824 research outputs found
Self-similar shear-thickening behavior in CTAB/NaSal surfactant solutions
The effect of salt concentration Cs on the critical shear rate required for
the onset of shear thickening and apparent relaxation time of the
shear-thickened phase, has been investigated systematically for dilute
CTAB/NaSal solutions. Experimental data suggest a self-similar behavior of the
critical shear rate and relaxation time as functions of Cs. Specifically, the
former ~ Cs^(-6) whereas the latter ~ Cs^(6) such that an effective Weissenberg
number for the onset of the shear thickened phase is only weakly dependent on
Cs. A procedure has been developed to collapse the apparent shear viscosity
versus shear rate data obtained for various values of Cs into a single master
curve. The effect of Cs on the elastic modulus and mesh size of the
shear-induced gel phase for different surfactant concentrations is discussed.
Experiments performed using different flow cells (Couette and cone-and-plate)
show that the critical shear rate, relaxation time and the maximum viscosity
attained are geometry-independent. The elastic modulus of the gel phase
inferred indirectly by employing simplified hydrodynamic instability analysis
of a sheared gel-fluid interface is in qualitative agreement with that
predicted for an entangled phase of living polymers. A qualitative mechanism
that combines the effect of Cs on average micelle length and Debye parameter
with shear-induced configurational changes of rod-like micelles is proposed to
rationalize the self-similarity of SIS formation.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figure
Oscillations of a solid sphere falling through a wormlike micellar fluid
We present an experimental study of the motion of a solid sphere falling
through a wormlike micellar fluid. While smaller or lighter spheres quickly
reach a terminal velocity, larger or heavier spheres are found to oscillate in
the direction of their falling motion. The onset of this instability correlates
with a critical value of the velocity gradient scale
s. We relate this condition to the known complex rheology of wormlike
micellar fluids, and suggest that the unsteady motion of the sphere is caused
by the formation and breaking of flow-induced structures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A direct numerical simulation method for complex modulus of particle dispersions
We report an extension of the smoothed profile method (SPM)[Y. Nakayama, K.
Kim, and R. Yamamoto, Eur. Phys. J. E {\bf 26}, 361(2008)], a direct numerical
simulation method for calculating the complex modulus of the dispersion of
particles, in which we introduce a temporally oscillatory external force into
the system. The validity of the method was examined by evaluating the storage
and loss moduli of a system composed of identical
spherical particles dispersed in an incompressible Newtonian host fluid at
volume fractions of , 0.41, and 0.51. The moduli were evaluated at
several frequencies of shear flow; the shear flow used here has a zigzag
profile, as is consistent with the usual periodic boundary conditions
Self-assembly in solution of a reversible comb-shaped supramolecular polymer
We report a single step synthesis of a polyisobutene with a bis-urea moiety
in the middle of the chain. In low polarity solvents, this polymer
self-assembles by hydrogen bonding to form a combshaped polymer with a central
hydrogen bonded backbone and polyisobutene arms. The comb backbone can be
reversibly broken, and consequently, its length can be tuned by changing the
solvent, the concentration or the temperature. Moreover, we have proved that
the bulkiness of the side-chains have a strong influence on both the
self-assembly pattern and the length of the backbone. Finally, the density of
arms can be reduced, by simply mixing with a low molar mass bis-urea
Comment on "Arbitrated quantum-signature scheme"
We investigate the quantum signature scheme proposed by Zeng and Keitel
[Phys. Rev. A 65, 042312 (2002)]. It uses Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ)
states and the availability of a trusted arbitrator. However, in our opinion
the protocol is not clearly operationally defined and several steps are
ambiguous. Moreover, we argue that the security statements claimed by the
authors are incorrect.Comment: 4 page
Evidence of surgical outcomes fluctuates over time: results from a cumulative meta-analysis of laparoscopic versus open appendectomy for acute appendicitis
The neuroscience of vision-based grasping: a functional review for computational modeling and bio-inspired robotics
The topic of vision-based grasping is being widely studied using various techniques and
with different goals in humans and in other primates. The fundamental related findings are
reviewed in this paper, with the aim of providing researchers from different fields, including
intelligent robotics and neural computation, a comprehensive but accessible view on the
subject. A detailed description of the principal sensorimotor processes and the brain areas
involved in them is provided following a functional perspective, in order to make this survey
especially useful for computational modeling and bio-inspired robotic application
Ser1369Ala Variant in Sulfonylurea Receptor Gene ABCC8 Is Associated With Antidiabetic Efficacy of Gliclazide in Chinese Type 2 Diabetic Patients
OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to investigate whether genetic variants could influence the antidiabetic efficacy of gliclazide in type 2 diabetic patients
Investigation of Surface Magnetic Noise by Shallow Spins in Diamond
We present measurements of spin relaxation times (T1, T1ρ, T2) on very shallow (≲5 nm) nitrogen-vacancy centers in high-purity diamond single crystals. We find a reduction of spin relaxation times up to 30 times compared to bulk values, indicating the presence of ubiquitous magnetic impurities associated with the surface. Our measurements yield a density of 0.01–0.1μB/nm2 and a characteristic correlation time of 0.28(3) ns of surface states, with little variation between samples and chemical surface terminations. A low temperature measurement further confirms that fluctuations are thermally activated. The data support the atomistic picture where impurities are associated with the top carbon layers, and not with terminating surface atoms or adsorbate molecules. The low spin density implies that the presence of A single surface impurity is sufficient to cause spin relaxation of a shallow nitrogen-vacancy center
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