In the vertebrate retina, neurons process visual signals, generating feature selectivity in their activity levels. We use computational models to understand these behaviors by interpreting them mathematically. One component of this analysis is the spatial selectivity or receptive field, a property found in all visual sensory neurons. The neurons found...
Having an emotion involves having an evaluative point of view on one’s circumstances. For example, there is a sense in which being angry involves taking oneself to have been wronged, and fear seems to paint the scene as one of danger. A significant debate in contemporary philosophy of mind concerns...
Our experience of the physical world is mediated by our senses, but while most people have five senses, interactions with computer systems are largely limited to the visual sense. When working with nonvisual artifacts, like sound, on computers, such artifacts are typically transformed, or re-encoded, into something visual. Determining how...
This dissertation investigates the use of organic and semiconductor nanomaterials as chromophores in solar fuels production and energy transfer-mediated [2+2] cycloadditions. A series of novel N-annulated perylene chromophore amphiphiles was synthesized via a modular synthesis. These perylene amphiphiles were found to self-assemble in aqueous solution, forming extended ribbon-like nanostructures that...
Recent advancements in processing and manufacturing techniques have spurred an exponential increase in use of polymer nanocomposites in a variety of applications. A key challenge in using these nanocomposites effectively is the dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Matrix-free assemblies of polymer grafted nanoparticles, called hairy nanoparticles assemblies(aHNPs) have...
The Spectral Body: Theology and Economy in Dostoevsky and Melville’s Fiction This dissertation examines the intersections and tensions between religion and economy in Dostoevsky and Melville’s fiction. I argue that Christian theology of the body—as the site of both salvation and economic production—is at the center of their concern. These...
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in American men and has led to approximately 29K deaths in 2018. The androgen signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PCa, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been the main therapeutic approach for PCa. However, almost all...
Discrete molecules, linear and branched polymers, and disordered cross-linked networks are well studied objects of chemical synthesis. However, two-dimensional polymers (2DPs) have been long missing from this continuum of molecular architectures, both in chemical synthesis and in Nature. Recently, new polymerization strategies and characterization methods have enabled the unambiguous realization...
From visualizing thousands of social relationships, operationalizing measures that offer us insight into our theories, to characterizing cultural change over the span of centuries, computational methods appear to provide sociology a means to reveal patterns otherwise unknowable. While these methods are persistently critiqued for their inability to generate social theory,...
The dissertation’s topic is the creation of quotidian judgements and practices related to food, amid the enduring social and spatial stratification of everyday life. The sites are two large and diverse cities: Paris and Chicago. The method is ethnographic and contextual.Chapter 1 documents the dietary tastes and culinary practices of...