High-temperature polyimide nanofoams for microelectronic applications

Foamed polyimides have been developed in order to obtain thin film dielectric layers with very low dielectric constants for use in microelectronic devices. In these systems the pore sizes are in the nanometer range, thus, the term ‘nanofoam’. The polyimide foams are prepared from block copolymers consisting of thermally stable and thermally labile blocks, the latter being the dispersed phase. Foam formation is effected by thermolysis of the thermally labile block, leaving pores of the size and shape corresponding to the initial copolymer morphology. Nanofoams prepared from a number of polyimides as matrix materials were investigated as well as from a number of thermally labile polymers. The foams were characterized by a variety of experiments including TEM, SAXS, WAXD, DMTA, density measurements, refractive index measurements and dielectric constant measurements. Thin film foams, with high thermal stability and low dielectric constants approaching 2.0, can be prepared using the copolymer/nanofoam approach.     

Imide-aryl ether benzoxazole random copolymers

Novel imide-aryl ether benzoxazole copolymers were prepared and their morphology and mechanical properties investigated. A key feature of these copolymers is the incorporation of a benzoxazole moiety by the use of 2,2′-bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-6,6′-bibenzoxazole or 2,2′-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)-phenyl]-6,6′-bibenzoxazole as co-diamines in polyimide syntheses. The preparation of these diamines involved the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 2,2′-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-6,6′-bibenzoxazole with either 3- or 4-aminophenol in the presence of K₂CO₃. The diamines were co-reacted with various compositions of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) to synthesize the desired poly(amic acids). Films were cast and cured (350°C) to effect the imide formation, affording films with elongations between 40 and 110% and moduli in the 2000–2750 MPa range. The copolymers exhibited good dimensional (T_g in excess of 300°C) and thermal stability. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements on the copolymers showed that the ordered morphology characteristic of PMDA/ODA polyimide was retained. Improvements in the auto-adhesion were observed, particularly in those copolymers which displayed a T_g.     

Minimization of combined sewer overflows by large-scale mathematical programming

There is a critical need for the development and implementation of control strategies for minimizing receiving water pollution caused by overflows from urban combined sewer systems. Automation and control of such systems has risen as a viable approach to this problem. Control is carried out through regulation of ambient and/or auxiliary storage in the system. The goal is to detain storm flows in the system long enough to prevent flows of a magnitude that exceeds treatment plant capacity, thereby reducing overflow into receiving waters. The problem is first attacked by dividing the large combined sewer system into several mildly interconnected subsystems for which control logic can be developed from application of mathematical programming algorithms consistent with the special characteristics of each subsystem. A flow-projection technique is developed for subsystems not amenable to direct solution by standard optimization techniques.     

Effects of pH or a(w) stress on growth of Listeria monocytogenes

Early-response genes (ERGs) are rapidly induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) in the PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cell line. To analyze the possible role of Ras and ERGs in neuronal differentiation, experiments were carried out to study the involvement of Ras proteins in the NGF-stimulated expression of two ERG-coded proteins (c-Fos and Zif268) implicated in NGF signaling. Using PC12 subclones expressing the dominant negative Ha-Ras Asn-17 protein, NGF-induced expression, phosphorylation and DNA-binding of these ERG products were found to be not sufficient to convey the biological response of PC12 cells to NGF.     

Synthesis and characterization of phenylquinoxaline-arylene ester block copolymers

Summary Phenylquinoxaline-arylene ester block copolymers were prepared from phenolic hydroxyl terminated oligomers of defined molecular weight using an oligomer/monomer(s) approach, in which generation of the ester linkage coupling the blocks occurred concomitantly with the growth of the polyester block. The molecular weight of the phenylquinoxaline block was held constant at 12,900, while the stoichiometry of the arylene ester monomers were adjusted to afford copolymers containing 15, 30, and 50 wt% poly(arylene ester). These copolymers represent the first example of PPQ-based block copolymers derived from well defined phenylquinoxaline oligomers.     

An embedded optical tracking system for motion-corrected magnetic resonance imaging at 7T

Object

Prospective motion correction using data from optical tracking systems has been previously shown to reduce motion artifacts in MR imaging of the head. We evaluate a novel optical embedded tracking system.

Materials and methods

The home-built optical embedded tracking system performs image processing within a 7T scanner bore, enabling high speed tracking. Corrected and uncorrected in vivo MR volumes are acquired interleaved using a modified 3D FLASH sequence, and their image quality is assessed and compared.

Results

The latency between motion and correction of the slice position was measured to be (19?±?5)?ms, and the tracking noise has a standard deviation no greater than 10???m/0.005° during conventional MR scanning. Prospective motion correction improved the edge strength by 16?% on average, even though the volunteers were asked to remain motionless during the acquisitions.

Conclusion

Using a novel method for validating the effectiveness of in vivo prospective motion correction, we have demonstrated that prospective motion correction using motion data from the embedded tracking system considerably improved image quality.     

Data sampling in MR relaxation

Four time spacing methods for the sampling of magnetic resonance relaxation data are investigated: linear, logarithmic, geometric with time offset, and pure geometric spacing methods. They are compared with the respective normalized root-mean-square errors of the four parameters of biexponential inversion recoveries. Linear spacing was found to be inappropriate for NMR. Geometric spacing may be the method of choice to detect an unexpected exponent when sampling is performed from 1/28.7 of the shortest time constant up to five times the longest one.     

Modelling Evaluation of Dam Removal in the Context of River Ecosystem Restoration

Applications of environmental models may provide imperative information to enable informed decision‐making of river management actions, which are often made in the face of high system complexity and uncertainty. We applied Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System(HEC‐RAS) and Curvilinear Hydrodynamics Three‐Dimensional (CH3D) models to aid in the decision‐making of the proposed removal of the Masten Dam, a small, ‘run‐of‐the‐river’ dam on the Loxahatchee River, a federally designated ‘Wild and Scenic River’ in south‐east coast of Florida (USA). Anthropogenic alteration of the system has led to changing hydroperiods and salinity regimes in the floodplain. Both models are calibrated against measured data taken at varying temporal and spatial scales. The HEC‐RAS modelling results show that removal of the Masten Dam would lower water levels in the upstream riverine reach, leading to reduced soil moisture or inundation in the floodplain. The CH3D modelling results indicate that dam removal would increase river salinity during the dry season in the tidal reach where salinity compliance for environmental flow regulation is measured. These environmental changes would exert additional stress on freshwater vegetation communities in the floodplain. Given the scarcity of water resources in the region, removal of the Masten Dam would not offer an effective restoration strategy. This study demonstrates not only the need for evaluation of dam removal on a case‐by‐case basis but also the usefulness of environmental models in providing the technical basis for such management decisions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.