Circular Dichroism
The Protein Sciences Core houses an Aviv 410 circular dichroism spectropolarimeter. The spectra provide information about changes in protein structure caused by temperature or solvents. Several programs estimate the amount of helix, sheet and coil in a protein, with estimates dependent on the program used and the wavelength range used.
The instrument is user operated with a usage fee to cover the cost of nitrogen and other supplies and a service contract. The core will give introductory training to new users. Each laboratory has an account on the computer which runs the instrument.
The program for the instrument can convert data to text files which can be opened in Microsoft Excel or other programs. Most users transfer data from the computer with a USB flash drive, but can also copy data on to a floppy drive, CD or print it. Users can also load an analysis program on their own computer. The computer is not connected to the university network.