Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis Of Resveratrol Esters And Aliphatic Acids., Stanley Mofor Jing

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resveratrol (RV) is a naturally occurring phytoalexin of the stilbenoid family produced by some plant species, and present in grape skin, peanuts, and red wine. It has been found to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-aging, cardio protective, and anti-oxidant properties. Bioavailability is a huge setback that limits the potentials of RV. As a result, efforts have been made to design and synthesize RV esters and aliphatic acids in an attempt to increase its bioavailability, solubility in water, and possibly improving its biological activities. Resveratrol esters, 3,5,4'-triacetyloxystilbene (2) and Methyl 1,1',1''- (3,4',5-stilbenyl)-1,6-hexanedioate (3) have been synthesized. Compound 3 is a new …

Functionalized Nanoparticles For Amf-Induced Gene And Drug Delivery., Souvik Biswas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The properties and broad applications of nano-magnetic colloids have generated much interest in recent years. Specially, Fe304 nanoparticles have attracted a great deal of attention since their magnetic properties can be used for hyperthermia treatment or drug targeting. For example, enhanced levels of intracellular gene delivery can be achieved using Fe304 nano-vectors in the presence of an external magnetic field, a process known as 'magnetofection'. The low cytotoxicity, tunable particle size, ease of surface functionalization, and ability to generate thermal energy using an external alternating magnetic field (AMF) are properties have propelled Fe304 research to the forefront of nanoparticle research. …

The Beta-2 Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphisms And Risk Of Breast Cancer Among Hispanic And Non-Hispanic White Women From The 4-Corners Breast Cancer Study : A Population-Based Case-Control Examination., Avonne Elish Connor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymorphisms in the adrenergic receptor beta-2 (ADRB2) gene have been studied in relation to risk of Type 2 diabetes and obesity, but few studies have investigated associations with breast cancer. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the primary hypothesis that ADRB2 variants (rs1042713-Arg16Gly and rs1042714-Gln27Glu) are associated with breast cancer risk in non-Hispanic white (NHW) and Hispanic (H) women using data from a population-based case-control study conducted in the southwestern United States: 'The 4-Corners Breast Cancer Study'. A total of 1,244 NHW and 606 H cases with incident primary breast cancer were ascertained and 1,330 NHW and 728 …

Poetry And The Multiple Drafts Model: The Functional Similarity Of Cole Swensen's Verse And Human Consciousness, Connor Ryan Kreimeyer Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project compares the operational methods of three of Cole Swensen's books of poetry (Such Rich Hour, Try, and Goest) with ways in which the human mind and consciousness function. I use Daniel Dennett's Multiple Drafts Model of consciousness, as described in Consciousness Explained, alongside concepts presented in several other philosophical works (from both analytic and continental traditions), to demonstrate that significant similarities exist between the operations of poetry and consciousness in general, and that these operational similarities are especially noticeable in Swensen's work. This thesis examines several operational modes that are present within the …

Identification And Biochemical Characterization Of The Chlamydia Trachomatis Type Iii Secretion Chaperone, Slc1, And Its Role In The Translocation Of The Invasion-Associated Effector Tarp., Amanda J. Brinkworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that utilizes a type III secretion system to enter mammalian cells and establish an intracellular niche. TARP, the translocated actin recruitment protein, is a chlamydial invasion protein known to be type III secreted by the metabolically inert elementary body upon docking to the mammalian cell surface. Because immediate secretion of TARP into host cells is necessary for entry, I hypothesized that a chlamydial chaperone binds to TARP and facilitates its translocation through the type III secretion apparatus. Most effector-binding type III secretion chaperones are small (14-18 kDa), have an acidic pI, and share …

Genetic Polymorphisms And The Treatment Outcome In Standard-Risk Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Qi Wei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer and accounts for 30 - 35% of all cancers in children. Significant improvement in the treatment of pediatric ALL has been achieved in recent years. Only 50 years ago, the disease was uniformly fatal with an Overall Survival (OS) rate < 5%. Modern-day, multi-drug chemotherapy is associated with an overall survival rate over 80%. Standard-risk ALL comprises the majority of ALL with an overall survival approaching 90%. Despite this success, children who relapse from this disease accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths in children. The backbone of treatment protocols have incorporated somatic but not host genetic features in the treatment regimens. The current study examined 12 genetic polymorphisms affecting the pharmacodynamics of antileukemic drugs in an attempt to identify biologic markers related to the risk of disease relapse.

In the current research program, 125 standard-risk ALL patients who were treated at The Children's Hospital were enrolled in a retrospective study. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms and risk of disease relapse in this study cohort. The GSTM1 null genotype was associated with a …

Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation And Metabolic Stability Studies Of Sigma Receptor Ligands, Rohit Bhat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sigma receptors represent a unique family of proteins that includes two subtypes: sigma-1 and sigma-2. Sigma-1 receptors have been implicated in the behavioral and motivational effects of psychostimulants as well as in the pathophysiology of depression and Alzheimer's disease. Sigma-2 receptors are widely expressed on many tumor cells and they are believed to play an important role in tumor cell proliferation. Therefore, sigma receptors are attractive targets for developing pharmaceutical agents directed to the treatment of psychostimulant abuse, cancer, Alzheimer's disease as well as diagnostic agents for cancer and brain imaging. A derivatized 2(3H)-benzothiazolone, (3-(2-(azepan-1-yl)ethyl)-6-propylbenzo[ d]thiazol-2(3H)-one) was reported to have …

Molecular Details Of The Catalytic Activity Of Carboxylesterases, Xiaozhen Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CEs; EC 3.1.1.1) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. CEs hydrolyze carboxyl esters into their corresponding alcohol and carboxylic acid. Because of their biological functions, especially their roles in converting inactive prodrugs, such as the anti-cancer drug CPT-11, to their active metabolites, a good understanding of the mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction will give us a better direction for drug design. In this study, we used a multidisciplinary approach (computational simulation, molecular biology techniques and enzyme kinetic methods) to study the dynamic motions of CEs and the potential role of these motions in the catalytic mechanism …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Using Digital Flash Cards To Increase Biology Vocabulary Knowledge In High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Kelly J. Grillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of science education, specifically biology, is becoming more challenging due to richer and more rigorous content demands. Along with new demands is the emergence of National Common Core Standards and End of Course Exams. Despite these changes, one factor remains consistent: As content knowledge increases, language demands also increase. For students with learning disabilities (LD), specifically those with language-based disabilities, the increasing vocabulary demand can lead to failure due not to a lack of understanding biology but the vocabulary associated with the content. In an attempt to impact high school students with learning disabilities‘ success in biology, a …

Inference For Time To Event And Sojourn Time Data Under Right Censoring Using Reweighting Approaches., Jie Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation research, we aim to solve problems of two types of survival data, clustered survival data with potentially informative cluster size and sojourn time data. The methods for these two types of data are different. However, both data have right censored observations, and we use reweighting approaches to deal with the censoring issue. In the first part of the dissertation research, we consider marginal AFT models for correlated survival data with potentially informative cluster size. Informative cluster size means that the size of the correlated groups may be predictive of their survival characteristics. Two competing proposals, cluster-weighted AFT …

Error Correcting Codes And The Human Genome., Suzanne Mclean Lyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we study error correcting codes and generalize the concepts with a view toward a novel application in the study of DNA sequences. The author investigates the possibility that an error correcting linear code could be included in the human genome through application and research. The author finds that while it is an accepted hypothesis that it is reasonable that some kind of error correcting code is used in DNA, no one has actually been able to identify one. The author uses the application to illustrate how the subject of coding theory can provide a teaching enrichment activity …

Science Based Authentication Of Dietary Supplements: Studies On The Chemical Constituents, Analytical Method And Biological Activities Of Scutellaria Spp And Pfaffia Paniculata, Jing Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the last decade, the use of herbal medicine has expanded globally and gained popularity. With the tremendous expansion in the use of herbal medicine worldwide, safety and efficacy as well as quality control of herbal medicines have become more and more issues of concern for both health authorities and the public. Although herbal medicine has been in use for hundreds to thousands years, very limited science-based data exist to explicit its chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and toxicity. Therefore, lack of scientific evidence for herbal medicine usage elicits the need for systematic studies of herbal medicine, including phytochemical, analytical, and …

A Fractal Analysis Of The Binding And Dissociation Kinetics Of Analyte-Receptor Systems On Biosensor Surfaces, Ifejesu Eni-Olorunda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Multi-Modal Reading For Low Level Readers, Jamie O'Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The value of this research hinges on the idea that exchanging illustrations for descriptive text can provide appropriate schemas for students with reading difficulties and thereby improve their comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The research in this dissertation is based on theories and earlier research in the fields of psychology, education, reading, and narratology. A review of these fields offers a variety of perspectives on the processes involved in reading and comprehension. These processes range from the physical systems involved in reading (e.g., early childhood development, eye movement) to the psychological systems, which include cognitive load theory as well as image …

Reversed-Phase Hplc Determination Of Alliin In Diverse Varieties Of Fresh Garlic And Commercial Garlic Products., Aaron Kwaku Apawu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alliin is a predominant flavor precursor in garlic cloves. It interacts with the enzyme alliinase when garlic cloves are crushed, cut, or chewed to produce allicin, an unstable thiosulfinate that is the main biologically active component of fresh crushed garlic. Biological functions and health benefits of garlic include reduction of cancer risk in humans, improving immune system, and anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and anti-hypertensive activities. The quality of fresh garlic and garlic products is usually related to its alliin content and allicin release potential. This research presents a simple, rapid, and precise HPLC method for alliin determination. It involves the use of …

Microfluidic Cell Sorting Techniques To Study Disease Processes., William Neil White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Circulating nucleated cell populations found in whole blood, including both white blood cells (leukocytes) and endothelial cells, provide an ideal platform for studies seeking to understand the disease processes for development of drugs and treatments. This thesis presents an automated microfluidic device developed for leukocyte enrichment from peripheral blood. Briefly, the device allows for complete lysis of red blood cells and comprehensive analysis of nucleated cell populations in terms of quantity and activation status. The microfluidic lysis device was used in two Sickle Cell disease (SCD) studies to understand the effect of leukocytes in the initiation of vasoocclusive crisis. Findings …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Novel Hydrophilic Fluorene-Based Derivatives For Bioimaging Applications, Dao Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, hydrophilic fluorene-based derivatives that contain ethylene oxide substituents, have been synthesized and characterized for potential use as new fluorophores for bioimaging applications and for fluorescence sensing of heavy metals. Symmetrical and unsymmetrical fluorene derivatives based on structural types of acceptor-pi-acceptor, acceptor-pi-donor, and donor-pi-donor were characterized by TGA, UV-vis absorption, fluorescence emission, lifetime, anisotropy, and two-photon absorption (2PA) cross section. They were found to possess high thermal stability, high photostability, high fluorescence quantum yields, and generally large two-photon absorption cross sections, making them quite suitable for new probes in single-photon absorption and two-photon absorption fluorescence microscopy imaging. Novel …

Design And Synthesis Of Benzimidazoles As Cdk5 Inhibitors And Progress Toward The Total Synthesis Of Tubulysin D, Shuyan Yi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design and synthesis of 1,4,6-trisubstituted benzimidazoles as CDK5 inhibitors and the progress toward the total synthesis of tubulysin D.

Tubulysin is a natural product with potential anti-cancer activity. The two gamma-amino acids in the Tuv and Tup fragments of tubulysin were synthesized. Evans' oxazolidinone chemistry was employed for the stereoselective synthesis of Cbz-beta-homovaline in Tuv fragment. A crystal structure of the Tup fragment was obtained.

Cyclin dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is one of the kinases that can hyperphosphorylate tau. Selective inhibition of the CDK5/p25 complex may be a useful component for Alzheimer's disease therapy. Benzimidazole based …

Radical Religious Rebels: The Rise And Fall Of Jerry Falwell And The Moral Majority., Andrew Francis Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I intend to illustrate the impact that Jerry Falwell had upon the rise of religious fundamentalism within the United States during the latter part of the 20th century. By elucidating the various factors that led Jerry Falwell from a little-known minister from Lynchburg, Virginia to becoming the figurehead of the movement known as the Religious Right, I wish to show how one of more controversial figures in both the religious and political spheres of contemporary American history became one of the more influential and infamous men of recent times. By focusing on the predecessors of Jerry Falwell …

Alayzing The Effects Of Modularity On Search Spaces, Ozlem Garibay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are continuously challenged by ever increasing problem complexity and the need to develop algorithms that can solve complex problems and solve them within a reasonable amount of time. Modularity is thought to reduce problem complexity by decomposing large problems into smaller and less complex subproblems. In practice, introducing modularity into evolutionary algorithm representations appears to improve search performance; however, how and why modularity improves performance is not well understood. In this thesis, we seek to better understand the effects of modularity on search. In particular, what are the effects of module creation on the search space structure and how …

Retrocyclin Rc-101 Overcomes Cationic Mutations On The Heptad Repeat 2 Of Hiv-1 Gp41, Christopher Fuhrman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retrocyclin RC-101, a θ-defensin with lectin-like properties, potently inhibits infection by many HIV-1 subtypes by binding to the heptad repeat (HR)-2 region of gp41 and preventing six-helix bundle formation. In the present study, we used in silico computational exploration to identify residues of HR2 that interacted with RC-101 and then analyzed the HIV-1 Sequence Database at LANL for residue variations in the HR1 and HR2 segments that could plausibly impart in vivo resistance. Docking RC-101 to gp41 peptides in silico confirmed its strong preference for HR2 over HR1, and implicated residues crucial for its ability to bind HR2. We mutagenized …

Anti-Infective Agents From The Terrestrial Plants Zanthoxylum Monophyllum (Lam.) P. Wilson And Sorocea Muriculata Miq. Against Pathogenic Fungi, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus And Plasmodium Falciparum, Raquel Rodr├¡Guez Guzm├Ín

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fundamental Aspects Of Regenerative Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Their Applications In Nanobiotechnology, Swanand Patil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cerium oxide has been used extensively for various applications over the past two decades. The use of cerium oxide nanoparticles is beneficial in present applications and can open avenues for future applications. The present study utilizes the microemulsion technique to synthesize uniformly distributed cerium oxide nanoparticles. The same technique was also used to synthesize cerium oxide nanoparticles doped with trivalent elements (La and Nd). The fundamental study of cerium oxide nanoparticles identified variations in properties as a function of particle size and also due to doping with trivalent elements (La and Nd). It was found that the lattice parameter of …

Synthesis, Characterizations, And Evaluation Of New Reactive Two-Photon Absorbing Dyes For Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence Imaging Applications, Katherine J. Hales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent, cooperative advances in chemistry, biology, computing, photophysics, optics, and microelectronics have resulted in extraordinary developments in the biological sciences, resulting in the emergence of a novel area termed 'biophotonics'. The integrative and interdisciplinary nature of biophotonics cuts across virtually all disciplines, extending the frontiers of basic cellular, molecular, and biology research through the clinical and pharmaceutical industries. This holds true for the development and application of the novel imaging modality utilizing multiphoton absorption and its extraordinary contribution to recent advances in bioimaging. Intimately involved in the revolution of nonlinear bioimaging has been the development of optical probes for probing …

Part I : Isolation Of Dipentyl 2-(4-(Pentan-3-Yl) Phenyl) Malonate From Sanguisorba Officinalis Labill Part Ii: Synthesis Of A Novel Family Of Ethers Of Podocarpic Acid, Manjeera Yalavarty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of part I of this thesis was to isolate pure anti cancer compounds from the Russian plant Sanguisorba officinalis. This plant was selected for investigation because it showed 100% activity against leukemia (L1210 mouse leukemia cells) during the preliminary screening of approximately 100 Russian plant extracts. This work has resulted in the isolation of novel compound 11 using traditional chromatography techniques. Compound 11 was characterized with spectroscopic techniques such as IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT, DQCOSY and MS. Compound 11 was assigned the structure dipentyl 2-(4-(pentan-3-yl) phenyl) malonate. The goal of part II of this thesis was …

Migraine: An Existential Phenomenological Study, Jodie Eckenrod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the structure of the migraine headache experience. Three adult participants were asked to give a written answer to the question: "Please describe a time you experienced a migraine headache. Please explain what was happening before the headache, during the headache and how it was resolved." The participants were then asked for an audio taped interview with the researcher, the purpose of which was to further explore unclear areas in the written response. The written response and audio taped interview comprised the data sets for phenomenological analysis. From the data from the three participants, a general narrative of …

Synthesis Of A Novel Family Of Amide Derivatives Of Podocarpic Acid, Dao Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a class, amides are of great interest in biological studies and pharmaceutical application. In this work, podocarpic acid, a natural tricyclic diterpene, derived from Podocarpus species, has been employed to form a novel family of amide derivatives which will later be studied for their potential as new drug leads. Novel amide derivatives of podocarpic acid were synthesized from podocarpic acid in three steps. The first step involved methylation with dimethylsulfate to form methyl-O-methylpodocarpate. This step was followed by iodination with iodine to give iodomethyl-O-methylpodocarpate. Finally amidation with various aliphatic amides using a copper catalyst yielded four amide derivatives of …

Phytochemical And Biological Investigation Of Zanthoxylum Monophyllum (Lam) P. Wilson (Rutaceae), Laura C. Johansmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Binding Kinetics In Surface Plasmon Resonance (Spr) Biosensors And Cellular Analyte-Receptor Systems : A Fractal Analysis, Anand Ramakrishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Strength Properties Of Juvenile And Mature Wood Of Twelve Families Of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda L.), Elizabeth Lynn Forbes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The wood mechanical properties of progeny from twelve open-pollinated parent trees were examined. Six families were from parents which had high wood specific gravity and six were from parents which had low wood specific gravity. Thirty-two-year-old trees, that had been planted at Many, Louisiana, were sampled and juvenile and mature wood test specimens were prepared. Maximum crushing strength, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and wood specific gravity were determined from compression parallel to the grain tests and static bending tests. Maximum crushing strength, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and specific gravity were found to vary significantly between family …