Visual Processing in the SCN2A Heterozygous Rat Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fourier Optimization, de Branges Spaces, and Zeros of L-functions

This thesis deals with a few topics at the intersection of Fourier analysis, number theory, and complex analysis. Using the framework of Fourier optimization we obtain new bounds related to the following questions in number theory: the least quadratic non-residue, the least prime in an arithmetic progression, and Montgomery's pair correlation conjecture. We also make contributions related to Hilbert spaces of entire functions, namely, studying norms of embeddings between weighted Paley--Wiene...

One-Back Perceptual Memory Task: Psychophysics, Computational Model, and EEG Correlates

To yield generalizable insights, models of cognitive function must explain behavioral and brain data across diverse experimental paradigms. In the domain of sensory-perceptual memory, however, most models are tailored to specific tasks, raising the question: are perceptual memories governed by paradigm-specific mechanisms, or can broader, unified principles be identified? A general framework in which different forms of perceptual memory arise from the interaction of multiple memory buffers w...

A genome-wide microRNA screen uncovers modifiers of α-synuclein fibril internalization

Characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying VRAC activation

Multicellular organisms evolved mechanisms to accurately regulate cellular volume to counteract swelling or shrinkage which can in turn affect cell integrity. The Volume Regulated Anion Channel (VRAC) is ubiquitously found in all vertebrate cells and turned out to be a key player in the cell-intrinsic regulatory processes which tend to restore the original volume upon osmotic challenges. In combination with potassium export mechanisms, this is achieved by the swelling-induced increased VRAC ...

On Realizations of Hypergeometric Motives

In this thesis, we investigate some of the arithmetic and geometry underlying hypergeometric functions and their finite field analogues. Motivated by their appearance as periods of families of varieties and as traces of Frobenius in étale cohomology, we study the interplay between hypergeometric functions, and point-counting over finite fields. In Chapter 1, we prove that under mild assumptions, the complex hypergeometric local system coincides with the top weight variation of a family o...

Unraveling Molecular Complexity through Single Cell approaches: From Olfactory Bulb Architecture to Dorsal Root Ganglia Remodeling in Pancreatic Cancer

The accessory olfactory system and the role of the nervous system in pancreatic cancer represent two critical yet underexplored areas in neuroscience and cancer biology. This thesis employs transcriptomic and spatial profiling techniques to investigate the cellular and molecular diversity of the olfactory bulb (OB), and examine the molecular changes in sensory neurons innervating cancer pancreas. In the first part of this work, I analyzed single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spati...

Time perception in vision: from sensory processing to network interactions

The ability to perceive and estimate time is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, enabling us to process, predict, and interact with the temporal dimensions of our surroundings. Recent advancements in the field of time perception posit that the perceived duration of sub-second intervals originates from sensory processing - as shown by the biases induced by non-temporal features and by the direct involvement of sensory areas during timing tasks. Beyond this sensory origin, the processing o...

Time-periodic solutions of completely resonant Hamiltonian PDEs related to negative cosmological constant spacetimes