Orientational diffusivities measured by Rayleigh scattering in a lyotropic calamitic nematic () liquid crystal phase: the backflow problem revisited

Using a light-beating technique we have measured the damping time of thermal fluctuations of the nematic director for the so called cylindrical or calamitic nematic (N_C) phase of the lyotropic system K-laurate/decanol/. By varying the scattering angle in suitable geometries, we have been able to estimate the orientational diffusivities associated to the three pure deformations of splay, twist and bend. A former measurement made in the disk-like N_D phase of the same system yielded a large deviation between the splay and twist diffusivities. The effect was then attributed to induced flows, or backflow, which could be responsible for the reduction of the splay viscosity. In fact, this is the analogous effect, for disks, to the one recognized since long time ago arriving for rod-like molecules in a classical nematic, though in this case it is associated with bend deformations. The analogy comes about thanks to the interchange of the role played by disks and cylinders for, respectively, splay and bend fluctuations.The measurements reported here provide a new test on the applicability of the backflow model to a nematic system composed of micelles, that is, aggregates made of amphiphilic (surfactant) molecules, in its cylindrical-like variant, i.e. the N_C phase. In addition, the comparative study made here with the previous results existing in the literature for the N_D phase, allows us to conjecture on structural issues concerning lyotropic nematics. Received: 29 April 1998 / Revised: 19 August 1998 / Accepted: 31 August 1998     

钢纤维混凝土受拉性能实验方法研究

在分析国内外钢纤维混凝土受拉性能实验研究存在困难的基础上,提出了新的实验方法——钢纤维混凝土环状试件,在内油压作用下的受拉性能实验研究。通过实验装置的合理设计及正确的实验步骤,成功地测出了钢纤维混凝土环状受拉应力－ 应变全过程曲线,为深入研究钢纤维混凝土受拉性能提供参考依据。     

Optical path automatic compensation low-coherence interferometric fibre-optic temperature sensor

An interferometric fibre-optic temperature sensing system employing a light emitting diode (LED) as the broadband optical source and a single mode fibre coil which was fabricated in a definite length as the sensor head is described. A reference fibre line transmitting back and forth along the same path as the sensing transmitting fibre is used, so the change caused by the environmental temperature fluctuation of the fibre path can automatically be compensated. The sensitivity of the sensing system can be easily improved by using the long length of the sensing fibre. The experiment results of the sensing gauge length versus the sensitivity are given. Two typical wavelengths (1300 and 1550 nm). LED sources are used, it is shown that the sensitivity of the system between the two wavelengths is different. The experimental curve of the resolution characteristic of the system related to the length of sensing fibre coil is also discussed.     

Microstructural transition in an ordered set of magnetic spheres immersed in a carrier liquid

This work explores the physics of an ordered set of interacting spheres immersed in a carrier liquid. We present numerical simulations that compute the translational and rotational motion of N interacting spheres based on classical principles of Stokesian dynamics. The spheres are assumed to be made of a magnetizable material, subjected to magnetic and hydrodynamic long range interactions. We explore structure transition using a Lagragian approach of a continuum volume of fluid containing micrometric magnetic particles. We present local maps of particle volume fraction within the calculation Lattice. In this condition, considering the presence and absence of an applied magnetic field, instantaneous snapshots of the local microstructure are taken. Thus, different possibilities of long range interactions are considered. We also complement these results with meaningful statistics of time series obtained through our simulations, such as the correlation time of velocity fluctuations and their self-correlation functions. The data analyzed in the present work sustain the fact that initially ordered neutrally buoyant suspensions have an anisotropic memory-like behavior in the direction of an applied field. It is also observed that particles tend to form small isotropic clusters in the absence of an external field. However, hydrodynamic interactions tend to disperse the particulate phase, avoiding the formation of clusters. This finding suggests that hydrodynamic interactions may play a relevant role on the magnetization dynamics of ferrofluids.     

Morphology of single-wall carbon nanotube aggregates generated by electrospray of aqueous suspensions

Airborne single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have a high tendency to agglomerate due to strong interparticle attractive forces. The SWCNT agglomerates generally have complex morphologies with an intricate network of bundles of nanotubes and nanoropes, which limits their usefulness in many applications. It is thus desirable to produce SWCNT aerosol particles that have well-defined, unagglomerated fibrous morphologies. We present a method to generate unagglomerated, fibrous particles of SWCNT aerosols using capillary electrospray of aqueous suspensions. The effects of the operating parameters of capillary electrospray such as strength of buffer solution, capillary diameter, flow rate, and colloidal particle concentration on the size distributions of SWCNT aerosols were investigated. Results showed that electrospray from a suspension of higher nanotube concentration produced a bimodal distribution of SWCNT aerosols. Monodisperse SWCNT aerosols below 100 nm were mostly non-agglomerated single fibers, while polydisperse aerosols larger than 100 nm had two distinct morphologies: a ribbon shape and the long, straight fiber. Possible mechanisms are suggested to explain the formation of the different shapes, which could be used to produce SWCNT aerosols with different morphologies.     

Liquid-phase microextraction and fibre-optics-based cuvetteless CCD-array micro-spectrophotometry for trace analysis

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) has been investigated for trace analysis in the present work in conjunction with fibre-optic-based micro-spectrophotometry which accommodates sample volume of 1 μL placed between the two ends of optical fibres. Methods have been evolved for the determination of (i) 1-100 μM and 0.5-20 μM of thiols by single drop microextraction (SDME) and LPME in 25 μL of the organic solvent, respectively, involving their reaction with the Ellman reagent and ion pair microextraction of thiolate ion formed; (ii) 70 μg to 7 mg L⁻¹ of chlorine/chlorine dioxide by headspace in-drop reaction with alternative reagents, viz., mixed phenylhydrazine-4-sulphonic acid and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, o-dianisidine, o-tolidine, and N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine; (iii) 0.2-4 mg L⁻¹ of ammonia by reaction with 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene to give 2,4-dinitroaniline which was diazotized and coupled with 1-naphthylamine, the resulting dye was subjected to preconcentration by solid-phase extraction and LPME; and (iv) 25-750 μg L⁻¹ of iodide/total iodine by oxidation of iodide by 2-iodosobenzoate, microextraction of iodine in organic solvent, and re-extraction into aqueous starch-iodide reagent drop held in the organic phase. LPME using 25-30 μL of organic solvent was found to produce more sensitive results than SDME. The cuvetteless spectrophotometry as used in combination with sample handling techniques produced limits of detection of analytes which were better than obtained by previously reported spectrophotometry.     

Affine compact almost-homogeneous manifolds of cohomogeneity one

This paper is one in a series generalizing our results in [12, 14, 15, 20] on the existence of extremal metrics to the general almost-homogeneous manifolds of cohomogeneity one. In this paper, we consider the affine cases with hypersurface ends. In particular, we study the existence of Kähler-Einstein metrics on these manifolds and obtain new Kähler-Einstein manifolds as well as Fano manifolds without Kähler-Einstein metrics. As a consequence of our study, we also give a solution to the problem posted by Ahiezer on the nonhomogeneity of compact almost-homogeneous manifolds of cohomogeneity one; this clarifies the classification of these manifolds as complex manifolds. We also consider Fano properties of the affine compact manifolds.     

Dynamics of Arabidopsis thaliana soluble proteome in response to different nutrient culture conditions

In an effort to determine the best extraction procedure compatible with the high-reproducible 2-DE, different methods of soluble protein extraction from Arabidopsis cell culture suspensions grown in Gamborg B5 medium were tested. A reference 2-DE map was established for this soluble extract revealing 1184 spots. The most abundant protein spots were excised, trypsin-digested, and mass spectra obtained via MALDI-TOF and/or LC coupled to ESI-MS. Three hundred and thirty one proteins were identified and their functions were defined based on sequence comparisons and classified in different protein families. In order to analyze the impact of culture medium on the Arabidopsis proteome, we performed the 2-DE map from Arabidopsis cell suspensions cultured in another growth medium Murashige and Skoog (M-S) and 327 major spots were identified. Using PDQuest imaging analysis, significant increases in the amount of several housekeeping enzymes, stress/defense proteins, and heat shock proteins were found in M-S medium. Modified expression of certain proteins and detection of new isoforms involved in nitrate assimilation, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism were also observed in the M-S medium. This study provides the first 2-DE maps of the soluble proteome of Arabidopsis cell suspensions. The comparative analysis of the Arabidopsis proteome in respect to different nutrient supplies shows that the culture medium may significantly influence the expression pattern of major soluble proteins in Arabidopsis cells. This work also constitutes an important step for further proteomic analysis concerning cell responses to abiotic or biotic stresses.     

Field-induced phase transitions and reversible field-induced inversion of chirality in tilted smectic phases of bent-core mesogens

Three homologous achiral five-ring bent-core mesogens are presented where 4-chlororesorcinol is the central core and the aromatic rings are linked by ester groups. These compounds form smectic phases with a tilted arrangement of the molecules (tilt angle ≈ 45^°). On cooling the isotropic liquid this phase adopts a fan-like texture which shows for two homologues at relatively high electric fields ( 25-35V μm^-1) an antiferroelectric electro-optical response based on the collective rotation of the molecules around their long axes. At lower temperature the application of a sufficiently high electric field leads to a continuous transition into a non-birefringent texture which exhibits randomly distributed domains of opposite handedness. These domains can be reversibly switched into a state of opposite chirality by reversal of the field polarity. This switching is bistable and shows a current response typical for a ferroelectric ground state. The possible mechanism of the field-induced phase transition, of the ferroelectric switching and of the field-induced inversion of the chirality is discussed on the base of XRD, ¹³C- and ¹H-NMR investigations, dielectric and electro-optical measurements.     

Frustrated structure of an anticlinic-like smectic-C phase

We present a polarising optical microscopy study of the low-temperature anticlinic-like tilted mesophase of the liquid-crystal compound octylphenyl-2-chloro-4-(p-cyano-benzoyloxy) (DB₈Cl). This mesophase has been described as a bilayer smectic structure in which the molecules within each layer are organised in an anticlinic way. The optical textures observed in samples with planar orientation show a double stripe pattern, with the lines aligned parallel to the rubbing direction, characteristic of a double periodic modulation of the refractive index of the material. The long-period modulation is temperature dependent and disappears for thin sample cells (< 5μm). The short-period modulation is nearly independent of the thickness of the cells. The experimental results are analysed in terms of a model which considers that there is a special distribution of the principal optical axis which may be in or out of the polariser-analyser plane. The observed periodic variation of the principal optical axis could not be interpreted in terms of the original structure proposed for this phase. DB₈Cl presents a structure formed by dimers that can be viewed as flexible bent-core-like molecules, showing similarities with phases found in banana-like systems, but exhibiting a much more complex structure.