Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 13 of 13

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Molecular Organic Photovoltaic Cells And Applications, Julie Liu Jan 2023

Molecular Organic Photovoltaic Cells And Applications, Julie Liu

Theses and Dissertations

The absorption, light scattering, and anti-Stoke’s fluorescence of chlorophyll and closely related sodium copper chlorophyllin were examined in various solutions with a wide range of refractive index and permittivity. It was evident that radiative photo electron decay corresponded to low permittivity solvents, but not to solvent refractive index. Additionally, non-radiative decay was dominant in high permittivity solvents. The properties suggest evolution has provided plants with an ability to redirect light to the chlorophyll in the high permittivity (water) photosynthesis center. Exploratory solar cells exploiting lifetime switching were developed and tested, wherein strong photovoltaic response was exhibited, along with the unique …


Investigating Ionic Current Rectification As A Means Of Controllable Drug Delivery Using Silica Nanoparticles And Nano Porous Membranes, Katie L. Nolan Apr 2022

Investigating Ionic Current Rectification As A Means Of Controllable Drug Delivery Using Silica Nanoparticles And Nano Porous Membranes, Katie L. Nolan

Honors College Theses

This project investigates a novel ionic current rectification (ICR) phenomenon created by the opening and closing of nanopores by charged silica nanoparticles (SNPs) under electrophoretic flow. This voltage-controlled opening and closing of the pores can be exploited to allow delivery of nicotine through the pores at programmable intervals. The ICR phenomenon was thoroughly investigated by varying pH, buffer concentration, SNP concentration, and applied voltage range. The mechanism was also verified by testing with a 2-, 3-, and 5-electrode system. Potential cake layer formation was demonstrated in a longer ICR test, and the implications of this on the drug delivery mechanism …


Development Of Fluorescence Based Approaches To Understand Astrocyte Biology In The Context Of Nicotine And Nicotinic Receptor Activity, Surya P. Aryal Jan 2022

Development Of Fluorescence Based Approaches To Understand Astrocyte Biology In The Context Of Nicotine And Nicotinic Receptor Activity, Surya P. Aryal

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Smoking and tobacco use (STU) is a major global health problem and worldwide more than six million people die due to tobacco related diseases each year. Although majority of smokers try to quit smoking several times in their life, traditional therapeutic approaches, which focus only on neuronal cells, have a very low success rate. Understanding the effect of nicotine on glial cells, synaptic communication and blood vasculature in the brain can provide further insights on the neurobiology of substance abuse and can potentially help to design better therapeutic approaches. Glial cells are non-excitable cells in the brain which do not …


Using Ega-Gc To Analyze Nicotine N-Oxide In Order To Explain Low Nicotine Concentrations In E-Cigarette Liquids, Cory Wuerch Jan 2018

Using Ega-Gc To Analyze Nicotine N-Oxide In Order To Explain Low Nicotine Concentrations In E-Cigarette Liquids, Cory Wuerch

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Evolved-gas analysis coupled with gas chromatography (EGA-GC) was used to analyze e-cigarette liquids. Previous analyses of e-cigarette liquids have shown that the determined concentration of nicotine is lower than the advertised concentration. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that the nicotine in the liquids is being oxidized to nicotine N-oxide by exposure to air and thus reducing the concentration of nicotine. This study focused on analyzing samples of thermally-rearranged nicotine N-oxide. Using EGA-GC, a calibration curve was generated for nicotine N-oxide concentration, which could potentially be used to explain reduced nicotine concentrations in e-cigarette liquids.


Lesson Plan: It’S Not Just The Smoke - The Effects Of Nicotine On The Body, Sheryl Hemkin Jan 2018

Lesson Plan: It’S Not Just The Smoke - The Effects Of Nicotine On The Body, Sheryl Hemkin

5. Nicotine

No abstract provided.


Nicotine Video Questions, Sheryl Hemkin Jan 2018

Nicotine Video Questions, Sheryl Hemkin

5. Nicotine

No abstract provided.


Design, Synthesis, And Biological Activity Of 5'-Phenyl-1,2,5,6-Tetrahydro-3,3'-Bipyridine Analogues As Potential Antagonists Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Yafei Jin, Xiaoqin Huang, Roger L. Papke, Emily M. Jutkiewicz, Hollis D Showalter, Chang-Guo Zhan Sep 2017

Design, Synthesis, And Biological Activity Of 5'-Phenyl-1,2,5,6-Tetrahydro-3,3'-Bipyridine Analogues As Potential Antagonists Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Yafei Jin, Xiaoqin Huang, Roger L. Papke, Emily M. Jutkiewicz, Hollis D Showalter, Chang-Guo Zhan

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Starting from a known non-specific agonist (1) of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), rationally guided structural-based design resulted in the discovery of a small series of 5′-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydro-3,3′-bipyridines (3a – 3e) incorporating a phenyl ring off the pyridine core of 1. The compounds were synthesized via successive Suzuki couplings on a suitably functionalized pyridine starting monomer 4 to append phenyl and pyridyl substituents off the 3- and 5-positions, respectively, and then make subsequent modifications on the flanking pyridyl ring to provide target compounds. Compound 3a is a novel antagonist which is highly selective for α3β4 nAChR (Ki = 123 nM) …


Investigations Of Electronic Cigarette Chemistry: 1. Formation Pathways For Degradation Products Using Isotopic Labeling; And 2. Gas/Particle Partitioning Of Nicotine And Flavor Related Chemicals In Electronic Cigarette Fluids, Kilsun Kim Sep 2017

Investigations Of Electronic Cigarette Chemistry: 1. Formation Pathways For Degradation Products Using Isotopic Labeling; And 2. Gas/Particle Partitioning Of Nicotine And Flavor Related Chemicals In Electronic Cigarette Fluids, Kilsun Kim

Dissertations and Theses

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is rapidly growing around the world. E-cigarettes are commonly used as an alternative nicotine delivery system, and have been advocated as generating lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to conventional cigarettes. Cigarette smoke-like aerosols are generated when e-cigarettes heat e-liquids. The main components of e-cigarette liquids are propylene glycol (PG) and glycerol (GL) in a varying ratio, plus nicotine and flavor chemicals. Both PG and GL are considered safe to ingest in foods and beverages, but the toxicity of these chemicals in aerosols is unknown. Current studies of e-cigarettes have mainly focused on dehydration and …


Towards An Understanding Of Pharmacologically Induced Intracellular Changes In Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: A Fluorescence Microscopy Approach, Ashley M. Loe Jan 2016

Towards An Understanding Of Pharmacologically Induced Intracellular Changes In Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: A Fluorescence Microscopy Approach, Ashley M. Loe

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Upregulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is a well-documented response to chronic nicotine exposure. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels consisting of alpha (α2-10) and beta (β2-4) subunits. Nicotine, an agonist of nAChRs, alters trafficking and assembly of some subtypes of nAChRs, leading to an increase in expression of high sensitivity receptors on the plasma membrane. These physiological changes in nAChRs are believed to contribute to nicotine addiction, although the mechanism of these processes has not been resolved. Recently, many studies have converged on the idea that nicotine induces upregulation by an intracellular mechanism. In this dissertation, expression …


The Nicotine Metabolite, Cotinine, Alters The Assembly And Trafficking Of A Subset Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Ashley M. Fox, Faruk H. Moonschi, Christopher I. Richards Oct 2015

The Nicotine Metabolite, Cotinine, Alters The Assembly And Trafficking Of A Subset Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Ashley M. Fox, Faruk H. Moonschi, Christopher I. Richards

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Exposure to nicotine alters the trafficking and assembly of nicotinic receptors (nAChRs), leading to their up-regulation on the plasma membrane. Although the mechanism is not fully understood, nicotine-induced up-regulation is believed to contribute to nicotine addiction. The effect of cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine, on nAChR trafficking and assembly has not been extensively investigated. We utilize a pH-sensitive variant of GFP, super ecliptic pHluorin, to differentiate between intracellular nAChRs and those expressed on the plasma membrane to quantify changes resulting from cotinine and nicotine exposure. Similar to nicotine, exposure to cotinine increases the number of α4β2 receptors on the …


Nicotine Exploits A Copi-Mediated Process For Chaperone-Mediated Up-Regulation Of Its Receptors, Brandon J. Henderson, Rahul Srinivasan, Weston A. Nichols, Crystal N. Dilworth, Diana F. Gutierrez, Elisha D. W. Mackey, Sheri Mckinney, Ryan M. Drenan, Christopher I. Richards, Henry A. Lester Dec 2013

Nicotine Exploits A Copi-Mediated Process For Chaperone-Mediated Up-Regulation Of Its Receptors, Brandon J. Henderson, Rahul Srinivasan, Weston A. Nichols, Crystal N. Dilworth, Diana F. Gutierrez, Elisha D. W. Mackey, Sheri Mckinney, Ryan M. Drenan, Christopher I. Richards, Henry A. Lester

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Chronic exposure to nicotine up-regulates high sensitivity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain. This up-regulation partially underlies addiction and may also contribute to protection against Parkinson's disease. nAChRs containing the α6 subunit (α6* nAChRs) are expressed in neurons in several brain regions, but comparatively little is known about the effect of chronic nicotine on these nAChRs. We report here that nicotine up-regulates α6* nAChRs in several mouse brain regions (substantia nigra pars compacta, ventral tegmental area, medial habenula, and superior colliculus) and in neuroblastoma 2a cells. We present evidence that a coat protein complex I (COPI)-mediated process mediates this …


Carbon Nanotube Membranes For Use In The Transdermal Treatment Of Nicotine Addiction And Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms, Ji Wu, Caroline L. Strasinger, Nicole N. Scheff, Audra L. Stinchcomb, Bruce J. Hinds Jan 2009

Carbon Nanotube Membranes For Use In The Transdermal Treatment Of Nicotine Addiction And Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms, Ji Wu, Caroline L. Strasinger, Nicole N. Scheff, Audra L. Stinchcomb, Bruce J. Hinds

Ji Wu

Transdermal systems are attractive methods of drug administration specifically when treating patients for drug addiction. Current systems however are deficient in therapies that allow variable flux values of drug, such as nicotine for smoking cessation or complex dosing regimens using clonidine when treating opioid withdrawal symptoms. Through the use of functionalized carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes, drug delivery to the skin can be controlled by applying a small electrical bias to create a programmable drug delivery system. Clearly, a transdermal patch system that can be tailored to an individual’s needs will increase patient compliance as well as provide much more efficient …


Carbonic Anhydrase From Nicotiana Tabacum Leaves, Nazan Demi̇r, Yaşar Demi̇r Jan 1997

Carbonic Anhydrase From Nicotiana Tabacum Leaves, Nazan Demi̇r, Yaşar Demi̇r

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, carbonic anhydrase (CA: carbonate hydrolyase; E.C.4.2.1.1) was purified from adult {\it Nicotiana tabacum} leaves and studied biochemically. The enzyme was purified twice times by using (NH$_4)_2SO_4 precipation and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, and its activity was determined for two different substrates (CO_2 and p-nitrophenyl acetate). The enzyme obtained from the ion exchange column was purified 40.7 fold and the purity was controlled by 3\%-10\% discontinuous SDS-PAGE. The pH of the purified enzyme varied between 6.0 and 7.2, the optimum being 6.9. V_{max} and K_m values were calculated with p-nitrophenyl acetate (0.1524 mM, 0.5446 mM, respectively) as substrate. The …