Rheological study of structural transitions in triblock copolymers in a liquid crystal solvent

Rheological properties of triblock copolymers dissolved in a nematic liquid crystal (LC) solvent demonstrate that their microphase separated structure is heavily influenced by changes in LC order. Nematic gels were created by swelling a well-defined, high molecular weight ABA block copolymer with the small-molecule nematic LC solvent 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB). The B midblock is a side-group liquid crystal polymer (SGLCP) designed to be soluble in 5CB and the A endblocks are polystyrene, which is LC-phobic and microphase separates to produce a physically cross-linked, thermoreversible, macroscopic polymer network. At sufficiently low polymer concentration a plateau modulus in the nematic phase, characteristic of a gel, abruptly transitions to terminal behavior when the gel is heated into its isotropic phase. In more concentrated gels, endblock aggregates persist into the isotopic phase. Dramatic changes in network structure are observed over small temperature windows (as little as 1 °C) due to tccche rapidly changing LC order near the isotropization point. The discontinuous change in solvent quality produces an abrupt change in viscoelastic properties for three polymers having different pendant mesogenic groups and matched block lengths

Wirkung der Marketing-Kommunikation bei der Fußball-WM 2006: Ergebnisse einer Vorher- Nachher-Befragung

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird der Einfluss der Fußball-WM auf die Kommunikationspolitik verschiedener Unternehmen, insbesondere der Sponsoren, herausgearbeitet. Die Einbindung der Fußball-WM in die kommunikationspolitischen Maßnahmen der Unternehmen gab diesen die Möglichkeit, von der Ausstrahlungswirkung der WM zu profitieren und damit die eigene Bekanntheit zu steigern, das eigene Image zu verbessern und ggf. Präferenzen bei den Konsumenten zu schaffen. Mit Hilfe einer E-Mail-gestützten WWW-Befragung vor und nach der Fußball-WM (April 2006 und Juli 2006) wurde die Wirkung der Kommunikationspolitik der Sponsoren sowie ausgewählter Nicht-Sponsoren auf die Konsumenten analysiert. Als zentrale Werbewirkungsgrößen beinhaltet die Studie sowohl den Bekanntheitsgrad und das Image der Sponsoren als auch Präferenzen und Kaufabsichten der Konsumenten. Die Ergebnisse können wie folgt zusammengefasst werden: die Übernahme eines Sponsorships bei der Fußball-WM hatte zumindest kurzfristig weder nennenswerte Auswirkungen auf die erhobenen Imagedimensionen der Sponsoren noch auf die Präferenzen oder Kaufabsichten für Produkte bzw. Dienstleistungen der Sponsoren. Eine teils deutliche und statistisch signifikante Steigerung zeigt sich hingegen beim Bekanntheitsgrad, vor allem bei zuvor eher unbekannten Unternehmen. --

Successful aerial seeding of Progades Desmanthus at Wambiana

In 2011 Progardes Desmanthus (a pasture legume) seed was aerial seeding into ash after the vegetation was pulled and burnt. Initial establishment was slow but in 2017 the plant density across the paddocks averaged 5 Progardes plants/m2. The frequency of plants was 39% and a distinct pattern of plants across the paddock could be identified and is related to the aircraft flight paths. The paddock is well grazed and has a botanical mix of native grasses and the Progdes Desmanthus legume. Progardes is proving to be a success on neutral to alkaline clay soils in the subtropics/tropics across Queensland. Aerial seeding was a successful method of establish this legume at Wambiana near Charters Towers

Restriktionssätze für getwistete Sub-Laplace-Operatoren und Anwendungen auf Rieszmittel

Restriktionssätze für getwistete Sub-Laplace-Operatoren und Anwendungen auf Rieszmitte

LÖCHER IM NETZ. ZWISCHEN DEN ZEILEN DER LEIBNIZ-KORRESPONDENZ

This article investigates the ‘gaps’ in the learned correspondences of the early modern respublica literaria in Europe by the example of the huge correspondence of the philosopher and universal scholar Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). It shows that intentionally non-written letters, being a lack of answer or an explicite silence, have to be interpreted as a part of the epistolary relation between the members of the republic of letters. Although these unwritten and unspoken messages are hard to be detected and can not be published in any edition they belong to a correspondence network as well as a written letter or a given answe

Perdeuterated cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals for infrared applications

Perdeuterated 4'-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (D5CB) was synthesized and its physical properties evaluated and compared to those of 5CB. D5CB retains physical properties similar to those of 5CB, such as phase transition temperatures, dielectric constants, and refractive indices. An outstanding feature of D5CB is that it exhibits a much cleaner and reduced infrared absorption. Perdeuteration, therefore, extends the usable range of liquid crystals to the mid infrared by significantly reducing the absorption in the near infrared, which is essential for telecom applications

Cluster-state quantum computation

This article is a short introduction to and review of the cluster-state model of quantum computation, in which coherent quantum information processing is accomplished via a sequence of single-qubit measurements applied to a fixed quantum state known as a cluster state. We also discuss a few novel properties of the model, including a proof that the cluster state cannot occur as the exact ground state of any naturally occurring physical system, and a proof that measurements on any quantum state which is linearly prepared in one dimension can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer, and thus are not candidates for use as a substrate for quantum computation.Comment: 15 pages, resubmitted version accepted to Rev. Math. Phy

Creep in Photovoltaic Modules: Examining the Stability of Polymeric Materials and Components

Interest in renewable energy has motivated the implementation of new polymeric materials in photovoltaic modules. Some of these are non-cross-linked thermoplastics, in which there is a potential for new behaviors to occur, including phase transformation and visco-elastic flow. Differential scanning calorimetry and rheometry data were obtained and then combined with existing site-specific time-temperature information in a theoretical analysis to estimate the displacement expected to occur during module service life. The analysis identified that, depending on the installation location, module configuration and/or mounting configuration, some of the thermoplastics are expected to undergo unacceptable physical displacement. While the examples here focus on encapsulation materials, the concerns apply equally to the frame, junction-box, and mounting-adhesive technologies