Melting behaviors,crystallization kinetics,and spherulitic morphologies of poly(butylene succinate) and its copolyester modified with rosin maleopimaric acid anhydride

This article investigated the melting behaviors, crystallization kinetics, and spherulitic morphologies of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and its copolyester (PBSR) modified with rosin maleopimaric acid anhydride, using wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and polarized optical microscope. Subsequent DSC scans of isothermally crystallized PBS and PBSR exhibited two melting endotherms, respectively, which was due to the melt‐recrystallization process occurring during the DSC scans. The equilibrium melting point of PBSR (125.9 °C) was lower than that of PBS (139 °C). The commonly used Avrami equation was used to describe the isothermal crystallization kinetics. For nonisothermal crystallization studies, the model combining Avrami equation and Ozawa equation was employed. The result showed a consistent trend in the crystallization process. The crystallization rate was decreased, the perfection of crystals was decreased, the recrystallization was reduced, and the spherulitic morphologies were changed when the huge hydrogenated phenanthrene ring was added into the chain of PBS. The activation energy (ΔE) for the isothermal crystallization process determined by Arrhenius method was 255.9 kJ/mol for PBS and 345.7 kJ/mol for PBSR. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 900–913, 2006     

Probing the use of small‐angle light scattering for characterizing structure of titanium dioxide/low‐density polyethylene nanocomposites

Small‐angle light scattering (SALS) measurements were used to study the structure of titanium dioxide (TiO₂)/low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposites. The results showed that the scattering from LDPE crystalline structures and the scattering from TiO₂ nanoparticles can be resolved and separated. It is shown that the independent effects of crystallization conditions and the presence of nanoparticle aggregates on the spherulitic structure of the LDPE matrix can be determined by analyzing the scattering patterns using the methods proposed. From the SALS results, we conclude that the nanoparticle surface chemistry affects both nucleation of spherulites and their structure particularly under rapid cooling conditions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1084–1095, 2006     

Dynamic behavior of discrete-time multiagent systems with general communication structures

In this paper, we discuss the dynamic behavior of networks of dynamic agents with general communication topologies. We first analyze the basic case: systems with communication topologies that have spanning trees, i.e., the systems that solve consensus problems. We establish an algebraic condition to characterize each agent's contributions to the final state. And we also study the influence of time-delays on each agent's contributions. Then, we investigate the general case: systems with weakly connected topologies. By using matrix theory, we prove that the states of internal agents will converge to a convex combination of boundary agents in the absence or presence of communication time-delays, and we also show that the coefficients of the convex combination are independent of time-delays even if the delays are time-varying. These results have broad applications in other areas, e.g., study of swarm behavior, formation control of vehicles, etc.     

Wormhole solution in Bergmann-Wagoner scalar-tensor gravitational theory

We give a Euclidean wormhole solution in the vacuum Bergmann-Wagoner scalar-tensor gravitational theory. We show that this wormhole, unlike others, has complex charge and is a baby universe (half a wormhole).     

Chiral Salen Manganese Complex Immobilized on SBA-15： A New Heterogenized Enantioselective Catalyst for the Epoxidation of Alkenes

Jacobsen‘s catalyst was immobilized onto SBA-15 by multi-step grafting, and this heterogenized catalyst exhibited comparable catalytic performance with the corresponding homogeneous counterpart for the epoxidation of alkenes, and the catalyst could be recycled effectively several times.     

大鼠肾组织的超低温快速冷冻固定和冷冻置换研究

超低温快速冷冻固定以极高的冷冻速率（１００００Ｋ／ｓ）对生物组织进行物理固定，可使生物组织结构、组织内可溶性离子及游离性物质得到保存，使被固定后的生物组织保持最接近于原自然状态，这种样品制备方法大大优于化学制备法，因而在Ｘ－射线微分析及免疫细胞化学中得到广泛应用。生物样品超低温快速冷冻后，利用冷冻置换法，在低温下将生物组织内的结晶水缓慢置换出来，而后常规包埋切片，可获得理想的组织结构及组织内待分析成分。本文应用超低温快速冷冻固定技术及冷冻置换法对大鼠肾皮质部的快速冷冻固定及损伤进行探讨。     

Preparation of Nanoelectrode Ensembles by Assembly of Nano—Silver Colloid on Gold Surface

A novel method for preparing silver nanoelectrode ensembles(SNEEs) and gold nanoelectrode ensembles (GNEEs) has been developed. Silver colloid particles were first absorbed to the gold electrode surface to form a monolayer silver colloid. N-hexadecyl nercaptan was then assembled on the electrode to form a thoil monolayer on which hydrophilic ions cannot be transfered. The SNEEs was prepared by removing thiol from silver colloid surface through applying and AC voltage with increasing frequency at 0.20V(vs.SCE). Finally,GNEEs was obtained by immersing a SNEEs into 6 mol/L HNO3 to remove the silver colloid particles. By comparison with other methods such as template method ect., this method enjoys some advantages of lower resistance, same diameter,easy preparation,controllable size and density.     

Effects of sugar inhibition on cellulases and β-glucosidase during enzymatic hydrolysis of softwood substrates

A quantitative approach was taken to determine the inhibition effects of glucose and other sugar monomers during cellulase and β-Glucosidase hydrolysis of two types of cellulosic material: Avicel and acetic acid-pretreated softwood. The increased glucose content in the hydrolysate resulted in a dramatic increase in the degrees of inhibition on both β-Glucosidase and cellulase activities. Supplementation of mannose, xylose, and galactose during cellobiose hydrolysis did not show any inhibitory effects on β-Glucosidase activity. However, these sugars were shown to have significant inhibitory effects on cellulase activity during cellulose hydrolysis. Our study suggests that high-substrate consistency hydrolysis with supplementation of hemicellulose is likely to be a practical solution to minimizing end-product inhibition effects while producing hydrolysate with high glucose concentration.