Luttinger liquid with asymmetric dispersion

We present an extension of the Tomonaga-Luttinger model in which left and right-moving particles have different Fermi velocities. We derive expressions for one-particle Green's functions, momentum-distributions, density of states, charge compressibility and conductivity as functions of both the velocity difference ε and the strength of the interaction β. This allows us to identify a novel restricted region in the parameter space in which the system keeps the main features of a Luttinger liquid but with an unusual behavior of the density of states and the static charge compressibility κ. In particular κ diverges on the boundary of the restricted region, indicating the occurrence of a phase transition. Received 20 May 2002 / Received in final form 23 August 2002 Published online 19 November 2002     

Efficient synthesis of an aldehyde‐capped polythiophene containing fluorinated electron‐withdrawing groups

To incorporate an acceptor type polythiophene segment onto a supramolecular block copolymer for potential light harvesting applications, effective synthetic routes for the end‐functionalized and acceptor‐substituted polythiophenes are critical. The Ullmann coupling reaction can be utilized to obtain electron‐deficient polythiophenes and to attach terminal thiophene units that carry functional groups. In this article, the reactions involving a 2,5‐dibromothiophene monomer containing an electron‐withdrawing fluorinated ester and 5‐bromo‐2‐thiophenecarboxaldehyde (the end‐capper) were studied in detail. It was found that the Ullmann coupling reaction of the dibromide is very fast (completed in a few minutes) and the terminal bromine group does not survive long under the reaction condition. These findings lead to the development of an effective procedure for aldehyde end‐capping of electron‐deficient polythiophenes. Polymers with molecular weights around 4000 Da are routinely obtained. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 41–47, 2007     

Mathematical modelling and analytical solution for workpiece temperature in grinding

This paper deals with modelling the workpiece temperature field produced during the grinding process. The proposed model is given in terms of a two-dimensional boundary-value problem where the interdependence among the grinding wheel, the workpiece and the coolant is described by two variable functions in the boundary condition. An explicit integral form solution is constructed using the Laplace and Fourier transforms and the Green’s function method.     

Efficiency and effectiveness of Spanish football teams: a three-stage-DEA approach

In this paper, we apply a three-stage-DEA model to the Spanish Professional Football League, which means separating the teams’ economic behaviour into three components: operating efficiency—of the offence and defence—athletic or operating effectiveness, and social effectiveness. The results showed that the technical inefficiency of the defence is greater than that of the offence, both being caused by aspects linked to the poor management of players’ abilities and by the football team’s size. Teams showed a favourable evolution of their offensive and defensive efficiency during the 2004/2005 season and to a lesser extent in the season before. The point system assigned by the professional football league regulations evaluates the teams’ athletic effectiveness, but we detected that the teams with the most experience perform athletically in a more effective manner. Their social effectiveness is strongly related to the level of play in itself and to factors linked to their PFL ranking: participation in international competitions for important football teams; or the struggle of minor football teams to stay in the first division.     

Stability control of the electrooptic effect with new maleimide copolymers containing photoreactive tricyanopyrrolidene‐based chromophores

New photocrosslinkable maleimide copolymers have been synthesized by the attachment of a tricyanopyrrolidene‐based chromophore. The 2‐(3‐cyano‐4‐(2‐{4‐[hexyl‐(6‐hydroxy‐hexyl)‐amino]‐phenyl}‐vinyl)‐5‐oxo‐1‐{4‐[4‐(3‐oxo‐3‐phenyl‐propenyl)‐ phenoxy]‐butyl}‐1,5‐dihydro‐pyrrol‐2‐ylidene)‐malononitrile chromophore exhibits nonlinear optical activity and contains a chalcone moiety that is sensitive to UV light (λ = 330–360 nm) for crosslink formation. The maleimide monomers have also been functionalized with chalcone moieties. The resultant copolymers exhibit great processability, and one of them shows a maximum electrooptic coefficient of 90 pm/V at 1300 nm. We could control the thermal stability of the electrooptic coefficient with the newly synthesized photoreactive copolymers successfully. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 531–542, 2007     

Degradative chain transfer in vinyl acetate polymerizations using toluene as solvent

In this work, we propose that retardation in vinyl acetate polymerization rate in the presence of toluene is due to degradative chain transfer. The transfer constant to toluene (C_trs) determined using the Mayo method is equal to 3.8 × 10^?3, which is remarkably similar to the value calculated from the rate data, assuming degradative chain transfer (2.7 × 10^?3). Simulations, including chain‐length‐dependent termination, were carried out to compare our degradative chain transfer model with experimental results. The conversion–time profiles showed excellent agreement between experiment and simulation. Good agreement was found for the M_n data as a function of conversion. The experimental and simulation data strongly support the postulate that degradative chain transfer is the dominant kinetic mechanism. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3620–3625, 2007     

Glass transitions and mixed phases in block SBS

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) does not allow for easy determination of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the polystyrene (PS) block in styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) block copolymers. Modulated DSC (MDSC), which deconvolutes the standard DSC signal into reversing and nonreversing signals, was used to determine the (T_g) of both the polybutadiene (PB) and PS blocks in SBS. The T_g of the PB block was sharp, at ?92 °C, but that for the PS blocks was extremely broad, from ?60 to 125 °C with a maximum at 68 °C because of blending with PB. PS blocks were found only to exist in a mixed PS–PB phase. This concurred with the results from dynamic mechanical analysis. Annealing did not allow for a segregation of the PS blocks into a pure phase, but allowed for the segregation of the mixed phase into two mixed phases, one that was PB‐rich and the other that was PS‐rich. It is concluded that three phases coexist in SBS: PB, PB‐rich, and PS‐rich phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 276–279, 2005     

Quantification of trace elements in human serum fractions by liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

On‐line coupling of LC and ICP‐MS has been used for fractionation and detection of species of Cu, Fe, I, Se and Zn in human serum. It has been shown that anion exchange chromatography provided better separation capability (both intra‐ and inter‐element) than size‐exclusion chromatography. The mobile phases for ion exchange chromatography consisted of Tris–HNO₃ buffer and ammonium salt (nitrate, acetate or formate). Formate was found to be the best mobile phase counter ion, enabling good chromatographic separation, and is acceptable for mass spectrometry too. The quantitative evaluation of element concentrations adhering to individual fractions was performed by the peak area normalization method. The repeatability of results ranged from 3 to 15% (depending on the element concentration level) and represented the main part of the result uncertainty. The accuracy of Cu and Zn fraction determinations was confirmed by comparison with the isotope dilution technique. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure of norbornene-fused 3,1-oxazine double cycloadducts

Pentacyclic isoxazolines were obtained by the cycloaddition of benzonitrile oxide to norbornene-azetidinone-fused 3,1-oxazines. The constitutions of two of the isomers obtained, and the configurations and conformations of all products, were determined by means of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and DNOE experiments.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)/layered double hydroxide nanocomposites

Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanocomposites were prepared by mixing PHB and poly(ethylene glycol) phosphonates (PEOPAs)‐modified LDH (PMLDH) in chloroform solution. Both X‐ray diffraction data and TEM micrographs of PHB/PMLDH nanocomposites indicate that the PMLDHs are randomly dispersed and exfoliated into the PHB matrix. In this study, the effect of PMLDH on the isothermal crystallization behavior of PHB was investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy. Isothermal crystallization results of PHB/PMLDH nanocomposites show that the addition of 2 wt % PMLDH into PHB induced more heterogeneous nucleation in the crystallization significantly increasing the crystallization rate and reducing their activation energy. By adding more PMLDH into the PHB probably causes more steric hindrance of the diffusion of PHB, reducing the transportation ability of polymer chains during crystallization, thus increasing the activation energy. The correlation among crystallization kinetics, melting behavior and crystalline structure of PHB/PMLDH nanocomposites can also be discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3337–3347, 2006