Other Chemistry Commons^™

Photodynamic Therapy Agents: The Power Of Mjöllnir To Eradicate Cancer, Sidney M. Hopper

Honors College Theses

After its discovery back in the 1900s, photosensitizers became a critical study for potential treatments and cures for medical issues, including cancer. It was discovered that porphyrins appeared to target and accumulate in proliferating cells, and to reach the cells, a certain wavelength of light with maximum absorbance associated with the porphyrin was necessary to achieve cell death. Photodynamic therapy involves making use of porphyrins or metalloporphyrins as activators when exposed to such light. When activated, these compounds generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as HO- or O2-, which can react with nucleic acids found in DNA and RNA. In …

The Impact Of Glacial Proximity On The Elemental Composition Of Leachate Derived From Sediment Weathering, Karoline Ford

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study assesses chemical weathering trends as they relate to glacial retreat. The chemical environment of surfaces exposed to the atmosphere differs significantly from beneath a glacier. As a glacier melts, changes to the biogeochemical processes generate environmental gradients. This study analyzed chemical weathering signals at different distances from a glacial front by comparing the elemental composition of leachate derived from sediments in southeastern Greenland. Samples from proglacial, nonglacial, and moraine locations were weathered in a laboratory setting, and ion chromatography was used to determine the elemental composition of the products. Divergent trends in leachate composition were observed as distance …

Survey Of The Performance Of 5 Nm Gold Nanoparticles Within An Ssdna-Stabilized Biosensor For The Detection Of Hg2+, Madalyn Zagajowski

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The formation of a fluorescent biosensor complex consisting of 5 nm diameter gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was conducted using a low-cost, efficient binding method. Furthermore, we assessed the analytical potential for the complex to detect mercury ions (Hg²⁺) in an aqueous solution upon collection of UV-vis and fluorescence spectrometry data for the AuNP-ssDNA complex. We aimed to investigate this potential due to the possibility that the nanoparticles formed utilizing this method would produce nanoparticles of too small a size to result in detectable fluorescence, thus the complex synthesized from this specific method was qualitatively evaluated …

Data Set For "Atmospheric Aging Of Combustion-Derived Particles: Impact On Stable Free Radical Concentration And Its Ability To Produce Reactive Oxygen Species In Aqueous Media", Brian Majestic, Heather L. Runberg

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Data Sets

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR) are an emerging pollutant found in soot particles. Understanding how these change as they move through the atmosphere is important to human health. Here, soot was generated in the laboratory and exposed to simulated sunlight. The concentrations and characteristics of EPFR in the soot was recorded. Additionally, formation of hydroxyl radical from the photoactivated soot was measured.

Enhancing The Forensic Comparison Process Of Common Trace Materials Through The Development Of Practical And Systematic Methods, Meghan Nicole Prusinowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An ongoing advancement in forensic trace evidence has driven the development of new and objective methods for comparing various materials. While many standard guides have been published for use in trace laboratories, different areas require a more comprehensive understanding of error rates and an urgent need for harmonizing methods of examination and interpretation. Two critical areas are the forensic examination of physical fits and the comparison of spectral data, which depend highly on the examiner’s judgment.

The long-term goal of this study is to advance and modernize the comparative process of physical fit examinations and spectral interpretation. This goal is …

Progress In 7sk Ribonucleoprotein Structural Biology, Momodou B. Camara, Amr M. Sobeh, Catherine D. Eichhorn

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

The 7SK ribonucleoprotein (RNP) is a dynamic and multifunctional regulator of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription in metazoa. Comprised of the noncoding 7SK RNA, core proteins, and numerous accessory proteins, the most wellknown 7SK RNP function is the sequestration and inactivation of the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb). More recently, 7SK RNP has been shown to regulate RNAPII transcription through P-TEFb-independent pathways. Due to its fundamental role in cellular function, dysregulation has been linked with human diseases including cancers, heart disease, developmental disorders, and viral infection. Significant advances in 7SK RNP structural biology have improved our understanding of 7SK …

Exploring The Complementarity Of Measures Of Instructional Practices, Lu Shi, Robert M. Erdmann, Anthony Pellegrini, Victoria Johnson, Binh Le, Trina Popple, Zachary Nelson, Molly Undersander Gaston, Marilyne Stains

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

The assessment of instructional quality has been and continues to be a desirable, yet difficult endeavor in higher education. The development of new teaching evaluation frameworks along with instruments to measure various aspects of teaching practices holds promise. The challenge rests in the implementation of these frameworks and measures in authentic settings. Part of this challenge is for instructors, researchers, and administrators to parse through and select a meaningful set of tools from the plethora of existing instruments. In this study, we aim to start clarifying the landscape of measures of instructional practice by exploring the complementarity of two existing …

Feasibility Studies For Use Of Copper Slag In Clinker Manufacture, Suresh Vanguri, Suresh Palla, Gonthi Prasad, Sanjeev Kumar Chaturvedi, Bibekananda Mohapatra

Makara Journal of Science

This study investigated the feasibility of using copper slag (CS-C) as a raw material in the production of Portland cement (PC). The effect of addition of 0%-3.5% CS-C on the clinkerization process, mineralogy, microstructure, and compressive strength development was studied. The Presence of CS-C in the raw mix resulted in the reduced temperature of clinkerization by about 50 °C. The quality of clinker prepared from the raw mix containing 3% CS-C and burned at 1400 °C was comparable to that of clinker prepared from the raw mix containing no CS-C and burned at 1450 °C. Gradual polymorphic modification of alite …

Multiomics Approach Captures Hepatic Metabolic Network Altered By Chronic Ethanol Administration, Isin Tuna Sakallioglu, Bridget Tripp, Jacy Kubik, Carol A. Casey, Paul G. Thomes, Robert Powers

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

Using a multiplatform and multiomics approach, we identified metabolites, lipids, proteins, and metabolic pathways that were altered in the liver after chronic ethanol administration. A functional enrichment analysis of the multiomics dataset revealed that rats treated with ethanol experienced an increase in hepatic fatty acyl content, which is consistent with an initial development of steatosis. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics data revealed that the chronic ethanol exposure selectively modified toxic substances such as an increase in glucuronidation tyramine and benzoyl; and a depletion in cholesterol-conjugated glucuronides. Similarly, the lipidomics results revealed that ethanol …

Arginine Methylation Of The Pgc-1Α C‑Terminus Is Temperature- Dependent, Meryl Mendoz, Mariel Mendoza, Tiffany Lubrino, Sidney Briski, Immaculeta Osuji, Janielle Cuala, Brendan Ly, Ivan Ocegueda, Harvey Peralta, Benjamin A. Garcia, Cecilia Zurita-Lopez

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We set out to determine whether the C-terminus (amino acids 481–798) of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α, UniProt Q9UBK2), a regulatory metabolic protein involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, and respiration, is an arginine methyltransferase substrate. Arginine methylation by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) alters protein function and thus contributes to various cellular processes. In addition to confirming methylation of the C-terminus by PRMT1 as described in the literature, we have identified methylation by another member of the PRMT family, PRMT7. We performed in vitro methylation reactions using recombinant mammalian PRMT7 and PRMT1 at 37, 30, 21, 18, and 4 °C. …

Uv-Light-Tunable P-/N-Type Chemiresistive Gas Sensors Based On Quasi-1d Tis3 Nanoribbons: Detection Of Isopropanol At Ppm Concentrations, Victor V. Sysoev, Andrey V. Lashkov, Alexey Lipatov, Ilya A. Plugin, Michael Bruns, Dirk Fuchs, Alexey S. Varezhnikov, Mustahsin Adib, Martin Sommer, Alexander Sinitskii

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

The growing demand of society for gas sensors for energy-efficient environmental sensing stimulates studies of new electronic materials. Here, we investigated quasi-one-dimensional titanium trisulfide (TiS₃) crystals for possible applications in chemiresistors and on-chip multisensor arrays. TiS₃ nanoribbons were placed as a mat over a multielectrode chip to form an array of chemiresistive gas sensors. These sensors were exposed to isopropanol as a model analyte, which was mixed with air at low concentrations of 1–100 ppm that are below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit. The tests were performed at room temperature (RT), as …

Investigations Of Prokaryotic Defense Systems, Hannah Domgaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria are constantly threatened with infection by mobile genetic elements (MGE) such as bacteriophage and plasmids. Bacteriophage and plasmids require the bacteria's cellular infrastructure to replicate their genomes. Rampant replication can lead to cell death which is one reason why bacteria have developed a diverse array of immune systems to prevent or limit infection. This thesis studies three types of bacterial immune systems, type IV-A CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat –CRISPR associated), type V-A2 CRISPR-Cas systems, and Wadjet systems.

The type IV-A system lies adjacent to a dinG-like helicase gene. Research has shown that this system can target …

Near-Ir Laser Ablation Of Simulated Radiologically Contaminated Oxides On Carbon Steel Feeder Pipes, Thao Viet Do

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As nuclear power plants age and retire from service, many countries face significant challenges concerning the safe long-term storage and disposal of large volumes of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes (L&ILW). The volumes of metallic waste are of particular concern, as when metal corrodes it produces hydrogen that could lead to pressure build-up in interim storage and disposal. In Canada, a significant fraction of the metallic wastes for Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactors are out-of-core reactor components, such as carbon steel (CS) feeder pipes. The radioactive contamination is expected to be largely confined to the surface oxide layers …

Expanding The Scope Of Clickable Azide-Functionalized Nanoclusters To Include Au144, Johanna A. De Jong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thiolate-protected Au₁₄₄ nanoclusters (NCs) are an intriguing member of the gold NC family. Their geometric structure, distinct electrochemical features, and susceptibility to structural rearrangement under the duress of ligand exchange have been studied. However, there are currently no established protocols for surface modification or tuning of their ligand shells post synthesis. Here, the direct synthesis of three regioisomers of azide-modified Au₁₄₄ NCs with 60 azide moieties, i.e., Au₁₄₄(SC₂H₄C₆H₄-N₃)₆₀, is reported, in which the azide functionality is located at the ortho-, meta-, or …

Threonine Phosphorylation Of An Electrochemical Peptide-Based Sensor To Achieve Improved Uranyl Ion Binding Affinity, Channing C. Thompson, Rebecca Lai

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

We have successfully designed a uranyl ion (U(VI)-specific peptide and used it in the fabrication of an electrochemical sensor. The 12-amino acid peptide sequence, (n) DKDGDGYIpTAAE (c), originates from calmodulin, a Ca(II)-binding protein, and contains a phosphothreonine that enhances the sequence’s affinity for U(VI) over Ca(II). The sensing mechanism of this U(VI) sensor is similar to other electrochemical peptide-based sensors, which relies on the change in the flexibility of the peptide probe upon interacting with the target. The sensor was systematically characterized using alternating current voltammetry (ACV) and cyclic voltammetry. Its limit of detection was 50 nM, which is lower …

Fine Tuning The Pore Surface In Zirconium Metal−Organic Frameworks For Selective Ethane/Ethylene Separation, Yuchen Hu, Yanshu Shi, Yi Xie, Rebecca Shu Hui Khoo, Christian Fiankor, Xu Zhang,, Banglin Chen, Jian Zhang

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

Ethylene is an important chemical feedstock for production of polymers and high-value organic chemicals, and yet its conventional purification process is plagued with high consumption of energy. Metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a suitable adsorption platform for selective ethane/ ethylene separation thanks to their structural diversity, tunable pore characteristics, designable pore sizes, and high pore volumes. Although there are empirical design rules like avoiding open metal sites and creating nonpolar pore surfaces for development of adsorptive MOFs, it is still challenging to design robust MOFs that can realize direct ethane-selective separation. Herein, we systematically designed and synthesized three Zr-MOFs based on …

Symmetry-Resolved Co Desorption And Oxidation Dynamics On O/Ru(0001) Probed At The C K-Edge By Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy, Jerry Larue, Boyang Liu, Gabriel L. S. Rodrigues, Chang Liu, Jose Antonio Garrido Torres, Simon Schreck, Elias Diesen, Matthew Weston, Hirohito Ogasawara, Fivos Perakis, Martina Dell'angela, Flavio Capotondi, Devon Ball, Conner Carnahan, Gary Zeri, Luca Giannessi, Emanuele Pedersoli, Denys Naumenko, Peter Amann, Ivaylo Nikolov, Lorenzo Raimondi, Carlo Spezzani, Martin Beye, Johannes Voss, Hsin-Yi Wang, Filippo Cavalca, Jörgen Gladh, Sergey Koroidov, Frank Abild-Pedersen, Manuel Kolb, Piter S. Miedema, Roberto Costantini, Tony F. Heinz, Alan C. Luntz, Lars G. M. Pettersson, Anders Nilsson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We report on carbon monoxide desorption and oxidation induced by 400 nm femtosecond laser excitation on the O/Ru(0001) surface probed by time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (TR-XAS) at the carbon K-edge. The experiments were performed under constant background pressures of CO (6 × 10⁻⁸ Torr) and O2 (3 × 10⁻⁸ Torr). Under these conditions, we detect two transient CO species with narrow 2π* peaks, suggesting little 2π* interaction with the surface. Based on polarization measurements, we find that these two species have opposing orientations: (1) CO favoring a more perpendicular orientation and (2) CO favoring a more parallel orientation …

Leveraging The Structure Of Dnaja1 To Discover Novel Potential Pancreatic Cancer Therapies, Heidi E. Roth, Aline De Lima Leite, Nicolas Y. Palermo, Robert Powers

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer with a 5-year survival rate of only 11%. Difficult diagnosis and limited treatment options are the major causes of the poor outcome for pancreatic cancer. The human protein DNAJA1 has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, but its cellular and biological functions remain unclear. Previous studies have suggested that DNAJA10s cellular activity may be dependent upon its protein binding partners. To further investigate this assertion, the first 107 amino acid structures of DNAJA1 were solved by NMR, which includes the classical J-domain and its associated linker …

Ai Protein Structure Prediction-Based Modeling And Mutagenesis Of A Protostome Receptor And Peptide Ligands Reveal Key Residues For Their Interaction, Shi-Qi Guo, Ya-Dong Li, Ping Chen, Guo Zhang, Hui-Ying Wang, Hui-Min Jiang, Wei-Jia Liu, Ju-Ping Xu, Xue-Ying Ding, Ping Fu, Ke Yu, Hai-Bo Zhou, James W. Checco, Jian Jing

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

The protostome leucokinin (LK) signaling system, including LK peptides and their G protein-coupled receptors, has been characterized in several species. Despite the progress, molecular mechanisms governing LK peptide–receptor interactions remain to be elucidated. Previously, we identified a precursor protein for Aplysia leucokinin-like peptides (ALKs) that contains the greatest number of amidated peptides among LK precursors in all species identified so far. Here, we identified the first ALK receptor from Aplysia, ALKR. We used cell-based IP1 activation assays to demonstrate that two ALK peptides with the most copies, ALK1 and ALK2, activated ALKR with high potencies. Other endogenous ALK-derived peptides …

Meta-Analysis Reveals Both The Promises And The Challenges Of Clinical Metabolomics, Heidi E. Roth, Robert Powers

Faculty Publications -- Chemistry Department

Clinical metabolomics is a rapidly expanding field focused on identifying molecular biomarkers to aid in the efficient diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Variations in study design, metabolomics methodologies, and investigator protocols raise serious concerns about the accuracy and reproducibility of these potential biomarkers. The explosive growth of the field has led to the recent availability of numerous replicate clinical studies, which permits an evaluation of the consistency of biomarkers identified across multiple metabolomics projects. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death and has the lowest five-year survival rate primarily due to the lack of an …