Relaxation processes and intermolecular interactions in PVME hydrogels in sub-zero temperatures: Glass transition and pre-melting of ice

The phase transition observed by various methods in poly(vinyl methyl ether)/water systems at around 18 °C has been assigned by some investigators to the pre-melting of water and by others to a glass transition of the polymer. In this study, broadband dielectric spectroscopy and temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry were used to identify this transition in radiationally crosslinked poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels, as well as to analyse sub-zero relaxation processes in such a three-phase (polymer/ice/liquid water) system. The process at 18 °C was related to the pre-melting of water induced by the segmental motions of the polymer; however, it was seen to be one transition due to the cooperative motions of both compounds. The atypical (two regimes) temperature dependence of the segmental motion process was observed and was related to confinement of the polymer chains between ice clusters below approximately ?24 °C; furthermore, the main dielectric process of hexagonal ice was identified and a Maxwell-Wagner effect was observed.     

Detection of clenbuterol in beef meat,liver and kidney by mid‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐Mid IR) and multivariate analysis

Mid‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐Mid IR) coupled with multivariate analysis was used to predict clenbuterol in beef meat, liver and kidney. A SIMCA model was also developed to discriminate between pure (beef meat, liver and kidney) and spiked with clenbuterol samples (beef meat‐clenbuterol, liver‐clenbuterol and kidney‐clenbuterol). The best models to predict clenbuterol concentrations were obtained using the partial least squares algorithm (PLS) with a R² > 0.9 and SEC and standard error of prediction <0.296 and 0.324, respectively. The SIMCA model used to discriminate pure and spiked with clenbuterol samples showed 100% correct classification rate. Methods detection limit was 2 μg kg^?1. FT‐Mid IR coupled with chemometrics could be a simple and rapid screening tool for monitoring clenbuterol in beef meat, liver and kidney implicated in food poisoning. This method could be use for screening purposes.     

Malignant hyperthermia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome in a patient during treatment for acute asthma

PURPOSE: The safety and diagnostic efficacy of iodixanol (Visipaque) 270 mg I/ml was compared to that of iopamidol (Iopamiron) 300 mg I/ml in knee arthrography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This trial was a bi-center double-blind trial including 128 patients (iodixanol/iopamidol 64/64 patients). Efficacy was evaluated by blinded grading of the diagnostic quality of the p.a. images taken 0, 12 and 25 min after contrast administration by the examining radiologist and later at a consensus evaluation by two experienced skeletal radiologists. Adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: No patient experienced any adverse event. The proportion of better images at both 12 and 25 min after injection was higher in the iodixanol group compared to the iopamidol group both by the examining radiologist and at the consensus evaluation. CONCLUSION: In the knee joint iodixanol is a safe contrast medium. The contrast effect of iodixanol lasted longer than that of iopamidol, which can be important when performing arthrography, especially CT arthrography, where the time between puncture and examination can be prolonged.     

An Empirical Approach to Spanish Anaphora Resolution

This paper documents the development of an empirically-basedsystem implemented in Prolog that automatically resolves severalkinds of anaphora in Spanish texts. These are pronominalreferences, surface-count anaphora, one-anaphora and ellipticalzero-subject constructions (i.e., sentences that omit theirpronominal subject). The resolution is based onrepresentations resulting from either partial or full parsing. Thesystem developed can also work on the output of a POStagger or with different dictionaries, without changing thegrammar. This grammar represents the syntactic information of eachlanguage by means of the Slot Unification Grammar formalism. The different kinds of information used for anaphora resolution in full and partial parsing are shown, as wellas evaluation results. The system has been adapted toEnglish texts, obtaining encouraging results that prove that itcan be applied with only a very few refinements to other languagesas well as Spanish and English. In addition, the differencesbetween English and Spanish anaphora are noted.     

Intentional and incidental memory: Order effects in clinical testing.

Clinicians sometimes worry that the administration of intentional memory tests early in a clinical battery might artificially enhance performance on subsequent incidental memory tests, with possible differential effects for younger vs. older adults. Eighty-one healthy adults (ages 30–80) were blindly assigned to 1 of 2 testing conditions (incidental followed by intentional and vice versa). Contrary to the concerns of some, administration of intentional tests prior to incidental tests did not affect performance on any measures, and there was no interaction with age. Order of administration did not affect performance in older or younger adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermodynamic and Structural Properties of Sodium Lithium Niobate Solid Solutions

Thermodynamics of the Na_1−xLi _x NbO₃ system is investigated by high-temperature drop-solution calorimetry in molten 3Na₂O–4MoO₃ solvent at 973 K. Standard molar enthalpies of formation are derived. The estimated heats of transition between hypothetical and stable structures, lithium niobate and perovskite for NaNbO₃ and vice versa for LiNbO₃ are −6 kJ/mol and −10 kJ/mol, respectively. X-ray diffraction studies at room temperature showed for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.14 there are three phases based on different ordering of the perovskite type lattice: orthorhombic with a quadrupled reduced perovskite cell at 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.02, orthorhombic with a doubled reduced perovskite cell at 0.015 ≤ x ≤ 0.14, and rhombohedral at 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.13. There are two two-phase (morphotropic) regions with coexistence of the two orthorhombic phases at 0.015 ≤ x ≤ 0.02 and with the second orthorhombic phase coexisting with the rhombohedral phase at 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.13. A reproducible anomaly in specific heat at ∼600 K, not reported previously, has been observed in pure NaNbO₃. Heat-capacity measurements confirm a phase transition at 553 K for 0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.09. With increasing lithium concentration, a gradual disappearance of high-temperature phase transitions associated with tilting of oxygen octahedra has been observed.     

Synthesis of N-acryloxysuccinimide copolymers by RAFT polymerization, as reactive building blocks with full control of composition and molecular weights

The reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization process was used to synthesize well-defined N-acryloxysuccinimide (NAS) based copolymers, very useful reactive building blocks for various applications. Kinetic studies of RAFT copolymerization of NAS with a bi-substituted acrylamide derivative, N-acryloylmorpholine (NAM), were performed in the presence of tert-butyl dithiobenzoate (tBDB). An excellent control was reached with very high conversions (>95%), molecular weights (MW) up to 80?000 g mol⁻¹ and very narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD) (polydispersity indices, PDI<1.1), as determined by aqueous size exclusion chromatography with on-line light scattering detector (SEC/LS). In addition, the comparison of RAFT and conventional NAM/NAS free radical copolymerization indicated that the apparent reactivity ratios in RAFT are similar to the reactivity ratios determined from conventional copolymerization. An identical azeotropic composition (60/40 NAM/NAS molar ratio) was obtained providing perfectly random poly(NAM-co-NAS) copolymers with full control of composition and MW. These copolymer chains with regularly-distributed reactive functions can be integrated into more complex architectures. As an example, poly[(NAM-co-NAS)-b-NAM] block copolymers with length-varying poly(NAM) block were synthesized with a very efficient control over MW, MWD and composition.     

The LixMPn4 phases (M/Pn = Ti/P, V/As): new negative electrode materials for lithium ion rechargeable batteries

Li_xTiP₄ ternary phases (x=7 and 9) show very close electrochemical behaviors versus lithium compared to the previously reported Li₉VAs₄ and Li₇VP₄. Up to seven lithium ions reversibly react with Li₉TiP₄, leading to specific and volumetric capacities of 970 mAh/g and 1650 mAh/cm³, respectively, at average potentials close to 1 V. Galvanostatic and potentiodynamic experiments reveal that lithium extraction/insertion follow different mechanisms: a two-phase process is evidenced on charge whereas a more complex process is achieved on discharge. Besides, in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that both Li₉TiP₄ and Li₉VAs₄ undergo a reversible crystalline to amorphous structural phase transition upon cycling.