Structural Stability of Transparent Conducting Films Assembled from Length Purified Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films show significant promise for transparent electronics applications that demand mechanical flexibility, but durability remains an outstanding issue. In this work, thin membranes of length purified single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are uniaxially and isotropically compressed by depositing them on prestrained polymer substrates. Upon release of the strain, the topography, microstructure, and conductivity of the films are characterized using a combination of optical/fluorescence microscopy, light scattering, force microscopy, electron microscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. Above a critical surface mass density, films assembled from nanotubes of well-defined length exhibit a strongly nonlinear mechanical response. The measured strain dependence reveals a dramatic softening that occurs through an alignment of the SWCNTs normal to the direction of prestrain, which at small strains is also apparent as an anisotropic increase in sheet resistance along the same direction. At higher strains, the membrane conductivities increase due to a compression-induced restoration of conductive pathways. Our measurements reveal the fundamental mode of elasto-plastic deformation in these films and suggest how it might be suppressed

Autoradiographic localization of binding-sites for vasotocin in the brain and pituitary of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Specific binding sites for vasotocin (VT) were detected in brain and pituitary of a teleost fish, the sea bass, after in vitro incubation of tissue sections with [3H]arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and light microscopic autoradiography. Conditions for the binding assay were optimized and as a result the binding was saturable and specific. In the brain [3H]AVP binding was found to occur in the pars lateralis and the pars ventralis of the ventral telencephalon, in the pars centralis of the dorsal telencephalon, in the hypothalamic region (especially in the nucleus preopticus, in the tuberal hypothalamus and around the posterior recess), in the tectum opticum and in the noncellular layer of the corpus cerebelli. In the pituitary a high density of [3H]AVP binding was observed in the areas of the pars distalis (PD) occupied by ACTH-, TSH- and GH-cells and also in the pars intermedia (PI). The present study presents the first anatomical evidence for the presence of VT specific binding sites in teleost brain and pituitary.status: publishe

Jobs and organisations: explaining group level differences in job satisfaction in the banking sector

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of group level differences in job satisfaction. Specifically, the authors seek to understand the shared variance in job satisfaction at the group level of jobs within organisations, in a particular industrial sector. To explain differences in job satisfaction between groups, the authors examine the role of job characteristics, particularly as these are defined within the job-demand-control-support model. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the results of a cross-sectional self-report questionnaire study of 2,733 Belgian bank employees working in six specific jobs and four specific organisations. Research hypotheses are tested using multilevel analyses. Findings: There are substantial and reliable between-group differences in job satisfaction within the banking sector. These effects are partially explained by job characteristics from the JDCS model at the individual level. At the aggregated level, only decision authority is statistically significant. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to Belgium and to the banking sector. The general research question and findings are nevertheless relevant to other single-sector studies in Western European countries. Practical implications: Decision authority is more important for group level job satisfaction than job demands and social support from colleagues and supervisors. Human resources managers are therefore recommended to focus more on structural differences and organisational choices that may affect job design and work systems. Originality/value: The paper aims to make a contribution to the understanding of group level job satisfaction differences in the context of sector studies. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.status: publishe