The effects of maleic anhydride terpolymer and its ester derivatives on tensile bond strength between the acrylic resin and resilient lining material

The present study investigated the effects on the bonding between the denture base acrylic resin and the soft silicon based lining material of maleic anhydride‐styrene‐vinyl acetate (MA‐St‐VA) terpolymer and some of its ester derivatives. These ester derivatives were n‐propylmaleate‐styrene‐vinyl acetate (n‐PrMA‐St‐VA), n‐buthylmaleate‐styrene‐vinyl acetate (n‐BuMA‐St‐VA) and n‐benzylmaleate‐styrene‐vinyl acetate (n‐BzMA‐St‐VA). Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy method was used to determine interactions between terpolymers with the acrylic resin and soft lining material. The tensile bond strength of all the groups was compared and the obtained differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The highest value was found for the samples lined with n‐BuMA‐St‐VA (2.11 ± 0.21 MPa) and the samples lined with n‐BzMA‐St‐VA had the lowest bond strength (0.3 ± 0.12 MPa). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1338–1341, 2007     

Production of bio-oil from fixed bed pyrolysis of bagasse

The objective of this work was to produce renewable liquid fuel (bio-oil) from locally produced bagasse by pyrolysis in a batch feeding and fixed bed reactor. The experiments were performed at different temperatures ranging from 300 to 600 °C. The bio-oil was collected from two condensers of different temperatures and defined as oil-1 and oil-2. The maximum total yield of bio-oil was found to be 66.0 wt% based on bagasse. The carbon based non-condensable gases were CO, CO₂, methane, ethane, ethene, propane and propene. The density and viscosity of oil-1 were found to be 1130 kg/m³ and 19.32 centipoise and that were 1050 kg/m³ and 4.25 centipoise for oil-2, respectively. The higher heating values (HHV) of them were 17.25 and 19.91 MJ/kg, respectively. The pH of the bio-oils was found to be around 3.5 and 4.5 for oil-1 and oil-2, respectively. The water, solid and ash contents of oil-1 and oil-2 were determined and found to be around 15, 0.02 and 0.03 wt% and 11, 0.01 and 0.02 wt%, respectively based on bagasse.     

Dual‐Band Double‐Cylindrical‐Ring 3D Frequency Selective Surface

This study presents a dual‐band 3D frequency selective surface that provides a large degree of freedom in frequency and bandwidth adjustability. The proposed structure is evaluated in terms of its structural parameters, and prototypes are fabricated. The radius of the copper rings and the height of the cylinders are considered, and are shown through full‐wave electromagnetic simulations to have a significant effect on the frequency characteristics of the frequency selective surface. The measurement results of the fabricated samples are compared with the simulation results, and a satisfactory agreement is obtained.     

The Effect of Surface Treatments on Tensile Bond Strength between a Silicone Soft Liner and a Heat-Cured Denture Base Resin

This study evaluated tensile bond strength of a denture soft lining material to a poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) denture base resin subjected to different surface treatment modalities and thermocycling. The materials tested were a silicone-based liner, Molloplast B®, and a heat-cured denture base resin, Meliodent^TM. The denture soft lining material was packed against cured PMMA base resin, which was smoothed; sandblasted with 250-μm Al₂O₃ particles; or lased with a KTP laser; or against uncured PMMA dough (n = 10). In each group, five specimens were thermocycled in a water bath (5–55°C; 3000 cycles) before testing, whereas the other five were directly tested after 24 h. A tensile test was performed using a universal testing machine. Data showed that different treatment modalities of resin surfaces affected adhesion between these two materials and the highest bond values were recorded for cured/smoothed samples under each condition tested. Thermocycling of specimens had no significant reducing effect on measured bond strength values.     

Structural variation in soft segment of waterborne polyurethane acrylate nanoemulsions

High solid content waterborne polyurethane acrylate (WPUA) nanoemulsions are prepared as textile finishes. Two structurally different soft segments, that is, polyether and polyester are used with isophorone diisocyanate, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and butyl acrylate. Structural variations are investigated in features of nanoemulsions and their coatings. Physical properties of nanoemulsions, such as average particle size, stability, solid content, and viscosity, are investigated. Nanoemulsions with high solid content, that is, 40–47% are produced without any internal emulsifier. Average nanoparticle size, that is, <100 nm is confirmed by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy proved synthesis of proposed WPUA products. Synergistic effect of polyurethane and acrylate is observed in chemical and water resistance of WPUA. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis indicate stable uniformly cross‐linked network of WPUA. Application of nanoemulsions on 100% cotton fabric shows a significant improvement in tear strength, which is more pronounced for polyester‐based WPUA. Scanning electron microscope images of treated fabric samples show good adhesion of nanoemulsions on cotton surface. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41706.     

Laboratory scale study on rheological behavior,morphological and structural properties of crosslinked polyacrylamide composite hydrogels embedded with date seed powder

Incorporation of biofillers in polymeric hydrogels has continued to receive great attention in recent times because of their excellent properties. In this study, polyacrylamide (PAM) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) were used to develop novel composite hydrogels filled with date seed powder (DSP) via chemical crosslinking technique. Pristine PAM/PEI hydrogel and PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels at various DSP loadings were fabricated and subjected to gelation at 40°C for 24 h. The impact of various DSP loadings on the hydrogel samples developed was investigated using hybrid rheometer, SEM, XRD, and FTIR instruments, respectively. Rheological measurements confirmed the viscoelastic responses of the neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and the PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels reinforced with various DSP contents (0.8, 2.4, and 4 wt %). The dynamic strain, dynamic frequency and time sweep tests demonstrated that PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels were slightly more elastic than the virgin PAM/PEI hydrogel. The SEM characterization revealed the surface micrographs of the neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and the PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels at different DSP loadings to be smooth, homogeneous, and dense. Besides, the SEM micrographs supported the incorporation of DSP in the PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogel samples. XRD analysis showed that the structures of neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels filled with various DSP contents were predominantly amorphous while FTIR results confirmed the functional groups and evidence of crosslinking in the neat PAM/PEI hydrogel and the PAM/PEI‐DSP hydrogels embedded with different DSP contents. It is believed that these new hydrogels have huge development potentials and promising future in wastewater treatment and removal of heavy metal ions in aqueous solutions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42110.     

Preparation and gas transport properties of dual‐layer polysulfone membranes for high pressure CO2 removal from natural gas

Permeability, sorption, and plasticization behaviors of dual‐layer composite membrane were studied. Polysulfone containing 10.7 wt % glycerol as additive was used for preparing a microporous membrane support. A thin top selective layer was prepared using diethylene glycol dimethyl ether as casting solvent. The overall performance of the membrane was evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy, and permeation and sorption tests at pressure up to 50 bar. The prepared membrane displayed high permeability at low pressure which gradually decreased with increase in pressure. Permeability of CO₂ was determined to be 84.97 Barrer at 2 bar. Membrane did not show any plasticization tendency up to the experimental pressure of 40 bar. Plasticization pressure and permeability at plasticization pressure were estimated to be 41.07 bar and 6.03 Barrer, respectively. The improved performance of the membrane is associated to the synergistic properties of the two layers prepared from different formulations of the same polymer. Thus, the dual‐layer flat sheet configuration displayed a potential in high pressure CO₂ removal from natural gas. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40924.     

Estimates of associated outdoor particulate matter health risk and costs reductions from alternative building, ventilation and filtration scenarios

Although many studies have reported calculations of outdoor particulate matter (PM) associated externalities using ambient data, there is little information on the role buildings, their ventilation and filtration play. This study provides the framework to evaluate the health risk and cost reduction of building, ventilation and filtration strategies from outdoor PM pollution on a nationwide level and applied it to a case study in Singapore. Combining Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and time weighted exposure models, with established concentration-response functions and monetary valuation methods, mortality and morbidity effects of outdoor PM on the population of Singapore under different building, ventilation and filtration strategies were estimated. Different interventions were made to compare the effects from the current building conditions. The findings demonstrate that building protection effect reduced approximately half the attributable health cases amounting to US$17.7 billion due to PM pollution when compared to levels computed using outdoor data alone. For residential buildings, nationwide adoption of natural ventilation from current state is associated with 28% higher cases of mortality and 13 to 38% higher cases for different morbidities, amounting to US$6.7 billion. The incurred cost is negligible compared to energy costs of air-conditioning. However, nationwide adoption of closed residence and air-conditioning are associated with outcomes including fewer mortality (10 and 6% respectively), fewer morbidities (8 and 4% respectively) and economic savings of US$1.5 and 0.9 billion respectively. The related savings were about a factor of 9 the energy cost for air-conditioning. Nationwide adoption of mechanical ventilation and filtration from current natural ventilation in schools is associated with fewer asthma hospital admissions and exacerbations; although the economic impact is not substantial. Enhanced workplace filtration reduces the mortality and morbidity cases by 14 and 13% respectively amounting to savings of up to US$2.4 billion. The huge costs savings are comparable to the average worker salary and insignificant to energy, installation and rental cost. Despite uncertainty about accurate benefits, this study shows that health and economic gain via different building, ventilation and filtration designs in minimizing ingress of outdoor PM applied to a nationwide scale can be very large. Importantly, the results suggest that PM associated externalities and legislative efforts should not only focus on ambient PM reduction policies but also include building-informed decisions.     

Genetic analysis of Turkish rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) using seed storage proteins and RAPD markers

Due to an increasing demand for rice in Turkey, assessing and maintaining genetic variability in rice cultivars is essential for the success of rice breeding programs. Genetic polymorphisms in seed storage proteins (SSP) and RAPD markers were evaluated among different Turkish cultivars of Oryza sativa L. Twenty-one rice cultivars of Turkish origin and 11 rice cultivars from Bulgaria, France, Italy and Russia were analyzed. SDS-PAGE profiles from SSP of 20 cultivars showed similar expression patterns. Seven polymorphic and reproducible RAPD primers produced 42 bands ranging from 250 to 2,500 bp; 29 were polymorphic (69%) and 13 monomorphic (31%). Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) was performed to generate a pairwise genetic distance (or similarity) matrix. A rooted dendrogram resulted in two main groups based on Jaccard’s coefficients. Sürek-95, Serhat-92, and Rocca were placed in one group, and all other cultivars in another group. Principle coordinate analysis was also conducted and the results supported UPGMA results, where Sürek-95, Serhat-92, and Rocca were distinct from all other cultivars. Our results suggest that the rice cultivars screened in this study exhibit narrow genetic diversity. In addition, RAPD-based genetic characterization can aid in both conservation and selection of desired rice cultivars in future breeding studies.