Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Adaptation Of Pt-Dna Binding Experiments Into A Multiweek Upperlevel Biochemistry Laboratory Activity, Keira Naff

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Platinum-based drugs are commonly used as anti-cancer therapeutics due to their abilities to bind to DNA and prohibit proliferation in cells. Although the concept of drug interactions within biomolecules is often introduced in undergraduate courses such as biochemistry and toxicology, there are very few laboratory activities that exist that provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to investigate this topic in the lab. During the Summer 2020 PRISM program, we worked to create a multi-week laboratory activity for upper-level biochemistry students focused on the investigation of the DNA binding abilities of common Pt anticancer therapeutics through biochemical modeling and wet laboratory …

Iron Speciation In Pm2.5 From Urban, Agriculture, And Mixed Environments In Colorado, Usa, Joseph R. Salazar, David J. Pfotenhauer, Frank Leresche, Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz, Michael P. Hannigan, Sirine C. Fakra, Brian Majestic

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Faculty Scholarship

Atmospheric iron solubility varies depending on whether the particles are collected in rural or urban areas, with urban areas showing increased iron solubility. In this study, we investigate if the iron species present in different environments affects its ultimate solubility. Field data are presented from the Platte River Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (PRAPPE), aimed at understanding the interactions between organic carbon and trace elements in atmospheric particulate matter (PM). 24-hr PM2.5 samples were collected during the summer and winter (2016–2017), at three different sites on the Eastern Colorado plains: an urban, agricultural, and a mixed site. Downtown Denver had …

Ultra-High Vibrational And Rotational Motion Of The Hf Molecule Via Infrared (Ir) Laser Excitation, Toria Tucker, Jingwei (Mike) Ling, Bridget Gourley

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Our goals this summer were to build on previous work in our group modeling ultra-high vibrational and rotational excitation in small molecules via unique pulse sequencing of an infrared (IR) laser. The system was modeled both using Fortran and Mathematica as programming languages. We were able to demonstrate that different numerical techniques for propagating coupled differential equations forward in time led to equivalent levels of vibrational excitation and allowed for identical visualization of molecular state probabilities as a function of time. Work including the rotational motion progressed to the point of being able to see both significant excitation when rotations …

A Brief Overview Of Analyzing Testing Procedures In The Quality Control Lab At Elanco Animal Health, Gina Fedrighi

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The study of testing procedures within the quality control lab was conducted at Elanco Animal Health through the summer internship program. The internship program focuses on the development of young professionals as research and manufacturing leaders in the pharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this project was to determine ways in which to save both time and money in the quality control lab through the study of various quality testing procedures. Quality Control plays a vital role in the manufacturing process in order to ensure quality of products and consistency between batches. It is important to improve upon the current testing …

Conceptualizing And Analyzing Metal-Organic Frameworks And The Role Of The Ionic Liquid, Sydney Forbes, Aaron Wills, Hilary Eppley

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks, or MOFs, can be easily changed or manipulated simply by changing the solvent medium. The research focused primarily on the role ionic liquids (ILs) had in MOF synthesis. ILs can be defined as salts that are liquid at room temperature. IL ligands were found one of three ways in the final structure; either acting as the anion, cation, or neither and just acting as a medium for a reaction. This research primarily revolved around Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). The purpose of CSD was a way to look more closely at these crystalline structures from previous …

Analysis Of Dynamical Systems For Synthesis Of Phenobarbital, Mishal Ali

Annual Student Research Poster Session

The use of mathematical methods for the analysis of chemical reaction systems is one of the useful tools. Phenobarbital (a barbiturate type medication also called phenobarb) is a prescription drug used to control seizures, relieve anxiety, treat epilepsy (in some countries), and prevent withdrawal symptoms in people dependent on other barbiture drugs. We approaches it with matrix analysis and ODE system. It helps us understand the chemical stoichiometry of these synthesis reactions.

Supervisor: Prof. Seonguk Kim, PhD

Visualizing And Analyzing Structures Of Coordination Polymers Synthesized In Ionic Liquids, Natalie Husby, Akane Inoue, Hilary Eppley

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Synthesis of metal organic frameworks can result in different products based on the solvent that is used. One option is to use ionic liquids (ILs, or room temperature molten salts) to create novel metal organic coordination polymers. Our group analyzed metal organic polymers synthesized in ILs with the goal of cataloging the topology of the structures, the connectivity of the organic ligands, and the roles of the ILs in the syntheses. We used Sci-Finder Scholar to find papers where compounds were synthesized using ILs, and determined whether the IL played the role as the cation, anion, or neither in the …

The Statue Of Liberty Laboratory Activity: The Chemistry Of Copper, Jihyun Kim, Marcus D. Allen

Open Educational Resources

In this lab activity we observe chemical changes of copper in acidic conditions, salt water, and a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar and salt, and we discuss whether the Statue of Liberty would hold as much cultural icon today had the Lady Statue remain the original shiny brown color.

Dipicolinamide Ligands And Analogs For Lanthanides (Ln), Actinides (An) And Mercury (Hg) For Application To Nuclear Fuel Cycle Separations And Waste Management, Ingrid Lehman-Andino

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) – or used nuclear fuel (UNF) – contains long-lived minor actinides such as ²⁴¹Am, ²⁴⁵Cm, and ²³⁷Np, together with fission products that include lanthanides. Minor actinides are responsible for much of the radiotoxicity and heat generation that limits the capacity of geological repositories. Thus, removing minor actinides from UNF can reduce storage time required for decay to natural levels of activity by several orders of magnitude. Actinide(An)/Lanthanide(Ln) separation processes via solvent extraction by selective complexation with organic or aqueous ligands have to overcome difficulties due to similarities in their ionic radii for the …

Towards The Development Of Low-Cost And Easily-Deployable Sensing Platforms For Phosphate, Maureen Pontarelli, Thomas Koch

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Maureen Pontarelli ’20
Major: Chemistry

Thomas Koch '20
Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Breen, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Exploration Of K2 Mycobacteriophages With Bred​, Colby Agostino, Olivia Schmitt

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Colby Agostino ’22
Major: Biochemistry and Computer Science

Olivia Schmitt ’22
Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

ZoeJ and Marcoliusprime are mycobacteriophage capable of infecting tuberculosis causing bacteria via the lytic and lysogenic cycles. The lytic cycle is the form of viral replication that results in cell death. Lysogeny involves phage DNA being integrated with the DNA of the host cell and preserved through binary fission. However, the bacteria causing tuberculosis do not die in the lysogenic phase. This research project will involve creating mutants of ZoeJ and Marcoliusprime that will not contain the genes …

Mycobacteriophage Morphology As A Diagnostic For Cluster Assignment, Ethan Dionne

Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Scholarship

Major: Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Phages are viral bodies that infect bacterial hosts, and have shown promising applications as alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. This project examines the morphology of siphoviridae mycobacteriophage, which have long, flexible, non-contractile tails as well as the characteristic head, called a capsid. Using electron microscopy photos of sequenced phages, tail length and capsid diameter were measured and compared to further characterize morphological relationships between genetically distinct phages. The data presented has the potential to work as a diagnostic tool to classify unsequenced phages to genetically …

Research And Review Of Polymethyl-Methacrylate Copolymers In The Development Of Enhanced Pharmaceutical Delivery Systems, Jake Dyess

Senior Honors Theses

The following thesis shall primarily explore the current research regarding the implementation of modifiable microscopic and nanoscopic polymer particles as novel pharmaceutical delivery systems. Polymethacrylate-based copolymers, such as Eudragit^TM, are sensitive to alterations in pH levels, becoming increasingly more soluble in response to an increase in pH. The selective solubility and modifiable nature of these polymers allows for greater flexibility of treatment options for patients (Patra et al., 2017). The wide range of functionality of polymethacrylate (PMA) may provide solutions to challenges relating to the current treatment and therapy of certain conditions. Research indicates that PMA based micro- …

Computation Of Atmospheric Concentrations Of Molecular Clusters From Ab Initio Thermochemistry, Tuguldur T. Odbadrakh, Ariel G. Gale, Benjamin T. Ball, Berhane Temelso, George C. Shields

Chemistry Publications

The computational study of the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols requires an accurate Gibbs free energy surface, which can be obtained from gas phase electronic structure and vibrational frequency calculations. These quantities are valid for those atmospheric clusters whose geometries correspond to a minimum on their potential energy surfaces. The Gibbs free energy of the minimum energy structure can be used to predict atmospheric concentrations of the cluster under a variety of conditions such as temperature and pressure. We present a computationally inexpensive procedure built on a genetic algorithm-based configurational sampling followed by a series of increasingly accurate screening …

Periodic Table Club, Makayla Gill, Kailynn Jensen

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This club is dedicated to teaching the generation of future scientists the periodic table. This is designed to be a unique take on a STEM club that uses the periodic table as a backbone for a solid foundation in chemistry.

Comparative Analysis Of The Human Serine Hydrolase Ovca2 To The Model Serine Hydrolase Homolog Fsh1 From S. Cerevisiae, Jessica S. Bun, Michael D. Slack, Daniel E. Schemenauer, R. Jeremy Johnson

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Over 100 metabolic serine hydrolases are present in humans with confirmed functions in metabolism, immune response, and neurotransmission. Among potentially clinically relevant but uncharacterized human serine hydrolases is OVCA2, a serine hydrolase that has been linked with a variety of cancer-related processes. Herein, we developed a heterologous expression system for OVCA2 and determined the comprehensive substrate specificity of OVCA2 against two ester substrate libraries. Based on this analysis, OVCA2 was confirmed as a serine hydrolase with a strong preference for long-chain alkyl ester substrates (>10-carbons) and high selectivity against a variety of short, branched, and substituted esters. Substitutional analysis …

Majestic - Prappe Metals Data, Brian Majestic

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Nebraska Red Derivatives For Protein Labeling Studies, Lauren Lesiak

Honors Theses

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play a vital role in cell signaling, and imaging the internalization of these proteins will allow for better understand of protein trafficking within the cell, as well as identification of potential drug targets. However, there is a need for further development of fluorescent protein labels that are able to effectively monitor GPCR internalization in the near-infrared (NIR) range. We recently described a series of NIR fluorophores in which a phosphinate functionality is inserted at the bridging position of the xanthene scaffold, called the Nebraska Red (NR) dye series. These dyes are attractive reagents for the imaging …

Isotopes In The Estuary: Conception And Application Of Stable And Radioactive Carbon, Derek Detweiler

Reports

Grades: 9-12 Subjects: Chemistry | Environmental Science | Oceanography

In this interactive estuary-focused activity, students will examine stable and radioactive isotope data which provide information about the source and age of environmental samples such as plant and soil matter. Students will calculate average isotope ratios from five reference land types (forest, wetland, agriculture, industry, aquatic) and an unknown site within an estuary. Students will graph their calculated ratios and determine the land type that most impacts their estuary based on reference-to-unknown comparisons.

Stimuli-Responsive Gelators From Carbamoyl Sugar Derivatives And Their Responses To Metal Ions And Tetrabutylammonium Salts, Dan Wang, Anji Chen, Joedian Morris, Guijun Wang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbohydrate-based low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are interesting compounds with a variety of applications. In this research, a library of nineteen carbamate derivatives of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine were synthesized and characterized, and several derivatives were found to be effective LMWGs. They formed gels in pump oils as well as mixtures of water with ethanol or water with DMSO. The structures of the carbamoyl chains played an important role in the gelation properties, short chain aliphatic derivatives and phenyl carbamates formed gels in more solvents than certain aromatic and dimeric carbamates. The phenyl carbamate gelator was also selected for the encapsulation of …