ANALYSIS OF RECENT MEASUREMENTS OF THE VISCOSITY OF GLASSES

Viscosity of Simple Soda-Silicate 500° to 1400°C Comparison of the results given by English with those of Washburn, Shelton and Libman, indicates a discrepancy in the absolute values of log₁₀ viscosity amounting to 0.6, those of Washburn et al., being relatively too high. If correction for this is made, the isothermal curves of log₁₀ viscosity as a function of soda content are smooth up to 50% Na₂O, showing no inflection. The observations as a function of temperature T are all represented within accidental error by an equation of the type where all three constants vary regularly with the composition. Change of Viscosity of Glass (6SiO₂, 2Na₂O) due to Molecular Substitution of CaO, MgO and Al₂O₃ for Na₂O The effect is clearly brought out by plotting (from the results of English) the change of log₁₀η due to the substitution as a function of temperature. The curves each show a sharp bend at a temperature between 840° and 1050°C, which is designated the aggregation temperature T_a. If we divide these curves by the corresponding percentage substituted, we get curves for each oxide which are straight and parallel below the aggregation temperatures, the slopes (increase of change of log₁₀η per 100°C) being −0.056 (CaO), −0.055 (MgO), −0.018 (A1₂O₃) per per cent oxide substituted. For substitution of 1/2 molecule the slopes are −0.325 (CaO), −0.23 (MgO) and −0.18 (Al₂O₃) per 100°. At the aggregation temperature the change of log₁₀η per per cent is a minimum, 0.03 to 0.06 for CaO, 0.12 for MgO, 0.07 for Al₂O₃. Evidence of Aggregation in Glasses, from viscosity Measurements The sharp bends in the plots of change of log₁₀η due to substitution of an oxide for Na₂O, suggest the beginning of molecular aggregation at these temperatures. These aggregation temperatures are close to the devitrification temperatures, but the effect on the viscosity curves cannot be due to actual devitrification since it does not change with time. Taking the aggregation temperatures as equal to devitrification temperatures, additional isotherms are roughly sketched into the equilibrium triangle of the system Na₂O-CaO-SiO₂. Change of Viscosity of Glass (4SiO₂, 2Na₂O) due to of Substitution of B₂O₃ for SiO₂ The change of log₁₀η (from the results of English) is plotted as a function of temperature, and also the change of log₁₀η per per cent B₂O₃. The curves are more complex than for the substitution for Na₂O.     

Replacement of dietary fish oil with increasing levels of linseed oil: Modification of flesh fatty acid compositions in Atlantic salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis>) using a fish oil finishing diet

Five groups of salmon, of initial mean weight 127±3 g, were fed increasing levels of dietary linseed oil (LO) in a regression design. The control diet contained capelin oil (FO) only, and the same oil was blended with LO to provide the experimental diets. After an initial period of 40 wk, all groups were switched to a finishing diet containing only FO for a further 24 wk. Growth and flesh lipid contents were not affected by dietary treatment. The FA compositions of flesh total lipids were linearly correlated with dietary FA compositions (r ²=0.88–1.00, P<0.0001). LO included at 50% of added dietary lipids reduced flesh DHA and EPA (20∶5n−3) concentrations to 65 and 58%, respectively, of the concentrations in fish fed FO. Feeding 100% LO reduced flesh DHA and EPA concentrations to 38 and 30%, respectively, of the values in fish fed FO. Differences between diet and flesh FA concentrations showed that 16∶0, 18∶1n−9, and especially DHA were preferentially retained in flesh, whereas 18∶2n−6, 18∶3n−3, and 22∶1n−11 were selected against and presumably utilized for energy. In fish previously fed 50 and 100% LO, feeding a finishing diet containing FO for 16 wk restored flesh DHA and EPA concentrations, to ≈80% of the values in fish fed FO throughout. Flesh DHA and EPA concentrations in fish fed up to 50% LO were above recommended intake values for humans for these EFA. This study suggests that LO can be used as a substitute for FO in seawater salmon feeds and that any reductions in DHA and EPA can be largely overcome with a finishing diethigh in FO before harvest.     

Feeding response of Ips paraconfusus to phloem and phloem metabolites of Heterobasidion annosum-inoculated ponderosa pine,Pinus ponderosa

In studies of feeding by the bark beetle, Ips paraconfusus, two pine stilbenes (pinosylvin and pinosylvin methyl ether), ferulic acid glucoside, and enantiomers of the four most common sugars present in ponderosa pine phloem (sucrose, glucose, fructose, and raffinose) did not stimulate or reduce male feeding when assayed on wet -cellulose with or without stimulatory phloem extractives present. When allowed to feed on wet -cellulose containing sequential extracts (hexane, methanol, and water) of ponderosa pine phloem, methanol and water extractives stimulated feeding, but hexane extractives did not. Males confined in wet -cellulose containing aqueous or organic extracts of culture broths derived from phloem tissue and containing the root pathogen, Heterobasidion annosum, ingested less substrate than beetles confined to control preparations. In an assay using logs from uninoculated ponderosa pines, the mean lengths of phloem in the digestive tracts increased as time spent feeding increased. Males confined to the phloem of basal logs cut from ponderosa pines artificially inoculated with H. annosum ingested significantly less phloem than beetles in logs cut from trees that were (combined) mock-inoculated or uninoculated and did not contain the pathogen. However, individual pathogen-containing treatments were not significantly different from uninoculated controls. It was concluded that altered feeding rates are not a major factor which may explain why diseased ponderosa pines are colonized by I. paraconfusus.     

Use of a scanning thermal microscope to examine corrosion protective coatings in exposure

As the capabilities for control of coatings properties at the nanoscale advance, characterization of these properties at these same length scales is needed. One set of organic coatings properties that is very important to understand and control at these length scales are the thermomechanical properties of the coatings. A new hybrid instrument, a scanning thermal microscope was used to examine the morphology and the thermal property simultaneously for two component polyurethane coatings under exposure to corrosive environments. Through the morphology measurement, the surface appearance on the micro-level was monitored and the influence of different corrosive factors such as wet/dry cycling, thermal cycling and condensation on the appearance was studied. At the same time, the micro-scale thermal measurements and concurrent FTIR testing provided the information on the relationship between the change of the structure and the properties of the coating. The information gained from these measurements on the changes in local coatings properties will be presented and correlated to other studies in our lab on nanoscale properties as well as global coating property changes due to exposure.     

Compatibilization of polymer blends from poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) and polycarbonate by oxazoline modification of poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) in the melt

A good way of achieving compatibility in polymer blends of poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (S/AN) and bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) is the chemical modification of S/AN in the melt. A catalyzed reaction of the nitrile groups with a substituted 2‐amino alcohol or 2‐amino phenol resulted in a conversion of nitrile groups of 55–75% in 60 min. The introduced heterocyclic structures were ethyl hydroxymethyl oxazoline (EHMOXA) and benzoxazole (BenzOXA), respectively. The use of dibutyltin oxide as a catalyst led to the highest efficiency. The modified polymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and reactions with organic acids and anhydrides. The modified S/AN showed good technical compatibility (single glass‐transition temperature) with PC in blends made from solution and from the melt. All blends were characterized with oscillating rheometry and differential scanning calorimetry. Rheological measurements showed that EHMOXA–S/AN reacted with PC and had crosslinked structures, whereas BenzOXA–S/AN showed compatibilization without any (crosslinking) reaction. The melt blends of BenzOXA–S/AN and PC showed a downward shift in the complex viscosity due to the influence of the BenzOXA group. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2322–2332, 2003     

An Unreacted Shrinking Core Model for Calcination and Similar Solid-to-Gas Reactions

A variation on the unreacted shrinking core model has been developed for calcination and similar non-catalytic solid-to-gas decomposition reactions in which no gaseous reactant is involved and the reaction rate decreases with increasing product gas concentration. The numerical solution of the model has been validated against an analytical solution for the isothermal case. The model parameters have been tuned using literature data for the thermal dehydration (calcination) of gibbsite to alumina over a wide range of temperatures, from 490 to 923 K. The model results for gibbsite conversion agreed well with the published experimental data. A reaction order with respect to water vapor concentration of n = ?1 was found to give a good fit to the data and yield activation energies consistent with literature values. Predictions of the non-isothermal unreacted shrinking core model compare well with a more complex distributed model developed previously by the authors.     

Engineering a pharmacologically superior form of leptin for the treatment of obesity

Leptin plays a central role in the homeostasis of body weight through its regulatory effects on appetite and energy expenditure, yet in trials as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity in humans it has been disappointing. The poor clinical efficacy of leptin results from its short circulating half-life, low potency and poor solubility, necessitating large and frequent doses to obtain even modest clinical benefit. Engineered Fc-leptin immunofusins, consisting of the Fc fragment of an immunoglobulin gamma chain followed by leptin, exhibit improved pharmacological properties with very consistent and potent biological activities. Furthermore, in extending the circulating half-life of the protein in vivo from a few minutes for leptin to many hours for Fc-leptin, these proteins have the potential to reduce drastically the dosage and frequency of administration required to obtain clinical benefit. The results of this study show that the engineered leptin immunofusins described here have significantly enhanced pharmacological properties in comparison with the recombinant leptin that was used in clinical trials. As such, they could represent an important step towards a therapeutically superior form of leptin if the disappointing performance of leptin in early clinical trials was due to its poor pharmacological properties rather than any conceptual weakness in the strategy of using leptin for the treatment of obesity and its related disorders.     

Development of a bioprocess combined with membrane technology for the treatment and recycling of textile effluent

A mixed culture of dye-decolorising Pseudomonas spp. was immobilised on polyurethane foam, and used in a bench-scale continuous culture bioreactor to treat textile effluent for colour removal. The provision of soluble wheat starch (0.2% w/v) to the culture medium promoted growth of biomass and enhanced decolorisation of effluent in the bioreactor. The bioprocess was further combined with membrane filtration technology to improve the quality of treated effluent. The treated effluent showed 90, 82 and 60% reduction in COD, BOD₅ and toxicity levels, respectively, and had potential for re-use in dyeing processes. The colour difference of the cotton fabrics dyed using the treated effluent samples compared to those dyed using normal supply water was found to be industrially acceptable. The described process could improve treatment efficiency and allow water recycling within the textile factory.     

(<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z,Z</Emphasis>)-6,9-Heneicosadien-11-One: Major Sex Pheromone Component Of Painted Apple Moth, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Teia anartoides</Emphasis>

(Z, Z)-6,9-Heneicosadien-11-one (Z6Z9-11-one-21Hy) was identified as the major sex pheromone component of the painted apple moth (PAM), Teia anartoides (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), on the basis of (1) comparative gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analyses, GC-mass spectrometry (MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-MS, and HPLC-UV/visible spectroscopy of pheromone gland extracts and authentic standards; (2) GC-EAD analyses of effluvia of calling females; and (3) wind tunnel and field trapping experiments with a synthetic standard. In field experiments in Australia, synthetic Z6Z9-11-one-21Hy as a single component attracted male moths. Wind tunnel experiments suggested that a 4-component blend consisting of Z6Z9-11-one-21Hy, (6Z,9R,10S)-cis-9,10-epoxy-heneicosene (Z6-9R10S-epo-21Hy), (E, E)-7,9-heneicosadien-6,11-dione (E7E9-6,11-dione-21Hy), and 6-hydroxy-(E, E)-7,9-heneicosadien-11-one (E7E9-6-ol-11-one-21Hy) (all present in pheromone gland extracts) might induce more males to orient toward, approach, and contact the source than did Z6Z9-11-one-21Hy as a single component. Additional experiments are needed to determine conclusively whether or not Z6-9R10S-epo-21Hy, E7E9-6,11-dione-21Hy, and E7E9-6-ol-11-one-21Hy might be minor sex pheromone components of PAM. Moreover, attractiveness of synthetic pheromone and virgin PAM females needs to be compared to determine whether synthetic pheromone could replace PAM females as trap baits in the program to monitor eradication of exotic PAM in New Zealand.