The measurement of weak adhesive energies has previously been difficult to obtain. To measure these energies, I designed a technique that uses the combined sensitivities of both a quartz crystal resonator and the inflation of an elastomeric polymer membrane. The surfaces of the quartz crystal and/or the membrane are modified...
The adhesive strategies of living creatures are diverse, ranging from temporary to permanent adhesions with various functions such as locomotion, self-defense, communication, colony formation, and so on. The classic example of temporary adhesion is the gecko, which is known for its ability to walk along vertical and even inverted surfaces;...
The "Z-width" of a haptic display is the dynamic range of impedances that can be passively rendered. Haptic displays with larger Z-width generally render more realistic feeling virtual environments. The maximum passive impedance a haptic display can render is directly related to the quantity of physical damping in the mechanism,...
Initiation is a performative model that dictates the participation of individuals in the various traditions of Western occultism, locating that individual within a nexus of practices and discourses that facilitate the transmission of occult teachings to that individual. While the act of initiation may be represented by a single performed...
My thesis focuses on the design and synthesis of lanthanide coordination complexes as Zn(II)-responsive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. These agents produce an increase in MR intensity upon binding of Zn(II) through water modulation to Gd(III) chelates. To this end, several Zn(II)-responsive contrast agents have been synthesized and studied...
Science education reform emphasizes learning science through inquiry as a way to engage students in the processes of science at the same time that they learn scientific concepts. However, inquiry involves practices that are challenging for students because they have underlying norms with which students may be unfamiliar. We therefore...
This dissertation develops and estimates a dynamic model of consumer choice behavior in markets for seasonal (short lifecycle) goods where products have a finite selling season, consumer valuations change over time and availability is limited. In these markets, retailers often use dynamic markdown policies in which an initial retail price...
Operations Management (OM) is concerned with the processes involved in delivering goods and services to customers (Hopp and Spearman 2000, Shim and Siegel 1999). While recent surge in service and professional white collar work has greatly changed the arena of OM practice, OM research has not yet well address the...
Classical conditioning has been well studied over the last century as a method for investigating learning and memory. The rabbit eyeblink response is commonly used as a basis for such studies, and combined with lesions or electrophysiological recordings has provided a well-controlled paradigm for investigating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying learning...
This dissertation reconstructs a critical dialogue between British modernists and their Spanish contemporaries on their shared sense of the urgent tasks, in the wake of World War I, of reimagining the cultural heritage of Europe and cultivating cosmopolitan sensibilities. It assembles and analyzes a network of novels, essays, translations, reviews,...