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We have developed a molecular simulation method for the generation of realistic atomic-level models for periodic mesoporous silicas. Using simplified interaction potentials and simplified representations of the templating micelles, the simulation follows the reaction path of the hydrothermal synthesis and calcination of the silica material in a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulation. The only input to the simulation is the geometry of the micelle and the number of silicic acid monomers at the beginning of the synthesis. We simulated the adsorption properties of the PMS models using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation. With use of MCM-41 materials of different pore sizes as a prototype material, experimental and simulated adsorption isotherms for nitrogen, ethane, and carbon dioxide were compared, showing good agreement between simulation and experiment.

The formation and regeneration of active CuI species is a fundamental mechanistic step in copper‐catalyzed atom transfer radical cyclizations (ATRC). Typically, the presence of the catalytically active CuI species in the reaction mixture is secured by using high CuI catalyst loadings or the addition of complementary reducing agents. In this study it is demonstrated how the piezoelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO3) can be harnessed by mechanical ball milling to induce electrical polarization in the strained piezomaterial. This strategy enables the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy, leading to the reduction of a CuII precatalyst into the active CuI species in copper‐catalyzed mechanochemical solvent‐free ATRC reactions.

The maintenance of a differentiated chondrocyte phenotype is influenced by several factors of which signal transduction of extracellular stimuli through the cell membrane is of major interest. One important group of membrane-bound proteins which are involved in transmembrane signal transduction are ion channels. Human articular chondrocytes were obtained from osteoarthritic femoral condyles. Cells were released from the surrounding matrix and cultivated under standard conditions. We investigated gene expression of 12 members of the TRP ion channel family of freshly prepared (passage 0; P0) and in vitro propagated human articular chondrocytes (passage 2; P2) using conventional and real-time PCR (RT-PCR). In addition, the protein appearance of four TRP channels was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and western blotting. Chondrocyte differentiation was monitored by quantification of collagen type-II, type-I, and aggrecan gene expression. By conventional PCR, 8 channels could be detected, of which some displayed a heterogeneous PCR pattern. RT-PCR quantification revealed that TRPC1 was expressed on the same level in P0 and P2 chondrocytes while gene expression of TRPC3 and TRPC6 was elevated in passage 2 cells. TRPM5, TRPM7, and TRPV1 displayed an enhanced gene expression in freshly isolated chondrocytes. Immunofluorescence signal intensity of all four investigated TRP proteins was consistent with the corresponding gene expression data. In the present study, a correlation between the appearance of some members of the TRP ion channel family and the state of de-differentiation of osteoarthritic articular chondrocytes was shown. A possible direct involvement in the process of chondrocyte de-differentiation has to be investigated in further studies.