146 research outputs found
Diffusiophoretic manipulation of particles in a drop deposited on a hydrogel
We report an experimental study on the manipulation of colloidal particles in
a drop sitting on a hydrogel. The manipulation is achieved by diffusiophoresis,
which describes a directed motion of particles induced by solute gradients. By
letting the solute concentrations for the drop and the hydrogel be different,
we control the motion of particles in a stable suspension, which is otherwise
difficult to achieve. We show that diffusiophoresis can cause the particles to
move either toward or away from the liquid-air interface depending on the
direction of the solute gradient and the surface charge of the particles. We
measure the particle adsorption experimentally and rationalize the results with
a one-dimensional numerical model. We show that diffusiophoretic motion is
significant at the lengthscale of a drop deposited on a hydrogel, which
suggests a simple method for the deposition of particles on hydrogels
Homogeneous deposition of particles by absorption on hydrogels
When a drop containing colloidal particles evaporates on a surface, a
circular stain made of these particles is often observed due to an internal
flow toward the contact line. To hinder this effect, several approaches have
been proposed such as flow modification by addition of surfactants or control
of the interactions between the particles. All of these strategies involve the
liquid phase while maintaining the drying process. However, substitution of
evaporation by absorption into the substrate of the solvent has been
investigated less. Here, we show that a droplet containing colloidal particles
deposited on swelling hydrogels can lead to a nearly uniform coating. We report
experiments and theory to explore the relation between the gel swelling,
uniformity of deposition and the adsorption dynamics of the particles at the
substrate. Our findings suggest that draining the solvent by absorption
provides a robust route to homogeneous coatings
On-sky observations with an achromatic hybrid phase knife coronagraph in the visible
CONTEXT: The four-quadrant phase mask stellar coronagraph, introduced by D.
Rouan et al., is capable of achieving very high dynamical range imaging and was
studied in the context of the direct detection of extra-solar planets.
Achromatic four-quadrant phase mask is currently being developed for broadband
IR applications. AIMS: We report on laboratory and on-sky tests of a prototype
coronagraph in the visible. This prototype, the achromatic hybrid phase knife
coronagraph, was derived from the four-quadrant phase mask principle. METHODS:
The instrumental setup implementing the coronagraph itself was designed to
record the pre- and post-coronagraphic images simultaneously so that an
efficient real-time image selection procedure can be performed. We describe the
coronagraph and the associated tools that enable robust and repeatable
observations. We present an algorithm of image selection that has been tested
against the real on-sky data of the binary star HD80081 (* 38 Lyn). RESULTS
Although the observing conditions were poor, the efficiency of the proposed
method is proven. From this experiment, we derive procedures that can apply to
future focal instruments associating adaptive optics and coronagraphy,
targeting high dynamic range imaging in astronomy, such as detecting
extra-solar planets
Synthesis of nanostructured Ti thin films by combining glancing angle deposition and magnetron sputtering: A joint experimental and modeling study
Formation et esprit d'entreprendre chez les étudiants
Cette contribution s'attache à étudier entre esprit d'entreprendre et domaine d'études chez les étudiants français. L'esprit d'entreprendre est le substrat dans lequel peut germer l'intention qui pourra donner lieu à une création d'entreprise. Nous choisissons de l'appréhender à partir d'une grille de lecture dérivée du modèle psychosocial du comportement planifié d'Ajzen, enrichie par des variables reflétant l'implication dans la vie associative et les opinions sur les formations à la création d'entreprise.esprit d'entreprendre ; domaine d'étude ; étudiants français
On the variational limits of lattice energies on prestrained elastic bodies
We study the asymptotic behaviour of the discrete elastic energies in
presence of the prestrain metric , assigned on the continuum reference
configuration . When the mesh size of the discrete lattice in
goes to zero, we obtain the variational bounds on the limiting (in the sense of
-limit) energy. In case of the nearest-neighbour and
next-to-nearest-neibghour interactions, we derive a precise asymptotic formula,
and compare it with the non-Euclidean model energy relative to
Shape selection in non-Euclidean plates
We investigate isometric immersions of disks with constant negative curvature
into , and the minimizers for the bending energy, i.e. the
norm of the principal curvatures over the class of isometric
immersions. We show the existence of smooth immersions of arbitrarily large
geodesic balls in into . In elucidating the
connection between these immersions and the non-existence/singularity results
of Hilbert and Amsler, we obtain a lower bound for the norm of the
principal curvatures for such smooth isometric immersions. We also construct
piecewise smooth isometric immersions that have a periodic profile, are
globally , and have a lower bending energy than their smooth
counterparts. The number of periods in these configurations is set by the
condition that the principal curvatures of the surface remain finite and grows
approximately exponentially with the radius of the disc. We discuss the
implications of our results on recent experiments on the mechanics of
non-Euclidean plates
Morphogenesis of growing soft tissues
Recently, much attention has been given to a noteworthy property of some soft
tissues: their ability to grow. Many attempts have been made to model this
behaviour in biology, chemistry and physics. Using the theory of finite
elasticity, Rodriguez has postulated a multiplicative decomposition of the
geometric deformation gradient into a growth-induced part and an elastic one
needed to ensure compatibility of the body. In order to fully explore the
consequences of this hypothesis, the equations describing thin elastic objects
under finite growth are derived. Under appropriate scaling assumptions for the
growth rates, the proposed model is of the Foppl-von Karman type. As an
illustration, the circumferential growth of a free hyperelastic disk is
studied.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Five-factor model personality traits in opioid dependence
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Personality traits may form a part of the aetiology of opioid dependence. For instance, opioid dependence may result from self-medication in emotionally unstable individuals, or from experimenting with drugs in sensation seekers. The five factor model (FFM) has obtained a central position in contemporary personality trait theory. The five factors are: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Few studies have examined whether there is a distinct personality pattern associated with opioid dependence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared FFM personality traits in 65 opioid dependent persons (mean age 27 years, 34% females) in outpatient counselling after a minimum of 5 weeks in buprenorphine replacement therapy, with those in a non-clinical, age- and sex-matched sample selected from a national database. Personality traits were assessed by a Norwegian version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), a 240-item self-report questionnaire. Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated for the differences in personality trait scores.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The opioid-dependent sample scored higher on Neuroticism, lower on Extraversion and lower on Conscientiousness (d = -1.7, 1.2 and 1.7, respectively) than the controls. Effects sizes were small for the difference between the groups in Openness to experience scores and Agreeableness scores.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found differences of medium and large effect sizes between the opioid dependent group and the matched comparison group, suggesting that the personality traits of people with opioid dependence are in fact different from those of non-clinical peers.</p
Comparison of body mass index (BMI) with the CUN-BAE body adiposity estimator in the prediction of hypertension and type 2 diabetes
Background Obesity is a world-wide epidemic whose prevalence is underestimated by BMI measurements, but CUN-BAE (Clínica Universidad de Navarra - Body Adiposity Estimator) estimates the percentage of body fat (BF) while incorporating information on sex and age, thus giving a better match. Our aim is to compare the BMI and CUN-BAE in determining the population attributable fraction (AFp) for obesity as a cause of chronic diseases. Methods We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between BMI and CUN-BAE, the Kappa index and the internal validity of the BMI. The risks of arterial hypertension (AHT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and the AFp for obesity were assessed using both the BMI and CUN-BAE. Results 3888 white subjects were investigated. The overall correlation between BMI and CUN-BAE was R2 = 0.48, which improved when sex and age were taken into account (R2 > 0.90). The Kappa coefficient for diagnosis of obesity was low (28.7 %). The AFp was 50 % higher for DM and double for AHT when CUN-BAE was used. Conclusions The overall correlation between BMI and CUN-BAE was not good. The AFp of obesity for AHT and DM may be underestimated if assessed using the BMI, as may the prevalence of obesity when estimated from the percentage of BF
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