Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Among Vitamin D Deficiency, Metabolic Syndrome, Smoking Behavior, And Physical Activity, Ethan Pham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Aging increases the risk of both vitamin D deficiency and metabolic syndrome. Vitamin D deficiency and metabolic syndrome may be related, although there are mixed findings. Furthermore, literature suggests other factors such as physical fitness activity and smoking behavior are associated with Vitamin D deficiency and the development of metabolic syndrome. A number of studies have documented associations between Vitamin D levels and physical fitness activities, while other studies found correlations between Vitamin D levels, metabolic syndrome, and smoking behavior. However, no previous study has examined the links between physical fitness activity, smoking behavior, Vitamin D levels, and the risks …

A Model To Predict Concentrations And Uncertainty For Mercury Species In Lakes, Ashley Hendricks

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To increase understanding of mercury cycling, a seasonal mass balance model was developed to predict mercury concentrations in lakes and fish. Results indicate that seasonality in mercury cycling is significant and is important for a northern latitude lake. Models, when validated, have the potential to be used as an alternative to measurements; models are relatively inexpensive and are not as time intensive. Previously published mercury models have neglected to perform a thorough validation. Model validation allows for regulators to be able to make more informed, confident decisions when using models in water quality management. It is critical to quantify uncertainty; …

Fabrication Of Superhydrophobic Gold Film On Polymer Substrates, Siriwan Boonmeewiriya

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Superhydrophobic surface was fabricated by a reduction reaction between chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) and sodium formate (HCOONa) on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate without any further surface modification. This generated gold films with superhydrophobic properties examined by water contact angle (WCA) and contact angle hysteresis measurement. Wettability of the fabricated gold film on PDMS substrate can be controlled by the deposition time which provides the WCA > 160o and it could be up to 164.41o with a contact angle hysteresis of 1.93o when the deposition time was prolonged at least 2 hours. To propose the deposition mechanism, the morphological structure and chemical characters of …

Enhanced Hot Electron Lifetimes In Quantum Wells With Inhibited Phonon Coupling, Hamidreza Esmaielpour, Vincent R. Whiteside, Herath P. Piyathilaka, Sangeetha Vijeyaragunathan, Bin Wang, Echo Adcock-Smith, Kenneth P. Roberts, Tetsuya D. Mishima, Michael B. Santos, Alan D. Bristow, Ian R. Sellers

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Hot electrons established by the absorption of high-energy photons typically thermalize on a picosecond time scale in a semiconductor, dissipating energy via various phonon-mediated relaxation pathways. Here it is shown that a strong hot carrier distribution can be produced using a type-II quantum well structure. In such systems it is shown that the dominant hot carrier thermalization process is limited by the radiative recombination lifetime of electrons with reduced wavefunction overlap with holes. It is proposed that the subsequent reabsorption of acoustic and optical phonons is facilitated by a mismatch in phonon dispersions at the InAs-AlAsSb interface and serves to …

O-Glcnac Post Translational Modification Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (Hif) Proteins, Hailey Elisabeth Grisham

Honors Theses

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translational modification (O- GlcNAcylation), plays a vital role in many metabolic pathways, including those of numerous diseases. New research methods and basic functional roles of O-GlcNAc post- translational modification on metabolism, human health, and cancer are quickly developing, but a vast amount of research remains on the specificity of this pathway towards specific proteins. In this study, T47D breast cancer cells were used as an in vitro model to investigate the effects of O-GlcNAc modification on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) proteins.

Stability Of Bimetallic Clusters In Protein Model Systems, Sean Hartnett

Master’s Theses

Heterobimetallic cofactors are commonly found in proteins and allow them to perform unique chemical processes that would otherwise not be possible. The interactions between these metals allow the protein to accomplish difficult chemical transformations. Previously, the thermodynamic stability of a Fe^II /Mn^II cluster in the dinucleating ligand F-HXTA (5-fluoro-2-hydroxy-1,3-xylene-α,α′-diamine-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid) has been investigated in our lab as a model of cluster assembly in the proteins ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and R2-like ligand binding oxidases (R2lox). By measuring equilibrium concentrations of F-HXTA complexes via ¹⁹F-NMR, it was found that the equilibrium for metal exchange between the homobimetallic …

Functionalizing Titanium Implants With Bioactive Peptides To Increase Osseointegration, Neil Bernard

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Orthopedic surgeries have continued to increase, but the material of choice remains constant: titanium. Titanium has become the benchmark implant material due to its durability and non-immunogenic properties. However, while high rates of success are correlated with joint replacement surgery, certain patients with predisposed diseases such as diabetes or arthritis may have increased complications.¹ This can be due to lack of osseointegration due to decreased bone formation and mineralization,² which will lead to increased rates of infection or aseptic loosening of the implant from the bone. ³ Current methods to alleviate these complications include invasive revisional surgeries, which …

Integrated Immunoassays On Paper/Polymer Hybrid Microfluidic Devices For Low-Cost Detection Of Disease Biomarkers, Sanjay Sharma Timilsina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Infectious diseases and cancers have been the major cause of global death and disability causing a significant impact on global health and economies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is one of the most widely used laboratory diagnostic methods for infectious diseases and cancer. ELISA detects proteins based on their binding to immobilized antibodies or antigen. Even though most ELISAs performed today in 96-well plates are well suited for high throughput assays, performing ELISA in low-resource settings is limited by several factors, such as long incubation time, large volumes of precious reagents, and well-equipped laboratories. Herein, we have developed multiple simple, miniaturized …

Carbazole Based Multifunctional Dopamine Agonists And Related Molecules As Potential Symptomatic And Disease Modifying Therapeutic Agents For Parkinson’S Disease, Asma S.Mohamed Elmabruk

Wayne State University Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that develops from gradual depletion of dopamine (DA) and dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) with the accumulation of intraneuronal proteinaceous matter named as Lewy bodies. The four cardinal symptoms associated with PD are tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Although the exact mechanism and etiology of PD are not fully understood, several factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of PD including protein aggregation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, environmental, and genetic factors.

The current therapy of Parkinson’s disease is categorized into four classes: levodopa, DA agonists, …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Dual-Acting Ligands For Mu Opioid And Neuropeptide Ff Receptors, Kelsey Gabrielle Mcpherson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pain, although subjective, is an unpleasant sensation caused by a noxious stimulus, that effects millions of people every year. Currently, the most frequently prescribed class of analgesics for moderate to severe acute and sometime chronic pain are opioid analgesics, most commonly ?-opioid receptor (MOP) agonists, such as oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl. Although these drugs provide significant pain relief, they are also associated with unwelcome side effects such as constipation, addiction, physical dependence, respiratory depression, and physiological tolerance that leads to hyperalgesia. Receptor desensitization due to excessive receptor activation by an agonist is but one source of physiological tolerance; it can …

Development Of Multi-Class Analytical Methods For Agrochemical Contaminants, Sarah Tuck

Theses

In this project, cost-effective multi-class analytical methods were developed to detect a range of antiparasitic, feed additive and pesticide substances in foodstuffs of animal origin. These substances have the potential to enter the food chain through their occurrence as residues either through the animals themselves or other routes e.g. contamination. To ensure the continued safety of food destined for human consumption regulatory control limits have been established for permitted levels of these residues in foods of animal origin. Despite these controls the continued monitoring of foodstuffs is necessary to ensure these limits are not breached and that substances are not …

Determination Of Atrazine Concentration In Freshwaters Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Boniface Osei Amankona

Online Theses and Dissertations

Atrazine is the most widely used herbicides in USA, but its negative impact on aquatic ecosystem cannot be over-looked. Atrazine was traditionally determined through liquid/gas chromatography or IR spectroscopy. However, these methods are either time-consuming or costly, so fluorescence spectroscopy is investigated as a more cost and time efficient alternative. Literature value of the optimal wavelength of atrazine was found to be 350 nm emission. Experimental value for emission scanned of atrazine resulted in an optimal wavelength of 363 nm. Known and unknown concentrations of atrazine will be analyzed using fluorescence spectrophotometer to develop a calibration curve.

The calibration concentration …

Analysis Of Vibrational Modes Of Chemically Modified Tone Wood, Madison Flesch

Honors Program Theses

It is generally accepted that every violin has different tone quality in terms of intonation and the depth of the harmonics produced. The best violins are made by experienced luthiers that craft each with precision to produce the best possible tonal quality. The quality of the finished violin is dependent upon both the specific shape and the vibrational response of the wood used in its construction. Because the hard wood used in violin construction is inhomogeneous, the composition and structure of material used is critical to the final product.¹ Luthiers would initially rely on their experience to feel the …

Determination Of Local Elastic Modulus Of Soft Biomaterial Samples Using Afm Force Mapping, Faieza Saad Ejweada Bodowara

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional methods of mechanical testing cannot measure properties of soft materials at the nanoscale. In fields such as tissue engineering, it is important to distinguish the bulk elastic modulus from the surface elastic modulus and to characterize the spatial distribution of material with non-uniform stiffness. One of the important new methods of testing is the force mapping using the atomic force microscope. The existing force mapping approaches often suffer from omitting important effects that might result in artifacts. The most important effects include taking into account sample’s adhesion and viscoelasticity and considering more realistic probe shapes. In this work, we …

Integrating Microscale Enzyme And Lectin Reactions Using Nanogel Assisted Capillary Electrophoresis, Srikanth Gattu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Protein glycosylation is one of the most prevalent post-translational modifications which plays an important role in determining the structure, stability, and function of proteins. Changes in glycosylation patterns are a hallmark of cancer and other diseases. Characterizing glycosylation is difficult because these structures vary in their linkage and monomer sequence, which gives rise to vast microheterogenity that could affect the function of the molecule. A novel method using capillary gel electrophoresis by integrating microscale enzymes and lectin reactions in the capillary was developed to verify glycan structure by analyzing monosaccharides. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) improves upon conventional methods of glycan structure …

Metabolomic Analysis Of The Urine And Tissue In Rats Prone To Type 1 Diabetes Using Nmr, Emily Hunt, Bobba Sumedha, James Wolfsberger

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Multi-Dimensional Mass Spectrometry For The Characterization Of Glycopolymers, Maria Ganios

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Several glycopolymers synthesized by Activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP), were characterized by mass spectrometry to elucidate their microstructure and architecture. Analyses were performed using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization- Time of Flight/ Time of Flight (MALDI-ToF/ToF) and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) instruments. The linear isopropylidenated glycopolymer (P65B1) analyzed with ESI-MS also was examined with multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSⁿ) using collision induced dissociation (CID) to examine the tetramer parent ion. This glycopolymer was found to be either cyclic or linear (sans end groups) due to the data being fit for both forms …

Research Games In Structural Biology, Nic Vigilante

Alison Scott Ricker Research Award

As problems in structural biology and bioinformatics have become increasingly complex, innovative new com-putational methods have been proposed and implemented. Of these methods, research games are unique in how they privi-lege human intuition over algorithmic verification in certain steps of the research process; researchers in structural biology have developed a number of research games since 2008 to utilize human pattern recognition and spatial manipulation skills. Players are not expected to have any scientific knowledge, as the game interfaces abstract the relevant problems from their biological contexts, and they are not reimbursed or incentivized in any way apart from methods such …

The Fate And One-Dimensional Transport Of Creighton Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles Through Saturated Porous Media, Jessica M. Dagher

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

With the ubiquitous burst of nanotechnology, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become indispensable in numerous industrial, medicinal, and research applications. Consequently, AgNPs have been alarmingly disposed into subsurface water increasing the risk of human and environmental exposure. While mechanisms of AgNP cytotoxicity have been reported, research studies on AgNP transport in subsurface water are needed, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The main goal of this study was to investigate the environmental fate and transport of widely-used Creighton colloidal AgNPs in a laboratory transport system simulating a porous, saturated groundwater aquifer. To achieve this, a large volume of AgNPs was …

Redox-Active Silver N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: A Dual Targeting Antibacterial Drug, Kotiba Malek

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial resistance to current [beta]-lactam antibiotics necessitates new therapeutic approaches. Silver-based drugs offer a promising alternative because of their antibacterial properties and minimal bacterial resistance. However, many silver-based antibacterial drugs rapidly release silver ions, limiting the bioavailability of silver ions for a longer period of time. Recently, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) containing silver complexes have become a popular subject of research due to their versatility and the slow release of silver ions under biological conditions. To further enhance the efficacy of silver-NHC drugs, we fused redox-active substituents such as naphthoquinone and ferrocenes to NHCs. Both naphthoquinone and ferrocenes have been shown …

Dually Modified Transmembrane Proteoglycan Tβriii/Betaglycan In Cell Signaling And Cancer, Laura M. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

During tumor progression, cancer cells undergo a number of alterations to evade tumor inhibitory mechanisms, proliferate, invade surrounding tissues and metastasize to distant sites. These properties reflect changes in their cell signaling pathways that, in normal cells, control aberrant cell proliferation, motility, and survival. Over the past few decades, hyperactive Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been linked to the formation of multiple cancers, including malignant ovarian cancer, making identification of molecules regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling crucial to the development of early detection methods and cancer treatment strategies. Proteoglycans, which regulate transmission of cellular signals, are implicated in the pathophysiology of diseases, including cancer, …

Investigation Of Gold(Iii) Complexes With Hiv-Ncp7 And Models, James Beaton

Theses and Dissertations

The medicinal uses of gold date as far back as 2500 B.C. in China. In modern times, gold has been used in the treatment of a number of different human diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and viral infections. This dissertation will focus on the development of gold complexes for the purpose of selective inhibition of HIV NCp7, a 55 amino acid zinc finger protein with two Cys₃His zinc binding domains.

NCp7 is involved in a number of viral life cycle processes including activation of reverse transcription, integration, DNA recognition, RNA packaging, and formation of the viral envelope. The …

Modification Of Wheat Gluten For Improvement Of Binding Capacity With Keratin In Hair, Shukun Wang, Danyang Meng, Sisi Wang, Zhong Zhang, Ruijin Yang, Wei Zhao

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

In this study, enzymatic hydrolysis and cationization with epoxypropyldodecyldimethylammonium chloride of wheat protein, an economic protein complex containing great amount of disulfide bonds, were conducted to improve properties such as solubility and disassociation behaviour for recovery of damaged hair when used in shampoo. The optimal conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis were pH 8.2, 55°C with Alcalase for 60min. After the selected hydrolysis, the degree of hydrolysis, nitrogen solubility index, foaming capacity index, foam stability index, emulsifying activity index and emulsion stability index of hydrolysate with 58.71% of shortchain peptides (less than 1000 Da) were 8.81%, 39.07%, 225%, 56.67%, 9.62m² g …

Fabrication Of Mnox/Mwcnts-Gc Nanocatalyst For Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Islam M. Al-Akraa Dr., Yaser M. Asal Mr, Amr M. Arafa Eng.

Chemical Engineering

Manganese oxide (MnOx) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are intended to modify the GC electrode for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Optimization of MnOx loading is carried out and the deposition of 55 cycles was sufficient to obtain the highest activity toward OER. The stability of the catalyst is enhanced by the addition of MWCNTs. As a result, an amount of 22 kWh/Kg of O2 of energy is saved. Several techniques including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy will be combined to track the catalyst activity and to determine its morphology …

Characterization Of Solution-Phase Drug-Protein Interactions By Ultrafast Affinity Extraction, Sandya Beeram, Xiwei Zheng, Kyungah Suh, David S. Hage

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

A number of tools based on high-performance affinity separations have been developed for studying drug-protein interactions. An example of one recent approach is ultrafast affinity extraction. This method has been employed to examine the free (or non-bound) fractions of drugs and other solutes in simple or complex samples that contain soluble binding agents. These free fractions have also been used to determine the binding constants and rate constants for the interactions of drugs with these soluble agents. This report describes the general principles of ultrafast affinity extraction and the experimental conditions under which it can be used to characterize such …

Systems And Methods For Actuating Soft Robotic Actuators, Robert F. Shepherd, Adam Stokes, Stephen A. Morin, Ludovico Cademartiri, Jacob Freake, Rui Nunes, Xin Chen, George M. Whitesides

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Systems and methods for providing a soft robot is provided. In one system , a robotic device includes a flexible body having a fluid chamber, where a portion of the flexible body includes an elastically extensible material and a portion of the flexible body is strain limiting relative to the elastically extensible material. The robotic device can further include a pressurizing inlet in fluid communication with the fluid chamber, and a pressurizing device in fluid communication with the pressurizing inlet, the pressurizing device including a reaction chamber configured to accommodate a gas producing chemical reaction for providing pressurized gas to …

Anatomy Of Stem Teaching In American Universities: A Snapshot From A Large-Scale Observation Study, Marilyne Stains, Jordan Harshman, Megan K. Barker, Stephanie V. Chasteen, Renee Cole, Sue Ellen Dechenne-Peters, M. Kevin Eagan Jr., Joan M. Esson, Jennifer K. Knight, Frank A. Laski, Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Christopher J. Lee, Stanley M. Lo, Lisa M. Mcdonnell, Timothy A. Mckay, Nicole Michelotti, Michael S. Palmer, Kathryn M. Plank, Tamara M. Rodela, Erin R. Sanders, Natalie G. Schimpf, Patricia M. Schulte, Michelle Smith, Mackenzie Stetzer, Jackie Stewart, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Erin Vinson, Laura K. Weir, Paul J. Wendel, Lindsay B. Wheeler, Anna M. Young

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

National and local initiatives focused on the transformation of STEM teaching in higher education have multiplied over the last decade. These initiatives often focus on measuring change in instructional practices, but it is difficult to monitor such change without a national picture of STEM educational practices, especially as characterized by common observational instruments. We characterized a snapshot of this landscape by conducting the first large scale observation-based study. We found that lecturing was prominent throughout the undergraduate STEM curriculum, even in classrooms with infrastructure designed to support active learning, indicating that further work is required to reform STEM education. Additionally, …

Reductive Cleavage Of Organic Peroxides By Iron Salts And Thiols, Anderw Olson, Abigail J. Jameson, Shiva K. Kyasa, Boone W. Evans, Patrick H. Dussault

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Despite the low bond strength of the oxygen− oxygen bond, organic peroxides are often surprisingly resistant to cleavage by nucleophiles and reductants. As a result, achieving decomposition under mild conditions can be challenging. Herein, we explore the reactivity of a selection of peroxides toward thiolates, phenyl selenide, Fe(II) salts, and iron thiolates. Peroxides activated by conjugation, strain, or stereoelectronics are rapidly cleaved at room temperature by thiolate anions, phenylselenide, or Fe(II) salts. Under the same conditions, unhindered dialkyl peroxides are only marginally reactive; hindered peroxides, including triacetone triperoxide and diacetone diperoxide (DADP), are inert. In contrast, all but the most …

The Effect Of Oxidation, Thionation, And Dimerization On The Self-Assembly And Photophysical Properties Of Novel Discotic Materials, Katie M. Psutka

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis aims to increase understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and liquid crystalline temperature range by exploring the effects of oxidation, thionation, and dimerization on the self-assembly and properties of novel discotic materials. First, two alkoxy-substituted dibenzanthracenequinones were prepared by oxidation of the corresponding dibenzanthracenes. The quinone induced a liquid crystalline phase in the hexaalkoxy dibenzanthracene derivative, but not in the tetralkoxy derivative. However, both of the resulting materials were un-reactive to any further synthetic modifications that could be used to improve their properties. In comparison, two heteroaromatic dithienoanthracenedicarboximides were successfully prepared, although the addition of the thiophene …

Microstructural Changes To Proso Millet Protein Bodies Upon Cooking And Digestion, Paridhi Gulati, You Zhou, Christian Elowsky, Devin J. Rose

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Cooking results in a drastic decline in digestibility of proso millet proteins, panicins. Scanning electron and confocal microscopy were used to observe morphological changes in proso millet protein bodies upon cooking and digestion that could be associated with the loss in digestibility. Spherical protein bodies (1–2.5 mm) were observed in proso millet flour and extracted protein. Cooking did not result in any noticeable change in the size or shape of the protein bodies. However, upon digestion with pepsin the poor digestibility of cooked proso millet protein was clearly evident from the differences in microstructure of the protein bodies: large cavities …