Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Landfill Leachate For Enhanced Metal Recovery, Hanna Fulford, Amisha Shah, Inez Hua, Nadezhda Zyaykina, Lori Hoagland, Alejandro Rodriguez Sanchez, Umut Bicim

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Landfills contain a trove of valuable materials, such as critical, precious, and rare earth metals, that are integral to the United State’s economy and national security. The leachate that filters through landfills picks up these materials, which allows for the possibility of recovery. For this research, samples will be analyzed from landfills throughout the Midwestern United States to provide a baseline on water quality constituents, elements present, and microbial activity. Preliminary data for this study was acquired by analyzing samples of landfill leachate from a landfill in northern Indiana. pH readings indicate that the leachate is slightly basic. It also …

Flavonoids Reduce Lipid Peroxides And Increase Glutathione Levels In Pooled Human Liver Microsomes (Hlms), William Yaw Boadi, Camille Stevenson, Dontrez Johnson, Mohamed Adel Mohamed

Chemistry Faculty Research

The effects of each of the flavonoids; genistein (G), quercetin (Q) and kaempferol (K) at several doses on lipid peroxides (LP) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in pooled human liver microsomes (HLMs) were investigated following the oxidative damage for 4, 6, 18 and 24 hr. HLMs (1 mg/ml) were exposed to each of the above flavonoids at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 μM and incubated for the respective times as previously stated. Our hypothesis was that HLMs exposed to the flavonoids for the respective exposure times can decrease LP and increase GSH in HLMs to better cope with the …

Mass Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting: High-Throughput Maldi Platform And Large Protein Complexes Of Baf, Ruidong Jiang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Human’s advances in understanding biological processes rely heavily on the breakthroughs in biophysical tools. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based protein footprinting, which interrogates protein structures by measuring protein solvent assessable surface area (SASA), has grown rapidly in the last decade, successful in providing valuable data for numerous protein systems. This thesis focuses mainly on this technology.We set out to push the boundary of MS-based protein footprinting further into the new areas, preparing it for potential future applications including large-scale experiments that require high-throughput analysis the structure of large, complicated protein complexes. This thesis devotes five chapters to the method development of MS-based …

Cyclodextrin-Based Supramolecular Drug-Delivery Nanomaterials And Shear-Thinning Hydrogels Using Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization, Ruihan Li

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cyclodextrins (CD) are a family of oligosaccharides that can non-covalently and precisely bind small hydrophobic drug molecules, such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs, through well-defined host-guest interactions inside the inner cavity of the macrocycle. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a versatile, functional group tolerant method of polymerization that is underexplored in biomedical applications relative to the more common controlled chain-growth polymerizations. In this dissertation, I describe my efforts to combine the supramolecular chemistry of CDs with that of ROMP using specialized functional monomers to synthesize several CD-based polymeric drug delivery nanomaterials. For example, in Chapter 2, a new type of …

Modifying The Aspect Survey To Support The Validity Of Student Perception Data From Different Active Learning Environments, Nicole Naibert, Erin E. Shortlidge, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Measuring students’ perceptions of active learning activities may provide valuable insight into their engagement and subsequent performance outcomes. A recently published measure, the Assessing Student Engagement in Class Tool (ASPECT), was developed to assess student perceptions of various active learning environments. As such, we sought to use this measure in our courses to assess the students’ perceptions of different active learning environments. Initial results analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that the ASPECT did not function as expected in our active learning environments. Therefore, before administration within an introductory biology course that incorporated two types of active learning strategies, …

Using Single-Particle Fluorescence Microscopy To Elucidate The Role Of Structural Distortions And Defects In The Chemical Reactivity And Photophysics Of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals, Dong Wang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Colloidal cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br or I) are attractive for optoelectronic applications due to their unique chemical and physical properties including high photoluminescence quantum yield, tunable bandgaps, high defect tolerance, and low-cost processibility. A facile method to tune the emission wavelength of perovskite nanocrystals is through anion exchange. For light emission applications, it is desirable to prepare CsPbX3 nanocrystals of uniform size and composition. However, the complex reaction kinetics of this chemical transformation may limit the compositional uniformity and color purity of the CsPbX3 nanocrystals produced by anion exchange when the transformation is scaled …

Visualizing Phytochemical-Protein Interaction Networks: Momordica Charantia And Cancer, Yumi L. Briones, Alexander T. Young, Fabian M. Dayrit, Armando Jerome De Jesus, Nina Rosario L. Rojas

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The in silico study of medicinal plants is a rapidly growing field. Techniques such as reverse screening and network pharmacology are used to study the complex cellular action of medicinal plants against disease. However, it is difficult to produce a meaningful visualization of phytochemical-protein interactions (PCPIs) in the cell. This study introduces a novel workflow combining various tools to visualize a PCPI network for a medicinal plant against a disease. The five steps are 1) phytochemical compilation, 2) reverse screening, 3) network building, 4) network visualization, and 5) evaluation. The output is a PCPI network that encodes multiple dimensions of …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Bacterial Virus Components: An Empirical Investigation Of The Killing Capacity Of Toxins From Burkholderia, Kyle Walny

Honors Projects

Given the growing issue in healthcare of antibiotic resistance, effective and safe alternative treatment methods are required. One of these possible alternative treatment methods is bacteriotoxins including bacteriocins and tailocins. The focus of this study is a bacteriotoxin from Burkholderia cenocepacia (ATCC 25608), which was induced for toxin using a modified UV light induction procedure and tested against a variety of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia for its killing capacity. Various other pathogenic strains were then induced with UV light and tested. The results showed that the toxin from ATCC 25608 was very effective against most of the Burkholderia tested and warrants …

Seasonal Flammability Comparisons Of Native And Exotic Plants In The Post Oak Savannah, Blackland Prairie, And Pineywoods Ecoregions Of Texas, Michael Tiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

East Texas’ diverse landscape can present year-round wildfire seasons that can be influenced by seasonal and regional differences in climate and physiography. Greater insight into the fundamental thermal behavior of wildland fuels can aid in fire behavior prediction and development of fire-resistant plant lists. This study focused on estimating seasonal and regional flammability characteristics of five evergreen species: yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), greenbrier (Smilax spp.), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and escarpment live oak (Quercus fusiformis); and two deciduous species: Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) and southern …

Developing Techniques For The Identification Of Non-Canonical Rna Pairing And Analysis Of Lc-Ms Datasets, Christopher Jurich

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Non-canonical pairing dynamics in ribonucleic acid (RNA) structureand statistical analysis of metabolomics liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) datasets are two difficult problems that stand as open challenges.

RNA folding algorithms are used across a variety of disciplines to predict structures when experimental elucidation techniques are inconvenient or impractical. Though successful and widely adopted, folding algorithms make simplifying assumptions for loop regions due to their complex interactions and associated difficulty with generating energy parameters for relevant non-canonical pairing interactions. Modeling assumptions and a lack of energy parameters for loops limit accuracy in these functional critical regions of RNA. This work describes …

Uniting Non-Empirical And Semi-Empirical Density Functional Approximation Strategies Using Constraint-Based Regularization, Trine K. Quady

University Honors Theses

In this work, we present a general framework that unites the two primary strategies for constructing density functional approximations (DFAs): non-empirical (NE) constraint satisfaction and semi-empirical (SE) data-driven optimization. The proposed method employs B-splines--bell-shaped spline functions with compact support--to construct each inhomogeneity correction factor (ICF). This choice offers several distinct advantages over a polynomial basis by enabling explicit enforcement of linear and non-linear constraints as well as ICF smoothness using Tikhonov regularization and penalized B-splines (P-splines). As proof of concept, we use this approach to construct CASE21--a Constrained And Smoothed semi-Empirical global hybrid generalized gradient approximation that completely satisfies all …

Comparative Toxicity, Phytochemistry, And Use Of 53 Philippine Medicinal Plants, Lydia M. Clemen-Pascual, Rene Angelo S. Macahig, Nina Rosario L. Rojas

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The study compares the toxicity of 53 selected medicinal plants commonly used in the Philippines to treat various diseases. It uses as a benchmark Vitex negundo L., which was approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration as an herbal drug for cough and asthma after passing clinical trials for safety and efficacy. The methods were chosen for their simplicity and accessibility even for resource-limited laboratories. Extracts (95 % ethanol) of the medicinal parts of the plants were (1) chemically profiled using qualitative phytochemical tests that detect the presence of key classes of bioactive compounds; and (2) evaluated for toxicity …

Disease Biomarker Discovery And Fungal Metabolites Extraction Protocol Optimization Using Gcms Based Metabolomics, Chathuri Udeshika Gamlath Mohottige

Theses and Dissertations

Metabolomics is a powerful science that can be applied for the discovery of disease biomarkers, and investigation of altered metabolomes due to abiotic and biotic perturbations. This dissertation is focused on untargeted metabolomic applications to investigate fungal metabolite alterations associated with pathogenicity, fungal disease propagations, and symbiosis. This dissertation employs qualitative analysis of metabolite mixtures using HS-SPME coupled GC-MS and TMS derivatization followed by GC-MS analytical platforms. In the first study, we discovered a biomarker combination to diagnose fungal soft tissue disease in sweet potato at an early stage of disease propagation. We used an HS-SPME GC-MS untargeted metabolomics workflow …

Characterization Of Small Molecules And Ions By Atmospheric Pressure Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Maleesha De Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a widely used technique for the characterization of a wide range of substances in diverse fields. The selection of appropriate ionization techniques, source parameters, charge carriers based on the analyte’s polarity is essential in MS as only the ions are detected. When using a soft ionization technique, single stage-MS at best provides only chemical composition; thus, tandem MS is needed to determine structural information and dissociation pathways. This dissertation focuses on the characterization of various small molecules and ions using different ionization techniques, charge carriers, and collision-induced dissociation (CID).

In Chapter II, commercially available ionic …

Modeling Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Large-Scale Intensive Cropping Systems In The Southern Amazon, Ciniro Costa Jr., Gillian L. Galford, Michael T. Coe, Marcia Macedo, Kathijo Jankowski, Christine S. O'Connell, Christopher Neill

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer use is rapidly intensifying on tropical croplands and has the potential to increase emissions of the greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide (N₂O). Since about 2005 Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil has shifted from single-cropped soybeans to double-cropping soybeans with maize, and now produces 1.5% of the world's maize. This production shift required an increase in N fertilization, but the effects on N₂O emissions are poorly known. We calibrated the process-oriented biogeochemical DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC) model to simulate N₂O emissions and crop production from soybean and soybean-maize cropping systems in MT. After model validation with …

Thermodynamic And Kinetic Of Eriochrome Black-T Adsorption Onto Yemeni Palm-Date Stones, Abdulrahman Yousef Wahoud, Sawsan Awadh Almaqdi

Hadhramout University Journal of Natural & Applied Sciences

Removal of eriochrome black-T (EB-T) dye from aqueous solutions was performed by adsorption onto Yemeni palmdate stones. The adsorption isotherm was found to follow the Langmuir model. Two simplified kinetic models including pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order equation were selected to follow the adsorption processes. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed pseudo-first order kinetic model. Various thermodynamic parameters such as Δ𝐻 = -3465.3 J/mole and Δ𝑆 = -10.1 J/K/mole. Δ𝐺 was found to be -4495.5, -2195.2, -2235.7 and -45.39 J/mole at 298, 318, 328 and 338 K respectively, the maximum adsorption capacity was equal to 142 mg/g. The results …

Quantum Mechanics-Based Computational Chemistry Has Become A Powerful Partner In The Scientific Research Of Nitrogen-Rich Compounds, Paving The Way For Important Advances In Biochemical, Pharmacological And Other Related Fields, Dobrushe Denburg

Student Theses and Dissertations

The Computational Chemistry of Nitrogen-Rich Compounds; Insight into Pioneering Research

Nitrogen-rich functional groups have long been studied for their diversity; nitrogen can form single, double and triple bonds with itself, and will therefore exist in a very broad range of molecular arrangements. Poly-nitrogen compounds are highly energetic and electron rich, and many compounds display unique properties that allow participation in very specialized chemical reactions. Of import is their ubiquity in biological systems, and throughout the past century and currently, their biological relevance is deeply and widely explored in biochemistry and biomedicine, from their involvement in natural biological processes and complex …

Mass Spectra Of Mesonic Molecules At Finite Temperature, Arezu Jahanshir, Mohammad Reza Soltani

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

At a finite temperature, exotic hadronic systems, mass spectrum was studied using the quark structure and the radial Schrödinger equation with the Cornell interaction potential representing the hadronic interaction. The projective unitary representation has been used in the study of hadronic ground states in physics. A relativistic bound state's mass spectrum with temperature dependence is shown to have a unique feature. The resulting values are compared to experimental and theoretical values, and the study showed a high level of conformity with additional values wherever feasible.

Efficiency Of +Idonblender Photogrammetric Tool In Facial Prosthetics Rehabilitation – An Evaluation Study, Mohammed R. Falih, Fanar M. Abed, Rodrigo Salazar-Gamarra, Luciano Lauria Dib

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Several open-source 3D modeling software tools have recently been featured to reconstruct a 3D image-based model using Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms such as +IDonBlender. It is, therefore, necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the models extracted from this tool to prove effectiveness for different applications. This paper aims to evaluate the +IDonBlender methodology tool in rehabilitating facial deformations. +IDonBlender is an add-on tool programmed within Blender software and designed for medical applications. In this research, two individuals from different genders have volunteered to contribute to this study, one with severe facial deformation and the other is healthy with no …

Proposed Hybrid Correlationfeatureselectionforestpanalizedattribute Approach To Advance Idss, Doaa Nteesha Mhawi, Prof. Soukaena H. Hashem

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

NetworkIntrusionDetectionSystem(NIDS), widely used network infrastructure. Although many datamining has been used to increase the effectiveness of IDSs, current ID still struggle to perform well. therfore; proposed a new NIDS focused on feature_selection. The proposed CorrelationFeatureSelection_ForestPanalizedAttributes(CFS_FPA) used for dimensionality_reduction and selects the optimal_subset. based on two steps: first check each feature with a target(class) and choose only features that most effective by applying CFS filter using a statistical_method, then applied FPA to select only features will enhance ID and reduce_dimensionality. proposal tested with the NSLKDD experimental results of accuracy 0.997% and 0.004 FAR, wherein UNSWNB15_dataset accuracy and FAR are 0.995%, 0.008 …

Analysis Of Modern Communication Protocols For Iot Applications, Neerendra Kumar, Pragti Jamwal

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

To facilitate increasing interactions of machines, various protocols are building up for IoT applications. Safeguarding communication among devices is necessary. In this paper, various protocols have been studied and compared using six parameters: Communication overhead, Security, Packet Loss, Throughput, Bandwidth and Support to QoS. LIDOR is found as the most successful communication protocol. A tabulated comparison of various communication protocols have been provided by comparing the parameters. Further, six star rating for the various protocols have been proposed. The study shows that LIDOR increases reliability under DoS attacks. Considering the existing literature, new research gaps and challenges have been presented.

The Effect Of Diode Laser On The Life And Appearance Of White Ant (Psammotermes Hypostoma), Estabraq Mahmood Mahdi Msc, Sahar Naji Rashid Msc., Saeed Maher Lafta Ph.D., Arshad Mahdi Hamad Msc

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This work focused on studying effect of diode laser on external appearance of white ants, and finding the percentage of mortality resulting from this beam of (650nm),(5mW),exposure times (60,70,80,90,100)sec at (3,5)cm for each exposure. The results recorded showed a clear increase in death rates, and increase in deformations as laser exposure times increased (higher percentage at lower distance), where laser was used to capture results of this therapeutic effect after passage time periods (12,24,48,72)hours. These results, show laser thermal effects resulting from its interaction with tissues, thermal propagation leads to ravage to the structures, thus to an increase death rates.

Calculation And Comparison Of Certain Physical Properties Of Sample Irregular Galaxies With The Milky Way Galaxy, Hasanain Hassan Al-Dahlaki Msc

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Irregular galaxies often include a mix of old and young celestial populations, as well as dust and gas. This study makes an early effort at the morphological classification of irregular galaxies. These sources have been chosen from (70) irregular galaxies data samples from a Catalogue survey. We present a statistical analysis of the physical properties for the chosen data from the database and a collection of tools that used to study the physics of galaxies and cosmology HYPERLEDA (http://atlas.obshp.fr/hyperleda/) and NASA /IPAC Extragalactic Database NED (https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/) survey.

Seasonal Variation Of Microbiota In Shank Acanthopagrus Latus Living In Both Brackish And Fresh Water, Ali A. Al-Hisnawi Ph.D., Jassim M. Mustafa, Yass K. Yasser, Khalid A. Hussain, Ameera M. Jabur

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The present study was conducted to monitor the microbiota in the posterior intestine of Shank fish living in the river (fresh water) and Al-Razzaza lake (salt or brackish water) in Kerbala, Iraq. Cultivable bacteria were calculated and identified from specimens obtained from the posterior intestine of mucosa (PM) and digesta (PD) during summer and winter seasons. The total culturable bacteria (TCB) of bacteria isolated from both intestinal regions from fresh water fish during summer time were higher than counterparts in winter time. In contrast, the TVC of bacteria isolated from the PM from salt water fish during winter time were …

Evaluation Of The Healing Activity Of Cucurbita Spp. Leaf And Seed Extracts On Experimental Thermal Burns, Sanaa Jameel Thamer Ph.D., Prof. Maha Khalil Ibrahim, Dr. Khalid Shanshal Alnema

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Burns are the most common skin injuries associated with many complications and high incidences of wound infections. Many compounds of plant products have been assessed to accelerate wound healing or reduce contamination. The possible healing effect of two Cucurbita spp. in skin burns was investigated. Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita pepo leaves and seeds were extracted using ethanol and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Second-degree burn wounds were made on laboratory rats, and the burn wounds were applied topically with extracts for 14 days and silver sulfadiazine (SS) for comparison. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analyzed post-treatment. Hydroxyproline content …

Energy Conservation Approach Of Wireless Sensor Networks For Iot Applications, Suha Abdulhussein Abdulzahra Msc, Ali Kadhum M. Al-Qurabat Ph.D., Prof. Dr. Ali Kadhum Idrees

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Wireless Sensor Network is one of the most important contributors to IoT and performs significant role in people's lives due to its extensive use in many applications. Energy-saving is essential since sensor nodes are working by their restricted battery. In this article, data reduction method proposed to work at Gateway level of network. In GW, proposed method works as filtering via enabling GW to identify, then remove, sets of data that are redundant and produced by neighboring nodes. Principle idea of method recommended at this level is to exploit the advantage of spatial correlation between sensors to minimize energy depletion.

Biosynthesis, Characterization And Antiproliferative Activity Of Green Synthesized Gold Nanoparticles Using Lantadene A Extracted From Lantana Camara, Dawood Ali Salim Dawood, Lee Suan Chua Ph.D, Tian Swee Tan Ph.D, Ahmed F. Alshemary Ph.D

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study was focused on the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles loaded with lantadene A (LA-AuNPs) from Lantana camara extract and the antiproliferative effects on prostate cancer cells (LNCaP). The synthesized LA-AuNPs had smooth surface, and nearly spherical in shape (67.94 nm) with the zeta potential (-30.11±0.83 mV). LAAuNPs showed a dose dependent cytotoxic activity with IC50, 126.82 µg/mL against LNCaP, but non-cytotoxic to normal prostate cells. The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis was caused by the increase of caspases-3/7 and -9 activity and cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Therefore, LA-AuNPs could be a potent lead to inhibit LNCaP

An Online E-Voting System Based On An Adaptive Ledger With Singular Value Decomposition Technique, Rihab Habeeb Sahib, Prof. Dr. Eman Salih Al-Shamery

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Regular E-voting systems for elections may count the votes in less time,less cost,save the privacy of citizens,but still considered risky as votes can be tampered.E-voting systems based on a network distributed ledger show fast results,more trusted,save privacy,cannot be tampered,and distributed in which no central organization controls the system.This paper illustrate an e-voting system to solve the challenge of a massive ledger that is distributed among network-nodes using a data reduction technique as a security-matching-tool,singular value decomposition(SVD) that handle a copy of election results in another form and matched with the SQL-database results to announce a successful election-event representing a transparency-powerful-secured-system

Detecting Malicious Dns Queries Over Encrypted Tunnels Using Statistical Analysis And Bi-Directional Recurrent Neural Networks, Mohammad Al-Fawa'reh, Zain Ashi, Mousa Tayseer Jafar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The exponential rise in the number of malicious threats targeting computer networks and digital services puts network infrastructure in jeopardy. Domain name protocol attacks are one of the most pervasive network attacks posing a threat to networks, whereby attackers send harmful information to the network; this type of threat is identified as DNS tunneling. The DNS protocol has recently gained increased attention from cyber-attackers, targeting organizations with a web presence or reliance on e-commerce businesses. Cyber-attackers can subtly exploit the contents of encrypted DNS packets that are sent across covert network tunnels, which are difficult for firewalls and blacklist detection …

Artificial Intelligence For Para Rubber Identification Combining Five Machine Learning Methods, Chairote Yaiprasert Ph.D.

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study aims to identify Para rubber species using a combination of five machine learning techniques to classify leaf images. The learning process is defined using a dataset for each classification method. Approximately 1,472 leaf images are prepared consisting of various sizes, shapes, quality provided for the model. The classification indicators are defined with the help of an algorithm to identify at least three of the top five potential classification outcomes. The algorithm accurately predicts 100% of the five classification methods. Methods can provide precise and rapid classification of large quantities, without the need for image preprocessing prior to classification.