Biotechnology Commons^™

Development Of A Porous Layer-By-Layer Microsphere With Branched Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Porogens, Farah Shahjin, Milankumar Patel, Mahmudul Hasan, Jacob D. Cohen, Farhana Islam, Md Ashaduzzaman, Mohammad Ullah Nayan, Mahadevan Subramaniam, You Zhou, Irene Andreu, Howard E. Gendelman, Bhavesh D. Kevadiya

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Porous polymer microspheres are employed in biotherapeutics, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Porosity dictates cargo carriage and release that are aligned with the polymer physicochemical properties. These include material tuning, biodegradation, and cargo encapsulation. How uniformity of pore size affects therapeutic delivery remains an area of active investigation. Herein, we characterize six branched aliphatic hydrocarbon-based porogen(s) produced to create pores in single and multilayered microspheres. The porogens are composed of biocompatible polycaprolactone, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), and polylactic acid polymers within porous multilayered microspheres. These serve as controlled effective drug and vaccine delivery platforms.

Engineered Plga Nanofibers For Drug Delivery, Andrew Mancuso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) polymers are rapidly gaining momentum as a platform for next-generation drug delivery systems due to their ease and low cost of synthesis, favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability, and lack of toxicity. In particular, the application of drug-loaded PLGA nanofibers directly to a target tissue may represent a promising alternative to traditional routes of drug administration (e.g., oral, injectable) as they offer the potential to greatly improve bioavailability, increase efficacy, and reduce off-target toxicity. Furthermore, the use of such a system may potentially allow for greater flexibility in clinical drug development, by enabling the use of compounds which have …

Leveraging Bio-Inspired Molecules For Cancer Theranostics, Douglas S. Macpherson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A variety of molecules can be radiolabeled and delivered to a cancer site for the purposes of diagnostics and therapy. Among the most promising of tumor targeting molecules are peptides and antibodies. These bio-inspired molecules can be designed and synthesized to target and respond to cancer cells based on the properties of those cells. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzymes are over-expressed by some metastatic cancers, in which they are responsible for the degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. In recent years, MMPs have emerged as promising targets for enzyme-responsive diagnostic probes because oligopeptides can be designed to be selectively hydrolyzed …

Plastivore: Identification And Functional Characterization Of Plastic Degrading Lipase And Carboxylesterase Enzyme Families From Galleria Mellonella, Joseph Boctor

Theses and Dissertations

[provided as attachment while patent is pending]

Computational Identification Of Circulating Micrornas Associated With The Early Stage Of Ovarian Cancer, Ahmed Abdelrahman El Hosseiny

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynaecological malignancies. Its high fatality rate is due to the difficulty of early detection. Current screening methods are inadequate, and therefore, a new less-invasive early detection method is urgently needed. MicroRNAs are promising biomarker candidates for cancer detection, however, their potential for early detection use is understudied. Aim of the work: We sought to identify sensitive and selective microRNA markers for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer from blood serum samples through computational analysis. Methods: In this investigation, we used bioinformatic methods to analyze MicroRNA-Seq data obtained from public databases for …

Supplementation Of Sulfide Or Acetate And 2-Mercaptoethane Sulfonate Restores Growth Of The Methanosarcina Acetivorans Δhdrabc Deletion Mutant During Methylotrophic Methanogenesis, Alicia M. Salvi, Niaz Bahar Chowdhury, Rajib Saha, Nicole R. Buan

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Methanogenic archaea are important organisms in the global carbon cycle that grow by producing methane gas. Methanosarcina acetivorans is a methanogenic archaeum that can grow using methylated compounds, carbon monoxide, or acetate and produces renewable methane as a byproduct. However, there is limited knowledge of how combinations of substrates may affect metabolic fluxes in methanogens. Previous studies have shown that heterodisulfide reductase, the terminal oxidase in the electron transport system, is an essential enzyme in all methanogens. Deletion of genes encoding the nonessential methylotrophic heterodisulfide reductase enzyme (HdrABC) results in slower growth rate but increased metabolic efficiency. We hypothesized that …

Genome‑Wide Investigation Of Snrk2 Gene Family In Two Jute Species: Corchorus Olitorius And Corchorus Capsularis, Borhan Ahmed, Fakhrul Hasan, Anika Tabassum, Rasel Ahmed, Rajnee Hassan, Ruhul Amin, Mobashwer Alam

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background Sucrose non-fermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2), a plant-specific serine/threonine kinase family, is associated with metabolic responses, including abscisic acid signaling under biotic and abiotic stresses. So far, no information on a genome-wide investigation and stress-mediated expression profiling of jute SnRK2 is available. Recent whole-genome sequencing of two Corchorus species prompted to identify and characterize this SnRK2 gene family.

Result We identified seven SnRK2 genes of each of Corchorus olitorius (Co) and C. capsularis (Cc) genomes, with similar physico-molecular properties and sub-group patterns of other models and related crops. In both species, the SnRK2 …

Functional Impact Of A Cancer-Related Variant In Human Δ1‑Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Reductase 1, Oseeyi I. Daudu, Kaylen R. Meeks, Lu Zhang, Javier Seravalli, John J. Tanner, Donald F. Becker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (PYCR) is a proline biosynthetic enzyme that catalyzes the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) to proline. Humans have three PYCR isoforms, with PYCR1 often upregulated in different types of cancers. Here, we studied the biochemical and structural properties of the Thr171Met variant of PYCR1, which is found in patients with malignant melanoma and lung adenocarcinoma. Although PYCR1 is strongly associated with cancer progression, characterization of a PYCR1 variant in cancer patients has not yet been reported. Thr171 is conserved in all three PYCR isozymes and is located near the P5C substrate binding site. We found that …

Cellular Zinc Deficiency Impairs Heme Biosynthesis In Developing Erythroid Progenitors, Juyoung Kim, Jaekwon Lee, Moon-Suhn Ryu

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Anemia is the most prevalent nutrition-related disorder worldwide. Zinc is an essential trace element for various biological processes in the body, and zinc deficiency has been associated with anemia in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms by which zinc availability alters red blood cell development remain uncertain. The present study identifies the essentiality of zinc during erythroid development, particularly for normal heme biosynthesis. G1E-ER4 mouse cells were used as an in vitro model of terminal erythroid differentiation, which featured elevated cellular zinc content by development. Restriction of zinc import compromised the rate of heme and -globin production and, thus, the hemoglobinization …

Progress Towards The Total Synthesis Of Frondosin D Lab Report, Admirabilis Kalolella

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

Bending The Patient Safety Curve: How Much Can Ai Help?, David C Classen, Christopher Longhurst, Eric J Thomas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This paper reviews the current state of patient safety and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to patient safety. This paper defines patient safety broadly, not just inpatient care but across the continuum of care, including diagnostic errors, misdiagnosis, adverse events, injuries, and measurement issues. It outlines the major current uses of AI in patient safety and the relative adoption of these techniques in hospitals and health systems. It also outlines some of the limitations of these AI systems and the challenges with evaluation of these systems. Finally, it outlines the importance of developing a proactive agenda for AI …

Laser Light As An Emerging Method For Sustainable Food Processing, Packaging, And Testing, Prasad Chavan, Rahul Yadav, Pallavi Sharma, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

In this review article, we systematically investigated the diverse applications of laser technology within the sphere of food processing, encompassing techniques such as laser ablation, microbial inactivation, state-of-the-art food packaging, and non-destructive testing. With a detailed exploration, we assess the utility of laser ablation for the removal of surface contaminants from foodstuffs, while also noting the potential financial and safety implications of its implementation on an industrial scale. Microbial inactivation by laser shows promise for reducing the microbial load on food surfaces, although concerns have been raised about potential damage to the physio characteristics of some fruits. Laser-based packaging techniques, …

Effect Of Hot Water Extraction On Pyrolysis Of Tender Coconut Fruit Biomass: Kinetic And Thermodynamic Parameters, Tanya Gupta, Mohit Kuma, S.N. Upadhyay, P.K. Mishra, Amit K. Jaiswal

Articles

Effect of pre-treatment of tender coconut fruit bio-mass powder with hot water on physico-chemical properties and thermal degradation behavior were investigated. The physico-chemical parameters were evaluated using ASTM standard protocols. The thermal degradation behavior was studied at heating rates of 10, 15 and 20oC/min under inert (N2) atmospheric conditions using TG/DTG techniques. The activation energies at each heating rate were determined using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), Starink, and Tang models. The pre-treatment with hot water improved the proximate and ultimate analyses parameters and calorific value. The higher heating values (HHV) for untreated and treated tender coconut fruit biomass were 18.57 …

Salve Regina University Hydroponic Growing Guide: Dolores Chive, Hanna E. Lloyd

Hydroponic Center

This Salve Regina Hydroponic Growing Guide describes the process of hydroponically growing Dolores Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) in a tower system. This grow guide is based on the research project completed by third year student, Hanna Lloyd, through the Hydroponic Practicum, during the 2023 spring semester. Dolores chives are an aromatic herb which grow as tall, thin, green, leaves. Chives thrive under direct light with nutrient-rich water, and propagate under grow lights in approximately 15 days. When grown in a hydroponic tower, chives can reach up to 12-20 inches in length. The following guide provides information on optimal pH, optimal nutrient …

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics And Optical Sensor Technology To Scale Cell Culture Platforms, Mandar Makwana

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Different cell culture vessels ranging from micro scale to laboratory scale to commercial scale play critical role in upstream process development for biologics manufacturing. Based on the mode of operation, cell culture vessels have different hydrodynamic environments, making it challenging to scale. Integrated approaches using computational tools supported by experimental studies can overcome these challenges. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is one such tool that can simulate hydrodynamics within the cell culture vessels and can provide insights at macro and micro-scale. Accuracy of a CFD model significantly depends on the fluid model and assumptions. Traditionally, simple two-equation fluid models were developed …

Evaluation Of Ionic Liquid Treatment As An Alternative To Chemical Fixation And Dehydration In The Preparation Of Biofilms For Scanning Electron Microscopy, Molly Shreve

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) give researchers the ability to observe very small features on biological specimens at the nanometer scale, which is a much higher resolution than what can be obtained with a light microscope. To be observed under SEM, unlike light microscopes, samples must be dry, conductive, and able to withstand electron bombardment. Preparation methods have been developed that work well for samples composed mainly of proteins and lipids, but these fail for samples that are predominantly carbohydrates, such as bacterial biofilms. When carbohydrates of these biofilms are dehydrated, they tend to shrink and collapse, and their normal hydrated …

Mechanisms Of Stimulation By Intestinal Endothelial Cells During Hiv Infection Of Activated Cd4+ T Cells, Anding Shen, Timothy Kim, Sarah Logan, Zihan Zhang

Summer Research

Under antiretroviral therapy, the viral persistence of HIV is enabled by latent viral reservoirs, particularly in resting CD4+ T cells. Recent studies reveal interactions between endothelial cells and T cells allowing for latent infection of resting and activated CD4+ T cells. We focused our investigation on the stimulation of activated T cells by intestinal endothelial cells (IECs), due to the prominent gut pathology of HIV and predominance of an activated T cell phenotype in the gut. While prior research shows the involvement of soluble factors like IL-6 in stimulation of resting T cells, our results from transwell cultures suggest the …

Understanding The Non-Canonical Function Of Ezh1/2 In Gene Activation, Visakuo Tsurh, Longxia Xu, Xiaobing Shi

Summer Research

Enhancers of Zeste homolog proteins (EZH1 and EZH2) play a critical role in regulating gene transcription during development. The typical function of EZH2 and its homolog EZH1 is catalyzing the trimethylation of histone three at lysine 27 (H3K27) to repress gene expression through the PRC2 complex. In cancer, EZH2 is often over-expressed or mutated, leading to the silencing of tumor suppressor genes and a worse prognosis of the disease. Research on EZH1 and EZH2 in cancer has focused on their canonical function and has culminated in therapies that target their enzymatic activity. However, studies have found that drugs that inhibit …

The Effects Of Exogenously Applied Antioxidants On Plant Growth And Resilience, Aline Rodrigues De Queiroz, Connor Hines, Jeremy Brown, Seema Sahay, Jithesh Vijayan, Julie M. Stone, Nate Bickford, Melissa Wuellner, Katarzyna Glowacka, Nicole R. Buan, Rebecca Roston

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Plant growth and resilience require balancing an inherently oxidative metabolism with powerful antioxidant systems that help maintain homeostasis. When the environment changes, reactive oxygen species are potent indicators of that change, allowing adaptation through re-balancing metabolism and antioxidant systems. A large body of evidence supports the use of exogenously applied antioxidants to improve both plant growth and their resilience to stress. Notably, some phenotypic effects are similar upon the application of chemically diverse antioxidants, while others are distinct. In this review, we analyze research from antioxidant treatment experiments and highlight the similarities in their practical applications and their effects on …

Preclinical Assessment Of Psychoplastogens For Treatment Of Psychiatric Symptoms And Neuroplasticity Deficits In Huntington Disease, Nicholas Skiados

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HD manifests as a triad of psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms, the latter of which defines symptomatic onset of the disease. Psychiatric symptoms including aggression and depression often emerge decades prior to motor symptom onset. Psychiatric disorders are closely linked with dysregulated neural plasticity, the ability of the brain to form new synaptic connections. Neural plasticity is impaired in HD, potentially playing a role in psychiatric symptoms. However, the association between plasticity and psychopathology in HD has yet to be thoroughly …

Making Sense Of Big (Kinematic) Data: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Movement Parameters In A Diverse Population, Naomi Wilma Nunis

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine how kinematic, big data can be evaluated using computational, comprehensive analysis of movement parameters in a diverse population.

METHODS

Retrospective data was collected, cleaned, and reviewed for further analysis of biomechanical movement in an active population using 3D collinear resistance loads. The active sample of the population involved in the study ranged from age 7 to 82 years old and respectively identified as active in 13 different sports. Moreover, a series of exercises were conducted by each participant across multiple sessions. Exercises were measured and recorded based on 6 distinct biometric …

Plastic Recognition And Electrogenic Uniport Translocation Of 1st-, 2nd-, And 3rd-Row Transition And Post-Transition Metals By Primary-Active Transmembrane P1b-2-Type Atpase Pumps, Sameera S. Abeyrathna, Nisansala S. Abeyrathna, Priyanka Basak, Gordon W. Irvine, Limei Zhang, Gabriele Meloni

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Transmembrane P-type ATPase pumps catalyze the extrusion of transition metal ions across cellular lipid membranes to maintain essential cellular metal homeostasis and detoxify toxic metals. Zn()-pumps of the P-type subclass, in addition to Zn , select diverse metals (Pb, Cdand Hg) at their transmembrane binding site and feature promiscuous metal-dependent ATP hydrolysis in the presence of these metals. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of the transport of these metals, their relative translocation rates, and transport mechanism remain elusive. We developed a platform for the characterization of primary-active Zn()-pumps in proteoliposomes to study metal selectivity, translocation events and transport mechanism in real-time, …

The Role Of Myocardin In The Progression Of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Soromidayo Akinsiku

Biotechnology Theses

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world and NSCLC accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases. The mainstay of treatment for patients with stage I, II and IIIA NSCLC is surgery, followed by post-operative cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Additional adjuvant therapy involving targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been in use, however even for the targeted therapy, resistance eventually develops. Therefore, there is a need for identifying novel targets for this life-threatening disease. Given that preliminary studies in Ikebe lab revealed that myocardin knockdown significantly promoted caspase-3 degradation, in this study, using myocardin siRNA, we investigated the …

Biomechanics Of Mantis Prey Capture, Danielle S. Taylor

Honors Theses

Mantis species have a variety of different morphologies, so do the extreme forms of mantis limbs trade prey catching capability for camouflage? We hypothesize that some extreme forms of mantis limbs that are associated with cryptic species may be associated with a tradeoff of the capability of those limbs. Previous research has developed 2D morphologies of several hundred species of mantises. We are creating a 3D morphology by using micro dissection, micro CT imaging to construct our 3D biomechanical model. We found the attachment points of the ligaments and muscles from a Tenodera forearm and have constructed a 2D biomechanical …

Efficient Text Bounding Box Identification Using Mask R-Cnn: Case Of Thai Documents, Phanthakan Kiatphaisansophon

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Text detection is a fundamental task in computer vision, particularly for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) application. This research focuses on text detection part of the OCR. Our previous text detection model, CRAFT (Character-Region Awareness For Text detection) has shown promising outcomes in bounding box identification. Nevertheless, it encounters issues associated with post-processing and multiline text. The post-processing related to the necessity to reconfigure the model when new documents are introduced, resulting in inefficiencies and complexities. Also the CRAFT model tends to blend bounding boxes from consecutive lines, introducing errors and impacting the accuracy in the text recognition part of the …

Expression Of Predicted Salt Tolerant Gene In Rice Oryza Sativa L. And Characterization Of Osbtbz1 Gene, Triono Bagus Saputro

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) holds significant importance as a primary food source globally. In Asia, the production of rice plays a crucial role in enhancing food security. Salinity poses a substantial constraint on plants like rice, leading to a reduction in their growth and overall productivity. The advancement of transcriptomics in agriculture has provided a powerful tool for understanding the molecular processes in crops, contributing to the development of more resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems. The transcriptomic approach in rice using two rice lines with close genetic relationships, but different salt tolerance ability, CSSL16 and KDML105 combined with single …

Revolutionary Advances In The Treatment Of Genetic Disease, Emma Kaitlyn Carrigan

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Role Of Histone Deacetylases In Regulation Of Macrophage Phagocytosis Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Benjamin Esiesimua

Biotechnology Theses

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a global health emergency. Macrophages are critical in protection against TB by phagocytosis of Mtb. Although histone deacetylases (HDACs), are critical in macrophage differentiations, their roles in macrophage phagocytosis of Mtb remain unexplored. To explore this, I first established human monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) phagocytosis of red zymosan beads. MDM phagocytosed zymosan beads at 37°C in a dose dependent manner in contrast to suppressed phagocytosis by the MDMs incubated with beads at 4°C or in the presence of cytochalasin D, actin polymerization inhibitor. Incubation of MDMs with 11 zinc-dependent HDAC inhibitors did …

Development Of Novel Detection Methods For Food Safety Using State-Of-The-Art Technology Platforms, Prae Noppakuadrittidej

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Foodborne illness is a significant global public health concern, impacting both the economy and human health. These illnesses are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, and chemicals. This research developed two technology platforms for Bacillus cereus and tropane alkaloid compounds detections. First, traditional detection methods for B. cereus have limitations in long analysis time, and dependence on analysis and interpretation by skilled personnel. Therefore, this study introduces a robust detection method using peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) bearing with a prolyl-2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid (ACPC) backbone as probes in a bead array method. PNAs with groEL, motB, and 16S rRNA sequences were covalently …

The Molecular Mechanisms Of Ifn-Γ Promoted Necroptosis In Macrophages, Meghan R. Vogt

Biotechnology Theses

Necroptosis, a form of programmed lytic cell death, has emerged as a driving factor in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury. One specific inflammatory mediator that is of interest is interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Our laboratory has reported that IFN-γ is the most potent enhancer of necroptosis in primary lung epithelial cells and macrophages by upregulating MLKL expression. How IFN-γ enhances necroptosis and MLKL upregulation is currently unknown. In this research, we utilized multiple approaches to study the potential molecular mechanisms of IFN-γ promoted necroptosis in macrophages. We found that MLKL and ZBP1 are significantly upregulated by IFN-γ through an unknown pathway …