2,102 research outputs found
Vibration-induced climbing of drops
We report an experimental study of liquid drops moving against gravity, when
placed on a vertically vibrating inclined plate, which is partially wetted by
the drop. The frequency of vibrations ranges from 30 to 200 Hz, and, above a
threshold in vibration acceleration, drops experience an upward motion. We
attribute this surprising motion to the deformations of the drop, as a
consequence of an up or down symmetry breaking induced by the presence of the
substrate. We relate the direction of motion to contact angle measurements.
This phenomenon can be used to move a drop along an arbitrary path in a plane,
without special surface treatments or localized forcing.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure
Characteristic Angles in the Wetting of an Angular Region: Deposit Growth
As was shown in an earlier paper [1], solids dispersed in a drying drop
migrate to the (pinned) contact line. This migration is caused by outward flows
driven by the loss of the solvent due to evaporation and by geometrical
constraint that the drop maintains an equilibrium surface shape with a fixed
boundary. Here, in continuation of our earlier paper [2], we theoretically
investigate the evaporation rate, the flow field and the rate of growth of the
deposit patterns in a drop over an angular sector on a plane substrate.
Asymptotic power laws near the vertex (as distance to the vertex goes to zero)
are obtained. A hydrodynamic model of fluid flow near the singularity of the
vertex is developed and the velocity field is obtained. The rate of the deposit
growth near the contact line is found in two time regimes. The deposited mass
falls off as a weak power Gamma of distance close to the vertex and as a
stronger power Beta of distance further from the vertex. The power Gamma
depends only slightly on the opening angle Alpha and stays between roughly -1/3
and 0. The power Beta varies from -1 to 0 as the opening angle increases from 0
to 180 degrees. At a given distance from the vertex, the deposited mass grows
faster and faster with time, with the greatest increase in the growth rate
occurring at the early stages of the drying process.Comment: v1: 36 pages, 21 figures, LaTeX; submitted to Physical Review E; v2:
minor additions to Abstract and Introductio
Oscillatory fracture path in thin elastic sheet
We report a novel mode of oscillatory crack propagation when a cutting tip is
driven through a thin brittle polymer film. The phenomenon is so robust that it
can easily be reproduced at hand (using CD packaging material for example).
Careful experiments show that the amplitude and wavelength of the oscillatory
crack path scale lineraly with the width of the cutting tip over a wide range
of lenghtscales but are independant of the width of thje sheet and the cutting
speed. A simple geometric model is presented, which provides a simple but
thorough interpretation of the oscillations.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Comptes Rendus Academie des Sciences. Movies
available at http://www.lmm.jussieu.fr/platefractur
Cracks in rubber under tension exceed the shear wave speed
The shear wave speed is an upper limit for the speed of cracks loaded in
tension in linear elastic solids. We have discovered that in a non-linear
material, cracks in tension (Mode I) exceed this sound speed, and travel in an
intersonic range between shear and longitudinal wave speeds. The experiments
are conducted in highly stretched sheets of rubber; intersonic cracks can be
produced simply by popping a balloon.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figure
Lattice Model of Sweeping Interface for Drying Process in Water-Granule Mixture
Based on the invasion percolation model, a lattice model for the sweeping
interface dynamics is constructed to describe the pattern forming process by a
sweeping interface upon drying the water-granule mixture. The model is shown to
produce labyrinthine patterns similar to those found in the experiment[Yamazaki
and Mizuguchi, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. \textbf{69} (2000) 2387]. Upon changing the
initial granular density, resulting patterns undergo the percolation
transition, but estimated critical exponents are different from those of the
conventional percolation. Loopless structure of clusters in the patterns
produced by the sweeping dynamics seems to influence the nature of the
transition.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
The continuing saga of patents and non-invasive prenatal testing
This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordObjective: This paper examines the IP landscape for NIPT in three key regions: USA; Europe, with particular focus on the UK, and Australia.
Method: We explore the patent law issues against the commercial and healthcare environment in these regions, and consider the implications for development and implementation of NIPT.
Results: There are many patents held by many parties internationally, with litigation over these patents ongoing in many countries. Importantly, there are significant international differences in patent law, with patents invalidated in the USA that remain valid in Europe. Despite the many patents and ongoing litigation, there are multiple providers of testing internationally, and patents do not appear to be preventing patient access to testing for those who can pay out of pocket.
Conclusion:
The patent situation in NIPT remains in a state of flux, with uncertainty about how patent rights will be conferred in different jurisdictions, and how patents might affect clinical access. However, patents are unlikely to result in a monopoly for a single provider, with several providers and testing technologies, including both public and private sector entities, likely to remain engaged in delivery of NIPT. However, the effects on access in public healthcare systems are more complex and need to be monitored.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Australian Research CouncilNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR
Localized structures in vibrated emulsions
We report our observations of localized structures in a thin layer of an emulsion subjected to vertical oscillations. We observe persistent holes, which are voids that span the layer depth, and kinks, which are fronts between regions with and without fluid. These structures form in response to a finite amplitude perturbation. Combining experimental and rheological measurements, we argue that the ability of these structures to withstand the hydrostatic pressure of the surrounding fluid is due to convection within their rim. For persistent holes the oscillatory component of the convection generates a normal stress which opposes contraction, while for kinks the steady component of the convection generates a shear stress which opposes the hydrostatic stress of the surrounding fluid.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98598/1/0295-5075_98_2_24002.pd
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