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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Functional Effects Of Calcium Regulation Of Thin Filaments At Single Particle Resolution, Christopher Solis-Ocampo Jan 2016

Functional Effects Of Calcium Regulation Of Thin Filaments At Single Particle Resolution, Christopher Solis-Ocampo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Understanding heart function at the molecular level is critical for developing of more effective treatments. In the cardiac muscle, the thin filament is composed by troponin (Tn), tropomyosin (Tm), and F-actin. It provides Ca2+-dependent regulation of contraction by modulating myosin attachment and force generation in a cooperative scheme. However, this mechanism remains unclear. To understand thin filament activation, we studied the binding and functional properties of Tn and Tm to F-actin at single particle resolution by employing fluorescence image colocalization, in vitro motility assays, and Förster resonance energy …


Perchlorate Variations Over 300 Years: Influence Of Human Activities, Volcanic Eruptions And Bolide Events, Kari Peterson Jan 2016

Perchlorate Variations Over 300 Years: Influence Of Human Activities, Volcanic Eruptions And Bolide Events, Kari Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate, which derives from both anthropogenic and natural sources in the current environment, constitutes a significant health risk to humans because it competitively inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. Thus, there has been considerable interest in reducing the human exposure to environmental perchlorate by limiting the release of perchlorate from anthropogenic sources. However, a lack of understanding of the relative contributions from anthropogenic and natural sources has prevented widespread regulation. A 300-year ice core perchlorate record from Summit Station, Greenland (1700-2007 C.E.) that extends beyond the onset of the Industrial Revolution (1850 C.E.) is used to assess the anthropogenic …


Ice Concentration Linked With Extractive Stirrer (Icecles), Nujud Omar Maslamani Jan 2016

Ice Concentration Linked With Extractive Stirrer (Icecles), Nujud Omar Maslamani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Clean water is very important for human health. Therefore, drinking water contamination is a significant research concern, especially with the increasing global population. Some contaminants, such as pesticides, can cause health effects even at low levels. Therefore, trace and ultratrace analysis of contaminants in drinking water is essential. Ultratrace analysis typically requires highly effective sample preparation methods and/or highly sensitive instruments. There are currently advanced sample preparations techniques available to analytical chemists that may allow trace analysis of certain analytes. These include liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid phase extraction (SPE), solid phase micro extraction (SPME), and stir bar sorpitive extraction (SBSE). …


Use Of Extraction Technologies In Food Safety Studies, Changling Qiu Jan 2016

Use Of Extraction Technologies In Food Safety Studies, Changling Qiu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food safety has become a top concern in our society. The public in general is increasingly concerned about the safety of the food products they consume every day as more and more food contamination incidents and widespread recalls arise. It is necessary to trace any presence and/or the concentration levels of contaminants, pesticides, herbicides, or other harmful substances in food samples. Sample preparation is a crucial step in a food analytical method, as it takes up most of the total analysis time, contributing highly to the total cost of analysis and greatly influencing the results of the analysis. Traditional extraction …


Environmentally Benign Extraction Processes In Analytical Separation Of Essential Oils, John Kiratu Jan 2016

Environmentally Benign Extraction Processes In Analytical Separation Of Essential Oils, John Kiratu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technology has been well received as an environmentally friendly processing technique. Over the last two decades, its use in many processing industries has tremendously advanced. This is as a result of pressure from regulating bodies aimed at reducing the wide-scale use of organic solvents due to negative environmental impacts. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) is considered to be environmentally benign and has been used in the development of a wide-range of alternative processes in various industries to totally or partially eliminate the use of organic solvents. Conventional processes for essential oil extraction involve steam distillation and organic …


Mechanistic Studies Of The Structure-Photostability Relationship Of Organic Conjugated Polymers, Logan Paul Sanow Jan 2016

Mechanistic Studies Of The Structure-Photostability Relationship Of Organic Conjugated Polymers, Logan Paul Sanow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organic Conjugated polymers (CPs) are a subject of intense research for their application in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), solid-state dye lasing, biological imaging and sensing, chemical sensing and remote sensing. CPs are key materials in the quest for more sustainable forms of renewable energy, making electronics more versatile and light weight, and increasing the functionality of everyday materials. For these applications and others that use CPs as the photoactive material, one of their main drawbacks is their susceptibility to photodegradation. Photodegradation occurs when the material is exposed to light leading to irreversible changes in the materials, …