Effect of maltodextrins on the surface activity of small-molecule surfactants

We report on the effect of commercially important polysaccharides (maltodextrins with variable dextrose equivalent (Paselli SA-2, MD-6 and MD-10) on the surface activity at the air–water interface of small-molecule surfactants (sms), possessing different hydrophobic–lipophilic balance ((SSL (Na⁺), the main component is a sodium salt of stearol–lactoyl lactic acid, and PGE (080), polyglycerol ester of C18 fatty acid), and widely used in food products. A marked change of the surface activity of sms was found in the presence of maltodextrins by tensiometry. The combined data of laser multiangle light scattering and mixing calorimetry have suggested that this result is governed by specific complex formation between maltodextrins and sms in aqueous medium. Measurements have been made of the molar mass, the second virial coefficient and the enthalpy of intermolecular interactions in aqueous solutions. The implication of a degree of polymerization of maltodextrins in this phenomenon was shown. The interrelation between the molecular parameters of the formed complexes and their surface activity at the air–water interface has been revealed and discussed.     

Longwave Marangoni convection in an inhomogeneously heated liquid

The supercritical Marangoni convection has been studied in a plane-parallel liquid layer, bounded by a free deformable gas-liquid interface from above and by a low-heat-conductivity wall from below, occurring under conditions of inhomogeneous heating in the horizontal plane. In a longwave approximation with a small inhomogeneity of heat flux, the process is described by a system of two-dimensional nonlinear equations for the temperature perturbations, vorticity, and free surface deformation. The concept of quasiequilibrium, implying stability of long-range flows, is introduced, which allows the inhomogeneous heat flux to be modeled by a step function. The linear stability is analyzed in the cases of planar and axisymmetric heat fluxes. The boundaries of stability of the convection regimes are determined on the plane of parameters characterizing the degree of supercriticity inside a heated spot and the depth of damping outside the spot. For an axisymmetric spot, the domains of stability with respect to perturbations for various azimuthal numbers are established.     

Temperature dependences of the low-frequency internal friction and shear modulus in a bulk amorphous alloy

The logarithmic decrement and shear modulus of a bulk amorphous Zr_52.5Ti₅Cu_17.9Ni_14.6Al₁₀ alloy were studied with an inverse torsion pendulum in the range from room temperature to the crystallization temperature and in the frequency range 5–40 Hz. The activation energy spectra of reversible and irreversible structural relaxation were estimated. The results obtained are discussed in the context of a two-energy-level model.     

Torsional vibration of multi-step non-uniform rods with various concentrated elements

An analytical approach and exact solutions for the torsional vibration of a multi-step non-uniform rod carrying an arbitrary number of concentrated elements such as rigid disks and with classical or non-classical boundary conditions is presented. The exact solutions for the free torsional vibration of non-uniform rods whose variations of cross-section are described by exponential functions and power functions are obtained. Then, the exact solutions for more general cases, non-uniform rods with arbitrary cross-section, are derived for the first time. In order to simplify the analysis for the title problem, the fundamental solutions and recurrence formulas are developed. The advantage of the proposed method is that the resulting frequency equation for torsional vibration of multi-step non-uniform rods with arbitrary number of concentrated elements can be conveniently determined from a homogeneous algebraic equation. As a consequence, the computational time required by the proposed method can be reduced significantly as compared with previously developed analytical procedures. A numerical example shows that the results obtained from the proposed method are in good agreement with those determined from the finite element method (FEM), but the proposed method takes less computational time than FEM, illustrating the present methods are efficient, convenient and accurate.     

Impacts of structural-acoustic coupling on the performance of energy density-based active sound transmission control

This paper investigates numerically the performance of the active sound transmission control into a rectangular cavity through a flexible panel under the energy density-based error-sensing algorithm. Full coupling between the sound transmitting panel and the enclosed space is considered. A pure vibration actuator, a pure acoustic source and a combined control source system are used as the secondary control source in the active control and their performances are studied. Formulae for the coupled eigenfrequencies of the cavity and the flexible panel are also derived. The strength of the structural-acoustic coupling, the ratio between the first eigenfrequencies of the cavity and the panel and the difference between the excitation frequency and the coupled eigenfrequencies, especially the latter, are found to have crucial impacts on the performance of the active control regardless the type of control source used.     

Core-shell structure in fullerene-containing molecular complexes

A shell model that describes the formation of molecular complexes around a C₆₀ molecule upon the solid-phase interaction of the powders is considered. From the absorption spectra, it follows that a reacting particle is a fullerene dimer.     

Generation of angular momentum of fission fragments in a cluster model

Based on the dinuclear system concept, the role of bending vibrations in creation of the angular momentum of primary fission fragments is investigated. For ²⁵²Cf spontaneous fission, the angular momenta of the fragments are calculated as a function of the neutron multiplicity and compared with available experimental data. Different cluster compositions of the ²⁵²Cf fission modes at the scission point are considered.     

Photon-induced reactions

An overview over the experimental research programs with photon beams is given with the focus on the electromagnetic excitation of the nucleon and the subsequent decay via mesons. Photoproduction of mesons on the free proton and on nucleons embedded in nuclei up to 1 GeV incident-photon energy are discussed.Received: 30 September 2002, Published online: 22 October 2003PACS: 13.60.Le Meson production - 13.60.Rj Baryon production - 14.20.Gk Baryon resonances with S = 0 - 25.20.Lj Photoproduction reactions