.
To build a full wiring diagram of the mouse hippocampal formation, 12,000 semithin sections of brain tissue must be cut and collected. The integrity of each section is crucial as the loss of a single section significantly compromises the ability to trace neuronal processes from one section to another. The MagC system, a novel section collection device, offers a promising solution for cutting and collecting these 12,000 sections. However, no established workflow currently exists for utilizing MagC in long-term, large-scale cutting experiments. Specifically, there is no established method to 1) track the number of sections that have been cut, 2) systematically target the sections for detailed imaging, and 3) regularly monitor the sharpness of the knife to determine when a replacement is necessary.
This senior capstone project presents an integrated hardware–software system that enhances the workflow of MagC at three critical stages: section counting, section targeting, and knife sharpness monitoring. To this end, a dual-sensor piezoelectric force measurement system was implemented to analyze cutting dynamics, and a machine vision–based software interface was developed for identifying section locations and measuring section compression. The force system enables automatic detection of cutting cycles and provides quantitative metrics—including average force, chatter index, and onset slope—to assess knife condition preemptively. The section targeting interface leverages the Segment Anything Model (SAM) for automated section segmentation and includes manual tools for correction and coordinate export, ensuring all sections can be reliably targeted using electron microscopy.
Together, these tools form a robust, scalable MagC workflow for long-term cutting experiments, directly supporting the effort to generate the most comprehensive mouse brain connectome to date.Engineering Sciences S
An increased copy number of glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) associated with psychosis reduces extracellular glycine and impairs NMDA receptor function
No full textKeeps timing out so here is the complete list of Authors: Maltesh Kambali, Yan Li, Petr Unichenko, Jessica Feria Pliego, Rachita Yadav, Jing Liu, Patrick McGuinness, Johanna Cobb, Muxiao Wang, Rajasekar Nagarajan, Jinrui Lyu, Vanessa Vongsouthi, Colin Jackson, Elif Engin, Joseph T. Coyle, Jaeweon Shin, Nathaniel Hodgson, Takao Hensch, Michael Talkowski, Gregg Homanics, Vadim Bolshakov, Christian Henneberger and Uwe Rudolph
Manuscript Number: 2023MP002124RMolecular and Cellular BiologyAccepted Manuscrip