Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Preparation And Evaluation Of Crocetin-Coated Biodegradable Polymer On Top Of Magnetite Nanoparticles For Their Anticancer Effects, Sulafa Saeed Abdelhalim Ibrahim

Theses

Liver cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. This is due to many reasons including lack of effective drugs, late diagnosis of this type of cancer due to the overlapping of symptoms with many other liver diseases, and lack of effective screening tests. Targeted drug delivery systems offer many promising advantages compared to conventional chemotherapy. Targeted delivery will mitigate the bad side effects of chemotherapy such as drug resistance, low therapeutic value since the drug mostly will be administered through an IV affecting healthy and cancer cells alike, and that leads us to an important …

Fabrication Of Chemically-Functionalized 3dprinted Porous Scaffolds For Biomedical Applications, Eiman Hamed Matar Atalla Alblooshi

Theses

Hard tissues, such as bone and teeth, are natural composites of collagen nanofibers that are reinforced by inorganic calcium phosphate Nano crystallites, in the form of nanocomposites. The interlocking between these components in hard tissues explains their unique characteristics. Bone is mainly classified into two major types; compact and cancellous depending on the extent of porosity. Fractures in the compact bone can be treated using bone fixation implants, such as rods, screws, and plates, or can be totally replaced by bone implants if complete substitution is required. Cancellous bone, on the other hand, is highly porous and its substitution with …

Partial Oxidation Of Methane To Synthesis Gas Over Ni/Γ-Al₂O₃ Catalysts: The Effect Of The Structure And The Pre-Treatment Of The Support On The Catalysts’ Performance, Sheikh Tijan Jobe

Theses

Abundant natural gas is a potential source of more cost-effective energy and its effective utilization can significantly reduce the dependence on petroleum oil. Disadvantages of natural gas as a direct fuel include its low energy density by volume, and high cost of transportation, which resulted in its underutilization as an alternative energy source. Therefore, the conversion of methane to more easily-handled and value-added products is becoming a promising route for natural gas utilization. Compared to steam reforming of methane to syngas, which is the most commercially applied conversion process, partial oxidation is a more cost-effective promising route. While noble metals …

Levels Of Testosterone Esters In Camel Hair, Aysha Khalidi Ali Alraeesi

Theses

Doping and steroid use represent a serious threat to animal health and can even lead to their untimely and painful death. However, doping is an acute problem in today's animal racing world, particularly in camel racing. Testosterone and its ten esters (benzoate, valerate, isocaproate, hexahydrobenzoate, decanoate, undecanoate, laurate, enanthate, cypionate, and caproate) are of utmost importance because when they are administered to animals it is difficult to measure them efficiently. The levels of testosterone and its esters in camels and other animals are typically determined using urine and blood tests. The aim of this study was to develop and validate …

Coastal Watershed Monitoring And Management: Geomorphology, Geochemistry, And Hydrologic Modeling Of Los Peñasquitos Creek, Ca, Ravleen Khalsa-Basra

Theses

Rivers in semi-arid climates are directly influenced by local geographic and hydrologic conditions and impacted by modifications to hydrology via urbanization. Changes can influence erosion, morphology, habitat sustainability, and watershed health. In highly urbanized southern California coastal regions, these rare open spaces provide vital ecosystem services. Los Peñasquitos Creek in San Diego County is one such watershed. Using stream surveying and laboratory methods we quantified channel characteristics, grain size distribution, total metal concentration [M], organic carbon (%OC), and phosphate to longitudinally characterize the creek for improved management. Results identified three distinct reaches in the watershed (upper, middle, lower). Downstream, depth …

Otolith Microchemistry Reveals Low Habitat Connectivity Of California Killifish (Fundulus Parvipinnis) Across A Range Of Spatial Scales, Lisa Robison

Theses

As wetlands face continued fragmentation worldwide, an understanding of habitat connectivity and how fishes that rely on these environments is imperative to conduct effective marine management. Site fidelity and habitat connectivity are vital measures of the interdependence of fish populations living in neighboring marshes (or in regions of a single marsh).

Here, we examine the habitat connectivity, site fidelity, and movement of California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) within and among three estuaries in Southern California through otolith microelemental analysis. Assessing the site fidelity of estuarine fishes is important to determine the level of connectivity between spatially distinct populations within …

Artisanal Mining Impacts In Urbanized Semi-Arid Environments: Lessons From Historic Arsenic Mining Near San Diego, California, James A. Wright

Theses

Anomalously elevated arsenic concentrations occur at an abandoned artisanal mine site in an open space recreational park in urban San Diego County, California. Although mining at the site ceased 100 years ago little to no remediation efforts took place leaving shafts, adits, waste piles and derelict infrastructure accessible by inquisitive hikers and adventurers frequenting Black Mountain Open Space Park. This study evaluates the geochemical mechanisms of As transport downgradient from the mine and examines the contribution of both climate and urbanization on the restriction of As mobility. Sediment As concentrations reach 2,320 mg/kg (483 times background crustal concentrations; n=73) along …

Development Of Analytical Methods For The Determination Of Β-Lactam Antibiotic Residues In Meat, Milk And Dairy Products, Melissa Di Rocco

Theses

In this project, analytical methodologies for the determination of β-lactam antibiotic residues in meat and dairy products were developed and validated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The methods included the main penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems commonly employed in human or veterinary medicine for the treatment of bacterial infections. A multi-residue method for the analysis of 30 β-lactams was developed and validated in bovine muscle using dispersive-solid phase extraction (d-SPE), reversed-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry detection. A number of sorbent materials were assessed for clean-up, and a simple and straightforward sample preparation protocol developed for …