Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Identification, Synthesis And Biological Activity Of Galloyl Inhibitors Of Human Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Samuel T. Klinker
Identification, Synthesis And Biological Activity Of Galloyl Inhibitors Of Human Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Samuel T. Klinker
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (LMW-PTP) isoform 2 (IF2) has been found to be over expressed in many forms of aggressive cancer and has become a target for inhibition. Competitive inhibition of LMW-PTP IF2 by known inhibitor pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) shows a strong inhibition constant (Ki = 7.6 μM at pH 5.0); however, PLP is a cofactor for many other enzymes. In silico screening and in vitro testing identified NSC107022 (Ki = 10.8 ±1.0) from the National Cancer Institute's Diversity Set II as a lead compound for optimization as a LMW-PTP IF2 inhibitor. Utilizing NSC107022's galloyl group, compound libraries of …
Polyurethane Research For Applications In The Field Of Dentistry: Limiting Side Reactions In Monomer Development And Synthesizing N-Capped Polymenthide, Ellen M. (Ellie) Black
Polyurethane Research For Applications In The Field Of Dentistry: Limiting Side Reactions In Monomer Development And Synthesizing N-Capped Polymenthide, Ellen M. (Ellie) Black
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Modern dentistry has found uses for polyurethanes in both dental arch models and removable dental appliances. In an attempt to make polyurethanes from renewable resources, both naturally derived menthone and dihydrocarvone were oxidized in order to form menthide and dihydrocarvide, respectively. The resulting ester, if copolymerized could be modified to form a polyuria; however, dihydrocarvide synthesis was complicated by epoxidation. Different reaction environments with varying salts showed no positive effect on limiting epoxide products. A homopolymerization of menthide resulted in a polymenthide chain that was reacted in the presence of N,N'-Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) in order to form an N-capped polymenthide chain. …
Investigations Into Uncharacterized Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Enzymes, Melissa Quintanilla
Investigations Into Uncharacterized Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Enzymes, Melissa Quintanilla
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes are a superfamily of enzymes that require the cofactor SAM for catalysis. These enzymes have diverse functions across all 3 domains of life, and are known to play roles in many biological pathways, including vitamin biosynthesis, synthesis of complex metal clusters, posttranslational RNA modification,DNA repair, and development of antibiotic resistance, among others. Radical SAM enzymes are characterized by the CX3CX2C motif, which is conserved throughout most members of the family. A number of genes have been identified which contain the CX3CX2C motif and other amino acid sequences …
The Synthesis Of Dendrimer-Bound Catalysts And Their Use In Macmillan-Type Reactions, Autumn R. Flynn
The Synthesis Of Dendrimer-Bound Catalysts And Their Use In Macmillan-Type Reactions, Autumn R. Flynn
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Dendrimers—highly branched macromolecules—present an attractive option for use as a catalytic framework because of their large size and their availability for functionalization. In addition, the use of organocatalysts to form asymmetric products has become an increasingly studied field in the pharmaceutical industry and cancer research. Organocatalyst terminally functionalized dendrimers present the possibility of both catalytic utility and increased recovery in MacMillan-type asymmetric reactions. Terminal sites of generations 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 PAMAM dendrimers have been functionalized with the MacMillan group's (2S, 5S)-5-benzyl-2-tert-butyl-3-methylimidazolidin-4-one catalyst. These functionalized PAMAM dendrimers were characterized by NMR and MALDITOF MS analysis. The organocatalyst functionalized dendrimers show …
Determination Of Inhibitor Specificity For Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Isoforms A And B, Erica K. Sinner
Determination Of Inhibitor Specificity For Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Isoforms A And B, Erica K. Sinner
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
The two active isoforms of Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (LMW-PTP) have inverse cellular effects on cancer. Isoform A has been found to be anti-oncogenic, while overexpression of Isoform B is oncogenic. Inhibitors of Isoform B could have anti-cancer effects, however, it is of utmost importance that these inhibitors exhibit specificity for Isoform B and do not affect the function of Isoform A. Isoform A was recombinantly expressed, purified and characterized in order to compare its structure and function to Isoform B. It is hoped that this characterization, along with the synthesis and screening of potential inhibitors for both …
Using Spe And Hplc-Ms To Quantify And Identify Pharmaceutical Compounds In St. John's University Wastewater, Melissa E. Stuckey
Using Spe And Hplc-Ms To Quantify And Identify Pharmaceutical Compounds In St. John's University Wastewater, Melissa E. Stuckey
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Pharmaceuticals in wastewater have become a concern of environmental toxicologists. An efficient method of discovering the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in wastewater has not yet been produced. The method we developed includes an automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) procedure prior to injecting a sample of wastewater into the High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and Mass Spectrometer – Electrospray Ionization (MS-ESI). Three unknown peaks were identified on the HPLC and MS from wastewater obtained from the St. John’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in June 2013. Methods of analysis including NMR, GC-MS and IR have been used to determine the composition of these …
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Biometric Model Of The Tricopper Binding Site Of Multicopper Oxidases, Haosen Wang
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Biometric Model Of The Tricopper Binding Site Of Multicopper Oxidases, Haosen Wang
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
This research employs the principles of bioinorganic modeling, simplifying the extraneous structures of the molecule being mimicked and focusing only on the active components of the large biological molecules. Specifically, this project attempts to mimic the structure and reactivity of tri-copper active sites found in Multi-copper Oxidises, such as Laccase and Ceruloplasmin, that bind with oxygen and reduce it to water. After experimenting with various other structures that failed to mimic the active sites, we selected another potential ligand, 1,3,5-tri(2-pyridylmethyltriazole)-2,4,6-triethyl benzene, abbreviated Ltapma, to be the substrate for this research to bind with three Cu(I) ions and then …
An Endophytic Fungus As A Source Of New Antifungal Compounds, Lisa Marie Jungbauer
An Endophytic Fungus As A Source Of New Antifungal Compounds, Lisa Marie Jungbauer
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Medical advances in society such as organ transplants, prolonged chemotherapy, and those that lengthen the lives of AIDS patients and the elderly increase the number of immunocompromised individuals(1). When the immune system is compromised, opportunistic fungi can flourish and become fatal. Current antifungal treatments are limited and often toxic(2,3). In addition, strains of fungi resistant to available antifungals are emerging(4,5). Fungi were selected as the source of potential new antifungal agents because fungal antagonism has been reported in most fungal ecosystems(6). Endophytic fungi, which inhabit the spaces between plant cells, are known producers of natural products and that assist plants …
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Trypsin Inhibitor, Eric L. Schneider
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Trypsin Inhibitor, Eric L. Schneider
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Inhibitors of biological enzymes are frequently produced by mimicking the molecular structure of the enzyme's natural substrate. Because of the extensive studies that have already been performed on the trypsin enzyme, its natural substrates and its mode of interaction with them are well understood. By finding an easily synthesized molecule to inhibit the trypsin enzyme, college level laboratory experiments could be designed and integrated into organic chemistry and biochemistry courses. In this project, a possible trypsin inhibitor molecule, 4-fluorobenzylaimine, was chosen based on its similarity to the natural trypsin substrates and because it has been predicted through computational studies to …
The Synthesis And Characterization Of Monometallic And Bimetallic Pd-Pnp Complexes, Lorinda Asmus
The Synthesis And Characterization Of Monometallic And Bimetallic Pd-Pnp Complexes, Lorinda Asmus
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
The bridging ligand, 2-[bis(diphenylphosphino)methyl]pyridine (PNP), is ideal for synthesizing mono- and bi-metallic catalysts due to its potential to be bidentate (P-P or P-N) or tridentate and its ability to bind to one or more metals. Three Pd-PNP complexes, [Pd(PNP)2]+2 (1) and two complexes resulting from the removal of one or two methine pronouns (2 and 3), have been synthesized. The removal of one methine proton changes the PNP bidentate binding mode. In complex 1 and 3, the two PNP ligands are P-P bound. However, upon the removal of one methine proton, one …
A Comparison Of The Kinetics Of Fatty-Acid Metabolism In Smokers And Nonsmokers, Patricia A. Valusek
A Comparison Of The Kinetics Of Fatty-Acid Metabolism In Smokers And Nonsmokers, Patricia A. Valusek
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
For many years, the United States government has required labels on all cigarette packages warning against the many ill effects associated with smoking. One of the major factors contributing to the unhealthy aspects of smoking is its profound impact on nutrient levels within the body. Free radicals found in both the gas and tar phases of cigarette smoke may pose a significant threat to the fatty-acid levels in the body. One method of assessing this threat is to examine the fatty-acid synthesis rates of smokers and nonsmokers. An assumption was made that a destruction of fatty-acids will be displayed as …
Comparative Analysis Of Pesticide Extraction Methods, Julie A. Lapos
Comparative Analysis Of Pesticide Extraction Methods, Julie A. Lapos
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Liquid-Liquid Extraction using methylene chloride, Liquid-Liquid extraction using a 75:25 mexanes: ethyl acetate solvent, and Solid Phase Extraction using C-18 disks were compared. Aliquots of water spiked with alachlor, atrazine, and trifluralin were extracted using each of the techniques. The extracts were concentrated and analyzed using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer with Selected Ion Monitoring. A surrogate, 2-nitro-m-xlene, and an internal standard, phenanthrene-d10,, were used. At spiking levels of 5-60 ug/L, there was not a significant statistical difference between the three methods when the liquid extractors were run for 24 hours. There was however a difference between the solid phase extraction and …
Effects Of Radial Thermal Gradients In Hplc, Jennifer Splan
Effects Of Radial Thermal Gradients In Hplc, Jennifer Splan
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Due to the widespread use of chromatography, improving efficiency in chromatography is continually an area of interest. Researchers have suggested that the method of column temperature control influences efficiency. To insure reproducible retention times, HPLC columns are often thermostated with a water jacket. Under such conditions, however, a radial thermal gradient may arise from the heat produced by friction between the stationary and mobile phases. If the core of the column is allowed to warm up while the walls are kept at a constant temperature, the solute in the core of the column will elute faster than will that at …
The Temperature Dependence Of Ultra Violet Sulfur Dioxide Absorption Cross Sections, Alexis Brunner
The Temperature Dependence Of Ultra Violet Sulfur Dioxide Absorption Cross Sections, Alexis Brunner
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Atmospheric sulfur dioxide data became available in 1982 during and after the eruption of El Chichon, when the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, TOMS, received increased absorption in the shortest wavelength channels of the instrument. TOMS was designed to map the daily global total ozone field. The increased absorption was later determined to be due to sulfur dioxide because it is a gaseous volcanic substituent that has corresponding absorption to that seen in the TOMS data. Currently there is no way to develop an algorithm that will accurately subtract the effects of sulfur dioxide from the TOMS data in order to …
Synthesis Of Fluorinated Proline Analogs For The Potential Inhibition Of Proline Oxidase, Brent Hilbert
Synthesis Of Fluorinated Proline Analogs For The Potential Inhibition Of Proline Oxidase, Brent Hilbert
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Proline oxidase is an enzyme that has been isolated from the inner membrane of rat liver mitochondria. It is the catalyst in the first step of the metabolic pathway for proline-glutamate interconversion. The enzyme is specific for L-proline which is oxidized to Æ-pyrroline- 5-carboxylic acid. 4,4- difluoro-L-proline has demonstrated irreversible inhibition of proline oxidase. Further kinetic studies of this inhibition need to be performed in order to elucidate a mechanism for the inhibition. Information regarding the site of the oxidation of proline may also be obtained from these studies. New synthetic routes to 4,4-difluoro-L-proline, and the "cis" and "trans" non- …
A Spectroscopic Study Of A Rationally Designed Zinc Binding Protein, Jill Funk
A Spectroscopic Study Of A Rationally Designed Zinc Binding Protein, Jill Funk
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Recently, biomedical science has turned its drug research endeavors towards a philosophy known as rational drug design. Its goal is to avoid the guesswork and instead design and create the exact proteins that are needed. In order for rational drug design to be feasible, a better understanding of protein structure and function needs to be obtained. This research analyses the structure and function of a "rationally" designed mutation of the calcium binding protein parvalbumin. Parvalbumin was chosen because certain aspects of its composition facilitate analysis and in addition, there is extensive data already known about the protein. The mutation involved …
The Effect Of Encapsulated Antibodies On Spontaneous Translocation Of A Protein Presequence Into Synthetically Produced Phospholipid Vesicles, Robert Bellin
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
The cytochrome oxidase subunit IV (CoxIV) protein presequence has been found by previous researchers to target proteins to the mitochondria of the cells and associate with or translocate across a membrane bilayer. In this study, the effects of encapsulating antibodies against the presequence within phospholipid vesicles on this association or translocation was studied. Kinetic and thermodynamic theories were developed which predict a higher level of association or translocation of the protein presequence into these antibody containing vesicles. Antibodies against the CoxIV presequence were produced in two rabbits and purified with a Protein A affinity column. Phospholipid vesicles were created with …
Reaction Of Titanium Tetrafluoride With Di-N-Propylamine In Acetonitrile, Roger Nass
Reaction Of Titanium Tetrafluoride With Di-N-Propylamine In Acetonitrile, Roger Nass
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
No abstract provided.