Radiation-induced polymerization of ethylene in a pilot plant. I. Bulk process

Radiation-induced bulk polymerization of ethylene was carried out with use of a pilot plant with a 10 liter reactor at pressures of 225–400 kg/cm², temperatures of 30–95°C, ethylene feed rates of 5–28 kg/hr, and dose rate of 3.8 × 10⁵ rad/hr. Characteristics of the process are mild polymerization conditions and capability of producing medium density polyethylene in powder form. The spacetime yield and molecular weight of polymer were in the range of 3.5 to 13.1 g/liter hr and 2.2 × 10⁴ to 14 × 10⁴, respectively. The space-time yield increased with mean residence time and 2.4 powders of pressure, and decreased with temperature. Molecular weight changed similarly with the reaction conditions. These results were consistent with those of the bench plant experiment and the scale effect was small. Polymer deposit to the reactor wall limited a period of continuous operation of the plant. The amount of deposited polymer was increased with the square of reaction time. The rate of polymer deposit was proportional to polymer concentration and to the cube of pressure. The polymer deposit cannot be solved in the bulk process.     

Crystallization process and some properties of novel transparent machinable calcium-mica glass-ceramics

Bulk glass having a calcium-mica composition (Ca_0.5Mg₃AlSi₃O₁₀F₂) is homogeneous glass. The crystallization mechanism of the mica is surface crystallization and transparency is lost completely when crystallization occurs on the surface. In this study, by decreasing SiO₂ and increasing CaO and Al₂O₃ from the chemical composition of Ca_0.5Mg₃AlSi₃O₁₀F₂, and moreover by replacing a small amount of K₂O instead of CaO, the phase separation appears in the glasses. Because of this phase separation, the mica begins to be crystallized not only on the surface but also in the bulk at lower temperatures. Consequently, the novel transparent machinable mica glass-ceramic can be obtained by heating the glasses having the chemical composition of Ca_0.6Mg₃Al_1.2Si_2.8O₁₀F₂ and K_0.01Ca_0.595Mg₃Al_1.2Si_2.8O₁₀F₂. As a larger amount of calcium-mica is separated, the bending strength decreases and the fracture toughness increases. Furthermore, by replacing K⁺ ion instead of Ca²⁺ ion in the interlayer of calcium-mica, the interlayer bonding strength becomes high, resulting in the increase of the bending strength.     

The effect of molding conditions on mechanical and morphological properties at the interface of film insert injection molded polypropylene‐film/polypropylene matrix

An extensive study on the peel strength between a polypropylene (PP) film and PP substrate fabricated using film insert injection molding technique was carried out through a 180° peel test. Injection molding conditions such as barrel temperature, injection speed and holding pressure were varied to gauge their effects on the mechanical and morphological properties. Morphological observations were made at the film‐substrate interfacial regions by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The injection molded products, with the films still attached, were subjected to bending and impact tests to determine if there is any relationship between film‐substrate adhesion and bulk properties. Observation of the load‐displacement curves during the peel test revealed three unique and interesting curves, corresponding to different peeling and film fracture mechanisms. Increases in injection speed, barrel temperature and holding pressure lead to increased bonding between the film and substrate surfaces. The enhancement of bonding between these two polymer surfaces could be attributed to polymer‐polymer interdiffusion. Substantiating evidence from TEM, which shows the fading of the interface as the bond strengthens, further boosts the accuracy of this assumption. The hope that the films could contribute to enhancing bulk properties has been diminished since the bending properties appeared to be similar with or without the film attached. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2327–2334, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Effect of morphology on shear viscosity for binary blends of polycarbonate and polystyrene

The structure and rheological properties of binary blends of polycarbonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS) were investigated using various PS samples with different molecular weights, namely PS1k (M_w = 1,000), PS53k (M_w = 53,000), and PS240k (M_w = 240,000). The blends with PS53k and PS240k show phase-separated structures, whereas the blend with PS1k is miscible. The shear viscosity decreases greatly on addition of PS53k and PS240k, especially at high shear rates, which would be a great advantage at processing operations. Because the nonlinear response occurs in the small strain region for multilayered films of PC and PS240k, the origin of the significant viscosity drop for the phase-separated system is interfacial slippage at the phase boundary.     

Probabilistic Critical Controllability Analysis of Protein Interaction Networks Integrating Normal Brain Ageing Gene Expression Profiles

Recently, network controllability studies have proposed several frameworks for the control of large complex biological networks using a small number of life molecules. However, age-related changes in the brain have not been investigated from a controllability perspective. In this study, we compiled the gene expression profiles of four normal brain regions from individuals aged 20–99 years and generated dynamic probabilistic protein networks across their lifespan. We developed a new algorithm that efficiently identified critical proteins in probabilistic complex networks, in the context of a minimum dominating set controllability model. The results showed that the identified critical proteins were significantly enriched with well-known ageing genes collected from the GenAge database. In particular, the enrichment observed in replicative and premature senescence biological processes with critical proteins for male samples in the hippocampal region led to the identification of possible new ageing gene candidates.     

The pharmacokinetics of water-in-oil-in-water-type multiple emulsion of a new tacrolimus formulation

We developed a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W)-type multiple emulsion of a new tacrolimus formulation. A potential approach to avoid the complications of systemic immunosuppression and simultaneously enhance immunosuppressive efficacy is to deliver immunosuppressive agents locally to the site of the target organs. The W/O/W emulsion is dispersed oil drops containing smaller water droplets that allow the delivery of drugs preferentially to the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Since the liver and the spleen are primary components of the RES, and the brain and the kidney have a poor RES, we hypothesized that a W/O/W emulsion of tacrolimus would prossess the pharmacokinetic benefits of local immunosuppression. We evaluated this hypothesis in a rat model. The tacrolimus levels of whole blood, the liver, spleen, brain, and kidney in rats given intravenous emulsions of tacrolimus (W/O/W group) were compared with a group administered tacrolimus alone (T group). There were no significant differences between the pharmacokinetic parameters of W/O/W group and T group based on whole blood data. However, the W/O/W group had significantly decreased tacrolimus levels in the brain and kidney, and significantly increased levels in the liver and spleen compared with the T group. These data suggest that the W/O/W emulsion is applicable as an intravenous drug carrier for local immunosuppression.     

The effect of salinity on nitrite accumulation in a down‐flow hanging sponge reactor

BACKGROUND: In this study, the inductive effect of salinity on nitrite accumulation in a down‐flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor, developed as a novel and cost‐effective wastewater treatment process, was evaluated by conducting a long‐term continuous experiment lasting more than 1400 days. RESULTS: The influent salinity was controlled by adding NaCl at concentrations ranging from 0 to 25 g Cl^? L^?1. The effluent nitrite increased with increases in salinity, i.e. the fraction of nitrite to total nitrogen in the effluent increased from 1.6% at 0 g Cl^? L^?1 to 87.6% at 25 g Cl^? L^?1. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis revealed that as salinity increased, the nitrifying bacterial community in the DHS changed markedly at the species level. In particular, the dominant nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria changed from Nitrospira‐sublineage I at 0 g Cl^? L^?1 to Nitrobacter spp. at 15 g Cl^? L^?1. At 25 g Cl^? L^?1, no nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria were detected. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the DHS reactor is suitable for cost‐effective nitrite production processes and that salinity control using NaCl is an effective method for inducing nitrite accumulation. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modification of Rheological Properties Under Elongational Flow by Addition of Polymeric Fine Fibers

A new technique to provide melt elasticity using flexible fine fibers prepared from a polymer with high melting point is demonstrated. A polymer composite of poly(propylene) with a small amount of fine fibers of poly(butylene terephthalate) shows marked strain‐hardening behavior in elongational viscosity, i.e., a rapid increase in the transient elongational viscosity with time or strain. The blend also shows prominent normal stress difference at steady shear. These elastic properties have not been observed for polymer composites with rigid fibers and can be applicable to the modification of rheological properties and thus the improvement of processability.

     

Synthesis and chemical properties of polyethyleneimines crosslinked by penta-2,4-dienylideneammonium unit

The reaction of N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)pyridinium anion ( salt(A) ; A = Cl⁻, FeCl₄⁻, and (CN)₂N⁻) with linear polyethyleneimine (LPEI; M_n = 20 380) and branched polyethyleneimines (BPEI1; M_n = 600, BPEI2; M_n = 10 000) at various molar feed ratios without using a catalyst resulted in pyridinium ring opening to yield ionic LPEI and BPEIs that were crosslinked by conjugated penta-2,4-dienylideneammonium (PDA) units, LPEI-PDA , BPEI1-PDA , and BPEI2-PDA , respectively. A model compound was synthesized by the reaction of salt(Cl) with diethylamine. The solubilities of BPEI1-PDA and BPEI2-PDA depended on the feed ratios between salt(Cl) and BPEI1 or BPEI2. Dipping LPEI-PDA into water and methanol yielded hydro- and organogels, respectively. UV–vis and reflection measurements revealed an expanded π-conjugation length between the polymer chains due to the through-space orbital interaction of the electrons on the two nitrogen atoms at the crosslinked positions in LPEI-PDA , BPEI1-PDA , and BPEI2-PDA . Cyclic voltammetry analysis suggested that the polymers underwent electrochemical oxidation. Measurement using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) indicated that LPEI-PDA having FeCl₄⁻ anions was paramagnetic. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48712.     

采用MAMMOS技术的高密度光记录

MAMMOS(Magnetic Amplifying Magneto－ Optical System:磁畴扩大磁光系统 )是实现高密度磁光盘的有效方法。不仅能得到不依赖于磁畴长度的较大的读出信号振幅,而且还能实现超出光学系统衍射极限的分辨率。过去,为实现磁畴的复印与扩大,要对记录膜面施加垂直方向的外部磁场。而现在得知,同时施加垂直磁场和水平方向的磁场,可大幅度地提高微小磁畴的读出特性。确认采用施加水平磁场的方法,在λ =635 nm, NA=0.55的条件下, 0.15μ m的连续磁畴也能获得 BER=2× 10－ 4的读出效果。