Intrinsic viscosity-number average molecular weight relationship for poly (n-Octadecyl acrylate) and poly (N-n-octadecylacrylamide)

Intrinsic viscosity-number average molecular weight relationships have been measured, at 30C in benzene, for poly (n-octadecyl acrylate) as [η]=2.72×10⁻⁴ Mn^0.638 and for poly (N-n-octadecylacrylamide) as [η]=0.82×10⁻⁴ Mn^0.676. Whole polymers of various molecular weights were prepared in benzene solution at 65C with dodecyl mercaptan as primary regulator. By the use of these parameters, the molecular weight of such polymers and their homologs may now be measured by simple solution-viscosity determinations. In the expression { } (relating degrees of polymerization { } to the mercaptan/monomer ratio), intercept { } and apparent transfer constant C_s for n-octadecyl acrylate were 6.28×10⁻³ and 0.68; for N-n-octadecylacrylamide 1.10×10⁻³ and 0.62 respectively. These parameters permit preparation of homopolymers of chosen molecular weight. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, Philadelphia, October 1966 E. Utiliz. Res. Devel. Div., ARS, USDA.     

An After‐School Snack of Raisins Lowers Cumulative Food Intake in Young Children

Snacks are an important part of children's dietary intake, but the role of dried fruit on energy intake in children is unknown. Therefore, the effect of ad libitum consumption of an after‐school snack of raisins, grapes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies on appetite and energy intake in twenty‐six 8‐ to 11‐y‐old normal‐weight (15th to 85th percentile) children was examined. On 4 separate weekdays, 1 wk apart, children (11 M, 15 F) were given a standardized breakfast, morning snack (apple), and a standardized lunch. After school, children randomly received 1 of 4 ad libitum snacks and were instructed to eat until “comfortably full.” Appetite was measured before and 15, 30, and 45 min after snack consumption. Children consumed the least calories from raisins and grapes and the most from cookies (P < 0.001). However, weight of raisins consumed was similar to potato chips (about 75 g) and lower compared to grapes and cookies (P < 0.009). Raisins and grapes led to lower cumulative food intake (breakfast + morning snack + lunch + after‐school snack) (P < 0.001), while the cookies increased cumulative food intake (P < 0.001) compared to the other snacks. Grapes lowered appetite compared to all other snacks (P < 0.001) when expressed as a change in appetite per kilocalorie of the snack. Ad libitum consumption of raisins has potential as an after‐school snack to achieve low snack intake prior to dinner, similar to grapes, compared to potato chips, and cookies in children 8 to 11 y old.     

Optimal aircraft load balancing

The Canadian Forces employ cargo aircraft for countless missions to deliver equipment, supplies and passengers. Maximizing the payload while maintaining a safe load balance is of high importance. This paper details a mathematical formulation, a Mixed Integer Linear Program model, to solve the problem of determining the arrangement of a set of items in a cargo hold that optimizes the load balance. Items are modelled as rectangles with specified dimensions, mass and centre of gravity offsets. The main decision variables determine the orientation and placement of a given set of items. The objective function can be chosen to minimize deviation of the centre of gravity from the target position or to maximize a function of the items loaded (cardinality, priority, etc.). The formulation models item rotation, spacing requirements, load ordering, macro items, obstacles and constrained placement. Furthermore, specialized cut and transitivity constraints are developed that limit the solution search space.     

Review of The technique of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, The technique of psychotherapy by Lewis R. Wolberg (1954). Noting the dearth of concrete specific writings on psychotherapeutic technique "amidst the lush literature on psychiatry," the author made it his purpose to write a book which would delineate a "sound therapeutic structure irrespective of the specific 'kind' of psychotherapy done and without reference to the individual 'style' of the therapist." The writer compares briefly education, social casework, and counseling of normal people with psychotherapy and finds considerable overlapping in goals and means. He also finds that some of the undercurrent processes in "spontaneous cure" are similar to those in psychotherapy. After these preliminary considerations Wolberg attempts to classify the existing varieties of psychotherapy into three types: (a) supportive therapies; (b) insight therapies with re-educative goals; (c) insight therapies with reconstructive goals. The reviewer reports that while the presentation of the chief tenets of the various present-day therapies is too brief to teach a novice, it is so lively and stimulating that it certainly will whet his appetite and induce him to go to the original sources. The criticism of each "approach" is confined to a few objections presented, not as the author's own beliefs, but as opinions voiced by unspecified critics. This is a very important book to be read and enjoyed by all psychologists, practitioners, and theoreticians alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kinetics of the aminolysis of hydrogenated tallow by allylamine and other primary amines in methanol

Kinetics of the aminolysis of hydrogenated tallow by allylamine in methanol solution under sodium methoxide catalysis was studied at several temperatures (60 to 90C) and catalyst concentrations. Under the experimental conditions the triglycerides were rapidly converted to the mixed methyl esters, which slowly reacted with the amine to produce the mixed amides. At constant catalyst concentration, disappearance of triglyceride was found to be first order in triglyceride and in amine. Because rate was found to be directly proportional to catalyst concentration, the experimental over-all rate was −d[Triglyceride]/dt=k₃[Triglyceride] [Amine] [RO⁻], and k₃ was 2.022 kg² mole⁻² hr⁻¹. A mechanism proposed by Bunnett and Davis for ester aminolysis involving an ester-amine complex formed in a rapid pre-transition-state equilibrium is consistent with thermodynamic terms which reconcile a large negative entropy of activation (−44.17 cal deg⁻¹ equivalent⁻¹) and relatively small energy of activation (11.60 kcal equivalent⁻¹). Relative rate constants at 70C under sodium-methoxide catalysis for the aminolysis of hydrogenated tallow by a variety of structurally different primary amines agreed, in general, with those found by others for the ethylene glycol-catalyzed reaction of methyl acetate with the same amines at 25C. However, monoethanolamine reacted nineteen times faster than predicted, which suggested a mechanism involving initial attack by the alkoxy anion of the ethanolamine in the rate detering step, followed by rapid, base-catalyzed, acyl acyl oxygen-to-nitrogen (O→N) migration. The velocity constants and thermodynamic constants reported enable prediction of the time required for specific yields under a variety of experimental conditions. Presented at AOCS Meeting, Chicago, 1964. E. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

1H-NMR study of interactions of dimethyl ester of 2,2,4,4-tetramethylglutaric acid with stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylates) in solution

Summary Studies of integrated band intensities in high resolution (HR) ¹H NMR spectra of the dimethyl ester of 2,2,4,4-tetra-methylglutaric acid (DMTMGA) in solutions containing stereo-regular poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) have shown that a part of the DMTMGA molecules interact with PMMA. In this interaction DMTMGA behaves similarly as syndiotactic (s) PMMA. DMTMGA can link-up in self-aggregates of s-PMMA, and also replace s-PMMA in interaction with isotactic (i) PMMA forming an analog of the PMMA stereocomplex. An analogy of the conformational structure of DMTMGA and of the s-sequences in the aggregates of PMMA is discussed.     

A simple mini-furnace for thermo-microscopy and crystal growth experiments

A fairly simple and inexpensive device for the preparation of single crystals (mm dimensions) from a melt is described. This is a minifurnace, permitting atmosphere control as well as continuous visual inspection of the sample through a stereomicroscope. A method to separate the crystals from the melt is also described. The device has been used for the preparation of crystals of several ternary compounds and for phase analysis studies in the $\text{A}$₂O-V₂O₅-V₂O₃ systems ($\text{A}\text{= Rb, Cs}$) in the temperature range 400–800°C and the O₂ pressure range 1–10^?25 atm. The oxygen activity which is crucial for these experiments, was controlled by the use of a ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) solid electrolyte EMF-cell.     

The Antipsychotic Risperidone Alters Dihydroceramide and Ceramide Composition and Plasma Membrane Function in Leukocytes In Vitro and In Vivo

Atypical or second-generation antipsychotics are used in the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems in older persons with dementia. However, these pharmaceutical drugs are associated with an increased risk of stroke in such patients. In this study, we evaluated the effects of risperidone treatment on phospholipid and sphingolipid composition and lipid raft function in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of older patients (mean age >88 years). The results showed that the levels of dihydroceramides, very-long-chain ceramides, and lysophosphatidylcholines decreased in PBMCs of the risperidone-treated group compared with untreated controls. These findings were confirmed by in vitro assays using human THP-1 monocytes. The reduction in the levels of very-long-chain ceramides and dihydroceramides could be due to the decrease in the expression of fatty acid elongase 3, as observed in THP-1 monocytes. Moreover, risperidone disrupted lipid raft domains in the plasma membrane of PBMCs. These results indicated that risperidone alters phospholipid and sphingolipid composition and lipid raft domains in PBMCs of older patients, potentially affecting multiple signaling pathways associated with these membrane domains.     

Analysis of the Potential Genetic Links between Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Cardiovascular risk factors are one of the most common comorbidities in psoriasis. A higher prevalence of hypertension, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, depression, as well as cardiovascular disease was confirmed in psoriatic patients in comparison to the general population. Data suggest that psoriasis and systemic inflammatory disorders may originate from the pleiotropic interactions with many genetic pathways. In this review, the authors present the current state of knowledge on the potential genetic links between psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors. The understanding of the processes linking psoriasis with cardiovascular risk factors can lead to improvement of psoriasis management in the future.