Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    UNVEILING THE SELF-ASSEMBLY OF POLYMER-GRAFTED NANOPARTICLES IN SELECTIVE SOLVENTS
    (2023) Lamar, Chelsey; Nie, Zhihong; Chemistry; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) has garnered considerable attention due to the potential for fabricating functional structures with unique collective properties. In recent years, polymers have emerged as valuable candidates in assisting the organization of NPs into complex architectures with multiple capabilities. Researchers have shown that polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs) facilitate the use of advanced nanostructures with tailored properties in biomedical applications. Although, continued exploration of the rational design and tailoring of PGNP assemblies is needed to expand our understanding before we can fully realize the potential of these structures in desired applications. My dissertation aims to investigate the fundamental aspects and elucidate the underlying mechanisms in the self-assembly of PGNPs for modern biomedical applications. A facile and versatile solution-based strategy was utilized to explore the individual self-assembly of PGNPs with anisotropic NPs and the co-assembly of binary PGNPs with distinct sizes. We focused on designing, characterizing, and exploring the optical properties of hierarchical assembly structures produced from inorganic NPs tethered with amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs). Individual PNGPs with anisotropic NPs and binary mixtures of small and large PGNPs produce vesicle structures with well-defined packing arrangements. My work shows how key parameters, including polymer chain length, nanoparticle size, and concentration, influence the self-assembly behavior and the formation of vesicles in each system. Through a combination of experimental observations and theoretical considerations, I highlight the significance of polymer shell shape in dictating the self-assembly behavior of individual anisotropic PGNPs. Moreover, I demonstrate that elevated temperatures impacted the stability and optical responses of the vesicle structures. In co-assembly studies, my work describes the macroscopic segregation of PGNPs with different sizes in the vesicular membrane, which is attributed to the conformation entropy gain of the grafted copolymer ligands. This research will provide valuable insights into the self-assembly behavior and fundamental design of PGNP structures relevant to biomedical applications.
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    Seeking Asylum: Race, Memory, and the American Landscape
    (2019) Tai, Daniela; Eisenbach, Ronit; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The stories and places we choose to preserve tell us who we are as a people. What does it say about ourselves when the stories that are associated with a particular place are ones that we wish to keep in the dark? As we look towards the future of preservation it has become clear that our perception of what is “significant” has shifted. Modern preservation has expanded to include tangible and intangible landscapes, environmental conservation, and more voices at the table. This thesis explores how to use preservation, storytelling, and sustainable practices to respond to places of difficult history and reclaim that space, while using Crownsville State Hospital as a model. The racial and systemic trauma experienced at the formerly racially segregated mental health facility permeated the campus grounds; not only does the community need to heal, the land does too.
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    Taxing Ourselves: Understanding School Tax Elections
    (2015) Kobren, Martin Edward; Morris, Irwin L; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Americans have increasingly segregated themselves over the last 40 years by wealth and political orientation. I argue that this segregation affects the way communities react to school tax ballot issues, which are ostensibly non-partisan matters. Using a database containing 232 school tax elections that took place during 2011 in 10 states, I show that in affluent communities that favor Democrats, high levels of educational attainment make it more likely that a community will adopt a tax increase. By contrast, in downscale communities that favor Democrats, economic concerns play an important role in election outcome; large percentages of homeowners decrease the likelihood of passage while large percentages of renters and poor people make tax increases more likely. In downscale Republican leaning communities, a sense of attachment to the community, indicated by large percentages of households with members who are at least 60 years of age, small community sizes and long tenures in the same house, make it more likely that the community will adopt a school tax increase. Finally, in affluent Republican oriented communities, school tax increases are extremely difficult to pass and become more so as community size increases. High levels of educational attainment tend to moderate the impact of Republican anti-tax ideology and high population sizes to make school tax increases more likely.
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    OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND: HOW LATINO SEGREGATION AFFECTS POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND POLICY OUTCOMES
    (2009) Pearson-Merkowitz, Shanna Helena; Kaufmann, Karen M.; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation evaluates the intersection of place and politics as it pertains to the effect of residential segregation on the civic engagement and political power of Latino Americans. Famously described by W.E.B. Du Bois as the problem of the 20th century, racial segregation persists in the United States, and while residential segregation has declined marginally for African Americans over the past 15 years, it has increased significantly for Latinos during this same period. Using a variety of data sets and methodological approaches, I investigate the socio-political consequences of this growing residential divide. I argue that segregation not only precludes socioeconomic mobility for Latinos, it also decreases their likelihood of civic engagement and political participation. Latinos who live in residential isolation are more likely to be economically marginalized and less politically powerful than their less segregated counterparts. Further, the marginalization of the Latino community has political consequences. Segregation concentrates Latinos into political jurisdictions where they must compete for resources with more politically powerful groups. As a result, their neighborhoods and needs are ignored by politicians and bureaucrats. To correct their under-representation in the political arena, participation among Latinos is essential. The findings of this dissertation call into question the stability of democracy if Latinos do not start participating at a higher rate, with the fate of the nation resting in part on the political and social mobility of its largest and fastest growing minority group.