Metal ion complexation by acyclic polyethers with lipophilic amide, thioamide, and amine end groups

A series of acyclic polyethers with lipophilic amide, thioamide, and amine end groups was synthesized. Metal ion transport across bulk liquid membranes and measurement of thermodynamic parameters for ligand-metal ion complexation by titration calorimetry show strong selectivity for complexation of lead ion over other metal ion species for the diamide ligand. Lead ion complexation by the acyclic polyether diamide involves the amide oxygens and silver ion coordination by a dithioamide analog involves the thioamide sulfurs. With a proper length of the ethereal linkage, the ligand wraps around the metal ion in a pseudocyclic fashion.     

NADPH oxidase activation contributes to native low-density lipoprotein-induced proliferation of human aortic smooth muscle cells

Elevated plasma concentration of native low-density lipoprotein (nLDL) is associated with vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) activation and cardiovascular disease. We investigated the mechanisms of superoxide generation and its contribution to pathophysiological cell proliferation in response to nLDL stimulation. Lucigenin-induced chemiluminescence was used to measure nLDL-induced superoxide production in human aortic smooth muscle cells (hAoSMCs). Superoxide production was increased by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and decreased by NADPH oxidase inhibitors in nLDL-stimulated hAoSMC and hAoSMC homogenates, as well as in prepared membrane fractions. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2), protein kinase C-θ (PKCθ) and protein kinase C-β (PKCβ) were phosphorylated and maximally activated within 3 min of nLDL stimulation. Phosphorylated Erk1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase, PKCθ and PKCβ stimulated interactions between p47phox and p22phox; these interactions were prevented by MEK and PKC inhibitors (PD98059 and calphostin C, respectively). These inhibitors decreased nLDL-dependent superoxide production and blocked translocation of p47phox to the membrane, as shown by epifluorescence imaging and cellular fractionation experiments. Proliferation assays showed that a small interfering RNA against p47phox, as well as superoxide scavenger and NADPH oxidase inhibitors, blocked nLDL-induced hAoSMC proliferation. The nLDL stimulation in deendothelialized aortic rings from C57BL/6J mice increased dihydroethidine fluorescence and induced p47phox translocation that was blocked by PD98059 or calphostin C. Isolated aortic SMCs from p47phox^−/− mice (mAoSMCs) did not respond to nLDL stimulation. Furthermore, NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1) was responsible for superoxide generation and cell proliferation in nLDL-stimulated hAoSMCs. These data demonstrated that NADPH oxidase activation contributed to cell proliferation in nLDL-stimulated hAoSMCs.     

Temperature‐dependent desorption of surfactants in LLDPE blend films

The temperature‐dependent desorption behavior of surfactants in linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) blend films was studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at 25, 40, and 50 °C. The LLDPE/low‐density polyethylene blend was 70/30. Three different specimens (labeled II, III, and IV) were prepared with various compositions of the surfactant, sorbitan palmitate (SPAN‐40), and the migration controller, poly(ethylene acrylic acid) (EAA). The calculated diffusion coefficients of SPAN‐40 in specimens II, III, and IV at 25, 40, and 50 °C varied from 9.6 × 10⁻¹² to 17.4 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, from 5.5 × 10⁻¹² to 11.0 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, and from 3.1 × 10⁻¹² to 5.8 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, respectively. In addition, the activation energies of specimens II, III, and IV measured between 25 and 50 °C were 18.74, 19.42, and 20.14, respectively. Hence, the desorption rate of the surfactant increased with the temperature and decreased with an addition of EAA, but the activation energy increased with EAA. The diffusion kinetics, analyzed with a plot of the integrated intensity ratio as a function of time, log(I_t/I_∞) versus log t, at 25, 40, and 50 °C obeyed Fickian diffusion behavior. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 218–227, 2001     

Bibliometric Analysis of Information Theoretic Studies

Statistical information theory is a method for quantifying the amount of stochastic uncertainty in a system. This theory originated in communication theory. The application of information theoretic approaches has been extended to different fields. This paper aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of information theoretic publications listed on the Scopus database. The data of 3701 documents were extracted from the Scopus database. The software used for analysis includes Harzing’s Publish or Perish and VOSviewer. Results including publication growth, subject areas, geographical contributions, country co-authorship, most cited publications, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and citation metrics are presented in this paper. Publication growth has been steady since 2003. The United States has the highest number of publications and received more than half of the total citations from all 3701 publications. Most of the publications are in computer science, engineering, and mathematics. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China have the highest collaboration across countries. The focus on information theoretic is slowly shifting from mathematical models to technology-driven applications such as machine learning and robotics. This study highlights the trends and developments of information theoretic publications, which helps researchers to understand the state of the art of information theoretic approaches for future contributions in this research domain.     

Reactive Compatibilization of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/Polypropylene Blends by Polypropylene‐graft‐Maleic Anhydride. Part 1. Rheology,Morphology, Melting,and Mechanical Properties

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/polypropylene (PTT/PP) blends were prepared by melt blending. The rheology, morphology, melting, and mechanical properties of PTT/PP blends were investigated with and without the addition of polypropylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride (PP‐g‐MAH). The melt viscosity results showed that the fluid behavior of PTT/PP blends exhibited great disparity to that of PTT but similar to that of PP; the dispersed flexible PP phase in the blends served as a “ball bearing effect” under shear stress, which made the fluid resistance markedly reduced; by contrast, the relatively rigid PTT dispersed phase made only a small contribution to the viscosity. With 5 wt.% PP‐g‐MAH addition during melt processing, both the shear viscosity and the non‐Newtonian index of 70/30 PTT/PP blend were increased over that of the corresponding uncompatibilized one, whereas the shear viscosity of the 30/70 PTT/PP melt decreased slightly indicating that a considerable amount of PP‐g‐MAH did not act as compatibilizer but probably served as plasticizer.

With the increasing of the other component, the melting temperature of the PTT phase showed a slight decrease while the melting temperature of the PP phase showed a slight increase. 5 wt.% PP‐g‐MAH addition had little influence on the melting temperatures of the two components. When PP≤20 wt.%, the cold crystallization temperature of the PTT phase (T_cc (PTT‐phase)) showed little change with the composition; however, it shifted to higher temperature when PP≥30 wt.%. The variations of the T_cc (PTT‐phase), with and without PP‐g‐MAH, suggested that, when PTT was a minor component, the excess PP‐g‐MAH which did not act as compatibilizer might serve as a plasticizer that made the PTT's cold crystallization process to be easier. The SEM results indicated that, for the uncompatibilized blends, the interfaces from particles pulling‐out are clear and smooth, while, for compatibilized blends, the reactive products are at the interfaces. The mechanical properties suggested that PP‐g‐MAH did not result in significant improvement of the toughness of the blend, but the tensile strength increased markedly.     

High power efficiency solution‐processed double‐layer blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diode by controlling charge transport at the emissive layer and heterojunction

We have demonstrated an effective method of enhancing the power efficiency of double–emissive solution‐processed blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diode (PHOLED) by controlling the charge transport in the heterojunction and emissive layer. The first emissive layer consists of poly(vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and bis(4,6 difluorophenylpyridinato‐N,C2)picolinatoiridium (FIrpic) mixed with 4,4′,4″‐tris(N‐carbazolyl)‐triphenylamine (TCTA) or 1,3‐bis[(4‐tert‐ butylphenyl)‐1,3,4 oxidiazolyl] phenylene (OXD‐7). The second layer consists of an alcohol‐soluble 2,7‐bis(diphenylphosphoryl)‐9,9′‐spirobi[fluorene] (SPPO13) and FIrpic blend. The incorporation of OXD‐7 into PVK blurs the interface between the emissive layers and widens the recombination zone while blending TCTA into PVK reduces the hole‐ injection barrier from PEDOT:PSS to PVK. By adding TCTA or OXD‐7 into the first emissive layer, we have achieved a power efficiency of 10 lm/W and 11 lm/W, respectively, at 1000 cd/m².

     

Turn‐On Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Selective Discrimination of Cr3+ from Fe3+ in Aqueous Media for Living Cell Imaging

Pyrene‐based turn‐on ratiometric fluorescent probe 1 demonstrates high sensitivity and exceptional selectivity toward Cr³⁺ in the presence of other metals, including Fe³⁺ in aqueous media. Interaction of Cr³⁺ with probe 1 brings pyrene moieties close enough to have better aligned π–π stacking, thus enhancing the excimer peak many fold. On the other hand, the interaction of Fe³⁺ with probe 1 brings forth a negligible difference in stacking, resulting in an insignificant change in fluorescence intensity. Exceptional selectivity of probe 1 with Cr³⁺ over Fe³⁺ and other metals has been confirmed by theoretical studies in addition to experimental results. Imaging of HeLa cells observed by confocal fluorescence microscopy reveals that probe 1 can be used to monitor Cr³⁺ in live cells to map its subcellular distribution.     

Performance Evaluation of Construction Companies Using Integrated Entropy–Fuzzy VIKOR Model

The construction sector plays an important role in a country’s economic development. The financial performance of a company is a good indicator of its financial health and status. In Malaysia, the government encourages the construction industry to develop an advanced infrastructure related to health, transport, education and housing. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the operations and financial performance of construction sector companies have been affected recently. Additionally, uncertainty plays a vital role in the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process. Based on previous studies, there has been no comprehensive study conducted on the evaluation of the financial performance of construction companies by integrating entropy and fuzzy VIKOR models. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an MCDM model to evaluate and compare the financial performance of construction companies with an integrated entropy–fuzzy VIKOR model. A case study is carried out by evaluating the listed construction companies in Malaysia with the proposed model. The findings of this paper indicate that the company ECONBHD achieves the best financial performance over the study period. The significance of this paper is to determine the priority of the financial ratios and ranking of the construction companies with the proposed entropy–fuzzy VIKOR model.     

Chiral Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity: Selective Membrane Permeation of Enantiomers

Following its resolution by diastereomeric complexation, 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐1,1′‐spirobisindane (TTSBI) was used to synthesize a chiral ladder polymer, (+)‐ PIM‐CN . (+)‐ PIM‐COOH was also synthesized by the acid hydrolysis of (+)‐ PIM‐CN . Following characterization, both (+)‐ PIM‐CN and (+)‐ PIM‐COOH were solvent cast directly into semipermeable membranes and evaluated for their ability to enable the selective permeation of a range of racemates, including mandelic acid (Man), Fmoc‐phenylalanine, 1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol (binol), and TTSBI. High ee values were observed for a number of analytes, and both materials exhibited high permeation rates. A selective diffusion–permeation mechanism was consistent with the results obtained with these materials. Their high permeability, processability, and ease of chemical modification offer considerable potential for liquid‐phase membrane separations and related separation applications.     

Oxidative Chlorination of Acetanilides with Hydrogen Chloride/m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid/N,N-Dimethylformamide System

The reaction of acetanilides with relevant amounts of HCI and m-chloroperbenzoic acid in DMF at room temperature gave the desired chloro-substituted acetanilides in good yields.