Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Original Build Up Of Genetic Information By Rna Recombination, Eric John Hayden

Dissertations and Theses

This research demonstrates chemical reactions of RNA molecules that allow them to increase in length, from non-catalytic oligomers to complex RNA enzymes. The purpose of this research was to explain the origin of large RNA polymers required for life to begin in the proposed "RNA World". To do this, the Azoarcus group I ribozyme was engineered to catalyze phosphodiester exchange reactions that result in the recombination of short oligomer substrates marked by ^5'CAU^3' recognition tags.

To demonstrate the ability to produce catalytic RNA sequences through recombination, substrate oligomers were synthesized that could produce ribozymes if large portions of …

Nanostructered Aminophenylporphyrin Films For Use In Bulk Heterojunction And Inverse Dye-Sensitized Tio₂ Solar Cells, Michael George Walter

Dissertations and Theses

Conductive nanostructured films of poly-tetrakis-5,10,15,20-(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) can be grown electrochemically or through interfacial oxidative polymerization. The poly-TAPP nanomorphology is sensitive to the electrochemical solvent, potentiometric method, and the aminophenyl porphyrin monomer utilized. To elucidate the molecular structure of poly-TAPP and to correlate structures with proposed polymerization and conductivity mechanisms, reflectance FT-IR and spectroelectrochemistry were used to detect the presence and electroactivity of dihydrophenazine and phenazine polymer linkages formed during the polymerization.

Poly-TAPP nanofiber films were evaluated for use in a bulk heterojunction solar cell (with PCBM) and in an inverse dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cell using the poly-TAPP nanoporous scaffold to …

Design And Synthesis Of Antimalarial Drugs Based On A Chloroquine Scaffold, Steven James Burgess

Dissertations and Theses

There are between 350 and 500 million clinical cases of malaria each year, and over 1 million deaths, with pregnant women and children under the age of 5 being most at risk. Chloroquine (CQ) became the preferred drug to treat malaria in the late 1940s, but is now rendered mostly ineffective in many parts of the world, due to widespread CQ resistance by the malaria parasite. All other malaria treatments suffer from some drawbacks, which include development of resistance, side effects including toxicity, risk for pregnant women and young children, and high cost. Some existing, non-antimalarial, drugs have been found …

A Novel Approach To The Synthesis Of Silicon Nanowires, Joo Chick Chan

Dissertations and Theses

Contemporary VLS-SiNW synthetic methods employ CVD and laser ablation methods that produce single crystalline SiNW; which can be doped by co-flowing appropriate dopants, such as diborane (p-type) and phosphine (n-type). Not only are these gases toxic (non-green), but also the synthetic methods used are costly requiring elaborate instrumental assembly. This thesis presents a low-cost and "green" method in synthesizing and doping of SiNW in a glass tube. It was found that by selecting the appropriate metal catalyst, precursor reactants, and the reaction conditions both SiNW and carbon nanotube (CNT) can be synthesized on metallic (aluminum and copper), semiconducting (silicon) and …

Development And Investigation Of Unique Organic Materials To Detect Disease Biomarkers, George Kiplimo Samoei

Dissertations and Theses

Chemomechanical polymer gels with the capability of recognizing specific biological molecules are promising materials for many biomedical applications. Glucose-selective hydrogels have potential utility in the continuous monitoring of glucose and glucose-triggered insulin delivery for the management of diabetes. Herein, the development and study of the first material which detects glucose via significant volume changes in the challenging matrix human blood plasma is described. The material was created via the modification of PMMA with supramolecular binding sites. The polymer exhibits excellent selectivity and reversibility including continuous expansion-contraction cycles.