Digital Commons Network^™

Investigations Into Late Transition Metal Pincer Complexes As Possible Direct Partial Oxidation Catalysts, Raymond B. Lansing Jr.

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

This investigation examined aspects of a potential catalytic route for the partial oxidation of organic substrates using molecular oxygen as the oxidant. The proposed cycle begins with the insertion of molecular oxygen into a metal hydride bond to generate a metal hydroperoxide. The next step involves the transfer of an oxygen atom to an acceptor substrate to generate an oxidized species and a metal hydroxide. The starting metal hydride can then be regenerated in two viable ways, either through use of CO or H₂. The experimental plan involved the syntheses and characterization of new inorganic and organometallic complexes, …

Studies On Group 10 Pincer Carbene Metal Complexes, Agnes Mrutu

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Selective oxidation chemistry is a topic of intense interest worldwide, in particular when using molecular oxygen (O₂) directly as the oxidizing species. The primary reason for using O₂ rather than other oxidants is to take advantage of the inexpensive nature of oxygen; however, the radical ground state of O₂ leads to non-selective reactions with organic substrates. As such, basic knowledge and understanding involving the fundamental reactions of O₂ with organometallic species will be required in order to overcome this lack of selectivity. The work presented in this dissertation has two main research goals to help …

Studies Of A Cyanine-Based Biosensor And Light-Induced Antibacterial Activities Of Oligo(Phenylene Ethynylene)S, Zhijun Zhou

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

This dissertation has been focusing on two subjects: biosensor development and light-activated antimicrobials. A cyanine-based fluorescent biosensor is developed with high sensitivity to detect the presence and activity of caspase-3/7. We demonstrated that supramolecular self-assembly can be useful for designing biosensors. A series of p-Phenylene Ethynylenes (OPEs) have been synthesized. Further photophysical studies show that these molecules have good singlet oxygen yields. The antimicrobial capability increases dramatically when exposed to UV-365 radiation, though dark biocidal activity can be obtained as well. This phenomenon is probably due to the high yields of singlet oxygen of these OPEs, which oxidizes unsaturated membrane …

Human Mitochondrial Hotdog-Fold Thioesterase: Hthem4 And Hthem5, Hong Zhao

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Hotdog-fold acyl-CoA thioesterases (ACOTs) are found in all three kingdoms of life (Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya). All the hotdog-fold thioesterases share common catalytic scaffold and function: hydrolysis of acyl-CoA or acyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein). However the biological roles that they perform vary greatly, different substrate specificity and catalytic efficiency assign unique set of biological functions to each of them, which is further defined by tissue distribution, cellular location, protein partners and regulators. The focuses of my doctoral studies, described in this dissertation, are two members of the human hotdog-fold thioesterase superfamily: human THEM4 and human THEM5. The genes encoding hTHEM4 …

Cognitive Control In Majority Search: A Computational Modeling Approach, Hongbin Wang, Xun Liu, Jin Fan

Publications and Research

Despite the importance of cognitive control in many cognitive tasks involving uncertainty, the computational mechanisms of cognitive control in response to uncertainty remain unclear. In this study, we develop biologically realistic neural network models to investigate the instantiation of cognitive control in a majority function task, where one determines the category to which the majority of items in a group belong. Two models are constructed, both of which include the same set of modules representing task-relevant brain functions and share the same model structure. However, with a critical change of a model parameter setting, the two models implement two different …

February 9, 2011, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Biological Assessment Data And Protocols For Tmdl Reports, Tamim Younos, Jane L. Walker

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Issues Related To The Success Of The Tmdl Program, Bethany T. Neilson, David K. Stevens

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Tmdl Model Development For Acidic Mine Drainage, James M. Stiles

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Fecal Coliform Tmdl Development: Case Study And Ramifications, Saied Mostaghimi, Kevin Brannan, Theo A. Dillaha

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Nitrogen Tmdl Development In The Neuse River Watershed: An Imperative For Adaptive Management, Craig A. Stow, Mark E. Borsuk, Kenneth H. Reckhow

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Nitrate Tmdl Development: The Muddy Creek/Dry River Case Study, Teresa B. Culver, Kathryn A. Neeley, Shaw L. Yu, Harry X. Zhang, Andrew L. Potts, Troy R. Naperala

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Explore Ocean Life With Cal Poly Students In Avila Beach Feb. 12 And 26, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Decreased Stability And Increased Formation Of Soluble Aggregates By Immature Superoxide Dismutase Do Not Account For Disease Severity In Als., Kenrick A Vassall, Helen R Stubbs, Heather A Primmer, Ming Sze Tong, Sarah M Sullivan, Ryan Sobering, Saipraveen Srinivasan, Lee-Ann K Briere, Stanley D Dunn, Wilfredo Colón, Elizabeth M Meiering

Biochemistry Publications

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of many diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where aggregation of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is implicated in causing neurodegeneration. Recent studies have suggested that destabilization and aggregation of the most immature form of SOD1, the disulfide-reduced, unmetallated (apo) protein is particularly important in causing ALS. We report herein in depth analyses of the effects of chemically and structurally diverse ALS-associated mutations on the stability and aggregation of reduced apo SOD1. In contrast with previous studies, we find that various reduced apo SOD1 mutants undergo highly reversible thermal denaturation with little aggregation, enabling quantitative thermodynamic …

Not A Cinematic Hair Out Of Place: Examinations In Identity (Transformation) As Evidenced Through Haircuts In The Crying Game, Allen Herring Iii

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

This thesis asks a question: Can transformations to a cinematic character's hair be indicative of a realignment or shifting of that character's identity? As an attempt to answer this question, I introduce three new concepts: the Opaque Movement (OM), the Transparent Violent Moment (TVM), and the Transparent Moderate Moment (TMM). All of these concepts revolve around the treatment and appearance of a character's hair within a film. In this examination, I establish a theoretical foundation for cinematic haircutting and apply the three concepts to several films. I ground the discussion in a thorough examination of The Crying Game by Neil …

East-West C3-C4 Grassland Biomass Fertilizer Plots In A Chihuahuan Desert Grassland At The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1989-1992), James Gosz

Sevilleta LTER Program Data

This dataset contains weights of vegetation biomass collected in fertilizer plots from 1989 through 1992. The data were originally collected to analyze the effects of fertilization on vegetation productivity on the Sevilleta NWR.

Divergence Of Thioesterase Function: Human Bfit2, Escherichia Coli Enth, And Ydii, Danqi Chen

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

My doctoral research primarily focuses on two hotdog-fold thioesterases, EntH (also known as YbdB) from E. coli, and BFIT2 from Homo sapiens. The EntH (YbdB) gene is included in a large gene cluster that encodes the enzymes of the biosynthetic pathway leading to enterobactin. Building on the hypothesis that EntH might function in a house-keeping' role by liberating misacylated EntB, two potential pathways to EntB misacylation were identified, one involving the phosphopantetheinyl transferase EntD and the other involving 2,3-DHB-AMP ligase EntE. EntH displays thioesterase activity towards a variety of acyl and aryl-holo EntB adducts. Lastly, It was shown that EntF …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 100 [101], No. 29 (Feb. 8, 2011), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 100, but it is the 101st volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Kinetic And Statistical Mechanical Modeling Of Dna Unzipping And Kinesin Mechanochemistry, Lawrence Herskowitz

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This thesis explores two topics. The first is shotgun DNA mapping (SDM). Ability to map polymerases and nucleosomes on chromatin is important for understanding the impact of chromatin remodeling on key cellular processes. Current methods have produced a wealth of information that demonstrates this importance, but key information is elusive in these methods. We are pursuing a new single-molecule chromatin mapping method based on unzipping native chromatin molecules with optical tweezers. The first step we are taking towards this ability is SDM. This is the ability to identify the genomic location of a random DNA fragment based on its naked …

Systematic Assessment Of Accuracy Of Comparative Model Of Proteins Belonging To Different Structural Fold Classes, Subrata Chakrabarty, Dario Ghersi, Roberto Sanchez

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Publications

In the absence of experimental structures, comparative modeling continues to be the chosen method for retrieving structural information on target proteins. However, models lack the accuracy of experimental structures. Alignment error and structural divergence (between target and template) influence model accuracy the most. Here, we examine the potential additional impact of backbone geometry, as our previous studies have suggested that the structural class (all-α, αβ, all-β) of a protein may influence the accuracy of its model. In the twilight zone (sequence identity ≤ 30%) and at a similar level of target-template divergence, the accuracy of protein models does indeed follow …

February 8, 2011 Aasu Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes

Armstrong Office of the Registrar: Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes (Archived)

February 8, 2011 AASU Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes

Printable Lithium Batteries, Kyle Fenton

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Printable lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cathodes and porous aerogel / polymer separators have been designed, constructed, and tested. The cathodes consist of LiFePO4, PVDF binder, and conductive carbon which was developed for robocast deposition (printing) onto carbon coated aluminum substrates to form 60 \uf06dm thick cathodes. Electrochemical and physical evaluation of these printed cathodes was performed to determine capacity, rate capability, and lifetime performance of the printed cathodes. Cells were constructed using a standard 2032 coin cell to ensure uniform electrode size and pressure on the layers of the battery. Cathodes printed exhibited up to 115 mAh/g capacity with a …

Optimization Of A Terahertz Radiator, Douglas Brown

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

At present, the utilization of the terahertz band for communications remains a hypothetical scenario. This thesis presents a design for a communications setup for terahertz frequencies of kilometer range distances using a reflector antenna design. The primary focus is the terahertz radiating element of the system. Building upon published experimental work a simulation based approach is developed that duplicates experimental work. Next, this simulation setup is used with a new proposed design methodology is used to develop the primary radiators. A structure intended to be used with a photoconductive switch is selected and various design parameters are studied. The summation …

Carbon Coating For Improved Hydrothermal Stability Of Silica Supports, Amanda Lynn Staker

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

A large number of industrial chemicals produced today come from petroleum-based feedstocks. With these feedstocks dwindling, it is necessary to develop alternative ways to produce these chemicals from biorenewable feedstocks. The move from the current petroleum-based chemical industry to a biorenewable chemical industry will build on a current platform chemical approach, where a small number of key chemical intermediates produced from biorenewable sources will serve as the platform to produce a broad range of chemical products. Since carbon is necessary to produce these chemicals, biomass, with its short formation time, must become the feedstock for the chemical industry. Since the …

An Evaluation Of The Occurrence Of Preterm Low Birth Weight Infants In Mothers Who Received Periodontal Therapy During Pregnancy, Paige Beven Gordon

Dental Hygiene ETDs

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to determine if evidence exists between the relationship of receiving periodontal therapy during pregnancy and a subsequently-born childs gestational age and birth weight at time of delivery. Hypothesis: Pregnant mothers who received periodontal therapy during their pregnancy are less likely to have preterm low birth weight infants than those pregnant mothers who did not receive periodontal therapy during pregnancy. Methods: Data was collected for infants born to 1182 females who utilize the New Mexico Women, Infants and Children supplemental food program. These females were then cross-referenced with the Sandoval County Oral Health Program's …

Experimental Study Of Synchronization And Phase Dynamics In Flapping Foil Propulsion, Cyndee Finkel

Link Foundation Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation Fellowship Reports

Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) have had a recent surge of interest due to their many commercial, military and scientific applications. Their wide range of uses, such as those intended for close proximity situations, could include search and rescue missions as well as reconnaissance and surveillance.The optimal Strouhal numbers, that is the dimensionless number describing oscillating flow mechanisms, obtained for a freely flying system are found to be in the range of 0.2≤ St≤ 0.35[5]. It has been proposed that Strouhal number selection in natural flight is not the result of an active feed back control mechanism but a limit cycle …

Analysis Of Common And Specific Mechanisms Of Liver Function Affected By Nitrotoluene Compounds, Youping Deng, Sharon A. Meyer, Xin Guan, Barbara Lynn Escalon, Junmei Ai, Mitchell S. Wilbanks, Ruth Welti, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Edward J. Perkins

Faculty Publications

Background: Nitrotoluenes are widely used chemical manufacturing and munitions applications. This group of chemicals has been shown to cause a range of effects from anemia and hypercholesterolemia to testicular atrophy. We have examined the molecular and functional effects of five different, but structurally related, nitrotoluenes on using an integrative systems biology approach to gain insight into common and disparate mechanisms underlying effects caused by these chemicals.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Sprague-Dawley female rats were exposed via gavage to one of five concentrations of one of five nitrotoluenes [2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2ADNT) 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoulene (4ADNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4DNT) and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6DNT)] with necropsy …

The Nature And Kinetic Analysis Of Carbon-Carbon Bond Fragmentation Reactions Of Cation Radicals Derived From Set-Oxidation Of Lignin Model Compounds, Adam S. Pimentel

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

The lignin peroxidase promoted α-carbon β-carbon bond cleavage of two diastereomeric pairs of dimeric lignin model compounds were investigated to determine which structural units are more readily cleaved. These model compounds, β-1 (1,2-diaryl-1,3-propanediol) and β-O-4 (1-diaryl-2-aryloxy-1,3-propanediol), represent the most common structural units present in the plant cell wall polymer lignin. The lignin peroxidase catalyzed reaction mechanism was shown to parallel two mechanistically well understood systems, the cerric (IV) ammonium nitrate promoted chemical reacton, and the dicyannoanthracene promoted photochemical reaction, both of which proceed by a SET mechanism. Product profiles and kinetic rate constants were determined and compared for all four …

February 8, 2011 Aasu Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong Office of the Registrar: Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes (Archived)

February 8, 2011 AASU Graduate Affairs Committee Minutes

The Current Volume 21 : Issue 20, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.