The mechanisms by which hyperthermophilic archaebacteria grow and carry out metabolic functions at elevated temperatures have yet to be determined. The objective of this work is to develop an understanding of the metabolic characteristics of, and the electron transport enzymes involved in, hydrogen/sulfur transformation by hyperthermophilic archaebacteria. Efforts focus on the autotrophic H{sub 2}-oxidizing bacterium, Pyrodictium brockii which has an optimum growth temperature of 105{degrees}C. Biochemical and genetic characterization of enzymes involved in hydrogen oxidizing electron transport pathway. These including investigating the role of the membrane lipids in protecting the hydrogenase enzyme from thermal inactivation, characterization of a quinone and a c-type cytochrome, and analysis of the topology in the membrane in the net energy generating components are reported. The long-term goal is to understand some of the factors contributing to the biochemical basis of extreme thermophily.

The mechanisms by which hyperthermophilic archaebacteria grow and carry out metabolic functions at elevated temperatures have yet to be determined. The objective of this work is to develop an understanding of the metabolic characteristics of, and the electron transport enzymes involved in, hydrogen/sulfur transformation by hyperthermophilic archaebacteria. Efforts focus on the autotrophic H{sub 2}-oxidizing bacterium, Pyrodictium brockii which has an optimum growth temperature of 105{degrees}C. Biochemical and genetic characterization of enzymes involved in hydrogen oxidizing electron transport pathway. These including investigating the role of the membrane lipids in protecting the hydrogenase enzyme from thermal inactivation, characterization of a quinone and a c-type cytochrome, and analysis of the topology in the membrane in the net energy generating components are reported. The long-term goal is to understand some of the factors contributing to the biochemical basis of extreme thermophily.

This report describes managerial aspects and briefly some technical accomplishments a Human Genome Database in Baltimore.

A new technique for removal of elemental mercury from emissions of coal-fired utilities was investigated. The key idea is to selectively photo ionize the mercury atoms. A strong electric field gradient then drags them to the negative plate where they can be collected and removed.

This research grant supported the creation and initial development of a new kind of chemical detector; one that can detect species at part per trillion levels because it does not rely on the direct measurement of a species presence; rather, it uses an indirect measurement of the effect of the trace species on the condensation nucleation of a supersaturated vapor. Since this nucleation process is extremely sensitive to the concentrations of certain types of impurities, this nucleation-based detection can be made more sensitive than any current spectroscopic detector.