(C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3361482]“
“Polypyrrole CP 690550 (PPy) was doped with the azocalix[4]arene [(5,11,17,23-tetrakis[(p-carboxyphenyl)azo]25, 26,27,28-tetrahydroxycalix[4]arene)]

host species. PPy/azocalix[4]arene salts were characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM, X-ray diffraction, and conductivity measurements. The properties of PPy were investigated in the presence of azocalix[4]arene host species. The conductivity of PPy increased in the presence of azocalix[4]arene. TGA results indicated that the PPy/azocalix[4]arene salts have higher thermal stability than PPy. It was observed from SEM analysis that the particle diameter of PPy decreased with increasing content of azocalix[4]arene. (C) 2009

Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 2697-2702, 2010″
“Scientific and technological advances that enable the tuning of integrated regulatory components to match network and system requirements are critical to reliably control the function of biological systems. RNA provides a promising building block for the construction NVP-BSK805 research buy of tunable regulatory components based on its rich regulatory capacity and our current understanding of the sequence-function relationship. One prominent example of RNA-based regulatory components is riboswitches, genetic elements that mediate ligand control of gene expression through diverse regulatory mechanisms. While characterization of natural and synthetic riboswitches has revealed that riboswitch function can be modulated through sequence alteration, no quantitative frameworks exist to investigate or guide riboswitch tuning. Here, we combined mathematical modeling

and experimental approaches to investigate the relationship between riboswitch STAT inhibitor function and performance. Model results demonstrated that the competition between reversible and irreversible rate constants dictates performance for different regulatory mechanisms. We also found that practical system restrictions, such as an upper limit on ligand concentration, can significantly alter the requirements for riboswitch performance, necessitating alternative tuning strategies. Previous experimental data for natural and synthetic riboswitches as well as experiments conducted in this work support model predictions. From our results, we developed a set of general design principles for synthetic riboswitches. Our results also provide a foundation from which to investigate how natural riboswitches are tuned to meet systems-level regulatory demands.”
“The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bee pollen ethanolic extracts on the in vivo gastrointestinal tract microflora colonization of broiler chickens. A completely randomized experiment based on six treatments (different concentrations of bee pollen – 0, 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 g kg(-1) diet) was used during 7 weeks.