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Preparation Of Cholesterol-Imprinted Polymer For Selective Adsorption Of Cholesterol From Gastrointestinal Mimicking Solution, Veyi̇s Karakoç, Erol Erçağ

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The purpose of this study is to synthesize a highly selective adsorbent to remove cholesterol, one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases, from the intestinal mimic solution (IMS). For this purpose, cholesterol imprinted polymers were synthesized by suspension polymerization method using the molecular imprinting technique. In the first step, the functional monomer MATyr with hydrophobic character was synthesized. Then, the cholesterol-MATyr monomer precomplex was formed and the polymerization process was carried out by adding cross-linkers with the comonomer HEMA. The synthesized polymer poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(L)-tyrosine methylester) poly(HEMA–MATyr) was characterized by FTIR and SEM. The cholesterol adsorbing behavior of the …

Trip - Transformer Interatomic Potential Predicts Realistic Energy Surface Using Physical Bias, Bryce Eric Hedelius

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate interatomic energies and forces enable high-quality molecular dynamics simulations, torsion scans, potential energy surface mapping, and geometry optimization. Machine learning algorithms have enabled rapid estimates of energies and forces with high accuracy. Further development of machine learning algorithms holds promise for producing general potentials that support dozens of atomic species. I present my own Transformer Interatomic Potential (TrIP): a chemically sound potential based on the SE(3)-Transformer. TrIP's species-agnostic architecture--using continuous atomic representation and homogenous graph convolutions--encourages parameter sharing between atomic species for more general representations of chemical environments, keeps a reasonable number of parameters, serves as a form of …

Supramolecular Solvent-Based-Vortex-Assisted-Dispersive Liquid Liquid Microextraction Of Sudan Black B In Food Samples Prior To Spectrophotometric Detection, Fi̇gen Erek, Mustafa Tüzen

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A new, simple and rapid spectrophotometric method was developed for determination of Sudan Black B in food products by supramolecular solvent-based-vortex-assisted-dispersive liquid liquid microextraction (SUPRAS-VA-DLLME). Extraction solvent type, volume of solvent, pH, volume of THF, centrifugation time, vortex time, and sample volume were investigated as optimization parameters of the developed method. Under the optimum conditions, limit of detection and limit of quantification, preconcentration factor and enhancement factor of the developed method were calculated to be 9.01 µg L–1, 29.73 µg L–1, 20, and 55, respectively. The developed microextraction method was successfully applied to food samples for the determination of Sudan …

Evaluation Of P(Hema-Co-Nipam) Hydrogels For Removal Of Methylene Blue From Aqueous Solution:Isotherm, Kinetic, And Thermodynamic Studies, Hayri̇ye Mi̇ne Antep, Müni̇re Nalan Demi̇r, Cevher Gündoğdu Hizliateş, Si̇mge Öztürk, Eli̇f Esen

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In this study, a novel adsorbent material, poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-N-isopropyl acrylamide) (p(HEMA-co-NIPAM) hydrogel, was synthesized for the purpose of removing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous media. The synthesis of hydrogel was carefully conducted, and its properties were thoroughly examined using techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The adsorption experiments conducted revealed a remarkable affinity of p(HEMA-co-NIPAM) hydrogel towards MB. The highest adsorption was observed when 0.05 g of the adsorbent were utilized, with optimal conditions at a pH of 6.0 and a temperature of 15 °C. This underscores the importance of …

Performance Test Of Zn-Astaxanthin Complex-Sensitized Solar Cell: Effect Of Light Intensity On Open-Circuit Voltage And Short-Circuit Current Values, Septiani Septiani, Winda Rahmalia, Thamrin Usman

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The sensitizer is one of the most essential dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) components. In the present research, a Zn-astaxanthin complex was investigated as a sensitizer, compared to pure astaxanthin. The complex with a 1:1 mole ratio between astaxanthin and Zn2+ was synthesized in a reflux reactor at 37–60 °C. The product was analyzed using Proton Nuclear Resonance (1H-NMR), which indicates the presence of chelate formation between Zn2+ with two atoms of oxygen on the terminal cyclohexane ring of astaxanthin. The interaction of sensitizers (astaxanthin and Zn-astaxanthin) on the photoelectrode surface in this study was analyzed using a Fourier Transform Infra-Red …

Transdermal Delivery System To Release Phthalocyanine Photosensitizers For The Potential Treatment Of Skin Cancer With Pdt, Meryem Çamur Demi̇r, Fatma Kurşun Baysak, Caner Yahya Boyar, Ali̇han Toksoy, Fati̇h Algi

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

This research aims to examine the transdermal release of water-soluble indium and zinc metallo phthalocyanine (InPc and ZnPc) compounds from the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membrane and the cytotoxicity effect of these Pcs on normal mouse fibroblasts (L929 fibroblast) and human melanoma (SK-MEL-30) cells. For this purpose, the effects of temperature, pH, drug concentration and membrane thickness on transdermal release were investigated in order to obtain the optimum transdermal release profile by preparing PVA membranes with different thicknesses and crosslinked by heat treatment. Optimum drug release was found to be 85.36% using 6 µm thick PVA membrane at 37 ± 0.5 …

Sensitive And Accurate Determination Of Oil-Soluble And Water-Soluble Organosulfur Compounds In Garlic Matrix Using Reversed Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Ümmügülsüm Polat Korkunç, Buse Tuğba Zaman, Sezgi̇n Bakirdere, Emine Karakuş

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Garlic is in the family Liliaceae and has many different constituents such as organic sulfur compounds, amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. In this work, a simple, sensitive, and accurate analytical method was developed for the determination of selected organosulfur compounds (OSCs) in garlic bulbs using reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Oil-soluble and water-soluble OSCs were extracted from the garlic samples via acetonitrile and deionized water, respectively. The OSCs were separated on a Phenomenex C18 (250 mm, 4 mm, 5mm) column and the monitoring was performed with a UV detector at 220 nm. An isocratic mobile phase comprising of …

Lmcrot: An Enhanced Protein Crotonylation Site Predictor By Leveraging An Interpretable Window-Level Embedding From A Transformer-Based Protein Language Model, Pawel Pratyush, Soufia Bahmani, Suresh Pokharel, Hamid D. Ismail, Dukka Bahadur

Michigan Tech Publications

MOTIVATION: Recent advancements in natural language processing have highlighted the effectiveness of global contextualized representations from Protein Language Models (pLMs) in numerous downstream tasks. Nonetheless, strategies to encode the site-of-interest leveraging pLMs for per-residue prediction tasks, such as crotonylation (Kcr) prediction, remain largely uncharted. RESULTS: Herein, we adopt a range of approaches for utilizing pLMs by experimenting with different input sequence types (full-length protein sequence versus window sequence), assessing the implications of utilizing per-residue embedding of the site-of-interest as well as embeddings of window residues centered around it. Building upon these insights, we developed a novel residual ConvBiLSTM network designed …

Are Students Actually Learning What You Think They Are? An Exploration Into The Educational Outcomes Of Course Based Undergraduate Research Labs, Matilda Dumaine, Jacob Saadoun

Biology Presentations

It is important to understand whether students are acquiring intended educational objectives. A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) lab seeks to blend the logistical ease and accessibility of college courses with the educational benefits of research experiences. By employing inquiry-based teaching methods, CURE labs enable students to collaborate in a group setting under the guidance of a faculty member, engaging in hands-on research. This project studies how educational outcomes of CURE labs can be measured. CURE labs may improve anything from technical lab skills, to scientific literacy, to persistence in science. These short-, middle-, and long-term goals may be measured …

Models Of Low Mass Stars As Physical Labratories, Emily M. Boudreaux

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Low mass stars account for approximately 70 percent of the stellar populations (Conroy & Van Dokkum, 2012); yet, due to their small sizes and cool temperatures they account for only a small fraction of the galaxies luminosity function (Laughlin et al., 1997). Moreover, due to the lack of laboratory conditions available to astronomy and astrophysics low mass stars can provide a rare controlled environment for calibrations of numerical models. Consequently, across multiple domains there has been significant interest in these key astronomical objects. In this thesis I present three projects which have further revealed properties of low mass stars and …

Predicting Ffar4 Agonists Using Structure-Based Machine Learning Approach Based On Molecular Fingerprints, Zaid Anis Sherwani, Syeda Sumayya Tariq, Mamona Mushtaq, Ali Raza Siddiqui, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Aftab Ahmed, Zaheer Ul-Haq

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (FFAR4), a G-protein-coupled receptor, is responsible for triggering intracellular signaling pathways that regulate various physiological processes. FFAR4 agonists are associated with enhancing insulin release and mitigating the atherogenic, obesogenic, pro-carcinogenic, and pro-diabetogenic effects, normally associated with the free fatty acids bound to FFAR4. In this research, molecular structure-based machine-learning techniques were employed to evaluate compounds as potential agonists for FFAR4. Molecular structures were encoded into bit arrays, serving as molecular fingerprints, which were subsequently analyzed using the Bayesian network algorithm to identify patterns for screening the data. The shortlisted hits obtained via machine learning protocols …

Amending The Native American Graves Protection And Repatriation Act: Human Rights, Sovereignty, And Cultural Sustainability, Maddie Mulcahey

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Madeline Mulcahey, Anthropology '24 presents "Amending the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Human Rights, Sovereignty, and Cultural Sustainability"

Chemical And Physiological Interactions Between E-Liquid Constituents: Cause For Concern?, Robert M. Strongin, Eva Sharma, Hanno C. Erythropel, Nada O F Kassem, Alexandra Noël, D H. Peyton, Irfan Rahman

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) toxicity have largely focused on individual components such as flavour additives, base e-liquid ingredients (propylene glycol, glycerol), device characteristics (eg, model, components, wattage), use behaviour, etc. However, vaping involves inhalation of chemical mixtures and interactions between compounds can occur that can lead to different toxicities than toxicity of the individual components. Methods based on the additive toxicity of individual chemical components to estimate the health risks of complex mixtures can result in the overestimation or underestimation of exposure risks, since interactions between components are under-investigated. In the case of ENDS, the potential of …

Microplastic Quantification On The Effect Of Endoparasite Communities In Florida Seabirds, Sarah N. Prieto

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Microplastics are being studied in a variety of different projects to better understand their impact and threat to wildlife species. Although there is an understanding that microplastics are affecting our wildlife, there are still questions about how coastal seabirds come to ingest them and how the ingestion is altering critical biological processes, such as that for endoparasite communities. This project aims to determine a better understanding of two main objectives: assessment of the presence of secondary ingestion of microplastics in coastal seabirds due to the fish species they prey on and relationship between microplastics and endoparasite communities' structure and state …

Enhancing The Antibiotic Properties Of Meropenem With Hydrophobic Ion-Pairing, Krishna Paul, Bidhan Barua, Lark Perez

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Antibiotic Resistance is one of the most urgent global threat to humankind. Most antibiotics are hydrophilic in nature while proteins and peptides are lipophilic. Enhancing lipophilicity of the antibiotic by HIP can increase solubility of the drugs in human and improve antibacterial effect as well. We hypothesized that formation of a hydrophobic drug complex would change the physical properties of the antibiotic and enhance its antimicrobial activity.

Status Of Aquatic Turtle Populations At Rowan University During The 10-Year Period Between 2013 And 2023, Megan Heminghaus, Joanna Guldin, Robert Keefe, Rose Mularadelis, Jalynn Justice, Angela Fields, Patrick Crumrine

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Monitoring turtle populations can help to assess population viability and estimate the effects of human impacts on populations.

The focal species of the present study are common and at lower risk of experiencing drastic declines than more susceptible species. Monitoring the population change of common species can inform how more vulnerable species may respond to human impacts.

Previous studies have shown that the proportion of female turtles in populations decreases as urbanization increases due to higher levels of risk when females leave ponds to lay eggs.

The landscape around Holly Pointe, Discovery Hall, and the Student Center has experienced significant …

Characterization Of Lysozyme Stability In The Presence Of Lonic Liquids, Madison Scott, Ramzy T.M. Malak, Daniel Obeid, Chun Wu, Timothy Vaden, Gregory A. Caputo

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Hen egg white lysozyme (Lyz) has been a well studied model system in biophysical investigations for decades. The protein is a small, primarily helical, highly soluble protein that is both commercially available and easily accessible. lonic liquids (ILs), often referred to as room-temperature ionic liquids or molten salts, have garnered great interest in the last 15-20 years as potential components of electrochemical devices or applications. More recently, the biocompatibility of these molecules has developed an increased interest in the field, especially considering that some IL species can stabilize biomolecular structures while other ILs strongly destabilize 3D structures. In this study, …

Myoglobin Unfolding And Protein Stability With Tmg, Eustratios R. Kossis, Dimitra N. Kossis, Kristen Rass, Taha Shahbaz, Gregory A. Caputo, Timothy Vaden

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Myoglobin, a widely studied protein in biophysics, is a small, helical, and highly soluble protein that has been investigated for decades. Its heme prosthetic group facilitates easy analysis of its folding state through absorbance spectroscopy. Ionic liquids (ILs), particularly room-temperature ionic liquids or molten salts, have gained significant attention in the past 15- 20 years for their potential use in electrochemical devices. Recently, their biocompatibility has become a focal point in research, given that certain IL species can either stabilize or destabilize biomolecular structures. This study employs absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy to examine how amino acid-based ILs, specifically tetramethyl guanidine …

Mathematical Modeling For Dental Decay Prevention In Children And Adolescents, Mahdiyeh Soltaninejad

Dissertations

The high prevalence of dental caries among children and adolescents, especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is a significant nationwide health concern. Early prevention, such as dental sealants and fluoride varnish (FV), is essential, but access to this care remains limited and disparate. In this research, a national dataset is utilized to assess sealants' reach and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay, particularly focusing on 2nd molars that emerge during early adolescence, a current gap in the knowledge base. FV is recommended to be delivered during medical well-child visits to children who are not seeing a dentist. Challenges and facilitators in …

Li2mp2s6: Building-Block Approach To A Family Of 2d Non-Van Der Waals-Layered Materials And Their Water, Ammonia, And Ion Intercalation Properties, Santhoshkumar Sundaramoorthy, Nikolay Gerasimchuk, Kartik Ghosh, Steven P. Kelley, Amitava Choudhury

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of non-van der Waals 2D quaternary thiophosphates with nominal composition, Li₂MP₂S₆ (M = V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn), has been successfully synthesized through solid-state metathesis reactions by a building block approach as well as starting with a stoichiometric combination of elements. Li4-nxMxn+P2S6 (M = V, Fe, Ni, Co, and Zn; x = 0.5-1, n = 2 or 3) crystallize in the P3̅1m space group, while Li₂MnP₂S₆ crystallizes in R3̅. All the compounds form a 2D layered structure through edge sharing MS6 octahedra and P₂S …

Predictors Of Student Success In College-Level General Chemistry, Elijah J. Engler, Clarice Ak Kelleher

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Success in college-level general chemistry is important because it is a required course for many different STEM majors and student success in early STEM classes correlates with retention of students in STEM. Identifying factors associated with success and failure can give educators a better understanding of the warning signs to look out for in struggling students. This paper compares factors and behaviors with final grades in general chemistry courses at Binghamton University, including adjectives selected from a word bank (“valued,” “supported,” etc.), resources used, and opinion on group work as it relates to learning. Correlations were found between student adjective …

One-Pot Synthesis Green Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Immobilized On Activated Carbon Derived From Pineapple Peel For Adsorption Of Pb(Ii), Vienna Saraswaty, Evyka Setya Aji, Ardi Ardiansyah, Ayu Hanifah, Nathania Puspitasari, Shella Permatasari Santoso, Sandy Budi Hartono, Chandra Risdian, Elsy Rahimi Chaldun, Henry Setiyanto

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The current study introduces a one-pot technique for synthesizing an environmentally benign and cheap composite adsorbent, namely ZnO-PPAC, for the adsorption of Pb(II). The designated adsorbent was prepared by incorporating green synthesized zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on activated carbon-derived from pineapple peel. The prepared adsorbents were characterized using XRD, SEM, EDS, FTIR, and BET techniques. The XRD pattern verifies that the ZnO was successfully synthesized and immobilized onto the PPAC in a one pot synthesis system. The surface areas of ZnOPPAC and PPAC adsorbents were 13.62 m2/g and 961.96 m2/g, respectively. The FTIR evaluation of the ZnO-PPAC adsorbent revealed several …

Evaluating Appropriate Participant Training Period For Anuran Auditory Surveys, Evianna Goebel

Honors Projects

Auditory surveys are common in anuran research as they can tell a lot about a species without being intensely laborious or costly. There has not been much research on training periods for those taking part in the surveys. Proper training is necessary and improper training can hinder a project and lead to skewed results. In this study, we took students from several biology 2040 classes and had them study the calls of 11 frog species in NW Ohio. From the data, we can conclude that 2 weeks of roughly 100 minutes of study time is not enough for successful results …

Modern Approaches To Treating Hospital Acquired Infections: An Overview Of Current Treatments Using Antibiotics And New Therapies Centered Around Photo-Activated Porphyrins, Meghan Johns

Senior Honors Theses

Annually, hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and impose a great economic burden. The current problem is further exacerbated due to the failure of traditional treatment strategies considering the rise in antimicrobial resistance rates. Besides the fact that antimicrobial resistances complicates clinical treatment strategies, patients are also more vulnerable to secondary infections and complications from prolonged antibiotic use. As a result, research investigating novel treatment strategies for bacterial infections has recently increased. A strategy using porphyrin-based compounds is showing promise. Porphyrins and their derivatives have exhibited bactericidal effects against Gram-positive bacteria by the destruction …

The Effect Of Fixed Time Delays On The Synchronization Phase Transition, Shaizat Bakhytzhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nature is full of synchronization phenomena, which are essential to many scientific fields like biology, chemistry, physics, and neuroscience. The Kuramoto model is a well-known theoretical model that helps explain the fundamental ideas behind synchronization dynamics [6]. Nevertheless, in practical situations, systems frequently display intrinsic latency, which can greatly impact their behavior during synchronization. This insight inspired our work, which looks at the results of adding temporal delays to the Kuramoto model. In particular, we investigate how the system’s synchronization dynamics are affected by delays. We shed light on the mechanisms underpinning synchronization in the face of temporal delays and …

Optimal Molecular Dynamics System Size For Increased Precision And Efficiency For Epoxy Materials, Khatereh Kashmari, Sagar Patil, Josh Kemppainen, Shankara Gowtham, Gregory Odegard

Michigan Tech Publications

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is an important tool for predicting thermo-mechanical properties of polymer resins at the nanometer length scale, which is particularly important for efficient computationally driven design of advanced composite materials and structures. Because of the statistical nature of modeling amorphous materials on the nanometer length scale, multiple MD models (replicates) are typically built and simulated for statistical sampling of predicted properties. Larger replicates generally provide higher precision in the predictions but result in higher simulation times. Unfortunately, there is insufficient information in the literature to establish guidelines between MD model size and the resulting precision in predicted …

Wild Seahorse Conservation And Industrial Growth Strategies: A Dual-Perspective Study, Shicheng Wang, Bo Li, Lanliang Yu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) prioritizes healthy oceans and sustainable development. Protecting marine biodiversity, promoting sustainable fisheries, and achieving global sustainability goals are critical concerns for the international community. This study addresses critical challenges in seahorse conservation and industrial development, including wild resource depletion, limitations in aquaculture technology, low-value industrial chains, and inadequate regulatory coordination. Through systematic analysis of current conservation status and industrial trends, establishing demonstration bases is proposed for seahorse resource protection and high-value utilization ("Hippocampus Hub"), guided by natural habitat integrity, scientific research capacity, industrial chain integration, and policy support. By …

Strategic Pattern And Optimization Of China's Eco-Regions During Fifteenth Five-Year Plan Period, Kan Zhou, Jie Fan, Daojing Zhou, Zhedong Qian, Hu Yu, Hanchu Liu, Jian Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since the implementation of the major function oriented zoning, the ecological space of key ecological functional areas has continuously expanded, with a significant increase in vegetation coverage. Concurrently, there has been a dual change in population dynamics, characterized by a decrease in total population and an increase in the urban population. Furthermore, significant achievements have been made in economic and social development, and there has been a steady improvement in the functions of ecological security barriers, contributing to an alleviation of tension in human-environment relationships. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, it is imperative to adhere to the functional orientation …

Andrews University Pre-Professional Students Preparedness For A Future With Artificial Intelligence, Zachary Alignay

Honors Theses

Artificial Intelligence technology has advanced considerably over the past four years. With such rapid technological development, the question has to be asked if students are adequately educated on the implications and abilities of artificial intelligence. Are Andrews University pre-professional students prepared for future careers with artificial intelligence? To approach this question, a survey of students across multiple perspectives was conducted to sample if there was a consensus, or lack thereof, on the perception of ethics regarding artificial intelligence, to ask students how using artificial intelligence has changed their education, what purposes it can be used or cannot be used, personal …

Stress Phenotyping Analysis Leveraging Autofluorescence Image Sequences With Machine Learning, Sruti Das Choudhury, Carmela Rosaria Guadagno, Srinidhi Bashyam, Anastasios Mazis, Brent E. Ewers, Ashok Samal, Tala Awada

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background: Autofluorescence-based imaging has the potential to nondestructively characterize the biochemical and physiological properties of plants regulated by genotypes using optical properties of the tissue. A comparative study of stress tolerant and stress susceptible genotypes of Brassica rapa with respect to newly introduced stress-based phenotypes using machine learning techniques will contribute to the significant advancement of autofluorescence-based plant phenotyping research.

Methods: Autofluorescence spectral images have been used to design a stress detection classifier with two classes, stressed and non-stressed, using machine learning algorithms. The benchmark dataset consisted of time-series image sequences from three Brassica rapa genotypes (CC …