scholarly journals Development of Large-Scale Stopped-Flow Technique and its Application in Elucidation of Initial Ziegler–Natta Olefin Polymerization Kinetics

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashutosh Thakur ◽  
Toru Wada ◽  
Patchanee Chammingkwan ◽  
Minoru Terano ◽  
Toshiaki Taniike

The stopped-flow (SF) technique has been extensively applied to study Ziegler–Natta (ZN) olefin polymerization kinetics within an extremely short period (typically <0.2 s) for understanding the nature of the active sites as well as the polymerization mechanisms through microstructure analyses of obtained polymers. In spite of its great applicability, a small amount of polymer that is yielded in a short-time polymerization has been a major bottleneck for polymer characterizations. In order to overcome this limitation, a large-scale SF (LSF) system has been developed, which offers stable and scalable polymerization over an expanded time range from a few tens milliseconds to several seconds. The scalability of the LSF technique has been further improved by introducing a new quenching protocol. With these advantages, the LSF technique has been effectively applied to address several unknown issues in ZN catalysis, such as the role of physical and chemical transformations of a catalyst on the initial polymerization kinetics, and regiochemistry of ZN propylene polymerization. Here, we review the development of the LSF technique and recent efforts for understanding heterogeneous ZN olefin polymerization catalysis with this new system.

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 275-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiaki Taniike ◽  
Shinya Sano ◽  
Mitsuhiro Ikeya ◽  
Vu Quoc Thang ◽  
Minoru Terano

Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 683
Author(s):  
Haoyang Yang ◽  
Biao Zhang ◽  
Wentao Zhong ◽  
Zhisheng Fu ◽  
Zhiqiang Fan

The reliable and efficient counting of active sites in catalytic olefin polymerization has been realized by using acyl chloride as the quench-labeling agent. However, the molar ratio of acyl chloride to the alkylaluminum cocatalyst must be larger than 1 in order to completely depress side reactions between the quencher and Al-polymeryl that is formed via chain transfer reaction. In this work, a tetrahydrofuran/thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride (THF/TPCC) mixture was used as the quenching agent when counting the active sites of propylene polymerization catalyzed by MgCl2/Di/TiCl4 (Di = internal electron donor)-type Ziegler–Natta catalyst activated with triethylaluminum (TEA). When the THF/TEA molar ratio was 1 and the TPCC/TEA molar ratio was smaller than 1, the [S]/[Ti] ratio of the polymer quenched with the THF/TPCC mixture was the same as that quenched with only TPCC at TPCC/TEA > 1, indicating quench-labeling of all active sites bearing a propagation chain. The replacement of a part of the TPCC with THF did not influence the precision of active site counting by the acyl chloride quench-labeling method, but it effectively reduced the amount of acyl chloride. This modification to the acyl chloride quench-labeling method significantly reduced the amount of precious acyl chloride quencher and brought the benefit of simplifying polymer purification procedures after the quenching step.


1999 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 243-248
Author(s):  
D. Kubáček ◽  
A. Galád ◽  
A. Pravda

AbstractUnusual short-period comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 inspired many observers to explain its unpredictable outbursts. In this paper large scale structures and features from the inner part of the coma in time periods around outbursts are studied. CCD images were taken at Whipple Observatory, Mt. Hopkins, in 1989 and at Astronomical Observatory, Modra, from 1995 to 1998. Photographic plates of the comet were taken at Harvard College Observatory, Oak Ridge, from 1974 to 1982. The latter were digitized at first to apply the same techniques of image processing for optimizing the visibility of features in the coma during outbursts. Outbursts and coma structures show various shapes.


BMC Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Emily Hartop ◽  
Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽  
Wan Ting Lee ◽  
Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽  
...  

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birutė Ruzgienė ◽  
Qian Yi Xiang ◽  
Silvija Gečytė

The rectification of high resolution digital aerial images or satellite imagery employed for large scale city mapping is modern technology that needs well distributed and accurately defined control points. Digital satellite imagery, obtained using widely known software Google Earth, can be applied for accurate city map construction. The method of five control points is suggested for imagery rectification introducing the algorithm offered by Prof. Ruan Wei (tong ji University, Shanghai). Image rectification software created on the basis of the above suggested algorithm can correct image deformation with required accuracy, is reliable and keeps advantages in flexibility. Experimental research on testing the applied technology has been executed using GeoEye imagery with Google Earth builder over the city of Vilnius. Orthophoto maps at the scales of 1:1000 and 1:500 are generated referring to the methodology of five control points. Reference data and rectification results are checked comparing with those received from processing digital aerial images using a digital photogrammetry approach. The image rectification process applying the investigated method takes a short period of time (about 4-5 minutes) and uses only five control points. The accuracy of the created models satisfies requirements for large scale mapping. Santrauka Didelės skiriamosios gebos skaitmeninių nuotraukų ir kosminių nuotraukų rektifikavimas miestams kartografuoti stambiuoju masteliu yra nauja technologija. Tai atliekant būtini tikslūs ir aiškiai matomi kontroliniai taškai. Skaitmeninės kosminės nuotraukos, gautos taikant plačiai žinomą programinį paketą Google Earth, gali būti naudojamos miestams kartografuoti dideliu tikslumu. Siūloma nuotraukas rektifikuoti Penkių kontrolinių taskų metodu pagal prof. Ruan Wei (Tong Ji universitetas, Šanchajus) algoritmą. Moksliniam eksperimentui pasirinkta Vilniaus GeoEye nuotrauka iš Google Earth. 1:1000 ir 1:500 mastelio ortofotografiniai žemėlapiai sudaromi Penkių kontrolinių taškų metodu. Rektifikavimo duomenys lyginami su skaitmeninių nuotraukų apdorojimo rezultatais, gautais skaitmeninės fotogrametrijos metodu. Nuotraukų rektifikavimas Penkių kontrolinių taskų metodu atitinka kartografavimo stambiuoju masteliu reikalavimus, sumažėja laiko sąnaudos. Резюме Ректификация цифровых и космических снимков высокой резолюции для крупномасштабного картографирования является новой технологией, требующей точных и четких контрольных точек. Цифровые космические снимки, полученные с использованием широкоизвестного программного пакета Google Earth, могут применяться для точного картографирования городов. Для ректификации снимков предложен метод пяти контрольных точек с применением алгоритма проф. Ruan Wei (Университет Tong Ji, Шанхай). Для научного эксперимента использован снимок города Вильнюса GeoEye из Google Earth. Ортофотографические карты в масштабе 1:1000 и 1:500 генерируются с применением метода пяти контрольных точек. Полученные результаты и данные ректификации сравниваются с результатами цифровых снимков, полученных с применением метода цифровой фотограмметрии. Ректификация снимков с применением метода пяти контрольных точек уменьшает временные расходы и удовлетворяет требования, предъявляемые к крупномасштабному картографированию.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Cheng ◽  
Zeyi Liu ◽  
Guangquan Cheng ◽  
Jincai Huang

AbstractBeginning on December 31, 2019, the large-scale novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China. Tracking and analysing the heterogeneity and effectiveness of cities’ prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic is essential to design and adjust epidemic prevention and control measures. The number of newly confirmed cases in 25 of China’s most-affected cities for the COVID-19 epidemic from January 11 to February 10 was collected. The heterogeneity and effectiveness of these 25 cities’ prevention and control measures for COVID-19 were analysed by using an estimated time-varying reproduction number method and a serial correlation method. The results showed that the effective reproduction number (R) in 25 cities showed a downward trend overall, but there was a significant difference in the R change trends among cities, indicating that there was heterogeneity in the spread and control of COVID-19 in cities. Moreover, the COVID-19 control in 21 of 25 cities was effective, and the risk of infection decreased because their R had dropped below 1 by February 10, 2020. In contrast, the cities of Wuhan, Tianmen, Ezhou and Enshi still had difficulty effectively controlling the COVID-19 epidemic in a short period of time because their R was greater than 1.


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