Gels are three-dimensional polymer networks capable of absorbing a large amount of solvent molecules subject to various external stimuli (pH, temperature, light, etc.). They exhibit a rich mechanical behavior and prominent nonlinearity owing to their high flexibility, stimuli-responsiveness and superabsorbency. More compelling are the intriguing morphologies and novel functionalities achieved...
The aim of this dissertation is to make sense of nearly a century and a half's worth of observations concerning skin based electroadhesion phenomena. While this is a noble goal in and of itself, further motivation of this work is drawn from fact that the electroadhesive effect is increasingly being...
Spinal cord injury occurs with a worldwide incidence of 13-33 cases per million per year, and more than 2.5 million patients worldwide suffer from spinal cord injury (SCI)-related disability (1, 2). Different methods have been attempted to promote axonal regeneration, including neurotrophin injection, hydrogel injection, olfactory ensheathing cells implantation and...
This paper examines conflictual relationships among British members of the Gold Coast administration. It adds to the literature that problematizes earlier notions of colonialism by highlighting tensions and contradictions inherent in colonial governance structures. This paper argues that at its inception, the Gold Coast colonial administration had deep cracks as...
This working paper focuses on the themes, authors, and changing modes of production of 152 booklets published (or purchased) in Nigeria relating to marriage. The author obtained them from bookshops mainly in Ibadan and Lagos, from church bookstores in Ado-Ekiti and Kabba, but also from motor parks in Lokoja, Kaduna,...
The unprecedented crimes of World War Two, especially those committed by the Nazi state, unleashed an equally unprecedented effort to hold perpetrators accountable and secure justice for millions of victims. This effort encompassed hundreds of trials of thousands of individuals in the immediate postwar period and continues to the present...
The anode and cathode are main components in a battery system. In this dissertation, Group IV inter-metallics and LiMn2O4 are studied as anode and cathode materials for Li-ion batteries respectively. Preliminary investigation of a multi-valent cathode material for next generation batteries is also introduced.
Group IV inter-metallics electrochemically alloy with...
The studies presented in this dissertation combine radiogenic and stable strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr and 88/86Sr, respectively), radiogenic and stable carbon isotope ratios (Δ14C and 13C, respectively), and bulk ion geochemistry to trace the sources and cycling of C in three glaciated environments (New Zealand, Iceland, and Greenland). A primary...
One seismologist’s noise is another seismologist’s signal. What was once disregarded is now routinely processed as dense arrays of broadband seismometers continuously record small amplitude Earth motions, presenting an immense wealth of data. This dissertation presents three projects where ambient seismic noise, generated by ocean wave interactions with the solid...
Greater interest in self-directed professions, like entrepreneurship, have led to a growth in informal workplace communities and social technologies that support new ways of working. However, we have little understanding of how these socio-technical environments support opportunities for professional skill development. The goal of this dissertation is to understand how...