Copolymers of 2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl 2-methylacrylate and 4-[5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]phenyl 2-methylacrylate: correlating hole drift mobility and electronic structure calculations with electroluminescence.

Methacrylate monomers functionalized with pendant carbazole and oxadiazole moieties were copolymerized into random copolymers with varying carbazole/oxadiazole ratios. Specifically, the monomers of 2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl 2-methylacrylate (CE) and 4-[5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]phenyl 2-methylacrylate (tBPOP) were copolymerized in various ratios, and the inherent hole drift mobilities were assessed through time-of-flight techniques. At a field strength of 345 kV/cm, the homopolymer PCE exhibited a hole mobility of 5.

Color kinetic nanoparticles.

Eu3+ doped LaF3 nanoparticles functionalized with a 3-4 formylphenyl benzoic acid ligand were synthesized. Excitation energy-dependent energy transfer from the ligand to Eu3+ yields color tunability from the red to greenish-blue as a function of excitation wavelengths. This synthetic approach provides large shifts in the resultant chromaticity with an excitation wavelength including the generation of white light.

RDP58 inhibits T cell-mediated bladder inflammation in an autoimmune cystitis model.

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the urinary bladder with a strong autoimmune component. Currently, the major challenge in IC treatment is the development of effective therapies. RDP58 is a novel d-amino acid decapeptide with potent immunosuppressive activity.

Urinary bladder epithelium antigen induces CD8+ T cell tolerance, activation, and autoimmune response.

The effort to explore the specific autoimmune mechanisms of urinary bladder has long been hindered due to a lack of proper animal models. To better elucidate this issue, we developed a novel line of transgenic (Tg) mice, designated as URO-OVA mice, that express the model Ag OVA as a "self"-Ag on the bladder epithelium. URO-OVA mice are naturally tolerant to OVA and show no response to OVA stimulation.

Monitoring DPA release from a single germinating Bacillus subtilis endospore via surface-enhanced Raman scattering microscopy.

A method for monitoring DPA release from a single germinating Bacillus subtilis endospore is reported. High S/N ratio SERS spectra were obtained with excitation power 3 mW at 647.1 nm and 1 min spectral collection times.

Synthesis and optical properties of silver nanoparticles and arrays.

This Minireview systematically examines optical properties of silver nanoparticles as a function of size. Extinction, scattering, and absorption cross-sections and distance dependence of the local electromagnetic field, as well as the quadrupolar coupling of 2D assemblies of such particles are experimentally measured for a wide range of particle sizes. Such measurements were possible because of the development of a novel synthetic method for the size-controlled synthesis of chemically clean, highly crystalline silver nanoparticles of narrow size distribution.

Size-Controlled Synthesis of Nanoparticles. 2. Measurement of Extinction, Scattering, and Absorption Cross Sections.

Extinction, scattering, and absorption cross sections and efficiencies were experimentally measured for chemically clean silver nanoparticles in water for 16 different sizes ranging from 29 to 136 nm. The measured efficiencies indicate that particles interact with light 4-10 times stronger than the geometric cross section suggests. Absorption and scattering components of the plasmon resonance were separately measured across the visible spectral range.

Bradykinin B1 receptor blocks PDGF-induced mitogenesis by prolonging ERK activation and increasing p27Kip1.

The mechanism by which the bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R) inhibits platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated proliferation was investigated in cultured rat mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cells. The B1R agonist des-Arg9-bradykinin (DABK) was found to inhibit PDGF-mediated activation of the cyclin E-cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) complex and to prevent hyperphosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein. DABK did not inhibit upregulation of cyclin E expression but increased expression of the Cdk2 inhibitor p27Kip1 and the association of p27Kip1 with the cyclin E-Cdk2 complex.