286 research outputs found
Crystallization Kinetics of Colloidal Spheres under Stationary Shear Flow
A systematic experimental study of dispersions of charged colloidal spheres
is presented on the effect of steady shear flow on nucleation and
crystal-growth rates. In addition, the non-equilibrium phase diagram as far as
the melting line is concerned is measured. Shear flow is found to strongly
affect induction times, crystal growth rates and the location of the melting
line. The main findings are that (i) the crystal growth rate for a given
concentration exhibits a maximum as a function of the shear rate, (ii) contrary
to the monotonous increase of the growth rate with increasing concentration in
the absence of flow, a maximum of the crystal growth rate as a function of
concentration is observed for sheared systems, and (iii) the induction time for
a given concentration exhibits a maximum as a function of the shear rate. These
findings will be partly explained on a qualitative level.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted in Langmui
Dynamic Response of Block Copolymer Wormlike Micelles to Shear Flow
The linear and non-linear dynamic response to an oscillatory shear flow of
giant wormlike micelles consisting of Pb-Peo block copolymers is studied by
means of Fourier transform rheology. Experiments are performed in the vicinity
of the isotropic-nematic phase transition concentration, where the location of
isotropic-nematic phase transition lines is determined independently. Strong
shear-thinning behaviour is observed due to critical slowing down of
orientational diffusion as a result of the vicinity of the isotropic- nematic
spinodal. This severe shear-thinning behaviour is shown to result in gradient
shear banding. Time-resolved Small angle neutron scattering experiments are
used to obtain insight in the microscopic phenomena that underly the observed
rheological response. An equation of motion for the order-parameter tensor and
an expression of the stress tensor in terms of the order-parameter tensor are
used to interpret the experimental data, both in the linear and non-linear
regime. Scaling of the dynamic behaviour of the orientational order parameter
and the stress is found when critical slowing down due to the vicinity of the
isotropic-nematic spinodal is accounted for.Comment: Accepted by J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, CODEF II Special Issue. 20
pages, 9 figure
Dynamic Response of Block Copolymer Wormlike Micelles to Shear Flow
The linear and non-linear dynamic response to an oscillatory shear flow of
giant wormlike micelles consisting of Pb-Peo block copolymers is studied by
means of Fourier transform rheology. Experiments are performed in the vicinity
of the isotropic-nematic phase transition concentration, where the location of
isotropic-nematic phase transition lines is determined independently. Strong
shear-thinning behaviour is observed due to critical slowing down of
orientational diffusion as a result of the vicinity of the isotropic- nematic
spinodal. This severe shear-thinning behaviour is shown to result in gradient
shear banding. Time-resolved Small angle neutron scattering experiments are
used to obtain insight in the microscopic phenomena that underly the observed
rheological response. An equation of motion for the order-parameter tensor and
an expression of the stress tensor in terms of the order-parameter tensor are
used to interpret the experimental data, both in the linear and non-linear
regime. Scaling of the dynamic behaviour of the orientational order parameter
and the stress is found when critical slowing down due to the vicinity of the
isotropic-nematic spinodal is accounted for.Comment: Accepted by J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, CODEF II Special Issue. 20
pages, 9 figure
Kinetic pathways of the Nematic-Isotropic phase transition as studied by confocal microscopy on rod-like viruses
We investigate the kinetics of phase separation for a mixture of rodlike
viruses (fd) and polymer (dextran), which effectively constitutes a system of
attractive rods. This dispersion is quenched from a flow-induced fully nematic
state into the region where the nematic and the isotropic phase coexist. We
show experimental evidence that the kinetic pathway depends on the overall
concentration. When the quench is made at high concentrations, the system is
meta-stable and we observe typical nucleation-and-growth. For quenches at low
concentration the system is unstable and the system undergoes a spinodal
decomposition. At intermediate concentrations we see the transition between
both demixing processes, where we locate the spinodal point.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted in J. Phys.: Condens. Matter as
symposium paper for the 6th Liquid Matter Conference in Utrech
Nematic-Isotropic Spinodal Decomposition Kinetics of Rod-like Viruses
We investigate spinodal decomposition kinetics of an initially nematic
dispersion of rod-like viruses (fd virus). Quench experiments are performed
from a flow-stabilized homogeneous nematic state at high shear rate into the
two-phase isotropic-nematic coexistence region at zero shear rate. We present
experimental evidence that spinodal decomposition is driven by orientational
diffusion, in accordance with a very recent theory.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.
Duurzame en robuuste sanitatie door decentralisatie
Kritiek op de huidige centralistische aanpak van sanitatie, transport, behandeling en hergebruik van huishoudelijk afval en afvalwater, en schets van een alternatief: DESAH (Decentrale Sanitatie en Hergebruik), waarbij wordt voldaan aan de criteria duurzaamheid, preventie en robuustheid. Scheiding van afvalstromen, eenvoudige zuiveringssystemen (anaeroob; biologisch), terugwinning van grondstoffen, en hergebruik in huishouden en landbouw spelen een belangrijke ro
Feasibility of hydraulic separation in a novel anaerobic-anoxic upflow reactor for biological nutrient removal
ABSTRACT : This contribution deals with a novel anaerobic-anoxic reactor for biological nutrient removal (BNR) from wastewater, termed AnoxAn. In the AnoxAn reactor, the anaerobic and anoxic zones for phosphate removal and denitrification are integrated in a single continuous upflow sludge blanket reactor, aiming at high compactness and efficiency. Its application is envisaged in those cases where retrofitting of existing wastewater treatment plants for BNR, or the construction of new ones, is limited by the available surface area. The environmental conditions are vertically divided up inside the reactor with the anaerobic zone at the bottom and the anoxic zone above. The capability of the AnoxAn configuration to establish two hydraulically separated zones inside the single reactor was assessed by means of hydraulic characterization experiments and model simulations. Residence time distribution (RTD) experiments in clean water were performed in a bench-scale (48.4 L) AnoxAn prototype. The required hydraulic separation between the anaerobic and anoxic zones, as well as adequate mixing in the individual zones, was obtained through selected mixing devices. The observed behaviour was described by a hydraulic model consisting of continuous stirred tank reactors and plug-flow reactors. The impact of the denitrification process in the anoxic zone on the hydraulic separation was subsequently evaluated through model simulations. The desired hydraulic behaviour proved feasible, involving little mixing between the anaerobic and anoxic zones (mixing flowrate 40.2% of influent flowrate) and negligible nitrate concentration in the anaerobic zone (less than 0.1 mgN L-1) when denitrification was considered
3D Brownian Diffusion of Submicron-Sized Particle Clusters
We report on the translation and rotation of particle clusters made through
the combination of spherical building blocks. These clusters present ideal
model systems to study the motion of objects with complex shape. Because they
could be separated into fractions of well-defined configurations on a
sufficient scale and their overall dimensions were below 300 nm, the
translational and rotational diffusion coefficients of particle duplets,
triplets and tetrahedrons could be determined by a combination of polarized
dynamic light scattering (DLS) and depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS).
The use of colloidal clusters for DDLS experiments overcomes the limitation of
earlier experiments on the diffusion of complex objects near surfaces because
the true 3D diffusion can be studied. When the exact geometry of the complex
assemblies is known, different hydrodynamic models for calculating the
diffusion coefficient for objects with complex shapes could be applied. Because
hydrodynamic friction must be restricted to the cluster surface the so-called
shell model, in which the surface is represented as a shell of small friction
elements, was most suitable to describe the dynamics. A quantitative comparison
of the predictions from theoretical modeling with the results obtained by DDLS
showed an excellent agreement between experiment and theory
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli P and Type 1 Fimbriae Act in Synergy in a Living Host to Facilitate Renal Colonization Leading to Nephron Obstruction
The progression of a natural bacterial infection is a dynamic process influenced by the physiological characteristics of the target organ. Recent developments in live animal imaging allow for the study of the dynamic microbe-host interplay in real-time as the infection progresses within an organ of a live host. Here we used multiphoton microscopy-based live animal imaging, combined with advanced surgical procedures, to investigate the role of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) attachment organelles P and Type 1 fimbriae in renal bacterial infection. A GFP+ expressing variant of UPEC strain CFT073 and genetically well-defined isogenic mutants were microinfused into rat glomerulus or proximal tubules. Within 2 h bacteria colonized along the flat squamous epithelium of the Bowman's capsule despite being exposed to the primary filtrate. When facing the challenge of the filtrate flow in the proximal tubule, the P and Type 1 fimbriae appeared to act in synergy to promote colonization. P fimbriae enhanced early colonization of the tubular epithelium, while Type 1 fimbriae mediated colonization of the center of the tubule via a mechanism believed to involve inter-bacterial binding and biofilm formation. The heterogeneous bacterial community within the tubule subsequently affected renal filtration leading to total obstruction of the nephron within 8 h. Our results reveal the importance of physiological factors such as filtration in determining bacterial colonization patterns, and demonstrate that the spatial resolution of an infectious niche can be as small as the center, or periphery, of a tubule lumen. Furthermore, our data show how secondary physiological injuries such as obstruction contribute to the full pathophysiology of pyelonephritis
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