A replication crisis has enveloped several scientific fields since the early 2000s (see Baker, 2016). This has given rise to improved research and reporting practices (e.g., F. S. Collins & Tabak, 2014), as well as a cottage industry of research into issues of replication and reproducibility (e.g., R. A. Klein...
Quantum metrology has been among the most vigorous branches of quantum technology. It involves using quantum effects to achieve better estimation of parameters of a physical sys- tem. Conventionally the system consists of an ensemble of N non-interacting atoms and the measurements are done on individual atomic states, such as...
Reducing the high incidence of metabolic syndrome especially among older people living in low income communities is a goal of the health system. Residents of the Austin community of Chicago suffer from a heavy burden of health issues related to metabolic syndrome leading to disproportionally higher morbidity and mortality rates...
This thesis describes a series of fundamental studies that address the role of electrostatic interactions in modulating i) the permeability of the ligand shell of a colloidal quantum dot (QD) to an anionic redox probe; ii) the resulting yield of photoinduced electron exchange within the QD ‒ redox probe complex;...
Though cognitive behavioral techniques are generally effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders, some people fail to benefit from exposure therapy or experience a return of fear after terminating exposure therapy. The burgeoning field of non-invasive brain stimulation provides a potential method of augmenting exposure therapy so that it is...
The development and use of organic anionic chromophores that absorb the entire visible spectrum & into the near-infrared region while providing highly reducing equivalents is pinnacle for artificial photosynthesis. This dissertation investigates the rational design of new donor-acceptor systems for artificial photosynthesis that couple naphthalene diimide (NDI)/perylene diimide (PDI) radical...
The invention of GdIII-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes substantially expanded the capability of MRI in visualizing details in tissue. Building upon the achievement of GdIII-based complexes, more ideal probes should feature contrast that is responsive to biomarkers, such as redox status and ion concentrations. The abnormality of these biomarkers...
The work in this thesis focuses on computational methods for the identification of novel enzymatic pathways. In particular this work focuses on the utilization of the Biological Network Integrated Computational Explorer (BNICE) software suite to predict de novo enzymatic pathways for the production of commercially relevant compounds and on improvements...
Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies act as quality control centers in the nucleus, participating in a plethora of nuclear functions. As such, PML bodies are a signature model for functional nuclear organization. PML bodies have a dynamic protein composition that responds to changing conditions of the cell. Many of the...
Biped robots utilize varying contact conditions and collision between their hands and feet and the walking and climbing surfaces in their environment to navigate their surroundings. This thesis presents a method for generating a continuum of gaits in a unified and extensible framework for physically-symmetric bipeds (bipeds with left and...
A fundamental goal in biology is to understand how distinct cell types containing the same genetic information arise from a single stem cell throughout development. Sex determination is a key developmental process that requires a unidirectional commitment of an initially bipotential gonad towards either the male or female fate. This...
Rhythmic fluctuations of electrical activity in the brain provide insights into the proposed mechanism by which we encode experiences and then maintain, forget, modify, and retrieve them. Yet there is still much to learn about how neural oscillations relate to memory function. The purpose of this research is to discover...
T cells and cancer cells have many common features, including their need to proliferate and their metabolic requirements. In particular, glucose metabolism is highly upregulated in both cancer cells and T cells to support proliferation and other cellular functions. The first step of glycolysis is catalyzed by Hexokinase, which exists...
Ultrafine particles are often used as lubricant additives because they can enter tribological contacts to reduce friction and protect surfaces from wear. They tend to be more stable than molecular additives under high thermal and mechanical stresses during rubbing. However, in lubricant oil, ultrafine particles tend to aggregate together to...
The vast majority of interactions between customers and service providers are experiences that extend over time. Service systems that deliver excellent customer experience achieve greater customer satisfaction and therefore customer loyalty, and eventually raise revenue. The temporal aspects of service delivery have not yet been analyzed as carefully as its...
Liquid helium-3 is a remarkable substance. Even prior to the discovery of superfluidity in 1972, liquid helium-3 was the paradigm of a strongly interacting Fermi liquid. At even lower temperatures, liquid helium-3 undergoes a phase transition to a p-wave Fermi superfluid. Over 40 years since its discovery, superfluid helium-3 is...
This dissertation examines three distinct empirical questions in macroeconomics and finance. Chapter 1 studies the reasons why households file for bankruptcy. The debt relief households obtain in bankruptcy provides insurance against wealth losses, but also distorts borrower incentives to repay debt, discouraging lending. Understanding how bankruptcy filings respond to changes...
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...