Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on December 28, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Dr. Niren Murthy; Committee Member: Dr. Carson Meredith; Committee Member: Dr. Julia Babensee; Committee Member: Dr. Mark Prausnitz; Committee Member: Dr. Ravi Bellamkonda.

M.Sc. (Chemistry) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The racemic (±)-2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(((2-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl)(methyl) amino)methyl)phenol ((±)-(NNMeOtBu)H), (±)-2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-((2-(dimethylamino) cyclohexylamino)methyl)phenol ((±)-(NNHOtBu)H), and (±)-2-(((2-(dimethylamino) cyclohexyl)(methyl)amino) methyl)phenol ((±)-(NNMeOH)H) are chiral ancillary NNO proligands, which synthesis was adapted from a published procedure. Reaction of (±)-(NNMeOtBu)H ((±)-2), (±)-(NNMeOH)H ((±)-3) and (±)-(NNHOtBu)H ((±)-1) with ZnEt2 successfully yielded the corresponding zinc ethyl complexes (±)-5, (±)-6 and (±)-7 respectively; the enantiomerically pure (R,R)-5 was synthesized from (R,R)-2. NMR spectroscopy experiments and X-ray crystallography allowed identification of two stereoisomers for (±)-5, which were observed in solution and in the solid state. The two stereoisomers, 5-α and 5-β, are in equilibrium in solution, with 5-β being thermodynamically favored. The zinc ethyl complexes were found to be unreactive towards weakly acidic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol). However, the zinc chloride complex (±)-(NNMeOtBu)ZnCl ((±)-8) and the zinc phenoxide (NNMeOtBu)ZnOPh ((±)-9 and (R,R)-9) could be isolated and characterized. Comparison of the reactivity of both (±)-5 and the reported L₁ZnEt (L₁ = 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6- {[(2'-dimethylaminoethyl) methylamino]methyl}phenolate) in presence of pyridine led to the proposal of a dissociative mechanism explaining the fundamental difference between the two zinc ethyl species. Polymerization of rac-lactide catalyzed by 9 showed that the complex, in its racemic or enantiomerically pure version, has a slow activity and is not stereoselective. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate

The ability of a peptide vaccine derived from the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) surface envelope glycoprotein protein (gp46) to mimic the native protein and elicit a protective immune response has been examined. This peptide construct, designated MVFMF2, comprises amino acids (aa) 175-218 of gp46 linked by a four residue turn (GPSL) to a promiscuous T-cell epitope from the measles virus fusion protein (MVF, aa 288-302). The peptide was structurally characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and was found to contain α-helical secondary structure. The immunogenicity of MVFMF2 in rabbits and mice was evaluated by direct ELISA and competitive ELISA using peptide constructs and the recombinant protein ACH-RE3 (aa 165-306). This peptide, when administered with adjuvant (N-acetyl-glucosamine-3yl-acetyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, nor-MDP) was immunogenic in an outbred population of both rabbits and mice. Furthermore, the peptide construct was encapsulated in biodegradable microspheres of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) to eliminate booster immunization and to examine adjuvant requirements. The data indicate that MVFMF2 shows enhanced immunogenicity when encapsulated in biodegradable microspheres. Inoculation of the encapsulated peptide produced a similar humoral response to that of the free peptide, but did not require the use of adjuvant. Elicited anti-rabbit and anti-mouse antibodies recognized whole viral preparations and the recombinant protein ACH-RE3 in ELISA assays. Additionally, inoculated rabbits exhibited enhanced reactivity to viral antigens by western blot compared to non-vaccinated controls. Although anti-rabbit and anti-mouse antibodies were capable of inhibiting syncytium formation at low dilutions, rabbits were not protected from cell-associated viral challenge. Future development of vaccines to HTLV-1 may need to incorporate the ability to elicit cell-mediated immune responses in order to protect against cell-associated viral infection.

No description available.

Chlorine is used as a powerful disinfectant in water-related industries and in the food industry to remove bacteria and other harmful contaminants. We present a solution-based fabrication process for a biodegradable electrochemical free chlorine sensor using asparagine that is functionalized onto graphene oxide (GO). An ink solution of the GO functionalized with asparagine was fabricated then deposited onto a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) using a spin-coater. The sensor showed high a sensitivity of 0.30 μA ppm−1 over a linear range of 0 to 8 ppm with a hysteresis-limited resolution of 0.2 ppm, very high selectivity in the presence of commonly interfering ions, and an operating voltage well below the reduction potential of dissolved oxygen. The sensor response time to achieve a steady state was 50 s, and it showed little change in its drift response over 16 h and over a temperature range of 10 to 45 °C. From the development of the free chlorine sensor, over 9000 datapoints were collected and used for training a neural network model to quantify and characterize factors affecting the free chlorine sensor performance. A readout system was designed with a printed circuit board and an android app to simplify free chlorine sensing for an end user. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Free chlorine is used to disinfectant sources of water, and eliminate pathogens. The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains strict amounts of free chlorine in water due to its widespread usage owed to its low cost and persistence in water systems. Too little, and it will not be an effective disinfectant, and too much and the high consumption of free chlorine increases the risk cancer or the formation of hazardous chemicals. Recently, free chlorine sensors that measure an electrical response proportional to the amount of free chlorine are gaining interest for fast, accurate, and repeatable measurements. This thesis focuses on the design, fabrication, and evaluation of these sensors made using biodegradable materials in a solution-based fabrication processes with the aim of working towards large-scale fabrication of a printable ink. First, we review the results achieved by the sensors within recent literature. Second, we present the design of a sensor that aims to achieve environmentally friendly goals and maintain competitive performance characteristics. The, the sensor is tested under various conditions with its performance quantified under different conditions. Third, the sensor is characterized using a neural network to measure its performance and identify sources of improvement for future designs. Finally, we incorporate the sensor with an android app to measure free chlorine in remote water systems.

No description available.

El negocio presentado consiste en la elaboración de una lonchera desplegable con su complemento que son envases de material biodegradable, son productos que cumplen los estándares de calidad y contribuyen al medio ambiente, que brindan la facilidad de transportar los alimentos de un lugar a otro, sin llevar tantas cosas en las manos y puedan continuar con la rutina diaria con satisfacción. Estos productos serán mostrados a través de nuestra página web, radio y redes sociales. Toda esta gestión será supervisada por los perfiles de puestos idóneos para cada actividad dentro de la empresa, que fueron seleccionados a gran detalle para evitar falencias y/o incidentes a futuro en los procesos internos de la empresa. La inversión estimada para iniciar las operaciones en la empresa será S/ 444,814.38 soles, esto permitirá implementar la creación de la página Web y cubrir los gastos de marketing, iniciando de esta manera la elaboración y comercialización de los productos y con esto obtener una proyección de ventas favorable durante los 05 primeros años. Los emprendedores aportaran el 40% del capital, pero se necesitará de inversión externa para cubrir el otro 60%. Donde se le retribuirá al inversionista una rentabilidad de 13% anual y una participación del 2% de las ventas para el segundo año. El equipo de emprendedores está integrado por 4 futuros egresados de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias aplicadas, todos con experiencia en diferentes campos empresariales sobre las cuales se apoya y recae este proyecto innovador y rentable que le facilitara la vida a muchas personas. / The presented business consists in the elaboration of a folding lunchbox with its complement that are containers of Eco-friendly material, they are products that meet quality standards and contribute to the environment, which provide the facility to transport food from one place to another, without carry so many things in your hands and can continue with the daily routine with satisfaction. These products will be shown through our website, radio and social networks. All this management will be supervised by the profiles of suitable positions for each activity within the company, which were selected in great detail to avoid failures and / or future incidents in the internal processes of the company. The estimated investment to start operations in the company will be S / 444,814.38 soles, this will allow the implementation of the website and cover the marketing expenses, thus initiating the preparation and marketing of the products and thus obtaining a projection of favorable sales during the first 5 years. Entrepreneurs will contribute 40% of the capital, but external investment will be needed to cover the other 60%. Where the investor will be rewarded with a 13% annual return and a 2% share of sales for the second year. The team of entrepreneurs is composed of 4 future graduates of the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, all with experience in different business fields on which this innovative and profitable project is based and which will make life easier for many people. / Tesis

Reports from various institutions claim that garbage management in Rwanda has had diverse effects on both the natural environment and human society. Such claims prompted for an exploratory study to find out an optimal system to handle solid waste in Kigali City. The study considered a literature review and primary data from 400 randomly selected citizens. They were surveyed about their opinions on which system they perceived to be the optimal to handle garbage in Kigali City. The computer software Web-Hipre was used to analyze data on the three systems considered to handle solid waste in Rwanda: briquetting, composting, and incineration.The results indicate briquetting as the optimal alternative to handle solid waste from homesteads and workplaces of Kigali City. Briquetting considers production of solid fuels that may reduce destruction of forests for fuel. Other major reasons for briquetting, highlighted by respondents, include improved kitchen hygiene and sanitation and replacement of charcoal for a less dusty fuel. Economic factors governed surveyed participants to prioritise briquetting system to handle solid waste in Kigali. Composting may be considered for transforming organic materials into mulch to support farming activities in rural areas as well as gardening in the towns. However, a centralised incineration system is presently not suitable. The private sector has so far not fully been engaged in the transformation of solid waste into bioenergy in Rwanda.