Controlling domain orientation of liquid crystalline block copolymer in thin films through tuning mesogenic chemical structures

Controlling the macroscopic orientation of nanoscale periodic structures of amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers (LC BCPs) is important to a variety of technical applications (e.g., lithium conducting polymer electrolytes). To study LC BCP domain orientation, a series of LC BCPs containing a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block as a conventional hydrophilic coil block and LC blocks containing azobenzene mesogens is designed and synthesized. LC ordering in thin films of the BCP leads to the formation of highly ordered, microphase‐separated nanostructures, with hexagonally arranged PEO cylinders. Substitution on the tail of the azobenzene mesogen is shown to control the orientation of the PEO cylinders. When the substitution on the mesogenic tails is an alkyl chain, the PEO cylinders have a perpendicular orientation to the substrate surface, provided the thin film is above a critical thickness value. In contrast, when the substitution on the mesogenic tails has an ether group the PEO cylinders assemble parallel to the substrate surface regardless of the film thickness value. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 532–541     

方差可能无穷的“中度偏离”单位根过程的复合分位数估计

考虑一类"中度偏离"单位根过程,y_t=q_ny_t-1+u_t,其中qn=1+c/(k_n),k_n=o(n),c为一非零常数,{u_t}为随机扰动项序列.在允许扰动项方差无穷的条件下,构造q_n的复合分位数估计,并得到了该估计的渐近分布.最后通过数值模拟,在扰动项服从t(2)分布下,说明了该估计的稳健和有效性.     

Toward deformation densities for intramolecular interactions without radical reference states using the fragment,atom, localized,delocalized, and interatomic (FALDI) charge density decomposition scheme

A novel approach for calculating deformation densities is presented, which enables to calculate the deformation density resulting from a change between two chemical states, typically conformers, without the need for radical fragments. The Fragment, Atom, Localized, Delocalized, and Interatomic (FALDI) charge density decomposition scheme is introduced, which is applicable to static electron densities (FALDI‐ED), conformational deformation densities (FALDI‐DD) as well as orthodox fragment‐based deformation densities. The formation of an intramolecular NH⋅⋅⋅N interaction in protonated ethylene diamine is used as a case study where the FALDI‐based conformational deformation densities (with atomic or fragment resolution) are compared with an orthodox EDA‐based approach. Atomic and fragment deformation densities revealed in real‐space details that (i) pointed at the origin of density changes associated with the intramolecular H‐bond formation and (ii) fully support the IUPAC H‐bond representation. The FALDI scheme is equally applicable to intra‐ and intermolecular interactions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Issue Information

Three‐dimensional direct numerical simulation results of flow past a circular cylinder are influenced by numerical aspects, for example the spanwise domain length and the lateral boundary condition adopted for the simulation. It is found that inappropriate numerical set‐up, which restricts the development of intrinsic wake structure, leads to an over‐prediction of the onset point of the secondary wake instability (Re_cr). A best practice of the numerical set‐up is presented for the accurate prediction of Re_cr by direct numerical simulation while minimizing the computational cost. The cylinder span length should be chosen on the basis of the intrinsic wavelength of the wake structure to be simulated, whereas a long span length is not necessary. For the wake transitions above Re_cr, because the wake structures no longer follow particular wavelengths but become disordered and chaotic, a span length of more than 10 cylinder diameters (approximately three times the intrinsic wavelength) is recommended for the simulations to obtain wake structures and hydrodynamic forces that are not strongly restricted by the numerical set‐up. The performances of the periodic and symmetry lateral boundary conditions are compared and discussed. The symmetry boundary condition is recommended for predicting Re_cr, while the periodic boundary condition is recommended for simulating the wake structures above Re_cr. The general conclusions drawn through a circular cylinder are expected to be applicable to other bluff body configurations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct calculation of time varying Aharonov-Bohm effect

The Aharonov-Bohm effect (ABE) for steady magnetic fields is a well known phenomenon. However, if the current in the infinite solenoid that creates the magnetic field is time-dependent, that is in the presence of both magnetic and electric fields, there is no agreement whether the effect would be present. In this note, we try to investigate time varying ABE by a direct calculation in a set-up with a weak time dependent magnetic field. We find that the electric field arising out of the time-varying magnetic field in the path of the electrons does not enter the action integral but only changes the path of the electron from the source to the slits and then on to the detector. We find a frequency dependent AB phase shift. At low frequencies the result smoothly approaches the one for a constant field as the frequency tends towards zero. On the other hand, for high frequencies such that the AB-phase induced in the path of the wave packet oscillates rapidly, the net effect will be very small which is borne out by our results.     

Free boundary problem for a fully nonlinear and degenerate parabolic equation in an angular domain

This paper concerns with the problem of how to running an insurance company to maximize his total discounted expected dividends. In our model, the dividend rate is limited in $[0,M]$ and the company is allowed to transfer any proportion of risk by reinsuring. So there are two strategies which we call dividend strategy and reinsurance strategy. The objective function and the corresponding optimal two strategies are the solution and the two free boundaries of the following Barenblatt parabolic equation

$v_t?\underset{0\le a\le 1}{\max }?(\frac{1}{2}{a}^2{\sigma }^2{v}_{xx}+a\mu v_x)+cv?\underset{0\le l\le M}{\max }?[(1?v_x)l]=0$

under certain boundary conditions on an angular domain

$Q_T=\{(x,t)|0<x<Mt,0<t\le T\}.$

The main effort is to analyze the properties of the solution and the free boundaries to show the optimal decision for the insurance company.     

磷酸化调控泛素单体与Rad23A/Ubiquilin-1中泛素结合域互作的检测

泛素（ubiquitin，Ub）是一种广泛存在、高度保守的信号蛋白质，它能够特异性识别成千上万种靶蛋白，以非共价方式行使不同的功能，其中包含蛋白质降解．Ubiquilin-1（Ubql-1）和Rad23A作为两种蛋白降解的转运因子，都包含有与泛素结合的结构域，被称为泛素结合域（ubiquitin-associated domain，UBA）．2014年，泛素S65位磷酸化修饰的特异性激酶PINK1被发现，磷酸化使泛素在溶液中呈现舒展态与收缩态两种互相转换的构象．本文通过核磁共振（nuclear magnetic resonance，NMR）技术对UBA和磷酸化泛素之间的相互作用进行检测，观测磷酸化对UBA和泛素结合的影响．实验结果表明Rad23A-UBA2与Ubql-1 UBA都特异性的与磷酸化泛素的舒展态相互作用，但是磷酸化未改变泛素与UBA之间的亲和力．值得注意的是与Ubql-1 UBA相互作用时，磷酸化促进了泛素收缩态向舒展态的转换．     

Nonlinear obstacle problems with double phase in the borderline case

In this paper we study a double phase problem with an irregular obstacle. The energy functional under consideration is characterized by the fact that both ellipticity and growth switch between a type of polynomial and a type of logarithm, which can be regarded as a borderline case of the double phase functional with $(p,q)$-growth. We obtain an optimal global Calderón–Zygmund type estimate for the obstacle problem with double phase in the borderline case.     

Korn inequality for a thin rod with rounded ends

We consider an elastic rod with rounded ends and diameter proportional to a small parameter h > 0. The roundness of the ends is described by an exponent m ∈ (0,1). We derive for the rod an asymptotically sharp Korn inequality with a special weighted anisotropic norm. Weight factors with m‐dependent powers of h appear both in the anisotropic norm and the Korn inequality itself, and we discover three critical values m = 1 ∕ 4, m = 1 ∕ 2 and m = 3 ∕ 4 at which these exponents are crucially changed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.