Gas‐phase‐assisted surface polymerization of methyl methacrylate with Fe(0)/TsCl initiator system

To obtain a high polymer coated Fe(0) surface, gas‐phase‐assisted surface polymerization (GASP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was investigated using a zero‐valent iron (Fe(0))/p‐toluene sulfonylchloride (TsCl) initiator system, resulting in successful high polymer production on the solid surface. GASP was found to be initiated by radical species that might have been generated via redox reactions with Fe(0), Fe(II), Fe(III), and TsCl. From ¹H‐NMR analysis, the p‐toluene sulfonyl group was found at one end of the polymer chain. The molecular weight of obtained PMMA drastically decreased with increase in the composition ratio of Fe(0) in the initiator system, and increased with increase in polymer yield. From the results, it was assumed that the physically controlled polymerization of MMA proceeded by immobilized active species at gas–solid interfaces. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1879–1886, 2007     

Vasospasm and its outcome after early surgery for ruptured cerebral aneurysms: changing pattern of its incidence and outcome during this 9-year period

The occurrence and outcome of vasospasm (VS) were analyzed in 240 patients who had aneurysm surgery within 7 days of a hemorrhage during 9-year period (1981-89). Occurrence of VS was evaluated by the appearance of ischemic symptoms, (A) with or (B) without CT evidence of infarcts. The surgical outcome was assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale 6 months postoperatively. The results in the first and the latter halves of the period were compared. The overall incidence of VS (A+B) was 34.8% (A: 23.5%, B: 11.3%) and 33.6% (A: 15.2%, B: 18.4%) in the first and the latter halves, respectively. Thus, VS leading to infarction showed a tendency to decrease in the latter half of the period, though the overall incidence of VS itself was almost identical in both the first and second halves of the period. The results were also analyzed according to preoperative grading based on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The tendency toward decreased severity of VS in the latter term was most remarkable in patients with GCS total scores between 14 and 13. The decreased incidence of severe VS proved to be reflected in decreased mortality and in increased rate of good outcome in the latter half of the period. In order to confirm whether the results obtained in our clinic are universal, we applied the same analysis for control groups in four cooperative double-blind clinical trials performed during this period in Japan. The study again showed that the rate of infarction has decreased significantly over the decade, resulting in the improved surgical outcome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Evaluation of orthodontic results with fuzzy inference

Evaluation of the results of orthodontic treatment is crucial for the improvement of the practitioner's therapeutic skills. Conventional methods of appraisal are based on ill-defined subjective criteria, however, or fail to make their criteria explicit. In order to provide a more objective appraisal, we surveyed 10 experienced practitioners regarding their criteria for evaluating 12 items such as the overjet, or the amount of horizontal projection of the upper front teeth beyond the lower ones. For each item, their opinions were averaged as the definition of membership in the category of “completely favorable.” Algorithms were devised for comparing the posttreatment results with the pre-treatment condition of need, in order to evaluate the degree of therapeutic success. the average of all 12 evaluations is taken as the appraisal of treatment. A hardware system incorporating these algorithms has been developed. This system, representing the first successful application of fuzzy inference to the evaluation of orthodontic treatment, is expected to provide orthodontists with an accurate and objective means of making such an appraisal and thereby help improve their therapeutic skills. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Computations of probabilistic output admissible set for uncertain constrained systems

This paper considers uncertain constrained systems, and develops two algorithms for computing a probabilistic output admissible (POA) set which is a set of initial states probabilistically assured to satisfy the constraint. The first algorithm is inspired by an existing randomized sequential technique. The second algorithm alleviates the computational effort based on heuristics. The present algorithms terminate in a finite number of iterations and provide a POA set. Additionally, we can obtain information on the size of the resulting set a posteriori. A numerical simulation demonstrates the applicability of the POA set to a control system design scheme.     

Synthesis of Calcium Silicate Hydrate with Ca/Si = 2 by Mechanochemical Treatment

An amorphous, C-S-H-like phase with Ca/Si = 2 was synthesized from amorphous precipitated silica, calcium oxide, and water by mechanochemical treatment using a vibration mill at room temperature. The product was studied by XRD, ²⁹Si MASNMR, TEM, analytical TEM, and TGA-DTA. After 14 h of treatment, the starting materials react to form an amorphous phase (C-S-H-like phase). The XRD pattern of C-S-H-like phase resembles the C-S-H formed hydrothermally or by cement hydration except it has no reflection at 0.182 nm. The ²⁹Si NMR results revealed a silicate anion structure of C-S-H-like phase consisting mainly of a mixture of a monomer and a dimer. On heating, the C-S-H-like phase decomposed into β-dicalcium silicate below 1000°C.     

Coronary hyperreactivity to adrenergic stimulation and increased nocturnal vagal tone trigger coronary vasospasm

The present study was undertaken to analyse the effect of fluoxetine upon murine T-lymphocyte proliferation. We found that fluoxetine exerted a dual effect, which depended on the degree of lymphocyte activation: at mitogenic concentration (2 microg/mL) of concavalin A (Con A), we observed an inhibitory effect on cellular proliferation, whereas, on submitogenic Con A concentration (1 microg/mL), fluoxetine stimulated the cellular response. Given these facts, we studied PKC activation and calcium mobilisation in both stimulatory and inhibitory effects of fluoxetine on T-cell proliferation. We observed that fluoxetine increased PKC translocation obtained with 1 microg/mL Con A concentration, whereas PKC was degraded when 2 microg/mL was used. This mechanism is thought to be mediated by calcium mobilisation. According to our results, fluoxetine seemed to modulate calcium influx, which, in turn, would influence PKC translocation, modulating the immune response.     

Enhancement of heat transfer in a turbulent channel flow with insertion of a flat body

Experiments have been performed for turbulent channel flow obstructed with a flat body. The local heat transfer coefficient and the wall static pressure were measured on two kinds of flat bodies for which the trailing edge shape differed. The length of the body, the thickness of the body, and the distance between the wall and the body were changed in several steps. The total performance between heat transfer and pressure drop was estimated under conditions of equal pumping power. The total performance hardly changed, even if the trailing edge shape and length of the bodies were different. The averaged heat transfer coefficient increased with increasing thickness of the bodies. However, as the friction factor increased, the performance became worse. When a comparatively thin body was installed near the heating surface, good performance was obtained. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(4): 354–366, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10100