Compatibility and characteristics of poly(butylene succinate) and propylene-co-ethylene copolymer blend

Propylene-co-ethylene elastomer resin (PER) has been blended into biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) copolymer (PBS) by a melt-blending process to develop a novel semi-biodegradable thermoplastic elastomer. The PBS/PER blends displayed good compatibility in the range 70/30 > PBS/PER > 30/70 according to analyses by DSC, DMA and the Couchman method. Although the PBS/PER blends displayed compatibility, SEM analyses of most of the PBS/PER blends revealed two-phase structures including sea-island and irregular fiber-shaped morphologies, except for PBS/PER (70/30). PBS/PER (60/40) and PBS/PER (50/50) display low tensile strength due to large sea-phase and irregular fiber-shaped morphologies, even though they have good compatibility. PBS/PER (70/30) apparently exhibited a single phase by SEM and showed the best compatibility by DSC and DMA. Furthermore, the tan δ, elongation and initial moduli of the PBS/PER blends were seen to increase with increasing PER content, indicating that the toughness and shock resistance of PBS are improved by incorporating PER into the composition.     

Collision-narrowing of Raman spectrum for spin-density fluctuations of electrons in n-GaAs

The inelastic light-scattering spectrum for single-particle excitations in n-GaAs has been found to be considerably $\text{narrower}$ than the Gaussian form usually predicted for a Maxwell-Boltzmann energy distribution. In this paper, we compare the contribution to the narrowing for two factors: collisions and the momentum-dependence of resonant enhancement terms. The analysis is restricted to the spin-density fluctuation mechanism, which has been found to be best suited for probing the electron distribution.     

Commensurate and incommensurate spin fluctuations in YBa2Cu3O6+y

We present an interpretation of the recent neutron data on the commensurate and incommensurate spin fluctuations found in YBa₂Cu₃O_6+y based on a special configuration of the electronic dispersion and intervention from the d_x²−y²-wave superconducting phase. The observed switch-over between the commensurate and incommensurate fluctuation spectra at the change of frequency or temperature is naturally accounted within this scenario.     

Muttiphoton Ionization of Benzene-Ammonia Clusters: Intracluster Reaction and Cluster Ion Stability

Neutral benzene-ammonia clusters, prepared in a supersonic expansion, were ionized using multiphoton ionization. The cluster ions were investigated with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The observed major cluster ions, under 355-nm laser irradiation, resulting from prompt intracluster ion-molecule reaction and fragmentation following ionization are (C₆H₆)_m(NH₃)_nH⁺, m = 1–6, n = 1–4 and (C₆H₆)_m⁺, m = 1–3. The results of isotopic labeling experiments clearly indicate that C₆H₆ does not participate in intracluster ion-molecule reactions to form (C₆H₆)_m(NH₃)_nH⁺. A local maximum appears at n = 2 in the intensity distribution of (C₆H₆)_m(NH₃) _nH⁺ for each value of m under all experimental conditions. This finding indicates that (C₆H₆)_m(NH₃)₂H⁺ is more stable than any other (C₆H₅)_m(NH₃)_mH⁺ (n = 1,3,4) for m = 1–6.     

Note on the Monotonicity of Coefficients for Some q-Series Arising from Ramanujan's Lost Notebook

In this note, we shall give a partition-theoretic interpretation which explains the non-negativity of the coefficients of some q-series arising from Ramanujan's Lost Notebook and prove the almost-increasingness of the coefficients via a vector partition generating function.     

Cranks—really, the final problem

A survey of Ramanujan’s work on cranks in his lost notebook is given. We give evidence that Ramanujan was concentrating on cranks when he died, that is to say, the final problem on which Ramanujan worked was cranks—not mock theta functions.     

Reaction‐Based and Single Fluorescent Emitter Decorated Ratiometric Nanoprobe to Detect Hydrogen Peroxide

A novel reaction‐based cross‐linked polymeric nanoprobe with a self‐calibrating ratiometric fluorescence readout to selectively detect H₂O₂ is reported. The polymeric nanoprobe is fabricated by using hydrophobic H₂O₂‐reactive boronic ester groups, crosslinker units, and environmentally sensitive 3‐hydroxyflavone fluorophores through a miniemulsion polymerization. On treatment with H₂O₂, the boronic esters in the polymer are cleaved to form hydrophilic alcohols and subsequently lead to a hydrophobic–hydrophilic transition. Covalently linked 3‐hydroxyflavones manifest the change in polarity as a ratiometric transition from green to blue, accompanied by a 500‐fold increase in volume. Furthermore, this nanoprobe has been used for ratiometric sensing of glucose by monitoring the H₂O₂ generated during the oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase, and thus successfully distinguished between normal and pathological levels of glucose.