Analytical Method Development For The Analysis Of Biomass Degradation Products

The goal of this project is to study the kinetics of hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass. Biomass contains stored chemical energy that can be converted to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes, but an in-depth understanding of the kinetics of these processes is important in order for them to be feasible on a large scale. Since biomass degradation products depend on the type of biomass used as well as the reaction conditions, this task can be quite complicated. To minimize complications in our initial studies, we will use D-glucose as the starting material. To better understand the degradation pathway’s dependence on reaction conditions, qualitative and quantitative analysis will be done on the products of hydrothermal degradation of D-glucose after various reaction times and conditions. However, the appropriate analytical techniques must be identified and tested first to ensure they are capable of identifying and quantifying biomass degradation products. The analytical techniques tested for this analysis include nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1016/thumbnail.jp

Analytical Method Development for the Analysis of E-Liquids

Electronic cigarettes are one of the most commonly used methods of nicotine delivery, especially among the adolescent population. Due to the lack of regulation in manufacturer labeling of refillable nicotine solutions (e-liquids), the actual concentration of nicotine and other additives is variable as compared to the reported values. Misreporting of nicotine content is a contributor in the development of nicotine dependency and potentially tobacco product dependency. The objective of this research is to develop reliable analytical methods to study the variations in nicotine levels in e-liquids, and to identify and quantify other potentially harmful additives in e-liquids. In this research we used gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GCMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for identification of compounds, and we used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and GCMS for quantification of compounds.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2022/1037/thumbnail.jp

Morehead State University Student Members of the American Chemical Society

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1217/thumbnail.jp

Analytical Method Development For The Analysis Of Biomass Degradation Products

The goal of this project is to study the kinetics of hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass. Biomass contains stored chemical energy that can be converted to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes, but an in-depth understanding of the kinetics of these processes is important in order for them to be feasible on a large scale. Since biomass degradation products depend on the type of biomass used as well as the reaction conditions, this task can be quite complicated. To minimize complications in our initial studies, we will use D-glucose as the starting material. To better understand the degradation pathway’s dependence on reaction conditions, qualitative and quantitative analysis will be done on the products of hydrothermal degradation of D-glucose after various reaction times and conditions. However, the appropriate analytical techniques must be identified and tested first to ensure they are capable of identifying and quantifying biomass degradation products. The analytical techniques tested for this analysis include nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Prevalence of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in the 24 cancer genes of the ACMG Secondary Findings v2.0 list in a large cancer cohort and ethnicity-matched controls

Abstract Background Prior research has established that the prevalence of pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants across all of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) Secondary Findings (SF) genes is approximately 0.8–5%. We investigated the prevalence of P/LP variants in the 24 ACMG SF v2.0 cancer genes in a family-based cancer research cohort (n = 1173) and in cancer-free ethnicity-matched controls (n = 982). Methods We used InterVar to classify variants and subsequently conducted a manual review to further examine variants of unknown significance (VUS). Results In the 24 genes on the ACMG SF v2.0 list associated with a cancer phenotype, we observed 8 P/LP unique variants (8 individuals; 0.8%) in controls and 11 P/LP unique variants (14 individuals; 1.2%) in cases, a non-significant difference. We reviewed 115 VUS. The median estimated per-variant review time required was 30 min; the first variant within a gene took significantly (p = 0.0009) longer to review (median = 60 min) compared with subsequent variants (median = 30 min). The concordance rate was 83.3% for the variants examined by two reviewers. Conclusion The 115 VUS required database and literature review, a time- and labor-intensive process hampered by the difficulty in interpreting conflicting P/LP determinations. By rigorously investigating the 24 ACMG SF v2.0 cancer genes, our work establishes a benchmark P/LP variant prevalence rate in a familial cancer cohort and controls