Microbial susceptibility of various polymers and evaluation of thermoplastic elastomers with antimicrobial additives

The incursion of microbial growth on polymeric products can deteriorate their performance and lead to the development of undesirable staining and odors. A growing trend in the industry has aimed to reduce microbial populations on high-touch surfaces via the use of antimicrobials to protect material aesthetics and durability or to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, a variety of plastic substrates (30 unique polymer compounds), including poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene), poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(etherimide), various thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), poly(carbonates), and poly(amides), were screened for susceptibility to microbial attack using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) G21 (fungi susceptibility), Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) Z2801, and modified ASTM E1428-15a (bacterial susceptibility) test standards. TPEs were determined to be most susceptible to microbial attack under the appropriate environmental conditions. Subsequent studies assessed the use of an antimicrobial additive, zinc pyrithione (ZPT), for potential efficacy in a variety of TPE blends for diverse target market applications. ZPT proved to be very effective in protecting TPEs, reducing Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli populations by 99.9% or more in JIS Z2801 testing and inhibiting fungal growth (rating = 0) according to the ASTM G21 standard.     

The Interplay of Modulus,Strength, and Ductility in Adhesive Design Using Biomimetic Polymer Chemistry

High‐performance adhesives require mechanical properties tuned to demands of the surroundings. A mismatch in stiffness between substrate and adhesive leads to stress concentrations and fracture when the bonding is subjected to mechanical load. Balancing material strength versus ductility, as well as considering the relationship between adhesive modulus and substrate modulus, creates stronger joints. However, a detailed understanding of how these properties interplay is lacking. Here, a biomimetic terpolymer is altered systematically to identify regions of optimal bonding. Mechanical properties of these terpolymers are tailored by controlling the amount of a methyl methacrylate stiff monomer versus a similar monomer containing flexible poly(ethylene glycol) chains. Dopamine methacrylamide, the cross‐linking monomer, is a catechol moiety analogous to 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine, a key component in the adhesive proteins of marine mussels. Bulk adhesion of this family of terpolymers is tested on metal and plastic substrates. Incorporating higher amounts of poly(ethylene glycol) into the terpolymer introduces flexibility and ductility. By taking a systematic approach to polymer design, the region in which material strength and ductility are balanced in relation to the substrate modulus is found, thereby yielding the most robust joints.     

Choice With Initial and Terminal Link Reinforcement: An Alternative Self-Control Paradigm.

Self-control is demonstrated when a less desirable immediate outcome is chosen to ensure a substantially better future. In a novel animal analogue of this situation, primary reinforcement was delivered in both the initial and terminal links of a concurrent chain schedule. Rats made initial link choices between equal amounts of ethanol-free or ethanol-containing milk. Choosing the ethanol-free reinforcer resulted in delivery of the larger terminal link reinforcer and was thus analogous to self-control. Self-control decreased as the delay between initial and terminal links increased. The results have implications for human choice situations where decisions are made between two immediately available reinforcement alternatives each associated with a different delayed outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal depression and early positive parenting predict future conduct problems in young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for adverse outcomes such as substance abuse and criminality, particularly if they develop conduct problems. Little is known about early predictors of the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD, however. Parental psychopathology and parenting were assessed in 108 children who first met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for ADHD at 4-7 years old. When demographic variables and baseline ADHD and conduct problems were controlled, maternal depression predicted conduct problems 2-8 years following the initial assessment, whereas positive parenting during the structured parent- child interaction task predicted fewer future conduct problems. These findings suggest that maternal depression is a risk factor, whereas early positive parenting is a protective factor, for the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polymerization behavior and polymer properties of eosin-mediated surface modification reactions

Surface modification by surface-mediated polymerization necessitates control of the grafted polymer film thicknesses to achieve the desired property changes. Here, a microarray format is used to assess a range of reaction conditions and formulations rapidly in regards to the film thicknesses achieved and the polymerization behavior. Monomer formulations initiated by eosin conjugates with varying concentrations of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), and 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) were evaluated. Acrylamide with MDEA or ascorbic acid as a coinitiator was also investigated. The best formulation was found to be 40 wt% acrylamide with MDEA which yielded four to eightfold thicker films (maximum polymer thickness increased from 180 nm to 1420 nm) and generated visible films from fivefold lower eosin surface densities (2.8 versus 14 eosins/μm²) compared to a corresponding PEGDA formulation. Using a microarray format to assess multiple initiator surface densities enabled facile identification of a monomer formulation that yields the desired polymer properties and polymerization behavior across the requisite range of initiator surface densities.     

CTLA4 mediates antigen-specific apoptosis of human T cells

The regulation of T cell-mediated immune responses requires a balance between amplification and generation of effector function and subsequent selective termination by clonal deletion. Although apoptosis of previously activated T cells can be induced by signaling of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, these molecules do not appear to regulate T-cell clonal deletion in an antigen-specific fashion. We demonstrate that cross-linking of the inducible T-cell surface molecule CTLA4 can mediate apoptosis of previously activated human T lymphocytes. This function appears to be antigen-restricted, since a concomitant signal T-cell receptor signal is required. Regulation of this pathway may provide a novel therapeutic strategy to delete antigen-specific activated T cells.     

Verifying anonymity in voting systems using CSP

We present formal definitions of anonymity properties for voting protocols using the process algebra CSP. We analyse a number of anonymity definitions, and give formal definitions for strong and weak anonymity, highlighting the difference between these definitions. We show that the strong anonymity definition is too strong for practical purposes; the weak anonymity definition, however, turns out to be ideal for analysing voting systems. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the formal definitions: a conventional voting system, and Prêt à Voter, a paper-based, voter-verifiable scheme. In each case, we give a CSP model of the system, and analyse it against our anonymity definitions by specification checks using the Failures-Divergences Refinement (FDR2) model checker. We give a detailed discussion on the results from the analysis, emphasizing the assumptions that we made in our model as well as the challenges in modelling electronic voting systems using CSP.