SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Phase Separation”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,513 records · Page 84Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

[Kinetic study on collagen mineralization by ultraviolet absorption spectra].

The mechanism of collagen mineralization was studied by ultraviolet photometry method. The reaction solution was determined using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer by the method of repeat scanning wavelength. The recorded curves provided the spectroscopic and kinetics information of the reaction solution. It was found that the wave trough appeared on the step-like kinetic curve of mineralization of collagen. With the increase in initial concentration of calcium phosphate, the wave trough intensity increased and its position moved forward. The curves of scanning wavelength at different time showed different patterns. By analyzing the change in scanning wavelength curves, and the X-ray diffraction spectra of specimens before and after the wave trough position (the specimens were obtained by quickly freezing the solution and freeze-drying), it was suggested that gelation and phase separation occurred during the process of collagen mineralization. Collagen molecules loading calcium were cross-linked by newly formed DCPD in a "point to point" mode. The phase separation occurred in the fluid-filled space and the wave trough occurred in the ultraviolet absorption spectrum. Based on the mechanism the varieties of phenomena in the ultraviolet absorption spectrum during collagen mineralization were explained.

Absorption↗

PubMed2005

The crystallization of an aluminosilicate glass in the K2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to explore the nucleation and crystallization kinetics of an aluminosilicate glass in K2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system and to characterize it. OBJECTIVES: A starting glass composition of wt%; 64.2% SiO2, 16.1% Al2O3, 10.9% K2O, 4.3% Na2O, 1.7% CaO, 0.5% LiO and 0.4% TiO2 was heated in an electric furnace and later quenched to produce glasses. The glass powders were heat treated using differing heat treatment schedules and quenched. Dta, Xrd, Eds and Sem analyses were used to characterize and explore the crystallization kinetics of the glasses. RESULTS: Phase separation of the glasses was identified and characterized in the glasses. Tetragonal leucite, cubic leucite and sanadine glass-ceramics were produced. Fine leucite crystals (1 microm2) were crystallized with minimal matrix microcracking. SIGNIFICANCE: Amorphous phase separation appeared to be an important precursor to nucleation and crystal growth in the alkali aluminosilicate glasses explored. It was possible to control the crystallization of tetragonal leucite and sanidine phases by selected heat treatment of glass powders and monoliths, resulting in the production of fine grained tetragonal leucite glass-ceramics.

Aluminum Oxide↗

PubMed2006

The structure and phase behaviour of alpha-tocopherol-rich domains in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine.

The effect of alpha-tocopherol on the structure and thermotropic phase behaviour of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine dispersed in excess water was examined by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering intensity profiles were recorded from mixed dispersions containing up to 20 mol% alpha-tocopherol during temperature scans over the range 10-75 degrees C. These showed that a domain enriched in alpha-tocopherol phase separated from pure phospholipid in the mixture. This domain tends to have inverted hexagonal structure which coexists with phospholipid bilayers depleted of alpha-tocopherol. The scattering intensity and dimensions of the phase are dependent on the temperature and proportion of alpha-tocopherol in the mixture. Phase separations were also manifest in calorimetric scans of the mixed dispersions evidenced from the appearance of multiple peaks at temperatures corresponding to transitions observed in the X-ray scattering experiments. The effect of alpha-tocopherol in the range 0-20 mol% on the phase behaviour and structure of the phospholipid as observed from the X-ray scattering and calorimetric results have been used to construct a partial phase diagram of the mixture in the temperature range 10-75 degrees C. This shows that alpha-tocopherol has a marked tendency to partition from bilayers of the phospholipid to form an enriched domain in which the phospholipid assumes a hexagonal-II structure.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

PubMed2006

Domain-formation in DOPC/SM bilayers studied by pfg-NMR: effect of sterol structure.

Pulsed field gradient (pfg)-NMR spectroscopy was utilized to determine lipid lateral diffusion coefficients in oriented bilayers composed of 25 mol % sterol and equimolar amounts of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. The occurrence of two lipid diffusion coefficients in a bilayer was used as evidence of lateral phase separation into liquid ordered and liquid disordered domains. It was found that cholesterol, ergosterol, sitosterol, and lathosterol induced domains, whereas lanosterol, stigmasterol, and stigmastanol resided in homogeneous membranes in the temperature interval of 24-70 degrees C. Among the domain-forming sterols, differences in the upper miscibility temperature indicated that the stability of the liquid ordered phase could be modified by small changes in the sterol structure. The domain-forming capacity for the different sterols is discussed in terms of the ordering effect of the sterols on the lipids, and it is proposed that the driving force for the lateral phase separation is the reduced solubility of the unsaturated lipid in the highly ordered phase.

Lipid Bilayers↗

PubMed2002

Liquid-liquid separation in solutions of normal and sickle cell hemoglobin.

We show that in solutions of human hemoglobin (Hb)--oxy- and deoxy-Hb A or S--of near-physiological pH, ionic strength, and Hb concentration, liquid-liquid phase separation occurs reversibly and reproducibly at temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees C. In solutions of deoxy-HbS, we demonstrate that the dense liquid droplets facilitate the nucleation of HbS polymers, whose formation is the primary pathogenic event for sickle cell anemia. In view of recent results that shifts of the liquid-liquid separation phase boundary can be achieved by nontoxic additives at molar concentrations up to 30 times lower than the protein concentrations, these findings open new avenues for the inhibition of the HbS polymerization.

Buffers↗

PubMed2004

A novel convenient procedure for extractive work-up of whole-cell biotransformations using de-emulsifying hydrolases.

Extractive work-up of whole-cell biotransformations generally suffers from the formation of stable gels and slimes upon addition of the organic solvent to the cell suspension and the cell-free solution, respectively. This problem has been overcome by enzymatic lysis of emulsifying agents present in the medium through addition of hydrolases. Of these agents, proteases have exhibited the most powerful de-emulsifying activity. Enzyme treatment of cell-free culture media of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with pronase E drastically reduced phase separation time (t(p)) from 1 week to 30 min without significantly affecting product integrity. Yeast cell suspensions were de-emulsified best with protease N-01, where phase separation was complete after 1 h. As was exemplified with cell-free culture media of Lactobacillus kefir, wherein addition of pronase E or protease N-01 reduced t(p) from 1 week to 2 h each, this practical, ready-to-use method is appropriate for both fungal and bacterial biocatalysts.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2001

Dilute Solution Properties and Aggregation Behavior of Alternate Hetero-arm Copolymer Brushes.

Alternate hetero-arm copolymer brushes were synthesized by free-radical copolymerizations of vinylbenzyl-terminated polystyrene macromonomers (PS-VB) with a methacryloyl-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) macromonomer (PEO-MA)/tin tetrachloride (SnCl(4): Lewis acid) complex. Dilute solution properties of such hetero-arm copolymer brushes were investigated by static and dynamic light scattering. Effective diffusion coefficients D(eff) for copolymer brushes possessing large aspect ratios showed almost constant values in the range of polymer concentrations 0-6x10(-3) g/cm(3). These results mean that copolymer brushes formed unimolecular structures even in a good solvent such as benzene. It was speculated from angular dependence measurements that in solution copolymer brushes take geometrically anisotropic conformations such as cylinders. To determine the phase-separated cylindrical domains of alternate copolymer brushes, we constructed large aggregates of copolymer brushes in water. Consequently, alternate copolymer brushes seemed to lead self-assemblies among phase-separated hydrophobic PS domains. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1998

Physicochemical characterisation of human stratum corneum lipid liposomes.

Liposomes were prepared from an extract of all human stratum corneum lipids (hSCL) and characterised in terms of temperature and the presence of Ca2+ by different physicochemical methods. Vesicle aggregation and lateral phase separation were induced by divalent cations with Ca2+ being more efficient than Mg2+. At 24.1 degrees C, i.e. well below physiological temperatures the suspensions consisted of a lamellar phase and crystalline cholesterol. At and above 37 degrees C, this cholesterol surplus was dissolved in the hSCL membranes. However, melting of the hSCL was not completed up to 60 degrees C. The presence of Ca2+ (> or = 9 mM) induced lateral phase separation and fusion of vesicles into extended multilamellar lipid sheets (MLLS) at and above 32.5 degrees C. Upon a subsequent cooling cycle recrystallisation of cholesterol occurred within the MLLS. Finally, membrane mixing of hSCL liposomes with vesicles made of synthetic lipids was investigated. No mixing was observed between either of DPPE/oleic acid, DPPC/DPPE, DPPC/lyso-PC and hSCL liposomes. Mixtures of DPPC/cholesterol hemisuccinate showed a temperature-dependent membrane mixing behaviour, whilst hSCL liposomes and phosphatidylserine liposomes fused temperature-independently with hSCL liposomes.

Calcium↗

PubMed2005

Direct evidence of molecular aggregation and degradation mechanism of organic light-emitting diodes under joule heating: an STM and photoluminescence study.

The Joule heating effect on electroluminescent efficiency is important in the degradation origin of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed on the guest molecule BT (1,4-bis(benzothiazole-vinyl) benzene), host molecule TPBI (2, 2',2' '-(1,3,5-phenylene)tris-[1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole]), and their mixture deposited on an HOPG surface to study the OLED degradation mechanism due to thermal heating. At room temperature, BT and TPBI in the mixed layer show good compatibility and high PL intensity, but at higher temperatures, they show phase separation and aggregation into their own domains and a concomitant decrease in PL intensity. The PL intensity loss suggests ineffective energy transfer from TPBI to BT due to phase separation, which may cause OLED degradation. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) results show that the band gaps of TPBI and BT remain unchanged with the annealing temperature, suggesting that the heat-induced decay of OLED is related to the interfacial structural change rather than the respective molecular band gap. The results provide direct evidence showing how the molecular structures of the mixed layer vary and affect the PL intensity due to temperature.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1979

Electron Spin Resonance of 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-Oxyl (TEMPO)-labeled Plant Leaves.

Temperature dependence for partitioning of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) between aqueous and lipid components of whole leaf tissue was measured. TEMPO is an electron spin resonance nitroxide label that has been used in model systems to detect membrane phase separations. Measurements were made on chilling-sensitive tomato leaves, frost-sensitive potato leaves, and frost-hardy and supercooled wheat leaves. The results suggest a membrane phase separation at 11 C in tomato, 3 C in potato, and -11 C in wheat.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1981

Chilling Susceptibility of the Blue-green Alga Anacystis nidulans: II. STIMULATION OF THE PASSIVE PERMEABILITY OF CYTOPLASMIC MEMBRANE AT CHILLING TEMPERATURES.

Potassium ions and amino acids were found to leak from the cytoplasm to the outer medium when the blue-green alga, Anacystis nidulans, was exposed to the chilling temperatures. The leakage was marked below the critical temperature regions, the midpoint values for which were around 5 and 14 C in cells grown at 28 and 38 C, respectively. These temperature regions coincided with those critical for the susceptibility of the photosynthetic activities and the carotenoid absorption spectrum previously studied (Ono TA, N Murata 1981 Plant Physiol 67: 176-181).Potassium and magnesium ions in the cell suspension medium protected the algal cells from the chilling-induced damage of the Hill reaction with 1,4-benzoquinone. The activity of the Hill reaction which had been diminished by the first chilling treatment in a low salt medium was restored by the second chilling treatment of a high salt medium. The chilling susceptibility of the Hill reaction could be attributed to the leakage of cations from the cytoplasm due to increased permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane at the chilling temperatures.A mechanism is proposed to interpret the chilling susceptibility of A. nidulans: (a) at chilling temperatures, the bilayer lipids of the cytoplasmic membrane are in the phase separation state; (b) ions and solutes having low molecular weights leak from the cytoplasm to the outer medium when the lipids of the cytoplasmic membrane are in the phase separation state; (c) decreases in the intracellular concentrations of ions and solutes degrade the physiological activities of the cells.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1979

Three dimensional microscopic surface profiles of membranes reconstructed from freeze etching electrol micrographs.

A method of three-dimensional reconstruction of the surface profile of artificial and natural membranes from freeze quenched electron micrographs is presented. The method is based on the analysis of the variation in thickness of platinum layers, deposited under an oblique angle. In essence, it is reminiscent of the method of Eratosthenes to measure the earth's radius. The thickness of etch-like protrusions of membranes could be determined to an accuracy of about 3 A. True distances on curved surfaces rather than projections of distances are obtained. The method has been applied to both model membranes and biological membranes. The essential results are: 1. Detailed information on the symmetry and the molecular structure of the crystalline phases of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine was obtained. The microscopic surface profile of the ripple structure observed between the pretransition and the main transition was analysed. In accordance with a previous model we found that the ripple structure is caused by the spontaneous curvature of the monolayers. The surface profiles of the ripple structure and of the low temperature biaxial phase could be clearly distinguished. 2. The sizes and shapes of lipid domains formed by both thermically and charge-induced lateral phase separation were determined. This showed that the visual inspection of electron micrographs may lead to a considerable underestimation of the domain size. Conclusions may be drawn concerning the different phases formed upon lateral phase separation. 3. As a biological example, yeast cell membranes were studied. The method allows one to distinguish between different membrane-bound proteins by measuring the width-to-height ratio of the particles. The deformation of the lipid layer in the environment of the proteins may be determined. This deformation contains information about lipid-mediated long-range interactions between membrane proteins.

Freeze Etching↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Temperature-responsive bioconjugates. 3. Antibody-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) conjugates for temperature-modulated precipitations and affinity bioseparations.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) has been modified by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) to create a novel bioconjugate which exhibits reversible phase transition behavior at 32 degrees C in aqueous media. A terminal carboxyl group introduced into PIPAAm molecule by polymerization of IPAAm with 3-mercaptopropionic acid was used for conjugation to IgG via coupling reaction of activated ester with protein amino group. These conjugates exhibited rapid response to changes in solution temperature and significant phase separation above a critical solution temperature corresponding to that for the original PIPAAm. These conjugates bound to antigen quantitatively in aqueous system, and antigen-bound complex also demonstrated phase separation and precipitation above a critical temperature. Precipitate was reversibly redissolved in cold buffer. Though particular conjugate which includes 12 molecules of PIPAAm with 6,100 molecular weight suppressed more than 95% of Fc-dependent binding with protein A, it retained approximately 60% of original specific antigen binding activity. It was manifested that polymer content of conjugate was 20-30 wt% for the case of 6,100 molecular weight of PIPAAm to demonstrate specific antigen binding activity most effectively and to reduce Fc-dependent binding with protein A. IgG-PIPAAm conjugates were soluble in water and formed antigen-bound complex in homogeneous solution system below a critical temperature. These conjugates were separated from solution and other solutes corresponding to PIPAAm nature and scarcely bound to antigen above a critical temperature. It is revealed that temperature-responsive PIPAAm conjugated to biomolecule operated as a switching molecule. These phenomena are attractive for not only reversible bioreactors and protein separations but also carrier substrate to localize biomolecules such as drugs, peptides and hormones in a living body.

3-Mercaptopropionic Acid↗

PubMed1993

Interaction of glycosphingolipids and glycoproteins: thermotropic properties of model membranes containing GM1 ganglioside and glycophorin.

High-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the mutual interactions between a glycoprotein (human glycophorin, GPA) and a glycosphingolipid (GM1 ganglioside) embedded in large unilamellar vesicles composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC). The DSC thermograms exhibited by DMPC/GM1 vesicles, either in the presence or in the absence of GPA, are resolvable into two components. The relative contribution of the minor component, centered at higher temperature, to the total enthalpy and its transition temperature increase with the concentration of the glycolipid embedded in the vesicles. This minor peak, undetectable in the absence of ganglioside, is indicative of the occurrence of lateral phase separation and suggests that GM1 ganglioside-enriched domains are present within the bilayer. At a given concentration of GM1 embedded in the vesicles, the proportion of the phase-separated peak is higher in the presence of GPA, suggesting that the glycoprotein enhances the tendency of GM1 to segregate. Experiments investigating the thermotropic behavior of GPA show that the temperature of irreversible thermal unfolding of the glycoprotein inserted in DMPC vesicles, centered at 65.9 degrees C in the absence of GM1, is shifted to 57.6 degrees C when GM1 is present in the bilayer. These results indicate that, at least in this experimental system, on the one hand, GPA enhances the tendency of the glycolipid to segregate within the membrane, and on the other hand, the glycolipid clusters affect the protein conformation and oligomerization in the membrane.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

PubMed2006

The effect of receptor clustering on vesicle-vesicle adhesion.

As part of our studies into how the localization of cell adhesion molecules into lipid rafts may affect cell adhesion, we developed Cu(1), a synthetic copper(iminodiacetate)-capped receptor able to phase separate from fluid phospholipid bilayers. The extent to which Cu(1) clustered into adhesive patches on the surface of vesicles could be controlled by changing vesicle composition. Extensive receptor phase separation significantly enhanced vesicle-vesicle adhesion; only vesicles with adhesive patches (blue fluorescence) adhered to their conjugate histidine-coated vesicles (red fluorescence) to form large vesicle aggregates (shown).

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMed2005

Alkane/Alcohol mixed monolayers at the solid/liquid interface.

In this work, we present the behavior of solid monolayers of binary mixtures of alkanes and alcohols adsorbed on the surface of graphite from their liquid mixtures. We demonstrate that solid monolayers form for all the combinations investigated here. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to identify the surface phase behavior of these mixtures, and elastic neutron incoherent scattering has been used to determine the composition of the mixed monolayers inferred by the calorimetry. The mixing behavior of the alcohol/alkane monolayer mixtures is compared quantitatively with alkane/alkane and alcohol/alcohol mixtures using a regular solution approach to model the incomplete mixing in the solid monolayer with preferential adsorption determining the surface composition. This analysis indicates the preferential adsorption of alcohols over alkanes of comparable alkyl chain length and even preferential adsorption of shorter alcohols over longer alkanes, which contrasts strongly with mixtures of alkane/alkane and alcohol/alcohol of different alkyl chain lengths where the longer homologue is always found to preferentially adsorb over the shorter. The alcohol/alkane mixtures are all found to phase separate to a significant extent in the adsorbed layer mixtures even when molecules are of a similar size. Again, this contrasts strongly with alkane/alkane and alcohol/alcohol mixtures where, although phase separation is found for molecules of significantly different size, good mixing is found for similar size species.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

A-site ordering versus electronic inhomogeneity in colossally magnetoresistive manganite films.

Epitaxial La(3/4)Ca(1/4)MnO3/MgO(100) (LCMO) thin film shows an unusual rhombohedral (R-3c) structure with a new perovskite superstructure at room temperature due to the CE-type ordering of La and Ca with modulation vector q=1/4[011]. A-site ordered film was found to be electronically homogeneous down to the 1 nm scale as revealed by scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy. In contrast, orthorhombic and A-site disordered LCMO demonstrate a mesoscopic phase separation far below the Curie temperature (TC). Unique La/Ca ordering compensates the cation mismatch stress within one supercell, a(S) approximately 1.55 nm, and enhances the electronic homogeneity. The phase separation does not seem to be a unique mechanism for the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) as very large CMR approximately 500% was also observed in A-site ordered films.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Protein proteolysis and the multi-dimensional electrochromatographic separation of histidine-containing peptide fragments on a chip.

This paper reports a system for three-dimensional electrochromatography in a chip format. The steps involved included trypsin digestion, copper(II)-immobilized metal affinity chromatography [Cu(II)-IMAC] selection of histidine-containing peptides, and reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography of the selected peptides. Trypsin digestion and affinity chromatography were achieved in particle-based columns with a microfabricated frit whereas reversed-phase separations were executed on a column of collocated monolithic support structures. Column frits were designed to maintain constant cross sectional area and path length in all channels and to retain particles down to a size of 3 microm. Cu(II)-IMAC selection of histidine-containing peptides from standard peptide mixtures and protein digests followed by reversed-phase chromatography of the selected peptides was demonstrated in the electrochromatography mode. The possibility to run a comprehensive proteomic analysis by combining trypsin digestion, affinity selection, and a reversed-phase separation on chips was shown using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin as an example.

Histidine↗