High intensity ultrasound has been applied to two classes of step-growth polymerisation. The ring-opening polymerisation of cyclic lactones to polyesters was accelerated under 20 kHz ultrasound but, in the case of delta-valerolactone, sonication also promoted a depolymerisation reaction so that the molecular weight fell during later stages of the reaction. Sonication was also applied to the pre...

The polymeric mucin component of the intestinal mucus barrier changes during nematode infection to provide not only physical protection but also to directly affect pathogenic nematodes and aid expulsion. Despite this, the direct interaction of the nematodes with the mucins and the mucus barrier has not previously been addressed. We used the well-established Trichuris muris nematode model to inv...

The prototypical transient receptor potential (TRP) channel is the major light-sensitive, and Ca(2+)-permeable channel in the microvillar photoreceptors of Drosophila. TRP channels are activated following hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P₂] by the key effector enzyme phospholipase C (PLC). Mutants lacking TRP channels undergo light-dependent retinal degeneration,...