Measures of complexity for 3D image analysis of trabecular bone

Based on fractal properties and spatial auto-correlation, the measures of complexity lacunarity, Moran's I and Geary's C index are defined for 3D image analysis. Their abilities to investigate translational invariance, characteristic length scales, spatial correlation and shapes of 3D micro-structures are demonstrated on proto-typical examples. Finally, using these measures of complexity, 3D images of trabecular bone are analysed. The main findings are that the complexity of the trabecular structure decreases and the plate-like shapes of the trabeculae change to mainly rod-like shapes during bone loss. These results and the proposed measures could have a great impact for medicine and for space exploration.     

Complex morphology of melt-spun nylon-6 fibres investigated by 1H double-quantum-filtered NMR spin-diffusion experiments.

The complex morphology of high-speed melt-spun nylon-6 fibres hydrated with D2O was investigated using 1H double-quantum-filtered spin-diffusion NMR experiments. The magnetisation exchange from selected crystalline domains along the fibrils and interfibrils was simulated with the help of a three-dimensional solution of a spin-diffusion equation approximated by a product of one-dimensional analytical NMR signals, which correspond to a lamellar morphology. This allows to measure the sizes of crystalline and less-mobile amorphous domains along the fibrils, as well as the diameter of the fibrils and interfibril distances. A series of nylon-6 fibres with extreme values of winding speed and draw ratio was investigated. The changes detected in the domain size along the fibrils and interfibrils show the same trend in the data obtained from wide-angle X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering.     

Diffusion in flows with a linearly nonuniform velocity profile

Methods of group analysis are applied to determine the Green’s function in the infinite space of the test particle diffusion equation for flows with a linearly nonuniform velocity profile. Using this function, the solutions of the Cauchy problem are obtained for certain particular initial conditions.     

Effect of nanotube functionalization on the properties of single‐walled carbon nanotube/polyurethane composites

A commercially available aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane formulated with a methylene bis(cyclohexyl) diisocyanate hard segment and a poly(tetramethylene oxide) soft segment and chain‐extended with 1,4‐butanediol was dissolved in dimethylformamide and mixed with dispersed single‐walled carbon nanotubes. The properties of composites made with unfunctionalized nanotubes were compared with the properties of composites made with nanotubes functionalized to contain hydroxyl groups. Functionalization almost eliminated the conductivity of the tubes according to the conductivity of the composites above the percolation threshold. In most cases, functionalized and unfunctionalized tubes yielded composites with statistically identical mechanical properties. However, composites made with functionalized tubes did have a slightly higher modulus in the rubbery plateau region at higher nanotube fractions. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering patterns indicated that the dispersion reached a plateau in the unfunctionalized composites that was consistent with the plateau in the rubbery plateau region. The room‐temperature modulus and tensile strength increase was proportionally higher than almost all increases seen previously in thermoplastic polyurethanes; however, the increase was still an order of magnitude below what has been reported for the best nanotube–polymer systems. Nanotube addition increased the hard‐segment glass transition temperature slightly, whereas the soft‐segment glass transition was so diffuse that no conclusions could be drawn. Unfunctionalized tubes suppressed the crystallization of the hard segment; whereas functionalized tubes had no effect. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 490–501, 2007     

Synthesis, morphology and random laser action of ZnO nanostructures

Three-dimensional (3-D) ZnO random-wall nanostructures and one-dimensional (1-D) ZnO nanorods were prepared on silicon substrates by a simple solid-vapour phase thermal sublimation technique. Optical pumped random lasing has been observed in the ZnO random-wall arrays with a threshold intensity of 0.38 MW/cm² in the emission wavelength from 380 to 395 nm. The optical gain was attributed to the closed-loop scattering and light amplification of the ZnO random-wall. The experimental result suggests that the morphology of nanostructure is the key factor to effect random lasing.     

N. Charton,A. Feldermann,A. Theis,M. H. Stenzel,T. P. Davis,C. Barner‐Kowollik,Initiator efficiency of 2,2′‐azobis(isobutyronitrile) in bulk dodecyl acrylate free‐radical polymerizations over a wide conversion and molecular weight range (2004) 42(20) 5170–5179

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem (2004) 42(20) 5170–5179. No abstract.     

Growth and characterisation of Eu doped GaN thin films

We have studied the optical properties of Eu doped GaN thin films. We have grown high quality Eu doped GaN thin films by using Gas Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy (GSMBE), with 1.4% Eu concentration. The Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray diffraction in an omega scan was found to be 288 arcsecs. Low Eu concentration (0.08%) doped GaN thin films were grown, where Eu-related photoluminescence at 622 and 613 nm was detected using above band-gap excitation at 2 K. For high Eu concentration of 30% GaN:Eu crystal photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra show strong and intense transitions at 622 and 664 nm, but also at 593 nm for CL spectra, with a similar transition observed from the low Eu concentration sample.     

Axial anomaly and index of the overlap hypercube operator

The overlap hypercube fermion is constructed by inserting a lattice fermion with hypercubic couplings into the overlap formula. One obtains an exact Ginsparg-Wilson fermion, which is more complicated than the standard overlap fermion, but which has improved practical properties and is of current interest for use in numerical simulations. Here we deal with conceptual aspects of the overlap hypercube Dirac operator. Specifically, we evaluate the axial anomaly and the index, demonstrating that the correct classical continuum limit is recovered. Our derivation is non-perturbative and therefore valid in all topological sectors. At the non-perturbative level this result had previously only been shown for the standard overlap Dirac operator with Wilson kernel. The new techniques which we develop to accomplish this also for hypercubic kernels are of a general nature and have the potential to be extended to overlap Dirac operators with even more general kernels.Received: 27 October 2003, Published online: 25 February 2004     

Modelling and optimal control of coupled structural acoustic systems with piezoelectric elements

We construct a model of a shell with piezoelectric elements (patches) that take into account the mutual influence of deformations and electric fields. Coupled problems for the shell with piezoelectric patches and an acoustic field, are studied and results on the existence and the uniqueness are obtained. For this system we consider an optimal control problem on noise attenuation and obtain results on the existence, the uniqueness, necessary and sufficient conditions of optimality. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MgO films grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia by molecular beam epitaxy

MgO films were grown on (0 0 1) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The crystalline structures of these films were investigated using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Growth temperature was varied from 350 to 550 °C, with crystalline quality being improved at higher temperatures. The MgO films had a domain structure: (1 1 1)[1 1 2¯]_MgO(0 0 1)[1 0 0]_YSZ with four twin variants related by a 90° in-plane rotation about the [1 1 1]_MgO axis. The observed epitaxial orientation was compared to previous reports of films grown by pulsed laser deposition and sputtering and explained as resulting in the lowest interface energy.