Development of novel fluorescent sensors for targeting biologically relevant molecules

[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2024] Fluorescence sensing plays an important role in a wide variety of fields such as medical science, chemical biology, food industry and so on. Several new fluorescent probes were developed to target various biologically relevant molecules and will be discussed herein. Firstly, a new strategy was devised to synthesize photoactive C,O-BODIPY substituted dyes for capturing 18F so that they can used as dual modality PET/Fluorescence imaging probe for labeling peptide constructs. Next, several sensors were developed for both inhibition and detection of thiaminase enzyme. The two novel fluorescent irreversible inhibitors were designed based on sulforhodamine and the sensor for measuring thiaminase activity was developed based on resorufin. Complex supramolecular systems have been developed for various applications. Designing such systems for aqueous phase work remains a challenge. We have been interested in preparing multi-component cucurbituril systems for use in fluorescent sensing. A series of different phenyl-pyridinium derivatives were thus synthesized as novel components and the CB[8] complexes of those components were characterized and analyzed. The binding stoichiometry between these components and the CB[8] macrocycle were studied using 1H-NMR, COSY, NOESY , DOSY and were found to self-assemble into 1:1 and 2:1(R2H) complexes. Various secondary guests were examined for formation of ternary complexes. These complexes were studied using 1H-NMR and fluorescence titrations. In addition to this, several cell-impermeable receptors were also designed for the extraction of glycolipids from the vesicles.Includes bibliographical references

Desert whaling

Between 2010-2020, Utah boasted what was widely considered to be the best state economy in the country, resulting in an 18.4 percent population growth rate, the fastest in the nation (Canham and Semerad). This substantial population boom in the semi-arid region of Salt Lake Valley has led to increased water diversion away from the Great Salt Lake even as the region is already enduring more frequent and severe droughts brought on by climate change. As a result, the Great Salt Lake has reached its lowest level on record. Because the Great Salt Lake is a terminal lake, meaning it has no outlet, salinity increases as the water level decreases, threatening the lake's ability to continue sustaining life. In 2022, brine fly populations declined dramatically as a result of the lake's increased salinity, and in 2023 there was a decline in brine shrimp (Abbott et. al 10). These invertebrates are a vital food source to more than ten million migratory birds and other wildlife throughout the Wasatch Front (4). As the lake evaporates, the region will not only sustain food web collapse, but also significant erosion of economic activity and dramatically worsened air quality (10). In short, as the state economy promises abundance, ecological realities assert the region's scarcity.Includes bibliographical references

An Online Education Intervention to Increase Nutritional Literacy in Low-Income Adults

Adults with high food literacy tend to exhibit healthier diets by consuming more fruits and vegetables and making less impulsive food choices. Adequate food and nutrition intake are essential in promoting a healthy weight and avoiding health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. This evidence-based quality improvement project aimed to increase nutritional knowledge in low-income adults through education utilizing dietary guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture. A one-cohort, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design was used in the project. A total of 46 low-income participants were enrolled in the study. Convenience sampling was used at a federally qualified health center in rural Kansas over three months. Participants completed a nine-item questionnaire on food literacy before and after watching a 4-minute video about fresh produce consumption on healthy food options. A Wilcoxon-signed rank test determined each questionnaire item’s pretest-posttest median score differences. Statistically significant median differences were found in consuming vegetables (p <0.009), low-fat dairy (p <0.043), high-fat dairy (p <0.010), and sweets (p <0.004). Findings suggest that increasing nutritional literacy through education can aid low-income individuals in adopting healthy diet patterns and reducing healthcare costs

Baltering: Music for the contemporary ballet class

Title from PDF of title page, viewed May 13, 2024Thesis advisor: Yotam HaberVitaIncludes bibliographical references (page 60)Thesis (M.M.)--UMKC Conservatory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2024The ballet pianist often serves as the main source of “Classical” or art music to the modern ballet dancer, and their choice of repertoire— along with the technical exercises that the dancers are given— naturally reflect the vocabulary and aesthetics of repertory ballets that dance companies perform. With the rise of contemporary ballet pieces, there is a growing need for contemporary music in the ballet technique class to acquaint the dancer with this repertoire. Baltering is a set of pieces for solo piano, composed for use in the ballet technique class that introduce the musical languages/methods of contemporary compositions, (neo-classicism, neo-romanticism, post-tonality, modernism, minimalism, etc.), while conforming to the appropriate structure and form for ballet exercises. Similarly, these pieces incorporate metric dissonances and unequal phrase structure that break the typical “squareness” of music traditionally used in ballet class. There is a varying degree in which these methods are applied and how far they deviate from the canonical structures for Classical and Romantic music. This set of piano pieces follows the typical publication style where the pieces for each exercise loosely follow the structure and order of the traditional ballet class. While there have been several publications of new music for the ballet class, many of them mainly rely on adding elements of commercial and film music, often following Classical and Romantic idioms already present in existing music for ballet class. Baltering fills a gap in the musical repertoire that serves the technical needs of the dancers and dance instructors.Foreword -- Performance notes -- Exercise analysi

Samir Husni Magazine Collection: First Edition Magazines, 1985-.

Scope and content note: The series contains a wide range of first and special-issue magazines published in the United States from 1985 to 2022. This includes popular titles and uncommon magazines, some of which only survived a few months. All magazines are listed in the publication Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines

Implementing the LWD for MoDOT construction acceptance of unbound material layers : phase II

Report-FinalReport-Summar

A normal interaction

Title from PDF of title page, viewed June 13, 2024Thesis advisor: Whitney TerrellVitaThesis (M.F.A.)--Department of English Language and Literature. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2024A Normal Interaction is a hybrid collection of poetry and essays that grapple with themes of anxiety, consumption of the body, and relationships. Each section of this collection focuses on different kinds of relationships and how they interact with the body. Familial, romantic, and digital relationships are all explored with the deterioration of the body and the anxiety of trying to be “normal.” Each section is bookended with a new version of “A Normal Interaction.” The act of having a mundane interaction with a stranger is distorted through the lens of fear and violence- a benign conversation turned sinister in the speaker’s mind. The speaker is tied up, dismembered, and abused by the men who interact with her. A Normal Interaction is meant to excite, horrify, and remind you that it really is nice weather we’re having.Abstract -- Acknowledgements -- Critical introduction -- A normal interactio

Growing pains : pubertal status, gender, and skin tone as influences on Latinx parent-child relationships

Puberty is a time of new changes for adolescents, both physical and social. Puberty signals changes in relationships such as the parent-child relationship, especially in Latinx families. Using a sample of 219 Latinx adolescents, the current study examines the relationship between pubertal status and domains of parenting, specifically autonomy granting and parental warmth, and the interactive effects of gender and skin tone. Gender-based differential treatment has been extensively researched among Latinx families, however, little is known about how skin tone can be impactful in Latinx family relationships. Significant results were found in the domain of autonomy granting but not parental warmth. Pubertal status, gender, and skin tone all had significant influences on adolescents perceived parental autonomy granting. Future research should consider how these cultural characteristics may impact other parenting measures (i.e., conflict, monitoring) among Latinx adolescents.Includes bibliographical references

Computational methods to identify ionomic candidate genes in plants

[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2024] High throughput phenotyping and quantitative genetics have enabled researchers to identify genetic regions associated with changes in phenotype. However, going from GWAS loci to candidate genes is still challenging. When selecting candidate genes for ionomic GWAS loci, we curated a collection of well-known ionomic genes (KIG) experimentally shown to alter plant elemental uptake and their orthologs in 10 crop species. Yet when compared to ionomic GWAS markers, over 90 percent of significant markers were not linked to a KIG - indicating the list is incomplete, and many causal genes are unknown. We propose an unbiased computational approach that compares analogous GWAS markers from multiple species and searches for conserved genes linked to trait markers. Like the KIG list, we expect many of these unknown candidate genes to have orthologs in other species. By leveraging the evolutionary relationship of these conserved genes, rather than prior knowledge and gene annotations, this method: 1) finds more candidate genes than we expect from random chance, 2) selects and prioritizes candidates in poorly annotated species, and 3) includes unknown genes in the results. We used this approach with comparable seed weight GWAS and preliminarily confirmed phenotypes for 9 of 12 Arabidopsis thaliana candidate genes. Future efforts will solidify confirmations and improve parameters for candidate selection.Includes bibliographical references

Determining the relationship between the Garlock fault and the Eastern California shear zone through detailed digital mapping and age characterization of faulted landforms, Southeastern California

Southeastern California is known for complex fault networks that accommodate strain from Pacific-North American plate convergence. The 250-km-long, left-lateral Garlock fault is integral to this system, yet its overall kinematic role within the plate boundary and relationship with faults of the Eastern California shear zone/Walker Lane belt remain poorly understood. A key area that has not been adequately studied is a 15-km stretch of the eastern Garlock fault, at its intersections with the right-lateral Brown Mountain fault and left-lateral Owl Lake fault. This segment of the fault lies within the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station and U.S. Fort Irwin boundaries, which have restrictions on civilian access and portions of which contain unexploded ordnance, making them unsuitable and unsafe for field investigations. The purpose of this project is to use a combination of high-resolution LiDAR topographic data, remotely sensed imagery, and published geochronology data to map and establish the ages of faulted landforms along this portion of the eastern Garlock fault. The inaccessibility of this area makes it ideal for the application of remote-sensing techniques. A range of surface analysis techniques were used to differentiate and map Quaternary units in the study area. Geomorphic surface properties were determined from physiographic roughness and surface reflectance data, established from analysis of LiDAR, radar backscatter, and visual-near and short-wave infrared multispectral and hyperspectral reflectance datasets. The ages of faulted landforms were established using two approaches: (1) fault scarp and terrace riser degradation analysis and (2) a surface property-age model that links remotely sensed surface properties to new and published ages of alluvial surfaces in the region. A final goal of the study was to determine the slip rate along this segment of the Garlock fault and other faults in the map area. To accomplish this, offset landforms, such as terrace risers and channels, were analyzed in the context of the new age determinations. The results will be compared to published slip rate estimates for the region in order to better understand the Garlock fault's role within the plate boundary and how plate boundary strain is being accommodated in such an intraplate setting.Includes bibliographical references