Pulling tethers from adhered vesicles

The competition between adhesion and tether formation in bound vesicles is investigated. A theoretical model is developed in which tethers are induced by the application of a pulling force to the top of a strongly adhered vesicle. A critical onset force is identified where the tether spontaneously appears as part of a first order shape transition. Further growth of the tether initiates a detachment process that culminates in a continuous unbinding of the vesicle at a finite detachment force. Both critical forces, as well as all shape parameters, are calculated as a function of the reduced volume and the strength of adhesive potential.     

Effect of destabilizing fields on hydrodynamic instabilities in nematics

The effect of destabilizing fields on the roll instability (RI) threshold for shear flow and on the homogeneous instability (HI) threshold for plane Poiseuille flow of nematic HBAB (μ _s>0) is studied on the basis of the continuum theory of nematics for flow cells of infinite lateral width. It turns out that the critical shear rate and wave vector at RI threshold decrease with increasing destabilizing field but do not approach zero at the Freedericksz transition. However calculations show that beyond the Freedericksz threshold HI may be favourable over a range of destabilizing field with shear in the stabilizing role. For plane Poiseuille flow a similar analysis points to the existence of a HI threshold in the presence of destabilizing field beyond the Freedericksz threshold again with shear acting as a stabilizing field. These results are compared with theoretical results obtained previously for MBBA.     

L-mode to H-mode transition triggered by sawtooth-induced heat flux in EAST

H-modes induced by sawtooth events can be often observed in discharges with marginal auxiliary power injection in EAST. Poloidal flow shear at the very plasma edge, increasing ∼25% up to the threshold value, is observed just before the L-H transition by means of a fast reciprocating probe array in EAST. This suddenly risen poloidal flow shear, caused by the increased turbulent driven Reynolds force, is motived by the heat pulse originally released by a sawtooth crash at the plasma core. Associated with the critical poloidal flow shear, the local turbulent decorrelation rate increases significantly. The increased turbulent decorrelation rate compensated by nonlinear energy transfer rate from the turbulence to the low-frequency shear flows, exceeding the turbulence energy input rate, is sustained for several hundred microseconds till the turbulence quench happening.     

论地震发生机制

地震发生的物理机理和过程是还没有认识清楚的问题. 此前人们将浅源地震归因于弹性回跳,根据这一观点和岩石实验结果计算得到的地震能量与实际观测结果有很大矛盾,被称之为“热流佯谬”. 中源和深源地震发生在地幔区域,其成因也没有合理的解释. 考虑到地壳和地幔是离散集合态物质体系及其慢动力学运动行为的基本特点,本文根据物理学原理,特别是近年凝聚态物理发展出来的相关新观念,并依据已有观测事实,从新的视角探究地震发生的物理机制. 1) 关于地壳岩石层中的应力分布:在不考虑构造力时,依据万物皆流的流变学原理,原始地壳岩石在自重压强长时间作用下,纵向和横向应力相同,没有差应力. 大地构造力推动岩块滞滑移动挤压断层泥,施加于其他岩块,逐渐传递和积累. 这种附加的横向构造力与原始岩石中应力叠加,形成地壳岩石层中的实时应力. 由于断层泥属于颗粒物质体系,具有与岩石不同的力学特征,其弹性模量比岩石小得多,且随压强而增大,导致构造作用力随深度非线性增大. 给出了地壳中构造应力分布及其变化规律. 2) 关于地壳岩石层强度:地壳岩石的自重会使岩石发生弹性–塑性转变. 通过对弹性–塑性转变深度的计算,并根据实际情况分析,给出了地壳岩石弹性、部分塑性和完全塑性三个区域的典型深度范围. 在部分塑性区,塑性体比例达到约10%以上时,发生塑性连通,这时岩石剪切强度由塑性特征决定. 塑性滑移的等效摩擦系数比脆性破裂小一个数量级以上,致使塑性滑移时岩石剪切强度比脆性破裂小得多. 同时,随深度增大,有多种因素使得岩石剪切屈服强度减小. 另一方面,地震是大范围岩石破坏,破坏必然沿薄弱路径发生. 因此,浅源地震岩石的实际破坏强度必定比通常观测到的岩石剪切强度值低. 给出了地壳岩石平均强度和实际破坏强度典型值随深度的分布规律. 3) 关于地震发生的条件和机制:地震发生必定产生体积膨胀,只有突破阻挡才可膨胀. 地震发生的条件是:大地构造力超过岩石破坏强度、断层边界摩擦力以及所受阻挡力之和. 因此,浅源地震是岩石突破阻挡发生的塑性滑移. 在此基础上提出了浅源地震发生的四种可能模式. 深源地震是冲破阻挡发生的大范围岩块流. 浅源地震和深源地震都是堵塞–解堵塞转变,是解堵塞后岩石层块滑移或流动造成的能量释放. 4) 关于地震能量和临震前兆信息:地震能量即为堵塞–解堵塞转变过程释放的动能. 以实例估算表明,地震岩石滑移动能与使岩块剪切破坏和克服周围摩擦阻力所需做的功相一致,不会出现热流佯谬. 同时指出,通过观测地震发生前构造力的积累过程、局域地区地质变迁以及岩石状态变化等所产生的效应,均可能获得有价值的地震前兆信息. 关键词： 地震发生机制 热流佯谬 地壳岩石应力和强度 堵塞–解堵塞转变     

Efficiency of initiating cell adhesion in hydrodynamic flow

We theoretically investigate the efficiency of initial binding between a receptor-coated sphere and a ligand-coated wall in linear shear flow. The mean first passage time for binding decreases monotonically with increasing shear rate. Above a saturation threshold of the order of a few 100 receptor patches, the binding efficiency is enhanced only weakly by increasing their number and size, but strongly by increasing their height. This explains why white blood cells in the blood flow adhere through receptor patches localized to the tips of microvilli, and why malaria-infected red blood cells form elevated receptor patches (knobs).     

Symmetric linear potential and imperfect Brownian ratchet in molecular motor function

Biomolecular motors are tiny engines that transport materials at the microscopic level within biological cells. In recent years, Elston and Peskin et al have investigated the effect of the elastic properties of the tether that connects the motor to its cargo at the speed of the motor. In this paper we extend their work and present a tether in the form of symmetric linear potential.Our results show that when the driving mechanism is an imperfect Brownian ratchet, the average speed decreases as the stiffness of the tether increases in the limit of large motor diffusion coefficient, which is similar to the results of Elston and Peskin.However, a threshold for the stiffness of the tether connecting the motor to its cargo is found in our model. Only when the tether is stiffer than the threshold can the motor and its cargo function co-operatively, otherwise, the motor and its cargo depart from each other. This result is more realistic than that of the spring model of Elston and Peskin.     

固液双相电流变系统流动过程的相转变特性

考虑电流变液多粒子近程相互作用，利用等效平板电导模型，研究了电流变液流动过程相转变点的特性，并设计实验观察了电流变液中的这种相转变现象.研究结果表明，电流变液在一定压力梯度作用下发生流动，此时为双相流；当外加电场达到某一值时，电流变液中颗粒不流动，由固液双相流转变为液体单相流动，发生场控相转变，理论模拟结果与实验观察结果基本相符.阈值电场随外加压力梯度的增加而加大，随颗粒浓度的增加而减小. 关键词： 电流变液 颗粒流 相转变     

Shear thickening of cornstarch suspensions as a reentrant jamming transition

We study the rheology of cornstarch suspensions, a non-Brownian particle system that exhibits shear thickening. From magnetic resonance imaging velocimetry and classical rheology it follows that as a function of the applied stress the suspension is first solid (yield stress), then liquid, and then solid again when it shear thickens. For the onset of thickening we find that the smaller the gap of the shear cell, the lower the shear rate at which thickening occurs. Shear thickening can then be interpreted as the consequence of dilatancy: the system under flow wants to dilate but instead undergoes a jamming transition because it is confined, as confirmed by measurement of the dilation of the suspension as a function of the shear rate.     

Vorticity alignment and negative normal stresses in sheared attractive emulsions

Attractive emulsions near the colloidal glass transition are investigated by rheometry and optical microscopy under shear. We find that (i) the apparent viscosity eta drops with increasing shear rate, then remains approximately constant in a range of shear rates, then continues to decay; (ii) the first normal stress difference N1 transitions sharply from nearly zero to negative in the region of constant shear viscosity; and (iii) correspondingly, cylindrical flocs form, align along the vorticity, and undergo a log-rolling movement. An analysis of the interplay between steric constraints, attractive forces, and composition explains this behavior, which seems universal to several other complex systems.     

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF THE FULL ROTORSTOP RUBBING: NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION

The dynamic behavior of a rotor rubbing, especially rubbing fully with a motion-limiting stop is investigated by numerical and experimental methods. In the dynamic simulation, the sinuous excitation force with low frequency excites the large whirl of the unbalanced rotor and thus causes the rubbing between the rotor and the stop. The simple Coulomb friction model and the multiple segments linear spring model are used to reveal the nature of the rubbing forces. The torque equation of the rotor is built to extract the rotating speed during partial and full rubbing. The stable partial rubbing motion demonstrates that the stop limits the violent vibration amplitude of the rotor effectively. The rubbing experiments confirm the idea of using the inner type of stop to suppress the violent backward whirl with low frequency. When the amplitude of the excitation force exceeds a certain value, the full rubbing occurs with serious continuous friction. During full rubbing, the center of the rotor moves counter-clockwise and whips in the amplitude exceeding the rotor/stop gap dramatically. Moreover, the whip frequency is much higher than the frequencies of the excitation and the unbalance force. And then the rotor rotation is broken quickly by the stop. The predicted dynamical behavior is verified by the rubbing experiments. The relation between the stop/bearing stiffness ratio and such dynamical behavior as the initiation of the rubbing, the over-limit ratio and the contact-ratio is discussed.     

Pressure effects on the kinetic properties and phase transitions in lithium

The pressure dependences of the electrical resistance and thermal electromotive force of lithium were measured at room temperature. The results substantiated the occurrence of a phase transition caused by increasing pressure (6.7 GPa). A phase transition was detected when pressure was decreased (6.4 GPa). Temperature effects on the pressures of these transitions were studied near room temperature. At pressures above 4 GPa, the pressure dependences of thermal electromotive force and of the velocity of ultrasonic shear waves in BCC lithium exhibited anomalies. The suggestion was made that applying pressure increased the role played by electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions in lithium.     

水平管液塞区相分布特征研究

设计建造了研究段塞流中液塞卷吸气体的实验装置,采用双头电导探针测量了水平管内固定液塞区域的局部相分布。液塞区含气率的径向分布存在峰值,表明液塞区存在湍流剪切层。随着进入液塞距离增大,含气率峰值减小,峰值对应的径向位置升高。这说明湍流剪切层内的湍流程度减弱,剪切层厚度变大。提出了计算水平管液塞截面平均含气率的方法,发现随着进入液塞距离的增大,截面平均含气率首先迅速减小,然后逐渐趋于稳定。     

Stretching instability of intrinsically curved semiflexible biopolymers: A lattice model approach

We apply a Monte Carlo simulation method to lattice systems to study the effect of an intrinsic curvature on the mechanical property of a semiflexible biopolymer.We find that when the intrinsic curvature is sufficiently large,the extension of a semiflexible biopolymer can undergo a first-order transition at finite temperature.The critical force increases with increasing intrinsic curvature.However,the relationship between the critical force and the bending rigidity is structuredependent.In a triangle lattice system,when the intrinsic curvature is smaller than a critical value,the critical force increases with the increasing bending rigidity first,and then decreases with the increasing bending rigidity.In a square lattice system,however,the critical force always decreases with the increasing bending rigidity.In contrast,when the intrinsic curvature is greater than the critical value,the larger bending rigidity always results in a larger critical force in both lattice systems.     

Bi-2223/Ag超导带材的失超传播速度研究

文中对超导带材的失超产生机理进行了详细分析,建立了其失超传播的计算模型。在此基础上,对Bi-2223/Ag高温超导带材失超传播进行了实验研究,用四引线法测得不同条件下其失超传播的U-t曲线,由此计算出Bi-2223/Ag超导带材的失超传播速度为0.4cm/s～1.98cm/s。实验结果表明:带材的失超传播速度与载流大小有关,与触发失超的能量无关,带材载流越大,失超传播得越快。     

Graphene-tuned threshold gain to achieve optical pulling force on microparticle

We investigate optical force on a graphene-coated gain microparticle by adopting the Maxwell's stress tensor method.It is found that there exists a threshold gain in obtaining the Fano-profile optical force which indicates the reversal of optical pushing and pulling force. And giant pushing/pulling force can be achieved if the gain value of the material is in the proximity of the threshold gain. Our results show that the threshold gain is more sensitive to the relaxation time than to the Fermi energy of the graphene. We further study the optical force on larger microparticle to demonstrate the pulling force occurring at octupole resonance with small gain value and then it will appear at quadrupole resonance by increasing gain value. Our work provides an in-depth insight into the interaction between light and gain material and gives the additional degree of freedom to optical manipulation of microparticle.     

玻璃-橡胶混合颗粒的力学响应研究

通过直剪实验和离散元模拟, 研究掺杂了橡胶软球的玻璃体系的力学响应. 改变颗粒固体中橡胶颗粒的含量, 研究体系剪切强度以及剪胀变化等特性, 发现随着橡胶颗粒的增加, 会出现剪胀到剪缩的相转变现象, 且混合颗粒固体的弹性有了很大的提高. 实验研究发现, 随着体系中橡胶颗粒含量的增加, 剪切屈服强度值逐渐减小, 体积发生从剪胀到剪缩的相转变现象, 但临界剪切强度在一定橡胶颗粒含量范围内保持一致; 实验所采取的剪切速率下, 应力应变曲线能较好重合, 即实验处于率无关区域; 混合样品的屈服强度值随正压力的增大而增大. 离散元模拟也得到了上述结果, 另外模拟还发现, 随着橡胶颗粒含量的增加, 颗粒的平均配位数增大; 橡胶颗粒含量和正压力对剪胀-剪缩相转变的位置有影响, 橡胶颗粒含量较小时, 在较大的正压力下易发生相转变现象, 且剪胀-剪缩相转变点对应的平均配位数在5.6-5.9之间; 在橡胶颗粒含量小于30%时, 混合颗粒样品的残剪强度与不掺杂的颗粒体系相近; 大于30%时, 残剪强度随橡胶颗粒含量的增加而减小; 残剪强度随正压力加大而增加.     

Balanced biosynthesis and trigger threshold resulting in a double adder mechanism of cell size control

How cells accomplish cell size homeostasis is a fascinating topic, and several cell size regulation mechanisms were proposed: timer, sizer, and adder. Recently the adder model has received a great deal of attention. Adder property was also found in the DNA replication cycle. This paper aims to explain the adder phenomenon both in the division-centric picture and replication-centric picture at the molecular level. We established a self-replication model, and the system reached a steady state quickly based on evolution rules. We collected tens of thousands of cells in the same trajectory and calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between biological variables to decide which regulatory mechanism was adopted by cells. Our simulation results confirmed the double-adder mechanism. Chromosome replication initiation and cell division control are independent and regulated by respective proteins.Cell size homeostasis originates from division control and has nothing to do with replication initiation control. At a slow growth rate, the deviation from adder toward sizer comes from a significant division protein degradation rate when division protein is auto-inhibited. Our results indicated the two necessary conditions in the double-adder mechanism: one is balanced biosynthesis, and the other is that there is a protein trigger threshold to inspire DNA replication initiation and cell division. Our results give insight to the regulatory mechanism of cell size and instructive to synthetic biology.     

Effect of temperature on the anisotropy of AZ31 magnesium alloy rolling sheet under high strain rate deformation

In order to investigate the effect of temperature on the anisotropic behaviour of AZ31 magnesium alloy rolling sheet under high strain rate deformation, the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar was used to analyse the dynamic mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy rolling sheet in three directions, rolling direction(RD), transverse direction (TD) and normal direction (ND). The texture of the rolling sheet was characterised by X-ray analysis and the microstructure prior and after high strain rate deformation was observed by optical microscope (OM). The results demonstrated that AZ31magnesium alloy rolling sheet has strong initial {0?0?0?2} texture, which resulted at the obvious anisotropy in high strain rate deformation at 20 °C. The anisotropy reflected in stress–strain curve, yield stress, peak stress and microstructure. The anisotropy became much weaker when the deformation temperature increased up to 250 °C. Continuing to increase the deformation temperature to 350 °C the anisotropy of AZ31 rolling sheet essentially disappeared. The decreasing tendency of anisotropy with increasing temperature was due to the fact that when the deformation temperature increased, the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) for pyramidal 〈c + a〉 slip, which was the predominant slip mechanism for ND, decreased close to that of twinning, which was the predominant deformation mechanism for RD and TD. The deformation mechanism at different directions and temperatures and the Schmid factor (SF) at different directions were discussed in the present paper.     

Nonequilibrium phase transitions associated with DNA replication

Thermodynamics governing the synthesis of DNA and RNA strands under a template is considered analytically and applied to the population dynamics of competing replicators. We find a nonequilibrium phase transition for high values of polymerase fidelity in a single replicator, where the two phases correspond to stationary states with higher elongation velocity and lower error rate than the other. At the critical point, the susceptibility linking velocity to thermodynamic force diverges. The overall behavior closely resembles the liquid-vapor phase transition in equilibrium. For a population of self-replicating macromolecules, Eigen's error catastrophe transition precedes this thermodynamic phase transition during starvation. For a given thermodynamic force, the fitness of replicators increases with increasing polymerase fidelity above a threshold.     

F8BT∶P3HT共混薄膜放大自发辐射的温度效应

研究了温度对聚合物poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole)(F8BT)和poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT)共混薄膜的放大自发辐射(ASE)的影响。在80~320 K温度范围测试了不同P3HT质量比的共混聚合物薄膜和纯F8BT薄膜的ASE特性。在室温条件下,共混聚合物的阈值随着P3HT所占比例的增加先降低后升高。当P3HT比例约为20%时,阈值最低约为2.59×10~3W/cm~2。当温度从320 K下降到80 K时,纯F8BT薄膜的ASE阈值光功率由5.36×10~3W/cm~2下降到4.15×10~3W/cm~2,P3HT质量比为20%的共混薄膜的ASE阈值光功率由2.84×10~3W/cm~2下降到2.03×10~3W/cm~2。在一特定泵浦光功率(5.29×10~3W/cm~2)下,当温度由320 K下降至80 K时,ASE强度约提高4倍。随着温度的降低,混合物薄膜的ASE峰位红移,移动达12 nm。