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Multi-Level Analysis Of Atomic Layer Deposition Barrier Coatings On Additively Manufactured Plastics For High Vacuum Applications, Nupur Bihari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While hardware innovations in micro/nano electronics and photonics are heavily patented, the rise of the open-source movement has significantly shifted focus to the importance of obtaining low-cost, functional and easily modifiable research equipment. This thesis provides a foundation of open source development of equipment to aid in the micro/nano electronics and photonics fields.

First, the massive acceptance of the open source Arduino microcontroller has aided in the development of control systems with a wide variety of uses. Here it is used for the development of an open-source dual axis gimbal system. This system is used to characterize optoelectronic properties of …

Puerarin-Coated Gold Nanoparticles (Pue-Aunps) Synthesized Via Green Synthetic Route: A New Colorimetric Probe For The Detection Of Ciprofloxacin, Tasneem Zehra, Faiqa Ahsan, Muhammad Ali Versiani, Sana Wahid, Sajid Jahangir, Muhammad Raza Shah

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Puerarin-coated gold nanoparticles (PUE-AuNPs) synthesized via green synthetic route, a new colorimetric sensor, efficiently detected the ciprofloxacin (CP) in tap water and cow milk samples. The PUE-AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible, FTIR, AFM, and DLS techniques and were found to be spherical with an average size of approximately 19-20 nm. FTIR spectrum confirms that functional groups such as -OH, -C=O, -CO and -C=C were responsible for the reduction of gold (III) chloride trihydrate. These functional groups acted as capping agents to form AuNPs. The PUE-AuNPs sensor was proved to be selective and sensitive for the detection of CP through colorimetric …

A Fluorescent Sensor-Based Tripodal-Bodipy For Cu (Ii) Ions: Bio-Imaging On Cells, Ahmed Nuri̇ Kurşunlu, Mustafa Özmen, Ersi̇n Güler

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A general synthetic method was improved to synthesize a chemosensor based on a tripodal Bodipy (t-BODIPY) structure. The product and its intermediate products were successfully prepared and fully characterized. The metal ion sensing performance of the tripodal compound was evaluated by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. According to the obtained data, t-BODIPY is a selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for detection of Cu2+ ions in the presence and in the absence of competing ions. This chemosensor presents relatively a low detection limit of 5.4 x10-7 M for Cu2+. Bio-imaging studies on living yeast cells suggest that t-BODIPY has some advantages over …

Synthesis And Biological Activities Of Chalcone Derivatives, Ade Danova

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Chalcones have drawn attention due to the simple structures and wide spectra of biological activities. Their core structure bearing diaryl rings with α,β-unsaturated ketone was generated easily using Claisen-Schmidt condensation. In this study, one hundred and eight chalcones and their derivatives were synthesized; among them, twenty-five were disclosed as new compounds. All synthesized chalcones were well-characterized by means of spectroscopy and evaluated for their anti-cancer (A549) and anti-inflammatory activities, and α-glucosidase inhibition. For anti-cancer activity, 3',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl on the A ring, and hydroxy and methoxy groups on the B ring exhibited high potent inhibitory activity against A549 with three best potent …

Advanced Raman Spectroscopy Detection Of Oxidative Damage In Nucleic Acid Bases: Probing Chemical Changes And Intermolecular Interactions In Guanosine At Ultralow Concentration, Francesca Ripanti, Claudia Fasolato, Flavia Mazzarda, Simonetta Palleschi, Marina Ceccarini, Chunchun Li, Margherita Bignami, Enrico Bodo, Steven E.J. Bell, Filomena Mazzei, Paolo Postorino

Bioelectrics Publications

DNA/RNA synthesis precursors are especially vulnerable to damage induced by reactive oxygen species occurring following oxidative stress. Guanosine triphosphates are the prevalent oxidized nucleotides, which can be misincorporated during replication, leading to mutations and cell death. Here, we present a novel method based on micro-Raman spectroscopy, combined with ab initio calculations, for the identification, detection, and quantification of oxidized nucleotides at low concentration. We also show that the Raman signature in the terahertz spectral range (<100 >cm(-1)) contains information on the intermolecular assembly of guanine in tetrads, which allows us to further boost the oxidative damage detection limit. Eventually, we …

The Effects Of Increasing Positively Charged Metal Ions Within Synovial Fluid, Kandisi Anyabwile

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects 10% of men and 13% of women over age of 60. It is the degradation of the cartilage between two bones; obesity, age, overuse, or injury are major contributors to the development of this disease. The joint is incapsulated by the synovial sac filled with a viscous solution that aids in lubrication referred to as synovial fluid. If the synovial sac is ruptured due to injury, positive ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺) may affect viscoelastic properties within the sac. The purpose of this …

Schizophrenia Classification Using Resting State Eeg Functional Connectivity: Source Level Outperforms Sensor Level, Sima Azizi, Daniel B. Hier, Donald C. Wunsch

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Disrupted Functional and Structural Connectivity Measures Have Been Used to Distinguish Schizophrenia Patients from Healthy Controls. Classification Methods based on Functional Connectivity Derived from EEG Signals Are Limited by the Volume Conduction Problem. Recorded Time Series at Scalp Electrodes Capture a Mixture of Common Sources Signals, Resulting in Spurious Connections. We Have Transformed Sensor Level Resting State EEG Times Series to Source Level EEG Signals Utilizing a Source Reconstruction Method. Functional Connectivity Networks Were Calculated by Computing Phase Lag Values between Brain Regions at Both the Sensor and Source Level. Brain Complex Network Analysis Was Used to Extract Features and …

Synthesis Of Novel Porphyrin Derived Molecules For The Study Of Self Assembly And Photophysical Properties, Alex Nguyen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The photochemical capabilities of self-assembling porphyrins holds the potential to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. Porphyrins have the ability to absorb solar energy to excite its electrons within the highly conjugated π system of the porphyrin ring. The excited electron can then be donated thus creating a charge separated state between the porphyrin donor and the electron acceptor. With self-assembly of porphyrin monomers into a supramolecular structure, this charge separated state can be emphasized and prolonged so the energy potential generated can be harvested. Here, the synthesis of porphyrin derivatives substituted with biologically found molecules is described. The lysine …

Polyester-Pamam “Janus-Type” Linear-Dendritic Blockopolymers (Ldbcs) As Next Generation Biomaterials, Indika Chandrasiri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanomedicine is defined as the application of knowledge and tools of nanotechnology for disease treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, delivery, and sensing. Rapid advances in polymer chemistry and nanotechnology have led to an extensive development of polymeric-based therapeutic systems for nanomedical applications. Compared to traditional molecular-based therapies, polymers facilitate a higher level of versatility and functionality, such as simultaneous imaging and delivery. In particular, amphiphilic diblock copolymers and their self-assemblies have shown apparent success in nanomedicine owing to their ability to provide narrow molar mass distributions and highly ordered nanoscale multimolecular aggregates, including micelles and vesicles. However, engineering these polymeric materials to …

Application Of Passive Air Samplers For Atmospheric Research, And Determination Of Metals In Tree Rings And Marine Sapropel By Icp-Ms, Byunggwon Jeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on studies of atmospheric mercury (Hg) using passive air samplers (PAS) and studies of trace elements in tree cores and sediment using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mercury is a toxic element that is dispersed globally through the atmosphere. Accurately measuring airborne Hg concentrations aids understanding of the pollutant’s sources, distribution, cycling, and trends. Mercury PAS are designed to capture gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) at a known rate. Compared to active air sampling the low-cost of PAS allows for greater spatial coverage. We used a commercially available Hg PAS (MerPAS®) and observed differences in GEM between …

Nonhuman Iapp Variants Inhibit Human Iapp Aggregation, Alissa Oakes, Kate Menefee, Arleen Lamba, Larry M. Palato, Dillon J. Rinauro, Angela Tun, Betssy Jauregui, Kevin Chang, Luiza A. Nogaj, David A. Moffet

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Works

The aggregation of the 37-amino acid polypeptide human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), as either insoluble amyloid or as small oligomers, appears to play a direct role in the death of human pancreatic β-islet cells in type 2 diabetes. hIAPP is considered to be one of the most amyloidogenic proteins known. The quick aggregation of hIAPP leads to the formation of toxic species, such as oligomers and fibers, that damage mammalian cells (both human and rat pancreatic cells). Whether this toxicity is necessary for the progression of type 2 diabetes or merely a side effect of the disease remains unclear. If …

Bisphosohoglycertae Mutase: A Potential Target For Sickle Cell Disease, Anfal S. Aljahdali

Theses and Dissertations

Bisphosphoglycerate mutase (BPGM) is a part of the erythrocyte glycolysis system. Specifically, it is a central enzyme in the Rapoport-Leubering pathway, a side glycolytic pathway involved in the regulation of the concentration of the natural allosteric effector of hemoglobin (Hb), 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG). BPGM catalyses the synthesis and hydrolysis of 2,3-BPG through its synthase and phosphatase activities. The synthase activity is the main role of BPGM, while the phosphatase activity is low and is activated by the physiological effector, 2-phosphoglycolate (2-PG) with the latter mechanism poorly understood.

BPGM activity and 2,3-BPG levels in red blood cells (RBCs) have a significant role …

Benzotriazole And Tolytriazole Analysis In Select Surface Waters Near Wilmington Air Park, Lee A. Raska

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Previous investigations into the presence of benzotriazole (BTZ) and corresponding analogs done in early 2019 found elevated levels near the Wilmington Air Park in Wilmington, Ohio. The analogs detected were 4-methyl-1H-benzotriazole and 5-methyl-1H-benzotriazole: known together as tolytriazole (TTZ). BTZ and TTZ are emerging environmental contaminants of concern that are often found in aircraft de-icing solutions, anti-icing solutions and detergents. The Wilmington Air Park has two facilities used to pre-treat runoff water before its subsequent release into surrounding streams. Three sites were chosen: Lytle Creek, Indian Run, and Cowan Creek. For the 2019 and 2019/2020 investigative projects, Cowan Creek was designated …

Recent Advances In Supramolecular Affinity Separations: Affinity Chromatography And Related Methods, Ashley G. Woolfork, Sazia Iftekhar, Susan Ovbude, Kyungah Suh, Sadia Sharmeen, Isaac Kyei, Jacob Jones, David S. Hage

David Hage Publications

Contents

1 Introduction

2 Supports for Affinity Chromatography

 2.1 Natural Supports and Related Materials

 2.2 Inorganic Supports

 2.3 Synthetic Supports

 2.4 Magnetic Beads and Particles

 2.5 Smart Materials

 2.6 Nanomaterials

 2.7 Support Formats

3 Immobilization Methods

 3.1 Non-Covalent Immobilization

 3.2 Covalent Immobilization

4 Binding Agents Used in Affinity Chromatography

 4.1 Biological Agents as Affinity Ligands

4.1.1 Immunoaffinity Chromatography

4.1.2 Immunoglobulin-Binding Proteins

4.1.3 Lectins

4.1.4 Enzymes

4.1.5 Serum Proteins

4.1.6 Biotin, Avidin, and Streptavidin

4.1.7 Carbohydrates

4.1.8 Lipids

4.1.9 Nucleic Acids

 4.2 Non-Biological Agents as Affinity Ligands

4.2.1 Boronates and Related Mixed Ligands

4.2.2 Dye-Ligands

4.2.3 Immobilized Metal-Ion Chelates

4.2.4 Molecularly …

Peer-Led Team Learning And Student Success, Rita K. Upmacis

Faculty Papers and Publications

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), a nationally recognized teaching and learning model, was introduced into the General Chemistry course at Pace University in 2014. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the introduction of PLTL on the students’ final exam scores, and through surveys, determine how students viewed both the PLTL program and their Peer Leaders. In addition, this study sought to monitor the progress of Peer Leaders as they entered an upper-level Inorganic Chemistry class to determine whether the experience of being a Peer Leader helped their success in this course. The biggest difference, when comparing …

A Determination Of The Aerosolization Efficiency Of Drugs Of Abuse In A Eutectic Mixture With Nicotine In Electronic Cigarettes, Laerissa Reveil

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were originally advertised as an alternative nicotine delivery system to facilitate smoking cessation. However, their popularity for recreational use has increased due to focuses on their trendiness, convenience, and discreteness along with concerns for its use to consume drugs other than nicotine (DOTN). With the adulteration of e-liquids, usually containing nicotine, with other substances, a greater understanding on how DOTN interact with the e-liquid constituents and how they are delivered to the user is necessary. E-liquids were prepared with 50:50 propylene glycol:vegetable glycerin, pure nicotine, pure methadone hydrochloride, and 1:1 methadone hydrochloride:nicotine and aerosolized via an automated …

Characterizing The Presence Of Edta In Blood Samples, Alexandra Wright

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Blood is often a type of evidence found at crime scenes. There has been a long history of criminal cases involving blood evidence samples that were allegedly planted at the scene by a third party. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or EDTA, is an anticoagulant that is not naturally occurring in blood samples; it chelates to ions in blood to prevent clotting. If present in a blood evidence sample, it could be indicative that the blood sample may have been planted at the crime scene to implicate a suspect. EDTA is also reported to modify clothing and exist in detergents, to allow dyes …

Detection Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Using A Colorimetric Gold Nanoparticle Air Cassette Filter, Andrea I. Ferrer Vega

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive commonly used during military and terrorist activities. Current methods to identify this compound require sampling, transport and analysis at a forensic lab using analytical instrumentation. However, on-site detection is needed to assist efforts to prevent detonation. Gold nanoparticles have been used as sensors throughout the years due to their versatility and surface enhanced Raman scattering properties in the presence of an analyte and low limits of detection. By taking advantage of the Meisenheimer complex that TNT forms in the presence of amines, it is possible to determine its presence at picogram levels. Subsequently, adhering amine …

Nanopore Detection Of Long Time-Scale Single Metallic Cluster Conformational Changes And Surface Ligand Exchange, Bobby D. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Single molecule nanopore spectroscopy serves as an emerging tool for studying small molecules in aqueous environments without the need for additional chemical labels. Recently it has been seeing increased use as a tool for investigating small metallic nanoparticles and clusters. These clusters consist of a handful of metallic atoms (e.g. Au18) and are regularly ‘passivated’ with organic ligands to provide functionality and protect against aggregation. There has been a widening gap in research studying the surface kinetics of these passivating ligands at the single molecule level as well as during the exchange process. In this work we investigated these surface …

Single-Molecule Investigation Of I-Motif Folding And Dynamics In Bioinspired Dna Platforms, Anoja Megalathan

Theses and Dissertations

Although the canonical right-handed B-DNA is the predominant form of DNA in cells, DNA can adopt other secondary structures such as hairpins, G-quadruplexes (G4), and intercalated motifs (i-motif). These secondary structures are typically formed in the regions with repeat sequences. Among many secondary structures DNA can adopt, G-quadruplexes and i-motifs (tetraplex structures formed in the G-rich and C-rich sequences, respectively) caught significant research interest in recent years due to the prevalence of G-rich and C-rich sequences in the human genome. While G-quadruplexes are extensively studied, little is known about i-motifs – especially their formation and stability under cellular environments. For …

Conformational Modulation Of Α-Helical N-Acetylated Α-Synuclein, Ricardo Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Human N-acetylated α-synuclein (^NAcαSyn) has long been accepted as an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) predominantly found in terminal nerve regions in healthy subjects. ^NAcαSyn structural fluidity enables the formation of transient or dynamic assemblies. Some of these assemblies may serve functional, yet undefined purposes. ^NAcαSyn is highly susceptible to the surrounding environment, leading to misfolding under high cytosolic oxidative stress conditions, which in turn assemble in the form of toxic oligomers or amyloid fibrils. These ^NAcαSyn inclusions along with their accretion and migration within neurons, are pathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia, and multiple …

Streptococcus Sanguinis: The Good, The Bad, And The Metal-Binding Lipoprotein, Cody Murgas

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus sanguinis is an opportunistic bacterium living beneficially in the human mouth. When S. sanguinis gains access to the bloodstream, it can result in colonization on damaged tissue and generate heart valve vegetations that can develop into infective endocarditis. It has been suggested that Mn and Fe are cofactors in the pathogenic capacity of this bacterium, and that these redox active metals are imported by the metal binding lipoprotein S. sanguinis adhesin B (SsaB). The SsaB lipoprotein is an integral part of SsaACB, an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport system in S. sanguinis. When SsaB is deleted, the resulting strain displays …

In Vitro Screening Of Tp5801 Against Kinases For Nature Communications Publication, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

Data from screen of TP-5801 against in vitro kinases

Improvement In 14-3-3 Binding Site Prediction, Katherine K. Mccormack

ScholarsArchive Data

The 14-3-3 family of phospho-binding proteins regulate a variety of major cellular processes through interaction with a network of dynamic proteins. Deregulation of the 14-3-3 interaction network contributes to a variety of degenerative disorders and cancers. Our lab focuses on identifying novel 14-3-3 interactions and understanding how 14-3-3 binding regulates protein function. A major gap in this process is that identifying the phospho-site where 14-3-3 docks on a given protein is time- and resource-consuming. Prediction algorithms have been developed to predict canonical 14-3-3 binding sites, however, there are many non-canonical sites that existing software is unable to predict. To fill …

Kinase Screen Data For Nature Communications Publication, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

A TNK1 peptide encompassing S502 was screened against 245 Ser/Thr kinases. This file contains kinase activity values (against S502) from an n=1 experiment. These data support a manuscript to be published in Nature Communications (Chan and Egbert et al.)

Rational Design Of Small Molecule Disruptors Of Protein-Protein Interactions: Pd-1/Pd-L1; C-Myc, Arid4b, Samuel Ofori

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are vital to many biological processes, including gene expression, and immune reactions to pathogens. There are approximately 650,000 PPIs in humans with pertinent physiological functions. Aberrant expression of PPIs lead to improper function and contribute to a plethora of disease conditions including cancer. Thus, PPIs represent an enormous target space for drug discovery and chemical probes. Direct targeting of clinically relevant PPIs with small molecules remains an unmet medical need. Development of small-molecule inhibitors of PPIs is a challenging enterprise and in most cases considered undruggable due to large protein surfaces, lack of deep binding pockets and …

Investigation Of Multidrug Efflux Transporter Acrb In Escherichia Coli: Assembly, Degradation And Dynamics, Prasangi Irosha Rajapaksha

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The Resistant Nodulation Division (RND) super family member, tripartite AcrA-AcrB-TolC efflux pump, is a major contributor in conferring multidrug-resistance in Escherichia coli. The structure of the pump complex, and drug translocation by functional rotation mechanism have been widely studied. Despite of all these data, the dynamics of the assembly process of the pump and AcrB during functional rotation in the process of drug efflux remains poorly understood. My thesis focuses on understanding the pump assembly process, dynamics of AcrB in functional rotation mechanism, and also investigate the mechanism of degradation of AcrB facilitated by a C-terminal ssrA tag.

In the …

Design, Synthesis, And Anticancer Properties Of Ru(Ii) Complexes With Organometallic, “Expanded” Bipyridine, And O,O’-Chelating Ligands, Raphael Ryan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Cancer is a worldwide public health crisis that requires new and improved drugs to be developed to extend survival rates and improve quality of life for the patient. Platinum-based drugs are used in approximately 50% of cancer treatment regimens. These drugs are highly effective in many kinds of cancer; however, cancers can develop platinum resistance and these drugs have troubling side effects that reduced their use and efficacy. To overcome these disadvantages, many other metals have been studied for their anticancer properties. Notably, the anticancer properties of ruthenium-based agents have drawn considerable attention with multiple ruthenium complexes entering clinical trials. …

Synthesis Of Dual Small Molecule Hybrids To Probe The Synergy Between Dna Repair Enzymes And Ido1, Nathaniel George

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Indoleamine 2 3-dioxygenase (IDO) has recently been highlighted as a promising target for small molecule based immunotherapy. IDO is often coopted by various cancer cells to promote an immune-suppressive environment around tumors. DNA damage repair (DDR) enzymes have recently been targeted for inhibition to promote genetic instability and bolster immune recognition. DDR enzymes such as PARP and POLγ are common inhibition targets due to their direct effects on cellular function. In the process of designing conjugate inhibitors of IDO and DDR enzymes, novel synthetic methodology was developed for the mild deprotection of N-Tert-butyloxycarbonyl (N-BOC) group from various amines. Conjugate …

Identification Of Compounds Causing Cellular Autofluorescence In Touch Samples, Elora C. Wall

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

As DNA analysis has advanced and produced tests with higher sensitivities, attention has turned toward obtaining DNA profiles from cells left with fingermarks. Recent studies have reported that cells deposited within fingermarks can exhibit differences in autofluorescence emission in the ‘red’ region of the visible spectrum (e.g., between 650-670 nm), which can be used to differentiate contributor cell population and separate them before DNA profiles. Interestingly, this emission was not consistent to the individual day-to-day and likely not a genetically-controlled attribute of the contributor. Instead, this emission signature results from extended exposure of the skin to certain materials such as …