Electro-Optically Active Monomers: Synthesis and Characterization of Thin Films of Liquid Crystalline Substituted Polyacetylenes

The overall objective of this study was the description of the behavior of mesogen substituted acetylene monomers and polymers in monolayer films at the air/water interface and as multilayer films including the formation of such films. Fundamental knowledge to be gained would include the effect of balancing hydrophilic and hydrophobic tendencies in a molecule more complex than the classical fatty acids or lipids. The effect of molecular shape on the packing and thus the ultimate stability of monolayers formed from these new molecules was explored. The work takes on the challenge of preorienting monomers in well-ordered arrays prior to attempting polymerization with the hope that order would be preserved in any resulting polymer. New knowledge gained with regard to the acetylenic monomers includes processing of the acetylene monomer into multi-layer films, followed by the design and synthesis of a second generation of improved monomer structure for superior LBK film transfer properties. A third generation of acetylenic monomer was synthesized which approaches more closely the goal of solid state polymerization of these materials. A parallel study took a different approach. The materials are pre-formed poly(phenylene-acetylene) polymers so questions about reactivity are mute. The materials are a variation on the well-known hairy-rod polymers with regard to their Langmuir film-forming properties. Overall, the goal was to demonstrate that these polymers could be processed into NLO materials with novel polar order

Block to granular-like transition in dense bubble flows

We have experimentally investigated 2-dimensional dense bubble flows underneath inclined planes. Velocity profiles and velocity fluctuations have been measured. A broad second-order phase transition between two dynamical regimes is observed as a function of the tilt angle $\theta$. For low $\theta$ values, a block motion is observed. For high $\theta$ values, the velocity profile becomes curved and a shear velocity gradient appears in the flow.Comment: Europhys. Lett. (2003) in pres

Feasibility of using teleradiology to improve tuberculosis screening and case management in a district hospital in Malawi.

Malawi has one of the world's highest rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (10.6%), and southern Malawi, where Thyolo district is located, bears the highest burden in the country (14.5%). Tuberculosis, common among HIV-infected people, requires radiologic diagnosis, yet Malawi has no radiologists in public service. This hinders rapid and accurate diagnosis and increases morbidity and mortality

Packing Fractions and Maximum Angles of Stability of Granular Materials

In two-dimensional rotating drum experiments, we find two separate influences of the packing fraction of a granular heap on its stability. For a fixed grain shape, the stability increases with packing fraction. However, in determining the relative stability of different grain shapes, those with the lowest average packing fractions tend to form the most stable heaps. We also show that only the configuration close to the surface of the pile figures prominently.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Statistical characterization of the forces on spheres in an upflow of air

The dynamics of a sphere fluidized in a nearly-levitating upflow of air were previously found to be identical to those of a Brownian particle in a two-dimensional harmonic trap, consistent with a Langevin equation [Ojha {\it et al.}, Nature {\bf 427}, 521 (2004)]. The random forcing, the drag, and the trapping potential represent different aspects of the interaction of the sphere with the air flow. In this paper we vary the experimental conditions for a single sphere, and report on how the force terms in the Langevin equation scale with air flow speed, sphere radius, sphere density, and system size. We also report on the effective interaction potential between two spheres in an upflow of air.Comment: 7 pages, experimen

Low-speed impact craters in loose granular media

We report on craters formed by balls dropped into dry, non-cohesive, granular media. By explicit variation of ball density $\rho_{b}$, diameter $D_{b}$, and drop height $H$, the crater diameter is confirmed to scale as the 1/4 power of the energy of the ball at impact: $D_{c}\sim(\rho_{b}{D_{b}}^{3}H)^{1/4}$. Against expectation, a different scaling law is discovered for the crater depth: $d\sim({\rho_{b}}^{3/2}{D_{b}}^{2}H)^{1/3}$. The scaling with properties of the medium is also established. The crater depth has significance for granular mechanics in that it relates to the stopping force on the ball.Comment: experiment; 4 pages, 3 figure

A two-species continuum model for aeolian sand transport

Starting from the physics on the grain scale, we develop a simple continuum description of aeolian sand transport. Beyond popular mean-field models, but without sacrificing their computational efficiency, it accounts for both dominant grain populations, hopping (or "saltating") and creeping (or "reptating") grains. The predicted stationary sand transport rate is in excellent agreement with wind tunnel experiments simulating wind conditions ranging from the onset of saltation to storms. Our closed set of equations thus provides an analytically tractable, numerically precise, and computationally efficient starting point for applications addressing a wealth of phenomena from dune formation to dust emission.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure

Three-dimensional shear in granular flow

The evolution of granular shear flow is investigated as a function of height in a split-bottom Couette cell. Using particle tracking, magnetic-resonance imaging, and large-scale simulations we find a transition in the nature of the shear as a characteristic height $H^*$ is exceeded. Below $H^*$ there is a central stationary core; above $H^*$ we observe the onset of additional axial shear associated with torsional failure. Radial and axial shear profiles are qualitatively different: the radial extent is wide and increases with height while the axial width remains narrow and fixed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure