Synthesis and characterization of polyestermaleamides

Summary Polyestermaleamides have been synthesized from N,N-bisisomaleimide, p-aminophenol, iso-and tere-phthaloyl chlorides. Through ring-opening addition reaction, a bisphenolamide was first formed; it was then polycondensed with acid chlorides to produce Polyestermaleamides, with an ordered sequence. The polymers were fully characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and electronic spectra, solubility in various solvents as well as inherent viscosity measurements. Thermal behaviour of the polymers were determined by thermogravimetric analysis in nitrogen atmosphere.     

Crystalline character of native and chemically treated Egyptian cottons. I. Computation of crystallinity,disorder parameter,orientation factor,and spiral angle

Computer data processing and electronic monochromatization of x-rays were employed for determining crystallinity, disorder parameter, Hermans' orientation factor, as well as DeLuca and Orr spiral angle of native, mercerized and urea-treated cottons. The results indicate the values for the degree of crystallinity to vary significantly between ecttons. Increase in disorder on mercerization is confirmed. The effect of urea treatment is not so well defined. The differences in Hermans' x-ray orientation factor are significant at the 1% level between cottons and at the 10% level between treatments. Besides, from a critical analysis of the values obtained, it is shown that the spiral angle φt in the method of DeLuca and Orr is probably a direct estimate of the mean inclination of the crystallites to the fiber axis, while Hermans' orientation angle β is a complex function of other parameters as well. The computer programs which could be applied to other polymers are included.     

Low-temperature heat capacity of small Nb3Sn polycrystals by ac calorimetry

It is shown by an ac calorimetry technique that the multiple heat capacity anomalies which occur below the superconducting transition temperature for small polycrystalline Nb₃Sn samples are intrinsic to these samples. The recent suggestions that shear stresses can account for these results are analyzed for their validity. The dependence of the occurrence of these multiple anomalies upon the thermal history of the samples was investigated.Supported in part by U.S. Atomic Energy Commission under the Contract No. USAEC-AT-(04-3)-34 at the Department of APIS, UCSD, La Jolla, California. Present work supported under the auspices of ERDA.Supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Systems Command USAF, under AFOSR Contract No. AFOSR/F-44620-72-C-0017.     

On the relationship between the electronic density of states and the superconducting critical temperature of disordered V3Si

The available data on the effect of neutron and α-particle irradiation on the superconducting properties and the low-temperature specific heat capacity of single- and polycrystalline V₃Si were analyzed in a unified manner. It was found that the electron-phonon renormalization parameter λ does not vary simply proportionally to the bare density of electron states at the Fermi level as had been earlier conjectured by Dynes and Varma, nor does it vary in exactly the same manner as found by Fradin and Williamson to hold for a variety of vanadium-based A15 structure compounds and pseudobinary alloys. When the behavior of V₃Si is compared with that of Nb₃Sn, Nb₃Al, and Nb₃Ge, it is seen that the response to disorder of parameters of importance in the superconductivity of these compounds does not follow any simple, universal behavior.     

Current-controlled oscillator

A relaxation oscillator whose frequency is linearly related to an input control current is described. The circuit configuration is based on the emitter-coupled astable multivibrator. The linear frequency variation is obtained by incorporating a discriminator circuit and high-transconductance elements into the oscillator circuit. Experimental results obtained from a circuit constructed from monolithic transistor arrays indicate that frequency variation over two decades, with a linearity better than 0.1%, can be obtained.     

Modeling mobile source emissions in presence of stationary sources

The impact of oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) emissions from motor vehicles to the air quality in city-state Singapore is analyzed using AIRVIRO, a regional scale dispersion model developed by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. In a predominantly urban location like Singapore, it is difficult to separate out the contribution of pollutants from mobile and point sources at different locations. In this work, a new approach is used by first modeling only the impact of point and area sources and then overlaying the traffic impact on air quality at different locations. Monthly scenario simulations are run with point, area and traffic sources of emissions for the Gaussian model validation. Street Canyon modeling is used for street segments surrounded by buildings on either side. A simplified photochemical model, which takes into account NO(x) undergoing chemical transformations in the urban atmosphere, is used to account for variations in NO(x) and ozone levels with respect to traffic data. The diurnal variation of NO(x) concentration levels is studied as a function of ozone levels at site, hourly traffic counts and meteorological parameters. The impact on ambient air quality within the breathing zone of the public from mobile sources, is found to be about 40% at urban stations although overall emissions from mobile sources is only 24%. The proposed approach appears to predict the variations in NO(x) as a function of traffic and meteorological conditions.     

Enhancement of critical current density of YBa2Cu3O7 − δ thin films by self-assembly of Y2O3 nanoparticulates

YBa₂Cu₃O_7 − δ (YBCO) thin films, possessing high critical current density (J_c), have been synthesized by embedding a homogeneous array of Y₂O₃ non-superconducting nanoclusters/nanoparticles using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The size, interparticle spacing, and density of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles in YBCO thin films were tailored by varying the number of laser pulses in order to determine the optimum size for effective immobilization of vortices. Scanning transmission electron microscopy with atomic number contrast and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to determine the size and structure of the nanoparticles. Both techniques indicate that the Y₂O₃ particles are epitaxial with respect to the surrounding YBCO matrix. The information about pinning of vortices by the nanoparticles was obtained by investigating the behavior of critical current density as a function of temperature and applied field, which in turn determines the vortex density in the sample. The superconducting transition temperature (T_c) of YBCO films with the inclusion of nanoparticles was observed to remain almost the same or decrease marginally (1-2 K) with respect to T_c of pure YBCO films deposited under identical conditions. However, J_cs of YBCO films embedded with self-assembled nanoparticles were found to be significantly higher than that of pure YBCO films. The J_c enhancement was up to five times in high magnetic field, which is a key requirement for practical application of high-T_c materials.     

Comparison of Expedient and Optima Reinforcement Schemes for Learning Systems

Stochastic automata models have been successfully used in the past for modeling learning systems. An automaton model with a variable structure reacts to inputs from a random environment by changing the probabilities of its actions. These changes are carried out using a reinforcement scheme in such a manner that the automaton evolves to a final structure which is satisfactory in some sense. Several reinforcement schemes have been proposed in the literature for updating the structure of automata [1–4]. Most of these are expedient schemes which in the limit yield structures which are better than a device that chooses the actions with equal probabilities irrespective of the environment's response. A few schemes have also been suggested recently which in the limit lead to a continuous selection of a single optimal action as the output of the automaton, when it operates in a stationary environment and are called optimal schemes [5–7]. The question naturally arises as to which of the schemes are to be preferred in practical applications. In view of the anticipated extensive use of learning schemes in multilevel decision-making systems this question of optimality versus expediency takes on particular significance. Consequently, a comparison has to be made not merely of individual automata schemes but also of the effectiveness of such schemes in situations involving several automata (e.g. stochastic games, multilevel systems).     

Evolution of multiprotocol label switching

Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) is rapidly emerging as an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard intended to enhance the speed, scalability, and service provisioning capabilities in the Internet. MPLS uses the technique of packet forwarding based on labels, to enable the implementation of a simpler high-performance packet forwarding engine. This also decouples packet forwarding from routing, facilitating the provision of varied routing services independent of the packet forwarding paradigm. The authors track the evolution of this technology in relation to other existing technologies. Then an overview of the MPLS architecture and design is provided. In addition, some of the work that was a precursor to MPLS is discussed, as well as related issues and debates     

Nanoparticles of 4,7-dichloro-2-quinolinemethylacrylate-based copolymers and their potential cytotoxic activity on human breast carcinoma cells

In this article, an improved synthesis strategy of the potent anticancer compound 4,7-dichloro-2-quinolinemethanol (QM) and its acrylate ester 4,7-dichloro-2-quinolinemethylacrylate (AQM) are described. AQM is copolymerized using free-radical polymerization with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) and the copolymers obtained from different molar ratios of monomers are subjected to nanoprecipitation to produce suspensions of nanoparticles (NPs) in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The smallest and stable NPs are prepared with the AQM-VP copolymers 45:55 and 40:60 (118.9 and 128.7 nm in diameter, respectively) at 1 mg mL⁻¹, and along with AQM and QM, are evaluated for their cytotoxic activity on MDA-MB-453 breast carcinoma cells using MTT bioassay. AQM and QM are highly cytotoxic (IC₅₀: 19 and 41 μM, respectively); however, the NPs are not cytotoxic in the range of the assayed concentrations. These results contribute to the search for new polymeric NPs with potential application as QM delivery systems for the treatment of cancer or other diseases treatable with QM. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47545.