The main result of this written dissertation is a mathematical solution to the problem of multiplex recording for high performance tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The prescription is to use a time-lag accelerator in the second stage to match the ion optical properties of the decay fragments to the requirements of...
In spite of their importance in many systems, liquid surfaces have been
explored at the microscopic level to a much lesser extent than solids. Most surface
analysis must take place in vacuum, a major drawback for liquids. The technique of
time-of-flight scattering and recoil spectrometry (TOF-SARS) has been applied to...
Liquid surfaces are very abundant in nature. Despite the importance of the liquid
interface in general, experimental molecular-level data was almost completely lacking
prior to the last decade and a half. The intent of this work is to provide a means by
which experimental data on the composition of liquid...
Metabolomics is a comprehensive analysis of small molecules, or metabolites, in a system. Metabolomics is a hypothesis-generating experiment and offers an unbiased analysis of cell metabolism that can aid in the understanding of fundamental biological processes. Metabolomics is widely and broadly applicable in the biological sciences and has been used...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants and are mostly products of the incomplete combustion of organic material. PAHs are often found in environmental samples as a complex mixture of isomers. In addition, the same sources that produce complex PAH mixtures also produce other poorly characterized mixtures of organic compounds,...
In this thesis, we investigated the surface composition and orientation of both pure room-temperature ionic liquids (Ils) and binary mixtures of the ILs of the type consisting of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ([C[subscropt n]mim]⁺, n=4, 8, and 12) cation coupled with either [PF₆]⁻, [BF₄]⁻, [Cl]⁻, or [Br]⁻. The surfaces of the ILs...
A sensitive, selective, rapid analytical method based on large-volume injection (LVI)
liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry was developed using
commercially-available hardware that eliminates the need for either off-line or on-line
solid phase extraction. Centrifugation followed by the direct injection of 1,800 µL
was used for the quantification of illicit drugs,...
The research question address in this study is, “To what extent will the use of hands-on activities for introducing concepts in bioinformatics promote student engagement in after-school STEM club settings?” It is hypothesized that high school students' engagement in hands-on bioinformatics activities promotes their awareness of, and interest in, STEM...