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Selected AbstractsChemInform Abstract: Electrocatalytic Multicomponent Assembling of Isatins, 3-Methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-ones and Malononitrile: Facile and Convenient Way to Functionalized Spirocyclic [Indole-3,4,-pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole] System.CHEMINFORM, Issue 24 2009Michail N. Elinson Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] Nodes and Connections: Science Museums in the Network Age,CURATOR THE MUSEUM JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002Rob Semper For some it is a convenient way to market their offerings, for others it has become a fundamental cornerstone of their practice. Questions still remain about the role of the Web in the museum world and the interplay between the physical and virtual worlds. Developing a strong research agenda and fostering a shared community of practice are two necessary components if museums are to maximize the potential that the Web has to offer them. [source] Alcohol research and the alcoholic beverage industry: issues, concerns and conflicts of interestADDICTION, Issue 2009Thomas F. Babor ABSTRACT Aims Using terms of justification such as ,corporate social responsibility' and ,partnerships with the public health community', the alcoholic beverage industry (mainly large producers, trade associations and ,social aspects' organizations) funds a variety of scientific activities that involve or overlap with the work of independent scientists. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ethical, professional and scientific challenges that have emerged from industry involvement in alcohol science. Method Source material came from an extensive review of organizational websites, newspaper articles, journal papers, letters to the editor, editorials, books, book chapters and unpublished documents. Results Industry involvement in alcohol science was identified in seven areas: (i) sponsorship of research funding organizations; (ii) direct financing of university-based scientists and centers; (iii) studies conducted through contract research organizations; (iv) research conducted by trade organizations and social aspects/public relations organizations; (v) efforts to influence public perceptions of research, research findings and alcohol policies; (vi) publication of scientific documents and support of scientific journals; and (vii) sponsorship of scientific conferences and presentations at conferences. Conclusion While industry involvement in research activities is increasing, it constitutes currently a rather small direct investment in scientific research, one that is unlikely to contribute to alcohol science, lead to scientific breakthroughs or reduce the burden of alcohol-related illness. At best, the scientific activities funded by the alcoholic beverage industry provide financial support and small consulting fees for basic and behavioral scientists engaged in alcohol research; at worst, the industry's scientific activities confuse public discussion of health issues and policy options, raise questions about the objectivity of industry-supported alcohol scientists and provide industry with a convenient way to demonstrate ,corporate responsibility' in its attempts to avoid taxation and regulation. [source] Dental undergraduate expectations and opinions of Web-based courseware to supplement traditional teaching methodsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2003R. Eynon The rapid growth of Internet for the delivery of information has enabled teaching materials to be placed on websites allowing student access to course material. It is the aim of this paper to evaluate a cohort of dental undergraduate students who have used Web-based courseware in prosthetic dentistry for a semester. A questionnaire was distributed to clinical undergraduate students prior to the use of the prosthetics course to determine their experience of using the World Wide Web (WWW) and their expectations of an online course. A second questionnaire was distributed at the end of 6 months which asked about their usage and opinions of the prosthetics Web-based courseware. The main concerns raised at the beginning of the course were related to computer access, the ability to use computers, the time involved and their conception that the e-course would be an additional burden. The main potential benefits were perceived to be convenience, availability of information and the ability to reinforce or catch up on aspects of the module they did not understand or had missed. Feedback at the end of the year showed that most students had accessed the Web-based courseware site at least once a month and, generally, their comments were favourable, dispelling some of the initial perceived fears. They felt that the website was a quick and convenient way to access information and was a good additional resource. Access to the site and printing information were the main problems raised by the students who had to use a shared cluster. In conclusion, Web-based courseware was felt to be a useful additional resource for students. However, this research showed that sufficient computers and printers must be available for such a resource to become an integrated part of the dental course. [source] Doping of the Metal Oxide Nanostructure and its Influence in Organic ElectronicsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 8 2009Mi-Hyae Park Abstract Synthesizing metal oxides through the sol,gel process provides a convenient way for forming a nanostructured layer in wide band gap semiconductors. In this paper, a unique method of introducing dopants into the metal oxide semiconductor is presented. The doped TiO2 is prepared by adding a Cs2CO3 solution to a nanocrystalline TiO2 solution that is synthesized via a non-hydrolytic sol,gel process. The properties of the TiO2:Cs layer are investigated and the results show stable nanostructure morphology. In addition to providing morphological stability, Cs in TiO2 also gives rise to a more desirable work function for charge transport in organic electronics. Polymer solar cells based on the poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): methanofullerene (PC70BM) system with the addition of a TiO2:Cs interfacial layer exhibit excellent characteristics with a power conversion efficiency of up to 4.2%. The improved device performance is attributed to an improved polymer/metal contact, more efficient electron extraction, and better hole blocking properties. The effectiveness of this unique functionality also extends to polymer light emitting devices, where a lower driving voltage, improved efficiency, and extended lifetime are demonstrated. [source] Uremic Toxins: Removal with Different TherapiesHEMODIALYSIS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2003Raymond C. Vanholder A convenient way to classify uremic solutes is to subdivide them according to the physicochemical characteristics influencing their dialytic removal into small water-soluble compounds (<500 Da), protein-bound compounds, and middle molecules (>500 Da). The prototype of small water-soluble solutes remains urea although the proof of its toxicity is scanty. Only a few other water-soluble compounds exert toxicity (e.g., the guanidines, the purines), but most of these are characterized by an intra-dialytic behavior, which is different from that of urea. In addition, the protein-bound compounds and the middle molecules behave in a different way from urea, due to their protein binding and their molecular weights, respectively. Because of these specific removal patterns, it is suggested that new approaches of influencing uremic solute concentration should be explored, such as specific adsorptive systems, alternative dialytic timeframes, removal by intestinal adsorption, modification of toxin, or general metabolism by drug administration. Middle molecule removal has been improved by the introduction of large pore, high-flux membranes, but this approach seems to have come close to its maximal removal capacity, whereas multicompartmental behavior might become an additional factor hampering attempts to decrease toxin concentration. Hence, further enhancement of uremic toxin removal should be pursued by the introduction of alternative concepts of elimination. [source] A new convenient way to synthesize 1-hydroxyphosphonates from heterocyclic aldehydes and ketones under microwave irradiationHETEROATOM CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2007Dexin Feng A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of 1-hydroxyphosphonates from heterocyclic aldehydes and ketones under solvent-free conditions using microwave irradiation. Various phosphites have been used to find the influence of steric exclusion on the reaction. The products are readily obtained in satisfactory yields, on the solid support of MgO. The reactions are also induced by oil-heat, and we find that the condition of microwave is better than oil-heat with respect to reaction times and product yields. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:347,353, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.20304 [source] A new absolute stability test for systems with state-dependent perturbationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 14 2002M. C. de Oliveira Abstract In this paper, a new test for the absolute stability of nonlinear systems with state-dependent nonlinearities is developed. Scalar nonlinearities are assumed to lie in sectors. Using a Lur'e function as a Lyapunov function, a linear matrix inequalities (LMI) stability condition is derived. The new condition lets one go from a pure integral (Persidskii) to a pure quadratic Lyapunov function in an unified framework. Several results available in the literature are generated as particular cases of the new test. An example shows that the proposed condition can be much less conservative than available diagonal stability and passivity based methods, as the circle and Popov criteria. Tests for infinite as well as finite nonlinearity sectors can be easily generated, since the parameters of the nonlinearity sectors appear in the LMI condition in a very convenient way. This feature can also provide optimization of the absolute stability sector through convex programming techniques. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A macroscopic traffic model for highway work zones: Formulations and numerical resultsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION, Issue 3 2006Gang-len Chang This study presents a multilane model for analyzing the dynamic traffic properties of a highway segment under a lane-closure operation that often incurs complex interactions between mandatory lane-changing vehicles and traffic at unblocked lanes. The proposed traffic flow formulations employ the hyperbolic model used in the non-Newtonian fluid dynamics, and assume the lane-changing intensity between neighboring lanes as a function of their difference in density. The results of extensive simulation experiments indicate that the proposed model is capable of realistically replicating the impacts of lane-changing maneuvers from the blocked lanes on the overall traffic conditions, including the interrelations between the approaching flow density, the resulting congestion level, and the exiting flow rate from the lane-closure zone. Our extensive experimental analyses also confirm that traffic conditions will deteriorate dramatically and evolve to the state of traffic jam if the density has exceeded its critical level that varies with the type of lane-closure operations. This study also provides a convenient way for computing such a critical density under various lane-closure conditions, and offers a theoretical basis for understanding the formation as well as dissipation of traffic jam. [source] Electrosprayed polymer particles: Effect of the solvent propertiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Chul Ho Park Abstract Electrospraying technology has been studied in many fields to produce particles of various substances from nanoscale to microscale sizes. Unlike pure liquids, droplets formed by electrospraying that are comprised of polymer solutions undergo additional solidification processes involving solvent evaporation, which primarily determine the particle size and morphology. Herein, the effects of the solvent properties on the morphology and dimensions of solidified particles were systematically studied. In general, the size of the solidified spherical particles with smooth surfaces reflected that of the initially formed liquid droplets, which could partially be estimated by theoretical equations developed for pure liquids. Particle sizes increased with an increase in polymer content and a decrease in the boiling point of the volatile solvent. Inhomogeneous drying processes related to phase separation or skin formation resulted in hollow, cuplike, and porous particle structures, with particle sizes and morphologies that were outside of the scope of the theoretical treatments. The selection of a proper solvent or solvent mixture seemed to be a convenient way to control the particle morphologies, such as hollow, cuplike, or porous structures. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009 [source] Physicochemical and biological evaluation of plasma-induced graft polymerization of acrylamide onto polydimethylsiloxaneJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008A. Parvin Abstract Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rubbers exhibit good mechanical properties for biomedical and industrial applications, but their inherently high hydrophobicity limits biomedical applications of this material despite its favorable mechanical properties. In this work, surface modification of PDMS by radio-frequency glow discharge and subsequently graft polymerization of acrylamide was studied. PAAm-grafted, oxygen plasma-treated, and control (untreated) PDMS rubbers were characterized using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analyses, zeta potential, and contact angle techniques. Fibroblast (L929) cell attachment and growth onto these surfaces were examined by optical microscopy. The data from in vitro assays showed that cell attachment onto control surface was very negligible while significant cell attachment and growth was observed onto oxygen plasma-treated and PAAm-grafted PDMS surfaces. The method developed in this work offers a convenient way of surface modifications of biomaterials to improve attachment of cells onto substrates. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008 [source] Influence of culture conditions on laccase production and isozyme patterns in the white-rot fungus Trametes gallicaJOURNAL OF BASIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Jia Li Dong Laccase production by the white-rot fungus Trametes gallica was studied, using twelve different media under static or shaking condition. The results indicated that organic nitrogen sources such as tryptone and peptone strongly improved laccase production. The application of an amino acid mixture and a lignin preparation also increased the formation of laccase, which was not observed in the presence of potato extract. Native polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by laccase activity staining using guaiacol as the substrate was performed to analyze the laccase isozyme patterns under the different culture conditions employed. Zymograms revealed a total of twenty different laccase activity bands that appeared in individual patterns, dependent on the respective culture condition applied. This indicates that both the medium composition and the mode of incubation (static or shaking) influenced the laccase isozyme gene expression. This was the first time to report so many laccase isozymes in a fungus. Native PAGE with silver staining showed that laccases were the main protein productions in several media providing a potentially convenient way in purifying laccases from T. gallica. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Influence of anti-washout agents on the rheological properties and injectability of a calcium phosphate cementJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2007Xiupeng Wang Abstract Anti-washout-type calcium phosphate cement (aw-CPC) was prepared by introducing chitosan, sodium alginate, or modified starch into the powder phase of CPC, respectively. The results showed that these cements cannot be washed out and set within approximately 10,30 min even if the pastes were immersed in distilled water immediately and were shaken in a shaker after mixing and moulding. To our knowledge, it is the first report about the influence of the content of these anti-washout additives on the rheological properties and injectability of the cement. Moreover, novel approach of yield stress measurement was used to evaluate the injectability of the pastes. A modified starch was originally used as anti-washout agent for CPC. This study provided a convenient way to use the injectable CPC with good anti-washout performance when the paste was exposed to blood. The aw-CPC had potential prospects for the wider applications in surgery such as orthopaedics, oral, and maxillofacial surgery. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2006 [source] Use of the 1-mm micro-probe for metabolic analysis on small volume biological samplesJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 8b 2009Natalie J. Serkova Abstract Endogenous metabolites are promising diagnostic end-points in cancer research. Clinical application of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy is often limited by extremely low volumes of human specimens. In the present study, the use of the Bruker 1-mm high-resolution TXI micro-probe was evaluated in the elucidation of metabolic profiles for three different clinical applications with limited sample sizes (body fluids, isolated cells and tissue biopsies). Sample preparation and 1H-NMR metabolite quantification protocols were optimized for following oncology-oriented applications: (i) to validate the absolute concentrations of citrate and spermine in human expressed prostatic specimens (EPS volumes 5 to 10 ,l: prostate cancer application); (ii) to establish the metabolic profile of isolated human lymphocytes (total cell count 4 = 106: chronic myelogenous leukaemia application); (iii) to assess the metabolic composition of human head-and-neck cancers from mouse xenografts (biopsy weights 20 to 70 mg: anti-cancer treatment application). In this study, the use of the Bruker 1-mm micro-probe provides a convenient way to measure and quantify endogenous metabolic profiles of samples with a very low volume/weight/cell count. [source] Experimental problems in the application of UV/visible based methods as the quantification tool for the entrapped/released insulin from PLGA carriersJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2009V.L. Lassalle Abstract BACKGROUND: Controlled release of medicaments from biodegradable polymers remains the most convenient way for their sustained release. Although a number of articles have been published, experimental work involving the preparation of polymer-based carriers and release procedures are not described with sufficient level of detail to allow other researchers to reproduce the experiments and to compare published results with their own. In this contribution the experimental background of the entrapment and release of insulin from PLGA carriers is described and the problems found at each step related to UV/Visible method used to quantify them are addressed in detail. RESULTS: The quantification of entrapped insulin by UV/visible methods was affected by aggregation. The design of the release experiment influenced the results regarding the entrapment efficiency (EE) and the maximum percentage of released insulin. It was also found that the presence of colloidal polymeric particles, insufficient centrifugation times and the kind of solvent used in the release test might lead to mistakes in the percentage of liberated insulin when UV/visible based methods are employed. CONCLUSIONS: This contribution demonstrates that serious discrepancies in the EE and percentage of released protein may arise if some key experimental factors are not taken into account. Therefore, the analysis presented here tries to point out important aspects of this topic currently not reported, unnoticed or not properly analyzed in the open literature. The results are useful for the entrapment of any protein on any polymeric device using UV/visible based methods to quantify them. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] A hyperbranched, rotaxane-type mechanically interlocked polymerJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 18 2010Shijun Li Abstract Based on the dibenzo-24-crown-8/1,2-bis(pyridinium)ethane recognition motif, a hyperbranched mechanically interlocked polymer was prepared by polyesterification of an easily available dynamic trifunctional AB2 pseudorotaxane monomer. It was characterized by various techniques including 1H NMR, COSY, NOESY, GPC, viscosity, TGA, dynamic laser light scattering, AFM, and SEM. Its GPC Mn was determined to be 191 kDa with polydispersity 1.7 and its hydrodynamic diameter in a dilute solution in acetone was about 70 nm. This measured Mn value corresponds to about 93 repeating units. The study reported here presents not only a new polymer topology but also a novel and convenient way to prepare mechanically interlocked polymers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 4067,4073, 2010 [source] Optimized detection of lactate at high fields using inner volume saturationMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 4 2006Richard A.E. Edden Abstract In localized proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in vivo, the detection of lactate (Lac) is affected by modulation of its resonances due to homonuclear scalar couplings (J). A simple and convenient way to distinguish Lac from lipids is to set the TE to 1/J so that the Lac signal is inverted while other resonances (such as lipid) remain in-phase. However, at high field strengths, such as 3 Tesla or above, the modulation of the Lac signal is complicated by chemical shift effects that cause modulation patterns to vary within different subregions of the localized volume. Under some conditions the Lac signal may even disappear completely. In this note we introduce the concept of inner volume saturation (IVS), which makes use of high bandwidth spatial pulses to remove the signal corresponding to the regions of the localized volume that contribute unwanted modulation patterns. The method is described theoretically and demonstrated experimentally at 3 Tesla in a phantom and a patient with acute stroke. The phantom measurements indicate that virtually 100% of the Lac signal can be recovered using this method. The method should be feasible at magnetic fields above 3 Tesla, and may also be applied to other coupled spin systems in which modulation effects are important. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Thermal behaviors of polystyrene plasticized with compressed carbon dioxide in a sealed systemPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 9 2009Long Yu The thermal behavior of polystyrene (PS) plasticized with compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) was studied using differential scanning calorimetry with a high-pressure stainless steel pan in a sealed system. The technique proved to be a simple and convenient way to study the thermal behavior of a polymer plasticized with compressed CO2 at pressures up to 100 atm, which covers both the gas and supercritical states. A sharp fall in the decrease rate of the glass transition temperature (Tg) under conditions near the critical point of compressed CO2 was firstly observed, which corresponded with the solubility of CO2 in PS. Since the system is scaled, which results in a stable pressure at a certain temperature, it is more suitable to study the effect of annealing. An endotherm was detected after the PS was annealed at a temperature below its Tg under compressed CO2. The enthalpy of this endotherm increased linearly with increasing logarithm of annealing time under a certain pressure. The endotherm was affected by two thermodynamic equilibrations at a temperature below its Tg: (i) enthalpy relaxation of the PS; and (ii) the absorption/desorption of CO2. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Distributions of error correction tests for cointegrationTHE ECONOMETRICS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002Neil R. Ericsson Summary This paper provides densities and finite sample critical values for the single-equation error correction statistic for testing cointegration. Graphs and response surfaces summarize extensive Monte Carlo simulations and highlight simple dependencies of the statistic's quantiles on the number of variables in the error correction model, the choice of deterministic components, and the sample size. The response surfaces provide a convenient way for calculating finite sample critical values at standard levels; and a computer program, freely available over the Internet, can be used to calculate both critical values and p -values. Two empirical applications illustrate these tools. [source] Novel approach to phasing proteins: derivatization by short cryo-soaking with halidesACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 2 2000Zbigniew Dauter A quick (less than 1,min) soak of protein crystals in a cryo-solution containing bromide or iodide anions leads to incorporation of these anomalous scatterers into the ordered solvent region around the protein molecules. These halide anions provide a convenient way of phasing through their anomalous scattering signal: bromides using multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) and bromides and/or iodides using single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) or single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (SIRAS) methods. This approach has been tested successfully on four different proteins and has been used to solve the structure of a new protein of molecular weight 30,kDa. [source] Revisiting glutaraldehyde cross-linking: the case of the Arg,Lys intermolecular doubletACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2010Michèle Salem In addition to the common use of glutaraldehyde to nonspecifically cross-link protein crystals through lysine residues disposed on the surface of the protein, the use of gentle vapour diffusion of glutaraldehyde offers a convenient way to limit polymerization and to allow slow diffusion throughout the crystal. In the case of trimeric barnase crystals, a specific cross-link was observed between an lysine side chain and an arginine side chain that were spatially disposed at the ideal distance on the protein surface in the three monomers. Here, the direct observation of a specific Lys,Arg cross-link site is reported and a mechanism is proposed for the reaction. [source] A simple and rapid method to assess lycopene in multiple layers of skin samplesBIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2010Luciana B. Lopes Abstract Topical application of lycopene is a convenient way to restore antioxidants depleted from the skin by UV radiation and achieve protection against premature aging and cancer. In this study, a simple, rapid and reproducible method to quantify lycopene in different skin layers was developed, validated and employed to assess this compound after skin penetration studies. Lycopene was extracted from the stratum corneum (SC) and viable epidermis and dermis (ED) by vortex homogenization and bath sonication in a mixture of acetonitrile and methanol (52:48, v/v). Lycopene was assayed by HPLC using a C18 column, and acetonitrile:methanol (52:48, v/v) as mobile phase. The quantification limit of lycopene in samples of SC and ED was 35,ng/mL and the assay was linear from 35 to 2000,ng/mL. Within-day and between-days assays coefficients of variation and relative errors (indicative of precision and accuracy) were less than 15% (or 20% for the limit of quantification). Lycopene recovery from SC and ED was dependent on the spiked concentration: for 50,ng/mL, recoveries were 88.3 and 90.5%; for 100,1000,ng/mL, recoveries were 68.6,74.9%. This method has a potential application for lycopene quantification during formulation development and evaluation in the dermatological field. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Fabrication of Luminescent CdS Nanoparticles on Short-Peptide-Based Hydrogel Nanofibers: Tuning of Optoelectronic PropertiesCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 28 2009Goutam Palui Abstract The pH-induced self-assembly of three synthetic tripeptides in water medium is used to immobilize luminescent CdS nanoparticles. These peptides form a nanofibrillar network structure upon gelation in aqueous medium at basic pH values (pH,11.0,13.0), and the fabrication of CdS nanoparticles on the gel nanofiber confers the luminescent property to these gels. Atomic force microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly reveal the presence of CdS nanoparticles in a well-defined array on the gel nanofibers. This is a convenient way to make organic nanofiber,inorganic nanoparticle hybrid nanocomposite systems. The size of the CdS nanoparticles remains almost same before and after deposition on the gel nanofiber. Photoluminescence (PL) measurement of the CdS nanoparticles upon deposition on the gel nanofibers shows a significant blue shift in the emission spectrum of the nanoparticles, and there is a considerable change in the PL gap energy of the CdS nanoparticles after immobilization on different gel nanofibrils. This finding suggests that the optoelectronic properties of CdS nanoparticles can be tuned upon deposition on gel nanofibers without changing the size of the nanoparticles. [source] A network of net-workers: report of the Euresco conference on ,Bacterial Neural Networks' held at San Feliu (Spain) from 8 to 14 May 2004MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Klaas J. Hellingwerf Summary In May 2004, over 100 bacteriologists from 19 different countries discussed recent progress in identification and understanding of individual signal transfer mechanisms in bacteria and in the mutual interactions between these systems to form a functional living cell. The meeting was held in San Feliu and supported by ESF and EMBO. In part through the extensive sequencing efforts of the past few years, the bulk of the bacterial signal transfer systems have been resolved and their detailed characterization is revealing such characteristics as signal specificity, signalling rate constants, molecular interaction affinities, subcellular localization, etc., which should provide a solid basis to a computational extension of this field of studies. In parallel, the new genomics techniques are providing tools to characterize the way a collection of such systems interact in an individual cell, to give rise to ,life'. Systems theory provides rational and convenient ways to bring order to the wide range of observables thus obtained. Ultimately, the performance of engineered design will have to prove whether or not we know enough about the processes involved. [source] |