The spatial stability of a class of similarity solutions

The spatial stability of a class of exact similarity solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations whose longitudinal velocity is of the form xf′(y), where x is the streamwise coordinate and f′(y) is a function of the transverse, cross‐streamwise, coordinate y only, is determined. These similarity solutions correspond to the flow in an infinitely long channel or tube whose surface is either uniformly porous or moves with a velocity linear in x. Small perturbations to the streamwise velocity of the form x^λg′(y) are assumed, resulting in an eigenvalue problem for λ which is solved numerically. For the porous wall problem, it is shown that similarity solutions in which f′(y) is a monotonic function of y are spatially stable, while those that are not monotonic are spatially unstable. For the accelerating‐wall problem, the interpretation of the stability results is not unambiguous and two interpretations are offered. In one interpretation the conclusions are the same as for the porous problem—monotonic solutions are stable; the second interpretation is more restrictive in that some of the monotonic as well as the nonmonotonic solutions are unstable

Analysis of the Brinkman equation as a model for flow in porous media

The fundamental solution or Green's function for flow in porous media is determined using Stokesian dynamics, a molecular-dynamics-like simulation method capable of describing the motions and forces of hydrodynamically interacting particles in Stokes flow. By evaluating the velocity disturbance caused by a source particle on field particles located throughout a monodisperse porous medium at a given value of volume fraction of solids ø, and by considering many such realizations of the (random) porous medium, the fundamental solution is determined. Comparison of this fundamental solution with the Green's function of the Brinkman equation shows that the Brinkman equation accurately describes the flow in porous media for volume fractions below 0.05. For larger volume fractions significant differences between the two exist, indicating that the Brinkman equation has lost detailed predictive value, although it still describes qualitatively the behavior in moderately concentrated porous media. At low ø where the Brinkman equation is known to be valid, the agreement between the simulation results and the Brinkman equation demonstrates that the Stokesian dynamics method correctly captures the screening characteristic of porous media. The simulation results for ø ≥ 0.05 may be useful as a basis of comparison for future theoretical work

Dynamic simulation of hydrodynamically interacting particles

A general method for computing the hydrodynamic interactions among N suspended particles, under the condition of vanishingly small particle Reynolds number, is presented. The method accounts for both near-field lubrication effects and the dominant many-body interactions. The many-body hydrodynamic interactions reproduce the screening characteristic of porous media and the ‘effective viscosity’ of free suspensions. The method is accurate and computationally efficient, permitting the dynamic simulation of arbitrarily configured many-particle systems. The hydrodynamic interactions calculated are shown to agree well with available exact calculations for small numbers of particles and to reproduce slender-body theory for linear chains of particles. The method can be used to determine static (i.e. configuration specific) and dynamic properties of suspended particles that interact through both hydrodynamic and non-hydrodynamic forces, where the latter may be any type of Brownian. colloidal, interparticle or external force. The method is also readily extended to dynamically simulate both unbounded and bounded suspensions

Search for Insect Neuroactive Substances Using an Electrophysiolofical Method

A simple and rapid bioassay was developed to search for novel insect neuroactive substances.This method was based on the electrophysiological response of the metathoracic legnerve of Periplaneta americana.Using this assay,41 methanol extracts of Kenyan plant and 15 methanol extracts of Indonesia plants were tested to show various activities.Several compounds were isolated from these methanol extracts with the guidance of the activity increasing spontaneous-impulse frequencies.地球規模での環境問題に関心が高まりつつある現在、病害虫防除のための薬剤に求められているのは、ターゲットに対する強力な効果はもちろんのこと、高い選択性と適度な生分解性である。そのような優れた特性をもつ薬剤のリード化合物となる生理活性物質を自然界から見出そうと、これまでに数多くの試みがなされてきた。その手段となるのが生物試験であり、新たな生物試験の開発が新規の活性化合物の発見につながることもある。そこで著者は、昆虫の神経を作用点とする天然生理活性物質を探索するための新たな生物試験法の開発を試みた。昆虫神経作用物質は、その効果が強力かつ速効性であることが多い点、また、植物や微生物に対し影響を及ぼしにくい点で有効なリード化合物として期待される。さらに、昆虫と哺乳動物とでは代謝に多くの違いがあるため、昆虫には強力な毒性を示しても人畜への毒性は低いことが多い。天然ピレスロイドは、このような昆虫神経作用物質の長所を合わせ持つ、理想的な例であった。自然界には、ピレスロイドと同等、またはそれ以上に優れた防除剤となりうる昆虫神経作用物質が存在するはずである。しかし、昆虫神経作用物質探索のための生物試験法はまだ一般的ではない。神経活動の観察には通常、電気生理学的手法が用いられているが、細かい作業と長い時間を要すものが多く、薬剤の作用機構の解明など、生理学的研究の手段とはなっても、スクリーニングのための生物試験として確立されたものはほどんど知られていない。著者はワモンゴキブリ（Periplanata americana)の後肢神経系を用いて、昆虫神経作用物質探索のための簡便で迅速な生物試験法を開発した。また、この試験を指標としてケニヤ産植物およびインドネシア産植物のメタノール抽出物から、いくつかの活性化合物を単離した

Influence of Hydrodynamic Interactions on Mechanical Unfolding of Proteins

We incorporate hydrodynamic interactions in a structure-based model of ubiquitin and demonstrate that the hydrodynamic coupling may reduce the peak force when stretching the protein at constant speed, especially at larger speeds. Hydrodynamic interactions are also shown to facilitate unfolding at constant force and inhibit stretching by fluid flows.Comment: to be published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

Transport in rough self-affine fractures

Transport properties of three-dimensional self-affine rough fractures are studied by means of an effective-medium analysis and numerical simulations using the Lattice-Boltzmann method. The numerical results show that the effective-medium approximation predicts the right scaling behavior of the permeability and of the velocity fluctuations, in terms of the aperture of the fracture, the roughness exponent and the characteristic length of the fracture surfaces, in the limit of small separation between surfaces. The permeability of the fractures is also investigated as a function of the normal and lateral relative displacements between surfaces, and is shown that it can be bounded by the permeability of two-dimensional fractures. The development of channel-like structures in the velocity field is also numerically investigated for different relative displacements between surfaces. Finally, the dispersion of tracer particles in the velocity field of the fractures is investigated by analytic and numerical methods. The asymptotic dominant role of the geometric dispersion, due to velocity fluctuations and their spatial correlations, is shown in the limit of very small separation between fracture surfaces.Comment: submitted to PR

Restructuring of colloidal aggregates in shear flow: Coupling interparticle contact models with Stokesian dynamics

A method to couple interparticle contact models with Stokesian dynamics (SD) is introduced to simulate colloidal aggregates under flow conditions. The contact model mimics both the elastic and plastic behavior of the cohesive connections between particles within clusters. Owing to this, clusters can maintain their structures under low stress while restructuring or even breakage may occur under sufficiently high stress conditions. SD is an efficient method to deal with the long-ranged and many-body nature of hydrodynamic interactions for low Reynolds number flows. By using such a coupled model, the restructuring of colloidal aggregates under stepwise increasing shear flows was studied. Irreversible compaction occurs due to the increase of hydrodynamic stress on clusters. Results show that the greater part of the fractal clusters are compacted to rod-shaped packed structures, while the others show isotropic compaction.Comment: A simulation movie be found at http://www-levich.engr.ccny.cuny.edu/~seto/sites/colloidal_aggregates_shearflow.htm

Soft Dynamics simulation: 2. Elastic spheres undergoing a T1 process in a viscous fluid

Robust empirical constitutive laws for granular materials in air or in a viscous fluid have been expressed in terms of timescales based on the dynamics of a single particle. However, some behaviours such as viscosity bifurcation or shear localization, observed also in foams, emulsions, and block copolymer cubic phases, seem to involve other micro-timescales which may be related to the dynamics of local particle reorganizations. In the present work, we consider a T1 process as an example of a rearrangement. Using the Soft dynamics simulation method introduced in the first paper of this series, we describe theoretically and numerically the motion of four elastic spheres in a viscous fluid. Hydrodynamic interactions are described at the level of lubrication (Poiseuille squeezing and Couette shear flow) and the elastic deflection of the particle surface is modeled as Hertzian. The duration of the simulated T1 process can vary substantially as a consequence of minute changes in the initial separations, consistently with predictions. For the first time, a collective behaviour is thus found to depend on another parameter than the typical volume fraction in particles.Comment: 11 pages - 5 figure