Phylogenetic analysis, in our case, will pertain to using nucleotides or amino acids to devise a phylogenetic tree of the order Lepidoptera, which includes moths and butterflies. For a more in depth description of phylogenetic analysis, refer to Phylogenetic Analysis.
Protein sequence comparison is a project that takes proteins of unknown functions and compares their amino acid sequences to sequences of proteins with known functions. The idea is to find similarities that will classify the unknown into a known family of proteins. Protein sequence comparison is a subset of bioinformatics. More information can be found at Bioinformatics. An example of protein sequence alignment can be seen below.
Conservation reserve network design is comparing field-based species habitat evaluations with computer-generated conservation reserve data in order to better understand the effectiveness of the computer-generated data. This computer-generated data is often biased and incomplete when compared to field work. For more information, visit Conservation reserve network design.
Our hope is that our participation in this grid computing project will help to advance the research of the Lattice Project. More information about the Lattice Project can be found here.
We have chosen to focus specifically on the protein sequence comparison aspect of The Lattice Project. Because of this, we have chosen Parkinson's Disease as the focus of our interview and research. We will be interviewing a neurologist and asking things such as the reason this particular doctor went into the field of neurology, and inquiring about the interaction they have had with Parkinson's patients. To understand a disease like this, you must can find a basic definition of how this disease works here.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that is mostly found in adults over the age of 50. The most common symptoms are tremors coupled with a difficulty walking and coordinating movements. In the brain, there are nerve cells that generate dopamine in a portion of the midbrain called the substantia nigra. This chemical from the brain works to help control muscle movement. In the course of this disease, the dopamine-generating cells are slowly destroyed. Although there is no current treatment that can cure this disease, there are medicines that are targeted to help control the symptoms. Some drugs that are currently being used to treat Parkinson's symptoms are Levodopa, Pramipexole, Ropinirole, Bromocriptine, and Selegiline. A more in depth explanation of Parkinson's can be found at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
