The focus of this thesis is the design of non-natural molecules for use in biological applications. Chapter one details a strategy to use small molecules to reactivate mutated p53, an oncoprotein that is prevalent in several types of cancer, back to its wild-type function. Wild-type p53 has the ability to...
Improving cancer treatments are saving the lives of many young women, however these treatments often lead to premature infertility. The in vitro development of ovarian follicles would provide reproductive options to these women by supporting immature follicle growth following ovarian tissue cryobanking. In addition, the system provides a platform to...
Nitrogen (N) deposition can alter belowground microbial communities, especially ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, resulting in a reduced ability of associated trees to access organic nutrients. This study tested whether N addition decreases ECM species richness and shifts ECM species composition across spatial scales in a subtropical slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantation...
The vertebrate brain, which is made up of a vast array of individual neurons, is responsible for controlling numerous functions and behaviors, including distinguishing between visual cues, learning to navigate in a new environment, or making complex decisions. These neurons form specific networks that receive, process, and integrate chemical and...
This study explored the mentoring experiences of doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) doctoral degree programs at Northwestern University. Research suggests that mentoring relationships support student success in STEM disciplines, and further, that lack of mentorship may be a barrier for female students. A mixed-methods approach employing...
In the Western classical art music tradition, a high level of music performance is achieved at the intersection of a musician's emotional, cognitive, and physical processes. Expert classical musicians have both an aural imagining of the sound they intend to produce and the physical associations of what it feels like...
Microbiological dating of a crack's age depends upon establishing a viable method of sampling biomass from surfaces. Age is based upon the hypothesis that the amount of biomass on a given crack surface is proportional to the time that has passed since the surface was exposed. Presented herein is the...
The main theme of this dissertation are departures from standard assumptions in economic theory, specifically, departures from the model of subjective expected utility in decision theory.
Part 1 axiomatizes the robust control criterion of multiplier preferences introduced by Hansen and Sargent (2001). The axiomatization shows that the class of multiplier...
One of the central features of the now half-century old theory of the microscopic origins of superconductivity in elemental materials is the correlations between pairs of electrons with opposite spin and momentum. The constituent electrons of these Cooper pairs have the unusual property that their mean spatial separation is much...
Contemporary Ethiopian is, without question, facing enormous challenges. At the core of these challenges lay a state-building process major constituencies and elite groups were either alienated from, forced to acquiesce to, or coopted into. Unable to derive political legitimacy from democratic participation, successive governments largely relied on coercion and neopatrimonialism,...
