The Effect of Salt Concentrations on A. vinelandii Nitrogenase

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Clinton R. King and Dr. Gary D. Watt, Chemistry and Biochemistry We are investigating the kinetic effect of salt concentration on the reaction N2 + (6+2n)H+ + (6+2n)e- + 2(6+2n)ATP  2NH3 + nH2 + 2(6+2n)Pi + 2(6+2n)ADP (1) catalyzed by nitrogenase where the spontaneous decomposition of S2O4 2- is the electron source. Under high […]

Determination of the Number of Redox Sites in Mammalian Ferritin

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Jason Kenealey and Dr. Gerald Watt, Chemistry and Biochemistry Ferritin is a protein that facilitates iron metabolism in the body. Virtually all living organisms are dependent on ferritin for iron storage. It has been found in everything including animals, plants and bacteria. Ferritin is formed from 24 subunits, which are arranged to form a sphere […]

ä13C Isotope Analysis of Pennsylvanian Carbonates in Arrow Canyon, Nevada

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Julia Kahmann and Dr. Scott Ritter, Geology Carbonate rocks, when sampled and analyzed for their carbon isotopes, carry an isotopic signature that may be used as a correlation tool. When other tools do not suffice, or the present correlation needs to be enhanced, isotope analysis is an appropriate alternative. Arrow Canyon Nevada has extensive, continuous, […]

Development of a Cellular Model Expressing Cloned HIV env Genes

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Jeffrey S. Johnson and Dr. Gregory F. Burton, Chemistry and Biochemistry Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), a treatment that uses protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogs to block replication of HIV, has had a marked effect on decreasing the viral loads of HIV in infected individuals. However, studies have indicated that if a patient receiving HAART […]

Improved Hyperweb Search Efficiency through Index Replication

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Jared Holcomb and Dr. Scott Woodfield, Computer Science The hyperweb is a network based on a modified hypercube1 topology. It is used to create a peerto- peer network for a distributed database (such as a genealogical database.) Two major drawbacks that a peer-to-peer network suffers are a low reliability rate for individual nodes and a […]

Regio- and Stereoselective Photochemical [2+2] Cycloaddition between 4-Hydroxycoumarin and Alkenes

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Scott Henneman and Dr. Steven A. Fleming, Chemistry and Biochemistry Recent photochemical research has proven helpful in understanding the regio- and stereoselective mechanism of four-member ring formation. When compounds cycloadd— combine either inter- or intramolecularly to form rings—a broad assortment of isomers are generally formed. However, the regio- and stereoselectivity of the cycloaddition process—the tendency […]

Antibiotic Compounds Isolated from Plant Microbes

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Michael C. Haymore and Dr. Noel Owen, Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Flemming in the early twentieth century is seen as one of the most significant medical advances in the past 100 years. Millions of people have had their lives preserved or prolonged due to the use of effective antibiotics […]

Destructive Testing Versus Nondestructive Evaluation: A Statistical Comparison

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Geraldine Hansen and Dr. C. Shane Reese, Statistics Researchers and developers in manufacturing and industry are often confronted with the problem of testing component functionality. Two important testing methods used on equipment are destructive testing (DT) or nondestructive evaluation (NDE). DT implies that the part is destroyed by disassembly, or it is destroyed by utilizing […]

Potential Inhibitors of HIV Integrase

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Daniel A. Gubler and Dr. Matt A. Peterson, Chemistry and Biochemistry The purpose of my research is to synthesize a new class of enediynes that mimic linbenzoadenosine derivatives and have potential for inhibiting HIV integrase. This new class of enediynes is shown in Figure 1. Upon synthesis we will evaluate the biological activity of these […]