Tailoring a Dress to Single Protein Molecules: Proteins Can Do It Themselves through Localized Photo-Polymerization and Molecular Imprinting

Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIP NPs) are antibody-like recognition materials prepared by a template-assisted synthesis. MIP NPs able to target biomolecules, like proteins, are under the spotlight for their great potential in medicine, but efficiently imprinting biological templates is still very challenging. Here we propose generating a molecular imprint in single NPs, by photochemically initiating the polymerization from individual protein templates. In this way, each protein molecule tailors itself its own “polymeric dress”. For this, the template protein is covalently coupled with a photoinitiator, Eosin Y. Irradiated with light at 533 nm, the Eosin moiety acts as an antenna and transfers energy to a co-initiator (an amine), which generates a radical and initiates polymerization. As a result, a polymer network is forming only around the very template molecule, producing cross-linked NPs of 50 nm, with single binding sites showing high affinity (K_D 10⁻⁹ m ) for their biological target, and selectivity over other proteins.     

Quenching of Premixed Flames at Cold Walls: Effects on the Local Flow Field

The presence of a turbulent premixed flame strongly influences the properties of the adjacent velocity boundary layer. This influence is studied here using a generic configuration where at atmospheric pressure turbulent premixed methane/air flames interact with a temperature stabilized wall. The experiment is optimized for well-defined boundary conditions and optical accessibility in the zone where the flame impinges at the wall. Laser based diagnostic methods are used to measure two components of the velocity field by particle image velocimetry simultaneously with the flame front position using laser induced fluorescence of the OH molecule. Two measurement planes are selected that are aligned perpendicularly to the surface of the wall. Based on this data, the flow field near the wall is analyzed by different methodologies using laboratory-fixed and flame-conditioned statistics, a quadrant splitting analysis of the Reynolds stresses and an evaluation of the production term of the turbulent kinetic energy. The results of chemically reactive cases are compared to their corresponding non-reactive flows for otherwise identical inflow conditions. In the zone of flame-wall interactions the boundary layer structure and its turbulence are dominated by the turbulent flame. Important features are that the flame compresses the boundary layer already upstream the location where the flame is finally quenched and that ejection and sweeps are no longer the dominant mechanisms as in non-reactive boundary layers. This experimental data may serve additionally as a database for model development for near wall reactive flows.     

Variational integration in endochronic theory for small strain elastoplastodynamics

This paper presents a basic endochronic plasticity model with isotropic hardening for small strain theory according to Valanis. The key point of this model is a convolution integral over an intrinsic time scale involving past values of the strain measure and a so-called memory kernel which leads to a smooth evolution equation for the internal variable. For the temporal discretization of the underlying constitutive equations and the resulting evolution equation we use higher order accurate variational integrators (VI). The remarkable feature is the fact that we approximate the position vector in terms of velocities according to partitioned Runge-Kutta methods (pRK). As a representative model problem serves a quasistatic, uniaxial tensile testing as well as a dynamic, elastoplastic cantilever beam with a smooth plasticity model according to the Valanis framework. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

DEM-FEM coupled numerical investigation of granular materials to increase crashworthiness of double-hull vessels

In this contribution, a novel design strategy is investigated for improving the crashworthiness of double-hull vessels, which involves usage of granular materials. For numerical simulation, a framework based on coupling of the Discrete Element and the Finite Element Method is used to study load bearing capacity of granular materials during uniaxial compression. In addition, the effect of Young's modulus of particles is also investigated with respect to the load transferability. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phospha-alkynes - Useful Building Blocks in Organic Chemistry1

Abstract

The syntheses of phospholes (7, [3+2]-cycloaddition), bicyclophosphaalkenes (17, [4+2]-cycloaddition), and phosphabenzenes (15, [4+2]-cycloaddition followed by an extrusion process) starting from the phosphaalkynes (4) are described. The 2–Dewar phosphabenzene 18, obtained from the cyclobutadiene 21 and 4 (R =^tBu), is the starting material for the synthesis of the valency isomers 19, 20, 22, and 23.     

New Fluorinated Poly(imide siloxane) Random and Block Copolymers with Variation of Siloxane Loading

Several new random and block copoly(imide siloxane)s have been prepared by the solution polycondensation of commercially available 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) and amino-propyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (APPS) with 4,4′-(hexafluoro-isopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA). The siloxane loading was kept to 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt% in the copolymers. The random copolymers were prepared by a one pot solution imidization technique, and two pot solution imidization technique was adopted for the synthesis of the block copolymers. The diamine ODA and the dianhydride 6FDA composed the hard block segment, while APPS and 6FDA composed the soft block segment. The hard block length was kept constant while the soft block lengths were varied by varying the siloxane loading. Accordingly, block copoly(imide siloxane)s were prepared on increasing the soft block lengths (DP) from 3 to 6, 10, 18 and 36 for fixed hard block length of 22. The resulting polymers have been well characterized by IR, NMR and GPC techniques. Thermal and mechanical properties of the random and block copolymers were compared with the already reported homopolyimide without siloxane moiety.     

Development of a manual method for the determination of mineral oil in foods and paperboard

So far the majority of the measurements of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) were obtained from on-line high performance liquid chromatography–gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (on-line HPLC–GC–FID). Since this technique is not available in many laboratories, an alternative method with more easily available tools has been developed. Preseparation on a small conventional liquid chromatographic column was optimized to achieve robust separation between the MOSH and the MOAH, but also to keep out the wax esters from the MOAH fraction. This was achieved by mixing a small portion of silica gel with silver nitrate into highly activated silica gel and by adding toluene into the eluent for the MOAH. Toluene was also added to the MOSH fraction to facilitate reconcentration and to serve as a keeper preventing loss of volatiles during solvent evaporation. A 50 μl volume was injected on-column into GC–FID to achieve a detection limit for MOSH and MOAH below 1 mg/kg in most foods.