Oxidative Rearrangement of Substituted Arylalkyl Ketones with Thallium (III) Nitrate: Synthesis of 2,7-Dihydroxycadalene

Synthesis of methyl 2-(3′-methoxy-4′-methylphenyl)-propionate via the T1(NO₃)₃-induced oxidative rearrangement of 3′-methoxy-4′-methylpropiophenone.     

Mannose‐based graft polyesters with tunable binding affinity to concanavalin A

Glycopolymers have been widely used to understand the interactions between carbohydrates and lectins, which facilitate the diagnosis and detection of disease and pathogens as well as the development of vaccines. While studies have been focused on the correlation of glycopolymer structure and their binding to lectins, graft‐type glycopolyesters are uncommon. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of mannose‐based graft polyesters by “grafting‐from” method and investigate their interactions with Concanavalin A (Con A). As confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and sulfuric acid‐UV method, graft polyesters with different lengths of mannose graft were successfully synthesized. Our results from turbidimetry binding assay showed that graft polyesters with longer mannose graft exhibit higher initial binding rate (k_i). Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements of these graft polyesters with Con A showed that polymers exhibit higher binding affinity (k_a) with the number of side chain mannose. This study provides understanding of the interaction between Con A and mannose‐based graft polyesters, which can be employed for the development of glycopolymeric therapeutics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3908–3917     

A Tensile Strain Hardening Test Indicator of Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance

Environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) is an important indicator of performance for high density polyethylene (HDPE) in structural and polymer pipe applications. The commonly used test for determining ESCR of HDPE can be time consuming and rather imprecise. A tensile strain hardening test was recently proposed to offer a faster way to characterize ESCR of polyethylene. In this paper, a practical approach is adopted whereby the test is extended to room temperature and shown to relate reliably to the ESCR of HDPE. Several HDPE resins (including pipe‐grade resins) are analyzed at strain rates of 0.5 mm/min and 7 mm/min to compare the effect of strain rate. Comparisons between the conventional ESCR test method and the strain hardening test show that strain hardening can be used to rank ESCR of HDPE in a reliable fashion. In our study the more direct measure of “hardening stiffness” is used to compare resins instead of strain hardening modulus. Because no true stress‐strain measurement is needed, this is a much simpler test method than other methods previously suggested. In addition, the use of the natural drawing ratio (NDR) as ESCR ranking indicator is examined. Results show that NDR can also be employed as a strain rate‐independent indicator of ESCR of HDPE. The test proposed herein is practical, simple and precise, and hence a more reliable indicator of ESCR performance of HDPE.     

Dislocation Etch Studies on Diammonium Hydrogen Citrate Single Crystals

Diammonium Hydrogen Citrate single crystals have been grown from aqueous solution. The etch technique for defect studies is applied to these crystals. Propionic acid is shown to be a reliable etchant capable of bringing out dislocations intersecting the (001) face. Various other interesting features observed during etching are also presented and discussed.     

Ruthenium(IV) pyrochlore oxides: Realization of novel electronic properties through substitution at A- and B-sites

We describe an exploratory investigation of the structure and electronic properties of new ruthenium(IV) pyrochlore oxides and their manganese-substituted derivatives. Our investigations have revealed several, hitherto unreported, electronic ground states for these materials: a metallic and Pauli paramagnetic state for BiPbRu₂O_6.5 that turns into a semiconducting ferromagnetic spin-glass state at 50 K for BiPbRuMnO_6.5; a metallic state that likely shows a charge density wave (CDW) instability at 50–225 K for Bi_1.50Zn_0.50Ru₂O_6.75 that is suppressed by manganese substitution in Bi_1.50Zn_0.50Ru_1.75Mn_0.25O_6.50; and a metallic ferromagnetic spin-glass like state for Pb₂Ru_1.75Mn_0.25O_6.15. The results indeed affirm the richness of the electronic properties of ruthenium-based metal oxides.     

Coordinating Theories of Learning to Account for Second-Grade Children's Arithmetical Understandings

This article coordinates social constructivism and socioculturalism orientations to explain 2nd-grade children's reasoning with 2-digit quantities. From a social constructivist position, we illustrate how the classroom teacher and the students constituted what counted as an acceptable mathematical explanation. As children offered informal and conventional ways of interpreting problem situations, they were expected to reason with quantities in sensible ways. From a sociocultural position, we explain how the teacher's and students' contributions were situated within the mathematical ways of knowing constituted by the community at large. Particular children's contributions were clarified in terms of the ways in which they participated in socially organized activities. By coordinating these lenses, we argue the local classroom mathematical practices constrained and enabled the mathematical practices of the wider society.     

6 Vpp-66 GHz-ultrabroadband amplifier for fibre-opticaltransmission systems

A large amount of bandwidth has been achieved with advanced construction methods developed for ultra-high bandwidth distributed amplifiers. A 66 GHz-bandwidth GaAs device with more than 6 Vpp of voltage swing has been manufactured     

Three‐dimensional imaging of chemical phase transformations at the nanoscale with full‐field transmission X‐ray microscopy

The ability to probe morphology and phase distribution in complex systems at multiple length scales unravels the interplay of nano‐ and micrometer‐scale factors at the origin of macroscopic behavior. While different electron‐ and X‐ray‐based imaging techniques can be combined with spectroscopy at high resolutions, owing to experimental time limitations the resulting fields of view are too small to be representative of a composite sample. Here a new X‐ray imaging set‐up is proposed, combining full‐field transmission X‐ray microscopy (TXM) with X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to follow two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional morphological and chemical changes in large volumes at high resolution (tens of nanometers). TXM XANES imaging offers chemical speciation at the nanoscale in thick samples (>20 µm) with minimal preparation requirements. Further, its high throughput allows the analysis of large areas (up to millimeters) in minutes to a few hours. Proof of concept is provided using battery electrodes, although its versatility will lead to impact in a number of diverse research fields.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of ammonia-treated sugar beet pulp

Sugar beet pulp is a carbohydrate-rich coproduct generated by the table sugar industry. Beet pulp has shown promise as a feedstock for ethanol production using enzymesto hydroly zepolymeric carbohydrates and engineered bacteria to ferment sugars to ethanol. In this study, sugar beet pulp underwent an ammonia pressurization depressurization (APD) pretreatment in which the pulp was exploded by the sudden evaporation of ammonia in a reactor vessel. APD was found to substantially increase hydrolysis efficiency of the cellulose component, but when hemicellulose- and pectindegrading enzymes wereadded, treated pulp hydrolysis was no better than the untreated control.