This multi-study dissertation investigates the nature of musical independence in the instrumental large ensemble and the instructional practices that are used to foster its development. The dissertation is comprised of three separate papers, each addressing different aspects or approaches to the practice of independent musicianship in large ensembles. While each...
This thesis is naturally split into two parts. In the first part, we develop the theory of multi- linear algebra for Tate objects over exact categories endowed with an exact tensor product. We study all possible choices of tensor product and we give a geometric interpretation of the results. In...
This dissertation provides a socio-spatial account of black anarchism that emerges from a central concern with the practice of slaves’ jumps from the slave ship. It demonstrates how a substantive theoretical attention to these jumps generates possibilities for thinking about black radical politics differently. Through death, mobility, destruction, and escape,...
There is a shortage of research models that adequately represent the unique mucosal environment of human ectocervical tissue, which has limited the development of new therapies for treating infection or cancer. I hypothesized that engineering the microenvironment of ectocervical tissue with in vivo-like endocrine and paracrine support, would enable squamous...
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting approximately 1 in 10 reproductive-age women and remains the leading cause of female factor infertility among women of childbearing age. PCOS presents with features of hyperandrogenism, irregular menses and polycystic ovaries. Twin and family studies have demonstrated high heritability estimates...
In this thesis, we study arithmetic phenomena exhibited by polynomial dynamical systems on the projective line. Specifically, given a number field $K$, we are interested in the arithmetic of orbits of points $\alpha\in K$ under polynomials $\phi\in K[z]$. Given such a polynomial $\phi$ of degree $d\ge2$, we prove a lower...
This dissertation contains three chapters on two broad topics in labor economics: the determinants of early career outcomes and the impact of an aging population (and related policies). The first chapter investigates how the retirement slowdown among older Americans has affected the labor market prospects of younger Americans in recent...
This dissertation demonstrates how related initiatives to reform narcotics laws and protect consumers from dangerous medicines – taking hold in the 1950s and institutionalized in the mid-1960s – created the foundation for a massive expansion of federal policing of illicit drugs. Centered on the history of the Food and Drug...
The projected increase in the use of nanomaterials raises concerns about adverse impacts new technologies utilizing these materials may have on the environment. These concerns can be addressed from a chemical perspective by studying how emerging nanomaterials interact with biological systems. Fundamentally, the key interactions for nanomaterial uptake into a...
Sparked by the isolation of graphene in 2004, the research community has developed a family of 2D materials with distinct functionalities, enabling rapid demonstrations of entirely 2D devices with applications in energy, electronics, sensors and medicine. The desire to capitalize on the fantastic properties of 2D materials motivates ongoing efforts...