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

Digital Commons Network

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

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Derivation Of An Analytical Solution To A Reaction-Diffusion Model For Autocatalytic Degradation And Erosion In Polymer Microspheres, Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, Paul D. Arendt, Daniel W. Pack, Richard D. Braatz Aug 2015

Derivation Of An Analytical Solution To A Reaction-Diffusion Model For Autocatalytic Degradation And Erosion In Polymer Microspheres, Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, Paul D. Arendt, Daniel W. Pack, Richard D. Braatz

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

A mathematical reaction-diffusion model is defined to describe the gradual decomposition of polymer microspheres composed of poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) that are used for pharmaceutical drug delivery over extended periods of time. The partial differential equation (PDE) model treats simultaneous first-order generation due to chemical reaction and diffusion of reaction products in spherical geometry to capture the microsphere-size-dependent effects of autocatalysis on PLGA erosion that occurs when the microspheres are exposed to aqueous media such as biological fluids. The model is solved analytically for the concentration of the autocatalytic carboxylic acid end groups of the polymer chains that comprise the microspheres …


Who’S Following Twitter? Coverage Of The Microblogging Phenomenon By U.S. Cable News Networks, Deborah S. Chung, Mina Tsay-Vogel, Yung Soo Kim Jan 2015

Who’S Following Twitter? Coverage Of The Microblogging Phenomenon By U.S. Cable News Networks, Deborah S. Chung, Mina Tsay-Vogel, Yung Soo Kim

Journalism and Media Faculty Publications

Through data captured in a digital content analysis (DCA) lab, we examine coverage of Twitter across three 24-hour U.S. cable news channels: CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. This investigation tracked Twitter coverage from its initial stage, followed by its rise to a massively used tool and its subsequent diffusion into society, evident through its plateauing coverage. News stories covering Twitter, as it penetrated into society, were more likely to use benefit/gain frames when discussing the technology, highlighting its positive social, communicative, political, and participatory impact. Benefit frames were also likely to associate Twitter with journalism. Patterns …


Nanoparticle Behavior In Biological Gels And Biofluids: The Impact Of Interactions With Charged Biogels And The Formation Of Protein Coronas On Nanoparticles, Xiaolu Zhang Jan 2015

Nanoparticle Behavior In Biological Gels And Biofluids: The Impact Of Interactions With Charged Biogels And The Formation Of Protein Coronas On Nanoparticles, Xiaolu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

With the rapid growth of nanotechnology, situations where nanomaterials will interact with biological systems will unquestionably grow. Therefore, it is increasingly understood that interactions between nanomaterials and biological environments will play an essential role in nanomedicine. Biological polymer networks, including mucus and the extracellular matrix, serve as a filter for the exchange of molecules and nanoparticles. Such polymer networks are complex and heterogeneous hydrogel environments that regulate transport processes through finely tuned particle-network interactions. In chapters 3 and 4, we investigate the role of electrostatics on the basic mechanisms governing the diffusion of charged molecules inside model polymer networks by …