We have synthesized and studied the biological and biophysical properties of triazole-linked ribo and xylo locked nucleic acid (LNA). The combination of LNA with the Isobe triazole linkage gave high binding affinity when incorporated at the 3' or 5' termini of oligonucleotides, but low binding affinity at internal positions. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNAs containing triazole dimer...

Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks filled with water and mimic tissue environments. Therefore, they are considered optimal to deliver cells and engineer damaged tissues. The hydrogel networks have been significantly modified to endow biochemical functionality with adhesive ligands, growth factors, or degradable sites that are helpful to drive proper cell functions. Recently, som...

We used a model of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) based on calcium signaling to test the effects of correlated inputs on synaptic weight distributions. Gilson and Fukai (2011) used amplitudes for the STDP curve that depended on synaptic strength and demonstrated the emergence of stable bimodal weight distributions. Those sets of synapses with correlated inputs were more strongly poten...

empirical models are important tools for relating field-measured biophysical variables to remotely sensed data. regression analysis has been a popular empirical method of linking these two types of data to estimate variables such as biomass, percent vegetation canopy cover, and bare soil. this study was conducted in a semi-arid rangeland ecosystem of qazvin province, iran. this paper presents t...

Soil, the living terrestrial skin of the Earth, plays a central role in supporting life and is home to an unimaginable diversity of microorganisms. This review explores key drivers for microbial life in soils under different climates and land-use practices at scales ranging from soil pores to landscapes. We delineate special features of soil as a microbial habitat (focusing on bacteria) and the...

This paper describes the development, electrochemical characterization and utilization of novel modified molybdenum (VI) complex-carbon nanotube paste electrode for the electrocatalytic determination of ascorbic acid (AA). The electrochemical profile of the proposed modified electrode was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) that showed a shift of the oxidation peak potential of AA about 235 mV ...

A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the modified benzene alkylation process. Based on the previous studies, the modified process increases ethylbenzene selectivity and decreases energy consumption at the same time. The inlet ethylene flow rate of each alkylation reactor is optimized in order to reduce the chance of transalkylation reactions but increase ethylbenzene selectivity. The byprodu...

Voltage gated sodium channels (Nav channels) play an important role in nociceptive transmission. They are intimately tied to the genesis and transmission of neuronal firing. Five different isoforms (Nav1.3, Nav1.6, Nav1.7, Nav1.8, and Nav1.9) have been linked to nociceptive responses. A change in the biophysical properties of these channels or in their expression levels occurs in different path...