Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
-
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (20)
- Washington University in St. Louis (15)
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (6)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (5)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (5)
-
- University of South Florida (5)
- Louisiana State University (4)
- University of Kentucky (4)
- University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (4)
- Wayne State University (4)
- West Virginia University (4)
- Old Dominion University (3)
- University of Texas at El Paso (3)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (3)
- Western University (3)
- City University of New York (CUNY) (2)
- Claremont Colleges (2)
- Michigan Technological University (2)
- South Dakota State University (2)
- University of New Mexico (2)
- Brigham Young University (1)
- Georgia Southern University (1)
- James Madison University (1)
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (1)
- Munster Technological University (1)
- Northern Illinois University (1)
- Olivet Nazarene University (1)
- Portland State University (1)
- Southern Methodist University (1)
- The Texas Medical Center Library (1)
- Keyword
-
- Cyanobacteria (4)
- Biomaterials (3)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (3)
- Photosynthesis (3)
- Angiogenesis (2)
-
- Antibiotics (2)
- Biofilm sensor (2)
- Biofilms in Piping systems (2)
- Biomechanics (2)
- Biosolids (2)
- Breast cancer (2)
- Cancer (2)
- Detection of Biofilm (2)
- Endocytosis (2)
- Extracellular Matrix (2)
- Extracellular matrix (2)
- Gradient Echo Plural Contrast Imaging (2)
- Gradient Recalled Echo (2)
- Irrigation (2)
- Limonene (2)
- Lipid (2)
- Machine Learning (2)
- Macromolecular proton fraction (2)
- Mechanobiology (2)
- Membrane filtration (2)
- Metabolic Engineering (2)
- Metabolism (2)
- Multiple Sclerosis (2)
- Nanomaterials (2)
- Non-invasive sensor for detection of biofilm (2)
- Publication
-
- Graduate Theses and Dissertations (16)
- McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations (11)
- Theses and Dissertations (8)
- Dissertations (5)
- Doctoral Dissertations (5)
-
- USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations (5)
- Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations (4)
- Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (4)
- Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository (3)
- Honors Theses (3)
- Master's Theses (3)
- Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations (3)
- Open Access Theses & Dissertations (3)
- Wayne State University Dissertations (3)
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses (2)
- Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports (2)
- Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects (2)
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2)
- Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (2)
- Biomedical Engineering ETDs (1)
- CGU Theses & Dissertations (1)
- Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses (1)
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses (1)
- Computer Engineering (1)
- Dissertations & Theses (Open Access) (1)
- Dissertations and Theses (1)
- Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations (1)
- Honors College Theses (1)
- KGI Theses and Dissertations (1)
- LSU Master's Theses (1)
Articles 1 - 30 of 110
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Perivascular Waste Metabolites Clearance In Central Nervous System (Cns), Yiming Cheng
Perivascular Waste Metabolites Clearance In Central Nervous System (Cns), Yiming Cheng
Dissertations
Efficient clearance of interstitial waste metabolites is essential for normal brain homeostasis. Such effective clearance is hampered by the lack of a lymphatic system in the brain, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is unable to clear large size waste metabolites in the brain. Here, a novel idea that brain arterial endothelium and smooth muscle cells reactivity regulates the clearance of these water-insoluble large size waste metabolites through the perivascular dynamic exchange, and that low dose ethanol promotes this perivascular clearance is proposed.
In Aim 1, the biodistribution of a large size waste metabolite (Amyloid-β protein mimic) in rat perivascular space …
Cerebro-Vascular Disruption Mediated Initiation And Propagation Of Traumatic Brain Injury In A Fluid Percussion Injury Model, Xiaotang Ma
Dissertations
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem for over 3.17 million people in the US. There is no FDA-approved drug for the treatment because the injury mechanisms have not been clearly identified. The knowledge gap is addressed here by the lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) rat model, through the understanding of layer-structured mechanisms from physical vascular rupture to acute necrosis, as well as biochemical changes in perivascular space as secondary events.
Firstly, the cerebrovascular hemorrhage and related infarct volume are investigated as the primary events in moderate FPI, which is found to be increased with injury severity in …
Dynamics And Control In Spiking Neural Networks, Fuqiang Huang
Dynamics And Control In Spiking Neural Networks, Fuqiang Huang
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
In the brain, neurons (brain cells) produce electrical impulses, or spikes, that are thought to be the substrate of information processing and computation. Through enigmatic processes, these spikes are ultimately decoded into perceptions and actions. The nature of this encoding and decoding is one of the most pervasive questions in theoretical neuroscience. In other words, what are the specific functions enacted by neural circuits, through their biophysics and dynamics? This thesis examines the dynamics of neural networks from the perspective of control theory and engineering. The pivotal concept is that of the normative synthesis of neural circuits, wherein neural dynamics …
Wheelchair Propulsion For Everyday Manual Wheelchair Users: Repetition Training And Machine Learning-Based Monitoring, Pin-Wei Chen
Wheelchair Propulsion For Everyday Manual Wheelchair Users: Repetition Training And Machine Learning-Based Monitoring, Pin-Wei Chen
Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Upper limb pain and injuries are prevalent among manual wheelchair users and can restrict their participation and daily activities. Due to the high repetition and force in wheelchair propulsion, chronic wheelchair propulsion has been linked to the risk of upper limb pain and injury. Prevention of upper limb pain and injury is a high priority in wheelchair-related research. Decades of research in wheelchair propulsion biomechanics have led to clinical practice guidelines (CPG). Unfortunately, a decade after the publication of the CPG, CPG-recommended propulsion is still uncommon. Hence, for the first aim, a randomized controlled trial pilot study with two groups …
Rhodococcus Opacus Pd630 Genetic Tool Development To Enable The Conversion Of Biomass, Drew Michael Delorenzo
Rhodococcus Opacus Pd630 Genetic Tool Development To Enable The Conversion Of Biomass, Drew Michael Delorenzo
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
The discovery of fossil fuels facilitated a new era in human history and allowed many firsts, such as the mass production of goods, the ability to travel and communicate long distances, the formation of population dense cities, and unprecedented improvements in quality of life. Alternative sources of energy and chemicals are needed, however, as hydrocarbon reserves continue to deplete and the effects of burning fossils on the planet become better understood. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant raw material in the world and a viable alternative to petroleum-derived products. The pre-treatment of lignocellulose (e.g., thermocatalytic depolymerization, enzymatic hydrolysis, pyrolysis, etc.) …
The Mechanical Development For An Autonomous Forest Service Robot, James P. Walker
The Mechanical Development For An Autonomous Forest Service Robot, James P. Walker
Honors College Theses
Georgia’s forests are under threat from numerous invasive species of plant, both herbaceous and woody. A primary factor in the invasive potential of any given non-native plant is the lack of natural predators and rapid reseed and regrowth cycles. To combat invasive plants, this thesis proposes an artificial, robotic predator to provide a means of controlling invasive species. Although autonomous robots are currently being developed for similar agricultural purposes, none have emerged for forestry related tasks, such as proposed in this work. The chassis, inspired by rocker bogie and similar suspension systems, has been redesigned to have eight wheels, to …
Cytotoxicity And Mutagenicity Of Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Formulated Using Free Chlorine And Monochloramine, Yonas Ghebremedhin
Cytotoxicity And Mutagenicity Of Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Formulated Using Free Chlorine And Monochloramine, Yonas Ghebremedhin
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Bioassays have been used extensively to assess various toxicity endpoints of drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs), but an emphasis on single compounds prevails. In this research, DBP mixtures were assessed using a cytotoxicity test with Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and an Ames fluctuation test with Salmonella typhimurium TA-98 and TA-100 with and without S9 rat liver homogenate. Seven whole mixture DBP concentrates were formulated using reconstituted natural organic matter (NOM) extracts from the Upper Mississippi River using scaled disinfectant dosing protocols with free chlorine and monochloramine in the presence and absence of added bromide. DBPs were identified by gas …
Influence Of Single And Multiple Histidine Residues And Their Ionization Properties On Transmembrane Helix Dynamics, Orientations And Fraying, Fahmida Afrose
Influence Of Single And Multiple Histidine Residues And Their Ionization Properties On Transmembrane Helix Dynamics, Orientations And Fraying, Fahmida Afrose
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Since aromatic and charged residues are often present in various locations of transmembrane helices of integral membrane proteins, their impacts on the molecular properties of transmembrane proteins and their interactions with lipids are of particular interest in many studies. In this work, I used solid-state deuterium NMR spectroscopy in designed model peptide GWALP23 [GGALW(LA)6LWLAGA] with selective deuterium labels to addresses the pH dependence and influence of single and multiple “guest” histidine residues in the orientation and dynamic behaviors of transmembrane proteins. The mutations include Gly to His (G2/22 to H2/22), Trp to His (W5/19 to H5/19) and Leu to His …
Functional Importance Of Lipin Phosphorylation, Stephanie Elizabeth Hood
Functional Importance Of Lipin Phosphorylation, Stephanie Elizabeth Hood
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Highly conserved throughout evolution, lipins are dual functioning proteins found from yeast to humans. Functioning in the cytoplasm as phosphatidate phosphatase enzymes (PAP), lipins produce diacylglycerol that serves as a precursor for neutral fats and membrane phospholipids. Alternatively, nuclear lipins are responsible for the regulation of metabolic genes. Interestingly, both the mammalian lipin 1 paralog and the single Drosophila Lipin ortholog are highly phosphorylated proteins. Target of rapamycin (TOR) has previously been identified as one of the kinases that controls the subcellular localization of both lipin 1 and Drosophila Lipin. However, other serine and threonine kinases are predicted to be …
Assessing The Repeatability Of Clinical Tests In People With And Without Flexion-Induced Neck Pain, Ashton Human
Assessing The Repeatability Of Clinical Tests In People With And Without Flexion-Induced Neck Pain, Ashton Human
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The accessibility of mobile technology has improved productivity but can contribute to musculoskeletal disorders due to the posture associated with using such devices. Neck flexion, a posture assumed by smartphone users, has been shown as a risk factor for the development of clinical neck pain if sustained for prolonged periods. Determining the individuals who are naturally more predisposed to develop flexion-induced neck pain can aid in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the repeatability of clinical tests between trials over the course of two days in young adults who do and …
Quantitative Study Of The Antimicrobial Effects Of Silver On The Motility Of Escherichia Coli, Benjamin Russell
Quantitative Study Of The Antimicrobial Effects Of Silver On The Motility Of Escherichia Coli, Benjamin Russell
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In recent decades, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections has grown to become a serious global threat. This rise can be attributed to the widespread misuse of antibiotics and the lack of newly developed drugs to fight resistant organisms. Novel bactericidal substances have, therefore, garnered significant research interest. Silver, due to its powerful antimicrobial effects, is one such substance. Silver is typically most effective in cationic form; however, advancements in nanotechnology have paved the way for the controlled fabrication of nano-silver. Silver nanoparticles have been shown to have increased antibacterial potency for a variety of reasons, including the release of …
Production And Purification Of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Fused To Two Collagen Binding Domains Expressed In E. Coli Bl21 Using Flask And Fed-Batch, Hazim Aljewari
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Delivering effective and non-toxic doses of bioactive materials that can aid in activating tissue regeneration to wounded tissue has proven to be an enormous challenge. This study was designed to produce a potential therapeutic recombinant protein by fusing two collagen binding domains to basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) through a collagenase cleavage site linker, so it can release the bFGF in a wound site by the action of this enzyme. The novel fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21 (E. coli) using traditional flask shaker and fed-batch cultivation. Cell lysate was purified by FPLC using Immobilized metal affinity chromatography …
In Vivo Metabolic And Vascular Response To Hypoxia In Twist Knockdown Murine Breast Cancer, Brandon Sturgill
In Vivo Metabolic And Vascular Response To Hypoxia In Twist Knockdown Murine Breast Cancer, Brandon Sturgill
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Twist transcription factor is often overexpressed in aggressive tumors. Although needed in early embryonic development for organogenesis, Twist is known to induce an epithelial to mesenchymal transition in cells. In cancer, epithelial to mesenchymal transitions can lead to increased motility and invasiveness. It has also been linked to metabolic reprogramming and increased metastatic risk. Furthermore, metabolic preferences can increase proliferation, enhance metastatic potential, and influence the site of metastasis. We hypothesize that Twist directly affects the metabolism of cancer cells. We expect to see in vivo what we have seen in vitro; Twist overexpression should promote a shift away from …
Drivers Of On-Farm Performance Of Irrigation Water Management Practices: Empirical Evidence From Eastern Arkansas, Jacob Askey
Drivers Of On-Farm Performance Of Irrigation Water Management Practices: Empirical Evidence From Eastern Arkansas, Jacob Askey
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Unsustainable agricultural practices are putting a strain on freshwater supplies in many parts of the world. More efficient irrigation techniques are going to be critical to feed a growing population. Data from the 2016 Arkansas Irrigation Survey was used to assess the adoption of three Irrigation Water Management (IWM) practices: multiple inlet rice irrigation, tailwater recovery, and storage reservoirs. Results indicate that these practices do not always lead to reported pumping time reductions, a proxy for water use savings. Large variations in pumping time reduction are observed across producers for all three practices. A Tobit model was used to examine …
Nematode Populations As Affected By Residue And Water Management In A Long-Term Wheat-Soybean Double Crop In Eastern Arkansas, Lucia Emperatriz Escalante Ortiz
Nematode Populations As Affected By Residue And Water Management In A Long-Term Wheat-Soybean Double Crop In Eastern Arkansas, Lucia Emperatriz Escalante Ortiz
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Soybeans (Glycine max) are one of the major row crops in the United States, particularly in Arkansas. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) and southern root-knot nematode (RKN, Meloidogyne incognita) are two of the most damaging pests that cause major economic losses in soybeans. Little is known concerning the effects of common and alternative agronomic practices on nematodes in fields with nematode population densities below threshold levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combination of tillage (conventional tillage and no-tillage), irrigation (irrigated and non-irrigated), wheat (Triticum aestivum) residue burning (burned and no burned), …
Optimized Production And Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Derived From Pre-Extracted Kraft Pulp Of Different Wood Species, Gurshagan Kandhola
Optimized Production And Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Derived From Pre-Extracted Kraft Pulp Of Different Wood Species, Gurshagan Kandhola
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Production of nanocellulose from a variety of naturally abundant, locally available and industrially significant wood species provides an opportunity for diversifying the portfolio of traditional pulp and paper industries. The U.S. has a prolific forest products industry with a well-established infrastructure that could be utilized for optimized and customized production of cellulose nanomaterials. However, to achieve that, it is important to a) understand how biorefining strategies for complete fractionation of biomass affect the downstream processing of pulp into nanocellulose, b) maximize the yields of cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibers (CNCs and CNFs) from pretreated raw materials, and c) evaluate if the …
Review Of Naturally Occurring Ammonia In Groundwater And Its Effect On Using Chloramines For Drinking Water Disinfection In Louisiana, Athena Lindsay
Review Of Naturally Occurring Ammonia In Groundwater And Its Effect On Using Chloramines For Drinking Water Disinfection In Louisiana, Athena Lindsay
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Engineering Nanomaterials For Imaging And Therapy Of Bacteria And Biofilm-Associated Infections, Akash Gupta
Engineering Nanomaterials For Imaging And Therapy Of Bacteria And Biofilm-Associated Infections, Akash Gupta
Doctoral Dissertations
Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria pose a serious global burden of mortality, causing thousands of deaths each year. The “superbug” risk is further exacerbated by chronic infections generated from antibiotic-resistant biofilms that are highly resistant to available treatments. Synthetic macromolecules such as polymers and nanoparticles have emerged as promising antimicrobials. Moreover, ability to modulate nanomaterial interaction with bacterial cellular systems plays a pivotal role in improving the efficacy of the strategy. In the initial studies on engineering nanoparticle surface chemistry, I investigated the role played by surface ligands in determining the antimicrobial activity of the nanoparticles. In further study, …
Function And Dissipation In Finite State Automata - From Computing To Intelligence And Back, Natesh Ganesh
Function And Dissipation In Finite State Automata - From Computing To Intelligence And Back, Natesh Ganesh
Doctoral Dissertations
Society has benefited from the technological revolution and the tremendous growth in computing powered by Moore's law. However, we are fast approaching the ultimate physical limits in terms of both device sizes and the associated energy dissipation. It is important to characterize these limits in a physically grounded and implementation-agnostic manner, in order to capture the fundamental energy dissipation costs associated with performing computing operations with classical information in nano-scale quantum systems. It is also necessary to identify and understand the effect of quantum in-distinguishability, noise, and device variability on these dissipation limits. Identifying these parameters is crucial to designing …
Markov Decision Process Approach To Strategize National Breast Cancer Screening Policy In Data-Limited Settings, Vijeta Deshpande
Markov Decision Process Approach To Strategize National Breast Cancer Screening Policy In Data-Limited Settings, Vijeta Deshpande
Masters Theses
Early diagnosis is a promising strategy to reduce premature mortalities and for optimal use of resources. But the absence of mathematical models specific to the data settings in LMIC’s impedes the construction of economic analysis necessary for decision-makers in the development of cancer control programs. This thesis presents a new methodology for parameterizing the natural history model of breast cancer based on data availabilities in low and middle income countries, and formulation of a control optimization problem to find the optimal screening schedule for mammography screening, solved using dynamic programming. As harms and benefits are known to increase with the …
Bioremediation Of Refinery Desalter Effluent Using Debaryomyces Hansenii And Parachlorella Kessleri, Leila Azimian
Bioremediation Of Refinery Desalter Effluent Using Debaryomyces Hansenii And Parachlorella Kessleri, Leila Azimian
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Crude oil desalting operations produce an effluent stream which is challenging to treat due to its salt, heavy metal and hydrocarbon content. Consequently, desalter effluent (DE) is usually diluted into other effluent streams and sent to conventional wastewater treatment plants which may lead to upsets the plant operation.
In this study, a novel microbial approach was applied which investigated DE treatment using halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii (LAF-3 10 U) or the environmentally robust micro-algae Parachlorella kessleri strain CPCC 266. The effect of these two different approaches on both synthetic and actual DE was investigated in both batch and/or continuous mode. …
Development And Validation Of Wireless Sensors For Applications To Human Head Angular And Mechanical Motions, Karthick Natesan
Development And Validation Of Wireless Sensors For Applications To Human Head Angular And Mechanical Motions, Karthick Natesan
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In this project, we programmed a 9 degree of freedom Razor sensor, which incorporates an accelerometer and gyroscope to measure the head linear and angular motions produced by activities of daily living (ADL). The majority of studies concentrate on linear accelerations, so the purpose of this study is to determine the importance of both linear and angular components of acceleration in everyday activities and find interlinked relation between them. The sensor was validated using another calibrated and validated system. The general size and wireless nature make this sensor very suitable for use with human subjects. After obtaining informed consent, we …
Effect Of The Physical Micro-Environment On Cell Adhesion And Force Exertion, Mohamad Eftekharjoo
Effect Of The Physical Micro-Environment On Cell Adhesion And Force Exertion, Mohamad Eftekharjoo
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Physical characteristics of the microenvironment, such as geometry and stiffness, influence cell adhesion and contractile forces. Here, we determined how these physical factors influenced cell force exertion and adhesion in two specific contexts that have broad relevance.
Fibroblasts are cells in connective tissues that interact with a fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) that have a predominantly one-dimensional (1D) (fibrillar) geometry. However, it has been unclear as to how the 1D nature of the fibrillar ECM influences the forces exerted by fibroblasts. Here, we used fibroblast cells adherent on fibronectin lines on polyacrylamide (PAA) gels of stiffness 13 and 45 kPa to …
Formation Of A Vascular Regenerative Microenvironment Within Implantable Human Decellularized Adipose Tissue Bioscaffolds, Christopher Leclerc
Formation Of A Vascular Regenerative Microenvironment Within Implantable Human Decellularized Adipose Tissue Bioscaffolds, Christopher Leclerc
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Cellular therapies targeted at stimulating therapeutic angiogenesis in individuals with critical limb ischemia (CLI) have been under intense investigation. Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) derived from umbilical cord blood have been previously shown to support limb revascularization in animal models of CLI, despite limited cell survival at the site of ischemia. This study attempted to improve HPC survival after transplantation and prolong pro-angiogenic function using human decellularized adipose tissue (hDAT) as a novel cell delivery platform. Compared to HPC conventionally grown on tissue-cultured plastic, hDAT scaffolds were shown to promote viability and proliferation of seeded HPC, and had cell- instructive effects …
Tracking Center Of Mass With Limited Inertial Measurement Units, Connor Nathaniel Morrow
Tracking Center Of Mass With Limited Inertial Measurement Units, Connor Nathaniel Morrow
Dissertations and Theses
Wearable motion tracking systems pose an opportunity to study and correct human balance and posture during movement. Currently, these observations are either being conducted in laboratories with the use of camera systems and markers placed on the body, or through the use of suits containing large numbers (15-20) of inertial measurement units. However, to aid with rehabilitation of individuals with impaired balance, there needs to be an option to collect these observations outside of clinics and without incurring much cost from the user. I have focused on three inertial measurement units, one placed on each shank and one placed on …
Renal Specific Rnai Delivery By Fibrillar Nanoparticle Excipients, Sam Wong
Renal Specific Rnai Delivery By Fibrillar Nanoparticle Excipients, Sam Wong
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to manipulate the phenotype of an organism by silencing the expression of specific genes and is viewed as a highly promising platform for treating undruggable targets and disorders where small molecule drugs and antibodies would fail. However, development of RNAi based therapies has faced major barriers including cellular and tissue-specific uptake of the Small Interfering RNA (siRNA). Utilizing different nanoparticles as RNAi excipients, cellular uptake and gene silencing potency can be greatly improved. The research in Dr. McDevitt groups has fibrillar carbon nanotubes (CNT) as carriers for siRNA for gene silencing in vitro …
Minimalistic Peptide-Based Supramolecular Systems Relevant To The Chemical Origin Of Life, Daniela Kroiss
Minimalistic Peptide-Based Supramolecular Systems Relevant To The Chemical Origin Of Life, Daniela Kroiss
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
All forms of life are based on biopolymers, which are made up of a selection of simple building blocks, such as amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids and sugars. Their individual properties govern their interactions, giving rise to complex supramolecular structures with highly specialized functionality, including ligand recognition, catalysis and compartmentalization. In this thesis, we aim to answer the question whether short peptides could have acted as precursors of modern proteins during prebiotic evolution. Using a combination of experimental and computational techniques, we screened a large molecular search space for peptide sequences that are capable of forming supramolecular complexes with adenosine …
Developmental And Sex Modulated Neurological Alterations In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Azeezat Azeez
Developmental And Sex Modulated Neurological Alterations In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Azeezat Azeez
Dissertations
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was first described in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kranner in a case study published in The Nervous Child. It is a neurodevelopment disorder, with a range of clinical symptoms. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), used by clinicians to diagnose mental disorders, a child needs to have persistent social deficits, language impairments, and repetitive behaviors, that cannot be explained by neurological damage or intellectual disability. It is known that children diagnosed with ASD are often are developmentally delayed therefore alterations in the typical developmental trajectory should be a major factor in …
Metabolic Engineering Of Cyanobacteria For Production Of Chemicals, Po-Cheng Lin
Metabolic Engineering Of Cyanobacteria For Production Of Chemicals, Po-Cheng Lin
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Concerns over the impact of climate change caused by CO2 emission have driven the research and development of renewable energies. Microbial production of chemicals is being viewed as a feasible approach to reduce the use of fossil fuels and minimize the impact of climate change. With recent advances in synthetic biology, microorganisms can be engineered to synthesize petroleum-based chemicals and plant-derived compounds. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that use only sunlight, CO2, and trace minerals for growth. Compared to other microbial hosts, cyanobacteria are attractive platforms for sustainable bioproduction, because they can directly convert CO2 into products. However, the major challenge …
Understanding Excitation Energy Quenching In Isia, Hui-Yuan Steven Chen
Understanding Excitation Energy Quenching In Isia, Hui-Yuan Steven Chen
McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic organisms that contribute a significant amount of global primary productivity. They are found in freshwater, marine and even some extremely severe environments. Among those environments, iron deficiency is one of the most common stress conditions in cyanobacterial habitats. To survive, cyanobacteria have evolved and developed several strategies to alleviate the damage caused by iron deficiency.
Iron stress-inducible protein (IsiA) is a chlorophyll-binding membrane protein found in cyanobacteria grown in iron-deficient conditions. During the past decades, considerable effort has been put on understanding how IsiA functions to help cyanobacteria survive iron deficiency. It has been reported that IsiA …