Design and synthesis of DNA minor groove methylating compounds that target pancreatic 7-cells

The design of compounds that form cytotoxic, non-mutagenic 3-methyladenine adducts in pancreatic ß-cells is being studied in this project for potential applications in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. These compounds are composed of three components: 1) a cell-targeting moiety, glucosamine, which targets the insulin producing pancreatic ß-cells by way of the GLUT-2 transporters present on these cells 2) a site-specific DNA methylating agent, Me-Lex, which has been shown to selectively produce cytotoxic, non-mutagenic N3- methyladenine adducts 3) a linker component that connects the two other components together. The linker is a critical component because it has to be such that the cell-targeting and DNAmethylating properties of the two functional components are maintained. A synthetic route was explored, which enables the easy introduction of various linkers into the molecules. Fluorescent compounds were also designed to bind weakly to DNA at the same positions as the DNAmethylating compounds. These fluorescent compounds will be used to calculate the binding constants of weakly binding compounds that bind to the minor groove of DNA at A/T rich regions. The design features and the synthesis of these compounds are described

Numerical simulations of the stochastic KDV equation

We study the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation with external noise and compare our numerical simulations to known theoretical results. By using a modification of the Zabusky-Kruskal finite difference scheme, we are able to generate numerical solutions to the stochastic KdV. We look at the large time behavior of the stochastic KdV and verify the diffusion of solitons. We find that the predicted large time behavior of the perturbed solution is not easily confirmed in the simulations as the initial soliton diffuses and is lost amidst the background noise long before the asymptotic limit is reached

Composing in new environments: incorporating new media writing in the composition classroom

Composition studies maintains a strong foundation within academia, but many composition instructors neglect the field’s relationship and approaches to the everexpanding existence of new media technologies. While the formal writing skills that represent the main focus of the majority of current composition programs retain vital skills that are necessary for students to learn, the fact remains that the field of composition studies is evolving as a result of communication technologies. Students no longer work in the sole context of the written word, but participate in environments that include abstract language and visual components. This new technological environment represents an arena upon which current composition programs often fail to capitalize. The question I plan to address throughout my research is how new media texts can be incorporated into composition classrooms and why new media texts are vitally important for college students in FYC courses

[Sigma Delta] Quantization with the hexagon norm in C

It has been shown that Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) Quantizer Schemes and §¢ Quantizer Schemes can be used to quantize one dimensional data for transmis- sion and recovery with each scheme having its own advantages and disadvantages. This work will discuss the viability of a two dimensional §¢ Quantization scheme for use in transmission and recovery. Three distinct two dimensional quantizer norms, the Box, the Diamond, and the Hexagon norm, will be compared using the Mean Square Error to show that the Hexagon Quantizer norm out performs the others and serves the purpose for a practical two dimensional quantizer

Faculty scholarship collections: Identifying, capturing, archiving, and accessing history

ABSTRACT. It has long been the mission of faculty to add to the world’s intellectual base. Academic libraries have the opportunity to play a key role in the acquisition, preservation and management of faculty intellectual product. The goal of this article is to address important issues surrounding today’s faculty scholarship collections, including the issues of explosive growth in quantity of product and the emergence of scholarship in newer, machine-readable formats. At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the University Archives (UA) has found that the Faculty Scholarship Collection contains valuable resources for researchers and serves to recognize university faculty for their scholarly contributions

Some Analysis of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Data from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)

Vulnerability trends can be very useful for informing the cyber risk management process. The objective of this paper is to analyze trends in Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) data feeds from 2003 to 2021 using Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) version 2.0 scores. Data for 147,547 CVEs through June 2021 were downloaded from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), parsed via Python-based text mining, and analyzed to identify various trends. Findings include a sharp increase in vulnerability integration, a slight decline in average base score of vulnerabilities over time, and the prevalence of exploits surrounding the Android operating system and man-in-the-middle attacks. This information may aid security measurement and management by helping information technology and security professionals form a security strategy based upon conclusions drawn from the analysis

Estrogen hormone replacement therapy in incidental intracranial meningioma: a growth-rate analysis.

Incidental meningiomas (IMs) are the most common intracranial neoplasms, especially in perimenopausal women. There is ongoing debate on whether their incidence is increased by hormone replacement therapy. Meningiomas often express estrogen receptors, which were linked to higher proliferative activity according to some reports. Consequently, there is a theoretical risk of estrogen-based HRT (e-HRT) leading to an increase in tumor growth and thus altering the natural history of IMs. However, clinical data is lacking to support this notion. To identify differences in the natural history of IM after e-HRT exposure. We queried the NorthShore Meningioma Database for patients with ≥ 6 months of e-HRT. They were compared with age-matched IM controls. Forty patients were included in the e-HRT group (mean age 62.1 ± 12.0 years; mean duration of HRT 5.3 ± 4.5 years) and 80 in the no-HRT group (mean age 62.2 ± 12 years). Radiographic appearance was similar between groups. The average 2D tumor diameter was 35% lower in the e-HRT group (p = 0.02), with an absolute growth-rate of half of the no-HRT group (p = 0.02). Radiographic and clinical progression-free survival were 1.2 years and 3.3 years longer in the e-HRT group, respectively. These preliminary results suggest that e-HRT may be safe in incidental meningiomas