Structuring cholesteric polysiloxanes by photoinduced rotational diffusion

Cholesteric polysiloxanes containing an azo dye were irradiated with linearly or circularly polarized laser light or with the unpolarized light from a HgXe lamp. Photoinduced rotational diffusion was observed leading to new textures with a completely different orientational distribution of the chromophoric and the mesogenic side chains. A broad variety of new structures was detected depending on the polarization state of the light, the helical arrangement of the azo dye and the optional application of an electrical d.c. field. The new structures were characterized by spectroscopy with polarized light. Co-operative reorientation of chromophoric and mesogenic side chains was proven. The formation of a Bragg grating upon short term irradiation with linearly polarized light was observed. Continued irradiation leads in most cases to a strongly birefringent texture with a high dichroic ratio of the azo dye resembling a planar nematic texture. With circularly polarized light or with unpolarized light, a uniaxial homeotropic texture appeared predominantly. The formation of the new textures occurred in the glassy state of the samples leading to new structures with good optical quality and an exceptionally good long-term stability.     

Infinite dilution activity coefficient and vapour liquid equilibrium measurements for dimethylsulphide and tetrahydrothiophene with hydrocarbons

The activity coefficients at infinite dilution (γ^∞) of dimethylsulphide (DMS) in four hydrocarbon solvents were measured using the dilutor technique at temperatures between 288 K and 303 K. The four hydrocarbons were hexane, 1-hexene, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene. The dilutor technique is based on the stripping of the highly diluted solute, i.e. DMS, by a constant flow of inert gas. The gas composition was analysed by gas chromatography and the rate of solute removal was calculated from the area of the peaks.     

Viscoelasticity and water plasticization of polymer-cellulose composite films and paper sheets

Viscoelastic properties of cellulose microfibril—polymer composites and paper sheets were studied with dynamic mechanical analysis as a function of relative humidity in order to assess the bonding properties in cellulosic networks. The amount of associated water in the composites (equilibrium moisture content) was measured by thermogravimetry. Water plasticization was evidenced by DMA both in composite and paper samples. Polymers with high affinity to water, e.g. carboxymethyl cellulose, clearly increased the water plasticization in the composites. The plasticization behavior of paper sheet samples was also influenced by polymers. However, the effect of polymers on the plasticization was different between the composite and the paper samples. The consideration of fiber bonding domain in paper structure as a gel-like layer consisting of cellulose microfibrils, polymers, and associated water can help to unveil some of the complex mechanisms behind the strength in fibrous cellulosic materials.     

Detection of phase biaxiality in liquid crystals by use of the quadrupole shift in 131Xe NMR spectra

An experimental method to unambiguously distinguish between uniaxial and biaxial liquid crystal phases is introduced. The method is based on the second order quadrupole shift (SOQS) observable in 131Xe NMR spectra of xenon dissolved in liquid crystals. It is shown that besides revealing the biaxiality, the 131Xe SOQS offers a novel method to determine the tilt angle in smectic C phases. As an example, the 131Xe SOQS in a ferroelectric liquid crystal is reported. It yields up a biaxial phase in between isotropic and smectic C phases.     

Observation of transverse polarization asymmetries of charged pion pairs in e+e- annihilation near √s = 10.58 GeV

The interference fragmentation function translates the fragmentation of a quark with a transverse projection of the spin into an azimuthal asymmetry of two final-state hadrons. In e(+)e(-) annihilation the product of two interference fragmentation functions is measured. We report nonzero asymmetries for pairs of charge-ordered π(+)π(-) pairs, which indicate a significant interference fragmentation function in this channel. The results are obtained from a 672 fb(-1) data sample that contains 711 × 10(6) π(+)π(-) pairs and was collected at and near the Υ(4S) resonance, with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider.     

On stretching the interval simplex-permutohedron

A family of polytopes introduced by E.M. Feichtner, A. Postnikov, and B. Sturmfels, which were named nestohedra, consists in each dimension of an interval of polytopes starting with a simplex and ending with a permutohedron. This paper investigates a problem of changing and extending the boundaries of these intervals. An iterative application of Feichtner–Kozlov procedure of forming complexes of nested sets is a solution of this problem. By using a simple algebraic presentation of members of nested sets it is possible to avoid the problem of increasing the complexity of the structure of nested curly braces in elements of the produced simplicial complexes.     

Hypergraph polytopes

We investigate a family of polytopes introduced by E.M. Feichtner, A. Postnikov and B. Sturmfels, which were named nestohedra. The vertices of these polytopes may intuitively be understood as constructions of hypergraphs. Limit cases in this family of polytopes are, on the one end, simplices, and, on the other end, permutohedra. In between, as notable members one finds associahedra and cyclohedra. The polytopes in this family are investigated here both as abstract polytopes and as realized in Euclidean spaces of all finite dimensions. The later realizations are inspired by J.D. Stasheff ?s and S. Shnider?s realizations of associahedra. In these realizations, passing from simplices to permutohedra, via associahedra, cyclohedra and other interesting polytopes, involves truncating vertices, edges and other faces. The results presented here reformulate, systematize and extend previously obtained results, and in particular those concerning polytopes based on constructions of graphs, which were introduced by M. Carr and S.L. Devadoss.     

The complexity of a basic impact mapping for rigid bodies with impacts and friction

We consider two impact mappings, the Brach impact mapping and an energetic impact mapping, for rigid-body mechanisms with impacts and friction. The two impact mappings represent the opposite end of the spectrum from basic to advanced impact mappings. Both impact mappings are briefly derived and described. For the Brach impact mapping we will introduce the concept of impulse ratio and discuss how the kinetic energy changes during an impact as the impulse ratio is varied. This analysis is used to further extend the Brach impact mapping to cover situations that were previously omitted. Finally, we make comparisons between the two impact mappings and show how the Painlevé paradox appears in the two impact mappings. The conclusion of the comparisons is that while the basic impact mapping seems easy to implement in a computer simulator it may in the end be more complex and also introduce unnecessary complications that are completely artificial.     

Effect of sorbitan-based surfactants on glass transition temperature of cellulose esters

Thermal behavior of mixtures composed of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), carboxymethylcellulose acetate butyrate (CMCAB), or cellulose acetate phthalate (CAPh), and sorbitan-based surfactants was investigated as a function of mixture composition by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Surfactants with three different alkyl chain lengths, namely, polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), polyoxyethylenesorbitan monopalmitate (Tween 40), and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate (Tween 60) were chosen. DSC measurements revealed that Tween 20, 40, and 60 act as plasticizers for CAB, CMCAB, and CAPh (except for Tween 60), leading to a dramatic reduction of glass transition temperature (T _g). The dependence of experimental T _g values on the mixture composition was compared with theoretical predictions using the Fox equation. Plasticization was strongly dependent on mixture composition, surfactant hydrophobic chain length, and type of cellulose ester functional group.