Interfacial layering in a three-component polymer system

We study theoretically the temporal evolution and the spatial structure of the interface between two polymer melts involving three different species (A, A* and B). The first melt is composed of two different polymer species A and A* which are fairly indifferent to one another (Flory parameter chi_AA* ~ 0). The second melt is made of a pure polymer B which is strongly attracted to species A (chi_AB 0). We then show that, due to these contradictory tendencies, interesting properties arise during the evolution of the interface after the melts are put into contact: as diffusion proceeds, the interface structures into several adjacent "compartments", or layers, of differing chemical compositions, and in addition, the central mixing layer grows in a very asymmetric fashion. Such unusual behaviour might lead to interesting mechanical properties, and demonstrates on a specific case the potential richness of multi-component polymer interfaces (as compared to conventional two-component interfaces) for various applications.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Macromolecule

Spinodal Decomposition in Binary Gases

We carried out three-dimensional simulations, with about 1.4 million particles, of phase segregation in a low density binary fluid mixture, described mesoscopically by energy and momentum conserving Boltzmann-Vlasov equations. Using a combination of Direct Simulation Monte Carlo(DSMC) for the short range collisions and a version of Particle-In-Cell(PIC) evolution for the smooth long range interaction, we found dynamical scaling after the ratio of the interface thickness(whose shape is described approximately by a hyperbolic tangent profile) to the domain size is less than ~0.1. The scaling length R(t) grows at late times like t^alpha, with alpha=1 for critical quenches and alpha=1/3 for off-critical ones. We also measured the variation of temperature, total particle density and hydrodynamic velocity during the segregation process.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex, 4 Postscript figures, submitted to PR

Optimal laser heating of plasmas with constant density

The laser heating of a plasma with constant density is analyzed using optimal control theory. Heating strategies that minimize the total energy spent, the heating time, or a linear combination of the two, for several values of weighting coefficients, are obtained by determining the optimal laser intensity associated with each point of the phase plane. A numerical example is used to illustrate the application of the theory. In this particular example, savings in the energy spent up to 75%, compared with the energy required using a constant laser pulse, are obtained when minimum energy trajectories are implemented. Strategies that minimize the heating time, however, did not yield a significant reduction in the heating time. Numerical results may depend strongly on the initial state of the system as well as on the final ion temperature of the plasma.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45228/1/10957_2004_Article_BF00938468.pd

Generalized hydrodynamics and extended irreversible thermodynamics

The thermodynamic implications of the first deviations with respect to the classical hydrodynamic behavior in high-frequency, short-wavelength phenomena are examined. The constitutive equations arising from an extended irreversible-thermodynamic formalism taking into account spatial inhomogeneities in the space of state variables are compared with those used in generalized hydrodynamics. The so-called exponential model for the memory function of the transverse-velocity correlation function is derived under the assumptions of extended irreversible thermodynamics only. Furthermore, it is also shown how more complicated memory functions can be derived. The results are carefully analyzed and compared with some microscopic derivations

THE INFLUENCE OF CHOLINE ASCORBATE ON THE BLOOD-LEVELS OF ASCORBIC-ACID IN HUMANS

Our study has clearly shown that the oral administration of choline ascorbate, which contains approximately 500 mg of ascorbic acid to the volunteers causes an increase in the blood levels of ascorbic acid. This increase is statistically significant (p < 0.01) compared with the basal level each time. In the control group, vitamin C tablet also causes an increase in the blood level of ascorbic acid. However, this increase is less than that of the test group. Our results indicate that ascorbic acid, as a part of choline ascorbate molecule, reaches the blood circulation without losing its activity