In pursuit of blending polymers with carbon nanotubes

A liquid-solid phase separation method has been developed here to separate polymer/CNT blended phases with specific bundle size distribution from master heterogeneous polymer/CNT dispersions. This liquid-solid phase separation is triggered through addition of a non-solvent in the system. The fundamental issue of dispersing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersion within a polymer matrix is also addressed in this work by studying a non-solvent induced liquid-solid phase separation process in polyacrylonitrile/CNT composite systems. To visualize the effect of phase separation, hybrid polymer/CNT buckypapers were formed through filtration. The hybrid film morphology is graded showing a distinct CNT-rich and polymer-rich layer. Examination of this layered structure reveals the separation of CNTs with specific bundle size. CNTs were uniformly dispersed within the polymer-rich layer due to a preferred polymer-CNT interaction during phase separation. Experimental, theoretical, and molecular dynamics studies were performed to show the fundamental mechanism behind layer formation in the composites and to understand the specificity of preferential polymer-CNT interactions. To this end, a geometric dependence described by a ‘cylinder-in-sphere’ model was established and shows a link between the critical CNT bundle size and polymer radius of gyration (Rg), which is dictates preferential polymer-CNT interactions. This model represents the geometric relationship required to form a blended polymer-CNT phase in the system under the phase separation conditions used. Understanding the use of phase separation as well as this geometrical dependence between filler and polymer is important to pinpoint nano-filler dispersion limits. Identifying these limits is critical toward the processing of superior polymer-based composites which fully utilizes the nano-filler reinforcement. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Transmission-virulence trade-offs in vector-borne diseases

International audienceThough it is commonly supposed that there is a trade-off between virulence and transmission, there is little data and little insight into what it should look like. Here, we consider the specific case of vector-borne parasites (inspired by human malaria) and analyse an embedded model to understand how specific life-cycle aspects may affect this trade-off. First, we find that, for such parasites, the transmission function may have an S-shape. Second, we find that the trade-off obtained for vector-borne parasites is less sensitive to parameter variations than the trade-off obtained for directly transmitted parasites. Third, we find that other parasite traits, such as the conversion from replicative to infective stages, could have important epidemiological implications. Finally, we compare the effect of treatments targeting either the asexual or the sexual parasite life-stage

Siderophore production and the evolution of investment in a public good:An adaptive dynamics approach to kin selection

International audienc

The Impact of Teacher and Student Racial and Ethnic Matching on Student Outcomes: A Quantitative Study

This study aimed to investigate the predictive relationship of teacher race on student outcomes in New Jersey public schools, as measured by the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA), chronic absenteeism, and graduation rates. Specifically, the relationship between teacher and student race matching with Black students, the schoolwide population of students, and a subset of urban schools was examined. The study investigated the potential of race matching to address the problem of racial and ethnic student achievement gaps. Studies indicate that pairing students with teachers with whom they share the same race and ethnicity can lead to increased cultural understanding and stronger teacher–student relationships, which can positively impact school outcome measures (Redding, 2019). Race matching is defined as the congruence between the percentages of Black teachers and Black students in a particular school. Schoolwide data were used to create a race matching variable, which served as the main independent variable. A sample of 2,510 schools was used. The findings indicated that race matching had a statistically significant predictive relationship with student academic growth as measured using the NJSLA, chronic absenteeism and graduation rates for the schoolwide group of students, and graduation rates for the Black student group. The study also found that race matching had a statistically significant predictive relationship with student academic growth and chronic absenteeism in urban schools. The study\u27s findings are used to provide valuable hiring and policy recommendations intended to address racial and ethnic achievement gaps

A Rapid Survey of the Compatibility of Selected Seal Materials with Conventional and Semi-Synthetic JP-8

Since the synthesis of a liquid hydrocarbon fuel from coal by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch in 1923, there has been cyclic interest in developing this fuel for military and commercial applications. In recent years the U.S. Department of Defense has taken interest in producing a unified battlespace fuel using the Fischer Tropsch (FT) process for a variety of reasons including cost, quality, and logistics. In the past year there has been a particular emphasis on moving quickly to demonstrate that an FT fuel can be used in the form of a blend with conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel. The initial objective is to employ this semi-synthetic fuel with blend ratios as high as 50 percent FT with longer range goals to use even high blend ratios and ultimately a fully synthetic jet fuel. A significant concern associated with the use of a semi-synthetic jet fuel with high FT blend ratios is the effect these low aromatic fuels will have on fuel-wetted polymeric materials, most notably seals and sealants. These materials typically swell and soften to some degree when exposed to jet fuel and the aromatic content of these fuels contribute to this effect. Semi-synthetic jet fuels with very low aromatic contents may cause seals and sealants to shrink and harden leading to acute or chronic failure. Unfortunately, most of the material qualification tests are more concerned with excessive swelling than shrinkage and there is little guidance offered as to an acceptable level of shrinkage or other changes in physical properties related to low aromatic content. Given the pressing need for guidance data, a program was developed to rapidly survey the volume swell of selected fuel-wetted materials in a range of conventional and semi-synthetic jet fuels and through a statistical analysis to make a determination as to whether there was a basis to be concerned about using fuels with FT blend ratios as high as 50 percent. Concurrent with this analysis data was obtained as to the composition of the fuel absorbed in fuel-wetted materials through the use of GC-MS analysis of swollen samples as well as other supporting data. In this presentation the authors will present a summary of the results of the volume swell and fuel absorbed by selected O-rings and sealants as well as a description of the measurement protocols developed for this program

Inbreeding depresses altruism in a cooperative society

In some animal species, individuals regularly breed with relatives, including siblings and parents. Given the high fitness costs of inbreeding, evolutionary biologists have found it challenging to understand the persistence of these inbred societies in nature. One appealing but untested explanation is that early life care may create a benign environment that offsets inbreeding depression, allowing inbred societies to evolve. We test this possibility using 21 years of data from a wild cooperatively breeding mammal, the banded mongoose, a species where almost one in ten young result from close inbreeding. We show that care provided by parents and alloparents mitigates inbreeding depression for early survival. However, as adults, inbred individuals provide less care, reducing the amount of help available to the next generation. Our results suggest that inbred cooperative societies are rare in nature partly because the protective care that enables elevated levels of inbreeding can be reduced by inbreeding depression

8-Methoxypsoralen Levels in Blood of Vitiligo Patients and in Skin, Ophthalmic Fluids, and Ocular Tissues of the Guinea Pig

8-Methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) levels in the blood of vitiligo patients were determined through the use of a reverse- phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method. The overall recovery of the internal standards was 85-94%, with the lower detection limit of 8-MOP at 2ng. Peak blood levels as low as 130ng/ml and as high as 3892 ng/ml were obtained in patients at 1-3h following the oral administration of 0.6mg/kg body weight of Oxsoralen capsules (Elder Pharmaceuticals Co.). These results are consistent with the clinical observation that maximum response in phototherapy is obtained at about 2h after oral administration of the drug. Two hours after oral administration of 0.6mg/kg of Oxsoralen, 8-MOP levels in the epidermis, dermis, and whole skin of the guinea pig (inng/g) were: epidermis, 330 ± 20; dermis, 89 ± 16; whole skin, 379 ± 19. Also detected were 8-MOP levels of 441 ± 22ng/ml in aqueous humor, 166 ± 18ng/ml in vitreous gel, 355 ± 15ng/g in lens, and 410 ± 26ng/g in retina. These results point to the fact that the eyes of the patient must be protected from exposure to sunlight after psoralen UV treatment, and that 8-MOP is absorbed in blood unevenly and varies from patient to patient. The fact that only 50-60% of the patients responded to psoralen photochemotherapy for vitiligo may be related to the variation of absorption of the drug in individual patients