Copolymerization of N‐(4‐carboxyphenyl) itaconimide or N‐(4‐carboxyphenyl) itaconamic acid with methyl methacrylate

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of N‐(4‐carboxyphenyl) itaconamic acid (CPA) and N‐(4‐carboxyphenyl) itaconimide (CPI) obtained by reacting itaconic anhydride with p‐aminobenzoic acid. Structural and thermal characterization of CPA and CPI was done using ¹H‐NMR, FTIR, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Copolymerization of CPA or CPI with methyl methacrylate (MMA) in solution was carried out at 60 °C using azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and dimethyl acetamide or THF as solvent. Feed compositions having varying mole fractions of CPA or CPI ranging from 0.05–0.20 or 0.1–0.5 were taken to prepare copolymers. Copolymerizations were terminated at low percentage conversion. Structural characterization of copolymers was done by ¹H‐NMR and elemental analysis. Copolymer composition was determined using percentage nitrogen content. The reactivity ratios were r₁ (MMA) = 0.68 ± 0.06 and r₂ (CPI) = 0.46 ± 0.06. The intrinsic viscosity [η] was determined using an Ubbelohde suspension level viscometer. [η] decreased with increasing mole fraction of N‐(p‐carboxyphenyl) itaconimide or N‐(p‐carboxyphenyl) itaconamic acid in copolymers. Glass transition temperature and thermal stability of the copolymers were determined using DSC and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The glass transition temperature (T_g) as determined from DSC scans increased with increasing amounts of CPA or CPI in copolymers. A significant improvement in the char yield was observed upon copolymerization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1909–1915, 2005     

Radiation grafting of acrylic acid on to polypropylene filaments. I: Effect of reaction conditions

Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid on to polypropylene filaments was investigated by a simultaneous irradiation technique. The effect of various solvents and solvent combinations on swelling behaviour and on percentage grafting was studied. At a constant dose, the percentage grafting was found to be higher at low dose rates and it increased linearly up to 0.25 Mrad and then saturated. It was also observed that grafting increases with increasing monomer concentration up to 2 mole/litre. Graft copolymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and colour formation with methylene blue.     

Timed activity studies for assessing the energy expenditure of women from an urban slum in south India

Time-disposition studies are necessary for computing energy requirements of populations. This study captures the rich information on the timed activity pattern of adult women from poor households engaged in home-based work. We studied 34 women beedimakers (cigarette makers), 21 tailors, and 34 homemakers. Data were collected by direct observation of the women's activities on a typical day. Time spent on related activities was pooled and classified as sleep, household work, child care, occupational work, and residual work. These were further categorized on the basis of our published work on the energy cost of women's activities and the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of occupational activities as sedentary, moderate, and heavy. Most of the household activities could be classified as moderate to heavy (> 2.2 times basal metabolic rate [BMR]). Childcare activities were distributed on a scale from sedentary to heavy, whereas occupational activities, such as beedimaking and tailoring, were sedentary (< 2.2 BMR). Homemakers spent significantly more time on moderate to heavy work (p < .05) than beedimakers and tailors. Women working for income spent only four to six hours on occupational work, which was possible because they reduced the time spent on heavy work (i.e., housework), and reduced the time on personal care. Still, more than 80% of women could not put in eight hours of paid work. Thus, women in the home-based sector constantly negotiate among time spent on heavy household work, child care, and occupational work in order to continue in the labor market.     

Redox-active monolayers on nano-scale silicon electrodes

Uniform arrays of nano-scale electrolyte-molecule-silicon capacitors have been successfully fabricated. This was done by a combination of reactive ion etch and a selective wet etch through an anodic aluminium oxide mask to form nano-holes in silicon oxide/silicon nitride insulator layers on silicon. Self-assembled monolayers of 4-ferrocenylbenzyl alcohol were then attached to the exposed silicon surfaces at the bottom of the nano-holes. Characterization by conventional capacitance and conductance techniques showed very high capacitance and conductance peaks near -0.6?V, that were attributed to the charging and discharging of electrons into and from discrete levels in the monolayer owing to the presence of the redox-active ferrocenes.     

Coal char reactivity and structural evolution during combustion—Factors influencing blast furnace pulverized coal injection operation

A fresh char was prepared and reacted with oxygen under conditions similar to those prevailing in the raceway region of the blast furnace (BF) during pulverized coal injection (PCI), using a well-characterized drop-tube furnace (DTF). Char combustion under the present conditions was found to be controlled by the combination of pore diffusion and chemical reaction. Both the char density and size gradually decrease with burnoff, while the char surface area increases up to a burnoff of 40 to 50 pct due to the formation of a large amount of meso- and micropores, which were observed by high-resolution field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and gas adsorption measurements. Despite the obvious increase in surface area, the char combustion reactivity decreases with burnoff. This is due to the loss of the intrinsic reactivity of char during combustion, as confirmed by fixed-bed (FB) measurements of fresh char and chars partly burnt in a DTF. The structural characterization by quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis (QXRDA) shows that the amorphous concentration (f _am ) of the char decreases during combustion, while the aromaticity (f _ar ) and the average crystallite size (L ₀₀₂) of the char increase. The char becomes more ordered during combustion, which is in accordance with the observations made using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The char structural ordering observed was found to be responsible for the loss of char intrinsic reactivity during combustion. Based on the QXRDA, a char structure model has also been suggested to explain the char structural evolution observed during combustion. The implications of char structural evolution for char combustion during a PCI operation are also discussed.     

Cloning, Soluble Expression and Purification of High Yield Recombinant hGMCSF in Escherichia coli

Expression of human granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGMCSF), a cytokine of therapeutic importance, as a thioredoxin (TRX) fusion has been investigated in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) codon plus cells. The expression of this protein was low when cloned under the T7 promoter without any fusion tags. High yield of GMCSF was achieved (～88 mg/L of fermentation broth) in the shake flask when the gene was fused to the E. coli TRX gene. The protein was purified using a single step Ni(2+)-NTA affinity chromatography and the column bound fusion tag was removed by on-column cleavage with enterokinase. The recombinant hGMCSF was expressed as a soluble and biologically active protein in E. coli, and upon purification, the final yield was ～44 mg/L in shake flask with a specific activity of 2.3 × 10(8) U/mg. The results of Western blot and RP-HPLC analyses, along with biological activity using the TF-1 cell line, established the identity of the purified hGMCSF. In this paper, we report the highest yield of hGMCSF expressed in E. coli. The bioreactor study shows that the yield of hGMCSF could be easily scalable with a yield of ～400 mg/L, opening up new opportunities for large scale production hGMCSF in E. coli.     

Use of Waste Bakelite as a Raw Material Resource for Recarburization in Steelmaking Processes

Bakelite is a thermoset plastic commonly found in electronic and automobile components. CaCO₃ is generally found in the polymer as a filler material. Since it cannot be remelted, the disposal of this material has become an environmental issue. The present study investigates a new route to utilize waste bakelite as a source of carbon in EAF steelmaking process. This paper reports the carbon dissolution behaviour of bakelite/coke blends into liquid steel at 1550 °C. The carbon pick up in the liquid steel after reaction with varying blends of bakelite/coke for 30 minutes ranged between 0.13 wt% to 0.17 wt%; these were generally higher than that observed from coke alone (0.1 wt%). The dissolution rate (K) was also found to improve and the observed trend was BK2 (0.045 × 10^?3 s^?1) > BK3 (0.023 × 10^?3 s^?1) > BK1 (0.005 × 10^?3 s^?1) > coke (0.003 × 10^?3 s^?1). The reaction products formed at the interface after 30 minutes of contact between liquid steel and bakelite/coke blends were observed to be a CaS‐Al₂O₃ complex. The presence of CaS in the interfacial layer due to the CaO in the ash, lowered melting temperature of the layer, thereby allowing for increased removal of the ash layer and greater carbon pick‐up. The CaO is formed from the decomposition of CaCO_3, and its presence was found to have a positive effect on modifying the properties of the coke, and thereby enhancing the carbon dissolution behaviour.     

Effect of processing on the composition of dietary fibre and starch in some legumes

The effect of processing on the total dietary fibre (TDF) insoluble (IDF) and water-soluble (SDF) fractions as well as total (TS), available (AS) and resistant (RS) starch were studied in three legumes, viz. bengalgram (Cicer arietinum L.), Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and greengram (Vigna radiata). The processes studied were fermentation, germination, pressure-cooking and roasting. The dietary fibre (DF) content and its components were determined using the enzymatic-gravimetric method. The TS content was determined by the enzymatic method after solubilization with KOH. The DF content ranged from 23.2 to 25.6 g/100 g in the raw and 16.0 to 31.5 g/100 g in the processed legumes. All the processing treatments significantly decreased the SDF content and increased the IDF content of all the three legumes. The mean TS, AS and RS content of the raw legumes were similar, 46.9, 36.7 and 10.2 g/100 g respectively. AS content of all the legumes was reduced by the processing treatments, except pressure cooking. Correspondingly, higher amounts of RS were observed in the processed legumes, except pressure cooked, resulting in an increase in the TDF content.     

Characterization of nanosilica‐filled epoxy composites for electrical and insulation applications

We report in this article the results of nanosilica (SiO₂)‐filled epoxy composites with different loadings and their electrical, thermal, mechanical, and free‐volume properties characterized with different techniques. The morphological features were studied by transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the nanocomposites. The properties of the nanocomposites showed that the electrical resistivity (ρ), ultimate tensile strength, and hardness of the composites increased with SiO₂ weight fraction up to 10 wt % and decreased thereafter; this suggested that the beneficial properties occurred up to this weight fraction. The temperature and seawater aging had a negative influence on ρ; that is, ρ decreased with increases in the temperature and aging. The free‐volume changes (microstructural) in the composite systems correlated with seawater aging but did not correlate so well with the mechanical properties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011