text:
NFAIS Advances
Message from the NFAIS Executive Director:
Marcie Granahan,
NFAIS Executive Director
I'm looking forward to seeing many of you in just a matter of days at the NFAIS 2015 Annual Conference, where we'll take an in-depth look at the evolving user experience and the future of information delivery. This year's speakers include Kalev Leetaru, a leading Internet entrepreneur and academic; Tim Collins, President & CEO of EBSCO Industries; Micah Altman, Director of Research and Head/Scientist at the MIT Libraries; Michael R. Nelson, Public Policy, CloudFlare, Inc. and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University; and many more. If you haven't registered, you'll have to act quickly. Online registration closes tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 13).
In our last issue of NFAIS Advances, we explored Open Access and two great articles on international trends and creative approaches for open-access journals. In today's issue, we include an article covering new ideas around data sharing, including proposed policies and incentives to help foster more sharing of quality data among researchers. I've launched a post on this topic in the NFAIS Advances Community Forum – I invite you to join in and share your thoughts with your peers and colleagues.
We hope you enjoy this week's issue of NFAIS Advances! Please feel free to share this liberally with your colleagues and friends. We also welcome your feedback on ways we can make this service most helpful to you.
Marcie Granahan
NFAISMore
Elsevier wins 10 PROSE Awards including best eProduct application: Virtual microscope
Elsevier via NFAIS
Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced winning 10 PROSE Awards including the Best eProduct Application award for the Virtual Microscope, an integrated browser-based slide viewer that provides access to high resolution whole slide images. More
ProQuest joins BIBCO and ECIP Cataloging Partnership Programs
ProQuest via NFAIS
ProQuest has become a partner in the Library of Congress' Electronic Cataloging in Publication (ECIP) Cataloging Partnership and BIBCO Programs. The company is the first publisher ever to partner in the ECIP program and joins academic libraries in cataloging pre-publication galleys of U.S. imprints received at the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress selects candidates for these programs that have demonstrated expertise in and commitment to cooperative cataloging.More
What makes researchers willing to share their data?
Making data openly available enables other researchers to validate and to attempt the replication of research results. Just as importantly, completely new work might spring from the same data when it is seen through different eyes. But in practice researchers are often reluctant to make their data available for use by others. More
Publishers, agencies must shift their focus from big data to big content
Programmatic direct, data aggregators, cross-device tracking, viewability metrics. Take a look at the themes that dominated the advertising media over the past year and you come away with the impression that our industry is all about technology. Yet not too long down the road, this tech mania will quiet down, leaving our industry to focus on what will be the ultimate competitive differentiator—superior content.More
Major new STN® release delivers essential biomedical and patent content to IP professionals
NFAIS
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and FIZ Karlsruhe are pleased to announce the latest release of the new STN platform, a Web-based search solution offering essential, value-added content in an intuitive, powerful interface designed for professional IP searching.More
Texas A&M librarians present plan to reduce textbook costs
Texas A&M librarians are working toward securing more free textbooks for students while allowing thousands of research papers to be read by the public, marking two goals discussed at a weekend workshop aimed at encouraging open access initiatives at SEC schools. The world of free online textbooks and open access publishing is foreign to some professors who are comfortable in assigning the same textbooks each semester, said David Carlson, dean of the Texas A&M University Libraries.More
Wiley converts three more journals to open access
John Wiley & Sons has announced the transition of three journals to the its open access publishing program, bringing the total number of Wiley's open access titles to 47. All published articles in Conservation Letters, Thoracic Cancer and The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine will be open access and free to view, download and share.More
'Paying it forward' publishing
The University of California Press is building a new open-access publishing model around the idea that reviewers and researchers in the hard sciences can support new forms of scholarly communication by "paying it forward." The university press last month introduced Collabra and Luminos, an open-access journal and monograph publisher, respectively. While Luminos is hoping to publish about 10 monographs this fall, Collabra is in beta testing and aims to accept submissions in a few weeks.More
Register today for the NFAIS 2015 Annual Conference, Feb. 22-24 in the Washington, DC area
The NFAIS 2015 Annual Conference, Feb. 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, is shaping up to be our most high-impact, substantive conference ever! Focusing on Anticipating Demand: the User Experience as Driver, this year's speakers include Kalev Leetaru, a leading Internet entrepreneur and academic; Tim Collins, President & CEO of EBSCO Industries; Micah Altman, Director of Research and Head/Scientist at the MIT Libraries; Michael R. Nelson, Public Policy, CloudFlare, Inc. and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University.More
Unpacking Tech Trends in Libraries and Academia
Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 11 a.m. EST
2015 NFAIS Annual Conference
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 1 p.m. EST - Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 2 p.m. EST
Research Data Publication, Part I: Where We Are Now
Thursday, March 12, 2015 10 a.m. EST
Making Content Portable, Making It Usable
Friday, March 27, 2015 11 a.m. EST
Research Data Publication, Part II: The Complexities of Implementation
Monday, April 20, 2015 9:15 a.m. ESTMore
Recently change positions? We want to hear from you! Send your press release or information to Ken Berlack at kberlack@nfais.org. More


text:
package com.mycompany.myapp;

import com.codename1.ui.Image;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.LinkedList;

class RubikBender {

  final private int cubes;
  final private int squares;
  final private static ColorPalette[] color_schemes = new ColorPalette[]{
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_COMPLETE),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_BLUE),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_GREEN),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_ORANGE),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_RED),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_WHITE),
    new ColorPalette(Defaults.COLORS_NO_YELLOW)
  };

  private int resized_width;
  private int resized_height;
  private ArrayList<Color> actual_colors;
  private ArrayList<Color> distinct_colors;
  private ArrayList<Color> distinct_colors_backup;
  private ArrayList<ArrayList<Color>> boxes;
  private LinkedList<Image> images;
  private HashMap<Integer, ArrayList<Color>> quantized_samples;
  private HashMap<Integer, int[]> distinct_to_quantized_mapping;
  private HashMap<Integer, int[]> quantized_to_scheme_mapping;

  public RubikBender(int cubes) {
    this.cubes = cubes;
    this.squares = Defaults.CUBE_SQUARES;
  }

  public LinkedList<Image> bend_with_image_from(String path) {
    Image image;
    try {
      image = Image.createImage(path);
      int original_width = image.getWidth();
      int original_height = image.getHeight();
      float ratio = ((float) original_width) / ((float) original_height);
      int cubes_h = (int) Math.floor(Math.sqrt(this.cubes * (1f / ratio)));
      int cubes_w = (int) Math.floor(ratio * Math.sqrt(this.cubes * (1f / ratio)));
      resized_width = cubes_w * this.squares;
      resized_height = cubes_h * this.squares;
      image = image.scaled(resized_width, resized_height);
      initialize_color_structures(image.getRGB());
      transform_image_with(color_schemes);
    }
    catch (IOException ex) {
      Log.error(ex);
    }
    catch (NumberFormatException ex) {
      Log.error(ex);
    }
    catch (ArithmeticException ex) {
      Log.error(ex);
    }
    return this.images;
  }

  private void initialize_color_structures(int[] color_array) {
    images = new LinkedList<Image>();
    quantized_samples = new HashMap();
    distinct_to_quantized_mapping = new HashMap();
    quantized_to_scheme_mapping = new HashMap();
    int number_of_colors = color_array.length;
    int[] intermediate_array = new int[number_of_colors];
    this.actual_colors = new ArrayList();
    this.distinct_colors = new ArrayList();
    this.distinct_colors_backup = new ArrayList();
    Color current_color = new Color(0);
    Image image = Image.createImage(color_array, resized_width, resized_height);
    images.add(image);
    for (int index = 0; index < number_of_colors; ++index) {
      current_color.mutate_to(color_array[index]);
      current_color.saturate(80d);
      current_color.create_ARGB();
      intermediate_array[index] = current_color.argb;
    }
    images.add(Image.createImage(intermediate_array, resized_width, resized_height));
    for (int index = 0; index < number_of_colors; ++index) {
      current_color.mutate_to(color_array[index]);
      current_color.saturate(80d);
      current_color.truncate(50);
      current_color.create_ARGB();
      intermediate_array[index] = current_color.argb;
    }
    images.add(Image.createImage(intermediate_array, resized_width, resized_height));
    for (int color : color_array) {
      current_color.mutate_to(color);
      current_color.saturate(80d);
      current_color.truncate(50);
      int color_index = this.distinct_colors.indexOf(current_color);
      if (color_index == -1) {
        Color color_clone = new Color(current_color);
        this.actual_colors.add(color_clone);
        this.distinct_colors.add(color_clone);
      }
      else {
        this.actual_colors.add(this.distinct_colors.get(color_index));
      }
    }
    for (Color color : distinct_colors) {
      this.distinct_colors_backup.add(new Color(color));
    }
  }

  private void transform_image_with(ColorPalette[] color_schemes) {
    int number_of_color_schemes = color_schemes.length;
    ColorPalette current_color_scheme;
    Image generated_image;
    for (int scheme_index = 0; scheme_index < number_of_color_schemes; ++scheme_index) {
      current_color_scheme = color_schemes[scheme_index];
      median_cut_quantization(current_color_scheme.size());
      map_quantized_to_scheme(current_color_scheme.colors, scheme_index);
      generated_image = generate_image_for_color_scheme(scheme_index);
      images.add(generated_image);
      reset_distinct_color_values();
    }
  }

  private void median_cut_quantization(int size) {
    if (this.quantized_samples.containsKey(size)) {
      return;
    }
    ArrayList<Color> quantized_colors = new ArrayList();
    boxes = new ArrayList();
    int distinct_color_size = distinct_colors.size();
    ArrayList<Color> all_colors = new ArrayList<Color>();
    all_colors.addAll(distinct_colors);
    boxes.add(all_colors);
    for (int index = 1; index < size; ++index) {
      int largest_box_index = find_largest_box_index();
      split_box(largest_box_index);
    }
    int number_of_boxes = boxes.size();
    ArrayList<Color> current_box;
    Color current_box_color;
    int current_box_size;
    int[] mapping = new int[distinct_color_size];
    for (int box_index = 0; box_index < number_of_boxes; ++box_index) {
      current_box = boxes.get(box_index);
      quantized_colors.add(color_rep_in(current_box));
      current_box_size = current_box.size();
      for (int box_color_index = 0; box_color_index < current_box_size; ++box_color_index) {
        current_box_color = current_box.get(box_color_index);
        for (int distinct_color_index = 0; distinct_color_index < distinct_color_size; ++distinct_color_index) {
          if (current_box_color.equals(distinct_colors.get(distinct_color_index))) {
            mapping[distinct_color_index] = box_index;
          }
        }
      }
    }
    this.quantized_samples.put(size, quantized_colors);
    this.distinct_to_quantized_mapping.put(size, mapping);
    add_quantized_image_for_debugging(size);
  }

  private int find_largest_box_index() {
    int boxes_size = this.boxes.size();
    double max_volume = Double.MIN_VALUE;
    double current_volume;
    int box_index = 0;
    for (int index = 0; index < boxes_size; ++index) {
      current_volume = calculate_box_volume(boxes.get(index));
      if (max_volume < current_volume) {
        max_volume = current_volume;
        box_index = index;
      }
    }
    return box_index;
  }

  private double calculate_box_volume(ArrayList<Color> box) {
    int min_l = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int min_a = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int min_b = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int max_l = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    int max_a = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    int max_b = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    for (Color color : box) {
      if (min_l > color.current_L) {
        min_l = color.current_L;
      }
      if (min_a > color.current_A) {
        min_a = color.current_A;
      }
      if (min_b > color.current_B) {
        min_b = color.current_B;
      }
      if (max_l < color.current_L) {
        max_l = color.current_L;
      }
      if (max_a < color.current_A) {
        max_a = color.current_A;
      }
      if (max_b < color.current_B) {
        max_b = color.current_B;
      }
    }
    return (max_a - min_a + 256) * (max_b - min_b + 256) * ((max_l - min_l) * 2.56d);
  }

  private void split_box(int index) {
    ArrayList<Color> big_box = boxes.get(index);
    if (big_box.size() < 2) {
      return;
    }
    ArrayList<Color> left_box = new ArrayList();
    ArrayList<Color> right_box = new ArrayList();
    int longest_axis = get_longest_axis(big_box);
    switch (longest_axis) {
      case 0:
        Collections.sort(big_box, Color.ordered_by_L);
        break;
      case 1:
        Collections.sort(big_box, Color.ordered_by_A);
        break;
      case 2:
        Collections.sort(big_box, Color.ordered_by_B);
        break;
    }
    int big_box_size = big_box.size();
    int median = big_box_size / 2;
    for (int box_index = 0; box_index < median; ++box_index) {
      left_box.add(big_box.get(box_index));
    }
    for (int box_index = median; box_index < big_box_size; ++box_index) {
      right_box.add(big_box.get(box_index));
    }
    boxes.set(index, left_box);
    boxes.add(right_box);
  }

  private int get_longest_axis(ArrayList<Color> box) {
    int min_l = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int min_a = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int min_b = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int max_l = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    int max_a = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    int max_b = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
    for (Color color : box) {
      if (min_l > color.current_L) {
        min_l = color.current_L;
      }
      if (min_a > color.current_A) {
        min_a = color.current_A;
      }
      if (min_b > color.current_B) {
        min_b = color.current_B;
      }
      if (max_l < color.current_L) {
        max_l = color.current_L;
      }
      if (max_a < color.current_A) {
        max_a = color.current_A;
      }
      if (max_b < color.current_B) {
        max_b = color.current_B;
      }
    }
    double length_l = (max_l - min_l) * 2.56d;
    double length_a = max_a - min_a;
    double length_b = max_b - min_b;
    int biggest;
    if (length_l > length_a) {
      if (length_l > length_b) {
        biggest = 0;
      }
      else {
        biggest = 2;
      }
    }
    else {
      if (length_a > length_b) {
        biggest = 1;
      }
      else {
        biggest = 2;
      }
    }
    return biggest;
  }

  private Color color_rep_in(ArrayList<Color> box) {
    return new Color(box.get(box.size() / 2));
  }

  public void map_quantized_to_scheme(ArrayList<Color> scheme_colors, int scheme_number) {
    ArrayList<Color> quantized_colors = quantized_samples.get(scheme_colors.size());
    int scheme_size = scheme_colors.size();
    int quantized_size = quantized_colors.size();
    int[] mapping = new int[quantized_size];
    double[][] match_matrix = new double[scheme_size + 1][];
    double min;
    Color current_color;
    int saved_scheme_index;
    int saved_quantized_index;
    for (int index = 0; index <= scheme_size; ++index) {
      match_matrix[index] = new double[quantized_size + 1];
    }
    for (int index = 1; index <= scheme_size; ++index) {
      match_matrix[index][0] = index - 1;
    }
    for (int index = 1; index <= quantized_size; ++index) {
      match_matrix[0][index] = index - 1;
    }
    for (int scheme_index = 1; scheme_index <= scheme_size; ++scheme_index) {
      current_color = scheme_colors.get(scheme_index - 1);
      for (int quantized_index = 1; quantized_index <= quantized_size; ++quantized_index) {
        match_matrix[scheme_index][quantized_index] = current_color.cie_de_2000(quantized_colors.get(quantized_index - 1));
      }
    }
    for (int index = 0; index < quantized_size; ++index) {
      min = Double.MAX_VALUE;
      saved_scheme_index = -1;
      saved_quantized_index = -1;
      for (int scheme_index = 1; scheme_index <= scheme_size; ++scheme_index) {
        for (int quantized_index = 1; quantized_index <= quantized_size; ++quantized_index) {
          if (min > match_matrix[scheme_index][quantized_index]
            && match_matrix[scheme_index][0] != -1
            && match_matrix[0][quantized_index] != -1) {
            min = match_matrix[scheme_index][quantized_index];
            saved_scheme_index = scheme_index;
            saved_quantized_index = quantized_index;
          }
        }
      }
      match_matrix[saved_scheme_index][0] = -1;
      match_matrix[0][saved_quantized_index] = -1;
      mapping[saved_quantized_index - 1] = saved_scheme_index - 1;
    }
    this.quantized_to_scheme_mapping.put(scheme_number, mapping);
  }

  private Image generate_image_for_color_scheme(int scheme_index) {
    ColorPalette current_scheme = color_schemes[scheme_index];
    int[] quantized_to_color_scheme_map = quantized_to_scheme_mapping.get(scheme_index);
    int[] distinct_to_quantized_map = distinct_to_quantized_mapping.get(current_scheme.size());
    int number_of_distinct_colors = distinct_colors.size();
    Color scheme_color;
    for (int distinct_index = 0; distinct_index < number_of_distinct_colors; ++distinct_index) {
      scheme_color = current_scheme.colors.get(quantized_to_color_scheme_map[distinct_to_quantized_map[distinct_index]]);
      distinct_colors.get(distinct_index).mutate_to(scheme_color);
    }
    return image_from_actual_colors();
  }

  private void reset_distinct_color_values() {
    int number_of_colors = distinct_colors.size();
    for (int index = 0; index < number_of_colors; ++index) {
      this.distinct_colors.get(index).mutate_to(this.distinct_colors_backup.get(index));
    }
  }

  private Image image_from_actual_colors() {
    int number_of_actual_colors = this.actual_colors.size();
    int[] intermediate_array = new int[number_of_actual_colors];
    for (Color color : distinct_colors) {
      color.create_ARGB();
    }
    for (int color_index = 0; color_index < number_of_actual_colors; ++color_index) {
      intermediate_array[color_index] = this.actual_colors.get(color_index).argb;
    }
    return Image.createImage(intermediate_array, resized_width, resized_height);
  }

  private void add_quantized_image_for_debugging(int key) {
    ArrayList<Color> quantized_colors = quantized_samples.get(key);
    int[] distinct_to_quantized_map = distinct_to_quantized_mapping.get(key);
    int number_of_distinct_colors = distinct_colors.size();
    Color qauntized_color;
    for (int distinct_index = 0; distinct_index < number_of_distinct_colors; ++distinct_index) {
      qauntized_color = quantized_colors.get(distinct_to_quantized_map[distinct_index]);
      distinct_colors.get(distinct_index).mutate_to(qauntized_color);
    }
    images.add(image_from_actual_colors());
    reset_distinct_color_values();
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A gorgeous tree up on North Campus, where I live this year.
Red is my favorite fall leaf color!
A view of Camel's Hump from the field across the street from SMC.
so "Vermont" - many students (including me) ride their bikes around campus all the time.
South Burlington where I babysit. I love the sun shining through the trees!
We've had some fantastic sunsets as well, but my camera never seems to do them justice!
Anyway, in addition to the scenery, I think it's extremely important to take time out of our busy days to appreciate what's important to us - especially the little things. This year has been particularly busy for me (hence my lack of frequent posts, my apologies for that!), so whenever I get the chance to spend some time relaxing or hanging out with my friends, I am very grateful. SMC students had this past Monday and Tuesday off, so I was able to go home for the weekend. It was great to see my family and some friends and take a bit of time off from homework. However when I returned, I was reminded that while I love being home, I love Saint Mike's and the people here just as much. I've said this before, but I really am so happy to have found a place like Saint Mike's which is truly beautiful from the inside out.
I hope you can find time to come visit us - I promise you won't regret it! In the meantime, feel free to email me with any questions you might have or find me on Twitter to get some little tidbits about my life here at SMC.


text:
Ruby Dee dead at 91: Legendary stage and screen actress — and Civil Rights leader — freque
Stage and screen legend Ruby Dee, who personified grace, grit and progress at a time when African-American women were given little space in movies and on stage, died Wednesday in New Rochelle, N.Y. She was 91.
The death was confirmed Thursday by a family member, who declined to answer any questions pending the release of a statement.
The Cleveland-born, New York-raised actress and activist — winner of an Emmy, a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild award, among others — not only starred on Broadway ("Take It From the Top!" "Two Hah Hahs and a Homeboy"), film (Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever"), and TV ("All God's Children," "Feast of All Saints"), but, with her husband and collaborator Ossie Davis, was a major figure in the Civil Rights movement.
In 2005, Dee and Davis received the National Civil Rights Museum's Lifetime Achievement Freedom award. Davis died in February of that year.
Dee's first film role came in 1949, in the musical drama "That Man of Mine." She played Rachel Robinson in "The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950, and costarred opposite Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt and Cab Calloway in "St. Louis Blues" (1958).
She appeared in the 1979 TV movie "Roots: The Next Generations," and costarred with Davis in their own short-lived 1980-81 show, "Ossie and Ruby!"
The two played contentious neighbors who embodied, and recalled, the social unrest of the '60s in Lee's "Do the Right Thing" (1989). She earned her sole Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, for "American Gangster" (2007).
Her final film was the still-in-production crime drama "King Dog," opposite Ice-T.
Dee was a frequent presence on New York stages for four decades, since joining the American Negro Theatre in 1941 before her stage debut two years later in the Broadway drama "South Pacific."
In 1946 she costarred in the play "Jeb" with Davis, whom she married in 1948.
In 1953, Dee starred in the Broadway premiere of "A Raisin in the Sun," playing the wife of Sidney Poitier — and reprised that role in the film eight years later.
Dee's last Broadway performance was in the 1988 comedy "Checkmates," which marked the debut of Denzel Washington, who is currently on the boards in Poitier role in "A Raisin in the Sun."
Washington declined to comment: "Not today," a spokesperson said.
Dee's absence from the stage never dimmed her status as a trailblazer. Accepting her best actress Tony Award on June 8, Audra McDonald heralded a number including women, including Dee, saying, "I am standing on Lena Horne's shoulders. I am standing on Maya Angelou's shoulders. I am standing on Dianne Caroll and Ruby Dee."
Beyond her artistic work, Dee is best known for her work as an activist. She was long a member of such organizations as the Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), and Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She and Davis were personal friends of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, whose eulogy Davis gave in 1965, two years after Dee gave a stirring reading at King's March on Washington.
Dee was born Ruby Wallace, but kept her married surname even after she divorced her first husband, blues singer Frankie Dee, in the 1940s. She married Davis in 1948 and the two collaborated for decades.
The also raised eyebrows with an autobiography that advocated open marriage, saying that lies, not extramarital affairs, destroy marriages.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/ruby-dee-dead-91-article-1.1827040#ixzz34RmsqIyg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is a lovely Ajoite crystal that has been mounted on an acrylic stand!This piece has some wonderful color within the crystal and is DT as well. This is a classic Messina mine piece that has no damage. The piece measures 5.3 x 2.7cm and if you look closely this piece has a phantom that runs along the top termination of the crystal. Overall a great piece!!


13 Simple Laundry Tricks You Need To Know Before Putting Your Next Washer To My Fascination, I'll Test Them Today! - ShareIt!
13 Simple Laundry Tricks You Need To Know Before Putting Your Next Washer To My Fascination, I'll Test Them Today!
As we grow and become independent, it is completely inevitable that responsibilities accumulate in our lives.
Clean, cook, market, are some of the things in which our parents educate us as children and help us defend ourselves in adult life. Among those tasks is washing our own clothes.
Obligatory, week after week we must remove at least one wash, the problem lies when the process is significantly extended and sometimes we lose a whole day doing this work.
The positive is that here you can learn certain tricks that will return your simple task and advance your efforts considerably. Washing will not be the same for you, and here are some Laundry Tricks we can share with you!
With some of these tricks the washing task will become very simple.
1.For a better wash bicarbonate mixture with vinegar in the drum of your washing machine.
2.In case of some garment shrinks, you should add it in warm water with conditioner.
3.Let him wash without clothes so that the components work and eliminate traces of dirt or bad agents.
4.For stained shirts apply hairspray on the stain and allow it to act at least 10 minutes, then wash like any garment.
5.To prevent the loss of color, you should use a little coarse salt between washings.
6.To avoid the formation of wrinkles, you can put the clothes in the dryer, adding with some ice cubes.
7.For black clothing that is discolored, add a cup of dark coffee between washings.
8.Blanquet preparing an infusion of lemon slices.
9.Make sure you identify clothes well, not all garments hold dryers.
10.The use of white tennis balls will make your clothes much softer in a natural way.
11.Do not apply commercial chemicals, soften with white vinegar is enough, even with washing, eradicates bad odors.
12.Make sure you eliminate all types of traces. Of fat in your body.
13.An aluminum ball inside the dryer, you save a lot of processes.
As you can see all these tips are very easy to follow so you do not have to make an effort on human or know much that we say to clean your clothes.


This Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip is absolutely delicious and so simple to make! It's a delicious way to help get our kiddos to eat more veggies.
A few weeks ago my friend walked into the gym looking like she was a 90-year old grandma. She got on the treadmill next to me and told me she hurt her back and could hardly walk.
I tried not to laugh at her, but she was hunched over, walking at a 2.0 on the treadmill. . .I couldn't help it.
What made it even funnier is the way she hurt her back. She'll probably kill me for telling you, but I'm going to. She was showing her son how to clean the toilet!!! She literally bent over to clean the toilet and her back went kaput!
How could I not laugh at that, right? I laid in bed that night and thought about it and couldn't stop giggling. My husband was like why are you laughing? So naturally I had to tell him and laughed the whole time.
Well turns out Karma is real and yesterday my back went kaput and I'm now walking like a 90-year old grandma. To make it even more stupid, I was taking food photos! Yep, just slightly bending over taking some pics and I couldn't get back up. . . .stupidest thing ever!
Anyway enough about bad backs and walking like a grandma.
Are you one of those people that when the New Year rolls around you vow you're going to eat better? Less sugar & treats and more veggies & protein? Yeah, well I always tell myself I'm going to be better, but being the complete sweets lover that I am, it usually lasts about half a day (lol!).
So for those of you who do commit to eating healthier, I've got a delicious dip for you today.
I took this to a party the other night and everyone loved it! It's the perfect accompaniment to fresh veggies and makes them taste even better.
Not only does this dip taste good, but it's got cottage cheese so it's packed with protein.
I think this would be so good on a baked potato! I've eaten this every day this week and am not about to stop. Although I'm sure there's a point where the benefit of eating healthy, raw veggies is negated by the amount of dip you use.
Oh and just because I've eaten this every day, doesn't mean I still haven't eaten plenty of treats. Oh well. . . . life is short!
Serve with raw vegetables or crackers. Keep stored in the refrigerator.


text:
Former Xbox boss Don Mattrick steps down as Zynga CEO
By Stephany Nunneley, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 21:47 GMT
Zynga has announced CEO Don Mattrick, for Xbox boss at Microsoft, is leaving the company and will no longer maintain a position on the company's board of directors.
Mattrick joined Zynga as its new CEO in July 2013 after a six year stint at Microsoft.
Zynga's founder and former CEO Mark Pincus will once again take over as CEO which is in the process of transitioning to the mobile space.
"I believe the timing is now right for me to leave as CEO and let Mark lead the company into its next chapter given his passion for the founding vision and his ability to couple our mobile progress with Zynga's unique strengths," Mattrick said in a statement provided to Gamasutra by Zynga.
Pincus told Re/Code he, the board and Mattrick "came to this [decision] together and it was super amicable."
He continued: "but it's been two years and we are still not winning as a company on the level we had hoped and think we can be. We need to move fast and we need to act a little bit more as a startup, by focusing more on entrepreneuring and speed than on structure and management."
Mattrick's CEO package at Zynga was a rather large one, worth $19.3 million for his first year and $50 million over three years.


Especially in old homes and buildings, extra and unwanted moisture can creep into the house, causing many harmful side effects to residents within the building. Damp health risks include developing diseases, your home being infested with mites, and unwanted bugs crawling around the house. Damp buildings can cause a vast amount of health issues.
Damp spores are one side effect of having a damp home. These spores, otherwise known as mould, grow on the inside of the home and can cause serious health effects for those living within the home. The respiratory system is the main system of the body that is affected by these damp spores. People within the building breathe in these moulds caused by the dampness and in this way the moulds are able to affect their breathing, therefore affecting everyday tasks performed by these people. Other effects of these spores are constant headaches, red eyes, sneezing, and constant coughing. If a person in the infected building is asthmatic, the damp spores can be especially harmful in that they can cause asthma attacks to occur on a regular basis due to the moulds getting into their respiratory system.
Another effect of having a damp home is damping off diseases. Damping off diseases are ailments that are caused by a fungus that can kill seeds or seedlings either before or after they germinate. There are many different types of damping off diseases including black root rot and miscellaneous fungi. These damping off diseases are caused by excess moisture around the area of growth, and cause rotting of plants. Damping off disease has caused massive loss of crops and can potentially cause minor famines of certain crops if the problem is not taken care of. These diseases also cause certain moulds to grow around crops and flowers if it becomes an ongoing problem. Living things that are exposed to these damping off diseases are also harmfully affected.
Damp homes can also attract some unwanted visitors if the problem is left unattended for long enough. Damp bugs are bugs which are attracted to damp homes, or homes which are rich in moisture. Especially in older homes and in basements of older buildings, bugs have been known to crawl around places where moisture has become a problem. These bugs are not only gross, but many can carry certain diseases which can affect the members of the household, or the people within the building. Bugs in the home can also affect people with allergies if they come into close contact with them. Unless this problem is taken care of, the bug problem can become a major infestation.
One of the last major effects of a damp mould is a damp mite. Mites are small organisms which are sometimes bug-like. These small organisms can bite and infect humans with different types of harmful diseases. These damp mites come around as a result of excess and unwanted moisture in the house. As with most organisms, people with allergies are at an especially high risk from these damp mites. Unless the problem is handled quickly and efficiently, dust mites can spread all over the home.


text:
NCCU parts ways with assistant football coach after arrest in Florida
By Tim Pulliam
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- An assistant football coach for North Carolina Central who was arrested Sunday in Florida is no longer with the university.
As first reported by News & Observer, Brian Jenkins, 48, was booked on charges of witness tampering, battery and criminal mischief.
Jenkins was hired in January 2019 as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach.
In a statement to ABC11, NC Central said Tuesday that Jenkins is no longer with the university.
"Mr. Brian Jenkins, North Carolina Central University assistant football coach, is no longer an employee of the university, effective today, July 30. North Carolina Central University's practice is to not comment on personnel matters," said Kyle Serba, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications.
sportsdurhamfloridaarrestnccucollege football


It's summer… have a whole lot of zucchini in your fridge? Make these Chipotle Chicken, Rice, and Mozzarella Zucchini Boats for a healthy weeknight dinner!
All my stay-at-home-parents out there… I salute you.
It's Asheley's second day back at work, so I'm doing this whole parenting thing alone during the 9 to 5 grind. It's going great and all, but man… it's a full time job. Asheley and I were a great tag team all summer long. She wanted to shower? I watched the baby. I wanted to make lunch? She was in charge of keeping the baby alive.
Hey, have you been following along with me this week as I participate in the TABASCO 10 Challenge?
Take a look back to this recipe (or this one or this one) to find out all about the week-long task TABASCO challenged me with.
Usually around this time of year, I'm inundated with home-grown zucchini from our garden. Usually. But this year, we apparently have a bunny that has been eating every freaking zucchini blossom off our two plants. Jerkface.
But hey, if you have a ton of zucchini (and no jerkface bunnies ), these Chipotle Chicken, Rice, and Mozzarella Zucchini Boats are a great way to utilize it in a main starring role at your dinner table.
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Half zucchinis lengthwise. Using a spoon or melon baller, hollow out zucchini flesh, leaving about 1/4″ flesh intact. Finely chop 1 cup of the scooped out zucchini flesh and set aside. Discard rest of zucchini flesh.
Lightly drizzle inside of zucchini boats with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub gently to coat. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place cut side down on baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip zucchini over.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, 1 cup chopped zucchini flesh, and TABASCO Chipotle sauce. Season generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
Combine chicken with mozzarella and cooked brown rice in a small mixing bowl. Divide mixture between zucchini boats and return to oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs with remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small bowl. Remove zucchini boats from oven and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Return to oven for 5 more minutes. Transfer zucchini boats to a serving platter and devour. Drizzle with extra TABASCO Chipotle Sauce if desired (and it should be desired, because it's delicious).
Preheat oven to 250°F. Cut ciabatta into 1″ cubes. Place in food processor, in batches if necessary, and process on high speed for a couple minutes, until a small crumb texture is reached.
Spread bread crumbs in a thin layer on a baking sheet and let dry out in oven for about 5 to 10 minutes (if you bread is fresh, it's going to be closer to the 10 minute mark… stale bread will only take about 5 minutes). You want the bread to be dry but not too toasted.
Place breadcrumbs back in food processor on high speed for another minute. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
*feel free to use any breadcrumbs you have hanging out in your pantry if you don't want to make them homemade. Panko breadcrumbs will get you extra credit.
BTW these stuffed zucchini look incredible, and I bet Tabasco adds a nice zip to them!


Multi-Tooth Dental Implants - Van Buren, Arkansas - Same Day Appointments!
Multiple missing, diseased, or failing teeth can require that you replace them. We offer a few options to help our patients in this situation, including removable dentures, fixed bridges which support multiple teeth, and implant-supported bridges. All of these are viable options and we like to work with our patients to make sure that they're well informed of their options and are in-the-loop on what each procedure means for them. Our goal is to give you a comprehensive understanding without the medical jargon, making even our larger procedures seem as simple as a basic teeth-cleaning for our patients.
At the Van Buren My Dentist, our team of professionals provides for all of our patients' dental implant needs. As members of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, we are highly skilled in the surgical implantation of dental implants. As cosmetic and restorative dentistry professionals, we are ideally suited to provide natural looking and durable replacement teeth to be placed on the implant posts.


In what ways may a user engage with the AudioEye Player Web Personalization Tool?
The AudioEye Player allows users to engage with page content in a variety of ways. Visual users can navigate using their mouse. The user may click on words, paragraphs, sentences, images, page elements (such as carousels, page menu systems, web forms, etc.) to engage with that element and to have the corresponding web copy spoken aloud. Alternatively, keyboard users may leverage basic and natural key commands to navigate the page and interact with elements via the use of the tab key, arrow keys and other keyboard shortcuts. As a user engages different elements, suggestive help menus are spoken aloud to inform users of their options as they engage and interact with the webpage. In addition, the Reader utility may be engaged for the benefit of simplifying the visual interface and making the audio user experience easier for the website visitor to interact with.


Making It Better In Our Community –This book improves the relationship between the police and the community they serve. It teaches children about civic responsibility. Also, it provides safety tips for children and their parents as well as an educational guide to teach children how to properly interact with police.


Linear and nonlinear quantitative structure activity relationship models for predicting the inhibitory activities of sulfonamides toward different carbonic anhydrase isozymes were developed based on multilinear regression, principal component-artificial neural network and correlation ranking-principal component analysis, to identify a set of structurally based numerical descriptors. Multilinear regression was used to build linear quantitative structure activity relationship models using 53 compounds with their quantum chemical descriptors. For each type of isozyme, separate quantitative structure activity relationship models were obtained. It was found that the hydration energy plays a significant role in the binding of ligands to the CAI isozyme, whereas the presence of five-membered ring was detected as a major factor for the binding to the CAII isozyme. It was also found that the softness exhibited significant effect on the binding to CAIV isozyme. Principal component-artificial neural network and correlation ranking-principal component analysis analyses provide models with better prediction capability for the three types of the carbonic anhydrase isozyme inhibitory activity than those obtained by multilinear regression analysis. The best models, with improved prediction capability, were obtained for the hCAII isozyme activity. Models predictivity was evaluated by cross-validation, using an external test set and chance correlation test.


text:
Tag: kill
January 18, 2020 January 18, 2020 Loknath Das
When Intuit acquired Mint more than a decade ago, mobile was in a different place — as were tech-enabled financial services. There hasn't been much progress for the personal finance tracker app category in the meantime. Mint has stumbled along with integration issues and tiresome data misclassifications. For many, the best alternative has been firing up a spreadsheet. Copilot is a new personal finance-tracking app from a former Googler that seems like it could garner a following based on its slick design and ease of use. The subscription iOS app lets…
Financea, aiming, Copilot, Finance, Is, kill, Personal, subscription, to, tracker
Is It Time For Voice Technology To Kill Touchscreens?
Humans and objects have had a long love affair. Simple tools, as well as sophisticated software are all extensions of our physical bodies. We can trace human progress and wellbeing to the level of sophistication of the tools we have created, and by doing so, the augmentation of our abilities to travel, build, communicate, and create. Since tools are so critical to our existence and prosperity, the way we interface with these tools is also of great importance. So important is the interface between humans and the machines we operate,…
Technologyfor, Is, IT, kill, Technology, time, to, voice
Women and MBA: Is it right to kill your dream to start a business?
India has truly become a 'startup nation'. Over the last few years, the country has seen tremendous growth towards creation of innovative new businesses, which has given rise to a new breed of young start-ups and entrepreneurs. However, despite this, opportunities for female entrepreneurs to establish themselves can be thin on the ground. Even with all of the advancements that women have made in the business world, there are still several challenges they can face when starting up businesses of their own, which hinder their development… Difficulty in raising funds…
Educationa, and, Business, dream, Is, IT, kill, MBA, right:, Start, to, Women, Your
Bombs in Thai resort kill one, injure nine, including foreigners – police
August 11, 2016 subhadip
Two bombs exploded in the Thai seaside resort of Hua Hin on Thursday, killing one woman and injuring 10 people, Thai police said. The explosions happened ahead of a public holiday on Friday to mark the birthday of Queen Sirikit. Hua Hin is a popular upscale Thai resort south of Bangkok and many people will have gone there for the holiday weekend. The second bomb exploded near a bar at about 10:20 p.m. (1420 London time), killing a Thai woman and injuring eight foreigners and one other Thai person, local…
News-, Bombs, foreigners, in, including, injure, kill, nine, One, police, Resort, Thai
Missile strikes on north Syria schools, hospitals kill 50: UN
Air strikes have hit at least five medical facilities and two schools in northern Syria, killing 50 people, the United Nations said Monday, calling the attacks "blatant violations of international law." The United States also condemned the attacks on civilian targets, which it said included two hospitals in the Aleppo area — a Medecins Sans Frontieres facility and the Women`s and Children`s Hospital in Aziz city. The upsurge in violence comes just days after international powers, meeting in Munich, proposed a "cessation of hostilities" within a week as a step…
News50, hospitals, kill, Missile, north, on, schools, strikes, Syria, UN


"Over & Done," a standout from MH the Verb's stellar 2017 Afronaut project, serves as an anthem of self-pride. Apropos to National Women's Month, the song's Bob Sweeney-directed music video champions two Philly-based female artists of color who are succeeding and advancing in their respective male-dominated fields: glass artist Kim Thomas and flow artist/fire dancer Alicia Talia. The video takes an inside look at their creative processes, while they talk about their experience as women in their fields.


text:
Tag: education. teachers
Waiting for Superman – sp – If you are concerned about the educational system in the United States and how it is falling behind many countries in the world and may be letting down children whom you care about, you will want to see this documentary film. The same day that we saw this movie, Thomas Friedman suggested, in the N.Y. Times, that it raises awareness about problems of our education system as the movie An Inconvenient Truth ( the Al Gore film ) did about the environment. Both films were directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott, with the latter being a guest speaker at our screening. The storyline pulled no punches as it made the point over and over again that bad teachers must be eliminated from schools and replaced with good ones . The enemy here is depicted as the teacher's unions which oppose evaluation of teachers, merit pay and firing of poor teachers. It is interesting that also the day on which we saw this film, the first round of educational grants to states for Obama's Race to the Top program were announced . The NY Times article also stated that one important requirement for receiving this money were changes in the schools so teacher's performances could be evaluated and subsequent action taken based on this information Examples of successful charter schools, magnet schools and public schools were shown in this film. The efforts of Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C. who is trying to reorganize that school system were highlighted as were interviews with Jeffrey Canada who has set up a successful charter school in New York City in Harlem where he turned around the dropout rate. Canada's childhood disappointment when he learned that there was no real Superman and therefore he thought there was no one to save him from the hardships of his own difficult childhood circumstances, inspired the title of this movie. It was pointed out in the film that so many kids who drop out end up in the prison system where the cost of keeping them there for an average of four years could pay for a full private school education plus money left over for college. We did think that this movie was somewhat redundant , repetitious and longer than it had to be. It also did not touch upon the role of class size in successful education which the producer did feel had been disproved as a factor, although not covered in the movie. It also failed to explain or analyze the qualities that make a good teacher or a bad one although the difference between the two does make all the difference in the world to a child's future. The most poignant, dramatic and heartbreaking part of the film was the close-up view of various lotteries which are held to determine which few students of the many sitting in the auditorium are chosen to be accepted to the schools known to successfully graduate it's students. You can see and feel the disappointment in the children as they realize that they have lost something very special that they dearly wanted. 2010
Comment » | 3 Stars, Documentary


text:
Executive Medical Director
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust is an acute and community service provider to a population 365,000 across south Cumbria and north Lancashire. We provide a range of urgent and planned care services including outpatients, diagnostics, therapies, day-case and surgery in addition to a range of local community-based services.
This important role requires a visible, inclusive and collaborative leader, someone with the drive and energy to ensure delivery of our vision to provide the highest possible standards of compassionate care; the very best patient and employee experience; and to listen to and involve patients, employees and carers.
As Medical Director, you will provide strategic advice to the Trust Board on all medical, clinical governance and medicines management issues, with responsibility for the implementation of local, regional and national policy on all medical matters. You will also champion the highest possible clinical and professional standards and lead the development and delivery of a quality improvement strategy that will embed these in clinical practice.
As the designated Clinical Chief (Hospitals) for Bay Health & Care Partners (Integrated Care Partnership for Morecambe Bay), you will also play a key role in ensuring that hospital, community and primary care services within the geography operate in a collaborative, joined up way to deliver better health outcomes, better care, delivered sustainably..
If the opportunity to join one of the country's most forward-thinking and integrated healthcare providers inspires you, then please get contact in the first instance Richard Murphy or Robin Staveley of GatenbySanderson on . For details of how to apply, please click on the 'Apply' button.
Closing date 9AM Friday 19 th July, final interviews w/c 5 th August 2019.
Executive jobs in North East England


Applicants: DSM IP Assets B.V.
The present invention relates to a flame retardant waterborne coating composition comprising: a) water dispersed hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane particles, and b) isocyanate crosslinker, wherein (i) the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane contains phosponate oligomer as a building block in an amount of from 3 to 75 parts by weight relative to the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane, wherein the phosphonate oligomer contains units according to the following structural formula in which n is an integer from 1 to 20, R is a C1-20 alkyl, C2-20 alkene, C2-20 alkyne, C5-20 cycloalkyl or C6-20 aryl, and R2 is an aliphatic or aromatic group, (ii) the hydroxyl number of the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane is from 5 to 180 mg KOH/g polyurethane, (iii) the molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker is from 0.2 to 2.0.
The present invention relates to a flame retardant waterborne polyurethane coating composition, and more particularly, for use on textiles. In particular this invention relates to flame retardant polyurethane coating compositions containing a halogen free flame retardant, a method for the preparation thereof and the use of said halogen free coating compositions to coat textile fabrics.
Polyurethane (PU) coatings are applied to textiles to provide hydrostatic resistance, durability, breathability and/or flame retardancy. Historically solvent-based PU coatings have been mainly used. However, because solvent-based PUs may emit toxics, waterborne PUs have been developed. Solvents are volatile organic compounds and contribute to air pollution. Water borne coatings are inherently safer for the environment. This invention aims at developing an eco-friendly flame retardant textile fabric using a non-halogenated flame retardant. The current invention provides an aqueous halogen-free, effective fire retardant finish to various textile fabric substrates.
Textiles are an essential part of everyday life and are found, for example, in draperies, clothing, furniture and vehicle upholsteries, toys, packaging material and many more applications. Consequently, textile flammability is of concern.
Heretofore, it has been widely practiced to apply polyurethane coatings to various textiles, such as polyamide and polyester fabrics. However, those coated fabrics are extremely flammable and therefore, it is necessary to make them flame retardant. Many attempts have been made to obtain flame retardant polyurethane coating compositions, since also polyurethane has poor flame-retarding properties and thus are also easily ignited. As such, flame retardant waterborne polyurethane coating compositions are known. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardant additives are widely used to provide flame retardancy to the coating. Antimony oxide is also commonly used as a synergist with other flame retardant additives. Environmental and health concerns have caused halogenated flame retardant coatings to be undesirable and they are being increasingly regulated. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently banned decabromodiphenyl oxide, a commonly used brominated flame retardant additive. Products containing chlorine, bromine or heavy metals need special care when being disposed of at the end of their useful life.
The principal object of the invention is to provide a halogen-free flame retardant waterborne polyurethane coating composition superior in flame resistance, in particular when applied on textiles. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved flame retardant coated fabric.
(iii) the molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker is from 0.2 to 2.0.
It has surprisingly been found that a textile can be rendered superior in flame resistance when coated with the coating composition according to the invention. It has further surprisingly been found that in the present invention the flame retardant is not leached out when the coated fabric is soaked in water and the flame retardant is also not washed out when the coated fabric is washed in water.
The flame retardant polyurethane coating of the present invention is derived from the reaction of at least a phosphonate diol containing units according to the formula as given above and an isocyanate, which results in incorporating of the flame retardant species into the backbone of the polymer.
US-A-20100152374 discloses flame-retardant waterborne polyurethane dispersions whereby a polyphosphate ester is incorporated into the polyurethane backbone. A phosphate ester like that disclosed in US-A-20100152374 (Exolit OP550) was tried in comparative experiment B and the flame retardant performance was inferior to the phosphonate diols of the present invention.
The phosphonate diols used in the present invention are commercially available from FRX Polymers, Inc. and their compositions and preparation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,530,044, U.S. Pat. No. 8,563,638, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,779,041 and US 2014/0000751.
In which n, R and R 2 are as stated above. Preferably R 2 is an aromatic group and more preferably —O—R 2—O— is derived from resorcinol, hydroquinone or bisphenol. Most preferably —O—R 2—O— is derived from bisphenol-A. Preferably n is an integer from 1 to 10. Preferably R is a methyl group.
The phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is a phosphonate diol and is preferably selected from the group consisting of a random co-oligo(phosphonate carbonate), a block co-oligo(phosphonate carbonate), a random co-oligo(phosphonate ester), a block co-oligo(phosphonate ester) or any mixture thereof.
in which R 1 and R 2 are aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, and n is an integer from 1 to 20, preferably from 1 to 10.
Even more preferably, the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is a copolymer of bisphenol-A and diphenyl methyl phosphonate. Such compounds may have structures such as, but not limited to, the three structures illustrated hydroxyl number above.
Preferably, the hydroxyl number of the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is from 10 to 200 mg KOH/g phosphonate oligomer, more preferably from 20 to 200 mg KOH/g phosphonate oligomer and even more preferably from 40 to 120 mg KOH/g phosphonate oligomer. As used herein, the hydroxyl number of the phosphonate oligomer is determined according to ASTM D4272-11.
Preferably, the OH equivalent weight of the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is from 280 to 5610, more preferably from 280 to 2805, even more preferably from 450 to 1400. The OH equivalent weight is determined by dividing 56100 by the OH number.
The hydroxyl number of the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane is from 5 to 180 mg KOH/g polyurethane, preferably from 10 to 130 mg KOH/g polyurethane and more preferably from 10 to 50 mg KOH/g polyurethane. As used herein, the hydroxyl number of the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane is determined according to ASTM D4274-11.
The isocyanate crosslinker used in the present invention is a water-dispersible polyisocyanate. Any known water-dispersible polyisocyanate may be used, but preferably a water-dispersible aliphatic or cycloaliphatic polyisocyanate is used, more preferably a water-dispersible aliphatic or cycloaliphatic di- or trifunctional polyisocyanate preferably manufactured from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), or 4,4′-methylene-dicyclohexyl diisocyanate (H 12MDI) or a blend of at least two of these diisocyanates.
In the present invention, the amount of isocyanate crosslinker is preferably from 0.5 to 20% based on the weight of the OH functional polyurethane dispersion, more preferably from 2 to 10% based on the weight of the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the flame retardant waterborne coating composition is a one-component (1K) system. In this embodiment the isocyanate crosslinker is a blocked polyisocyanate.
In the present invention, the flame retardant waterborne coating composition is preferably obtained by mixing just before application a multi package system comprising at least two packages. One package comprises the water-dispersed polyurethane as described above and the other package comprises the isocyanate. Preferably, a two package system (a two-component (2K) system) is applied. Non-limited examples of second package isocyanate crosslinkers are Bayhydur® 302, Bayhydur® 303, Bayhydur® 304, Bayhydur® VPLS 2306 all of which are available from Bayer Material Science now known as Covestro.
Many different second package isocyanate crosslinkers may be used including those derived from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) trimer, HDI biuret, HDI allophanate, isophorone diisocyanate trimer, adducts of isocyanate with trimethylol propane, and isocyanate adducts that have been hydrophically modified to make them compatible with water. Examples of isocyanate crosslinkers that may be used include but are not limited to the following: Desmodur N3300, Desmodur N3400, Desmodur N100, Desmodur N3200 all of which are available from Bayer Material Science now known as Covestro, and Tolonate HDT-LV, Tolonate HDT, Tolonate HDB, which are all available from Vencorex. Examples of hydrophically modified isocyanate crosslinkers that may be used include but are not limited to: Bayhydur 302, Bayhydur 303, Bayhydur 304, Bayhydur VPLS 2306 all of which are available from Bayer Material Science now known as Covestro, and Easaqua XL 600, Easaqua SC 803, Easaqua XB 401, Easaqua M 502, Easaqua M 501, Easaqua Wat-4, and Easaqua WAT-3 all of which are available from Vencorex.
The amount of hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane in the flame-retardant waterborne coating composition according to the invention is from 10 to 99 wt. %, preferably from 20 to 97 wt. % and more preferably from 25 to 75 wt. % (relative to the total coating composition).
The molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker is from 0.2 to 2.0, preferably from 0.2 to 1.0.
Preferably, the coating composition of the present invention is bromine free, preferably halogen free.
(f) from 1 to 20 parts by weight of at least one active hydrogen-containing chain-extending compound, which is capable of forming hydroxyl groups, whereby the amounts of (a), (b), (c) and (d) are given relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated, and whereby the amounts of (e) and (f) is given relative to the weight amount of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer.
Methods for preparing polyurethanes are known in the art and are described in for example the Polyurethane Handbook 2 nd Edition, a Carl Hanser publication, 1994, by G. Oertel.
Component (a) is at least one polyisocyanate, preferably at least one organic difunctional isocyanate. The amount of component (a) relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated is preferably from 5 to 50 wt. % and more preferably from 10 to 35 wt. %.
Preferably, the polyisocyanate is selected from the group consisting of toluene diisocyanate (TDI), p-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), p,p′-bisphenyl diisocyanate (BPDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 1,6-hexamethylene diisocynate (HDI), hydrogenated diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (H 12MDI), meta-tetramethylxylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate (TMHDI) and any mixture thereof.
Component (b) is at least one phosphonate diol oligomer as described above. The amount of component (b) relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated is preferably from 3 to 75 wt. % and more preferably from 5 to 20 wt. %.
Component (c) is at least one isocyanate-reactive polyol containing non-ionic, ionic and/or potentially ionic water dispersing groups. The amount of component (c) relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated is from 0.5 to 30 wt. % and preferably from 6 to 21 wt. %. Potentially ionic water-dispersing groups include groups which are subsequently (upon neutralization) converted to water-dispersing groups. For example free (unionised) carboxylic acid groups can be neutralised to carboxylate anionic water-dispersing groups.
(c.2) from 0 to 20 wt. %, preferably from 5 to 15 wt. % of at least one isocyanate-reactive polyol containing non-ionic water-dispersing groups, where the amounts of (c.1) and (c.2) are given relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminate polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminate polyurethane prepolymer are emanated.
Component (c.1) is at least one isocyanate-reactive polyol (preferably diol) containing ionic or potentially ionic water-dispersing groups and having a molecular weight of from 100 to 500 g/mol.
Preferred anionic water-dispersing groups are carboxylic, phosphoric and/or sulphonic acid groups. Examples of such compounds include carboxyl containing diols, for example dihydroxy alkanoic acids such as 2,2-dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA) or 2,2-dimethylolbutanoic acid (DMBA). Alternatively sulfonate groups may be used as potentially anionic water-dispersing groups. The anionic water-dispersing groups are preferably fully or partially in the form of a salt. Conversion to the salt form is optionally effected by neutralisation of the polyurethane prepolymer with a base, preferably during the preparation of the polyurethane prepolymer and/or during the preparation of the aqueous composition of the present invention. If the anionic water-dispersing groups are neutralised, the base used to neutralise the groups is preferably ammonia, an amine or an inorganic base. Suitable amines include tertiary amines, for example triethylamine or N,N-dimethylethanolamine. Suitable inorganic bases include alkali hydroxides and carbonates, for example lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide. A quaternary ammonium hydroxide, for example N +(CH 3) 4(OH), can also be used. Generally a base is used which gives counter ions that may be desired for the composition. For example, preferred counter ions include Li +, Na +, K +, NH4 + and substituted ammonium salts. Cationic water dispersible groups can also be used, but are less preferred. Examples include pyridine groups, imidazole groups and/or quaternary ammonium groups which may be neutralised or permanently ionised (for example with dimethylsulphate). A very suitable component (c.1.) is dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA) and/or dimethylol butanoic acid (DMBA).
The neutralising agent is preferably used in such an amount that the molar ratio of the ionic and potentially ionic water dispersing groups to the neutralizing groups of the neutralising agent are in the range of from 0.7 to 5.0, more preferably from 0.8 to 3.0 and even more preferably from 0.85 to 1.2.
Component (c.2) is at least one isocyanate-reactive polyol (preferably diol) containing non-ionic water-dispersing groups. Non-ionic dispersing groups are typically pendant polyoxyalkylene groups, particularly polyethylene oxide (PEO) groups. Such groups may, for example be provided by employing as a reactant in the prepolymer formation diols having pendant PEO chains such as those described in the prior art, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,929. Chain-pendant PEO groups may also be introduced by employing certain amine and hydroxyl functional compounds, or diols, as disclosed in EP 0317258. If desired, the PEO chains may contain units of other alkylene oxides in addition to the ethylene oxide units. Thus, PEO chains in which up to 60% of the alkylene oxide units are propylene oxide units, the remainder being ethylene oxide units, may be used.
Component (d) is at least one isocyanate-reactive polyol not comprised by (b) or (c). The amount of component (d) relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated is preferably from 0 to 60 wt. % and more preferably from 10 to 50 wt. %. Such polyol may be selected from any of the chemical classes of polyols that can be used in polyurethane synthesis. In particular the polyol may be a polyester polyol, a polyesteramide polyol, a polyether polyol, a polythioether polyol, a polycarbonate polyol, a polyacetal polyol, a polyvinyl polyol and/or a polysiloxane polyol. The polyol (d) preferably comprises a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol and/or a polycarbonate polyol; more preferably the polyol (d) is a polyester polyol, even more preferably made from ethylene glycol and adipic acid and/or made from diethylene glycol and adipic acid.
The amount of component (f) relative to the weight amount of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer are emanated is from 1 to 20 wt. % and more preferably from 2 to 10 wt. %.
Component (f) is at least one active-hydrogen chain extending compound with a functionality of at least 2.
The aqueous composition may be prepared by dispersing an isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer in an aqueous medium and chain extending the prepolymer with at least one active hydrogen-containing chain extending compound with a functionality of at least 2 in the aqueous phase. Active hydrogen-containing chain extenders (component (f)) which may be reacted with an isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer preferably include diamines or polyamines containing OH functionality, preferably diamines containing OH functionality are used.
Preferably the active-hydrogen chain extending compound is selected from the group consisting of amino-alcohols, such as N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylene diamine.
The chain extender may be added to the aqueous dispersion of the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer or, alternatively, it may already be present in the aqueous medium when the isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer is dispersed therein. The chain extension may be conducted at convenient temperatures from about 5° C. to 95° C. or, more preferably, from about 10° C. to 60° C.
The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to the present invention may further comprise additives such as for example rheology additives.
The present invention further relates to the use of the flame retardant waterborne coating composition as described above to coat textile fabrics. The present invention also further relates to a coated fabric which is obtained by applying to a textile a coating composition as described above. Preferably, the textile contains fibers, preferably polyester fibres, polypropylene fibres, and/or polyamide fibres.
The present invention is also directed to an article comprising the coated fabric as described herein. The article is preferably selected from the group consisting of furniture, a drapery, a garment, linen, a mattress, a carpet, a tent, a sleeping bag, a toy, a decorative fabric, an upholstery, a wall fabric, a curtain, a canopy, clothing apparel, vehicle upholstery, an awning, an airline seat, an airbag cover and combinations thereof.
The present invention is now illustrated by reference to the following example. Unless otherwise specified, all parts, percentages and ratios are on a weight basis.
Bayhydur® 302, an isocyanate crosslinker, obtained from Bayer.
Synthesis of an OH Functional Water Borne Polyurethane Dispersion Containing Nofia® OL 1001 Phosphonate Diol.
The following were charged to a resin kettle and capped with nitrogen: Polyester polyol composed of adipic acid, diethylene glycol, and trimethyol propane, (353.96 g, 1150 eq.wt., 0.3078 eq.), Nofia® OL 1001 (25.53 g, 710.1 eq.wt., 0.0360 eq.), dimethylol propionic acid (12.99 g, 67.07 eq.wt., 0.1937 eq.), dicyclohexylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (109.44 g, 131.1 eq.wt., 0.8348 eq.), bismuth neodeconate catalyst (0.15 g), methylethylketone (142.88 g). The mixture was heated to 78 C for 3 hours. The free NCO value was determined by dibutyl amine titration and found to be 1.98% (theory 1.93%). Triethylamine (10.19 g 101.19 eq.wt., 0.1085 eq.) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes. Water (786.8 g) was added with rapid mixing to form a water borne polyurethane dispersion. A mixture of N(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine (13.84 g, 52.075 amine eq.wt., 0.2658 eq.) was mixed with water (30 g) and added to the dispersion slowly. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour then it was vacuum stripped to remove the methylethylketone. A solvent free water borne polyurethane dispersion was produced containing 40% solids. The hydroxyl number of the polyurethane was 14.4.
142.5 g of this water borne polyurethane dispersion was compounded with Bayhydur 302 (7.5 g) and K-Stay 730 associative thickener (1.6 g) to give a coating with a viscosity of 60,000 cps. The molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker was 0.47. The compounded coating was coated on 200 denier nylon oxford fabric with a knife over roll coater and then heat cured for 90 seconds at 163 degrees C. The coating wt. on fabric is 40.7 g per m 2 (1.2 ounce per square yard).
The fabrics coated with these water borne polyurethane flame retardant coatings were tested with vertical flame retardant tests CPAI-84 "A Specification for Flame-Resistant Materials Used in Camping Tentage" and NFPA 701 "Fire Tests for Flame-Resistant Textiles and Films".
To pass the CPAI-84 test the maximum individual char length is 25.5 cm (10.04 inches) and the maximum average char length is 21.6 cm (8.5 inches). The maximum individual after flame is 4 seconds with a maximum average of 2 seconds.
To pass the NFPA 701 test the max individual char length is 16.8 cm (6.60 inches) and the maximum average is 14 cm (5.50 inches). The maximum individual after flame is 2 seconds.
The coated fabric of Example 1 with the Nofia® OL 1001 in the PU backbone passed the Vertical FR CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 tests with an average char length of 8.9 cm (3.5 inches) and no after flames.
The coated fabric of Example 1 was leached in water for 72 hours and the water was changed every 24 hours. The leached fabric was retested in the flame retardant tests: The results are given below.
The flame retardant results after leaching were excellent with an average char length of 9.1 cm (3.6 inches) and no after flames, thus both the CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 tests were passed.
Thus the flame retardant Nofia® OL 1001 is not leached out of the coating.
An identical water borne polyurethane dispersion to that described for Example 1 was produced except that the Nofia® OL1001 was left out. The hydroxyl number of the polyurethane was 14.5.
The water borne polyurethane dispersion for Comparative Experiment A was compounded in the same way as in Example 1 and also coated on 200 denier nylon fabric. The molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker was 0.47. The coating wt. on fabric is 40.7 g per m 2 (1.2 ounce per square yard).
The cured coated fabrics were tested for flame retardant properties using the Vertical FR CPAI-84 test and the NFPA 701 test. The results are given below.
Example 1 with the Nofia® OL 1001 in the PU backbone passed the Vertical FR CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 tests with an average char length of 8.9 cm (3.5 inches) and no after flames. Comparative A, without the phosphonate diol in the backbone of the polymer, failed the Vertical FR CPAI-84 test because the average after flame was 3 seconds and an individual value was 15 seconds. It also failed the NFPA 701 test because 2 of the individual after flame values were above 2 seconds.
The coated fabric of Comparative Experiment A was not submitted to leaching since the coated fabric of Comparative Experiment A did not even pass the CPAI-84 and NFPA-701 flame retardant tests before the coated fabric was leached in water.
An OH functional water borne polyurethane dispersion containing Nofia® OL 3001 phosphonate diol was synthesized with the same composition as for example 1 except that Nofia® OL 3001 was used in place of Nofia® OL 1001. The Nofia® OL 3001 is a copolymer made from bisphenol-A and diphenyl methyl phosphonate. The Nofia® OL3001 has an OH number of 50 and an OH equivalent weight of 1122. This OH functional (hydroxyl number of the polyurethane 14.2) water borne polyurethane dispersion containing Nofia® OL 3001 phosphonate diol was compounded with Bayhydur 302, and thickened to 60,000 cps with K-Stay 730 associative thickener. The molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker was 0.47. The compounded coating was coated on 200 denier nylon oxford fabric with a knife over roll coater and then heat cured for 90 seconds at 163 degrees C. The coating wt. on fabric is 40.7 g per m 2 (1.2 ounce per square yard) and for the coated fabric tested after 72 hours leaching in water 37.3 g per m 2 (1.1 ounce per square yard).
The cured coated fabric was tested for flame retardant properties using the Vertical FR CPAI-84 test and the NFPA 701 test.
The flame retardant results were excellent with average char lengths of 9.4 cm (3.7 inches) before leaching and 8.6 cm (3.4 inches) after leaching and zero after flames in both cases. These results passed both the CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 tests. Thus the flame retardant Nofia® OL 3001 is not leached out of the coating.
The following were charged to a resin kettle and capped with nitrogen: Polyester polyol composed of adipic acid, and ethylene glycol (320 g, 1000 eq.wt., 0.320 eq.), trimethylolpropane (2.46 g, 44.73 eq.wt., 0.550 eq.), Nofia® OL 1001 (29 g, 710.1 eq.wt., 0.0408 eq.), dimethylol propionic acid (25 g, 67.07 eq.wt., 0.3727 eq.), dicyclohexylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (149 g, 131.1 eq.wt., 1.1365 eq.), bismuth neodeconate catalyst (0.10 g), methylethylketone (149 g). The mixture was heated to 78 C for 3 hours. The free NCO value was determined by dibutyl amine titration and found to be 2.50% (theory 2.42%). Triethylamine (19.61 g 101.19 eq.wt., 0.1938 eq.) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes. Water (995 g) was added with rapid mixing to form a water borne polyurethane dispersion. A mixture of N(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine (18.22 g, 52.075 amine eq.wt., 0.3498 eq.) was mixed with water (49 g) and added to the dispersion slowly. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour then it was vacuum stripped to remove the methylethylketone. A solvent free water borne polyurethane dispersion was produced containing 35% solids. The hydroxyl number of the polyurethane was 18.0.
The flame retardant results were excellent with average char lengths of 9.1 cm (3.6 inches) before leaching and 9.4 cm (3.7 inches) after leaching and zero after flames in both cases. These results passed both the CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 tests.
OH functional water borne polyurethane dispersion containing Nofia® OL 1001 phosphonate diol (Ex 1) resp. Fyrol 6 (Comp B) resp. Exolit OP 550 (Comp C) were prepared and the amounts of the three flame retardant additives were adjusted to keep the weight percent of phosphorous the same in all cases.
The Exolit OP 550 is a non-halogenated phosphorus polyol based on oligomeric organophosphates. It has a hydroxyl number of 170 and an OH equivalent weight of 330 and it contains 17% phosphorous by weight.
Fyrol 6 is diethyl-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aminomethyl phosphonate. It has a hydroxyl number of 460 and an OH equivalent weight of 122 and it contains 12.4% phosphorous by weight.
The Nofia® OL 1001 is a copolymer made from bisphenol-A and diphenyl methyl phosphonate. The Nofia® OL1001 has an OH number of 90 and an OH equivalent weight of 623 and it contains 8.5% phosphorous by weight.
Polyurethane dispersions containing these 3 different halogen free, phosphorous based, flame retardants in the backbone of the polymer were made using Desmodur® W (H 12MDI), and ethylene glycol adipate polyester polyol and DMPA. The polymers were chain extended with N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylene diamine (HEEDA) to make them OH functional. The amounts of the three flame retardant additives were adjusted to keep the weight % phosphorous the same in all three cases. The hydroxyl number of the polyurethanes were respectively 18.0 with the Nofia® OL 1001, 28.8 with the Fyrol 6, and 18.5 with the Exolit OP 550.
Synthesis of a polyurethane dispersion containing Nofia OL 1001: Ethylene glycol adipate polyester polyol (320 g, 1000 eq.wt., 0.320 eq.), trimethylolpropane (2.46 g, 44.73 eq.wt., 0.0550 eq.), dimethylolpropionic acid (25 g, 67.07 eq.wt., 0.3727 eq.), Nofia OL 1001 (29.0 g, 623.3 eq.wt., 0.0465 eq.), Desmodur W (149.0 g, 131.1 eq.wt., 1.1365 eq.) and methylethylketone (150 g) were charged to a resin kettle under nitrogen and mixed and heated to 78 C for 2 hours. The NCO value was determined by dibutyl amine titration and found to be 2.50% (theory 2.42%). Triethylamine 19.61 g, 101.19 eq.wt., 0.1938 eq.) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes. Water (995 g) was added with rapid mixing and then a mixture of HEEDA (18.22 g, 52.075 amine eq.wt., 0.3499 eq.) and water (49 g) was added slowly. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour and then the methylethylketone was removed by vacuum stripping, leaving a solvent free water borne polyurethane dispersion.
Synthesis of a polyurethane dispersion containing Fyrol FR6: Ethylene glycol adipate polyester polyol (320 g, 1000 eq.wt., 0.320 eq.), trimethylolpropane (2.46 g, 44.73 eq.wt., 0.0550 eq.), dimethylolpropionic acid (25 g, 67.07 eq.wt., 0.3727 eq.), Fyrol FR6 (19.88 g, 121.96 eq.wt., 0.1630 eq.), Desmodur W (185.0 g, 131.1 eq.wt., 1.411 eq.) and methylethylketone (220 g) were charged to a resin kettle under nitrogen and mixed and heated to 78 C for 2 hours. The NCO value was determined by dibutyl amine titration and found to be 2.77% (theory 2.72%). Triethylamine (19.61 g, 101.19 eq.wt., 0.1938 eq.) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes. Water (1087 g) was added with rapid mixing and then a mixture of HEEDA (31.09 g, 52.075 amine eq.wt., 0.5970 eq.) and water (49 g) was added slowly. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour and then the methylethylketone was removed by vacuum stripping, leaving a solvent free water borne polyurethane dispersion.
Synthesis of a polyurethane dispersion containing Exolit O,P 550: Ethylene glycol adipate polyester polyol (320 g, 1000 eq.wt., 0.320 eq.), trimethylolpropane (2.46 g, 44.73 eq.wt., 0.0550 eq.), dimethylolpropionic acid (25 g, 67.07 eq.wt., 0.3727 eq.), Exolit O,P 550 (14.50 g, 330 eq.wt., 0.0439 eq.), Desmodur W (149.0 g, 131.1 eq.wt., 1.1365 eq.) and methylethylketone (150 g) were charged to a resin kettle under nitrogen and mixed and heated to 78 C for 2 hours. The NCO value was determined by dibutyl amine titration and found to be 2.30% (theory 2.19%). Triethylamine 19.61 g, 101.19 eq.wt., 0.1938 eq.) was added and the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes. Water (972 g) was added with rapid mixing and then a mixture of HEEDA (18.22 g, 52.075 amine eq.wt., 0.3499 eq.) and water (49 g) was added slowly. The mixture was stirred for 1 hour and then the methylethylketone was removed by vacuum stripping, leaving a solvent free water borne polyurethane dispersion.
The polymer containing the Nofia® OL 1001 polymer passed the CPAI-84 test and the NFPA-701 flame retardant test with an average char length of 8.4 cm (3.3 inches) and no after flames. The polymer containing Fyrol 6 failed the test with an average char length of 27.4 cm (10.8 inches) and an average after flame of 72 seconds. The polymer containing the Exolit OP 550 also failed the test with an average char length of 19.3 cm (7.6 inches) and an average after flame of 42 seconds. These data show that in these OH functional waterborne polyurethane dispersions the Nofia® OL 1001 has superior flame retardant performance over Exolit OP 550 and Fyrol 6.
Even after 3 wash cycles, the coated fabric according to the invention passed the CPAI-84 and NFPA-701 flame retardant tests with an average char length of 9.1 cm (3.6 inches) and zero after flames. Thus the flame retardant Nofia® OL 1001 is not washed out of the coating.
The coated fabric of Comparative Experiment B and C were not submitted to washing since these coated fabrics did not even pass the CPAI-84 and NFPA-701 flame retardant tests before the coated fabrics were washed.
The polymer containing the Nofia® 1001 polymer (140 g) was thickened with K-stay 730 (1.9 g) to 60,000 cps and coated on 200 denier nylon fabric without an isocyanate crosslinker and then heat cured for 90 seconds at 163° C. The coating weight on the cured fabric was 40.7 g per m 2 (1.2 oz./square yard). The cured fabric was submitted to 3 wash cycles in a washing machine. The coating was badly delaminated from the fabric. Thus the uncrosslinked coating is not durable to wash cycles.
The uncrosslinked coating failed the CPAI-84 and NFPA-701 flame retardant tests with an average after flame value of 12 seconds. This indicates that the uncrosslinked flame retardant coating is not as durable as the isocyanate crosslinked polyurethane coating as for example in Example 1.
2. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein n is from 1 to 10, R 2 is an aromatic group and is preferably derived from bisphenol-A.
3. The flame retardant waterborne composition according to claim 1, wherein R is a methyl group.
4. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is a phosphonate diol selected from the group consisting of a random co-oligo(phosphonate carbonate), a block co-oligo(phosphonate carbonate), a random co-oligo(phosphonate ester), a block co-oligo(phosphonate ester) or any mixture thereof.
6. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the hydroxyl number of the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is from 10 to 200 mg KOH/g phosphonate oligomer, preferably from 40 to 120 mg KOH/g phosphonate oligomer.
7. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the OH equivalent weight of the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is from 280 to 5,610, preferably from 450 to 1400.
8. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the phosphonate oligomer used in the preparation of the hydroxyl terminated polyurethane is a copolymer of bisphenol-A and diphenyl methyl phosphonate.
9. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane is from 10 to 99 wt. %, preferably from 20 to 97 wt. % and more preferably from 25 to 75 wt. % (relative to the total coating composition).
10. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is bromine free, preferably halogen free.
12. The flame retardant waterborne coating composition according to claim 11, wherein the polyol (d) comprises a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol and/or a polycarbonate polyol; preferably the polyol (d) comprises a polyester polyol preferably made from ethylene glycol and adipic acid and/or a polyester polyol made from diethylene glycol and adipic acid.
where the amounts of (c.1) and (c.2) are given relative to the total amount of components used to prepare the isocyanate-terminate polyurethane prepolymer from which the building blocks of the isocyanate-terminate polyurethane prepolymer are emanated.
14. A coated fabric which is obtained by applying to a textile a coating composition according to claim 1.
15. The coated fabric according to claim 14, wherein the textile containing fibers, preferably polyester fibres, polypropylene fibres, and/or polyamide fibres.
16. An article comprising the coated fabric according to claim 14.
17. The article of claim 16, wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of furniture, a drapery, a garment, linen, a mattress, a carpet, a tent, a sleeping bag, a toy, a decorative fabric, an upholstery, a wall fabric, a curtain, a canopy, clothing apparel, vehicle upholstery, an awning, an airline seat, an airbag cover and combinations thereof.