Missing data are often described as an annoyance in research and generally presented as a source of error or bias during analysis. To this end, methods that center on planned missingness are an underappreciated and powerful tool that can actually be used to improve data collection and the validity of...
For stochastic simulation optimization in a modern computing era, we introduce a new parallel framework for solving very large-scale problems using a ranking & selection (R&S) approach that simulates all systems or feasible solutions to provide a global statistical guarantee. We propose a parallel adaptive survivor selection (PASS) framework that...
Myoelectric pattern recognition-based upper limb prostheses measure electromyographic (EMG) signals from the residual limb and learn to identify muscle activity patterns that correspond to intended gestures. To train an accurate pattern recognition controller, it is essential that the training signals typify signals measured in real-world scenarios. When these conditions are...
Individual responses are an important determinant of public policy effectiveness. Development policies often try to remove barriers that limit the ability to make the preferred choices, hoping that this will lead to prosperity at the individual and aggregate levels. However, removing some, but not all, barriers can lead to undesirable...
This dissertation centers gay and lesbian activists, their lawyers, and public interest litigation organizations in a genealogical understanding of the evolution of human rights law in the LGBTIQ+ issue space. I ask why sexual minorities turned to the courts in pursuit of the decriminalization of homosexual sex. Empirically, I examine...
Ensuring adequate water quality is essential for human health and for effective allocation of resources in agriculture, energy, and manufacturing. However, the current state-of-the-art for water quality testing requires expensive equipment and technical expertise to analyze samples and takes days to obtain results from off-site labs, making it inaccessible to...
Wearable-based human activity recognition is well-studied in the machine learning and pervasive computing community. A large corpus of studies focused on using wearable sensors to recognize health-related behaviors that involve high periodicity in the sensed signal, such as sitting, walking, and running. Other activities that occur less frequently throughout the...
SAMDI-MS, which stands for self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS), is a powerful tool that has enabled the development of novel high-throughput screening and experimentation methods for decades. SAMDI-MS works by immobilizing analytes to functionalized SAMs prior to MS analysis and is capable of...
Reproduction requires a complex orchestration of processes from the formation of the reproductive system through the successful development of the fetus, and nutrients are necessary to fuel these processes during many aspects of reproduction. Zinc is an essential metal that is fundamental in gamete maturation, gonadogenesis, and fertilization. Disruption in...
No two cells in a population are identical to each other. Cell populations are almost universally heterogeneous, with their heterogeneity or variability often underlying complex emergent behavior and phenotypes. Heterogeneity presents a challenge to the discovery, characterization, and control of multicellular systems. Heterogeneity exists across multiple scales, ranging from the...