Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 1 - 30 of 122

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Mean Flow And Dispersion In The Western Mediterranean Sea From Drifter Observations, Helga Huntley, James Turbett, A.D. Kirwan, Jr., Pierre-Marie Poulain Apr 2024

Mean Flow And Dispersion In The Western Mediterranean Sea From Drifter Observations, Helga Huntley, James Turbett, A.D. Kirwan, Jr., Pierre-Marie Poulain

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Currents in the ocean distribute water masses and everything floating in them. To understand how fast the water (and its flotsam) travels and how effectively it mixes, we need to study the flow statistics. There are two types of measurements of ocean currents: Eulerian measurements that look at how the ocean velocities change at a stationary point on the Earth; and Lagrangian measurements that follow a water mass. Dispersion and mixing is generally best captured by Lagrangian measurements. At the submesoscale (~10-1 – 10 km), the observational tool of choice are drifters, or floating buoys, tethered to a drogue that …


Novel Inhibitors To Mmpl3 Transporter Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis By Structure-Based High-Throughput Virtual Screening And Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Hetanshi Choksi, Justin Carbone, Nicholas J. Paradis, Lucas Bennett, Candice Bui-Linh, Chun Wu Mar 2024

Novel Inhibitors To Mmpl3 Transporter Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis By Structure-Based High-Throughput Virtual Screening And Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Hetanshi Choksi, Justin Carbone, Nicholas J. Paradis, Lucas Bennett, Candice Bui-Linh, Chun Wu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) utilizes mycolic acids for building the mycobacterial cell wall, which is critical in providing defense against external factors and resisting antibiotic action. MmpL3 is a secondary resistance nodulation division transporter that facilitates the coupled transport of mycolic acid precursor into the periplasm using the proton motive force, thus making it an attractive drug target for TB infection. In 2019, X-ray crystal structures of MmpL3 from M. smegmatis were solved with a promising inhibitor SQ109, which showed promise against drug-resistant TB in Phase II clinical trials. Still, there is a pressing need to discover more …


Computational Study Of Binding Of Oseltamivir To Neuraminidase Mutants Of Influenza A Virus, Muhammad Arba, Sri Wahyuli, Setyanto Tri Wahyudi, Amir Karton, Chun Wu Feb 2024

Computational Study Of Binding Of Oseltamivir To Neuraminidase Mutants Of Influenza A Virus, Muhammad Arba, Sri Wahyuli, Setyanto Tri Wahyudi, Amir Karton, Chun Wu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Oseltamivir (OTV), which targets the neuraminidase (NA) of Influenza A virus (IAV), has been reported to develop resistance. Here, we performed a computational study on the binding modes of OTV in the wild-type and popular mutants of IAV NA (E119A, E119D, E119G, H274Y, I117T, I117V, I117V-E119A, K150N, N294S, R292K, V116A, and Y252H). The Arg118, Glu119, Asp151, Arg152, Glu276, Arg292, and Arg371 were identified as crucial interacting residues with the drug. The energy decomposition analysis showed that with few exceptions, the dispersion interaction is the dominant interaction, followed by the charge-transfer and polarization interactions. The affinities for OTV were greatly reduced …


Protein And Polysaccharide-Based Optical Materials For Biomedical Applications., Gianna Riviello, Brendan Connor, Jake Mcbrearty, Gianna Rodriguez, Xiao Hu Feb 2024

Protein And Polysaccharide-Based Optical Materials For Biomedical Applications., Gianna Riviello, Brendan Connor, Jake Mcbrearty, Gianna Rodriguez, Xiao Hu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Recent advances in biomedical research, particularly in optical applications, have sparked a transformative movement towards replacing synthetic polymers with more biocompatible and sustainable alternatives. Most often made from plastics or glass, these materials ignite immune responses from the body, and their production is based on environmentally harsh oil-based processes. Biopolymers, including both polysaccharides and proteins, have emerged as a potential candidate for optical biomaterials due to their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and sustainability, derived from their existence in nature and being recognized by the immune system. Current extraction and fabrication methods for these biomaterials, including thermal drawing, extrusion and printing, mold …


Electrochromic Polymers: From Electrodeposition To Hybrid Solid Devices, Haradou Sare, Dongmei Dong Jan 2024

Electrochromic Polymers: From Electrodeposition To Hybrid Solid Devices, Haradou Sare, Dongmei Dong

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

This paper reports on the linear colorimetric and electrochromic (EC) characteristics of electrodeposited polyaniline (PANI) films. This paper also investigates the infrared EC properties of acid-doped PANI films. The electrochemical polymerization method was employed to create a porous and thin PANI film layer onto PET-ITO substrates. This layer was capped with WO3 film to create a gel electrolyte sandwich structure that demonstrates the compatibility of PANI films with cathodic WO3 films in full devices. The electrodeposition of the film was fabricated by applying different voltages and time, with the optimal film quality achieved with the 1.7 V voltage and a …


Fluorescent Molecular Rotors As Versatile In Situ Sensors For Protein Quantitation, Kevin Daus, Sorachat Tharamak, Wanchai Pluempanupat, Peter Galie, Maria A Theodoraki, Emmanuel A Theodorakis, Mary Alpaugh Nov 2023

Fluorescent Molecular Rotors As Versatile In Situ Sensors For Protein Quantitation, Kevin Daus, Sorachat Tharamak, Wanchai Pluempanupat, Peter Galie, Maria A Theodoraki, Emmanuel A Theodorakis, Mary Alpaugh

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Accurate protein quantitation is essential for many cellular mechanistic studies. Existing technology relies on extrinsic sample evaluation that requires significant volumes of sample as well as addition of assay-specific reagents and importantly, is a terminal analysis. This study exploits the unique chemical features of a fluorescent molecular rotor that fluctuates between twisted-to-untwisted states, with a subsequent intensity increase in fluorescence depending on environmental conditions (e.g., viscosity). Here we report the development of a rapid, sensitive in situ protein quantitation method using ARCAM-1, a representative fluorescent molecular rotor that can be employed in both non-terminal and terminal assays.


Impacts Of Hydrophobic Mismatch On Antimicrobial Peptide Efficacy And Bilayer Permeabilization., Steven Meier, Zachary M Ridgway, Angela L Picciano, Gregory A. Caputo Nov 2023

Impacts Of Hydrophobic Mismatch On Antimicrobial Peptide Efficacy And Bilayer Permeabilization., Steven Meier, Zachary M Ridgway, Angela L Picciano, Gregory A. Caputo

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Antimicrobial resistance continues to be a major threat to world health, with the continued emergence of resistant bacterial strains. Antimicrobial peptides have emerged as an attractive option for the development of novel antimicrobial compounds in part due to their ubiquity in nature and the general lack of resistance development to this class of molecules. In this work, we analyzed the antimicrobial peptide C18G and several truncated forms for efficacy and the underlying mechanistic effects of the sequence truncation. The peptides were screened for antimicrobial efficacy against several standard laboratory strains, and further analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy to evaluate binding to …


Development Of Antibacterial Neural Stimulation Electrodes Via Hierarchical Surface Restructuring And Atomic Layer Deposition., Henna Khosla, Wesley Seche, Daniel Ammerman, Sahar Elyahoodayan, Gregory A. Caputo, Jeffrey Hettinger, Shahram Amini, Gang Feng Nov 2023

Development Of Antibacterial Neural Stimulation Electrodes Via Hierarchical Surface Restructuring And Atomic Layer Deposition., Henna Khosla, Wesley Seche, Daniel Ammerman, Sahar Elyahoodayan, Gregory A. Caputo, Jeffrey Hettinger, Shahram Amini, Gang Feng

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Miniaturization and electrochemical performance enhancement of electrodes and microelectrode arrays in emerging long-term implantable neural stimulation devices improves specificity, functionality, and performance of these devices. However, surgical site and post-implantation infections are amongst the most devastating complications after surgical procedures and implantations. Additionally, with the increased use of antibiotics, the threat of antibiotic resistance is significant and is increasingly being recognized as a global problem. Therefore, the need for alternative strategies to eliminate post-implantation infections and reduce antibiotic use has led to the development of medical devices with antibacterial properties. In this work, we report on the development of electrochemically …


Electrospun Nanofibers: Shaping The Future Of Controlled And Responsive Drug Delivery., Michael Joshua Wildy, Ping Lu Nov 2023

Electrospun Nanofibers: Shaping The Future Of Controlled And Responsive Drug Delivery., Michael Joshua Wildy, Ping Lu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Electrospun nanofibers for drug delivery systems (DDS) introduce a revolutionary means of administering pharmaceuticals, holding promise for both improved drug efficacy and reduced side effects. These biopolymer nanofiber membranes, distinguished by their high surface area-to-volume ratio, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, are ideally suited for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. One of their standout attributes is the capability to offer the controlled release of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), allowing custom-tailored release profiles to address specific diseases and administration routes. Moreover, stimuli-responsive electrospun DDS can adapt to conditions at the drug target, enhancing the precision and selectivity of drug delivery. Such localized API …


Effect Of Hf Alloying On Magnetic, Structural, And Magnetostrictive Properties In Feco Films For Magnetoelectric Heterostructure Devices, Thomas Mion, Margo Staruch, Konrad Bussmann, Goran Karapetrov, Olaf Van 'T Erve, Sara Mills, Heonjune Ryou, Ramasis Goswami, Patrick G. Callahan, David J. Rowenhorst, Syed B. Qadri, Samuel Lofland, Peter Finkel Nov 2023

Effect Of Hf Alloying On Magnetic, Structural, And Magnetostrictive Properties In Feco Films For Magnetoelectric Heterostructure Devices, Thomas Mion, Margo Staruch, Konrad Bussmann, Goran Karapetrov, Olaf Van 'T Erve, Sara Mills, Heonjune Ryou, Ramasis Goswami, Patrick G. Callahan, David J. Rowenhorst, Syed B. Qadri, Samuel Lofland, Peter Finkel

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Materials with high magnetoelectric coupling are attractive for use in engineered multiferroic heterostructures with applications such as ultra-low power magnetic sensors, parametric inductors, and non-volatile random-access memory devices. Iron-cobalt alloys exhibit both high magnetostriction and high saturation magnetization that are required for achieving significantly higher magnetoelectric coupling. We report on sputter-deposited (Fe0.5Co0.5)1-xHfx (x = 0 - 0.14) alloy thin films and the beneficial influence of Hafnium alloying on the magnetic and magnetostrictive properties. We found that co-sputtering Hf results in the realization of the peening mechanism that drives film stress from highly tensile to slightly compressive. Scanning electron microscopy and …


Promoter Effect On Carbon Nanosphere-Encapsulated Fe-Co Catalysts For Converting Co2 To Light Olefins, Daniel Weber, Akash Gandotra, John Schossig, Heng Zhang, Michael Wildy, Wanying Wei, Kevin Arizapana, Jin Zhong Zhang, Ping Lu, Cheng Zhang Nov 2023

Promoter Effect On Carbon Nanosphere-Encapsulated Fe-Co Catalysts For Converting Co2 To Light Olefins, Daniel Weber, Akash Gandotra, John Schossig, Heng Zhang, Michael Wildy, Wanying Wei, Kevin Arizapana, Jin Zhong Zhang, Ping Lu, Cheng Zhang

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

For this work, we investigated the promotor effect (M = Na+, K+, Ce3+, Zn2+, Mn2+) on carbon nanosphere-encapsulated bimetallic Fe-Co core–shell catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation, promising selectivity for converting CO2 to light olefins. The fresh and spent catalysts were characterized using a combination of experimental techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA–DSC), and Raman spectroscopy, and our results reveal that the addition of the promotor M enhanced the formation of graphitic carbon and metal carbides in the promoted catalysts when compared with the unpromoted catalysts. The metal carbides were determined …


Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor Based On Poly (O-Phenylenediamine) For Sensitive Detection Of Oxycodone In Water, Pranaya Charkravarthula, Amos Mugweru Sep 2023

Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor Based On Poly (O-Phenylenediamine) For Sensitive Detection Of Oxycodone In Water, Pranaya Charkravarthula, Amos Mugweru

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

This work was aimed at the development of a sensitive electrochemical detection method for oxycodone in water. Molecularly imprinted electrodes were formed by electro-polymerization process using o-phenylenediamine as a monomer. The electro-polymerization was performed on glassy carbon electrodes in the presence of oxycodone before the extraction of entrapped oxycodone molecules. Various electrochemical techniques were employed to monitor the polymerization and response of the fabricated electrodes toward oxycodone. These techniques included cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The oxycodone concentration was determined using SWV by measuring the change in the oxidation …


Sctiger: A Deep-Learning Method For Inferring Gene Regulatory Networks From Case Versus Control Scrna-Seq Datasets., Madison Dautle, Shaoqiang Zhang, Yong Chen Aug 2023

Sctiger: A Deep-Learning Method For Inferring Gene Regulatory Networks From Case Versus Control Scrna-Seq Datasets., Madison Dautle, Shaoqiang Zhang, Yong Chen

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Inferring gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data is an important computational question to find regulatory mechanisms involved in fundamental cellular processes. Although many computational methods have been designed to predict GRNs from scRNA-seq data, they usually have high false positive rates and none infer GRNs by directly using the paired datasets of case-versus-control experiments. Here we present a novel deep-learning-based method, named scTIGER, for GRN detection by using the co-differential relationships of gene expression profiles in paired scRNA-seq datasets. scTIGER employs cell-type-based pseudotiming, an attention-based convolutional neural network method and permutation-based significance testing for inferring GRNs among …


Using Alternating Minimization And Convexified Carleman Weighted Objective Functional For A Time-Domain Inverse Scattering Problem, Nguyen T. Thanh Jun 2023

Using Alternating Minimization And Convexified Carleman Weighted Objective Functional For A Time-Domain Inverse Scattering Problem, Nguyen T. Thanh

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

This paper considers a 1D time-domain inverse scattering problem for the Helmholtz equation in which penetrable scatterers are to be determined from boundary measurements of the scattering data. It is formulated as a coefficient identification problem for a wave equation. Using the Laplace transform, the inverse problem is converted into an overdetermined nonlinear system of partial differential equations. To solve this system, a Carleman weighted objective functional, which is proved to be strictly convex in an arbitrary set in a Hilbert space, is constructed. An alternating minimization algorithm is used to minimize the Carleman weighted objective functional. Numerical results are …


Co2 To Value-Added Chemicals: Synthesis And Performance Of Mono- And Bimetallic Nickel–Cobalt Nanofiber Catalysts, John Schossig, Akash Gandotra, Kevin Arizapana, Daniel Weber, Michael Joshua Wildy, Wanying Wei, Kai Xu, Lei Yu, Robert Chimenti, Islam Mantawy, Ping Lu Jun 2023

Co2 To Value-Added Chemicals: Synthesis And Performance Of Mono- And Bimetallic Nickel–Cobalt Nanofiber Catalysts, John Schossig, Akash Gandotra, Kevin Arizapana, Daniel Weber, Michael Joshua Wildy, Wanying Wei, Kai Xu, Lei Yu, Robert Chimenti, Islam Mantawy, Ping Lu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

In an epoch dominated by escalating concerns over climate change and looming energy crises, the imperative to design highly efficient catalysts that can facilitate the sequestration and transformation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into beneficial chemicals is paramount. This research presents the successful synthesis of nanofiber catalysts, incorporating monometallic nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) and their bimetallic blend, NiCo, via a facile electrospinning technique, with precise control over the Ni/Co molar ratios. Application of an array of advanced analytical methods, including SEM, TGA–DSC, FTIR-ATR, XRD, Raman, XRF, and ICP-MS, validated the effective integration and homogeneous distribution of active Ni/Co catalysts within …


Physics-Based Human-In-The-Loop Machine Learning Combined With Genetic Algorithm Search For Multi-Criteria Optimization: Electrochemical Co2 Reduction Reaction, Naohiro Fujinuma, Samuel Lofland May 2023

Physics-Based Human-In-The-Loop Machine Learning Combined With Genetic Algorithm Search For Multi-Criteria Optimization: Electrochemical Co2 Reduction Reaction, Naohiro Fujinuma, Samuel Lofland

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Machine learning (ML) can be a powerful tool to expedite materials research, but the deployment for experimental research is often hindered by data scarcity and model uncertainty. An human-in-the-loop procedure to tailor the implementation of ML for multicriteria optimization is described. The effectiveness of this procedure in the development of a nafion-based membrane electrode assembly for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into CO for two targets is demonstrated: energy efficiency (EE) and partial current density for CO2RR (). Model-agnostic nonlinear correlation analyses identify the 11 features relevant to those targets. The three studied decision tree-based ML models yield similar cross-validation …


Stabilizing G-Quadruplex Dna And Rna Structures With Ionic Liquids, Timothy Vaden Mar 2023

Stabilizing G-Quadruplex Dna And Rna Structures With Ionic Liquids, Timothy Vaden

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Stabilizing DNA and RNA for long-term room-temperature storage is important for many biotechnological applications including oncology pharmaceuticals and mRNA-based vaccines (e.g. Covid vaccines). This poster shows that ionic liquids can improve the thermal stability of G-quadruplex DNA and RNA structures, and motivates further studies of ionic liquid-based materials for DNA / RNA stabilization.


Mathematical Modeling And Inverse Problems In Applications, Thanh T. Nguyen Mar 2023

Mathematical Modeling And Inverse Problems In Applications, Thanh T. Nguyen

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Mathematical models, based on ordinary or partial differential equations, are widely used to describe physical/chemical/biological processes and can be found in several applications: nondestructive testing, subsurface imaging, defense, medicine, environmental sciences, etc.


Advancing Nanofiber Research: Assessing Non Solvent Contributions To Structure Using Coaxial Electrospinning, Ping Lu Mar 2023

Advancing Nanofiber Research: Assessing Non Solvent Contributions To Structure Using Coaxial Electrospinning, Ping Lu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Nanofibers play a vital role as precursors for fabricating a wide array of products spanning environmental and energy sustainability, biomedical, and healthcare applications The nanofiber characteristics, such as porosity, domains, and interfaces, are strongly influenced by the phase separation behavior among polymers, solvents, and nonsolvents in the liquid jet during the nanofabrication process However, the precise control and understanding of these phenomena at the level of individual nanofibers still need to be improved due to the need for more current technologies to provide sufficient spatial and temporal resolution To address this challenge, we employed coaxial electrospinning with a nonsolvent core …


Data Analysis Of Lossy Generative Data Compression For Robust Remote Deep Inference, Silvija Kokalj-Filipovic Mar 2023

Data Analysis Of Lossy Generative Data Compression For Robust Remote Deep Inference, Silvija Kokalj-Filipovic

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

How does compression affect topological data features and can that be related to classification accuracy?


Developing Carbon Quantum Dots As Multimodal Contrast Agents, Nicholas Whiting Mar 2023

Developing Carbon Quantum Dots As Multimodal Contrast Agents, Nicholas Whiting

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

No abstract provided.


Reconversion Of Parahydrogen Gas In Surfactant-Coated Glass Nmr Tubes, Robert V. Chimenti, James Daley, James Sack, Jennifer Necsutu, Nicholas Whiting Mar 2023

Reconversion Of Parahydrogen Gas In Surfactant-Coated Glass Nmr Tubes, Robert V. Chimenti, James Daley, James Sack, Jennifer Necsutu, Nicholas Whiting

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

The application of parahydrogen gas to enhance the magnetic resonance signals of a diversity of chemical species has increased substantially in the last decade. Parahydrogen is prepared by lowering the temperature of hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst; this enriches the para spin isomer beyond its normal abundance of 25% at thermal equilibrium. Indeed, parahydrogen fractions that approach unity can be attained at sufficiently low temperatures. Once enriched, the gas will revert to its normal isomeric ratio over the course of hours or days, depending on the surface chemistry of the storage container. Although parahydrogen enjoys long lifetimes …


Ultrasound-Assisted Air-Jet Spinning Of Silk Fibroin-Soy Protein Nanofiber Composite Biomaterials., Futian Yang, Fang Wang, Janine Mazahreh, Xiao Hu Feb 2023

Ultrasound-Assisted Air-Jet Spinning Of Silk Fibroin-Soy Protein Nanofiber Composite Biomaterials., Futian Yang, Fang Wang, Janine Mazahreh, Xiao Hu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Ultrasound utilizes a non-radiation technology that can meet modern standards to gain access to cheap, reliable and sustainable modern energy. Ultrasound technology can be implemented in the field of biomaterials for its exceptional potential in controlling the shape of nanomaterials. This study presents the first example of the production of soy and silk fibroin protein composite nanofibers in various ratios via combining ultrasonic technology with air-spray spinning. Characterization of ultrasonic spun nanofibers was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, water contact angle, water retention, enzymatic …


The Integration Of Biopolymer-Based Materials For Energy Storage Applications: A Review., Shrey Dalwadi, Arnav Goel, Constantine Kapetanakis, David Salas-De La Cruz, Xiao Hu Feb 2023

The Integration Of Biopolymer-Based Materials For Energy Storage Applications: A Review., Shrey Dalwadi, Arnav Goel, Constantine Kapetanakis, David Salas-De La Cruz, Xiao Hu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Biopolymers are an emerging class of novel materials with diverse applications and properties such as superior sustainability and tunability. Here, applications of biopolymers are described in the context of energy storage devices, namely lithium-based batteries, zinc-based batteries, and capacitors. Current demand for energy storage technologies calls for improved energy density, preserved performance overtime, and more sustainable end-of-life behavior. Lithium-based and zinc-based batteries often face anode corrosion from processes such as dendrite formation. Capacitors typically struggle with achieving functional energy density caused by an inability to efficiently charge and discharge. Both classes of energy storage need to be packaged with sustainable …


Online Test Administration Results In Students Selecting More Responses To Multiple-Choice-Multiple-Response Items, Alexis Olsho, Trevor Smith, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman, Andrew Boudreaux, Suzanne White Feb 2023

Online Test Administration Results In Students Selecting More Responses To Multiple-Choice-Multiple-Response Items, Alexis Olsho, Trevor Smith, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman, Andrew Boudreaux, Suzanne White

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

We developed the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) to assess students' quantitative reasoning in introductory physics contexts. The PIQL includes several "multiple-choice-multiple-response"(MCMR) items (i.e., multiple-choice questions for which more than one response may be selected) as well as traditional single-response multiple-choice items. In this paper, we discuss differences in performance on MCMR items that seems to result from differences in administration method (paper versus online). In particular, we find a tendency for "clickiness"in online administration: students choose more responses to MCMR items when taking the electronic version of the assessment. Student performance on single-response multiple-choice items was not affected …


Essential Oils Composition And Biological Activity Of Chamaecyparis Obtusa, Chrysopogon Nigritanus And Lavandula Coronopifolia Grown Wild In Sudan, Loai M H Eltayeb, Sakina Yagi, Hanan M M Mohamed, Gokhan Zengin, Mohammad Ali Shariati, Maksim Rebezov, Abdullah Ibrahim Uba, Jose Manuel Lorenzo Jan 2023

Essential Oils Composition And Biological Activity Of Chamaecyparis Obtusa, Chrysopogon Nigritanus And Lavandula Coronopifolia Grown Wild In Sudan, Loai M H Eltayeb, Sakina Yagi, Hanan M M Mohamed, Gokhan Zengin, Mohammad Ali Shariati, Maksim Rebezov, Abdullah Ibrahim Uba, Jose Manuel Lorenzo

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Generally, there are scant data about the constituents and eventually the biological activity of essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants that grow naturally in Sudan. The present study aimed to determine the chemical composition, and antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of EO extracted from the fruit of Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. (family Cupressaceae), root of Chrysopogon nigritanus (Benth.) Veldkampis (family Poaceae) and aerial part of Lavandula coronopifolia Poir (family Lamiaceae). The fruit of C. obtusa contained only monoterpenes, mainly hydrogenated ones, with α-pinene (69.07%) as the major component. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes comprised the highest content of the C. nigritanus …


Kif6 Trp719arg Genetic Variant Increases Risk For Thoracic Aortic Dissection, Juan J Velasco, Yupeng Li, Bulat A Ziganshin, Mohammad A Zafar, John A Rizzo, Deqiong Ma, Hui Zang, Asanish Kalyanasundaram, John A Elefteriades Jan 2023

Kif6 Trp719arg Genetic Variant Increases Risk For Thoracic Aortic Dissection, Juan J Velasco, Yupeng Li, Bulat A Ziganshin, Mohammad A Zafar, John A Rizzo, Deqiong Ma, Hui Zang, Asanish Kalyanasundaram, John A Elefteriades

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Background: KIF6 (kinesin family member 6), a protein coded by the KIF6 gene, serves an important intracellular function to transport organelles along microtubules. In a pilot study, we found that a common KIF6 Trp719Arg variant increased the propensity of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) to suffer dissection (AD). The present study aims for a definite investigation of the predictive ability of KIF6 719Arg vis à vis AD. Confirmatory findings would enhance natural history prediction in TAA. Methods: 1108 subjects (899 aneurysm and 209 dissection patients) had KIF6 719Arg variant status determined. Results: The 719Arg variant in the KIF6 gene correlated strongly …


Role Of Draw Rate And Molecular Weight When Electrospun Nanofibers Are Post-Drawn With Residual Solvent, Adriano Conte, Xiao Hu, Vincent Beachley Oct 2022

Role Of Draw Rate And Molecular Weight When Electrospun Nanofibers Are Post-Drawn With Residual Solvent, Adriano Conte, Xiao Hu, Vincent Beachley

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

The postdrawing process is poorly understood for polymer nanofibers due to the difficulty of manipulating nanofiber structures. Here, an angled track system facilitates postdrawing of individual nanofibers with control of parameters including molecular weight, draw rate, draw ratio, and solvent evaporation time. In this study, the effects of molecular weight, draw rate, and relative residual solvent content on final nanofiber properties are investigated. Molecular weight is first investigated to clarify any influence polymer chain length can have on drawing in facilitating or hindering chain extensibility. Polyacrylonitrile nanofibers with 50 and 150 kDa molecular weights behave similarly with postdrawing resulting in …


Multifunctional Silk Fibroin – Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Porous Nanofibers: Designing Adjustable Nanopores To Control Composite Properties And Biological Responses, Hangling Gu, Fang Wang, Hao Liu, Kyle Printon, Xiao Hu Oct 2022

Multifunctional Silk Fibroin – Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Porous Nanofibers: Designing Adjustable Nanopores To Control Composite Properties And Biological Responses, Hangling Gu, Fang Wang, Hao Liu, Kyle Printon, Xiao Hu

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Nano-scale renewable porous materials have a wide range of applications in the biomedical field such as tissue engineering and biosensors due to their high biocompatibility and large surface area. In this study, a composite of silk fibroin and poly(L-lactic acid) was electrospun together to form a porous nanofiber biomaterial with 11 blending ratios to tune the porosity of the single fibers (19.3–49%). This is highly advantageous as porous fibers effectively promoted cell attachment and proliferation while also manipulating cell growth. The protein-polymer molecular interactions, structures and crystal contents, as well as the melting and glass transition behaviors of the composites …


Lc-Ms/Tof Characterization And Stability Study Of Artesunate In Different Solvent Systems, Kogila Oke, Amos Mugweru Aug 2022

Lc-Ms/Tof Characterization And Stability Study Of Artesunate In Different Solvent Systems, Kogila Oke, Amos Mugweru

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Artemisinin (ART) is a sesquiterpene lactone and a popular malaria drug used in many parts of the world. Artesunate (ARTS) is a semi-synthetic derivative of ART with improved pharmacokinetic properties. However, the half-life of ARTS is less than an hour in vivo. The analysis of this drug in vitro in different solvent systems using LC-MS/TOF showed a solvent-driven breakdown. ARTS breakdown formed several derivatives, including dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artemether (ARTM) and DHA-dimer among others, at different rates in different solvent composition systems. The change in temperature from room temperature to physiological temperature (37 °C) was found to enhance the rate of …