Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effect Of Protein Environment And Ring Substitution On The Electrostatic Charges, Dipole Moment, And Ultraviolet Spectra Of Flavin, Jared Berger

Honors Theses

Old Yellow Enzyme is an interesting protein clue to its involvement in many biochemical systems, such as bioluminescence and degradation of variety of substrates. The flavin mononucleotide (FMN) is the active site of the protein. The FMN is an isoalloxazine ring with a phospholipid tail, which attaches to the protein through a phosphate group and hydrogen bonding in the hydrophilic section of the ring system. My research is a theoretical, computational calculation, which uses Spartan, a quantum mechanical calculation program, to determine how the dipole moment and electrostatic charges change upon the substitution of the FMN and within the protein …

Molecular Recognition Of Blunt-Ended Dna, Michael D. Farwell

Honors Theses

Many important enzymatic and physical processes occur specifically at the ends of DNA molecules. The goal of this project was to develop a molecule that would be an effective probe of the chemistry a. the ends of DNA. To do this, ethidium bromide, a well-known intercalation (a molecule that binds between DNA base pairs), was blocked to intercalation with bulky t-butyl groups. We proposed that this new molecule would preferentially bind to blunt-ended DNA, where there is much less steric hindrance. The synthesized molecule was characterized by NMR, Fluorescence, UV/Vis, and Mass Spectroscopy. Supporting data were acquired through fluorescence lifetime …

Methylene Blue Doped Sol-Gels Preparation And Application As Fiber-Optic Fluorescence Sensors, Dawn M. Landry

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis project was to create a Methylene Blue (MB) doped sol-gel fiber-optic fluorescence sensor. Ideally this sensor would be capable of detecting changes in sulfite concentration in solution continuously and reversibly. In aqueous solution, MB, a redox indicator, is converted from a bright blue color to the colorless leuco-MB species upon exposure to sulfite or other reducing agents. This reaction is reversible in the presence of an oxidizing agent Therefore, if MB can be immobilized properly, it would make a suitable reversible indicator for the sulfite anion in solution. The method of MB immobilization employed in …

A Binding Investigation Of Fluorescence\Probes And Cyclodextrin Derivatives, Sara L. Mcintosh

Honors Theses

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclical carbohydrates composed of repeating glucopyranose units. The three most common CDs, α-, β-, or y-, contain 6, 7 and 8 glucopyranose units, respectively, and have hydrophilic exteriors, which makes them water soluble. CD polymers (CDPs) have been synthesized, containing glyceryl link, between CD units. These polymers are more water soluble than their monomer counterparts. CDs and CDPs, because of their hydrophobic interior cavities, form inclusion complexes with various molecules, including aromatics. This latter property is one we have investigated using fluorophores, including naphthalenes and pyrene. We have shown, through absorption spectral and fluorescence lifetime data, that …

Comparison Of Outgassing And Surface Reactivity Of Graphic Substrates, Philip Ross Tavernier

Honors Theses

Materials constructed of carbon are widely used in applications requiring high emissivity at temperatures above 1300°C. The ability to transmit heat efficiently makes these materials an excellent choice for use with x-ray tubes. However, heating carbon substrates to high temperatures also leads to thermal desorption of surface bound species. The release of these species increases the total vapor pressure inside sealed x-ray tubes. Our present study considers the outgassing of these carbon substrates as a function of temperature, as a result of their reactivity towards oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. By modeling the factors that influence outgassing …

A Computational Study Of The Inclusion Processes Of Cyclodextrins And Cyclodextrin Polymers, James A. Best

Honors Theses

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are molecules that are composed of glucopyranose rings. Cyclodextrins can be formed from either 6, 7, or 8 glucopyranose units yielding, α-, β-, or y-Cyclodextrins respectively. Cyclodextrin polymers (COPs) can occur when glyceryl linkers are added to the previously mentioned cyclodextrins. CDs and COPs are hydrophilic, yet contain a hydrophobic cavity. This cavity allows for the binding of numerous guest molecules. Some practical purposes resulting from the host-guest interactions can be seen in cosmetology, food science, and pharmacy. Using the MacroModel Interactive Molecular Modeling System Version 5.0 we studied the binding of guest molecules to α-, β-, and …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Short Salt And Non-Salt Bridged Peptides, Clark K.N. Choi

Honors Theses

Peptides with secondary characteristics such as α-helices are among the most important structures in nature. Previous studies from Baldwin and coworkers have shown that short alanine-based peptides with specific salt spacing adopt helical conformations. In the study of helix formation, we have synthesized our versions of alanine- and glutamine-based peptides with (i, i + 4) and (i, i + 5) salt spacing. The design of the salt bridge is most suitable when it contains (i, i + 4) salt spacing. The rational is that the (i, i + 4) salt spacing yields a value close to 3.6, the number of …

Kinetics And Mechanism Of Chromium Hexacarbonyl Photochemistry Using Flash By Photolysis, Marina Zaydman

Honors Theses

Chromium hexacarbonyl, Cr(CO)6, has been shown to be a very effective photochemical catalyst for many reactions, such as the 1,4- hydrogenation and 1 ,4-hydrosilation of conjugated 1 ,3-dienes resulting in the formation of a cis alkene product in greater than 99% yield. Although much research has been done on the reactions which Cr(CO)6 catalyzes, not much data exists on the reactions of photochemically created fragments of Cr(CO)6 , such as Cr(CO)6. This study focuses on the reactivity of organotransition metal intermediates with the goal of contributing to the growing database of the reactions involving the photochemistry of Cr(CO)6. Particular emphasis …

The Crystallation Of Estrogen-Binding Protein From Candida Albicans, Chia-En Chen

Honors Theses

In the past decade scientists have discovered that the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans contains a highly specific estrogen-binding protein (EBP). Since it is known that the use of estrogen-containing compounds causes one to be more prone to infection by this organism, it is hypothesized that this estrogen system may have a role in infection. Understanding the structure and function of EBP would be helpful in developing treatments for infection by C. albicans. One way to approach the structure and function question of any protein is to crystallize the protein and solve its structure using X-ray diffraction. In the past few …

Signal Transduction Pathways In Volvox Carteri, Heide Girardin

Honors Theses

The green alga Volvox carteri exhibits a virtual absence of protein synthesis in the dark, but begins synthesizing proteins necessary for growth and development almost immediately after exposure to the light. The regulation of protein synthesis in this system is known to be translational since extracts prepared in the dark have identical pools and quantities of mRNA as extracts prepared in the light (Kirk and Kirk, 1983). Exploration of the mechanism of translational regulation has led us to consider the importance of signal transduction pathways. By using a variety of commercially available drugs that affect specific components of known signaling …

Celluloid Blackness : Race, Modernity, And The Conflicted Roots Of American Cinema (1915-1939), Lincoln Farr

Honors Theses

Introduction: "The Problem of the Twentieth Century" In a full page interview in the New York Times on May 29, 1912, the Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl G. Jung told the American people, "It seems to me that you are about to discover yourselves. You have discovered everything else-all the land of this continent; all the resources, all the hidden things of nature."Jung used the interview to address the American people, at a moment which he somehow recognized as crucial in the development of human civilization. America, the "tragic" country which he struggled to comprehend, would soon become the harbinger of …

Synthesis Of 1-Alloc-Piperidine-4-Fmoc-Amino-4-Carboxylic Acid: A Novel, Protected ?,?- Disubstituted Amino Acid, Muna K. Thalji

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Calcium Metabolismn In Volvox Carteri, Bridget Anne Neville

Honors Theses

Calcium metabolism is involved in many ways in the cellular activities of the colonial green alga, Volvox carteri. Various drugs that are known in other systems to cause specific changes in calcium metabolism, gave rise to various visible metabolic effects in this study. These effects provide evidence for calcium's role in Volvox growth and development and in its cytoskeleton. Another way that calcium exerts its effect on Volvox is by acting as a second messenger in a G-protein/inositol phosphate signal transduction pathway.

This study also supports the fact that cytoskeletal components are important for development in Volvox. Both microtubules and …

Computational Studies Of Hydroboration: Remote Functional Groups And Ring Size Effects, Sarah Liberty Olbrich

Honors Theses

This study is a preliminary computational study of the energies of complex molecules. We are looking at the roles of remote heteroatoms in the hydroboration of propellane systems and ring size effects in the solvolysis of cyclic alkyl halides was examined using computational methods. Geometry and transition state optimizations were done using semi empirical (MNDO. AMI) and ab initio (STO-3G, 3-2IG, and 6-31G*) methods. Attempts to correlate computational results with previously reported data will be presented.

Suspended Particulate Matter And Sediment Of Penobscot Estuary, Craig M. Pochini

Honors Theses

An automated scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer was used to gather morphological and chemical information on individual particles from the suspended particulate matter of the Penobscot Estuary and the sediment of Goose Cove/Pond. The goals of the Penobscot Estuary study were to investigate the transport of particles into and through an estuary, the speciation of elements, the abundance of heavy metals, and the background levels of heavy metals. The majority of particles were aluminosilicates originating from a riverine source. Heavy metals were not abundant in the Penobscot Estuary. The objectives of the Goose Cove/Pond study were to …