Maleimide‐based thiol reactive multiarm star polymers via Diels‐Alder/retro Diels‐Alder strategy

Multiarm star polymers containing thiol‐reactive maleimide groups at their core have been synthesized by utilization of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of various methacrylates using a masked maleimide containing multiarm initiator. One end of the initiator contains multiple halogen groups that produce the star architecture upon polymerization and the other end contains a masked maleimide functional group. Unmasking of the maleimide group after the polymerization provides the thiol reactive maleimide core that is widely used in bioconjugation. Functionalization of the core maleimide group with a thiol containing tripeptide was used to demonstrate facile reactivity of the core of these multiarm polymers under reagent‐free conditions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2546–2556, 2010     

Multiarm star polymers with POSS at the periphery

Azide end‐functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS‐N₃) was incorporated into the periphery of well‐defined alkyne‐polystyrene₅₀‐poly(divinyl benzene) (alkyne‐PS₅₀‐polyDVB) and alkyne‐poly(tert‐butyl acrylate)₄₃‐poly(divinyl benzene) (alkyne‐PtBA₄₃‐polyDVB) multiarm star polymers via highly efficient azide‐alkyne click reaction, resulting in POSS‐PS₅₀‐polyDVB and POSS‐PtBA₄₃‐polyDVB multiarm star block copolymers respectively, in the solution of tetrahydrofuran/N,N‐dimethyl formamide, CuBr/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) at room temperature for 24 h. Linear precursors and star polymers obtained in this study were characterized ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and triple detection GPC (TD‐GPC). Absolute molecular weight, hydrodynamic radius, and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) values for all star polymers were determined by TD‐GPC. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Efficient on-chip isolation of HIV subtypes

HIV has caused a global pandemic over the last three decades. There is an unmet need to develop point-of-care (POC) viral load diagnostics to initiate and monitor antiretroviral treatment in resource-constrained settings. Particularly, geographical distribution of HIV subtypes poses significant challenges for POC immunoassays. Here, we demonstrated a microfluidic device that can effectively capture various subtypes of HIV particles through anti-gp120 antibodies, which were immobilized on the microchannel surface. We first optimized an antibody immobilization process using fluorescent antibodies, quantum dot staining and AFM studies. The results showed that anti-gp120 antibodies were immobilized on the microchannel surface with an elevated antibody density and uniform antibody orientation using a Protein G-based surface chemistry. Further, RT-qPCR analysis showed that HIV particles of subtypes A, B and C were captured repeatably with high efficiencies of 77.2 ± 13.2%, 82.1 ± 18.8, and 80.9 ± 14.0% from culture supernatant, and 73.2 ± 13.6, 74.4 ± 14.6 and 78.3 ± 13.3% from spiked whole blood at a viral load of 1000 copies per mL, respectively. HIV particles of subtypes A, B and C were captured with high efficiencies of 81.8 ± 9.4%, 72.5 ± 18.7, and 87.8 ± 3.2% from culture supernatant, and 74.6 ± 12.9, 75.5 ± 6.7 and 69.7 ± 9.5% from spiked whole blood at a viral load of 10,000 copies per mL, respectively. The presented immuno-sensing device enables the development of POC on-chip technologies to monitor viral load and guide antiretroviral treatment (ART) in resource-constrained settings.     

A molecular switch created by in vitro recombination of nonhomologous genes

We have created a molecular switch by the in vitro recombination of nonhomologous genes and subjecting the recombined genes to evolutionary pressure. The gene encoding TEM1 beta-lactamase was circularly permuted in a random fashion and subsequently randomly inserted into the gene encoding Escherichia coli maltose binding protein. From this library, a switch (RG13) was identified in which its beta-lactam hydrolysis activity was compromised in the absence of maltose but increased 25-fold in the presence of maltose. Upon removal of maltose, RG13's catalytic activity returned to its premaltose level, illustrating that the switching is reversible. The modularity of RG13 was demonstrated by increasing maltose affinity while preserving switching activity. RG13 gave rise to a novel cellular phenotype, illustrating the potential of molecular switches to rewire the cellular circuitry.     

Photon production at c.m. energies of 200 and 900 GeV

We present data on photon production in non single-diffractivep \(\bar p\) -collisions at c.m. energies of 200 and 900 GeV. Besides the general properties of photon production, i.e. pseudorapidity distribution and average multiplicity, we also investigate photon-charged two-particle pseudorapidity and multiplicity correlations. We find for the average number of photons in non single-diffractivep \(\bar p\) -collisions 22.2±1.4±2.0 at 200 GeV and 41.4±2.1±3.5 at 900 GeV, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The analysis of photon-charged particle multiplicity correlations reveals strong positive correlations between the average number of photons and the number of simultaneously produced charged particles, as expected from FNAL and ISR studies and from our result at 546 GeV. We obtain for the correlation slope 0.95±0.08±0.11 at 200 GeV and 1.09±0.09±0.13 at 900 GeV (first error is statistical and the second systematic). The investigation of photon-charged two-particle pseudorapidity correlations shows that these correlations are of short range and compatible with the observed charged two-particle pseudorapidity correlations. These correlations and the results for the average number of photons as a function of the produced number of charged particles favour the conclusion that photon sources other than π⁰ s contribute significantly to the observed photon yield in non single-diffractivep \(\bar p\) -collisions. For example, if all photons are assumed to come from π⁰ s and η mesons, a η/π⁰ ratio of about 20% is inferred.     

Scaling of pseudorapidity distributions at c.m. energies up to 0.9 TeV

New data are presented on charged particle pseudorapidity distributions for inelastic events produced at c.m. energies \(\sqrt s \) =200 and 900 GeV. The data were obtained at the CERN antiproton-proton Collider operated in a new pulsed mode. The rise of the central density ρ(0) at energies up to \(\sqrt s \) =900 GeV has been studied. A new form of central region scaling is found involving the densityρ _n (0) for charged multiplicityn, namely that the scaled central densityρ _n (0)/ρ(0) expressed as a function ofz=n/〈n〉 is independent ofs. Scaling in the fragmentation region holds to 10–20%, and the small amount of scalebreaking observed here could be accommodated within the framework suggested by Wdowcyk and Wolfendale to account for both accelerator and cosmic ray data.     

Charged particle correlations in\bar pp collisions at c.m. energies of 200, 546 and 900 GeV

We present data on two-particle pseudorapidity and multiplicity correlations of charged particles for non single-diffractive \(p\bar p - collisions\) at c.m. energies of 200, 546 and 900 GeV. Pseudorapidity correlations interpreted in terms of a cluster model, which has been motivated by this and other experiments, require on average about two charged particles per cluster. The decay width of the clusters in pseudorapidity is approximately independent of multiplicity and of c.m. energy. The investigations of correlations in terms of pseudorapidity gaps confirm the picture of cluster production. The strength of forward-backward multiplicity correlations increases linearly with ins and depends strongly on position and size of the pseudorapidity gap separating the forward and backward interval. All our correlation studies can be understood in terms of a cluster model in which clusters contain on average about two charged particles, i.e. are of similar magnitude to earlier estimates from the ISR.     

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic poly(ether ketone)s containing cyclotriphosphazene units. II

A new monomer di(4‐carboxyphenoxy) tetrakis(4‐fluorophenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene 1 was synthesized in a two‐step reaction sequence. The direct polycondensation of 1 and/or 4,4′‐dicarboxydiphenylether with aromatic ethers was carried out in P₂O₅/methanesulfonic acid (Eaton's reagent) at 120 °C for 3 h to give two series of aromatic poly(ether ketone)s containing cyclotriphosphazene units. The effect of the introduction of the cyclotriphosphazene group on the solubility and thermal properties of these polymers was discussed with relation to the cyclotriphosphazene contents. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2300–2305, 2000     

Neutrino and astroparticle physics: Working group report

The contributions made to the Working Group activities on neutrinos and astrophysics are summarized in this article. The topics discussed were inflationary models in Raman-Sundrum scenarios, ultra high energy cosmic rays and neutrino oscillations in 4 flavour and decaying neutrino models.     

Synthesis and characterization of aromatic cyclolinear phosphazene polyetherketones containing bis‐Spiro‐substituted cyclotriphosphazene unit

A novel monomer, 2,2‐bis‐(4′‐fluorobenzoylphenoxy)‐4,4,6,6‐bis[spiro‐(2′,2″‐dioxy‐1′, 1′‐biphenylyl)] cyclotriphosphazene, was synthesized and polymerized with 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone as a comonomer and 4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenol or 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphenol in N,N‐dimethylacetamide at 162 °C for 4 h to give two series of aromatic cyclolinear phosphazene polyetherketones containing bis‐spiro‐substituted cyclotriphosphazene groups. The structure of the monomer was confirmed by ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR. The effect of the incorporation of the bis‐spiro‐substituted cyclotriphosphazene group on the thermal properties of these polymers was investigated by DSC and thermogravimetric analysis. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2993–2997, 2001