Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Attractive Properties (attractive + property)
Selected AbstractsPoly(neutral red): Electrosynthesis, Characterization, and Application as a Redox MediatorELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 12 2008Rasa Pauliukaite Abstract The synthesis by electropolymerization, the characterization, and applications of poly(neutral red) (PNR), including as a redox mediator, are reviewed. PNR's high electrical conductivity and its redox characteristics have led to special applications of the polymer, and it has been used for the development of electrochemical and optical sensors. Moreover, the attractive properties of PNR allow it to be applied in the development of electrochemical biosensors. Future perspectives are indicated. [source] Electroanalytical Applications of Microporous Zeolites and Mesoporous (Organo)Silicas: Recent TrendsELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 7 2008Alain WalcariusArticle first published online: 10 MAR 200 Abstract Microporous zeolites and ordered mesoporous (organo)silicas have been widely used as electrode modifiers because of their attractive properties (ion exchange and size selectivity of zeolites, well ordered nanoreactors containing a high number of widely accessible active centers in mesoporous (organo)silicas). These properties have been intelligently combined to selected redox processes to improve the response of the resulting modified electrodes or to design novel electrochemical detection schemes. This up-to-date review provides the recent advances made in the electroanalytical applications of zeolite modified electrodes and discusses the interest of ordered mesoporous (organo)silica materials in electroanalysis. [source] Towards Efficient Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in Thermotropic Liquid CrystalsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 19 2010Stefan Schymura Abstract Motivated by numerous recent reports indicating attractive properties of composite materials of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and liquid crystals (LCs) and a lack of research aimed at optimizing such composites, the process of dispersing CNTs in thermotropic LCs is systematically studied. LC hosts can perform comparably or even better than the best known organic solvents for CNTs such as N -methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), provided that the dispersion process and choice of LC material are optimized. The chemical structure of the molecules in the LC is very important; variations in core as well as in terminal alkyl chain influence the result. Several observations moreover indicate that the anisotropic nematic phase, aligning the nanotubes in the matrix, per se stabilizes the dispersion compared to a host that is isotropic and thus yields random tube orientation. The chemical and physical phenomena governing the preparation of the dispersion and its stability are identified, taking into account enthalpic, entropic, as well as kinetic factors. This allows a guideline on how to best design and prepare CNT,LC composites to be sketched, following which tailored development of new LCs may take the advanced functional material that CNT,LC composites comprise to the stage of commercial application. [source] Electrically Addressable Hybrid Architectures of Zinc Oxide Nanowires Grown on Aligned Carbon NanotubesADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 15 2010Jong G. Ok Abstract The fabrication and characterization of hybrid architectures of ZnO nanowires (ZNWs) grown on organized carbon nanotubes (CNTs), by a two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process involving CNT growth from a hydrocarbon source followed by ZNW growth using a Zn metal source, is reported. The ZNWs grow uniformly and radially from individual CNTs and CNT bundles, and the aligned morphology of the CNTs is not disturbed by the ZNW growth process. The nucleation and growth of ZnO crystals on CNTs are analyzed in relation to the classical vapor,solid mechanism. Importantly, the CNTs make uniform and distributed electrical contact to the ZNWs, with up to a 1000-fold yield advantage over conventional ZNW growth on a flat substrate. Hybrid ZNW/CNT sheets are fabricated by scalable CVD, rolling, and printing methods; and their electrical properties, which are governed by transport through the anisotropic CNT network, are characterized. Functional interaction between the ZNWs and CNTs is demonstrated by photoconductive behavior and photocurrent generation of the hybrid material under UV illumination. There is significant future opportunity to extend these processing methods to fabricate other functional oxides on CNTs, and to build devices that harness the attractive properties of ZNWs and CNTs with high volumetric efficiency over large areas. [source] Functional Perovskites , From Epitaxial Films to Nanostructured Arrays,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 24 2008Ionela Vrejoiu Abstract Functional perovskite materials gain increasing significance due to their wide spectrum of attractive properties, including ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, conducting and multiferroic properties. Due to the developments of recent years, materials of this type can conveniently be grown, mainly by pulsed laser deposition, in the form of epitaxial films, multilayers, superlattices, and well-ordered arrays of nanoislands. These structures allow for investigations of preparation,microstructure,property relations. A wide variation of the properties is possible, determined by strain, composition, defect contents, dimensional effects, and crystallographic orientation. An overview of our corresponding work of recent years is given, particularly focusing on epitaxial films, superlattices and nanoisland arrays of (anti)ferroelectric and multiferroic functional perovskites. [source] Enhanced Solid-State Luminescence and Low-Threshold Lasing from Starburst Macromolecular Materials,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 3 2009Wen-Yong Lai High solid-state quantum efficiency (,PL,,,0.90) materials with attractive properties for OLED and laser applications are reported. Our results show that long fluorene chain-lengths are not a necessary prerequisite for efficient solid-state luminescence. Isolated-molecule-like solid-state emission, stable pure-deep-blue electroluminescence, and low-threshold lasing (,laser,=,437,nm, Ethlaser,,,0.4,nJ/pulse, 1.3,µJ cm,2) are demonstrated. [source] Overview of polymer micro/nanomanufacturing for biomedical applicationsADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Allen Y. Yi Abstract Micro/nanotechnology is initiated from the electronics industry. In recent years, it has been extended to micro/nanoelectromechanic system for producing miniature devices based on silicon and semiconductor materials. However, the use of these hard materials alone is inappropriate for many biomedical devices. Soft polymeric materials possess many attractive properties such as high toughness and recyclability. Some possess excellent biocompatibility, are biodegradable, and can provide various biofunctionalities. Proper combinations of micro/nanoelectronics, polymers, and biomolecules can lead to new and affordable medical devices. In this paper, we briefly review several cleanroom and noncleanroom techniques related to micro/nanomanufacturing of polymeric materials. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 27:188,198, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20134 [source] Reasons for sequence preferencesJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 5 2002Daniel Read Abstract Much research shows that when it comes to preferences over sequences of money, such as a monthly paycheck, people do not always maximize present value. Rather, they often choose the lower-valued of a pair of sequences, especially when it has attractive properties such as an increasing trend. To unearth the reasons for sequence preferences we conducted a verbal-protocol analysis of choices between money sequences, including lifetime and one-year earnings and one-year lottery winnings, as well as lifetime health sequences. Participants thought aloud while choosing between visual representations of sequences. Their verbalizations contained reference to a wide range of previously hypothesized, as well as new, reasons for choice. These reasons were also correlated in sensible ways with the choices made. There was some evidence of solid economic reasoning (which we called maximization), although this was largely restricted to choices for one-year earnings. More commonly, respondents did not distinguish between earnings and consumption, and thought about money as if they would automatically spend it at the rate it was received. This meant the most frequently given reason was what we called appropriateness,how well the money received at a given point matched the desired consumption at that point. Other common explanations include the expectedness of a sequence (we argue this is mediated by appropriateness), the way that parts of the sequence constitute reference points for other parts, and the ease with which incoming money can be managed (convenience). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of a 99mTc-labeled hypericin derivative as a necrosis avid imaging agentJOURNAL OF LABELLED COMPOUNDS AND RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS, Issue 1 2008Humphrey Fonge Abstract Mono-[123I]iodohypericin and mono-[123I]iodohypericin monocarboxylic acid are iodine-123-labeled hypericin derivatives which have shown great promise in preclinical studies as necrosis avid imaging agents in animal models of infarction. In view of the more attractive properties of a 99mTc-labeled hypericin derivative, we have synthesized a conjugate of protohypericin monocarboxylic acid with S -benzoylmercaptoacetyldiglycyl-diaminopentane in an overall yield of 15%. The conjugate was labeled with technetium-99m by exchange labeling at pH 10 in a labeling yield of 95% followed by photocyclization to yield 99mTc-mercaptoacetyldiglycyl-1,5-diaminopentylene hypericincarboxamide (99mTc-13). The negatively charged 99mTc-13 complex was purified by reversed phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and the log,P7.4 was determined to be 2.36. In normal NMRI mice, the complex showed slow hepatobiliary clearance while plasma clearance was rapid. The tracer was evaluated in rats with reperfused hepatic infarction by ex vivo autoradiography, gamma counting and histochemical techniques. Unlike the radioiodinated hypericin derivatives, the new tracer agent did not show preferential uptake in necrotic tissue on autoradiography and gamma counting techniques. Conjugation of hypericin with a 99mTc-chelate, resulting in a change in size, charge and lipophilicity, had a profound effect on the necrosis avidity of the tracer agent. The results show that 99mTc-13 is not suitable for imaging necrosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Bicyclobutanes and cyclobutenes: Unusual carbocyclic monomersJOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 5 2003H. K. Hall Jr. Abstract Bicyclobutanes and cyclobutenes substituted with electron-attracting groups represent novel classes of reactive monomers. They readily undergo free-radical and anionic polymerizations to give high polymers consisting of 1,3- and 1,2-enchained cyclobutane rings, respectively. They also copolymerize readily with conventional vinyl monomers. These polymers display numerous attractive properties in comparison with their vinyl counterparts, including enhanced thermal stability, superior optical properties, and higher glass-transition temperatures. The syntheses of these monomers are reviewed, and suggestions toward future larger scale production are made. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 625,635, 2003 [source] Registered nurse-administered propofol sedation for endoscopyALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2004S. C. Chen Summary Propofol has several attractive properties that render it a potential alternative sedative agent for endoscopy. Compared with meperidine and midazolam, it has an ultra-short onset of action, short plasma half-life, short time to achieve sedation, faster time to recovery and discharge, and results in higher patient satisfaction. Shorter times to achieve sedation enhance efficiency in the endoscopy unit. Multiple studies have documented the safe administration of propofol by non-anaesthesiologists. Administration by registered nurses is more cost-effective than administration by anaesthesiologists. However, the administration of propofol by a registered nurse supervised only by the endoscopist is controversial because the drug has the potential to produce sudden and severe respiratory depression. More information is needed on how training nurses and endoscopists should proceed to give propofol, as well as the optimal level of monitoring to ensure the safety of nurse-administered propofol. [source] Highly efficient square wave distant dipolar field and its application for in vivo MRIMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010Congbo Cai Abstract Intermolecular multiple quantum coherences generated by distant dipolar field (DDF) have some attractive properties, but the intrinsic weak signal intensity prevents their widespread applications. Recently, Branca et al. (J Chem Phys 2008;129:054502) suggested that square wave DDF was more efficient than conventional sinusoidal DDF because it could simultaneously produce intermolecular multiple quantum coherences signal with various major orders. In this article, instead of a series of adiabatic inversion pulses proposed previously, a more efficient composite adiabatic inversion pulse was applied to create square wave DDF. The square wave DDF was applied to in vivo MRI for the first time, and the corresponding simulations were performed. Both experimental and simulated results show that square wave DDF with composite adiabatic inversion pulse improves over the original Z-modulation enhanced to binary for self-refocused acquisition implementation and can enhance the signal intensity to about 2-fold of that from conventional correlation spectroscopy (COSY) revamped with asymmetric Z-gradient echo detection sequence for in vivo MRI, close to the theoretical prediction. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Modification of bisphenol A dicyanate ester by carboxyl-terminated liquid butadiene-acrylonitrile and its compositesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2006Jieliang Wang Cyanate esters with excellent high-temperature properties and easy processing are well known as good resin materials used in aerospace and electrical industries, but the drawback of brittleness limits their usage. In this study, carboxyl-terminated liquid butadiene-acrylonitrile (CTBN) was introduced to improve the toughness of bisphenol A dicyanate resin (BADCy), a typical kind of the cyanate esters. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to investigate the effects of CTBN on the curing behavior of BADCy; the results indicate that the addition of CTBN has a great influence on the curing behavior of BADCy at lower temperatures, but little at higher temperatures. Data from the thermogravimetric analysis and heat deflection temperature analysis showed that the thermal properties of the modified systems were poorer than that of pristine BADCy resin. On the basis of the scanning electron micrographs of the modified systems, toughening mechanism of the systems was discussed. Mechanical and dielectric properties of the cured resins and glass fiber-reinforced composites were also studied. Modified systems exhibit attractive properties for the future applications in aerospace industries. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:581,587, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source] Composite aqueous microgels: an overview of recent advances in synthesis, characterization and applicationPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2007Andrij Z Pich Abstract In the last decade there has been a steady increase in the number of publications describing the synthesis, characterization and applications of hybrid particles. Colloidal aqueous microgels form an important subdivision of polymer colloids used for the deposition of different functional materials. Due to their numerous attractive properties, microgel particles have been used as templates for the synthesis, storage and transportation of nanostructured materials. This paper reviews the important developments in the area of composite microgels over the last decade, and is limited to microgel particles operating in aqueous media. The patent literature is not included in the review. Different synthetic approaches as well as some properties and applications of composite microgels are discussed. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Highly efficient and selective enrichment of peptide subsets combining fluorous chemistry with reversed-phase chromatographyRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 24 2009Wantao Ying The selective capture of target peptides poses a great challenge to modern chemists and biologists, especially when enriching them from proteome samples possessing extremes in concentration dynamic range and sequence diversity. While approaches based on traditional techniques such as biotin-avidin pairing offer versatile tools to design strategies for selective enrichment, problems are still encountered due to sample loss or poor selectivity of enrichment. Here we show that the recently introduced fluorous chemistry approach has attractive properties as an alternative method for selective enrichment. Through appending a perfluorine group to the target peptide, it is possible to dramatically increase the peptide's hydrophobicity and thus enable facile separation of labeled from non-labeled peptides. Use of reversed-phase chromatography allowed for improved peptide recovery in comparison with results obtained using the formerly reported fluorous bonded phase methods. Furthermore, this approach also allowed for on-line separation and identification of both labeled and unlabeled peptides in a single experiment. The net result is an increase in the confidence of protein identification by tandem mass spectrometry (MS2) as all peptides and subsequent information are retained. Successful off-line and on-line enrichment of cysteine-containing peptides was obtained, and high quality MS2 spectra were obtained by tandem mass spectrometry due to the stability of the tag, allowing for facile identification via standard database searching. We believe that this strategy holds great promise for selective enrichment and identification of low abundance target proteins or peptides. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prediction-based estimating functionsTHE ECONOMETRICS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000Michael Sørensen A generalization of martingale estimating functions is presented which is useful when there are no natural or easily calculated martingales that can be used to construct a class of martingale estimating functions. An estimating function of the new type, which is based on linear predictors, is called a prediction-based estimating functions. Special attention is given to classes of prediction-based estimating functions given by a finite-dimensional space of predictors. It is demonstrated that such a class of estimating functions has most of the attractive properties of martingale estimating functions. In particular, a simple expression is found for the optimal estimating function. This type of prediction-based estimating functions only involve unconditional moments, in contrast to the martingale estimating functions where conditional moments are required. Thus, for applications to discretely observed continuous time models, a considerably smaller amount of simulation is, in general, needed for these than for martingale estimating functions. This is also true of the optimal prediction-based estimating functions. Conditions are given that ensure the existence, consistency and asymptotic normality of the corresponding estimators. The new method is applied to inference for sums of Ornstein,Uhlenbeck-type processes and stochastic volatility models. Stochastic volatility models are studied in considerable detail. It is demonstrated that for inference about models by Hull and White and Chesney and Scott, an explicit optimal prediction-based estimating function can be found so that no simulations are needed. [source] Efficient synthesis of a long carbohydrate chain alkyl glycoside catalyzed by cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase)BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 5 2009David Svensson Abstract Alkyl glycosides with long carbohydrate groups are surfactants with attractive properties but they are very difficult to synthesize. Here, a method for extension of the carbohydrate group of commercially available dodecyl-,- d -maltoside (DDM) is presented. DDM was converted to dodecyl-,- d -maltooctaoside (DDMO) in a single step by using a CGTase as catalyst and ,-cyclodextrin (,-CD) as glycosyl donor. The coupling reaction is under kinetic control and the maximum yield depends on the selectivity of the enzyme. The Bacillus macerans CGTase favored the coupling reaction while the Thermoanaerobacter enzyme also catalyzed disproportionation reactions leading to a broader product range. A high ratio ,-CD/DDM favored a high yield of DDMO and yields up to 80% were obtained using the B. macerans enzyme as catalyst. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 104: 854,861. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Colours and Metallic Sheen in Beetle Shells , A Biomimetic Search for Material Structuring Principles Causing Light Interference,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 4 2008T. Lenau Abstract Visual aesthetic has always played a vital role for the success of many products. This includes colours and glossiness and metal appearance which is often achieved using surface coatings. Present coating techniques do, however, have limitations. It is difficult to reach very bright and brilliant colours, colours tend to fade over time and many of the materials and coating technologies pollute and have other environmental problems. Beetles in nature have many of the desired properties: They have appealing brilliant colours and some even with metallic appearance. It is noticeable that the colours are long lasting as some of the beetles we have studied at the zoological museum are more than 200 years old and have colours and brightness as if they were still alive. Furthermore, the beetles in nature are part of sustainable ecosystems, which means that they are made from renewable materials that are broken down and recycled when the beetle dies. Beetles also possess another and very attractive property: Their metallic look originates from structures in organic materials which is both electrically and thermal insulating. The industrial perspective is to be able to manufacture products with attractive metallic surfaces that do not feel so cold to touch as their metallic counterparts and that do not represent an electrical shock hazard. [source] Non-hydrostatic 3D free surface layer-structured finite volume model for short wave propagationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2009L. Cea Abstract In this paper a layer-structured finite volume model for non-hydrostatic 3D environmental free surface flow is presented and applied to several test cases, which involve the computation of gravity waves. The 3D unsteady momentum and mass conservation equations are solved in a collocated grid made of polyhedrons, which are built from a 2D horizontal unstructured mesh, by just adding several horizontal layers. The mesh built in such a way is unstructured in the horizontal plane, but structured in the vertical direction. This procedure simplifies the mesh generation and at the same time it produces a well-oriented mesh for stratified flows, which are common in environmental problems. The model reduces to a 2D depth-averaged shallow water model when one single layer is defined in the mesh. Pressure,velocity coupling is achieved by the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations algorithm, using Rhie,Chow interpolation to stabilize the pressure field. An attractive property of the model proposed is the ability to compute the propagation of short waves with a rather coarse vertical discretization. Several test cases are solved in order to show the capabilities and numerical stability of the model, including a rectangular free oscillating basin, a radially symmetric wave, short wave propagation over a 1D bar, solitary wave runup on a vertical wall, and short wave refraction over a 2D shoal. In all the cases the numerical results are compared either with analytical or with experimental data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On robust stability of uncertain systems with multiple time-delaysINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 15 2010Tong ZhouArticle first published online: 27 NOV 200 Abstract On the basis of an infinite to one mapping and the structure of the null space of a multivariate matrix polynomial (MMP), a novel sufficient condition is derived in this paper for the robust stability of a linear time-invariant system with multiple uncertain time-delays, parametric modelling errors and unmodelled dynamics. This condition depends on time-delay bounds and is less conservative than the existing ones. An attractive property is that this condition becomes also necessary in some physically meaningful situations, such as the case that there is only one uncertain time-delay and neither parametric perturbations nor unmodelling errors exist. Moreover, using ideas of representing a positive-definite MMP through matrix sum of squares, an asymptotic necessary and sufficient condition is derived for the robust stability of this system. All the conditions can be converted to linear matrix inequalities. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Magnetic-field-induced polarization and magnetocapacitance in quantum paraelectric EuTiO3PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 13 2004S. J. Gong Abstract EuTiO3 is a quantum paraelectric as well as an antiferromagnet. The most attractive property for EuTiO3 is the magnetoelectric coupling effect. In the present work, we investigate the influence of the external fields on EuTiO3, including the electric field E and magnetic field h. The application of the electric field counteracts the quantum fluctuation and forces the system into an electrically ordered state. The applied magnetic field directly induces the fluctuation of the spin-pair correlation and indirectly influences the dielectric behaviors through the magnetoelectric coupling. In addition, we notice that the contribution of the magnetic field depends closely on the temperature condition and the electric field background. The (p, h, E, T) and (,, h, T) diagrams are presented showing the temperature, magnetic and electric field dependence of the polarization and the dielectric capacitance. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Robust weighted likelihood estimators with an application to bivariate extreme value problemsTHE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF STATISTICS, Issue 1 2002Debbie J. Dupuis Abstract The authors achieve robust estimation of parametric models through the use of weighted maximum likelihood techniques. A new estimator is proposed and its good properties illustrated through examples. Ease of implementation is an attractive property of the new estimator. The new estimator downweights with respect to the model and can be used for complicated likelihoods such as those involved in bivariate extreme value problems. New weight functions, tailored for these problems, are constructed. The increased insight provided by our robust fits to these bivariate extreme value models is exhibited through the analysis of sea levels at two East Coast sites in the United Kingdom. Estimateurs de vraisemblance pondérée robustes et application à des problèmes de valeurs extrêmes bivariées Les auteurs font appel à des techniques de maximisation de vraisemblance pondérée pour faire de l'estimation robuste dans des modèles paramétriques. Ils proposentun nouvel estimateur et en illustrent les bonnes propriétés au moyen d'exemples. Cet estimateur s'avère facile à mettre en ,uvre, ce qui le rend d'autant plus intéressant. Il s'appuie sur une pondération baissière par rapport au modèle et donne de bons résultats pour des vraisemblances compliquées corame celles qui interviennent dans les problèmes de valeurs extrêmes bivariées. Des poids conçus spécifiquement pour ce type d'application sont proposés. La finesse d'analyse accrue découlant d'une modélisation robuste de valeurs extrêmes bivariées est illustrée sur des relevés de niveau d'eau en deux points le long de la côte est du Royaume-Uni. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||