Search results for " microscopy"

Use of transmission electron microscopy to obtain quantitative information about polymers

2005

In the polymer field the electron microscope is frequently used as a tool for obtaining purely qualitative data, but only rarely to obtain quantitative information. In order to discuss the potential of this instrument for the latter purpose it is convenient to separate the discussion into the following sub-sections.

On the Use of the Nanoindentation Unloading Curve to Measure the Young's Modulus of Polymers on a Nanometer Scale

2005

Summary: The nanoindentation test is a fundamental tool to assess the link between morphology and mechanical properties. The preliminary results of a more exhaustive study about the applicability to polymers of the most used procedure to determine elastic modulus by indentation are reported in this short communication. A departure of the experimental conditions from the theoretical assumptions and results that give rise to the Oliver and Pharr analysis is shown to occur under a wide range of experimental conditions, with applied loads and penetration depths covering several orders of magnitude and using different indenter geometries. Unloading curves with exponents significantly larger than…

Differential localization of two acid proteinases in germinating barley (Hordeum vulgare) seed

1995

A cathepsin D-like aspartic proteinase (EC 3.4.23) is abundant in ungerminated barley (Hordeum vulgare) seed while a 30 kDa cysteine endoproteinase (EC 3.4.22) is one of the proteinases synthesized de novo in the germinating seed. In this work, the localization of these two acid proteinases was studied at both the tissue and subcellular levels by immunomicroscopy. The results confirm that they have completely different functions. The aspartic proteinase was present in the ungerminated seed and, during germination, it appeared in all the living tissues of the grain, including the shoot and root. Contrary to previous suggestions, it was not observed in the starchy endosperm. By immunoblotting…

Self-assembly of small gold colloids with functionalized gold nanorods.

2007

We present a general strategy to stabilize gold nanorod suspensions with mono- and bifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) and to attach a controlled number of nanoparticles or biomolecules. Characterization by gel electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and optical dark-field microscopy show the specific binding of functionalized nanorods to their target while avoiding nonspecific binding to substrates, matrices, and other particles. Such nanorods are well suited for self-assembly of nanostructures and single-molecule labeling.

New perspectives for the design of molecular actuators: thermally induced collapse of single macromolecules from cylindrical brushes to spheres.

2004

Temperature triggered self-assembly of polypeptides into multivalent spherical micelles.

2007

We report herein thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) in a linear AB diblock architecture with an N-terminal peptide ligand that self-assemble into spherical micelles when heated slightly above body temperature. A series of 10 ELP block copolymers (ELP(BC)'s ) with different molecular weights and hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic block ratios were genetically synthesized by recursive directional ligation. The self-assembly of these polymers from unimers into micelles was investigated by light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, and cryo-TEM. These ELP(BC)'s undergo two phase transitions as a function of solution temperature: a unimer-to-spherical micelle transition at an interm…

Tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives: a new class of highly soluble liquid crystalline conjugated polymers

2011

Two first examples of highly soluble tetra-alkoxy substituted PPV derivatives, poly(2,3,5,6-tetrahexyloxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (TH-PPV) and poly[2,3,5,6-tetra(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] TEH-PPV, are presented. Both polymers have been fully characterized and the solubility and UV-Vis absorption characteristics have been studied in various organic solvents. Due to the symmetric nature of the repeating unit, TH-PPV and TEH-PPV have an inherently regioregular nature, which is unusual for PPV-type polymers. Observations from polarized light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry indicate that TH-PPV exhibits thermally induced order resulting in a liquid crystalline m…

Composite soy lecithin–decylpolyglucoside vesicles: A theoretical and experimental study

2008

In the present work, vesicles made with soy lecithin and a commercial mixture of alkyl polyglucosides were prepared and characterized. Vesicles with a constant amount of soy lecithin and an increasing amount of a decylpolyglucoside surfactant, (OrNS10), were formulated and their physicochemical properties were studied with the aim to design a drug delivery system suitable for different applications. To this purpose, morphology, size distribution, ζ-potential and apparent viscosity of the prepared vesicles were studied. Vesicles were also characterized by using optical and light polarized microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy. A stability study was …

Electrochemical monitoring of ROS generation by anticancer agents: the case of chartreusin

2017

Solution phase and solid-sate electrochemical techniques centered in the voltammetry of microparticles approach are applied for testing the cytotoxic activity of anticancer drugs. The possibility of electrochemical generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is exploited for evaluating their contribution to cellular damage. The described methodology is applied to the case of chartreusin (Ch) whose electrochemistry in non-aqueous solutions and in the solid state in contact with aqueous electrolytes is described in the absence (experimental data were confirmed by theoretical calculations) and in the presence of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). In parallel, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SEC…

Reactive oxygen species mediate angiotensin II-induced leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in vivo

2001

Abstract Chronically elevated angiotensin II (Ang-II)-induced hypertension is partly mediated by superoxide production. In this study, we have investigated whether the leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions elicited by Ang-II involve reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Intravital microscopy within the rat mesenteric microvessels was used. Superfusion (60 min) with Ang-II (1 nM) induced significant increases in leukocyte rolling flux, adhesion, and emigration, which were inhibited by pretreatment with superoxide dismutase or catalase. Dihydrorhodamine-123 oxidation indicated that ROS are primarily produced by the vessel wall. Administration of dimethylthiourea, desferrioxamine, or N-a…