Chemistry & Biochemistry Doctoral Work
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Recent Submissions
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Differential Modulation of the Structural and Functional Characteristics of Human Matrix Metalloproteinase Isozymes upon Binding to Different Ligands
(North Dakota State University, 2010)Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of Zn2 + -dependent, Ca2 + -containing endoproteinases involved in tissue remodeling and degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Human MMP isozymes are known to be ... -
Mechanistic Investigation of Catalytic Chlorite Decomposition by Chlorite Dismutase
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Water purification processes often involve chlorine-based disinfectants which consequently leads to formation of chloro oxyanions (ClOx−), potent water-soluble oxidizing agents. These chlorine species are kinetically stable ... -
Synthesis of Novel Biomass-derived Diol and Epoxide Monomers for Coatings Applications
(North Dakota State University, 2022)There are few monomers or precursors in the polymer industry that are more ubiquitous than bisphenol A (BPA). According to the CDC, about 5-6 billion pounds of BPA are produced worldwide annually. For the synthesis of ... -
Examining Thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine Through a Multifaceted Lens: From Extended Ring Functionalization to Ambipolar-Acceptor Copolymers
(North Dakota State University, 2022)A class of materials known as conjugated polymers (CPs) has been shown to integrate the physical properties of organic plastics such as low-weight, flexibility, and synthetic modularity with electronic semiconducting ... -
New Insights into Apoptosis-Inducing Factor Mediated Pro-Survival Activity
(North Dakota State University, 2022)Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells and is caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations that contribute to cell division, cell growth, and the DNA repair system. According to ... -
Scrutinizing the Role of Ambipolar Units in the Donor-Acceptor Framework
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Conjugated polymers (CPs) are a class of materials that contradict what is commonly considered when people hear the terms plastics and electronics. While these two phrases are generally considered exclusive, CPs combine ... -
Surface and Interface Effects on the Photoexcited Process of Silver Nanoclusters, and Lead & Cadmium Chalcogenide Nanocrystals
(North Dakota State University, 2020)The surface and interface of the metal nanoclusters and semiconducting nanomaterials play a key role in determining the electronic structure and overall photophysical properties. A single strand DNA stabilizes the metal ... -
Designing Ru Catalysts for Selective C-H Bond Oxidation Reactions
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Typically, C-H bond oxidation proceeds via formation of high-valent metal oxo species. Attaining a high oxidation state of the metal complex is critical as it is the key step for many catalytic processes. Understanding ... -
Investigating the Role of BECN1 Conformationally Flexible Regions and Invariant Cys-x-x-Cys Motifs in Autophagy
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Autophagy is an essential catabolic cellular homeostasis process conserved in all eukaryotes. BECN1, a key autophagy protein involved in autophagosome nucleation, comprises of a large, poorly conserved, N-terminal intrinsically ... -
Enzyme Behavior in Synthetic Materials and Structural Implications for Rational Design
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Combining enzymes with synthetic materials is the new frontier of biocatalysis, materials science, and protein engineering. Enzymes are biological macromolecule catalysts with incredible efficiency and specificity that are ... -
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: An Exploration of Student Problem Solving and Reasoning with 1H NMR Spectral Features
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is vital to synthesis and provides rich problem-solving opportunities for organic chemistry students. However, little is known about 1H NMR spectroscopy instruction or how ... -
Influence of Organic and Inorganic Passivation on the Photophysics of Cadmium Chalcogenide and Lead Chalcogenide Quantum Dots
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Quantum dots (QDs) are promising materials for photovoltaic (PV) and light-emitting diode (LED) applications due to their unique properties: photostability, size-tunable absorptivity, and narrow line-width emission. These ... -
New Strategies for Transition Metal Catalyzed C-C and C-N Bond Formation
(North Dakota State University, 2018)Transition metal catalysis emerged as an essential tool in the field of organic chemistry. In this context, transition metal catalyzed C-H bond functionalization is considered as an alluring strategy as it occurs with the ... -
Synthesis and Design of Thiophene Materials: Effects of Ring Fusion and Metal Coordination
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Conjugated organic materials comprise a field of materials chemistry focused on the development of semiconducting organic plastics, popular applications of which are plastic solar cells and display technologies. One of the ... -
Structural Basis for the Regulation of a Conserved TonB-dependent Iron Transport System via Cell-surface Signaling in Gram-negative Bacteria
(North Dakota State University, 2017)Cell-surface signaling (CSS) pathways are highly conserved systems in Gram-negative bacteria that allow the cell to efficiently respond to environmental stimuli through transcriptional regulation. Three distinct proteins ... -
Understanding the Interaction Between Enzymes and Nanomaterials
(North Dakota State University, 2019)The rapid development of nanoparticles (NPs) has impacted many fields including energy efficiency, material science, biosensing, and medical therapeutics. Recently, NPs have been utilized to immobilize enzymes. The so-formed ... -
Synthesis, Photophysics, Reverse Saturable Absorption, and Photodynamic Therapy of Iridium(III) Complexes Bearing Different Degrees of p-conjugation on the Ligands
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Octahedral d6 iridium(III) complexes possess rich photophysical properties. The most distinct phtotphysical properties of the Ir(III) complexes are their high triplet excited-state formation quantum yields, long-lived ... -
Development of Quantitative Lateral Flow Strip Biosensors for the Detection of Cancer Biomarkers
(North Dakota State University, 2019)The detection of cancer biomarkers is of great importance in oncology. Cancer biomarkers can provide diagnostic information which can aid disease screening and early diagnosis. Further, cancer biomarkers can help predict ... -
Investigating Selected Mechanisms of Modulation of BECN1-mediated Autophagy
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway wherein cytoplasmic components not needed by or harmful to the cell are degraded and recycled. BECN homologs are key autophagy proteins consisting of an intrinsically disordered ... -
Apoptosis-Inducing Factor Mediates Metabolism and Oxidative Stress Signaling through Functionally Uncoupled Mechanisms to the Benefit of Tumorigenesis
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, arising when cells accumulate genomic mutations that render them incapable of controlling their own proliferation and survival. While substantial improvements in ...