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Electrochemical Treatment Of Heavy Metals With Self-Electricity Generation, Wei Xu, Hui-Min Zhang, Zu-Cheng Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Heavy metal pollution is among the most serious environmental problems. Electrochemical method possesses many advantages like speediness and high efficiency, which develops rapidly. This review describes the aspect and application of heavy metals with self-electricity generation according to the primary batteries and fuel cells. Some examples to reduce heavy metal ions in the cathode are introduced. Applicability of this technology for removing heavy metals is also discussed. Employing electrochemical technology to treat contaminants with self-energy generation instead of exhausting energy will have a good prospect.

Homocitric Acid In Nitrogenase: Interactions With The Cofactor Of The Molybdenum-Iron Protein, Christopher M. Lee, Dr. G. D. Watt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ammonia is extremely valuable in the industrial production of fertilizer, plastics, explosives, dyes, and other compounds. The most plentiful and common source of ammonia comes from the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas to ammonia. In industry the 80-year-old Haber method is used, which is a costly process that relies on very high temperatures and pressures to catalyze the reaction.

Electrochemical Behavior And Content Determination Of Paeonol At Poly Sudan Ⅲ Modified Electrode, Yan-Jie Zheng, Ai-Lin Liu, Yun Lei, Xin-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The poly SudanⅢ modified electrode was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）and cyclic voltammetry (CV), while the electrochemical behavior of paeonol was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The result shows that the poly Sudan Ⅲ modified electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic effect on the oxidation of paeonol. The peak currents of differential pulse voltammetry are linear to the paeonol concentrations over the range of 3.0*10^-7 ~ 2.2*10^-5 mol·L^-1. The detection limit has been estimated to be 5.0*10^-8 mol·L^-1. This method can be used for determination of paeonol content in real sample with satisfactory results.

Effects Of Metabolic Rate On Muscle Cell Phospholipid Profile, Aaron Miller, Danny Sims, Dr. Steven Wood

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Animal and human cell membranes are composed primarily of phospholipids that form a bi-layer around the cell. Phospholipids play a crucial role in cell membrane function by regulating fluidity and structure. Alterations in the cell membrane composition can drastically affect cell function and metabolism. The purpose of our research study was to identify muscle cell membrane compositional changes due to exercise and muscular dystrophy. Also, we sought to identify the specific chemical changes occurring in the cell membrane by characterizing the structures of the cell membrane phospholipids using mass spectrometry.

Finding Interactions Between Smpb And Tmrna During Trans-Translation, David Healey, Dr. Allen Buskirk

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the last year, I have worked in collaboration with Allen Buskirk and DeAnna Cazier to study the interactions between SmpB and tmRNA during a process called bacterial trans-translation. To understand our experiments, it is necessary to know a little about what trans-translation is, and how it works.

Total Synthesis Of 12-Hete Using Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Catalyst, Adam Calvert, Dr. Merritt Andrus

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Natural compounds can be found throughout the world in an essentially limitless variety. By discovering compounds and investigating their properties, we can unlock the mysteries to cure rare diseases and alleviate common ailments. There are however many challenges with using natural compounds in such ways. The first problem is that most biological molecules are found in very small amounts. This not only poses as a problem with identifying their unique properties, but also stands in the way of their pharmaceutical use. A key solution to this challenge is organic total synthesis.

Synthesis Of (S)-Equol, Aaron Butler, Dr. Merritt Andrus

Journal of Undergraduate Research

S-equol is a soy isoflavone metabolized from the isoflavone daidzein by intestinal microflora. Isoflavones are a class of nonsteroidal estrogens. A study conducted by DellaPenna indicates that populations with isoflavone-rich diets have fewer incidences of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and some cancers including breast, prostate, and colon cancers (1). A study by Setchell et al suggests that the health benefits seen in populations whose diets are rich in isoflavones may be correlated with people’s ability to produce s-equol (2). Despite encouraging preliminary studies regarding s-equol, there has yet to be extensive studies done with s-equol in vivo. This is due to …

Optimization Of Anti-Cancer Agents Discovered At Byu, Chris Cutler, Dr. Matt Peterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project was to prepare a library of adenine-based anticancer agents in order to help understand which properties of the molecules contribute to the anticancer activity. I worked in Dr. Peterson’s organic chemistry laboratory for the duration of 2009, synthesizing compounds for anticancer testing. Some were submitted to the NIH for screening against a large panel of cancer cell lines, while others were sent to a collaborator for similar testing. While the results of most of these tests are still forthcoming, the data we have received so far is promising. My work contributed to a publication in …

Π-Stacking, C–H/Π, And Halogen Bonding Interactions In Bromobenzene And Mixed Bromobenzene–Benzene Clusters, Scott A. Reid, Silver Nyambo, Lloyd Muzangwa, Brandon Uhler

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Noncovalent interactions play an important role in many chemical and biochemical processes. Building upon our recent study of the homoclusters of chlorobenzene, where π–π stacking and CH/π interactions were identified as the most important binding motifs, in this work we present a study of bromobenzene (PhBr) and mixed bromobenzene–benzene clusters. Electronic spectra in the region of the PhBr monomer S₀–S₁ (ππ*) transition were obtained using resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) methods combined with time-of-flight mass analysis. As previously found for related systems, the PhBr cluster spectra show a broad feature whose center is red-shifted from the monomer absorption, …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Unnatural Hpaa, Norcoclaurine, And Tyramine Analogues, Sean Crowe

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

There are several approaches to obtaining unnatural analogues of natural products. One of these approaches is precursor-directed biosynthesis (PDB), which is the process of using natural biosynthetic machinery to transform unnatural analogues of precursor compounds to produce an unnatural analogue of a target natural product. Berberine and galanthamine are chosen as model systems for the evaluation of PDB for the production of aromatic alkaloids in plants. Several approaches to the synthesis of unnatural 4 hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (HPAA), norcoclaurine, and tyramine analogues are explored. 3-chloro-, 3-bromo-, and 3-iodoHPAA are all synthesized in good yields via and oxidative decarboxylation of tyrosine. These analogues …

Fractionation And Isolation Of The Anti-Tumoral Activity Of An Indigenous Tongan Medicinal Extract, Steven D. Christenson, Dr. Gary M. Booth, Dr. Steven G. Wood

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vai Haka is the Tongan name given to a medicinal extract prepared and prescribed by indigenous healers on the island kingdom of Tonga. Used as a treatment for morning sickness (hyper-emesis), the mixture is prepared by boiling the barks of four different rainforest tree species. These species are Tarrena sambucina, Syzigium malaccense, Alphitonia zizyphoides, and Macaranga harveyana. Studies by Cox (et al) demonstrated biological activity in each of these species from a Guinea Pig Ileum assay.1 Further work by Cox documented that each species is used individually by Samoan healers to treat internal distress.2 Thus bioactivity is well documented through …

A Supramolecular Strategy To Assemble Multifunctional Viral Nanoparticles, Limin Chen, Xia Zhao, Yuan Lin, Yubin Huang, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Using a one-pot approach driven by the supramolecular interaction between β-cyclodextrin and adamantyl moieties, multifunctional viral nanoparticles can be facilely formulated for biomedical applications.

Transition Metals As Tools To Probe The Electronic Properties Of Porphyrinoids, Jillian Worlinsky

Chemistry Education Materials

This thesis describes in a number of separate chapters a range of studies that measure the variation of specific physical properties with structural modification of the macrocycles, with a particular focus also on using their coordinated metals as probes. Specifically, the transition metal ions are used as tools for interrogation of the electronic properties of porphyrins and pyrrole-modified porphyrins. With the aim of better understanding the electronic and structural factors that govern the optical responses, axial binding strengths, fragmentation patterns and carbonyl stretching frequencies of meso-tetraarylporphyrins, a rational design of pyrrole-modified metalloporphyrins with designed optical properties is derived.

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Thermally-Responsive Coatings Based Upon Diels–Alder Chemistry And Renewable Materials, Dahlia N. Amato, Gregory A. Strange, John P. Swanson, Anton D. Chavez, Suzanne E. Roy, Kim L. Varney, Craig A. Machado, Douglas V. Amato, Philip Costanzo

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A soybean based coating with thermally responsive Diels–Alder linkages has been prepared following an automotive 2-component formulation. The resulting coatings displayed the capability to be healed following physical deformation by a thermal stimulus, and such a material has significant potential for end users. Various curing agents were employed, and resulted in variation of scratch resistance and re-healablity. Different thermally responsive soybean resins were synthesized to have varying amounts reversible and nonreversible linkages when incorporated into the coating. Additionally, different isocyanates were added at differing ratios of NCO:OH in search of the optimum coating. It was found through the analysis of …

Bcl-2 Promoter Sequence G-Quadruplex Interactions With Three Planar And Non-Planar Cationic Porphyrins: Tmpyp4, Tmpyp3, And Tmpyp2., Vu H. Le, Narayana Nagesh, Edwin A. Lewis

CAS Publications

The interactions of three related cationic porphyrins, TMPyP4, TMPyP3 and TMPyP2, with a WT 39-mer Bcl-2 promoter sequence G-quadruplex were studied using Circular Dichroism, ESI mass spectrometry, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, and Fluorescence spectroscopy. The planar cationic porphyrin TMPyP4 (5, 10, 15, 20-meso-tetra (N-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphine) is shown to bind to a WT Bcl-2 G-quadruplex via two different binding modes, an end binding mode and a weaker mode attributed to intercalation. The related non-planar ligands, TMPyP3 and TMPyP2, are shown to bind to the Bcl-2 G-quadruplex by a single mode. ESI mass spectrometry experiments confirmed that the saturation stoichiometry is 4:1 for …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polypyrrole-Metal Complexes As Electrocatalysts, Nandan K. Peddi

Theses and Dissertations

Modern fuel cells convert chemical energy to electrical energy due to the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce water using a platinum electrocatalyst. The scarcity and high cost of platinum have led to the development of various less expensive and efficient electrocatalysts. Polypyrrole-cobalt (CoPPy) complex has been developed as a nonplatinum electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and potential application as a cathode in fuel cells. The complex was synthesized by refluxing pyrrole monomer and cobalt acetate tetrahydrate in dimethylformamide (DMF) for two hours followed by vacuum distillation to collect the solid electrocatalyst. Cyclic voltammetry, rotating disk electrode voltammetry …

A Hybrid Approach To Calculating Coulombic Interactions: An Effective And Efficient Method For Optimization Of Simulations Of Many Ions In Quadrupole Ion Trap Device With Simion, Kenichiro Saito

Student Theses and Dissertations

An efficient algorithm is needed to handle space charge driven processes in the large number of ions limit. We have developed a "hybrid" algorithm that lightens the computational load required for these simulations by calculating total dynamical forces by efficiently and effectively approximating two-body Coulomb interactions. We took one step further and applied the algorithm in massively parallel general-purpose computing with GPU (GPGPU) to test its performance. In this study, we tested the parallel hybrid algorithm with a couple of basic models and analyzed the performances by comparing it to that of the original, fully-explicit method written in serial code. …

Amyloid Β-Peptide (1–42)-Induced Oxidative Stress In Alzheimer Disease: Importance In Disease Pathogenesis And Progression, D. Allan Butterfield, Aaron M. Swomley, Rukhsana Sultana

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Significance: Alzheimer disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease. AD is characterized by progressive cognitive impairment. One of the main histopathological hallmarks of AD brain is the presence of senile plaques (SPs) and another is elevated oxidative stress. The main component of SPs is amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ) that is derived from the proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein.

Recent Advances: Recent studies are consistent with the notion that methionine present at 35 position of Aβ is critical to Aβ-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Further, we also discuss the signatures of oxidatively modified brain proteins, identified using redox proteomics approaches, during …

Structural And Functional Study Of The Diheme Cytochrome C Subunit Of The Cytochrome Bc Complex In Heliobacterium Modesticaldum, Hair Yue

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is focused on the structural and functional study of the unique diheme cytochrome c subunit of the cytochrome bc complex in H. modesticaldum, and its application in determining the stoichiometry between H. modesticaldum's cytochrome bc complex and its reaction center. Heliobacterium modesticaldum is a gram positive, anaerobic, anoxygenic photoheterotrophic bacterium. Its cytochrome bc complex (Rieske/cyt b complex) has some similarities to cytochrome b6f complexes from cyanobacteria and chloroplasts, and also shares some characteristics of typical bacterial cytochrome bc1 complexes. One of the unique features of the heliobacterial cytochrome bc complex is the presence of a diheme cytochrome c …

Photosynthetic Chromophore Analogs And Biohybrid Antenna For Light Harvesting, Joseph William Springer

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Photosynthetic chromophore analogs are studied, starting with simplified structures and systematically building complexity to elucidate overarching design principles. The general goals are to achieve an artificial light-harvesting system that exhibits broad spectral coverage, including extension well into the photon rich red and near-infrared portions of the solar spectrum. For example, the spectral properties of chlorophylls are primarily a consequence of the 13¹-oxophorbine base macrocycle, with further tuning provided by the dramatic difference in auxochromic effects of a given substituent at the 7- versus 3-position, consistent with Gouterman's four-orbital model. While light-harvesting antennas in photosynthetic bacteria generally have near-quantitative …

Assessing Optic Neuritis In A Mouse Model Of Multiple Sclerosis With Diffusion Mr Imaging, Chia-Wen Chiang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Optic neuritis (ON) is an early manifestation in patients of multiple sclerosis (MS), typically resulting in visual dysfunction. The inflammatory demyelination of the optic nerve in ON closely resembles pathologies of the rest of central nervous system (CNS) white matter in MS. Since accumulated axonal degeneration in MS was considered as the potential cause leading to permanent disability, correlating optic nerve pathology and visual function in ON could be a model system to investigate the relationship between functional outcome and neuropathology. It may also present a new way to reflect the disease progression in MS. Various MR techniques have been …

Source Assessment Of Deposited Particles In A Slovenian Show Cave (Postojnska Jama): Evidence Of Long-Lasting Anthropogenic Impact, Gregor Muri, Aleksandra Jovičić, Andrej Mihevc

International Journal of Speleology

Postojnska jama (Postojna Cave) is one of the most famous karst caves in the world and has been a well-known tourist attraction for nearly 200 years. It is particularly famous for its unique double-track railway. Eight heavy metals – aluminium (Al), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), strontium (Sr), and zinc (Zn) – were determined in dust deposits by ICP-MS in order to assess sources of deposited particles on the cave walls. The samples were collected along the main passage in the cave, at different horizontal and vertical levels, in order to test horizontal homogeneity and …

Structure Of Octahedral Polyomavirus, Robert Swenson, Dr. David Belnap

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Polyomaviruses (PVs) are viruses that can cause tumors in mammals and fatal diseases in birds. Knowles et al. (2) estimated that over 90% of the human population is infected with a polyomavirus, but these infections are usually dormant, and only show symptoms in patients with compromised immune systems. PVs normally form a capsid with icosahedral symmetry whose structure is known (Figure 1). In this structure, the major capsid protein (VP1) forms a stable pentamer with the C-terminal arms of the proteins extending outwards. VP1 pentamers (filled pentagons, Figure 1) interact with five other pentamers on some vertices, and with six …

Substituent Effects On Reactivity And Allergenicity Of Benzoquinone, Wilbes Mbiya

Dissertations and Theses

Benzoquinone (BQ) is an extremely potent electrophilic contact allergen that haptenates endogenous proteins through Michael addition (MA). It is also hypothesized that BQ may haptenate proteins via free radical formation. The objective of this study was to assess the inductive effects (activating and deactivating) of substituents on BQ reactivity and the mechanistic pathway of covalent binding to nucleophilic thiols. The BQ binding by Cys34 on human serum albumin was studied, and for reactivity studies, nitrobenzenethiol (NBT) was used as a surrogate for protein binding of the BQ and benzoquinone derivatives (BQD). Stopped flow techniques were used to determine pseudo-first order …

Mechanism Of Ubiquitin Ligation And Lysine Prioritization By A Hect E3, Hari B. Kamadurai, Yu Qiu, Alan Deng, Joseph S. Harrison, Chris Macdonald, Marcelo Actis, Patrick Rodrigues, Darcie J. Miller, Judith Souphron, Steven M. Lewis, Igor Kurinov, Naoaki Fujii, Michal Hammel, Robert Piper, Brian Kuhlman, Brenda A. Schulman

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

Ubiquitination by HECT E3 enzymes regulates myriad processes, including tumor suppression, transcription, protein trafficking, and degradation. HECT E3s use a two-step mechanism to ligate ubiquitin to target proteins. The first step is guided by interactions between the catalytic HECT domain and the E2∼ubiquitin intermediate, which promote formation of a transient, thioester-bonded HECT∼ubiquitin intermediate. Here we report that the second step of ligation is mediated by a distinct catalytic architecture established by both the HECT E3 and its covalently linked ubiquitin. The structure of a chemically trapped proxy for an E3∼ubiquitin-substrate intermediate reveals three-way interactions between ubiquitin and the bilobal HECT …

Type‐I Collagen Modeled As A Liquid Crystal, Alexander Thomas

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

Type-I collagen is found in numerous parts of the human body. This research has been focused on the macrostructures of type-I collagen and its implications on the physical properties of certain tissues. Furthermore, the self-assembly of the three α chains into the collagen triple helix has been studied in order to understand the biochemical pathway in which type-I collagen is produced.

Approaches For Improved Positional Proteomics, Yanjie Jiang

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Positional proteomics is emerging as an attractive technique to characterize protein termini, which play important biological roles in cells. Even with the advances in past decades, there still are areas for improvement. This thesis focuses on improving data quality and assignment confidence in positional proteomics.

A novel workflow was designed for the large-scale identification of protein N-terminal sequences. 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate (SPITC) is used for N-termini sulfonation; Upon higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD), SPITC peptides in electrospray ionization ESI generate predominately y-type ion series; such simplification of spectra enables the identification of N-termini with high fidelity. The presence of b_{1 …}

2013 Annual Meeting Program

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Spectroscopic Study Of Uranium (Vi) Reduction By Plant Biomass, Margaret C. Murphy, John Bargar, Noémie Janot

STAR Program Research Presentations

Uranium is a common and problematic groundwater contaminant at Department of Energy legacy sites. At the former uranium ore processing plant at Rifle, Colorado, sediments rich in decayed plant biomass contain large concentrations of uranium that are slowly being released back to the aquifer. To simulate the reaction that occurs in organic rich sediments of the Rifle aquifer, biomass was incubated in U (VI) bearing groundwater. Carbon X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was then used to measure if uranium was bound to the biomass. When uranium binds to biomass the peaks in the C XAS spectra will change shape. Uranium L …

Foundational Concepts And Underlying Theories For Majors In "Biochemistry And Molecular Biology", John Tansey

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members and science educators from around the country that focused on identifying: 1) core principles of biochemistry and molecular biology, 2) essential concepts and underlying theories from physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and 3) foundational skills that undergraduate majors in biochemistry and molecular biology must understand to complete their major coursework. Using information gained from these workshops, as well as from the ASBMB accreditation working group and the NSF Vision and Change report, the Core Concepts working group has developed a consensus …