Second harmonic generation (SHG),
a nonlinear optical tool, was used to
characterize DNA bound through a
chemical linker to the flat surface of a
hemispherical lens. Contact angle
measurements were used to guarantee
that the chemical linker did not hydrolyze
under experimental conditions. SHG
experiments followed the effects of salt...
Constructing 3D objects from 2D images has been an active research area for decades. Given captured 2D information from various devices, different techniques were developed to assign 3D positions to the target object. However, methods for reconstructing a 3D model from a single 2D image remain largely manual and labor-intensive....
Direct dynamics quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations are performed to study the dynamics of model atom + polyatom reactions. In the first part of this thesis, we examine adiabatic dynamics of H/O reaction with simple alkanes, CD4 and C2H6. Overall good agreement with state-of-the-art experiments shows that the molecular motion is...
This dissertation addresses questions in the fields of household finance and corporate finance. In Chapter 1, I use a quasi-experiment in Norway to examine how households respond to capital taxation. The introduction of a new wealth assessment methodology in 2010 led to geographic discontinuities in household exposure to wealth taxes,...
Identifying factors that shape the spatial distribution of genetic variation within and among natural populations is crucial to understanding many population> and landscape>level processes. In this study, I characterize the strength and extent of spatial genetic structure in Oenothera harringtonii (Onagraceae), an insect>pollinated, gravity>dispersed herb endemic to the grasslands of...
This thesis is a description of the measurement of the W boson mass using the D0 Run II detector with 770 pb^-1 of proton-antiproton collision data. These collisions were produced by the Tevatron at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV between 2002 and 2006. We use a sample of W -> e...
Continuous fiber/epoxy composites have been widely used for structural applications due to their excellent mechanical properties, but the benefits of using these composites is limited by their lower than desired matrix-dominated properties. In this study, epoxy matrix in carbon fiber/epoxy composites was modified with graphite nanoplatelets to improve their mechanical...
This dissertation concerns the rhetorical discourses that define a wireless technology revolution in the United States. This inquiry engaged in rhetorical criticism of key documents, texts and exigencies embedded within successive stages of the wireless revolution spanning twenty years. Three sites of discourse were analyzed: the wireless industry's vision and...
In a highly competitive market, it is becoming increasingly important to view product design as an enterprise-level profit-driven activity. Demand models have become central to enterprise-driven design approaches since they help estimating the economic impact (e.g., revenues, profits, and cost) of a product's design. The primary contribution of this dissertation...
Okilactomycin and chrolactomycin are antitumor antibiotics isolated in 1987 and 2001, respectively. These tetracyclic natural products possess a unique 6-5 fused tetrahydropyrone-butyrolactone. The spirocenter is part of a highly functionalized cyclohexene ring, which together with the aforementioned 6-5 system compose the core of these molecules. A six carbon, 1,3-dialkyl-substituted carbon...