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Red kidney bean seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris) contain a variety of bioactive proteins including lectins, enzyme inhibitors, hydrolytic enzymes and antifungal proteins. The aim of this research was to investigate activities of selected low pH and heat-stable bioactive proteins extracted from different parts of red kidney bean seed, seedling and pod as well as seed and root exudates. Crude red kidney bean seed extracts inhibited growth of Alternaria alternata as well as its protease activity, but not its amylase activity. A protein with inhibitory activity against growth of A. alternata was purified from extracts of the red kidney bean cotyledons and embryonic axis. This purified bean protein was devoid of chitinase and β-1, 3- glucanase activities. Also, it did not inhibit porcine pancreatic α-amylase, bovine trypsin, amylase and protease of A. alternata suggesting that the antifungal activity of the protein is not related to these activities. Proteinaceous extracts of red kidney bean cotyledons induced melanin and conidia formation in mycelium of A. alternata. A protein responsible for this conidiation inducing effect was shown for the first time to be a mannose-binding lectin which is also known as PvFRIL (Phaseolus vulgaris fetal liver tyrosine kinase 3-receptor interacting lectin). An unexpected finding was that extracts of the embryonic axis stimulated rather than inhibited porcine α-amylase activity. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA-L in particular), co-extracted with α-amylase inhibitor from red kidney bean seeds, was implicated as an α-amylase stimulator with the potential of greatly assisting digestion of starch. In cotyledonary extracts, amylase stimulatory activity was masked by amylase inhibitory activity that was inactivated when the extracts were boiled for 10 min. An in-gel non-denaturing electrophoretic method was used to show presence of porcine α-amylase isoinhibitors in extracts of the cotyledons and embryonic axis. All other seedling parts as well as seed and root exudates had amylase stimulatory activity. Another improved non-denaturing electrophoretic method with immobilized azoalbumin was developed for in-gel detection of isoinhibitors of bovine trypsin in seed parts. It eliminates the need for both time-consuming and labourious staining, destaining or renaturation steps used in other methods. Accumulation of most of the selected bioactive proteins during seed development in different seed parts appeared to start at 20 days after flower abscission. The activities of these proteins decreased to lower levels after 11 days of germination. Besides these observed developmental changes, under abiotic (UV-C irradiation) and biotic (seedlings co-cultured with A. alternata) stress, increased activity of some of the selected bioactive proteins were detected. In conclusion, this study has contributed to a better understanding of antifungal activity and the selected bioactive proteins in extracts of red kidney bean.

Stroke is a devastating and debilitating condition resulting from a blockage or hemorrhage in the vasculature of the brain. Despite extensive research, the etiology and pathophysiology of the disease at the level of the cell membrane are poorly understood, and effective treatment has been elusive. Though much research has shown marked increases in lipid metabolism following stroke, the impact of these changes have often been overlooked given the technical challenges associated with identifying regionally specific changes in degenerating tissue. The advent of lipidomics – a systems biology approach to the large-scale profiling of individual lipid species in tissues – has renewed interest in understanding the role of membrane lipids and their metabolites in the cell and in ischemic injury. In this thesis, I have used an unbiased LC-ESI-MS-based lipidomic approach to profile the small molecular weight glycerophosphocholine second messenger lipidome in anterior and posterior regions of cortex and striatum in the forebrain of wild-type and platelet activating factor receptor (PAFR) null-mutant mice before and after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). From these profiles, I have outlined the potential use of lipid second messenger distribution as topographic landmarks to identify functional subdomains within neural tissue. Further, I have demonstrated that ischemia does not simply disrupt lipid second messenger metabolism globally but produces regionally specific changes in discrete species and that these changes are altered by the loss of lipid regulatory effectors (i.e., PAFR null mutation). Based on the lipid species identified in this profile of healthy and ischemic tissue, I proposed that tight regulation of PC(O-22:6/2:0) homeostasis by PAFR-expressing microglia is ii required for proper dopaminergic signaling in prefrontal cortex. Finally, I have outlined a model whereby increased PAF synthesis following ischemia contributes the inflammatory response by promoting blood-brain barrier permeability, microglial activation and immune cell infiltration in a PAFR-dependent manner.

Bioactive glasses are a type of ceramic material designed to be used as bioresorbable therapeutic bone implants. Thermal treatment of bioactive glass ceramics dictates many important features such as microstructure, degree of crystallinity, mechanical properties, and mineralization. This study investigates the effects of temperature, time, and heating rates on the crystallization kinetics of melt cast bioactive glass 45S5. Bulk crystallization (three dimensional crystallite formation) was found to always occur in bulk bioactive glass 45S5 irrespective of the processing conditions. A comparative study of crack paths in amorphous and crystalline phases of bioactive glass 45S5 revealed crack deflections and higher fracture resistance in partially crystallized bioactive glass. Such toughening is likely attributed to different crystallographic orientations of crystals or residual thermal mismatch strains. Furthermore, in vitro immersion testing of partially crystalline glass ceramic revealed higher adhesion capabilities of the mineralized layer formed on amorphous regions as compared to its crystalline counterpart. / Materials Engineering

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-110). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-110). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-117). Also available in print.