Influence of the temperature profile in the interface on the bond strength of polyamide–polyurethane two‐component tensile bars

Two‐component tensile bars with polyamide 6 (PA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) unmodified and modified with 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) have been investigated. It is known that the bond strength of PA/TPU tensile bars can increase by about 50% if MDI‐modified polyurethane is applied. The subject of these studies is the analysis of the influence of the mass temperatures on the bond strength. The mass temperatures of the first and second injection process and the delay time between the first and second injection processes determine the temperature gradient in the interface at the moment of the second injection. There is an increase in the bond strength when there is an increasing temperature gradient; therefore, the mass temperature of the first component at the delay time has to be lower than the mass temperature of the second component. The temperature gradient can be used as a measure of the thermal annealing of the first component near the interface during the heat transfer from the second component. It can be concluded that effective thermal annealing causes an increase in the bond strength. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4297–4305, 2006     

The Estimation of the Molecular Weight of Polytetrafluoroethylene Based on the Heat of Crystallisation. A Comment on Suwa's Equation

Summary: The influence of number‐average molecular weight ranging from 1.4 · 10⁴ to 1.2 · 10⁶ g/mol on the thermal behaviour of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been studied. Samples have been prepared by radiation‐induced degradation of commercial PTFE. The molecular weight has been calculated using end‐group concentration determined by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ¹⁹F solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Melting and crystallisation heats were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results have been discussed with respect to quantitative relationships between number‐average molecular weight and heat of crystallisation of PTFE described in the literature. The molecular weight calculated from Suwa's equation, which is often used in the literature, has been found to be too low.

Concentration of end‐groups and the molecular weight of PTFE versus the irradiation dose.     

Quality management in service ecosystems

Service-oriented architectures and Web services mature and have become more widely accepted and used by industry. This growing adoption increased the demands for new ways of using Web service technology. Users start re-combining and mediating other providers’ services in ways that have not been anticipated by their original provider. Within organisations and cross-organisational communities, discoverable services are organised in repositories providing convenient access to adaptable end-to-end business processes. This idea is captured in the term Service Ecosystem. This paper addresses the question of how quality management can be performed in such service ecosystems. Service quality management is a key challenge when services are composed of a dynamic set of heterogeneous sub-services from different service providers. This paper contributes to this important area by developing a reference model of quality management in service ecosystems. We illustrate the application of the reference model in an exploratory case study. With this case study, we show how the reference model helps to derive requirements for the implementation and support of quality management in an exemplary service ecosystem in public administration.     

Autonomic information flow improves prognostic impact of task force HRV monitoring

Heart rate variability (HRV) represents the cardiovascular control mediated by the autonomic nervous system and other mechanisms. In the established task force HRV monitoring different cardiovascular control mechanisms can approximately be identified at typical frequencies of heart rate oscillations by power spectral analysis. HRV measures assessing complex and fractal behavior partly improved clinical risk stratification. However, their relationship to (patho-)physiology is not sufficiently explored. Objective of the present work is the introduction of complexity measures of different physiologically relevant time scales. This is achieved by a new concept of the autonomic information flow (AIF) analysis which was designed according to task force HRV. First applications show that different time scales of AIF improve the risk stratification of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and cardiac arrest patients in comparison to standard HRV. Each group's significant time scales correspond to their respective pathomechanisms.     

Poröse Scaffolds aus mineralisiertem Kollagen – ein biomimetisches Knochenersatzmaterial

Porous scaffolds made from mineralised collagen – a biomimetic bone graft material Using biomimetically mineralised collagen type I, a new porous bone graft material has been developed, the composition of which mimics extracellular matrix of bone tissue. The pore structure is generated by a freeze drying process, whereas the pore size can be controlled by temperature and velocity of the freezing over a wide range. The structure is stabilized by crosslinking of the collagen with the water soluble carbodiimide derivative EDC. For the seeding with bone cells, pores with diameters of about 200 μm have turned out to be optimal. These scaffolds are elastic in the wet state which allow for cell culture experiments under mechanical stimulation.     

Reticulated Porous Foam Ceramics with Different Surface Chemistries

The aim of this study was to discuss the influence of different filter surface chemistries on the properties of foam filters. For reliable results, it is essential to ensure comparable structural properties (cell size and strut thickness) for all different surface chemistries (Al₂O₃, MgAl₂O₄, 3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂, SiO₂, and TiO₂) possess the same structural properties (cell size and strut thickness). Filters made of 100% of the investigated materials and alumina skeletons coated with the investigated materials were prepared. The coated alumina samples were sintered in one and two steps. The processing route with two sintering steps resulted in improved mechanical properties and comparable shrinkage and strut thickness. The 100% bulk foams possessed different pore sizes due to the differences of the material shrinkage. In this study, a comparison of the experimental investigated properties of the ceramic foam filters and the theoretically calculated values for foam materials derived from the bulk material properties is established.     

High Iron and Iron Household Protein Contents in Perineuronal Net-Ensheathed Neurons Ensure Energy Metabolism with Safe Iron Handling

A subpopulation of neurons is less vulnerable against iron-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. A key feature of these neurons is a special extracellular matrix composition that forms a perineuronal net (PN). The PN has a high affinity to iron, which suggests an adapted iron sequestration and metabolism of the ensheathed neurons. Highly active, fast-firing neurons—which are often ensheathed by a PN—have a particular high metabolic demand, and therefore may have a higher need in iron. We hypothesize that PN-ensheathed neurons have a higher intracellular iron concentration and increased levels of iron proteins. Thus, analyses of cellular and regional iron and the iron proteins transferrin (Tf), Tf receptor 1 (TfR), ferritin H/L (FtH/FtL), metal transport protein 1 (MTP1 aka ferroportin), and divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) were performed on Wistar rats in the parietal cortex (PC), subiculum (SUB), red nucleus (RN), and substantia nigra (SNpr/SNpc). Neurons with a PN (PN⁺) have higher iron concentrations than neurons without a PN: PC 0.69 mM vs. 0.51 mM, SUB 0.84 mM vs. 0.69 mM, SN 0.71 mM vs. 0.63 mM (SNpr)/0.45 mM (SNpc). Intracellular Tf, TfR and MTP1 contents of PN⁺ neurons were consistently increased. The iron concentration of the PN itself is not increased. We also determined the percentage of PN⁺ neurons: PC 4%, SUB 5%, SNpr 45%, RN 86%. We conclude that PN⁺ neurons constitute a subpopulation of resilient pacemaker neurons characterized by a bustling iron metabolism and outstanding iron handling capabilities. These properties could contribute to the low vulnerability of PN⁺ neurons against iron-induced oxidative stress and degeneration.     

Design and Fabrication of Transparent and Gas‐Tight Optical Windows in Low‐Temperature Co‐Fired Ceramics

Low‐temperature co‐fired ceramics (LTCC) enable the fabrication of microfluidic elements such as channels and embedded cavities in electrical devices. Hence, LTCC facilitate the realization of complex and integrated microfluidic devices. Examples can be applied in many areas like reaction chambers for synthesis of chemical compounds. However, for many applications it is necessary to have an optically transparent interface to the surroundings. The integration of optical windows in LTCC opens up a wide field of new and innovative applications such as the observation of chemiluminescent reactions. These chemical reactions emit electromagnetic radiation and thus offer a method for noninvasive detection. Thin glasses (≤500 μm) were bonded by thermocompression onto a LTCC substrate. As the bonding agent, a glass frit paste was used. Borosilicate glasses, fused silica as well as silicon were successfully bonded onto LTCC. To join materials with a large coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch (i.e., fused silica and LTCC), it is necessary to limit the heat input to the bond interface. Therefore, a heating structure was integrated into the LTCC substrate beneath the bond interface. This bonding process provides a gas‐tight optical port with a high bond strength.     

Horton and Wohl Revisited: Exploring Viewers' Experience of Parasocial Interaction

Linking back to D. Horton and R. Wohl (1956) , the present approach conceptualizes and empirically examines viewers' parasocial interaction experience with a TV performer. Causes and outcomes of parasocial interaction experience are examined. To this end, a new Experience of Parasocial Interaction (EPSI) scale is introduced. In a 2 (Bodily Addressing) × 2 (Verbal Addressing) between‐subjects experiment (N = 198) viewers reported a more intense parasocial experience if they were addressed by a TV performer on a bodily and verbal level. In addition, the more viewers perceived the performer to be attractive and the stronger their perspective‐taking ability, the more intense their parasocial experience. Stronger parasocial experience resulted in higher commitment to social norms and a greater enjoyment of the exposure situation.     

Using mutual information to measure coupling in the cardiorespiratory system

Approximately 2,000 infants with sickle cell disease are born each year in the United States. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of red blood cell hemoglobin. Sickle cells increase adhesion and cause blockage in the small blood vessels, resulting in tissue damage. The cells' production of hemoglobin S results in two major pathophysiologic features of sickle cell disorders: chronic hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusion. These disorders cause ischemic tissue damage and acute and chronic organ failure. Potential complications for children with sickle cell disease include vaso-occlusive events, splenic sequestration, bacterial septicemia from splenic hypofunction, aplastic crisis, pulmonary compromise including acute chest syndrome, renal tubular dysfunction and renal failure, priapism, aseptic necrosis, gallstones, delayed growth and development, leg ulcers, stroke and premature death. Three major sickle cell complications during the first years of life are dactylitis, splenic hypofunction and splenic sequestration. The risk for pneumococcal meningitis is 36 times greater in children with sickle cell anemia than for black children without the disease, and 314 times greater than for white children.