Chlorine loss and mass loss from Polyvinylchloride and polyvinylidenchloride under the electron beam

The loss of chlorine during the irradiation of PVC and PVDC in the electron microscope has been measured by the decay of the X-ray chlorineK signal. A number of factors affecting the measured beam damage curves have been considered and the experimental errors reduced to ±10%. The results show that the chlorine decay curves can be best described by the sum of two exponentials, corresponding to the two different chlorine decay processes, these being: the dehydrochlorination of the polymer molecules and the dehydrochlorination of the polyene structure formed by the beam damage. The higher initial chlorine content of PVDC compared to PVC will result in a larger amount of chlorine atoms reacting with the polyene structure, which is more stable in the electron beam than the undamaged polymer. The chlorine loss, measured by X-ray analysis, has been compared to the mass loss, measured by energy loss analysis, and also with the volume changes of isolated spherical PVC particles. It has been concluded that the mass loss is almost entirely due to chlorine loss and that the residual structure has a density similar to the undamaged PVC.     

Pseudo-T2 mapping for normalization of T2-weighted prostate MRI

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - Signal intensity normalization is necessary to reduce heterogeneity in T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for...     

Enhancement of β phase crystals formation with the use of nanofillers in PVDF films and fibres

Nanoclay and carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been in focus recently as means of enhancing β phase crystals formation in poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF). Dominantly, the so-far work has been carried out on films/thin sheets filled with nanoclay. It has been found, mainly from combined XRD and DSC data, that nanoclay influences the PVDF structure, and particularly the β phase crystals formation is enhanced. Results published by various groups are in fairly good agreement. There are no results for nanoclay filled melt-spun PVDF fibres.The influence of CNT on PVDF structure has been less studied. XRD data indicating an enhancing role of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) on β phase crystals formation in solution compounded PVDF films are available. Published results for MWNT/PVDF films are not in good agreement. The only study into single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT)/PVDF has been made on electrospun nanofibres.We explore above findings towards melt-spun nanofilled PVDF fibres. We present new results obtained by us for melt-spun PVDF fibres containing non-functionalized and amino-functionalized double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNT). The key finding is that amino-DWNT can influence the β to α polymorphic balance.     

Noise figure of erbium doped fiber amplifiers in the saturatedregime

We have made an experimental and theoretical study of the noise figure of an erbium doped fiber amplifier in the saturated regime. The saturated amplified spontaneous emission at the signal wavelength was measured using a very accurate pulsed source technique. We have quantified the noise figure dependence on compression, in excellent agreement with theory, to be less than 1.5 dB for a gain compression as high as 15 dB when the small signal gain was 26 dB, and the 1.48 μm pump power was 27 mW     

Antiplasticization and transition to marked nonlinear viscoelasticity in poly(vinyl chloride)/acrylonitrile–butadiene copolymer blends

A series of PVC/NBR blends with varying acrylonitrile (AN) content in the NBR has been studied in uniaxial tension creep tests. The tests have been carried out at 21.5 ± 0.5°C covering creep times from 10 to 1000 sec. NBR with low AN content, having poor compatibility with PVC, gives the blends with higher compliance and increased time dependence of the compliance. A higher AN content in the NBR gives the blends with the opposite properties when the NBR is added in small amounts. NBR with 40 wt-% AN is found to act as an antiplasticizer giving minimal creep compliance when 7 wt-% NBR is added. The antiplasticization reveals a considerably increased stress level at which the transition from approximatively linear to marked nonlinear viscoelasticity occurs and a decreased stress dependence of the creep compliance in the nonlinear viscoelastic range. Since the antiplasticization is also associated with a suppression of the β-transition mechanism, the results provide a demonstration of the importance of β-mechanism in the stress activated processes responsible for the appearance of nonlinear viscoelasticity in solid polymers.     

Plasma levels of carbamazepine and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide during treatment of epilepsy

Carbamazepine and its epoxide in plasma were measured by liquid chromatography in 25 patients treated with a mean dose of carbamazepine of 12.5 +/- 3.3 mg/kg body weight. The mean concentrations of parent drug and metabolite were 5.4 +/- 2.5 mug/ml and 1.10 +/- 0.42 mug/ml, respectively. A singificant correlation was found between the plasma concentrations of the two compounds (r = 0.64; p less than 0.001), but marked interindividual variation existed in the ratio of carbamazepine to carbamazepine to epoxide. Based on simultaneous measurements in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, the unbound fraction of carbamazepine in plasma was of the order of 20% as compared to 45% for the epoxide. Thirteen ambulant patients suffering from partial epilepsy with complex symptomatology, who were already being treated with phenytoin in optimal doses (plasma level 14-20 mug/ml) were also given carbamazepine. At plasma levels of the latter of about 5 mug/ml there was no further reduction in the frequency of partial or generalized epileptic seizures. In five patients the dose was increased to produce plasma concentrations of 7 - 8 mug/ml. There was still no improvement and side-effects were seen in three patients.     

Poly(styrene-g-ethylene oxide) copolymers as interfacial agents in immiscible polymer blends

A poly(styrene-g-ethylene oxide) copolymer with an average of 100 styrene units between the graft points is studied with respect to its interfacial activity in binary incompatible mixtures of polymers having different degrees of miscibility toward the graft copolymer components. The interfacial properties were studied by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The data obtained are compared with previously published data from a graft copolymer with the same composition but with shorter PEO branches and only 20 styrene units between them. In spite of their structure, the two graft copolymers could reduce the size of the dispersed phase in the case of athermal mixing. With a negative heat of mixing between only one graft component and the blend, the short branch graft had no effect, while the longer branch graft caused a reduction of the size of the dispersed phase. With a negative heat of mixing for the graft branches as well as for the backbone a strong compatibilizing effect was found for both types of graft copolymers. The results show that even very short parts of the backbone of a graft copolymer can contribute to compatibilization in a polymer blend, especially when the backbone has a negative heat of mixing with one of the blend components.     

Multi-objective Pareto and GAs nonlinear optimization approach for flyback transformer

Electrical Engineering - Design and optimization of high-frequency inductive components is a complex task because of the huge number of variables to manipulate, the strong interdependence and the...     

Use of omeprazole as a probe drug for CYP2C19 phenotype in Swedish Caucasians: comparison with S-mephenytoin hydroxylation phenotype and CYP2C19 genotype

A single oral dose of omeprazole (20 mg) was given orally to 160 healthy Caucasian Swedish subjects and tested as a probe for CYP2C19. The study was nonrandomized and included seven subjects previously classified as poor metabolizers (PM) of S-mephenytoin. The ratio between the plasma concentrations of omeprazole and hydroxyomeprazole (metabolic ratio; MR) was determined by HPLC in a blood sample drawn 3 h after drug intake. In 17 subjects the test was repeated and the MRs of omeprazole on the two occasions were correlated (rs = 0.85; p < 0.0001). There was a significant correlation between the MR of omeprazole and the S/R mephenytoin ratio among 141 subjects, in whom both ratios were determined (rs = 0.63, p < 0.001). All seven PMs of S-mephenytoin had higher MRs of omeprazole (7.1-23.8) than extensive metabolizers (EM) (0.1-4.9). All 160 subjects and another 15 Caucasian Swedish PMs previously phenotyped with mephenytoin were analysed with respect to the presence of the CYP2C19m1 allele by PCR amplification of the intron 4/exon 5 junction followed by Sma I digestion. EMs heterozygous for the CYP2C19m1 gene had MRs of omeprazole and S/R ratios of mephenytoin that were higher than those of subjects who were homozygous for the wild-type allele (p = 0.0001). Nineteen of the 22 PMs were homozygous for the CYP2C19m1 gene. Three were heterozygous for this allele. Thus, 41 of the 44 alleles (93%) of PMs were defective CYP2C19m1. One of the remaining three PM alleles was subsequently found to contain the CYP2C19m2 mutation, which has earlier been shown to be associated with the PM phenotype in Oriental populations. In conclusion, the phenotype determined by omeprazole correlated with that of mephenytoin, and was in good agreement with the genotype.     

CO2 utilization options, Part I: An emission assessment framework

The utilization of CO₂ in various products and services must be carefully assessed in order to achieve reduced CO₂ emissions and simultaneously to add to the net economic benefit of society. In this paper, a framework for the assessment of CO₂ utilization options in the chemical industry is outlined in which the total CO₂ emission is estimated in four steps. First, the processes under study are surveyed to establish the consumption of different raw materials (reactants). Second, the CO₂ emission due to the content of fossil carbon in the reactants is determined, i.e. the material-related emission. Third, the CO₂ emission related to energy consumption in the studied processes is estimated, i.e. the direct energy-related emission. Fourth, the CO₂ emission related to energy consumption in the reactant production processes is estimated, i.e. the indirect energy-related emission.