A tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometer for the study of photodissociation of biopolymer ions generated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization was designed and constructed. A reflectron with linear and quadratic (LPQ) potential components was used. Characteristics of the LPQ reflectron and its utility as the second stage analyzer of the tandem mass spectrometer were investigated. Perf...

Introduction Measurement of volumetric properties of biopolymers in dilute solution has always been a difficult procedure, involving tedious experiments using densitometric or dilatometric methods to determine partial molar volumes. Measuring volume changes (∆Vunf) for biopolymer unfolding is also problematic and most often carried out using large, reinforced optical cells up to pressures of 10...

A kinetic cluster method enables us to analyze biopolymer folding kinetics with discrete rate-limiting steps by classifying biopolymer conformations into pre-equilibrated clusters. The overall folding kinetics is determined by the intercluster transitions. Due to the complex energy landscapes of biopolymers, the intercluster transitions have multiple pathways and can have kinetic intermediates ...

Our cells, muscles, and connective tissue owe their remarkable mechanical properties to biopolymer networks. Their incessant assembly, disassembly, restructuring, and active and passive mechanical deformation underlies the astounding robustness, adaptability, physical strength and motility of cells and of biological tissue in general. Unlike the flexible polymer networks discussed in standard t...