Improving the direct methanol fuel cell performance with poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium dioxide nanocomposites as a novel electrolyte additive

The present investigation deals with the fabrication of new poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium dioxide (PVA/TiO₂) nanocomposites (NCs) with different titanium dioxide (TiO₂) loading by using ultrasound irradiation. For the improvement of nanoparticles (NPs) dispersion and increasing possible interactions between NPs and PVA, the surface of TiO₂ NPs was modified by γ-aminopropyltriethoxy silane. The as-prepared NCs were characterized by spectroscopic, thermogravimetric analysis and electron microscopy methods. The results demonstrate that NPs dispersed homogeneously within the PVA matrix on nanoscale, which could be assigned to the hydrogen and covalent bonds formed between PVA and NPs. The results indicated that heat stability of NCs was improved in the presence of modified TiO₂ NPs. The mechanisms of surface modification and a possible mechanism of ultrasonic induced interaction between polymer and NPs have been analyzed.     

The Spatial Patterning of Alcohol Outlets in Post-Disaster Christchurch,New Zealand: Practical and Policy Implications

Natural disasters greatly impact the environment of affected societies with often unknown consequences. In this study we examine the impact that the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010–2011 had on the distribution of alcohol outlets in Christchurch, New Zealand. Specifically, we compare the distribution of both on-site and off-site alcohol outlets pre- (December 2009) and post-earthquake (December 2014) and use spatial regression models to identify whether any neighbourhood-level factors predict the observed redistributions. Overall, the number of alcohol outlets decreased by almost 13% after the Canterbury Earthquakes. However, we found a moderate increase in the clustering of both outlet types of outlets in the post-quake period. Increases in rates of both on-site and off-site alcohol outlets in neighbourhoods were positively associated with the percentage of residents who resided in their neighbourhood < 5 years and with neighbourhood crime rate change, while negative associations were found with percentage population aged between 15 and 29 years. The results suggest that the changing spatial distribution of alcohol outlets in Christchurch was not random but driven, in part, by the emergent demographic composition of neighbourhoods. The significant practical and policy implications of a redistribution of alcohol outlets are outlined providing a tangible link between empirical research and practice in an urban environment plagued with post-disaster spatial and social uncertainties.     

α粒子与酒精联合作用致肝细胞恶性转化的影响

研究α粒子和酒精联合作用对肝细胞恶性转化生物效应的影响,为系统评价α粒子辐射风险提供实验依据。通过建立辐射和酒精联合作用细胞模型,分析比较α粒子辐射、酒精单因素与两者复合对人正常肝细胞的细胞周期、迁移和侵袭等恶性转化生物特征及相关基因mRNA水平表达的影响。与对照组比较,复合因素作用的细胞发生迁移和侵袭的细胞数量明显增多,在mRNA水平抑癌相关基因p53和细胞粘附蛋白相关基因cdh1表达量明显降低,原癌相关基因mdm2表达量明显升高,复合因素作用下肝细胞发生明显的恶性转化趋势。辐射和酒精均能诱导肝细胞发生恶性转化,肝细胞经α粒子辐照后再受酒精作用其发生恶性转化的风险高于单纯接受α粒子辐照的细胞,酒精增加了α粒子辐照后肝细胞恶性转化风险,可能与影响肝细胞表面E型粘连蛋白的表达有关,导致细胞之间粘连性降低,促进细胞发生迁移和侵袭。因此,在评价α粒子内照射对健康的影响时需要考虑职业人员的饮酒习惯。     

聚氧化乙烯水凝胶膜的辐射接技研究(英)

为了得到一种理想的水凝胶伤口敷料,研究了应用电子束辐射接枝了不同比例聚乙烯醇（PVA）的聚氧化乙烯（PEO）水凝胶膜的制备和该膜的理化特性。实验结果显示,PEO接枝水凝胶膜的凝胶分数主要依赖于辐射剂量和聚合物浓度。而其溶胀度与辐射剂量聚合物的浓度;混合比例和分子量密切相关。该膜的抗张强度和断裂伸长率则明显地依赖于辐射剂量和聚合物的混合比例。实验发现,比例为7：3的20wt％PEOE-30接枝水凝胶膜与其它PEO接枝水凝胶膜和单纯PEOE-30水凝胶膜相比具有较好的理化特性,例如韧性,较少气泡,适度的凝胶分数,溶胀度和断裂伸长率,尤其它的较高的抗张强度。实验结果表明,PVA在辐射接枝后能够通过降低PEO水凝胶膜的溶胀度而改善PEO水凝胶膜的机械强度。     

Hydroxyl Group Separation Distances in Anti-Freeze Compounds and Their Effects on Ice Nucleation

Since the discovery of biological antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs), which can inhibit ice nucleation, there has been considerable interest in understanding their mechanisms and mimicking them in synthetic polymers. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulations of modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) compounds to show that the hydroxyl (OH) group distance is a key factor in whether certain compounds promote or inhibit ice nucleation. A hydroxyl distance smaller than ~2.8 Å but greater than ~7.1 Å in modified PVA (MPVA) compounds was associated with the promotion of ice nucleation, while a hydroxyl group separation distance of approximately ~5.0 Å was correlated with a delay in ice nucleation, owing to changes in the energy of the system. Thus, these results may help explain some of the mechanisms of current known anti-freeze compounds and may have implications for designing new anti-freeze compounds in the future.     

The P300 as an electrophysiological probe of alcohol expectancy.

Language-based measures indicate that alcohol expectancies influence alcohol consumption. To relate these measures to brain actions that precede verbal output, the P300 component of the Event-related potentials (ERPs) was used to detect violations of individually held alcohol expectancies. As predicted, P300 amplitude elicited by negative alcohol expectancy stimuli was positively correlated with endorsement of positive/arousing alcohol expectancies on the language-based measures, such that the higher an individual's positive/arousing expectancies, the larger was the P300 elicited by negative alcohol expectancy stimuli. These results demonstrated concordance between language-based measures of alcohol expectancies and electrophysiological probes of expectancy. While it remains unknown whether these expectancy processes are integral to decision pathways that influence consumption, these findings suggest that such processing can occur very quickly outside of conscious deliberation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation of Bio-beads and Their Atrazine Degradation Characteristics

Screened atrazine-mineralizing bacterium-Pseudomonas W4 was embedded inside an improved PVA- H<,3>BO<,3> embedment matrix to make bio-beads to degrade atrazine. The atrazine degradation characteristics were stu- died. The preparation procedure of bio-beads was as follows: (1) preparing a mixture of 100, 12.5, 10, 1.5 and 1 g/L PVA, bentonite(Ca), activated carbon powder, sodium alginate and centrifuged Pseudomonas W4 bacterium, respec- tively; (2) the mixture was dropped into a gently stirred cross linker solution(pH=6.7) and cured at 10 ℃ for 24 h. The optimal atrazine degradation conditions by bio-beads were as follows: pH=7, the auxiliary carbon source was glucose, and the concentration of glucose was greater than 325 mg/L. The bio-beads demonstrated stronger tolerance ability than the free microorganism to the increase of PCBs, hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion. SEM images show the uniform distribution of the microorganism inside bio-beads and the porous cross-linked structure of bio-beads which provides excellent mass transfer capacity.     

Solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol using titania-supported gold–palladium catalysts: Effect of Au–Pd ratio on catalytic performance

The oxidation of benzyl alcohol with molecular oxygen under solvent-free conditions has been investigated using a range of titania-supported Au–Pd alloy catalysts to examine the effect of the Au–Pd ratio on the conversion and selectivity. The catalysts have been compared at high reaction temperature (160 °C) as well as at 100 °C, to determine the effect on selectivity since at lower reaction temperature the range of by-products that are formed are limited. Under these conditions the 2.5 wt.% Au–2.5 wt.% Pd/TiO₂ was found to be the most active catalyst, whereas the Au/TiO₂ catalyst demonstrated the highest selectivity to benzaldehyde. Toluene, formed via either a hydrogen transfer process or an oxygen transfer process, was observed as a major by-product under these forcing conditions.     

Acetophenone as an Anti-attractant for the Western Pine Beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendroctonus Brevicomis</Emphasis> LeConte (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Host location and colonization by bark beetles is dependent upon the relative and absolute amounts of attractant and antiattractant compounds available. Many investigations have lead to use of antiattractants for the management of these pests and have been especially focused on verbenone. However, recent studies have identified new antiattractants for several species of bark beetles. We report results of recent investigations of the response of western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, to two recently identified antiattractants, acetophenone, and fenchyl alcohol, with verbenone as a standard of comparison, in northern California. Release of both acetophenone and verbenone resulted in significantly lower trap catches of D. brevicomis in aggregation pheromone-baited traps, while fenchyl alcohol was inactive. Acetophenone was the only antiattractant that did not reduce numbers of the most abundant predator of D. brevicomis, Temnochila chlorodia (Mannerheim), responding to the attractant pheromone of its prey. Aggregation pheromone-baited traps with acetophenone also had the highest predator/prey ratio. Our results suggest that acetophenone may be part of the intra- and interspecific interactions among sympatric species of bark beetles and may have application in their control.     

Preparation of Pd-Ag thin films by the RF-sputtering method and its catalysis for oxidative dehydrogenation of allylic alcohols

Pd-Ag thin films were prepared by the RF sputtering method on a Pyrex glass substrate to give monophasic alloys. Oxidation of allylic alcohols using the films gave selectively , -unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of O₂; highly dispersed Pd species on Ag, Pd₇Ag₉₃ showed 95% selectivity for acrolein from allyl alcohol at 473 K.