Elastic modulus of the crystalline phase of poly(cis 1,4-isoprene)

The crystalline elastic modulus of poly(cis 1,4-isoprene) has been measured by x rays and calculated by molecular mechanics. The experimental modulus is E = (2.3 ± 0.3) × 10⁹N m^?2. The calculated modulus is E = (8.8 ± 0.1) × 10⁹N m^?2 for chains in S⁺ cis S^?T conformation and E = (6.1 ± 0.1) × 10⁹N m^?2 for chains in S⁺ cis S+T conformation. The modulus calculated for a statistical structure including both conformation is E = (6.7 ± 0.1) × 10⁹N m^?2. The experimental modulus is thought to be a lower limit because of partial crystallinity of the sample. The chief mechanism of deformation is rotation around single bonds adjacent to the double bond.     

SAXS from a poly(amido-amine)-heparin complex in aqueous solutions: a comparison between two analysis methods

Summary Joerchel's method is applied to SAXS spectra of a poly(amido-amine)-heparin complex in aqueous non diluted solutions, showing a noticeable interference effect. The results are compared with those obtained by the classical Guinier analysis applied to diluted solutions of the complex.

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Zusammenfassung SAXS-Spektren eines Poly(amido-amin)-Heparin-Komplexes in nicht verdünnten wäßrigen Lösungen, die bemerkenswerte Interferenzeffekte zeigen, wurden mittels der Joerchel'schen Methode analysiert. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den durch die klassische Analyse von Guinier an verdünnten wäßrigen Komplexlösungen erhaltenen verglichen.

     

Small angle X-ray scattering investigations on vinylpyridine-butadiene rubbers

Methylvinylpyridine-butadiene copolymers vulcanized by various α, ω dibromo-alkanes were investigated by X-ray small angle scattering. In these systems, employing the Hosemann-Joerchel analysis, only one cluster dimension of about 45 Å has been found with a polydispersity not exceeding 35 per cent. Stretched rubbers show interference effects both in the meridional and equatorial directions.     

Enzymatic erosion of bioartificial membranes to control drug delivery

The preparation of an enzymatic controlled drug release system from blends of PVA/starch/alphaA, in the form of films, is described. It was shown that alphaA hydrolyses the starch within these films, resulting in a time-dependent change of the porosity in the matrix. Films were characterized by calorimetric analysis to study the interactions between the enzyme and the polymeric constituents at the molecular level. The presence of alphaA, in fact, influenced the PVA crystallization in the blends. Release tests and permeability experiments were carried out to evaluate the transport properties of the films. An increase in porosity and permeability was observed by increasing alphaA content (16-28 wt.-%). Films loaded with theophylline and caffeine were also prepared to analyze drug release properties of the matrix. Drug release kinetics were coherent with the measured changes in porosity: at higher alphaA concentrations the amount of released drug increased under the influence of diffusion and erosion processes. The results obtained are promising for the realization of drug delivery devices for a rapid release or for the release of poorly soluble drugs which usually remain entrapped in the matrix.SEM images of a PVA/starch/alphaA film before (A) and after (B) the erosion.     

Low-scale leptogenesis and the domain wall problem in models with discrete flavor symmetries

We propose a new mechanism for leptogenesis, which is naturally realized in models with a flavor symmetry based on the discrete group A₄$A_4$, where the symmetry breaking parameter also controls the Majorana masses for the heavy right-handed (RH) neutrinos. During the early universe, for T?TeV$T?\text{TeV}$, part of the symmetry is restored, due to finite temperature contributions, and the RH neutrinos remain massless and can be produced in thermal equilibrium even at temperatures well below the most conservative gravitino bounds. Below this temperature the phase transition occurs and they become massive, decaying out of equilibrium and producing the necessary lepton asymmetry. Unless the symmetry is broken explicitly by Planck-suppressed terms, the domain walls generated by the symmetry breaking survive till the quark–hadron phase transition, where they disappear due to a small energy splitting between the A₄$A_4$ vacua caused by the QCD anomaly.     

Micro‐Raman spectroscopy and VP‐SEM/EDS applied to the identification of mineral particles and fibres in histological sections

Histological sections of a patient affected by an important respiratory disease were analysed firstly by optical microscope(OM)—crossed polarisers—to identify the presence of incorporated inorganic particles, with particular attention to the fibrous ones. Then, the particles/fibres that were found were studied both with micro‐Raman spectroscopy and variable‐pressure scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (VP‐SEM/EDS). The two techniques allowed the in situ characterisation of the inorganic phases without disintegration of the organic matter. Micro‐Raman spectroscopy was able to identify the vibrating chemical groups of the mineral phase associated with the inorganic grain while the crystalline structure was preserved by the biological system. The VP‐SEM/EDS characterisation, defining the elemental chemical composition of the analysed particle/fibre, allowed confirmation of the mineral phase deducible from spectroscopic data or its identification with certainty when the spectroscopic data were not exhaustive. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling pedestrian dynamics into a metro station by thermostatted kinetic theory methods

This paper deals with the modelling of pedestrian dynamics at the entry of a metro station by means of the thermostatted kinetic theory framework. Specifically, the model depicts the time evolution of the pedestrian dynamics at the turnstiles under no panic conditions. The modelling of the microscopic interactions is based on the stochastic game theory and reflects the decision dynamics of the turnstiles pursued by pedestrians. A qualitative analysis is addressed to the equilibrium solutions by means of the classical stability theory of perturbations. Numerical simulations aim at showing the emerging behaviours captured by the model. In particular the model validation is obtained by performing a sensitivity analysis on the parameters and on the initial conditions. Further refinements and research perspective, including the modelling under panic conditions, are discussed in the last section of the paper.     

A Family of Fundamental Solutions of Elliptic Partial Differential Operators with Real Constant Coefficients

We present a construction of a family of fundamental solutions for elliptic partial differential operators with real constant coefficients. The elements of such a family are expressed by means of jointly real analytic functions of the coefficients of the operators and of the spatial variable. The aim is to write detailed expressions for such functions. Such expressions are then exploited to prove regularity properties in the frame of Schauder spaces and jump properties of the corresponding single layer potentials.