Cells are primarily comprised of metal ions, small molecules, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The ability to probe these molecules in single living cells can shed new light on chemical processes inside of cells or allow disease diagnosis based on molecular profiling. However, there exists a lack of tools that...
Thermoelectric (TE) materials has been drawn broad attention given that it can enable direct conversion between thermal and electrical energies, hence is treated as a vital candidate for clean power generation as well as waste heat recycling. However, the energy conversion efficiency of TE devices used nowadays is still very...
Health literacy has been shown to be a key component of patient understanding of medical diagnoses, adherence, and self-efficacy. Limited health literacy has been associated with a number of negative outcomes— including more severe illness, increased use of emergency services, and mortality. The concept of mental health literacy has arisen...
The Escherichia coli ribosome is a molecular machine capable of sequence-defined polymerization of -amino acids into proteins, a feat unmatched by any other current synthetic catalyst. It is complex in its structure, comprised of 3 RNA parts (the 5S, 16S, and 23S ribosomal RNAs) and 54 ribosomal proteins (r-proteins). Efforts...
Sub-wavelength matter’s interaction with far-field light is highly relevant for both fundamental scientific research, as well as many commercial, medical, and defense applications. For example, quantum computation depends on single identical photons produced by quantum dots characterized by far-field sources. Exoplanet detection uses cameras on Earth comprised of micron sized...
Security and robustness are two critical problems in modern computing system. In this disserta- tion, we study these two problems in both hardware system and learning system.Firstly, we discuss the robustness problem in hardware system. Modern microprocessors suffer from significant on-chip variation at the advanced technology nodes. The development of...
Transplantation is necessary and often the only viable treatment for many forms of end stage organ failure. While advances in immunosuppressive therapies have facilitated largely blocking acute rejection, 5-10 year post-transplant attrition rates have not significantly improved in the past 30 years. The predominant antigen facilitating the alloimmune response is...
This project addresses the uses of coalition in US political imaginaries throughout the 1930s and 1960s. Throughout this period, public familiarity with “coalition” undergoes a marked transformation: whether deployed as argument, performance, or organizational form. Analysis focuses on three case studies: accounts in the national and Black press of a...
In this dissertation I examine the entanglement between female literacy and female sexuality in nineteenth-century Brazilian novels. I investigate the ways in which male authors used literature as a mechanism for policing female sexuality and stabilizing the traditional family. I argue that nineteenth-century Brazilian fiction exhibits a recurring preoccupation with...
Bio-inspired materials have a distinct advantage over other materials by virtue of their mimicry of nature’s own products, which have been subjected to the inimitable tests of time and evolutionary pressure. Here we have taken instruction from natural nanostructures that are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, namely high-density lipoproteins (HDL)....