Kationische Polymerisation von Styrol im Durchfluß-System. II. Einfluß der parameter der styrololigomerisation mit schwefelsäure bei völliger umsetzung des monomeren auf das molekulargewicht der oligomeren

A continuous stirred tank reactor was applied to conduct the cationic oligomerization of styrene in benzene solution in the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid. The influence of the monomer concentration, temperature and holding time on the average molecular weight of the oligomers in case of complete monomer conversion was investigated by means of a statistical analysis. A minimax-type function resulted. There was found occurence of some maximum values of the molecular weight as a function of the monomer concentration as well as occurence of some minimum values of the molecular weight as a temperature function and also as a function of the holding time. The saddle point coordinates were determinated as follows: 1,65 mol/1; 32,5°C; 2,54 min, whereas the molecular weight in this point was 293,4 g/mol in a 95% confidence interval 283,5 to 304,0 g/mol. An undoubtful effect of the interaction of temperature and of holding time with increase of the molecular weight as well as the dominant role of the monomer concentration with decreasing molecular weight of the oligomer were found to be the characteristic features of the investigated reaction.     

Equilibrium between ammonia-hydrogen mixtures and the ε phase of iron

Foils made from pure iron with a porous structure were nitrided in mixtures of pure and entirely decomposed ammonia until constant weight was reached. The relationship between nitriding potential, temperature and concentration was measured in the ε region between 350 and 725°C and at concentrations between and . This relationship can be mathematically represented, if the ε phase is considered to be a subregular solution of nitrogen in hexagonal iron. From the Gibbs free energy of the nitrogen in the gas phase, the numerical relation and the parameters L′ = ? 600 000 + 775.6 T J/mole L″ = 1270000 ? 1423 T J/mole are deduced. The results of a calculation of the (γ + ε)/ε phase boundary using this equations are in accordance with an experimental measurement.     

Hammerstein system identification by non-parametric instrumental variables

A mixed, parametric–non-parametric routine for Hammerstein system identification is presented. Parameters of a non-linear characteristic and of ARMA linear dynamical part of Hammerstein system are estimated by least squares and instrumental variables assuming poor a priori knowledge about the random input and random noise. Both subsystems are identified separately, thanks to the fact that the unmeasurable interaction inputs and suitable instrumental variables are estimated in a preliminary step by the use of a non-parametric regression function estimation method. A wide class of non-linear characteristics including functions which are not linear in the parameters is admitted. It is shown that the resulting estimates of system parameters are consistent for both white and coloured noise. The problem of generating optimal instruments is discussed and proper non-parametric method of computing the best instrumental variables is proposed. The analytical findings are validated using numerical simulation results.     

Quasi Dynamic Model of Wheel Vehicle with Electric and Hybrid Drive System

The paper presents physical and mathematical models of kinetic system, drive system （electric and combustion traction motors）, and also wheel and rails traction vehicle supply system （car, special vehicle, modern tram vehicle）. Selected predictive and quasi dynamic control system algorithms of traction vehicle are presented in the paper. For selected constructions of traction vehicle drive system are presented in simulation models and are results of calculations of different exploitations work state of wheel vehicle with hybrid drive system. Results of computer calculations are verified with laboratory measurement and suitable corrections coefficient to simulations models of vehicles is introduced.     

Low-temperature specific heats of some uranium ternary compounds UAsY (Y = S,Se, Te)

The specific heats of the UAsY (Y = S, Se, Te) ternary compounds have been studied in the temperature range 1–300K. -type anomalies are reported at 125.8, 108.8, and 62.8 K, respectively, corresponding to ferromagnetic ordering. The experimental results are analyzed in terms of the Debye model and electronic contributions. Debye temperatures, electronic specific heat coefficients, and magnetic entropies are derived. A comparison is made with the isostructural binary compounds UX₂ (X = P, As, Sb, Bi).     

JiST: an efficient approach to simulation using virtual machines

Discrete event simulators are important scientific tools and their efficient design and execution is the subject of much research. In this paper, we propose a new approach for constructing simulators that leverages virtual machines and combines advantages from the traditional systems‐based and language‐based simulator designs. We introduce JiST, a Java‐based simulation system that executes discrete event simulations both efficiently and transparently by embedding simulation semantics directly into the Java execution model. The system provides standard benefits that the modern Java runtime affords. In addition, JiST is efficient, out‐performing existing highly optimized simulation runtimes. As a case study, we illustrate the practicality of the JiST framework by applying it to the construction of SWANS, a scalable wireless ad hoc network simulator. We simulate million node wireless networks, which represents two orders of magnitude increase in scale over what existing simulators can achieve on equivalent hardware and at the same level of detail. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design and Development of a New Type of Hybrid PLGA/Lipid Nanoparticle as an Ursolic Acid Delivery System against Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Despite many attempts, trials, and treatment procedures, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still ranks among the most deadly and treatment-resistant types of cancer. Hence, there is still an urgent need to develop new molecules, drugs, and therapeutic methods against PDAC. Naturally derived compounds, such as pentacyclic terpenoids, have gained attention because of their high cytotoxic activity toward pancreatic cancer cells. Ursolic acid (UA), as an example, possesses a wide anticancer activity spectrum and can potentially be a good candidate for anti-PDAC therapy. However, due to its minimal water solubility, it is necessary to prepare an optimal nano-sized vehicle to overcome the low bioavailability issue. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymeric nanocarriers seem to be an essential tool for ursolic acid delivery and can overcome the lack of biological activity observed after being incorporated within liposomes. PLGA modification, with the addition of PEGylated phospholipids forming the lipid shell around the polymeric core, can provide additional beneficial properties to the designed nanocarrier. We prepared UA-loaded hybrid PLGA/lipid nanoparticles using a nanoprecipitation method and subsequently performed an MTT cytotoxicity assay for AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells and determined the hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes with transmission electron microscopic (TEM) visualization of the nanoparticles and their cellular uptake. Hybrid UA-loaded lipid nanoparticles were also examined in terms of their stability, coating dynamics, and ursolic acid loading. We established innovative and repeatable preparation procedures for novel hybrid nanoparticles and obtained biologically active nanocarriers for ursolic acid with an IC50 below 20 µM, with an appropriate size for intravenous dosage (around 150 nm), high homogeneity of the sample (below 0.2), satisfactory encapsulation efficiency (up to 70%) and excellent stability. The new type of hybrid UA-PLGA nanoparticles represents a further step in the development of potentially effective PDAC therapies based on novel, biologically active, and promising triterpenoids.     

Independent-Tree Ad hoc MulticAst Routing (ITAMAR)

Multicasting is an efficient means of one to many communication and is typically implemented by creating a multicasting tree. Because of the severe battery power and transmission bandwidth limitations in ad hoc networks, multicast routing can significantly improve the performance of this type of network. However, due to the frequent and hard-to-predict topological changes of ad hoc networks, maintenance of a multicasting tree to ensure its availability could be a difficult task. We borrow from the concept of Alternate Path routing, which has been studied for providing QOS routing, effective congestion control, security, and route failure protection, to propose a scheme in which a set of multicasting trees is continuously maintained. In our scheme, a tree is used until it fails, at which time it is replaced by an alternative tree in the set, so that the time between failure of a tree and resumption of multicast routing is minimal. In this paper, we introduce the basic scheme, termed ITAMAR, which is a framework for efficient multicasting in ad hoc networks. We present a number of heuristics that could be used in ITAMAR to compute a set of alternate trees. The heuristics are then compared in terms of transmission cost, improvement in the average time between multicast failures and the probability of usefulness. Simulations show significant gains over a wide range of network operational conditions. In particular, we show that using alternate trees has the potential of improving mean time between interruption by 100–600% in a 50 node network (for most multicast group sizes) with small increase in the tree cost and the route discovery overhead. We show that by renewing the backup tree set, probability of interruptions can be kept at a minimum at all times and that allowing some overlap among trees in the backup set increases the mean time between interruptions.     

Food of marine origin: Between benefits and potential risks. Part I. Canned fish on the Polish market

Chemical analyses were performed on 12 of the most popular varieties of canned fish on the Polish market. The contents of the nutritive substances of canned fish (protein, micro and macroelements, vitamins A₁, D₃, E, and fatty acids) and certain contaminants were determined. It was confirmed that canned fish is a good source of digestible proteins, fluoride, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D₃. The fundamental nutritive benefit of processed fish is the highly advantageous fatty acid composition, which imparts healthful effects. The high content of long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is not noted in other food products, is especially important.     

Demand re‐registration for PCS database restoration

In a Personal Communications Services (PCS) network, mobility databases such as Home Location Register (HLR) and Visitor Location Register (VLR) are utilized to support mobility management for Mobile Stations (MSs). If the location databases fail, the location information loss or corruption will seriously degrade the service offered to the subscribers. In this paper, we propose a new VLR failure recovery scheme called demand reregistration. In this scheme, the VLR broadcasts a reregistration request to all MSs after the VLR failure. When an MS receives the reregistration request, it sends a registration message to the VLR to recover the location record. Since all MSs will reregister after receiving the broadcasting request, traffic jam (and thus collisions) may occur. If a collision occurs, then the involved MSs must resend the registration messages. This paper studies the performance of demand reregistration by investigating how effectively the reregistration can recover the location record for an MS before the first MS call termination occurs. Our results indicate that demand reregistration can effectively recover VLR failure.