On the maximum spreading diameter of impacting droplets on well-prepared solid surfaces

This paper presents a systematic study of liquid droplet impact on three polymer surfaces: poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methyl methacrylate/n-butyl methacrylate), and poly(n-butyl methacrylate). Changing from one surface to the next represents an incremental variation in solid surface tensions of 5-6 mJ/m2. These surfaces were prepared through careful experimental procedures that were used for the determination of solid surface tensions from contact angles. Our data for the maximum spreading diameter of water and formamide impacting on these surfaces were compared with those predicted from literature models. Of the models selected, we modified the model of Pasandideh-Fard et al. [Phys. Fluids 1996, 8, 650] and the results yielded a least error of only 5.09 +/- 5.05% in the determination of the maximum spreading diameter. The improved model was also compared with literature data, and good agreement was found. Of course, any such comparisons would rely on accurate experimental impact dynamics data on carefully prepared surfaces.     

The bipolar mitotic kinesin Eg5 moves on both microtubules that it crosslinks

During cell division, mitotic spindles are assembled by microtubule-based motor proteins. The bipolar organization of spindles is essential for proper segregation of chromosomes, and requires plus-end-directed homotetrameric motor proteins of the widely conserved kinesin-5 (BimC) family. Hypotheses for bipolar spindle formation include the 'push-pull mitotic muscle' model, in which kinesin-5 and opposing motor proteins act between overlapping microtubules. However, the precise roles of kinesin-5 during this process are unknown. Here we show that the vertebrate kinesin-5 Eg5 drives the sliding of microtubules depending on their relative orientation. We found in controlled in vitro assays that Eg5 has the remarkable capability of simultaneously moving at approximately 20 nm s(-1) towards the plus-ends of each of the two microtubules it crosslinks. For anti-parallel microtubules, this results in relative sliding at approximately 40 nm s(-1), comparable to spindle pole separation rates in vivo. Furthermore, we found that Eg5 can tether microtubule plus-ends, suggesting an additional microtubule-binding mode for Eg5. Our results demonstrate how members of the kinesin-5 family are likely to function in mitosis, pushing apart interpolar microtubules as well as recruiting microtubules into bundles that are subsequently polarized by relative sliding.     

用镍硅氧化物源横向诱导晶化的多晶硅薄膜

采用磁控溅射法,以镍硅合金为靶,制备了一种适用于金属诱导横向晶化的氧化物镍源——自缓释镍源.该镍源在内部构成和晶化现象上都不同于纯金属镍源.采用该镍源制备低温多晶硅材料,晶化速率不明显依赖于镍源薄膜的厚度,且晶化多晶硅膜内的残余镍量亦可有效降低,可为薄膜晶体管提供宽的工艺窗口.本文对用纯金属镍源所得多晶硅薄膜的晶化率、表面粗糙度、电学特性等与溅射条件的关系进行了研究,并对相应结果进行了讨论. 关键词： 自缓释 金属诱导横向晶化 多晶硅薄膜 低温制备与退火     

用镍硅氧化物源横向诱导晶化的多晶硅薄膜

采用磁控溅射法,以镍硅合金为靶,制备了一种适用于金属诱导横向晶化的氧化物镍源——自缓释镍源.该镍源在内部构成和晶化现象上都不同于纯金属镍源.采用该镍源制备低温多晶硅材料,晶化速率不明显依赖于镍源薄膜的厚度,且晶化多晶硅膜内的残余镍量亦可有效降低,可为薄膜晶体管提供宽的工艺窗口.本文对用纯金属镍源所得多晶硅薄膜的晶化率、表面粗糙度、电学特性等与溅射条件的关系进行了研究,并对相应结果进行了讨论.     

Changing Arctic Ocean freshwater pathways

Freshening in the Canada basin of the Arctic Ocean began in the 1990s and continued to at least the end of 2008. By then, the Arctic Ocean might have gained four times as much fresh water as comprised the Great Salinity Anomaly of the 1970s, raising the spectre of slowing global ocean circulation. Freshening has been attributed to increased sea ice melting and contributions from runoff, but a leading explanation has been a strengthening of the Beaufort High--a characteristic peak in sea level atmospheric pressure--which tends to accelerate an anticyclonic (clockwise) wind pattern causing convergence of fresh surface water. Limited observations have made this explanation difficult to verify, and observations of increasing freshwater content under a weakened Beaufort High suggest that other factors must be affecting freshwater content. Here we use observations to show that during a time of record reductions in ice extent from 2005 to 2008, the dominant freshwater content changes were an increase in the Canada basin balanced by a decrease in the Eurasian basin. Observations are drawn from satellite data (sea surface height and ocean-bottom pressure) and in situ data. The freshwater changes were due to a cyclonic (anticlockwise) shift in the ocean pathway of Eurasian runoff forced by strengthening of the west-to-east Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation characterized by an increased Arctic Oscillation index. Our results confirm that runoff is an important influence on the Arctic Ocean and establish that the spatial and temporal manifestations of the runoff pathways are modulated by the Arctic Oscillation, rather than the strength of the wind-driven Beaufort Gyre circulation.     

On the periodic solutions for both nonlinear differential and difference equations: A unified approach

A direct and unifying scheme for disclosure of periodic wave solutions of both nonlinear differential and difference equations is presented. The scheme is based on Hirota's bilinear form and certain Riemann theta function formulae. The relations between the periodic wave solutions and soliton solutions are rigorously established.     

Flexible sliced designs for computer experiments

Sliced Latin hypercube designs are popularly adopted for computer experiments with qualitative factors. Previous constructions require the sizes of different slices to be identical. Here we construct sliced designs with flexible sizes of slices. Besides achieving desirable one-dimensional uniformity, flexible sliced designs (FSDs) constructed in this paper accommodate arbitrary sizes for different slices and cover ordinary sliced Latin hypercube designs as special cases. The sampling properties of FSDs are derived and a central limit theorem is established. It shows that any linear combination of the sample means from different models on slices follows an asymptotic normal distribution. Some simulations compare FSDs with other sliced designs in collective evaluations of multiple computer models.