Trifluoromethyl-substituted polymers

The synthesis of polymers is discussed. It includes: (1) the synthesis of fluorine-containing crosslinked poly(ether ketones); (2) the synthesis and characterization of poly(imide amides) and their N-methylated analogues; (3) the synthesis of fluorine-containing aromatic polyethers; (4) the synthesis of novel fluorine-containing aromatic polysiloxanes; and (5) the conversion of 6F-containing polythioethers to polysulfones. It is hoped that these polymers will find use as low dielectric materials in electronic applications, function as thermal control coatings, or be suitable elastomeric sealants for extreme service conditions

Kinetics of the photolysis of benzenetricarbonylchromium(0) in chloroform

In contrast to the photolysis of Cr(CO)3(C6H6) in nonhalogenated solvents, in which the products are CrL(CO)2(C6H6) in the presence of a donor L, or Cr(CO)6 and C6H6 if no donor is present, the photo-reaction in chloroform yields CrCl3. No significant portion of the reaction occurs through absorption of 254nm light by CHCl3• The quantum yield is 1.4, consistent with a mechanism in which several radicals are formed upon chlorination of the chromium, which then cause further decomposition of the reactant. In 24% CCl4, the reaction still occurs primarily through the excited state metal complex, but there is a solvent-initiated contribution, which is more significant the lower the reactant concentration. The quantum yield for the solvent-initiated pathway is 0.3 in 24% CCL4

Quasinonexpansive Iterations on the Affine Hull of Orbits: From Mann's Mean Value Algorithm to Inertial Methods

Fixed point iterations play a central role in the design and the analysis of a large number of optimization algorithms. We study a new iterative scheme in which the update is obtained by applying a composition of quasinonexpansive operators to a point in the affine hull of the orbit generated up to the current iterate. This investigation unifies several algorithmic constructs, including Mann's mean value method, inertial methods, and multi-layer memoryless methods. It also provides a framework for the development of new algorithms, such as those we propose for solving monotone inclusion and minimization problems

The Impact of Triclosan on the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment

Triclosan (TCS) is a commonly used antimicrobial agent that enters wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the environment. An estimated 1.1 × 105 to 4.2 × 105 kg of TCS are discharged from these WWTPs per year in the United States. The abundance of TCS along with its antimicrobial properties have given rise to concern regarding its impact on antibiotic resistance in the environment. The objective of this review is to assess the state of knowledge regarding the impact of TCS on multidrug resistance in environmental settings, including engineered environments such as anaerobic digesters. Pure culture studies are reviewed in this paper to gain insight into the substantially smaller body of research surrounding the impacts of TCS on environmental microbial communities. Pure culture studies, mainly on pathogenic strains of bacteria, demonstrate that TCS is often associated with multidrug resistance. Research is lacking to quantify the current impacts of TCS discharge to the environment, but it is known that resistance to TCS and multidrug resistance can increase in environmental microbial communities exposed to TCS. Research plans are proposed to quantitatively define the conditions under which TCS selects for multidrug resistance in the environment