42 research outputs found
Photon Channelling in Foams
Experiments by Gittings, Bandyopadhyay, and Durian [Europhys. Lett.\
\textbf{65}, 414 (2004)] demonstrate that light possesses a higher probability
to propagate in the liquid phase of a foam due to total reflection. The authors
term this observation photon channelling which we investigate in this article
theoretically. We first derive a central relation in the work of Gitting {\em
et al.} without any free parameters. It links the photon's path-length fraction
in the liquid phase to the liquid fraction . We then construct
two-dimensional Voronoi foams, replace the cell edges by channels to represent
the liquid films and simulate photon paths according to the laws of ray optics
using transmission and reflection coefficients from Fresnel's formulas. In an
exact honeycomb foam, the photons show superdiffusive behavior. It becomes
diffusive as soon as disorder is introduced into the foams. The dependence of
the diffusion constant on channel width and refractive index is explained by a
one-dimensional random-walk model. It contains a photon channelling state that
is crucial for the understanding of the numerical results. At the end, we
shortly comment on the observation that photon channelling only occurs in a
finite range of .Comment: 9 pages, minor change
Developmental Trajectories of Body Mass Index Among Japanese Children and Impact of Maternal Factors during Pregnancy
Background
The aims of this study were to 1) determine the distinct patterns of body mass index (BMI) trajectories in Japanese children, and 2) elucidate the maternal factors during pregnancy, which contribute to the determination of those patterns.
Methodology/Principal Findings
All of the children (1,644 individuals) born in Koshu City, Japan, between 1991 and 1998 were followed in a longitudinal study exploring the subjects’ BMI. The BMI was calculated 11 times for each child between birth and 12 years of age. Exploratory latent class growth analyses were conducted to identify trajectory patterns of the BMI z-scores. The distribution of BMI trajectories were best characterized by a five-group model for boys and a six-group model for girls. The groups were named “stable thin,” “stable average,” “stable high average,” “progressive overweight,” and “progressive obesity” in both sexes; girls were allocated to an additional group called “progressive average.” Multinomial logistic regression found that maternal weight, smoking, and skipping breakfast during pregnancy were associated with children included in the progressive obesity pattern rather than the stable average pattern. These associations were stronger for boys than for girls.
Conclusions/Significance
Multiple developmental patterns in Japanese boys and girls were identified, some of which have not been identified in Western countries. Maternal BMI and some unfavorable behaviors during early pregnancy may impact a child’s pattern of body mass development. Further studies to explain the gender and regional differences that were identified are warranted, as these may be important for early life prevention of weight-associated health problems
The role of liquid films for light transport in dry foams
We study the role of liquid films for light transport in dry
foams based on ray optics. The foams are modelled by
two-dimensional Voronoi tessellations with varying degree of
disorder. We perform extensive simulations to determine the
diffusive limit of light for two models. In model I, we choose a
constant intensity reflectance r to explore the effect of
disorder. We show that the honeycomb structure sets the right
order of magnitude for the diffusion constant D by providing a
master curve for , whereas disorder reveals itself in a fine
structure. In model II, the reflectance for thin films as
determined by Fresnel's formulae is chosen as well as some
disorder in the film thickness. We argue that this model
reproduces experimental features and the right order of magnitude
for the diffusion constant. This suggests that the liquids films
in combination with ray optics are relevant for explaining photon
diffusion in foams