Projects

The role of protein-mineral interactions for protein oxidation and hydrolysis

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Markus Kleber

Project type

Exploratory Research

We intend (1) to establish the molecular range of modifications to protein integrity and protein structure as such protein becomes associated with mineral surfaces and (2) to determine how mechanisms…

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy structure determination of the cobalamin binding protein HgcA required for bacterial mercury methylation

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Alexander Johs

Project type

Exploratory Research

Mercury is a pervasive global pollutant. Its methylated form, methylmercury, poses a substantial threat to human health. Methylation of mercury (Hg) by anaerobic bacteria is the primary source of…

Effect of organic carbon functional groups on the trapping and transformations of U(VI)

Lead Institution

Stanford University

Principal Investigator

Gordon Brown

Project type

Exploratory Research

Understanding the behavior of U(VI) in natural environments is crucial for controlling U contamination from uranium mining and milling activities at DOE legacy sites [1]. Previous studies of U…

Impact of Cholesterol and Some of its Oxidized Derivatives on DPPC in Langmuir Monolayers

Lead Institution

The Ohio State University

Principal Investigator

Heather Allen

Project type

Exploratory Research

The proposed research aims to understand how oxysterols alter the conformation and orientation of lipids in Langmuir monolayers, and how the concentration and chemical modifications of Chol modulate…

Ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry analysis of permafrost soil organic carbon composition and interactions in the Arctic environment

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Baohua Gu

Project type

Exploratory Research

Arctic permafrost soils contain as much organic carbon as was believed to exist in all soils worldwide and are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Yet, the exact chemical form and composition…

High-resolution imaging of Rhodobacter sphaeroides strains with increased lipid accumulation

Lead Institution

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Principal Investigator

Timothy Donohue

Project type

Exploratory Research

We are requesting access to super resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy/imaging facilities at EMSL. We propose to utilize these facilities to obtain molecular and high-resolution insights…

How do temperature and soil organic matter inputs mediate the organic molecular composition of soils?

Lead Institution

University of Oregon

Principal Investigator

Scott Bridgham

Project type

Exploratory Research

The potential release of stored soil carbon under a warming climate will be at least partially dependent on the temperature response of soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization. However, it has…

Detection and quantification of strigolactones in Populus

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jin-Gui Chen

Project type

Exploratory Research

Plant architecture plays a major role in determining photosynthetic light use efficiency and biomass yield. Shoot branching is one of the key determinants of plant architecture. The identification of…

Proteome Response to Arogenate Dehydratase Changes in Arabidopsis and Poplar

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Norman Lewis

Project type

Exploratory Research

Arogenate dehydratases (ADTs) are a class of isoenzymes involved in the production of phenylalanine (Phe). In addition to its involvement in protein biosynthesis, Phe is the starting metabolite in…

Surface-mounted bi-metallic sub-nano clusters as catalysts for endothermic cooling

Lead Institution

University of California, Los Angeles

Principal Investigator

Anastassia Alexandrova

Project type

Exploratory Research

The ultimate objective of the proposed research is understanding and design of novel catalytic surfaces based on sub-nano surface-deposited clusters, with a particular application to hydrogenation/de…

In Situ and Ex Situ Studies of Energy Storage Materials

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Karl Mueller

Project type

Exploratory Research

Innovation of energy storage technology depends critically on the fundamental understanding of the operating mechanism and dynamic interaction across different components in the storage unit. With…

Investigations of Metal-organic Frameworks Using High-field Solid State NMR

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Reimer

Project type

Exploratory Research

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as materials for the capture of CO2 from post-combustion flue gases. The knowledge of gas binding mechanisms and the in-depth understanding of MOF…

Determining Protein Interactions Involving Essential Genes of Unknown Function

Lead Institution

University of Delaware

Principal Investigator

Mark Blenner

Project type

Exploratory Research

The DOE's goal of advancing biological and environmental research for the development of renewable and sustainable sources of biofuels and bio-based chemicals from biomass relies on our ability…

Protemic Analysis of Naturally Ocurring Methane Oxidizing Archaeal Communities

Lead Institution

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Edward DeLong

Project type

Exploratory Research

Microbial mediated anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM) in marine sediments represents a significant but poorly understood carbon sink throughout the world's oceans. Mounting geochemical and…

The composition, transport, and fate of soil organic matter and pyrogenic carbon after prescribed burning

Lead Institution

University of Georgia

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Abney

Project type

Exploratory Research

Prescribed burning has exponentially increased in the United States over the past five years due to growing research into its use for land management and recent changes in legislation. While the…

Synthesis and Characterization at Atomic Level of Novel Nanocrystalline Metal Oxide Structures

Lead Institution

Nanjing Normal University

Principal Investigator

Zhongqing Yu

Project type

Exploratory Research

This project will focus on two objectives: 1) controllable formation of cooper oxide (Cu2O) quantum dots (QD) using oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (OPA MBE); 2) analysis of grown…

Characterizing the impact of soil phosphorus on soil organic matter stabilization

Lead Institution

Ohio University

Principal Investigator

Jared DeForest

Project type

Exploratory Research

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for life, but its role in mediating important biogeochemical cycles is often overlooked or misunderstood due to the emphasis on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N)…

Biomolecular linkages between detrital inputs and soil organic matter decomposition across temperate forest regions

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Kate Lajtha

Project type

Exploratory Research

Limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization and destabilization processes impedes improving models of earth systems and global carbon dynamics, as…

Single-Particle Microscopy of Arctic Atmospheric Particles

Lead Institution

University of Michigan

Principal Investigator

Kerri Pratt

Project type

Exploratory Research

Single-particle microscopy will be used to characterize the chemical composition of individual Arctic atmospheric particles collected during two Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement…

Deciphering histone codes underlying diurnal and cell cycle state transitions in Chlamydomonas

Lead Institution

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Principal Investigator

James Umen

Project type

Exploratory Research

The long-term goal of this project is to understand the dynamic genetic programming which underlies cell growth and proliferation in green algae. Proliferating microalgae in a diurnal environment are…