Digital Commons Network^™

High-Pressure Studies On The Transition From Red Phosphorus To Black Phosphorus, Heng Xiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Black phosphorus (BP) is a promising material in many research fields. However, the transition process from amorphous red phosphorus (ARP) is elusive and hence hinders large scale synthesis and applications. This work describes the application of the high-pressure method to study the transition process from ARP to BP.

In this thesis, the following three objectives were achieved: (1) to understand the mechanism of the transition, (2) to facilitate the synthesis of BP by taking the advantage of less pure ARP, (3) to propose new methods of synthesizing BP-based materials, such as the moderately oxidized BP and the black phosphorus/ amorphous …

Assessing The Efficacy Of Virtual Experiments In The General Chemistry Laboratory, Cory Jerome Hensen

Dissertations and Theses

As more students enroll in chemistry courses, institutions are faced with increasing costs and limited laboratory space to keep up with the demand. One solution some institutions have turned to is the incorporation of virtual experiments into the curriculum, as this can lower costs and increase the availability of laboratory space. Some institutions have offered sections that complete all of their experiments in a virtual environment, others have offered sections that alternate between a traditional hands-on experiment and a virtual experiment, and some institutions have replaced only select experiments throughout the curriculum with a virtual experiment. To begin to be …

Design, Synthesis, And Self-Assembly Of Supramolecular Fractals Based On Terpyridine With Different Transition Metal Ions, Lei Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fractals have existed in a variety of natural forms, and the concept of "fractal geometry" has been developed in many areas by humankind, including art, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, material science, and etc. In the field of chemistry, researchers have endeavored great efforts to express the concept using molecules either by theoretical prediction or using synthetic methods in the past few decades, and one successful example is the “Sierpiński triangle”. Challenge still remains to achieve other fractal geometries as well as high generation of fractals with precisely controlled shape and size. Coordination-driven self-assembly has witnessed a wide array of well-defined …

Alignment Of Theoretically Grounded Constructs For The Measurement Of Science And Chemistry Identity, Kathryn Nicole Hosbein, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Identity has been theorized to aid in student persistence within STEM disciplines. In this study, science and chemistry identity were defined as being recognized as a science or chemistry person within the classroom. To generalize the effects that identity has on student persistence, a measurable construct must be defined, operationalized, and tested in multiple settings with different populations. This project addressed the first step in the process, defining the construct and grounding it in an established theoretical framework. This qualitative project utilized a previously described physics identity framework, with sub-constructs of performance/competence, recognition, and interest, as a starting point for …

Keynote 2: Student Choice (What Can Student-Directed Learning Look Like?), Joe Ruhl

Faculty Technology Showcase

Moving from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered classroom creates a “teacher paradox,” because on the surface, the teacher appears to become the least important person in the classroom. But in transitioning from a “sage on the stage” to a “guide on the side” (while team teaching with a fleet of classroom computers), the teacher’s impact on the lives of the students is actually enhanced. How does one design units of instruction that are student-centered? Come and find out how one high school teacher has attempted to pull this off.

Chem 360-003: Environmental Chemistry, Alexei Khalizov

Chemistry, Environmental and Forensic Science Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Organic/Inorganic Interfacial Interactions Affecting Metal Reactivity: Water Treatment And Sensor Applications, Mohamed Nabil Shaikh

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the interactions occurring at the organic – inorganic interface between solid media and aqueous contaminants for water treatment and sensor applications. The gaps in current literature on these interfacial organic-inorganic interactions must be bridged in order to develop advanced water treatment and monitoring technologies for improving water quality and thus, restore and protect the contaminated water resources. As a part of this dissertation, manganese oxides-based composites and electrospun polymer mats were developed and investigated for gaining mechanistic insights of organic (bisphenol A and acetaminophen) and inorganic (uranium) contaminants removal, respectively. These reactions …

Assessing Affective Differences Between A Virtual General Chemistry Experiment And A Similar Hands-On Experiment, Cory Hensen, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

To date, few general chemistry laboratory studies have included affective measures despite calls for more research on aspects of this domain. This shortage of studies may be partially due to the scarcity of affective measures that have been designed for, or tested in, the college laboratory setting. To provide measures for use in this environment, several existing affective scales were adapted for this new context. Before data from the scales were utilized to study the environment, evidence was provided for the validity and reliability of the data generated from them. Once sufficient evidence was provided, it was possible to determine …

Functional Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy In First-Episode Schizophrenia: Measuring Glutamate And Glutathione Dynamics At 7-Tesla, Peter Jeon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric illness without known etiology or cure. Current efforts for symptom treatment still seem to leave a large portion of affected individuals without proper symptom management, with those experiencing symptom relief still having to wrestle with potential side-effects from medication trials. There has been growing evidence suggesting that glutamate and glutathione abnormalities hold major roles in development and manifestation of schizophrenia symptoms.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a non-invasive means to observe in-vivo brain chemistry, including glutamate and glutathione. By adding a functional component to an MRS paradigm (fMRS), such as the color-word Stroop task, it is …

Development And Evaluation Of A Hybrid Adi/Swh Model Pre-Laboratory Curriculum, Tabitha Alitz, Dawn Del Carlo

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Previous Research:
• Students value each part of the pre-lab differently, struggle to connect all of the components, and therefore fail to see the big picture
• Students find the pre-lab moderately helpful in understanding both the concepts and mechanics of the lab, but find it less helpful at the end of the semester compared to beginning
• The cognitive load demands of the SWH pre-lab hinders students’ ability to participate in authentic scientific inquiry

Computational Studies Of High-Oxidation State Main-Group Metal Hydrocarbon C-H Functionalization, Clinton R. King

Theses and Dissertations

High-oxidation state main-group metal complexes are potential alternatives to transition metals for electrophilic C-H functionalization reactions. However, there is little known about how selection of the p-block, main-group metal and ligand impact C-H activation and functionalization thermodynamics and reactivity. Chapter 2 reports density functional theory (DFT) calculations used to determine qualitative and quantitative features of C-H activation and metal-methyl functionalization energy landscapes for reaction between high-oxidation state d10s0 InIII, TlIII, SnIV, and PbIV carboxylate complexes with methane. While the main-group metal influences the C-H activation barrier height in a periodic manner, the carboxylate ligand has a much larger quantitative impact …

Characterization Of Biofilms In A Synthetic Rhizosphere Using Hollow Fiber Root-Mimetic Systems, Michelle Bonebrake

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The area around a plant’s roots hosts a complex and diverse microbial community. This environment can include a large number of bacteria that live on the surface of the root and benefit from the nutrients that the roots exude into the soil. These microbes can in turn be beneficial to the plant by protecting the roots from harmful fungi or stressful environmental conditions such as drought. In this thesis, several root-mimetic systems (RMSs) were developed for the study and growth of plant-beneficial bacteria in the laboratory environment. The RMS uses a porous hollow fiber used in hemodialysis as a surface …

Analyzing The Effect Of Air Pollution Regulations On Aerosol Concentrations In Urban Areas, Bode Hoover

Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference

Aerosols, any solid or liquid suspended in air, have significant environmental and biological effects. Fine particulate matter can cause serious respiratory issues and aerosols in the atmosphere absorb and reflect radiation which can warm or cool the atmosphere, respectively. This study compares air quality at two urban areas, the city of Wilmington, CA in the United States and the city of Arequipa, Peru. Concentrations of emissions are under higher regulation standards in California than in Peru which is a developing country. Air filters that measured total suspended particles were collected every 24 hours on Marine Avenue in Wilmington, CA and …

Preparation And Characterization Of Tio2-Sio2 Bioceramic Coating On Ti Alloy Via Electrochemical Anodization And Its Effect On Corrosion Resistance, Rasha Marzouk, Eatemad Shoreibah, Inas Motawae, Madiha Shoeib

Al-Azhar Journal of Dentistry

AbstractPurpose: The present study was carried out to study changing the anodization parameters and investigate the corrosion resistance of the ceramic coating that will be formed on the CP-Ti by anodization method. Materials and Methods: CP-Ti (10mm×10mm×2mm) were used for fabrication of bioceramic coating through anodization with different parameters using potassium silicate electrolyte. Samples were characterized using XRD, AT-FTIR. Surface roughness was measured using ESEM and surface topography was evaluated by SEM. Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to detect the change in the corrosion resistance after anodization. Results: XRD revealed that the anodized coated samples showed well …

Chemistry, Saint Mary's College Of California

Undergraduate Course Catalog

No abstract provided.

Mole Street Journal, June 2019, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Google Classroom In The Self-Contained Chemistry Classroom, Steven J. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to ascertain the effectiveness of Google Classroom in the self-contained Chemistry classroom in terms of student turning in of assignments, student performance on summative assessment, student satisfaction with the use of Google Classroom, student contribution to class discussion in terms of frequency and quality, and the student acceptance of Google Classroom as a system of technology. Results suggest increased growth on summative assessments, turning in of assignments, and less regression in turning in of assignments with the implementation and use of Google Classroom. Results also suggest that the student population performs better through …

Using The Diels-Alder Reaction In The Synthesis Of Biologically Interesting Molecules: Targets Of Opportunity, Ethan Michael Decicco

Theses

This thesis is composed of reports on two projects, which are described separately in two chapters.

The first project described (Chapter 1) involves the synthesis of a series of molecules that contain a 1,4-dimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxy-imide core structure. These types of molecules represent a class of analogues of the natural product cantharidin, a potent cytotoxic agent isolated from Meloidae insects. Cantharidin and cantharidin-like small molecules have been extensively studied in literature as potential leads in new anti-cancer medications. A series of 1,4-dimethyl-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3- dicarboxy-imides are also being investigated by researchers at Bristol-Meyers-Squibb (BMS) as prospective treatments of prostate cancer (PC). PC is the …

Studies On Regulation Of Dihydrotestosterone Binding To And Releasing From The Androgen Receptor, Tahyra M. Resto Santos

Theses and Dissertations

The androgen receptor (AR) is a nuclear receptor that responds to testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by modulating gene expression in a variety of cells, including prostate and muscle tissues. Studies of small molecule interaction with AR have shown diphenyl compounds inhibiting through a binding site labeled Binding Function 3 (BF3). The goal of this research is to analyze the interaction of the BF3 site with DDT and related compounds. Amino acids that are exposed on the surface of the BF3 that might interact with different compounds were mutated. Mutant proteins were tested experimentally for their impact on the inhibition the …

Hydro-Chemical And Isotopic Investigation Of The İspendere Mineral And Thermal Water Springs, Malatya, Turkey, Murat Çeliker, Ömer Faruk Dursun, Mahmut Fırat

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

The objective of this study is to determine the source, chemical characteristics and isotopic components of the İspendere mineral and thermal waters, Malatya, Turkey. There are many mineral and thermal water springs in the area with flow rates ranging between 0.01 – 0.4 l/s. Geochemical and isotope chemistry studies were carried out at three different thermal springs in the region as well as three different cold water springs during May-October 2011. The temperature of mineral and thermal waters were measured as between 21.1°C – 23.6°C in May 2011 and as 20.8°C in October 2011. The region was determined as a …

Microbiome Characterization Of The Cave Salamander As Potential Defense Against Emerging Infectious Diseases, Bethany Wildeman, Paige Mceachen, Micah Burnham

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Extraterrestrial Prebiotic Molecules: Photochemistry Vs. Radiation Chemistry Of Interstellar Ices, Christopher R. Arumainayagam, Robin T. Garrod, Michael Boyer, Aurland Hay, Si Tong Bao, Jyoti Campbell, Amy Wang, Chris M. Nowak, Michael R. Arumainayagam, Peter J. Hodge

Faculty Research and Scholarship

In 2016, unambiguous evidence for the presence of the amino acid glycine, an important prebiotic molecule, was deduced based on in situ mass-spectral studies of the coma surrounding cometary ice. This finding is significant because comets are thought to have preserved the icy grains originally found in the interstellar medium prior to solar system formation. Energetic processing of cosmic ices via photochemistry and radiation chemistry is thought to be the dominant mechanism for the extraterrestrial synthesis of prebiotic molecules. Radiation chemistry is defined as the “study of the chemical changes produced by the absorption of radiation of sufficiently high energy …

“Goethe, Faust, And Motherless Creations.” Goethe Yearbook 23 (2016): 59-75., Wendy Nielsen

Wendy Nielsen

“Goethe, Faust, and Motherless Creations” reads the life and work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe alongside the material culture of motherless creations, the automata, androids, and golems that his contemporaries imagined and created. Automata and androids are motherless in the sense that men create them, and they represent an attempt to usurp women’s primary role in reproduction. The manufacture of automata and androids and the pursuit of natural philosophy put male inventors and scientists in reproductive roles, for they sought to overturn the boundary between life and death. Examining Goethe’s relationship to the artificial life forms of his period …

Chemical Analysis Of Cycads From Varied Environment, Shivani Patel

Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference

Cycads are one of the most primitive plants (ancestral species), that are believed to have existed even during the Mesozoic Era, the dinosaurs period. They have evolved over millions of years, in varied climate and habitat, and yet there are some feature that has remained unchanged over years. For my thesis, I study the chemical and functional traits of cycads. The functional analysis includes studying of morphological features the shape, weight, the association of roots with bacterial colonizes i.e; coralloid roots etc. Chemistry study deals with concentration of important elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and other important compounds in the …

Mole Street Journal, April 2019, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

We Are All Alive: Understanding Connections Between People And Coral Reefs In Samoa, Kalamakaleimahoehoe Porter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This work seeks to incorporate ecological research methods, socioeconomic data analysis, and local story collection into one understanding of coral reefs on the island of Upolu in Samoa. Data collection utilized transects and timed dives to assess four reef health indicators, and socio-economic indicators were sourced from the Samoa Bureau of Statistics. Interviews were also conducted to gain Samoan perspectives on the importance of coral reefs. Findings include patterns between the socioeconomic factors of population demographics, unemployment rates, education, and improved water, waste, and sanitation facilities and the environmental indicators of prevalence of plastic, percentage cover of living coral, parrotfish …

Design And Synthesis Of Simplified Analogs Of The Natural Product Sordarin As Potential Antifungal Agents, Yibiao Wu

Dissertations (1934 -)

Invasive fungal infection is a life-threatening illness that causes high mortality, and is especially common among patients with compromised immune systems. However, currently there are only three major classes of clinically useful drugs capable of treating such infections. In addition, due to the fact that drug resistance has become a serious issue especially among patients who suffer from chronic infections, it is urgent to identify new drug candidates, particular those of new classes. The discovery of the natural product sordarin and its novel mechanism of action of inhibiting fungal protein synthesis via the fungal eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) led …

Synthesis Of Simplified Azasordarin Analogs As Potential Antifungal Agents, Yibiao Wu, Chris Dockendorff

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

A new series of simplified azasordarin analogs was synthesized using as key steps a Diels–Alder reaction to generate a highly substituted bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane core, followed by a subsequent nitrile alkylation. Several additional strategies were investigated for the generation of the key tertiary nitrile or aldehyde thought to be required for inhibition at the fungal protein eukaryotic elongation factor 2. This new series also features a morpholino glycone previously reported in semisynthetic sordarin derivatives with broad spectrum antifungal activity. Despite a lack of activity against Candida albicans for these early de novo analogs, the synthetic route reported here permits more comprehensive modifications …

Metrics And Methods Used To Compare Student Performance Data In Chemistry Education Research Articles, Michael R. Mack, Cory Hensen, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quasi-experiments are common in studies that estimate the effect of instructional interventions on student performance outcomes. In this type of research, the nature of the experimental design, the choice in assessment, the selection of comparison groups, and the statistical methods used to analyze the comparison data dictate the validity of causal inferences. Therefore, gathering and reporting validity evidence in causal studies is of utmost importance, especially when conclusions have real policy implications for students and faculty, among other stakeholders. This review examines 24 articles that reported quantitative investigations of the effect of instructional interventions on performance-based outcomes conducted within undergraduate …

Mole Street Journal, February 2019, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.