Photo‐crosslinking of poly[ethene‐stat‐(methacrylic acid)] functionalised with maleimide side groups

BACKGROUND: Photo‐crosslinkable polymers are well known and commercially applied as photoresists. But so far they have not been applied as membrane materials for separation processes. They would offer certain advantages in membrane fabrication over conventional crosslinked polymer materials. Therefore, in this work, a poly[ethene‐stat‐(methacrylic acid)] (PEMAA) which is a potential membrane polymer for different separation problems was functionalised with photo‐crosslinkable maleimide side groups. RESULTS: It has been shown that PEMAA can be used as basic polymer material and a conversion with 3‐hydroxypropylmaleimide is possible in order to obtain a photo‐crosslinkable polymer. Investigation of the crosslinking mechanism was performed using stationary infrared and UV‐visible spectroscopy as well as nanosecond transient spectroscopy absorption measurements of a rotating film. Intense transient absorption of the maleimide‐esterified PEMAA occurs at 250 nm in the film pointing to maleimide anion formation and crosslinking via an ionic dimerisation mechanism. CONCLUSION: It is found that crosslinking reactions can be observed spectroscopically in situ using a maleimide‐functionalised PEMAA. Furthermore, experiments can be performed in the liquid phase (polymer in solution) as well as in the solid phase (polymer film) using a rotating polymer film sample. Maleimide anion formation and crosslinking via an ionic dimerisation mechanism can be investigated by variation of the polymer structure as well as the structure of the maleimide side groups. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Dexmedetomidine and halothane produce similar alterations in electroencephalographic and electromyographic activity in cats

Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls also known as biphenylols, are suspected estrogen mimics found in the environment. Various derivatization schemes were evaluated and a gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry method was developed for the trifluoroacetyl derivative using MS-MS techniques for the analysis of eleven biphenylols. A time-segmented chromatographic method was developed using the respective MS-MS parameters to analyze all the eleven biphenylols in a single chromatographic run. Isomers were differentiated based on the MS-MS data of the trofluoroacetyl-biphenylol derivatives. The method was applied to detect 40 pg on-column of these compounds in a spiked egg sample which simulates a real world sample.     

On the relation between the kinetic parameters involved in molecular chain breakage and macroscopic failure

Even though the process of macroscopic failure of polymer samples at temperatures below T _g is determined by the kinetics of molecular chain breakage, the kinetic parameters of macroscopic and molecular processes are different from each other. The relations between these parameters are derived for four differently characterized polymer networks. Especially shown is the influence of a distribution n(L/L ₀) of chain segment lengths on the time-to-failure of the network. Fracture criteria involving critical segment lengths, L _c/L ₀, and/or the total number of chain scissions are discussed.     

Algorithm for agile assembling-to-order in the automotive industry

Traditional automotive assembly initiates the assembly of a vehicle based on a specific order and keeps that order coupled with the vehicle as it moves through the plant. However, due to parallel stations and rework loops in the plant, the build sequence becomes scrambled by the time it enters final assembly. The sequence that reaches final assembly may not be suited for efficient assembly because it might cause very unlevel material usage and workload. Conventional scheduling optimizes the build sequence before the body shop, attaches an order to a physical vehicle as it enters the body shop, and keeps the order and vehicle coupled throughout the plant. Decoupled assembly allows the plant to change the customer order associated with a particular physical vehicle. An algorithm is presented for scheduling and matching customer orders to vehicles to take advantage of this decoupling and quantify its advantages via simulation.     

Sevoflurane selectively increases coronary collateral blood flow independent of KATP channels in vivo

BACKGROUND: Volatile anesthetic agents produce coronary vasodilation via activation of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. The authors tested the hypothesis that sevoflurane selectively increases coronary collateral blood flow and assessed the role of KATP channel activation in this process. METHODS: Experiments were conducted in dogs 8 weeks after long-term implantation of a left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ameroid constrictor to stimulate coronary collateral growth. Dogs were instrumented for measurement of retrograde LAD blood flow (an index of large coronary collateral blood flow) and LAD tissue flow (via radioactive microspheres; an index of small collateral blood flow). Coronary collateral perfusion and normal (left circumflex coronary artery [LCCA]) zone tissue blood flow were determined in four groups of dogs pretreated with intracoronary glyburide (50 microg/kg) or vehicle in the presence or absence of sevoflurane (1 minimum alveolar concentration). Dose-response relationships to the KATP channel agonist nicorandil were established in each dog using doses (25, 50, and 100 microg/min) previously shown to increase coronary collateral blood flow. RESULTS: Sevoflurane increased blood flow through large and small collaterals and increased collateral vascular conductance in the presence of glyburide but did not affect LCCA blood flow or conductance. In contrast, nicorandil increased blood flow through small but not large collaterals. Nicorandil also increased LCCA blood flow and conductance, actions that were attenuated by glyburide. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that sevoflurane selectively increases large and small coronary collateral blood flow via mechanism(s) independent of KATP channel activation.     

Swelling of capillary endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes in the ischaemic myocardium of artificially arrested canine hearts

To establish whether coronary perfusion with cardioplegic solutions results in better intraischaemic structural preservation of endothelial cells than of cardiomyocytes, we determined intraischaemic swelling of these two cell types in hearts differently arrested during global ischaemia at 5 degrees C. Cardiac arrest was induced in situ by aortic cross clamping or by additional coronary perfusion with various cardioplegic solutions. Parameters for cellular swelling were determined, i.e. barrier thickness of capillary endothelial cells and sum of the volume fractions (V(V)) of free sarcoplasm and mitochondria (V(VSp) + V(VMi)) in cardiomyocytes. In order to test the intraischaemic relative increase of cellular volume in both cell types, regression analyses were performed. The results show that the relative intraischaemic volume increase was similar in both cell types after perfusion with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution, and significantly less pronounced in capillary endothelial cells after perfusion with University of Wisconsin solution. In hearts arrested with St. Thomas' Hospital solution, a significantly higher volume increase was determined in capillary endothelial cells. Thus, capillary endothelium does not generally show a higher structural preservation than cardiomyocytes during ischaemia. Instead, volume regulation in both types of cells depends on the type of cardioplegic solution used. These results should be taken into consideration in human transplantation medicine.     

Zum elektrochemischen Verhalten von Feinblei in hochkonzentrierter heißer Schwefelsäure

The electrochemical behaviour of pure lead in hot sulfuric acid at high concentrations The corrosion rate of pure lead in 70% deaerated sulfuric acid can be calculated for the temperature range between 21 and 165 °C using one only equation. The possibility of an extension of this equation by a concentration dependent term is made feasible by the finding, that a logarithmic dependence exists between corrosion rate and acid concentration in the concentration rate 10–80% at 80 °C. In connection with the interpretation of the current density potential curves of pure lead in hot concentrated sulfuric acid the authors discuss the possibility of lead sulfide formation.     

Effect of antibiotics of chemotaxis of human leukocytes

The effect of 20 different antibiotics on chemotaxis by human neutrophils was studied. Human leukocytes incubated with chloramphenicol, rifampin, sodium fusidate, and tetracyclines in vitro showed markedly depressed migration. The mechanisms by which these antibiotics affect leukotaxis are discussed.     

A note on the paper of V. R. Regel and A. M. Leksovsky “A study of fatigue within the framework of the kinetic concept of fracture”

The structure-sensitive parameter y which describes the influence of uniaxial stress on the rate of molecular breakage can, according to recent calculations, be related to the elastic modulus, E(), of the oriented sample. The values of E()/E() as determined from the fracture experiments of Regel and Leksovsky are in good agreement with direct measurements and with theoretical predictions made for composite materials. Int. J. of Fracture Mechanics 3 (1967) 99–109.     

Zur Lochkorrosionsneigung von austenitischen CrNiMo-Stählen in konzentrierten Ammoniumrhodanidlösungen

Pitting corrosion of austenitic CrNiMo-steels in concentrated ammoniumrhodanide solutions Quasipotentiostatic and potentiokinetic polarisation measurements at various 18 Cr-10 Ni steels with molybdenum contents up to 4,3% were performed in 25 and 45% ammoniumrhodanide solutions. It was found that pitting corrosion is caused by incomplete passivation in the potential range of –300 to +250 m V _H. At these potentials the formation of stable passive layers is hindered by the formation and local oxidative dissolution of sulfidic layers. Above +250 m V _H rhodanide ions act in these weak acidic ammoniumrhodanide solutions as agents which destroy passive layers, comparable with chloride ions. The limiting potentials for stable pitting corrosion, obtained from potentiostatic experiments, are shifted from –300 to –150 m V _H with increasing molybdenum content of the steel. The least tendency of pitting corrosion was found for that steel with the highest molybdenum content.