Biotechnology Commons^™

Aerobic Degradation Of Α-, Β-, Γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane By Narragansett Bay Bacterioplankton, Ian M. Rambo

Senior Honors Projects

Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) are a family of chlorinated organic compounds that were previously used as agricultural insecticides. HCHs are recognized as persistent organic pollutants due to their toxicity, recalcitrant properties, and tendency to bioaccumulate in food webs. Although HCH was first synthesized in 1825, its use was not widespread until the discovery of the insecticidal activity of the γ-HCH isomer in 1942. γ-HCH and its toxic waste isomers α-HCH and β-HCH were banned from production and use by the United Nations in 2009, yet these chemicals still present environmental problems due to their persistence in soils and surface waters. HCHs continue ...

Development Of A Glucose Bioreporter Using The Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae W303, Hunter Tipton

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

Towards Elucidation Of A Viral Dna Packaging Motor, Chad T. Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Previously, gp16, the ATPase protein of phi29 DNA packaging motor, was an enigma due to its tendency to form multiple oligomeric states. Recently we employed new methodologies to decipher both its stoichiometry and also the mechanism in which the protein functions to hydrolyze ATP and provide the driving force for DNA packaging. The oligomeric states were determined by biochemical and biophysical approaches. Contrary to many reported intriguing models of viral DNA packaging, it was found that phi29 DNA packaging motor permits the translocation of DNA unidirectionally and driven cooperatively by three rings of defined shape. The mechanism for the generation ...

Annotation Of Genes Responsible For Synthesis Of Uroporphyrinogen Iii From L-Glutamate, The First Half Of Of The Pathway Of Heme Biosynthetic Pathway, In Kytococcus Sedentarius., Vignesh M. Iyer

Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

Genome annotation is a set of algorithmic software tools that allows complete sequencing of an organism’s genome. Kytococcus sedentarius is a gram positive bacterium, with callus degrading activity, closely associated with pitted keratolysis. The objective of this study was to annotate the genes in Kytococcus sedentarius strain 541 (DSM 20547) responsible for heme biosynthesis, involving the formation of uroporphyrinogen III from L-Glutamate. Metabolic functions of individual genes were characterized using the Integrated Microbial Genome Annotation Collaboration Toolkit (IMG-ACT) developed by the Joint Genome Institute (University of California, CA). Sequence based similarity was identified using BLAST and T-COFFEE. Cellular localization ...

Epigenetics Of Stress Adaptation In Arabidopsis: The Case Of Histone Modifications, Behnaz Najafi Majdabadi Farahani

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Changes in the epigenetic status of plants, which contribute to changes in gene expression, in response to abiotic stress are well documented. However, their stability and transmission to subsequent generations, and their incorporation into plant stress adaptation are still a matter for debate. Using chromatin immuno-precipitation and Next Generation Sequencing (ChIP-seq), we compared genome wide enrichment of two histone marks, H3K9ac and H3K4me2, in the progeny of salt stressed and control Arabidopsis plants. Data showed less enrichment of the H3K9ac in the chromatin of the progeny of salt stressed plants, but no changes were detected in the enrichment of the ...

Flash4 Dark Reference Images, George Mcnamara

George McNamara

Hamamatsu FLASH4.0 dark reference images, acquired with 10 second exposure times, no light to camera. Camera offset (set by Hamamatsu( is ~100 (the average intensity of the first image is always ~1 intensity level higher - an odd feature, but trivial in practice for a 16-bit camera).

George McNamara, Ph.D.

Single Cells Analyst at L.J.N. Cooper Lab

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Torrefaction Of Biomass To Enhance Fuel Properties, Bimal Acharya

Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

Torrefaction is the thermochemical pre-treatment process by partially controlled and isothermal pyrolysis of biomass in minimum oxygen concentration at 200°C-300°C. During the torrefaction, devolatization and carbonization of hemicelluloses and depolymerization and devolatilisation of lignin and cellulose takes place which helps on developing more efficient biofuel products with a uniform feedstock with minimum variability in moisture contents, high energy density, low moisture and oxygen content, hydrophobic. Although biomass is abundant and renewable, its properties pose several challenges during thermal conversion process; hence, limits its direct applications in power plant operations. The main objective of this study is to examine ...

Development And Validation Of A Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry Method For Analysis Of Oxysterols In Human Plasma, Rohini Narayanaswamy

Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

Background: Oxysterols are hydroxy, keto or epoxy oxidation products of cholesterol formed by enzymatic action or auto-oxidation. Oxysterols have been shown to have several biological activities including regulation of cholesterol homeostasis. Oxysterols have also been suggested to be informative biomarkers of oxidative stress. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method for determination of major oxysterols in human plasma. Methods: A reverse phase, high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method was developed. Cold saponification with ethanolic sodium hydroxide was used to extract total oxysterols from plasma. The effect of sample ...

Optimization Of Bacterial Bioluminescence (Lux) Expression And Development Of Autonomous Lux-Based Reporters In Human Cell Lines, Tingting Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite its extensive use as a prokaryotic bioreporter, only recently has the bacterial bioluminescence (lux) system been adapted to express at a functional level in the mammalian cellular background. While this novel strategy has the potential to contribute to the fields of high throughput screening and non-invasive in vivo imaging due to its autonomous substrate production, it is still constrained because its signal intensity is lower than that of other bioluminescent reporters. This work demonstrates the development of strategies that optimize human cell lux-based bioluminescence to overcome this detriment for advancement towards a fully functional lux reporter system. To ...

Wound Healing Effects Of Btc Bioclay On An In Vitro Wound Healing Model, Jeremy Kiripolsky

Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

Benzathonium chloride (BTC) is a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) that is used as an antibacterial in medical, industrial, and household applications. BTC is easily complexed with laponite clay particles to allow controlled delivery for topical application. BTC-clay in cream form has been previously shown to be effective against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The purpose of this project is to test the hypothesis that BTC-clay can enhance the process of wound healing. Using an in vitro wound healing model utilizing the human lung fibroblast cell line WI-38, a “wound” is induced by scratching the confluent monolayer, then replacing the media ...

Functional Analysis Of A Putative Membrane-Bound Endo-Β-1,4-Glucanase From Panicum Virgatum, Joshua N Grant, Jonathan D. Willis, Neal Stewart

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

Cellulose is the most abundant carbohydrate in the world and is degraded by the synergistic action of multiple enzymes. One large family of enzymes capable of hydrolyzing cellulose is glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9), which includes several endoglucanases. Recent research into the molecular biology of plants has revealed certain genes coding for endo-β-1,4-glucanases (EGases). The EGases in plants are primarily functional during cell elongation through wall stress relaxation. GH9 enzymes have been found in insects, bacteria, oomycetes, and fungi. In insects, EGases enable the organism to digest cellulose; in fungi, EGases are suspected to play an important role in ...

The National Institutes Of Health, Patents, And The Public Interest: An Expanded Rationale Of Justice Breyer’S Dissent In Stanford V. Roche, Nida Shakir

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

In February 2010, the Alzheimer’s Institute of America (AIA) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Jackson Laboratory, the largest repository of research mice in the world. AIA sued Jackson Laboratory for infringing on AIA’s patent covering a DNA mutation linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Jackson Lab allegedly violated that patent by distributing mice especially bred for Alzheimer’s research. READ MORE, download the article.

Biomass Gasification: An Alternative Solution To Animal Waste Management, Hanjing Wu

Biological Systems Engineering--Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The overall goal of this research was to evaluate gasification of animal waste as an alternative manure management strategy, from the standpoints of syngas production and biochar application.

To meet the overall objective, the thermogravimetric characteristics of dairy manure, as a thermochemical conversion feedstock, were studied firstly. Then, gasification technology was applied to dairy manure and feedlot manure using a fluidized-bed laboratory-scale gasifier. In addition, biochar derived from the feedlot manure was examined for its effects on nutrient leaching as a soil amendment. Finally, a life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions of two feedlot manure management ...

Mechanical Activation Of Valvular Interstitial Cell Phenotype: A Dissertation, Angela M. Throm Quinlan

GSBS Dissertations and Theses

During heart valve remodeling, and in many disease states, valvular interstitial cells (VICs) shift to an activated myofibroblast phenotype which is characterized by enhanced synthetic and contractile activity. Pronounced alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA)-containing stress fibers, the hallmark of activated myofibroblasts, are also observed when VICs are placed under tension due to altered mechanical loading in vivo or during in vitro culture on stiff substrates or under high mechanical loads and in the presence of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1). The work presented herein describes three distinct model systems for application of controlled mechanical environment to VICs cultured in vitro ...

Sex Determination In Beetles: Production Of All Male Progeny By Parental Rnai Knockdown Of Transformer, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sex in insects is determined by a cascade of regulators ultimately controlling sex-specific splicing of a transcription factor, Doublesex (Dsx). We recently identified homolog of dsx in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Tcdsx). Here, we report on the identification and characterization of a regulator of Tcdsx splicing in T. castaneum. Two male-specific and one female-specific isoforms of T. castaneum transformer (Tctra) were identified. RNA interference-aided knockdown of Tctra in pupa or adults caused a change in sex from females to males by diverting the splicing of Tcdsx pre-mRNA to male-specific isoform. All the pupa and adults developed from Tctra ...

Doublesex Target Genes In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sex determination cascade in insects terminates with the production of sex-specific protein, Doublesex (Dsx). We identified the dsx homolog (Tcdsx) in Tribolium castaneum. The pre-mRNA of Tcdsx is sex-specifically spliced into three female (Tcdsxf1, Tcdsxf2 and Tcdsxf3) and one male-specific (Tcdsxm) isoforms. Cis-regulatory elements potentially involved in sex-specific splicing of the Tcdsx pre-mRNA were identified in the female-specific exon and the adjoining intronic sequences. All the three female-specific TcDsx proteins share common OD1 and OD2 domains and differ in their C-terminal sequences. Knockdown of Tcdsx resulted in a reduction in the oocyte development, egg production and hatching of eggs laid ...

The Unstable Ground Of Low Hierarchies, Joshua Dinsmore

The STEAM Journal

Broad Vision is a collaborative project between the Sciences and Arts. It involves students and lecturers from six different departments, across three schools at the University of Westminster, London, UK. In the first year of the project we worked with the microscope as the locus for our interconnections.

Video Codec Performance (Excel Spreadsheet), George Mcnamara

George McNamara

Video codec performance (Excel spreadsheet). Movie was made in 2005-2006 when I worked at City of Hope National Medical Center. VTLF refers to Video Timelapse Light Facility. Videos were outputted from MetaMorph as AVI files. Personally, I always recommend uncompressed video files fro scientific uses. I also encourage posting the original scientific data format (ex. .lsm, .zvi, .lif, .stk).

Construction Of A Tetracycline-Inducible System For Controlled Gene Expression In Crithidia Fasciculata, Fatima I. Hussain, Sanela Andelija

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Colloidal Nano-Apatite Particles With Active Luminescent And Magentic Properties For Biotechnology Applications, Rajendra Kasinath, Kumar Ganesan

Environmental Engineering

Colloidal Nano-apatite Particles with Active Luminescent and Magentic Properties for Biotechnology Applications. The synthesis of functional nano-materials is a burgeoning field that has produced remarkable and consistent breakthroughs over the last two decades. Individual particles have become smaller and shown potential for well defined functionality. However, there are still unresolved problems, a primary one being the loss of functionality and novelty due to uncontrolled aggregation driven by surface energy considerations. As such the first design criteria to harness the true potential of nanoparticles is to prevent unwanted agglomeration by: (1) improving, and, if possible, (2) controlling aggregation behavior. This requires ...