Sonoelastographic imaging of interference patterns for estimation of shear velocity distribution in biomaterials

The authors have recently demonstrated the shear wave interference patterns created by two coherent vibration sources imaged with the vibration sonoelastography technique. If the two sources vibrate at slightly different frequencies omega and omega+deltaomega, respectively, the interference patterns move at an apparent velocity of (deltaomega/2omega)upsilon(shear), where upsilon(shear) is the shear wave speed. We name the moving interference patterns "crawling waves." In this paper, we extend the techniques to inspect biomaterials with nonuniform stiffness distributions. A relationship between the local crawling wave speed and the local shear wave velocity is derived. In addition, a modified technique is proposed whereby only one shear wave source propagates shear waves into the medium at the frequency omega. The ultrasound probe is externally vibrated at the frequency omega-deltaomega. The resulting field estimated by the ultrasound (US) scanner is proven to be an exact representation of the propagating shear wave field. The authors name the apparent wave motion "holography waves." Real-time video sequences of both types of waves are acquired on various inhomogeneous elastic media. The distribution of the crawling/holographic wave speeds are estimated. The estimated wave speeds correlate with the stiffness distributions.     

Role of stress in thin film alloy thermodynamics: competition between alloying and dislocation formation

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and first-principles local-spin-density-approximation calculations to study submonolayer films of Co (1-c)Ag (c)/Ru(0001) alloys, we have discovered a novel phase-separation mechanism. When the Ag concentration c exceeds 0.4, the surface phase separates between a dislocated, pure Ag phase and a pseudomorphically strained Co(0.6)Ag (0.4) surface alloy. We attribute the phase separation to the competition between two stress relief mechanisms: surface alloying and dislocation formation. The agreement between STM measurements and our calculated phase diagram supports this interpretation.     

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF LARGE-DIAMETER SAGGED CABLES TAKING INTO ACCOUNT FLEXURAL RIGIDITY

For the purpose of developing a vibration-based tension force evaluation procedure for bridge cables using measured multimode frequencies, an investigation on accurate finite element modelling of large-diameter sagged cables taking into account flexural rigidity and sag extensibility is carried out in this paper. A three-node curved isoparametric finite element is formulated for dynamic analysis of bridge stay cables by regarding the cable as a combination of an “ideal cable element” and a fictitious curved beam element in the variational sense. With the developed finite element formulation, parametric studies are conducted to evaluate the relationship between the modal properties and cable parameters lying in a wide range covering most of the cables in existing cable-supported bridges, and the effect of cable bending stiffness and sag on the natural frequencies. A case study is eventually provided to compare the measured natural frequencies of main cables of the Tsing Ma Bridge and the computed frequencies with and without considering cable bending stiffness. The results show that ignoring bending stiffness gives rise to unacceptable errors in predicting higher order natural frequencies of the cables, and the proposed finite element formulation provides an accurate baseline model for cable tension identification from measured multimode frequencies.     

STOCHASTIC AVERAGING OF DUHEM HYSTERETIC SYSTEMS

The response of Duhem hysteretic system to externally and/or parametrically non-white random excitations is investigated by using the stochastic averaging method. A class of integrable Duhem hysteresis models covering many existing hysteresis models is identified and the potential energy and dissipated energy of Duhem hysteretic component are determined. The Duhem hysteretic system under random excitations is replaced equivalently by a non-hysteretic non-linear random system. The averaged Ito's stochastic differential equation for the total energy is derived and the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation associated with the averaged Ito's equation is solved to yield stationary probability density of total energy, from which the statistics of system response can be evaluated. It is observed that the numerical results by using the stochastic averaging method is in good agreement with that from digital simulation.     

Atomistic Simulation Methods for Computing the Kinetic Coefficient in Solid-Liquid Systems

The kinetic coefficient, , is the constant of proportionality between the velocity of a solid-liquid interface and the interface undercooling. The value of and its anisotropy are critical parameters in phase field modeling of dendritic solidification. In this paper we review several different molecular dynamics simulation methods which have been proposed to compute the kinetic coefficient. Techniques based on forced velocity simulations, free solidification simulations and fluctuation analyses are discussed and compared. In addition, a model of crystalline growth kinetics due to Broughton, Gilmer and Jackson will be compared with available atomistic simulation data.     

General applications of fused silica capillary column (FSCC) chromatography to the analysis of non-priority pollutant organics in environmental samples

Further applications of fused silica capillary columns (FSCC) to the analysis of environmental samples are presented. The chromatographic behavior (RT, RRT) of organic compounds of environmental significance not listed as Consent Decree Priority Pollutants is investigated on an SE-54 FSCC. Retention indices (RRT) and mass spectral response factors (RF) are presented for a total of 28 compounds including a number of chloro- and nitro-substituted anilines, alkylpyridines, and alkylquinoline derivatives. The direct application of the FSCC/MS interface to the analysis of these compounds in actual environmental samples is presented, including vent emissions from a fungicide manufacturing process, and contaminated soil and water samples from two metropolitan Boston construction sites.     

A turbulent-flow dye-streak technique

A new formulation of shear-thickening and high extensional-viscosity fluids is used to suspend white pigment to form a dye streak which resists breakup in turbulent and complex separated flows. Examples from flow around cylinders at Reynolds numbers to 30 000, and in a turbulent boundary layer, show the capability of the technique.This work was made possible by support from the University of Bristol and the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant CTS-9411980).     

Comments on "Two-mass models of the vocal cords for natural sounding voice synthesis"

Koizumi et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 1179-1192 (1987)] have proposed a way to incorporate mucosal waves into previous two-mass mechanical models of the vocal folds. This was accomplished by allowing the mass of the masses to vary with time. The equations of motion Koizumi et al. used to mathematically describe this model neglected terms from the time rate of change of momentum of Newton's second law. In this letter, approximations of the magnitude of this term indicate that it must not be neglected.     

Rigid rod molecules as liquid crystal thermosets. II. Rigid rod esters

Nine rigid rod ester monomers endcapped with maleimide, nadimide, and methylnadimide groups were prepared and studied by DSC and hot stage polarized light microscopy. All of the monomers showed thermotropic nematic liquid crystalline phases and could be thermally crosslinked in the nematic phase. The nematic texture was maintained in the crosslinked solid state. The nematic phase range was enlarged by B-staging the monomeric compounds. Heating the monomers for a short period of time in the nematic phase lowered the crystal to nematic transition temperatures and increased the nematic to isotropic transition temperatures. A nonequilibrium phase diagram was proposed to explain the melting behavior of these reactive liquid crystal thermoset materials.     

C-H bond activation of hydrocarbons by an imidozirconocene complex

Monomeric imidozirconocene complexes of the type Cp2(L)Zr=NCMe3 (Cp = cyclopentadienyl, L = Lewis base) have been shown to activate the carbon-hydrogen bonds of benzene, but not the C-H bonds of saturated hydrocarbons. To our knowledge, this singularly important class of C-H activation reactions has heretofore not been observed in imidometallocene systems. The M=NR bond formed on heating the racemic ethylenebis(tetrahydro)indenyl methyl tert-butyl amide complex, however, cleanly and quantitatively activates a wide range of n-alkane, alkene, and arene C-H bonds. Mechanistic experiments support the proposal of intramolecular elimination of methane followed by a concerted addition of the hydrocarbon C-H bond. Products formed by activation of sp2 C-H bonds are generally more thermodynamically stable than those formed by activation of sp3 C-H bonds, and those resulting from reaction at primary C-H bonds are preferred over secondary sp3 C-H activation products. There is also evidence that thermodynamic selectivity among C-H bonds is sterically rather than electronically controlled.