Linear stability of homogeneous elongational flow of the upper convected Maxwell fluid

We prove that planar elongational flow of the upper convected Maxwell fluid is linearly stable and analyze the associated spectral problem.     

An analytical molecular orbital approach in tetrathiafulvalene tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ)

In low-dimensional molecular crystals exhibiting the Peierls instability, intercolumnar interactions play an important role in electrical conduction. In this work, we propose an efficient method based on molecular orbital theory for studying the Peierls instability in molecular crystals composed of mixed-valence complexes. A perturbational approach to general N-merized systems is incorporated and applied to tetrathiafulvalene tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) crystals. From the results of the calculations, a mixed state of several commensurate distortions is proposed as another aspect of the incommensurate distortion in TTF-TCNQ under atmospheric pressure, and TTF^+0.5–TCNQ^?0.5 crystal is found to be expected as an electronic conductor under high pressure.     

Multiple sclerosis: Benefits of q-space imaging in evaluation of normal-appearing and periplaque white matter

Introduction

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) reveals white matter pathology in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A recent non-Gaussian diffusion imaging technique, q-space imaging (QSI), may provide several advantages over conventional MRI techniques in regard to in vivo evaluation of the disease process in patients with MS. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of root mean square displacement (RMSD) derived from QSI data to characterize plaques, periplaque white matter (PWM), and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in patients with MS.

Methods

We generated apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps by using conventional DTI data from 21 MS patients; we generated RMSD maps by using QSI data from these patients. We used the Steel–Dwass test to compare the diffusion metrics of regions of interest in plaques, PWM, and NAWM.

Results

ADC differed (P < 0.05) between plaques and PWM and between plaques and NAWM. FA differed (P < 0.05) between plaques and NAWM. RMSD differed (P < 0.05) between plaques and PWM, plaques and NAWM, and PWM and NAWM.

Conclusion

RMSD values from QSI may reflect microstructural changes and white-matter damage in patients with MS with higher sensitivity than do conventional ADC and FA values.     

Stereochemical studies of optically active 2-hydroxy-5-alkyl-δ-valerolactone derivatives as chiral dopant for ferroelectric liquid crystals

Both (2S, 5R)- and (2R, 5R)-2-hydroxy-5-alkyl-δ-valerolactone derivatives, cis and trans, respectively, show almost the same magnitude of spontaneous polarization (P_s) when added to a non-chiral smectic C mixture. The stereochemistry of these chiral dopants was studied using ¹H NMR. Trans derivatives seem to have a half-chair conformation with the 2, 5-diequatorial substituents and the cis derivatives have rather a flat conformation in solution. However in the liquid-crystalline phase, the cis and trans derivatives appear to change their conformation or the distribution of their conformations as the alkyl chain length is varied. The difference in the effect as a chiral dopant depends upon lateral interactions between chiral molecules through the solvent liquid crystal phase.     

Synthesis and properties of new chiral dopants containing a δ-lactone ring for practical ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures

A series of new optically active δ-lactones were synthesized as chiral dopants for ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs). The response time of an FLC mixture containing 4 mol% (S)-2,2-dimethyl-5-[2-fluoro-4-(5-n-octylpyrimidin-2-yl)-phenoxy[methyl-δ-valerolactone was 25 μs at 25°C. (0-90 per cent change in light transmission, 10 V μm^-1). The synthesis and properties of these materials as practical chiral dopants are reported.     

Electronic properties of tricoordinated phosphorus in hexagonal phosphininium compounds and molecular aromaticity

Calculations with B3LYP within quantum chemical density functional theory have been carried out for 1-H-phosphininium cation and a series of 1-R-phosphininium molecules (R=cyclopentadiene, alpha and beta pyrroles, alpha and beta phosphole, C5BH5-- and CH2--). The negative nuclear-independent chemical shift values and the positive aromatic stabilization energies confirm that they are aromatic compounds. In particular, the 1-H-phosphininium cation even exhibits stronger aromatic character than the well-known aromatic phosphinine. The aromatic substituents have strong capability to attract electrons. It is the conjugation and aromaticity that keeps the stability and conformations of the molecules investigated. Owing to the perturbation of the aromatic substituted groups, the predicted large T values and the enlarged HOMO-LUMO gap of the phosphininium cation indicate that these compounds are expected in experiment.     

Structures and large NLO responses of new electrides: Li-doped fluorocarbon chain

An alkali-metal-doped effect on the nonlinear optical (NLO) property in new electrides is studied. The electrides are formed by doping alkali atom Li into a fluorocarbon chain H-(CF2-CH2)3-H. Six stable structures of the Lin-H-(CF2-CH2)3-H (n = 1, 2) complexes with all real frequencies are obtained at the MP2/6-31+G (d) level. Among these six structures, the largest first static hyperpolarizabilities (beta(0)) are found to be 76,978 au, which is much larger than the beta(0) value of 112 au for H-(CF2-CH2)3-H. Clearly, the Li-atom-doped effect on the first hyperpolarizability is dramatic. Three interesting relationships between the structure and beta(0) value have been observed. (1) For the one-Li-atom-doped systems as well as for the structures with two opposite Li atoms, the shorter the distance between the Li atom and difluoromethyl group, the larger the beta(0) value. (2) The beta(0) values of the two-Li-atom-doped chains are much larger than those of the one-Li-atom-doped systems, except for the case of cis-AB where the Li-Li distance (2.847 Angstrom) is close to the bond length of the Li2 molecule (2.672 Angstrom). (3) For the two-Li-atom-doped chains, the beta(0) value increases as the Li-Li distance increases. These relationships between the structure and beta(0) value may be beneficial to experimentalists for designing electrides with large NLO responses by using the alkali-metal-doped effect.     

Transition processes from the lamellar to the onion state with increasing temperature under shear flow in a nonionic surfactant/water system studied by Rheo-SAXS

In a previous paper, we reported for the first time the lamellar-to-onion transition with increasing temperature at around 67 °C under a constant shear rate (0.3-10 s(-1)) in a nonionic surfactant C(16)E(7)/water system. In this study, the first temperature-shear rate diagram has been constructed in a wider range of shear rate (0.05-30 s(-1)) than in our previous study based on the temperature dependence of the shear stress at constant shear rate. The results suggest that the critical temperature above which the transition begins does not depend on the shear rate very much, although it takes a very shallow minimum. Then we have performed simultaneous measurements of small-angle X-ray scattering/shear stress (rheo-SAXS) with a stepwise increase in temperature of 0.1 K per 15 min at a constant shear rate of 3 s(-1) near the transition temperature. When the temperature exceeds 67 °C, just before the increase in the shear stress, the intensity of the Bragg peak for the velocity gradient direction (approximately proportional to the number of lamellae with their normal along this direction) is suddenly increased. As the temperature increases by 0.2 K, the shear stress begins to increase. At the same time, the peak intensity in the velocity gradient direction rapidly decreases and instead the intensity in the neutral direction increases. As the temperature increases further, the intensities in both the neutral and gradient directions decrease whereas the intensity in the flow direction increases, corresponding to the formation of onions. We have also performed rheo-SAXS experiments with a stepwise increase in shear rate at 72 °C. The sequence of the change in the intensity in each direction is almost the same in the temperature scan experiments at constant shear rate, suggesting that the transition mechanisms along these two paths are similar. The abrupt enhancement of the lamellar orientation with the layer normal along the velocity gradient direction just before the transition is the first finding and strongly supports the coherent buckling mechanism in the lamellar-to-onion transition proposed by Zilman and Granek (Zilman, A. G.; Granek, R. Eur. Phys. J. B 1999, 11, 593).     

Pseudo helix-sense-selective polymerisation of achiral substituted acetylenes

Pseudo helix-sense-selective polymerisation of a wide range of achiral substituted acetylenes having dynamic covalent bonds has been realised to yield static one-handed helical polymers without any other chiral moieties.