Electrostatic interactions mediated by ionic environments play a central role in physical processes across materials science, chemistry and biology. Key biological phenomena, such as the condensation and packaging of DNA, ion transport across cellular membranes and the enzymatic action of proteins, rely on the complex interplay between nanoscale electrostatic, osmotic...
Standard-based accountability policies have profoundly shaped the landscape of public education in the United States. At the heart of these policies are standardized assessments, administered annually, which are used to evaluate schools and, at times, teachers. While always controversial, opposition to these policies increased following the widespread adoption of the...
The term blowback originated from the American intelligence community to indicate the unexpected consequences of American foreign policy. In my dissertation, I give an account of how blowback results from these security policies. Blowback shows the cases that security policies create more harm than good to the enacting country due...
This research especially helps for the design of concrete structures which has to last at least for 100 years such as bridges. The research aims to give a better prediction of long-term deformations of concrete and improve the structure design based on these predictions. The accurate prediction helps in capturing...
Sleep is affected by social relationships and institutions, but much research has studied sleep within an individualized framework. In this dissertation, I analyze sleep in a series of specific social contexts to examine how these contexts shape gender and socioeconomic differences in sleep. Given prior findings suggesting the importance of...
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of highly modular materials with welldefined three-dimensional architectures, permanent porosity, and diverse chemical functionalities, which show promise for a wide range of applications, including gas storage and separation, drug delivery, chemical sensing, and catalysis. Nanoparticle forms of MOFs have similar properties but are dispersible...
Colloidal crystal engineering with DNA offers new opportunities for materials scientists to build and program the structures of superlattices beyond what can be accomplished in Nature with atomic crystal lattices. Thus far, such materials primarily have been studied for their optical properties due to the insulating nature of the DNA...
This dissertation elucidates the contemporary dance studio and stage in twenty-first century Senegal as privileged sites of knowledge production about gender and sexuality. Entangled within local and global dance lineages, funding structures, and modes of circulation, contemporary choreographers perform their bodies in ways that challenge predominant narratives, both those imagined...
After stroke, inappropriate muscle activity phasing during the locomotor cycle is a key contributor to locomotor impairment. Muscle phasing has been shown to vary between behaviors post-stroke, but the degree to which individuals can voluntarily modulate activity is unclear. This dissertation consists of a series of three studies that investigate...
Photovoltaic devices containing organic semiconducting chromophores are a promising technology for the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Research into the molecular design and processing of these materials has propelled the power conversion efficiency of laboratory-fabricated organic polymer solar cells (PSCs) to over 17%, which exceeds the 10% threshold deemed...