Ethylene Butyl Acrylate Glycidyl Methacrylate Terpolymer as an Interfacial Agent for Isotactic Poly(propylene)/Wood Flour Composites

Summary: This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation concerning the use of an ethylene butyl acrylate and glycidyl methacrylate (EBAGMA) terpolymer as an interfacial agent for isotactic poly(propylene)/wood flour (iPP/WF) composites at various filler ratios (10, 20 and 30 wt.‐%). The effects of the EBAGMA terpolymer on the morphology, tensile properties, impact strength and water uptake of the iPP/WF composites were studied and the results were compared with those obtained with maleated poly(propylene) (MAPP) used as a compatibilizer. Initially, the mixing process was performed in a calendaring unit at 170 °C for pre‐homogenization of the filler in the matrix. Composites made out of these combinations were then ground and injected into a standard mold at 180 °C in the absence and the presence of compatibilizer. The results indicated that both EBAGMA terpolymer and MAPP improved the interactions between iPP and WF, and induced a better dispersion of wood particles in the polymer matrix, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, tensile properties and impact strength were also increased. Another important effect was on the water absorption property, which was significantly lower for the samples with EBAGMA and MAPP. However, EBAGMA terpolymer produced better enhancement of the properties of the iPP/WF composites compared to the compatibilized samples with MAPP.

SEM micrographs of the fracture surface of iPP/WF composites (70/30 wt.‐%): (a) without compatibilizer; (b) with 10 pph EBAGMA; (c) with 10 pph MAPP. Magnification was ×500.     

Effects of PP‐based Nanopackaging on the Overall Quality and Shelf Life of Ready‐to‐eat Salami

A total of 1% nanoclay containing polypropylene (PP)‐nanocomposite and 1% nanoclay plus 5% poly‐beta‐pinene (PβP) containing PP‐active‐nanocomposite materials were produced and tested for packaging of sliced salami. The sliced salami was packaged using both nanofilms and multilayer film of PP/PA/EVOH/PE under vacuum, modified atmosphere packaging under 50% CO₂ and 50% N₂ and air and stored at 4 °C for 90 days. During storage, headspace gas composition; microbial, physical and chemical analyses; and sensory evaluation were performed. The antimicrobial effect of PβP containing nanomaterial was pronounced under vacuum, and no bacterial growth was observed for 75 days. An a* value decreased notably in all applications during storage and preserved best by the multilayered material under vacuum and high CO₂. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were 0.63 mg MDA/kg after the processing and gradually increased at all applications during increased storage. TBARS values of all vacuum applications were lower than that of modified atmosphere packaging applications. Rancid taste development was determined by sensory panelists when TBARS values were higher than 0.80 mg MDA/kg on the 90th day. There was no significant moisture loss, and no increase in hardness was determined during the whole storage time. The longest shelf life was 75 days for the sliced salami under vacuum and high CO₂ using the multilayer material. PβP containing nanomaterial provided 50 days of shelf life under vacuum, which is commercially considerable. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How the European Union writes about ophthalmology

This study evaluates the distribution of papers published by European Union (EU) authors in ophthalmological journals from 1995 to 1997. The impact of ophthalmological research in the EU is compared with that produced in other countries and trends of research are highlighted through the keywords analysis. Data of articles published in ophthalmological journals (ISI Subject Category) were downloaded. Mean Impact Factor, source country population and gross domestic product were analyzed. A special purpose software for keyword elaboration was utilized. 11,219 papers were published in the world in the ophthalmological journals: 34.8% came from the EU (UK, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands ranking at the top) and 40.7% from the US. The mean Impact Factor of EU papers was 0.8 in comparison with 1.5 in the US. Despite the limitations of the existing methods, bibliometric findings are useful for the monitoring of research trends. The keywords analysis shows that the leading fields of research were retinal pathologies for diseases and keratoplasty for surgical procedures. It also suggests that keywords are overused, and urges minimization of this as well as standardization among journal editors. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rheology,crystallization behavior,and dielectric study on molecular dynamics of polypropylene composites with multiwalled carbon nanotubes and clay

The study is focused on joint effects of two nanofillers in polypropylene (PP) reinforced with 3 wt% organo‐clay (ОC) and 0.1–5 wt% multi‐wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The composites were produced by extrusion and characterized by rheology, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC), and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS). Rheological data indicates а formation of a network structure related to percolation above 1 wt% nanotubes. The flow activation energy (Ea) decreases above the percolation threshold, thus, the presence of clay improves the debundling of MWCNTs and releases the segmental motion of polymer chains. The clay does not affect the crystallization behavior of PP, but the nucleation is enhanced strongly by the MWCNTs. Dielectric measurements reveal that the presence of clay affects the molecular mobility of PP at the amorphous phase. The DSC results imply that around 80°C a cold crystallization process occur in the PP phase which has a significant impact on the dielectric segmental relaxation process and gives rise to the appearance of an additional process, the so called “interfacial” relaxation process. This new relaxation process in the three‐phase composites was attributed to an interfacial polarization process due to blocking of charge carriers at polymer/clay interfaces. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2756–2769, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

High precision measurement of the topological Aharonov–Casher effect with neutrons

The phase shift predicted by Aharonov and Casher (AC) for a magnetic dipole diffracting around a line charge was first observed by Cimmino et al. using a neutron interferometer. A number of subsequent atom interferometry experiments have been performed to observe this effect. These experiments measured the v×E phase shift due to the magnetic field induced in the rest frame of the atom, with no indication of the topological nature of the AC interaction. We intend to perform a high precision AC experiment with neutrons to improve the accuracy of our previous results and to highlight the topological nature of the effect. Finally, we present a novel geometry to achieve a spin-dependent magnetic phase shift.     

European Union Concerted Action on Risk Assessment in Lyme Borreliosis: clinical case definitions for Lyme borreliosis

The EU Concerted Action on Risk Assessment in Lyme Borreliosis (EUCALB) has consulted other clinicians and scientists in Europe to produce case definitions of the principal manifestations of European Lyme borreliosis. These case definitions will not only be helpful in supporting its own research interests, but are also intended to assist other clinicians in appropriate management and to support further studies aimed at determining the full clinical spectrum of the disease. The case definitions were achieved after a series of meetings organised by EUCALB with other expert clinicians and scientists from twelve European countries. The definitions and the diagnostic criteria presented thus represent the consensus reached at these meetings. The proposed case definitions consider skin, nervous system, cardiac and musculoskeletal presentations and the role of laboratory investigation in supporting diagnosis.