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Gene Vectors With Fluorescence Tracking Capabilities, Sophia Despina Angelopoulos

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on the optimization of benzothiazole-based chromophores to utilize them as fluorescent tags functionalized onto stimuli-responsive, or “smart,” polymers as non-viral gene delivery vectors for gene therapy applications. Blue-fluorescent emissive chromophores will allow tracking capabilities for the transfection pathway of the vector to be monitored as it delivers the DNA payload within intercellular space. The most appropriate chromophore must be covalently bound to a free amine within the vector, which is accomplished through NAS chemistry from fluorophenyl-benzothiazoles (F-BTZ-CBz) derivatives to amidated hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine)(HPEI-IBAm0.61). HPEI is considered to be a synthetic polycation, which promotes tunable solubility through characteristics of …

Capture-Recapture Reveals Heterogeneity In Habitat-Specific Mongoose Densities And Spatiotemporal Variability In Trapping Success In St. Kitts, West Indies, Caroline C. Sauvé, Are R. Berentsen, Amy Gilbert, Anne Conan, Luis Cruz-Martinez, Patrick A. Leighton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is a non-native invasive species across the Caribbean and a rabies reservoir on at least four islands in the region. Although previous studies reported mongoose density estimates in their non-native range, the variability in trapping designs, study seasonality, and analytical methods among studies precludes direct comparisons. This study is the first to report mongoose densities for the island of St. Kitts, West Indies. Our objective was to quantify mongoose densities across four habitats characteristic for the island. High capture and recapture rates in this study resulted in detailed estimates of spatial heterogeneity …

Mass Spectrometric Analysis Of Lignin Model Compounds: Fundamental Investigations Of Ionization And Supramolecular Interactions For Lignocellulosic Biomass Applications, Kimberly Dean

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignocellulosic biomass is pivotal for the development of renewable energy sources and materials essential to mitigate the exploitation of fossil fuels causing climate change and environmental pollution issues. The conversion of biomass into fuel requires the hydrolysis of cellulose and a biproduct of this process is the isolation of millions of tons of lignin as biorefinery waste. Lignin is a complex high molecular weight polymer whose structure remains undefined and critically limits potential industrial applications of lignocellulosic biomass. The advancement of analytical methods for structural elucidation of lignin and its ensemble of phenolic compounds is therefore essential to advance this …

A Core–Shell Au@Tio2 And Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensor For The Electroanalytical Determination Of H2o2 In Human Blood Serum And Saliva, Ayman Ali Saeed, Mohammed Nooredeen Abbas, Waheed Fathi El-Hawary, Yousry Moustafa Issa, Baljit Singh

Articles

A hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor was developed based on core–shell gold@ titanium dioxide nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified glassy carbon electrode (Au@TiO2/MWCNTs/GCE). Core–shell Au@TiO2 material was prepared and characterized using a scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM/EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Zeta-potential analyzer. The proposed sensor (Au@TiO2/MWCNTs/GCE) was investigated electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The analytical performance of the sensor was evaluated towards H2O2 using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The proposed sensor exhibited excellent stability and sensitivity with a linear concentration …

Completing Single-Cell Dna Methylome Profiles Via Transfer Learning Together With Kl-Divergence, Sanjeeva Dodlapati, Zongliang Jiang, Jiangwen Sun

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The high level of sparsity in methylome profiles obtained using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in the case of low biological material amount limits its value in the study of systems in which large samples are difficult to assemble, such as mammalian preimplantation embryonic development. The recently developed computational methods for addressing the sparsity by imputing missing have their limits when the required minimum data coverage or profiles of the same tissue in other modalities are not available. In this study, we explored the use of transfer learning together with Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence to train predictive models for completing methylome profiles with …

Dynamics Of Mutualism In A Two Prey, One Predator System With Variable Carrying Capacity, Randy Huy Lee

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We considered the livelihood of two prey species in the presence of a predator species. To understand this phenomenon, we developed and analyzed two mathematical models considering indirect and direct mutualism of two prey species and the influence of one predator species. Both types of mutualism are represented by an increase in the preys' carrying capacities based on direct and indirect interactions between the prey. Because of mutualism, as the death rate parameter of the predator species goes through some critical value, the model shows transcritical bifurcation. Additionally, in the direct mutualism model, as the death rate parameter decreases to …

Dna-Templated Synthesis Of Cationic Styryl Dyes, Kriangsak Faikhruea

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Styryl dye is a class of pi-conjugated dye that shows several desirable optical properties, such as high photostability, solvatochromic characteristics, and high fluorescence quantum yields. Due to the responsiveness to the binding with the target biomolecules such as nucleic acids, some of these dyes have been widely employed for biomolecular detection and cellular imaging. These dyes are typically synthesized via an aldol-type reaction between a methyl heterocycle and an aromatic aldehyde in the presence of acid or base as a catalyst. However, the conventional method of synthesizing these dyes is inefficient, time-consuming, and involves the use of excessive chemicals, as …

Conserving Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets: Biological Threats, Political Challenges, And Lessons Learned, Travis M. Livieri, Steven C. Forrest, Marc R. Matchett, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There may be few stories in the annals of wildlife management that are as dramatic as the near demise and comeback of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Endemic only to North America, this charming little carnivore found only in the continent’s central grasslands was hardly known to science until the mid-20th century. By then, vast colonies of the prey it depended on for food and shelter, the prairie dog (Cynomys spp.), had been wiped out through disease (sylvatic plague) and an agricultural industry with little tolerance for burrowing and grazing rodents. At its low point, the species’ …

A Nanoscale Shape-Discovery Framework Supporting Systematic Investigations Of Shape-Dependent Biological Effects And Immunomodulation, Wei Zhang, Hender Lopez, Luca Boselli, Paolo Bigini, André Perez-Potti, Zengchun Xie, Valentina Castagnola, Qi Cai, Camila P. Silveira, Joao M. De Araujo, Laura Talamini, Nicolò Panini, Giuseppe Ristagno, Martina B. Violatto, Stéphanie Devineau, Marco P. Monopoli, Mario Salmona, Valeria A. Giannone, Sandra Lara, Kenneth A. Dawson, Yan Yan

Articles

Since it is now possible to make, in a controlled fashion, an almost unlimited variety of nanostructure shapes, it is of increasing interest to understand the forms of biological control that nanoscale shape allows. However, a priori rational investigation of such a vast universe of shapes appears to present intractable fundamental and practical challenges. This has limited the useful systematic investigation of their biological interactions and the development of innovative nanoscale shape-dependent therapies. Here, we introduce a concept of biologically relevant inductive nanoscale shape discovery and evaluation that is ideally suited to, and will ultimately become, a vehicle for machine …

Microwave-Promoted Iminyl Radical Fragmentations And The Total Synthesis Of Yaku'amide A And Its Simplified Analogues, Concordia Lo

Theses and Dissertations

The first project in this dissertation describes the use of microwave-promoted iminyl radical fragmentations to form functionalized nitriles. Nitrogen-centered radical chemistry is a useful tool to construct valuable C-N bonds commonly found in pharmaceuticals and biologically active molecules. Classically, these reactions require the use of toxic initiators and propagators. Iminyl radical chemistry has been gaining momentum as a means of avoiding these harsh conditions. This project utilizes the fragmentation of cyclic iminyl radicals via irradiation of O-phenyl oxime ethers to produce a synthetically useful nitrile tethered to an alkyl radical in the absence of metal catalysts and redox chemistry. The …

Electronic And Magnetic Properties Of Metal Doped Silicon-Carbide Fullerene-Type Nanostructures, Hussain Jabreel Alathlawi

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a technologically significant material. A recent report on the abundance of C60 fullerenes in interstellar space, along with the presence of SiC precursors, sparked interest in potentially similar SiC nanostructures. C60 and C70 fullerenes were found experimentally and are an exceptionally stable form of carbon. As Si and C have similar valence electron configurations, it has been long envisioned that Si and SiC could also form similar fullerene-type structures. In this dissertation, Si30C30 fullerene-derived clusters were studied from the first principles theory, starting from an ideal Si60 fullerene template with various arrangements of silicon and carbon …

Development Of Visible-Light-Mediated Photoredox Catalysis, Sarbjeet Kaur

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Synthesis Of Phytosulfokine Analogs As Probes For Studying Plant Signaling And Molecular Trafficking, Thomas Ntim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants are exposed to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses that hinder their growth and reduce crop productivity. In their adaptive response, plants use signaling molecules that are trafficked throughout the plant. This research focuses on the chemical synthesis and assessment of analogs of the plant signal phytosulfokine (PSK, a sulfated pentapeptide), its delivery to plants and its observation using a fiber-optic fluorescence microscope. PSK regulates growth, cell expansion, heat tolerance, and tissue longevity. Analogs of PSK were synthesized using solid-phase peptide synthesis. Pure PSK and TAMRA-labeled PSK were delivered into the wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 and a …

Notmad: Estimating Bayesian Networks With Sample-Specific Structures And Parameters, Benjamin Lengerich, Caleb Ellington, Bryon Aragam, Eric P. Xing, Manolis Kellis

Machine Learning Faculty Publications

Context-specific Bayesian networks (i.e. directed acyclic graphs, DAGs) identify context-dependent relationships between variables, but the non-convexity induced by the acyclicity requirement makes it difficult to share information between context-specific estimators (e.g. with graph generator functions). For this reason, existing methods for inferring context-specific Bayesian networks have favored breaking datasets into subsamples, limiting statistical power and resolution, and preventing the use of multidimensional and latent contexts. To overcome this challenge, we propose NOTEARS-optimized Mixtures of Archetypal DAGs (NOTMAD). NOTMAD models context-specific Bayesian networks as the output of a function which learns to mix archetypal networks according to sample context. The archetypal …

The U.S. Inland Creel And Angler Survey Catalog (Creelcat): Development, Applications, And Opportunities, Abigail J. Lynch, Nicholas A. Sievert, Holly S. Embke, Ashley M. Robertson, Bonnie J.E. Myers, Micheal S. Allen, Zachary S. Feiner, Frederick Hoogakker, Scott Knoche, Rebecca M. Krogman, Stephen R. Midway, Chelsey L. Nieman, Craig P. Paukert, Kevin L. Pope, Mark W. Rogers, Lyndsie S. Wszola, T. Douglas Beard

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveys and their importance to fisheries management at state scales, regional and national coordination among these activities is minimal, limiting data applicability for larger-scale management practices and research. Here, we introduce the U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat), a first-of-its-kind, publicly available national database of …

Studying Neurotoxic Effects Of Three Synthetic Insecticides And Two Herbal Infusions On The Nervous System Of The Fruit Fly Drosophila Melanogaster, Sara Khamis Obaid Hamarain Al Dhaheri

Theses

Pesticides applied on plants and animals can reach the human diet once they enter food chains. Insecticides are neurotoxic agents; they have the potential of causing damage to the nervous system in people. The damage could induce or promote neurodegenerative diseases such as the Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. It is well-documented that the exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) stimulate the Parkinson disease in humans and experimental animals. Thus, this research project will study effect of three synthetic insecticides pirimicarb, tefluthrin, and CPF on the nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. In addition, the project will evaluate the …

Synthesis And Complexation Of Monotosylated 4-Aminopyridine With Nickel (Ii) And Iron (Ii) Ions, Kingsley John Orie, Remy Ukachukwu Duru, Raphael I-Oro Ngochindo

Makara Journal of Science

Tosylated 4-aminopyridine and other sulfonylated compounds of amines comprise a substantial class of pharmaceutical drugs used as antibiotics in the field of medicine. This research aimed at the synthesis of tosylated 4-aminopyridine and the complexation of the tosyated 4-aminopyridine with Ni(II) and Fe(II) ions. The sulfonamide was prepared by the action of tosyl chloride on 4-aminopyridine in an aqueous alkaline medium. The complexes were synthesized by the reaction of Ni(NO₃)_2.6H₂O /Fe(NO₃)_2.6H₂O with sulfonamide derivative. These compounds were characterized through Ultraviolet Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier Transform Infer-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, …

Controlled Branching Processes With Continuous Time, Miguel Gonzalez, Manuel Molina, Ines Del Puerto, Nikolay Yanev, George Yanev

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

A class of controlled branching processes with continuous time is introduced and some limiting distributions are obtained in the critical case. An extension of this class as regenerative controlled branching processes with continuous time is proposed and some asymptotic properties are considered.

A Southwestern United States Pilot Investigation Of Triatomine–Mite Prevalence, Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller, Hanna Waltz, Mary K. Lynn, Stephen A. Klotz, Justin O. Schmidt, Alvaro Romero, Marvin Stanley Rodriguez Aquino, Jose Ricardo Palacios Valladares, Pamela Michelle Cornejo Rivas, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph

Faculty Publications

An estimated 70 million persons in the Western Hemisphere are living at risk for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection transmitted to humans by over 156 different competent triatomine insect vector species. Prior Pan American Health Organization insecticide campaigns throughout Latin America in the 1990s and 2000s demonstrated that domestic insecticide spraying had temporary effects, which resulted in the re-establishment of triatomine species within a few years. Serendipitously, our team found ectoparasitic mites parasitizing triatomines collected from the field in multiple locations in the southwestern United States, where human–triatomine interaction was high but human parasite infection remains low. Upon further investigation …

Immobilized-Enzyme Reactors Integrated Into Analytical Platforms: Recent Advances And Challenges, Bert Wouters Dr, Sinead Currivan, Noor Abdulhussain, T. Hankemeier, Peter J. Schoenmakers

Articles

Immobilized-enzyme reactors (IMERs) are flow-through devices containing enzymes that are physically confined or localized with retention of their catalytic activities. IMERs can be used repeatedly and continuously and have been applied for (bio)polymer degradation, proteomics, biomarker discovery, inhibitor screening, and detection. Online integration of IMERs with analytical instrumentation, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems, reduces the time needed for multi-step workflows, reduces the need for sample handling, and enables automation. However, online integration can also be challenging, as reaching its full potential requires complex instrumental setups and experienced users. This review aims to provide an assessment of recent advances …

Heteroacene-Based Amphiphile As A Molecular Scaffold For Bioimaging Probes, Tharindu A. Ranathunge, Mahesh Loku Yaddehige, Jordan H. Varma, Cameron Smith, Jay Nguyen, Iyanuoluwani Owolabi, Wojciech Kolodziejczyk, Nathan I. Hammer, Glake Hill, Alex Flynt, Davita L. Watkins

Faculty Publications

The challenges faced with current fluorescence imaging agents have motivated us to study two nanostructures based on a hydrophobic dye, 6H-pyrrolo[3,2-b:4,5-b’]bis [1,4]benzothiazine (TRPZ). TRPZ is a heteroacene with a rigid, pi-conjugated structure, multiple reactive sites, and unique spectroscopic properties. Here we coupled TRPZ to a tert-butyl carbamate (BOC) protected 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propanoic acid (bisMPA) dendron via azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition. Deprotection of the protected amine groups on the dendron afforded a cationic terminated amphiphile, TRPZ-bisMPA. TRPZ-bisMPA was nanoprecipitated into water to obtain nanoparticles (NPs) with a hydrodynamic radius that was TRPZ-PG was encapsulated in pluronic-F127 (Mw …

From Mathematics To Medicine: A Practical Primer On Topological Data Analysis (Tda) And The Development Of Related Analytic Tools For The Functional Discovery Of Latent Structure In Fmri Data, Andrew Salch, Adam Regalski, Hassan Abdallah, Raviteja Suryadevara, Michael J. Catanzaro, Vaibhav A. Diwadkar

Mathematics Faculty Research Publications

fMRI is the preeminent method for collecting signals from the human brain in vivo, for using these signals in the service of functional discovery, and relating these discoveries to anatomical structure. Numerous computational and mathematical techniques have been deployed to extract information from the fMRI signal. Yet, the application of Topological Data Analyses (TDA) remain limited to certain sub-areas such as connectomics (that is, with summarized versions of fMRI data). While connectomics is a natural and important area of application of TDA, applications of TDA in the service of extracting structure from the (non-summarized) fMRI data itself are heretofore nonexistent. …

Recent Studies On The Synthesis Of Medicinal Molecules., Paige Monsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medicinal chemistry interfaces synthetic organic chemistry, natural product chemistry and chemical biology, with a goal of yielding therapeutic agents. Natural products or compounds derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, are often biologically active and render that compound a likely drug lead. For thousands of years humankind has utilized natural products for medicinal purposes and consequently scientists take advantage of both these compounds’ core structural characteristics and their modes of actions on selected targets as inspiration to develop therapeutics. Because the total synthesis of such complex molecules can be cumbersome and expensive, semi-synthetic methods on isolated natural …

Threshold Concepts In Web Development: The Impact Of Education And Experience On The Perceptions Of Practitioners, Michael Lee Mick

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

The Threshold Concepts (TCs) framework posits characteristics of critical concepts that enable a learner to see things in a new and unforgettable way that allows the incorporation of cognitive approaches and skills needed by professionals in the discipline. All previous research has been qualitatively oriented toward discovery of candidate TCs, without, so far, quantitative studies of the candidate TCs recognition within the professional ranks. An underrepresented group in previous research is that of Web development professionals.

This proposal describes initial quantitative research utilizing the TCs framework in the Web development area to measure the perception of candidate TCs by professionals …

Causal Mediation Analysis With Multiple Time-Varying Mediators, An-Shun Tai, Sheng-Hsuan Lin, Yu-Cheng Chu, Tsung Yu, Milo A. Puhan, Tyler Vanderweele

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

In longitudinal studies with time-varying exposures and mediators, the mediational g-formula is an important method for the assessment of direct and indirect effects. However, current methodologies based on the mediational g-formula can deal with only one mediator. This limitation makes these methodologies inapplicable to many scenarios. Hence, we develop a novel methodology by extending the mediational g-formula to cover cases with multiple time-varying mediators. We formulate two variants of our approach that are each suited to a distinct set of assumptions and effect definitions and present nonparametric identification results of each variant. We further show how complex causal mechanisms (whose …

Thanatechnology And The Living Dead: New Concepts In Digital Transformation And Human-Computer Interaction, Vural Özdemir, Simon Springer, Arif Ylldlrlm, Sehmus Biçer, Asllgül Kendirci, Semra Sardaş, Hakan Klllç, Nezih Hekim, Tanja Kunej, Kazlm Yalçln Arga, Kevin Dzobo, Wei Wang, Marius Geanta, Angela Brand, Mustafa Bayram

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In a digital society, shall we be the authors of our own experience, not only during our lifetime but also after we die? We ask this question because dying and bereavement have become even harder, and much less private, in the digital age. New big data-driven digital industries and technologies are on the rise, with promises of interactive 3D avatars and storage of digital memories of the deceased, so they can continue to exist online as the "living dead"in a digital afterlife. Famous rock and roll icons like Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio, and Amy Winehouse have famously …

Contemporary Challenges And Opportunities For The Management Of Bird Damage At Field Crop Establishment, Christophe Sausse, Alice Baux, Michel Bertrand, Elsa Bonnaud, Sonia Canavelli, Alexandra Destrez, Page E. Klug, Lourdes Olivera, Ethel Rodriguez, Guilllermo Tellechea, Sebastian Zuil

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird damage, from sowing to crop establishment, is an important issue for farmers in many parts of the world. However, reliable and cost-effective solutions remain elusive because management tools and research on the subject are limited. The spatial variability of damage across landscapes and the adaptative behaviour of birds create further challenges. Additionally, the issue must be tackled at the landscape scale and involve a variety of stakeholders with conflicting interests and objectives. We summarize some of the challenges and opportunities identified to face these difficulties and address four major research directions for operational solutions including 1) crop damage assessment, …

Biological Control And Integrated Rangeland Weed Management, Linda M. Wilson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Mechanistic And Synthetic Studies Of Oxidopyrylium Cycloaddition Reactions, Lauren P. Bejcek

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cycloaddition chemistry has historically served as a robust route to stereo-rich and highly functionalized cyclic and heterocyclic compounds. Herein we describe our examination of 3-hydroxy-4-pyrone-derived oxidopyrylium cycloadditions in both mechanistic considerations as well as the unique synthetic advancements of their corresponding cycloadducts. Chapter 1 is a literature review where we specifically outline the use of oxidopyrylium cycloadditions in the synthesis of natural products. This includes the mention of previous syntheses prior to 2008, and a more thorough examination of the natural products synthesized from 2008 to present. The work exploits this chemistry as a facile route to highly complex 7-membered …

Synthetic And Biological Studies On Benzazepine Derivatives As Dopamine Receptor Ligands, Rajan Giri

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dopamine (DA) receptors, members of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) family, are divided in two groups based on their transmembrane structural homology domains: D1R-like (D1R, D5R sub-types) and D2R-like DA receptors (D2R, D3R and D4R sub-types). Disturbances in dopaminergic neurotransmission are associated with several CNS disorders. Hence, DA receptor selective ligands have been sought as pharmacological agents to normalize perturbations in the dopaminergic system. Despite several notable efforts, the discovery of highly selective ligands for dopamine receptor sub-types has proved challenging due to close transmembrane structural similarity, especially between DA receptor sub-types within the same group.

The 1-phenylbenzazepine scaffold is …