Digital Commons Network^™

Pandemic Of Pregnant Obese Women: Is It Time To Re-Evaluate Antenatal Weight Loss?, Anne Davis

Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

The obesity pandemic will afflict future generations without successful prevention, intervention and management. Attention to reducing obesity before, during and after pregnancy is essential for mothers and their offspring. Preconception weight loss is difficult given that many pregnancies are unplanned. Interventions aimed at limiting gestational weight gain have produced minimal maternal and infant outcomes. Therefore, increased research to develop evidence-based clinical practice is needed to adequately care for obese pregnant women especially during antenatal care. This review evaluates the current evidence of obesity interventions during pregnancy various including weight loss for safety and efficacy. Recommendations are provided with the end …

Overexpression Of Patatin‐Related Phospholipase Aiiiδ Altered Plant Growth And Increased Seed Oil Content In Camelina, Xuemin Wang, Maoyin Li, Fang Wei, Amanda Tawfall, Michelle Tang, Allison Saettele

Biology Department Faculty Works

Camelina sativa is a Brassicaceae oilseed species being explored as a biofuel and industrial oil crop. A growing number of studies have indicated that the turnover of phosphatidylcholine plays an important role in the synthesis and modification of triacylglycerols. This study manipulated the expression of a patatin‐related phospholipase AIIIδ (pPLAIIIδ) in camelina to determine its effect on seed oil content and plant growth. Constitutive overexpression of pPLAIIIδ under the control of the constitutive cauliflower mosaic 35S promoter resulted in a significant increase in seed oil content and a decrease in cellulose content. In addition, the content of major membrane phospholipids, …

Isu Today - August 14, 2015, Indiana State University, Communications And Marketing

University Announcements - ISU Today

No abstract provided.

Isu Today - August 17, 2015, Indiana State University, Communications And Marketing

University Announcements - ISU Today

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Mechanisms Promoting Toxic Dinoflagellate Blooms In Estuarine Ecosystems, Theresa K. Hattenrath

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Dinoflagellates can cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) associated with human health syndromes such as paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and these HABs are a growing concern in many coastal regions. My dissertation explored the factors promoting toxic dinoflagellate blooms in estuarine ecosystems. Northport Bay, NY, which has experienced chronic PSP-induced shellfish closures due to the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense and blooms of the DSP-producer, Dinophysis acuminata, was used as a natural system to explore these factors while multiple strains of A. fundyense and a newly established D. acuminata culture isolated from North America were investigated in …

Assessment Of Gonadal Hormone Effects On The Glutamatergic Regulation Of Prefrontal Cortical Dopamine Levels And Executive Cognitive Function In Rats, Mallory Locklear

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, depression, and anxiety, though very different disorders, all feature deficits in the executive functions of the prefrontal cortex. These deficits share properties of greatly reducing quality of life and being poorly responsive to available therapeutics. These cognitive problems also stem at least in part from an imbalance in dopamine control over the prefrontal cortex. Normally, the prefrontal cortex requires dopamine to be held at functionally optimal levels and when dopamine either rises above or falls below this range, prefrontal executive functions become impaired. The disorders in which executive cognitive domains are at risk thus comprise two groups …

Identification And Characterization Of Actb Mrna Localization Factors In The Nervous System, John Richard Sinnamon

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Abstract The local translation of trafficked mRNAs temporally and spatially regulates protein expression. In neurons, mRNAs are trafficked to both axons and dendrites and the local translation of these mRNAs is important for axon guidance as well as synaptic plasticity. The active trafficking of mRNAs involves the interaction between cis¬¬-acting localization elements, known as `zipcodes,' and trans-acting factors, including RNA-binding proteins. However, the exact molecular mechanism of mRNA localization in the mammalian nervous system remains unknown. To better understand this process, the zipcode element of  -actin (Actb) mRNA was used to identify putative  -actin zipcode binding proteins from …

Determinants Of Abundance And The Distribution Of Primates In Northern Madagascar, Matthew Alan Banks

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Finding consistent causalities for patterns of wildlife abundance and distribution in the natural world is a central goal of ecology. Insights into how energy and biomass is distributed at particular trophic levels provide important clues towards understanding mechanisms for community structure. Among primates, the lemurs of Madagascar represent a fascinating case study for inquiry given the absence of many other animal taxa; a pattern that reflects a unique biogeographic history. A variety of factors have been proposed to influence community structure in nature and among these empirical work with primates has highlighted in particular, the role that resource availability, predation, …

Structure-Property Relationships Of Polymeric Materials At The Solid-Polymer Melt Interfaces, Naisheng Jiang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

In this thesis, by combining various surface and interface characterization techniques, I report the structures, dynamics, and physical and mechanical properties of polymeric materials at the solid-polymer melt interface. Following the introduction, in Chapter 2, I show the experimental evidence of irreversibly adsorbed polymer layers (several nanometers thick) on silicon substrates regardless of the magnitude of attractive polymer-solid interactions. Interestingly, the adsorbed layers are composed of an inner, higher density region (~ 2 nm in thickness regardless of molecular weight (M_{w) with a more flattened chain conformation (" flattened layer" ) and an outer bulk-like density region whose …}

Fluorescent Dna-Templated Silver Nanoclusters, Ruoqian Lin

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Because of the ultra-small size and biocompatibility of silver nanoclusters, they have attracted much research interest for their applications in biolabeling. Among the many ways of synthesizing silver nanoclusters, DNA templated method is particularly attractive--the high tunability of DNA sequences provides another degree of freedom for controlling the chemical and photophysical properties. However, systematic studies about how DNA sequences and concentrations are controlling the photophysical properties are still lacking. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the binding mechanisms of silver clusters binding and single stranded DNAs. Here in this thesis, we report synthesis and characterization of DNA-templated silver …

Computational Studies Of The Effect Of Nanofillers On Polymeric Matrices, Joseph Nathaniel Ortiz

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Nanofiller particles are often added to polymeric matrices in order to create a new class of materials, polymeric nanocomposites. In these nanocomposites, the idea is that the large surface area offered by the nanofillers will result in vastly improved properties, such as increased mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. While much work has been done on adding nanofillers to homopolymers, there is a fundamental gap in understanding how the addition of nanofillers to a polymeric blend enhances the strength of the blend. Further, the role of nanofillers in improving the thermal conductivity of polymer matrices is poorly understood. In this dissertation, …

Generation Of Multiple Fluid-Phase C3b:Plasma Protein Complexes During Complement Activation. Functional Significance And Possible Implications In C3 Glomerulopathies, Mahalakshmi Ramadass

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The complement system is tightly regulated in order to safeguard against tissue damage that results from unwanted activation. The key step of C3 cleavage to C3b is regulated by multiple mechanisms that control the initiation and extent of activation. This study demonstrated that C3b:plasma protein complexes form in the fluid-phase during complement activation, and complexes could function as a passive mechanism to intercept C3b from depositing on host cells. Several different plasma proteins displayed a discrete high molecular weight, SDS-resistant band when any of the three complement activating pathways were triggered in normal human serum or plasma. Serum depleted of …

On Darren Aronofsky's Filmography From 1998 To 2014: Obsessions, Addictions, And The Pursuit Of Perfection, Jadranka Skorin-Kapov

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The subject of the proposed dissertation is the oeuvre of the film director, screenwriter, and producer Darren Aronofsky in the period 1998-2014. Chronologically speaking, Aronofsky's themes can be traced along the following trajectory of dualities: obsession and acceptance (π , 1998), addiction and reality (Requiem for a Dream, 2000), denial and acceptance (The Fountain, 2006), faded perfection and resignation (The Wrestler, 2008), artistic perfection and reality (Black Swan, 2010), idealization and reality (Noah, 2014). Aronofsky's filmography is discussed with respect to his style and the themes of his films. His films deal with existential questions facing humanity, providing artistic counterparts …

Competition Among Three Primate Species At Way Canguk, Sumatra, Indonesia, Alice Anne Elder

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Microglia Ablation In The Hippocampus Affects Mouse Behavior, Joan Danver

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). They are involved in the maintenance of brain homeostasis not only as activated rapid responders to pathological changes in the CNS, but also when non-activated through continually extending and retracting of processes to survey the brain parenchyma and make contacts with neuronal synapses. Recent work has shown that microglia regulate the number of presynaptic terminals and glutamate receptor expression. Elimination of microglia in hippocampal brain slices results in an increase in the frequency of excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC), and replenishment of microglia restores the EPSC frequency to normal …

A Role For O-Fucosylation In The Folding Of Thrombospondin Type I Repeats, Deepika Vasudevan

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Protein O-fucosyltransferase 2 (Pofut2) is a soluble, ER localized enzyme that adds a fucose residue to specific Serines and Threonines found in Thrombospondin type I repeats (TSRs). TSRs are small, cysteine-rich motifs usually found as tandem repeats. The current consensus sequence for O-fucosylation is CXX(S/T)CXXG. Database searches with the consensus sequence predict fifty TSR-containing protein targets for Pofut2. The O-fucose on TSRs is extended by the addition of a β 1,3-glucose, catalyzed by β 3-glucosyltransferase (β 3GlcT). Pofut2 knockout mice are early embryonic lethal while β 3GlcT mutations in humans cause a development disorder called Peters plus syndrome. To understand …

Biochemical Analysis Of Smpb And Rnase R In Rna Quality Control Mechanisms, Hina Zafar

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

trans-translation is a quality control mechanism used by bacteria to rescue ribosomes stalled on aberrant mRNAs. The major contributors to this salvage mechanism are SmpB (Small Protein B) and tmRNA (transfer messenger RNA). The SmpB-tmRNA complex recognizes and binds stalled ribosomes. As a result, it helps release the stalled ribosomes while simultaneously marking the incomplete polypeptide for proteolysis by adding a degradation tag to its C-terminus. The SmpB protein has a C-terminal tail that is disordered in solution and is known to play an important role during trans-translation. I have incorporated several independent mutations into the corresponding region of the …

Mechanotransduction Of Low Intensity Vibration In Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells And Macrophages, Suphannee Pongkitwitoon

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in bone marrow niches are sensitive to the low intensity vibration. The question of what specific mechanical signals (i.e. fluid shear, frequency, or acceleration) cells sense requires the understanding of the underlying pathways. The cellular and molecular responses to LIV in vivo require fundamental investigation of human MSCs and macrophages in bone marrow niches. We aim to elucidate mechanotransduction pathways of LIV in hBMSCs including macrophages and their functions in bone marrow niches. Understanding mechanotransduction pathways can provide the successful use of LIV in controls of regulatory bone pathways in vivo. We first hypothesized …

Total Synthesis Of Bisabosqual A, Christopher William Am Ende

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

An efficient total synthesis of the novel squalene synthase inhibitor, bisabosqual A, is presented herein. The key step, a 5-exo, 6-exo tandem radical cyclization assembles the fully functionalized bisabosqual core, providing two rings and setting three stereogenic centers (two with complete specificity) in one step. Additional effective transformations include a regioselective deoxygentation reaction utilizing the Trost-Hutchins reducing system and a chemo- and diastereoselective addition of trimethylaluminum to an advanced ketone intermediate in the presence of esters. The doubly convergent synthesis requires 14 steps (longest linear sequence) from commercially available starting materials. | 292 pages

Discovery Of Neoteric Antibacterial Agents Targeting The Cell Division Protein Ftsz, Divya Awasthi

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

FtsZ protein, which bears limited sequence homology to tubulin in eukaryotic cells, is involved in bacterial cell division. Interference with the assembly/disassembly dynamics of this protein affects the cell division processes, leading to inhibition of septation. Our laboratory has synthesized libraries of novel 2,5,6- and 2,5,7-trisubstituted benzimidazoles to target this vital cell division protein for antibacterial drug discovery. Specifically, we have identified >200 compounds possessing activity against the infectious bacterial pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). These compounds exhibit excellent activity against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mtb strains along with displaying potency against Mtb grown under hypoxic conditions. In addition, these compounds inhibit …

Preparation Of The Organic Nanotubes, Te-Jung Hsu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Carbon nanotubes have attracted a great deal of research interest because they have potential applications in many different areas, such as nanoprobes, molecular reinforcements in composites, displays, sensors, energy-storage media, and molecular electronic devices. Chemists have considered this a challenge as they have made many attempts to design and synthesize their own imaginative versions of tubular molecules. The first section is the investigation of a directed and controlled approach for the synthesis of nanotubes held together via covalent bonds. Numerous tubular molecules have been prepared by the self-assembly of a wide variety of substrates, via hydrogen bonds, π − π …

Quantitative Study Of Protein Folding And Conformational Switch With Molecular Dynamics Simulation And Multi-Dimensional Spectroscopy, Zaizhi Lai

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation presents the quantitative approaches towards the study of dynamics and nonlinear spectroscopy of protein folding and conformational switches. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and two-dimensional spectroscopy computations were employed in the investigation of two protein systems: Glutamine-binding protein (GlnBP) and the Trp-cage. GlnBP is one of the periplasmic binding proteins that carry small ligands from the periplasmic space into the cytoplasmic space. In the process of the conformational transition, GlnBP exhibits two stable states, that is, the ligand-free open state and the ligand-bound closed state. Traditionally, the potential energy shape in the molecular dynamics simulation is one basin. In …

Development Of Photo-Affinity Based Romp Polymers For Identifying Receptors On Cell Surface, Siyeon Lee

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Chapter 1 Receptors on cell membrane surfaces play critical roles for the cell to communicate with the outside environment by forming protein complexes. Therefore, identifying protein partners in the complex is of major importance. We are developed ROMP (ring opening metasthesis polymerization) polymers as tools for identifying the partners. The polymers bear several functional groups such as ligands for binding to a known receptor, benzophenone group to covalently connect the partner proteins to the polymer, and alkyne for click reaction to attach biotins. With this functionalized polymer, possible protein partners can be purified and analyzed by peptide mass finger printing. …

Synthesis Of A Novel Sandwich Base Nucleic Acid Analog, Xiao Liu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Nucleic acid mimics and analogs are artificially designed molecular strands that can bind to natural nucleic acids. They have far-reaching diagnostics and therapeutics applications. An ideal nucleic acid mimic should exhibit strong binding affinity to complementary DNA or RNA and excellent resistance to nucleases. Numerous nucleic acid mimics such as PNA, LNA and morpholino oligonucleotides have been studied for decades. In our study, we aim to synthesize novel improved nucleic acid analogs. We have designed various nucleic acid mimics by computational methods. An analog was chosen for synthesis consisting of a piperidine backbone and a " sandwich" base that intercalates …

Design And Preparation Of Polydiacetylenes Using Supramolecular Chemistry, Bo Liu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation is focused on the polymerization of diacetylenes through a single-crystal-to- single-crystal transition, which requires a prearrangement of the diacetylene monomers in space. In the first project, we developed a supramolecular host-guest strategy to control the interactions among monomers. the host N,N'-oxalyldiglycine and the guest hexa-2,4-diyne-1,6-diyl dinicotinate have been synthesized and characterized. Their polydiacetylenic co-crystal structure has been revealed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The decomposition of the co-crystal polymer, which could lead to a new polymer, has also been investigated by various characterization methods. The second project of this research is the development of a general strategy for …

Biomimetic Total Synthesis Of (-)-Arabilin And (±)-Kingianins A, D, F, And H, And An Approach To The Total Synthesis Of (±)-Arisugacin A | Biomimetic Total Synthesis Of (-)-Arabilin And (±)-Kingianins A, D, F, And H, And An Approach To The Total Synthesis Of (±)-Arisugacin A, Hee Nam Lim

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Chapter 1 demonstrates the total synthesis of -)-arabilin. (‒ )-Arabilin is a potent androgen receptor antagonist that was isolated from Streptomyces sp. MK756-CF1. We hypothesized that the enol ether-containing skipped-tetraene structure of arabilin is formed from a conjugated tetraene system by a thermally allowed, nonenzymatic rearrangement- a [1,7]-hydrogen shift. The feasibility of this transformation was first demonstrated in a model system and subsequently incorporated into the first total synthesis of arablin. The synthesis supports the premise that a [1,7]-hydrogen shift is a nonenzymatic step in the biosynthesis of arabilin. Chapter 2-4 demonstrate the total synthesis of some members of kingianins. …

Activity And Mechanism Studies On Novel Antibacterial Molecules Targeting Menaquinone Biosynthesis And Fatty Acid Biosynthesis In Drug Resistant S. Aureus, Yang Lu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Drug resistance in bacteria has become a global threat to public health care. The emergence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) exemplifies the eroding clinical efficacy of first-line antibiotics and emphasizes the need for new antibacterial drugs with novel mechanisms of action. The bacterial menaquinone (MK) biosynthesis pathway and fatty acid biosynthesis pathway (FAS-II) represent potential yet relatively underexploited targets for antibiotic development. My research is mainly focused on: 1) activity evaluation and mechanistic exploration of novel inhibitors targeting 1,4-dihydroxynaphthoyl-CoA synthase (MenB) from MRSA; 2) identification of a menaquinone salvage pathway in a defect S. aureus strain; 3) evaluation of …

Osteological, Myological, And Phylogenetic Trends Of Forelimb Reduction In Nonavian Theropod Dinosaurs, Sara Burch

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Limb reduction and vestigialization have occurred multiple times in the evolutionary history of Tetrapoda, most often related to a change in primary mode of locomotion. However, little is known about the functional shifts of reduced limbs or the morphological signals of complete vestigialization. The forelimbs of nonavian theropod dinosaurs, freed from the requirements of terrestrial locomotion, diversified into a wide variety of morphologies including extreme reduction relative to body size. Whether these limbs were functional or merely vestigial is a matter of contention. The primary objective of this dissertation was to provide new insights on the evolution and function of …

Modification Of Adenoviral Tropism To Cancer Cells Via Metabolic Labeling Of Unnatural Sugars And/Or Unnatural Amino Acids And Subsequent Bioorthogonal Conjugations, Yoon Hyeun Oum

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Adenoviral (Ad) vectors have significant potential as gene delivery agents, oncolytic agents and vaccine scaffolds. Despite extensive effort, adenoviruses have not yet realized this potential. Primarily, this is a result of immune responses to the introduced vectors and our inability to efficiently target therapeutically relevant tissues. Considerable resources have been directed at addressing these limitations; however progress is still hampered by the drawbacks of current virus engineering approaches. In this context, our group reported a novel chemoselective method for modification of Ad vectors using bioorthogonal unnatural sugars and/or unnatural amino acids. With the aim of expanding Ad tropism to diverse …

Probing O-Glcnac Modifications Via Metabolic Labeling Using Unnatural Sugars, Lakshmi Rajaram

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Understanding the impact of post-translational modifications in the context of the complexity of the human proteome is extremely challenging. Part of the challenge lies in cataloging the proteins that are modified with any given post-translational modification, and how this list changes in response to changes in cellular/tissue physiology. The O-GlcNAc modification is one such modification that involves an addition of a single N-acetylglucosamine moiety onto serines and threonines of eukaryotic proteins. This dynamic modification is mediated via two enzymes: O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) for installing the sugar and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) for cleaving the sugar off modified proteins. O-GlcNAcylation occurs mainly in …