ABS blends with phenoxy: morphology,thermal, mechanical and rheological properties

Blends of ABS (acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) with phenoxy(poly(hydroxyether bisphenol A)) were prepared using a Branender single screw extruder. Scanning and transmission electron micrographs (SEM, TEM) showed a typical two-phase morphology; particle-in-matrix (90/10) (ABS/phenoxy by weight), 70/30, 10/90), island/sea (30/70) and co-continuous (50/50) morphologies. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of SAN was almost unchanged in the blends, while the T_g of phenoxy increased by about 5 °C in the blends. The synergistic effect of tensile modulus and strength was noted in ABS-rich blends, where a drastic drop of ductility was seen, and the results were interpreted in terms of rubber particle migration form SAN to phenoxy phase, which was visualized by TEM. Melt viscosity showed yield in ABS-rich blends, and generally followed the log additivity.     

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.     

Quencher-fluorophore ensemble for detection of pyrophosphate in water

We present a new example of on-off switching using a fluorescent PPi sensor system based on the quencher-fluorophore ensemble, which shows a moderate selectivity for PPi ions among other anions in an aqueous solvent.     

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip for precolumn reaction and micellar electrokinetic chromatography of biogenic amines

We have demonstrated that precolumn derivatization and capillary electrophoresis separation on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip can be realized as efficient as those on glass microchips. In an optimized condition of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), using 25 mM sodium borate buffer (pH 10.0) with 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 5% v/v methanol, the electroosmotic flow in an oxidized PDMS microchip is stabilized within 3% for days. By employing a fluorometric derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) in an optimally designed reaction chamber, four most important biogenic amines occurring in foods, histamine, tyramine, putrescine, and tryptamine, are quantitatively determined in less than 1 min at the levels applicable to real samples. The migration behaviors of anionic OPA-derivatized biogenic amines under the MEKC conditions are analyzed, and it has been found that under our separation conditions, the electrophoretic mobility of the SDS micelles is significantly greater than those of the anions in the aqueous phase. The channel manifold in a PDMS substrate is fabricated using replica molding against a thick photoresist, SU-8, pattern generated by photolithography. The plate with the microchannel pattern is strongly, irreversibly bonded to another PDMS plate by using a new bonding technique, which employs surface oxidation by corona discharge generated from a cheap, handy source, Tesla coil.     

Fluorimetric determination of trace hydrogen peroxide in water with a flow injection system

A fluorimetric flow-injection procedure with a single reagent solution containing p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, peroxidase and ammonia permits the determination of aqueous hydrogen peroxide in the range 10^?8?10^?4 M; 30–60 samples can be processed per hour. The method exhibits a wide linear range and is insensitive to sample pH within the range 2–6.     

Azinoiminophosphorane mediated synthesis of 5H, 7H‐1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐c][1,3]benzoxazepin‐7‐ones and 6H,8H‐1,2,4‐triazolo‐[1,5‐c][1,3]oxazepin‐6‐ones

The aza‐Wittig reactions of benzophenone‐, acetophenone‐ and benzaldehyde l‐[(triphenylphosphoranyl‐idene)amino]ethylidenehydrazones (4) with phthalic anhydride, 2,3‐dimethylmaleic anhydride and 7‐oxabi‐cyclo[2,2,l]hept‐5‐ene‐2,3‐dicarboxylic anhydride ( 5a ) provide a new route to 5H,7H‐1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐c]‐[1,3]benzoxazepin‐7‐ones 8a‐c or 6H,8H‐1,2,4‐triazolo[1,5‐c][1,3]oxazepin‐6‐ones 8d‐h via the thermal reaction of the expected azinoimine lactones 6 .     

Highly stereoselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted 3-vinylidene tetetrahydrofurans via Prins-type cyclization

[reaction: see text]. A novel synthetic methodology for 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans having an allenyl group at the 3-position via Prins-type cyclization was developed. The reaction led to excellent selectivity and moderate to high yields.     

Dispersion of silica nano-particles in sol-gel hybrid resins for fabrication of multi-scale hybrid nanocomposite

Multi-scale hybrid nanocomposites containing both ∼15 nm silica colloids and ∼2 nm oligosiloxanes in a methacryl polymer matrix were newly designed and fabricated. Colloidal silica sols were dispersed in methacryl oligosiloxanes nano-hybrid resins synthesized by sol-gel reaction of methacryloxypropylmethoxysilane and diphenylsilanediol. On the basis of TEM and SANS analyses, it was confirmed that the silica colloids were compatibly dispersed and different sizes of colloidal silica and oligosiloxanes co-exist in the solutions. Multi-scale hybrid nanocomposites fabricated by UV and thermal curing with incorporation of silica colloids in the nano-hybrid materials show enhanced mechanical and thermal characteristics.     

Photochemical reactions of a dimethacrylate compound containing a chalcone moiety in the main chain

We synthesized the new photosensitive oligomer containing a chalcone moiety in the main chain by end-capping reaction of diepoxide compound with methacrylic acid. The chalcone-epoxy oligomeric compound was synthesized with 4,4^′-dihydroxychalcone and epichlorohydrin. Investigation of the photosensitivity of the newly synthesized chalcone oligomer was carried out by using UV-Vis absorption and infrared spectroscopies under UV exposure. We observed the photodimerization behavior under UV irradiation. At the same time, we could also observe the photopolymerization of the compound with a trace amount of dimethoxyphenyl acetophenone. Thermal properties of UV-cured dimethacrylate compounds were also studied.