Chemistry Commons^™

Hinge Sequence Elements In Epithelial Cadherin Form And Function, Jessica Elizabeth Barnett

Honors Theses

Cadherins play the vital role of mediating cell-cell adhesion in properly functioning tissues of the human body. Malfunction of these adherent cells can lead to drastic consequences like cancer metastasis. Thus, it is imperative to ensure the functionality of the molecular mechanism that drives these adhesive interactions. Of the various types, our studies specifically focused on the structure and function of the 'hinge region' in epithelial cadherin. This 'hinge region', composed of amino acid residues C9, P10, and E11, was of particular interest because it is the site of strand-swapped dimerization. The residues P10 and E11 are conserved within the …

A Study Of The Hydrophobic Interactions Between Twenty-Three Cb1 Selective Jwh Compounds And An Active-State Cb1 Receptor Model To Discover Key Structural Features Of The Jwh Compounds And Key Protein Residues Of The Cb1 Receptor, Lyncyn Louise Reliquias

Honors Theses

Synthetic cannabinoids, commonly found in Spice, have recently become a popular substitute for marijuana as they have similar effects to THC, the most powerful constituent of marijuana. Additionally, they are increasingly becoming a source of drug abuse as they cannot be detected with normal drug test screenings. This study specifically analyzed a total of twenty-three CB1 selective JWH compounds and their hydrophobic interactions with an active-state CB1 receptor model. The ligands were categorized per their structural similarities, and this study was aimed to find patterns within each structural moiety that would lead to the discovery of key structural features and/or …

Synthesis Of 4-Iodo-3-(2-Iodoaryl) And 4-Bromo-3-(2-Bromoaryl) Sydnones And Their Reactions With Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Borohydride, And Iodine Monochloride, Kyle Jacob Liddy

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One goal of the Turnbull research group has been the synthesis of dihalogenated arylsydnones; i.e. sydnones with halogen substitution on the sydnone ring itself, as well as at the position on the aryl ring ortho to the sydnone. Further, it has been of interest to explore the reactivity of these compounds, once obtained. The present study examined the synthesis of 4-iodo-3-(2-iodoaryl)-, or "diiodo", and 4-bromo-3-(2-bromoaryl)-, or "dibromo", sydnones and the reactions of these compounds with Na2SO3 (sodium sulfite) and NaBH4 (sodium borohydride) to create a better understanding of the reactivity of diiodo and dibromo arylsydnones in general. Additionally, the reactivity …

Improvement And Development Of Analytical Forensic Methods: Arson Investigation And Drug Detection In Fingerprints And Hair, Sarah Anne Glenn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forensic science is the cornerstone of criminal investigations. Due to the overexposure of forensic science in the media, the true nature of forensic science is often overlooked. Forensic science is a rigorous exacting science that applies methods developed in the wider scientific community to the analysis of evidence collected from crime scenes. As far back as the 6th century people were using forensics to solve crimes. Since then the science behind forensic science has increased exponentially with new methods being researched and developed. This research aims to address two of the larger subsections of forensic science, arson and drug detection. …

Improving Cavity Enhanced Spectroscopy Of Molecular Ions In The Mid-Infrared With Up-Conversion Detection And Brewster-Plate Spoilers, Charles R. Markus, Adam J. Perry, James N. Hodges, Benjamin J. Mccall

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The performance of sensitive spectroscopic methods in the mid-IR is often limited by fringing due to parasitic etalons and the background noise in mid-infrared detectors. In particular, the technique Noise Immune Cavity Enhanced Optical Heterodyne Velocity Modulation Spectroscopy (NICE-OHVMS), which is capable of determining the frequencies of strong rovibrational transitions of molecular ions with sub-MHz uncertainty, needs improved sensitivity in order to probe weaker transitions. In this work, we have implemented up-conversion detection with NICE-OHVMS in the 3.2 - 3.9 μm region to enable the use of faster and more sensitive detectors which cover visible wavelengths. The higher bandwidth enabled …

New And Improved Infra-Red Absorption Cross Sections And Ace-Fts Retrievals Of Carbon Tetrachloride (Ccl4), Jeremy J. Harrison, Christopher D. Boone, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) is one of the species regulated by the Montreal Protocol on account of its ability to deplete stratospheric ozone. As such, the inconsistency between observations of its abundance and estimated sources and sinks is an important problem requiring urgent attention (Carpenter et al., 2014) [5]. Satellite remote-sensing has a role to play, particularly limb sounders which can provide vertical profiles into the stratosphere and therefore validate stratospheric loss rates in atmospheric models. This work is in two parts. The first describes new and improved high-resolution infra-red absorption cross sections of carbon tetrachloride/dry synthetic air over …

The Hitran2016 Molecular Spectroscopic Database, I. E. Gordon, L. S. Rothman, C. Hill, R. V. Kochanov, Y. Tan, P. F. Bernath, M. Birk, V. Boudon, A. Campargue, K. V. Chance

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This paper describes the contents of the 2016 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic compilation. The new edition replaces the previous HITRAN edition of 2012 and its updates during the intervening years. The HITRAN molecular absorption compilation is composed of five major components: the traditional line-by-line spectroscopic parameters required for high-resolution radiative-transfer codes, infrared absorption cross-sections for molecules not yet amenable to representation in a line-by-line form, collision-induced absorption data, aerosol indices of refraction, and general tables such as partition sums that apply globally to the data. The new HITRAN is greatly extended in terms of accuracy, spectral coverage, additional …

A Miniaturized Spectrophotometric In Situ Ph Sensor For Seawater, Reuben C. Darlington

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Since the Industrial Revolution, the world's oceans have absorbed increasing amounts of CO2 and the resultant changes to the marine carbonate chemical system have reduced the pH by > 0.1 units (~ 30%) in surface waters. This acidification of the oceans has many far reaching impacts on marine life and there is great need of quality instrumentation to assess and follow the changing carbonate system. This MIS project aims to develop a low cost pH sensor with high precision and accuracy for open sea measurements with special emphasis on reduced size and cost. Design effort is based on the commercially available …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Amide Linked Triazolyl Glycolipids As Molecular Hydrogelators And Organogelators, Guijun Wang, Anji Chen, Hari P. R. Mangunuru, Jayasudhan Reddy Yerabolu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbohydrate based small molecular gelators are important classes of compounds which can form useful soft materials with many practical applications. Although many different types of effective gelators have been reported, the rational design of a molecular hydrogelator is still challenging. In this research, we combined the structural features of two classes of monosaccharide based molecular gelators and obtained a new class of glycolipids that can function as molecular gelators. These new compounds were synthesized by introducing a triazole functional group to a protected 2-glucosamine through Cu(i) catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). A series of eighteen new glycolipids containing 4,6-O …

Functional And Mechanistic Insight Into The Role Of Atg9a In Autophagy, Vajira Kaushalya Weerasekara

Theses and Dissertations

The bulk degradative process of macroautophagy requires the dynamic growth of autophagosomes, which carry cellular contents to the lysosome for recycling. Atg9A, a multi-pass transmembrane protein, is an apical regulator of autophagosome growth, yet its regulatory mechanism remains unclear. Our work suggests that hypoxia (low glucose and oxygen) triggers a rearrangement of the small adapter protein 14-3-3ζ interactome. Our data suggest that the localization of mammalian Atg9A to autophagosomes requires phosphorylation on the C terminus of Atg9A at S761, which creates a 14-3-3z docking site. Under basal conditions, this phosphorylation is maintained at a low level and is dependent on …

Caffeine Used As A Tracer Of Wastewater Contamination In South Florida, Stephanie Spence

Honors Program Theses

In this study, a method was developed to analyze caffeine levels of water samples collected in Miami, Florida. The method was used to determine caffeine concentrations in reclaimed water samples and environmental water samples using on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The rising use and disposal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products are becoming a concern as contaminants increasingly enter lakes, streams, and rivers without proper removal by traditional wastewater treatment processes. Caffeine may be used as a chemical tracer to indicate the presence of contamination in water samples and to …

Methods For Producing Graphene From Petroleum By-Products, Eva M. Deemer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

N/A

Synthesis Of New Fullerene Derivatives For Photovoltaic And Biological Applications, Edison Castro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Functionalized fullerenes exhibit improved solubility and different chemical and physical properties that allow applications in multiple fields such as photovoltaic and biological applications. Currently, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the most rapidly developing type of solar cells with certified efficiencies rising from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2016. The good electron transporting and solution processable properties of most fullerene derivatives make them the most popular electron transporting materials (ETMs) in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

The work is reported in 11 chapters. We start with a fullerene overview followed by cleaver and elegant methodologies that allow the synThesis of …

Complementary Charged Molecular Imprints Of West Nile Virus Antibodies, Julio Rincon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There is a significant demand for robust and stable receptor molecules that can mimic biological molecules, such as antibodies. Relying only on natural recognition molecules have greatly limited the uses and capabilities of many aspects of health sciences due to product expense and stability. This is especially important in medically underserved areas where the lack of resources and faulty or limited cold-chain makes antibody based diagnostics very difficult to implement.

With molecular imprinting, it is possible to recognize diseases with the added advantage of product stability, long term use, fast preparation and ease of scalability, all while being cost effective. …

Design And Regioselective Synthesis Of Fullerene Derivatives For Metal-Organic Hybrid Architectures, Catalina Suarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the last years different fullerene derivatives and endohedral fullerenes have been reported and their potential applications as electronic, magnetic, catalytic, biological and optical materials have been explored. In this work we describe the characterization of new endohedral fullerenes; the exohedral functionalization of fullerenes with organic addends or metal clusters and their application in metal-organic hybrid architectures.

We synthesized fullerene polymers with a variety of staircase linear architectures, zigzag polymers and a perfectly linear polymer using an hexakis-fullerene adduct with two 4,5-diazafluorene groups located at trans-1 positions, using Hg, Cd, Zn and33 Cu as the metal centers. Our results showed …

Exposure Of Commercial Titanium Dioxide And Copper Hydroxide Nanomaterials On Basil (Ocimum Basilicum): A Life Cycle And Transgenerational Study, Wenjuan Tan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Although thousands of reports have shown that engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can alter several agronomical, physiological, and biochemical parameters in plant and mammal systems, the effects of long-term exposure and varietal responses are scarce. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) and copper hydroxide nanoparticles [nano-Cu(OH)2], which are widely used in agriculture, medicine, food industry, textile, among other areas, are among the ENMs with high production and consumption globally. Though reports indicate that these ENMs affected plant development and metabolism, their interactions with basil (Ocimum basilicum) are unknown. Basil is a popular culinary herb worldwide, featured in Asian and European cuisine and has more …

Bimetallic Centers With Open Coordination Sites And Magnetic Nanocomposites For Water Remediation, Karen Ventura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The development of effective, renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources is essential to supply the growing global energy demands. The use of fossil fuels to fulfill those energy demands have led to the increase of greenhouse gases and water contamination. The extraction of oil and gas requires a large amount of pressurized water, resulting in contaminated water as a byproduct. Meanwhile, ensuring access to clean water is one of the greatest global challenges of this century.

The following study is presented in three sections. In the first section, a bimetallic system with open coordination sites that can be used as …

Thermostability Of The Coating, Antigen And Immunostimulator In An Adjuvanted Oral Capsule Vaccine Formulation, Stephanie Longet, Vincenzo Aversa, Daire O'Donnell, Joshua Tobias, Monica Rosa, Jan Holmgren, Ivan Coulter, Ed Lavelle

Articles

Oral vaccines present an attractive alternative to injectable vaccines for enteric diseases due to ease of delivery and the induction of intestinal immunity at the site of infection. However, susceptibility to gastrointestinal proteolysis, limited transepithelial uptake and a lack of clinically acceptable adjuvants present significant challenges. A further challenge to mass vaccination in developing countries is the very expensive requirement to maintain the cold chain. We recently described the effectiveness of a Single Multiple Pill® (SmPill®) adjuvanted capsule approach to enhance the effectiveness of a candidate enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) oral vaccine. Here it was demonstrated that this delivery system …

The Antibacterial Activity Of Metal Complexes Containing 1, 10-Phenanthroline: Potential As Alternatire Therapeutics In The Era Of Antibiotic Resistance, Livia Viganon, Orla L. Howe, Pauraic Mccarron, Malachy Mccann, Michael Devereux

Articles

The “antibiotic era”, characterized by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, over the last half-century has culminated in the present critical “era of resistance”. The treatment of bacterial infections is challenging because of a decline in the current arsenal of useful antibiotics and the slow rate of new drug development. The discovery of a new gene (mcr-1) in 2015, which enables bacteria to be highly resistant to polymyxins (such as colistin), the last line of antibiotic defence left, heralds a new level of concern as this gene is susceptible to horizontal gene transfer, with alarming potential to be spread between …

Monitoring And Evaluation Of Terni (Central Italy) Air Quality Through Spatially Resolved Analyses, Lorenzo Massimi, Martina Ristorini, Marta Eusebio, Darla Florendo, Adeola Adeyemo, David Brugnoli, Silvia Canepari

Conference Papers

A study of spatial variability of PM10 elemental components was conducted in Terni city (Central Italy), situated in an intramountain depression characterized by the presence of several particulate matter emission sources. The meteorological conditions of the Terni basin limit the dispersion and enhance the accumulation of atmospheric pollutants. Thanks to the utilization of new smart samplers, used for the first time and working in parallel at 23 sampling sites, spatially resolved data were obtained. Localizations of the samplers were chosen in order to evaluate the impact of different local PM10 sources. Chemical composition of the samples was determined in combination …

Graphene Toxicity As A Double-Edged Sword Of Risks And Exploitable Opportunities: A Critical Analysis Of The Most Recent Trends And Developments, Yuri Volkov, Jennifer Mcintyre, Adriele Prina-Mello

Articles

Increased production volumes and a broadening application spectrum of graphene have raised concerns about its potential adverse effects on human health. Numerous reports demonstrate that graphene irrespective of its particular form exerts its effects on a widest range of living organisms, including prokaryotic bacteria and viruses, plants, micro-and macro-invertebrates, mammalian and human cells and whole animals in vivo. However, the available experimental data is frequently a matter of significant divergence and even controversy. Therefore, we provide here a critical analysis of the most recent (2015-2016) reports accumulated in the graphene-related materials biocompatibility and toxicology field in order to elucidate the …

Design, Cloning, And Expression Of Rat Preptin And Alanine Analogs, Jahbo M. Love

Theses and Dissertations

Alanine scanning mutagenesis was employed to determine the structural epitopes of preptin; a newly discovered polypeptide found on the proinsulin-like growth factor II. The alanine scanning mutagenesis was accomplished by the use of, cloning, affinity chromatography, gel electrophoresis, gene sequencing, and mass spectra. However, due to inconclusive results, more research is required before the epitopes can be elucidated.

Self-Assembled Architecture Of Natural Organic Matter, Cynthia Johnson-Edler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation focuses on the determination of the architecture of the natural organic matter (NOM) contained within a soft coal-like material, an agricultural soil and a peat material. NOM has been extracted from bulk materials, fractionated, reassembled, then characterized by ¹³C Solid State NMR, Pulsed-Field Gradient NMR (PFG-NMR), and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). Interpretation of the data obtained by SANS has established that the majority of the components of NOM are mass fractals in solution and surface fractals in the solid state. Surface-to-volume ratios calculated with PFGNMR data indicate the NOM components studied have varying disk-like shapes. These …

Synthesis And Fluorescent Properties Of A New Flavonoid Compound, Ashley L. Ingle

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Flavonoids are highly luminescent compounds that are used in diagnosing and treating certain diseases.They are composed of two aromatic rings (ring A and ring B) and a six-membered heterocyclic pyran ring (ring C) that contains a carbonyl and hydroxyl group, which are responsible for unique photophysical characteristics associated with flavonoids. The target flavonoids (compound 1, or 1, and compound 2 or 2) were synthesized, purified and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. The photophysical properties of the flavonoid were investigated in varying solvents by using UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Such properties include Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT), Intramolecular Charge …

Synthesis Of 4-Iodo-3-(2-Iodoaryl) And 4-Bromo-3-(2-Bromoaryl) Sydnones And Their Reactions With Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Borohydride, And Iodine Monochloride, Kyle Jacob Liddy

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One goal of the Turnbull research group has been the synthesis of dihalogenated arylsydnones; i.e. sydnones with halogen substitution on the sydnone ring itself, as well as at the position on the aryl ring ortho to the sydnone. Further, it has been of interest to explore the reactivity of these compounds, once obtained. The present study examined the synthesis of 4-iodo-3-(2-iodoaryl)-, or “diiodo”, and 4-bromo-3-(2-bromoaryl)-, or “dibromo”, sydnones and the reactions of these compounds with Na2SO3 (sodium sulfite) and NaBH4 (sodium borohydride) to create a better understanding of the reactivity of diiodo and dibromo arylsydnones in general. Additionally, the reactivity …

Hydrothermal Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation Of Barite Growth: The Role Of Spectator Ions In Elementary Step Edge Growth Kinetics And Hillock Morphology, Sarah A. Jindra

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

To better understand the role of spectator ions in barite growth, the kinetics of step edge growth on barite (001) surfaces were studied under various salt solutions. Hydrothermal Atomic Force Microscopy (HAFM) was used to investigate the effect of background electrolytes (NaCl, NaBr and NaNO3) as a function of saturation index and ionic strength (I) on barite growth sourced at dislocations at 108 oC. Results show that hillock morphology is affected by I, as well as type of anion, where the prevalence of steps aligned on the [010] direction is highest under Cl- There is a modest increase in kinetic …

Hydrothermal Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation Of Barite Growth: The Role Of Spectator Ions In Elementary Step Edge Growth Kinetics And Hillock Morphology, Sarah A. Jindra

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

To better understand the role of spectator ions in barite growth, the kinetics of step edge growth on barite (001) surfaces were studied under various salt solutions. Hydrothermal Atomic Force Microscopy (HAFM) was used to investigate the effect of background electrolytes (NaCl, NaBr and NaNO₃) as a function of saturation index and ionic strength (I) on barite growth sourced at dislocations at 108 ^oC. Results show that hillock morphology is affected by I, as well as type of anion, where the prevalence of steps aligned on the [010] direction is highest under Cl^{- …}

Removal Of Pharmaceuticals From Aqueous Solutions Using A1-Mg/Rgo Composite, Spencer Jones

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Plant-Fungi Chemgeography: Fungal Symbionts Are More Chemically Dissimilar Then Host Plants, Mitchell Beyer, Jonathan Craft

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Metabolites In The Urine Of Mice With Tyrosinemia Type 1 Using Nmr And Ms, Flora Eason

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.