The work presented in this dissertation is centered on experimental efforts to maximize the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) toward their application in ultrasensitive nanoscale chemical analysis. The work focuses on fundamental studies of the plasmonic properties of silver nanostructures, and how those properties...
In the first essay, I examine the impact of exogenous changes in stock prices on managers' voluntary disclosures. Specifically, I investigate whether stock price declines prompt managers to voluntarily disclose firm-value-related information that was withheld prior to the decline because it was "unfavorable" but became favorable at a lower stock...
Safe design requires a valid mechanical model and correct probabilistic analysis. Concrete, which is an archetypical quasibrittle material, typically exhibits stable crack propagation in many types of failure. Therefore, a scientific approach requires analyzing concrete failure on the basis of fracture mechanics. One of the simplest ways to incorporate fracture...
This dissertation analyzes the decision process of firms along two dimensions which are central to the field of macroeconomics. First, we study the pricing decision of the firm in a framework where customer base matters. Surveys of managers show that the main reason why firms keep prices stable is that...
This is a detailed study of Congress's China policy, with a view toward building a theory of congressional policymaking. I argue that committees, bicameralism, and presidential veto have severely constrained Congress's ability to legislate on China policy. I analyze China bills introduced between 1973 and 2006. I report evidence that...
Over the past two decades photonic crystals (PhCs) have emerged as a promising new class of materials which offers unprecedented control of light in materials. Recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been shown to be a powerful tool for the infiltration of 3D templates with dielectric or semiconducting materials, which...
Regtech, a reference to the application of new technologies to bank regulation, mandates a conversation about reducing the burden of bank regulation by letting computers take over some of the handling of regulatory text. Bank regulations and the related manuals, guidance, or other supplements are mostly unstructured. Software tools and...
FPGAs are evolving at a rapid pace with improved performance and logic density. However, power efficiency of FPGAs has continuously lagged behind, and hence power optimization of FPGAs is crucial. Trends in technology scaling makes leakage power a serious concern for designers; on the other hand, routing power is the...
This dissertation develops a war-centered theory of collectivist regimes. I argue that in a large-scale industrial war of coalition alliances, belligerent nations launch extensive programs of economic mobilization and establish centralized bureaucratic institutions of economic regulation. Because exterior states are likely to restrict interior states in their access to the...
The enormous popularity of The Beggar's Opera gave rise to a remarkable series of plays known as ballad opera, a form that dominated the eighteenth-century London stage during the 1730s, a crucial decade in the development of English theatre. Although virtually every major playwright of the period, including Colley Cibber,...