Analysis of poly(chlorophenyl methacrylates) by ultraviolet spectroscopy

Summary A number of copolymers of methyl methacrylate and chlorophenyl methacrylates of different structure was prepared and analyzed by ultraviolet spectroscopy. It was found that the copolymer composition can be determined using a calibration curve based on mixtures of the appropriate homopolymers. The U. V. spectroscopical results are in good agreement with the chlorine analysis.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Activate the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and the Constitutive Androstane Receptor to Regulate Xenobiotic Metabolism in Human Liver Cells

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants produced by incomplete combustion of organic matter. They induce their own metabolism by upregulating xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenase 1A1 (CYP1A1) by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). However, previous studies showed that individual PAHs may also interact with the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). Here, we studied ten PAHs, different in carcinogenicity classification, for their potential to activate AHR- and CAR-dependent luciferase reporter genes in human liver cells. The majority of investigated PAHs activated AHR, while non-carcinogenic PAHs tended to activate CAR. We further characterized gene expression, protein abundancies and activities of the AHR targets CYP1A1 and 1A2, and the CAR target CYP2B6 in human HepaRG hepatoma cells. Enzyme induction patterns strongly resembled the profiles obtained at the receptor level, with AHR-activating PAHs inducing CYP1A1/1A2 and CAR-activating PAHs inducing CYP2B6. In summary, this study provides evidence that beside well-known activation of AHR, some PAHs also activate CAR, followed by subsequent expression of respective target genes. Furthermore, we found that an increased PAH ring number is associated with AHR activation as well as the induction of DNA double-strand breaks, whereas smaller PAHs activated CAR but showed no DNA-damaging potential.     

Styrene-Butadiene Polytelomers for Pressure-Sensitive Applications

Novel styrene-butadiene polymer latex compositions and their utility for pressure-sensitive and other adhesive applications are described. These compositions, termed polytelomers, are based on the concept of synthesising sequentially a low glass transition temperature, high molecular weight (polymeric) fraction, followed by a high glass transition, low molecular weight (telomeric) fraction, in an attempt to simulate the compounding of elastomeric adhesives. Some of the described compositions can exhibit multiphase morphology, having discrete styrene-rich domains surrounded by butadiene rich phase, both of these phases being embedded in a “honeycomb” carboxyl-rich phase. The compositions were characterized by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy and by electron transmission microscopy, as well as by molecular weight distribution and glass transition temperature range data. Examples of adhesive applications are also given.     

Photoconductivity of polymeric dibenz [b,i] 1,4,8,11-tetraaza [14] annulenato (μ-pyrazin)iron(II) [Fetaa(pyz)]n

Summary Results of experiments on dark- and photoconductivity of polymeric dibenz[b,i] 1,4,8,11-tetraaza[14]annulenato(-pyrazin) iron(II) [Fetaa(pyz)]_n are described. By studying the dependence of photoconductivity on electric field, intensity and wavelength it is shown that photogeneration of charge carriers occurred at short wavelengths by an Onsager mechanism and in the near-infrared region by a photoinjection process from the electrodes.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Manecke on the occasion of his 70th birthdayThe authors would like to thank the Volkswagen Foundation for financial support.     

Geraniol interferes with membrane functions in strains ofCandida andSaccharomyces

Geraniol, an olefinic terpene, was found to inhibit growth ofCandida albicans andSaccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Geraniol was shown to enhance the rate of potassium leakage out of whole cells and also was shown by fluorescence polarization to increaseC. albicans membrane fluidity. Biophysical studies using differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence polarization and osmotic swelling of phospholipid vesicles demonstrated that geraniol decreased the phase-transition temperature of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles, affected fluidity throughout the bilayer, particularly the central portion of the bilayers, and caused an increase in bilayer permeability to erythritol. Geraniol may have potential use as an antifungal agent.     

Role of Plant Volatiles in Host Plant Recognition by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listronotus maculicollis</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW), Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, is an economically important pest of short cut turfgrass. Annual bluegrass, Poa annua L., is the most preferred and suitable host for ABW oviposition, larval survival and development. We investigated the involvement of grass volatiles in ABW host plant preference under laboratory and field conditions. First, ovipositional and feeding preferences of ABW adults were studied in a sensory deprivation experiment. Clear evidence of involvement of olfaction in host recognition by ABW was demonstrated. Poa annua was preferred for oviposition over three bentgrasses, Agrostis spp., but weevils with blocked antennae did not exhibit significant preferences. ABW behavioral responses to volatiles emitted by Agrostis spp. and P. annua were examined in Y-tube olfactometer assays. Poa annua was attractive to ABW females and preferred to Agrostis spp. cultivars in Y-tube assays. Headspace volatiles emitted by P. annua and four cultivars of Agrostis stolonifera L. and two each of A. capillaris L. and A. canina L. were extracted, identified and compared. No P. annua specific volatiles were found, but Agrostis spp. tended to have larger quantities of terpenoids than P. annua. (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, phenyl ethyl alcohol and their combination were the most attractive compounds to ABW females in laboratory Y-tube assays. The combination of these compounds as a trap bait in field experiments attracted adults during the spring migration, but was ineffective once the adults were on the short-mown turfgrass. Hence, their usefulness for monitoring weevil populations needs further investigation.     

Fatigue Strength of Trolley Bridge Stringers Made of ASTM A7 Steel

Nineteen S15×42 (in U.S. units) stringers from a trolley bridge made of ASTM A7 carbon steel were tested in constant-amplitude fatigue. The bridge was built in 1900 and was abandoned in 1958. In 1985, the stringers were removed from the bridge and were tested in the laboratory. The test results showed that uniform corrosion and pitting reduced the fatigue strength of the stringers from Category A to Category D. The fatigue strength was reduced more by pitting than by uniform corrosion.