Thesis (M. S.)--Texas A&M University, 2003. / "Major Subject: Food Science and Technology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Apr. 27, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Food Science and Technology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Apr. 27, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Food Science and Technology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Apr. 27, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Texas A&M University, 2006. / "Major Subject: Food Science and Technology" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Apr. 27, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Science and Technology Journalism" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Apr. 27, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

The high mobility group protein HMGA2 is an architectural transcription factor, which is expressed during embryogenesis. Aberrant expression causes benign and malignant tumor formation. The protein possesses three "AT hook" domains and an acidic Cterminal. HMGA2 is natively unstructured, however it forms a homodimer. In this study site-directed mutagenesis was used to create single methionine mutants, HMGA2Q37M, HMGA2I71M and HMGA2Q85M. These mutants were cross-linked using EDC and then cleaved using CNBr to determine which domains are involved in homodimer formation. Our results indicate that the second "AT hook" domain may interact with the C-terminal. We then labeled a peptide containing the C-terminal (CTP) with tetramethylrhodamine-5- maleimide (TRM). We found that the CTP-TMR binds to HMGA2Α95-108, which lacks the C-terminal. These results suggest that the C-terminal is required for homodimer formation. The techniques used within this study can be applied to forensics and with further research HMGA2 may have a forensic application.

Due to the threat of bioterrorist acts, there is a need to develop techniques that rapidly detect possible bioagents. Amplicon length heterogeneity-polymerase chain reaction (ALH-PCR) presumptively identifies eubacteria in samples by detecting differences between the lengths of the hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. To study the efficiency, reproducibility, and reliability of the technique, sputum from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has been chosen as the model system. There is an abundance of microorganisms in the sputum of the CF lung. Using ALH-PCR, the complex microbial diversity and vast community composition in the lungs of the CF patients were studied. Twenty-four out of twenty-six CF samples were presumptively identified to contain Pseudomonas aeurginosa, a known CF pathogen. Sputum profiles were also compared over time and ALH was able to demonstrate that the CF lung flora is a dynamic community and may be affected by antibiotics.

The purpose of this research was to develop a strategy for the DNA typing of Cannabis sativa. DNA typing was accomplished by using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) method. Cannabis (marijuana) was selected because it is an illegal substance grown across the United States and in other countries and the sourcing of this plant is of interest to law enforcement agencies. While some peaks may be shared, the overall peak profile is expected to contain some peak differences between individuals. The AFLP procedure was performed on 25 different cannabis samples using four different primer combinations. In all of the AFLP profiles, there were significant peak differences that allowed for all the samples to be distinguished. The samples that were genetically related displayed the same peak profiles in the electropherograms and the samples that were not related possessed unique profiles. The development and validation of the AFLP method would lead to the creation of a database that could then be used to link cloned samples and to track distribution networks and, ultimately, individual plants could be linked together.

The purpose of this research is to introduce a method for the forensic elemental analysis of cotton fibers for the purpose of increasing the discrimination between otherwise similar cotton evidence using microwave digestion Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Laser Ablation- Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A quadrupole ICP-MS and UV laser ablation (266nm) instruments were used for the analysis. A cotton standard reference material (IAEA V-9) was used to validate the developed methods producing good accuracy with typically 10 % bias and good precision (typically 5% RSD) for the element list: 25Mg, 27Al, 55Mn, 57Fe, 88Sr and 137Ba. It was found that the LA-ICP-MS method resulted in improved precision over the solution ICP-MS method. Twenty four (24) raw cotton samples and five white cotton T-Shirts were analyzed with the developed methods. It was also found that all the raw cotton samples from different sources were distinguishable from each other, as were all the cotton T-shirts resulting in zero type I errors and zero type II errors for the pairwise comparisons.

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