Effect of Butyl α-Hydroxymethyl Acrylate Monomer Structure on the Morphology Produced via Aqueous Emulsion Polymerization-induced Self-assembly

Polymerization-induced self-assembly(PISA) is an efficient and versatile method to afford polymeric nano-objects with polymorphic morphologies. Compared to dispersion PISA syntheses based on soluble monomers, the vast majority of emulsion PISA formulations using insoluble monomers leads to kinetically-trapped spheres. Herein, we present aqueous emulsion PISA formulations generating worms and vesicles besides spheres. Two monomers with different butyl groups, n-butyl(n BHMA) and tert-butyl(t BHMA) α-hydroxymethyl acrylate, and thus possessing different water solubilities were synthesized via Baylis-Hillman reaction. Photoinitiated aqueous emulsion polymerizations of n BHMA and t BHMA employing poly(ethylene glycol) macromolecular chain transfer agents(macro-CTAs, PEG45-CTA, and PEG113-CTA) at 40 °C were systematically investigated to evaluate the effect of monomer structure and solubility on the morphology of the generated block copolymer nano-objects. Higher order morphologies including worms and vesicles were readily accessed for t BHMA, which has a higher water solubility than that of n BHMA. This study proves that plasticization of the core-forming block by water plays a key role in enhancing chain mobility required for morphological transition in emulsion PISA.     

Tomographic probability representation for quantum fermion fields

Tomographic probability representation is introduced for fermion fields. The states of the fermions are mapped onto the probability distribution of discrete random variables (spin projections). The operators acting on the fermion states are described by fermionic tomographic symbols. The product of the operators acting on the fermion states is mapped onto the star-product of the fermionic symbols. The kernel of the star-product is obtained. The antisymmetry of the fermion states is formulated as a specific symmetry property of the tomographic joint probability distribution associated with the states.     

Evolution of probability measures associated with quantum systems

We derive the evolution equation for probability distributions and characteristic functions of the quantum tomograms associated with the linear and nonlinear evolutions of quantum states.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 142, No. 2, pp. 365–370, February, 2005.     

Nonlinear Channels of Werner States

We study the nonlinear positive map of the density matrix of two-qubit Werner states, called the nonlinear channel. The map ρ → Φ(ρ) is realized by the rational function Φ. We discuss the influence of the map on the entanglement properties of the transformed density matrix. We investigate the violation of the Bell inequality (CHSH inequality) for the two-qubit state Φ(ρ). The nonlinear channels under discussion create the entangled state from a separable Werner state. We study the quantum spin tomograms of the states.     

Accuracy and variability of acoustic measures of voicing onset

Five commonly used methods for determining the onset of voicing of syllable-initial stop consonants were compared. The speech and glottal activity of 16 native speakers of Cantonese with normal voice quality were investigated during the production of consonant vowel (CV) syllables in Cantonese. Syllables consisted of the initial consonants /ph/, /th/, /kh/, /p/, /t/, and /k/ followed by the vowel /a/. All syllables had a high level tone, and were all real words in Cantonese. Measurements of voicing onset were made based on the onset of periodicity in the acoustic waveform, and on spectrographic measures of the onset of a voicing bar (f0), the onset of the first formant (F1), second formant (F2), and third formant (F3). These measurements were then compared against the onset of glottal opening as determined by electroglottography. Both accuracy and variability of each measure were calculated. Results suggest that the presence of aspiration in a syllable decreased the accuracy and increased the variability of spectrogram-based measurements, but did not strongly affect measurements made from the acoustic waveform. Overall, the acoustic waveform provided the most accurate estimate of voicing onset; measurements made from the amplitude waveform were also the least variable of the five measures. These results can be explained as a consequence of differences in spectral tilt of the voicing source in breathy versus modal phonation.     

Effect of Ni doping on the phase stability and conductivity of scandia-stabilized zirconia

The effect of Ni doping on the phase stability and conductivity of scandia-stabilized zirconia (SSZ) thick film was studied. A free-standing 10SSZ thick-film (10 mol% Sc₂O₃-stabilized zirconia, ~ 10 μm thick) that was previously in contact with a Ni layer during co-firing was fabricated. The 10SSZ thick-film showed a cubic phase in contrast to the rhombohedral phase shown for a bulk 10SSZ sample. The Ni content in the SSZ thick film was ~ 1.7 mol%. The effect of Ni on the cubic phase formation was also confirmed by the similar observation of the cubic phase in the Ni-doped bulk 10SSZ sample. The observed conductivity behavior also supported the XRD observation. Ni was found to hinder the transformation of the cubic phase to the rhombohedral on cooling in 10SSZ samples after a reduction treatment.     

Bell-type inequalities and tomographic entropies of multiqudit states

Tomographic entropies of multiqudit systems are studied. A comparison of Shannon and von Neumann entropic inequalities with analogous inequalities for tomographic entropies is presented. An attempt to associate the violation of these and Bell-type inequalities of multipartite states is done within the framework of tomographic probability theory.     

Enhancements of rate capability and cyclic performance of spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 by trace Ru-doping

The rate capability and cyclic performance of the LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ under high current density have been significantly improved by doping a small amount of ruthenium (Ru). Specifically, Li_1.1Ni_0.35Ru_0.05Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.4Ru_0.05Mn_1.5O₄ synthesized by solid state reaction can respectively deliver a discharge capacity of 108 and 117 mAh g^?1 at 10 C rate between 3 and 5 V. At 10 C charge/discharge rate, Li_1.1Ni_0.35Ru_0.05Mn_1.5O₄ and LiNi_0.4Ru_0.05Mn_1.5O₄ can respectively maintain 91% and 84% of their initial capacity after 500 cycles, demonstrating that Ru-doping could be a way to enhance the electrochemical performance of spinel LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄.     

Biodegradable Sodium Alginate/Carrageenan/Cellulose Composite Hydrogel Wound Dressings Containing Herbal Extracts for Promoting Blood Coagulation and Wound Healing

Accelerating the coagulation process and preventing wound infection are major challenges in the wound care process. Therefore, new multifunctional wound dressings with procoagulant, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties have enormous potential for clinical application. In this work, biodegradable hydrogels containing herbal extracts are prepared for wound dressings. First, the active ingredients are extracted from Amaranthus spinosus (A. spinosus) and Rubia cordifolia (R. cordifolia) and added to the hydrogels prepared from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), carrageenan, and sodium alginate. Then the composite hydrogels are air-dried to obtain the wound dressings. The wound dressings prepared in this work have good biocompatibility and moisture retention. The mechanical properties of the wound dressings are further improved with the addition of MCC. Besides, the wound dressings have excellent procoagulant, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties due to the presence of R. cordifolia extract. Overall, the most effective group of wound dressings with different ingredient formulations reduces clotting time by 75% and largely inhibits bacterial growth. The wound dressings perform well in the animal wound models to promote wound healing. These results indicate that the hydrogel wound dressings prepared in this work have great potential for medical applications.