Copolymerization of diphenylmethane andp-xylene by oxidative coupling

Summary Diphenylmethane underwent oxidative coupling in the presence of di-t-butyl peroxide and formed 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethane. This coupling reaction resulted in the formation of a copolymer of diphenylmethane andp-xylene. The new copolymer was soluble in common organic solvents and had a molecular weight of 32,000 (polystyrene base).On leave from Cosmo Oil Co., Japan, under a contract with the Japan International Cooperation Agency     

Modular Structural Operational Semantics with Strategies

Strategies are a powerful mechanism to control rule application in rule-based systems. For instance, different transition relations can be defined and then combined by means of strategies, giving rise to an effective tool to define the semantics of programming languages. We have endowed the Maude MSOS Tool (MMT), an executable environment for modular structural operational semantics, with the possibility of defining strategies over its transition rules, by combining MMT with the Maude strategy language interpreter prototype. The combination was possible due to Maude's reflective capabilities. One possible use of MMT with strategies is to execute Ordered SOS specifications. We show how a particular form of strategy can be defined to represent an OSOS order and therefore execute, for instance, SOS specifications with negative premises. In this context, we also discuss how two known techniques for the representation of negative premises in OSOS become simplified in our setting.     

Null controllability of the Burgers system with distributed controls

This paper is devoted to present some positive and negative controllability results for the viscous Burgers equation. More precisely, in the context of null controllability with distributed controls, we present sharp estimates of the minimal time of controllability T(r) of initial data of L²-norm less or equal to r. In particular, we see that (global) null controllability does not hold in general (unless the control is exerted everywhere). The same results apply to similar boundary controllability systems with one boundary control.     

Portfolio selection using neural networks

In this paper we apply a heuristic method based on artificial neural networks (NN) in order to trace out the efficient frontier associated to the portfolio selection problem. We consider a generalization of the standard Markowitz mean-variance model which includes cardinality and bounding constraints. These constraints ensure the investment in a given number of different assets and limit the amount of capital to be invested in each asset. We present some experimental results obtained with the NN heuristic and we compare them to those obtained with three previous heuristic methods. The portfolio selection problem is an instance from the family of quadratic programming problems when the standard Markowitz mean-variance model is considered. But if this model is generalized to include cardinality and bounding constraints, then the portfolio selection problem becomes a mixed quadratic and integer programming problem. When considering the latter model, there is not any exact algorithm able to solve the portfolio selection problem in an efficient way. The use of heuristic algorithms in this case is imperative. In the past some heuristic methods based mainly on evolutionary algorithms, tabu search and simulated annealing have been developed. The purpose of this paper is to consider a particular neural network (NN) model, the Hopfield network, which has been used to solve some other optimisation problems and apply it here to the portfolio selection problem, comparing the new results to those obtained with previous heuristic algorithms.     

Hysteretic Behavior of Bridge Columns with FRP-Jacketed Lap Splices Designed for Moderate Ductility Enhancement

This paper presents test results of six specimens representing older bridge columns with inadequate reinforcement detailing consisting of short lap splices at the base and widely spaced transverse reinforcement. Four of these specimens were rehabilitated using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets of two different composite materials (carbon and aramid) to avoid premature failure of the lapped bars after a limited number of postyield cycles. The test results indicate that thin FRP jackets can be used to avoid failure of short lap splices at moderate displacement ductilities. Displacement capacities consistent with expected demands in regions of moderate or low seismicity were achieved after jacket retrofitting. The hysteretic behavior of rehabilitated columns was assessed with emphasizing issues related to variation of stiffness and damping ratio as a function of ductility demand for this class of columns. Equations that account for the effect of axial load level on estimates of effective stiffness and damping as a function of displacement ductility are proposed for this class of columns.     

A new organically templated monodimensional mixed valence (Fe/Fe) phosphite: (C4H12N2)[FeFe(HPO3)2F3]: Solvothermal synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic and magnetic properties

The organically templated (C₄H₁₂N₂)[Fe^IIFe^III(HPO₃)₂F₃] compound has been synthesized under mild solvothermal conditions. The crystal structure has been determined from X-ray single-crystal diffraction data. The compound crystallizes in the P2₁/n monoclinic space group, with the unit-cell parameters a = 12.935(1), b = 6.4476(7), c = 15.693(2) Å, β = 105.630(9)° and Z = 4. The crystal structure consists of [Fe^IIFe^III(HPO₃)₂F₃]²⁻ chains formed by a central chain built of [Fe(2)O₄F₂] edge-sharing octahedra, and two side chains formed by alternating [Fe(1)O₃F₃] octahedra and [HP(1)O₃] tetrahedra. The piperazinium cations are placed between the chains linked by ionic and hydrogen interactions. The IR and Raman spectra show the existence of two phosphite crystallographically independent. From the diffuse reflectance spectrum the D_q parameter for the iron(II) cations has been calculated (D_q = 820 cm⁻¹). The Mössbauer spectrum in the paramagnetic state shows the simultaneous presence of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺. The magnetic measurements indicate the existence of antiferromagnetic interactions.     

Managing medical images and clinical information: InCor's experience.

Patients usually get medical assistance in several clinics and hospitals during their lifetime, archiving vital information in a dispersed way. Clearly, a proper patient care should take into account that information in order to check for incompatibilities, avoid unnecessary exams, and get relevant clinical history. The Heart Institute (InCor) of S?o Paulo, Brazil, has been committed to the goal of integrating all exams and clinical information within the institution and other hospitals. Since InCor is one of the six institutes of the University of S?o Paulo Medical School and each institute has its own information system, exchanging information among the institutes is also a very important aspect that has been considered. In the last few years, a system for transmission, archiving, retrieval, processing, and visualization of medical images integrated with a hospital information system has been successfully created and constitutes the InCor's electronic patient record (EPR). This work describes the experience in the effort to develop a functional and comprehensive EPR, which includes laboratory exams, images (static, dynamic, and three dimensional), clinical reports, documents, and even real-time vital signals. A security policy based on a contextual role-based access control model was implemented to regulate user's access to EPR. Currently, more than 10 TB of digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) images have been stored using the proposed architecture and the EPR stores daily more than 11 GB of integrated data. The proposed storage subsystem allows 6 months of visibility for rapid retrieval and more than two years for automatic retrieval using a jukebox. This paper addresses also a prototype for the integration of distributed and heterogeneous EPR.     

Enhancing phenanthrene biomineralization in a polluted soil using gaseous toluene as a cosubstrate

Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the potential of adding gaseous toluene, as a readily degradable carbon source, to enhance phenanthrene mineralization in polluted soil (1,000 mg/kg(dry soil)) aged for 400 days. Experiments were conducted in 0.5-L column reactors packed with a mixture of (80:20 w(wet)/w(wet)) spiked soil and vermiculite and fed with 1 g m(-3)reactor h(-1) toluene load in air. Removal efficiencies of 100% for toluene and greater than 95% for phenanthrene were obtained in 190 h. Evolved CO2 showed that phenanthrene mineralization increased from 39% to 86% in columns treated with gaseous toluene. Phthalic acid was identified as the principal soluble intermediate, which accumulated when no toluene was added. Increased phenanthrene uptake and mineralization with toluene can be attributed to increased biomass and the induction of enzymes involved in the intermediate mineralization. In microcosm experiments, phthalic acid mineralization increased from 19% to 81% within 50 h in the presence of toluene. Experiments with 14C-labeled phenanthrene confirmed the enhancement of phenanthrene mineralization from 45% to 83% in 385 h with toluene as a second carbon source. The results indicate thatthe addition of an appropriate gaseous cosubstrate could be an adequate strategy to enhance mineralization of PAHs in soil.     

Optimization Of FRM Filters Using The WLS–Chebyshev Approach

This paper presents efficient methods for designing linear-phase finite impulse response filters by combining the frequency-response masking (FRM) approach and the weighted least-squares (WLS)-Chebyshev method. We first use the WLS-Chebyshev method to design quasi-equiripple FRM filters, achieving better performances with respect to the passband ripple or the stopband attenuation, when compared with the standard FRM design. Then, by exploiting the concept of critical bands, introduced in this paper, we present a method for designing modified FRM filters with a further reduction in the computational complexity. This is achieved by properly relaxing the specifications for the FRM base and masking filters and using the ability of the WLS-Chebyshev method to trade off the minimum attenuation and the total energy in the filters stopband. Computational savings are in the order of 10%–15% of the original number of coefficients of the standard FRM design (using the concept of dont care bands for the masking filters).     

Quantifying trace elements in individual aquatic protist cells with a synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobe

The study of trace metal cycling by aquatic protists is limited by current analytical techniques. Standard "bulk" element analysis techniques that rely on physical separations to concentrate cells for analysis cannot separate cells from co-occurring detrital material or other cells of differing taxonomy or trophic function. Here we demonstrate the ability of a synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microprobe to quantify the elements Si, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Zn in individual aquatic protist cells. This technique distinguishes between different types of cells in an assemblage and between cells and other particulate matter. Under typical operating conditions, the minimum detection limits are 7.0 x 10(-16) mol microm(-2) for Si and between 5.0 x 10(-20) and 3.9 x 10(-19) mol microm(-2) for Mn, Fe, Ni, and Zn; this sensitivity is sufficient to detect these elements in cells from even the most pristine waters as demonstrated in phytoplankton cells collected from remote areas of the Southern Ocean. Replicate analyses of single cells produced variations of <5% for Si, Mn, Fe, and Zn and <10% for Ni. Comparative analyses of cultured phytoplankton cells generally show no significant differences in cellular metal concentrations measured with SXRF and standard bulk techniques (spectrophotometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry). SXRF also produces two-dimensional maps of element distributions in cells, thereby providing information not available with other analytical approaches. This technique enables the accurate and precise measurement of trace metals in individual aquatic protists collected from natural environments.