Copolyimide with a combination of flexibilizing groups

Copolyimides are prepared by reacting one or more aromatic dianhydrides with a meta-substituted phenylene diamine and an aromatic bridged diamine. The incorporation of meta-substituted phenylene diamine derived units and bridged aromatice diamine derived units into the linear aromatic polymer backbone results in a copolyimide of improved flexibility, processability, and melt-flow characteristics. The copolyimides are especially useful as thermoplastic hot-melt adhesives

Flow properties of a series of experimental thermoplastic polymides

The softening temperature to degradation temperature range of the polymers was about 440 to 650 K. All of the polymers retained small amounts of solvent as indicated by an increase in T(sub g) as the polymers were dried. The flow properties showed that all three polymers had very high apparent viscosities and would require high pressures and/or high temperatures and/or long times to obtain adequate flow in prepregging and molding. Although none was intended for such application, two of the polymers were combined with carbon fibers by solution prepregging. The prepregs were molded into laminates at temperatures and times, the selection of which was guided by the results from the flow measurements. These laminates had room temperature short beam shear strength similar to that of carbon fiber laminates with a thermosetting polyimide matrix. However, the strength had considerable scatter, and given the difficult processing, these polymides probably would not be suitable for continuous fiber composites

Polyimide processing additives

A process for preparing polyimides having enhanced melt flow properties is described. The process consists of heating a mixture of a high molecular weight poly-(amic acid) or polyimide with a low molecular weight amic acid or imide additive in the range of 0.05 to 15 percent by weight of additive. The polyimide powders so obtained show improved processability, as evidenced by lower melt viscosity by capillary rheometry. Likewise, films prepared from mixtures of polymers with additives show improved processability with earlier onset of stretching by TMA

Geographic Variation in Agonistic Responses of Territorial Male Brook Sticklebacks, Culae Inconstans

Author Institution: Department of Biology, Wilmington College ; Department of Biology, Earlham CollegeTerritorial aggressive behavior was studied in male brook sticklebacks collected in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, and Urbana, Ohio. In the 20 h of observation 1,167 individual encounters with 3,305 separate aggressive displays were observed. Aggressive behavior was observed to be complex with at least 12 distinct aggressive display postures observed

HERMIES-3: A step toward autonomous mobility, manipulation, and perception

HERMIES-III is an autonomous robot comprised of a seven degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator designed for human scale tasks, a laser range finder, a sonar array, an omni-directional wheel-driven chassis, multiple cameras, and a dual computer system containing a 16-node hypercube expandable to 128 nodes. The current experimental program involves performance of human-scale tasks (e.g., valve manipulation, use of tools), integration of a dexterous manipulator and platform motion in geometrically complex environments, and effective use of multiple cooperating robots (HERMIES-IIB and HERMIES-III). The environment in which the robots operate has been designed to include multiple valves, pipes, meters, obstacles on the floor, valves occluded from view, and multiple paths of differing navigation complexity. The ongoing research program supports the development of autonomous capability for HERMIES-IIB and III to perform complex navigation and manipulation under time constraints, while dealing with imprecise sensory information

Polyimide processing additives

A process for preparing polyimides having enhanced melt flow properties is described. The process consists of heating a mixture of a high molecular weight poly-(amic acid) or polyimide with a low molecular weight amic acid or imide additive in the range of 0.05 to 15 percent by weight of the additive. The polyimide powders so obtained show improved processability, as evidenced by lower melt viscosity by capillary rheometry. Likewise, films prepared from mixtures of polymers with additives show improved processability with earlier onset of stretching by TMA

Success of high tibial osteotomy in the United States military

The article of record as published may be located at https://doi.org/10.1177/232596711557467Background: Historically, high tibial osteotomy (HTO) has been performed to treat isolated medial gonarthrosis with varus deformity. Purpose:To evaluate the occupational outcomes of HTO in a high-demand military cohort. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A retrospective analysis of active duty service members undergoing HTO for coronal plane malalignment and/or intra-articular pathology was performed using the Military Health System between 2003 and 2011. Demographic parameters and surgical variables, including rates of perioperative complications, secondary surgery, activity limitations, and medical discharge, were extracted from electronic medical records. For the current study, cumulative failure was defined as conversion to knee arthroplasty or postoperative medical discharge for persistent knee dysfunction. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify statistical associations with cumulative failure after HTO. Results:A total of 181 service members (202 HTOs) were identified at an average follow-up of 47.5 months (range, 24-96 months). Mean age was 35.7 years (range, 19-55 years), and the majority were men (93%) and of enlisted rank (78%). All index procedures utilized a valgus-producing, opening wedge technique. Concomitant or staged procedures were performed in 87 patients (48%), including 40 ligamentous, 48 meniscal, and 48 chondral procedures. Complications occurred in 19.3% of knees (n = 39), with unplanned reoperation in 26 knees (12.8%). Fifty-three patients (40.7%) had minor activity limitations during military duty postoperatively. Eleven knees (5.4%) underwent conversion to total knee arthroplasty. The cumulative failure rate was 28.2% (n = 51) at 2- to 8-year follow-up. Patient age younger than 30 years at the time of surgery was associated with an independently higher risk of failure, whereas sex, concomitant/staged procedures, and perioperative complications were not significantly associated with subsequent failure. Conclusion: At short- to midterm follow-up, nearly 72% of all service members undergoing HTO returned to military duty and were free from conversion knee arthroplasty

Incidence of physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis among active duty United States military service members

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.DOI.org/10.1002/art.30498To examine the incidence of osteoarthritis and the influence of demographic and occupational factors associated with this condition among active duty US service members between 1999 and 2008

Biomedical research leaders: report on needs, opportunities, difficulties, education and training, and evaluation.

The National Association of Physicians for the Environment (NAPE) has assumed a leadership role in protecting environmental health in recent years. The Committee of Biomedical Research Leaders was convened at the recent NAPE Leadership Conference: Biomedical Research and the Environment held on 1--2 November 1999, at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. This report summarizes the discussion of the committee and its recommendations. The charge to the committee was to raise and address issues that will promote and sustain environmental health, safety, and energy efficiency within the biomedical community. Leaders from every important research sector (industry laboratories, academic health centers and institutes, hospitals and care facilities, Federal laboratories, and community-based research facilities) were gathered in this committee to discuss issues relevant to promoting environmental health. The conference and this report focus on the themes of environmental stewardship, sustainable development and "best greening practices." Environmental stewardship, an emerging theme within and outside the biomedical community, symbolizes the effort to provide an integrated, synthesized, and concerted effort to protect the health of the environment in both the present and the future. The primary goal established by the committee is to promote environmentally responsible leadership in the biomedical research community. Key outcomes of the committee's discussion and deliberation were a) the need for a central organization to evaluate, promote, and oversee efforts in environmental stewardship; and b) immediate need to facilitate efficient information transfer relevant to protecting the global environment through a database/clearinghouse. Means to fulfill these needs are discussed in this report

Pheromone traps for monitoring Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in the presence of mating disruption

High-dose pheromone lures have proved useful for monitoring some lepidopteran pests in the presence of mating disruption, but not others. We performed experiments in commercial and pilot scale facilities to examine the effect of pheromone dose on detection of Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in the presence of mating disruption. When P. interpunctella males were released into 1000 m3 rooms containing traps baited with 0, 1, or 10 mg (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9,E12-14:Ac), traps containing 10 mg captured more than those baited with 1 mg in both the presence and absence of mating disruption. Traps baited with 1 mg captured fewer males in the presence of mating disruption than in its absence, but the opposite was observed with traps baited with 10 mg. When males released into 73 m3 rooms were exposed sequentially to blank traps, traps baited with unmated females, and traps baited with 0.1 mg and then 1.0 mg Z9, E12-14:Ac in the presence or absence of mating disruption, 92% of trapped males were captured in female-baited traps in the absence of mating disruption, whereas in the presence of mating disruption 72% of males captured were caught in synthetic pheromone traps. These data suggest that pheromone lures can be used for monitoring P. interpunctella in the presence of mating disruption. Implications of these data for mass trapping are also discussed. Keywords: Plodia interpunctella, Mating disruption, Monitoring, Pheromone lures, Mass trappin