Carboxymethyl cellulose on a fiber substrate: the interactions with cationic polyelectrolytes

High and low molecular weight (M_w) carboxymethyl celluloses (CMC) were adsorbed on a well-characterized fiber substrate (long fibers of a commercial bleached birch kraft pulp with the carboxylic acid groups in Na-form) to increase the charge of the fibers in a controlled fashion. The M_w played a role in the utilization of CMCs as a strength additive in paper sheets nearly doubling the tensile strength with the high M_w CMC. Swelling properties of the CMC treated fibers were measured with water retention value (WRV). The WRV increased more with the high M_w CMC. The swelling was further tuned by two highly cationic polyelectrolytes; high M_w poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and low M_w polybrene (hexadimethrine bromide, [3,6]-ionene). They were chosen because of their known ability to neutralize the anionic charge either exclusively on the surface or in the whole fiber, respectively. Adsorption of PDADMAC could reduce WRV of the CMC pre-treated fibers to the level of the untreated reference, while polybrene adsorbed pulps with 3–10 times more cationic polyelectrolyte deswelled the fibers only slightly more than the surface neutralized fibers. These results indicated surface conformation differences with low and high M_w CMCs. While the conformation did play a role after physical alteration (drying and rewetting) of the fibers, the paper sheets produced from these fibers showed remarkable differences. In extreme cases, the strength of the paper could be retained after drying (low M_w CMC + PDADMAC) or paper, resistant to disintegration, could be achieved (CMC + polybrene).     

Magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles

Fine particles of ZnFe₂O₄ were synthesized by a wet chemical method in the (80 wt.% Fe₂O₃ + 20 wt.% ZnO) system. The morphological and structural properties of the mixed system were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The major phase was determined to be the ZnFe₂O₄ spinel with particle size of 11 nm. The magnetic properties of the material were investigated by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in the temperature range from liquid helium to room temperature. A very intense, asymmetric FMR signal from ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was recorded, which has been analyzed in terms of two Callen-lineshape lines. Temperature dependence of the FMR parameters was obtained from fitting the experimental lines with two component lines. Analysis of the FMR spectra in terms of two separate components indicates the presence of strongly anisotropic magnetic interactions.     

A Polymer for Application as a Matrix Phase in a Concept of In Situ Curable Bioresorbable Bioactive Load-Bearing Continuous Fiber Reinforced Composite Fracture Fixation Plates

The use of bioresorbable fracture fixation plates made of aliphatic polyesters have good potential due to good biocompatibility, reduced risk of stress-shielding, and eliminated need for plate removal. However, polyesters are ductile, and their handling properties are limited. We suggested an alternative, PLAMA (PolyLActide functionalized with diMethAcrylate), for the use as the matrix phase for the novel concept of the in situ curable bioresorbable load-bearing composite plate to reduce the limitations of conventional polyesters. The purpose was to obtain a preliminary understanding of the chemical and physical properties and the biological safety of PLAMA from the prospective of the novel concept. Modifications with different molecular masses (PLAMA-500 and PLAMA-1000) were synthesized. The efficiency of curing was assessed by the degree of convergence (DC). The mechanical properties were obtained by tensile test and thermomechanical analysis. The bioresorbability was investigated by immersion in simulated body fluid. The biocompatibility was studied in cell morphology and viability tests. PLAMA-500 showed better DC and mechanical properties, and slower bioresorbability than PLAMA-1000. Both did not prevent proliferation and normal morphological development of cells. We concluded that PLAMA-500 has potential for the use as the matrix material for bioresorbable load-bearing composite fracture fixation plates.     

On the irreducibility of the two variable zeta-function for curves over finite fields

R. Pellikaan (Arithmetic, Geometry and Coding Theory, Vol.  4, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996, pp. 175–184) introduced a two variable zeta-function Z(t,u) for a curve over a finite field $\text{F}{}_{\mathrm{q}}$ which, for u=q, specializes to the usual zeta-function and he proved rationality: Z(t,u)=(1?t)^?1(1?ut)^?1P(t,u) with $\text{P(t,u)∈}\text{Z}\text{[t,u]}$. We prove that P(t,u) is absolutely irreducible. This is motivated by a question of J. Lagarias and E. Rains about an analogous two variable zeta-function for number fields. To cite this article: N. Naumann, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Facile synthesis of @-tide beta-strand peptidomimetics: improved assembly in solution and on solid phase

The synthesis of @-tide beta-strand peptidomimetics has been improved such that oligomers now can be obtained from solution- and solid-phase synthesis protocols approaching the efficiency and flexibility of peptide chemistry. These methods enable the synthesis of @-tide oligomers with a variety of amino acids and with lengths up to 13 units. [reaction: see text]     

Dual Effect of Manganese Oxide Micromotors: Catalytic Degradation and Adsorptive Bubble Separation of Organic Pollutants

Manganese oxide (MnO₂) based micromotors exhibiting a dual effect, that is, catalytic degradation and adsorptive bubble separation, were employed for water remediation. The dual effect of MnO₂ microparticles led to a greater than 90 % of decolorization of non‐biodegradable organic dyes in just 1 h, without the need for external agitation or bubble generation. These findings suggest high potential of MnO₂ micromotors for decontamination of organic pollutants from wastewaters or natural water reserves.     

Phase transitions induced by microscopic disorder: A study based on the order parameter expansion

Based on the order parameter expansion, we present an approximate method which allows us to reduce large systems of coupled differential equations with diverse parameters to three equations: one for the global, mean field, variable and two which describe the fluctuations around this mean value. The method is based on a systematic perturbation expansion and can be applied around the vicinity of the homogeneous state. With this tool we analyze phase transitions induced by microscopic disorder in three prototypical models of phase transitions which have been studied previously in the presence of thermal noise. We study how macroscopic order is induced or destroyed by time-independent local disorder and analyze the limits of the approximation by comparing the results with the numerical solutions of the self-consistency equation which arises from the property of self-averaging. Finally, we carry on a finite-size analysis of the numerical results and calculate the corresponding critical exponents.     

Ultrasonic spectroscopy of pure cyclic compounds

Ultrasonic studies of the group of halogens of benzene and particularly dependence of acoustic parameters on the structure of organic liquids, demonstrate some interesting regularities in the group of these compounds in gas and liquid states. In this paper results for five cyclic liquids: bromo-, chloro-, fluoro- and jodobenzene are discussed and compared to benzene. Vibrational relaxation was observed in all the compounds. The studies reported here as well as other experimental for great number of compounds support the conclusion that almost all vibrational relaxation processes in liquids can be described using a single relaxation time. It also seems that all vibrational degrees of freedom of the molecule take part in this vibrational process. It seems that differences in transition probabilities between molecules studied could be caused by additional attraction between of molecules having a significant dipole moments.