Amine Functionalization of Bacterial Cellulose for Targeted Delivery Applications

Bacterial cellulose (BC), produced by acetic acid bacteria Gluconacetobacter xylinus, is ideal for delivery and related biomedical functions. It is FDA approved for wound dressings and internal applications, non-toxic to endothelial cells and has little effect on blood profiles. Conjugation of therapeutics to BC can be accomplished through the available alcohol groups of the anhydroglucose units (AGU), making targeted delivery possible. Amine was introduced to BC through a reaction involving epichlorohydrin and ammonium hydroxide. The chemical structure was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and quantified through pH titration. Conjugation of amine to BC was demonstrated through fluorescein-5’-isothiocyanate (FITC) and bromocresol green (BCG) attachment. Due the its large molecular size, the protein horseradish peroxidise (HRP) was conjugated to aminated-BC through a bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate (BS3) linker to reduce steric congestion on the BC surface. Hydrogen peroxide was used to hydrolyze BC to create nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC-BC) with dimensions capable of intracellular delivery. Amine was introduced to NCC-BC and the chemical structure was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and quantified through pH titration. HRP was optimized to demonstrate protein attachment, while avidin-HRP was used to demonstrate the ability of maximizing protein loading. An avidin-biotin glucose oxidase and avidin-biotin β-galactosidase complex was conjugated to aminated NCC-BC to demonstrate the application of a drug carrier of therapeutic proteins

Understanding the effect of adaptive mutations on the three-dimensional structure of RNA

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are variations in the genome where one base pair can differ between individuals.1 SNPs occur throughout the genome and can correlate to a disease-state if they occur in a functional region of DNA.1According to the central dogma of molecular biology, any variation in the DNA sequence will have a direct effect on the RNA sequence and will potentially alter the identity or conformation of a protein product. A single RNA molecule, due to intramolecular base pairing, can acquire a plethora of 3-D conformations that are described by its structural ensemble. One SNP, rs12477830, which was previously shown to harbor signatures of positive selection by Sugden et. al,3 was passed through multiple RNA folding algorithms. The results of SNPfold 2 demonstrate that the SNP significantly alters the structural ensemble, and the significance of this change offers a potential explanation of SWIF(r)’s result.3 Furthermore, the RNAfold Webserver 4-6reveals that the mutant RNA molecule is more stable than the wild-type with a more negative free energy and a higher frequency. These loci of variation should be studied in order to understand the potentially induced conformational changes that could significantly alter the functional capacity of an RNA molecule. Future work aims to assess conformational changes elicited by SNPs previously shown to harbor signatures of positive selection using ancestry-specific reference genomes to better understand motivations behind a locus experiencing positive selective pressure

The Literacy of America's College Students

Measures the literacy of 1,827 graduating college and university students from eighty institutions. Looks at the ability to perform prose tasks such as read and use texts; search and comprehend forms; and conduct quantitative, computational tasks

Investigating the role of genetic variation in long run economic outcomes

This dissertation empirically tests whether adaptations resulting from the Neolithic Revolution, or the widespread adoption of sedentary agriculture for sustenance, have led to economic differences. The development of sedentary agriculture constituted an environmen- tal shift from the previous sustenance method of hunting and gathering. This environmental shift resulted in the natural selection of certain traits. I seek to exploit differences in these traits to measure differing economic outcomes. Two main adaptations are considered in this work: the ability to consume milk, or lactose tolerance, and resistance to infectious Eurasian diseases, which is the result of genetic variation. The first essay establishes a link between lactose tolerance and economic conditions in the pre-colonial era. The ability to digest milk, or to be lactose tolerant, is conferred by a gene variant, which is unequally distributed across the Old World. Digesting milk con- ferred qualitative and quantitative advantages to early farmers’s diets, which ultimately, led to differences in the carrying capacities of respective countries. The second essay inves- tigates the role of genetic differences in resistance to infectious diseases on contemporary health outcomes. The Neolithic Revolution led to the initiation and sustainability of new infectious diseases. The differential timing of the Neolithic Revolution created differences in exposure to these infectious pathogens. Ultimately, this led to differential selection of genetic resistance, in which diversity within a key component of the immune system, the major histocompatibility complex, was favorable. We evaluate this advantage through the construction of a common measure of genetic diversity that is constructed solely from gene variants within the major histocompatibility complex, known as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system in humans. The final essay explores the complementarity between potatoes and milk in explaining the large population growth experienced throughout the Old World in the 18th and 19th centuries

The Relationship Between Mental Health and Ultra-Running: A Case Study

This instrumental case study sought to explore the relationship between ultra-running and mental health through the lived experiences of a single participant who self-identifies as an ultra-runner. Three research questions were used to explore this relationship; how did the individual decide to participate in ultra-running, what aspects of ultra-running impact the participant’s mental health, and how has engaging in ultra-running impacted the participant’s mental health? The case study utilized three semi-structured interviews, two participant observations, video documentary review, and journaling to answer these questions. A thematic analysis of the data revealed four essential themes; 1) Development of participation, 2) Promotes positive mental health practices, 3) Development of self-identity, and 4) Dependency. The case study had three major findings. First, the participant’s journey to being an ultra-runner developed over time. Second, the aspects of ultra-running that impact the participant’s mental health are: 1) The social community it creates, 2) The structure it requires, 3) The experience of physical deprivation, 4) The amount of time spent in nature, 5) The challenge it creates, 6) The physical feeling it creates, and 7) The ability to use it as a platform for gender equity. Finally, the ways ultra-running has impacted the participant’s mental health are: 1) The creation of an identity that revolves around her engagement in ultra-running, 2) The promotion of healthy mental health practices, and 3) Her dependency on ultra-running. The case study concluded that the participant did not begin to engage in ultra-running in response to her mental health needs but as a product of experiences and positive reinforcements in her life, ultra-running has the potential to be very beneficial to a participant’s mental health through a variety of areas in a participant’s life, and engaging in ultra-running can create dependency in an individual when used as a primary coping skill or an essential part of the participant’s identity

Macroeconomic Impacts of Water Use in Agriculture

The recent/current recession provides the opportunity to study the effects of the macroeconomic changes on the agricultural production systems in the Great Plains and trace some of its impacts through the system to changes in primary inputs such water resource use. Therefore, the objective of the study reported here was to determine the effects of the changes in macroeconomic conditions driven by the 2008 recession on irrigated crop production in a portion of the Southern Great Plains and its impacts on water use. The approach for the study was to: (1) use the 10-year baseline FAPRI projections, based on changes in macroeconomic conditions, of agricultural commodity prices and input costs between the beginning of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, and (2) apply these different conditions within the Southern High Plains Ogallala Model (OM) in three counties representing different water situations and cropping patterns in the region. Overall results indicate that the 2008 recession likely had a relatively small impact on water use in the Southern Great Plains. Water use within the region is responsive to economic forces only when increased pumping flexibility exists; when water withdrawals are already at or near capacity, macroeconomic changes and changes in pumping costs and commodity prices are not likely to change water use.Ogallala Aquifer, recession, macroeconomic, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, E00, Q15, Q30, Q31,