Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Frontiers In The Self-Assembly Of Charged Macromolecules, Khatcher O. Margossian

Doctoral Dissertations

The self-assembly of charged macromolecules forms the basis of all life on earth. From the synthesis and replication of nucleic acids, to the association of DNA to chromatin, to the targeting of RNA to various cellular compartments, to the astonishingly consistent folding of proteins, all life depends on the physics of the organization and dynamics of charged polymers. In this dissertation, I address several of the newest challenges in the assembly of these types of materials. First, I describe the exciting new physics of the complexation between polyzwitterions and polyelectrolytes. These materials open new questions and possibilities within the context …

Iron-Containing Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Chrionic Biofilm Infections In Cystic Fibrosis, Leisha M. A. Martin

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease resulting in the morbidity and mortality of Caucasian children and adults worldwide. Due to a genetic mutation resulting in malfunction of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, CF patients produce highly viscous mucus in their respiratory tract. This leads to impairment of the mucociliary clearance of inhaled microbes. In addition to reduced microbial clearance, anoxic environmental conditions in the lungs promote biofilm-mode growth of the pathogenic bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chronic infections of P. aeruginosa begin in early childhood and typically persist until respiratory failure and death result. The …

Modeling Pharmaceutical Inhibition Of Glucose-Stimulated Renin-Angiotensin System In Kidneys, Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, Minu R. Pilvankar, Hui Ling Yong

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

The Development Of Microfluidic Devices For The Production Of Safe And Effective Non-Viral Gene Delivery Vectors, Jason Matthew Absher

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Including inherited genetic diseases, like lipoprotein lipase deficiency, and acquired diseases, such as cancer and HIV, gene therapy has the potential to treat or cure afflicted people by driving an affected cell to produce a therapeutic protein. Using primarily viral vectors, gene therapies are involved in a number of ongoing clinical trials and have already been approved by multiple international regulatory drug administrations for several diseases. However, viral vectors suffer from serious disadvantages including poor transduction of many cell types, immunogenicity, direct tissue toxicity and lack of targetability. Non-viral polymeric gene delivery vectors (polyplexes) provide an alternative solution but are …

Computational And Experimental Determination Of The Mixing Efficiency Of A Microfluidic Serpentine Micromixer, Siril Arockiam

Theses

In microfluidics, efficiency and mixing time are the greatest disadvantages. These parameters hinder the application of microfluidic devices for biochemical and immunological assays. However, once these disadvantages have been overcome by optimizing the parameters of the microfluidic device, it becomes the important analytical tool. In this experiment, various designs of microfluidic devices have been both simulated using COMSOL software, and experimentally verified to obtain the optimized parameter such as depth and velocity for better mixing efficiency. The COMSOL model has been validated by comparing the results with fluorescent images data of the experiment. The microfluidic device is built with Adhesive …

Novel Experimental Method For The Determination Of The Minimum Agitation Speed For Solids Suspension In Flat-Bottomed Stirred Tank Reactors, Shriarjun Shastry

Theses

Knowledge of the minimum agitation speed, Njs, required to suspend finely divided solids in vessels stirred by an impeller is a critical parameter to properly operate industrial tanks in a large number of industrial operations. The most common experimental approach to measure N_js is that of Zwietering’s (Chem. Eng. Sci., 1958, 8, 244-253), consisting of visually inspecting the tank bottom and visually determining the impeller agitation speed at which the solids are observed to rest on the tank bottom for no more than 1-2 seconds before being swept away. This method is quite reliable, but a method …

The Effects Of Adaptogens On The Physical And Psychological Symptoms Of Chronic Stress, Tosin O. Ajala

DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal

Stress is a state of disharmony or threatened homeostasis. The maintenance of homeostasis in stages of internal or external challenges, called stressors, requires constant adjustments of hormonal, behavioral, and autonomic functions. The nuances of life may bring about unwanted stress to the human body. Some of the top causes of stress in America include work, finances, relationships, and health. There are numerous physical and psychological symptoms associated with long-term “chronic” stress, which include chronic fatigue, frustration, irritability, insomnia, frequent headaches, chest and back pain, weakness, and weight gain or weight loss. These symptoms of chronic stress are associated with depression, …

Production Of Recombinant Human Coagulation Factor Ix By Transgenic Pig, Weijie Xu

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Theses and Student Research

Hemophilia B is the congenital bleeding disorder caused by deficiency in functional coagulation factor IX (FIX) and about 28,000 patients worldwide in 2012. And current treatment is restricted to protein-replacement therapy, which required FIX concentrates for patients’ life-time. Approximately 1 billion units FIX were consumed in 2012. However, still about 70-80% patients, mostly in developing countries, received inadequate or no treatment because of the unavailable and/or unaffordable FIX concentrates. Considering safety reasons, e.g. transmission of blood-borne diseases, the recombinant human FIX (rFIX) is recommended other than the plasma-derived FIX. However, only one rFIX is currently available on the market. The …

Hydrodynamic Cfd Modeling Of A Pharmaceutical Reactor Vessel Provided With A Retreat-Blade Impeller Under Different Baffling Conditions, Christopher G. Foehner

Theses

In the pharmaceutical industry, glass-lined reactors and vessels are often utilized to carry out a variety of different unit operations. Within these systems, both the vessel and impellers are typically glass-lined in order to provide superior corrosion resistance, prevent product contamination, and enhance cleanability. This approach, in turn, often requires the use of different, and sometimes sub-optimal, baffling conditions, which affect the hydrodynamics of the vessels and the reactor performance.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a computational tool that employs numerical methods and algorithms to discretize and numerically solve partial differential equations (PDEs) representing mass, energy, and momentum conservation equations …

The Yin And Yang Actions Of North American Ginseng Root In Modulating The Immune Function Of Macrophages, Chike Godwin Azike, Paul Abrahams Charpentier, Jirui Hou, Hua Pei, Edmund Man King Lui

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

BACKGROUND: Immuno-modulatory effects of ginseng, including both immuno-stimulatory and immuno-suppressive effects, have been widely reported. This study aims to determine whether the paradoxical immuno-modulatory effect is related to unique phytochemical profiles of different North American (NA) ginseng, namely aqueous (AQ) and alcoholic (ALC) extracts.

METHODS: AQ and ALC extracts were prepared and their immuno-bioactivity were studied in vitro in murine macrophages (Raw 264.7) through measuring the direct stimulatory production of pro-inflammatory mediator and cytokines as well as the suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulatory response by the two extracts. Gel permeation chromatography was used to fractionate and isolate phytochemicals for characterization of …

The Yin And Yang Actions Of North American Ginseng Root In Modulating The Immune Function Of Macrophages, Chike Azike, Paul Charpentier, Jirui Hou, Hua Pei, Edmund Lui

Edmund M. K. Lui

BACKGROUND: Immuno-modulatory effects of ginseng, including both immuno-stimulatory and immuno-suppressive effects, have been widely reported. This study aims to determine whether the paradoxical immuno-modulatory effect is related to unique phytochemical profiles of different North American (NA) ginseng, namely aqueous (AQ) and alcoholic (ALC) extracts.

METHODS: AQ and ALC extracts were prepared and their immuno-bioactivity were studied in vitro in murine macrophages (Raw 264.7) through measuring the direct stimulatory production of pro-inflammatory mediator and cytokines as well as the suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulatory response by the two extracts. Gel permeation chromatography was used to fractionate and isolate phytochemicals for characterization of …

Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans G20 Tetraheme Cytochrome Structure At 1.5 A˚ And Cytochrome Interaction With Metal Complexes, Mrunalini Pattarkine, J J. Tanner, C A. Bottoms, Y H. Lee, Judy D. Wall

Faculty Works

The structure of the type I tetraheme cytochrome c3 from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 was determined to 1.5 A˚ by X-ray crystallography. In addition to the oxidized form, the structure of the molybdate-bound form of the protein was determined from oxidized crystals soaked in sodium molybdate. Only small structural shifts were obtained with metal binding, consistent with the remarkable structural stability of this protein. In vitro experiments with pure cytochrome showed that molybdate could oxidize the reduced cytochrome, although not as rapidly as U(VI) present as uranyl acetate. Alterations in the overall conformation and thermostability of the metal-oxidized protein were investigated …

Studies On The Formation Of Dna-Cationic Lipid Composite Films And Dna Hybridization In The Composites, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The formation of composite films of double-stranded DNA and cationic lipid molecules (octadecylamine, ODA) and the hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA molecules in such composite films are demonstrated. The immobilization of DNA is accomplished by simple immersion of a thermally evaporated ODA film in the DNA solution at close to physiological pH. The entrapment of the DNA molecules in the cationic lipid film is dominated by attractive electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged phosphate backbone of the DNA molecules and the protonated amine molecules in the thermally evaporated film and has been quantified using quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Fluorescence studies …

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.

Hybridization Of Dna By Sequential Immobilization Of Oligonucleotides At The Air-Water Interface, Murali Sastry, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anand Gole, K. N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

The hybridization of DNA by sequential electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding immobilization of single-stranded complementary oligonucleotides at the air-water interface with cationic Langmuir monolayers is demonstrated. The complexation of the single-stranded DNA molecules with octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir monolayers was followed in time by monitoring the pressure-area isotherms. A large (and slow) expansion of the ODA monolayer was observed during each stage of complexation in the following sequence: primary single-stranded DNA followed by complementary single-stranded DNA followed by the intercalator, ethidium bromide. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the ODA-DNA complex were formed on different substrates and characterized using quartz-crystal microgravimetry (QCM), Fourier transform infrared …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis Of Molecular Mobility During Dissolution Of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) In Water, Balaji Narasimhan, J. E.M. Snaar, R. W. Bowtell, S. Morgan, C. D. Melia, N. A. Peppas

Balaji Narasimhan

Magnetic resonance imaging is used to study changing microstructure and molecular motion during dissolution of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in water. One-dimensional water concentration profiles were measured as a function of distance from the polymer-solvent interface. Diffusion-weighted profiles were used to calculate the spatial variation of the self-diffusion coefficient of water. The results indicate that diffusion coefficient values decrease toward the glassy core of the polymer. Self-diffusion coefficient values within the dissolving polymer increase with increasing dissolution time, while those near the polymer-solvent interface remain fairly constant. The effect of PVA molecular weight on the dissolution mechanism was investigated, with MÌ„n …

Anion Induced Blue To Purple Transition In Bacteriorhodopsin, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Anil K. Singh

Faculty Works

Purple membrane (PM, λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 570 nm) of H. halobium on treatment with sulphuric acid changes its colour to blue (λ" role="presentation">λmax" role="presentation">max 608 nm). The purple chromophore can be regenerated from the blue chromophore by exogeneous addition of anions such as CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4. Chloride ion is found to be more effective than the dibasic phosphate ion in regenerating the purple chromophore. Nevertheless, one thing common to the anion regeneration is that both CI−" role="presentation">− and HPO42−" role="presentation">2−4 show marked pH effect. At pH 1.0 the efficiency of …