Secondary Template Research Articles

EFFECT OF SYNERGY ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MERGED INSTITUTIONS

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of synergy on the financial performance of merged institutions.Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methodology research design. The study population included all the 51 merged financial service institutions in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used. Primary data was obtained from questionnaires and a secondary data collection template was also used. The researcher used quantitative techniques in analyzing the data. Descriptive analysis for the study included the use of means, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics such as correlation analysis was also used. Panel data analysis was also applied. Further, a pre and post merger analysis was used.Results: Synergy had a significant relationship with financial performance of merged institutions.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that institutions should critically evaluate the overall business and operational compatibility of the merging institutions and focus on capturing long-term financial synergies. They should increase their scope to create high performing supply chains with significant long-term upside that provide sustained value for customers and stakeholders.

EFFECT OF DIVERSIFICATION ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MERGED INSTITUTIONS

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of diversification on the financial performance of merged institutions.Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methodology research design. The study population included all the 51 merged financial service institutions in Kenya. Purposive sampling was used. Primary data was obtained from questionnaires and a secondary data collection template was also used. The researcher used quantitative techniques in analyzing the data. Descriptive analysis for the study included the use of means, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics such as correlation analysis was also used. Panel data analysis was also applied. Further, a pre and post merger analysis was used.Results: Diversification had no significant effect on financial performance of merged institutions.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study findings call for a re-assessment of the literature on diversification. Further research is necessary to study why sometimes the diversification-performance relationship is positive, others negative, and often quadratic. Further research is needed to investigate whether diversification effects on performance depends on the industries considered. This study recommends that companies with a weak and unstable capital base should seek to consolidate their establishments through mergers and acquisitions. Through mergers and acquisitions, these companies will be able to extend their market share and revenue base hence increase their profitability. In addition, mergers and acquisition leads to a higher CAR which improves the financial soundness of the companies.

Induction-heated nanoimprint on soda-lime glass using sapphire molds

The authors developed an induction-heated high-temperature thermal nanoimprint process to directly transfer nanoscale features on sapphire molds to soda-lime glass substrates. Nanoholes of a 650-nm-period hexagonal lattice were directly imprinted in soda-lime glass using the induction-heated thermal nanoimprint configuration as an experimental demonstration. The morphology of nanostructures imprinted on glass substrates at different imprinting process parameters was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy and further numerically investigated using a finite element method. The soda-lime glass substrates imprinted with nanohole arrays were then used as secondary templates for further transferring nanostructures onto cyclic olefin copolymer films through another thermal nanoimprint process. The authors also demonstrated surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensing applications on these nanostructured glass substrates after coating them with a thin layer of gold.

Construction of Chiral [4 + 4] and [2 + 2] Schiff-Base Macrocyclic Zinc(II) Complexes Influenced by Counterions and Pendant Arms.

Chiral and racemic 68-membered [4 + 4] tetranuclear and 34-membered [2 + 2] dinuclear Schiff-base macrocyclic zinc(II) complexes 1-10 can be selectively synthesized based on the secondary template effects of counterions and pendant arms, when [(S,S), (R,R), (±)]-1,2-diaminocyclohexane precursors are first used to react with a pair of extended dialdehydes with different pendant arms via zinc(II) ion template-assisted imine condensation.

Synthesis of Wool-Ball-Like ZSM-5 with Enlarged External Surfaces and Improved Diffusion: A Potential Highly-Efficient FCC Catalyst Component for Elevating Pre-cracking of Large Molecules and Catalytic Longevity

A hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite composed of nano-sized MFI zeolite crystals was synthesized without using secondary template by a traditional hydrothermal procedure. The as-synthesized hierarchical ZSM-5 and a reference catalyst were both characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, in situ infrared (IR) spectrometry of pyridine, NH3-TPD, N2 adsorption–desorption, intelligent gravimetric analyzer, and by thermogravimetry analyses. After examining and comparing the results, it is discovered that the hierarchical ZSM-5 catalyst displays excellent catalytic performance with an improved conversion of isopropylbenzene and a longer catalytic life because of its dramatically enlarged external surfaces. The results also display that the shortened diffusion path length contributes to enhancing the stability of the hierarchical catalyst by depressing the coking deposit during the catalytic cracking of n-octane. A wool-ball-like zeolite composed of nano-sized MFI crystals was synthesized without a secondary template by the traditional hydrothermal procedure. Nanocrystallization of crystal particles in the hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite gives the catalyst an improved diffusion and a dramatically enhanced external surface which contributes to elevating pre-cracking of large molecules and catalytic longevity, and to offering a potential and high-efficiency FCC catalyst component.

Synthesis of mesoporous MFI zeolite using PVA as a secondary template

We have developed a new facile synthesis method for a uniform mesoporous MFI zeolite using poly vinyl alcohol with surface activity (PVA, MW: 13,000–23,000, 87–89 % hydrolyzed) as a secondary template. The PVA concentration in precursor solutions was optimized for the formation of mesopores in zeolite crystals. The PVA molecules were not incorporated into zeolite crystals when the precursor mixture contained 1.5 wt% of PVA. Neither MFI zeolite structures nor mesopores were formed in the case of adding a large amount of PVA (4.5 wt%) into the precursor mixture, suggesting that the high PVA density in the solution inhibited a crystallization of MFI zeolite. Meanwhile, in the medium PVA contents condition (3.0 wt%), uniform mesopores with a size of 15 nm were formed in the zeolite single crystals. The mesopore size was approximately in accord with the end-to-end distance of PVA molecule, which implies that one PVA molecule was embedded in one mesopore in the crystallization process. Furthermore, the mesoporous MFI zeolite showed a higher catalytic performance on 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene cracking than the other samples.

Synthesis of Hierarchical ZSM-5 Composed of Nanocrystals without a Secondary Template

A series of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites were prepared by self-assembly of in situ-formed nanocrystals via a traditional hydrothermal procedure. The as-synthesized hierarchical ZSM-5 samples were ch...

Functioned carbon nanotube templated hierarchical Silicate-1 synthesis: On the existence of super-micropore

In present study, the functioned carbon nanotube was used as secondary template for hierarchical Silicate-1 synthesis. Special attentions were paid to the existence of super-micropore (1–2 nm) and additional hysteresis loop between 0.1 and 0.2 in nitrogen adsorption isotherms of the synthesized samples. The main findings of present study are: (1) Silicate-1 with additional mesoporosity can be synthesized with functioned carbon nanotube as secondary template through impregnation or direct hydrothermal synthesis method. The functional group in carbon nanotube doesn't influence the crystallization process with impregnation method but have large influence in direct hydrothermal synthesis method; (2) With typical subsequently impregnation method, no hysteresis loop between 0.1 and 0.2 was found in the nitrogen adsorption isotherms of samples. And the single wall carbon nanotube penetrated the zeolite crystal as a bundle other than separate nanotube with size range in 1–2 nm, (3) In zeolite samples synthesized with direct hydrothermal method, additional hysteresis loop was found in several samples. However, SEM and crystallization process analysis indicated that the hysteresis loop was more likely due to the large crystal size other than the existence of any real pores.

Understanding the dimensions of home for people returning home post stroke rehabilitation

Introduction Home is a meaningful and important place and the transition to home from hospital is considered a significant point in recovery for people after stroke. Six dimensions of the home environment have previously been described as important for well-being and contributing to one's experience of home: the physical, social, personal, temporal, occupational and societal dimensions. The aim of this study was to understand the experience of home for people with stroke after discharge to home from hospital rehabilitation. Method A secondary template analysis applied the dimensions of home to semi-structured interviews that explored the transition to home experience for seven participants with stroke at 4–6 weeks post discharge. Results All six dimensions were present in the descriptions of returning to home from stroke rehabilitation. The social, personal and occupational dimensions appeared to be the most prominent and often centred on loss or change. Conclusion People returning home after a stroke enter a different home environment than the one they experienced prior to stroke, with changes experienced in all dimensions of home. Closer attention to the dimensions during discharge preparation may enhance the transition experience.

Nanospring electrochemical lithography (NEL): noble metal nanohelices.

We report three-dimensional helical Au nanostructures using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) and the embedded Pd nanosprings, serving as primary and secondary templates, respectively. The resulting Au nanohelices exhibit strong SERS signals due to the electromagnetic field enhancement originating from the helical morphology; this behavior is seemingly analogous to that of a nano-gap enhancer. Nanospring electrochemical lithography (NEL) represents a new method for synthesizing complex helical nanostructures and has potential for application in materials science.

Mesopore-Modified SAPO-18 with Potential Use as Catalyst for the MTO Reaction

SAPO-34 silicoaluminophosphates are well known as catalysts for the synthesis of light olefins–ethylene and propylene–from methanol by using the methanol to olefins (MTO) process, first described by Mobil. SAPO-18, which has a microporous framework structure related to but crystallographically distinct from SAPO-34, has been much less studied but promises to be a potential catalyst in the MTO process. The main drawback of these catalysts in this reaction is their rapid deactivation, due to the deposition of heavy carbonaceous products–coke–on the surface of the solid avoiding the access of methanol molecules to the active centres located inside the pores of the SAPO catalysts. We have used different mesoporogen agents–nanoparticulate carbons and chitosan–aiming to generate mesoporosity in the SAPO-18 crystals, in an attempt to improve the accessibility of the reagent to the active centres of SAPO-18 and, in that way, inhibit catalyst deactivation. All the materials prepared in this work present similar framework composition and silicon distribution and the main difference among them is the hierarchical porosity generated by the mesoporogen additives use in the synthesis, as determined by STEM. Using chitosan polymer as a secondary template results in an increase of the external surface, which improved significantly the internal diffusivity enhancing the life time of the catalyst in the MTO process.

Fabrication of the replica templated from butterfly wing scales with complex light trapping structures

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) positive replica templated twice from the excellent light trapping surface of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana wing scales was fabricated by a simple and promising route. The exact SiO2 negative replica was fabricated by using a synthesis method combining a sol–gel process and subsequent selective etching. Afterwards, a vacuum-aided process was introduced to make PDMS gel fill into the SiO2 negative replica, and the PDMS gel was solidified in an oven. Then, the SiO2 negative replica was used as secondary template and the structures in its surface was transcribed onto the surface of PDMS. At last, the PDMS positive replica was obtained. After comparing the PDMS positive replica and the original bio-template in terms of morphology, dimensions and reflectance spectra and so on, it is evident that the excellent light trapping structures of butterfly wing scales were inherited by the PDMS positive replica faithfully. This bio-inspired route could facilitate the preparation of complex light trapping nanostructure surfaces without any assistance from other power-wasting and expensive nanofabrication technologies.

Synthesis of hierarchical nano-crystalline zeolite beta using biomass-derived hard templates

Mesoporous nano-crystalline zeolite beta was prepared via hydrothermal synthesis and the effect of carbohydrates as a hard template was studied. The monosaccharide, disaccharide, polysaccharide and cyclic oligosaccharide type of carbohydrates were used as a secondary template. These modified beta zeolites were characterised by XRD, SEM and N2 physisorption. The polysaccharide and oligosaccharide types of carbohydrates show a significant mesoporosity generation in nano-crystalline zeolite beta where as monosaccharide and disaccharide types of carbohydrates alter the pH of gel and lead to the amorphous phase. The XRD and SEM results confirmed the formation of nano-crystalline zeolite beta. N2 adsorption/desorption results showed the generation of the mesoporosity in nano-crystalline zeolite beta. Advantages of using the biomass-derived hard-templates have been brought out.

Direct, single-step synthesis of hierarchical zeolites without secondary templating

Hierarchical ZSM-5 with a shell of stacked coffin-shaped crystals and a core of nanocrystal aggregates was synthesized by controlling the formation and self-assembly of zeolite precursors formed in the initial stage of crystallization. The formed hierarchical zeolite shows superior catalytic activity for reaction involving bulky molecules due to enhanced mass transport.

Mutual stabilisation between MII4L6 tetrahedra and MIIX42- metallate guests.

A complex host-guest equilibrium employing metal ions incorporated into both the host and guest is discussed. MIIX42- metallate guests are shown to provide a good size and shape match for encapsulation within the M4L6 tetrahedral capsules, facilitating the generation of previously unreported Zn4L6 complexes. Displacement of the initial, primary template anion (ZnBr42-) by a secondary template anion (ClO4-) is shown to result in the formation of a pentagonal-prismatic Zn10L15 structure that incorporates both Br- and ClO4-. Furthermore, the formation of heterometallic complexes provides direct evidence for metal exchange between the guest and host complex.

Effect of ethanol on the crystallinity and acid sites of MFI zeolite nanosheets

A series of MFI zeolite nanosheets were synthesized using hydrothermal method with ammonium surfactant (C22-6-6) as the zeolite structure-generating agent. The effects of ethanol concentration on the textural properties, crystal morphology and acidic properties of the zeolite samples were studied. The zeolite samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption isotherms and scanning electron micrographs of the porous materials. The results showed that the addition of ethanol promoted the crystallization of zeolite, and a large number of crystals grew along the b-axis orientation. Based on NH3-TPD and pyridine-adsorbed FT-IR results, the increase of crystallinity enhanced the acidic properties of the prepared samples. It was attributed to the fact that more aluminum atoms in the sample with higher crystallinity entered into the zeolites framework structure, and participated in coordination. These aluminum atoms coordinating to the oxygen atoms in the framework created Lewis acid and Bronsted acid sites. The present study indicated that ethanol could function as cosolvent and a secondary template to tailor the textural and acidic properties of MFI nanosheets assemblies primarily guided by C22-6-6 templates. In addition, the quantification of acid site accessibility demonstrated the improvement of the available acid sites and the bulky molecular diffusion efficiency in the MFI nanosheets zeolite.

Nanostructure transfer using cyclic olefin copolymer templates fabricated by thermal nanoimprint lithography

The authors demonstrate the application of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) films as secondary nanoimprint templates for transferring sub-100 nm nanostructures. Featureless COC films were first patterned by a thermal nanoimprint process using silicon molds with gratings of various periods from 140 to 420 nm. Morphology of COC gratings imprinted at different processing parameters was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy and the grating transfer fidelity was systematically investigated. The nanoimprinted COC substrates were then used as secondary templates in an ultraviolet (UV)-cured nanoimprint lithography process to transfer the grating patterns onto UV-curable epoxy. The authors also demonstrate the application of using these nanoimprinted COC templates to transfer metallic nanostructures onto fiber facets. With good mechanical strength, high transparency to UV light, easy fabrication, and excellent chemical compatibility, COC is a promising material that can be used in low-cost secondary templates for large-volume nanoimprint-based manufacturing of nanostructured devices.

From natural aluminosilicate minerals to hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites: A nanoscale depolymerization–reorganization approach

In this article, we describe a novel strategy for synthesizing hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites via the nanoscale depolymerization–reorganization of natural aluminosilicate minerals. This strategy involves two important steps: the first is the top-down depolymerization of one aluminum-rich aluminosilicate mineral via a novel submolten salt system and one silicon-rich aluminosilicate mineral via conventional thermal treatment into nanoscale building blocks, and the second is the bottom-up rearrangement and reorganization of nanoscale building blocks in the synthesis system into hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites. When used as a fluid catalytic cracking catalyst additive, the resulting ZSM-5 zeolite with hierarchical micro–mesoporous structure exhibited high activity and selectivity for valuable products in preliminary oil refining tests. The salient features of the strategy lie in that it neither involves any inorganic aluminum and silicon salts as precursors nor uses any secondary mesoscale template and post-treatment to create mesopores, thus demonstrating itself to be a green route to synthesizing hierarchical zeolites.

A strong strand displacement activity of thermostable DNA polymerase markedly improves the results of DNA amplification.

The sensitivity and robustness of various DNA detection and amplification techniques are to a large extent determined by the properties of the DNA polymerase used. We have compared the performance of conventional Taq and Bst DNA polymerases to a novel Taq DNA polymerase mutant (SD DNA polymerase), which has a strong strand displacement activity, in PCR (including amplification of GC-rich and complex secondary structure templates), long-range PCR (LR PCR), loop-mediated amplification (LAMP), and polymerase chain displacement reaction (PCDR). Our results demonstrate that the strand displacement activity of SD DNA polymerase, in combination with the robust polymerase activity, provides a notable improvement in the sensitivity and efficiency of all these methods.

Assembly of binary templates for fabricating arrayed pores of TiO2 films with hierarchical structures

A novel assembly of binary templates was reported and TiO2 films with hierarchical structures were fabricated by using the assembled templates. According to the result of simulating the templates assembly, it is found that the ratio of the diameter of the bowl to the sphere (Db:Ds) is vital for the assembly of ordered templates, which contains arrayed TiO2 bowls and ordered polystyrene spheres (PS). As a result, when the Db:Ds is more than 3:1 (Db:Ds>3:1), ideal and perfect secondary templates can be obtained and hence arrayed pores of TiO2 films with hierarchical structures can be fabricated.