Director configurations in nematic droplets with tilted surface anchoring

The polymer dispersed nematic liquid crystal (LC) with the tilted surface anchoring has been studied. The droplet orientational structures with two point surface defects – boojums and the surface ring defect – are formed within the films. The director tilt angle α = 40° ± 4° at the droplet interface and LC surface anchoring strength W_s ~ 10^–6 (J m^?2) have been estimated. The bipolar axes within the studied droplets of oblate ellipsoidal form can be randomly oriented are oriented randomly relatively to the ellipsoid axes as opposed to the droplets with homeotropic and tangential anchoring.     

Characterisation and effect of polymer network deformation in reverse-mode polymer-stabilised cholesteric texture

In reverse-mode polymer-stabilised cholesteric texture (PSCT), the dynamic response is derived from local director reorientation governed by dielectric coupling effect/self-assembly and polymer network deformation. A double exponential rise/decay model is proposed to investigate the underlying physical mechanisms. Through simulation of the transient rise and decay processes, the polymer network deformation in PSCT can be quantitatively evaluated. Less deformation and faster restoration speed of the polymer network can suppress hysteresis. These results provide useful guidelines for future PSCT fabrication and performance optimisation.     

Microstructure of nickel nanoparticles embedded in carbon films: case study on annealing effect by micromorphology analysis

The presented study is aimed at analyzing the surface texture of amorphous hydrogenated carbon layers containing nickel nanoparticles (Ni‐NPs@a‐C:H) within their structure, which were deposited by Radio Frequency (RF) sputtering and RF‐Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RF‐PECVD) methods on glass substrates. Prepared films were then used as research material following their annealing at two different temperatures of 250 °C and 350 °C in an inert argon atmosphere. Series of height samples were taken with the help of atomic force microscopy (AFM) operating in a non‐contact mode and examined in order to determine their fractal characteristics. Raw AFM data were first plane‐fitted to remove the surface bow exhibiting the so‐called residual surface, and then numerically processed to calculate the Areal Autocorrelation Function (AACF), which was later used to compute the Structure Function (SF). The log–log plots of the latter served for calculation of fractal properties of surfaces under investigation, including fractal dimension D, and pseudo‐topothesy K. The analysis of 3‐D surface texture helps to understand their essential characteristics and their implications as well as graphical models and their implementation in computer simulation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probiotic Yoghurts with Sea Buckthorn,Elderberry, and Sloe Fruit Purees

Elderberries, sea buckthorn, and sloe berries are fruits of wild-grown bushes, valued in folk medicine for their health-promoting properties but still rarely applied in food. The aim of the present study was to produce probiotic yoghurts with a 10% addition of sweetened purees prepared from elderberries (EPY), sea buckthorn (SBPY), and sloe berries (SPY) and to assess their chemical composition, acidity, content of polyphenols and anthocyanins, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and antiradical power (ARP), level of starter microbiota, concentration of acetaldehyde and diacetyl, syneresis, instrumentally measured color and texture parameters, and sensory acceptance. The results were compared to those obtained for plain probiotic yoghurt (PPY) and the changes tracked during 1 month of cold storage at 2 week intervals. The addition of elderberry and sloe berries significantly increased the antioxidant capacity of probiotic yoghurts, probably due to a high content of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. However, anthocyanins were more stable in the EPY when compared to the SPY. All yoghurt treatments were characterized by good sensory quality and viability of starter microorganisms, including probiotic strains during cold storage. Elderberries promoted the evolution of diacetyl in yoghurts during storage and, together with sloe berries, produced increased syneresis and the greatest changes in color profile compared to PPY.     

Effect of Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (OSA) Modified Starches on the Rheological Properties of Dough and Characteristic of the Gluten-Free Bread

The study focused on the influence of starch modified by octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) on the rheological and thermal properties of gluten-free dough containing corn and potato starch with the addition of pectin and guar gum as structure-forming substances. The starch blend used in the original dough recipe was partially (5% to 15%) replaced with OSA starch. The rheological properties of dough samples were determined, and the properties of the resulting bread were analyzed. It was found that the dough samples behaved as weak gels, and the values of storage and loss moduli (G′ and G″, respectively) significantly depended on angular frequency. Various shares of OSA starch in recipes modified dough in different ways, causing changes in its rheological characteristics. The introduction of OSA starch preparations resulted in changes in the bread volume and physical characteristics of the crumb. All the applied preparations caused an increase in bread porosity and the number of pores larger than 5 mm, and there was a parallel decrease in pore density. The presence of OSA starch preparations modified bread texture depending on the amount and type of the applied preparation. The introduction of OSA starches in gluten-free bread formulation caused a significant drop in the enthalpy of retrograded amylopectin decomposition, indicating a beneficial influence of such type of additive on staling retardation in gluten-free bread.     

结晶型高分子材料的平面取向演化与塑性响应

建立了描述结晶型高分子材料的平面取向演化及其塑性响应的解析框架。文中针对材料中分子链不可伸长的特点，修正了Ｔａｙｌｏｒ假定。引入连续的取向分布函数，并将它展开成不可约的张量形式表示，通过建立并求解展开系数的演化方程，最终获得问题的解。文中模拟了单轴拉伸和简单剪切时链轴朝拉伸方向偏转的过程，描述了应力的上扬硬化现象．     

Transition theories of elastic-plastic deformation of metallic polycrystals

Summary A general approach to the problem of determination of elastoplastic behavior of metallic polycrystals at finite deformation is presented. The relation between moving dislocation density and global slip rate for grains is developed. Transition to grain response is obtained by introducing the hardening matrix. Field equations for heterogeneous elastoplastic metals are transformed into an integral equation, using Green functions technique. This allows to find the spin of the lattice related to texture formation.Scale transition is achieved by a self-consistent approximation of the integral equation. New results concerning BCC metals (sheet steel) are presented. They apply to tensile test, Lankford coefficient, initial and subsequent yield surfaces, and evolution of the internal state of the polycrystal: second-order residual stress, stored energy and texture evolution.     

Residual stress analysis near a cold expanded hole in a textured alclad sheet using X-ray diffraction

In this paper we present the methods of determination and the stress obtained at the periphery of a cold expanded hole in a 2024-T3 Alclad aluminum alloy sheet. The measurements in the aluminum clad were performed by the sin²Ψ method, taking experimental precautions to deal with the texture effects. In the core aluminum a special method had to be implemented to determine the stress values in a direction not accessible to the X-ray diffraction. The strains were measured in sample orientations selected according to the texture characteristics and stress factorsF _ij were used to calculate the stress tensor. TheF _ij values were determined assuming a quasi-isotropic material behavior, after concluding that the stress results were not significantly affected by factors calculated for textured material. The residual stress profile, both in the clad and in the sheet, shows a nearly axisymmetric stress state. Compressive stresses were observed near the periphery of the hole, with values that are higher on the exit than on the entrance face. Residual stresses were also higher in the hoop direction than in the radial direction. They decreased with the radial distance to the hole and affected the previous stress state over a distance of 6 mm. The plastic deformation induced by the cold expansion is well evidenced by the FWHM values, which in the affected zone decrease with increasing distance from the hole edge.     

Geometry dependence of the viscosity of a thermotropic LC-polymer measured by slit dies

This paper reports on geometry dependent viscosity curves of the biaxial thermotropic LC-Polymer Vectra B 950 measured with rectangular slit dies. The geometry dependence of the flow behaviour originates from the flow of two layers. The layer near the wall is highly flow oriented and free from defects. The layer in the bulk has an ordered texture. The thickness of the wall layer decreases with wall shear stress. Based on the Frank theory and the assumption that the core of a moving disclination is the smallest radius of distortion, the wall layer thickness is predicted and compared with experimental data.