2,787 research outputs found

    Simulations of DNA coiling around a synthetic supramolecular cylinder that binds in the DNA major groove

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    In this work we present the results of a molecular simulation study of the interaction between a tetracationic bis iron((II)) supramolecular cylinder, [Fe-2(C25H20N4)(3)](4+), and DNA. This supramolecular cylinder has been shown to bind in the major groove of DNA and to induce dramatic coiling of the DNA. The simulations have been designed to elucidate the interactions that lead the cylinder to target the major groove and that drive the subsequent DNA conformational changes. Three sets of multi-nanosecond simulations have been performed: one of the uncomplexed d(CCCCCTTTTTCC)d(GGAAAAAGGGGG) dodecamer; one of this DNA complexed with the cylinder molecule; and one of this DNA complexed with a neutralised version of the cylinder. Coiling of the DNA was observed in the DNA-cylinder simulations, giving insight into the molecular level nature of the supramolecular coiling observed experimentally. The cylinder charge was found not to be essential for the DNA coiling, which implies that the DNA response is moderated by the short range interactions that define the molecular shape. Cylinder charge did, however, affect the integrity of the DNA duplex, to the extent that, under some circumstances, the tetracationic cylinder induced defects in the DNA base pairing at locations adjacent to the cylinder binding site

    Shape effects on the activity of synthetic major-groove binding ligands

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    In this work we present the results of a molecular simulation study of two different tetracationic bis iron(II) supramolecular cylinders interacting with DNA. One cylinder has been shown to bind in the major groove of DNA and to induce dramatic coiling of the DNA; the second is a derivative of the first, with additional methyl groups attached so as to give a larger cylinder-radius. The simulations show that both cylinders bind strongly to the major groove of the DNA, and induce complex structural changes in A-T rich regions. Whereas the parent cylinder tends to bind along the major groove, the derivatised cylinder tends to twist so that only one end remains within the major groove. Both G-C rich and A-T rich binding sites for the derivatised cylinder are discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

    Repositioning the graphic designer as researcher

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    In academic terms, the discipline of graphic design is relatively young. Consequently the position of the discipline within academic territory, and the role of the designer, continue to be debated. In part, these debates have been a product of attempts to define and defend the discipline’s borders from within, in order to establish a sense of the role of graphic design and the graphic designer as commensurate with other disciplines both within and beyond art and design. In recent years graphic designers have variously been defined as ‘authors’, ‘producers’ and ‘readers’, yet none of these definitions seem to have provided any kind of productive or lasting impact within the academy. This paper suggests that rather than continue to seek territorial definitions and positions from within, it could be more productive to look beyond the confines of the discipline. Gaining a broader, interdisciplinary perspective on, and understanding of, qualitative research methods from other disciplines may enable the graphic designer to more fully position his or her practice within the wider academy. Such a perspective could help facilitate the repositioning and redefinition of the graphic designer as ‘researcher’ - a move that would be productive in relation to the future development of postgraduate research within the discipline

    Theoretical aspects of the enantiomeric resolution of dimetallo helicates with different surface topologies on cellulose columns

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    Cellulose has been used to separate the enantiomers of a range of dimetallo coordination compounds with different surface topologies. The compounds are all approximately cylindrical in shape, but are based on octahedral coordination at the metals and are also helical. When separation has been achieved, the first eluted enantiomer has always been proven to have a negative circular dichroism (CD) signal for its longest wavelength metal to ligand charge transfer band. In order to understand the underlying basis for the elution order, gas phase molecular dynamics and snap-shot minimisations of each enantiomer with the repeat unit of cellulose, glucose, have been undertaken. For new dimetallo helicates, it is important to have a quick assessment of the enantiomeric identity of the first eluted compound. To this end, the coupled-oscillator model of CD has been applied to relate the signs of the CD signals to the identity of the enantiomers. This correlation is consistent with crystallographic data for the first eluted enantiomer of the parent compound

    Interview with Alison Frank, September 25, 2009

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    Interview Themes: How Frank chooses research topics (00:50) Aspects of her training as a historian Frank found useful (07:00) Books that have inspired and informed Frank's work (11:11) On the role of area studies for scholarship on East-Central Europe (14:00) "Internationalizing" the history of East-Central Europe (19:30) Advice to young historians/scholars working on the region (22:11)Interview with Alison Frank, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University. Interview conducted in Ithaca, NY on September 25, 2009. Professor Frank is the author of a number of articles and an excellent book on the oil industry in the Habsburg Monarchy entitled Oil Empire: Visions of Prosperity in Austrian Galicia. She is now working on a project on the coastline of Austria-Hungary.1_9lz5ekh

    Introduction: The Politics of Resilience and Recovery in Mental Health Care

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    The articles included in this special issue engage these themes across a number of national settings, institutional spaces, and empirical sites, from universities to mental health commissions, to national policy in an international context. They focus, especially, on Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where recent and significant changes in mental health governance have relied heavily on the notions of recovery and resilience, often to questionable effect. They deal, as we have said, with some of the most central themes in social justice studies. As a collection, the articles help us think through some of the pressing political questions about social justice that have arisen with the adoption of the mantras of resilience and recovery in mental health governance

    Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes and their modes of interaction with DNA : is there a correlation between these interactions and the antitumor activity of the compounds?

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    Various interaction modes between a group of six ruthenium polypyridyl complexes and DNA have been studied using a number of spectroscopic techniques. Five mononuclear species were selected with formula [Ru(tpy) L1L2](2-n)?, and one closely related dinuclear cation of formula [{Ru(apy)(tpy)}2{l-H2N(CH2)6NH2}]4?. The ligand tpy is 2,20:60,200-terpyridine and the ligand L1 is a bidentate ligand, namely, apy (2,20-azobispyridine), 2-phenylazopyridine, or 2-phenylpyridinylmethylene amine. The ligand L2 is a labile monodentate ligand, being Cl-, H2O, or CH3CN. All six species containing a labile L2 were found to be able to coordinate to the DNA model base 9-ethylguanine by 1H NMR and mass spectrometry. The dinuclear cationic species, which has no positions available for coordination to a DNA base, was studied for comparison purposes. The interactions between a selection of four representative complexes and calf-thymus DNA were studied by circular and linear dichroism. To explore a possible relation between DNA-binding ability and toxicity, all compounds were screened for anticancer activity in a variety of cancer cell lines, showing in some cases an activity which is comparable to that of cisplatin. Comparison of the details of the compound structures, their DNA binding, and their toxicity allows the exploration of structure–activity relationships that might be used to guide optimization of the activity of agents of this class of compounds

    Negotiating the Culture of Resistance: A Critical Assessment of Protest Politics

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    Both for those within the movement and the public at large, the anti-globalization movement has become increasingly defined by large-scale protests such as those opposing the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in Quebec City. Such events successfully render visible the strength of the movement, expose an emerging global elite, politicize neoliberal restructuring, and capture the media and public's attention. Yet the privileging of large-scale protest for advancing anti-globalist politics is increasingly being questioned both by those involved in the movement and by the Left in general.Peer reviewe

    Portrait of Alison Dolling, author and historian, Adelaide, 1978 [picture] /

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    Title devised by cataloguer from accompanying information.; "Dolling, Alison. Writes under Mary Broughton, Hazel de Berg collection. From Adelaide Festival, South Australia"--Compactus card.; Condition: Scratched.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4764650; Conversation with Alison Dolling (Mary Broughton); located at; National Library of Australia Oral History collection ORAL TRC1/1067
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