Subdivisions of inferior temporal cortex in squirrel monkeys make dissociable contributions to visual learning and memory.

Inferior temporal cortex of squirrel monkeys consists of caudal (ITC), intermediate (ITI), and rostral (ITR) subdivisions, possibly homologous to TEO, posterior TE, and anterior TE of macaque monkeys. The present study compared visual learning in squirrel monkeys with ablations of ITC; ITI and ITR (group ITRd); or ITI, ITR, and more ventral cortex, including perirhinal cortex (group ITR+), with visual learning in unoperated controls. The ITC monkeys had significant impairments on pattern discriminations and milder deficits on delayed nonmatching to sample (DNMS) of objects. The ITRd monkeys had deficits on some pattern discriminations but not on DNMS. The ITRd monkeys were significantly impaired on DNMS and some pattern discriminations. These results are similar to those found in macaques and support the proposed homologies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of solvent free-volume parameters from 13c relaxation to study polymer/solvent diffusion behavior

Variable temperature ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spinlattice (T₁) relaxation studies were carried out using pure ethylbenzene, tetrahydrofuran, and methanol samples. Single correlation times, determined from an isotropic rotational diffusion model, were correlated successfully using the free-volume equation. The solvent free-volume parameters estimated in this study were comparable with those determined from viscosity measurements. The solvent free-volume parameters estimated in this study were then used to correlate and predict diffusion behavior of polymer/solvent systems. The results were comparable with those using the parameters from viscometry when the Vrentas–Duda free-volume diffusion model was used.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane blends

It was found that commercial silicone grease incorporated accidentally into polystyrene bars yields a major dynamic mechanical loss peak at ca. ?128°C. This finding was followed up with a study of various polydimethylsiloxanes and silicone rubber, in which up to three peaks were found. In order of increasing temperature (at 1 Hz) these are the glass transition (T_g; ca. ?128°C), crystallization (T_c; ca. ?110°C) and melting peaks (T_m; ca. ?50°C). Hydrocarbon-based greases were also investigated. The results indicate that the methods employed may be of use for the investigation of the dynamic mechanical properties of small amounts of material of varying particle sizes, such as powders of cross-linked polymers, that need not be compatible with, or soluble in, the host matrix. The sensitivity of the method is such at a 1 percent by weight contamination of silicone grease in polystyrene gives a loss tangent peak of at least 0.002 above background, and emphasizes the necessary care to be taken during sample preparation to exclude unwanted substances.     

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of the plant-based supplement greens+™

Dietary antioxidants play an important role against oxidation, an underlying mechanism in the incidence of chronic diseases. Greens+ is a commercially available preparation containing a variety of plant-derived ingredients. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extract of greens+ powder using in vitro and in vivo techniques. In vitro studies were conducted using a liposome model system to simulate biological cell membranes. Total antioxidant potential and polyphenol content of the herbal preparation was measured. For in vivo analysis, 10 healthy human subjects consumed either three or six teaspoons of greens+ per day for four weeks. Blood samples were analyzed at baseline and at the conclusion of the treatment period for total antioxidant capacity, polyphenol content, protein, lipid and LDL oxidation, and the level of glutathione peroxidase. Results showed that greens+ supplementation was well tolerated and increased serum antioxidant potential at higher levels of intake in a dose-dependent manner. HPLC analysis showed the presence of quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol and luteolin in the supplement. Plasma analysis indicated the presence of kaempferol only. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction in protein and lipid oxidation was observed. Based on its antioxidant properties, the results suggest that greens+ might play a role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases involving a burden of oxidative damage.     

The solubility of methane in aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine,diethanolamine and triethanolamine

The solubility of methane in 3 kmol/m³ solutions of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine was measured from 25° to 125°C and pressures up to about 13 MPa. Measurements were also made for the solubility of methane in water at 25° to 125°C and pressures up to 18 MPa in order to confirm the accuracy of the experimental technique. It is demonstrated that methane is more soluble (in terms of mole fraction) in the amine solution than in pure water. Furthermore, the solubility is an increasing function of the size of the alkanolamine. The solubility data were modeled using a Henry's-law approach and the results summarized in terms of salting-in coefficients.     

Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics and stability of leucite and kalsilite from K2O-Al2O3-SiO2 glasses

The crystallization mechanisms and elemental stability of leucite and kalsilite formed from K₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glasses were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Glass samples with compositions along the leucite-kalsilite tie-line were produced by melt processing and were then heat-treated at 850, 950, and 1250°C for times ranging from 5 minutes to 1000 hours. Kalsilite is an unstable phase that behaves as an intermediate precursor to leucite. Crystalline materials in which kalsilite is the major phase lose potassium upon prolonged heat treatment (1000 hours at 1250°C), in contrast to those with leucite, in which little or no compositional alteration is detected. The formation of leucite from stoichiometric kalsilite is accompanied by the formation of potassium-doped alumina. The activation energies for leucite and kalsilite crystallization, determined via application of the Kissinger equation to thermal analysis data, were 579 and 548 kJ/mol, respectively. Finally, production of pure leucite can be achieved with more favorable crystallization kinetics when starting with off-stoichiometric compositions.     

Analysis of the fluorescence of mechanically processed defect-laden hexagonal boron nitride and the role of oxygen in catalyst deactivation

ABSTRACT

The use of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) as a non-metal heterogeneous catalyst has been a popular subject in research since the discovery of its catalytic properties in 2016. Previous work found that an activation step was necessary for producing an effective catalyst. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate defect sites, such as nitrogen (V_N) and boron (V_B) vacancies, bind favourably to olefins, hydrogen, and oxygen. In particular, the visible fluorescence intensity of processed h-BN increased with the length of exposure to air. The fluorescence behaviour of dh-BN powders when exposed to air after exposure to species such as argon, propene, and carbon dioxide is presented. Density of state calculations for molecular and atomic oxygen bound to V_N and V_B show that this increase in fluorescence may be due to atomic oxygen binding to V_N. The fluorescence emission behaviour observed in dh-BN powders and its relationship to DOS of oxygen species bound to catalytically active defect sites provides a better understanding of potential deactivation modes for catalysts based on dh-BN.     

Blotching in roll coating

After thermoforming, plastic parts are stacked for shipping, and these parts tend to stick together. Called nesting, sheet stock is often first coated with a silicone compound before thermoforming to prevent this. The coating usually consists of a small amount of lubricant dispersed in a majority of carrier fluid, and this fluid must then dry before reaching the sheet winder or else the coating blotches. This coupling of coating and drying to determine when to expect blotching is examined. Roll coating involves a dimensionless group called the elasticity number that governs the thickness of the coating to be dried. The drying section involves the evaporation of the coating carrier fluid, and then diffusion into the dry surrounding atmosphere. When analyzing the drying, a new dimensionless group that governs blotching is discovered, called blotchability. The result of this analysis allows practitioners to determine which operating conditions cause blotching, and how to eliminate it. Roll coating uses a deflecting rubber roll to apply vanishingly thin coatings (≤1 μm), an interesting elastohydrodynamic problem.     

Investigation of Nucleation Mechanism and Tapering Observed in ZnO Nanowire Growth by Carbothermal Reduction Technique

ZnO nanowire nucleation mechanism and initial stages of nanowire growth using the carbothermal reduction technique are studied confirming the involvement of the catalyst at the tip in the growth process. Role of the Au catalyst is further confirmed when the tapering observed in the nanowires can be explained by the change in the shape of the catalyst causing a variation of the contact area at the liquid–solid interface of the nanowires. The rate of decrease in nanowire diameter with length on the average is found to be 0.36 nm/s and this rate is larger near the base. Variation in the ZnO nanowire diameter with length is further explained on the basis of the rate at which Zn atoms are supplied as well as the droplet stability at the high flow rates and temperature. Further, saw-tooth faceting is noticed in tapered nanowires, and the formation is analyzed crystallographically.