Protein and Polypeptide Structure

Protein and Polypeptide Structure There are four levels of structure found in polypeptides and proteins. The primary structure of a polypeptide protein determines its secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures. Primary Structure The primary structure of polypeptides and proteins is the sequence of amino acids in the polypeptide chain with reference to the locations of any disulfide bonds. The primary structure may be thought of as a complete description of all of the covalent bonding in a polypeptide chain or protein. The most common way to denote a primary structure is to write the amino acid sequence using the standard three-letter abbreviations for the amino acids. For example  gly-gly-ser-ala  is the primary structure for a polypeptide composed of glycine, glycine, serine, and alanine, in that order, from the N-terminal amino acid (glycine) to the C-terminal amino acid (alanine). Secondary Structure Secondary structure is the ordered arrangement or conformation of amino acids in localized regions of a polypeptide or protein molecule. Hydrogen bonding plays an important role in stabilizing these folding patterns. The two main secondary structures are the alpha helix and the anti-parallel beta-pleated sheet. There are other periodic conformations  but the ÃŽ ±-helix and ÃŽ ²-pleated sheet are the most stable. A single polypeptide or protein may contain multiple secondary structures. An ÃŽ ±-helix is a right-handed or clockwise spiral in which each peptide bond is in the trans conformation and is planar. The amine group of each peptide bond runs generally upward and parallel to the axis of the helix; the carbonyl group points generally downward. The ÃŽ ²-pleated sheet consists of extended polypeptide chains with neighboring chains extending anti-parallel to each other. As with the ÃŽ ±-helix, each peptide bond is trans and planar. The amine and carbonyl groups of peptide bonds point toward each other and in the same plane, so hydrogen bonding can occur between adjacent polypeptide chains. The helix is stabilized by hydrogen bonding between amine and carbonyl groups of the same polypeptide chain. The pleated sheet is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the amine groups of one chain and the carbonyl groups of an adjacent chain. Tertiary Structure The tertiary structure of a polypeptide or protein is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms within a single polypeptide chain. For a polypeptide consisting of a single conformational folding pattern (e.g., an alpha helix only), the secondary and tertiary structure may be one and the same. Also, for a protein composed of a single polypeptide molecule, tertiary structure is the highest level of structure that is attained. Tertiary structure is largely maintained by disulfide bonds. Disulfide bonds are formed between the side chains of cysteine by oxidation of two thiol groups (SH) to form a disulfide bond (S-S), also sometimes called a disulfide bridge. Quaternary Structure Quaternary structure is used to describe proteins composed of multiple subunits (multiple polypeptide molecules, each called a monomer). Most proteins with a molecular weight greater than 50,000 consists of two or more noncovalently-linked monomers. The arrangement of the monomers in the three-dimensional protein is the quaternary structure. The most common example used to illustrate quaternary structure is the hemoglobin protein. Hemoglobins quaternary structure is the package of its monomeric subunits. Hemoglobin is composed of four monomers. There are two ÃŽ ±-chains, each with 141 amino acids, and two ÃŽ ²-chains, each with 146 amino acids. Because there are two different subunits, hemoglobin exhibits heteroquaternary structure. If all of the monomers in a protein are identical, there is homoquaternary structure. Hydrophobic interaction is the main stabilizing force for subunits in quaternary structure. When a single monomer folds into a three-dimensional shape to expose its polar side chains to an aqueous environment and to shield its nonpolar side chains, there are still some hydrophobic sections on the exposed surface. Two or more monomers will assemble so that their exposed hydrophobic sections are in contact. More Information Do you want more information on amino acids and proteins? Here are some additional online resources on  amino acids  and  chirality of amino acids. In addition to general chemistry texts, information about protein structure can be found in texts for biochemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, genetics, and molecular biology. The biology texts usually include information about the processes of transcription and translation, through which the genetic code of an organism is used to produce proteins.

J.B.S. Haldane An Evolution Biography

J.B.S. Haldane An Evolution Biography J.B.S. Haldane was an evolutionary biologist who made many contributions to the field of evolution. Dates: Born November 5, 1892 - Died December 1, 1964 Early Life and Education John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (Jack, for short) was born on November 5, 1892, in Oxford, England to Louisa Kathleen Trotter and John Scott Haldane. The Haldane family was well off and valued education beginning at an early age. Jacks father was a well-known psychologist in Oxford and as an eight-year-old child, Jack started studying the discipline with his father and assisted him in his work. He also learned genetics by breeding guinea pigs as a child. Jacks formal schooling was done at Eton College and New College at Oxford. He obtained his M.A. in 1914. Soon after, Haldane enlisted in the British Army and served during World War I. Personal Life After returning from the war, Haldane began teaching at the University of Cambridge in 1922. In 1924 he met Charlotte Franken Burghes. She was a reporter for a local publication and was married at the time that they met. She ended up divorcing her husband so she could marry Jack, almost costing him his teaching position at Cambridge for the controversy. The couple married in 1925 after her divorce was final. Haldane took a teaching position at the University of California, Berkeley in 1932, but returned to London in 1934 to spend the majority of the rest of his teaching career at the University of London. In 1946, Jack and Charlotte separated in 1942 and finally divorced in 1945 so he could marry Dr. Helen Spurway. In 1956, the Haldanes moved to India to teach and study there. Jack was openly atheist as he said that was how he conducted his experiments. He felt it wasnt fair to assume no God would interfere with the experiments he conducted, so he could not reconcile having a personal belief in any god. He often used himself as a test subject. Jack allegedly would perform dangerous experiments, such as drinking hydrochloric acid to test the effects on muscle control. Career and Accomplishments Jack Haldane excelled in the field of mathematics. He spent most of his teaching and research career interested in the mathematical side of genetics and particularly how enzymes worked. In 1925, Jack published his work with G.E. Briggs about enzymes that included the Briggs-Haldane equation. This equation took a previously published equation by Victor Henri and helped reinterpret how enzyme kinetics worked. Haldane also published many works on population genetics, again utilizing mathematics to support his ideas. He used his mathematical equations to support Charles Darwins idea of Natural Selection. This led to Jack helping to contribute to the Modern Synthesis of the Theory of Evolution. He was able to link Natural Selection to Gregor Mendels genetics using mathematics. This proved to be an invaluable addition to the many pieces of evidence that helped support the Theory of Evolution. Darwin himself did not have the privilege of knowing about genetics, so a quantitative way to measure how a population evolved was a major breakthrough at the time. Haldanes work brought a new understanding and renewed support of the Theory of Evolution by quantifying the theory. By using quantifiable data, he made the observations by Darwin and others verifiable. This allowed other scientists across the world to use their own data in support of the new Modern Synthesis of the Theory of Evolution linking genetics and evolution. Jack Haldane died December 1, 1964, after a bout with cancer.

PharmaSim Report OCM Group Allstar Brands Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PharmaSim OCM Group Allstar Brands - Lab Report Example Marketing plan or strategy must describe the key or augmented product characteristics and the kind of benefits they provide to the customer, the pivotal price that bounds company profitability yet providing value for money for the customer, tempting promotions that wil attract people to buy the product and a sound distribution and placement strategy to create access for the customers. Our target market segments was basically the retired segment where Allround had the most penetration and the largest (30%) market share. The prime reason for the selection of this market was the fact that they are most prone to body aches due to ageing. Since Allround product had the most amount of Analgesic, it was more suitable for aches and fever than cold symptoms. The brand is the clear market leader in this market segment. Most consumers use this product for nighttime relief because of the strength of the medication and because the alcohol and antihistamine help the patient rest. How you adjusted your pricing, channel, and promotions in response to the changes in: a) Macroenvironment of the Industry: Macro-economic environment changes such as change in government regulations; taxes, demographic changes and political environment highly affect the performance of the brand. For example, decline in industry growth and rise in infaltion negatively affected all the companies (including Allround brands) in the market. The cost of goods sold became higher than the previous period and hence our bottom line took a hit. After a consistent decline in the industry profits and growth, because of the competitive nature of the industry or changes in government policies for OTC, the macroeconomic environment changed in Period 8 when it increased by almost 12% period-over-period growth. Due to anticipatory high growth, the prices of the product were marginally increased ($1) in the respective period in order to leverage the benefits of market boom. b) Consumer Behaviors: Generally speaking, m arketing revolves around people. In the words of Peter Drucker, â€Å"Marketing is the entirety of the business from the perspective of the customer.† Hence, it is imperative to understand consumer behavior in order to gain customer insights and apply it to one’s brand strategy. In PharmaSim, consumer behavior was studies through market research reports and analysing shopping trends of the customers. The following insights were gained about our target market segments: Majority of the customer bought their over-the-counter medicines from grocery stores Majority of the physicians and pharmacists recommended brands Coughcure and End c) Competitors’ moves: Similar to the real world, one cannot play in insolation in PharmaSim, hence competitors’ reactive and aggressive moves affect your Dripstopperformances and strategies. For example, Besthelp, Coughcure and End

Week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Week 4 - Essay Example ected is accurate, all the team members should evaluate the operational descriptions of the data and ensure they are all correct, can be easily understood and completed. Therefore, awareness of the reliability and validity of the data collection tool used in quantitative research project is vital (Joint Commission Resources, Inc., 2008). Ensuring that the data collection tool is accurate is very crucial in qualitative research. Using consistent data collection tools increases the validity and consistency of the data collection. For example, a different person should collect the same data one has obtained at a different time. One cannot assume the blood pressure measurements taken are all accurate unless he or she is certain that the sphygmomanometers are often calibrated and all the doctors and nurses are well trained to provide best practice on taking blood pressures. A well cross-examined questionnaire will ensure that there are no shortcomings that lead to the collection of unreliable data. One is advised that if he or she cannot get a reliable collection tool, he should ensure that they carry out a pilot test first to avoid the difficulties. To improve on the reliability of data collection, training should be undertaken to all those who are providing data in correct procedures of data entry. Collecting unreliabl e data will lead to wrong results of the qualitative research (Chambers & Wakley, 2005). Cultural background is important in ensuring that one gets the information that one requires. When interviewing Ms. Li some of the cultural considerations that are important to remember include the preference of Asian Americans to herbal medicine, intimate partner violence or abuse among Asian Americans and the belief that the human body is whole and that each part is intimately connected, therefore when sick the whole body should be treated. The abuse assessment screen refers to a screening tool that is used to evaluate indications of abuse or violence against

Advertising and Promotion- the Pills Case Study

Advertising and Promotion- the Pills - Case Study Example Beats by Dre has used this mass communication to reach out to large target customers (Ansell, Harrison and Archibald, 2007, pp. 394-400). Beats by Dre has used Television to deliver its message through its advertisement. The communication process used by Beats by Dre to communicate the Pills campaign will be explained below. Sender Through the pills campaign Beats by Dre wants to send the message that users should destroy the use of cheap generic headphone and instead use their portable wireless speakers. Encoding Through this process Beats by Dre wants to give a sense that their wireless speakers are much more improved as compared to old generic headphones. Though they are small in size it is much louder (Bitner, M. J., Brown, S. W. and Meuter, M. L. 2000, pp. 138-141). Feedback The last process in the communication process is the receiver’s response to the message sent by the source. The Pills campaign resulted in positive feedback from the customers. Answer 1.2 The UK commu nicating industry has a lot of channels through which the messages flow. The traditional form of marketing channel consists of medium, agencies, media and production units. The media is the essential component which serves as the medium through which the campaign runs. There are many forms of media like print media, television media, social media etc. Majority of the companies now uses social media and television media as their medium of communication since it involves considerably lower cost and can be done at a cheaper rate (Botschen, Thelen and Pieters, 1997, pp. 38-42). They are using the social media to drive their advertising. There are many agencies which help in the production process like the pills campaign have been done by R/GA’s London and LA offices. Their job is creating and planning the advertising for their clients. It is an independent company which helps in the efforts of the clients in selling their products or services. They can also handle the whole marke ting and branding strategies of the clients. There are many types of ad agencies in UK consisting of specialized agencies, full service agencies, Interactive agencies etc. There are separate media and production units which creates the advertisement on the basis of concept given by the company. After the production process, they hand over the media content to the ad agencies that can get with the marketing and branding aspects of it (Boulding, Staelin, Ehret and Johnston, 2005, pp. 155-159). Answer 1.3 There are many self-regulatory systems in UK like Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). They adjudicate the complaints which they receive and its awards are published widely in the media. It is recognised as established means of protecting the consumers in non-broadcast marketing. There is legal regulation which opposes the unfair competition in the sales promotion activities in UK (Brangule-Vlagsma, Pieters and Wedel, 2002, pp. 267-270). T here are a variety of legal provisions on this. These are Consumer protection legislation, Contract law, Copyright and passing off, Lotteries an Amusement Act. Copyright infringement is not uncommon in the marketing activity. There are number cases like Liverpool daily post and Express Newspaper plc where it was a case of copyright infringement. In case of absence unfair competition, the law of passing off assist the companies in protecting their sales promotion activities against ambush marketing by its competitors (Carson and Coviello, 1996, pp. 51-54). Answer 1.4 Media fragmentation is

The Individual and the Government Essay Example for Free

The Individual and the Government Essay Our society is composed of many individuals who come from almost all walks of life. The purposeful functions of the individuals in the society benefit the state at large. The same is true for the performance of the state, giving us the idea that the state has the capability to provide not only the needs of the individuals but the also the needs of its own. Every individual in every state has their respective roles that, when summed altogether, comprise the entire benefits for the state. Quite similarly, every state also has its own distinctive roles that benefit the society in general. The government of the state recognizes the individual in many ways, and the most prominent of this comes in the form of the laws that promote and maintain the welfare of the individuals. On the other hand, the individual citizens recognize the roles and responsibilities of the government towards the people and the state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is a fact that individuals are one of the key components of the state, and that their roles in the state contribute to the preservation and continuance of the welfare of the general society. Many of the philosophers from the Renaissance to the contemporary times have emphasized the importance of individual human beings in the formation of the state. A number of these philosophers, specifically those who have proposed their own theories of social contract, stress the point that human beings agreed to form the state in order to preserve their lives as opposed to living a solitary life. Even the government is comprised of individual members each with specific mandated functions that altogether build-up the internal structure and organization of the government. With this aggregate membership of individual citizens, the government is able to proceed with its roles in the state and deliver the needs of the people, hence, exercising its part as the authority in the state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the state is an independent entity whose authority does not depend on other independent states, the state nevertheless needs the citizens who will fill-up the positions in the government in order to give it the capacity to perform its roles. The role of the citizens does not end there. It is also true that the individual citizens of the state pay taxes that serve as the source of the government’s finances. Even the minors pay taxes through the form of purchasing taxable goods and other services available within the territory of the state. While these are just some of the legally binding responsibilities of the citizens, the scope of these responsibilities is of primary significance to the well-being of the state—which is why they are bounded by the law. The individuals may not choose not to fulfill these responsibilities because the law prescribes them to do so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The state is essentially important, and that it serves as the identity of the summation of all individuals that belong to a single nation. Since the state is composed of individual citizens, it can also be said that the individuals share a form of authority as well. Had it not been for the smaller parts that comprise the whole, the whole would not have materialized. The same holds true for every state or government. Hence, even though the government is considered to be an authority in the state, the importance of the individuals should not be discounted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The significance of the individual not only in the formation of the state but also in the maintenance of the state should all the more be recognized. The power and the authority of the state is largely influenced by the roles and performances of individuals, and that a poor functioning of the individual members of the government and of the state in general greatly affects the state. Thus, the state should acknowledge the welfare of the individuals and realize the fact that, although there may be other sources one can contend, these individuals are one of the significant foundation of the power and authority of the state. References Krueger, Anne O. Government Failures in Development. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 4.3 (1990): 11-13. Palmer, Tom G. Review: Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public Goods Problem by Anthony De Jasay. Ethics 101.3 (1991): 651-52.

Influenza Fever :: Journalism Media Studies Ireland Health Essays

Influenza Fever DUBLIN, Ireland--It seems as though this year is not a good year for people as we have the big war going on and at home, people are stuck with a disease that the doctors do not know how to make it stop spreading. The epidemic has reached a boiling point as everyone is affected by this disease and it does not matter whether the person lives in Dublin, Ireland or Frankfurt, Germany, the disease still spreads. People dreaded to hear that they have been infected by that disease, they do not want to hear "influenza" is the disease that they are suffering from. Although the government has put out public notices that the disease is not infectious and tells people of ways to prevent as well as detect the disease, people are still afraid of it. They are in a state of panic as they are trying any means to protect themselves from having the disease. They are even gullible [enough] to believe that a certain type of nutrition tablet could help them to maintain vitality in their system so that [they] could effectively resist the influenza organism. Although, no one really knows how to cure the disease and certainly no one knows what makes one have it and one not, people are still flocking to the store to buy one of these so-called "nutrition tablets". However, this is not the worst case that I have seen since arriving at the infected city of Dublin as this latest trend will boggle anyone who has a sensible mind. A water company has advertised that people should not drink normal water because normal water has micro-organisms that will lead to influenza and only their brand of water is clean and pure and guaranteed to be free from any bacterial impurities. People are lining up at the store that I just passed by to buy the water from this company. Although I think that most of these advertisements about ways to not get influenza are scams, I cannot blame them for thinking that way. The influenza epidemic not only affected the children but also the economy as workers are infected by the disease. In a boot factory where before at lunch time one could see a bunch of girls and women come out taking their lunch break, the factory is now almost empty.