Supramolecular chemistry has proven to be an effective strategy for bottom-up fabrication of monodisperse, functional nanostructures. However, most applications require these nanostructures to be spatially or orientationally ordered. This thesis investigates patterning and spatial confinement as tools for controlling order in self-assembling systems.
We first look to improve the ordering...
The general goal of this dissertation research was to examine linguistic and cognitive mechanisms in foreign vocabulary learning within theoretical frameworks of working memory and connectionist word processing models.
In Study 1, the effect of bimodal (auditory-and-visual) vs. unimodal (auditory-only) presentation on foreign word learning was examined at different levels...
Initial studies described the ability of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory (Treg) cells in suppressing autoimmune diseases in animal models. An emerging interest has focused on the potential role of Treg cells in cancer development and progression as they have been shown to suppress anti-tumor immunity. In the present study, CD4+CD25- T...
We prove the L<SUP>2</SUP>-convergence of polynomial ergodic averages of multiple commuting transformations for totally ergodic systems. We show that for each set of polynomials, each average is controlled by a particular characteristic factor introduced by Host and Kra, which is an inverse limit of nilsystems. We then investigate for which...
This thesis consists of the synthesis and photophysical characterization of chlorophyll- and porphyrin- based multichromophore arrays designed for the purpose of studying energy and charge transfer therein. The first series of arrays consists of donor-acceptor dyads in which various arylene diimide electron acceptors are attached through a phenyl group to...
It's quite common for the novice musician to forget their place in the song, miss the change to a new section, or be unable to play in the key or at the tempo chosen by the leader. Every type of improvisational playing requires the player to follow a set of...
Part 1. The complex folded structures associated with RNA allow for specific protein-RNA interactions and also create binding sites for small molecules. Developing organic molecules that can bind RNA with high affinity and specificity is a challenge that must be overcome for RNA to be considered a viable drug target....
The classic error bounds for quasi-Monte Carlo approximation follow the Koksma-Hlawka inequality based on the assumption that the integrand has finite variation. Unfortunately, not all functions have this property. In particular, integrands for common applications in finance, such as option pricing, do not typically have bounded variation. In contrast to...
Motivated by applications to microfluidic separation systems like Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) and Capillary Electrochromatography (CEC), the research described in this dissertation analyzes through numerical and asymptotic methods the effect of variation in the wall zeta potential (or surface charge) on the electroosmotic flow field in a microchannel and the effect...
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an environment rich in structural and signaling molecules, including growth factors and cytokines. Together, these signals are capable of changing cellular morphology and gene expression in response to extracellular environmental cues. Structural proteins in the ECM such as laminin transduce their signals through integrin receptors...