Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Phthalate Plasticizers Covalently Linked To Pvc Via Copper-Free Or Copper Catalyzed Axide-Alkyne Cycloadditions, Aruna Earla, Li Longbo, Philip Costanzo, Rebecca Braslau

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Plasticization of PVC was carried out by covalently linking phthalate derivatives via copper-free (thermal) or copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate derivatives (DEHP-ether and DEHP-ester) were synthesized and appended to PVC at two different densities. The glass transition temperatures of the modified PVC decreased with increasing content of plasticizer. PVC-DEHP-ether gave lower glass transition temperatures than PVC-DEHP-ester, reflecting the enhanced flexibility of the ether versus ester linker.

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Azasteroids And Pseudoazulenyl Nitrones, Nagaraju Birudukota

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steroids are one of the essential classes of bioactive compounds and are involved in many biological functions which include their role as signaling compounds, the alteration of membrane fluidity and the regulation of a variety of metabolic processes. In order to identify novel compounds with beneficial pharmacological action, the synthesis of modified steroids is gaining much attention in recent years. Among those analogs, azasteroids are one of the most important classes which display a variety of biological activities, often free from undesirable side effects. The challenges in the synthesis of steroids, particularly azasteroids, and the potential of azasteroids as novel …

An Examination Of Student Outcomes In Studio Chemistry, Alan L. Kiste, Gregory E. Scott, Jesse Paul Bukenberger, Miles Markmann, Jennifer Moore

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Twenty years ago, a major curriculum revision at a large, comprehensive university in the Western United States led to the implementation of an integrated lecture/laboratory (studio) experience for our engineering students taking general chemistry. Based on these twenty years of experience, construction of four purpose-built studio classrooms to house the majority of the remaining general chemistry courses was completed in 2013. A detailed study of the effects of the entire ecology of the studio experience on student success was initiated at that time. Data from content knowledge pre- and post-tests, learning attitudes surveys, and student course evaluations show positive effects …

Characterization Of Wy 14,643 And Its Complex With Aldose Reductase, Michael Sawaya, Malkhey Verma, Vaishnavi Balendiran, Nigam Rath, Duilio Cascio, Ganesaratnam Balendiran

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

The peroxisome proliferator, WY 14,643 exhibits a pure non-competitive inhibition pattern in the aldehyde reduction and in alcohol oxidation activities of human Aldose reductase (hAR). Fluorescence emission measurements of the equilibrium dissociation constants, Kd, of oxidized (hAR•NADP+) and reduced (hAR•NADPH) holoenzyme complexes display a 2-fold difference between them. Kd values for the dissociation of WY 14,643 from the oxidized (hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643) and reduced (hAR•NADPH•WY 14,643) ternary complexes are comparable to each other. The ternary complex structure of hAR•NADP+•WY 14,643 reveals the first structural evidence of a fibrate class drug binding to hAR. These observations demonstrate how fibrate molecules such as …

Conformationally Superarmed S-Ethyl Glycosyl Donors As Effective Building Blocks For Chemoselective Oligosaccharide Synthesis In One Pot, Mithila Bandara, Jagodige Yasomanee, Nigam Rath, Christian Pedersen, Mikael Bols, Alexei Demchenko

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

A new series of superarmed glycosyl donors has been investigated. It was demonstrated that the S-ethyl leaving group allows for high reactivity, which is much higher than that of equally equipped S-phenyl glycosyl donors that were previously investigated by our groups. The superarmed S-ethyl glycosyl donors equipped with a 2-O-benzoyl group gave complete β-stereoselectivity. Utility of the new glycosyl donors has been demonstrated in a one-pot one-addition oligosaccharide synthesis with all of the reaction components present from the beginning.

Interspecies Comparison Of Peptide Substrate Reporter Metabolism Using Compartment-Based Modeling [Post-Print], Allison Tierney, Nhat Pham, Kunwei Yang, Brooks Emerick, Michelle Kovarik

Faculty Scholarship

Peptide substrate reporters are fluorescently labeled peptides that can be acted upon by one or more enzymes of interest. Peptide substrates are readily synthesized and more easily separated than full-length protein substrates; however, they are often more rapidly degraded by peptidases. As a result, peptide reporters must be made resistant to proteolysis in order to study enzymes in intact cells and lysates. This is typically achieved by optimizing the reporter sequence in a single cell type or model organism, but studies of reporter stability in a variety of organisms are needed to establish the robustness and broader utility of these …

Infrared Spectroscopy Of The Nitrogenase Mofe Protein Under Electrochemical Control: Potential-Triggered Co Binding, P. Paengnakorn, Philip A. Ash, Sudipta K. Shaw, Karamatullah Danyal, T. Chen, Dennis R. Dean, Lance C. Seefeldt, Kylie A. Vincent

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We demonstrate electrochemical control of the nitrogenase MoFe protein, in the absence of Fe protein or ATP, using europium(III/II) polyaminocarboxylate complexes as electron transfer mediators. This allows the potential dependence of proton reduction and inhibitor (CO) binding to the active site FeMo-cofactor to be established. Reduction of protons to H2 is catalyzed by the wild type MoFe protein and Β-98^Tyr→His and Β-^99Phe→His variants of the MoFe protein at potentials more negative than -800 mV (vs. SHE), with greater electrocatalytic proton reduction rates observed for the variants compared to the wild type protein. Electrocatalytic proton reduction is strongly …

Atomic Tiles: Manipulative Resources For Exploring Bonding And Molecular Structure, Alan L. Kiste, Rebecca G. Hooper, Gregory E. Scott, Seth Bush

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A simple manipulative resource, Atomic Tiles, is described for scaffolding the learning of Lewis structures without using algorithmic, rule-based methods of drawing. Students use Atomic Tiles to (1) create models of bonding that lead to drawing Lewis structures, (2) use the structures they create to infer patterns required for rational structures and common organic functional groups, (3) translate between Lewis structures and molecular models, and (4) use molecular models to identify isomers.

A Study Of Defensive Mechanisms Employed By Two Species Of Nudibranchs Using Toxicity And Unpalatability Analyses, Sean Youn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nudibranchs are marine invertebrates that have developed an intriguing defense mechanism, including warning coloration and the use of chemicals accumulated through their sponge diet. The goal of this study was to determine whether the strength of chemical defenses differs between dietary and accumulated secondary metabolites for two species: Glossodoris vespa and Ceratosoma brevicaudatum. First, NMR spectroscopy was used to not only identify specific compounds in the mantle (outer covering) and the viscera (gut) but also to analyze the possibility of nudibranch species transporting more toxic compounds for defensive purposes. Next, toxicity (brine shrimp) and palatability (Palaemon shrimp) assays were used …

Visible-Light Generation Of High-Valent Metal-Oxo Intermediates And A Biomimetic Oxidation Catalyzed By Manganese Porphyrins With Iodobenzene Diacetate, Ka Wai Kwong

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

High-valent iron-oxo intermediates play central roles as active oxidants in enzymatic and synthetic catalytic oxidations. Many transition metal catalysts are designed for biomimetic studies of the predominant oxidation catalysts in Nature, the cytochrome P450 enzymes.

In this work, a new photochemical method to generate high-valent iron-oxo porphyrin models was discovered. As controlled by the electronic nature of porphyrin ligands, iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin radical cations (Compound I model) and iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin derivatives (Compound II model) were produced. These observations indicate that the photochemical reactions involve a heterolytic cleavage of O-Br in precursors to give a putative iron(V)-oxo intermediate, which might relax to …

Development Of Dihydrochalcone Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles For Augmented Antineoplastic Activity, Jason N. Payne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Phloridzin, an antidiabetic and antineoplastic agent usually found in fruit trees, is a dihydrochalcone constituent that has a clinical/pharmaceutical significance as a sodiumglucose linked transport 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Phloridzin never experienced widespread clinical usage in the pharmaceutical market due to its side effects and poor bioavailability when compared to other antidiabetic therapeutics. The poor bioavailability is primarily attributed to the degradation of the glycosidic bond of the phloridzin, resulting in the formation of phloretin, the aglycone of phloridzin and glucose. While phloretin displays a reduced capacity of SGLT2 inhibition, this nutraceutical shows enhanced antineoplastic activity in comparison to phloridzin. Gold …

Emissions Of Nitrogen-Containing Organic Compounds From The Burning Of Herbaceous And Arboraceous Biomass: Fuel Composition Dependence And The Variability Of Commonly Used Nitrile Tracers, Matthew M. Coggon, Patrick R. Veres, Bin Yuan, Abigail Koss, Carsten Warneke, Jessica B. Gilman, Brian M. Lerner, Jeff Peischl, Kenneth C. Aikin, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Lindsay E. Hatch, Thomas B. Ryerson, James M. Roberts, Robert J. Yokelson, Joost A. De Gouw

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from residential wood and crop residue burning were measured in Colorado, U.S. When compared to the emissions from crop burning, residential wood burning exhibited markedly lower concentrations of acetonitrile, a commonly used biomass burning tracer. For both herbaceous and arboraceous fuels, the emissions of nitrogen-containing VOCs (NVOCs) strongly depend on the fuel nitrogen content; therefore, low NVOC emissions from residential wood burning result from the combustion of low-nitrogen fuel. Consequently, the emissions of compounds hazardous to human health, such as HNCO and HCN, and the formation of secondary pollutants, such as ozone generated by NOx, …

Field Measurements Of Trace Gases And Aerosols Emitted By Peat Fires In Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, During The 2015 El Niño, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Thilina Jayarathne, Mark A. Cochrane, Kevin C. Ryan, Erianto I. Putra, Bambang H. Saharjo, Ati D. Nurhayati, Israr Albar, Donald R. Blake, Isobel J. Simpson, Elizabeth A. Stone, Robert J. Yokelson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Peat fires in Southeast Asia have become a major annual source of trace gases and particles to the regional-global atmosphere. The assessment of their influence on atmospheric chemistry, climate, air quality, and health has been uncertain partly due to a lack of field measurements of the smoke characteristics. During the strong 2015 El Niño event we deployed a mobile smoke sampling team in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan on the island of Borneo and made the first, or rare, field measurements of trace gases, aerosol optical properties, and aerosol mass emissions for authentic peat fires burning at various depths …

Nepal Ambient Monitoring And Source Testing Experiment (Namaste): Emissions Of Trace Gases And Light-Absorbing Carbon From Wood And Dung Cooking Fires, Garbage And Crop Residue Burning, Brick Kilns, And Other Sources, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Ted J. Christian, J. Douglas Goetz, Thilina Jayarathne, Prakash V. Bhave, Puppala S. Praveen, Sagar Adhikari, Rashmi Maharjan, Peter F. Decarlo, Elizabeth A. Stone, Eri Saikawa, Donald R. Blake, Isobel J. Simpson, Robert J. Yokelson, Arnico K. Panday

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE) campaign took place in and around the Kathmandu Valley and in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) of southern Nepal during April 2015. The source characterization phase targeted numerous important but undersampled (and often inefficient) combustion sources that are widespread in the developing world such as cooking with a variety of stoves and solid fuels, brick kilns, open burning of municipal solid waste (a.k.a. trash or garbage burning), crop residue burning, generators, irrigation pumps, and motorcycles. NAMaSTE produced the first, or rare, measurements of aerosol optical properties, aerosol mass, and detailed trace gas …

A Simplified Direct Lipid Mixing Lipoplex Preparation: Comparison Of Liposomal-, Dimethylsulfoxide-, And Ethanol-Based Methods, Joseph Meisel, George Gokel

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Established transfection methodology often uses commercial reagents, which must be formed into liposomes in a sequence of about half a dozen steps. The simplified method reported here is a direct lipid mixing approach that requires fewer steps, less manipulation, and is less time-consuming. Results are comparable to those obtained with more commonly used methods, as judged by a variety of analytical techniques and by comparisons of transfection results. The method reported here may be applied to non-liposome-forming compounds, thereby greatly expanding the range of structures that can be tested for transfection ability.

Interactions Of Nucleic Acid Bases With Temozolomide. Stacked, Perpendicular, And Coplanar Heterodimers, Okuma Emile Kasende, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Temozolomide (TMZ) was paired with each of the five nucleic acid bases, and the potential energy surface searched for all minima, in the context of dispersion-corrected density functional theory and MP2 methods. Three types of arrangements were observed, with competitive stabilities. Coplanar H-bonding structures, reminiscent of Watson–Crick base pairs were typically the lowest in energy, albeit by a small amount. Also very stable were perpendicular arrangements that included one or more H-bonds. The two monomers were stacked approximately parallel to one another in the third category, some of which contained weak and distorted H-bonds. Dispersion was found to be a …

App Regulates Microglial Phenotype In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Gunjan Manocha, Angela Floden, Keiko Rausch, Joshua Kulas, Brett Mcgregor, Lalida Rojanathammanee, Kelley Puig, Kendra Puig, Sanjib Karki, Michael Nichols, Diane Darland, James Porter, Colin Combs

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Prior work suggests that amyloid precursor protein (APP) can function as a proinflammatory receptor on immune cells, such as monocytes and microglia. Therefore, we hypothesized that APP serves this function in microglia during Alzheimer's disease. Although fibrillar amyloid β (Aβ)-stimulated cytokine secretion from both wild-type and APP knock-out (mAPP−/−) microglial cultures, oligomeric Aβ was unable to stimulate increased secretion from mAPP−/− cells. This was consistent with an ability of oligomeric Aβ to bind APP. Similarly, intracerebroventricular infusions of oligomeric Aβ produced less microgliosis in mAPP−/− mice compared with wild-type mice. The mAPP−/− mice crossed to an APP/PS1 transgenic mouse line …

Monitoring The Charge Distribution During Proton And Sodium Ion Conduction Along Chains Of Water Molecules And Protein Residues, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Quantum calculations are used to determine the level of delocalization of the charge of a cation as it translates along a chain of water molecules or glycine residues. Charge dispersal is monitored via the molecular electrostatic potential and the dipole moment of the entire system. The positive charge is largely localized on the water molecule on which the proton is situated, but becomes more intense and extended as the proton moves along the chain. The positive charge is more delocalized in protonated polyglycine, where it extends over at least an entire residue. Displacement of the proton along the chain intensifies …

Parameterization Of Single-Scattering Albedo (Ssa) And Absorption Ångström Exponent (Aae) With Ec/Oc For Aerosol Emissions From Biomass Burning, Rudra P. Pokhrel, Nick L. Wagner, Justin M. Langridge, Daniel A. Lack, Thilina Jayarathne, Elizabeth A. Stone, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Robert J. Yokelson, Shane M. Murphy

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Single-scattering albedo (SSA) and absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) are two critical parameters in determining the impact of absorbing aerosol on the Earth's radiative balance. Aerosol emitted by biomass burning represent a significant fraction of absorbing aerosol globally, but it remains difficult to accurately predict SSA and AAE for biomass burning aerosol. Black carbon (BC), brown carbon (BrC), and non-absorbing coatings all make substantial contributions to the absorption coefficient of biomass burning aerosol. SSA and AAE cannot be directly predicted based on fuel type because they depend strongly on burn conditions. It has been suggested that SSA can be effectively parameterized …

Comparative Analysis Of In Situ Fibronectin Using Tof-Sims, Spi-Ms, And Dropdesi-Ms In A Microfluidic Reactor, Shannon Fasing, Xiao-Ying Yu, Juan Yao, Jiachao Yu

STAR Program Research Presentations

Fibronectin is an important biomolecule due to its role in cell differentiation, growth, kinesis, and adhesion. Such biological responses are mediated through membrane recognition and signaling; where fibronectin is found. Studying the outer molecular surface of fibronectin allows deeper insight into the microbiological reactions that occur during these processes. In situ mass spectrometry analysis in aqueous solution accurately represents fibronectin’s chemical components, made possible by a vacuum compatible microfluidic reactor, SALVI (System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface). SALVI was paired with the analytical tools: time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), single photon ionization mass spectrometer (SPI-MS) and drop …

Fulleretic Well-Defined Scaffolds: Donor–Fullerene Alignment Through Metal Coordination And Its Effect On Photophysics, Derek E. Williams, Ekaterina A. Dolgopolova, Danielle C. Godfrey, Evgeniya D. Ermolaeva, Perry J. Pellechia Dr., Andrew B. Greytak Prof. Dr., Mark Smith Dr., Stanislav M. Avdoshenko, Dr., Alexey A. Popov Dr., Natalia B. Shustova Prof. Dr.

Faculty Publications

Herein, we report the first example of a crystalline metal–donor–fullerene framework, in which control of the donor–fullerene mutual orientation was achieved through chemical bond formation, in particular, by metal coordination. The 13C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy were performed for comprehensive structural analysis and energy-transfer (ET) studies of the fulleretic donor–acceptor scaffold. Furthermore, in combination with photoluminescence measurements, the theoretical calculations of the spectral overlap function, Förster radius, excitation energies, and band structure were employed to elucidate the photophysical and ET processes in the prepared fulleretic material. We envision that the well-defined fulleretic donor–acceptor …

Dna Aptamer Confirmation And Utilization For The Cyanotoxin, Cylindrospermopsin, Diane M. Catlin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyanotoxins are posing an increasing threat to the health of humans and wildlife. Cylindrospermopsin is a cyanotoxin that occurs in warm climates and is harmful when ingested. The toxic effects of CYN can affect multiple organ systems. The effects, coupled with the evidence of a mass contamination of a water supply in Australia, prove that CYN needs to be investigated further.

Aptamers have become a desirable method for detection of CYN as a result of an aptamer’s high specificity and the ability to scale up experiments. Aptamers have been designed to bind with a variety of targets, including cyanotoxins. An …

Synthetic Investigation On The Biomimetic Metal-Catalyzed Sulfoxidations And Photochemical Generation Of A Highly Reactive Ruthenium(V)-Oxo Porphyrin, Weilong Luo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Catalytic oxidation plays a crucial role in current chemical and pharmaceutical industries which is also a leading technology for green chemical processes. In Nature, the ubiquitous cytochrome P450 enzymes can catalyze a wide variety of oxidation reactions with high efficiency and selectivity. Many transition metal catalysts are designed as the biomimetic model of cytochrome P450 enzymes. In this work, series of metalloporphyrins and metallocorroles have been successfully synthesized to investigate and develop catalytic selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides.

Manganese(III) porphyrin complexes (2) and manganese(III) corrole complexes (6) with iodobenzene diacetate [PhI(OAc)2] as a mild oxygen source exhibited remarkable catalytic …

Conformational Dynamics And Stability Associated With Magnesium Or Calcium Binding To Dream In The Regulation Of Interactions Between Dream And Dna Or Presenilins, Khoa Ngoc Pham

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) is involved in various interactions with targets both inside and outside of the nucleus. In the cytoplasm, DREAM interacts with the C-terminal fragments of presenilins to facilitate the production of β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. In the nucleus, Ca²⁺ free DREAM directly binds to specific downstream regulatory elements of prodynorphin/c-fos gene to repress the gene transcription in pain modulation. These interactions are regulated by Ca²⁺ and/or Mg²⁺ association at the EF-hands in DREAM. Therefore, understanding the conformational dynamics and stability associated with Ca²⁺ and/or Mg²⁺ binding to DREAM …

A Pilot Study Analyzing Solvents In Electronic Cigarette “E-Liquid” Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Austin Matranga, Olivia Sellers, Matthew Gartner

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes, also known as an e-cigarette, are battery-powered devices that use a heating element to convert a liquid (“e-liquid”) into an inhalable aerosol. Their advertised use is as a nicotine delivery system minus the harmful chemicals. Since “e-liquids” and the electronic cigarettes are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, it is not well known under what conditions, if any, carcinogenic compounds are produced. There has been little research on the toxicity of electronic cigarettes. The aim of this study was to determine if formaldehyde or acetaldehyde are formed from the e-liquid by the high heat of …

The Evolution Of The Surface Of The Mineral Schreibersite In Prebiotic Chemistry, Nikita L. La Cruz, Danna Qasim, Heather Abbott-Lyon, Claire Pirim

Faculty Articles

We present a study of the reactions of the meteoritic mineral schreibersite (Fe,Ni)3P, focusing primarily on surface chemistry and prebiotic phosphorylation. In this work, a synthetic analogue of the mineral was synthesized by mixing stoichiometric proportions of elemental iron, nickel and phosphorus and heating in a tube furnace at 820 °C for approximately 235 hours under argon or under vacuum, a modification of the method of Skála and Drábek (2002). Once synthesized, the schreibersite was characterized to confirm the identity of the product as well as to elucidate the oxidation processes affecting the surface. In addition to characterization of the …

Binding Of Oxygen To Human Hemoglobin Within The Erythrocyte Using Icam Spectrophotometry, Kyle K. Hill

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many of the spectrophotometric techniques used to determine the properties of intracellular human hemoglobin cannot be utilized due to the turbidity of erythrocyte suspensions. An Integrating Cavity Absorption Meter, or ICAM, allows for absorption measurements of strongly scattering samples in the visible-light region of the spectrum. The spectrum of oxygenated hemoglobin within erythrocytes is significantly different from the absorption spectrum of oxygenated hemoglobin in solution. Studies of the oxygen binding to hemoglobin in erythrocytes allowed the four sequential binding constants (Adair constants) to be determined and compared with those of hemoglobin in solution. The Adair constants for hemoglobin in solution …

Photocatalytic Reduction Of Fumarate To Succinate On Zns Mineral Surfaces, Ruixin Zhou, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle is an important central biosynthetic pathway that fixes CO₂ into carboxylic acids. Among the five reductive steps in the rTCA cycle, the two-electron reduction of fumarate to succinate proceeds nonenzymatically on the surface of photoexcited sphalerite (ZnS) colloids suspended in water. This model reaction is chosen to systematically study the surface photoprocess occurring on ZnS in the presence of [Na₂S] (1–10 mM) hole scavenger at 15 °C. Experiments at variable pH (5–10) indicate that monodissociated fumaric acid is the primary electron acceptor forming the monoprotic form of succinic acid. The following …

Metabolomics Reveals New Mechanisms For Pathogenesis In Barth Syndrome And Introduces Novel Roles For Cardiolipin In Cellular Function, Yana Sandlers, Kelly Mercier, Wimal Pathmasiri, Jim Carlson, Susan Mcritchie, Susan Sumner, Hilary J. Vernon

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Barth Syndrome is the only known Mendelian disorder of cardiolipin remodeling, with characteristic clinical features of cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy, and neutropenia. While the primary biochemical defects of reduced mature cardiolipin and increased monolysocardiolipin are well-described, much of the downstream biochemical dysregulation has not been uncovered, and biomarkers are limited. In order to further expand upon the knowledge of the biochemical abnormalities in Barth Syndrome, we analyzed metabolite profiles in plasma from a cohort of individuals with Barth Syndrome compared to age-matched controls via ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A clear distinction between metabolite profiles of …

Conjugated Polymer-Based Biomaterials Through Controlled Self-Assembly, Megan Twomey

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic polymeric materials have gained significant use as biological materials (biomaterials) in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. As a result, a demand for well-defined polymers with tunable properties has emerged. The synthetic versatility of polymeric biomaterials allows the opportunity to understand the structure-property relationship of materials and their cellular interactions. A novel class of polymeric biomaterials are conjugated polymers (CPs), which possess desirable physicochemical and excellent photophysical properties, including inherent fluorescence. The synthetic versatility of CPs allows easy modification of the conjugated backbone to tune emission and side chain structures to adjust biocompatibility through increased water solubility, controlled biodegradability, and incorporation …