Life Sciences Commons^™

Odx: A Fitness Tracker-Based Device For Continuous Bacterial Growth Monitoring, Venkata V.B. Yallapragada, Uday Gowda, David Wong, Liam O'Faolain, Mark Tangney, Ganga C.R. Devarapu

Cappa Publications

Continuous monitoring of bacterial growth in aqueous media is a crucial process in academic research as well as in the biotechnology industry. Bacterial growth is usually monitored by measuring the optical density of bacteria in liquid media, using benchtop spectrophotometers. Due to the large form factor of the existing spectrophotometers, they cannot be used for live monitoring of the bacteria inside bacterial incubation chambers. Additionally, the use of benchtop spectrometers for continuous monitoring requires multiple samplings and is labour intensive. To overcome these challenges, we have developed an optical density measuring device (ODX) by modifying a generic fitness tracker. The …

Assessing The Potential Impact Of Nanotechnology On The Purification Of Water, Noor Khan

Quest

Independent Research Paper

Research in progress for PHYS 2426: University Physics II

Faculty Mentor: Raji Kannampuzha, Ph.D.

The following paper represents research work done by students in a University Physics 2426 class, the second half of a two-semester introductory course in physics. It is a calculus-based physics course, intended primarily for physics, chemistry, math, and engineering majors. Students are introduced to the concept of academic research by learning to ask research-focused questions and then use the library resources to pursue outside research to find answers. For this assignment, students are asked to investigate a physical science, biological science, or technology …

Bio-Inspired Polymers That Bind And Deliver Protein Cargo, Nicholas D. Posey

Doctoral Dissertations

Delivering functional proteins and antibodies into cells can allow researchers to probe the intracellular environment, discover new cellular pathways, and pioneer new therapeutics. However, the entry of exogenous, charged molecules, like proteins, into the cell is usually restricted by the membrane, thereby hindering intracellular delivery. Membrane permeable molecules such as cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) and protein transduction domains (PTDs) can be used to bypass the cell membrane and deliver protein into the cell, but these peptides involve iterative and laborious syntheses and are limited in terms of their chemical diversity. This dissertation work overall focuses on the design and synthesis …

Structural Studies On Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Activation Of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase, Kwangwoon Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF-2K) is a key modulator of the rate of protein synthesis. Activated by calcium-loaded calmodulin (Ca²⁺-CaM), eEF-2K phosphorylates its only known physiological substrate, eEF-2, on a specific threonine residue (Thr-56). Phosphorylated eEF-2 has reduced affinity for the ribosome, and results in a significant decrease in the rate of translation elongation. Modulation of the rate of translation elongation plays a crucial role in proteostasis – adequate regulation of protein synthesis, protein folding, and protein degradation that greatly influences cellular growth and survival. Binding of Ca²⁺-CaM triggers activation of eEF-2K and remains intact …

Giardia Lamblia Growth In Viscoelastic Fluids, Kelly Watanabe

CMC Senior Theses

Giardia lamblia is a single-celled protozoan parasite that when ingested, causes diarrheal disease and infects 33% of people in developing countries. Previous studies observe Giardia in water-like fluids, but Giardia's infectious environment consists of viscoelastic mucus in the small intestine. Therefore, Giardia was cultured in viscoelastic fluids, and its population growth was observed in vitro. To create shear-thinning viscoelastic fluids, 0.2% and 0.4% long-chain polyacrylamide (LCPAM) was added to cell culture media. Giardia was cultured in control media, 0.2% LCPAM, and 0.4% LCPAM, and population growth was quantitatively determined over time. Increasing LCPAM concentration resulted in a solution with …

Stabilization Of Dna I-Motif Structures By 7-Aminoactinomycin D, An Anti-Tumor Drug, Justin Lane Parmely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alternative DNA structures are likely to form from Watson-Crick B-form DNA when antitumor drug known to bind DNA loops -- can affect the iM structure. Our results demonstrate as an i-motif (iM). While both structures are known to exist in vivo they are energetically uphill can utilize intercalating cytosine-cytosine base pairing to form a four-stranded structure known controlled by alternative DNA structures like G4s and iMs. especially during processes that involve superhelical duress. A guanosine rich strand can form a facilitate their stabilization. In this report we present data on how 7-aminoactinomycin D -- an formation. Earlier it was believed …