Cytoplasmic dynein is a motor protein complex found in eukaryotes that is essential to many cellular processes. With dynein being involved in mitosis, axonal transport and organelle transport, disruption of dynein function can lead to neurodegeneration and other diseases. The main function of dynein is transportation of cargo through the...
Eukaryotic cells have developed elaborate biochemical processes to counteract oxidative stress, electrophiles, or carcinogens due to environmental insults. One of these important cellular defense mechanisms is mediated by the transcription factor Nrf2 that have been shown to have decrease activity with age. While the process of which Nrf2 is involved...
Social networking is the concept that personal connections can form a large web of people and institutions that are essential in an individual’s realization of a goal. Social networking plays an important role in almost every business venture. This has proved to be especially true in the story of Aegir...
The use of ureolytic bacteria for the remediation of contaminated groundwater aquifers by inducing calcium carbonate precipitation is being studied in order to establish a better understanding of the modeling and prediction of how the bacteria will act in situ. This research has pursued the use of various ureolytic bacteria...
The ability of nanoparticles (NPs) to induce oxidative stress on organisms has been linked to NP cytotoxicity and genotoxicity for a variety of organisms. One proposed mechanism of this increased oxidative stress is the ability of NPs to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Due to the dynamic nature and small...
Anammox (Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation) is a significant biogeochemical process carried out by certain bacteria, generally referred to as anammox bacteria. These bacteria have the ability to anaerobically oxidize ammonium (NH4+) with nitrite (NO2-) to form nitrogen gas (N2) without an organic carbon source. While anammox bacteria are found in a...
Sepsis is a blood infection caused by circulating pathogens and cell wall fragments that affects over 1 million patients per year in the United States. When bacterial cell membranes are lysed by antibiotics, cell wall fragments containing lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are released. As a result, the capture of LPS is critical...
There are at least fifteen types of upper extremity tendon transfer procedures for combined peripheral nerve injuries that involve re-routing a single donor muscle to multiple recipient tendons. As a result, force and movement across finger joints become coupled, resulting in limited grasping abilities. Quantification and modeling of the donor...
A common issue with extracorporeal medical devices is blood clotting due to bio-incompatibility. Systemic anticoagulants are often prescribed to mitigate the coagulation issues. However, such drugs can lead to further complications, for example hemorrhaging. One solution to improve the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting medical devices are biomaterials, such as slippery liquid...
The action of pendant, polyethylene oxide (PEO) brush layers as nonfouling coatings for
biomedical materials is well understood. However progress toward clinical application of stable, high density PEO coatings has historically been impeded by the lack of cost effective, noninvasive methods for their preparation. Triblock polymers featuring a hydrophobic, polypropylene...