Chemistry Commons^™

Celluloid Blackness : Race, Modernity, And The Conflicted Roots Of American Cinema (1915-1939), Lincoln Farr

Honors Theses

Introduction: "The Problem of the Twentieth Century" In a full page interview in the New York Times on May 29, 1912, the Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl G. Jung told the American people, "It seems to me that you are about to discover yourselves. You have discovered everything else-all the land of this continent; all the resources, all the hidden things of nature."Jung used the interview to address the American people, at a moment which he somehow recognized as crucial in the development of human civilization. America, the "tragic" country which he struggled to comprehend, would soon become the harbinger of …

Signal Transduction Pathways In Volvox Carteri, Heide Girardin

Honors Theses

The green alga Volvox carteri exhibits a virtual absence of protein synthesis in the dark, but begins synthesizing proteins necessary for growth and development almost immediately after exposure to the light. The regulation of protein synthesis in this system is known to be translational since extracts prepared in the dark have identical pools and quantities of mRNA as extracts prepared in the light (Kirk and Kirk, 1983). Exploration of the mechanism of translational regulation has led us to consider the importance of signal transduction pathways. By using a variety of commercially available drugs that affect specific components of known signaling …

Calcium Metabolismn In Volvox Carteri, Bridget Anne Neville

Honors Theses

Calcium metabolism is involved in many ways in the cellular activities of the colonial green alga, Volvox carteri. Various drugs that are known in other systems to cause specific changes in calcium metabolism, gave rise to various visible metabolic effects in this study. These effects provide evidence for calcium's role in Volvox growth and development and in its cytoskeleton. Another way that calcium exerts its effect on Volvox is by acting as a second messenger in a G-protein/inositol phosphate signal transduction pathway.

This study also supports the fact that cytoskeletal components are important for development in Volvox. Both microtubules and …

Computational Studies Of Hydroboration: Remote Functional Groups And Ring Size Effects, Sarah Liberty Olbrich

Honors Theses

This study is a preliminary computational study of the energies of complex molecules. We are looking at the roles of remote heteroatoms in the hydroboration of propellane systems and ring size effects in the solvolysis of cyclic alkyl halides was examined using computational methods. Geometry and transition state optimizations were done using semi empirical (MNDO. AMI) and ab initio (STO-3G, 3-2IG, and 6-31G*) methods. Attempts to correlate computational results with previously reported data will be presented.

Suspended Particulate Matter And Sediment Of Penobscot Estuary, Craig M. Pochini

Honors Theses

An automated scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer was used to gather morphological and chemical information on individual particles from the suspended particulate matter of the Penobscot Estuary and the sediment of Goose Cove/Pond. The goals of the Penobscot Estuary study were to investigate the transport of particles into and through an estuary, the speciation of elements, the abundance of heavy metals, and the background levels of heavy metals. The majority of particles were aluminosilicates originating from a riverine source. Heavy metals were not abundant in the Penobscot Estuary. The objectives of the Goose Cove/Pond study were to …

Nickel Catalyzed Cyclizations Of Alkynyl-Etones And Their Application To The Formal Synthesis Of Pentalenic Acid, Kevin Schlosser

Honors Theses

Pentalenic acid is a very important molecule because it is a biosynthetic intermediate of pentalenolactone, which has antibiotic effects on Grampositive/ negative bacteria and pathogenic fungi. These effects are due to its ability to inhibit glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase.1 However, the total synthesis of pentalenic acid is very lengthy.2 This project will begin the process of finding a more convenient route to pentalenic acid. Previously in this laboratory there have been experiments conducted in the cyclization of enones with nickel (0)3 It is hypothesized that this method can be used to shorten the preparation of pentalenic acid. As illustrated by the …

Automation And Analysis Of Thermometric Titrations, Russel P. Linneman Ii

Honors Theses

Over the past three years, I have been involved in the development and testing of an automated thermometric titration system for chemical research. There were three major phases in this process. The first phase consisted of modernizing the equipment and software. The second phase consisted of testing the software and equipment with a known chemical system. The third phase consisted of original research.

Methods And Methodologies For Organic Synthesis, Frank Favaloro

Honors Theses

Methods and methodologies for organic synthesis

Determination Of Wavelength Dependent Quantum Yields For Iron (Iii) Photoreduction In Well Defined Chloride Media, J. Catherine Kneece

Honors Theses

The quantum yields for iron (lII) photoreduction in sodium chloride and sodium perchlorate media were measured as a function of wavelength. The experiments were conducted using natural levels of total iron, less than 300 nM. The results indicate that three species are photochemically active in these media, Fe(OH)+2, FeCl2+and FeCl2+. The quantum yields for (OH)+2 are 0.22 at 300 run and 0.076 at 340 nm. The quantum yields for FeCl+ are 0.048 at 300 run and 0.038 at 340 nm. The quantum yields for FeCl2+ are 0.088 at 300 nm and 0.051 at 340 nm. The data presented suggests that …

A Computational And Experimental Investigation Of The Pinacol Coupling And Rearrangement Reactions, Ryan Sullivan

Honors Theses

This project was developed from previous reports concerned with the pinacol coupling and rearrangement methodologies. It is hoped that the results and conclusions of this study may provide someone in the future a chance to gain a more complete view of this material. Analysis of the pinacol coupling reaction shows that the yields of the pinacol products are not statistical for the asymmetric cycloalkanone systems. Also, the yields of the 5-7 and 6-7 systems plotted versus ab initio gas phase calculations of HOMG-LUMO gaps showed r values at or near 1.00. This correlation is excellent and offers an example of …

Remote Marine Aerosol In The Gulf Of Maine: An Sem Study, Eric S. Gordon

Honors Theses

Eight aerosol samples were collected from a height of 34 meters atop Petit Manan Light located 16 miles East of Bar Harbor, Maine between July 25, 1995 and August 1, 1995. Both coarse and fine fractions were collected on 8.0 and 0.2 micron polycarbonate membrane filters, respectively. The sampling station consisted of a sampling box as well as a weather station (with various instruments) to record weather data for help in the analysis. The samples were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Cluster analysis was perforned on the particles, grouping particles together with similar chemical …

Alternatives To Nitroprusside As Hypotensive Agents, Timothy Casey Mccullough

Honors Theses

The drug sodium pentacyanonitrosylferrate(2-)dihydrate, more commonly known as nitroprusside or nipride (Fig. 1), is a common vasodilating agent given clinically to patients with hypertension.12.22 Nitroprusside is effective in emergency rooms as it quickly reduces high blood pressure, but dosages are limited because of fear that cyanide could be released also. Nitroprusside is effective because the vasodilating agent nitric oxide, NO, is released. Nitric oxide is also recognized as an important biochemical messenger molecule.22 Our research involves a search for different species that could introduce nitric oxide into the body without cyanide. Transition metal complexes involving ruthenium, iron, and cobalt that …

Transitions In Masculinity And Hemingway's Developed "Code", Daniel Polk

Honors Theses

The "Hemingway Code" is much more than two words that fit nicely together for a scholar's usage; the words signify a much deeper championing of masculinity, almost a haunting presence. For Ernest Hemingway living life every day, every moment with its fullest masculine fervor, became an obsession, a never-ending quest to be at one with the attitude of never complaining, never crying out, panicking, thinking too much, or regretting. To live a manly life in a series of tactical victories, performed with steadfast ritualistic mannerisms, is to embody masculinity, and therefore the "Hemingway Code."

Dna Interstrand Crosslinking Efficiencies, Sequence Preferences, And Organic Syntheses Of Diepoxide Metabolites In Fixation, Sara Charnecki

Honors Theses

Molecular Basis of Cancer: Cancer, a disease that has had a devastating and frightening impact on current society in the midst of a chemical revolution, represents a class of diseases comprising over 200 known types that affect various regions of the mammalian body (Farmer & Walker, 1985). This disease strikes randomly and is often diagnosed after the disease has progressed beyond present treatment capabilities. Cancer is the result of irregularities in growth, reproduction, and differentiation of cells due to pennanent flaws in genetic information. Mutations caused by environmental factors can be compounded over time to cause carcinomas of different tissues. …

Determination Of Hydroxyl Radical Production Rates In Natural Waters Using The Fluorometric Reagent P-Hydroxyphenylacetic Acid, Jason D. Hosmer

Honors Theses

A means of determining hydroxyl radical production rates in natural waters through the formation of a directly detectable fluorescent product has been developed. A method similar to the enzyme mediated oxidation of phydroxyphenylacetic acid by hydrogen peroxide is used (Miller and Kester, 1988). Due to the high reactivity of hydroxyl radicals, and subsequently low steady state concentrations, direct detection is very difficult. In the past detection was achieved through the introduction of a probe, usually a substituted aromatic or alcohol, that decays away at an observable rate upon reaction with hydroxyl radicals. Detection limits and accuracy of such difference based …

Syntheses Of Cross-Linking Agents, Molecular Modeling Of Oligonucleotides And Polypeptide-Ion Complexes, Michael J. Yunes

Honors Theses

Each section of this thesis will be subdivided into three parts encompassing all of the research in which I have been involved during the past three years. These will be referred to under the headings "Syntheses:' "Molecular Modeling," and "Cross-linking Efficiencies." Each of these subdivisions may have divisions within them when necessary in order to fully detail the research.

Investigations Of Iron Cycling In Aquatic Systems, Heather A. Lounsbury

Honors Theses

A fully automated luminal-based chemiluminescence flow injection analysis system has been developed for rapid detection of Fe(IT) at natural levels in natural water systems. Similar detection limits are achieved for H202 by fluorometry using an enzyme mediated oxidation of the reagent p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. Using these analytical systems, the rates of Fe(IT) oxidation by dissolved oxygen in 0.7 M NaO have been measured for nanomolar concentrations of Fe(II) over the pH range 7.0 to 8.3. When the production and decomposition of H202 in the system were considered, measured rates were in excellent agreement with a model based on previously reported rate …

Purification And Analysis Of Protein Synthetic Initiation Factors From Volvox Carteri, Kathie L. Pooler

Honors Theses

Volvox carteri, a multi-celled green algae, can grow synchronously given a sixteen hour light period followed by an eight hour dark period, a cycle which is repeated for a 48 hour growth cycle total. Near the end of each light period, reproductive cells divide rapidly resulting in the differentiation of ceIls. When the dark period begins, this differentiation stops and the cells remain dormant with little protein synthesis or differentiation occurring. Immediately after the lights come back on, however, the cells again undergo rapid protein synthesis and complete their differentiation. Previous studies have concluded that Volvox carteri discontinue protein synthesis …

Sds Non-Acrylamide Polymeric Gel-Filled Capillary Electrophoresis For Molecular Size Separation Of Protein, Devon Andres

Honors Theses

Sodium dodecyl sulfide (SDS) non-acrylamide gel-filled capillary columns are a new technology being used for analysis and separation of biotechnology-derived proteins. This research was to compare this new technology to the current methods of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The molecular mass of four different recombinant proteins were determined by two commercialized SDS non-acrylamide gel-filled capillary columns, SDS-PAGE, and HPSEC. The data obtained showed that the SDS non-acrylamide gel-filled capillary columns were compatible with the SDS-PAGE technique for molecular mass determination. HPSEC was shown to be unreliable for molecular weight determination. SDS non-acrylamide gel-filled capillary …

Isolation Of Protein Synthesis Initiation Factors Using Volvox Carteri: A Clue To The Translational Control Of Cytodifferentiation, Claudia Hackethal

Honors Theses

Volvox carteri, a multicellular green algae, possesses two distinct cell types--the gonidia and somatic cells. This simple germ-soma dichotomy is ideal for the study of the control of cytodifferentiation. The control of cytodifferentiation in this organism has been identified as a posttranscriptional mechanism, which suggests translation. Initiation factors have been shown to play an important role in controlling translation in many other developmental systems. Therefore, study of the initiation factors in Volvox may shed light on a translational control mechanism. In order to study any modifications of these factors, they must be isolated, possibly by following an adapted wheat germ …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Hydrogen Peroxide In The Equatorial Pacific Ocean, Renee Blanchard

Honors Theses

The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the Equatorial Pacific was determined fluorometrically using the horseradish peroxidase catalyzed dimerization of (p-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid. Vertical profiles were obtained between 9 ON and 3 oS on a longitudinal transect along 140 oW during June and July of 1990 on the RN Wecoma. Peroxide concentrations ranged from 25-80 nmol/L at the surface and decreased to the detection limit of 1 nmol/L at a depth of about 200 meters. Diel variations of hydrogen peroxide in the surface waters were observed over the period of 8 days. The variation in surface concentration may be attributed to the …

Fluoride As A Therapeutic Drug In Osteoporosis Treatment, Rita Priyadarshani Francis

Honors Theses

The use of fluoride as a therapeutic drug is not a novel idea. Studies dealing with the effects of fluoride on the skeletal system date back to the late 1960's. This paper will define osteoporosis, examine methods of detection, and will discuss various methods of treatment with emphasis on the use of fluoride supplements in the form of tablets or fluorinated drinking water.

Rise To Power Of Senator Joseph R. Mccarthy: Reflections Of The Cold War Mccarthy Era In American Film, Scott Lainer

Honors Theses

The common bond between much of the film industry and Joseph McCarthy was insecurity and the drive for national approval. If one grasps the specific characteristics of McCarthy the man, and the methods of these politically "inspired" movies, we can to better place the period into context and acknowledge the fact that, if the citizenry is not aware, and is again caught by an ever-building wave of trickle down sentiment, the 1950s might not prove to be an isolated period in American history. Insecurity was not a fifties novelty. It still exists, and could potentially escalate anti-Communist policy and sentiment …

Determination Of The Rate Of Formation Of Hcn, Mitchell Hull

Honors Theses

Nitric oxide is a major air pollutant arising from fossil fuel combustion, yet the fuel contribution to its formulation is uncertain. Since, in combustion, fossil fuels undergo disintegration before oxidation takes place, the study of the pyrolsis of a model constituent of fossil fuels can shed light on NO formation. The rate of inert pyrolytic disappearance of pyridine and the rate of formation of the principal Nitrogen-containing pyrolytic product, HCN, was studied in an inert atmosphere. The rate constant for the formation of HCN and its temperature dependence were determined.