New capabilities in x-ray microscopy have been enabled by rapid advances in synchrotronlight sources and in high performance computing. We present here conceptual and computational
advances in two areas of x-ray microscopy. One involves ptychography, where computation is
used to obtain images from diffraction patterns as a finite coherent illumination...
Granular materials are ubiquitous in nature and play a prominent role in countless technologies. The mechanical responses of multiphase granular material can vary significantly, when imposed to differential loading rates, depending on confinement, loading type and pore fluid properties. In this thesis, a versatile modelling platform is developed for delineating...
Meiosis is a specialized form of cell division that occurs to generate sperm and eggs with unique sets of paternal or maternal DNA; this process shuffles genetic information to promote the amazing variation that we observe in living organisms. In order to carry out two rounds of DNA separation with...
This thesis presents a new self-assembling robotic system that diverges from traditional approaches by enabling robots to build structures not constrained to a lattice and formed based on environmental conditions, rather than on a priori blueprints. Robot self-assembly is a class of behavior in swarm robotics in which many robots...
The provision of social services is becoming increasingly complex as human service agencies, nonprofits, and government agencies recognize the importance of wraparound care. A wraparound approach to social service provision acknowledges the importance of providing comprehensive services that meet various individual, family, and community needs. This approach is enacted through...
In recent years, machine learning on graphs (or networks) has gone from a niche topic with only a few active researchers worldwide, to a heavily invested field with novel use cases for dealing with relationships and/or interactions within complex systems in the natural and social sciences. Traditionally, choosing the right...
Aristotle says that true assertions in practical philosophy are true “for the most part.” I argue an assertion is true “for the most part” if it refers to the hypothetical realization of a substance’s essential capacities under some set of impediments. The removal of impediments to the full realization of...
The construction of new C–C bonds remains a central facet of organic chemistry due to its critical role in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds and organic materials. Mild and selective methodologies are often required for efficient formation of these bonds in natural product total synthesis, medicinal chemistry campaigns, and more....
Over the course of disease progression, half of adults with type II diabetes also develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), peripheral nerve damage precipitated by the downstream metabolic effects of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. This multifactorial pathogenesis of DPN leads to various structural and physiological changes within the nerve, ultimately...
Perturbations to the physiology or impairments in the formation of synapses within the cochlea, specifically the ribbon synapses, result in decreased sensitivity to auditory stimuli. In example, prolonged exposure to moderately intense auditory stimuli, like power tools, can result in the swelling of nerve terminals, retraction of the postsynaptic membrane,...