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Probing Trapped Extracellular Vesicles By Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Lauren Kaufman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by nearly all cell types within the human body and have been found to play important biological roles including cell-to-cell communication, apoptosis and tissue repair. Lacking cellular machinery, these nano-sized vesicles carry functional proteins and nucleic acids from their parent cells, providing insight into biomarkers present in healthy, cancerous and diseased cells. EVs may be isolated from biofluids such as from blood or urine. Their detection and characterization holds extreme potential in developing less invasive disease detection and treatment methods.

In this work, we propose use of lithographic techniques to fabricate platforms to allow for …

Evaluation Of Raman Spectroscopic Geothermometry Of Graphitic Carbon As A Mineral Exploration Tool. A Case Study Of The San Sebastian Au-Ag Mine, Durango, Mexico, Justin Daniel Rumney

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

While visually similar to graphite, graphitic carbon is disordered rings of carbon whereas graphite is the pure-carbon crystalline form. As graphitic carbon is heated, it undergoes an irreversible graphitization process which can be observed using Raman spectroscopy and determine the maximum temperature that a rock was exposed to. Samples of sedimentary rocks, taken from the Au-Ag San Sebastian mine in Durango Mexico, containing graphitic carbon located from positions in contact with mineralized veins were used in developing a low-cost protocol for Raman spectroscopic analysis of drill core. The samples were cut and then polished to provide a smooth surface, so …