A Closed-Loop Recyclable Low-Density Polyethylene.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the most important plastics, which is produced unfortunately under extreme conditions. In addition, it consists of robust aliphatic C─C bonds which are challenging to cleave for plastic recycling. A low-pressure and -temperature (p = 2 bara, T = 70 °C) macromonomer-based synthesis of long chain branched polyethylene is reported.

Water-Triggered Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Acetonitrile-Water Binary Solvent. Solvent Microstructure-Tuned Reactivity of Hydrophobic Solutes.

The solvent-composition dependence of quenching triplet states of benzophenone (BP) by anisole in acetonitrile-water (ACN-HO) mixtures was investigated by laser flash photolysis over the water mole fraction () increasing from 0 to 0.92. Single exponential decay of BP was observed over the whole composition range.

Generation of twisted nanowires with achiral organic amphiphilic copper complexes.

Drying under solvent atmosphere (DUSA) was investigated as an experimental technique to generate self-assembled nanowires and needles from solutions of organic molecules under controlled conditions. Experimental observations of twisted nanowires are reported. These twisted nanowires were obtained by drying of solutions of achiral molecules under solvent controlled atmospheres: achiral, amphiphilic copper complexes were dissolved in an achiral solvent and these solutions were dried under controlled conditions.

Towards a universally adaptable method for quantitative extraction of high-purity nucleic acids from soil.

A universally adaptable protocol for quantitative extraction of high-purity nucleic acids from soil is presented. A major problem regarding the extraction of nucleic acids from soil is the presence of humic substances, which interfere with the extraction process itself and in subsequent analytical manipulations. By the approach described here, the humic compounds are precipitated prior to cell lysis with Al(2)(SO(4))(3), and thus eliminated prior to the nucleic acid extraction.

Comparative analysis of binary expression systems for directed gene expression in transgenic insects.

Binary expression systems are of key interest to functional gene analysis by over- or misexpression. The application of such systems in diverse organisms would allow the study of many biological problems not addressable in model organisms. Here we report a set of constructs and an effective kinetic approach to quantitatively compare a series of diverse binary expression systems based on GAL4/UAS, LexA/(LL)(4) and tetracycline-controlled tTA/TRE.

Identification of multiple peptides homologous to cockroach and cricket allatostatins in the stick insect Carausius morosus.

Eighteen peptides were isolated from brain extracts of the stick insect Carausius morosus. The peptides were purified in four steps by high-performance liquid chromatography, monitored by their ability to inhibit juvenile hormone biosynthesis by corpora allata of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus in vitro, and chemically characterised by Edman degradation and mass spectrometry. We obtained complete primary-structure information for nine peptides, four of which belong to the peptide family characterised by a common C-terminal pentapeptide sequence -YXFGLamide.