Molecular orientation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate) probed by polarized Raman spectra: a parallel study

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) samples uniaxially drawn above Tg and beyond the yield point exhibit significant differences in their molecular orientation behavior as probed by polarized Raman spectra. The quasi-amorphous PET samples, drawn close to the Tg, manifest considerable molecular orientation development; however, when drawn above Tg + 30 degrees C, they exhibit significant molecular orientation relaxation. The semi-crystalline PBT samples maintain prominent molecular orientation even when drawn 110 degrees C above Tg. The drawing process, in PET samples, when resulting in molecular orientation, is accompanied by a gauche-trans transformation of the glycol linkage and a concurrent initiation of crystallinity development. In PBT specimens, it gives rise to a coexistence of alpha- and beta-type crystalline phases. Phase alpha is predominant at high draw temperatures, i.e., Tg + 110 degrees C, while phase beta dominates at low draw temperatures, i.e., Tg + 10 degrees C. PBT samples, with beta-phase predominance, left at relevant draw temperatures without stress, exhibit a beta-alpha phase change though no molecular orientation relaxation occurs. A note is made of the fact that complete molecular orientation analysis of PBT segments utilizing the depol method gives more reliable results than the simplified analysis assuming a cylindrical tensor for the 1614 cm(-1) symmetric stretch of the para-disubstituted benzene ring of PBT. In this context, segments of PBT specimens rich in alpha-phase exhibit higher molecular orientation than those with beta-phase predominance.     

Clinical system for interstitial photodynamic therapy with combined on-line dosimetry measurements

A system for interstitial photodynamic therapy with delta-aminolaevulinic acid and multiple optical fibers has been developed. The system enables photodynamic treatment of large embedded tumor volumes and utilizes real-time measurements to allow on-line dosimetry. Important parameters such as light fluence rate, sensitizer fluorescence intensity, and changes in local blood oxygen saturation are measured with the same fibers that deliver the therapeutic light. Data from the first clinical treatments on nodular basal cell carcinomas indicate a major treatment-induced light absorption increase, rapid sensitizer photobleaching, and a relatively constant global tissue oxygen saturation level during the treatment.     

Number of representations and maximum dimensions for S(N)

Title of program: LATTICE Catalogue number: AARH Listing available from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland (see application form in this issue) Computer: CDC CYBER 205; Installation: CYBERNET Data Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA (test run was executed on the system when it was being checked out) Operating system: CYBER 200 O.S. Programming language used: CYBER 200 FORTRAN High speed storage required: 65–256 K (virtual memory system) Number of bits in a word: 64 Overlay structure: none Number of magnetic tapes required: none Other peripherals used: card reader, line printer Number of cards in combined program and test deck: 662 Card punching code: CDC     

"Perceptual Organization and Intelligence: A Further Study": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by De Soto and Liebowitz (Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology, 1956[Nov], 53, 334-337). Some incorrectly calculated probabilities of Type II errors were given. Recalculated probabilities are given in Table 1. These are probabilities of Type II errors for 2-tail t tests of the difference between mean vocabulary scores of high and low perceivers in case of certain hypothetical true differences in various experimental conditions and groupings, as explained in the original article. The probabilities in Table 1 are substantially greater than those given earlier, but low enough that a complete absence of significant t's would be surprising if a large true difference existed. All t's obtained were nonsignificant, and the average difference was in fact in the wrong direction. It may be noted that 1-tail t tests might have been used, since the direction of the difference was hypothesized. One-tail t tests would have had lower probabilities of Type II errors than 2-tail t tests for the hypothetical true differences listed, and would also have yielded uniformly nonsignificant results. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1958-03650-001). This experiment was a replication of that of Krech and Calvin (Levels of perceptual organization and cognition. J. abnorm. soc. Psychol., 1953, 48, 394-400) using modified techniques. The correlation previously reported by Krech and Calvin between intelligence and perception, did not obtain upon replication. The data confirmed their finding that progression over trials was usually from low to high perceptual organization, but did not show a correlation between perception and stimulus-exposure time from 0.01 to 1.00 second. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of NaCl,nitrate and nitrite contents in minced meat by using a voltammetric electronic tongue and an impedimetric sensor

A method for predicting levels of sodium chloride, sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate in minced meat by using a combination of two different electrochemical methods; namely an electronic tongue (ET) based on pulse voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements is proposed here. The measurements with the voltammetric ET were carried out on both saline solutions (brines) and minced meat, whereas the impedimetric sensor was used only in minced meat. The addition of the salts was performed following an experimental design in which a system of three compounds/three levels was established. Multivariate analysis including Cross validation and Partial Least Square (PLS) techniques were applied for data management and prediction models building. A very good prediction of the concentration of chloride was achieved, whereas the prediction for the concentration of nitrate and nitrite can be considered as moderate.     

Effect of coenzyme Q10 and taurine on the availability of vitamins in the rat experiment

It has been observed that coenzyme Q10 (100 mg per 1 kg body mass) and taurine (1% in drinking water) treatment of rats has differently directed effect on vitamin A and E level in liver and blood serum. Coenzyme Q10 consumption has been accompanied with a tendency to increasing or an increase of vitamin content, while taurine consumption lead to the reverse effect. Both coenzyme Q10 and taurine addition caused diene conjugates decrease in blood serum. Supplementary coenzyme Q10 or taurine intake did not influence on rat liver vitamin B1 and B2 content.     

Arsenical grafted membranes for immobilization of thioredoxin-like proteins

In this work, we describe the cografting of glycidyl methacrylate and dimethyl acrylamide onto a macroporous polysulfone polymer. Aminophenyl arsenical compounds were covalently attached to the copolymer through epoxy ring add-on reactions followed by a 2-mercaptoethanol activation. Thioredoxin and thioredoxin-fusion proteins were immobilized onto this surface and detected by specific antibody recognition. Preservation of native protein folding was confirmed by the detection of the enzymatic activity of an unstable fusion protein. Immobilized fusion protein onto the modified material maintains the enzymatic activity for a longer time, up to two weeks, against the free protein under the same storage conditions that remains active for 2 days.     

Effect of biodegradable film (lyophilised alga Fucus spiralis and sorbic acid) on quality properties of refrigerated megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis)

The effect of replacing the on‐board currently employed polyethylene film by a novel type of environmentally friendly packaging was studied. For it, a polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable film including lyophilised alga Fucus spiralis and sorbic acid was applied during megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) refrigeration and its effect on fish quality loss was evaluated. Thus, sensory assessment showed that samples wrapped up with PLA film including 8% alga and 1% sorbic acid were still acceptable on day 11, while control fish specimens (kept under polyethylene film) were rejected at that time. Under such biodegradable film condition, a preservative effect was also implied according to chemical indices assessment related to microbial activity (trimethylamine–N) and lipid oxidation development (peroxide and fluorescent compounds formation); additionally, lower mean numbers for different microbiological groups (aerobes, Enterobacteriaceae and psychrotrophs) were detected. This result provides a promising replacement strategy to enhance refrigerated fish quality and reduce the waste material content.     

Coupling osmotic dehydration with heat treatment for green papaya impregnated with blackberry juice solution

Slices (1.5 mm thick) of green papaya were impregnated through osmotic dehydration with a blackberry juice–sucrose solution to produce an intermediate moisture product. The effect of processing temperature (T) and sucrose-added molality (m_sucrose) on mass transfer during the operation was assessed, using a response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM was used to model water loss, sugar and anthocyanin gain during the process. Increasing sucrose molality resulted in increasing water loss and sugar gain, but decreasing anthocyanin gain. Water transfer therefore limits anthocyanin impregnation, but not sucrose incorporation. Afterwards, the impact of heat treatment at high temperatures was analysed, using numerical simulation. The conditions of the combined process, designed to achieve an anthocyanin-rich final product, are low sucrose-added molalities (sucrose molality < 1 mol kg^–1) and high processing temperatures (T > 50 ºC) for osmotic dehydration, coupled with high-temperature, short-time (HTST) heat treatments for product stabilisation.     

Liquid Metal Based Island‐Bridge Architectures for All Printed Stretchable Electrochemical Devices

The adoption of epidermal electronics into everyday life requires new design and fabrication paradigms, transitioning away from traditional rigid, bulky electronics towards soft devices that adapt with high intimacy to the human body. Here, a new strategy is reported for fabricating achieving highly stretchable “island‐bridge” (IB) electrochemical devices based on thick‐film printing process involving merging the deterministic IB architecture with stress‐enduring composite silver (Ag) inks based on eutectic gallium‐indium particles (EGaInPs) as dynamic electrical anchors within the inside the percolated network. The fabrication of free‐standing soft Ag‐EGaInPs‐based serpentine “bridges” enables the printed microstructures to maintain mechanical and electrical properties under an extreme (≈800%) strain. Coupling these highly stretchable “bridges” with rigid multifunctional “island” electrodes allows the realization of electrochemical devices that can sustain high mechanical deformation while displaying an extremely attractive and stable electrochemical performance. The advantages and practical utility of the new printed Ag‐liquid metal‐based island‐bridge designs are discussed and illustrated using a wearable biofuel cell. Such new scalable and tunable fabrication strategy will allow to incorporate a wide range of materials into a single device towards a wide range of applications in wearable electronics.