Assignment Task: pH and Lactase Function
The human small intestine appears to maintain a pH of approximately 6. Is that the optimum pH for lactase? Different diets as well as certain digestive disorders might alter the pH of the gut. For example, some people do not effectively raise the pH of food as it passes from the stomach to the small intestine, which can lead to ulcers. Other people might not produce enough stomach acid leading to higher than normal pH in the small intestine. These dysfunctions are well known, but how these dysfunctions affect a person's ability to digest lactose is not.
Figure out a way to use the simulation to answer the question of how pH affects lactase performance.
How do you plan to answer the question? Describe your experimental design. Specifically indicate:
At what pH levels you plan to run the trials?
What temperature(s) do you plan to run your experiments at and why?
If you plan to repeat (replicate) your runs of the simulation?
When you plan to collect your data (the simulation runs for 20 minutes so that would be the default)?
You are only being asked to describe an experimental design here. You will give your results in the next section.