Free-radical polymerization inside mesoporous silica has been investigated in order to open a route to functional polymer-silica composite materials with well-defined mesoporosity. Various vinyl monomers, such as styrene, chloromethyl styrene, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid, were polymerized after impregnation into mesoporous silicas with various structures, which were synthesized using polyalkylene oxide-type block copolymers. The location of the polymers was systematically controlled with detailed structures of the silica framework and the polymerization conditions. Particularly noteworthy is the polymer-silica composite structure obtained by in situ polymerization after the selective adsorption of monomers as a uniform film on silica walls. The analysis of XRD data and the N(2) adsorption isotherms indicates the formation of uniform polymer nanocoating. The resultant polymer-silica composite materials can easily be post-functionalized to incorporate diverse functional groups in high density, due to the open porous structure allowing facile access for the chemical reagent. The fundamental characteristics of the composite materials are substantiated by testing the biomolecule's adsorption capacity and catalytic reactivity. Depending on the structure and composition of polymers, the resultant polymer-silica composite materials exhibit notably distinct adsorption properties toward biomolecules, such as proteins. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the nanocoatings of polymers deposited on the mesopore walls have remarkably enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity, as compared to that of bulk polymer resins. We believe that, due to facile functionalization and attractive textural properties, the mesoporous polymer-silica composite materials are very useful for applications, such as adsorption, separation, host-guest complexes, and catalysis.

The exquisite sensitivity and frequency discrimination of mammalian hearing underlie the ability to understand complex speech in noise. This requires force generation by cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) to amplify the basilar membrane traveling wave; however, it is unclear how amplification is achieved with sharp frequency tuning. Here we investigated the origin of tuning by measuring sound-induced 2-D vibrations within the mouse organ of Corti in vivo. Our goal was to determine the transfer function relating the radial shear between the structures that deflect the OHC bundle, the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina, to the transverse motion of the basilar membrane. We found that, after normalizing their responses to the vibration of the basilar membrane, the radial vibrations of the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina were tuned. The radial tuning peaked at a higher frequency than transverse basilar membrane tuning in the passive, postmortem condition. The radial tuning was similar in dead mice, indicating that this reflected passive, not active, mechanics. These findings were exaggerated in Tecta C1509G/C1509G mice, where the tectorial membrane is detached from OHC stereocilia, arguing that the tuning of radial vibrations within the hair cell epithelium is distinct from tectorial membrane tuning. Together, these results reveal a passive, frequency-dependent contribution to cochlear filtering that is independent of basilar membrane filtering. These data argue that passive mechanics within the organ of Corti sharpen frequency selectivity by defining which OHCs enhance the vibration of the basilar membrane, thereby tuning the gain of cochlear amplification.

Sound is encoded within the auditory portion of the inner ear, the cochlea, after propagating down its length as a traveling wave. For over half a century, vibratory measurements to study cochlear traveling waves have been made using invasive approaches such as laser Doppler vibrometry. Although these studies have provided critical information regarding the nonlinear processes within the living cochlea that increase the amplitude of vibration and sharpen frequency tuning, the data have typically been limited to point measurements of basilar membrane vibration. In addition, opening the cochlea may alter its function and affect the findings. Here we describe volumetric optical coherence tomography vibrometry, a technique that overcomes these limitations by providing depthresolved displacement measurements at 200 kHz inside a 3D volume of tissue with picometer sensitivity. We studied the mouse cochlea by imaging noninvasively through the surrounding bone to measure sound-induced vibrations of the sensory structures in vivo, and report, to our knowledge, the first measures of tectorial membrane vibration within the unopened cochlea. We found that the tectorial membrane sustains traveling wave propagation. Compared with basilar membrane traveling waves, tectorial membrane traveling waves have larger dynamic ranges, sharper frequency tuning, and apically shifted positions of peak vibration. These findings explain discrepancies between previously published basilar membrane vibration and auditory nerve single unit data. Because the tectorial membrane directly overlies the inner hair cell stereociliary bundles, these data provide the most accurate characterization of the stimulus shaping the afferent auditory response available to date.hearing | cochlea | mechanics | vibrometry | auditory system

The phorbol esters (e.g., la, Scheme I) have played a unique role in the evolution of our understanding of multistage carcinogenesis and have been found recently to function as high-affinity

Three new sesterterpenoids, phorbaketals A (1), B (2), and C (3) which have a spiroketal of the hydrobenzopyran moiety, were isolated from the Korean marine sponge Phorbas sp. Their complete structures were elucidated by spectral and chemical methods. They exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against human colorectal, hepatoma, and lung cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the cultivation of the bacterial fraction from the sponge afforded compound 1.