Chemistry Commons^™

Initial Characterization Of A Conserved Active Site Residue For The Cdc34 Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme, Arvin Akoopie

Theses

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) covalently modify protein substrates with ubiquitins. The active site cysteine residues on E2s are essential for catalyzing the transfer of ubiquitin from the E2 active site onto the protein substrate, however there is a limited amount of information available concerning additional active site residues for E2s that may also participate in catalysis. Cdc34 is an essential E2 that has merited the lion’s share of attention for biochemical analysis of the E2 family. Previous phylogenetic analysis of Cdc34 amino acid sequences has identified an invariably conserved histidine residue close to the active site cysteine in the primary ...

Application Of Magnetic “Fishing” And Mass Spectrometry For Function-Based Assays Of Biomolecular Interactions, Meghan J. Mcfadden

Open Access Dissertations and Theses

The human interactome presents a goldmine of potentially powerful therapeutic targets, yet very few small molecule modulators of protein-protein interactions (PPI) have been identified. PPI pose a particular challenge for drug discovery, and one of the major obstacles to fully exploiting these interactions is a lack of appropriate technologies to screen for modulating compounds. This thesis aims to address the need for function- based approaches that target PPI by using magnetic beads (MB) and mass spectrometry (MS) to develop efficient assays to monitor these interactions and their modulation by small molecules. The work begins with the validation of a novel ...

Quantities, Symbols, And Units In Spectroscopy, David W. Ball

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The article offers information on international governing bodies which have promoted the conventions of spectroscopy. It informs that the bodies include International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). It highlights the efforts of IUPAC's Interdivisional Committee on Terminology (ICTNS). It presents tables listing the terminology of quantities used in spectroscopy including frequency, harmonic vibration, and transmittance.

Improving Chemistry Instruction Via The 5-E Learning Model: Inventing, Adapting And Incorporating The First “E", Cecilia M. Christopher

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

The following is a compilation of engage activities will prove useful to science teachers. Students always ask “can you blow something up?” While a valid plan, there has to be some planning by the teacher. This compilation will provide teachers a resource to engage students through a variety of modes to increase student engagement and learning.

Students in any classroom have an innate ability to “zone out.” With an engage activity at the beginning of a new concept causes students to wonder, ask questions, observe and obtain motivation to learn. The “wow” factor and time to wonder helps engage student ...

Lenses, David W. Ball

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The article describes curved lenses. These include concave lenses, convex lenses, cylindrical lenses, aspheric lenses and Fresnel lens. The author discusses the limitations of lenses as well as notes various problems with them. Uses of these lenses in several applications and how they are applied are also explained.

Beyond The Chemistry Web, Robert A. Buchanan

Sci-Tech News

No abstract provided.

Structural, Electronic, And Magnetic Properties Of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials, Duminda K. Samarakoon

ETD Collection for Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center

The binding of radical groups such as hydrogen, hydroxyl, epoxide, or fluorine to the graphene surface, forms covalent bonds and transforms the trigonal sp² orbital to the tetragonal sp³ orbital. Such a transformation drastically modifies electronic properties, which leads to the opening of a bandgap through the removal of the bands near the Fermi level of the pristine graphene. We have investigated the structural, electronic, magnetic, and vibrational properties of functionalized graphene based on first-principles densityfunctional calculations. A twist-boat conformation is identified as the energetically most favorable nonmetallic configuration for fully oxidized graphene. The calculated Raman G-band blue ...

Synthesis And Characterization Of Manganese Pyridazyl Complexes, Sana Shah

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Heterocyclic’s and their fused-ring derivatives have been of interest for their use in electronic materials due to their ease of production, synthetic versatility, and low cost compared to traditional inorganic materials like silicon. Pyridazines have been found to be useful in catalysis gas storage, polymeric sensors and biological mimetics. When a transition-metal is fused into a synthesized pyridazine, unique properties such as conductivity and optics are allowed. In this work, synthesized pyridazine complexes will be analyzed by mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, imaging, x-ray crystallography, and infrared spectroscopy. We are interested in synthesizing organometallic pyridazines and manganese ...

Identification Of Disulfide Bond Formation Between Mitoneet And Glutamate Dehydrogenase 1, Morgan E. Roberts, Jacquelyn P. Crail, Megan M. Laffoon, William G. Fernandez, Michael A. Menze, Mary E. Konkle

Michael Menze

MitoNEET is a protein that was identified as a drug target for diabetes, but its cellular function as well as its role in diabetes remains elusive. Protein pull-down experiments identified glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GDH1) as a potential binding partner. GDH1 is a key metabolic enzyme with emerging roles in insulin regulation. MitoNEET forms a covalent complex with GDH1 through disulfide bond formation and acts as an activator. Proteomic analysis identified the specific cysteine residues that participate in the disulfide bond. This is the first report that effectively links mitoNEET to activation of the insulin regulator GDH1.

Identification Of Disulfide Bond Formation Between Mitoneet And Glutamate Dehydrogenase 1, Morgan E. Roberts, Jacquelyn P. Crail, Megan M. Laffoon, William G. Fernandez, Michael A. Menze, Mary E. Konkle

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

MitoNEET is a protein that was identified as a drug target for diabetes, but its cellular function as well as its role in diabetes remains elusive. Protein pull-down experiments identified glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GDH1) as a potential binding partner. GDH1 is a key metabolic enzyme with emerging roles in insulin regulation. MitoNEET forms a covalent complex with GDH1 through disulfide bond formation and acts as an activator. Proteomic analysis identified the specific cysteine residues that participate in the disulfide bond. This is the first report that effectively links mitoNEET to activation of the insulin regulator GDH1.

The Development And Applications Of Nmr Metabolomics Analysis Of Bacterial Metabolomes, Steven M. Halouska

Student Research Projects, Dissertations, and Theses - Chemistry Department

Metabolomics is a relatively new field that involves the study of metabolic responses that are occurring within a biological system. Metabolite profiles of an organism, tissue extract, and biofluids are important indicators to determine the physiological state of a biological profile. Comparison of such profiles from different phenotypes can be used to identify specific metabolic changes leading to the understanding of metabolic pathways, disease progression, drug toxicity and efficacy, and cellular responses to different intracellular and extracellular conditions. Metabolomics investigations often use sophisticated analytical techniques such as NMR spectroscopy to provide an unbiased and comprehensive approach to evaluate metabolic perturbation ...

Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Odgen College Of Science & Engineering, Western Kentucky University, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Applying Tlc (A Targeted Learning Community) To Transform Teaching And Learning In Science, Hillary H. Steiner, Michelle L. Dean, Stephanie M. Foote, Ruth A. Goldfine

Learning Communities Research and Practice

This article describes the development of a Targeted Learning Community (TLC) that supports first-year science students enrolled in a General Chemistry course. Drawing on student feedback and knowledge and expertise in their respective disciplines, four faculty members from two colleges at Kennesaw State University came together to develop a learning community that would prevent early attrition in the science majors and increase student metacognition. In this paper, the design of the TLC is presented, and the effect it had on faculty vitality is discussed.

Ruth A. Goldfine is Chair of the Department of First-Year and Transition Studies at Kennesaw State ...

A Polarizable And Transferable Carbon Dioxide Potential For Materials Simulation, Ashley Lynn Mullen

Graduate School Theses and Dissertations

Intermolecular potential energy functions for CO₂ have been developed from first principles for use in heterogeneous systems, including one with explicit polarization. The intermolecular potentials have been expressed in a transferable form and parameterized from nearly exact electronic structure calculations. Models with and without explicit many-body polarization effects, known to be important in simulation of interfacial processes, are constructed. The models have been validated on pressure-density isotherms of bulk CO₂ and adsorption in three metal-organic framework (MOF) materials. The present models appear to offer advantages over high quality fluid/liquid state potentials in describing CO₂ interactions in ...

Crevice Corrosion Behavior Of Ni-Cr-Mo-W Alloys In Aggressive Environment, Ajit K. Mishra

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ni-Cr-Mo (W) alloys, having an optimum concentration of Cr. Mo and W, are highly corrosion resistant alloys which do not fail by uniform corrosion in aggressive environments. However, when creviced at high applied potential and high temperatures, these materials can be susceptible to crevice corrosion. This study focuses on a family of seven commercial Ni-Cr-Mo (W) alloys containing various amounts of Cr, Mo and W.

Different electrochemical techniques were used to determine the characteristic potentials and temperature which indicate susceptibility to crevice corrosion, and to investigate the individual and synergistic roles of major and minor alloying elements. The corroded alloys ...

Development Of Biodegradable And Stimuli-Responsive Macromolescules And Their Assemblies, Ali Nazemi

University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Polymersomes are potentially multifunctional soft materials constructed by the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers in aqueous medium. While much research has focused on controlling the assembly and encapsulation properties of polymersomes, their surface functionalization has been relatively unexplored. This is important because it plays a critical role in determining their properties such as toxicity and biodistribution behavior. The work described in this thesis involves the development of a biocompatible and biodegradable polymersome systems based on poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polycaprolactone (PEO-PCL) block copolymers with azide surface groups as a novel scaffold for various biomedical applications. The surface functionalization of these ...

Optimization Of Polymer Separation By Gradient Polymer Elution Chromatography, Gideon R. Liem, Linda Nien-Hwa Wang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) has been a versatile separation method for polymers for many years. Analysis of different polymers by HPLC is typically done by utilizing the differential solubility of the polymers by mixing a good solvent and an anti-solvent in various compositions. This method is called Gradient Polymer Elution Chromatography (GPEC). While GPEC has been used extensively, it commonly uses a linear gradient to separate components. Linear solvent gradients consume a lot of solvent and take a relatively long time (> 30 minutes) to complete. The goal of this study is to develop a step gradient from a linear ...

Investigating Intermolecular Interactions In Crystalline Aspirin Using Cdft, Nicholas Turner, Tonglei Li, Mingtao Zhang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Drugs today are widely administered in their crystalline form, namely via tablets and capsules. The crystal structure of a drug molecule affects important drug qualities such as solubility, bioavailability, shelf life, and compaction properties. In order to form a basis for crystal structure prediction, it is necessary to first understand how intermolecular interactions cause molecules to pack in certain ways. Being able to predict and perhaps even control a drug molecule’s crystal structure will lead to the development of higher quality drugs that perform more consistently. Scientists and engineers do not fully understand the reasons for a molecule assuming ...

Investigation Of Major Intermolecular Interactions In 7,8-Dihydrobenzo(K)Phenanthridin-6(5h)-One Crystal Using Quantum Calculations And Crystallographic Visualization Programs, Zhiwei Liao, Tonglei Li, Mingtao Zhang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, tablets and capsules are the most common ways of delivering drugs. The active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients used to make those tablets and capsules are in their crystalline form generally. However, a single molecule can form multiple different crystal structures because of different packing arrangements of the molecules. These different crystal structures have identical chemical composition but different properties such as solubility, density, stability, etc. This phenomenon is called polymorphism. Occurrence of polymorphism could be a disaster for both patients and pharmaceutical companies, as the drug could lose its efficacy due to changes in properties. Studying intermolecular interactions in ...

The Carbon Isotope Systematics And Phospholipid Fatty Acid Profiles Of Microbialite-Associated Communities, Sarah A. Soles

Open Access Dissertations and Theses

Modern microbialites provide the opportunity to explore the influences of biology on microbialite formation and understand how biosignatures can be preserved in these structures. In this study, we used the isotopic compositions (δ¹³C) of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and their structurally-defined profiles, in conjunction with calcium carbonate isotopic compositions and imaging to evaluate microbial autotrophic and heterotrophic processes associated with freshwater microbialites from Kelly Lake, British Columbia. This was done to determine what types of metabolism may have been influencing microbialite growth and whether a biosignature of this process was preserved. In addition, PLFA profiles from a microbialite-derived ...