Influence of ethyl methacrylate content on the volume‐phase transition of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] microgels

A novel series of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] (p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA)) microgels was prepared by the surfactant‐free radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with ethyl methacrylate (EMA). The shape, size dispersity and volume‐phase transition behavior of the microgels were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The transmission electron micrographs and DLS results showed that microgels with narrow distributions were prepared. It was shown from UV–Vis, DLS and DSC measurements that the volume‐phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA) microgels decreased with increasing incorporation of EMA, but the temperature‐sensitivity was impaired when more EMA was incorporated, causing the volume‐phase transition of the microgels to become more continuous. It is noteworthy that incorporation of moderate amounts of EMA could not only lower the VPTT but also enhance the temperature‐sensitivity of the microgels. The reason for this phenomenon could be attributed to changes in the complicated interactions between the various molecules. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Facile modifications of polyimide via chloromethylation: II. Synthesis and characterization of thermocurable transparent polyimide having methylene acrylate side groups

From chloromethylated polyimide, a useful starting material for modification of aromatic polyimides, a thermocurable transparent polyimide having acrylate side groups was prepared. In the presence of 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec‐7‐ene, chloromethylated polyimide was esterified with acrylic acid to synthesize poly(imide methylene acrylate). The polymer was soluble in organic solvent, which makes it possible to prepare a planar film by spin coating. The polymer film became insoluble after thermal treatment at 230 °C for 30 min. Optical transparency of the film at 400 nm (for 1 µm thickness) was higher than 98 % and not affected by further heating at 230 °C for 250 min. Adhesion properties measured by the ASTM D3359‐B method ranged from 4B to 5B. Preliminary results of planarization testing showed a high degree of planarization (DOP) value (>0.53). These properties demonstrate that poly(imide methylene acrylate) could be utilized as a thermocurable transparent material in fabricating display devices such as TFT‐LCD. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cholesterol‐imprinted polymer receptor prepared by a hybrid imprinting method

A novel cholesterol‐imprinted polymer (CMIP‐H) was prepared by a hybrid method of covalent imprinting and non‐covalent imprinting. This approach involves the copolymerization of a template‐containing monomer, cholesteryl 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate carbonate, and a cross‐linker, followed by hydrolysis to afford a flexible guest‐binding site accompanied with the easy and efficient removal of a ‘sacrificial spacer’. The effect of solvent on the binding capacity of CMIP‐H towards cholesterol was studied, indicating that a good binding capacity towards cholesterol could be achieved in a less‐polar solvent. The binding experiments of CMIP‐H towards a series of structural analogues of cholesterol, including cholesterol acetate, progesterone and stigmasterol, were carried out in hexane. The results showed that CMIP‐H almost did not bind cholesterol acetate at all because the hydrogen‐bonding site is blocked. It exhibited a similar binding towards both cholesterol and stigmasterol, but much higher binding towards progesterone. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Implementing total quality management at the U.S. Department of Defense

This paper examines Total Quality Management (TQM) as defined by Dr. W. Edwards Deming including Deming's fourteen points and explains how the United States' Department of Defense (DOD) defines TQM and why TQM is necessary. It also covers how the DOD is planning on implementing TQM and the policy that has been established as guidance in the implementation process.     

The impacts of a GTL plant on Brazil's oil products supply and refinery expansion

This paper assesses the impacts of a GTL plant on the expansion of Brazil's oil refining segment. The GTL plant (50,000 bpd) was sized to start up operations in 2015, producing diesel and naphtha through the indirect route (FT-synthesis). This plant will consume the non-associated natural gas production from the recent discoveries at the Santos Basin (around 419 Bm³), and the associated gas production from the Campos Basin. Both basins are located in the Southeast of Brazil, the most populated, rich and industrialized region of the country. Two different criteria for refinery expansion were simulated in order to meet oil product demand scenarios. Findings show that depending on the refinery expansion criteria considered GTL will play a fundamental hole to meet the oil product demand forecast to Brazil in the next 10 years.     

Feasibility analysis of membrane reactors – discovery of reactive arheotropes

A feasibility analysis methodology adopted from reactive distillation is applied to membrane reactors. A model is formulated to depict the reactive liquid phase composition on the retentate side of a continuous type membrane reactor. The effects of both the chemical reaction kinetics and the membrane mass transfer kinetics on the feasible products are elucidated by means of retentate phase diagrams and bifurcation analysis. The proposed method can be applied to various membrane processes, independent of the specific structure of the membrane. Two quaternary reaction systems are considered to illustrate the methodology. In the first hypothetical system, it is shown how selective membranes can influence the sequence of effective volatilities which in turn affects the feasible products of the system. In the second example of practical importance, i.e. the heterogeneously catalysed synthesis of propyl acetate coupled with permeation through a porous polycarbonate membrane, the dusty gas model is applied to describe the component fluxes through the membrane. For the latter reaction system, the existence of reactive arheotrope is demonstrated. Arheotropes represent mass transfer controlled feasible products of membrane separation process.     

甘三酯立体专一分析的研究：（Ⅱ）甘三酯立体专一分析方法初探

在第一部分综合讨论的基础上对甘三酯立体专一分析方法作了初步探讨。以液体油(菜油)及固体脂(猪脂)为基质,系统地研究了这一分析方法,取得了经验并补充了一些具体验证方法。分析液体油的结果与文献数据相一致,分析猪脂的结果欠佳,还存在一些问题需待进一步研究。     

Computerized conferencing for knowledge acquisition from multiple experts

The increasing complecity of many expert system application areas calls for the integration of the knowledge of multiple experts. The use of multiple experts introduces some interesting new problems during the process of knowledge acquisition. The problems are further complicated when the experts are geographically dispersed or unavailable for face-to-face interactions.

This article discusses the motivations for acquiring the knowledge of multiple experts, the problems related to knowledge acquisition, new issues that arise whens multiple experts interact, solutions that can be brought to bear in building multiple expert systems (particularly when experts are geographically dispersed), and new tools for knowledge engineers to use when dealing with multiple experts.     

Catalytic properties and electronic structure of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5

The effect of ion exchange conditions, such as Si/Al ratio, precursor copper salt, pH and concentration of the solution, on the catalytic activity in SCR of NO by propane and on the electronic state of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5 has been studied. The NO conversion in NO SCR by C₃H₈ has been found to reach a maximum value at Cu/Al ratio about 0.37–0.4 and remain constant at higher Cu/Al.

ESR and UV–vis DR spectroscopy have been used to elucidate stabilization conditions of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5 zeolites as isolated Cu²⁺ ions, chain copper oxide structures and square-plain oxide clusters. The ability of copper ions for reduction and reoxidation in the chain structures may be responsible for the catalytic activity of Cu-ZSM-5. These transformations of copper ions are accompanied by the observation of intervalence transitions Cu²⁺–Cu⁺ and CTLM of the chain structures in the UV–vis spectra.     

A distributed adverse drug reaction detection system using intelligent agents with a fuzzy recognition‐primed decision model

Discovering unknown adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in postmarketing surveillance as early as possible is highly desirable. Nevertheless, current postmarketing surveillance methods largely rely on spontaneous reports that suffer from serious underreporting, latency, and inconsistent reporting. Thus these methods are not ideal for rapidly identifying rare ADRs. The multiagent systems paradigm is an emerging and effective approach to tackling distributed problems, especially when data sources and knowledge are geographically located in different places and coordination and collaboration are necessary for decision making. In this article, we propose an active, multiagent framework for early detection of ADRs by utilizing electronic patient data distributed across many different sources and locations. In this framework, intelligent agents assist a team of experts based on the well‐known human decision‐making model called Recognition‐Primed Decision (RPD). We generalize the RPD model to a fuzzy RPD model and utilize fuzzy logic technology to not only represent, interpret, and compute imprecise and subjective cues that are commonly encountered in the ADR problem but also to retrieve prior experiences by evaluating the extent of matching between the current situation and a past experience. We describe our preliminary multiagent system design and illustrate its potential benefits for assisting expert teams in early detection of previously unknown ADRs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 827–845, 2007.