Quantification of clay dispersion in nanocomposites of styrenic polymers

Polymer‐clay nanocomposites are materials with many interesting structures, properties, and potential applications. Microstructural evaluation of a nanocomposite is not an easy task, as clay may form hierarchical structures which may look different when observed at various magnifications under a microscope, and also as the concepts of “intercalation” and “exfoliation” are not self‐sufficient to describe its morphology. In this work polymer‐clay nanocomposites of polystyrene and two styrene‐containing block copolymers (styrene‐butadiene‐styrene and styrene‐ethylene/butylene‐styrene) were prepared using three different techniques. Clay dispersion was evaluated by a recently developed microscopy image analysis procedure, combining the analysis of optical and transmission electron micrographs, and the characterization was complemented by X‐ray diffraction and rheological measurements. The results showed better clay dispersion for both block copolymers nanocomposites, mainly due to their molecular architectures. Moreover, the techniques which showed the best results involved mixing the materials in a solvent medium. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Modulation on C‐ and N‐Terminal Moieties of a Series of Potent and Selective Linear Tachykinin NK2 Receptor Antagonists

Herein we describe the synthesis of a series of new potent tachykinin NK₂ receptor antagonists by the modulation of the C‐ and N‐terminal moieties of ibodutant (MEN 15596, 1 ). The N‐terminal benzo[b]thiophene ring was replaced by different substituted naphthalenes and benzofurans, while further modifications were evaluated at the C‐terminal tetrahydropyran moiety. Most compounds demonstrated a high affinity for the human NK₂ receptor and high in vitro antagonist potency, indicating that a wide range of substituents at both termini can be incorporated in the molecule without detrimental effects on the interactions with the NK₂ receptor. Selected compounds were tested in vivo confirming their activity as NK₂ antagonists. In particular, after both iv and id administration to guinea pig, compound 61 b was able to antagonize NK₂‐induced colonic contractions with a potency and duration‐of‐action fully comparable to the reference compound 1 (MEN 15596, ibodutant).     

Characterisation of Signal Modality: Exploiting Signal Nonlinearity in Machine Learning and Signal Processing

A novel method for online tracking of the changes in the nonlinearity within both real-domain and complex–valued signals is introduced. This is achieved by a collaborative adaptive signal processing approach based on a hybrid filter. By tracking the dynamics of the adaptive mixing parameter within the employed hybrid filtering architecture, we show that it is possible to quantify the degree of nonlinearity within both real- and complex-valued data. Implementations for tracking nonlinearity in general and then more specifically sparsity are illustrated on both benchmark and real world data. It is also shown that by combining the information obtained from hybrid filters of different natures it is possible to use this method to gain a more complete understanding of the nature of the nonlinearity within a signal. This also paves the way for building multidimensional feature spaces and their application in data/information fusion.     

DAQs-based wattmeters for high accuracy measurements. Comparison with the Italian power primary standard

This paper is focused on the use of data acquisition boards (DAQs) for the development of high accuracy PC-based instruments for the measurements of electrical power. The proposed systems are simple, portable and low cost because they are based on commercial data acquisition boards (DAQs) connected to a common personal computer. Data processing is carried out by a commercial software based on an interpolating windowed FFT. In the paper it is shown how the voltage can be sensed directly, thanks to the DAQ input range, thus avoiding expensive voltage dividers. The set up of the DAQs-based solutions is described and the evaluation of their metrological features is made by means of a comparison with the Italian power primary standard, which was built at INRIM with a complex solution and expensive with two high precision digital voltmeters.     

Positive chronotropic actions of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptide are associated with increases in the current, I(f), and the slope of the pacemaker potential

BACKGROUND: The classic calciotropic hormone parathyroid hormone (PTH) and its paracrine factor parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) both increase heart rate. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used standard electrophysiological techniques to study the effects of PTH and PTHrP on isolated rabbit sinus node, isolated canine Purkinje fibers, and disaggregated rabbit sinus node myocytes. Sinus node maximum diastolic potential, activation voltage, and amplitude were unchanged by PTH or PTHrP (P>.05). However, the slope of phase 4 and the automatic rate were increased at PTH and PTHrP > or = 10 nmol/L (P<.05). Comparable results were seen in canine Purkinje fibers. We then used the perforated-patch technique to study the I(f) pacemaker current in sinus node. PTH 12.5 nmol/L and PTHrP 12.5 to 18 nmol/L increased I(f) at -65 mV by 68+/-41% (n=5) and 69+/-50% (n=5), respectively. Actions of both agents were reversible. The increase in I(f) appeared to result from a change in maximal conductance and not a shift in the voltage dependence of activation. CONCLUSIONS: These observations provide, for the first time, direct electrophysiological support for the chronotropic actions of PTH and PTHrP. They suggest that classic hormones and paracrine factors can have multiple functions and that in the case of PTH and PTHrP, a newly recognized action is to alter automaticity directly.     

Xylitol crystallization from culture media fermented by yeasts

Among sugar substitutes, an important role is played by xylitol, an aliphatic pentitol provided with some interesting properties which make it a high value product for pharmaceutical, odontological and food industries. Its production by biotechnological methods is based on fermentation of agro-industrial residues and could potentially compete with the traditional chemical way. However, crystallization is an important stage of xylitol production, since in many respects it determines the yield and quality of the target product. In the present work tests were made in order to determine the best conditions to clarify fermented media, which were then subjected to isothermal crystallization in the presence or in the absence of residual xylose and varying xylitol concentration as well as cooling temperature (−10 ≤ T_c ≤ 15 °C). Besides, the kinetics of xylitol crystallization from fermented solutions was investigated as function of the initial solution supersaturation and cooling temperature. The effect of the presence of residual xylose on the rate of crystallization was also evaluated. The best clarifying treatment was found to be 20 g l⁻¹ activated charcoal at room temperature for 1 h. The study of xylitol crystallization revealed the positive effect of the presence of residual xylose, which ensured a 1.6-fold increase in the crystallization yield (from 0.27 to 0.42).     

Detection techniques for fading multipath channels with unresolvedcomponents

In this paper we consider noncoherent detection structures for multipath Ricean/Rayleigh fading channels. The multipath components are assumed to be unresolved, with known delays. These delays could have been estimated, for example, by using super-resolution techniques or sounding the channel with a wide-band pulse. We show that the Rayleigh channel optimum receiver (R OPT) consists of an “orthogonalization” (or decorrelation) stage and then it implements an optimum decision rule for a resolved multipath channel. Since the optimum decision rule over Ricean channels is in general too complex for implementation, we propose several suboptimum structures such as the quadratic decorrelation receiver (QDR) and the quadratic receiver (QR). The QDR scheme exploits the decorrelation performed on the input samples. The nonlinear term due to the Ricean specular term is replaced by a quadratic form that is more suitable for implementation. Single-pulse performance of these schemes are studied for commonly used binary modulation formats such as FSK and DPSK. This paper shows that it is possible to have diversity-like gains over Ricean/Rayleigh multipath fading channels with unresolved components even if the channel is not fully tracked. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates the importance of using generalizations of RAKE receivers designed to handle the unresolvability condition. For two-path mixed-mode Ricean/Rayleigh channels, it is shown that improved performance can be obtained by using receivers that know the strength of the Ricean specular term     

Crime Creep: Urban and Suburban Crime on Local TV News

Abstract: Crime has fallen in the United States in the past eight years, yet public opinion polls indicate that crime and public safety are overriding concerns of citizens in communities. Polls also tell us that a significant majority of our citizens get most of their information from local television news and, in general, they believe what they are being shown and told. In short, these newscasts play a pre‐eminent role in the social construction of reality and, by extension, in forming the cognitive maps that citizens use to understand their communities. This article examines how the press, particularly local television news, portrays the urban/suburban dimensions of crime in 20 television markets across the US. It is a major extension of an earlier study of two markets. Findings show that local newscasts in the markets consistently focused on suburban crime in spite of the fact that the suburban crime rate was about one‐half of the crime rate of urban areas. The newscasts also regularly conveyed the message that the city was a dangerous place.     

Hysteretic Systems with Internal Variables

Hysteretic rate-independent constitutive laws are introduced within the framework of continuum thermodynamics with internal variables and revisited using concepts and arguments related to dynamical system theory. The evolution of internal variables is formulated either by a system of differential equations or by the associated phase flow. The restrictions implied by rate independence and thermodynamics are pointed out. Within this framework, the class of models with Masing hysteretic rules and Bouc endochronic relations are reviewed, and notions such as irreversibility, noninvertibility, and memory effects are discussed having recourse to different choices of internal variables. By introducing plastic strain as the internal variable, thermodynamic admissibility is proved for both models. However, while the processes with Masing rules exhibit a limited memory and are therefore noninvertible, the processes based on Bouc models are shown to have full memory and to be invertible though irreversible.     

Silver nanoparticles on titanate nanobelts via the self-assembly of weak polyelectrolytes: synthesis and photocatalytic properties

A weak-polyelectrolyte multilayer on a surface of titanate nanobelts (Ti-NBs) was utilized as a template for in situ Ag nanoparticle formation in the fabrication of Ag-loaded Ti-NBs nanocomposites. The polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) was fabricated using layer-by-layer self-assembly of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) on the surface of high-surface-area titanate nanobelts (Ti-NBs) synthesized using a hydrothermal procedure. The concentration of Ag nanoparticles in the PEM was controlled by repeating the ion-loading/reduction cycle. The subsequent annealing of the Ag/Ti-NBs-PEM nanocomposites yielded nanostructured crystalline Ag/Ti-NBs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques (HRTEM, SAED) and x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were employed to evaluate the morphological, structural and growth characteristics of the silver nanocrystallites in the Ag/Ti-NBs nanocomposites. The UV-vis photoactivity of the as-fabricated nanocomposites was monitored by the degradation of the cationic dye methylene blue (MB). An enhanced UV photo-efficiency was observed for the Ag/Ti-NBs nanocomposites compared with pure Ti-NBs. As-fabricated Ag(x)/Ti-NBs nanocomposites also exhibited visible photoactivity assisted by the near-field amplitudes of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the silver nanoparticles in the 1D nanocomposite.