We became interested several years ago in exploring whether 14-helical b-peptide foldamers could bind protein surfaces and inhibit protein–protein interactions, and if so, whether their affinities and specificities would compare favorably with those of natural or miniature proteins. This exploration was complicated initially by the absence of a suitable b-peptide scaffold, one that possessed a ...

Freeze-substitution and Epon embedment were quantitatively evaluated for their effectiveness in retaining water-soluble metabolites in plant tissues. Roughly 99% of the 80% (v/v) ethanol-extractable radioactivity in photosynthetically labeled soybean leaf discs and in petiole fragments containing translocated (14)C was retained during freeze-substitution in acetone or propylene oxide and embedm...

Water deficit is one of the major stresses affecting plant growth and productivity worldwide. Plants induce various morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular changes to adapt to the changing environment. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), a potential oil producer, is highly adaptable to various environmental conditions, such as lack of rainfall and temperatures. The objective of...

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(8)H(6)F(3)N(2) (+)·BF(4) (-)·C(8)H(5)F(3)N(2)·H(2)O, consists of two 2-trifluoro-methyl-benzimidazole mol-ecules, each of which is protonated on a 50% basis, one tetra-fluoro-borate anion and a water mol-ecule. The two 2-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole mol-ecules thus exist as half-neutral half-cation entities. They are linked by N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds in...

The effects of water restriction on rectal temperature, respiratory rate and selected blood variables in intensively reared Lacaune ewes were evaluated. The tests were carried out over the course of 28 days in spring on 30 lactating sheep divided into three groups of 10 animals each, matched by lactation status and body weight and allocated into individual boxes. The animal groups were as follo...

Due to the competition for water resources, increasing efforts are done in order to use more efficiently irrigation water in agriculture. The purpose of this paper is to find out daily soil water content (SWC) dynamics during depletion cycles in order to emphasize its pattern and compare daylight vs. night (dark) and morning vs. afternoon SWC dynamics in an irrigated peach (Prunus persica [L.] ...

An attempt has been made to assess the validity of applying the frictional and viscous coefficients of bulk water to the movement of water and solutes through the urinary bladder of the toad. The temperature dependence of diffusion of THO, C(14)-urea, C(14)-thiourea, and net water transfer across the bladder was determined in the presence and absence of vasopressin. The activation energy for di...

Soil drying and rewetting may alter the release and availability of aged pesticide residues in soils. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of soil drying and wetting on the release of pesticide residues. Soil containing environmentally long-term aged (9-17 years) (14) C-labeled residues of the herbicides ethidimuron (ETD) and methabenzthiazuron (MBT) and the fungicide...

A 96-hour bioassay was conducted using the water soluble fraction of a Nigerian light crude oil sample on Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 mls of water soluble fractions (WSF) of the oil were added to 1000 litres of de-chlorinated tap water to form 0, 25, 50 , 75 and 100 parts per million representing treatments 1 to 5 respectively. Each treatment had two replicates with ...