Synthesis and properties of novel amphiphilic sulfated ionomers by the ring‐opening reaction of an epoxidized styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer

A method for the synthesis of novel sulfated ionomer of styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer (SBS) was developed. SBS was first epoxidized by performic acid in the presence of a phase‐transfer catalyst; this was followed by a ring‐opening reaction with an aqueous solution of alkali salt of bisulfate. The optimum conditions for the ring‐opening reaction of the epoxidized SBS with an aqueous solution of KHSO₄ were studied. During the ring‐opening reaction, both phase‐transfer catalyst and ring‐opening catalyst were necessary to enhance the conversion of epoxy groups to ionic groups. The products were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After the potassium ions of the ionomer were substituted with lead ions, the lead sulfated ionomer exhibited dark spots under TEM. Some properties of the sulfated ionomer were studied. With increasing ionic groups or ionic potential of the cations, the water absorbency and emulsifying volume of the ionomer and the intrinsic viscosity of the ionomer solution increased, whereas the oil absorbency decreased. The sulfated ionomer possessed excellent emulsifying properties compared with the sulfonated SBS ionomer. The sodium sulfated ionomers in the presence of 10% zinc stearate showed better mechanical properties than the original SBS. When the ionomer was blended with crystalline polypropylene, a synergistic effect occurred with respect to the tensile strength. The ionomer behaved as a compatibilizer for blending equal amounts of SBS and oil‐resistant chlorohydrin rubber. In the presence of 3% ionomer, the blend exhibited much better mechanical properties and solvent resistance than the blend without the ionomer. SEM photographs indicated improved compatibility between the two components of the blend in the presence of the ionomer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and structural characterization of methacrylic acid/octadecyl acrylate‐graft‐poly(methylhydrosiloxane) by hydrosilylation

Methylmethacrylate (MMA) and octadecyl acrylate (OA) were grafted to poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) by hydrosilylation, respectively, with hexachloroplatinic acid as catalyst, and the former was further hydrolyzed to prepare methacrylic acid (MAA)‐graft‐PMHS under the alkaline condition. Through orthogonal experiment, main factors affecting the graft reaction between OA and PMHS were discussed and arranged in a decreasing order according to their abilities of the effect on the hydrosilylation of OA with PMHS: catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, reaction time, material ratio, and solvent dosage. It was found that the hydrosilylation of OA with PMHS was easier to that of MMA with PMHS. Under optimal conditions, the grafting ratios of MMA with PMHS and OA with PMHS reached about 90 and 95%, respectively. FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra indicated that the hydrosilylation reactions followed the Markovnikov's rule and played a strong preference toward β‐1,2‐addition. The test of contact angle indicated that surface energy of a system was mainly dependent on the polar groups. The surface energy of OA‐graft‐PMHS (35.07 mN/m) was similar to those of PMHS (35.62 mN/m) and polyoctadecyl acrylate (36.57 mN/m), and lower than that of MAA‐graft‐PMHS (43.50 mN/m). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

On agent-mediated electronic commerce

This paper surveys and analyzes the state of the art of agent-mediated electronic commerce (e-commerce), concentrating particularly on the business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) aspects. From the consumer buying behavior perspective, agents are being used in the following activities: need identification, product brokering, buyer coalition formation, merchant brokering, and negotiation. The roles of agents in B2B e-commerce are discussed through the business-to-business transaction model that identifies agents as being employed in partnership formation, brokering, and negotiation. Having identified the roles for agents in B2C and B2B e-commerce, some of the key underpinning technologies of this vision are highlighted. Finally, we conclude by discussing the future directions and potential impediments to the wide-scale adoption of agent-mediated e-commerce.     

Survey of nitrate and nitrite contents of vegetables grown in Korea.

A scientific basis for the evaluation of the risk to public health arising from excessive dietary intake of nitrate in Korea is provided. The nitrate () and nitrite () contents of various vegetables (Chinese cabbage, radish, lettuce, spinach, soybean sprouts, onion, pumpkin, green onion, cucumber, potato, carrot, garlic, green pepper, cabbage and Allium tuberosum Roth known as Crown daisy) are reported. Six hundred samples of 15 vegetables cultivated during different seasons were analysed for nitrate and nitrite by ion chromatography and ultraviolet spectrophotometry, respectively. No significant variance in nitrate levels was found for most vegetables cultivated during the summer and winter harvests. The mean nitrates level was higher in A. tuberosum Roth (5150 mg kg(-1)) and spinach (4259 mg kg(-1)), intermediate in radish (1878 mg kg(-1)) and Chinese cabbage (1740 mg kg(-1)), and lower in onion (23 mg kg(-1)), soybean sprouts (56 mg kg(-1)) and green pepper (76 mg kg(-1)) compared with those in other vegetables. The average nitrite contents in various vegetables were about 0.6 mg kg(-1), and the values were not significantly different among most vegetables. It was observed that nitrate contents in vegetables varied depending on the type of vegetables and were similar to those in vegetables grown in other countries. From the results of our studies and other information from foreign sources, it can be concluded that it is not necessary to establish limits of nitrates contents of vegetables cultivated in Korea due to the co-presence of beneficial elements such as ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol which are known to inhibit the formation of nitrosamine.     

Preparation and Characterization of Carboxymethyl Chitosan and β-Cyclodextrin Microspheres by Spray Drying

Three kinds of carboxymethyl chitosan/β-cyclodextrin microspheres loaded with theophylline were prepared by spray drying intended for pulmonary delivery. Mucociliotoxicity, permeation rate, and drug release characteristics of the product were investigated. The microspheres obtained by spray drying were found to be spherical with smooth or wrinkled surfaces. The mean particle size was between 3.39 and 6.06 µm. The microspheres demonstrated high product yield (43.7-50.2%), high drug loading (13.7-38.1%), and high encapsulation efficiency (86.9-92.8%). FT-IR indicated that there were interactions of theophylline with carboxymethyl chitosan matrix. Further studies on mucociliotoxicity and permeation confirmed that microspheres had better adaptability and high permeation rate. In vitro drug release from the microspheres was not related to the drug/polymer ratios.     

Red Wine Polyphenols for Cancer Prevention

Conventional cancer therapies, the second leading cause of death worldwide, result in serious side effects and, at best, merely extend the patient''s lifespan by a few years. Searching for effective prevention is of high priority in both basic and clinical sciences. In recent decades natural products have been considered to be an important source of cancer chemopreventive agents. Red wine polyphenols, which consisted of various powerful antioxidants such as flavonoids and stilbenes, have been implicated in cancer prevention and that promote human health without recognizable side effects. Since resveratrol, a major component of red wine polyphenols, has been studied and reviewed extensively for its chemopreventive activity to interfere with the multi-stage carcinogenesis, this review focuses on recent progress in studies on cancer chemopreventive activities of red wine polyphenol extracts and fractions as well as other red wine polyphenols, like procyanidin B5 analogues and myricetin.     

GPS定位精度的提高及其应用

本文简明介绍了美国全球定位系统(GPS)的工作原理和误差来源,通过了解误差来源阐述了较准准确的定位技术DGPS的原理和应用。     

带肋钢筋套筒挤压连接的质量控制

针对太原可口可乐综合厂房主筋采用φ28、φ32三级钢存在的可焊性差的问题，提出了在施工中采用套筒挤压连接的方式，并对该方法的操作要点及质量控制措施进行了总结。     

An Application of Interval Methods to Stock Market Forecasting

Stock market forecasting has been a challenging financial research topic for decades. In the literature, there are numerous results based on point methods. However, poor forecasting quality has been a continuous problem. Motivated by the fact that financial data varies within intervals, we apply interval methods on a well known stock pricing model [3] to predict stock market variability as intervals. Empirical results obtained with a few different approaches in this paper consistently suggest that interval forecasts have better overall quality than traditional point forecasts.