Why do the institutional outcomes of armed separatist conflicts vary? Separatist conflicts have diverse institutional effects. Though many separatists hope to create sovereign states, few achieve their aims. More often, their conflicts lead to forms of intra-state autonomy, independent but unrecognized de facto states, or territories under foreign occupation. These...
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">BaNa-Y is a catalyst for reduction of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO<sub>2</sub>) with added reductants at temperatures of ~200 °C. Studies were performed over BaNa-Y and related catalysts to unravel the roles that nitrates and nitrites play in determining the processes and pathways involved in NOx reduction. <o:p></o:p></span></p>...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a non-invasive modality that allows for deep-tissue imaging. Contrast agents decrease image acquisition time and increase the intrinsic contrast between different types of tissue. A new family of enzyme-activated contrast agents is emerging that has the ability to report on enzymatic processes in vivo. Towards this...
Although cementitious construction materials are mainly used in a large scale and in huge quantities, fundamental properties such as strength, ductility, creep, shrinkage, and fracture behavior depend, to a great extent, on structural elements and phenomena which are effective at the micro- and nanoscale. This research involves characterization of the...
An integral transform which reproduces a transformable input function after a finite number $N$ of successive applications is known as a {\it cyclic} transform. Of course, such a transform will reproduce an arbitrary transformable input after $N$ applications, but it also admits eigenfunction inputs which will be reproduced after a...
Modern-day middle school science textbooks are heavily populated with colorful images, technical diagrams, and other forms of visual representations. These representations are commonly perceived by educators to be useful aids to support student learning of unfamiliar scientific ideas. However, as the number of representations in science textbooks has seemingly increased...
This is a study of the conduct and consumption of statistical medical research HIV/AIDS clinics in the context of the expansion of domestic and international clinical research and evidence-based medicine. Evidence-based medicine is the most recent and most successful attempt at subjecting medical decisions to statistical measurement and control. The...
The advent of computers brought a profound change in the way the practical problems in the physics of materials are addressed. Within the last decade, a rapidly evolving area of research is oriented towards interfacing the existing numerical tools in an optimized way, by explicitly taking advantage of the specifics...
Sleep deprivation (Sd) preferentially impairs predictive and adaptive behaviors that shift responses based on the appropriate context. Behavioral studies implicate the frontal lobes as particularly susceptible to Sd. Aging also impairs frontal functioning, and alters the response to Sd. The interaction between age and Sd is poorly understood, and few...
To maintain polarity, epithelial cells continuously sort transmembrane proteins to the apical or basolateral membrane domains during biosynthetic delivery or after internalization. This thesis was designed to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying protein trafficking. Our studies identified Rab13 as a critical GTPase regulator of biosynthetic cargos that are transported from...