Most of existing commercial unsaturated polyester (UPE) resins are typically composed of a UPE and a high amount of highly volatile, flammable, and toxic styrene. The emission of hazardous styrene in the handling of the UPE resins and the preparation and use of fiber-reinforced UPE composites poses severe hazards to...
This dissertation consists of four studies of Populus and Eucalyptus biotechnology and genomic science: 1) induction of floral sterility by tapetal expression of the ribonuclease Barnase in Populus; 2) CRISPR Cas9-mediated gene editing targeting LEAFY (LFY) and AGAMOUS (AG) homologs in Populus; 3) induction of floral sterility by CRISPR Cas9...
The overall goal of this project was to design a wood frame shear wall that could withstand greater displacement before damage occurred to the Gypsum Wall Board (GWB). More specifically, the objectives of the study were: (1) to evaluate damage to the GWB in alternative shear wall designs at 1%,...
This thesis is an investigation of the natural products deriving from marine algae and cyanobacteria and has resulted in the discovery of eleven new secondary metabolites. The structure elucidations of these new molecules were performed using a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Four new macrolides were isolated and characterized from the...
Bacteriophage T4 gene 42 encodes dCMP hydroxymethylase, an
enzyme unique to the deoxyribonucleotide metabolism of T-even
bacteriophages. To study biochemical and biophysical properties of
the enzyme, as well as the interaction of dCMP hydroxymethylase with
other DNA precursor biosynthetic enzymes in vitro, availability of large
amounts of the enzyme is...
A compound series capable of reversing the antiviral effect of Ribavirin (RBV) against H1N1 was
identified from a high throughput screen designed to discover compounds capable of increasing the
fidelity of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) n ribovirus quasispecies. Two lead compounds,
RIC-1 (EC50 of 78.4 nM) and RIC-2 (EC50...
The biological preparation of aflatoxins was accomplished by
culturing the mold Aspergillus flavus on various media. Aflatoxin
was isolated by chloroform extraction of the culture, and purified
by column fractionation and crystallization. Rice, wheat, soya bean,
peanut and YES media were found to give high yields of aflatoxin. It
was...
The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the 30-minute cycling time trial to estimate the heart rate at lactate threshold. Recreationally trained cyclists and triathletes (n = 47) performed 3 tests in random order: 1) One graded exercise test to directly determine lactate threshold...
Death of flower parts near bloom due to inflorescence necrosis (IN) is associated with high ammonium (NH₄⁺) concentration in flower clusters, shade, cool wet weather preceding bloom, and excessive vigor. Faults in NH₄⁺ assimilation are suspected to cause a rise in NH₄⁺ concentration to toxic levels in flower cluster but...
The word orogenesis is derived from the Greek words oros meaning mountains and genesis meaning creation and refers to the study of the complex processes involved in the growth and evolution of mountain ranges (orogens). Orogens develop where crustal deformation builds topography and forms landscapes. This dissertation explores the role...