RADIATION EFFECTS ON CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS .1. GAMMA-RADIATION-INDUCED CROSS-LINKING AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYETHYLENE OXIDE

By using WAXD, DSC and gel fraction determination techniques, the mechanism of radiation crosslinking of polyethylene oxide (PEO) was explored, and the dependence of aggregated state on the chemical reaction and physical structure was also discussed. It was found that just like other semi-crystalline polymers, the state of aggregation of the specimen has a profound influence on the radiation effects on PEO. On the contrary, the crystalline structure of the specimen is severely affected with the increase in radiation dose and eventually amorphortized when subjected to an extremely high radiation dose.

A NEWLY PROPOSED MOLECULAR TOPOLOGICAL INDEX FOR THE DISCRIMINATION OF CIS/TRANS ISOMERS AND FOR THE STUDIES OF QSAR/QSPR

A new topological index, the general a(N)-index (GAI), on quantum chemistry, is described in this paper. The GAI can be applied to molecules that contain heteroatoms and multiple bonds, and performs well in distinguishing cis/trans isomers. The relationships between the GAIs and physicochemical properties of olefins and neutral phosphorus compounds were observed with satisfactory results.

RADIATION-INDUCED CROSS-LINKING OF AROMATIC POLYMERS WITH A CARDO GROUP

The effects of irradiation on some members of the family of aromatic polymers with a cardo group, such as polyetherketone with a cardo group (PEK-C) and polyethersulfone with a cardo group (PES-C), were studied. It was found that PEK-C and PES-C can be crosslinked by irradiation under vacuum. Moreover, it was also found that the intensity of the shake-up peak of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for PEK-C and PES-C varies with irradiation dose. Gelation doses (Rg) of PEK-C and PES-C were estimated from the XPS shake-up peak.

RADIATION-INDUCED CROSS-LINKING OF POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE)-POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) BLEND

Radiation-induced crosslinking of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-poly(methylene oxide) (PEO) blends was studied. It was found that PMMA in PMMA-PEO blend can be crosslinked in the range of certain doses (1 approximately 20 x 10(4) Gy) and composition (PMMA% = 30 approximately 70) under the absence of oxygen. Moreover, it was also found that the crosslinking degree of PMMA in the blend in which the content of PMMA is 70% is the largest. The crosslinking degree of PMMA in the blend is closely related with the polymer miscibility. The crosslinking degree of the blend prepared at 60-degrees-C is far higher than one at ambient temperature.

Recognition of Topological Invariants by Iterative Arrays

A study is made of the recognition and transformation of figures by iterative arrays of finite state automata. A figure is a finite rectangular two-dimensional array of symbols. The iterative arrays considered are also finite, rectangular, and two-dimensional. The automata comprising any given array are called cells and are assumed to be isomorphic and to operate synchronously with the state of a cell at time t+1 being a function of the states of it and its four nearest neighbors at time t. At time t=0 each cell is placed in one of a fixed number of initial states. The pattern of initial states thus introduced represents the figure to be processed. The resulting sequence of array states represents a computation based on the input figure. If one waits for a specially designated cell to indicate acceptance or rejection of the figure, the array is said to be working on a recognition problem. If one waits for the array to come to a stable configuration representing an output figure, the array is said to be working on a transformation problem.

Topological changes in a two-dimensional foam cluster

Cox, S.J., Vaz, M.F. and Weaire, D. (2003) Topological changes in a two-dimensional foam cluster. The European Physical Journal E - Soft Matter . 11:29-35.

The topological behaviour of 3D null points in the Sun's corona

Brown D. S. and Priest E. R. 2001, The topological behaviour of 3D null points in the Sun's corona, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 367, 339-346

Pre-empting Plateau: the nature of topological transitions in foam

Hutzler, S., Weaire, D., Cox, S.J., Van der Net, A. and Janiaud, E. (2007) Pre-empting Plateau: the nature of topological transitions in foam. Europhys. Lett. 77: 28002 Sponsorship: EPSRC / ESA / ESTEC / Science Foundation Ireland/ Gulbenkian Foundation

A Topological Analysis of the Magnetic Breakout Model for an Eruptive Solar Flare

Maclean, R., Beveridge, C., Longcope, D.W., Brown, D.S. and Priest, E.R., 2005, A topological analysis of the magnetic breakout model for an eruptive solar flare, Proc. Roy. Soc., 461, 2099-2120. Sponsorship: PPARC/STFC

The dynamics of a topological change in a system of soap films

Hutzler, S., Saadatfar, M., van der Net, A., Weaire, D. and Cox, S.J. (2007) The dynamics of a topological change in a system of soap films. Coll. Surf. A, 323:123-131. Sponsorship: This research was supported by the European Space Agency (contracts 14914/02/NL/SH and 14308/00/NL/SH), Science Foundation Ireland. (RFP 05/REP/PHY00/6), and the EU program COST P21 (The Physics of droplets). SJC acknowledges support from EPSRC (EP/D071127/1). MS is supported by the Irish Higher Education Authority (PRTLI-IITAC).

Linking Attention to Learning, Expectation, Competition, and Consciousness

The concept of attention has been used in many senses, often without clarifying how or why attention works as it does. Attention, like consciousness, is often described in a disembodied way. The present article summarizes neural models and supportive data and how attention is linked to processes of learning, expectation, competition, and consciousness. A key them is that attention modulates cortical self-organization and stability. Perceptual and cognitive neocortex is organized into six main cell layers, with characteristic sub-lamina. Attention is part of unified design of bottom-up, horizontal, and top-down interactions among indentified cells in laminar cortical circuits. Neural models clarify how attention may be allocated during processes of visual perception, learning and search; auditory streaming and speech perception; movement target selection during sensory-motor control; mental imagery and fantasy; and hallucination during mental disorders, among other processes.

Linking Visual Cortex to Visual Perception: An Alternative to the Gestalt Bubble

Lehar's lively discussion builds on a critique of neural models of vision that is incorrect in its general and specific claims. He espouses a Gestalt perceptual approach, rather than one consistent with the "objective neurophysiological state of the visual system" (p. 1). Contemporary vision models realize his perceptual goals and also quantitatively explain neurophysiological and anatomical data.

Linking brain to mind in normal behavior and schizophrenia

In order to understand schizophrenia, a linking hypothesis is needed that shows how brain mechanisms lead to behavioral functions in normals, and also how breakdown in these mechanisms lead to behavioral symptoms in schizophrenia. Such a linking hypothesis is now available that complements the discussion offered by Phillips and Silverstein.