Synthesis of some chiral liquid crystals and study of the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bonding on the phase behaviour

The synthesis of three new series of chiral Schiff's bases containing benzilideneaniline and 2-hydroxybenzilideneaniline moieties as mesogenic cores is presented. Differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to study the phase transition temperatures and behaviour. The results reveal that most of these materials show chiral smectic mesomorphism.     

Role of Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange system in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion damage

Results from a systematic experiment on isolated perfused rat heart and isolated myocytes of adult rat showed that the mechanism of calcium influx during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion is due to the development of intracellular sodium overload during ischemic period; on reperfusion, the high intracellular Na+ content activated the reverse direction of Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange over myocardial sarcolemma (SL), thus a large quantity of extracellular Ca2+ fluxed over the SL to the intracellular space, forming a condition of intracellular Ca2+ overload, which leads to irreversible damage of the myocardium.     

Studies on the chemical constituents of the South China Sea sponge Phacellia fusca

Three pyrrololactam alkaloids have been isolated from the marine sponge Phacellia fusca Schmidt collected from the South China Sea, and their structures were determined as 1–3 , on the grounds of spectral data. This is the first report of these compounds from this sponge. The structure of 1 was confirmed by X-ray analysis.     

Highly soluble and optically transparent poly (ether imide)s based on 2,6‐ or 2,7‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)naphthalene dianhydride and aromatic bis(ether amine)s bearing trifluoromethyl groups

Two series of novel fluorinated poly(ether imide)s (coded IIIA and IIIB ) were prepared from 2,6‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)naphthalene dianhydride and 2,7‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)naphthalene dianhydride, respectively, with various trifluoromethyl‐substituted aromatic bis(ether amine)s by a standard two‐step process with thermal or chemical imidization of the poly(amic acid) precursors. These fluorinated poly(ether imide)s showed good solubility in many organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films. These films were nearly colorless, with an ultraviolet–visible absorption edge of 364–386 nm. They also showed good thermal stability with glass‐transition temperatures of 221–298 °C, 10% weight loss temperatures in excess of 489 °C, and char yields at 800 °C in nitrogen greater than 50%. The 2,7‐substituted IIIB series also showed better solubility and higher transparency than the isomeric 2,6‐substituted IIIA series. In comparison with nonfluorinated poly (ether imide)s, the fluorinated IIIA and IIIB series showed better solubility, higher transparency, and lower dielectric constants and water absorption. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5909–5922, 2006     

Preparation and characterization of rigid poly(vinyl chloride)/MMT nanocomposites. II. XRD,morphological and mechanical characteristics

A Haake torque rheometer equipped with an internal mixer is used to study the influence of the amount of sodium montmorillonite (Na⁺‐MMT) and organically modified MMT (O‐MMT) on X‐ray diffraction (XRD), morphology, and mechanical characteristics of rigid poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites, respectively. Results of XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that MMT is partially encapsulated and intercalated in the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT nanocomposites. However, results of XRD and TEM show MMT is partially intercalated and exfoliated in the rigid PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites. Tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at break of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites were improved simultaneously with adding 1–3 wt % Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT with respect to that of pristine PVC. However, the addition of Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT should be kept as not more than 3 wt % to optimize the mechanical properties and the processing stability of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites. SEM micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites both before and after tensile tests were also illustrated and compared. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2145–2154, 2006     

Model and empirical study on some collaboration networks

In this paper we present an empirical study of a few practical systems described by cooperation networks, and propose a model to understand the results obtained. We study four non-social systems, which are the Bus Route Networks of Beijing and Yangzhou, the Travel Route Network of China, Huai-Yang recipes of Chinese cooked food, and a social system, which is the Collaboration Network of Hollywood Actors. In order to explain the results related to the degree distribution, act-degree distribution and act-size distribution (especially about the degree distribution, which may be better fitted using a stretched exponential distribution (SED)), we suggest a simple model to show a possible evolutionary mechanism for the emergence of such networks. The analytic and numerical results obtained from the model are in good agreement with the empirical results.     

LIMITING BEHAVIOR OF UNIFORM RECURSIVE TREES

The authors consider the limiting behavior of various branches in a uniform recursive tree with size growing to infinity.The limiting distribution ofζ_(n,m),the number of branches with size m in a uniform recursive tree of order n,converges weakly to a Poisson distribution with parameter 1/m with convergence of all moments.The size of any large branch tends to infinity almost surely.     

Polarization density matrix forZ decay intoWff' with generalZWW couplings

We give the polarization density matrix ofZ andW for the decay processZ ⁰→Wff' with generalZWW couplings. The matrix elements are expressed in terms of kinematical invariants so that they can be readily used in \(p\bar p \to Z^0 W\) as well. Using these formulas, we analyze the possibilities of probing theZWW couplings through the decay of polarizedZ ⁰.