Abstract: A photopolymer useful in preparing water-developable, solid printing plates is prepared by preparing a urethane prepolymer by reacting polyoxyalkylene diols or polyester diols, or a mixture thereof, with an excess of diisocyanate, followed by chain extending the resulting prepolymer mixture with an alkyldialkanolamine, then reacting the chain-extended product with a hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylate. The resulting photopolymer is suitably formulated with additional photoactive (meth)acrylate monomers or oligomers and photoinitiator for casting or extrusion on a substrate to form a flexographic printing plate. Following UV exposure of the plate through a negative, unexposed areas can be removed by washing with a slightly acidic aqueous medium, to give a plate with a desirable relief image. The use of the aqueous washout solution as opposed to organic solvents minimizes pollution problems.

Abstract: A photocurable composition useful in preparing water-developable, solid printing plates is prepared by blending a urethane (meth)acrylate prepolymer with a complexing polymer based on poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) composition. The resulting composition is suitably formulated with additional photoactive (meth)acrylate monomers or oligomers and photoinitiator for casting or extrusion on a substrate to form a flexographic printing plate. Following UV exposure of the plate through a negative, unexposed areas can be removed by washing with aqueous media, to give a plate with a desirable relief image. The use of the aqueous washout solution as opposed to organic solvents minimizes pollution problems. The use of the complexing polymer significantly reduces the cold flow of the uncured plate and both increases toughness and reduces tack of the cured plate.

Abstract: An aqueous-developable article is made from a photosensitive prepolymer made by reacting together (a) maleated alkadiene polymer or copolymer, (b) hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylate or hydroxy(polycaprolactone)acrylate, (c) polybutadiene diol or polyisoprene diol, and (d) monohydroxy-terminated thermoplastic polymer, such as monohydroxy-terminated polystyrene or monohydroxy-terminated polymethylmethacrylate, followed by hydrolysis and at least partial neutralization by reaction with a base, e.g. NaOH, to form an ionomer. When formulated with photoinitiator and (optional) unsaturated monomers, the ionomer is particularly useful in making photopolymer-based flexographic printing plates.

Abstract: An expression method for enhanced recombinant production of a desired protein due to the presence of lactation-signals is provided which comprises cells transformed with a DNA sequence having the desired protein coding sequence under the control of a bovine prolactin promoter and a bovine prolactin distal enhancer sequence. A preferred embodiment uses growth hormone sequences as the desired protein coding sequences. In this embodiment, feed-efficiency of milk-producing animals is improved.