College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
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What Technologies and Barriers are Present in Sustainable Heating and Cooling
Get PDFSustainable heating and cooling practices can save homeowners money and reduce their carbon emissions. In the cold upper Midwest, Minnesota specifically, there are ways houses can be more efficient in terms of heating. The most efficient and practical are heat pumps systems, passive solar designs, and proper insulation of the building. This study is targeted at both existing buildings and the construction of new buildings. This project focuses on what sustainable heating and cooling practices, technologies, and barriers are present in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry. I find that using any sustainable solution is helpful, but multiple solutions supplementing each other have better results
Interactions of TUG-UBL1 and Insulin and Implications for Glucose Uptake
Get PDFTUG-UBL1 (Tether Containing UBX Domain for GLUT-4 Ubiquitin Like 1) is a glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) regulating protein which facilitates the release of GLUT4 transport vesicles when insulin stimulation is present. To understand the role of TUG-UBL1 in glucose metabolism, especially for type two diabetic patients for whom increases in insulin concentration do not correlate with increased glucose uptake, we explored the research question of whether TUG-UBL1 binds to insulin. Initially, models of full-length TUG-UBL1 (amino acids 1-473), the GLUT4 binding domain of TUG-UBL1 (amino acids 86-337), and the insulin heterodimer were built using PHYRE2. All of these structures were further refined with DeepRefiner, and then validated using MolProbity. Including all-atom contacts, full-length TUG-UBL1 scored in the 99th percentile, the GLUT4 binding domain of TUG-UBL1 scored in the 97th percentile, and the insulin heterodimer scored in the 97th percentile. Insulin binding to both the full-length TUG-UBL1 domain and the GLUT4 binding domain were then explored with HawkDock. In both cases, favorable binding energies were observed with predictions of GLUT4 binding region of TUG-UBL1 binding to insulin at -43.31 kcal/mol and full-length TUG-UBL1 binding to Insulin at -32.31 kcal/mol, with predictions favoring insulin binding to the GLUT4 binding domain. To support these computational findings, the GLUT4 binding domain of TUG-UBL1 is being over-expressed and purified for use in intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence binding studies with insulin. The finding of TUG-UBL1 binding to insulin are interesting in light of the potential implications the care type two diabetic patients as binding characterization could lead to further mechanistic understanding of insulin resistance and possible therapeutic development
The Church and Ethnopolitical Conflict in Kenya: 1982-2013
Get PDFThe chapter examines the role of the church in addressing the problem of ethnopolitical conflict in Kenya from 1982 to 2013. Though ethnocentrism within the Kenyan Christian community goes beyond the years cited to the colonial period and the immediate years following independence, the intensity of the problem after 1982 calls for special attention. The single event that marks political change in Kenya is the 1982 attempted coup. Although this was not successful, the coup heightened opposition against Moi’s rule and thus, 1982 marks the beginning of the recent history of Kenya, a history in which three phases may be identified in the relationship between church and state: a united church (1982–2002); a divided church (2002–2007); and a recovering church (2008 onwards). The thesis of the chapter is that the church in Kenya generally exhibited a robust socio-political engagement in the 1980s and 1990s but lost its prophetic voice from 2002 to 2008 mainly because of ethnocentrism and the co-option and compromise of the clergy by the government and the opposition. The chapter, which is based on archival and library materials, broadly examines the roles the mainstream Protestant, evangelical, and Roman Catholic churches and their umbrella organizations, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), the Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya (EFK)—now called the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, (EAK), and the Kenya Catholic Episcopal Conference (KCEC)—now called Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), played in their quest for social cohesion. In doing so, the chapter highlights the failures of Kenyan churches in addressing the problem of ethnopolitical conflict
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma: Advocate of Peace and Development
Get PDFThis essay describes the advocacy of Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, currently the co-president of Pax Christi Philippines and archbishop emeritus of the archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, Philippines, towards peace and development not only in Mindanao but also throughout the country. He is a strong proponent of interreligious dialogue and the importance of addressing the roots of the armed conflict so there can be an enduring peace in the Philippines and beyond