Approximation by walsh-kaczmarz-fejér means on the hardy space

The main aim of this paper is to find necessary and sufficient conditions for the convergence of Walsh-Kaczmarz-Fejér means in the terms of the modulus of continuity on the Hardy spaces H_p, when 0<p≤ 1/2.     

Preparation and Characterization of Isotactic Polypropylene Reinforced with Hydroxyapatite Nanorods

Isotactic polypropylene (PP) composites filled with hydroxyapatite nanorods (nHAs) were fabricated using a melt compounding process. The effects of nHA additions on the structure, thermal, and mechanical properties as well as bioactivity of PP were investigated. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry results showed that PP crystallized exclusively in the α-form when adding nHAs. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that nHAs enhanced the storage modulus of PP. Mechanical measurements showed that nHAs stiffened and reinforced PP but reduced its tensile ductility and impact strength considerably. Furthermore, the PP/nHA nanocomposites were found to exhibit excellent bioactivity upon immersion in a simulated body fluid solution. This was attributed to the formation of apatite mineral crystals on the nanocomposite surfaces as revealed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis.     

Impact of chain architecture (branching) on the thermal and mechanical behavior of polystyrene thin films

The modulus and glass transition temperature (T_g) of ultrathin films of polystyrene (PS) with different branching architectures are examined via surface wrinkling and the discontinuity in the thermal expansion as determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry, respectively. Branching of the PS is systematically varied using multifunctional monomers to create comb, centipede, and star architectures with similar molecular masses. The bulk‐like (thick film) T_g for these polymers is 103 ± 2 °C and independent of branching and all films thinner than 40 nm exhibit reductions in T_g. There are subtle differences between the architectures with reductions in T_g for linear (25 °C), centipede (40 °C), comb (9 °C), and 4 armed star (9 °C) PS for ≈ 5 nm films. Interestingly, the room temperature modulus of the thick films is dependent upon the chain architecture with the star and comb polymers being the most compliant (≈2 GPa) whereas the centipede PS is most rigid (≈4 GPa). The comb PS exhibits no thickness dependence in moduli, whereas all other PS architectures examined show a decrease in modulus as the film thickness is decreased below ～40 nm. We hypothesize that the chain conformation leads to the apparent susceptibility of the polymer to reductions in moduli in thin films. These results provide insight into potential origins for thickness dependent properties of polymer thin films. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Wrinkle morphologies with two distinct wavelengths

Wrinkles with two distinct wavelengths formed sequentially on the same surface are investigated. A series of aligned wrinkles are formed through local strain application on a partially crosslinked elastomer. After the formation of these primary wrinkles, the elastomer is fully crosslinked, and a mechanical compressive strain is applied to the sample orthogonal to the primary wrinkles. This mechanical strain results in smaller secondary wrinkles superimposed on the larger primary aligned wrinkles. Resulting biaxial morphologies suggest that the primary pattern directs the formation of the smaller wrinkles. The modulus mismatch of the substrate on primary and secondary wrinkle formation dictates the ratio between the two resulting wavelengths, as well as the specific biaxial morphologies, ranging from zigzag ridges to ellipsoidal bumps or corn‐on‐the‐cob structures to the classic herringbone. The sequential strain wrinkling process has the potential to be used on an industrial scale for the facile formation of surface topography with two discrete, tunable lateral dimensions over large surface areas. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Treatment by serum up-conversion nanoparticles in the fluoride matrix changes the mechanism of cell death and the elasticity of the membrane

Nanoparticles are increasingly being used for treatment and diagnostic purposes, but their effects on cells is not fully understood. Here, the interaction of fluorescent up-conversion nanoparticles (UpC-NPs) with neutrophils was investigated by imaging and measurement of membrane-cytosceletal elasticity by atomic force microscopy. It was found that UpC-NPs induce the death of neutrophils mainly by necrosis, and to a smaller extent by a novel process called ‘mummification'. Necrosis occurs by gradual loss of intracellular contents and nuclei, 45–110 min after exposure to UpC-NPs. Mummification is apparent as an increase in the rigidity of the neutrophils' membrane and acquisition of a characteristic bumpy shape with numerous protrusions; this structure does not change during atomic force microscopy scanning. Coating UpC-NPs with protein by incubation with serum leads to (1) formation of nanoparticle aggregates in the nm and μm size range, (2) a reduction in toxicity, (3) reduced mummification of neutrophils, and (4) no significant reduction of the elasticity of the membrane-cytoskeletal complex of neutrophils 30 min after exposure to coated UpC-NPs. The study shows that serum proteins greatly curb the toxicity of nanoparticles and reveals mummification as a novel mechanism of UpC-NP-induced cell death.     

Bulk and shear rheology of silica/polystyrene nanocomposite: Reinforcement and dynamics

Bulk and shear rheological studies were performed on a 10 wt % silica nanoparticle‐filled polystyrene nanocomposite. The limiting moduli in glassy and rubbery states are higher for the nanocomposite than for the neat polymer; the increase is consistent with hydrodynamic reinforcement and is slightly higher than the lower bound of the rule of mixtures prediction. All evidence indicates that the presence of nanoparticles does not significantly change the polymer dynamics associated with glass transition, except to increase the T_g by 3 K. Comparison of the bulk and shear retardation spectra suggests that the underlying mechanisms for both responses are similar at short times and that the long‐time chain modes available to the shear are not available to the bulk, consistent with Plazek's earlier findings. In addition, T ? T_g and TV^γ scaling, along with the findings of thermorheological complexity, are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 621–632     

Polymer physics inspired approaches for the study of the mechanical properties of amyloid fibrils

Amyloid structures constitute a class of highly ordered nanomaterials formed by insoluble protein aggregates. These aggregates are characterized by a cross‐β structural motif in which β‐sheets are oriented perpendicular to the fibril axis and bound together by a dense hydrogen bonding network. Although they have been associated with several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, amyloid fibrils have also been found in many physiologically beneficial roles, for instance in adhesives and hormone storage. Inspired by this natural occurrence of functional amyloid, the hierarchal self‐assembly of these structures has recently been used to develop artificial biomaterials for applications in medicine and nanotechnology. In order to realize the full potential of amyloids as functional materials, it is important to understand their fundamental mechanical properties. This review explores a range of experimental strategies to determine the mechanical properties of amyloid fibrils and discusses the results in the context of polymer physics concepts. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 281–292     

Electrical Impedance Spectroscopic Study of CNT/Ethylene-alt-CO/Propylene-alt-CO Polyketones Nanocomposite

Impedance spectroscopy was utilized to investigate the dielectric properties, ac conductivity and charge transport mechanisms in propylene-alt-CO/ethylene-alt-CO (EPEC) random terpolymer filled with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as a function of nanofiller content, frequency, and temperature. Equivalent resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit models were proposed to describe the impedance characteristics of the unfilled terpolymer and the nanocomposite at different temperatures. For the nanocomposites, the ac conductivity tended to be frequency independent at low frequencies. At high frequencies, the ac conductivity increased with frequency. The dc conductivity (i.e., plateau of the ac conductivity at low frequencies) at room temperature increased from 10^?9 (Ω·m)^?1 for the unfilled polymer to l0^?3 (Ω·m)^?1 for the 6 wt% MWCNT/EPEC nanocomposite. At low temperatures, the equivalent RC model for EPEC-0 and EPEC-2 was found to consist of a parallel RC circuit. However, for 6 wt% MWCNT/EPEC nanocomposite, an RC model consisting of an R/constant phase element (CPE) circuit and a resistor in series was required to describe the impedance behavior of the nanocomposite.     

Skin Constituents as Cosmetic Ingredients. Part II: A Study of Bio‐Mimetic Monoglycerides Behavior at the Squalene‐Water Interface by the “Pendant Drop” Method in a Dynamic Mode

This work aims at presenting the viscoelastic behavior of bio‐mimetic monoglycerides used as emulsifier in a mixture made of two non‐miscible liquids, squalene and water. The measurement of the interfacial tension, carried out by the “pendant drop” method in “dynamic” mode, made it possible to characterize these amphiphilic molecules according to the value of their elastic modulus, ?, as well as their relaxation time, τ_R.

The analysis of these parameters, as well as those developed in the previous publication [L. Blasco et al. (2006) Skin constituents as cosmetic ingredients. Part I: A Study of bio‐mimetic monoglyceride behavior at the squalene‐water interface by the “pendant drop” method in a static mode. J. Dispers. Sci. Technol., 27(6).] shows that the hydrocarbon chain structure, such as its length, the presence of one or more unsaturations, hydroxyl function, affects the behavior of surfactant molecules at the squalene/water interface.     

pH响应性P(MMA-co-MAA-co-HEMA)微凝胶的制备及其性能

利用预乳化乳液法制备了不同单体配比的聚(甲基丙烯酸甲酯-co-甲基丙烯酸-co-甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯)(P(MMA-co-MAA-co-HEMA))微凝胶分散液;采用透射电子显微镜、动态光散射仪研究了微凝胶的微观形态、粒径大小及其溶胀率;利用试管倒转法对微凝胶分散液的凝胶化相转变行为进行了研究,借助椎板流变仪考察了所形成胶态凝胶的储能模量与单体配比、微凝胶分散液浓度和温度的关系.结果表明,所制备的微凝胶的数均粒径为90 nm左右,当MMA与MAA的投料质量不变时,随着HEMA含量的增加,分散液凝胶化所需的临界最小浓度增大,临界最大pH值减小,胶态凝胶的储能模量增加.当保持单体MMA与HEMA的投料质量不变时,随着单体MAA投料质量的增多,微凝胶的数均粒径和溶胀率增大,胶态凝胶的储能模量先升高后降低;当MAA占单体总摩尔数的25%时,浓度为15 wt%的微凝胶分散液在扫描频率为100 rad/s时,胶态凝胶的储能模量最高可达2×104Pa.这类微凝胶分散液在组织工程支架材料方面有潜在的应用价值.