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Long-Term Carbon And Copper Impact On Nutrient Removal Via Green Sorption Media In Dynamic Linear Ditch Environments, Diana Ordonez Jan 2019

Long-Term Carbon And Copper Impact On Nutrient Removal Via Green Sorption Media In Dynamic Linear Ditch Environments, Diana Ordonez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient-laden stormwater runoff causes environmental and ecological impacts on receiving water bodies. Biosorption Activated Media (BAM) composed of the sand, tire crumb, and clay have been implemented in stormwater best management practices due to its ability to efficiently remove nutrients from stormwater runoff, such as in roadside linear ditches, via unique chemophysical and microbiological processes. In this study, a set of fixed-bed columns were set up to simulate some external forces in roadside linear ditches and examine how these external forces affect the performance of BAM. In our experiment, scenario 1 simulates the impact that animals such as tortoises, moles …

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Adsorption Capacity Assessment Of Advance Green Environmental Media To Remove Nutrients From Stormwater-Runoff, Hanan Elhakiem Jan 2019

Adsorption Capacity Assessment Of Advance Green Environmental Media To Remove Nutrients From Stormwater-Runoff, Hanan Elhakiem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Best Management Practices (BMPs) in stormwater treatment are a suite of treatment alternatives to deal with pollutant removal problems from stormwater runoff. Biosorption-activated media (BAM) are green sorption media consists of recycled materials have shown excellent nutrient removal as an effective BMP by enhancing physicochemical and microbiological processes. In this study, Iron-Filling Green Environmental Media (denoted as IFGEM-3) and Advanced Green Environmental Media 1 and 2 (denoted as AGEM-1 and AGEM-2) were produced and tested for their adsorption capacities as well as removal and recovery potential for phosphate, nitrate, and ammonia against natural soil (baseline) collected from a stormwater retention …

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Optimal Recipe Screening And Applications Of Iron-Filings Based Green Environmental Media (Ifgem) For Stormwater Treatment, Andrea Valencia Jan 2019

Optimal Recipe Screening And Applications Of Iron-Filings Based Green Environmental Media (Ifgem) For Stormwater Treatment, Andrea Valencia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The applications of green sorption media for stormwater treatment and nutrient removal benefit surface and ground water bodies by reducing non-point source pollution from stormwater runoff. To enhance nitrogen and phosphorus removal, a sequential study was performed to develop an improved green sorption media in this study by including the iron filings into the previous biosorption activated media (BAM). The iron-filings-based green environmental media (IFGEM) are thus composed of sand, tire crumb, clay and ground iron filings in which clay and iron particles are supposed to have salient interactions that cannot be present in BAM. However, the optimal ratio between …

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Comparative Nutrient Removal With Innovative Green Soprtion Media For Groundwater And Stormwater Co-Treatment, Dan Wen Jan 2019

Comparative Nutrient Removal With Innovative Green Soprtion Media For Groundwater And Stormwater Co-Treatment, Dan Wen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As indicated by the National Academy of Engineering, the understanding of nitrogen cycle has been deemed as one of 14 grand challenges in engineering of the 21st century. Due to rapid population growth and urbanization, the stormwater runoff increased in quantity as well as its nutrient concentrations, which may trigger serious environmental issues such as eutrophication in aquatic systems and ecosystem degradation. This study focuses on stormwater and groundwater quality control via Biosorption Activated Media (BAM) which can be applied to enhance the nutrient removal potential as an emerging Best Management Practices (BMPs). BAM was tested in this study with …

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Community-Based Coastal Restoration: Long Term Impacts On Habitats And People In Volusia County, Rachel Wimmer Jan 2019

Community-Based Coastal Restoration: Long Term Impacts On Habitats And People In Volusia County, Rachel Wimmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal habitats provide invaluable economic and ecosystem services. However, coastlines are eroding at increasing rates due to anthropogenic and climate driven changes. Grey and green infrastructure solutions have been proposed to retard the decay of coastlines, with oysters serving as a popular living shoreline. Three community-based stabilizations that implemented living shorelines and engaged local communities in restoration efforts over the past decade in Volusia County were revisited to determine if they were successful and if they produced positive public perceptions of success. Chicken Island, which was restored after waves, boat wakes, tides, and adverse weather altered the natural shoreline, had …

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You Can Sit With Us: An Investigation Of Organizational Rationale For Diversity And Inclusion Climate, Stephanie Leonard Jan 2019

You Can Sit With Us: An Investigation Of Organizational Rationale For Diversity And Inclusion Climate, Stephanie Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate for inclusion has captured the attention of management scholars as well as practitioners due to the positive effects inclusive climates have on organizations. Prior research has shown that a strong climate for inclusion leads to desirable outcomes such as increased organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and creativity, as well as a decrease in intent to turnover (e.g., Acquavita et al., 2009; Groeneveld, 2011; Choi & Rainey, 2010; Pitts, 2009). However, the field is lacking understanding of the factors that impact inclusion climate (Guillaume et al., 2014). To answer this call for inclusion climate formation research, this dissertation considers the relationship …

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The Effect Of Reliability Information And Risk On Appropriate Reliance In An Autonomous Robot Teammate, Andrew Talone Jan 2019

The Effect Of Reliability Information And Risk On Appropriate Reliance In An Autonomous Robot Teammate, Andrew Talone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examined how information regarding a robot teammate's reliability and the consequences for mistakes made by a robot in its task influence reliance on the robot by a human teammate. Of interest in this research was the notion of appropriate reliance: relying on a robot teammate's decisions when it is performing well and not relying on its decisions when it is performing poorly. An experiment was conducted in which participants interacted with an autonomous robot teammate while performing a cordon and search operation within a virtual reality simulation environment. Participants were responsible for monitoring the perimeter of a search …

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The Efficacy And Feasibility Of Neuropsychological Services In A Primary Care Setting, Danielle Herring Jan 2019

The Efficacy And Feasibility Of Neuropsychological Services In A Primary Care Setting, Danielle Herring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Integrated primary care assimilates psychologists into the primary care setting, thus improving health outcomes and physician satisfaction. Neuropsychology has also begun to assimilate into primary care, as neurocognitive impairment is a correlate of many medical disorders. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a common complaint among older adults, is an increasingly recognized warning sign of non-normative cognitive aging. These patients typically present first to their primary care providers who may play a critical role in the early detection of cognitive impairment. Given the growing awareness about cognitive health and disability, the importance of neuropsychological assessment as a standard component of integrated care …

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Selenium Vs. Sulfur: Investigating The Substrate Specificity Of A Selenocysteine Lyase, Michael Johnstone Jan 2019

Selenium Vs. Sulfur: Investigating The Substrate Specificity Of A Selenocysteine Lyase, Michael Johnstone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selenium is a vital micronutrient in many organisms. While traces are required for survival, excess amounts are toxic; thus, selenium can be regarded as a biological "double-edged sword". Selenium is chemically similar to the essential element sulfur, but curiously, evolution has selected the former over the latter for a subset of oxidoreductases. Enzymes involved in sulfur metabolism are less discriminate in terms of preventing selenium incorporation; however, its specific incorporation into selenoproteins reveals a highly discriminate process that is not completely understood. In this work, we add knowledge to the mechanism for selenium-over-sulfur specificity in hopes of further understanding the …

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Raising Roma Voices: An Insider Examination Of American Roma Realities, Resistance, And Revaluation, Sabrina Marks Jan 2019

Raising Roma Voices: An Insider Examination Of American Roma Realities, Resistance, And Revaluation, Sabrina Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A vast scholarship has been dedicated to examining the discrimination racial and ethnic minorities endure in the United States. Research has also shown racial and ethnic minorities work to resist discrimination via various social processes. One ethnic minority group absent from the literature is the American Roma, more commonly known as Gypsies. Therefore, this study aimed to gain insights into the situation of the American Roma, including the discrimination they endure and the resistance tactics they employ. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 native-born American Roma adults during the course of this insider study. Participants reported experiencing discrimination in …

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The Ecology Of Central Florida's Thief Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis), Leo Ohyama Jan 2019

The Ecology Of Central Florida's Thief Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis), Leo Ohyama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thief ants of the genus Solenopsis are a diverse group of ants that are found in ant communities throughout the world. They have long been purported to practice lestobiosis, an interaction between small and larger-bodied ants, where small ants cryptically tunnel into larger-bodied ant nests within the subterranean environment and steal brood or eggs for consumption. Thief ants are extremely small, measuring 1-2 mm in length and many of the species within this group practice a subterranean life history, where they live the entirety of their lives exclusively belowground. Due to these key characteristics, the ecology and natural history of …

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Investigating The Late Woodland Climate Of Old Tampa Bay, Florida, Jaime Rogers Jan 2019

Investigating The Late Woodland Climate Of Old Tampa Bay, Florida, Jaime Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tampa Bay and the broader Central Gulf Coast region of Florida bear evidence of site reduction and population decline during the onset of the Late Woodland period (AD 500-1000). Concomitantly, Weeden Island culture flourished to the north, while climatic instability loomed to the south. It is unclear if the site abandonments in the area between the two are related to social or cultural change, an unstable climate, or a combination thereof. Interdisciplinary research has provided evidence for climate change and sea level regression during the sixth and seventh centuries in Southwest Florida, but these variables have yet to be investigated …

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Business In The Estuary, Party In The Sea: Migration Patterns Of Striped Mullet (Mugil Cephalus) Within The Indian River Lagoon Complex, Olivia Myers Jan 2019

Business In The Estuary, Party In The Sea: Migration Patterns Of Striped Mullet (Mugil Cephalus) Within The Indian River Lagoon Complex, Olivia Myers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Commercial and recreational environmental enterprises in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida supply nearly 10,000 jobs and produce $1.6 billion dollars a year in revenue. These waters contain iconic species of sportfish, including red drum, snook, and sea trout, as well as their lower trophic level prey such as snapper and mullet. Striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) are both commercially valuable as well as an indicator species for overall ecosystem health. From September to December, mullet in the IRL undergo an annual migration from their inshore foraging habitats to oceanic spawning sites. However, their actual migratory pathways remain unknown. To address …

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Hydrodynamic Limitations And The Effects Of Living Shoreline Stabilization On Mangrove Recruitment Along Florida Coastlines, Christian Pilato Jan 2019

Hydrodynamic Limitations And The Effects Of Living Shoreline Stabilization On Mangrove Recruitment Along Florida Coastlines, Christian Pilato

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The recruitment success of mangroves is influenced by a variety of factors, including propagule availability, desiccation, herbivory, and hydraulic habitat limitations. Hydrodynamic forces (waves and currents) act as obstacles to mangrove recruitment, restricting the successful colonization of mangrove species. We evaluated the biological and physical limitations to mangrove recruitment through monthly shoreline surveys and lateral pull-tests. Surveys followed mangroves from propagule release through recruitment along the shorelines of De Soto National Memorial (Bradenton, FL), capturing differences in propagule availability and recruitment along natural areas and across differing forms of shoreline stabilization ("living shorelines" and revetments). Propagule densities were highest along …

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Analyzing Pre-Inhumation Breakage Ceramics At Lamanai, Belize: A Conjunctive Approach, Ryan Enger Jan 2019

Analyzing Pre-Inhumation Breakage Ceramics At Lamanai, Belize: A Conjunctive Approach, Ryan Enger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the Terminal Classic period (9th-10th centuries A.D.), the ancient Maya at Lamanai, Belize, began to practice pre-inhumation breakage of ceramics in mortuary contexts. Previously, the custom had been to bury whole vessels with the deceased. This conspicuous shift in behavior suggests important changes in beliefs regarding the role of ceramics in death and interment at a pivotal moment in ancient Maya culture history. Despite this significant change, there has been no published research conducted specifically on these vessels. In fact, there has been no clearly delineated set of characteristics for what qualifies as a pre-inhumation breakage vessel (PBV). This …

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Fear And Loathing In The Super Organism: Foraging Strategy Doesn't Change Forager Response In A Landscape Of Fear., Philip Schadegg Jan 2019

Fear And Loathing In The Super Organism: Foraging Strategy Doesn't Change Forager Response In A Landscape Of Fear., Philip Schadegg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how predators impact keystone species, like ants, is very important for our understanding of ecology because of ants' importance in shaping community dynamics and ecosystem functions. In this thesis I present research investigating the role of the ant-specialized spider Anasaitis canosa in influencing the foraging behavior of four ant species (Formica pallidefulva, Odontomachus ruginodis, Pheidole obscurithorax & Solenopsis invicta). Collectively, these four species use foraging strategies exhibited by most ants. I conducted two experiments to quantify the impacts of spider predation on ant prey. The first used forty colonies of four ant species to investigate how A. canosa changed …

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Metastable-State Photoacids: Synthesis, Properties, And Applications, Parth Patel Jan 2019

Metastable-State Photoacids: Synthesis, Properties, And Applications, Parth Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reversible photochromic compounds have the ability to reversibly change its color when it absorbs photons of a particular wavelength. This process of color change is a consequence of structural changes within the compound, such as cis-trans photo-isomerization. Some examples of photochromic compounds are spiropyrans, spirooxazines, diarylethenes and azobenzenes. These compounds have been extensively studied for decades, and are used in various applications such as biomedicine, chemical sensors and harvesting solar energy. However, majority of photochromic compounds are initially activated by ultraviolet (UV) light. The use of UV light is harmful for biological applications and photo-degrade the compound over repeated use. …

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Acoustic Ecology And Sound Mapping The University Of Central Florida Main Campus, Robert Clarke Jan 2019

Acoustic Ecology And Sound Mapping The University Of Central Florida Main Campus, Robert Clarke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Acoustic Ecology and Sound Mapping the University of Central Florida Main Campus" explores the intersection of place and space, sound studies and acoustic ecology, visualization, and archives. The end result consists of a collection of "soundwalk" and stationary recordings conducted from 2016-2019 at the University of Central Florida (UCF) main campus in Orlando presented as an online Sound Map. This archive previously did not exist and provides a snapshot of the various sounds heard throughout the campus as well as a starting point and context for future research into this still-emerging field of acoustic ecology and sound studies. While the …

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Discovering Latent Gender Bias In Children's Stem Literature, Christine Herlihy Jan 2019

Discovering Latent Gender Bias In Children's Stem Literature, Christine Herlihy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A mixed method, exploratory, sequential research design was conducted to investigate the presence of latent bias in early childhood STEM literature content, applying a non-biased, sociocultural, STEM identity, theoretical framework. A survey of children's perceptions of gender and a content analysis found unintentional bias. Exploratory findings confirmed 102 children were gendering images. An examination of the relationship between the participants' gender and how the participant gendered AND preferred the images indicated differences existed between boys and girls. Children preferred images perceived as matching their own, with statistical significance. Girls were found to prefer images less than boys AND they were …

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Utilizing Geographic Information Systems To Record And Analyze Osteoarthritis Data In Joints Of The Arm: A Methodology For Dry Bones, Adam Biernaski Jan 2019

Utilizing Geographic Information Systems To Record And Analyze Osteoarthritis Data In Joints Of The Arm: A Methodology For Dry Bones, Adam Biernaski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common pathologies encountered in dry bone contexts. However, even with the wealth of publications on documenting the presence of OA from skeletons, these studies prove to be largely incomparable due to different scoring methodologies and procedures in calculating prevalence. The standardization of a new OA data collection procedure would mitigate variability in evaluating, scoring, and calculating the prevalence of OA, thus allowing accurate comparison between studies. However, this level of data collection has often been described as unwieldy and lacking concordance. This research outlines a new methodology that utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) …

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Determining Differential Effects Of Interleukin-2 On Innate And Adaptive Immune Cells In Lymphoid Organs And The Gastrointestinal Tract, Ayushi Singh Jan 2019

Determining Differential Effects Of Interleukin-2 On Innate And Adaptive Immune Cells In Lymphoid Organs And The Gastrointestinal Tract, Ayushi Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a pleiotropic cytokine demonstrated to be effective in treating cancer. However, the clinical use of IL-2 can be associated with severe side effects including gastrointestinal toxicity (GT). Similar GT symptoms are observed in inflammatory diseases such as CD (CD). Interestingly mounting evidence indicates a role for IL-2 in CD, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Indeed, studies on the in-vivo activities of IL-2 have mostly focused on secondary lymphoid organs and immune cells associated with them. Very few studies have addressed how IL-2 signals impact populations of immune cells in the gut. Here, we aim to identify …

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The Characterization Of Condom Lubricants And Personal Hygiene Products Using Dart-Tofms And Gc- Ms And The Investigation Of Gold Nanoparticle Behavior In Water And The Interaction With Blood Serum Proteins, Yasmine Moustafa Jan 2019

The Characterization Of Condom Lubricants And Personal Hygiene Products Using Dart-Tofms And Gc- Ms And The Investigation Of Gold Nanoparticle Behavior In Water And The Interaction With Blood Serum Proteins, Yasmine Moustafa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is divided into two independent research projects. First, condom lubricants, sexual lubricants, and personal hygiene products (PHPs) were studied using direct analysis in real time-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (DART-TOFMS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The purpose addressed the concern of perpetrators resorting to new tactics, i.e. using condoms to remove seminal fluid that could provide a DNA link to a suspect, leading to the need of the consideration of condom lubricants as pieces of sexual assault evidence. Due to condom lubricants having a chemical composition resembling PHPs, the investigation of both sample groups was analyzed to prevent false positives. Although …

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Mapping Addiction: A Digital Psychogeographic Approach To America's Addiction Epidemic, Clayton Benjamin Jan 2019

Mapping Addiction: A Digital Psychogeographic Approach To America's Addiction Epidemic, Clayton Benjamin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Focusing on policy consultation, my dissertation consults on the current US addiction epidemic and aims to answer, "What is our disposition to addiction?" Borrowing and clarifying Ulmer's MEmorial method, as established in his text Electronic Monuments, the dissertation combines the ancient Greek practice of theoria, Deleuzian theory, and psychogeographic counter-mapping methods to trace ways in which ideological apparatuses construct addiction. The aim of the dissertation is to reveal an abject value by constructing MEmorials which provide space for individuals to mourn loss and see their relation to that loss. Through mourning, individuals strengthen their ties to other community members and …

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Design And Fabrication Of Scalable Multifunctional Multimaterial Fibers And Textiles, Felix Tan Jan 2019

Design And Fabrication Of Scalable Multifunctional Multimaterial Fibers And Textiles, Felix Tan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multimaterial fibers eschew the traditional mono-material structures typical of traditional optical fibers for novel internal architectures that combine disparate materials with distinct optical, mechanical, and electronic properties, thereby enabling novel optoelectronic functionalities delivered in the form factor of an extended fiber. This new class of fibers developed over the past two decades is attracting interest from researchers in such different fields as optics, textiles, and biomedicine. The juxtaposition of multiple materials integrated at micro- and nanoscales in complex geometries while ensuring intimate smooth interfaces extending continuously for kilometers facilitates unique applications such as non-invasive laser surgery, self-monitoring fibers, e-textiles, and …

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Assessing The Effects Of Habitat And Manatee Exclusion Devices On Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus) Movement Patterns In Estuarine Impoundments, Steven Baker Jan 2019

Assessing The Effects Of Habitat And Manatee Exclusion Devices On Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus) Movement Patterns In Estuarine Impoundments, Steven Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Integrate-Transfer-Launch (ITL) complex impoundments located within the Kennedy Space Center security zone are known spawning sites for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). However, recent construction of manatee exclusion bollards around culverts leading into these impoundments may impede movement to and from this critical habitat. The goals of this study were to: 1) utilize passive acoustic telemetry to document patterns of red drum movement and habitat use within and around the ITL impoundments to assess how manatee exclusion bollards and environmental conditions may impact movement of red drum; and 2) explore red drum movement in response to environmental disturbance, specifically a …

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Computational Imaging With Limited Photon Budget, Zheyuan Zhu Jan 2019

Computational Imaging With Limited Photon Budget, Zheyuan Zhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The capability of retrieving the image/signal of interest from extremely low photon flux is attractive in scientific, industrial, and medical imaging applications. Conventional imaging modalities and reconstruction algorithms rely on hundreds to thousands of photons per pixel (or per measurement) to ensure enough signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for extracting the image/signal of interest. Unfortunately, the potential of radiation or photon damage prohibits high SNR measurements in dose-sensitive diagnosis scenarios. In addition, imaging systems utilizing inherently weak signals as contrast mechanism, such as X-ray scattering-based tomography, or attosecond pulse retrieval from the streaking trace, entail prolonged integration time to acquire hundreds of …

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Optical Sensing Of Structural Dynamics In Complex Media, Jose Rafael Guzman Sepulveda Jan 2019

Optical Sensing Of Structural Dynamics In Complex Media, Jose Rafael Guzman Sepulveda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying the structural dynamics of complex media is challenging because of the multiple temporal and spatial scales involved. Thanks to the ability to retrieve collective dynamics noninvasively, light scattering-based approaches are often the methods of choice. This dissertation discusses specific features of dynamic light scattering that utilizes spatio-temporal coherence gating. It is demonstrated that this optical fiber-based approach can operate over a large range of optical regimes and it has a number of unique capabilities such as an effective isolation of single scattering, a large sensitivity, and a high collection efficiency. Moreover, the approach also provides means for proper ensemble …

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Synthesis And Bioevaluation Of Methionine Depletion Agents, Houssine Ikhlef Jan 2019

Synthesis And Bioevaluation Of Methionine Depletion Agents, Houssine Ikhlef

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The native polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) are low molecular weight amines that exist as polycations at physiological pH. These polycations interact with DNA, RNA, and influence many cellular processes. Intracellular polyamine levels are maintained via a balance of polyamine biosynthesis, catabolism, and transport. Ornithine, an amino acid obtained from L-arginine, is decarboxylated by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) to form putrescine. The biosynthesis of the higher polyamines, spermidine and spermine, requires the addition of an amino-propyl group donated by decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine (dc-SAM), which itself is derived from the amino acid L-methionine (Met). Tumor cells are heavily reliant on methionine because it …

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Tumor-Targeted Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles With Encapsulated Iron And Its Biomedical Application For In Vitro Killing Of Melanoma Cell Lines Through Ferroptosis Assisted Chemodynamic Therapy (Cdt), Khalaf Jasim Jan 2019

Tumor-Targeted Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles With Encapsulated Iron And Its Biomedical Application For In Vitro Killing Of Melanoma Cell Lines Through Ferroptosis Assisted Chemodynamic Therapy (Cdt), Khalaf Jasim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma represents one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of skin cancer, with annually rising incidences throughout the world. Although chemotherapy modalities remain the mainstay of treatment, the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy typically is hampered by multidrug resistance (MDR) and nonspecific drug distribution that causes side-effects. To surmount such limitations, novel nanoformulations of low band-gap poly ({4,8-bis [(2-ethylhexyl) oxy] benzo [1,2-b:4,5-b?] dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b] thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) and poly [2,1,3-benzothiadiazole- 4,7- diyl [4,4-bis (2-ethylhexyl)- 4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b:3,4-b'] dithiophene-2,6-diyl]] (PCPDTBT) were fabricated by a reprecipitation method. These conjugated polymer nanoparticles were functionalized with the polypeptide endothelin-3 (EDN3-CPNPs) to target melanoma. The …

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Structure Of Reflectin Protein Probed By Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Tommy Boykin Jan 2019

Structure Of Reflectin Protein Probed By Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Tommy Boykin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An unusual protein found in squids, termed reflectin, possesses the unique ability for optical reflectivity and proton conductivity. Reflectin has the potential to become optically and electronically tunable, however, the molecular structure of reflectin has yet to be determined. Previous literature has considered using reflectin proteins as diffraction gratings, protonic transistors, and substrates for neural stem cell growth. Applying recombinant protein techniques, we purified the reflectin 4Ax4 protein. We determined the leucine, tryptophan, and threonine amino acids are in an ordered state by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Knowing these ordered amino acids is possibly the key to understanding reflectin's …

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