Prions are self-perpetuating, alternative protein conformations associated with neurological diseases and normal cellular functions. Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains many endogenous prions – providing a powerful system to study prionization. Previously, the Li Lab demonstrated that Swi1, a component of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex, can form the prion [SWI+]. A small region,...
Transcription of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) is a hallmark of life, taking the information stored within genomic nucleic acids and converting it into a form that is useful for producing the proteins necessary for cellular and organismal function. In eukaryotes, transcription of DNA into messenger RNA (mRNA) requires the...
Current biomaterials-based methods for in vitro ovarian follicle culture enable individual follicles or follicle classes to survive and carry out basic functions of the ovary, including hormone and release of mature oocytes upon gonadotropin stimulation. However, these current strategies do not support the survival and maturation of isolated primordial and...
As opposed to the nanoscale deposition techniques often used for material syntheses, here, I focus on mesoscale material depositions and how to design interfaces to efficiently manage such deposition and potential accumulation. These deposition processes include condensation, condensation frosting, particle capture, and vaporization. Through the lens of energy and sustainability,...
Transitioning energy systems from a reliance on fossil fuels to low carbon energy sources is an essential solution for climate change mitigation. However, the industrial sector, which is directly responsible for more than a quarter of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, continues to use fossil fuels for energy and feedstocks....
The dentate gyrus is the first region for information processing within the classic hippocampal trisynaptic circuit, and this position makes it an important structure for the formation of associative memories. The dentate gyrus contains two major types of excitatory neurons: granule cells and mossy cells. While previous work has shown...
I set up a disagreement model where traders not only have different interpretations of a public signal that conveys information of a stock, but are also uncertain about the information quality of others' interpretations. The model along with traders being ambiguity-averse predicts a positive relation between investor disagreement (ID) and...
The world is an increasingly interdependent place. Regions of economic activity are deeply connected with each other through the movement of goods, labor and ideas. This has deep consequence for both the economist and policymaker: in the evaluation of economic activity, an exogenous shock in any given region does not...
The relationship between law and war has evolved substantially over two centuries. One aspect of this evolution that merits further examination is legal accountability. Some international relations (IR) scholars maintain international law lacks meaningful influence without enforcement capabilities. But this critique of international law’s capacity to deliver meaningful influence in...
This dissertation explores cognitive and action errors that occur in communication networks. I leverage theories on organizational errors and social networks to develop a novel, conceptual, and empirically testable framework to understand how individuals make errors when using their networks to share information. Here, I argue that information sharing is...