Templating Polymerization of Dodecylammonium Surfactants with Polymerizable (Meth)acrylate Counter Ions

Both dodecylammonium acrylate (I) and dodecylammonium methacrylate (II) are reactive surfactants in which the polymerizable group is the organic counterion. Templating polymerization of I and II from the lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) lamellar phase was successfully performed with conservation of the supramolecular structure. A 20 wt% aqueous solution of II formed cubic bicontinuous phases, even upon addition of divinyl benzene (DVB). Polymerization from the cubic phases was attempted without and with DVB (3 wt%). Bicontinuous cubic phases always evolved toward lamellar structures upon polymerization.     

Conditions ensuring the applicability of cutting-plane methods for solving variational inequalities

Let VIP(F,C) denote the variational inequality problem associated with the mapping F and the closed convex set C. In this paper we introduce weak conditions on the mapping F that allow the development of a convergent cutting-plane framework for solving VIP(F,C). In the process we introduce, in a natural way, new and useful notions of generalized monotonicity for which first order characterizations are presented. Received: September 25, 1997 / Accepted: March 2, 1999?Published online July 20, 2000     

Role of Nuclear Factor-KB in Colon Cancer Cell Apoptosis Mediated by Aminopyropheophorbide Photosensitization

Aminopyropheophorbide (APP) is a second generation of photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT). We demonstrated that APP strongly absorbed red light and, after being taken up by colon cancer cells (HCT-116 cells), was localized in cytoplasmic and internal membranes but not in mitochondria. The APP-mediated photosensitization was cytotoxic for HCT-116 cells through an induction of apoptosis. Indeed, DNA fragmentation (DNA laddering and terminal deoxyuridine nick-end labeling) and chromatin condensation (4',6-diamidine-2'-phenylindole staining) could be visualized soon after photosensitization. Because nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B is involved in the response to many photosensitizers, we also demonstrated its nuclear translocation in two waves: a rapid and transient one, followed by a slow and sustained phase. The NF-kappa B turned out to be involved in an antiapoptotic response to APP-mediated photosensitization because the HCT-116 cell line expressing the dominant negative mutant of inhibitor-kappa B alpha was more sensitive to apoptosis as measured by DNA fragmentation and caspase activation. These data unambiguously show that a membrane-located photosensitizer can lead to effective apoptosis, reinforcing the idea that PDT can be an effective means to eradicate colon cancer cells.     

Determination of Fluorescence Yields, Singlet Lifetimes and Singlet Oxygen Yields of Water-Insoluble Porphyrins and Metalloporphyrins in Organic Solvents and in Aqueous Media

Abstract— Fluorescence quantum yields and singlet lifetimes for a wide range of hydrophilic to hydrophobic porphyrins and metalloporphyrins have been determined in toluene, methanol or acetone. Photosensitized singlet oxygen yields have been determined in the same solvents. For some porphyrins, the same quantities were determined in an aqueous medium, through use of an amphiphilic polymer to solubilize the porphyrin sensitizer and target molecule, 1, 3-diphenylisobenzofuran. Because rate constants for the deactivation of singlet oxygen ( k _d) and for its reaction with a target molecule (k _a ) are unknown in such aqueous polymer systems, a new method was developed for evaluating yields of singlet oxygen formation that also provides a value for the ratio k_d/k_a. A variation observed in quantum yield of singlet oxygen production for the aqueous polymer system with variation in initial concentration of the target molecule is discussed.     

Study of heat treatment on the behaviour towards shrinkage,orientation and molecular order of stretched poly(vinyl chloride) fibres

The behaviour of stretched PVC fibres during thermomechanical treatments between 110–160°C has been studied. As far as shrinkage is concerned, three ranges of temperature have been characterized. Within the range 100–140°C the poly(vinyl chloride) undergoes a plastic deformation and has an elastoplastic behaviour. From 140 up to 170°C a creep phenomenon superimposes the elastic behaviour and then the polymer has a viscoplastic behaviour. As the temperature increases above 170°C there is flowing of polymer chains and the fibres break rapidly. Annealings carried out between 100 and 150°C cause the formation of ordered domains which are responsible for the formation of a temporary physical crosslinking network which hinders the shrinkage to such a temperature lower than their melting temperature. The loss of orientation of the amorphous phase is a rapid process which takes place as the temperature rises above 100°C even if the applied stress counterbalances the overall strain resulting from the potential shrinkage.     

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Carbenoid Reactions of Sulfonium Ylides

Olefins undergo cyclopropanation with diphenylsulfonium (ethoxycarbonyl)methylide (=diphenylsulfonium 2-ethoxy-2-oxoethylide; 3a ) in the presence of chiral Cu^I or Rh^II catalysts. trans/cis Ratios and ee's of the cyclopropanes 6 obtained with this ylide in the presence of a chiral Cu^I catalyst 7 are identical with those obtained with ethyl diazoacetate ( 4 ). In the case of catalysis with Rh^II, the trans/cis ratios of the cyclopropanes as well as the enantioselectivity change slightly upon going from the ylide 3a to diazoacetate 4 .     

Pulsed‐laser radical polymerization and propagation kinetic parameters of some alkyl acrylates

Pulsed‐laser photoinitiated polymerization was used to determine, in toluene solution, the propagation kinetic parameters of a series of acrylates with increasing size of the alkyl side group. Transfer to monomer and to toluene did not occur significantly in our PLP conditions and our temperature range since no broadening of the MMD was observed, allowing generally to work with two inflection points. In contrast, depending on the nature of the acrylate and on the PLP conditions, transfer to polymer, and thus long chain branching, can critically interfere. Indeed, the Mark‐Houwink‐Sakurada parameters, which are used to calculate the absolute molar mass at the inflection point, strongly depend on the polymer structure and thus, should be carefully measured for each PLP sample. Although still preliminary, the results show that the k_ps measured in toluene solution present a tendency to continuously decrease when increasing the size of the side group. This observation is conflicting with the reported behaviour for PLP experiments in bulk, revealing a possible solvent effect.