Digital Commons Network^™

Real Bullets, Plastic Guns: Evaluating The Strength Of 3-D Printed Gun Parts, Maria Latenia Mayol

Student Theses

Privately made firearms (PMFs), often referred to as “ghost guns,” are firearms manufactured or assembled by individuals rather than federally licensed manufacturers. Although the terms are frequently used interchangeably, “ghost gun” more specifically describes an unserialized firearm, whereas PMFs include a broader range of firearms produced through nontraditional manufacturing methods. PMFs may be entirely 3-D printed, assembled from partially completed firearm kits, or constructed by integrating additively manufactured components with commercially manufactured firearm parts. The increasing accessibility of additive manufacturing and widespread dissemination of computer-aided design files have raised concerns about concealment, regulation, and forensic evasion, particularly when factory-manufactured components …

Single Fluorogens And Orientation-Localization Microscopy For Quantifying Chemical And Biomolecular Dynamics At The Nanoscale, Yiyang Chen, Yuanxin Qiu, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Many chemical systems look uniform only because ensemble measurements average over their most interesting molecules. Electron-transfer rates vary across electrode surfaces; lipid membranes contain nanodomains with distinct packing and fluidity; peptide aggregates exhibit local polymorphism; and biomolecular condensates contain transient networks of interactions that are blurred in ensemble images. A central challenge in chemical imaging is not simply to see smaller structures, but to measure chemical variables such as polarity, redox potential, and molecular confinement at the single-molecule level. In this Account, we describe how fluorogens, molecules whose brightness, blinking, spectral shifts, orientation, rotational mobility, and motion are directly shaped …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Carbon Quantum Dots And Gold Nanoparticles For Norovirus Biosensing Applications In Water Systems, Breanne Evans

Master's Theses

Rapid, reliable detection of viral pathogens remains a significant challenge across water-treatment and environmental monitoring systems, including drinking-water, wastewater, water reuse, and environmental surveillance applications. Waterborne viral contamination can pose substantial public-health risks, making early detection essential for protecting water quality and responding quickly to treatment failures or contamination events. Direct potable reuse (DPR) is one particularly demanding example because it requires continuous verification of treatment performance and the broader need for rapid virus monitoring extends across many water-treatment and environmental surveillance applications. Norovirus is a priority target because of its widespread occurrence in wastewater, environmental persistence, and exceptionally low …

Developing Solvent Tolerant Microbial Membranes: Lipid Extraction And Laurdan Fluorescence Approaches For Biofuel Optimization, Gladstone Anku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The high demand for sustainable energy has increased interest in advanced biofuels, though production is limited by solvent toxicity to microbial hosts. This study investigated the role of lipid composition in modulating membrane fluidity and solvent tolerance using Bacillus subtilis as a model organism. Five strains were cultured, and membrane lipids were extracted and analyzed using thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; however, inconsistent results limited compositional characterization. To address this problem, reconstituted vesicles composed of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were used as model membranes. Membrane fluidity was assessed using Laurdan fluorescence spectroscopy by measuring generalized polarization (GP) values …

Imaging Oxygen Near Implanted Medical Devices Through Tissue With X-Ray And Ultrasound Modulated Luminescence Chemical Imaging, Vigjna Abbaraju

All Dissertations

Oxygen plays a crucial role in stem cell maintenance, tissue regeneration, disease progression, and treatment efficacy. For example, understanding oxygen dynamics within implanted medical devices, such as bone scaffolds, is essential for successful tissue regeneration and can serve as an early indicator of infection. The existing oxygen sensing and imaging techniques are often limited by narrow imaging depth, low spatial resolution in vivo resulting in poor understanding of oxygen dynamics in tissue microenvironments. This dissertation describes the development of implantable sensors using X-ray scintillators and thermochromic leuco dye paired with phosphorescent oxygen dye (PtTFPP) to image oxygen using X-ray luminescent …

Tellurium Selenide Quantum Wires Synthesized By Pulsed Laser Ablation In Liquids, Rajendra Subedi, Francisco Ruiz-Zepeda, Iono Hill, Geraldine Hallais, Etienne Herth, Gregory Guisbiers

Faculty Scholarship

Tellurium–selenide (TexSe1-x) binary alloys are promising chalcogenide systems with tunable optoelectronic properties, yet their synthesis in quantumly confined one-dimensional forms remains limited. Here, we report the synthesis of TexSe1-x quantum wires (QWs) via a two-step pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) approach, enabling surfactant-free formation of alloyed nanostructures under non-equilibrium conditions. A tellurium colloid is first generated and subsequently exposed to selenium ablation, promoting in-situ alloying through repeated plasma-bubble interactions at high repetition rate. The resulting QWs exhibit an average diameter of ~17 ± 4 nm and a length of ~475 ± 46 nm. Structural and chemical analyses (XRD, Raman, …

Quantitative Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy For Antiretroviral Drug Monitoring: Novel Quality Index And Distributional Approaches In Aqueous And Plasma Matrices, Marguerite Rose Butler

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity for molecular detection but is limited for quantitative applications by spatial heterogeneity in signal enhancement on dried colloidal substrates. This Dissertation addresses these limitations through the development and evaluation of novel quantitative methods applied to the antiretroviral drugs tenofovir and emtricitabine.

A quality index (Qi) metric was developed to rank individual SERS spectra within each well based on analyte peak prominence relative to local baseline. SERS spectra were acquired from evaporated silver colloid deposits on aluminum well plates using a custom raster-scanning Raman system. Calibration curves were constructed using the top-ranked spectra (Top-Qi …

Method Validation Of The Cdc Bottle Bioassay And A Historical Record Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Glacier National Park, Evah F. Peard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Certain contaminants can persist in the environment for long periods of time, build up within living tissues, travel far from their origin, and harm both ecosystems and organisms. This thesis focuses on two types of contaminants: insecticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Insecticides are manufactured to control pests while PAHs are found in oil and gas products and can be produced by industry, vehicle engines, and wildfires. Understanding how harmful these contaminants are and where they end up in the environment is critical for protecting environmental health.

First, I evaluated a widely used test developed by the Centers for Disease …

Attenuation Of Redox Interference In Ruo2 Ph Sensor Using A Ta2o5/Nafion Multilayer Architecture, Wade Lonsdale, Magdalena Wajrak, Md Mahamudul Hassan, James Jin Kang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite the growing preference for solid-state pH sensors due to their advantages over glass pH electrodes, their practical application is still limited by challenges, particularly in metal-oxide based systems. The main issue is their susceptibility to redox-active species such as dissolved oxygen, ascorbic acid, sulfides, and transition-metal ions. In this work, the effects of representative redox interferents, with particular emphasis on ascorbic acid, together with dissolved oxygen and potassium permanganate, were investigated and mitigated through the application of Ta2O5/Nafion overlayers. The solid-state metal-oxide pH-sensitive electrodes were fabricated with laser micro-etching of radio-frequency (RF) sputtered RuO2 thin films deposited on ceramic …

Enhanced Transdermal Immunization Via Solid-In-Oil Nanodispersions Incorporating Dendritic Cell-Targeting Peptide, Md Samiul Islam, Md. Shahin Ekka Sarker, Yoshirou Kawaguchi, Rie Wakabayashi, Noriho Kamiya, Muhammad Moniruzzaman, Masahiro Goto

Publications and Research

Transdermal immunization represents a promising needle-free alternative to conventional vaccination. However, efficient antigen delivery and robust immune activation remain major challenges. In this study, a solid-in-oil (S/O) nanodispersion system comprising a dendritic cell-targeting peptide (HR8), ovalbumin (OVA), and an adjuvant was developed for transdermal immunization. The HR8 peptide along with OVA was successfully incorporated into an S/O nanodispersion with an optimal hydrodynamic diameter of particles (< 200 nm) and exhibited stable physical properties for up to 90 days. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated enhanced antigen delivery with insignificant skin irritation in C57BL/6N mice. Moreover, in vivo transdermal immunization studies demonstrated that the addition of the HR8 peptide enhanced OVA-specific IgG responses (~1.5-fold). Notably, the HR8 peptide also promoted an approximately 2.5-fold increase in IgG2c levels, suggesting a shift toward a more T helper type 1-biased immune response, as reflected by an increased IgG2c/IgG1 ratio. Overall, these findings demonstrate that the incorporation of HR8 peptide into an S/O nanodispersion enables efficient transdermal antigen delivery and improved immunogenicity, highlighting its potential as a simple, non-invasive, and patient-friendly immunization strategy.

Exploring The Nature And Role Of Local Cation Ordering In Disordered Rock Salt Cathodes For Li- And Na-Ion Batteries, You Wang

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Cation-disordered rock-salt (DRX) cathodes provide a highly tunable platform for next-generation Li- and Na-ion batteries, but their electrochemical behavior is strongly influenced by local structural features hidden in average crystal structures. This dissertation systematically investigates local cation ordering in Li- and Na-based DRX cathodes to understand its effects on Li+/Na+ transport, redox activity, structural evolution, and electrochemical performance. In Li-based systems, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis reveal that local layered cation ordering in Mn- and Fe-based DRX cathodes is closely correlated with electrochemical behavior. Over-stoichiometric Li-based DRX oxyfluorides further demonstrate that excess Li can regulate local cation ordering, improve Li+ …

Dynamic Reconstruction Engineering Of Anti-Corrosion Ni-Based Anodes For Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis, Yi-Gang Zhang, Wen-Wen Xu, Tian-Yu Zhang, Zhi-Yi Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Green hydrogen production via alkaline seawater electrolysis offers an environmentally sustainable and potentially cost-effective route to address both energy and climate challenges. Achieving long-term anode stability under complex ionic environments and industrial current densities remains a central bottleneck. Specifically, Ni-based anodes exhibit intense surface reconstruction during the oxygen evolution reaction, necessitating dynamic anti-corrosion strategies. This mini review systematically summarizes reconstruction engineering approaches to develop anti-corrosion Ni-based anodes of alkaline seawater electrolysis across increasingly complex ionic environments from simulated seawater to real seawater: (i) Cl^– dominated; (ii) Cl^– with co-existing oxyanions, and (iii) Cl^–  with co-existing Br^{– …}

Preparation And Performance Study Of In-Situ Self-Assembled Biphasic Smmn2O5-Nimn2O4 Composite Cathode, Neng-Chu Xia, Yu Zhou, Qin Wang, Jia-You Zhang, Chun Yu, Yang Zhang, Wan-Bing Guan, Jian-Xin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Mullite-structured oxides exhibit excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity, possess a low thermal expansion coefficient due to their unique crystal structure, and can eliminate the need for a barrier layer and simplify the preparation process as they contain no alkaline earth elements. Thus, they hold great promise as novel cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. In this work, a mullite-spinel-structured SmMn₂O₅-NiMn₂O₄ (SMO-NMO) composite cathode was one-step synthesized via a solid-liquid composite route, and its in-situ self-assembly enabled good compatibility with the electrolyte without any barrier layer. Characterization results showed that the SMO:NMO = …

In Situ Stm Visualization Of Molecular Structural Evolution During Electrochemical Oxidation Coupling Of Para-Aminothiophenol On Au(111), Zi-Wei Ma, Tai-Rui Wu, An-Ni Zheng, Lai-Ke Chen, Yuan-Hui Xiao, Zhao-Bin Chen, Qing-Na Zheng, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Jia-Wei Yan, De-Yin Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Para-aminothiophenol (PATP) is not only a widely-used probe molecule in the field of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), but also an important model molecule for interfacial reactions, exhibiting distinct photo- and electro-oxidation pathways, so that PATP is selectively activated under different external fields. The evolution of products and intermediates during electrochemical oxidative coupling remains unknown. In this study, we have investigated the dynamic electrochemical oxidation process of PATP on the Au(111) surface using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical (EC)-SERS, and in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). The results showed that PATP forms an unsaturated adsorption coverage on Au(111) in an acidic solution. …

Ionophore-Based Plga Nanosensor For Selective Ion Detection And Imaging, Zhiyu Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Accurate detection of electrolyte ions is essential for biological research, disease diagnosis, and the investigation of cellular function. In this study, we developed ionophore-based PLGA nanosensors for the optical detection of biologically important ions. The nanosensors were prepared by encapsulating ionophores, chromoionophore III, and ion exchangers within PLGA nanoparticles. The resulting nanosensors showed uniform morphology, good colloidal stability, and concentration-dependent optical responses toward Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ over the range of 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹ M. Reversible fluorescence responses under repeated ion concentration changes confirmed the stability and robustness of the sensors. The nanosensors also demonstrated reliable analytical performance for K⁺ …

Hybrid Microbial-Enzymatic Electrosynthesis For De Novo Decanoic Acid Production From Co2, Yongze Wang, Wenjin Dong, Meijing Wei, Su Song, Zhiqing Huang, Yaojie Liu, Shelley D. Minteer, Hui Chen

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The steady increase in atmospheric CO₂ levels is a key driver of anthropogenic climate change, prompting widespread global concern. In this context, the sustainable conversion of CO₂ into value-added chemicals represents an attractive route toward carbon-neutral manufacturing and green chemistry. Here, we developed a proof-of-concept hybrid microbial-enzymatic electrosynthesis system that combines microbial electrosynthesis (MES) and enzymatic electrosynthesis (EES) to convert CO₂ into decanoic acid under ambient conditions, using electrical energy. In the MES module, CO₂ was converted to acetate via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway of Clostridium ljungdahlii, using H2 produced by electrochemical water splitting as the electron …

Exogenous Ribosome Incorporation Induces Lineage Transdifferentiation In Intestinal And Liver Cancer Cells, Haoxuan Gu, Nadia Wahyuningsih, Keisuke Yamashita, Shota Inoue, Fuchao Tan, Mani Sharaki, Muhaimin Rifa’I, Kunimasa Ohta

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

It has previously been shown that exogenous bacterial ribosomes added to somatic cells and various cancer cell lines generate ribosome-induced cell clusters (RICs) capable of transdifferentiating into multiple cellular lineages. However, the scope of ribosome-induced transdifferentiation in cancer cells remains poorly understood. This study aimed to analyze the effects of exogenous ribosome incorporation on human cancer cell lines, specifically the intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 and the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. Caco-2 and HepG2 cells were cultured with purified bacterial ribosomes in human ES/iPS cell medium after trypsinization, resulting in the formation of ribosome-induced Caco-2 (RICs-Ca) and HepG2 (RICs-He) …

Tapping Into The Ocean’S Hidden Energy: Feasibility Of A 5 Mw Otec Installation In North Bali, Widodo Setiyo Pranowo, Yani Permanawati, Gisela Malya Asoka Anindita, Agung Kurniawan, Albertus Sulaiman, Johar Setiyadi, Safri Burhanuddin, Ivonne Milichristi Radjawane, Hansan Park, Endro Sigit Kurniawan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Indonesia is an archipelagic country surrounded by water and faces energy challenges due to the low use of renewable energy. Among the potential renewable options, marine energy is a particularly suitable resource given the country’s geographical nature. Based on this discussion, seawater temperature can be used as an alternative ocean thermal en-ergy known as ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) by using the difference in sea surface and deep-sea water temperatures. Therefore, this study aimed to examine OTEC installations in North Bali waters using closed-cycle OTEC calculations for a 5 MW system. Following this objective, we examined the water conditions by …

“Innocent” Electrolytes Can Influence Organic Electrosynthetic Selectivity, Zachary A. Nguyen, Nhu H. Quach, Mayank Tanwar, Joshua A. Beeler, Kevin Mcfadden, Dylan G. Boucher, Matthew Neurock, Shelley D. Minteer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Organic electrosynthesis has emerged as a powerful strategy for leveraging electricity in organic synthesis. Despite its growing popularity, the fundamental molecular interactions governing electrochemical systems remain poorly understood. Many electrosynthetic reactions show strong dependence on the identity of the allegedly inert supporting electrolyte, which can significantly impact yields and selectivity, yet the physical origins of these effects are largely unexplored. A mechanistic understanding of electrolyte effects would enable more rational reaction design for applications. Here, we use cyclic voltammetry to investigate cobalt-based metal–carbon bond homolysis and elucidate how common supporting electrolytes influence reaction rates. Bulk electrolysis experiments further reveal how …

Real-Time Image Denoising And Reconstruction Using Generative Adversarial Networks (Gans), Roa'a M. Al-Airaji, Haider Th. Salim Alrikabi, Rula Kamil, Svyd Iryna

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This paper presents a real-time image denoising and reconstruction system based on a compact Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) designed for embedded systems and edge computing. The proposed model employs a [ generator and a PatchGAN discriminator, trained using hybrid loss function that combines L1, perceptual, and adversarial terms to balance pixel and perceptual realism. Evaluations were conducted on multiple datasets, including DIV2K, BSD68, SIDD, DND, RENOIR, and PolyU at noise levels (σ = 15, 25, 50). Quantitatively, the proposed model achieves an average PSNR of 32.8 dB and an SSIM of 0.88, which is higher by more than 3 dB …

An Automated Electrochemistry Platform For Accelerating The Characterization Of Enzymatic Electrochemistry, Michael A. Pence, Zachary A. Nguyen, Luke G. Kays, Dylan G. Boucher, Joaquín Rodríguez-López, Shelley D. Minteer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Enzymatic electrochemistry harnesses the selectivity of enzymes to enable electrochemical applications spanning sensing, synthesis, and energy conversion. However, the sequential nature of electroanalytical experiments limits throughput, restricting the scale at which enzyme-electrode systems can be screened. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of an automated electrochemistry platform, eLab, to increase the throughput of enzymatic electrochemistry investigations. We used the eLab to collect over 10,000 cyclic voltammograms across a large parameter space consisting of two enzyme variants (promiscuous and wild-type glucose oxidase), 20 saccharide substrates, 21 concentrations, and four scan rates, with measurements being made all in triplicate. The expansive dataset enabled …

Interfacial Redox Mediation By Amine/Alkyne-Functionalized Silicon Nanoparticles: Surfactant-Free Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis, Amber L. Garcia, Brittany Griggs, Brian S. Mitchell, Mark J. Fink, Julie P. Vanegas

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We develop a surfactant-free synthesis method for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using 2-propynylamine-functionalized silicon nanoparticles as integrated redox-active supports. Surface-anchored amine groups act as built-in reducing sites for Au³⁺ precursors at the hexane–water interface under ambient conditions, enabling in situ AuNP nucleation and growth. Time-resolved UV-vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering track the emergence of plasmonic AuNPs, while quantitative morphology analysis reveals a final population dominated by spherical and near-spherical nanoparticles (∼74%), with faceted polyhedral structures (∼4%) and dendritic, hollow, irregular, and rod-like morphologies (∼22%) as minority species. The temporal evolution proceeds from early dendritic and irregular aggregates to a …

Li+/Na+ Hybrid Ion Conduction Mechanism In The Superionic Conductor Li3–XNaXZr2Si2Po12, Yi-Hong Wu, Xia Xie, Lei Zhu, Mu-Ran Yu, Guo-Tai Zhang, Jun-Chao Chen, Shu-Ying Sun, You-Wei Wang, Wei-Ping Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hybrid ion conductors that transport multiple ionic conductive species provide a useful platform for understanding how mixed-ion transport governs ionic conductivity within a single phase. However, the controlled introduction of multiple mobile ions into solid-state electrolytes and a mechanistic understanding of their migration within the framework remain challenging. Herein, a skeleton-retained Li⁺↔Na⁺ cationic exchange was used to simultaneously induce Li⁺ and Na⁺ cations into the NASICON-type framework of Li_3–xNa_xZr₂Si₂PO₁₂ (0 < x < 3). We show that the interpenetration of NaO₆ and NaO₈ coordination polyhedra significantly influences the ionic conductivity of hybrid ion conductors. Computational …

Distribution And Transport Of Lithium Ions At Interfaces Between Graphite And Carboxymethyl Celluloses, Zi-Jun Huang, Zhen-Ying Zheng, Hua-Wei Cao, Jian Wang, Qing-Feng Zhang, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a water-processable binder widely used for graphite anodes. However, a microscopic understanding of why the identity of CMC counterions (Li⁺/Na⁺/K⁺) strongly affects electrode performance remains limited. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to track Li⁺ transport accessibility across electrolyte/CMC/graphite three-phase interfaces, comparing pure CMC-Li, CMC-Na, CMC-K, and mixed-counterion CMC binders. We find that CMC-Li sustains a continuous Li⁺ transport pathway from the electrolyte through the binder phase toward graphite. In contrast, in CMC-Na and CMC-K, Na⁺/K⁺ ions preferentially enrich at the graphite/binder interface, forming …

Distinct Co2 Electroreduction Behaviors Over Planar And Non-Planar Cobalt Molecular Catalysts, Ru Jia, Cheng-Biao Zhu, Zi-Mo Zhang, Tuo Wang, Kai-Cong Yang, Guang-Zhe Wang, Yang Hu, Ting-Ting Zhang, Zhen-Wei Wei, Li Xiao, Gong-Wei Wang, Lin Zhuang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Molecular catalysts serve as ideal platforms for studying electrocatalytic reaction mechanisms. While current research mainly focuses on modulating central metals or surrounding ligands, the influence of molecular spatial configuration remains largely unexplored. Herein, we synthesized two cobalt complexes with similar ligand environments but distinct spatial geometries, a planar cobalt hexaazamacrocyclic complex (CoHAM) and a non-planar acyclic Co(phen)₂Cl₂, and evaluated their performance in CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). The planar CoHAM exhibited dramatically superior CO₂RR performance compared to the non-planar Co(phen)₂Cl₂. Through a series of combined analyses using in-situ …

Atropisomer Mechanochemistry Of Diarylethene Mechanophores: A Study Of Structure-Mechanical Activity Relationships, Cijun Zhang

Dissertations - ALL

Stimuli-responsive organic structures are advanced, intelligent platforms that dynamically adjust their physical or chemical properties—such solubility, or color—in response to external stimuli including light, heat, pH, redox conditions, mechanical force, or magnetic fields. Among these structures, mechanophores represent an important class that is specifically responsive to mechanical force. Synthetic mechanophores can be rationally engineered to exhibit tunable mechanosensitivity as well as tailored chemical and physical properties. In this work, we designed and synthesized a type of atropisomeric mechanophores based on sterically congested diarylethene photoswitches, and systematically investigated their mechanical and photochemical properties. Chapter 1 Chapter 1 provides a general introduction …

Using Low-Frequency Vibrational Spectroscopy To Develop Analytical Profiles For Polymorphic Organic Molecular Crystals, Salvatore Zarrella

Dissertations - ALL

Low-frequency vibrational spectroscopy provides a sensitive approach for characterizing polymorphism and intermolecular dynamics in organic molecular crystals. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and low-frequency Raman spectroscopy probe collective lattice vibrations arising from weak intermolecular interactions, offering direct insight into crystal packing, phase stability, and structural organization that is often inaccessible to conventional diffraction and mid-infrared techniques. To interpret these modes, experimental measurements are combined with periodic solid-state density functional theory (ss-DFT), which enables vibrational assignments to specific intermolecular motions, and crystal structure prediction (CSP), which maps accessible polymorphic energy landscapes. Together, these methods form a unified experimental–computational framework for understanding molecular …

Peptide And Peptide Bioconjugate Based Drug Development For The Treatment Of Metabolic Diseases, Nancy Cham

Dissertations - ALL

The Doyle group has coined the term ‘corrination’ to describe the conjugate modification of a peptide, protein, small molecule, or radionuclide with a corrin ring-containing molecule such as cobalamin, also known as vitamin B12 (B12), or cobinamides. By exploiting the innate chemico-physical properties of corrin ring-containing compounds, both in general and specifically via the innate dietary B12 uptake pathway in mammals, corrination has been explored for drug development and targeted/localized delivery of probes and therapeutics. Most recently, it is in the field of peptide-based therapeutics that corrination is generating significant interest, no doubt driven in part by the recent successes …

Laminarin-Loaded Solid-In-Oil Nanodispersion For Enhanced Non-Invasive Transdermal Immunization, Md. Shahin Ekka Sarker, Yoshirou Kawaguchi, Rie C. Wakabayashi, Noriho J. Kamiya, Muhammad Moniruzzaman, Masahiro Goto

Publications and Research

Simple and non-invasive transdermal vaccination is an attractive alternative to conventional injection-based immunization. However, the effectiveness of transdermal vaccines is often constrained by the stratum corneum barrier. Although the use of solid-in-oil (S/O) nanodispersion technology has successfully facilitated skin permeation to induce an immunological response, the antibody titers remain suboptimal. Herein, a dectin-1 selective ligand, laminarin, was used as an immunostimulatory adjuvant to enhance the immune response. S/O nanodispersions loaded with laminarin and ovalbumin (OVA) were systematically developed and characterized in terms of particle size, in vitro OVA release behavior, and skin permeation performance using excised mouse skin. In vivo …

Lafe0.925ti0.075o3 Perovskite Coated With Ethyl Cellulose: A High-Stability, Low-Hysteresis Platform For Advanced Humidity Sensing, Akhmad Futukhillah Fataba Alaih, Djoko Triyono, Rifqi Almusawi Rafsanjani

Makara Journal of Science

Humidity sensors are pivotal in numerous sectors, such as environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and health-care. This study presents the fabrication and detailed evaluation of an advanced humidity sensor using ethyl cellulose (EC)-coated LaFe_0.925Ti_0.075O₃ (LFTO) perovskite nanoparticles synthesized via the sol-gel method. The LFTO nanopar-ticles exhibited a mesoporous structure with an enhanced surface area, which significantly improved their moisture adsorption capabilities. The innovative application of EC coating addresses critical substrate adhesion issues, enhancing mechanical stability without compromising sensor sensitivity. Comprehensive performance evaluations revealed minimal hysteresis (