Thermoresponsive polymer architectures have become integral building blocks of 'smart' functional materials in modern applications. For a large range of developments, e.g. for drug delivery or nanocatalytic carrier systems, the selective adsorption and partitioning of molecules (ligands or reactants) inside the polymeric matrix are key processes that have to be controlled and tuned for the desi...

The hexapeptide acetyl-Trp-Leu(5) (AcWL(5)) has the remarkable ability to assemble reversibly and spontaneously into beta-sheets on lipid membranes as a result of monomer partitioning followed by cooperative assembly. This system provides a unique opportunity to study the thermodynamics of protein folding in membranes, which we have done using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and differen...

We examine here evaporative water loss, economy and partitioning at ambient temperatures from 14 to 33°C for the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides), a microbiotheriid marsupial found only in temperate rainforests of Chile. The monito's standard evaporative water loss (2.58 mg g(-1) h(-1) at 30°C) was typical for a marsupial of its body mass and phylogenetic position. Evaporative water loss...

We describe a unified approach to describe the kinetics of folding of proteins and RNA. The underlying conceptual basis for this framework relies on the notion that biomolecules are topologically frustrated due to the polymeric nature and due to the presence of conflicting energies. As a result the free energy surface that has, in addition to the native basin of attraction (NBA), several compet...

Infrared surface temperatures from satellite sensors have been used to infer evaporation and soil moisture distribution over large areas. However, surface energy partitioning to latent versus sensible heat changes with surface vegetation cover and water availability. We tested a hypothesis that the relationship between surface temperature and canopy density is sensitive to seasonal changes in c...

Secondary atmospheric pollutions may result from wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) systems caused by the reduction of Hg(2+) to Hg(0) and lead to a damping of the cobenefit mercury removal efficiency by WFGD systems. The experiment on Hg(0) reemission from limestone-gypsum WFGD slurry was carried out by changing the operating conditions such as the pH, temperature, Cl(-) concentrations, and o...

We describe a unified approach to describe the kinetics of folding of proteins and RNA. The underlying conceptual basis for this framework relies on the notion that biomolecules are topologically frustrated due to the polymeric nature and due to the presence of conflicting energies. As a result the free energy surface that has, in addition to the native basin of attraction (NBA), several compet...