Torsional strain of TaS3 whiskers on the charge-density wave depinning

We find that an electric current I exceeding the threshold value results in torsional strain of o-TaS3 samples with one contact freely suspended. The rotation angle deltavarphi of the free end achieves several degrees and exhibits hysteresis as a function of I. The sign of deltavarphi depends on the I polarity; a polar axis along the conducting chains (the c axis) is pointed out. We associate the effect with surface shear of the charge-density wave (CDW) coupled to the crystal shear. The current-induced torsional strain could be treated in terms of enormous piezoelectric coefficients (>10(-4) cm/V) corresponding to shear. In essence, TaS3 appears to be a ready torsional actuator based on the unique intrinsic property of the CDW.     

Influence of small polymer additives on the behavior of a linear viscoelastic fluid

A system of equations is obtained, describing a dilute polymer solution in an incompressible linear viscoelastic fluid as a nonlinear viscoelastic medium. As an example, motion with a specified velocity gradient is analyzed in the linear approximation. An expression is given for the dynamic modulus of the system in terms of the dynamic modulus of the most viscoelastic fluid containing the macro-molecules and in terms of the polymer concentration.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 3–12, November–December, 1976.     

CYANOS: a data management system for natural product drug discovery efforts using cultured microorganisms

A software package, termed "CYANOS", has been developed to facilitate the data management and mining for natural product drug discovery efforts. This system allows for the management of data associated with field collections, culture conditions, harvests, extractions, chemical separations, and biological evaluation. This software utilizes a MySQL database for data storage, which allows for reporting and data mining via third party tools. In addition, a Web-based interface was constructed to allow for multiuser access from a variety of desktop platforms. The code for this system is freely available and has been released under the Illinois Open Source license.     

Optical characteristics of thin rutile films on fused quartz substrates

Polycrystalline rutile films are synthesized on fused quartz substrates by the method of thermal oxidation of a titanium metal layer in air at 800°C. The optical parameters of the TiO ₂ films are determined for a wavelength of λ = 0.6328 μm by the method of laser zero ellipsometry. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 15–20, May, 2006.