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Increase Of Basal Oxidative Stress Levels And Impairment Of Heme Oxygenase-1/Biliverdin Reductase Post-Translational Modification By The Defect Of Parkinson-Related Gene Of Pink1, Zhaoshu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disease. PINK1, PTEN-induced kinase 1, functions as a serine/threonine kinase as well as a protector of mitochondrial function. Mutations in PINK1 gene result in either mitochondria dysfunction or disruption of kinase signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PD.

In this thesis, oxidative stress levels were examined in the brain of PINK1 knockout mice, and also how heme oxygenase-1 and biliverdin reductase are affected in brain of PINK1 knockout mice. In addition, posttranslational modifications are a way to control the behavior of proteins, so posttranslational …

A Study Of Lignin Depolymerization By Selective Cleavage Of The Cα-Cβ Linkages In Lignin Model Compounds Via Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation & An Investigation Of The Channeling Reaction In Nitrogen-Doped Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (N-Mwcnts), Nikhil Dilip Patil

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

A STUDY OF LIGNIN DEPOLYMERIZATION BY SELECTIVE CLEAVAGE OF THE Cα-Cβ LINKAGES IN LIGNIN MODEL COMPOUNDS VIA BAEYER-VILLIGER OXIDATION

Lignin is amorphous aromatic polymer derived from plants and is a potential source of fuels and bulk chemicals. Herein, we present a survey of reagents for selective stepwise oxidation of lignin model compounds. Specifically, we have targeted the oxidative cleavage of Cα-Cβ bonds as a means to depolymerize lignin and obtain useful aromatic compounds. In this work, we prepared several lignin model compounds that possess structures, characteristic reactivity, and linkages closely related to the parent lignin polymer. We observed that selective …

Cross Photoreaction Of Pyruvic And Glyoxylic Acids In Model Aqueous Aerosols, Shasha Xia

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Aerosols affect climate change, the energy balance of the atmosphere, and public health due to their variable chemical composition, size, and shape. Aerosols from natural and anthropogenic sources can be primary organic aerosols (POA), which are directly emitted to the atmosphere, or secondary organic aerosols (SOA) that are formed from chemical reactions of gas-phase precursors. At variance with the well investigated formation of SOA from gas phase precursors, the chemistry of aqueous SOAs that contribute to the total SOA budget remains unknown. Field measurements have revealed that carboxylic, dicarboxylic and oxocarboxylic acids are abundant species present in SOAs. This thesis …

Bases For Breadth - Insights Into How The Mechanism And Dynamics Of Nitroreductase Can Explain This Enzyme's Broad Substrate Repertoire, Warintra Pitsawong

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae (NR) is a member of a large family of homologues represented in all branches of the tree of life. However the physiological roles of many of these enzymes remain unknown. NR has distinguished itself on the basis the diverse sizes and chemical types of substrates it is able to reduce (Koder et al 1998). This might be an evolved characteristic suiting NR for a role in metabolism of diverse occasional toxins. While there are numerous studies of determinants of substrate specificity, we know less about mechanisms by which enzymes can be inclusive. Therefore, we present …

Salen Aluminum Compounds In The Dealkylation And Detection Of Organophosphates, Rahul R. Butala

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The focus of this dissertation is the use of aluminum Schiff base compounds, Salen(^tBu)AlBr (SAB), in the dealkylation and detection of organophosphates (OPs). Three SAB compounds, Salen(^tBu)AlBr (1), Salpen(^tBu)AlBr (2), and Salophen(^tBu)AlBr (3) were used to dealkylate a variety of trialkyl OPs. These reactions lead to unique organic-soluble aluminum phosphate compounds containing six-coordinate aluminum. Examples include [salen(^tBu)AlOP(O)(OCH₃)₂]_n (4), [salen(^tBu)AlOP(O)(OCH₂CH₃)₂]_n (5), [salen(^tBu)AlOP(O)(OPh)₂]_{n …}

Boning Up On Autophagy: The Role Of Autophagy In Skeletal Biology., Irving Shapiro, Robert Layfield, Martin Lotz, Carmine Settembre, Caroline Whitehouse

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

From an evolutionary perspective, the major function of bone is to provide stable sites for muscle attachment and affording protection of vital organs, especially the heart and lungs (ribs) and spinal cord (vertebrae and intervertebral discs). However, bone has a considerable number of other functions: serving as a store for mineral ions, providing a site for blood cell synthesis and participating in a complex system-wide endocrine system. Not surprisingly, bone and cartilage cell homeostasis is tightly controlled, as is the maintenance of tissue structure and mass. While a great deal of new information is accruing concerning skeletal cell homeostasis, one …

Patterns Of Maximum Body Size Evolution In Cenozoic Land Mammals: Eco-Evolutionary Processes And Abiotic Forcing, Juha J. Saarinen, Alison G. Boyer, James H. Brown, Daniel P. Costa, S.K. Morgan Ernest, Alistair R. Evans, Mikael Fortelius, John L. Gittleman, Marcus J. Hamilton, Larisa E, Harding, Kari Lintulaakso, S. Kathleen Lyons, Jordan G. Okie, Richard M. Sibly, Patrick R. Stephens, Jessica Theodor, Mark D. Uhen, Felisa A. Smith

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

There is accumulating evidence that macroevolutionary patterns of mammal evolution during the Cenozoic follow similar trajectories on different continents. This would suggest that such patterns are strongly determined by global abiotic factors, such as climate, or by basic eco-evolutionary processes such as filling of niches by specialization. The similarity of pattern would be expected to extend to the history of individual clades. Here, we investigate the temporal distribution of maximum size observed within individual orders globally and on separate continents. While the maximum size of individual orders of large land mammals show differences and comprise several families, the times at …

Nanofiltration Membranes From Oriented Mesoporous Silica Thin Films, Mary K. Wooten

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The synthesis of mesoporous silica thin films using surfactant templating typically leads to an inaccessible pore orientation, making these films not suitable for membrane applications. Recent advances in thin film synthesis provide for the alignment of hexagonal pores in a direction orthogonal to the surface when templated on chemically neutral surfaces. In this work, orthogonal thin film silica membranes are synthesized on alumina supports using block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (P123) as the template. The orthogonal pore structure is achieved by sandwiching membranes between two chemically neutral surfaces, resulting in 90 nm thick films. Solvent flux of ethanol through …

The Development And Biocompatibility Of Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (Ltcc) For Microfluidic And Biosensor Applications, Jin Luo

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) electronic packaging materials are applied for their electrical and mechanical properties, high reliability, chemical stability and ease of fabrication. Three dimensional features can also be prepared allowing integration of microfluidic channels and cavities inside LTCC modules. Mechanical, optical, electrical, microfluidic functions have been realized in single LTCC modules. For these reasons LTCC is attractive for biomedical microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip systems. However, commercial LTCC systems, optimized for microelectrics applications, have unknown cytocompatibility, and are not compatible with common surface functionalization chemistries.

The first goal of this work is to develop biocompatible LTCC materials for biomedical applications. …

Nanometer-Scale Membrane Electrode Systems For Active Protein Separation, Enzyme Immobilization And Cellular Electroporation, Zhiqiang Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Automated and continuous processes are the future trends in downstream protein purification. A functionalized nanometer-scale membrane electrode system, mimicking the function of cell wall transporters, can selectively capture genetically modified proteins and subsequently pump them through the system under programmed voltage pulses. Numerical study of the two-step pulse pumping cycles coupled with experimental His-GFP releasing study reveals the optimal 14s/1s pumping/repel pulse pumping condition at 10 mM bulk imidazole concentration in the permeate side. A separation factor for GFP: BSA of 9.7 was achieved with observed GFP electrophoretic mobility of 3.1×10^-6 cm² s^-1 V^-1 at 10 …

Cnt Membrane Platforms For Transdermal Drug Delivery And Aptamer Modulated Transport, Tao Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

CNT membrane platforms are biomimetic polymeric membranes imbedded with carbon nanotubes which show fast fluid flow, electric conductivity, and the ability to be grafted with chemistry. A novel micro-dialysis probe nicotine concentration sampling technique was proposed and proved in vitro, which could greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of future animal transdermal studies. To enhance the scope of transdermal drug delivery which was limited to passive diffusion of small, potent lipophilic drugs, a wire mesh lateral electroporation design was also proposed which could periodically disrupt the skin barrier and enhance drug flux.

It was shown that AMP binding aptamer …

Magnesium-Titanium Alloys For Biomedical Applications, Ilona Hoffmann

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Magnesium has been identified as a promising biodegradable implant material because it does not cause systemic toxicity and can reduce stress shielding. However, it corrodes too quickly in the body. Titanium, which is already used ubiquitously for implants, was chosen as the alloying element because of its proven biocompatibility and corrosion resistance in physiological environments. Thus, alloying magnesium with titanium is expected to improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium.

Mg-Ti alloys with a titanium content ranging from 5 to 35 at.-% were successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying. Spark plasma sintering was identified as a processing route to consolidate the alloy …

Iron And Iron Oxide Functionalized Membranes With Applications To Selected Chloro-Organic And Metal Removal From Water, Minghui Gui

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The development of functionalized membranes with tunable pores and catalytic properties provides us an opportunity to manipulate the membrane pore structure, selectivity and reactivity. By introducing the functional groups into membrane pores, dissolved metal ions and reactive particles can be effectively immobilized within the polymer matrix for toxic chloro-organic and heavy metal remediation in water.

A polyelectrolyte functionalized membrane platform with tunable pore size and ion exchange capacity has been developed for iron/iron oxide nano-catalyst synthesis and chlorinated organic compound (trichloroethylene, TCE and polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs) degradation. Highly robust polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes are used as the support with …

Layer-By-Layer Assemblies For Membrane-Based Enzymatic Catalysis, Andrew R. Tomaino

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

While considerable progress has been made towards understanding the effect that membrane-based layer-by-layer (LbL) immobilizations have on the activity and stability of enzymatic catalysis, detailed work is required in order to fundamentally quantify and optimize the functionalization and operating conditions that define these properties. This work aims to probe deeper into the nature of transport mechanisms by use of pressure-induced, flow-driven enzymatic catalysis of LbL-functionalized hydrophilized poly(vinyldiene) (PVDF)-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)-glucose oxidase (GOx) membranes. These membranes were coupled in a sealed series following cellulose acetate (CA) membranes for the elimination of product accumulation within the feed-side solution during operation. …

A Multidisciplinary Techno-Economic Decision Support Tool For Validating Long-Term Economic Viability Of Biorefining Processes, Sumesh Sukumara

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Increasing demand for energy and transportation fuel has motivated researchers all around the world to explore alternatives for a long-term sustainable source of energy. Biomass is one such renewable resource that can be converted into various marketable products by the process of biorefining. Currently, research is taking strides in developing conversion techniques for producing biofuels from multiple bio-based feedstocks. However, the greatest concern with emerging processes is the long-term viability as a sustainable source of energy. Hence, a framework is required that can incorporate novel and existing processes to validate their economic, environmental and social potential in satisfying present energy …

Thermo-Chemical Conversion Of Coal-Biomass Blends: Kinetics Modeling Of Pyrolysis, Moving Bed Gasification And Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis, Abhijit Bhagavatula

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The past few years have seen an upsurge in the use of renewable biomass as a source of energy due to growing concerns over greenhouse gas emissions caused by the combustion of fossil fuels and the need for energy independence due to depleting fossil fuel resources. Although coal will continue to be a major source of energy for many years, there is still great interest in replacing part of the coal used in energy generation with renewable biomass. Combustion converts inherent chemical energy of carbonaceous feedstock to only thermal energy. On the other hand, partial oxidation processes like gasification convert …

Assessment Of Range, Habitat Use, And Diel Movement Of Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris) In The Wabash River Using Ultrasonic Telemetry, Sarah Mary Huck

Masters Theses

Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) are one of the most targeted species for recreational and commercial fishing within the Mississippi River Basin. With heavy harvest pressure placed on many populations, proper management is crucial; however, the species range, habitat requirements, and diel movement patterns have rarely been investigated in free flowing rivers. Therefore, I used ultrasonic telemetry with active tracking to monitor movement and habitat use of 44 Flathead Catfish from August 2012 to December 2013 in the lower 280 km of the Wabash River. This system is ideal to evaluate broad and fine scale movement of Flathead Catfish …

Morphological And Ecological Investigations Of Species Of Bulrush (Scirpus) In Illinois, Julian G. Moore

Masters Theses

Two closely related species of bulrush, Scirpus atrovirens (Green bulrush) and Scirpus georgianus (Georgia bulrush), are widely distributed in Illinois. They are difficult to separate in the field, but readily distinguishable under magnification in the lab. These two species have been found in moist meadows, shallow marshes, edges of wet forests, and ditches. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological and ecological distinctness of the species with the aim toward discovering and describing other features to distinguish them reliably. Eighty plants of Scirpus atrovirens and 80 of Scirpus georgianus were examined. Fifty S. atrovirens and 50 S. …

The Effects Of Existential Salience On State Anxiety, Joseph Morger

Masters Theses

Existential anxiety is theorized to result from one's knowledge of human existence. Four givens of life have been identified that result in existential anxiety: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness (Yalom, 1980). Terror management theory purposes the knowledge of one's own death to be a great source of distress. The theory posits that to cope with these distressing thoughts, one is motivated to adhere to a cultural worldview. Adhering to a cultural worldview allows one to view the world as a structured place, in addition to raising one's self-esteem. Terror management research has shown that making mortality salient results in harsher …

The Role Of Landmarks In Territory Maintenance By The Black Saddlebags Dragonfly, Tramea Lacerata, Jeffrey Lojewski

Masters Theses

Territoriality can reduce competition for resources, but territorial defense can be costly. Therefore any behavior that reduces territorial costs may increase the net benefit of territoriality. Some species will align their territory boundaries with conspicuous landmarks that may serve to reduce defense costs. Dragonflies, including black saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), defend territories at breeding sites, keeping rival males away to allow themselves access to females. We used three treatments to investigate whether T. lacerata used landmarks: constraining landmarks (an object that provided a physical barrier to flight), non-constraining landmarks (an object of the same dimensions and construction that did …

Effects Of Instream Habitat Restoration On Macroinvertebrate And Fish Communities In A Small Midwestern Stream, Manisha Pant

Masters Theses

Although millions of dollars are spent annually on stream habitat restoration, the biological responses to these restorations are rarely monitored. I assessed the impact of habitat enhancement on fish and macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity in a small Midwestern stream. Fish and macroinvertebrate communities were sampled annually in two restored and two unrestored sites beginning two years before and continuing four years after restoration. Habitat heterogeneity increased in the restored sites following the restoration, but there were no significant changes in most macroinvertebrate and fish community indices. Macroinvertebrate composition was significantly different between spring and fall, but in general, assemblages within …

Does Parent Management Of Past Childhood Sibling Aggression Predict Young Adult Emotion Regulation? A Retrospective Study, Joseph P. Berry

Masters Theses

Childhood sibling aggression and its influence on an individual's ability to regulate emotions later in life have not been extensively studied at this point in time. Prior research indicates that repeatedly being the victim of childhood aggression can lead to concurrent social, psychological, and emotional difficulties (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). This study used a retrospective approach to explore whether 139 college students' experiences of overt and relational childhood sibling aggression are related to current difficulties with emotion regulation in young adulthood. Overt sibling aggression or relational sibling aggression in childhood predicted difficulties in current emotion regulation. Beliefs about the …

Methods Development In Biological Mass Spectrometry: Application In Glycoproteomics, Sanja Trajkovic

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Proteomics refers to global characterization of the full set of proteins present in a biological sample. Various analytical disciplines contribute to proteomics but mass spectrometry became method of choice for analysis of complex protein samples.

Mass spectrometry allows for high throughput analysis of the proteome but, moreover, it has the ability to acquire higher-order information such as post-translational modifications (PTM). Glycosylation is the most abundant PTM on eukaryotic proteins.

This dissertation will focus on method development for structural proteomics that will be utilized to explain the glycoproteome of obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a model system.

Optimization of …

Applications Of Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry And Capillary Electrophoresis For The Analysis Of Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment, Dawn M. Kato

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The focus of this dissertation centers on the development and applications of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis methodologies to quantify monomeric compositions of the β-O-4 linkages in lignin. Pretreatment is a required step in the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuels. Lignin is the target of pretreatment because it hinders the accessibility of enzymes and chemicals to cellulose. The effects of pretreatment are commonly assessed utilizing enzymatic saccharification and lignin assays. However, these techniques do not elucidate the effects of pretreatment on the monomeric make up of lignin.

The overarching hypothesis of this dissertation is that changes in individual …

Temperature-Dependent Tunable Photoluminescence Properties Of Carbon Nanodots Derived From Polyethylene Glycol, Sin Hea Yeom

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) are well known for their low cell-cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, low preparation cost, excitation dependent photoluminescence, and excellent photostability. Typically, raw C-dots have low quantum efficiency and thus researchers have been utilizing biocompatible polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a passivation agent in order to increase fluorescence signal. In this work, we report fluorescent self-passivated carbon nanodots (CNDs) synthesized from PEG by using it as a carbon source as well as a passivating agent. Importantly, the addition of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) during the synthesis of self-passivated CNDs can tune photoluminescence property. The results of bioimaging and …

Biodegradation Of Drilling Fluid Used In South Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica, Andrea Xamplas Greer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Antarctic Geological Drilling (ANDRILL) researchers obtained a rock core from below the sea-floor in South McMurdo Sound (SMS), Antarctica. During the core retrieval, approximately 5.6 x105 liters of drilling fluid was lost in the subsurface. The loss of this fluid, which contained biodegradable components, may significantly alter the in situ microbial ecology as well as the geochemistry of the subsurface. The introduction of drilling fluid into the subsurface can be viewed as a source of contamination. However, it also provides the opportunity to indirectly study the microbial communities of the subsurface through analyses of the return drilling fluids. This …

"Unseen And Unheard" : Representations Of Mental Illness In Contemporary American Immigrant Literature, Ellen D. Stuart

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Focusing on two novels, Wendy Law-Yone's The Coffin Tree and Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, this analysis employs a framework drawn from research on mental health, which recognizes the cumulative impact of the immigrant's experiences through the process of migration on his/her development of mental illness by dividing migration into three stages: pre-migration, peri-migration, and post-migration. Because each stage carries its own set of factors potentially increasing the immigrant's vulnerability to mental illness, the experiences of the individual characters during the stages of migration are examined, as are their experiences of specific mental illnesses. Reading immigrant …

A (Re)Conception Of The City : Commercialization, Domestication, And Resistance In New York City From Melville To Mckay, James Baltrum

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation characterizes the historical changes that shaped nineteenth and twentieth century New York City by examining how Herman Melville, Stephen Crane, Edith Wharton, John Dos Passos, and Claude McKay expressed these changes in their literary works. I employ the ideological principles of scholars such as Henri Lefebvre, who viewed physical spaces including the modern city as socially constructed products, and the methodology of writers such as Michel Foucault, whose genealogical approach prompts an open-ended and multi-faceted analysis. Consequently, my argument shows how various economic, social, cultural, political, and technological developments worked with and against each other to shape (and …

A Comprehensive Phylogenetic Study Of The Core Genome Of Thirteen Bacillus And Related Species Using Known And Novel Techniques, Jennifer Diane Hintzsche

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A comprehensive study into the phylogeny of the Bacillus core genome was accomplished using two primary studies. The first study involved two previously studied methods, MUMmer and BSR, and one novel approach, RINC, to compare core genome phylogeny. BSR analysis revealed genomic rearrangements among the genomes of interest. MUMmer was used to confirm these genomic rearrangements and provide evidence that 76.2% of the inverted regions were statistically significant. Circular chromosome comparisons connecting homologous core genes revealed an ancestral inversion pivoted on the terminus in several species. The inversions were resolved, allowing for the identification of the location of the core …

Altering Shyness Mindset : Enhancing Treatment For Social Performance Anxiety, Michael J. Gillen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The current study looked to extend previous research on the meta-cognitive variable of shyness mindset. The objectives were to demonstrate the ability to promote an incremental view of shyness in a clinical population, provide evidence for this change's ability to enhance the reduction of social performance anxiety symptoms via exposure therapy, and elucidate the possible mechanisms involved. Participants were recruited from an intensive outpatient program for the treatment of anxiety disorders, and assigned to either receive an intervention designed to alter shyness mindset, or treatment as usual. Results indicated that shyness mindset was malleable in a clinical population. The effect …