Interactive behavior degradation

All the previous systems were polydisperse in nature, so that the coil-stretch transition was broad (because the relaxation time depends upon molecular weight). Also, only a part of the molecular weight distribution (the longest molecules) becomes stretched by the flow. It therefore proved impossible to determine the dependence of the coil-stretch or interaction behavior upon molecular weight. For these reasons, we examine the behavior of a model system, monodisperse atactic polystyrene (a-PS) in the 0 solvent decahydronaphthalene. We will explore separately, both by assessment of molecular strain and macrorheology, the onset of interaction behavior, particularly as a function of molecular weight, and the associated flow-induced degradation. 

The results of Jamieson and McNeill cannot be accounted for by the intramolecular mechanism proposed by Grassie and coworkers [136,137] for the thermal degradation behavior of VC/VAc copolymers (Eqs, [28] and [29]). They can be accounted for much more convincingly by the alternative approach proposed by Naqvi based on polar interactions within the PVC matrix. Just like in copolymers even in blends, the polar carbonyl group of PVAc intensifies the concentration of like-poles in the PVC matrix resulting in destabilization. 

All soil metabolic proce.sses are driven by enzymes. The main sources of enzymes in soil are roots, animals, and microorganisms the last are considered to be the most important (49). Once enzymes are produced and excreted from microbial cells or from root cells, they face harsh conditions most may be rapidly decomposed by organisms (50), part may be adsorbed onto soil organomineral colloids and possibly protected against microbial degradation (51), and a minor portion may stand active in soil solution (52). The fraction of extracellular enzyme activity of soil, which is not denaturated and/or inactivated through interactions with soil fabric (51), is called naturally stabilized or immobilized. Moreover, it has been hypothesized that immobilized enzymes have a peculiar behavior, for they might not require cofactors for their catalysis. 

A number of mathematical models have been developed in recent years which attempt to predict the behavior of organic water pollutants. >2>3 Models assume that compounds will partition into various compartments in the environment such as air, water, biota, suspended solids and sediment. The input to the models includes the affinity of the compound for each of the compartments, the rate of transfer between the compartments, and the rates of various degradation processes in the various compartments. There is a growing body of data, however, which indicates that the models to date may have overlooked a small but significant interaction. A number of authors have suggested that a portion of the compounds in the aqueous phase may be bound to dissolved humic materials and are not therefore truly dissolved. 

The behavior of phenolic compounds derived from decaying plant residues, or released from degrading humic substances, is dictated by the physico-chemical processes of adsorption and desorption. Equilibria between these processes determine the concentration of phenolic compounds in the soil solution and consequently the bioactivity, movement, and persistence of these substances in the soil. Surface interactions between phenolic compounds and colloidal matrices may promote their polymerization (25, 26) or protect them from microbial degradation and mineralization. 

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