The importance of understanding indoor microbial exposure is increasingly recognized, particularly concerning the emergence of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. With the advancements of sequencing technologies, our capability of exploring indoor microbial communities has dramatically increased. However, huge challenges remain to translate sequence-based knowledge to actionable interpretations to support human health...
Every music theorist has their own personal reasons for engaging in the craft of theorizing about music. Many discover that there is something special about a theoretic disposition which differs from other sorts of interactions with music. It is often this special something that draws musicians into the discipline: specifically,...
This dissertation explores the economics of health and housing policies. In the first chapter, I discuss information disclosure policies in healthcare. Information disclosure programs can help consumers make better choices, but the consumers who respond the most to the information may not benefit the most or generate the most savings...
Heteroanionic materials are a class of materials of interest for their unique and tunable electronic, ionic, thermal, and optical properties, which are distinct from their homoanionic counterparts due to their multi-anionic nature. Oxynitrides, a type of heteroanionic material, are useful catalysts due to the effect of mixing oxygen and nitrogen...
Astronomy has entered a “multimessenger” era: one that combines electromagnetic “sight” with gravitational “touch.” This dissertation serves as a roadmap of the multimessenger frontier, to join the littered environments of dead and dying starswith their unclear origins. To uncover stars’ innermost secrets, we explore rare, transient glimpses into single, double,...
Very few studies have examined school racial climate in racially diverse school contexts. School racial climate refers to “perceptions of interracial interactions and the socialization around race and culture in a school” (Byrd, 2017, p. 700). The association between interracial peer interactions, psychological well-being, and academic outcomes is well documented,...
This dissertation comprises three essays in distinct areas of economic theory, yet all are related to experimentation and learning. In the first chapter, I study how organizations assign tasks to identify the best candidate to promote among a pool of workers. Task allocation and workers’ motivation interact through the organization’s...
Systems of accountability for police who violate the U.S. Constitution are broken. Among other mechanisms of accountability, the judicial system should provide a path for victims to obtain a remedy when their constitutional rights are violated. Yet unless the law is clearly established beyond debate, the doctrine of qualified immunity...
Bio-integrated electronics with advanced monitoring capabilities have garnered considerable interest as a means of expanding patient care beyond traditional hospital and clinic settings. These mechanically soft microsystems, many of which are bioresorbable and wireless, have the potential to replace bulky, rigid, and wired medical technologies by matching or exceeding their...
This dissertation explores accounting information's role in forming R\&D alliances and subsequent innovation. Specifically, I utilize the effect of the recent revenue recognition rule change, Accounting Standard Codification (ASC) 606, on drug development firms. ASC 606 allows managers to change revenue recognition timing and increases disclosure requirements. I first document...