Spherical Aggregates (spherical + aggregate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Facile Synthesis of Isomerically Pure Fullerenols and Formation of Spherical Aggregates from C60(OH)8,

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE, Issue 31 2010
Gang Zhang
Das Octahydroxyfulleren C60(OH)8 (siehe Bild) gehört zu einer Gruppe von isomerenreinen Fullerenolen mit zwei bis acht OH-Gruppen, die durch selektive Umwandlung von tert -Butylperoxogruppen in Peroxofullerenen hergestellt wurden. Weil alle OH-Gruppen auf der gleichen Kugelhälfte liegen, ist C60(OH)8 amphiphil und bildet stabile sphärische Aggregate in Wasser. [source]


Tissue surface tensions guide in vitro self-assembly of rodent pancreatic islet cells

DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 8 2007
Dongxuan Jia
Abstract The organization of endocrine cells in pancreatic islets is established through a series of morphogenetic events involving cell sorting, migration, and re-aggregation processes for which intercellular adhesion is thought to play a central role. In animals, these morphogenetic events result in an islet topology in which insulin-secreting cells form the core, while glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide-secreting cells segregate to the periphery. Isolated pancreatic islet cells self-assemble in vitro into pseudoislets with the same cell type organization as native islets. It is widely held that differential adhesion between cells of the pancreatic islets generates this specific topology. However, this differential adhesion has never been rigorously quantified. In this manuscript, we use tissue surface tensiometry to measure the cohesivity of spherical aggregates from three immortalized mouse pancreatic islet cell lines. We show that, as predicted by the differential adhesion hypothesis, aggregates of the internally segregating INS-1 and MIN6 beta-cell lines are substantially more cohesive than those of the externally segregating ,-TC line. Furthermore, we show that forced overexpression of P-cadherin by ,-TC cells significantly perturbs the sorting process. Collectively, the data indicate that differential adhesion can drive the in vitro organization of immortalized rodent pancreatic islet cells. Developmental Dynamics 236:2039,2049, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


A mesoscopic model for the behaviour of concrete under high confinement

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 11 2009
F. Dupray
Abstract When impact loaded, concrete is submitted to high triaxial stresses. The experimental response of concrete under quasi-static triaxial compression is studied using a triaxial press capable of applying a mean pressure greater than 1,GPa on cylindrical samples measuring 7,cm in diameter and 14,cm high. A numerical analysis of these previous experiments is performed herein at a mesoscopic scale. Concrete is modelled as a biphasic material consisting of a mortar (cement paste and fine aggregates) and roughly spherical aggregates (with a diameter exceeding 2,mm) whose characteristics are applied on a regular cubic finite element mesh. A damage-plasticity model is then used to model the behaviour of mortar. An identification of model parameters on mortar samples and the subsequent comparison between numerical and experimental tests will be presented for hydrostatic and triaxial compression. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Cryostructuring of polymer systems.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008
XXIX.
Abstract Supermacroporous (spongy) agarose-based cryogels were prepared by a two-step freezing procedure (freezing at ,30°C followed by incubation at a warmer subzero temperature) and subsequent thawing. The cryogels were formed as cylinders in plastic syringes and as platelike samples in flat metal molds. The characteristic feature of the gel matrices thus obtained was their heterogeneous spongelike morphology with a system of interconnected gross (50,250-,m and larger) pores. The influence of the cryogenic processing regimes on the properties and porous morphology of such agarose cryogels was explored by flow-through analysis, optical microscopy, thermometry, and high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry. These biocompatible, spongelike matrices were used as three-dimensional scaffolds for culturing insulin-producing rat insulinoma cells self-assembled in multicellular spherical aggregates (pseudoislets). The cell morphology and functional activity of such pseudoislets indicate that supermacroporous agarose-based cryogels can be useful as a tool for engineering biohybrid insulin-producing tissue. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source]


Photophysical and self-assembly behavior of poly(amidoamine) dendrons with chromophore as scaffold: The effect of dendritic architecture

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 13 2008
Bing-Bing Wang
Abstract Two series of amphiphiles composed of hydrophilic poly(amidoamine) dendrons (from the first to the third generation) as the shell and hydrophobic aromatic chromophores (3,6-di(maleimidyl)-9-phenyl carbazole and 9-(4,-maleimidyl phenyl)-3-maleimidyl carbazole) as the central scaffold were synthesized. The effect of dendritic architecture on the photophysical properties and the self-assembly behavior of these amphiphiles were studied by UV,vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Both the generation of dendritic shell and the location of dendrons at the chromophoric scaffold had great effect on the photophysical properties of these amphiphiles. In addition, different spherical aggregates were formed from these amphiphiles in the aqueous solution at different concentrations. Because of the combined effects of steric hindrance and architecture of dendritic shells, the amphiphiles from G2 dendron with central chromophore self-organized into ordered aggregates more readily than that from G1 and G3. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4584,4593, 2008 [source]


Synthesis of Well-Defined Rod-Coil Diblock Copolymer of Aromatic Polyether and Polyacrylonitrile by Chain-Growth Condensation Polymerization and Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 8 2008
Naomi Ajioka
Abstract The synthesis of diblock copolymers of aromatic polyether and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was conducted by chain-growth condensation polymerization (CGCP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from an orthogonal initiator. When CGCP for aromatic polyether was carried out from a PAN macroinitiator obtained by ATRP with an orthogonal initiator, decomposition of the PAN backbone occurred. However, when ATRP of acrylonitrile was conducted from an aromatic polyether macroinitiator obtained by CGCP followed by introduction of an ATRP initiator unit, the polymerization proceeded in a well-controlled manner to yield aromatic polyether- block -polyacrylonitrile (polyether- b -PAN) with low polydispersity. This block copolymer self-assembled in N,N -dimethylformamide to form bundle-like or spherical aggregates, depending on the length of the PAN units in the block copolymer. [source]


Numerical investigations on autogenous shrinkage of cement paste and mortar

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2009
Thorsten Leusmann
Autogenous shrinkage of cement paste and concrete is defined as the macroscopic length change occurring with no moisture transferred to the exterior surrounding environment. It is a result of chemical shrinkage affiliated with the hydration of cement particles and the ongoing process of self-desiccation. The process of self-desiccation can be modeled starting from the formation of the capillary pore space during hydration in the cement paste. In this proposal a working model will be introduced explaining the difficulties to obtain the autogenous shrinkage strains directly from a simulated or measured microstructure of cement paste. In a second step the autogenous shrinkage of a hardening cement mortar was described on a mesoscopic level. It based on measurements on cement paste. The mortar simply consists of cement paste and a defined fraction of spherical aggregates with a known modulus of elasticity. Furthermore the influence of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) is studied in numerical simulations. The results of these finite-element-calculations are introduced and compared with testing results of the autogenous shrinkage of hardening mortar samples. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Changes in the quaternary structure of amelogenin when adsorbed onto surfaces

BIOPOLYMERS, Issue 2 2009
Barbara J. Tarasevich
Abstract Amelogenin is a unique protein that self-assembles into spherical aggregates called "nanospheres" and is believed to be involved in controlling the formation of the highly anisotropic and ordered hydroxyapatite crystallites that form enamel. The adsorption behavior of amelogenin onto substrates is of great interest because protein-surface interactions are critical to its function. We report studies of the adsorption of amelogenin onto self-assembled monolayers containing COOH end group functionality as well as single crystal fluoroapatite, a biologically relevant surface. We found that although our solutions contained only nanospheres of narrow size distribution, smaller structures such as dimers or trimers were observed on the hydrophilic surfaces. This suggests that amelogenin can adsorb onto surfaces as small structures that "shed" or disassemble from the nanospheres that are present in solution. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 103,107, 2009. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The "Published Online" date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com [source]


Molecule-Responsive Block Copolymer Micelles

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 16 2007
Yoshihiro Ishihara
Abstract Ring-opening metathesis polymerization was used to generate an ABC triblock copolymer, containing complementary diamidopyridine (DAP) and thymine (THY) outer blocks, which assembles into spherical aggregates held together by DAP,THY noncovalent interactions. Addition of THY-containing small guest molecules results in complete opening and deaggregation of the block copolymer micelle. This molecular recognition and macroscopic response shows high selectivity to the guest structure, and tolerates only a small amount of conformational mobility in the THY guest. On the other hand, addition of a small DAP-containing guest does not break the aggregates, but instead, results in new micelles which show a different selectivity profile from the parent morphology. We have examined the effect of a number of structural features in the block copolymers, on both the extent and selectivity of their macroscopic response to guests (that is, opening of the micelle). This study has resulted in a set of structural guidelines, which help in the design of effective molecule-responsive micelles for applications in selective drug delivery, sensing, and surface patterning. [source]