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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Bacterial Diversity And Function Within An Epigenic Cave System And Implications For Other Limestone Cave Systems, Kathleen Merritt Brannen-Donnelly
Bacterial Diversity And Function Within An Epigenic Cave System And Implications For Other Limestone Cave Systems, Kathleen Merritt Brannen-Donnelly
Doctoral Dissertations
There are approximately 48,000 known cave systems in the United States of America, with caves formed in carbonate karst terrains being the most common. Epigenic systems develop from the downward flow of meteoric water through carbonate bedrock and the solutional enlargement of interconnected subsurface conduits. Despite carbonate karst aquifers being globally extensive and important drinking water sources, microbial diversity and function are poorly understood compared to other Earth environments. After several decades of research, studies have shown that microorganisms in caves affect water quality, rates of carbonate dissolution and precipitation, and ecosystem nutrition through organic matter cycling. However, limited prior …
Utilizing In Silico And/Or Native Esi Approaches To Provide New Insights On Haptoglobin/Globin And Haptoglobin/Receptor Interactions, Ololade Fatunmbi
Utilizing In Silico And/Or Native Esi Approaches To Provide New Insights On Haptoglobin/Globin And Haptoglobin/Receptor Interactions, Ololade Fatunmbi
Doctoral Dissertations
Haptoglobin (Hp), an acute phase protein, binds free hemoglobin (Hb) dimers in one of the strongest non-covalent interactions known in biology. This interaction protects Hb from causing potentially severe oxidative damage and limiting nitric oxide bioavailability. Once Hb/Hp complexes are formed, they proceed to bind CD163, a cell surface receptor on macrophages leading to complex internalization and catabolism. Myoglobin, (Mb) a monomeric protein, that is normally found in the muscle but can be released into the blood in high concentrations during myocardial injury, is homologous to Hb and shares many conserved Hb/Hp interface residues. Both monomeric Hb and Mb species …
Estimation Problems In Complex Field Studies With Deep Interactions: Time-To-Event And Local Regression Models For Environmental Effects On Vital Rates, Krzysztof M. Sakrejda
Estimation Problems In Complex Field Studies With Deep Interactions: Time-To-Event And Local Regression Models For Environmental Effects On Vital Rates, Krzysztof M. Sakrejda
Doctoral Dissertations
Field studies that measure vital rates in context over extended time periods are a cornerstone of our understanding of population processes. These studies inform us about the relationship between biological process and environmental noise in an irreplaceable way. These data sets bring ``big data'' and ``big model'' challenges, which limit the application of standard software (e.g., \textbf{BUGS}). The environmental sensitivity of vital rates is also expected to exhibit interactions and non-linearity, which typically result in difficult model selection questions in large data sets. Finally, long-term ecological data sets often contain complex temporal structure. In commonly applied discrete-time models complex temporal …
Assessing Kiln-Produced Hardwood Biochar For Improving Soil Health In A Temperate Climate Agricultural Soil, Emily J. Cole
Assessing Kiln-Produced Hardwood Biochar For Improving Soil Health In A Temperate Climate Agricultural Soil, Emily J. Cole
Doctoral Dissertations
Soil quality has become a major factor used in assessing sustainable land management and the overall environmental quality, food security, and economic viability of agricultural lands. Recently, biochar has been touted as having many potential uses as a soil amendment for improving soil quality, specifically improving cation exchange capacity, pH and nutrient availability. However, soil biology also plays a significant role in biogeochemical processes that influence soil health and should be included in a more comprehensive study of soil health. This dissertation describes 4 projects within the same 3-year field study with the cumulative purpose of better understanding the effect …
Responsive Supramolecular Assemblies Based On Amphiphilic Polymers And Hybrid Materials, Longyu Li
Responsive Supramolecular Assemblies Based On Amphiphilic Polymers And Hybrid Materials, Longyu Li
Doctoral Dissertations
The design and synthesis of responsive supramolecular assemblies are of great interest due to their applications in a variety of areas such as drug delivery and sensing. We have developed a facile method to prepare self-crosslinking disulfide-based nanogels derived from an amphiphilic random copolymer containing a hydrophilic oligo-(ethylene glycol)-based side-chain functionality and a hydrophobic pyridyl disulfide functional group. This thesis first provides a concept of studying the influence of Hofmeister ions on the size and guest encapsulation stability of a polymeric nanogel. The size and core density of nanogel can be fine-tuned through the addition of both chaotropes and kosmotropes …
Chemical Biology-Based Probes For The Labeling Of Targets On Live Cells, Amanda M. Hussey
Chemical Biology-Based Probes For The Labeling Of Targets On Live Cells, Amanda M. Hussey
Doctoral Dissertations
Proper detection is the key to studying any processes on the cellular scale. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tight space which confines the synaptic cleft. Being able to ascertain the location of receptors on live neurons is fundamental to our understanding of not only how these receptors interact and move inside the cell but also how neurons function. Most detection methods rely on significantly altering the receptor; both tagging with a fluorescent protein or targeting the receptor by a fluorescent reporter in the form of a small molecule causes significant difficulties. These localization techniques often result in …
Inhibition And Cofactor Targeting Of Hypoxia-Sensing Proteins, Cornelius Y. Taabazuing
Inhibition And Cofactor Targeting Of Hypoxia-Sensing Proteins, Cornelius Y. Taabazuing
Doctoral Dissertations
Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) is a transcription activator considered to be the main regulator of O2 homeostasis in humans. The transcriptional ability of HIF is regulated by the Fe2+/αKG-dependent enzyme, Factor Inhibiting HIF (FIH). FIH uses molecular oxygen to catalyze hydroxylation of an asparagine residue (Asn803) in the C-terminal transactivation domain (CTAD) of the HIFα subunit, abrogating HIF target gene expression. The mechanism of FIH and other αKG-dependent oxygenases involves the ordered sequential binding of αKG, substrate, and O2, which becomes activated to form a reactive ferryl intermediate that hydroxylates the substrate. The …
Transferrin-Based Therapeutics And Analytical Methods To Characterize Them, Son N. Nguyen
Transferrin-Based Therapeutics And Analytical Methods To Characterize Them, Son N. Nguyen
Doctoral Dissertations
Modern development of medicine requires detailed characterization by state-of-the art analytical techniques that can be used to analyze covalent structure, conformations and protein-receptor interaction to quantitatively measure biodistribution of protein therapeutics. Mass spectrometry has already become an indispensable tool facilitating all stages of protein drug development. Particularly, this work has demonstrated the tremendous potential of electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) in this arena by providing invaluable information beyond mass measurement that can be used to optimize protein drug conjugate structures during early stages of development, and to further catalyze drug design efforts. Additionally, a new sensitive and selective method …
Structure-Property Relationships At The Nano-Bio Interface: Engineering The Nanoparticle Surface For Immunomodulation, Daniel Fernando Moyano Marino
Structure-Property Relationships At The Nano-Bio Interface: Engineering The Nanoparticle Surface For Immunomodulation, Daniel Fernando Moyano Marino
Doctoral Dissertations
Each year, a variety of novel nanomaterials are being developed with the objective of treating different diseases. However, since nanomaterials are foreign to the human body, one of the principal factors that limit their use is the encounter with the first line of defense from the body: the immune system. If this interaction is not taken into account, an undesired recognition takes place and the efficiency of nanoparticle based therapies is dramatically reduced. As such, understanding the rules that govern this recognition is of prime importance in the field of nanomedicine. Following this line of thoughts (the driving force), the …
Physicochemical And Toxicological Assessment Of Antimicrobial Ε-Polylysine-Pectin Complexes, Cynthia L. Lopez Pena
Physicochemical And Toxicological Assessment Of Antimicrobial Ε-Polylysine-Pectin Complexes, Cynthia L. Lopez Pena
Doctoral Dissertations
ε-Polylysine is an appealing FDA-approved, all natural antimicrobial biopolymer effective against a wide range of microorganisms. Its implementation is greatly limited by its strong cationic charge, which has been linked to instability in food systems, perceived astringency and bitterness, and the ability to inhibit lipid digestion. Previous studies have shown that controlled complexation of ε-polylysine with anionic pectin is able to prevent instability and astringency in simplified model food systems, while maintaining the antimicrobial character of polylysine. Isothermal titration calorimetry, micro-electrophoresis, microscopy, and turbidity analyses of the stability of electrostatic pectin-polylysine complexes in the presence of strongly anionic κ-carrageenan, and …
Engineering Photosystem I Complexes For Use In Bio-Hybrid Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Richard Franklin Simmerman
Engineering Photosystem I Complexes For Use In Bio-Hybrid Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Richard Franklin Simmerman
Doctoral Dissertations
Increasing global population, growing per capita energy needs, diminishing fossil fuels, and climate change collectively will require new, innovative, and sustainable alternatives to meet the world’s growing energy needs. One of the most promising yet simple approaches are dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). However, conventional DSSCs use semi-conductor anodes sensitized with complex synthetic organometallic dyes. Most dyes utilize ruthenium complexes to absorb photons, which upon excitation, inject electrons into the anode, while holes migrate to the cathode via liquid electrolyte. However, these dyes are expensive, difficult to make, and resource-limited. This dissertation focuses on replacing synthetic dyes with the naturally occurring, …
Evidence Of Late Quaternary Fires From Charcoal And Siliceous Aggregates In Lake Sediments In The Eastern U.S.A., Joanne P. Ballard
Evidence Of Late Quaternary Fires From Charcoal And Siliceous Aggregates In Lake Sediments In The Eastern U.S.A., Joanne P. Ballard
Doctoral Dissertations
The late-glacial transition to the Holocene, 15,000–11,600 cal yr BP, is an enigmatic period of dynamic global changes and a major extinction event in North America. Fire is an agent of disturbance that transforms the environment physically and chemically, and affects plant community composition. To improve understanding of the linkages between fire, vegetation, and climate over the late glacial and Holocene in the eastern U.S., I analyzed lake-sediment cores for charcoal and indicators of wood ash, and compared results to existing pollen records. A new microscopic charcoal record from Anderson Pond, Tennessee revealed high fire activity from 23,000–15,000 cal yr …
Nanoscaled Cellulose And Its Carbonaceous Material: Application And Local Structure Investigation, Yujie Meng
Nanoscaled Cellulose And Its Carbonaceous Material: Application And Local Structure Investigation, Yujie Meng
Doctoral Dissertations
In this dissertation, cellulose nanocrystals three-dimensional morphology, size distribution, and the crystal structure were statistically and quantitatively investigated. Lognormal distribution was identified as the most likely for cellulose nanocrystals’ size distribution. Height and width dimensions were shown to decrease toward the ends from the midpoint of individual CNCs, implying a spindle-like shape. XRD analysis of crystallite size accompanied with TEM and AFM measurements revealed that the cross-sectional dimensions of individual switchgrass CNC were either rectangular or elliptical shape, with an approximately 3~5 nm [nanometer] lateral element length range. A sponge-like carbon aerogel from microfibril cellulose with high porosity, ultra-low density, …
Elucidating The Impact Of Roseophage On Roseobacter Metabolism And Marine Nutrient Cycles, Nana Yaw Darko Ankrah
Elucidating The Impact Of Roseophage On Roseobacter Metabolism And Marine Nutrient Cycles, Nana Yaw Darko Ankrah
Doctoral Dissertations
As the most abundant biological entities in marine environments, viruses are an important component of marine food webs. The activity of viruses contributes significantly to the mortality of marine microorganisms, ultimately influencing biological function and chemical composition of aquatic systems by impacting species composition and flow of carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients. Despite the growing recognition that viral activity contributes to marine biogeochemical cycles, the extent to which virus infection reshapes host metabolism and the effect of this alteration on the composition of host lysate remains poorly understood. Additionally, the degree to which natural bacterioplankton communities metabolise the released lysate …
Effects Of N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Preventing/Treating Cataracts, Sri Krishna Yasaswi Maddirala
Effects Of N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Preventing/Treating Cataracts, Sri Krishna Yasaswi Maddirala
Doctoral Dissertations
"Cataract, the opacification of an eye lens, is a common pathological abnormality of the lens accounting for approximately 50% of all blindness. The only effective treatment currently available for a cataract is the surgical removal of the affected lens and replacement with an artificial lens for the restoration of vision. Although, cataract surgery is considered to be a very successful procedure in terms of visual outcome, the cost of surgery, need for trained personnel and surgeons, and postsurgical complications, limit the worldwide availability and accessibility of this procedure. Hence, alternative preventive and treatment procedures are worthy of investigation. The lens …
Constitutive Activity In Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptors, Adam Lee Martin
Constitutive Activity In Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptors, Adam Lee Martin
Doctoral Dissertations
"The goal of this research was to use a distal signaling pathway analysis to evaluate the extent of agonist independent constitutive signaling among orphan class-A G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors translate extracellular signals via conformational change into intracellular activation of different G proteins and subsequent second messenger synthesis. These small molecules regulate cellular biochemistry, eventually leading to nuclear signaling that results in changes in gene expression. Some GPCRs are capable of signaling in the absence of an activating ligand, a phenomenon called constitutive activity that is inhibited via an "inverse-agonist". The use of cAMP dependent Luciferase expression is …