Poly (ethylene glycol) functionalized with methacrylate at one end was reacted with 2-bromopropionyl chloride to form a macromonomeric initiator for

ATRP. ATRP was found to be a more controllable polymerization method than conventional free radical polymerization in view of fewer cross-linked polymers and highly branched polymers produced from macromonomer initiators as well. In another scenario, ATRP of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) was initiated by MIM-ATRP SEN0014196 to obtain PEG-b-PNIPAM branched block/graft copolymers. Thermal analysis, FTIR, H-1 NMR, TEM, and SEM techniques were used in the characterization of the products. They had a thermo-responsive character and exhibited volume phase transition at similar to 36 degrees C. A plasticizer effect of PEG in graft copolymers was

also observed, indicating a lower glass transition temperature than that of pure PNIPAM. Homo and copolymerization kinetics were also evaluated. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“Many insignificant events in our daily life are forgotten quickly but can be remembered for longer when other memory-modulating events occur before or after them. This phenomenon has been investigated in animal models in a protocol in which weak memories persist longer if exploration in a novel context is introduced around the time of memory encoding.

This study aims to understand whether other types of rewarding or novel tasks, such MEK phosphorylation as rewarded learning in a T-maze and novel object recognition, can also be effective memory-modulating events. Rats were trained in a delayed matching-to-place Proteasome inhibitor task to encode and retrieve food locations in an event arena. Weak encoding with only one food pellet at the sample location induced memory encoding but forgetting over 24 h. When this same weak encoding was followed by a rewarded task in a T-maze, the memory persisted for 24 h. Moreover, the same persistence of memory over 24 h could be achieved by exploration in a novel box or by a rewarded T-maze task after a “non-rewarded” weak encoding. When the one-pellet weak encoding was followed by novel object exploration, the memory did not persist at 24 h. Together, the results confirm that place encoding is possible without explicit reward, and that rewarded learning in a separate task lacking novelty can be an effective memory-modulating event. The behavioral and neurobiological implications are discussed.”
“Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK) venom is a rich source of neurotoxins which bind to various ion channels with high affinity and specificity and thus widely used as compounds to modulate channel gating.