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...
Understanding electrical circuits can be difficult for novices of all ages (Grotzer & Sudbury, 2000; Osborne, 1983; Shipstone, 1984; Tarciso Borges, 1999). Research shows that novices tend to have inadequate understandings of what happens at the level of atoms and electrons, leading to difficulty predicting the outcomes of electrical circuits...
Totipotent cells have the highest developmental potential and can only be created by nuclear transfer into oocytes. Identities of maternal factors that can induce this reprogramming remain a mystery. In this report, we demonstrate induction of totipotency on mouse embryonic stem cells by introducing six factors, Hist1h2aa, H3f3b, H1foo, p-Npm2,...
Metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce useful compounds from renewable substrates is a promising means for sustainable, on-demand production of chemicals. However, efforts to design and engineer microbial cell factories are constrained by costly and slow “build” times in which each genetic variation requires re-engineering a new strain for each...
Many species have lost their natural habitat due to anthropogenic land use change. Ecologists are increasingly looking at habitat in cities to bolster efforts to conserve biodiversity. Green roofs are examples of urban habitats that are becoming more common globally. Green roofs can provide resources to support life in an...
In the near future, self-driving or driverless vehicles will operate without human control, enabling passengers to use their time in new ways. This opens up avenues for designing new interactions and experiences for individuals or groups traveling in an automobile. For that scenario, automobile manufacturers propose developing bigger and better...
This dissertation explores a form of performance I call “ototheatre,” which is a mobile and participatory audience experience executed with portable sound technology. Ototheatre is an emergent artistic form that sits at a convergence of contemporary technologies and audience consumption habits. Case studies, including smartphone applications and new theatrical works...
Small hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives are critical to atmospheric organic aerosol formation and growth. Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) constitute a significant portion of total atmospheric organic aerosols, and are often generated through the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as isoprene, -pinene, and -caryophyllene. Interfaces of SOA...
This dissertation provides an account of the richest people in Glasgow and Liverpool at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. It focuses on those in shipping, trade, and shipbuilding, who had global interests and amassed large fortunes. It examines the transition away from family business...