Twisted homology of symmetric groups

We study the homology of symmetric groups with coefficients coming from the functor . We are primarily interested in the limit where . Our main goal is to compare the described above situation with the case of general linear groups.

     

Biodegradable Polyesters for Tissue Engineering

Summary: Paper describes basic characteristics of synthesis and properties of aliphatic polyesters used for tissue engineering. Described is also synthesis of polyester containing block copolymers suitable for surface modification. Described are methods used for scaffold fabrication with required porosity. In particular, presented are methods according to which scaffolds are made from prefabricated polyester micro- and nanoparticles.     

DNA Nanostructures for Targeted Antimicrobial Delivery

We report the use of DNA origami nanostructures, functionalized with aptamers, as a vehicle for delivering the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme in a specific and efficient manner. We test the system against Gram‐positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) targets. We use direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the DNA origami nanostructures and structured illumination microscopy (SIM) to assess the binding of the origami to the bacteria. We show that treatment with lysozyme‐functionalized origami slows bacterial growth more effectively than treatment with free lysozyme. Our study introduces DNA origami as a tool in the fight against antibiotic resistance, and our results demonstrate the specificity and efficiency of the nanostructure as a drug delivery vehicle.     

Polyepichlorohydrin diols free of cyclics: Synthesis and characterization

Polymerization of epichlorohydrin (ECH) in the presence of diols, catalyzed by Lewis or protic acids, proceeds by activated monomer mechanism (AMM), i.e., by subsequent additions of protonated monomer molecules to the terminal hydroxyl groups of the growing chain. As opposed to the typical active chain end mechanism, side reactions, including cyclization, are strongly suppressed in the polymerization by AMM and well-defined linear product are obtained. It follows from kinetic considerations, that in order to achieve the high contribution of AMM, the reaction should be carried out at low instantaneous concentration of monomer, and this can be accomplished by slowly adding ECH to the reaction mixture. Using this approach, polyepichlorophydrin diols have been prepared in the M?_n ～ 2500 products with DP _n = [M]₀/[I]₀ can be obtained practically free of cyclic by-products with the yields approaching quantitative. Polyepichlorohydrin diols obtained by AM polymerization are strictly bifunctional, regular head-to-tail polymers containing mainly (≥ 95%) secondary hydroxyl and groups.     

[2 + 4]-Cycloaddition under High Pressure: First Realization of a Diels-Alder Addition of Furan with Simple 1,4-Benzoquinones. Preliminary Communication

For the first time a successful [2 + 4]-cycloaddition of furan ( 1 ) with simple 1,4-benzoquinones 2 has been realized.     

Temperature controller for thermal ionization mass spectrometry.

We describe the use of a simple voltage stabilizer that controls the filament temperature (T(f)) in the ion source of a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. The filament voltage (V(f)) is measured by means of a separate pair of wires connected inside of the ion source in parallel to the wires supplying power. It has been demonstrated that V(f) is directly proportional to T(f) in a wide range of filament temperature. The T(f) value is solely controlled by the reference voltage (V(r)) that can be manually selected from a voltage divider or by means of a computer. Digital signals from the computer in the form of a series of pulses are transmitted opto-electronically and subsequently converted to analog signals. The temperature controller described here was successfully applied for analysis of potassium concentration by the isotope dilution method.