Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Application Of Nanodisc Technology To A Membrane-Bound P450: Functional Studies And Resonance Raman Studies On Cyp51a1, Yuanqi Jing

Dissertations (1934 -)

Membrane-bound cytochrome P450s are highly insoluble and tend to form aggregations in aqueous solution due to its hydrophobic N-terminal transmembrane anchor. The traditional methodology of studying membrane-bound proteins depends on the use of detergent; however, detergent solubilization of membrane P450s does not satisfy many criteria of biochemical and biophysical studies on membrane proteins. A well-developed Nanodisc technology has been proven to be an extraordinarily efficient method of studying membrane-bound P450s. The human sterol 14-demethylases (CYP51A1) are membrane-bound P450 enzymes that catalyze oxidative removal of the C32 methyl group of lanosterol by first forming an alcohol, then an aldehyde, and finally …

Characterizations Of Bimetallic Silver-Copper Nanoparticles, Omar Lezcano

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to characterize alloy nanoparticles with different bimetallic ratios of silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) by determining the composition and alloy structures. One specific objective was to determine how the composition affects the electrical properties of the nanoparticles in terms of electrical resistance and nanoparticle sintering. The desire for this study stems from the need to make conductive pastes for low-cost solar panel manufacturing. We performed experiments to develop the aqueous synthesis of core-shell bimetallic nanoparticles.

We investigated the room temperature sintering properties with the nanoparticles of varying compositions. The nanoparticles were characterized with several …

Exploration Of Novel Synthetic Utility Of Lithioacetonitirile, Rambabu Sankranti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Biosynthesis Of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Amides, Kristen A. Jeffries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The vast variety of long-chain fatty acid amides identified in biological systems is intriguing. The general structure of a fatty acid amide is R-CO-NH-X, where R is an alkyl group and X is derived from an immense variety of biogenic amines. Although structurally simple, the bioactivities of these molecules as signaling lipids are very diverse and have just recently begun to emerge in the literature. Interest in the long-chain fatty acid amides dramatically increased following the identification and characterization of one specific N-acylethanolamine, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), as the endogenous ligand for the cannabinoid receptors in the mammalian brain. Since …

Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosols, Felisha Imholt, Ryan Caylor, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

It is well known that the increased warming effect due to greenhouse gases is a major environmental concern. While the amount of solar radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to a high certainty, the amount absorbed by secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is not. The experimental procedure used to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by SOA was optimized using fulvic acid. The optimized method was then used to measure how much radiation SOA absorb between ~200 and 800 nm. Using this data, mass absorption coefficient (MAC) values at 405 nm and imaginary refractive indexes (k) were calculated. These values …

Composition And Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles, Felisha Imholt, Ryan Caylor, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

Research Questions:

• What is the chemical composition of SOA?
• Does SOA absorb UV/Vis radiation?
• If SOA does absorb UV/Vis radiation, how strong of an absorber is it?

Composition Of Secondary Organic Aerosols, Ryan Caylor, Felisha Imholt, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

The enhanced greenhouse effect is considered one our greatest global environmental problems. The amount of radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to high certainty. However, absorbance from atmospheric aerosols particles is not. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol particles (SOA) and to determine the compositional effect on their optical properties. The SOA were created in a temperature controlled chamber at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA and collected on filters. The SOA were then analyzed for chemical composition using Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTIR). Analysis of the IR spectra revealed specific …

Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosols Using Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy, Felisha Imholt

CUP Undergraduate Research

It is well known that the increased warming effect due to greenhouse gases is a major environmental concern. While the amount of solar radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to a high certainty, the amount absorbed by secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is not. Our study aimed to discover how much radiation SOA particles absorb between ~200 and 800 nm. The SOA were created in one of two temperature controlled Teflon chambers within Dr. John Shilling’s lab at PNNL and were collected on 47 mm Teflon filters. We used an ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) spectrometer equipped with a liquid waveguide capillary flow …

2013 Ii Cu Suri (Common Poster), Vanessa Selimovic, Loriann Reese, Ruthie Nelson, Emma Sleeman, Hibery Ho, Maria Polozova

CUP Undergraduate Research

A common poster providing information for several research projects: aerosol particles, deoxycytidine kinase, squaraine rotaxanes, glycol nucleic acied, and Kombucha.

Progress Toward Removal Of The Purification Tag In A Putative Toxin Protein Via Site-Specific Mutagenesis And Proteolytic Cleavage, Joanna L. Fridlund, Bethany G. Taylor, Michael H. Godsey

CUP Undergraduate Research

Putative toxin protein BC_2332, isolated from Bacillus cereus, which is a relative of Bacillus anthracis, shows similarity in the active site to ADP-ribosylating proteins present in cholera and diphtheria. Preliminary attempts to measure the activity of the putative toxin were unsuccessful leading to the hypothesis that the purification tag is hindering the activity. This hypothesis is supported by crystal structure analysis showing the putative active site occupied by the purification tag. Our objective was to remove the purification tag, via two different methods, in order to relieve potential inhibition. Both methods have faced obstacles and the work is continuing.