Chemistry (including Biochemistry)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Electrophoresis | 2/10/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I'm a middle school student working on a project dealing with crime scene science. I would like to ... A: Gel electrophoresis is one of the last steps of the forensic DNA test. This technology has been ... | ||
| Biochemistry | 2/10/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Calculate the pH of a 1L solution containing .1M formic acid and .1M sodium formate after the ... A: You need the Henderson-Hasselbach equation to do that. Try these links. ... | ||
| hydrogen | 2/9/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: When Hydrogen gas is ignited it flames.as it reacts with the air.What happens if it was ignited in a ... A: For hydrogen gas to burn there must be oxygen gas around. If you struck a spark in a chamber of pure ... | ||
| Conversion | 2/8/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: How do I convert 26.3nmol of a substance whose MW is 12750 to ug? I ultimately want to make a 1mM ... A: First you convert nmol into mol, and then plug the number of moles into the formula (from ... | ||
| microneedle biopsy, measure total atp content, measure total magnesium content | 1/30/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: three ways to obtain muscle specimen i read are open excision, bergstrom needle, and microneedle ... A: Here's what Google Scholar gives me. If we approximate normal ATP content of human skeletal muscle ... | ||
| microneedle biopsy, measure total atp content, measure total magnesium content | 1/29/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: three ways to obtain muscle specimen i read are open excision, bergstrom needle, and microneedle ... A: As far as I know, each test I described would only detect either ATP or Mg, but not both. ... | ||
| antacids | 1/28/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Robichaud, These are not homework questions. It’s been 6 decades since I’ve seen the inside of a ... A: I know the beginning of my bio looks harsh; it's to prevent students sending me their entire ... | ||
| microneedle biopsy, measure total atp content, measure total magnesium content | 1/28/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: three ways to obtain muscle specimen i read are open excision, bergstrom needle, and microneedle ... A: Microneedle biopsy will get you about 7-70 milligrams of cells; that's not a lot. Given the limited ... | ||
| biochemical | 1/18/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: i am a foreign reader,studying a paper but i have problem in understandin.is it possible help me ... A: I looked up the paper you were reading. (Hooray for Google!) In this case I believe 'extension' was ... | ||
| sweat from melting ice | 1/12/2012 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: why does a glass of ice water sweat as it melts A: I'm flattered you asked me, but try Google next time. :) It's a process called 'condensation'. ... | ||
| salt vs sugar , which dissolves faster in room temperature water | 1/2/2012 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: I'm trying to help my son (4th grader) with his science project. He has to take two clear 16 ounce ... A: The clouding you saw was the salt being first suspended before dissolving. A suspension is not the ... | ||
| Wide Periodic Table | 12/14/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I notice on what few "wide" copies or charts of the Periodic table, Scandium and Yttrium are often ... A: I've done a little digging, and the best explanations I can find are these. 1) It's aesthetic. ... | ||
| Element | 12/7/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: It is me again! Thanks for your answers to my previous questions! This time, I really hope you can ... A: Classically, an element is a pure substance. The atoms of an element all have the same chemical and ... | ||
| Chemical Reactions | 12/2/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: What are some examples of precipitate forming in everday life? Is snow or rain an example, I'm not ... A: You've hit on three cool concepts with one question, and largely this is to do with how scientists ... | ||
| lab question | 12/2/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: in my lab we did Freezing Point Depression with cyclohexane to find the molecular weight of known. ... A: You're forgetting the true purpose of taking the class. You want to do this experiment the right way ... | ||
| Chemistry | 12/1/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Why is there a repulsion between paired electrons even though they obey the pauli exclusion( which ... A: I thought it over and read some things, and I must come back to this: The feasible reasons I can ... | ||
| Chemistry | 11/29/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Gas : 2CO(g) + O2(g) <---> 2CO2(g) " The effect of an addition of an inert gas depends on the ... A: Washington! Ah, PV=nRT. Learn it, love it, live it. Whenever you do ideal gas problems, write out ... | ||
| penicillin | 11/27/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: My name is Megan and I'm 17 years old. I'm doing research on penicillin for a school project. I ... A: Those ingredients are just the growth medium for the penicillin mold culture. Lactose monohydrate ... | ||
| Chemistry | 11/23/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Why is there a repulsion between paired electrons even though they obey the pauli exclusion( which ... A: I regret to say your question has confused me terribly. Kc looks like something I learnt briefly in ... | ||
| Chemistry | 11/22/2011 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: Why is there a repulsion between paired electrons even though they obey the pauli exclusion( which ... A: In brief: The repulsion between paired electrons is do to the restricted volume in space that their ... | ||
| Chemistry | 11/22/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Why is there a repulsion between paired electrons even though they obey the pauli exclusion( which ... A: Electrons fundamentally don't believe in sharing, and are as 'lazy' as possible. Electrons repulse ... | ||
| chemistry | 11/19/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: sir which metal is used as a catalyst in the formation of banaspati ghee? A: I learned a lot researching it. I am sorry this answer finds you a little on the late side. So, ... | ||
| Activated charcoal in chemistry | 11/17/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I am trying to replicate part of an experiment that originally used powdered activated carbon to ... A: First of all, this is unforgivably late. I'm sorry. Activated carbon is cool stuff. :) ... | ||
| Metal content in salt | 11/10/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I'm trying to find out how to properly calculate how much metal I'm putting into solution. From what ... A: You need to review the concept of a mole as a unit in chemistry. It is defined as a specific number ... | ||
| Why does Gorilla Glue expand? | 11/7/2011 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: So when you use gorilla glue, moisture has to be applied so that it foams and "fills cracks", thus ... A: The atmospheric or liquid moisture promotes the decarboxylation (CO2) component of the urethane ... | ||
| food test | 11/6/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: how do we test for lipids in a food substrate? A: I'm not sure what materials and testing equipment you have access to, or if your substrate is solid, ... | ||
| Cell's vesicular transports | 10/24/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I am a medical student (first year), and have a question about the cell's vesicular transports. We ... A: You're in for a lot of work without books. I suggest you get to know these web sites well. ... | ||
| average atomic mass | 10/20/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: I am trying to calculate the present in 1.35g of Silver, Ag. I know you have to use the atomic mass ... A: Greetings Shannon! I'm guessing you need the 'percent' of silver in 1.35 g. This sounds like an ... | ||
| Activation energy | 10/18/2011 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: I am an Italian with a study curriculum in humanities who is trying to remediate his ignorance in ... A: In general, yes. There are 3 typical energy quanta that can effect this. Rotational energy is ... | ||
| Pheromones | 10/9/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: There is a store that advertises that they sell pheromones. They advertise that using pheromones, ... A: Hola Leonardo! The honest truth is that we have not found a human pheromone that will make a man ... | ||
| Why does my Prussian Blue test not work for apricot stones? | 10/8/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Apricot stones are said to contain hydrogen cyanide, so in theory a Prussian Blue test should work ... A: Greetings Klaus! In classical preparations of Prussian Blue the reaction is apparently run under ... | ||
| school project in chemistry | 10/5/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: hey, I'm an 11th grade student and I'm doing this project in my chemistry class that requires me to ... A: So you want to describe a chemical reaction that helps humans healthwise? I can link you to a ... | ||
| chemistry | 10/4/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Sir, Can I mix 50kg of 98% phosphoric acid into 100kg of 98% sulphuric acid? Is there any problem, ... A: Both those compounds are highly acidic and corrosive on their own. I'd be careful handling them. I ... | ||
| Maximum Life Span of Animals, Fishes and Birds. | 10/3/2011 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: I want to know the fundamental base reason for why Maximum Life span of Animals, Fishes, Birds vary ... A: You will need to look up the gestation period, time to maturity and metabolism info (heart rate is a ... | ||
| Maximum Life Span of Animals, Fishes and Birds. | 10/3/2011 | Dr. Jeffery Raymond |
| Q: I want to know the fundamental base reason for why Maximum Life span of Animals, Fishes, Birds vary ... A: There are "age markers" at the end of chromosomes that are clipped every time a cell divides. This ... | ||
| chemical | 9/18/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: what chemical changes are found when green chilli is fried n it becomes harmful to health? A: As far as I know, deep frying green chilis does not produce compounds that are harmful to health. ... | ||
| Chemistry | 9/9/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: In a bottle boiled water is poured. An iron nail is also put. After 5 days it is taken. What will ... A: Greetings! Boiled purified water in a closed container has near-neutral pH. If there are no other ... | ||
| Sodium Bicarbonate mouthrinse ever acidic? | 9/8/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Can sodium bicarbonate mixed with water ever be an acidic solution? I have acid erosion damage to my ... A: You and your dentist are both right, which may be helpful, less than helpful, and irritating by ... | ||
| Just had surgery two days prior of taking a etg urine test and failed. Why? | 9/7/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: So I broke my leg and had surgery on it. Two days later I got popped with a etg urine test and ... A: According to this web site: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/work/a/etg.htm There are a bunch of ... | ||
| Science Fair Advice | 8/27/2011 | Trista Robichaud, PhD |
| Q: Can you please give ideas to "bump" up this project idea to a senior level project? It is for a ... A: Apologies for being out of town! The best advice I have: Science is collaborative. The best ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Trista Robichaud, PhD
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
No homework questions, especially ones copied and pasted from textbooks. I will answer questions about principles or give hints, but I do not do other's homework. I'm comfortable answering basic biochemistry, chemistry, and biology questions up to and including an undergraduate level of understanding. This includes molecular biology, protein purification, and genetics. My training/inclination is primarily in structural biology, or how the shapes of things affect their function. Other interests include protein design, protein engineering, enzyme kinetics, and metabolic diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. My chemistry weaknesses are that I do not know organic or inorganic synthesis well, nor am I familiar with advanced inorganic reactions. I will attempt quantum mechanics and thermodynamics questions, but primarily as they relate to biological systems. Furthermore, I cannot tell you if a skin photograph is cancerous, or otherwise diagnose any disease. I can tell you how we currently understand the basic science behind a disease state, but I cannot recommend treatment in any way. Please direct such questions to your medical professional.
Experience
I hold a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. I specialize in Biochemistry, with a focus on protein chemistry. My thesis work involved the structure and functions of the human glucose transporter 1. (hGLUT1) Currently I am a postdoc working in peptide (mini-protein) design and enzymology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. I am in Bjorn Steffensen's lab (PhD, DDS), studying gelatinase A and oral carcinoma.
Organizations
2001 American Association for the Advancement of Science
2007 American Chemical Society
2007 Protein Society
2011 UTHSCSA Women’s Faculty Association
Publications
Levine KB, Robichaud TK, Hamill S, Sultzman LA, Carruthers A. Properties of the human erythrocyte glucose transport protein are determined by cellular context. Biochemistry 44(15):5606-16, 2005. (PMID 15823019)
Robichaud TK, Appleyard AN, Herbert RB, Henderson PJ, Carruthers A “Determinants of ligand binding affinity and cooperativity at the GLUT1 endofacial site” Biochemistry 50(15):3137-48, 2011. (PMID 21384913)
Xu X, Mikhailova M, Chen Z, Pal S, Robichaud TK, Lafer EM, Baber S, Steffensen B. “Peptide from the C-terminal domain of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) inhibits membrane activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)” Matrix Biol. 2011 Sep;30(7-8):404-12. (PMID: 21839835)
Robichaud TK, Steffensen B, Fields GB. Exosite interactions impact matrix metalloproteinase collagen specificities. J Biol Chem. 2011 Oct 28;286(43):37535-42 (PMID: 21896477)
Poster Abstracts:
Robichaud TK, Carruthers. A "Mutagenesis of the Human type 1 glucose transporter exit site: A functional study." ACS 234th Meeting, Boston MA. Division of Biological Chemistry, 2007
Robichaud TK, Bhowmick M, Tokmina-Roszyk D, Fields GB “Synthesis and Analysis of MT1-MMP Peptide Inhibitors” Biological Chemistry Division of the Protein Society Meeting, San Diego CA 2010
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Catalytic Domain Exosites Contribute to Determining Matrix Metalloproteinase Triple Helical Collagen Specificities” Dental Science Symposium. UTHSCSA 2011
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Exosite Interactions Determine Matrix Metalloproteinase Specificities” Gordon Research Conference on Matrix Metalloproteinase Biology, Bristol RI 2011
Education/Credentials
Oakland University, Auburn Hills MI BS, Biochemistry 1998
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester MA PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology 2001-2008
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio TX Postdoc, Biochemistry 2009-Present
Awards and Honors
1998 Honors College Graduate, Oakland University
2009 Institutional National Research Service Award, Pathobiology of Occlusive Vascular Disease T32 HL07446
2011 1st Place, Best Postdoctoral Poster, Dental Science Symposium, UTHSCSA, April 2011
Past/Present Clients
Invited Seminars:
Robichaud TK, Fields GB. “Synthesis and Analysis of MTI-MMP Triple Helical Peptide Inhibitors” Pathology Research Conference, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Pathology Department (June 18th, 2010)
Robichaud TK & Hill, B “How To Give A Great Scientific Talk” Invited Lecture, Pathobiology of Occlusive Vascular Disease Seminars, UTHSCSA (Nov 11th 2010), Cardiology Seminar Series, Texas Research Park (Feb 21st, 2011)
Robichaud TK; Tokmina-Roszyk D; Steffensen B and Fields GB “Exosite Interactions Determine Matrix Metalloproteinase Specificities” Gordon-Keenan Research Seminar “Everything You Wanted to Know About Matrix Metalloproteinases But Were Afraid to Ask” Bristol, RI (Aug 6th, 2011)
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