Effect of symmetry on volume conserving surface models

We study the effect of symmetry on volume conserving models without deposition and evaporation. By using the master equation approach, we identify two types of stochastic continuum equation with a conservative noise, depending on the symmetry of hopping rate in diffusion rules. In the model with symmetric hopping rate, a Laplacian term is essentially absent from the continuum equation. The dynamic scaling of this model is thus determined by the nonlinear fourth order equation with a conservative noise. When the symmetry is broken, a Laplacian term may be present, so the asymptotic scaling behavior is governed by the Laplacian term with nonzero coefficient. We verify this result by investigating a simple discrete model analytically.     

An azophenol-based chromogenic pyrophosphate sensor in water

A new azophenol-based colorimetric sensor shows a selective detection for pyrophosphate in aqueous solution.     

Of men in mice: the development and application of a humanized gnotobiotic mouse model for microbiome therapeutics

Considerable evidence points to the critical role of the gut microbiota in physiology and disease. The administration of live microbes as a therapeutic modality is increasingly being considered. However, key questions such as how to identify candidate microorganisms and which preclinical models are relevant to recapitulate human microbiota remain largely unanswered. The establishment of a humanized gnotobiotic mouse model through the fecal microbiota transplantation of human feces into germ-free mice provides an innovative and powerful tool to mimic the human microbial system. However, numerous considerations are required in designing such a model, as various elements, ranging from the factors pertaining to human donors to the mouse genetic background, affect how microbes colonize the gut. Thus, it is critical to match the murine context to that of human donors to provide a continuous and faithful progression of human flora in mice. This is of even greater importance when the need for accuracy and reproducibility across global research groups are taken into account. Here, we review the key factors that affect the formulation of a humanized mouse model representative of the human gut flora and propose several approaches as to how researchers can effectively design such models for clinical relevance.Subject terms: Experimental models of disease, Translational research     

[6+2] Cycloaddition of N-phenyltriazolinedione with cycloheptatriene derivatives mediated and stereodirected by a chiral 3-oxy substituent

The addition of N-phenyltriazolinedione to a 7,7-dimethylcycloheptatriene derivative afforded a [6+2] adduct, which was found to be produced by the rearrangement of an initially formed [4+2] adduct. The regioselectivity of the initial addition was controlled by the 3-oxy-substituent, which also mediates the PTAD addition to the tropilidene form. The chiral 3-substituent also controlled the stereoselectivity of the addition to a high degree.     

Facile construction of the benzofuran and chromene ring systems via PdII-catalyzed oxidative cyclization

[reaction: see text]. We herein report the development of one-pot procedures for the conversion of allyl aryl ethers to 2-methylbenzofurans (via sequential Claisen rearrangement and oxidative cyclization) and for the conversion of aryl homoallyl ethers to chromenes (via direct oxidative cyclization). It is likely that both reactions proceed via a common Pd-catalyzed pathway involving olefin activation, nucleophilic attack, and beta-hydride elimination.     

Effect of molecular orientation on the biodegradability of aliphatic polyester

The effect of morphological microstructure on the biodegradability of aliphatic polyester, poly(ϵ -caprolactone) (PCL) was studied in terms of crystallite size, crystallinity and amorphous and crystalline orientation factors. Microstructural changes during hydrolysis/biodegradation of the drawn PCL films were investigated by the conventional small and wide angle X-ray scattering methods. The lower was the draw ratio, the higher the hydrolytic degradability or biodegradability. With the increase of the hydrolysis time, the long period, at earlier stage, decreased; then slightly recovered and the crystallinity increased while the lamellar thickness remained unchanged. The amorphous orientation factors start to decrease at earlier stage and gradually go down to zero before the end of hydrolysis. In the case of crystalline orientation factor, although the values decrease with increasing hydrolysis time, they do not reach zero point. After the biodegradation for 60 days, crystallinity, crystal lateral size and lamellar thickness in all drawn PCL films decreased, and then it was confirmed that even crystalline regions were degraded for long term biodegradation test.     

The effect of different ambient gases, pressures, and substrate temperatures on TiO2 thin films grown on Si(100) by laser ablation technique

Pure titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films were deposited on single-crystal Si(100) substrates by laser ablation. We investigated the effects of ambient gas (O₂ or Ar), pressures, and substrate temperatures on film quality. From the annealing experiment of the deposited TiO₂ thin film under Ar or O₂ ambient gas, we see the chemical effect of ambient gas on film quality. The crystallinity of the deposited TiO₂ thin film is best at 700 °C in the substrate temperature range attempted, 400-700 °C, and at pressures of 0.1 Torr and below. The rutile phase is dominant under most experimental conditions. Only under very extreme conditions did we obtain a thin film of the anatase phase.     

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) blends

Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyhexanoate) (PHB‐HHx) and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) blends were prepared using melt blending. The single glass transition temperature, T_g, between the T_gs of the two components and the negative χ value indicated that PHB‐HHx and MPEG formed miscible blends over the range of compositions studied. The Gordon–Taylor equation proved that there was an interaction between PHB‐HHx and MPEG in their blends. FTIR supported the presence of hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl group of MPEG and the carbonyl group of PHB‐HHx. The spherulitic morphology and isothermal crystallization behavior of the miscible PHB‐HHx/MPEG blends were investigated at two crystallization temperatures (70 and 40 °C). At 70 °C, melting MPEG acted as a noncrystalline diluent that reduced the crystallization rate of the blends, while insoluble MPEG particles acted as a nucleating agent at 40 °C, enhancing the crystallization rate of the blends. However, no interspherulitic phase separation was observed at the two crystallization temperatures. The constant value of the Avrami exponent demonstrated that MPEG did not affect the three‐dimensional spherulitic growth mechanism of PHB‐HHx crystals in the blends, although the MPEG phase, such as the melting state or insoluble state, influenced the crystallization rate of the blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2852–2863, 2006     

ULTRASONIC INFLUENCE OF POROSITY LEVEL ON CFRP COMPOSITE LAMINATES USING RAYLEIGH PROBE WAVES

It was found that a pitch-catch signal was more sensitive than normal incidence backwall echo of longitudinal wave to subtle flaw conditions in the composites （damages, fiber orientation, low level porosity, ply waviness, and cracks）. Both the strength and stiffness depend on the fiber orientation and porosity volume in the composites. The porosity content of a composite structure is critical to the strength and performance of the structure in general. The depth of the sampling volume where the pitch-catch signal came from was relatively shallow with the head- to-head miniature Rayleigh probes, but the depth can be increased by increasing the separation distance of the transmitting and receiving probes. Also, a method was utilized to determine the porosity content of a composite lay-up by processing micrograph images of the laminate. A free software package was utilized to process micrograph images of the test sample. The results from the image processing method were compared with existing data. Beam profile was characterized in unidirectional CFRP（carbon fiber reinforced plastics） using pitch-catch Rayleigh probes and the one-sided pitch-catch technique was utilized to produce C-scan images with the aid of the automatic scanner.     

Line-scan sequential lateral solidification of Si thin films

Received: 14 April 1998/Accepted: 22 April 1998