Tunable magnetic arrangement of iron oxide nanoparticles in situ synthesized on the solid substrate from diblock copolymer micelles

Hexagonal arrangement of iron oxide nanoparticles was fabricated by utilizing a single-layered film of diblock copolymer micelles. The synthesis was directly performed on the solid substrate by oxygen plasma with preserving the dimensional order of micelles so that separate procedures for synthesis and deposition of nanoparticles were not necessary. Since the oxygen plasma treatment also eliminated polymers, pure patterns of iron oxide nanoparticles were obtained. Moreover, easy control over the size of nanoparticles enabled us to selectively create a ferrimagnetic or a superparamagnetic pattern of iron oxide nanoparticles without altering the fabrication process.     

Extending the scope of enantiomer separation by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography on immobilized polysiloxane-anchored permethyl-β-cyclodextrin (Chirasil-Dex)

Immobilized polysiloxane-anchored permethyl-β-cyclodextrin (Chirasil-Dex) with a cyclodextrin content of approximately 30 % by weight, previously employed as a versatile chiral stationary phase for the separation of enantiomers by GC, has been used for the separation of enantiomers by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). A considerable number of racemates could be resolved, e.g. aromatic alcohols, amino alcohols (TFA derivatives), and underivatized acids. Many pharmaceutical compounds were among those analyzed, including several NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen and ketoprofen), a steroidal drug (nor-gestrel), a barbiturate (hexobarbital), and others. Among the racemates resolved were many which cannot be analyzed by GC owing to low volatility or decomposition at elevated temperatures. For two racemates, analysis temperature and mobile phase density were systematically varied to give constant analysis times or capacity factors k. Low temperatures (ca 60 °C) yielded the best separation in term of separation factor, α, or resolution, R_s, even though higher densities had to be used. In comparison with GC, capillary SFC was able to furnish higher separation factors and similar resolution. The applicability of capillary SFC for the analysis of mixtures of cyclodextrin derivatives, e.g. those used in the synthesis of Chirasil-Dex, was, furthermore, demonstrated.     

THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF MUNG BEAN CHLOROPLASTS TO PHOTOINHIBITION IS INCREASED BY AN EXCESS SUPPLY OF IRON TO PLANTS: A PHOTOBIOLOGICAL ASPECT OF IRON TOXICITY IN PLANT LEAVES

In an attempt to elucidate the underlying mechanisms for iron toxicity in plants, the combined effects of iron overload and light intensities on the photosynthetic capacity of leaves were particularly focussed upon in this study, using mung bean seedlings grown under varied conditions regarding the supply of light and iron. The seedlings, when supplied with excess iron (up to 1.0 m M ) and low light (40 W/m²), did not suffer any loss of photosynthesis; further, the typical symptoms of iron toxicity, as shown in the leaves grown in sunlight at ca 450 W/m² on an average, were not seen in those. Nonetheless, excess iron supply resulted in a marked increase in photosensitivity of the low light-adapted seedlings. A large portion of iron accumulated in chloroplasts by the supply of excess iron was found to be incorporated into thylakoids as nonheme iron (NHI), which acts as a potent sensitizer, photogenerating singlet oxygen (¹O₂). The generation rate of ¹O₂ from thylakoids linearly increased with increasing content of NHI; this was in parallel with the NHI content dependence of photoinactivation rates of photosynthetic electron transport and key enzymes of the Calvin cycle in chloroplasts. The results suggest that Fe-dependent photosensitization reactions, occurring via the ¹O₂ mechanism, may be deeply involved in cellular processes leading to developing iron toxicity symptoms in plants.     

Polyarylate–polystyrene block copolymer from macro-azoinitiator: Synthesis and its thermal properties

A macro-azoinitiator containing polyarylate segment and azo group was prepared by the solution polycondensation of azobiscyanopentanoyl chloride and hydroxy-terminated polyarylates having viscosity-average molecular weights of 6200, 8100, and 12 400. These macro-azoinitiators were used in the radical polymerization of styrene to synthesize polyarylate-polystyrene block copolymers. Thermal properties measured by the differential scanning calorimetry indicated the phase separated morphology of the block copolymers except at low molecular weight of the block constituents. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Near threshold absolute TDCS: first results

A new method, and first results for an impact energy 2 eV above the threshold of ionisation of helium, are presented for the measurement of absolute triple differential cross sections (TDCS) in a crossed beam experiment. The method is based upon measurement of beam/target overlap densities using known absolute total ionisation cross sections and of detection efficiencies using known absolute double differential cross sections (DDCS). For the present work the necessary absolute DDCS for 1 eV electrons had also to be measured. Results are presented for several different coplanar kinematics and are compared with recent DWBA calculations.     

Conclusive evidence of the trapping of primary ozonides

[reaction: see text] Anomalous ozonolysis of strained bicyclic allylic alcohols yields alpha-hydroxymethyl ketones. The proposed mechanism involves an unusual trapping of the primary ozonide that undergoes a Grob-like fragmentation instead of dissociating into the Criegee intermediates.     

CHIP-mediated hyperubiquitylation of tau promotes its self-assembly into the insoluble tau filaments

The tau protein is a highly soluble and natively unfolded protein. Under pathological conditions, tau undergoes multiple post-translational modifications (PTMs) and conformational changes to form insoluble filaments, which are the proteinaceous signatures of tauopathies. To dissect the crosstalk among tau PTMs during the aggregation process, we phosphorylated and ubiquitylated recombinant tau in vitro using GSK3β and CHIP, respectively. The resulting phospho–ub-tau contained conventional polyubiquitin chains with lysine 48 linkages, sufficient for proteasomal degradation, whereas unphosphorylated ub-tau species retained only one–three ubiquitin moieties. Mass-spectrometric analysis of in vitro reconstituted phospho–ub-tau revealed seven additional ubiquitylation sites, some of which are known to stabilize tau protofilament stacking in the human brain with tauopathy. When the ubiquitylation reaction was prolonged, phospho–ub-tau transformed into insoluble hyperubiquitylated tau species featuring fibrillar morphology and in vitro seeding activity. We developed a small-molecule inhibitor of CHIP through biophysical screening; this effectively suppressed tau ubiquitylation in vitro and delayed its aggregation in cultured cells including primary cultured neurons. Our biochemical findings point to a “multiple-hit model,” where sequential events of tau phosphorylation and hyperubiquitylation function as a key driver of the fibrillization process, thus indicating that targeting tau ubiquitylation may be an effective strategy to alleviate the course of tauopathies.

Multiple-hit model for tau aggregation, where sequential events of tau phosphorylation and hyperubiquitylation function as a key driver of the fibrillization process.     

An electrochemically controllable nanomechanical molecular system utilizing edge-to-face and face-to-face aromatic interactions

[formula: see text] A new molecular system, 2,11-dithio[4,4]metametaquinocyclophane containing a quinone moiety, was designed and synthesized. As the quinone moiety can readily be converted into an aromatic pi-system (hydroquinone) upon reduction, the nanomechanical molecular cyclophane system exhibits a large flapping motion like a molecular flipper from the electrochemical redox process. The conformational changes upon reduction and oxidation are caused by changes of nonbonding interaction forces (devoid of bond formation/breaking) from the edge-to-face to face-to-face aromatic interactions and vice versa, respectively.