Synthesis and evaluation of some functionalized difuran diesters as plasticizers for PVC

Butyl, hexyl, and 2-ethylhexyl diesters of 1,1-bis(5-carboxyl-2-furyl)-2,2-dichloroethene, hexyl and 2-ethylhexyl diesters of 1,1-bis(5-carboxyl-2-furyl) ketone, and the hexyl diester of 1,1-bis(5-carboxyl-2-furyl)methane were synthesized from furfural and evaluated for their plasticizing abilities toward PVC, by the application of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and [di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate] as a standard of reference. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Construction and performance of a multiparameter focal plane detector for use on a QMG/2 magnetic spectrometer

The design, construction and performance of a modular, two pressure focal plane detector, 550 mm long, 1000 mm deep and with an active height of 60 mm are described. The detector has been operated with ions ranging from 50 MeV ¹H to 200 MeV ³⁶S. Typical results achieved are 0.5 mm and 0.3° for the spatial and angular resolutions, and 0.7% and 3% for the total energy and energy loss measurements. A height signal is also provided.     

The complex role of perceptual organization in visual display design theory.

Two experiments were performed to test and extend the current 'emergent features' approach to display design for dynamic failure detection tasks. It was predicted that a display whose emergent features were well-mapped to goal-relevant task invariants would lead to better failure detection performance than either of two alternative displays. Contrary to prediction. Experiment 1 showed no differences in failure detection speed or accuracy across displays. The reason for this may have been that subjects did not discover the mapping between the mathematical properties of the task and the emergent feature, so in Experiment 2 subjects were explicitly instructed about the mapping and were advised on how to use the display geometry to help their performance. A significant difference in failure detection speed emerged, but the display supporting fastest performance was not the one with the well-mapped emergent feature. These results suggest that alternative perceptual organizational factors were at work which overpowered the intended effect. The results also underscore the difficulty of developing a theory of display design, and their impact on current theories is outlined.     

Open annotations on multimedia Web resources

Many Web portals allow users to associate additional information with existing multimedia resources such as images, audio, and video. However, these portals are usually closed systems and user-generated annotations are almost always kept locked up and remain inaccessible to the Web of Data. We believe that an important step to take is the integration of multimedia annotations and the Linked Data principles. We present the current state of the Open Annotation Model, explain our design rationale, and describe how the model can represent user annotations on multimedia Web resources. Applying this model in Web portals and devices, which support user annotations, should allow clients to easily publish and consume, thus exchange annotations on multimedia Web resources via common Web standards.     

Self‐assembling metal coatings from phosphated and siloxane‐modified polyurethane dispersions: An analysis of the coating–air interface

Polyurethane dispersion coatings containing phosphate and siloxane chains were evaluated for their self‐assembling properties for a single‐coating system. Dynamic contact angles (DCAs) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study the coating–air interface. The siloxane chains were the predominant species on the surfaces of the coatings. The wetting properties of the coating–air interface were reversed when the coated panels were immersed in an ionic solution, and the decrease in hydrophobicity was linear with time. Results from XPS and DCA analyses were similar. The self‐assembling properties of the coatings could be useful in the development of hydrophobic coatings from hydrophilic polymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 893–899, 2003     

Synthesis and evaluation of dialkyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylates as plasticizers for PVC

Di(2-ethylhexyl), di(2-octyl), dihexyl, and dibutyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate were synthesized from furfural and characterized for their plasticizing abilities toward PVC by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP) as the standard of reference. DMTA gave values for the depression of the glass transition temperature (T_g) per mass fraction of plasticizer, and it also yielded a set of parameters, relative to those for DOP, which describe the compatibility of the furan diesters with PVC. The efficiency in lowering T_g as exhibited by di(2-ethylhexyl) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate is similar to that of its benzenoid analog, DOP, and was determined at 2.41 and 2.45°C per mass % plasticizer, respectively. All four furan diesters were found to be more compatible toward PVC than toward DOP, with dibutyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate the most highly compatible. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A New Perspective on Patterns of Aging in Europe by Education and Gender

In this paper, we use the concept of prospective age to illuminate patterns of aging by gender, and education in Europe. We find that, within countries, the patterns of aging of men and women with high education are comparatively similar to one another, but that the patterns of aging are quite dissimilar for men and women in the low education group. Across countries the patterns of aging become more similar as education levels increase. Thus, when we look across educational strata, we find increasing convergence in the pattern of aging both across countries and by gender within countries. The distinctive patterns of aging in the Eastern European countries are largely associated with the comparatively rapid aging of men in the low education category. If aging patterns by education persist, improvements in the education composition of Eastern European countries would result in the patterns of aging there becoming more similar to those in Western European countries.     

Ultrafast imaging of polyatomic molecules with simplex algorithm

A simplex algorithm used to solve molecular structure from asymptotic momentum values is reported. The geometry of ${\text{CO}}_2^{3+}$ molecular ions in linear and bent configurations is reconstructed. A polyatomic molecular ion with trigonal planar symmetry is used to demonstrate the scalability of the algorithm.     

Designing for attention with sound: challenges and extensions to ecological interface design

OBJECTIVE: We explore whether ecological interface design (EID) principles can be applied to the design of an auditory display for anesthesia monitoring. BACKGROUND: EID examples focus almost exclusively on visual displays. In the anesthesia work environment, however, auditory displays may provide better individual and team awareness of patient state. METHOD: Using a work domain analysis of physiological monitoring in anesthesia, we identify information to display. Using the skills, rules, and knowledge distinction we identify cognitive control needed. Using semantic mapping we map physiological variables and constraints to auditory dimensions. RESULTS: EID principles do not address when information should be displayed and to whom. An attentional mapping stage helps to specify answers to these questions so that a workable auditory display for anesthesia monitoring is achieved. CONCLUSION: EID principles of representing work domain functional structure and minimizing resource-demanding cognitive control are necessary but insufficient to specify requirements for an effective auditory display. Also needed are analyses of control tasks, strategies, and the social organization of work. Such analyses are an integral part of the broader cognitive work analysis framework from which EID emerged. APPLICATION: Actual or potential uses of this research include the design of displays that support continuous peripheral awareness in collaborative multimodal work environments.