Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization And Magnetic Properties Of Core/Shell Structured Fe/Au Nanoparticles, Sung-Jin Cho, Susan M. Kauzlarich, Justin Olamit, Kai Liu, Fernande Grandjean, Leïla Rebbouh, Gary J. Long

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Au-coated Fe nanoparticles have been prepared by using a reverse micelle method through reduction of an aqueous solution. Characterizations have been carried out over time to probe the oxidation of Fe. Immediately after synthesis, the samples exhibit metallic conduction and a negative magnetoresistance, consistent with the presence of α-Fe. The temperature dependence of magnetization displays a maximum at a blocking temperature of around 150 K. After a period of 1 month, the samples exhibit insulating behavior, indicating the oxidation of the Fe core. Mössbauer spectroscopy indicates the presence of an α-Fe component and a broad distribution of local environments.

Evidence That Hsp90 Is Involved In The Altered Interactions Of Acanthamoeba Castellanii Variants With Bacteria, Ling Yan, Ronald Cerny, Jeffrey D. Cirillo

Ronald Cerny Publications

There are many similarities between the interactions of environmental protozoa with pathogenic bacterial species and those observed in mammalian macrophages. Since single-celled protozoa predate mammalian hosts, it is likely that interactions in environmental biofilms have selected for many of the bacterial virulence mechanisms responsible for human disease. In order to better understand bacterial-phagocyte interactions, we developed a selection for Acanthamoeba castellanii variants that are more resistant to killing by bacterial pathogens. We identified four amoebal clones that display decreased phagocytosis of bacteria but no difference in uptake of latex beads compared to wild-type amoebae. These amoebal variants display differences in …

Velocity And Temperature Characterization Of The First Vacuum Stage Expansion In An Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometer, William Neil Radicic

Theses and Dissertations

The inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) is the analytical instrument of choice for trace element detection and quantification. Despite the popularity of ICP-MS, significant degradation in sensitivity and precision occurs as the result of matrix and instrument-induced effects. The sources of these effects are not well understood, characterized, or correlated to particular plasma operating condition settings or matrix compositions and involve both neutral and charged species. The purpose of this study is to characterize the behavior of metastable Ar (I) atom and Ca (II) ion through the measurement of Doppler velocities and fluorescence line width "temperatures."

For the …

Evaluating The Contributions Of Desolvation And Base-Stacking During Translesion Dna Synthesis, Xuemei Zhang, Irene Lee, Anthony J. Berdis

Chemistry Faculty Publications

DNA polymerases catalyze the insertion of a nucleoside triphosphate into the growing polymer chain using the template strand as a guide. Numerous factors such as hydrogen bonding interactions, base-stacking contributions, and desolvation play important roles in controlling the efficiency and fidelity of this process. We previously demonstrated that 5-nitro-indolyl-2′-deoxyriboside triphosphate, a non-natural nucleobase with enhanced base-stacking properties, was more efficiently inserted opposite a non-templating DNA lesion compared to natural templating nucleobases (E. Z. Reineks and A. J. Berdis, Biochemistry, 2004, 43, 393–404). The catalytic enhancement was proposed to reflect increased base-stacking interactions of the non-natural nucleobase with the polymerase and …

N9 Alkylation And Glycosylation Of Purines; A Practical Synthesis Of 2-Chloro-2'-Deoxyadenosine, Minghong Zhong

Theses and Dissertations

(a) The Robins reagent [2-acetamido-6-O-(diphenylcarbamoyl)purine] was utilized for glycosylation under Lewis acid conditions. Regioselectivity of glycosylation depends on the glycosyl donor and its 2-O- or 2-N-protecting group. Regioselective N9 glycosylation of 2-acetamido-6-O-(diphenylcarbamoyl)purine with problematic glucosamine has been accomplished by protecting the amino function as a phthalimido group with consequent stabilization of the oxocarbenium cation, and lowering the activation energy by introduction of trichloroacetimidate at the anomeric carbon.

(b) 6-Heteroaryl functions [6-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl) and 6-(imidazol-1-yl)] were introduced into purine derivatives for regioselective N9 alkylation. The regiospecificity of alkylation mainly results from steric effects due to the coplanar conformation of the two linked …

Experimental And Theoretical Studies On The Pharmacodynamics Of Cisplatin In Jurkat Cells, Kirk A. Tacka, Dava Szalda, Abdul-Kader Souid, Jerry Goodisman, James C. Dabrowiak

Chemistry - All Scholarship

For Jurkat cells in culture exposed to cisplatin (1), we measured the number of platinum adducts on DNA and showed that it is proportional to the AUC, the area under the concentration vs time curve, for cisplatin. The number of platinum-DNA adducts is measured immediately following exposure to drug. The AUC is calculated either as the product of the initial cisplatin concentration and the exposure time or as the integral under the concentration vs time curve for the unreacted dichloro species, which decreases exponentially. We also show that the number of adducts correlates with decreases in respiration, with the amount …

Large-Scale Expression And Purification Of Gst-Caveolin Fusion Proteins, Deidre L. Carroll

McCabe Thesis Collection

In this thesis, I will discuss the study I conducted from June 2, 2003 to July 31, 2003 at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, facilitated by Dr. Michael Elliott, funded by the Undergraduate Biomedical Education Program at Langston University, expressing and purifying GST-Cav~olin fusion proteins on a large-scale. Caveolins are the principle constituents of caveolae. Caveolae are flask-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. Caveolae are most abundant in endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and myocytes (Smart et al. 1999). These structures participate in three main areas of cell physiology: endocytosis (Henley et al. 1999), cholesterol …

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Andy Grossman, Donna Mcaleer, Jennifer Vaughan, Carol C. Harter, Ronald Yasbin

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Genetic Analysis Of Acetone Carboxylase In Azotobacter Vinelandii, Jessica Gardner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Acetone carboxylase, an inducible multimeric enzyme found in several bacteria, catalyzes the carboxylation of acetone to produce acetoacetate. This is an important reaction for the bacteria because, upon addition of coenzyme A, the acetoacetate can be converted to acetyl-CoA, a common metabolic intermediate. Azotobacter vinelandii, one of the bacteria that produces acetone carboxylase, has two different genes encoding this enzyme. We knocked out the first of these by disrupting it with a kanamycin cassette to help us understand the function of the second gene. Knocking out the gene will also make possible the use of site-directed mutagenesis to further study …

Determination Of Lactose By Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography., Danessa Leann Sexton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lactose is the common disaccharide found in dairy products. It can, however, be a source of discomfort for those whom are lactose intolerant. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately, reliably, and efficiently determine the lactose content of foods. The goal of this research was to develop a reversed-phase HPLC method with UV detection for the determination of lactose. Aminobenzoic acid was used to prepare a derivative, making detection possible in the 300-360 nm region. The stationary phase is a C8 column, with 85% methanol 15% water mixture at pH 5 as the mobile phase. A linear response of peak area …

Role Of Iron In The Mechanism Of Asbestos-Induced Apoptosis In Human Lung And Pleural Target Cells, Aleksander Baldys

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Occupational exposure to asbestos has been associated with increased incidence of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, mesothelioma of the pleura, and bronchogenic carcinoma. Although the mechanism by which asbestos causes cancer remains unknown, iron associated with asbestos is thought to play a role in the pathogenic effects of fibers.

The aim of this research was to examine and compare the asbestos-induced signaling phenomena in relevant human lung and pleural target cells, and to determine the role of iron from asbestos fibers in these events. Exposure of human airway epithelial (A549) cells, human pleural mesothelial (MET5A) cells, and normal human small airway epithelial …

Identification Of An Il-17-Producing Nk1.1neg Inkt Cell Population Involved In Airway Neutrophilia, Paul B. Savage, Marie-Laure Michel, Alexandre Castro Keller, Christophe Paget, Masakazu Fujio, Francois Trottein, Chi-Huey Wong, Elke Schneider, Michael Dy, Maria C. Leite-De-Moraes

Faculty Publications

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are an important source of both T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines, through which they can exert beneficial, as well as deleterious, effects in a variety of inflammatory diseases. This functional heterogeneity raises the question of how far phenotypically distinct subpopulations are responsible for such contrasting activities. In this study, we identify a particular set of iNKT cells that lack the NK1.1 marker (NK1.1neg) and secrete high amounts of interleukin (IL)-17 and low levels of interferon (IFN)-{gamma} and IL-4. NK1.1neg iNKT cells produce IL-17 upon synthetic ({alpha}-galactosylceramide [{alpha}-GalCer] or PBS-57), as well …

Immobilization Of Fission Iodine By Reaction With A Fullerene Containing Carbon Compound And Insoluble Natural Organic Matrix, Spencer M. Steinberg

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The recovery of iodine released during the processing of used nuclear fuel poses a significant challenge to the transmutation of radioactive iodine. During the first two years of this program the use of Fullerene Containing Carbon (FCC) compounds and Natural Organic Matter (NOM) as potential sorbents for iodine release from the reprocessing of nuclear fuel was examined. This work also included the development of bench-scale testing capabilities at UNLV to allow the testing of the FCC and NOM materials in a simulated process off-gas environment. In the final year of the project we will complete studies of FCC and NOM …

A Conserved Aspartate (Asp-1393) Regulates Nadph Reduction Of Neuronal Nitric-Oxide Synthase: Implications For Catalysis, Koustubh Panda, Subrata Adak, David Konas, Manisha Sharma, Dennis J. Stuehr

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Nitric-oxide synthases (NOSs) are flavo-heme enzymes whose electron transfer reactions are controlled by calmodulin (CaM). The NOS flavoprotein domain includes a ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR)-like module that contains NADPH- and FAD-binding sites. FNR-like modules in related flavoproteins have three conserved residues that regulate electron transfer between bound NAD(P)H and FAD. To investigate the function of one of these residues in neuronal NOS (nNOS), we generated and characterized mutants that had Val, Glu, or Asn substituted for the conserved Asp-1393. All three mutants exhibited normal composition, spectral properties, and binding of cofactors, substrates, and CaM. All had slower NADPH-dependent cytochrome c and …

Fluorescence Detectors For Proteins And Toxic Heavy Metals, Uchenna Prince Paul

Theses and Dissertations

An inexpensive detector for proteins is described. The detection technique was based on two-photon excitation intrinsic protein fluorescence using a visible 532 nm diode-pumped nano laser as the excitation source. Proteins that exhibit intrinsic fluorescence must contain at least one tryptophan, tyrosine, or phenylalanine residue in their amino acid sequences. The detector was characterized and was found to have a detection limit of 4 micro-molar for tryptophan, 22 micro-molar for tyrosine and 500 micro-molar for phenylalanine. Bovine serum albumin, a serum protein with 3 tryptophan residues in its amino acid sequence was also used to characterize the detector. It was …

Determining The Biosynthetic Sequence In The Early Steps Of The Fumonisin Pathway By Use Of Three Gene-Disruption Mutants Of Fusarium Verticillioides, Ravi S. Bojja, Ronald Cerny, Robert H. Proctor, Liangcheng Du

Ronald Cerny Publications

Fumonisins are polyketide-derived mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides, a fungal pathogen of corn plants. Although a gene cluster for the biosynthesis of fumonisins has been cloned, the biosynthetic pathway is still not clear. We have used three gene-disrupted mutants, designated ΔFUM1, ΔFUM6, and ΔFUM8, to study the early steps of the pathway. Fumonisins were not produced in single-strain cultures of the ΔFUM1, ΔFUM6, and ΔFUM8 mutants. However, fumonisins were produced by ΔFUM1 or ΔFUM8 mutants when they were cocultured with the ΔFUM6 mutant. No fumonisins were produced when the ΔFUM1 and ΔFUM8 mutants were cocultured. These results suggest that …

Analysis Of Clinically Important Compounds Using Electrophoretic Separation Techniques Coupled To Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Zlatuse Durda Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Capillary electrophoretic (CE) separations were successfully coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometric (TOFMS) detection for the analysis of three families of biological compounds that act as mediators and/or indicators of disease, namely, catecholamines (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine) and their O-methoxylated metabolites (3-methoxytyramine, norepinephrine, and normetanephrine), indolamines (serotonin, tryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan), and angiotensin peptides. While electrophoretic separation techniques provided high separation efficiency, mass spectrometric detection afforded specificity unsurpassed by other types of detectors.

Both catecholamines and indolamines are present in body fluids at concentrations that make it possible for them to be determined by capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to TOFMS without employing any …

Ab Initio Studies Of Π⋯Π Interactions: The Effects Of Quadruple Excitations, Brian W. Hopkins, Gregory S. Tschumper

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

To examine the effects of including quadruple excitations in the electron correlation treatment when computing the binding energy of van der Waals dimers, we have calculated MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T), and CCSD(TQ) interaction energies for several van der Waals complexes ranging from helium dimer to furan dimer. Through comparison of CCSD(TQ) and CCSD(T) binding energies the first direct assessment of the effects of quadruple excitations on π⋯π interactions is presented. The influence of triple excitations is assessed not only in the conventional manner that permeates the literature (comparison of CCSD(T) and MP2 interaction energies) but also via comparison of CCSD(T) and …

Hybrid Atomistic-Coarse-Grained Treatment Of Thin-Film Lubrication. I, Z.-B. Wu, Dennis J. Diestler, Ruqiang Feng, Xiao Cheng Zeng

Xiao Cheng Zeng Publications

A technique that melds an atomistic description of the interfacial region with a coarse-grained description of the far regions of the solid substrates is presented and applied to a two-dimensional model contact consisting of planar solid substrates separated by a monolayer fluid film. The hybrid method yields results in excellent agreement with the “exact” (i.e., fully atomistic) results. The importance of a proper accounting for the elastic response of the substrates, which is reliably and efficiently accomplished through coarse-graining of the far regions, is demonstrated.

Measurement Of The Anticancer Agent Gemcitabine And Its Deaminated Metabolite At Low Concentrations In Human Plasma By Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Yan Xu, Bruce Keith, Jean L. Grem

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination of the anticancer agent gemcitabine (dFdC) and its metabolite 2′,2′-difluoro-2′-deoxyuridine (dFdU) in human plasma. An Oasis® HLB solid phase extraction cartridge was used for plasma sample preparation. Separation of the analytes was achieved with a YMC ODS-AQ (5 μm, 120 Å, mm) column. The initial composition of the mobile phase was 2% methanol/98% 5 mM ammonium acetate at pH 6.8 (v/v), and the flow rate was 0.2 ml/min. An isocratic gradient was used for 3 min, followed by a linear gradient over 4 min to 30% …

Sensing Of Aqueous Phosphates By Polymers With Dual Modes Of Signal Transduction, Dmitry Aldakov, Pavel Anzenbacher Jr.

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A new approach to sensing of aqueous phosphate-related anions based on chromogenic conductive polymers is demonstrated. This method utilizes synergy between low-level p-doping in a polythiophene polymer and hydrogen bonding to increase anion-sensor affinity. These chromogenic conductive polymers show anion-specific changes both in color and in conductivity upon increasing concentration of anions, thus providing two independent modes of signal transduction.

Fum3p, A 2-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase Required For C-5 Hydroxylation Of Fumonisins In Fusarium Verticillioides, Yousong Ding, Ravi S. Bojja, Liangcheng Du

Liangcheng Du Publications

Fumonisins are polyketide-derived mycotoxins produced by several agriculturally important Fusarium species. The B series fumonisins, FB₁, FB₂, FB₃, and FB₄, are fumonisins produced by wild-type Fusarium verticillioides strains, differing in the number and location of hydroxyl groups attached to the carbon backbone. We characterized the protein encoded by FUM3, a gene in the fumonisin biosynthetic gene cluster. The 33-kDa FUM3 protein (Fum3p) was heterologously expressed and purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast cells expressing the Fum3p converted FB₃ to FB₁, indicating that Fum3p catalyzes the C-5 hydroxylation of fumonisins. …

Developmental Changes In Pedunculopontine Nucleus (Ppn) Neurons, T. Kobayashi, C. Good, J. Biedermann, Christina B. Cooley, R. D. Skinner, E. E. García-Rill

Chemistry Faculty Research

The developmental decrease in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep in man occurs between birth and after puberty. We hypothesize that if this decrease in REM sleep does not occur, lifelong increases in REM sleep drive may ensue. Such disorders are characterized by hypervigilance and sensory-gating deficits, such as are present in postpubertal onset disorders like schizophrenia, panic attacks (a form of anxiety disorder), and depression. The decrease in REM sleep in the rat occurs between 10 and 30 days of age. We studied changes in size and physiological properties of pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) cells involved in the control of arousal, i.e., waking …

Fighting Antibiotic Resistance: The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L, L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase From Haemophilus Influenzae In A Dinuclear Metallohydrolase, Nathaniel J. Cosper, David L. Bienvenue, Jacob E. Shokes, Danuta M. Gilner, Takashi Tsukamoto, Robert A. Scott, Richard C. Holz

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Heterogeneous Chemistry Involving Methanol In Tropospheric Clouds, A. Tabazadeh, Robert J. Yokelson, H. B. Singh, Peter V. Hobbs, J. H. Crawford, L. T. Iraci

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In this report we analyze airborne measurements to suggest that methanol in biomass burning smoke is lost heterogeneously in clouds. When a smoke plume intersected a cumulus cloud during the SAFARI 2000 field project, the observed methanol gas phase concentration rapidly declined. Current understanding of gas and aqueous phase chemistry cannot explain the loss of methanol documented by these measurements. Two plausible heterogeneous reactions are proposed to explain the observed simultaneous loss and production of methanol and formaldehyde, respectively. If the rapid heterogeneous processing of methanol, seen in a cloud impacted by smoke, occurs in more pristine clouds, it could …

Alcohol Oxidase 1 Regulatory Nucleotide Sequences For Heterologous Gene Expression In Yeast, Mehmet İnan, Michael Meagher, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

Polynucleotides that comprise regulatory regions of the yeast alcohol oxidase 1 promoter are provided. Isolated polynucleotides, recombinant polynucleotides, vectors, expression cassettes and transformed cells containing the regulatory regions are disclosed. Proteins produced by the transformed cells are also provided.

An Evaluation Of Formate As An Electron Donor To Facilitate Palladium (Pd) - Catalyzed Destruction Of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons, Matthew D. Welling

Theses and Dissertations

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and trichloroethane (TCA) are probable human carcinogens that have been used widely within the DoD, primarily as solvents for cleaning and metal degreasing. These compounds are frequently found to be groundwater contaminants. In fact, TCE and PCE are the first and third most commonly detected groundwater contaminants nationwide. The focus of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using a palladium (Pd) catalyst with formate as a reductant to treat CAH-contaminated groundwater. TCE was used as a model CAH. Other investigators have focused on hydrogen gas (H₂) …

Inside Unlv, Katrina Hudak, Carol C. Harter, James Frey

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

The Creation Of Organic And Biological Nanostructures At Surfaces Using Scanning Probe Nanolithography, B. L. Weeks, Chin Li Cheung, J. J. De Yoreo

Barry Chin Li Cheung Publications

As the size of microelectronic devices continues to shrink and the desire to build in hierarchical structures of organic and biological materials grows, control of the chemistry and structure of materials at the molecular level will become increasingly important. Conventional lithographic techniques to pattern polymeric thin films are beginning to reach their resolution limit and several alternative "bottom-up" strategies have emerged that use the scanning probe microscope to manipulate matter at the atomic or molecular scale. Of these new scanning probe nanolithography (SPN) techniques, dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) [I] and scanning probe nanografting (SNG) [2] are particularly promising.

The DPN methodology …

An Evaluation Of Formic Acid As An Electron Donor For Palladium (Pd) Catalyzed Destruction Of Nitroaromatic Compounds, Mark R. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is responsible for over 2,000 hazardous waste sites containing nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) such as 2,4,6-TNT, 2,4- and 2,6-DNT that resulted from the production and use of munitions throughout the nation and world, NACs are typically persistent in natural environments, though they can be oxidized or reduced under engineered conditions, NACs and their reduction products are toxic chemicals and suspected human carcinogens, Both TNT and 2,4-DNT are listed as priority pollutants by the U,S EPA, This study investigates the effectiveness of using a palladium (Pd) catalyst in concert with formic acid as an electron donor to reduce …