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A Taxonomy Of Teleology: Phillip Johnson, The Intelligent Design Community, And Young-Earth Creationism, Marcus R. Ross, P. A. Nelson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Mechanism Of Potential Shifts Of Activated Carbon Due To Adsorption Of Organic Compounds, Mikhail M. Goldin, Vladimir Avramenko, Alexander G. Volkov, Mark Goldin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Limited Proteolysis Of Human Histone Deacetylase 1, Nayana Kamath, Paulina Karwowska-Desaulniers, Mary Kay H. Pflum

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) proteins are associated with cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cancer. Specifically, HDAC1 is linked with cell growth, a hallmark of cancer formation. HDAC1 is a phosphoprotein and phosphorylation at S421 and S423 promotes HDAC1 enzymatic activity and protein association. While single and double point mutants of HDAC1 at S421 and S423 appear functionally similar, the evidence suggests that HDAC1 is phosphorylated simultaneously at both S421 and S423 in vivo. Additional experiments are necessary to probe the role of double phosphorylation of HDAC1 at S421 and S423.

Results

To characterize HDAC1 phosphorylation at S421 and S423, …

A Comparative Study Of The Properties Of Polar And Nonpolar Solvent/Solute/Polystyrene Solutions In Microwave Fields Via Molecular Dynamics, Mark J. Purdue, Macduff O. Okuom, Frank D. Blum, James M. D. Macelroy, D. F. O'Shea

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The influence of an applied microwave field on the dynamics of methylamine-dichloromethane (DCM) mixtures bound within atactic polystyrene (a-PS) over a range of polymer densities from 30 to 94 wt % polymer was examined using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. This study is an extension of previous studies on methylamine transport in relatively polar polystyrene solutions of methanol and dimethylformamide [M. J. Purdue et al., J. Chem. Phys. 124, 204904 (2006)]. A direct comparison is made across the three types of polystyrene solutions. Consideration is given to both solvent and reagent transport within the polymer solutions under zero-field conditions and in …

Separation And Quantification Of N-Acetylcysteine-Amide (Naca) By Hplc With Fluorescence Detection, Wei Wu, Glenn Goldstein, Craig D. Adams, Richard H. Matthews, Nuran Ercal

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) is a well-known antioxidant that is capable of facilitating glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis and replenishing intracellular GSH under oxidatively challenging circumstances. N-acetyl-cysteine-amide (NACA), the amide form of NAC, is a newly designed and synthesized thiol-containing compound which is believed to be more lipophilic and permeable through cell membranes than NAC. The metabolic and antioxidant effects of these compounds in vitro and in vivo are under investigation. However, an analytical method that can separate and quantify both compounds simultaneously is not yet available, to the best of our knowledge. Because of their structural similarities, the two compounds are difficult to …

Structural And Thermodynamic Parameters Associated With The Interaction Of Cobalt (Iii) Complexes And Duplex Dna, Jaime M. Ferreira

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Controlling Rna Self-Assembly To Form Filaments, Neocles B. Leontis, Lorena Nasalean, Stéphanie Baudrey, Luc Jaeger

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Fundamental control over supra-molecular self-assembly for organization of matter on the nano-scale is a major objective of nanoscience and nanotechnology. 'RNA tectonics' is the design of modular RNA units, called tectoRNAs, that can be programmed to self-assemble into novel nano- and meso-scopic architectures of desired size and shape. We report the three-dimensional design of tectoRNAs incorporating modular 4-way junction (4WJ) motifs, hairpin loops and their cognate loop-receptors to create extended, programmable interaction interfaces. Specific and directional RNA-RNA interactions at these interfaces enable conformational, topological and orientational control of tectoRNA self-assembly. The interacting motifs are precisely positioned within the helical arms …

Preparation, Characterization And Dft Studies Of Some New N-Nitrosocarbamates And N-Nitrosoureas, Ragavan Narayanan, Helene Hedian, Eric Shamo, Vladimir Benin

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We are presenting the preparation, characterization and density functional theory (DFT) studies {B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) of several reiated classes of N-nitrosocarbamates and N-nitrosoureas. The iong-range goal is the design and preparation of compounds, which would undergo photochemical or hydrolytic decomposition, to yield stabilized cyclic cations that can serve as alkylating agents at various nucleophilic centers, including DNA bases.

Truly Non Invasive Glucose Optical Sensor Based On Metal Nanoparticles Generation, Marisol Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is a disease that causes many complications in human normal function. This disease represents the sixth-leading cause of death in USA. Prevention of diabetes-related complications can be accomplished through tight control of glucose levels in blood. In the last decades many different glucose sensors have been developed, however, none of them are really non invasive. Herein, we present the study of the application of gold and silver nanoparticles with different shapes and aspect ratios to detect glucose traces in human fluids such as tears and sweat. This is to our knowledge the first truly non invasive glucose optical sensor, …

Investigation Of The Structure In Electrodeposited Nanostructured Co/Cu Alloys, Multilayers, And Cofe/Cu Multilayered Nanowires, Erick Jamal Lawson

LSU Master's Theses

Since the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in electrodeposited nanostructured magnetic multilayers and multilayered nanowires, there has been interest throughout the scientific world in the fabrication and characterization of these materials. Magnetic multilayers in the form of thin films can be used as magnetoresistive sensors in the magnetic data storage industry. Arrays of nanowires have the potential for applications in perpendicular ultra-high density data storage and biosensors. Wire-shaped magnetic multilayered nanowires have been shown to exhibit GMR in the so called “current perpendicular-to plane” configuration (CPP-GMR). GMR of multilayers and multilayered nanowires have been investigated in several systems that include …

Structure Of 1-(Thiophen-2-Ylmethyl)-2-(Thiophen-2-Yl)-1h-Benzimidazole, Necmi̇ Dege, Memet Şekerci̇, Süleyman Servi̇, Muharrem Di̇nçer, Ünzi̇le Demi̇rbaş

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The title compound, C_{16}H_{12}N_2S_2, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2_1/n with Z = 4, a = 8.950 (5) Å, b = 9.141 (5) Å, c = 17.429 (5) Å and \beta = 93.638 (5)°. The benzimidazole ring is essentially planar. The crystal structure is stabilized by intermolecular C---H ... N and C---H ... \pi contacts.

The Effect Of Acid Digestion On The Recoveries Of Trace Elements: Recommended Policies For The Elimination Of Losses, Güler Somer, Arzu Nakişci Ünlü

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Digestion of biological materials is very important for trace element determinations. Although the microwave technique is mostly used, there are cases where open wet digestion is needed. This study examined the optimum conditions for the minimum loss of trace elements during the wet digestion of a sample. The effect of acid composition and digestion time for about 21 ions was investigated. The trace element concentrations were determined by differential pulse polarography. For the digestion procedure, a HClO_4-HNO_3 mixture was used for the first step and, after its evaporation (60 min), HCl was added as the second step, since in some …

Open-Ocean Carbon Monoxide Photoproduction, Aron Stubbins, Günther Uher, Cliff S. Law, Kenneth Mopper, Carol Robinson, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Sunlight-initiated photolysis of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is the dominant source of carbon monoxide (CO) in the open-ocean. A modelling study was conducted to constrain this source. Spectral solar irradiance was obtained from two models (GCSOLAR and SMARTS2). Water-column CDOM and total light absorption were modelled using spectra collected along a Meridional transect of the Atlantic ocean using a 200-cm pathlength liquid waveguide UV-visible spectrophotometer. Apparent quantum yields for the production of CO (AQY_CO) from CDOM were obtained from a parameterisation describing the relationship between CDOM light absorption coefficient and AQY_CO and the CDOM spectra collected. …

Effects Of Salinity Changes On The Photodegradation And Ultraviolet-Visible Absorbance Of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter, E. C. Minor, J. Pothen, B. J. Dalzell, H. Abdulla, K. Mopper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We performed laboratory studies to determine the effects of salinity on the photodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, an important source of terrestrial DOM to the lower Chesapeake Bay. Samples were created by mixing Great Dismal Swamp water (ionic strength approximate to 0 mol L^-1) with modified artificial seawater solutions of differing salinities while keeping the final dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration constant. These samples were then irradiated for 24 h in a light box providing ultraviolet (UV) light similar to that of natural sunlight. Light absorbance and DOC concentrations decreased after …

Surface Analysis Of A Black Coating From Little Lost River, Reshmi Perumplavil

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A black coating of unknown origin obscures the pictographs in Little Lost River Cave, Idaho. We utilized x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize the outermost surface of the black coating to understand how it was formed. Carbon and oxygen predominated in the XP spectra, whereas nitrogen was detected at varying levels in different samples. High-resolution carbon 1s XP spectra showed that carbon was present in at least three different forms: hydrocarbon C, carbonyl C, and carbonate C/ amide C. The N 1s peak was observed at ~399-400 eV binding energy, which is usually attributed to aromatic or amide N. The …

Pyrrole Carboxamides As Potential Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors, Nishrin Ismailbhai Marketwala

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible interconversion of CO2 and bicarbonate. We recently initiated a screen of a broad range of indoles and pyrroles possessing acyl-, carboxyl-, amido-, sulfonyl-, sulfamyl- and oxime- functionalities as potential inhibitors of á-CA II isozyme. As slight inhibition was observed in the case of 2-carboxamido-1-(phenylsulfonyl)pyrrole, and aware that pyrrole carboxamide derived sulfonamides had been previously demonstrated to possess CA inhibition, we sought to prepare a series of 1-(phenylsulfonyl)pyrrole-2-carboxamides but lacking a sulfonamide moiety to ascertain if the activity in our case might be due to a hitherto unrecognized pyrrole pharmacophore. To this …

The Modeling Of Solubility, Frank Christopher Campanell

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this work the solubilities of gases in liquids and liquids in liquids were modeled using both physical properties and topological descriptors of the solutes. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methods were employed to create single-linear regression (SLR) and multiple-linear regression (MLR) models of the solubilities. Factor analysis was employed to determine the number of significant factors present in the solubilities. The solubilities of monoalcohols in water, halogenated alkanes in water, gases in water, gases in alkanes, and gases in alcohols were examined and modeled.

Negative Impact Of Noise On The Principal Component Analysis Of Nmr Data, Steven M. Halouska, Robert Powers

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Principal component analysis (PCA) is routinely applied to the study of NMR based metabolomic data. PCA is used to simplify the examination of complex metabolite mixtures obtained from biological samples that may be composed of hundreds or thousands of chemical components. PCA is primarily used to identify relative changes in the concentration of metabolites to identify trends or characteristics within the NMR data that permits discrimination between various samples that differ in their source or treatment. A common concern with PCA of NMR data is the potential over emphasis of small changes in high concentration metabolites that would over-shadow signifi …

Stability Of Warfarin Solutions For Drug–Protein Binding Measurements: Spectroscopic And Chromatographic Studies, Annette C. Moser, Charles A. Kingsbury, David S. Hage

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Warfarin is commonly used in drug–protein binding studies as a displacement marker for Sudlow site I on the protein human serum albumin (HSA). This study examined the stability of aqueous warfarin solutions prepared for such experiments. This was investigated using NMR spectroscopy and affinity chromatography. It was found by 1H NMR that warfarin underwent a slow first-order conversion in aqueous solution. The rate of this reaction increased with temperature, giving rate constants at pH 7.4 of 0.0086 h⁻¹ at 25 °C and 0.041 h⁻¹ at 37 °C. It was concluded from further 1H and 13C NMR studies, along …

Isothermal Titration Calorimetry And Transmission Electron Microscopy Of Main-Chain Viologen Polymer Containing Bromide As Counerions, Pradip K. Bhowmik, Marcos A. Cheney, Haesook Han, Longzhou Ma

Transmission Electron Microscope

Polyelectrolytes are an important class of macromolecules that contain dissociable ionic groups. When introduced into polar solvent, usually the universal solvent water, dissociation takes place so that electrically charged macromolecule is suspended in solution. The electrostatic interaction is operative between ionized groups inside the macromolecule, between the macromolecules, between the counterions, and between the macromolecule and counterion. Since this interaction is characterized by its long-range nature, the solution exhibits various interesting properties including the polyelectrolyte behavior very different from solutions of neutral polymers.

Analytical Potential Of Polymerized Liposomes Bound To Lanthanide Ions For Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Proteins, Marina Santos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the intriguing features of biological systems is the prevalence of highly selective and often very strong interactions among different cellular components. Such interactions play a variety of organizational, mechanical, and physiological roles at the cellular and organism levels. Antigen-antibody complexes are representative examples of highly selective and potent interactions involving proteins. The marked specificity of protein-antibody complexes have led to a wide range of applications in cellular and molecular biology related research. They have become an integral research tool in the present genomic and proteomic era. Unfortunately, the production of selective tools based on antigen-antibody interactions requires cumbersome …

The Redox Couple Of The Cytochrome C Cyanide Complex: The Contribution Of Heme Iron Ligation To The Structural Stability, Chemical Reactivity, And Physiological Behavior Of Horse Cytochrome C, Abel Schejter, Michael D. Ryan, Erica R. Blizzard, Chongyao Zhang, Emanuel Margoliash, Benjamin A. Feinberg

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Contrary to most heme proteins, ferrous cytochrome c does not bind ligands such as cyanide and CO. In order to quantify this observation, the redox potential of the ferric/ferrous cytochrome c–cyanide redox couple was determined for the first time by cyclic voltammetry. Its E⁰′ was −240 mV versus SHE, equivalent to −23.2 kJ/mol. The entropy of reaction for the reduction of the cyanide complex was also determined. From a thermodynamic cycle that included this new value for the cyt c cyanide complex E⁰′, the binding constant of cyanide to the reduced protein was estimated to …

Development Of Analytical Techniques For The Analysis Of Submicron Particles And Protein Aggregates, Yohannes H. Rezenom

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to develop analytical techniques for the analysis of heterogeneous mixtures of submicron particles and protein aggregates. In Chapter 2, a simple and reproducible technique for constructing perfectly aligned gaps in fused-silica capillaries has been developed for postcolumn reagent addition with capillary electrophoresis (CE) to take advantage of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. This technique uses laser ablation with a Nd:YAG laser to create gaps of 14.0 ¡Ó 2.2 ƒÝm. These structures have been used for reagent addition for postcolumn derivatization with LIF detection and have been tested for the separation of …

Application Of Polymeric Microfluidic Devices For Separation Of Single-Stranded Dna, Shawn Llopis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microsystems targeted for DNA sequencing, especially those focused on electrophoretic separations, are rapidly proving their viability to genomic research, mimicking the progress made when capillary electrophoresis developed from miniaturizing slab gel electrophoresis techniques. Being the more recent electrophoretic separation platform, the commercial availability of microchip electrophoresis devices remains relatively limited. To this extent, high-aspect ratio microstructures formed in thermo plastics have been developed using rapid fabrication methods from molding tools designed for mass replication of high-aspect ratio microfeatures. In this work, the choice and compatibility of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) – the primary substrate for DNA separations in this work – was …

Two-Dimensional And High-Throughput Electrophoretic Separation Of Proteins Using Polymeric Microchips, Hamed Shadpour

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A major task in proteomics is to identify proteins from a biological sample using two-dimensional (2-D) separation prior to mass spectrometry of peptides generated via proteolytic digestion of the proteins. For 2-D separations, microfluidic devices are superior to bench top and capillary-based systems since they potentially provide higher separation efficiencies due to the minimal dead volumes produced during peak transfer between the two separation dimensions. In addition, fast separations can be envisioned because the column lengths are typically shorter in microfluidic platforms without scarifying peak capacity. High-throughput capabilities are extremely desirable for many types of bio-analytical analyses, such as understanding …

Influence Of Surface Chemistry On The Aggregation Of Beta Amyloid Peptide, Mariah Joan Wooldridge Mcmasters

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological ailment affecting 4.5 million aging Americans. The disease is characterized by the presence in the brain of self-assembled fibrils consisting of beta amyloid protein (Aβ). Soluble Aβ protein is present in normal human cerebrospinal fluid, but it is unclear what makes the protein aggregate into insoluble plaques. There is evidence that the Aβ fibril assembly is affected by interactions with biological surfaces, such as neuronal membranes. Here, surfaces consisting of self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers with different end groups were used to test the effect of surface chemistry on the structure and morphology of aggregates formed …

Synthesis, Characterization And Properties Of Cooper(Ii) Beta-Diketonate Macrocycles, Sylvester Burton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation deals with the synthesis and properties of multidentate β-diketone ligands and their transition-metal complexes. (1) We prepared two bis(β-diketones), C₁BAH₂ and p-XBAH₂ (see sketch below), determined their crystal structures, and studied their reactions with copper(II). We envisioned that they would form macrocyclic complexes with 3-6 metal atoms. In both cases, although the initial products are soluble, as expected for the desired molecular products, we were unable to isolate well-behaved molecular solids. In the case of C₁BAH₂, this may be because the cyclic product requires an unusual combination of conformations of …

Dna Damage Responses In Progeroid Syndromes Arise From Defective Maturation Of Prelamin A, Michael Sinensky, Y. Liu, A. Rusinol, Y. Wang, Y. Zou

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

The genetic diseases Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and restrictive dermopathy (RD) arise from accumulation of farnesylated prelamin A because of defects in the lamin A maturation pathway. Both of these diseases exhibit symptoms that can be viewed as accelerated aging. The mechanism by which accumulation of farnesylated prelamin A leads to these accelerated aging phenotypes is not understood. Here we present evidence that in HGPS and RD fibroblasts, DNA damage checkpoints are persistently activated because of the compromise in genomic integrity. Inactivation of checkpoint kinases Ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and ATR (ATM- and Rad3-related) in these patient cells can partially overcome their …

Farnesylated Lamins, Progeroid Syndromes And Farnesyl Transferase Inhibitors, Michael Sinensky, A. E. Rusinol

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Three mammalian nuclear lamin proteins, lamin B1, lamin B2 and the lamin A precursor, prelamin A, undergo canonical farnesylation and processing at CAAX motifs. In the case of prelamin A, there is an additional farnesylation-dependent endoproteolysis, which is defective in two congenital diseases: Hutchinson-Gilford progeria (HGPS) and restrictive dermopathy (RD). These two diseases arise respectively from defects in the prelamin A substrate and the enzyme (ZmpSte24) that processes it. Recent work has shed light on the roles of the lamin proteins and the enzymes involved in their farnesylation-dependent maturation. Other experimental work, including mouse model studies, have examined the possibility …

Photochemical Applications To The Study Of Complexity Phospholipid Bilayer Environments, Christopher John Wohl Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The physical and biophysical properties of a biological membrane model, phosphatidylcholine bilayers, were investigated using novel spiropyran/merocyanine molecular probes. The femtosecond to second dynamics of this system's photochemistry enabled bilayer viscosity and free volume to be studied over a broad time scale. Spiropyrans/merocyanines with different polarity were synthesized by changing the substitution of the indole moiety enabling determination of the trans-membrane properties of the bilayer. In addition, transient grating spectroscopy was used to study thermal energy transfer in phospholipid bilayers on a picosecond time scale.Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to study the photo-induced spiropyran ring-opening and isomerization reactions that …