Unique pitch evolution in the smectic-C+alpha phase

Employing resonant x-ray diffraction, we observed unique pitch evolutions in the smectic-C*(alpha) phase in mixtures of two antiferroelectric liquid crystals. Our results show that the pitch in this phase continuously evolves across 4 layers, contradicting a theoretical model that predicts that the smectic-C*(FI2) phase intervenes in the smectic-C*(alpha) phase. The phase sequences we found can be explained by another model that includes one type of long-range interaction among smectic layers.     

Group Theoretic Properties of the Group of Computable Automorphisms of a Countable Dense Linear Order

We compare Aut(Q), the classical automorphism group of a countable dense linear order, with Aut _c (Q), the group of all computable automorphisms of such an order. They have a number of similarities, including the facts that every element of each group is a commutator and each group has exactly three nontrivial normal subgroups. However, the standard proofs of these facts in Aut(Q) do not work for Aut _c (Q). Also, Aut(Q) has three fundamental properties which fail in Aut _c (Q): it is divisible, every element is a commutator of itself with some other element, and two elements are conjugate if and only if they have isomorphic orbital structures.     

Topological properties of the multifunction space <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">X</Emphasis>) of cusco maps

A set-valued mapping F from a topological space X to a topological space Y is called a cusco map if F is upper semicontinuous and F(x) is a nonempty, compact and connected subset of Y for each x ∈ X. We denote by L(X), the space of all subsets F of X × ℝ such that F is the graph of a cusco map from the space X to the real line ℝ. In this paper, we study topological properties of L(X) endowed with the Vietoris topology. The second author is supported by the SPM fellowship awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India.     

Nonspecific laryngeal granuloma: A case study of a professional singer

A professional singer with laryngeal granuloma underwent surgery following failed response to conservative treatments. Two primary findings emerged. First, although a sizable lesion was present initially, presurgical voice measures were largely normal or superior. The exception was elevated phonatory effort during singing. Second, postsurgical voice functions were entirely normal or superior (including phonatory effort), despite demanding singing performances a few weeks following surgery. The results add to the limited corpus of quantitative, normative-referenced data on voice in patients with granulomas and are inconsistent with previous reports of voice abnormalities in such patients and poor functional response to surgery.     

Perfusion chromatography: Effect of micropore diffusion on column performance in systems utilizing perfusive adsorbent particles with a bidisperse porous structure

A mathematical model describing single-component and multi-component adsorption in columns with bidisperse perfusive or bidisperse purely diffusive adsorbent particles is constructed and presented. The model is used to study the adsorption of lysozyme onto monocional anti-lysozyme in columns with bidisperse porous adsorbent particles. The influence of the effective pore diffusion coefficient of the adsorbate in the microparticles (microspheres) and the effects of particle size and intraparticle convective flow on column performance are examined. The results for the systems studied indicate that the systems with bidisperse perfusive particles provide a higher dynamic utilization of the adsorptive capacity of the column than the systems having bidisperse purely diffusive particles.     

Speculations on quark observation

Results of non-perturbative calculations in several models of relativistic quantum field theory lead to the concept of a stable particle whose mass is not well defined. Assuming that quarks are such particles, we propose several possible methods of quark observation.