The basal ganglia operate largely in closed parallel loops, including an associative circuit for goal-directed behavior originating from the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and a somatosensory circuit important for habit formation originating from the dorsolateral striatum (DLS). An exception to this parallel circuit organization was proposed to explain how information is...
This dissertation project explores the relationship between the architectures of black masculinity in America and a specific performance of discreet sexual identity. Through critical ethnographic and discursive exploration, I look closely at a group of black men who describe themselves as being on the "down low" (DL). These men, who...
Complex oxides show great potential for future devices as they offer functionalities beyond what can be delivered by conventional semiconductors. Among the complex oxides, the ABO$_{3}$ perovskite oxides are the most studied and engineered in the form of thin films and heterostructures. This thesis applies powerful synchrotron-based X-ray characterization tools,...
In this dissertation, we start with the dictionary learning (DL) based single-frame super-resolution (SR) problem, where low resolution (LR) input frames are super-resolved to high resolution (HR) output frames. We propose to extend the previous single-frame SR methods to multiple-frames, i.e., estimating single HR output frame by multiple LR input...
Polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) were formed from amphiphilic diblock
copolymers consisting of a hydrophilic block with pendant polyethylene
glycol tosylate (PEG-OTs) groups and a hydrophobic block with pendant
terthiophene (TTT) groups. The resulting PNPs were characterized
using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron
microscopy (TEM) to determine size, shape, and...
Super-resolution (SR) has become one of the most critical problems in image and video processing. In Chapter 2 of this thesis, a detailed review of existing Deep Learning (DL) techniques for addressing the SR task, with an emphasis on how DL and analytical techniques can be combined, is provided. Chapter...
Recent discoveries of black hole (BH) candidates in galactic and extragalactic globular clusters (GCs) have ignited interest in understanding how BHs dynamically evolve in a GC and the number of BHs (NBH) that may still be retained by today's GCs. Numerical models show that even if stellar-mass BHs are retained...
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in US and non-invasive cardiac imaging has vital importance for early detection and diagnosis of heart disease. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is arguably the most versatile imaging modality and capable of a comprehensive evaluation of heart disease without ionization radiation. Despite the...
On February 22, 2022, I gave a talk hosted by the African Studies Program of Georgetown University. Two days later, Russian battalions were sent across Ukraine’s borders by President Vladimir Putin. In real time, viewers around the world have seen immense distress unleashed on innocent citizens. In Africa, distress has...
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are required to control immune responses and maintain homeostasis, but are a significant barrier to antitumor immunity. Conversely, Treg instability, characterized by loss of the master transcription factor Foxp3 and acquisition of proinflammatory properties, can promote autoimmunity and/or facilitate more effective tumor immunity. A comprehensive understanding...