Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Organometallic Complexes For Biological Imaging, Emily Stumbo

Honors Theses

Luminescent transition metal complexes are of interest for biological imaging applications due to their unique photophysical properties including large Stokes shift, long fluorescence lifetimes, and tunable emission. Altering ligand structure is a useful way to manipulate the charge transfer (CT) and mixed character states that give these complexes their photophysical properties. A series of organometallic complexes containing ligands with externally facing nitrogens has been prepared and synthesized. Complexes of the form Pt (II)(tbbpy)(C2-py), Re(CO)3(N^N), Ir(C^N)2(N^N), and Ir(C^N)2(N^O) have been studied for their potential application as biological imaging agents. The goal of this project is to compare the properties of these …

Exploiting Chemogenetic And Genetic Interactions In Human Cells As An Avenue For New Therapeutic Opportunities, Medina Colic

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The advent of CRISPR technology and its adaptation to the mammalian genome made whole-genome knockout screens possible directly in human cells. Gene knockout answers how essential that gene is for cell fitness and proliferation. Genes showing moderate to severe fitness defects are called essential genes and provide insights into disease-specific candidate therapeutic targets. Additionally, CRISPR offers other applications for genome editing. Two applications this dissertation is based on are 1) combination of gene knockout and drug treatment, which enables the identification of chemogenetic interactions, or gene mutations that enhance or suppress the activity of a drug, and 2) combinatorial editing, …

Computer Vision And Machine Learning Applications In Cellular Images And Clinical Data, Guochang Ye

Theses and Dissertations

With the progressive development of artificial intelligence (AI), automated analysis has been explored for substituting tedious manual methods in cellular image analysis. Additionally, medical information not included in the conventional statistical methods is now being reconsidered with AI-based personalized medicine. The adaptivity and flexibility of AI ensure its efficiency and accuracy. In this work, computer vision and machine learning (ML) methods under the scope of AI are explicitly investigated and applied to cellular images and clinical data for cytological analysis and to provide diagnosis-based assistance/predictions. Firstly, novel computer vision algorithms achieve cell detection and differentiation estimation on phase-contact microscopic images …

Mathematical Modeling Of Potassium Modulated Viral Infection, Zaira Elizabeth Mather

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, there is a growing interest in the investigation of using potassium to treat virus infections. In the region of infection, there is a biological observation of extracel- lular potassium level being typically very low whereas the intracellular potassium levels are much higher. There are numerous biological studies showing that elevated potassium levels in the extracellular membrane tends to block virus infections. A recent effort in this direction is a collaborative research conducted by mathematicians and biologists from the University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University, and the University of New Mexico, where we develop …

Modeling And Analysis Of Subcellular Protein Localization In Hyper-Dimensional Fluorescent Microscopy Images Using Deep Learning Methods, Yang Jiao

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hyper-dimensional images are informative and become increasingly common in biomedical research. However, the machine learning methods of studying and processing the hyper-dimensional images are underdeveloped. Most of the methods only model the mapping functions between input and output by focusing on the spatial relationship, whereas neglect the temporal and causal relationships. In many cases, the spatial, temporal, and causal relationships are correlated and become a relationship complex. Therefore, only modeling the spatial relationship may result in inaccurate mapping function modeling and lead to undesired output. Despite the importance, there are multiple challenges on modeling the relationship complex, including the model …

Describing Bacterial Mutagenic Hotspots And Signatures Along With The Factors That Drive Them, Carmen Vallin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In my dissertation work, I investigated bacterial mutagenesis. I asked: where do mutations occur in the bacterial genome? What types of mutations occur? What factors promote or prevent mutations? And lastly, how do the answers to these questions change depending on the bacterial life cycle (When)? I used Bacillus subtilis, a Gram-positive bacterium belonging to the phylum Firmicutes, and Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the phylum Proteobacteria, to answer these questions. B. subtilis and E. coli are model systems that have been used to gain insights into fundamental processes of mutations and evolution for nearly ~8 decades. Here, …

Removal Of Arsenic (Iii) And Arsenic (V) From Aqueous Solution Via Common Sunflower Helianthus Annuus By Phytoremediation, Irving A. Vazquez Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoremediation provides a cost-effective, non-invasive technique to remove contaminants from the soil and groundwater. Sunflowers are fast growing and have a showed effective at removing various pollutants from soil, including lead and other heavy metals. Health issues related to arsenic are mainly attributed to exposure of arsenite, whereas arsenate is much less toxic. The common sunflower Helianthus annuus was the species used to remove both arsenic (III) and As(V) ions from hydroponics solutions. In the present study sunflower seeds were germinated for a week, placed under the sun for a day and subsequently placed in a nutrient solution to aid …

Biological Sex Differences In The Monodelphis Domestica: Investigating Behavioral Responses In Environmental Enrichment And Conditioned Place Preference Paradigms, Katelynn M. Renteria

Theses and Dissertations

The Monodelphis domestica, commonly known as the grey short-tailed opossum, has become an increasingly frequented animal model for areas of psychological study, including comparative psychology. Despite the growing interest in utilizing the Monodelphis as an animal model, several areas of research remain limited in what has been studied. This includes associative learning and the effects of environmental enrichment on the Monodelphis. This study novelly incorporates the two using environmental enrichment with the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to both diversify associative learning literature and expand existing knowledge on the Monodelphis domestica. The CPP paradigm included interactive objects as environmental …

Identifying Psychological Mental Disorders Through Machine Learning, Mohammad Al Abdooli

Theses

Psychology is the Study of Human Behavior and the various ways of thinking in it’s both consciousness and unconsciousness mind as this field is still growing to various fields such as Sports, Criminal and even Administrative Psychology through, Furthermore, This Study aims to shape and accommodate both fields of Sciences together, There are very few Scholars and Researches done on Medical Mental Health from a Data Analytics perspective, examining the datasets of the patients ICD-11 or DSM-5 scores and correlating it with the patients well-being, family medical history or any accident the patient have been through, so the current study …

Book Reviews, Florida Historical Society

Florida Historical Quarterly

Garrigus and Morris, eds., Assumed Identities: The Meanings of Race in the Atlantic World. by Light T. Cummins; Evans, A "Topping People": The Rise and Decline of Virginia's Old Elite, 1680-1790. by Ronald L. Hatzenbuehler; Ashton, I Belong to South Carolina: South Carolina Slave Narratives. by Carmen V. Harris; Kennedy, Born Southern: Childbirth, Motherhood, and Social Networks in the Old South. by Blain Roberts; Pickenpaugh, Captives in Gray: The Civil War Prisons of the Union. by Jeremy Taylor; Martin, Benching Jim Crow: The Rise and Fall of the Color Line in Southern College Sports, 1890-1980. by Michael Oriard; Keirn and …

Young Children’S Tv Show Preferences And Perceptions Of Women In Stem, Lauren Berck

Undergraduate Theses

Women are joining STEM fields at higher rates, yet the stereotype of math and science being for men is still reinforced to children by their parents, their teachers, and especially what they watch. Children tend to trust characters of their same gender and are more likely to retain the lessons from the characters they trust. Since most of the shows children watch tend to display gender stereotypes, especially the stereotype of men being good in STEM, children are likely to enforce these stereotypes. The increase of women in STEM has increased interest in STEM for girls, but boys still tend …

Computer Simulations And Network-Based Profiling Of Binding And Allosteric Interactions Of Sars-Cov-2 Spike Variant Complexes And The Host Receptor: Dissecting The Mechanistic Effects Of The Delta And Omicron Mutations, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Steve Agajanian, Ryan Kassab, Keerthi Krishnan

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, we combine all-atom MD simulations and comprehensive mutational scanning of S-RBD complexes with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) host receptor in the native form as well as the S-RBD Delta and Omicron variants to (a) examine the differences in the dynamic signatures of the S-RBD complexes and (b) identify the critical binding hotspots and sensitivity of the mutational positions. We also examined the differences in allosteric interactions and communications in the S-RBD complexes for the Delta and Omicron variants. Through the perturbation-based scanning of the allosteric propensities of the SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD residues and dynamics-based network centrality and …

Cngpld: Case-Control Copy-Number Analysis Using Gaussian Process Latent Difference, David J H Shih, Ruoxing Li, Peter Müller, W Jim Zheng, Kim-Anh Do, Shiaw-Yih Lin, Scott L Carter

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MOTIVATION: Cross-sectional analyses of primary cancer genomes have identified regions of recurrent somatic copy-number alteration, many of which result from positive selection during cancer formation and contain driver genes. However, no effective approach exists for identifying genomic loci under significantly different degrees of selection in cancers of different subtypes, anatomic sites or disease stages.

RESULTS: CNGPLD is a new tool for performing case-control somatic copy-number analysis that facilitates the discovery of differentially amplified or deleted copy-number aberrations in a case group of cancer compared with a control group of cancer. This tool uses a Gaussian process statistical framework in order …

The Role Of Mink1 In Congenital Heart Disease: Regulation Of Spemann Organizer Cell Fate And Multiciliated Cell Specification, Vaughn Colleluori

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and leading cause of infant mortality, yet molecular mechanisms explaining CHD remain mostly unknown. Sequencing studies are identifying CHD candidate genes at a brisk rate including MINK1, a serine/threonine kinase. However, a plausible molecular mechanism connecting CHD and MINK1 is unknown. Here, we reveal that mink1 is required for proper heart development due to its role in left-right patterning. Mink1 regulates canonical Wnt signaling to define the cell fates of the Spemann organizer and the Left-Right Organizer, a ciliated structure that breaks bilateral symmetry in the vertebrate embryo. To identify …

The Parkinson’S Gene Vps13c Encodes An Er-Lysosome Lipid Transfer Protein Linking Lysosomal Lipid Homeostasis And Cgas/Sting-Mediated Innate Immunity, William Franklin Hancock-Cerutti

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Biallelic loss-of-function mutations in VPS13C cause early-onset Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and the VPS13C locus is a GWAS hit for sporadic PD risk. VPS13C is a member of the VPS13 family, which in humans contains three other proteins, VPS13A, VPS13B, and VPS13D, all with ties to neurological diseases. Mutations in VPS13A cause chorea-acanthocytosis a Huntington’s like syndrome with dysmorphic erythrocytes, mutations in VPS13B cause the neurodevelopmental disorder Cohen syndrome, and mutations in VPS13D cause spastic ataxia with varying presentation. The molecular function of these proteins, why their loss cause neurological diseases, and why they are each associated with distinct diseases despite …

Riboswitches As Versatile Scaffolds For Ligand Recognition And As Tools For Drug Discovery, Harini Sadeeshkumar

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Riboswitches are highly structured, noncoding RNAs that bind specific ligands to regulate gene expression. To date, over fifty riboswitch classes have been validated to control fundamental biological processes and recognize various coenzymes, nucleotides, signaling molecules, ions, and other important ligands. As described in Chapter 1, careful study of these various riboswitches reveals an incredible diversity in their structural and biochemical characteristics as well as their function. Herein is detailed the efforts to validate long-standing orphan riboswitch classes involved in essential cellular functions such as maintaining nucleotide pools, managing ion toxicity, osmoregulation, and ATP production.The ykkC family of riboswitches are a …

Engineering Functional Distal Lung Epithelium, Katherine Leiby

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

The potential for lung tissue engineering to generate lung tissue capable of gas exchange ultimately rests upon the ability to reconstitute a functional barrier between the air and blood spaces in the engineered lung alveolus. The success of this endeavor will rely in large part on the recapitulation of an alveolar epithelium, comprising alveolar epithelial type 1 cells (AEC1s) and type 2 cells (AEC2s), which provides a surface for gas diffusion, actively maintains critical features of blood-gas barrier function, and comprises resident AEC2 stem cells for ongoing maintenance and repair of the distal lung. Yet, since the beginning of this …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Atg-9 Localization And Function In Neurons, Sisi Yang

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway essential for neuronal health andfunction. Autophagosome biogenesis occurs at synapses, is locally regulated and increases in response to neuronal activity. The mechanisms that couple autophagosome biogenesis to synaptic activity remain unknown. In my thesis work, I determine that trafficking of ATG-9, the only transmembraneprotein in the core autophagy pathway, links the synaptic vesicle cycle with autophagy. ATG-9-positive vesicles in C. elegans are generated from the trans-Golgi network via AP- 3-dependent budding and delivered to presynaptic sites. At presynaptic sites, ATG-9 undergoes exo-endocytosis in an activity-dependent manner. Mutations that disrupt endocytosis, including a lesion in …

Studies Towards The Synthesis Of Diaporthein B And Studies Towards The Synthesis Of Darobactin A, Ian Tingyung Hsu

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

In the first chapter of this thesis, I describe the development of two convergent, fragment-based strategies to prepare the oxidized carbon scaffold of diaporthein B (1). Diaporthein B (1), initially isolated from the fungal genus Diaporthe, is an antimycobacterial pimarane diterpene that exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.1 µg⋅mL–1 against M. tuberculosis, as well as half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 1.5–3 µM against HCT and LoVo colon cancer cell lines. The first synthetic approach towards diaporthein B (1) furnished the tricyclic carbon skeleton 154 in 9 steps from (R)-carvone through a diastereoselective 1,2-addition between two elaborated cycloalkenones, a novel …

Summer Food Habits Of Myotis Leibii In The Central Appalachians Ecoregion And Comparison To Similar Studies, John O. Whitaker Jr., Virgil Brack Jr., James D. Kiser Jr.

Virginia Journal of Science

Food habits of Myotis leibii, Eastern Small-footed Myotis, were studied during summer in the Central Appalachians Ecoregion. Moths were 70.0% of the diet by volume and were in 97.7% of samples (percent frequency). Beetles, flies, and spiders comprised much of the remaining diet. Percent volume and percent frequency metrics produce similar results. These data and past studies indicate this bat eats a relatively low-diversity diet centered on terrestrial-based arthropod prey across a broad geographical area, irrespective of season, sex, or age. The presence of spiders in the diet may indicate gleaning.

Spatial Sequestration Of Misfolded Proteins In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Sarah Rolli, Emily M. Sontag

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Properly folded, functional proteins are essential for cell health. Cells sustain protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, via protein quality control (PQC) mechanisms. It is currently hypothesized that a breakdown in proteostasis during ageing leads to the accumulation of protein aggregates in the cell and disease. Sequestration of misfolded proteins into PQC compartments represents one branch of the PQC network. In neurodegenerative diseases, certain proteins form abnormal protein deposits. Which PQC compartments house misfolded proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases is still being investigated. It remains unclear if sequestration of these misfolded proteins is toxic or protective to the cell. Here, we review …

The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Domestic Dogs: Ancestry And Genetic Structure Of Free-Roaming Dog Populations In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Gabriella Jean Spatola

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the effects of ionizing radiation on domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) which were commonly used as laboratory subjects during the era of atomic bomb testing (1950s - 1980s). Early laboratory studies on radiation effects in dogs provided important foundations of knowledge for research that has more recently shifted to natural populations exposed to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents. A unique group of free-roaming dogs reside in an environment polluted by radioactive contamination deposited during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, providing one such opportunity to study the effects of ionizing radiation on dogs …

Retinal Organoids Derived From Rhesus Macaque Ipscs Undergo Accelerated Differentiation Compared To Human Stem Cells, Antonio Jacobo Lopez, Sangbae Kim, Xinye Qian, Jeffrey Rogers, J Timothy Stout, Sara M Thomasy, Anna La Torre, Rui Chen, Ala Moshiri

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: To compare the timing and efficiency of the development of Macaca mulatta, a nonhuman primate (NHP), induced pluripotent stem cell (rhiPSC) derived retinal organoids to those derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

RESULTS: Generation of retinal organoids was achieved from both human and several NHP pluripotent stem cell lines. All rhiPSC lines resulted in retinal differentiation with the formation of optic vesicle-like structures similar to what has been observed in hESC retinal organoids. NHP retinal organoids had laminated structure and were composed of mature retinal cell types including cone and rod photoreceptors. Single-cell RNA sequencing was conducted at …

Release Rates Of Typhlodromus Athiasae Porath And Swirski (Acari: Phytoseiidae) To Control The Two-Spotted Spider Mite Tetranychus Urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) On Apple Seedlings Under Greenhouse Conditions, معدلات إطلاق المفترس Typhlodromus Athiasae Porath And Swirski (Acari: Phytoseiidae) للسيطرة على الأكاروس الأحمر ذو البقعتين Tetranychus Urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) على غراس تفاح ضمن شروط البيوت البلاستيكية, Ibrahem Sakr, Majeda Mofleh, Abd-Ulnabi Basheer, Hamza Dahiah

Arab Journal of Arid Environments المجلة العربية للبيئات الجافة

A study was conducted at the Biological control studies and Research Centre -BCSRS (Damascus University /Syria) during 2013 - 2014. The effectiveness of the predatory mite Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as a suppressive agent of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), was evaluated on apple seedlings at release rates 1:10, 1:20 1:40 predator:prey and no predaceous mites serving as control under greenhouse conditions. The ratio of 1:10 predator:prey reduced T. urticae populations significantly after one week of release with the highest density of T. athiasae occurring in 6th week, and kept them at low …

A Biological Study Of Grapevine Powdery Mildew Caused By Erysiphe Necator Schwein In Sweida Province, Southern Syria, دراسة بيولوجية للفطر Erysiphe Necator Schwein المسبب لمرض البياض الدقيقي على الكرمة في محافظة السويداء جنوبي سورية, Fawaz Azmeh, Walid Naffaa, Nujoud Alimad

Arab Journal of Arid Environments المجلة العربية للبيئات الجافة

Grapevine powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe necator Schwein. is one of the most important fungal diseases of the grapevine all over the world. Due to the lack of local studies about the source of primary inoculum at the beginning of the season and the progression of the disease during the season, the aims of this study were to evaluate the incidence of grapevine powdery mildew and its biology on four local varieties cultivated in Sweida province (Syria) during 2015 and 2016. The results showed that E. necator survived as mycelium in grapevine dormant buds during winter to form "flag shoots" …

Targeting The Side-Chain Convergence Of Α-Helical Hot Spots To Design Small-Molecule Mimetics Disrupting Protein-Protein Interaction, Zhen Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

α-Helix accounts for the largest class of protein secondary structures and plays a key role in mediating protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Small-molecule α-helix mimetics mimic the structural features of α-helical hot spots and offer a powerful tool to unravel complex signaling networks and mitigate aberrant PPIs. In this dissertation, the side-chain conformational convergence of α-helical hot spots was disclosed, and insights into the side-chain convergence were exploited to instruct the design of small-molecule α-helix mimetics. The first chapter of this dissertation provides an overview of the characteristics of α-helical hot spots and current strategies to design small-molecule α-helix mimetics. In chapter …

Exploring The Structure And Activity Of Metallo-Tetracyclines, Shahedul Islam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Copper as a key component of electron transport chain of eukaryotes is an essential transition metal ion. Copper homeostasis in mammals complex and tightly regulated. Its strong reactivity together with binding with biologically important chemicals can have important repercussions in human health and overall environment. Tetracycline as one of most abundantly used antibiotic of the world has become abundant in the environment as well. Herein in this dissertation we take the journey to explore the complexation of tetracycline with metals in the environment and the intricate interaction between copper and tetracycline by investigating their oxidative behavior once they are complexed. …

Volume 2, Chapter 19-3: Bryophyte Defenses Against Bacteria, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Religiousness And Health Locus Of Control In Polish Physical Education Students, Monika Guszkowska, Anna Kuk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The aim of this research was to determine relationships between religious commitment and health locus of control (HLC) for the group of students of the University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland, including gender and study faculty differences. Material/Methods: Full-time students (n = 247) of the Warsaw University of Physical Education were investigated. Religious Commitment Scale (RCS) and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC) were used. Results: Few and weak relationships between religious commitment and health locus of control were found; they were stronger within the group of male and physical education students. Cluster analysis by the Ward …

The Diagnostic Value Of Attributes From An Optimum Set Of Variables For Explaining An Outcome In Powerlifting At The Junior Level, Lukasz Plociennik, Igor Rygula, Tomasz Dancewicz, Krzysztof Łukaszuk

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

The sport of powerlifting has been extensively studied, but there is lack of information on an optimum list of features that explain performance in 19–20-years-old contestants. Therefore, the study aimed at two research objectives: (1) to determine a minimum set of attributes contributing the most information to an outcome; (2) to develop a biometric model describing the sport result. The study group (n = 30) consisted of athletes (aged 19.38 ±0.84) competing in powerlifting. Two methods for collecting information were used: observation and a diagnostic survey. Analytical methods comprised the multiple regression and Hellwig’s method. An analysis revealed that the …