Charge trapping reactions in bilayer electrodes

The cyclic voltammetric peaks for charging trapping and untrapping reactions between the inner and outer redox polymer films of five bilayer electrodes are compared to a theory for control of the rate of charge trapping by electron diffusion rates in the inner polymer film. The five bilayer electrodes use various different redox polymer films (electropolymerized poly-pyridine complexes of Fe, Ru, and Os, and polyvinylferrocene) arranged in different orders. The currents on the rising edge of the bilayer trapping and untrapping peaks follow the electron diffusion theory up to ca. 80% of the peak current; currents thereafter are controlled by another process(es). The analysis yields values for the electron diffusion constants in the inner bilayer polymer films, which agree with one another for different bilayers having the same inner film polymer films and which also agree with independent determinations by other methods. Two of the bilayers are made from the same two polymers, arranged in different inner-outer order. These bilayers also illustrate the occurrence of a “leak reaction”, in which charge trapped in the outer film is discharged via a thermodynamically unfavorable electron transfer reaction with the inner polymer film.     

Size does matter! Label-free detection of small molecule–protein interaction

This review is focused on methods for detecting small molecules and, in particular, the characterisation of their interaction with natural proteins (e.g. receptors, ion channels). Because there are intrinsic advantages to using label-free methods over labelled methods (e.g. fluorescence, radioactivity), this review only covers label-free techniques. We briefly discuss available techniques and their advantages and disadvantages, especially as related to investigating the interaction between small molecules and proteins. The reviewed techniques include well-known and widely used standard analytical methods (e.g. HPLC-MS, NMR, calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction), newer and more specialised analytical methods (e.g. biosensors), biological systems (e.g. cell lines and animal models), and in-silico approaches.     

Differential inhibition of postnatal brain,spinal cord and body growth by a growth hormone antagonist

Background  

Growth hormone (GH) plays an incompletely understood role in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we use transgenic mice expressing a growth hormone antagonist (GHA) to explore the role of GH in regulating postnatal brain, spinal cord and body growth into adulthood. The GHA transgene encodes a protein that inhibits the binding of GH to its receptor, specifically antagonizing the trophic effects of endogenous GH.     

A Larger Family of Planar Graphs that Satisfy the Total Coloring Conjecture

The article shrinks the Δ = 6 hole that exists in the family of planar graphs which satisfy the total coloring conjecture. Let G be a planar graph. If ${v_n^k}$ represents the number of vertices of degree n which lie on k distinct 3-cycles, for ${n, k \in \mathbb{N}}$ , then the conjecture is true for planar graphs which satisfy ${v_5^4 +2(v_5^{5^+} +v_6^4) +3v_6^5 +4v_6^{6^+} < 24}$ .     

Fusion around the barrier for 7Li+12C

Fusion cross-sections for the ⁷Li + ¹²C reaction have been measured at energies above the Coulomb barrier by the direct detection of evaporation residues. The heavy evaporation residues with energies below 3 MeV could not be separated out from the α-particles in the spectrum and hence their contribution was estimated using statistical model calculations. The present work indicates that suppression of fusion cross-sections due to the breakup of ⁷Li may not be significant for ⁷Li + ¹²C reaction at energies around the barrier.     

Kinetics of electron transfer reactions of metal complexes at impermeable redox active polymeric films on electrode surfaces and charge transport within the polymer film

At rotated Pt disk electrodes coated with thin films of the redox polymer poly-[Ru(vbpy)₃]²⁺, ruthenium and iron bipyridine complexes dissolved in acetonitrile can become oxidized by two pathways. The first is diffusion of the solute complex through the polymeric film to react at its normal potential E_sub⁰, at the Pt/polymer interface. The second is a mediated electron transfer cross-reaction between the solute complex and poly-[Ru(vbpy) ₃]²⁺ sites generated in the film at adequately positive potentials. The mediated reaction, as judged from the lack of variation of its rate k_crsΓ with the quantity of polymer mediator sites present in the multimolecular layer film, and from other evidence, is confined to the outer few (one?) monolayers of ruthenium polymer film sites. The mediated reaction becomes the dominant pathway for films with Γ_T ～2×10^?9 mol/cm² of ruthenium polymer sites, owing to the low permeability (measured independently) of the solutecomplexes into the film. The rate k_crsΓ could be measured when the solute complex oxidation potential is more positive than that of the redox film, and is too fast to measure when E_sub⁰, is more negative than the redox film E_cal?⁰, New theory is presented and evaluated to describe the rising portions of the voitammetric waves for the nine solute complexes studied. The rate of charge transport through the poly-[Ru(vbpy)₃]²⁺ film becomes controlling under certain conditions and can be thereby measured as well.     

Detection of human and rodent 5-HT3B receptor subunits by anti-peptide polyclonal antibodies

Background  

The 5-HT₃ receptor is a member of a neurotransmitter-gated ion channel family which includes nicotinic acetylcholine, GABA_A, and glycine receptors. While antibodies specific for the 5-HT_3A receptor subunit are plentiful, and have revealed a wealth of structural and functional information, few antisera exist for the detection of 5-HT_3B receptor subunits. Here we describe the generation and characterisation of a rabbit polyclonal antiserum that specifically recognises 5-HT_3B receptor subunits