Synthesis and characterization of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)s initiated with siloxane oligomer–(NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 redox pair

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)s (PNIPAAM)s were synthesized via free‐radical polymerization using a ceric ammonium nitrate, Ce(IV)–α‐ω‐dihydroxy(polydimethylsiloxane) (Tegomer H‐Si 2111, PDMS) redox pair in hexane at 30°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The dependence of the initiation and termination steps on the [NIPAAM]/[Ce(IV)] and [NIPAAM]/[PDMS] ratios were studied using gravimetry and FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, UV‐vis, and GFAA spectroscopy techniques. Gravimetric results indicated that, in the case of high concentrations of PDMS, the percentage of the solid portions of the products decreased while the amount of the oligomeric NIPAAM chains increased, that is, as the amount of PDMS in hexane was increased, the number of the short NIPAAM chains having PDMS segments at the two ends, also increased. UV‐vis results showed that the LCST of PNIPAAM initiated with Ce(IV) alone was higher than those of the ones that were synthesized using common initiator systems such as an ammonium persulfate–N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine redox pair and azobis(isobutyronitrile). Further, it was observed that both siloxane blocks and ? NH? groups forming coordination bonds with free Ce(IV) ions and/or metal–ligand complexes had an important effect on the aggregation process of the chains. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1248–1254, 2003     

Thermal properties of poly(maleic anhydride‐alt‐acrylic acid) in the presence of certain metal chlorides

Polychelates were synthesized by the addition of aqueous solutions of copper(II), cadmium(II), and nickel(II) chlorides to aqueous solutions of poly(maleic anhydride‐alt‐acrylic acid) [poly(MA‐alt‐AA)] in different pH media. The thermal properties of poly(MA‐alt‐AA) and its metal complexes were investigated with thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The polychelates showed higher thermal stability than poly(MA‐alt‐AA). The thermogravimetry of the polymer–metal complexes revealed variations of the thermal stability by complexation with metal ions. The relative thermal stabilities of the systems under investigation were as follows: poly(MA‐alt‐AA)–Cd(II) > poly(MA‐alt‐AA)–Cu(II) > poly(MA‐alt‐AA)–Ni(II) > poly(MA‐alt‐AA). The effects of pH on the complexation and gravimetric analysis of the polychelates were also studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3926–3930, 2006     

KB-SCHED: Knowledge-based scheduler for complex and dynamic systems

Scheduling problems are becoming more and more complex everyday. This makes the current rules and algorithms difficult to comply with the requirements. New machines with the capabilities of processing more than one jobs is being developed. Sometimes one job is divided into parts and processed by more than one machine at the same time. These make the current algorithms insufficient. Artificial intelligence technologies, especially expert systems are proven to deal with such dynamic complex problems in several domains. In this study, an example of such a complex problem is introduced and knowledge-based scheduling for these kind of problems is elaborated with a real life industrial example.     

A thermodynamic study of the binding of human serum albumin onto N,N′‐diethylaminoethyl dextran microbeads

Adsorption of proteins on solid surfaces is widely studied because of its importance in various biotechnological, medical, and technical applications, e.g., biosensors, cardiovascular implants, and chromatography. Adsorption thermodynamics has been studied on the microbeads of N,N′‐diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) Dextran anion exchanger for the human serum albumin (HSA) at 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45°C. As a result, some thermodynamic parameters like Freundlich constants, thermodynamic equilibrium constant (K_D), standard free energy changes (ΔG_assoc), standard entropy changes (ΔS_assoc), and standard enthalpy change (ΔH_assoc) have been evaluated. Using the linear Van't Hoff plot, ΔH_assoc value of the system for the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐adsorbed crosslinked DEAE dextran microbeads was determined as 20.650 kJ/mol. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3942–3947, 2006     

Investigation of adsorption–desorption dynamism of bovine serum albumin on crosslinked N,N′‐diethylaminoethyl dextran microbeads: Solution phase

New hydrogel microspheres based on crosslinked dextran containing N,N′‐diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) groups with different chemical structures have been used in adsorption–desorption studies. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is frequently used in biophysical and biochemical studies. BSA has a well‐known primary structure that has been associated with binding of many different categories of small molecules. Both adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms for the adsorption of BSA on crosslinked DEAE dextran have been determined experimentally. These were only slightly dependent on the initial concentration of BSA but were considerably affected by the pH of the medium. The results fitted the Freundlich–Langmuir isotherm model for pH 6.9. The adsorption capacity factor and the adsorption equilibrium constant were obtained and mathematical modeling of adsorption, adsorption rate constants, and maximum adsorption were determined. Swelling kinetics of crosslinked DEAE dextran and optimum ionic strength, pH, and mass of hydrogel were also investigated. Desorption studies were finally determined under optimum medium conditions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Removal of phosphate from aqueous solutions by electro-coagulation

The aim of this paper was to investigate the feasibility of the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution by electro-coagulation (EC). The current density (CD) between 2.5 and 10 mA cm(-2) and duration in the limits of 5-20 min were tried for different concentrations. In order to determine optimal operating conditions, the EC process used for the phosphate removal was examined in dependence with the CD, initial concentrations and time. The results of the experimental batch processing showed high effectiveness of the EC method in removing phosphate from aqueous solutions.     

The effects of the combination of freezing and the use of natural antioxidant technology on the quality of frozen sardine fillets (Sardinella aurita)

The effects of combination of freezing and the use of antioxidant technology on the quality of frozen sardine fillets were investigated in terms of sensory, biochemical [thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acids (FFA)] and microbiological analyses [total viable count (TVC)]. Fish were filleted and divided into three groups. The first group was used as the control (C) without rosemary extract, the second group was treated with 1% rosemary extracts for 2 min (R1) and the third was treated with 2% rosemary extracts for 2 min (R2). All groups were frozen at ?18 °C over the storage period of 6 months. The results obtained from this study showed that the combination of antioxidant and frozen storage resulted in significant reduction of bacterial growth and stabilised the biochemical characteristics, especially for R2. However, the use of antioxidant at the level of 2% (R2) gave a bitter taste according to sensory assessment whereas the panellists mostly preferred R1.     

Bond strength of repaired composite resins: surface treatments,adhesive systems,and composite type

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of three different surface treatments and two different adhesives on the microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of repaired composites using the same or different type of resin. Twenty-four nano-hybrid (Ceram X mono-C) and 24 nanofilled (Filtek Ultimate-F) composite discs were prepared. The specimens were aged with 5000 thermocycles and randomly divided into groups according to the surface treatment methods: (a) phosphoric acid (b) Er:YAG laser and (c) aluminum trioxide particle (air abrasion). Fresh composite resins (C and F) were added to the treated surfaces with two different adhesives (two-step and one-step self-etch adhesives). Then, the specimens were aged again. The stick-shaped specimens were prepared from the discs (n = 25) and the sticks were subjected to the μTBS test. Results indicated that significant differences were found in μTBS values among the surface treatment methods. In the C groups, the highest μTBS value (41.3 ± 8.3 MPa) was recorded in the air abrasion and one-step self-etch adhesive group, which were repaired with the same kind of composite. In the F groups, the highest μTBS value was observed in the air abrasion and one-step self-etch adhesive (37.6 ± 12.3 MPa) group. The treatment with air abrasion is more effective than the others, and it may be suggested for composite repair.     

Multi-response optimization of thermophysiological comfort properties of polyester filament woven fabrics

Microfilament woven fabrics are used in many products such as sportswear, rainclothes, windproof clothes, sleeping bags and surgical gowns and for these products, thermophysiological comfort properties are of prime importance. In this study, it is intended to investigate the effects of filament linear density and weft sett on thermophysiological comfort properties. Also, an optimization model was developed to determine the optimum filament linear density and weft sett for the best response variables of air permeability, water vapour permeability and thermal resistance. Four different weft sett and five different filament linear densities were applied in weft direction with three different weave types. In doing so, 60 woven fabric samples were produced. According to ANOVA results and experimental observations, it is observed that, the effect of filament linear density on air and water vapour permeability was minor on microfilament range, whereas the differences between conventional filament and microfilament sample groups are considerable. Also, higher weft sett causes decreasing of air and water vapour permeability. On the other hand, there is no obvious consistent trend for thermal resistance of samples with different filament linear density and weft sett.     

Directional double Fano resonances in plasmonic hetero-oligomers

We experimentally demonstrate for the first time a very compact plasmonic hetero-oligomer structure where the multiple radiant and subradiant modes can be tailored independently. Unlike previous approaches based on collective excitations in complex plasmonic systems, we show precise engineering of resonances leading to simultaneous spectral overlap of multiple plasmonic modes with opposite radiative character. This asymmetric behavior combined with inherent spatial features of the structure leads to directional double Fano resonances as shown with numerical analysis. A model based on temporal coupled mode theory is also provided to describe the double Fano behavior.