No description available.

No description available.

Two series of aliphatic hyperbranched (HB) polyesters have been synthesized from 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid and di-trimethylolpropane using pseudo-one-step or one-step procedure. The structure and properties of these HB polyesters, investigated with different characterization techniques in solution, melt and solid state, were compared between each other, with commercial Boltorn HB polyesters and samples obtained by modification of the end -OH groups with ß-alanine or stearic acid. Seven HB polyesters were fractionated in order to obtain three fractions of each sample. The experimental results obtained from NMR spectroscopy, acid and hydroxyl number titration, GPC, vapour pressure osmometry, MALDI TOF and ESI mass spectrometry indicate that during the synthesis reactivity of terminal and linear -OH groups was not the same and that side reactions occurred in significant amount, which led to the lowering of the number average molar mass and broadening of the molar mass distribution. According to the results obtained from viscosimetry of diluted solutions and dynamic light scattering the best solvents for these HB polyesters are 0.7 mass % solution of LiCl in N,N-dimethylacetamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinon (NMP). The limiting viscosity number and the hydrodynamic radius of the samples increase up to the sixth pseudo generation in these two solvents. Investigated HB polyesters behave as Newtonian liquids in concentrated solutions (c < 50 mass % in NMP) at T < 55 °C. The same was observed for the samples from fourth till sixth pseudo generation in melt at T > 70 °C. At all other experimental conditions used in this work these polymers show shear-thinning behaviour due to the high ability for the aggregation. Thermal stability of investigated HB polyesters increases with increasing number of the pseudo generation. The influence of the procedure for the synthesis and type of end groups on the properties of these polymers is discussed.

In this dissertation we aim to perform a multi-wavelength analysis of galaxy clusters. We discuss various methods for clustering in order to determine physical parameters of galaxy clusters required for this type of study. A selection of galaxy clusters was chosen from 4 papers, (Popesso et al. 2007b, Yoon et al. 2008, Loubser et al. 2008, Brownstein & Mo at 2006) and restricted by redshift and galactic latitude to reveal a sample of 40 galaxy clusters with 0.0 < z < 0.15. Data mining using Virtual Observatory (VO) and a literature survey provided some background information about each of the galaxy clusters in our sample with respect to optical, radio and X-ray data. Using the Kayes Mixture Model (KMM) and the Gaussian Mixing Model (GMM), we determine the most likely cluster member candidates for each source in our sample. We compare the results obtained to SIMBADs method of hierarchy. We show that the GMM provides a very robust method to determine member candidates but in order to ensure that the right candidates are chosen we apply a select choice of outlier tests to our sources. We determine a method based on a combination of GMM, the QQ Plot and the Rosner test that provides a robust and consistent method for determining galaxy cluster members. Comparison between calculated physical parameters; velocity dispersion, radius, mass and temperature, and values obtained from literature show that for the majority of our galaxy clusters agree within 3 range. Inconsistencies are thought to be due to dynamically active clusters that have substructure or are undergoing mergers, making galaxy member identi cation di cult. Six correlations between di erent physical parameters in the optical and X-ray wavelength were consistent with published results. Comparing the velocity dispersion with the X-ray temperature, we found a relation of T0:43 as compared to T0:5 obtained from Bird et al. (1995). X-ray luminosity temperature and X-ray luminosity velocity dispersion relations gave the results LX T2:44 and LX 2:40 which lie within the uncertainty of results given by Rozgacheva & Kuvshinova (2010). These results all suggest that our method for determining galaxy cluster members is e cient and application to higher redshift sources can be considered. Further studies on galaxy clusters with substructure must be performed in order to improve this method. In future work, the physical parameters obtained here will be further compared to X-ray and radio properties in order to determine a link between bent radio sources and the galaxy cluster environment. / MSc (Space Physics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

In this dissertation we aim to perform a multi-wavelength analysis of galaxy clusters. We discuss various methods for clustering in order to determine physical parameters of galaxy clusters required for this type of study. A selection of galaxy clusters was chosen from 4 papers, (Popesso et al. 2007b, Yoon et al. 2008, Loubser et al. 2008, Brownstein & Mo at 2006) and restricted by redshift and galactic latitude to reveal a sample of 40 galaxy clusters with 0.0 < z < 0.15. Data mining using Virtual Observatory (VO) and a literature survey provided some background information about each of the galaxy clusters in our sample with respect to optical, radio and X-ray data. Using the Kayes Mixture Model (KMM) and the Gaussian Mixing Model (GMM), we determine the most likely cluster member candidates for each source in our sample. We compare the results obtained to SIMBADs method of hierarchy. We show that the GMM provides a very robust method to determine member candidates but in order to ensure that the right candidates are chosen we apply a select choice of outlier tests to our sources. We determine a method based on a combination of GMM, the QQ Plot and the Rosner test that provides a robust and consistent method for determining galaxy cluster members. Comparison between calculated physical parameters; velocity dispersion, radius, mass and temperature, and values obtained from literature show that for the majority of our galaxy clusters agree within 3 range. Inconsistencies are thought to be due to dynamically active clusters that have substructure or are undergoing mergers, making galaxy member identi cation di cult. Six correlations between di erent physical parameters in the optical and X-ray wavelength were consistent with published results. Comparing the velocity dispersion with the X-ray temperature, we found a relation of T0:43 as compared to T0:5 obtained from Bird et al. (1995). X-ray luminosity temperature and X-ray luminosity velocity dispersion relations gave the results LX T2:44 and LX 2:40 which lie within the uncertainty of results given by Rozgacheva & Kuvshinova (2010). These results all suggest that our method for determining galaxy cluster members is e cient and application to higher redshift sources can be considered. Further studies on galaxy clusters with substructure must be performed in order to improve this method. In future work, the physical parameters obtained here will be further compared to X-ray and radio properties in order to determine a link between bent radio sources and the galaxy cluster environment. / MSc (Space Physics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

No description available.

Casein is the major protein fraction in milk, and its cross-linking has been a topic of scientific interest for many years. Enzymatic cross-linking has huge potential to modify relevant techno-functional properties of casein, whereas non-enzymatic cross-linking occurs naturally during the storage and processing of milk and dairy products. Two size separation techniques were applied for characterisation of these reactions: gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography. This review summarises their separation principles and discusses the outcome of studies on cross-linked casein from the last ~20 years. Both methods, however, show limitations concerning separation range and are applied mainly under denaturing and reducing conditions. In contrast, field flow fractionation has a broad separation range and can be easily applied under native conditions. Although this method has become a powerful tool in polymer and nanoparticle analysis and was used in few studies on casein micelles, it has not yet been applied to investigate cross-linked casein. Finally, the principles and requirements for absolute molar mass determination are reviewed, which will be of increased interest in the future since suitable calibration substances for casein polymers are scarce.

In this work, a new method for mass determination of single low-charged particles in the sub-picogram regime is developed. It opens applications to chemical physics and surface science via determination of growth rates. The method combines the well-known electrodynamic quadrupole ion trap in a UHV-chamber and fourier transformation of scattered light. The achieved mass resolution of down to $10^{-4}$ at 100 fg mass on a time scale of ten seconds allows a resolution of a few percent of the mass of an adsorbed monolayer and to determine growth rates down to one molecule per second on a time scale of one day. The observation of temperature dependent sticking coefficients results in the measures of the energy of an adsorption barrier. Observation of discrete steps in the rate gives information about the density of molecules in an ordered layer. Temperature dependent desorption data gives the binding energy. The dependence of these observables on the controllable curvature and charge of the substrate's surface is measurable. The first part of this dissertation consists of a description of the common theory of the quadrupole ion trap with the completion of not widely known, newly introduced, contributions to the trapping potential. These contributions lead to systematic shifts in the mass determination. In particular the influence of the inhomogenity of the electrical field, that is used for compensating the gravitational force, is investigated analytically and corroborated experimentally. It is assumed, that the particle's finite size effects in a further shift. In the experimental part initial demonstrative measurements are presented: the time-resolved adsorption of fullerene, anthracene and NO on silica spheres with 500nm diameter has been measured at room temperature. In addition the secondary electron yield of in-situ prepared particles during irradiation with monoenergetic electrons has been determined by analyzing the distribution of change of the number of elementary charges by single events of charging.

Casein is the major protein fraction in milk, and its cross-linking has been a topic of scientific interest for many years. Enzymatic cross-linking has huge potential to modify relevant techno-functional properties of casein, whereas non-enzymatic cross-linking occurs naturally during the storage and processing of milk and dairy products. Two size separation techniques were applied for characterisation of these reactions: gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography. This review summarises their separation principles and discusses the outcome of studies on cross-linked casein from the last ~20 years. Both methods, however, show limitations concerning separation range and are applied mainly under denaturing and reducing conditions. In contrast, field flow fractionation has a broad separation range and can be easily applied under native conditions. Although this method has become a powerful tool in polymer and nanoparticle analysis and was used in few studies on casein micelles, it has not yet been applied to investigate cross-linked casein. Finally, the principles and requirements for absolute molar mass determination are reviewed, which will be of increased interest in the future since suitable calibration substances for casein polymers are scarce.

In this work, a new method for mass determination of single low-charged particles in the sub-picogram regime is developed. It opens applications to chemical physics and surface science via determination of growth rates. The method combines the well-known electrodynamic quadrupole ion trap in a UHV-chamber and fourier transformation of scattered light. The achieved mass resolution of down to $10^{-4}$ at 100 fg mass on a time scale of ten seconds allows a resolution of a few percent of the mass of an adsorbed monolayer and to determine growth rates down to one molecule per second on a time scale of one day. The observation of temperature dependent sticking coefficients results in the measures of the energy of an adsorption barrier. Observation of discrete steps in the rate gives information about the density of molecules in an ordered layer. Temperature dependent desorption data gives the binding energy. The dependence of these observables on the controllable curvature and charge of the substrate's surface is measurable. The first part of this dissertation consists of a description of the common theory of the quadrupole ion trap with the completion of not widely known, newly introduced, contributions to the trapping potential. These contributions lead to systematic shifts in the mass determination. In particular the influence of the inhomogenity of the electrical field, that is used for compensating the gravitational force, is investigated analytically and corroborated experimentally. It is assumed, that the particle's finite size effects in a further shift. In the experimental part initial demonstrative measurements are presented: the time-resolved adsorption of fullerene, anthracene and NO on silica spheres with 500nm diameter has been measured at room temperature. In addition the secondary electron yield of in-situ prepared particles during irradiation with monoenergetic electrons has been determined by analyzing the distribution of change of the number of elementary charges by single events of charging.