Modern vaccines, including some SARS-CoV-2, make use of immune-response eliciting agents called adjuvants. While these compounds are effective at stimulating immune responses, they can have varying effects on individuals who receive the vaccine. One instance of these reactions is a high fever or pyrexia leading to safety concerns and in some cases hospitalization. Here we […]
C42: Metabolism of Condensed Tannins by Manganese Peroxidase
Tannin is a chemically stable phenolic compound found in plant leaves, fruits, and roots. It enters the soil from plant detritus, but what happens after it enters the soil is unknown. It has biological importance due to its action as an antioxidant and its ability to precipitate proteins. This unique ability to interact with proteins, […]
C43: Zein Nanoparticles Coated with Various Types of Tannin
Zein, a protein found in corn, can form nanoparticles that can be utilized in drug delivery systems. Condensed tannin and hydrolyzable tannin are high molecular weight plant polyphenols that interact strongly with protein, presumably by crosslinking via phenol-peptide hydrogen bonds. Adding a tannin “coat” to zein nanoparticles may protect the particles so they provide a […]
C45: Determination of Alcohols and Esters in Aqueous Solutions by Headspace Flow Injection Analysis using a Tin Oxide Electrochemical Detector
The SnO2 electrode has received wide-spread application for the headspace detection of volatile organic compounds such as ethanol. The sensor is actually an Al2O3 ceramic tube which is coated with a rough (high surface area) SnO2 layer and heated. Semiconducting oxide gas sensors of this type are based on the conductivity changes caused by the […]
C48: Time-resolved high-resolution spectroscopy: Lifetime measurements of 61Σg+ electronic state of Na2 using time correlated single photon counting
In this work we present progress towards the development of a map of the lifetimes of rovibrational states of the 6_1\Sigma^+_g state of diatomic sodium molecules. This research in chemical physics is focused on improving our understanding of fundamental aspects of matter. This particular electronic state is of interest to us as it possesses a […]
B48: Structural Transitions Modulate the Chaperone Activities of Grp94
Grp94 is a molecular chaperone found in the Heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 family. Grp94 is found in the endoplasmic reticulum and is a homodimer composed of a nucleotide-binding domain (NTD), middle domain (MD), and carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). Heat shock proteins help maintain homeostasis in a cell that is under stress. Folded proteins become unfolded […]
A10: Presence and Location of Twin Arginine Transport System in Cyanobacteria PCC 6803
The Twin Arginine Translocase system (TAT) is a translocase present both on bacteria plasma membranes and in thylakoid membranes of chloroplast-containing eukaryotes. Cyanobacteria contain both a plasma membrane and a thylakoid membrane but only one set of genes for the TAT system components. This study attempts to identify to which membrane or membranes the products […]
A12: Building a Better Protein: Site-Directed Mutagenesis of cpTatC-Hcf106 using PCR
This research was conducted within the Miami University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and specifically looked at using common biochemical techniques to modify a protein for ease of study. Proteins are the workhorses of all cells. In order to do their job, proteins need to reach a specific site of activity within the cell, and […]
A27: How Plants Adapt to Different Soils: A Phytochemical Comparison of Chamerion
The purpose of this study is to compare the chemical compositions of two plants in the genus Chamerion, and to relate their compositions to how they adapted to such different soils – river beauty preferring wet, mineral rich soil, such as around glacier streams, and fireweed preferring dry, organic rich soils, like areas that recently […]
A28: Do Plant Polyphenols Slow Climate Change?Total Phenolics Quantification using the Folin Assay
Wetlands are established as an extremely important part of the global carbon cycle. Despite covering only 2-3% of the land surface, wetlands store about ⅓ of global soil carbon, giving them a cooling effect on the climate. However, in recent years this effect has gradually decreased. Because of how much of the global soil carbon […]