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Generation Of Biomarkers From Anthrax Spores By Catalysis And Analytical Pyrolysis, Phillip R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Anthrax spores, in weaponized form, are dangerous biological warfare agents. Handheld technology for the rapid detection of anthrax is greatly needed to improve national security. Methods to detect anthrax spores are diverse, with most taking at least an hour for positive identification. A viable option for rapid detection is analytical pyrolysis (AP), which produces chemicals containing taxonomical information (biomarkers). AP methods are reviewed and critically analyzed to show that reproducible detection of anthrax spores in a rapid manner (< 5 min) with a handheld device is not currently possible. A promising alternative to AP is the use of a catalyst to produce biomarkers from anthrax spores with improved selectivity and reproducibility. Catalytic materials having promise for this include platinum, nickel, and superacids. Experiments evaluating several of these materials are described. A biomarker mass spectral library was created, based on information available in the scientific literature, to facilitate analysis and identification of the biomarkers produced experimentally. The RAMFAC algorithm was used to deconvolute chromatographic peaks to produce clean mass spectra and match them against entries in the biomarker library. While the library is not complete, its use with the RAMFAC algorithm enabled detection of many important biomarkers in experiments involving catalytic breakdown of anthrax spores. Experimental results from preliminary tests of several catalysts are presented and discussed. Addition of catalysts in the form of platinum nanoclusters and superacids to bacterial spores in a commercial pyrolyzer effected an increase in the amount of biomarkers produced at mild conditions over traditional pyrolysis methods. Electroformed nickel mesh, on the other hand, demonstrated low catalytic activity for the production of biomarkers, likely due to poor contact of the spores with the mesh. Biomarkers similar to those published in the literature were observed, including dipicolinic acid, picolinic acid, propionamide, acetamide, diketopiperazines, fatty acids, furfuryl alcohol, and DNA bases. A statistically designed factorial study was used to determine the importance of temperature, spore loading, and nanocluster loading on the production of three important biomarkers. The relative importance of these variables differs for each of the three important biomarkers, suggesting they are produced by different reaction mechanisms.

Stormwater Intelligent Control System (2005), Martin Wanielista

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Water restrictions, pollution control, volume balances, and the emergence of stormwater utilities have lead to the development of an automated intelligent system (“I-Water”) for water use and control. With the use of this system, water stored in stormwater ponds or in the surficial aquifer is not discharged to surface waters because it is used to meet water demands, such as, lawn irrigation, environmental protection, agriculture, drinking and industrial uses.

The drop in groundwater levels and the increasing use of reclaimed water illustrates a need for alternative water supplies. Ground water depletion is occurring which is adding to the destruction of …

[2005-08-25 Part1] Minutes Of A Regular Meeting Of The Board Of Visitors Of Virginia Commonwealth University August 25, 2005., Virginia Commonwealth University. Board Of Visitors

VCU Board of Visitors Minutes

Official minutes of the VCU Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee.

The Statesman, V. 49, I. 01, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 49, i. 01

Daily Eastern News: August 25, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

August

No abstract provided.

August 25, 2005, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• Two Men Injured in Tuesday Stabbing
• Campus News
• National News
• Classifieds
• Sports
• Hiatus
• Variety
• News
• 2005-2006 Campus Transit System
• Back to School 5.06
• Georgia Southern By The Numbers

Soy Isoflavone Glycitein Protects Against Beta Amyloid-Induced Toxicity And Oxidative Stress In Transgenic Caenorhabditis Elegans, Astrid Gutierrez-Zepeda, Ross Santell, Zhixin Wu, Marishka Brown, Yanjue Wu, Ikhlas Khan, Christopher D. Link, Baolu Zhao, Yuan Luo

Faculty Publications

Background

Epidemiological studies have associated estrogen replacement therapy with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but a higher risk of developing breast cancer and certain cardiovascular disorders. The neuroprotective effect of estrogen prompted us to determine potential therapeutic impact of soy-derived estrogenic compounds. Transgenic C. elegans, that express human beta amyloid (Aβ), were fed with soy derived isoflavones genistein, daidzein and glycitein (100 μg/ml) and then examined for Aβ-induced paralysis and the levels of reactive oxygen species.

Results

Among the three compounds tested, only glycitein alleviated Aβ expression-induced paralysis in the transgenic C. elegans. This activity of …

The Political State And Christianity, Michael Lee

Honors College Theses

The highest duty of the Christian on Earth is to God no matter the consequence found within human law.

The Pacifican August 25, 2005, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Environmental Refugees, Hidden Costs Of Development And Ecological Terrorism In Ecuador, Monsur Khan

Honors College Theses

Development can have serious environmental consequence. This paper is intended to address the issue of environmental problems in Ecuador caused by Texaco.

Iwu First-Year Students Volunteer To Connect With Community, Rebecca Welzenbach

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Clinical Preventive Services: When Is The Juice Worth The Squeeze?, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

This paper provides an overview of clinical preventive services, including a definition of such services and the role of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in recommending which services should be routinely offered to patients. It also describes efforts to analyze the cost effectiveness of clinical preventive services and reviews the insurance coverage policies of private and public payers. Barriers to increased uptake of appropriate services are discussed and policy relevant issues are summarized.

Prospectus, August 24, 2005, Jon Volkman, Sarah Ramey, E. Clarkson, Aaron Geiger, Joseph Rosenbaum, Larry V. Gilbert, Nicole Simmons

Prospectus 2005

No abstract provided.

The Lumberjack, August 24, 2005

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

Life V. Death: Or Why The Death Penalty Should Marginally Deter, Charles N. W. Keckler

George Mason University School of Law Working Papers Series

Econometric measures of the effect of capital punishment have increasingly provided evidence that it deters homicides. However, most researchers on both sides of the death penalty debate continue to rely on rather simple assumptions about criminal behavior. I attempt to provide a more nuanced and predictive rational choice model of the incentives and disincentives to kill, with the aim of assessing to what extent the statistical findings of deterrence are in line with theoretical expectations. In particular, I examine whether it is plausible to suppose there is a marginal increase in deterrence created by increasing the penalty from life imprisonment …

Psychoanalysis & The Films Of Federico Fellini, Mark Hayes

Honors College Theses

This paper explores the connection between the study of psychoanalysis and the films of Italian filmamaker Federico Fellini. It looks at four of his works in detail: I Vitelloni, 8 1/2 [Eight and one half], Juliet of the Spirits and Amarcord and analyzes psychoanalytic themes and symbolism in each. Included is also a brief biography of the filmmaker and an outline of his experiences with psychoanalysis, chiefly the writings of Carl Jung.

Dynamic Effects Of Antibody-Dependent Enhancement On The Fitness Of Viruses, Derek Cummings, Ira Schwartz, Lora Billings, Leah Shaw, Donald Burke

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), a phenomenon in which viral replication is increased rather than decreased by immune sera, has been observed in vitro for a large number of viruses of public health importance, including flaviviruses, coronaviruses, and retroviruses. The most striking in vivo example of ADE in humans is dengue hemorrhagic fever, a disease in which ADE is thought to increase the severity of clinical manifestations of dengue virus infection by increasing virus replication. We examine the epidemiological impact of ADE on the prevalence and persistence of viral serotypes. Using a dynamical system model of n cocirculating dengue serotypes, we find …

Xenophilic Mating Preferences Among Populations Of The Jumping Spider Habronattus Pugillis Griswold, Eileen Hebets, Wayne P. Maddison

Eileen Hebets Publications

Sexual selection is thought to have driven the diversification of courtship behavior and associated ornamentation between geographically isolated populations of the jumping spider Habronattus pugillis Griswold. In an attempt to understand the pathways of sexual selection during this diversification, we conducted reciprocal mating trials between two populations of H. pugillis (Santa Rita [SR] and Atascosa [AT]) that differ in both male courtship display and secondary sexual ornamentation. Observations of mating frequencies show a xenophilic mating preference in which SR females have a stronger response to AT males than to SR males, while AT females show no difference in mating frequency. …

Embracing Uncertainty, Complexity And Change: An Eco-Pragmatic Reinvention Of A First Generation Environmental Law, Mary Jane Angelo

ExpressO

ABSTRACT Embracing Uncertainty, Complexity and Change: An Eco-Pragmatic Reinvention of a First Generation Environmental Law Mary Jane Angelo, University of Florida Levin College of Law Recent scientific reports demonstrate that despite more than thirty years of environmental regulation, we are experiencing unprecedented declines in bird and wildlife species, as well as ecosystem services. Pesticides are at least in part to blame for these profound declines. U.S. pesticide law has failed to carryout its mission. Moreover, a number of lawsuits have been filed recently asserting that the registration of certain pesticides is in violation of the federal endangered species act. One …

Minutes_05_08_23, Unm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, 1920 - 2013

Minutes from the August 23rd, 2005 Faculty Senate meeting.

Ua3/9/5 Faculty-Staff Convocation, Wku President's Office

WKU Administration Documents

Speech delivered by WKU president Gary Ransdell at fall convocation. He discusses achievements, growth, curriculum, cooperation, WKU spirit, international study programs and optimism.

August 23, 2005, Council Of Deans

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Summarized Minutes, 8/23/2005, Unm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, 1920 - 2013

No abstract provided.

Arctic System On Trajectory To New State, Jonathan T. Overpeck, Matthew Sturm, Jennifer A. Francis, Donald K. Perovich, Mark C. Serreze, Ronald Benner, Eddy C. Carmack, F. Stuart Chapin Iii, S. Craig Gerlach, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Larry D. Hinzman, Marika Holland, Henry P. Huntington, Jeffrey R. Key, Andrea H. Lloyd, Glen M. Mcdonald, Joe Mcfadden, David Noone, Terry D. Prowse, Peter Schlosser

Sociology

The Arctic system is moving toward a new state that falls outside the envelope of glacial-interglacial fluctuations that prevailed during recent Earth history. This future Arctic is likely to have dramatically less permanent ice than exists at present. At the present rate of change, a summer ice-free Arctic Ocean within a century is a real possibility, a state not witnessed for at least a million years. The change appears to be driven largely by feedback-enhanced global climate warming, and there seem to be few, if any processes or feedbacks within the Arctic system that are capable of altering the trajectory …

Daily Eastern News: August 23, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

August

No abstract provided.

The Bg News August 23, 2005, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. August 23, 2005. Volume 96-Issue 3.

Rna Turnover: Unexpected Consequences Of Being Tailed, James T. Anderson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In eukaryotic cells, the 3′ poly(A) tails found on mRNA influence their stability and translation. The discovery of a second nuclear poly(A) polymerase complex has fueled a series of reports defining a new and unexpected role for 3′ end poly(A) tails in the nuclear surveillance and turnover of noncoding RNAs and intergenic mRNAs of unknown function.

August 23, 2005, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Compositions, Methods, And Kits Relating To Thrombin, Notch Signaling And Stamatogenesis And Growth Of Stem Cells, Thomas Maciag, Lori Maciag, Vihren Kolev, Joseph M. Verdi

MaineHealth Patents

The present invention relates to methods based on the interactions of thrombin as a biological regulator.