Self-Assembly of Stimuli-Responsive Water-Soluble [60]Fullerene End-Capped Ampholytic Block Copolymer

Well-defined, water-soluble, pH and temperature stimuli-responsive [60]fullerene (C₆₀) containing ampholytic block copolymer of poly((methacrylic acid)-block-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate))-block–C₆₀ (P(MAA-b-DMAEMA)-b-C₆₀) was synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique. The self-assembly behaviour of the C₆₀ containing polyampholyte in aqueous solution was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy. This amphiphilic mono-C₆₀ end-capped block copolymer shows enhanced solubility in aqueous medium at room and elevated temperatures and at low and high pH but phase-separates at intermediate pH of between 5.4 and 8.8. The self assembly of the copolymer is different from that of P(MAA-b-DMAEMA). Examination of the association behavior using DLS revealed the co-existence of unimers and aggregates at low pH at all temperatures studied, with the association being driven by the balance of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Unimers and aggregates of different microstructures are also observed at high pH and at temperatures below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PDMAEMA. At high pH and at temperatures above the LCST of PDMAEMA, the formation of micelles and aggregates co-existing in solution is driven by the combination of hydrophobic, electrostatic, and charge-transfer interactions.

Àlgebra vectorial: vectors

Oferim als estudiants universitaris i als lectors interessats aquesta guia didàctica de la matemàtica universitària com a fruit dels nostres anys de docència de les matemàtiques a la Universitat. El resultat final ha esdevingut una col·lecció de setze petits volums agrupats en els dos mòduls d'Àlgebra Lineal i de Càlcul Infinitesimal. Amb aquest sisè volum de la col•lecció iniciem l’estudi de l’Àlgebra vectorial a partir de conceptes propers a la intuïció com són els vectors del pla i de l’espai per, a continuació, fer una generalització del concepte de vector a altres ens matemàtics com polinomis, successions, magnituds econòmiques, etc. En aquest volum utilitzarem sovint la notació matricial, ja coneguda i emprada en volums anteriors, i que esdevé una eina idònia per facilitar la notació dels conceptes i del càlcul entre vectors. Seguim amb l’estudi axiomàtic de l’estructura d’espai vectorial i les seves propietats, que com veurem en el proper volum ens permetrà, entre altres aplicacions a l’economia, deduir els valors i vectors propis d’un endomorfisme i diagonalitzar formes quadràtiques

Assembly of a Dean and Stark Apparatus

This is a 5-minute narrated video that shows students how to assemble Dean and Stark distillation apparatus. It is in Flash Movie format and the ZIP file contains everything required - simply upload it to Blackboard as a package file, unpack it and use dean-and-stark.htm as the start page.

50 stories for assembly.

Es una recopilación de historias para ser utilizada en las reuniones escolares con niños de edades comprendidas entre ocho y doce años. Muchas de estas historias se han escrito para la radio y la televisión y por ello tienen un estilo coloquial, que resulta de interés para los niños y permite el debate sobre las ideas, experiencias y valores que ellas proponen. Además, es un recurso que les estimula a escribir sus propias historias.

Internal structure of chlorosomes from brown-colored Chlorobium species and the role of carotenoids in their assembly

Chlorosomes are the main light harvesting complexes of green photosynthetic bacteria. Recently, a lamellar model was proposed for the arrangement of pigment aggregates in Chlorobium tepidum chlorosomes, which contain bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c as the main pigment. Here we demonstrate that the lamellar organization is also found in chlorosomes from two brown-colored species (Chl. phaeovibrioides and Chl. phaeobacteroides) containing BChl e as the main pigment. This suggests that the lamellar model is universal among green sulfur bacteria. In contrast to green-colored Chl. tepidum, chlorosomes from the brown-colored species often contain domains of lamellar aggregates that may help them to survive in extremely low light conditions. We suggest that carotenoids are localized between the lamellar planes and drive lamellar assembly by augmenting hydrophobic interactions. A model for chlorosome assembly, which accounts for the role of carotenoids and secondary BChl homologs, is presented