The amphiphilic block copolymers of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate: Synthesis by atom transfer radical polymerization and solution properties

Amphiphilic di- and tri-block copolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) have been synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) at ambient temperature (35 °C) in the environment-friendly solvent, aqueous ethanol (water 16 vol%) using CuCl/o-phenanthroline as the catalyst. The PDMAEMA blocks are contaminated with ethyl methacrylate (EMA) residues to the extent of 1-2 mol% of DMAEMA depending on the length of the PDMAEMA block. The EMA forms through the autocatalyzed ethanolysis of the DMAEMA monomer and undergoes random copolymerization with the latter. The rate of ethanolysis is unexpectedly greater in the aqueous ethanol than in neat ethanol, which has been attributed to the higher polarity of the former than of the latter. In contrast to the ethanolysis no hydrolysis of DMAEMA in the aqueous ethanol medium could be detected for 133 h. The block copolymers form micelles in water. Their solubility and CMC in neutral water have been studied. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies reveal that for a fixed degree of polymerization (DP) of the PMMA block the hydrodynamic diameter of the micelles in methanolic water (water 95 vol%) increases at a faster rate with the DP of the PDMAEMA block when it is much greater than that of the PMMA block compared to when it is less than or close to that of the latter.     

Nitrate removal from aqueous solutions by cross-linked chitosan beads conditioned with sodium bisulfate

The investigation of adsorption of nitrate onto chitosan beads modified by cross-linking with epichlorohydrin (ECH) and surface conditioning with sodium bisulfate was performed. The results indicated that both cross-linking and conditioning increased adsorption capacity compared to normal chitosan beads. The maximum adsorption capacity was found at a cross-linking ratio of 0.4 and conditioning concentration of 0.1 mM NaHSO₄. The maximum adsorption capacity was 104.0 mg g⁻¹ for the conditioned cross-linked chitosan beads at pH 5, while it was 90.7 mg g⁻¹ for normal chitosan beads. The Langmuir isotherm model fit the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich model. The mean adsorption energies obtained from the Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model for all adsorption systems were in the range of 9.55–9.71 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating that physical electrostatic force was potentially involved in the adsorption process.     

A framework for ICT standards creation: The case of ITU-T standard H.350

This paper addresses a fundamental question: Is there a standard way of creating standards? Based on our first-hand experience of creating a technical ICT standard called H.350, we pondered over the process and reflected on what really happened. H.350 is a Directory Services for Multimedia standard ratified by the International Telecommunications Union in September 2003. Resulting from an Internet2 Video Middleware working group the new H.350 standard provides a uniform way to store and locate information related to video and voice over IP (VoIP) in directories that are linked seamlessly to enterprise directories. There were many socio-economic-technical factors that led to the creation of H.350 and we were able to organize the process into a framework, which we present here. We have combined the “public policy good” model and the “stakeholder analysis model” in standards creation into a comprehensive framework that can help the research community to better understand what goes on in standards creation. We conducted in-depth interviews with the core H.350 team to learn more about the entire process and their experience. The findings from these interviews further validate our framework. We apply the case of H.350 to our framework and help understand the forces that affect development of ICT standards.     

Organosoluble poly(ether imide)s from phthalimidine based and trifluoromethyl substituted bis(ether amine)

A series of new organosoluble and optically transparent poly(ether imide)s (PEIs) were synthesized by the polycondensation of trifluoromethyl substituted and phthalimidine cardo group based bis(ether amine), 3,3‐bis‐[4‐{2′‐trifluoromethyl 4′‐(4″‐aminophenyl)phenoxy}phenyl]‐2‐phenyl‐2, 3‐dihydro‐isoindole‐1‐one with different fluorinated and non‐fluorinated aromatic dianhydrides (2a–e). All the PEIs were well characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, FTIR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The synthesized PEIs showed moderate to high inherent viscosity 0.41–0.61 dL/g and excellent solubility at room temperature in different organic solvents. All the transparent yellow films showed cut‐off length upto 425 nm. They exhibited high tensile strengths upto 98 MPa, excellent thermostability upto 554°C for 5% weight loss, high glass transition temperature upto 327°C, and water uptake value less than 0.6%. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Cadmium Sulfide Aggregates through Reverse Micelles

CdS aggregates, composed of primary nanocrystalline particles, were synthesized in cyclohexane-sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) reverse micelles at 80°± 1°C under mechanical agitation and sonication with varying Cd²⁺ concentrations in the solutions. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant Span 80 in cyclohexane was determined from discernible breaks in the surface tension and optical (ultraviolet) absorbance versus surfactant concentration curves. The synthesized aggregates were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, particle-size analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analyses. The generated aggregates exhibited the characteristic green emission at 520 nm. A minor decrease in emission intensity with increased aggregate size at the same wavelength was observed.     

Internal friction of γ-TiAl alloys at high temperature

Intermetallic γ-TiAl based alloys of engineering interest with respect to high temperature applications are two-phase alloys consisting of γ-TiAl (ordered face-centered tetragonal structure) and ₂-Ti₃Al (ordered hexagonal structure). For this investigation a γ-TiAl based alloy with a composition of Ti-46.4 at%Al-4 at% (Cr, Nb, Ta, B) was studied utilizing a low frequency subresonance apparatus at frequencies between 0.01 and 10 Hz. Above 1000 K, the damping increases strongly up to Q⁻¹=0.2. The frequency and temperature dependence of the high-temperature background was analysed by applying a Maxwell rheological model for viscoelastic relaxation including a distribution of relaxation times. The activation enthalpy of H=3.9 eV agrees well with that from creep experiments (H=3.6 eV) carried out at temperatures between 973 and 1073 K at 200 MPa. The results are discussed in terms of diffusion controlled dislocation climb.     

The neural response to facial attractiveness.

What are the neural correlates of attractiveness? Using functional MRI (fMRI), the authors addressed this question in the specific context of the apprehension of faces. When subjects judged facial beauty explicitly, neural activity in a widely distributed network involving the ventral occipital, anterior insular, dorsal posterior parietal, inferior dorsolateral, and medial prefrontal cortices correlated parametrically with the degree of facial attractiveness. When subjects were not attending explicitly to attractiveness, but rather were judging facial identity, the ventral occipital region remained responsive to facial beauty. The authors propose that this region, which includes the fusiform face area (FFA), the lateral occipital cortex (LOC), and medially adjacent regions, is activated automatically by beauty and may serve as a neural trigger for pervasive effects of attractiveness in social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

多元文化背景下的家电设计

无论全球化如何发展,固有的文化认同仍然存在,这也对电器的个性化提出了更高的要求。随着城市化的不断发展,城市文化逐渐生根。我们开始以相同的方式生活、工作和游戏。对于电器营销人员来说,