Embodiments of Wisdom: Feeling, Knowing and the Boundaries of the Self

In this collection of excerpts from her senior research, Rosenthal examines different iterations of the traditionally female goddess Wisdom. She selects two ancient texts, The Thunder: Perfect Mind and the Secret Revelation of John, from the Nag Hammadi codices. Rosenthal notes the ways in which Wisdom is disconnected and isolated, drawing from David Halperin’s essay “Why is Diotima a Woman” to argue the point that much of Wisdom’s power and legitimacy seems to stem from her being other, and therefore above, humanity. Rosenthal also notes the places and ways in which Wisdom seems to have a physical body in each of the collected texts, drawing from Brooke Holmes’ “The Symptom and the Subject: The Emergence of the Physical Body in Ancient Greece” to specify where Wisdom’s boundaries are located and how she is affected by others, divine or human. The Thunder: Perfect Mind and Secret Revelation of John are used as a framework to examine other iterations of Wisdom, from the Greek goddess Metis to Wisdom-Sophia, the speaker from Proverbs in the Old Testament. Eva Rosenthal is a Religion major from Cincinnati, Ohio. On campus, she is involved with Jewish life and has a show on Denison’s radio station, WDUB. She is spent Spring 2018 semester in Aix-en-Provence, France

What Makes a Religion?: Interactions of Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy in Hinduism

This paper explores the complexities of the following question: In being Hindu, in what ways does one practice and in what ways does one believe? To what extent are ancient texts considered an un-debatable source for faith in divine presence? Gaining an understanding of what these texts are and how exactly they relate to both ritual and belief (because, as we will come to find, both ritual and belief are present in every facet of Hindu worship; what we are looking at is their interaction with one another and which seems to be of more importance in each given circumstance) will be instrumental to exploration of the bigger question

Transkriptionsfaktor Zbtb20 kontrolliert die regionale Spezifikation des Archicortex im Säuger

Combinatorial expression of sets of transcription factors (TFs) along the mammalian cortex controls its subdivision into functional areas. Unlike neocortex, only few recent data suggest genetic mechanisms controlling the regionalization of the archicortex. TF Emx2 plays a crucial role in patterning of the cortex. In this work, from a preselection of 10 genes from previously performed microarray screen, at least six genes were identified to reveal altered expression in Emx2 deficiency, placing them as putative players acting downstream of Emx2 in cortical arealization. Secondly, findings from performed functional analysis of the generated knockout mutant mice for TF Zbtb20 are presented, implicating that this factor, while being dispensable for prenatal development, exerts a genetic control for arealization of archicortex. The expression of Zbtb20 in cortical germinal neuroepithelium begins at E12.5, while later on becoming restricted exclusively to postmitotic neurons of hippocampus (Hi) proper, dentate gyrus (DG), and two transitory zones, subiculum (S) and retrosplenial cortex (Rsp). Analysis of Zbtb20-/- mice revealed altered cortical patterning at the border between neocortex and archicortex, a misspecification of the retrosplenial (neocortical) domain, decreased size of archicortical derivatives (S, Hi proper, DG), and a dramatic change in the molecular patterning of the hippocampal fields S, CA1, CA2, CA3. Dorsally located fields were ectopically expanded into their neighboring, more ventral fields. As Zbtb20 was observed to be expressed only after the accomplishment of early progenitor specification, the intrinsic area specification of cortical progenitors appeared unaltered. A second phenotype is the observed marked delay of the ossification in the Zbtb20-/- mutant mice. In Zbtb20 deficiency, the detected defect in growth of hippocampus and DG as well as in skeletal ossification most probably involves modulation of Wnt signaling. In conclusion, the presented results in this work place Zbtb20 as the first known so far TF with a role in postmitotic acquisition of areal identity of the archicortex and its subfields.Die Expression von Transkriptionsfaktoren (TFs) in unterschiedlicher Kombination entlang der Säugergroßhirnrinde kontrolliert deren Aufteilung in Gebiete unterschiedlicher Funktion. Im Gegensatz zum Neocortex schlagen nur wenige neue Daten genetische Mechanismen zur Kontrolle der Regionalisierung des Archicortex vor. Der TF Emx2 spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Musterbildung des Cortex. In dieser Arbeit wurden von 10 ausgewählten Genen aus vorausgegangenem Microarray-Screen mindestens 6 Gene mit veränderter Expression in Abwesenheit von Emx2 nachgewiesen, was diese zu mutmaßlichen Akteuren bei der Arealisierung des Cortex "downstream" von Emx2 macht. Zum Zweiten werden die Befunde der durchgeführten Funktionsanalyse einer für den TF Zbtb20 generierten Knockout-Maus vorgestellt, die implizieren, dass dieser Faktor, während für die embryonale Entwicklung entbehrlich, eine genetische Kontrolle bei der kortikalen Arealisierung hat. Die Expression von Zbtb20 im germinalen Neuroepithel beginnt am E12.5 und ist später ausschließlich auf die postmitotischen Zellen des Hippocampus (Hi) proper, Gyrus dentatus (DG) und zwei Übergangszonen, Subiculum (S) und retrosplenialen Cortex (Rsp) beschränkt. Die Analyse von Zbtb20-/- Mäusen ergab eine veränderte Musterbildung an der Grenze zwischen Neo- und Archicortex, Fehlausprägung der retrosplenialen (neocorticalen) Domäne, Verkleinerung aller archicorticalen Derivate (S, Hi proper, DG) und eine dramatisch veränderte molekulare Musterbildung der hippocampalen Felder S, CA1, CA2, CA3. Dorsal gelegene Gebiete hatten sich ektopisch in benachbarte, ventralere Abschnitte erstreckt. Es wurde keine Änderung der intrinsischen Gebietsspezifikation der corticalen Vorläufer festgestellt, da Zbtb20 erst nach vollendeter Spezifikation der frühen Vorläuferzellen exprimiert wird. Ein zweiter beobachteter Phänotyp ist die stark verzögerte Ossifikation in Zbtb20-/- Mäusen. Fehlt Zbtb20, kommt es zur Modulation des Wnt Signalweges, was vermutlich eine der Ursachen für fehlerhafte Ossifikation bzw. Wachstum von Hippocampus und DG darstellt. Schließlich ermitteln die vorgestellten Daten Zbtb20 als den ersten bekannten TF mit einer Rolle beim postmitotischen Erwerb arealer Identität des Archicortex und seiner Teilgebiete

Zbtb20 modulates the sequential generation of neuronal layers in developing cortex

BACKGROUND: During corticogenesis, genetic programs encoded in progenitor cells at different developmental stages and inherited in postmitotic neurons specify distinct layer and area identities. Transcription factor Zbtb20 has been shown to play a role for hippocampal development but whether it is implicated in mammalian neocortical morphogenesis remains unknown. RESULTS: Here, we report that during embyogenesis transcription factor Zbtb20 has a dynamic spatio-temporal expression pattern in mitotic cortical progenitors through which it modulates the sequential generation of cortical neuronal layer identities. Zbtb20 knock out mice exhibited enhanced populations of early born L6-L4 neuronal subtypes and a dramatic reduction of the late born L3/L2 neurons. This defect was due to a temporal misbalance in the production of earlier versus later born neurons, leading to a progressive diminishing of the progenitor pool for the generation of L3-L2 neurons. Zbtb20 implements these temporal effects in part by binding to promoter of the orphan nuclear receptor CoupTF1/Nr2f1. In addition to its effects exerted in cortical progenitors, the postmitotic expression of Zbtb20 in L3/L2 neurons starting at birth may contribute to their proper differentiation and migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal Zbtb20 as a novel temporal regulator for the generation of layer-specific neuronal identities

Prozessstrukturen illegalisierter Migration: Ein biographietheoretischer und figurationssoziologischer Zugang

In diesem Beitrag werden wir verdeutlichen, inwiefern ein biographietheoretischer und figurationssoziologischer Zugang für das Verstehen und Erklären von (illegalisierten) Migrationsverläufen einen Gewinn darstellen kann. Das vorgestellte empirische Material entstand im Rahmen unseres DFG-Forschungsprojektes zur "sozialen Konstruktion von Grenzgebieten“, das wir im Grenzraum um die spanischen Exklaven Melilla und Ceuta in Nordafrika durchführen. In unserem Beitrag konzentrieren wir uns auf die Erfahrungen und Perspektiven von Migrierenden, die die Grenze nach Spanien nicht auf „legale“ Weise überqueren konnten. Auf der Grundlage eines kontrastiven Vergleichs von drei sehr divergenten Migrationsverläufen von Menschen aus unterschiedlichen geographischen Regionen und gesellschaftlichen Kontexten (Syrien, Mauretanien und Kamerun) werden wir Prozessstrukturen illegalisierter Migration diskutieren und dabei auf die Bedeutung von sich wandelnden Zugehörigkeiten, Figurationen und Diskursen sowie Selbstpräsentationen eingehen.

Illegalisierte Migrationsverläufe aus biografietheoretischer und figurationssoziologischer Perspektive: die Landgrenze zwischen Spanien und Marokko

In diesem Artikel möchten wir den Gewinn einer biografietheoretischen und figurationssoziologischen Perspektive für das Verstehen und das Erklären von (illegalisierten) Migrationsverläufen verdeutlichen sowie einige methodische Implikationen dieser Perspektive diskutieren. Der Beitrag beruht auf unserer gemeinsamen Forschung zur "sozialen Konstruktion von Grenzgebieten", die wir in den spanischen Exklaven Melilla und Ceuta durchführen. Wir konzentrieren uns in diesem Beitrag insbesondere auf die Rekonstruktion der Erfahrungen und Perspektiven jener MigrantInnen, die die Grenze Marokkos zu den Exklaven nicht auf "legale" Weise überqueren konnten. Auf der Grundlage eines kontrastiven Vergleichs von drei sehr divergenten Migrationsverläufen von Menschen aus unterschiedlichen geografischen Regionen und gesellschaftlichen Kontexten (Syrien, Mauretanien und Kamerun) geht es uns darum, Prozessstrukturen illegalisierter Migration zu rekonstruieren. Die Einbettung von Migrationsverläufen in die Gesamtgestalt einer Biografie (in ihrer Wechselwirkung mit kollektivgeschichtlichen Prozessen bzw. soziohistorischen Rahmenbedingungen) ermöglicht analytisch zu fassen, so unsere These, wie Illegalisierung konstituiert, erfahren und bearbeitet wird. Wir wollen dabei auch zeigen, inwiefern Konstruktionen von Zugehörigkeiten, als Machtmittel und -effekte in gesellschaftlichen Verflechtungszusammenhängen, und ihr Wandel auf diese Verläufe bezogen sind. Die Rekonstruktion dieser Verläufe und der Dynamik von Zugehörigkeiten erfordert wiederum eine genaue historische Kontextualisierung der untersuchten Fälle in Bezug auf lokale im Verhältnis zu transnationalen und globalen Gegebenheiten und Prozessen.In this article, we aim to clarify the benefit of perspectives derived from biographical research and figurational sociology in attempts to understand and explain illegalized migration. In addition, we intend to discuss the methodological implications of this perspective. The article is based on our research on the "social construction of border zones," which is conducted within the Spanish exclaves Melilla and Ceuta. We will concentrate in particular on the reconstruction of the experiences of migrants who were unable to "legally" cross the border between Moroccan and Spanish territory. On the basis of a contrastive comparison between three cases of migrants from various regions and social contexts (Syria, Mauritania, and Cameroon) with profoundly diverse migration experiences, we want to reconstruct processual structures of illegalized migration movements. Our assumption is that the contextualization of migration processes within an individual's biography (and the biography's intertwining with wider collective and sociohistorical processes and conditions) will enable us to make an analysis of how the illegalization and criminalization of migration is constituted, experienced and processed. We also aim to analyze how notions of belonging are generated and used as instruments and effects of power in social settings and how changes in the sense of belonging are linked to different migration experiences. The reconstruction of migration experiences and of the dynamics of belonging demands a precise historical contextualization and diachronic analysis of the researched cases regarding local situations and their interplay with global or transnational processes and circumstances

Transnational Biographies

Every day many people leave the place where they live and move to some other place, where they settle permanently or stay for many years. The contributions to this volume are based on the results of three empirical research projects which set out to investigate the situation of migrants in Jordan, Brazil, Germany and other European countries. The articles focus on migrants at their place of arrival and ask questions such as: How do they look back on their life histories and migration paths? What dynamics and processes led up to their migration projects and how do they explain their motives? The studies in this volume show that leaving and arriving are interrelated: leaving one’s home region is part of a long process, partly planned and partly unplanned, which is determined by complex collective, familial and individual constellations, and which has significant consequences for the action patterns and participation strategies of migrants in their arrival societies. This book also shows which constellations enable some migrants to realize their goals in their present situation, and which constraints or obstacles make it impossible for others to do so

Free polyethylenimine enhances substrate-mediated gene delivery on titanium substrates modified with RGD-functionalized poly(acrylic acid) brushes

Substrate mediated gene delivery (SMD) is a method of immobilizing DNA complexes to a substrate via covalent attachment or nonspecific adsorption, which allows for increased transgene expression with less DNA compared to traditional bolus delivery. It may also increase cells receptivity to transfection via cell-material interactions. Substrate modifications with poly(acrylic) acid (PAA) brushes may improve SMD by enhancing substrate interactions with DNA complexes via tailored surface chemistry and increasing cellular adhesion via moieties covalently bound to the brushes. Previously, we described a simple method to graft PAA brushes to Ti and further demonstrated conjugation of cell adhesion peptides (i.e., RGD) to the PAA brushes to improve biocompatibility. The objective of this work was to investigate the ability of Ti substrates modified with PAA-RGD brushes (PAA-RGD) to immobilize complexes composed of branched polyethyleneimine and DNA plasmids (bPEI-DNA) and support SMD in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. Transfection in NIH/3T3 cells cultured on bPEI-DNA complexes immobilized onto PAA-RGD substrates was measured and compared to transfection in cells cultured on control surfaces with immobilized complexes including Flat Ti, PAA brushes modified with a control peptide (RGE), and unmodified PAA. Transfection was two-fold higher in cells cultured on PAA-RGD compared to those cultured on all control substrates. While DNA immobilization measured with radiolabeled DNA indicated that all substrates (PAA-RGD, unmodified PAA, Flat Ti) contained nearly equivalent amounts of loaded DNA, ellipsometric measurements showed that more total mass (i.e., DNA and bPEI, both complexed and free) was immobilized to PAA and PAA-RGD compared to Flat Ti. The increase in adsorbed mass may be attributed to free bPEI, which has been shown to improve transfection. Further transfection investigations showed that removing free bPEI from the immobilized complexes decreased SMD transfection and negated any differences in transfection success between cells cultured on PAA-RGD and on control substrates, suggesting that free bPEI may be beneficial for SMD in cells cultured on bPEI-DNA complexes immobilized on PAA-RGD grafted to Ti. This work demonstrates that substrate modification with PAA-RGD is a feasible method to enhance SMD outcomes on Ti and may be used for future applications such as tissue engineering, gene therapy, and diagnostics. © 2019 Mantz, Rosenthal, Farris, Kozisek, Bittrich, Nazari, Schubert, Schubert, Stamm, Uhlmann and Pannier