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The Confluence Of Philosophy And Biology: An Excavation Of Philosophical Issues In Molecular And Developmental Biology, Patrick Johnson Mendie, Emmanuel Bassey Eyo (Ph.D)

Journal of Health Ethics

Philosophical evaluations have played an influential role in the growth and development of molecular and developmental biology to ensure that every individual is born healthy, born wanted and has the privilege to fulfil his or her potentials for a life free from disease and disability. This is why it becomes necessary for biologists to carefully understand human genes, evolution, cells and general human anatomy to fulfil this project. During this process, they are faced with challenges where they also lack the foundation on how to solve them. This challenge gave birth to a philosophical excavation of molecular and developmental biology. …

Ms-Reduce: An Ultrafast Technique For Reduction Of Big Mass Spectrometry Data For High-Throughput Processing, Muaaz Gul Awan, Fahad Saeed

Parallel Computing and Data Science Lab Technical Reports

Modern proteomics studies utilize high-throughput mass spectrometers which can produce data at an astonishing rate. These big Mass Spectrometry (MS) datasets can easily reach peta-scale level creating storage and analytic problems for large-scale systems biology studies. Each spectrum consists of thousands of peaks which have to be processed to deduce the peptide. However, only a small percentage of peaks in a spectrum are useful for peptide deduction as most of the peaks are either noise or not useful for a given spectrum. This redundant processing of non-useful peaks is a bottleneck for streaming high-throughput processing of big MS data. One …

Development, Design, Manufacture And Test Of Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles, Todd J. Smith

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The field of FlappingWing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAV) has been of interest in recent years and as shown to have many aerodynamic principles unconventional to traditional aviation aerodynamics. In addition to traditional manufacturing techniques, MAVs have utilized techniques and machines that have gained significant interest and investment over the past decade, namely in additive manufacturing. This dissertation discusses the techniques used to manufacture and build a 30 gram-force (gf) model which approaches the lower limit allowed by current commercial off-the-shelf items. The vehicle utilizes a novel mechanism that minimizes traditional kinematic issues associated with four bar mechanisms for flapping wing …

Novel Photodynamic Cancer Therapy Agent And Biochemical Phosphate Sensor Based On Nanomaterials, Alaa Fadhel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biochemical research and clinical studies have revolutionized the field of medicine in both diagnosis and therapy. Researchers in the field of biochemistry and biotechnology are using nanomaterials in different applications to develop devices and materials that offer benefits to both patients and the health care industry. These include biochemical sensors, enzyme encapsulation, biomarkers, and drug delivery improvements for the treatment of cancer. This dissertation focuses on investigating two biochemical aspects using nanomaterials; namely therapy and clinical diagnosis. For therapy purposes, Silica nanoparticles were used as drug delivery system to develop a new photodynamic cancer therapy agent photo-acid generator (PAG) that …

Studies Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Containing Α4 And Α6 Subunits In Nicotine-Induced Synaptic Plasticity In Brain Reward Areas, Staci Engle

Open Access Dissertations

Tobacco addiction is a serious threat to public health in the United States and abroad, and development of new therapeutic approaches is a major priority. Nicotine, the primary psychoactive compound in tobacco smoke, activates and/or desensitizes nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) throughout the brain. nAChRs in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons are crucial for the rewarding and reinforcing properties of nicotine. Nicotine causes cellular changes in VTA DA neurons, including the enhancement of AMPA receptor (AMPAR) function. This enhancement sensitizes the VTA to excitatory input and promotes drug seeking in animal models. However, which nAChR subtype(s) are responsible for …

Antagonism Of Triazolam Self-Administration In Rhesus Monkeys Responding Under A Progressive-Ratio Schedule: In Vivo Apparent Pa2 Analysis., Bradford D Fischer, Donna M Platt, Sundari K Rallapalli, Ojas A Namjoshi, James M Cook, James K Rowlett

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Conventional benzodiazepines bind non-selectively to GABAA receptors containing α1, α2, α3, and α5 subunits (α1GABAA, α2GABAA, α3GABAA, and α5GABAA receptors, respectively), and the role of these different GABAA receptor subtypes in the reinforcing effects of benzodiazepines has not been characterized fully. We used a pharmacological antagonist approach with available subtype-selective ligands to evaluate the role of GABAA receptor subtypes in the reinforcing effects of the non-selective conventional benzodiazepine, triazolam.

METHODS: Rhesus monkeys (n=4) were trained under a progressive-ratio schedule of intravenous midazolam delivery and dose-response functions were determined for triazolam, in the absence and presence of flumazenil (non-selective antagonist), …

Preparation Methods For Improving Peek’S Bioactivity For Orthopedic And Dental Application: A Review, D. Almasi, N. Iqbal, M. Sadeghi, I. Sudin, M.R. Abdul Kadir, T. Kamarul

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

There is an increased interest in the use of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) for orthopedic and dental implant applications due to its elastic modulus close to that of bone, biocompatibility, and its radiolucent properties. However, PEEK is still categorized as bioinert due to its low integration with surrounding tissues. Many studies have reported on methods to increase the bioactivity of PEEK, but there is still one-preparation method for preparing bioactive PEEK implant where the produced implant with desirable mechanical and bioactivity properties is required. The aim of this review is to present the progress of the preparation methods for improvement …

Diurnal Regulation Of Cellular Processes In The Cyanobacterium Synechocystis Sp. Strain Pcc 6803: Insights From Transcriptomic, Fluxomic, And Physiological Analyses, Rajib Saha, Deng Liu, Allison Hoynes-O’Connor, Michelle Liberton, Jingjie Yu, Maitrayee Bhattacharyya-Pakrasi, Andrea Balassy, Fuzhong Zhang, Tae Seok Moon, Costas D. Maranas, Himadri B. Pakrasi

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 is the most widely studied model cyanobacterium, with a well-developed omics level knowledgebase. Like the lifestyles of other cyanobacteria, that of Synechocystis PCC 6803 is tuned to diurnal changes in light intensity. In this study, we analyzed the expression patterns of all of the genes of this cyanobacterium over two consecutive diurnal periods. Using stringent criteria, we determined that the transcript levels of nearly 40% of the genes in Synechocystis PCC 6803 show robust diurnal oscillating behavior, with a majority of the transcripts being upregulated during the early light period. Such transcripts corresponded to a …

Exploration Of Next Generation Metal Anticancer Agents: Synthesis, Characterization And Preliminary Biological Studies Of Htz[Rucl4tz2] And H[Rucl4pyz2], Mai Tanaka

Theses & ETDs

Some Keppler-type complexes, with a general formula trans-HL[RuCl4L2], have shown promising anticancer activities. Protonated-transtetrachlorbis( pyrazole)ruthenate(III), H[RuCl4pyz2], along with two other previously synthesized Keppler-type complexes: trans-indazolium tetrachlorobis(indazole)ruthenate(III), KP1019, and trans-thiazolium tetrachlorobis(thiazole)ruthenate(III), Htz[RuCl4tz2], were synthesized and characterized by means of FTIR, 1H-NMR and UV-vis spectrometry. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was conducted on H[RuCl4pyz2]. The result indicates peaks at 403.85, 243.77 and 208.81 g mol-1, which correspond to [RuCl4pyz2]", [RuCl4]" and [RuCl3]2- fragments, respectively. In addition, studies of the complexes were carried out to examine hydrolysis patterns, binding to serum proteins and interactions with plasmid DNA. The pseudo first-order rate constant of hydrolysis …

Regulation Of Cytochrome C Functions By Phosphorylation, Gargi Mahapatra

Wayne State University Dissertations

The long term goal of my thesis research is to understand how tissue-specific

phosphorylations on the small mitochondrial protein, cytochrome c (Cytc), regulate its

functions, under both physiologically healthy and stressed conditions, and to identify the

cell signaling pathways targeting Cytc. Cytc is a functionally diverse protein that carries

electrons in the electron transport chain and plays a critical role in cellular apoptosis, two

diverse pathways that maintain cellular health that are active under diverse conditions.

Since Cytc plays a pivotal role in both these highly divergent pathways, regulation of the

protein is very important—phosphorylation of the protein under physiological …

"Introduction" To Theology And Science Fiction, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

What is the difference between a god and a powerful alien? Can an android have a soul, or be considered a person with rights? Can we imagine biblical stories being retold in the distant future on planets far from Earth? Whether your interest is in Christianity in the future, or the Jedi in the present--and whether your interest in the Jedi is focused on real-world adherents or the fictional religion depicted on the silver screen--this book will help you explore the intersection between theology and science fiction across a range of authors and stories, topics and questions.

Throughout this volume, …

Distinct And Shared Determinants Of Cardiomyocyte Contractility In Multi-Lineage Competent Ethnically Diverse Human Ipscs, Martin L. Tomov, Zachary T. Olmsted, Haluk Dogan, Eda Gongorurler, Maria Tsompana, Hasan H. Otu, Michael Buck, Eun-Ah Chang, Jose Cibelli, Janet L. Paluh

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The realization of personalized medicine through human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology can be advanced by transcriptomics, epigenomics, and bioinformatics that inform on genetic pathways directing tissue development and function. When possible, population diversity should be included in new studies as resources become available. Previously we derived replicate iPSC lines of African American, Hispanic-Latino and Asian self-designated ethnically diverse (ED) origins with normal karyotype, verified teratoma formation, pluripotency biomarkers, and tri-lineage in vitro commitment. Here we perform bioinformatics of RNA-Seq and ChIP-seq pluripotency data sets for two replicate Asian and Hispanic-Latino ED-iPSC lines that reveal differences in generation of …

Nanobody-Based Interactomic Studies Of Single Transcripts During Mrna Maturation, Peter C. Fridy

Student Theses and Dissertations

During and after transcription in the nucleus, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) undergo a variety of processing events before being exported to the cytoplasm through the nuclear pore complex. mRNA processing and nuclear export require a wide range of protein factors, which interact with maturing transcripts and each other to form dynamic mRNP complexes. While there are many core, essential mRNP factors, the pathways governing mRNA maturation are not uniform, and different transcripts can be associated with mRNP complexes of dramatically different composition or kinetics. To date though, it has been difficult to study RNP complexes specific to any single mRNA species, …

Characterization Of An Al$^{3+}$-Selective Fluorescent Probe Based On A Benzoyl Hydrazine Derivative And Its Application In Cell Imaging, Yuxiang Ji, Chunwei Yu, Shaobai Wen, Jun Zhang

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A fluorescent probe based on benzoyl hydrazine was synthesized and characterized as an Al$^{3+}$-selective fluorescent probe. This probe showed good selectivity towards Al$^{3+\, }$compared to other common ions. Under optimized experimental conditions, the probe exhibited a linear dynamic response for Al$^{3+}$ from 5.0 $\times $ 10$^{-7}$ to 4.5 $\times $ 10$^{-6}$ M with a detection limit of 1.3 $\times $ 10$^{-7}$ M in ethanol-water solution (9:1, v:v, pH 6.8, 20 mM HEPES). Furthermore, it was used for imaging of Al$^{3+}$ in living cells with satisfying results.

Reproductive Potential Of Spodoptera Eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In The Laboratory: Effect Of Multiple Couples And The Size, Alexandre Specht, Débora Goulart Montezano, Daniel Ricardo Sosa-Gómez, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes, Vânia F. Roque-Specht, Neiva M. Barros

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of keeping three couples in the same cage, and the size of adults emerged from small, medium-sized and large pupae (278.67 mg; 333.20 mg and 381.58 mg, respectively), on the reproductive potential of Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) adults, under controlled conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 70% RH and 14 hour photophase). We evaluated the survival, number of copulations, fecundity and fertility of the adult females. The survival of females from these different pupal sizes did not differ statistically, but the survival of males from large pupae was statistically shorter than from small pupae. …

Differential Contribution Of Genomic Regions To Marked Genetic Variation And Prediction Of Quantitative Traits In Broiler Chickens, Rostam Abdollaha- Arpanahi, Gota Morota, Bruno D. Valente, Andreas Kranis, Guilherme J. M. Rosa, Daniel Gianola

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Genome-wide association studies in humans have found enrichment of trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions of the genome and depletion of these in intergenic regions. However, a recent release of the ENCyclopedia of DNA elements showed that ~80 % of the human genome has a biochemical function. Similar studies on the chicken genome are lacking, thus assessing the relative contribution of its genic and non-genic regions to variation is relevant for biological studies and genetic improvement of chicken populations. Methods: A dataset including 1351 birds that were genotyped with the 600K Affymetrix platform was used. We partitioned …

Other Natures: Non-Human Rights And Moral Consideration, James G. D’Amore

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Theories addressing rights ascription and moral consideration have historically often focused on humans as the singular objects of moral agency. I examine the reasoning behind this focus to discover the degree to which non-human animals and artificial intelligence machines should be considered rational beings deserving of both moral consideration and legal personhood, on-par with a human. The disconnect between the moral consideration and rights ascription bestowed on profoundly-handicapped humans, anomalously-rational non-human animals, and AI machines of similar abilities is representative of anthropocentric speciesism and must be corrected if rational ability is the motivating force behind moral consideration and rights ascription. …

Dictyocaulus Viviparus Genome, Variome And Transcriptome Elucidate Lungworm Biology And Support Future Intervention, Samantha N. Mcnulty, Christina Strube, Bruce A. Rosa, John C. Martin, Rahul Tyagi, Young-Jun Choi, Qi Wang, Kymberlie Hallsworth Pepin, Xu Zhang, Philip Ozersky, Richard K. Wilson, Paul W. Sternberg, Robin B. Gasser, Makedonka Mitreva

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Changes In Wetland Conditions And Wetland Plant Communities In The Prairie Pothole Region After 50 Years, Ryann Cressey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands in Stutsman County, North Dakota were revisited after 50 years to assess changes in wetland conditions and plant communities within wetland zones in the Prairie Pothole Region. In 1961-1966, Robert E. Stewart and Harold A. Kantrud conducted a study to investigate the relationship of wetland plant communities to variations of water permanence and chemistry on three study areas: Crystal Springs, Cottonwood, and Mt. Moriah. Within in this region, a severe drought occurred in 1988- 1992 followed by the longest deluge starting in 1993 with wetlands still impacted today. In 2013 and 2014, I revisited 80 of the original wetlands …

Annual Report Of The Officers Within The Town Of Holderness, New Hampshire, Year Ending December 31, 2015., Holderness Town Representatives

Holderness, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Synthesis, Characterization, And Biological Studies Of A Piperidinyl Appended Dipicolylamine Ligand And Its Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complex As Potential Therapeutic Agents For Human Breast Cancer, Amali Subasinghe, Inoka C. Perera, Svetlana Pakhomova, Theshini Perera

Faculty Publications

© 2016 Amali Subasinghe et al. A novel ligand bearing a central piperidinyl sulfonamide group, N(SO2pip)dpa, and its corresponding Re tricarbonyl complex, [Re(CO)3(N(SO2pip)dpa)]+, have been synthesized in good yield. The methylene CH2 signal seen as a singlet (4.54 ppm) in a 1H NMR spectrum of the ligand in DMSO-d6 appears as two doublets (5.39, 5.01 ppm) in a spectrum of the [Re(CO)3(N(SO2pip)dpa)]+ complex and confirms the presence of magnetically nonequivalent protons upon coordination to Re. Structural results revealed that the Re-N bond lengths fall within the normal range establishing coordination of ligand to metal. The presence of intraligand π→π and …

An In Vitro Study On The Effect Of Synthesized Tin (Iv) Complexes On Glioblastoma, Colorectal, And Skin Cancer Cell Lines, Jennie L. Williams, Lesley C. Lewis-Alleyne, Melinda Solomon, Long Nguyen, Robert Johnson, Jennifer Vital, Ping Ji, John Durant, Camille Cooper, Patrice Cagle, Patrick Martin, Don Vanderveer, William L. Jarrett, Alvin A. Holder

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

((E)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenolato-2,2-diphenyl-6-aza-1,3-dioxa-2-stanna-[d,h]dibenzocyclononene, [Sn(Ph₂SB)] (compound 1, where Ph₂SB=(E)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenolato Schiff base) and two novel compounds, [[SnPh2(F-azoSB)] (compound 2, where F-azoSB=4-((E)-(4-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-2-((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)phenolato Schiff base), [[SnPh2(sulf-azoSB)]0.125CHCl₃ (compound 3, where sulfamerazineazosalSB=4-((E)-(4-hydroxy-3-((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)phenyl)diazenyl)-N-(4-methylpyrimidin-2-yl) benzenesulfonamide Schiff base), and the control compound, cisplatin (compound 4) were analysed to comparatively determine their effect on cancer cell growth. Anti-cancer properties of compounds 1-4 were examined using glioblastoma (U-1242 MG), colorectal (HT-29 and HCT-116), and skin (A431) human cancer cell lines. With regards to human glioblastoma cells, compounds 1 and 3 demonstrated anti-proliferative capacity in the cell line tested. Specifically, compounds 1 and 3 inhibited cell proliferation by 50% at …

Bioinformatics Investigation On The Role Of Obox Gene Family In Preimplantation Embryo Development, Wei Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preimplantation embryo development (PED) refers to the period from fertilization to implantation in mammals. This complex process is critical for successful implantation and pregnancy. Although studies on PED have been conducted, using mainly the mouse as a model organism, the gene regulatory mechanisms are still not well understood. The next-generation sequencing technologies enable researchers to obtain the genome-wide expression profiling with single-cell resolution, which are powerful tools to study early embryogenesis. We used the single-cell RNA sequencing datasets that are available in the public domain and conducted bioinformatics analysis of expression profiling from zygote to blastocyst. Through hierarchical clustering of …

Dissecting The Spatiotemporal Regulation Of Yeast Kinetochore Interactions, Kriti Shrestha Thapa

Open Access Dissertations

Kinetochores are conserved protein complexes that bind the centromeres in replicated chromosomes to the mitotic spindle and then direct their segregation. To better comprehend Saccharomyces cerevisiae kinetochore function, we investigated the phospho-regulated dynamic interaction between the conserved kinetochore protein Cnn1CENP-T, the centromere region and the Ndc80 complex through the cell cycle. Cnn1 localizes to kinetochores at basal levels from G1 through metaphase but accumulates abruptly at anaphase onset. How Cnn1 is recruited and which activities regulate its dynamic localization is unclear. We show that Cnn1 harbors two kinetochore-localization activities: a C-terminal histone-fold domain that associates with centromere region, and a …

A Survey Of The Current Drug Screening Techniques To Obtain Rational Design And Study Drug-Target Interactions, Stephen Dansereau

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Different techniques have been developed over the years for the purpose of studying proteins and understanding their functions. Early techniques typically employed bioluminescence or fluorescence such such as the firefly protein luciferase and the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP), respectively, to localize proteins within the cell. X-ray crystallography has also provided valuable structural details of many different proteins in vitro. Yet, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy offers the most realistic insight into proteins' physiologic structures and how proteins function in their native, cellular environments.

Investigation Into The Function Of Endothelial Cells And Their Signaling In Early Salivary Gland Development, Hae Ryong Kwon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Functional vasculature regulates organ formation and regeneration. Perfusion-independent and nutrition-independent endothelial regulation of epithelial patterning is of considerable interest for application in restoring parenchymal function. During murine submandibular salivary gland development, the vasculature co-develops with the epithelium; however, it is still unknown if the vasculature has instructive effects on the epithelium. A systems biological study revealed that endothelial genes are enriched in epithelial clefts, suggesting a potential involvement of endothelial cells in early morphogenesis. Using immunodepletion of the endothelial cells from the mesenchyme of reconstituted glands, a requirement for endothelial cells in epithelial patterning was demonstrated. Specifically, lobule formation was …

Application Of Encoded Microparticles Fabricated By Standard Lithography On Multiplexed Bioassay, Muhan He

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Suspension microarray, has become a popular candidate for multiplexed bioassay since its advent. Unlike traditional planar microarray, suspension microarray permits the probes suspended in aqueous solution while keeping their addresses, and possesses many advantages such as large available binding surface, rapid reaction rate, high multiplexing ability, and high sensitivity and specificity. Photolithography, the technology widely utilized for production of abundant microparticles as carrier in suspension microarray, was investigated by many researchers. However, there was still not a mature, efficient method to produce microparticles with low background, easily recognized identity and good hybridization capacity. To address those issues, we developed a …

Validation Of Integrated Coast-Ocean Model Cche2d-Coast And Development Of Wind Model, Afshin Gazerzadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eastern and southern coastlines of the United States are two of the most cyclone-prone areas of the world. The effects of tropical cyclones vary mainly depending on wind intensity and geological features of the coast that it is crossing. Higher winds potentially generate higher storm surges and consequently larger floods occur along the coastlines. Therefore, it is critical to accurately predict winds, storm surge, and waves associated with a hurricane. In the present study, an integrated coastal and ocean process model, CCHE2D-Coast, is validated by assessing the model’s capabilities in simulating coast-ocean circulations driven by the astronomical tides on …

Design And Synthesis Of Enzalutamide-Isothiocyanate Hybrid Drug As Anti-Prostate Cancer Agent, Siyu Ou

Wayne State University Theses

Isothiocyanate (ITC), such as sulforaphane (SFN), is an active metabolite of dietary glucosinolate from cruciferous vegetables. SFN-rich extracts have been recently tested in recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) patients and notably prolonged PSA doubling time without Grade 3 adverse events. One of the anti-PCa mechanisms of SFN is to inhibit HDAC6, which further triggering androgen receptor (AR) degradation. We have incorporated ITC to the chemical scaffold of enzalutamide (Enz) to create Enz-ITC hybrid molecules with an intention to intracellularly deliver ITC to AR-Hsp90-HDAC6 complex and therefore improving anti-PCa efficacy of both parental drugs. Two Enz-ITCs and one Enz-ITC N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) …

Dendrimer-Coated Iron Oxide Theranostic Nanoparticles For Cancer Imaging And Therapy, Duy Khanh Luong

Wayne State University Theses

The bleak prognosis for patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer along with the low therapeutic efficacy and the recurrence of cancer in conventional chemotherapy are prompting clinical medicine to adopt a new strategy to detect cancer in early stage and to deliver the anticancer drugs specifically to tumor site to enhance therapeutic efficiency and minimize side effects. The aim of this study is to design a theranostic nanocarrier consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Polyamidoamine dendrimers conjugated with folic acid (FA-PAMAM) for active targeted delivery of a highly potent but extremely lipophilic anticancer compound 3,4-difluorobenzylidene …