Synthesis,characterization, and micellization of an epoxy‐based amphiphilic diblock copolymer of ϵ‐caprolactone and glycidyl methacrylate by enzymatic ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization

Amphiphilic diblock copolymer polycaprolactone‐block‐poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PCL‐b‐PGMA) was synthesized via enzymatic ring‐opening polymerization (eROP) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Methanol first initiated eROP of ?‐caprolactone (?‐CL) in the presence of biocatalyst Novozyme‐435 under anhydrous conditions. The resulting monohydroxyl‐terminated polycaprolactone (PCL–OH) was subsequently converted to a bromine‐ended macroinitiator (PCL–Br) for ATRP by esterification with α‐bromopropionyl bromide. PCL‐b‐PGMA diblock copolymers were synthesized in a subsequent ATRP of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). A kinetic analysis of ATRP indicated a living/controlled radical process. The macromolecular structures were characterized for PCL–OH, PCL–Br, and the block copolymers by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, gel permeation chromatography, and infrared spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction analyses indicated that the copolymer composition (?‐CL/GMA) had a great influence on the thermal properties. The well‐defined, amphiphilic diblock copolymer PCL‐b‐PGMA self‐assembled into nanoscale micelles in aqueous solutions, as investigated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5037–5049, 2007     

Superconvergence of discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for the stationary Navier‐Stokes equations

This article focuses on discontinuous Galerkin method for the two‐ or three‐dimensional stationary incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations. The velocity field is approximated by discontinuous locally solenoidal finite element, and the pressure is approximated by the standard conforming finite element. Then, superconvergence of nonconforming finite element approximations is applied by using least‐squares surface fitting for the stationary Navier‐Stokes equations. The method ameliorates the two noticeable disadvantages about the given finite element pair. Finally, the superconvergence result is provided under some regular assumptions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 23: 421–436, 2007     

2‐Cyanoprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate mediated reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of acrylonitrile targeting a polymer with a higher molecular weight

The reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) mediated by 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate was first applied to synthesize polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with a high molecular weight up to 32,800 and a polydispersity index as low as 1.29. The key to success was ascribed to the optimization of the experimental conditions to increase the fragmentation reaction efficiency of the intermediate radical. In accordance with the atom transfer radical polymerization of AN, ethylene carbonate was also a better solvent candidate for providing higher controlled/living RAFT polymerization behaviors than dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide. The various experimental parameters, including the temperature, the molar ratio of dithiobenzoate to the initiator, the molar ratio of the monomer to dithiobenzoate, the monomer concentration, and the addition of the comonomer, were varied to improve the control of the molecular weight and polydispersity index. The molecular weights of PANs were validated by gel permeation chromatography along with a universal calibration procedure and intrinsic viscosity measurements. ¹H NMR analysis confirmed the high chain‐end functionality of the resultant polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1272–1281, 2007     

Implementation of some higher-order convection schemes on non-uniform grids

A generalized formulation is applied to implement the quadratic upstream interpolation (QUICK) scheme, the second-order upwind (SOU) scheme and the second-order hybrid scheme (SHYBRID) on non-uniform grids. The implementation method is simple. The accuracy and efficiency of these higher-order schemes on non-uniform grids are assessed. Three well-known bench mark convection-diffusion problems and a fluid flow problem are revisited using non-uniform grids. These are: (1) transport of a scalar tracer by a uniform velocity field; (2) heat transport in a recirculating flow; (3) two-dimensional non-linear Burgers equations; and (4) a two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes flow which is similar to the classical lid-driven cavity flow. The known exact solutions of the last three problems make it possible to thoroughly evaluate accuracies of various uniform and non-uniform grids. Higher accuracy is obtained for fewer grid points on non-uniform grids. The order of accuracy of the examined schemes is maintained for some tested problems if the distribution of non-uniform grid points is properly chosen.     

Generation of high-power broad-band microwave pulses by picosecondoptoelectronic technique

A single-picosecond GaAs photoconductive switch is used to pulse excite a microwave resonant cavity, thus generating a variety of RF (radiofrequency) waveforms with picosecond synchronization. The length of the transmission line that connects the photoconductive switch and the cavity and the strength of input/output cavity coupling elements provide for continuous variation of the frequency distribution of the generated RF power. The generation of greater than 7-kW broadband microwave bursts is demonstrated     

Computers for symbolic processing

A detailed survey on the motivations, design, applications, current status, and limitations of computers designed for symbolic processing is provided. Symbolic processing computations are performed at the word, relation, or meaning levels, and the knowledge used in symbolic applications may be fuzzy, uncertain, indeterminate, and ill represented. Various techniques for knowledge representation and processing are discussed from both the designers' and users' points of view. The design and choice of a suitable language for symbolic processing and the mapping of applications into a software architecture are then considered. The process of refining the application requirements into hardware and software architectures is treated, and state-of-art sequential and parallel computers designed for symbolic processing are discussed     

Anchoring Properties of Nematic Liquid Crystals Studied Using the Attenuated Total Reflection Method

By using the attenuated total reflection method associated with the excitation of surface plasmons, the tilt angle of the liquid crystal director and its gradient at the surface are measured in a planar nematic cell as a function of the applied voltage. The surface anchoring anisotropy δπ of the liquid crystal and the surface elastic constant k_s, are found to be δπ = 0.288 erg/cm and k_s, = 9·12 × 10^-11 erg, respectively, when the boundary condition suggested by Barbero et al is used. The theoretical and experimental values obtained with this boundary condition and that of Mada are discussed. The results show that the boundary condition proposed by Barbero et al is in better agreement with the experiment.     

化学镀镍合金在电子工业中的应用

对化学镀镍合金铁工艺和性能特性及其在电子工业中的应有委展现状作了评述。化学镀镍合金具有镀层均匀，适用基材广，结合力高，硬度高，优良的耐磨、耐蚀性，可焊性好和特殊的电磁性能等特性，在电子工业中获得了广泛的应用。文中着重介绍了化学镀镍合金在磁盘、电磁屏蔽、微电路、半导体、连接器及薄膜电阻上的应用情况。这些案例说明，合理应用化学镀镍合金技术，有利于提高电子元器件的质量，降低成本，促进技术进步。     

CO_2激光对兔脑组织血脑屏障的影响

同等功率和照射时间条件下,在14只家兔大脑皮质运用伊文思蓝染料和超微结构观察方法进行血脑屏障改变的研究。结果表明:CO_2激光作用十分表浅,且激光作用后的水肿层血脑屏障改变是可逆的。