Biotechnology Commons^™

Studies Of Food Thickeners In Nigeria For Contamination By Aflatoxigenic Forms Of Aspergillus And Their Detection By Pcr, G. I. Okwu, Premila Achar, Michael J. Ikenebomeh, S. Y. Sreenivasa

Faculty Articles

This paper reports the contamination of ready-to-use food thickeners, collected from the South-East geo-political zone in Nigeria, by aflatoxigenic form of Aspergillus species. A total of 150 samples from different open markets were observed for fungal contamination by using serial dilution-spread plate method. Although, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium were the most frequently isolated fungi, Aspergillus species were found to be the most prevalent in all the samples. Furthermore, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produced aflatoxin on yeast extract sucrose (YES) media incubated for 10 to 15 days at 27°C in a CO₂ incubator. Aspergillus niger showed no sign of …

Forward Osmosis Bag: Ground Testing The Prospect Of Using Alternative Water Sources For Drinking Water, Michaela Marie Brant, Ariella Yendler, Mona Hammoudeh, Michael T. Flynn

STAR Program Research Presentations

On the STS-135 Space Shuttle mission, to be launched July 8, 2011, a forward osmosis bag (FOB) study will be conducted. At NASA Ames this summer, the ground truth testing is being conducted for results comparisons. The FOB technology is derived from a commercial product, the X-Pack water filter. Forward osmosis operates by utilizing an established concentration gradient across a semi-permeable membrane to move water molecules from one side of the membrane to the other. This concept is exploited to harvest drinking water from grey water sources such as urine, sea water, or vehicle water. In this experiment, potassium chloride …

The Proteomic Response Of Ciona Intestinalis To Ocean Acidification And Acute Heat Stress: Impacts Of Global Climate Change In Coastal Marine Systems, Michael Dennis Dwyer Jr.

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Applied And Mechanistic Studies Of Microbial 17beta-Estradiol Degradation, Zhongtian Li

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The presence of natural estrogens, a class of endocrine disrupting compounds, in water has caused increasing concerns over their adverse impacts on the health of aquatic eco-systems and human beings. In this study, adsorption characteristics of two natural estrogens, 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), on granular activated carbon (GAC) were investigated in isotherm tests and in a GAC column. The GAC column was then converted to a biologically active carbon (BAC) column and the removal efficiency of E2 and its primary biodegradation intermediate E1 were monitored. During BAC operation, the impacts of various reactor operation parameters, such as the carbon …

Emerging Dynamics Of Human Campylobacteriosis In Southern Ireland, Susan Bullman, Daniel Corcoran, James O'Leary, Derry O'Hare, Brigid Lucey, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Infections with Campylobacter spp. pose a significant health burden worldwide. The significance of Campylobacter jejuni/Campylobacter coli infection is well appreciated but the contribution of non-C. jejuni/C. coli spp. to human gastroenteritis is largely unknown. In this study, we employed a two-tiered molecular study on 7194 patient faecal samples received by the Microbiology Department in Cork University Hospital during 2009. The first step, using EntericBio® (Serosep), a multiplex PCR system, detected Campylobacter to the genus level. The second step, utilizing Campylobacter species-specific PCR identified to the species level. A total of 340 samples were confirmed as Campylobacter genus positive, 329 of …

Mechanical Test Methods For Assessing Porcine Carotid And Uterine Artery Burst Pressure Following Ex Vivo Ultrasonic Ligature Seal And Transection, Carissa M. Krane, Margaret Pinnell, Courtney Gardner, Mercedes Thompson, James Coleman, Robert Wilkens

Biology Faculty Publications

A test method was developed to identify those variables important for assessing the performance of ultrasonic surgical devices in ex vivo ligature sealing of porcine carotid and uterine arteries. Ruggedness testing using a small sample size in pilot experiments was conducted using a newly developed test method in an effort to assess the usefulness of this methodology and to identify test variables that might warrant further testing. The development of this test method included the use of a custom-designed prototypic tension device for load-controlled ex vivo vessel stretching during saline perfusion and subsequent seal and transection of porcine arteries with …

Evaluation Of Delivery Conditions For Cutaneous Plasmid Electrotransfer Using A Multielectrode Array, Bernadette Ferraro, Loree C. Heller, Yolmari L. Cruz, Siqi Guo, Amy Donate, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Electroporation (EP) is a simple in vivo method to deliver normally impermeable molecules, such as plasmid DNA, to a variety of tissues. Delivery of plasmid DNA by EP to a large surface area is not practical because the distance between the electrode pairs, and therefore the applied voltage, must be increased to effectively permeabilize the cell membrane. The design of the multielectrode array (MEA) incorporates multiple electrode pairs at a fixed distance to allow for delivery of plasmid DNA to the skin, potentially reducing the sensation associated with in vivo EP. In this report, we evaluate the effects of field …

Design Of A Factorial Experiment With Randomization Restrictions To Assess Medical Device Performance On Vascular Tissue, Wiebke Diestelkamp, Carissa M. Krane, Margaret Pinnell

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Energy-based surgical scalpels are designed to efficiently transect and seal blood vessels using thermal energy to promote protein denaturation and coagulation. Assessment and design improvement of ultrasonic scalpel performance relies on both in vivo and ex vivo testing. The objective of this work was to design and implement a robust, experimental test matrix with randomization restrictions and predictive statistical power, which allowed for identification of those experimental variables that may affect the quality of the seal obtained ex vivo.

Methods: The design of the experiment included three factors: temperature (two levels); the type of solution used to perfuse the …

Endo-Porter–Mediated Delivery Of Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligos (Pmos) In Erythrocyte Suspension Cultures From Cope's Gray Treefrog Hyla Chrysoscelis, Venkateshwar Mutyam, Matthew V. Puccetti, James Frisbie, David L. Goldstein, Carissa M. Krane

Biology Faculty Publications

Cope's gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis, is a freeze-tolerant anuran that accumulates cryoprotective glycerol during cold acclimation. H. chrysoscelis erythrocytes express the aquaglyceroporin HC-3, which facilitates transmembrane glycerol and water movement. Aquaglyceroporins have no pharmacological inhibitors, and no genetic knockout tools currently exist for H. chrysoscelis. A phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligo (PMO)–mediated expression knockdown approach was therefore pursued to provide a model for testing the role of HC-3. We describe a novel procedure optimized for specific, efficient knockdown of HC-3 expression in amphibian erythrocyte suspensions cultured at nonmammalian physiological temperatures using Endo-Porter. Our protocol includes three critical components: pre-incubation at 37°C, …

Analysis Of The Threat Of Genetically Modified Organisms For Biological Warfare, Jerry B. Warner, Alan J. Ramsbotham Jr., Ewelina Tunia, James J. Valdes

Defense and Technology Papers

This study seeks to better understand the evaluation of the potential threats posed by advances in biotechnology, especially genetically modified organisms and synthetic biology. It narrows the scope of consideration into two parts: defining a catastrophic biological attack focused on bioterrorism and that this attack would be restricted to the United States.

Identification, Cloning And Characterization Of Van Operon In Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Robert Newby Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Generation, Cloning, And Expression Of Full-Length Human Evc Gene, Trey Polvadore

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Subcellular Responses For The Evaluation And Prediction Of The Chemotherapeutic Response To Cisplatin In Lung Adenocarcinoma Using Raman Spectroscopy, Haq Nawaz, Franck Bonnier, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Confocal Raman Micro spectroscopy (CRM) is employed to examine the chemical and physiological effects of anticancer agents, using cisplatin and A549 adenocarcinoma cells as a model compound and test system respectively. Spectral responses of the membrane and cytoplasm of the cell are analysed independently and the results are compared to previously reported spectroscopic studies of the nucleus. Moreover, Raman spectra from the proteins extracted from the control and exposed samples are acquired and analysed to confirm the origin of the molecular changes of the cell membrane and cytoplasm of the A549 cells. Multivariate data analysis techniques including Principal Component Analysis …

Copyright For Engineered Dna: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?, Christopher M. Holman

West Virginia Law Review

The rapidly emerging field of synthetic biology has tremendous potential to address some of the most compelling challenges facing our planet by providing clean renewable energy, nutri- tionally-enhanced and environmentally friendly agricultural products, and revolutionary new life-saving cures. However, leaders in the synthetic biology movement have voiced concern that biotechnology's current patent-centric approach to intellec- tual property is in many ways ill-suited to meet the challenge of synthetic biology, threatening to impede follow-on innovation and open access technology. For years, copyright and patent protection for computer software have existed side-by-side, the two forms of intellectual property complementing one another. Numerous …

Sherley V. Sebelius: Stem Cells And The Uneasy Interplay Between The Federal Bench And The Lab Bench, Ryan P. O'Quinn

Duke Law & Technology Review

After Barack Obama's election to the presidency, he promised that one of his top priorities in office would be to relieve the restrictions initiated by President George W. Bush on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. President Obama followed through on his promise, but the celebrations in the nation's research labs were short-lived. Anti-abortion advocates and other scientists working in the field that would allegedly be out-competed in the federal funding arena brought a legal challenge to the new government position. The struggle culminated in August 2010 with a federal district court issuing a preliminary injunction to halt the …

Pcr Primers For The Detection Of Propane And Butane-Oxidizing Microorganisms, Brian Jeremy Chan

Master's Theses

In an increasingly energy-hungry world, our capacity to meet the heightened energy demands of the future has become a pressing matter. The most urgent of these concerns are tied to the accessibility of petroleum. Various experts have proselytized both the imminent arrival of peak oil production rates and the ensuing decline of those rates thereafter. And to that end, the development of novel and advanced oil exploration methodologies has become almost as important as finding the sources of oil themselves.

The soils above petroleum reservoirs play host to various communities of alkane- oxidizing bacteria that can utilize the natural gas …

Bacterial Killing By Dry Metallic Copper Surfaces, Christophe Espírito Santo, Ee Wen Lam, Christian Elowsky, Davide Quaranta, Dylan W. Domaille, Christopher J. Chang, Gregor Grass

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Metallic copper surfaces rapidly and efficiently kill bacteria. Cells exposed to copper surfaces accumulated large amounts of copper ions, and this copper uptake was faster from dry copper than from moist copper. Cells suffered extensive membrane damage within minutes of exposure to dry copper. Further, cells removed from copper showed loss of cell integrity. Acute contact with metallic copper surfaces did not result in increased mutation rates or DNA lesions. These findings are important first steps for revealing the molecular sensitive targets in cells lethally challenged by exposure to copper surfaces and provide a scientific explanation for the use of …

Biophysical Characterization Of The Membrane Binding Domain Of The Pro-Apoptotic Protein Bax, Pranav Garg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The BCL-2 family of proteins tightly regulates the delicate balance between life and death. The pore forming Bax is a pro-apoptotic member belonging to this protein family. At the onset of apoptosis, monomeric cytoplasmic Bax translocates to the outer mitochondrial membrane, forms oligomeric pores thereby letting mitochondrial cytochrome c enter the cytosol and initiate the apoptotic cascade. The C-terminal "helix 9" is thought to mediate the membrane binding of BAX. A 20-amino acid peptide corresponding to Bax C-terminus (VTIFVAGVLTASLTIWKKMG) and two mutants where the two lysines are replaced with Glu (charge reversal mutant, EE) or Leu (charge neutralization mutant, LL) …

Quantitative Analysis Of Lignocellulosic Components Of Non-Treated And Steam Exploded Barley, Canola, Oat And Wheat Straw Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, P. K. Adapa, L. G. Schonenau, Thomas Canam, T. Dumonceaux

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Rapid and cost effective quantification of lignocellulosic components (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) of agricultural biomass (barley, canola, oat and wheat) is essential to determine the effect of various pre-treatments (such as steam explosion) on biomass used as feedstock for the biofuel industry. Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was considered as an option to achieve this objective. Regression equations having R2 values of 0.89, 0.99 and 0.98 were developed to predict the cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin compounds of biomass, respectively. The average absolute difference in predicted and measured cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in agricultural biomass was 7.5%, 2.5%, and 3.8%, respectively.

Quantitative Analysis Of Lignocellulosic Components Of Non-Treated And Steam Exploded Barley, Canola, Oat And Wheat Straw Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, P. Adapa, L. Schonenau, Thomas Canam, T. Dumonceaux

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Rapid and cost effective quantification of lignocellulosic components (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) of agricultural biomass (barley, canola, oat and wheat) is essential to determine the effect of various pre-treatments (such as steam explosion) on biomass used as feedstock for the biofuel industry. Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was considered as an option to achieve this objective. Regression equations having R2 values of 0.89, 0.99 and 0.98 were developed to predict the cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin compounds of biomass, respectively. The average absolute difference in predicted and measured cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in agricultural biomass was 7.5%, 2.5%, and 3.8%, respectively.