Nucleic acid higher order structure is of intense interest in antisense and antigene strategies toward novel chemotherapeutic agents. Understanding how structural characteristics affect solution-phase properties is essential for a rational approach to nucleic acid-targeted drug design. The most dominant nucleic acid secondary structure is the hairpin, formed by intrastrand hydrogen bonding betw...

Photosynthetic gas exchange and malic acid fluctuations were monitored in 69 well-watered plants from five morphologically similar species of Talinum in an investigation of the ecophysiological significance of the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)-cycling mode of photosynthesis. Unlike CAM, atmospheric CO(2) uptake in CAM-cycling occurs exclusively during the day; at night, the stomata are clo...

The lipid content and composition of the reef-building coral Acropora downingi, the largest coral reef of Hengam Island, were examined throughout a year. The results showed that the lipid content of A. downingi significantly differs in different seasons (t-test, P< 0.05). Depending on the season and spawning times, the lipid content of A. downingi ranged from 16.5 to 37.7 % (dry weight). The to...

Gas sweetening, the removal of acid gases (H2S and CO2) by absorption in aqueous alkanolamine solutions, is an important gas treatment operation. Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) is widely employed for gas sweetening, because of its high absorption capacity and flexibility to meet process requirements. For process simulation or design, realistic predictions of acid gas solubilities in MDEA solutions...

This paper describes a new method for qualitative and quantitative assay of abscisic acid and other acidic plant hormones, such as indoleacetic acid and the gibberellins, by the gas-liquid chromatography of their trimethylsilyl derivatives. Interfering substances in plant extracts were largely removed by preliminary column chromatography with carbon-celite and elution of the abscisic acid with ...