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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Mechanisms And Transients Involved In The Solar Conversion Of Petroleum Films In Aquatic Systems, Phoebe Z. Ray Aug 2014

Mechanisms And Transients Involved In The Solar Conversion Of Petroleum Films In Aquatic Systems, Phoebe Z. Ray

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The behavior of Deepwater Horizon crude oil and other sources of oil were investigated when exposed to sunlight in aquatic systems under environmentally relevant conditions. This research decoupled the abiotic and biotic weathering modifications of oil by focusing solely on the photochemical transformations of oil in aquatic systems. Photochemical rates and mechanisms were measured through the determination of reactive transients. Total hydroxyl radical formation was studied using high benzoic acid concentrations and varying exposure time. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials were added to the system in an effort to determine if the photocatalyst would enhance oil photodegradation. Photochemical production …


Determining Kinetics For Simulated Sunlight-Exposed Oil Compounds, Dustin D. Kountz Aug 2014

Determining Kinetics For Simulated Sunlight-Exposed Oil Compounds, Dustin D. Kountz

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Understanding of the fate of oil in the environment is of utmost importance; however, accurate, predictive models are still in very early stages. To aid in the development of these models, photodegradation of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an n-alkane hydrocarbon matrix was followed for individual PAHs and mixtures of PAHs similar to that found in the Deepwater Horizon spill. Tetracene in tetradecane photodegraded quickest of all observed PAHs, with a loss of 99% after only one hour of irradiation. Binary mixtures of PAHs showed different degradation amounts, including changes in PAH kinetics. These results suggest that the …


Synthesis And Applications Of Mutimodal Hybrid Albumin Nanoparticles For Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery And Phototherml Therapy Platforms, Donna V. Peralta Aug 2014

Synthesis And Applications Of Mutimodal Hybrid Albumin Nanoparticles For Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery And Phototherml Therapy Platforms, Donna V. Peralta

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Progress has been made in using human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSAPs) as carrier systems for targeted treatment of cancer. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant human blood protein, can form HSAPs via a desolvation and crosslinking method, with the size of the HSAPs having crucial importance for drug loading and in vivo performance. Gold nanoparticles have also gained medicinal attention due to their ability to absorb near-infrared (NIR) light. These relatively non-toxic particles offer combinational therapy via imaging and photothermal therapy (PPTT) capabilities.

A desolvation and crosslinking approach was employed to encapsulate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), hollow gold nanoshells (AuNSs), …