Pb(Zr₁₋ₓTiₓ)O₃ (PZT) is a common piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin film material with a wide variety of applications, including ferroelectric random access memories, novel thin film transistors, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The most common substrate for PZT in all of these areas has been platinum-coated silicon. Alternative substrates are desired for...
Treatment of extrahepatic portosystemic shunts provides many options, including cellophane banding. These cellophane bands are secured with a ligation clip. Weck® offers two forms of these: the stainless steel Hemoclip, and the polymer Hem-o-lok. This in vitro study compares the mechanical strength of these two of types of clips by...
The action of pendant, polyethylene oxide (PEO) brush layers as nonfouling coatings for
biomedical materials is well understood. However progress toward clinical application of stable, high density PEO coatings has historically been impeded by the lack of cost effective, noninvasive methods for their preparation. Triblock polymers featuring a hydrophobic, polypropylene...
High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry coupled with filtration, centrifugation, and other common sample preparation techniques offers a rapid and robust method for separating and quantifying propofol, a commonly used anesthetic, from human blood and its synthetic analogs. Method development is important for not only optimizing separation and quantification for a...
Fluorescent proteins have emerged as an essential toolset for bioimaging, creating a demand for engineering proteins with new and improved fluorescent properties. In this thesis, I explore the atomistic structure of REX-GECO1, a newly engineered protein biosensor that has unique optical properties. Since this protein has no available crystal structure,...
Over 76 cities throughout the United States have already adopted policies to limit the expansion of natural gas, mainly through updates to city codes that ban natural gas infrastructure in new construction. Rising concern over the environmental and public health impacts of methane - a greenhouse gas with a much...