Life on Earth intimately depends on the function of countless proteins. For the majority of studied proteins, function absolutely depends on conformation (i.e. 3-dimensional shape in solution). The exact nature of how a protein goes from an unfolded linear polypeptide chain to an organized folded molecule is still not known,...
This capstone project explores the efficacy of Geography Information Systems (GIS) to promote scientific literacy in secondary science classrooms and students’ preference of GIS when learning scientific literacy skills. For the scope of this project, secondary science classrooms are defined as grades 6-12 and scientific literacy is defined as 1)...
Recently local grains have become an area of economic growth. Local grain products, including whole-wheat and sourdough products, are increasingly in demand for their health benefits, unique flavor profiles, and association with local food movements. These local grain economies are beginning to boom, but they lack the technical aid that...
Soil food webs process the majority of terrestrial carbon, and influence overall ecosystem function. A primary distinction among soil food webs is based on fungal versus bacterial pathways of decomposition; these lead to fundamentally different soil function, and are expected to differ in dominance between meadows and forests. This assumption...
Peroxiredoxin (Prx) enzymes catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrous acid, and organic peroxides, and are extremely efficient peroxidases, with k[subscript cat]/K[subscript M] on the order of 10⁷ - 10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Besides their role in oxidative stress defense, evidence has accumulated that some eukaryotes, including humans, use Prxs as...
Emerging infectious diseases impact both human and wildlife populations. Infectious agents, in particular the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid), have an influential role in driving global amphibian population declines. The emergence of the chytrid fungus has aspects of both geographic spread as well as climate shifts altering environmental conditions and...
The function of a protein is defined by its three-dimensional structure, and in understanding the three-dimensional structure of a protein, we gain an understanding of its function and mechanism. Protein structures, especially at high resolution, can provide detailed insights into many elements of enzyme function and catalysis – identifying residues...
Sulfur is one of the six elements required during the early stages of the evolution of life, and enzymes involved in sulfur transfer and oxidation are increasingly being recognized as potential drug targets for antimicrobials as well as for therapies for cancer, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. Bacteria are able to...