This final report contains information on years 6-7-8 (2004-2007) of TEA-21 funded projects designated A487, W420, and A212. The report was submitted by Morris E. Fine and Semyon Vaynman in 2007.
Second harmonic generation (SHG),
a nonlinear optical tool, was used to
characterize DNA bound through a
chemical linker to the flat surface of a
hemispherical lens. Contact angle
measurements were used to guarantee
that the chemical linker did not hydrolyze
under experimental conditions. SHG
experiments followed the effects of salt...
The work presented here describes investigations into the optical properties of single silver nanoparticles. The contents of this thesis are divided into two parts: (1) single nanoparticle localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectroscopy and sensing and (2) approaches to combining LSPR spectroscopy with atomic force and transmission electron microscopies. Part...
Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700 births annually in the United States. It is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, and is characterized by dysmorphic features and congenital abnormalities. Although children with DS have a decreased risk of developing solid tumors, they have an increased risk of acquiring...
Copper serves as a cofactor for many proteins and enzymes involved in important biological processes, but at the same time, excessive copper is toxic to cell. Thus, the intracellular copper concentration must be tightly controlled such that copper is provided to essential enzymes but does not accumulate to toxic levels....
Small molecule organic materials based on perylene- and naphthalene- diimide are synthesized and characterized for use as semiconductor thin films in organic field-effect transistors. The orbital energetics of the materials are investigated via electrochemical, spectroscopic, and computational techniques. The thin film solids are characterized by x-ray diffraction techniques and surface...
Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons comprise the final pathway through which the central nervous system exerts its control over the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. GnRH is released in a pulsatile manner, and conveyed to the anterior pituitary gland to stimulate synthesis and secretion of the gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating...
Nanoplasmonics is an emerging branch of photonics that studies the optical properties of noble metals. Nanostructured noble metal materials, which can strongly interact with light and support various plasmon modes, are exceptional candidates for nanophotonic devices. This work describes the latest advances in the fabrication of ordered silver nanoparticles or...
Tissue engineering offers a promising approach for the replacement of diseased or injured tissues, and is based upon the premise that cells can be induced to form new tissues when presented with the appropriate set of environmental cues. Polymer scaffolds play a central role in most tissue engineering strategies by...
The textbook proceeds with an introduction to theory and concept building, moves to an explanation of causal inference (how do we 'know' whether something is causal?), and then provides a quick introduction to data and hypothesis testing. Following that, each chapter is devoted to a particular research method used within...