In the first part of the thesis we,given a dg-Lie algebra $\g$, a commutative
dg-algebra $A$ and a twisting cochain $\mu$ in
$A \otimes \g$, we construct a map
from the functor of curved deformations of $\g$ to the
functor of curved deformations of the twisted tensor product
$A \otimes_\mu...
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common childhood cancers with one of the lowest survival rates, accounting for 15% of childhood cancer mortality. Approximately 15% of patients do not respond to initial treatment, and about half of children treated for high-risk neuroblastoma will relapse following remission. Ionizing radiation has long...
Amyloid beta oligomers (AβOs) are a key instigator of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The work presented in this thesis includes three disease-modifying approaches to disrupt pathological AβO-related mechanisms in AD: (1) inhibiting AβO buildup, (2) blocking AβO-induced tau phosphorylation, and (3) neutralizing AβOs. These three approaches were tested in...
Technology that processes text, audio and video, as well as location data, has revolutionized many industries by enabling innovative operations for customer retention. To retain transactions for a platform and viewers for advertisers, this dissertation leverages novel digital tools to analyze consumer behavior, proposes original economic frameworks to guide platform...
The on-going demand for miniaturized optical and on-chip photonic systems of the future has led to a few potential solutions in the literature. Recent advances in van der Waals and 2-dimensional materials signal a bright future for the next generation, compact electronic and photonic devices. With reduced dimensionality and material...
Human communication has become increasingly reliant on systems made and managed by large technology companies like Google, Apple, Twitter, and Meta (formerly Facebook). These systems offer people many benefits, but they also present new challenges for society. In recent years, researchers, lawmakers, and journalists have suggested that large technology companies...
The retina detects light, processes the visual signal, and sends a complex set of parallel information channels to the brain via a functionally diverse set of retinal ganglion cells types. This manuscript examines these retinal ganglion cell types, the visual features they encode, and the computational mechanisms leading to their...
The esophagus plays a crucial role in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and esophageal disorders are associated with reduced quality of life. Several studies have reported that there is a high worldwide prevalence of esophageal disorders. Esophageal disorders are related to the mechanical properties and function of the esophageal...
Nanomaterials present an exciting landscape of innovation at length scales below 100 nm, wherein controllable synthesis and materials metrology have led to tunable structure-property relationships and next-generation products. The disruptive field of nanotechnology is poised to capitalize upon the exotic chemistry and physics of these nanomaterials to enable more efficient...
In Chapter 1, I analyze optimal capital structure using a model in which firms issue securities in order to (1) finance investments in operations and (2) recapitalize the firm. In this trade-off model, firms balance the tax benefits of debt against the costs of financial distress. Key to the analysis,...
As the technology enabling touch-sense rendering of virtual textures grows in efficacy and prevalence, so too grows the need for a standardized means of storing, transferring, and reconstituting textural signals. Furthermore, to achieve the ultra-low-latency requirements of the next generation of global communications networks, this digital texture representation must be...
In this essay I examine George Aperghis’ process-based compositional thought in the score and performance practice of Retrouvailles, with a focus on the non-hierarchical and simultaneous use of interdisciplinary elements. I demonstrate how Aperghis sets up the complex dramaturgy of superimposed, suggestive narratives in this work as a case-study of...
The purpose of this thesis is to study the empirical measure of the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding algorithm (t-SNE) when the input is given by n independent, identically distributed inputs.We show that this sequence of measures converges to an equilibrium measure, which can be described as the solution of a...
Relative to individual level exposures (such as childhood trauma, life events, and bullying exposure), contextual or systems level environmental factors have received relatively less attention in the psychology literature. While landmark epidemiological and sociological studies have uncovered key insights with regards to systems, this knowledge has not often been translated...
This dissertation is an in-depth exploration of Clarke Distributions (for 10), an original musical composition based on the use of text to establish interrelational listening and performance patterns between performers, in place of any fixed musical material. Inspired by research into improvisation, cognition, aesthetics, and linguistics, these patterns manifest as...
The societies of the former Yugoslavia are only a quarter-century removed from extensive warfare, yet collectively represent one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world. This dissertation employs a global and relational lens to examine how contested narratives of recent conflict history are marketed, performed, and narrativized in settings...
This thesis explores the potential of two-dimensional (2D) or van der Waals (vdW) materials for printed optoelectronic devices. The research focuses on the development of processing, imaging, and modeling of materials and thin-film devices to optimize performance and introduce novel properties. A gate-dependent resistor network model is presented that establishes...
Much of our understanding of human becoming and the process by which possible futures are developed has been based on narrow samples of human experience, which are usually more privileged and provide a narrow view of variability in human life and development. The developmental and educational pathways of minoritized young...
This dissertation introduces several novel computational imaging techniques that capture and analyze the 3D surface shapes and internal layered materials. The research proposes user-friendly and non-invasive imaging systems, constructed using only commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, which provide accurate measurement of 3D information that was previously inaccessible. The dissertation focuses on...
Soft materials are inherently fluxional, with morphologies and behaviors that are dictated by their solvation state. Thus, many organic systems cannot be reliably imaged by static dry state or cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This motivated us to pursue liquid cell (LC) TEM method development to study our own materials and...
CD95/Fas ligand (CD95L) is a well characterized activator of extrinsic apoptosis. CD95L protein binds to its cognate receptor, CD95/Fas/APO-1, inducing apoptotic signaling in sensitive cells. However, expression of CD95L is toxic even in the absence of CD95. We previously reported that the CD95L open reading frame (ORF) is enriched for...
Involuntary motor activities such as spasms arise from hyperreflexia in about 70% of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Despite this prevalence and the negative impact on health and safety, it is unclear what determines the severity of the spasms that develop. This study investigated the impact of injury severity...
Uranium is a unique, multifaceted element that possesses rich chemistry and promise for challenging reactions. Pressing demands within nuclear stockpile stewardship and the nuclear energy sector call for development of this relatively understudied element. Uranium metal–organic frameworks (U-MOFs), a class of nanoscale hybrid materials, harness the exceptional attributes of uranium...
In the 1960s, the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the organization sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with a mission to represents the world’s theaters, was faced with a crisis of representation. After twenty years of existence, the institution had not succeeded in substantially expanding beyond...
Monetary Policy plays a crucial role in modern economies by supporting price, financial and economic stability. Its efficacy, however, exhibits variation both over time and across space leading to partially unpredictable and inconsistent outcomes. This thesis shows that the variation in the efficacy of monetary policy crucially relates to the...
The goal of this thesis is to prove that topological restriction homology, TR, is locally even in the quasi-syntomic topology in characteristic p. This local evenness was already known for the other main trace theories, but is more subtle for TR.
We consider data-driven approaches for universal texture modeling via generative adversarial networks and inversion methods. We investigate the properties of the learned representation spaces and demonstrate that a strong link between texture analysis and synthesis is the key to successful texture modeling. First, we visit the problem of texture synthesis...
Previous studies have documented a systematic discrepancy between probabilistic seismic hazard maps and historical records of shaking (Stein et al., 2015; Brooks et al., 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019; Salditch et al., 2020; Salditch, 2021). In almost every case, shaking predicted by the hazard map is higher than that historically observed....
This dissertation includes the score and companion essay to the musical work, Untitled (March). In the composition, I endeavor to create a listening situation offering a mutually negotiated environment of quietude that challenges a listener's preconceptions of intentionality and perception by blurring the boundaries between instrumental performance, field recordings, and the...
Due to their widespread applicability, graphs and networks appear in various contexts. The increasing scale of graphs encountered in the real-world requires the developmentof efficient algorithms that run reasonably fast and produce close to optimal solutions.
The main focus of this thesis is the development of fast graph algorithms for...
Machine learning-based techniques have shown great promises in perception, prediction, planning, and general decision-making for improving task performance of autonomous driving. Connectivity technology has also presented great potentials in improving the safety and efficiency of transportation systems by providing information beyond the perception and prediction capabilities of individual vehicles. However,...
Our sense of smell, or olfaction, is one of our most evolutionarily ancient senses. In vertebrates, olfaction plays a crucial role in many functions, such as detecting and evaluating food, avoiding predators, regulating appetite, spatial navigation, and selecting mating partners. In addition, the olfactory system is highly dynamic and exhibits...
Findings in both humans and animal models have associated the hippocampal theta oscillation with hippocampal memory function. In animal models, previous research supports that the theta oscillation contributes to memory via phase-dependent changes in hippocampal network connectivity, wherein memory encoding versus retrieval are optimized at different phases of the theta...
This essay investigates the question under which conditions ASMR is suitable for the concert space. What can be done to ensure that those sensitive to ASMR experience the desired effect? The text compares the sounds used to induce the physiological response called ASMR to those of “Musique Concrète (Instrumentale)” by...
Preschool television has historically not been representative of the world young childrenlive in. Although progress is being made, “representation matters” is still a phrase that rings true to this day. This dissertation focused on representation within STEM television shows because STEM education involves learning important skills such as problem solving...
Biologically active small molecules remain the foundation for the medical management of human disease. Their impacts on human health, longevity, culture, and society are difficultly overstated. In large part, medicines derived from organic compounds are the result of the tireless efforts of chemical practitioners––both past and present––who have dedicated much...
Shale gas is a critical energy resource that is comprised primarily of light gases that are expensive to transport. Because these gases are geographically spread-out and there is insufficient capacity to transport them to centralized processing facilities, they must often be flared, leading to great sources of resource waste and...
Literature screening is the process of identifying all relevant records from a pool of candidate paper records in systematic review, meta-analysis, and other research synthesis tasks. This process is time consuming, expensive, and prone to human error. Screening prioritization methods attempt to help reviewers identify most relevant records while only...
Multiple facets of the natural trajectory of glioma remain poorly understood, which results in a universally poor prognosis for patients with glioma. Many patients with glioma experience tumor-associated epilepsy (TAE) throughout their disease course, but the mechanism by which TAE occurs, who is at continued risk for TAE, and whether...
Single-use plastic waste pollution will cause significant harm to the environment if left unaddressed. One possible mitigation strategy is to develop processes, e.g. catalytic hydrogenolysis, that can convert (i.e. upcycle) waste plastics into value-added products capable of participating in a circular economy. Platinum (Pt) catalysts on strontium titanate nanocuboid supports...
Aging is the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD); however, the molecular mechanisms underlying aging and how it can initiate and or exacerbate AD, is still unknown. Epigenetic regulation has been widely accepted to play an essential role in aging or AD-related processes; however, whether dysregulations of histone...
Thermoelectric devices convert between temperature gradients and electricity, implying numerous applications, such as powering exploratory space vehicles, industrial waste-heat recovery, and solid- state refrigeration. Thermoelectric devices consist of doped p-type and n-type semiconductor legs, and the overall device efficiency depends on the transport properties of these semiconductor materials. High-performing thermoelectric...
Through analysis of visual and literary texts, “Relating Sideways: Visual Culture and Women’s Bonds, 1970-2020” constructs a historical narrative that challenges the assumption that women’s lives and relationships naturally bend toward romance and procreation, a normative lifespan that follows the function capitalism has needed women to perform in consumption and...
The first chapter of this dissertation, coauthored with Martin Eichenbaum and Riccardo Bianchi-Vimercati, addresses the question: how sensitive is the power of fiscal policy at the ZLB to the assumption of rational expectations? We do so through the lens of a standard NK model in which people are level-k thinkers....
In recent decades, metal additive manufacturing has seen rapid advancements, offering promising applications across various industries. However, addressing existing challenges in metal AM, such as process stability, defect avoidance, and quality control, is essential for fully exploiting its potential in fabricating parts with a desired geometry, as well as tailored...
This dissertation consists of three essays in microeconomic theory. In the first two chapters, I study a class of partnerships where partners can exit and continue to free-ride on the remaining partners' efforts. The crucial force to deter players from strategic exiting is the ripple effect that it may trigger...
The field of materials discovery is undergoing an unprecedented transition from laboratory tocomputer. Behind this transition is the new ability to accurately compute material properties, especially
energetic stability, from first principles with density functional theory (DFT). However,
DFT remains computationally expensive, and DFT-based materials discovery is intractable, especially
in high...
This dissertation examines how nineteenth century German literature constructed and experimented with an entangled concept of “the environment” based not in (Romantic) philosophical and literary conceptions of nature, but in the theory and science of color perception. As the visual point of interaction between an observer and their surrounding world,...
In this thesis, we consider the spherical spin glass models at zero temperature. We first determine the structureof the Parisi measure at zero temperature for the spherical p+s spin glass model. We then
consider the spherical mixed p-spin model and show that for the spherical spin models with
n components,...