X-ray crystal structure of 2-{2-acetylamino-4-[bis-(2-methoxycarbonylethyl)amino]-phenylazo}-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxylic acid ethyl ester

Crystals of the title novel red disperse dye were grown by slow evaporation from a chloroform solution and the crystal structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The dye molecule crystallises in the triclinic space group P 1 with the unit cell dimensions a = 7.561(2), b = 11.628(10) and c = 15.607(3) Å. The diffraction analysis showed that the hetarylazo skeleton of the dye is nearly planar, with the ester groups oriented up and down the plane of the molecule thus imparting it a 'Y' shape structure. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds, together with van der Waals interactions, stabilise the molecular conformation and crystal packing.     

Synthesis and characterizations of nanosized iron(II) hydroxide and iron(II) hydroxide/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite

Nanosized Fe(OH)₂ was synthesized by a coprecipitation method. Peaks between 500 and 1250 cm^?1 in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of metal hydroxide stretching. X‐ray diffraction showed the suppressed crystalline system of Fe(OH)₂/aniline (ANI) due to the presence of a higher weight percentage of the dispersing agent, ANI. Thermogravimetric analysis implied that 75.5 wt % of residue remained up to 800°C. High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) analysis of Fe(OH)₂/ANI revealed that its size ranged from 10 to 50 nm with a rodlike morphology. Scanning electron microscopy implied that pristine Fe(OH)₂ had a nanotriangular platelet morphology, and a higher weight percentage of dispersing agent intercalated with Fe(OH)₂ had a spheroid with an agglomerated structure. The (UV–visible) spectrum implied the presence of Fe²⁺ ions at 326 nm and the existence of an amino group intercalated with Fe(OH)₂ showed a sharp peak at 195 nm, the intensity of which increased with increasing intercalated dispersing agent weight percentage. Photoluminescence showed that ANI‐intercalated Fe(OH)₂ showed a lesser intensity than the pristine Fe(OH)₂. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Different classes of proteoglycans contribute to the attachment of Borrelia burgdorferi to cultured endothelial and brain cells

PURPOSE: To compare failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GN-RH) agonist, goserelin versus surgical ovariectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between August 1, 1987 and July 15, 1995 138 (136 eligible) premenopausal patients with estrogen receptor (ER)- and/or progesterone receptor (PgR)-positive metastatic breast cancer were entered by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Prior chemotherapy or hormone therapy for metastatic disease was not allowed. Patients were randomly assigned to goserelin (3.6 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks; (n = 69) versus surgical ovariectomy (n = 67). The study was initially designed as an equivalence trial with 80% power to rule out a 50% improvement in survival due to ovariectomy. However, accrual was slow and the study was terminated early, which resulted in a final power of 60% for the alternative hypothesis of equal survival distributions. RESULTS: FFS and OS were similar for goserelin and ovariectomy. The goserelin/ovariectomy death hazards ratio was .80 and the associated 95% confidence interval (CI) was .53 to 1.20. The test of 50% improvement in survival due to ovariectomy was rejected at P = .006. Goserelin lowered serum estradiol to postmenopausal levels. Hot flashes (75% v 46%) and tumor flare (16% v 3%) were more common with goserelin. CONCLUSION: Goserelin and ovariectomy resulted in similar FFS and OS. We can rule out a moderate advantage for ovariectomy. Goserelin was safe and well tolerated.     

Direct synthesis of nitrogen-rich carbon sheets via polybenzoxazine as highly active electrocatalyst for water splitting

In this work, we propose a novel nitrogen-rich carbon sheets (N-CSs), with conceivable use as efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). N-CSs are directly synthesized from polybenzoxazine (PBz) by carbonization followed by KOH activation. PBz was prepared from eugenol, melamine, and paraformaldehyde through ring-opening polymerization. FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy confirmed the corresponding chemical structures of the new benzoxazine monomer. The morphology, structure and surface properties of the N-CSs are investigated by Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of N-CSs towards HER is thoroughly investigated by electrochemical techniques. In N-CSs, it is established that nitrogen gratified electrocatalytic activity, and hence nitrogen atoms should enhance the electrocatalytic properties by increasing the active sites. As the kinetic current is stabilized by the outer nitrogen atom as such, HER is proposed to proceed on these active sites by the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism. The N-CSs show outstanding catalytic activity towards HER with lowest onset-potential (?10 mV_RHE) and Tafel slope (45 mV dec^?1) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte.     

Effect of size of fly ash particle on enhancement of mullite content and glass formation

Quartz is widely replaced by fly ash in traditional porcelain composite. Increased strength and stability of the fly ash-mixed composite depends on the quantity and crystallinity of the mullite phase in the fly ash. Our aim in this investigation is to increase the formation of mullite in nanocrystalline form and study the effect of temperature. Quantitative estimation of mullite and residual quartz content were done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanostructure and crystallization were studied using differential thermal analysis (DTA), field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), XRD and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results show that fly ash sieved through 250 holes/cm² mesh contain more mullite initially and growth of mullite as well as glass formation was faster in this sample compared to coarse fly ash. The maximum mullite in these samples was formed at 1600°C. Transformation of quartz and cristobalite phases into glassy phase was also faster for smaller particle sizes of fly ash.     

Thermal and Structural Response of RCC Dams During Their Service Life

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) dams are vulnerable to cracking as a result of high tensile stresses due to material properties, thermal and mechanical loads. Making reliable prediction of stress fields, and thereby temperature cracking risk form an important part of the material modelling. The present study figures out the changes in thermal stresses and crack fields of the Kinta RCC dam at the end of the construction and its service life. Water temperature at various levels of the reservoir and its fluctuations were considered in the present study. The developed finite element program has been used in the analysis. Based on the obtained results, it is revealed that there is an increase in the thermal stresses after some years of dam completion. However, their location and distribution are mostly similar.     

Conducting polymer coated textile based multilayered shields for suppression of microwave radiations in 8.2–12.4 GHz range

Polypyrrole (PPY) based conducting textiles were prepared by in situ polymerization of pyrrole over cotton fabric. The SEM micrographs show smooth and uniform coating of PPY over fabric with only few loose dendrites. The elemental analysis and XRD patterns revealed the presence of iron whereas magnetization measurement shows ferromagnetic signature with well defined hysteresis loop and saturation magnetization (Ms) of 0.3 emu/g. The good antistatic property and rapid static charge dissipability was reflected by decay profile with decay time of only 0.16 sec. In addition, the microwave absorption studies of multilayered shields; made up of these conducting fabrics; show absorption dominated total shielding effectiveness (SE_T) value of ?43.9 dB (i.e. >99.99% attenuation) which can be attributed to the better impedance matching, high microwave conductivity, shallow skin depth, and multiple scattering of incident electromagnetic radiation. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Spatial planning and climate change

Wind energy development is expanding. Preparations for wind farms include environmental impact assessments, specifically with visual impact assessments (VIAs). Often using simulated photographs, VIAs depict the post-development landscape appearance with new wind energy structures. This Ontario case study compares simulated photographs submitted as part of a VIA with post-development conditions. Simulations were judged for accuracy in turbine number, height, diameter, and location, and adequacy in representation of built conditions. Simulations were partially representative of postdevelopment conditions, yet commonly under-represented turbine number and size in different locations than they were built. Simulation frames were too narrow to adequately represent human vision and simulations under-estimated how many wind turbines were visible from a single landscape position. Outcomes suggest that visual simulations can lack accuracy or representativeness, misleading the public. Adopting province-wide VIA criteria and increasing adherence to visual simulation guidance may be necessary to improve the accuracy and representativeness of VIA content.     

Kozeny–Carman permeability relationship with disintegration process predicted from early dissolution profiles of immediate release tablets

This study was oriented toward the disintegration profiling of the diclofenac sodium (DS) immediate-release (IR) tablets and development of its relationship with medium permeability k_perm based on Kozeny–Carman equation. Batches (L1–L9) of DS IR tablets with different porosities and specific surface area were prepared at different compression forces and evaluated for porosity, in vitro dissolution and particle-size analysis of the disintegrated mass. The k_perm was calculated from porosities and specific surface area, and disintegration profiles were predicted from the dissolution profiles of IR tablets by stripping/residual method. The disintegration profiles were subjected to exponential regression to find out the respective disintegration equations and rate constants k_d. Batches L1 and L2 showed the fastest disintegration rates as evident from their bi-exponential equations while the rest of the batches L3–L9 exhibited the first order or mono-exponential disintegration kinetics. The 95% confidence interval (CI_95%) revealed significant differences between k_d values of different batches except L4 and L6. Similar results were also spotted for dissolution profiles of IR tablets by similarity (f₂) test. The final relationship between k_d and k_perm was found to be hyperbolic, signifying the initial effect of k_perm on the disintegration rate. The results showed that disintegration profiling is possible because a relationship exists between k_d and k_perm. The later being relatable with porosity and specific surface area can be determined by nondestructive tests.