Physical properties of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/natural rubber (NR) blend based foam

In this study an attempt was made to improve the rebound resilience and to decrease the density of ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam. For this purpose, EVA was blended with natural rubber (NR), and EVA/NR blends were foamed at 155°C, 160°C, and 165°C. To investigate the correlation between crosslinking behavior and physical properties of foams, crosslinking behavior of EVA/NR blends was monitored. The physical properties of the foams were then measured as a function of foaming temperatures and blend compositions: 165°C was found to be the optimal temperature for a crosslinking of EVA/NR foam. As a result, the density of EVA/NR blend foamed at 165°C was found to be the lowest. EVA/NR (90/10) blend, foamed at 165°C, showed lower density, better rebound resilience, and greater tear strength than EVA foam. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2212–2216, 2004     

Preparation of semirigid polyurethane foam with liquefied bamboo residues

Bamboo residues were liquefied by using a solvent mixture consisting of polyethylene glycol 400 and crude glycerol (4/1, w/w) with 98% sulfuric acid as catalyst at 160°C for 120 min. The liquefied bamboo had hydroxyl values from 178 to 200 mg KOH/g and viscosities from 507 to 2201 mPa S. The obtained bamboo‐based polyols were reacted with various amounts of polyaryl polymethylene isocyanate (PAPI), using distilled water as blowing agent, silicone as surfactant, and triethylenediamine and dibutyltine dilaurate as cocatalyst to produce semirigid polyurethane (PU) foams. The [NCO]/[OH] ratio was found to be an important factor to control the mechanical properties of PU foams. At a fixed [NCO]/[OH] ratio, both density and compressive strength of PU foams decreased with the increase of bamboo content. The microstructure of PU foams indicates that [NCO]/[OH] ratios are important for cell formation and chemical reactions. The uniformity and cell structure of the foams are comparable to their corresponding compressive strengths. Moreover, the thermogravimetry analysis showed that all the semirigid PU foams had approximately the same degradation temperature of about 250 to 440°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Preparation and catalytic application of poly 4‐vinylpyridine microspheres

Poly 4‐vinylpyridine (P4VP) microspheres between 170 and 728 nm were synthesized by Emulsifier‐Free Emulsion Polymerization. The monomer concentration, ionic strength, and initiator concentration affected the microsphere size and size distribution. The increasing monomer concentration led to the increase of microsphere size, whereas the size distribution of the resultant P4VP microspheres increased with the increasing ionic strength of the reaction systems. Mo(O₂)₂O·2DMF was successfully anchored onto the P4VP microspheres by ligand exchange, and the heterogeneous catalyst showed high‐catalytic activity for epoxidation of cis‐cyclooctene with environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide. The size and morphology of the supported microspheres has important influence on the catalytic activity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

SUPRENUM: System essentials and grid applications

The SUPRENUM idea, the project, and the system has generally been described and presented in several papers. There is also a great deal of more detailed technical papers describing SUPRENUM as a whole or certain elements of it.

Here we want to give only a very general and rough survey on the essentials of the SUPRENUM system in order to enable the reader to categorize and understand the more specific SUPRENUM papers in this special issue.

Most of the supercomputer applications today are based on grid or grid-like data structures. Grid applications play also an essential role in the SUPRENUM development: in the top-down design of the architecture, in the programming environment, in the parallelization concept of algorithms, and, of course, in the application software development itself. We therefore place some emphasis on this grid orientation in our presentation.     

Decision support system for multiproject scheduling of resources in blood collection programmes

A model of a repetitive multiproject management is introduced that includes uncertainties in activity durations, and the corresponding quantities of resources needed. Following the convention, a project is viewed here as a network of related activities aimed at the accomplishment of a predetermined objective at a given deadline. A project has a starting point in time and a preplanned completion point and so does each activity within it. The structural and operational characteristics described here are drawn from organization and management theories and used to describe project organization. This is demonstrated by means of field data gathered from a sample of ‘bloodmobile projects’ - an organized effort for the collection of blood donations in support of medical needs.     

Manipulating the Level of Sensorimotor Stimulation during LI-rTMS Can Improve Visual Circuit Reorganisation in Adult Ephrin-A2A5-/- Mice

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has the potential to treat a variety of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The extent of rTMS-induced neuroplasticity may be dependent on a subject’s brain state at the time of stimulation. Chronic low intensity rTMS (LI-rTMS) has previously been shown to induce beneficial structural and functional reorganisation within the abnormal visual circuits of ephrin-A2A5^-/- mice in ambient lighting. Here, we administered chronic LI-rTMS in adult ephrin-A2A5^-/- mice either in a dark environment or concurrently with voluntary locomotion. One day after the last stimulation session, optokinetic responses were assessed and fluorescent tracers were injected to map corticotectal and geniculocortical projections. We found that LI-rTMS in either treatment condition refined the geniculocortical map. Corticotectal projections were improved in locomotion+LI-rTMS subjects, but not in dark + LI-rTMS and sham groups. Visuomotor behaviour was not improved in any condition. Our results suggest that the beneficial reorganisation of abnormal visual circuits by rTMS can be significantly influenced by simultaneous, ambient visual input and is enhanced by concomitant physical exercise. Furthermore, the observed pathway-specific effects suggest that regional molecular changes and/or the relative proximity of terminals to the induced electric fields influence the outcomes of LI-rTMS on abnormal circuitry.     

4-Acyl-2-acylamino-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazole durch Acylierung von Thiosemicarbazonen

4-Acyl-2-acylamino-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazoles by Acylation of Thiosemicarbazones Thiosemicarbazones and acid anhydrides or halides react to 4-acyl-2-acylamino-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazoles ( 2a – 2v ) in high yields. 3-Acyl-2-amino-4,5-dihydro-1,3,4-thiadiazoles 5 are proved as intermediates in this conversion. In special cases they can be isolated or submitted to further acylation with an other acylating agent. ¹H-n.m.r., ¹³C-n.m.r. and mass spectroscopic data of compounds 2a – 2v and 5a – 5e are given. The preparation of the compounds 2 can also be carried out starting with a carbonyl compound and thiosemicarbazide without isolation of the thiosemicarbazone.     

ortho-Spezifische Bromierung von Phenolen

Ortho-Specific Bromination of Phenols Phenol as well as 3-substituted phenols are brominated exclusively in the orthopositions by N.N-dibromomethylamine, yielding 2.6-dibrominated phenols in excellent yields. Phenols bearing an ortho-substituent need N-bromomethylamine as the brominating agent to take up one bromine atom into the free ortho-position. para-Bromination is not observed in either case. 1-Naphthol gives 2-bromo-1-naphthol, 8-hydroxyquinoline gives 7-bromo-8-hydroxyquinoline with 80% and 98% yield respectively. ortho-Specific chlorination of phenols was carried out in some cases using N-chloro-alkylamines.     

N-Aminierung von Isochinolinbasen

N-Amination of Isoquinoline Bases 3, 3-Pentamethylene oxaziridine 1 forms an N N-bond with secondary isoquinoline bases 2a – f to give the cyclohexylidene hydrazines 3a – f . In some cases nitrogen elimination yielding indane derivatives 13b, 13e competes with hydrazone formation. The cyclic Schiff'base 14 and the β-carboline derivative 16 can also be aminated.     

Neue Azoolefine und deren saure Spaltung zu Aryldiiminen

New Azoolefines and their Acidic cleavage to Aryldiimines 3-Amino-1-aryl-3′,3′-dimethyl-pyrazolin-4-spiro-2′-oxiran-5-ones ( 3a – c ) undergo ring opening with methoxide forming methyl 3-amino-3-arylazo-propenoates ( 5a – c ). 5a – c are cleaved under acidic conditions. The main products of the cleavage of 5c with methanolic hydrochloric acid are nitrogen, 2, 4, 6-trichloro-benzen ( 6 ), 2, 4, 6-trichloro-aniline ( 9 ) and 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenylhydrazine ( 10 ). Intermediates of the cleavage of 5 are aryldiimines trapped with benzaldehyde as the corresponding benzhydrazides ( 12a , b ).