Unconventional Molecular Weight Dependence of Charge Transport in the High Mobility n‐type Semiconducting Polymer P(NDI2OD‐T2)

The charge transport and microstructural properties of five different molecular weight (MW) batches of the naphthalenediimide‐thiophene copolymer P(NDI2OD‐T2) are investigated. In particular, the field‐effect transistor (FET) performance and thin‐film microstructure of samples with MW varying from M_n = 10 to 41 kDa are studied. Unlike conventional semiconducting polymers such as poly(3‐hexylthiophene) where FET mobility dramatically drops with decreasing molecular weight, the FET mobility of P(NDI2OD‐T2)‐based transistors processed from 1,2‐dichlorobenzene is found to increase with decreasing MW. Using a combination of grazing‐incidence wide‐angle X‐ray scattering, near‐edge X‐ray absorption fine‐structure spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and resonant soft X‐ray scattering, the increase in FET mobility with decreasing MW is attributed to the pronounced increase in the orientational correlation length (OCL) with decreasing MW. In particular, the OCL is observed to systematically increase from <100 nm for the highest MW samples to ≈1 µm for the lowest MW samples. The improvement in OCL and hence mobility for low MW samples is attributed to the lack of aggregation of low MW chains in solution promoting backbone ordering, with the pre‐aggregation of chains in 1,2‐dichlorobenzene found to suppress longer‐range liquid crystalline order.     

Classical and Bayesian inference on progressive‐stress accelerated life testing for the extension of the exponential distribution under progressive type‐II censoring

In this paper, a progressive‐stress accelerated life test under progressive type‐II censoring is considered. The cumulative exposure model is assumed when the lifetime of test units follows an extension of the exponential distribution. The maximum likelihood and Bayes estimates of the model parameters are obtained. The approximate and credible confidence intervals of the estimators are derived. Furthermore, a real lifetime data set is analyzed to illustrate the proposed procedures. Finally, the simulation studies are used to compare between 2 different designs of the progressive‐stress test (simple and multiple ramp‐stress tests).     

Use of X-ray diffraction in assessing the aging pattern of asphalt fractions

The X-ray diffraction (XRD) method was employed to investigate and compare some of the crystallite parameters and aromaticity of asphaltenes obtained from fresh and aged Arabian asphalts, procured from Ras Tanura (RT) and Kuwait (KW) refineries. A few crystallite parameters in the polar aromatics, naphthene aromatics and saturate fractions of these Arabian asphalts were also determined. The results obtained by XRD method for both the types of asphaltenes and other fractions were evaluated and compared. Significant differences were observed between the structure and the aging patterns of fresh and aged asphaltenes of RT and KW asphalt. The results indicate that the source and chemistry of asphalt are responsible for the aging behavior of its components. The rolling thin-film oven and the pressurized aging vessel tests were used to simulate asphalt aging in this research.     

Characterization of polyurethane foams prepared from liquefied sawdust by crude glycerol and polyethylene glycol

The aim of this study was to investigate polyurethane foams (PUF) properties obtained from crude glycerol (CG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) based liquefaction of sawdust. The four types of foam were prepared by producing polyols from different weight loadings of PEG to CG as the liquefaction solvent. The produced polyurethane foams showed densities from 0.042 to 0.08 g/cm³ and compressive strengths from 200 to 311 kPa. The foams obtained from CG/PEG based liquefaction, had more uniform and regular cell structure than foams derived from liquefaction by CG. Also with the increasing percentage of PEG to CG in liquefaction, closed cell content of the synthesized foams increased and the size of cells decreased. The thermal conductivity of the produced foams was between 0.031 and 0.040 W/m K. Foams produced from liquefaction by binary solvent had lower thermal conductivity. However all foams showed approximately similar thermal degradation curves; maximum thermal decomposition temperature was seen for the foam produced from higher weight ratio of PEG to CG in liquefaction. PU foams produced from PEG/CG based liquefaction process had improved properties over from foams derived from sawdust liquefaction by CG.     

Study on the interaction of food colourant quinoline yellow with bovine serum albumin by spectroscopic techniques

The interaction of a food colourant, quinoline yellow (Qy), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry, FT-IR and circular dichroism (CD) techniques. The experimental results indicated that the quenching mechanism of BSA by the dye was a static procedure. Various binding parameters were evaluated. The negative value of ΔH, negative value of ΔS and the negative value of ΔG indicated that van der Waals force and hydrogen bonding play major roles in the binding of Qy and BSA. Based on Forster's theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding distance, r, between the donor (BSA) and acceptor (Qy) was evaluated. The results of CD and UV-vis spectroscopy showed that this dye could bind to BSA and the conformation of BSA changed.     

Development of antimicrobial aminoacid-modified bisphenol-A formaldehyde resin and its transition-metal complexes

A polymeric ligand (BFG), containing glycine moiety was synthesized by the polycondensation reaction of bisphenol-A and formaldehyde with amino acid (glycine) in alkaline medium. The polymer–metal complexes were synthesized with transition metal ions. The polymer and its metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and other spectroscopic techniques. The analytical data revealed that the coordination polymers of Cr(III), Co(II), and Ni(II) were coordinated with two water molecules, which are further supported by FTIR spectra and TGA data. The amino acid was found to act as bidentate ligand toward metal ions via the nitrogen of the NH group and carboxyl oxygen of the respective amino acid. The in-vitro preliminary antimicrobial activities of all the synthesized polymers were investigated against some bacteria and fungi. The polymer–metal complexes showed excellent antimicrobial activities against both types of microorganisms. Interestingly the polymeric ligand was found antimicrobial in nature but less effective as compared the polymer–metal complexes. On the basis of the antimicrobial behavior, these polymers hold potential in their application as antifungal and antifouling coating materials in medical devices as well as antimicrobial packaging material.     

CFD simulation of solid–liquid flow in a two impinging streams cyclone reactor: Prediction of mean residence time and holdup of solid particles

The hydrodynamic behavior of a two impinging streams cyclone reactor (TISCR) was simulated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. An Eulerian multiphase model has been used to compute the unsteady flow of a solid–liquid suspension in a 3D geometric configuration. The mean residence time (t_m) and holdup of solid particles were calculated from a number of simulated results obtained at different solid and liquid flow rates. The CFD simulation results were compared with the experimental data available in the literature and a fairly well agreement was observed. Such a correlation was gradually improved with increasing solid flow rate.     

Correspondence Analysis: A New Method for Analyzing Qualitative Data in Architecture

This article aims at establishing a new application of the correspondence analysis (CA) method for analyzing qualitative data in architecture and landscape architecture. This method is primarily used in genealogy but is here, for the first time, applied to architectural studies. After introducing a qualitative method based on coding process, a practical guide for using CAQDAS (Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) is provided. The software NVivo-8 is applied to analyze the data. CA, a multivariate statistical technique, is used to identify the underlying structure of the data and visualize the results. For the purpose of testing this method in practice, the National Garden of Tehran was selected as a case study to provide the data. The focus is on visualizing the similarities between the properties of the National Garden of Tehran and several different garden design styles. Two reliability tests were performed to verify the results, indicating that the National Garden of Tehran has many characteristics similar to those of a typical Baroque garden style. We believe that this new method may have wide application possibilities for studies on architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture.     

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of wool fibers for nanoparticles production using response surface methodology

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of wool fiber was carried out using a Central Composite Design (CCD) in order to produce wool nanoparticles. The effects of three important determinants, i.e. enzyme loading, substrate concentration and hydrolysis time on enzymatic efficiency were investigated. Polynomial regression model was fitted to the experimental data to generate predicted response such as particle size. The results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine significant parameters used for optimization. Wool nanoparticles was produced under the attained optimal condition (enzyme loading: 3.3%, substrate concentration: 5 g/l and hydrolysis time: 214 h), followed by ultrasonic treatment. SEM micrographs indicated wool fiber degradation in which the outer cuticle layer was removed and the inner cortical cells were isolated. The results of particle size analysis indicated the positive effect of sonication on reducing particles size further. FTIR spectra denoted no evident changes in the composition of the chemical groups in the macromolecular structure of wool fiber. Besides, the enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrasonic treatment led to an increase in crystallinity, solubility in caustic solution and thermal stability of wool nanoparticles, but caused a decrease in moisture regain comparing to the raw wool fiber.