Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a known class of chemicals that are linked to a multitude of adverse health outcomes. There are over 1,500 of these chemicals across various families and subgroups. 16 of these PAHs, known as parent PAHs, are identified by the EPA for focused risk assessment within...
Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) is a highly potent, but less prevalent, environmental carcinogen belonging to a class of compounds known as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). They are highly ubiquitous and arise as a byproduct of natural and anthropogenic combustion processes. Previous studies have documented carcinogenic effects upon in utero exposure of PAHs....
There is a growing need to establish alternative approaches for assessing hazard from chemical exposure compared to the traditional method of animal testing. Approaches that relate chemical structure to biological activity are gaining acceptance in the field as in silico methods for characterizing and predicting chemical toxicity. In this study,...
There exists a growing need to establish a better in vitro model for evaluating PAH toxicity and carcinogenicity and to improve assessments of risk to human health, especially to the complex mixtures that exist in the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to the incomplete combustion...
Since 2007, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) sales in the U.S. have surpassed those of tobacco cigarettes. This is due, in part, to manufacturer’s claims that they are a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes. However, formaldehyde, acrolein, and diacetyl have been detected in e-cigarettes and public knowledge of e-cigarette composition and potential...
Many algorithms in parallel systems can be easily solved if we can generate a Hamiltonian cycle on the underly network. Finding Hamiltonian cycle is a well known NP-complete problem. For specific instances of regular graphs, such as Torus and Gaussian network, one can easily find Hamiltonian cycles. In this thesis,...
Phytochemicals from cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain a multitude of bioactive compounds that prevent and suppress cancer and promote optimal health. Some of the health promoting effects of cruciferous vegetables are attributed to a class of compounds known as isothiocyanates (ITCs), a potent nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2...
The field of toxicology is challenged with a vast number of environmental chemicals and mixtures to which humans and ecosystems are exposed with limited toxicity data available. Chemical hazard assessment traditionally utilizes mammalian models and can be both cost- and time-limiting and may pose ethical concerns. To rapidly tackle this...
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of anthropogenic chemicals characterized by highly stable carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds. PFAS are widely used in industrial and consumer products for their surface-active and stain-resistant properties and are ubiquitously detected in environmental media, biota, and human biomatrices. Although some PFAS are known...
All animals have developed the critical ability to detect, respond to, and detoxify a large array of environmental chemicals and stressors that can cause adverse health effects. Important examples of landmark contaminants around the world are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins, both of which can act via the aryl...