Induced Anticlinic Ordering and Nanophase Segregation of Bow-Shaped Molecules in a Smectic Solvent

Recent experiments indicate that doping low concentrations of bent-core molecules into calamitic smectic solvents can induce anticlinic and biaxial smectic phases. We have carried out Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of mixtures of rodlike molecules (hard spherocylinders with length/breadth ratio $L_{\rm rod}/D = 5$) and bow- or banana-shaped molecules (hard spherocylinder dimers with length/breadth ratio $L_{ban}/D = 5$ or 2.5 and opening angle $\psi$) to probe the molecular-scale organization and phase behavior of rod/banana mixtures. We find that a low concentration (3%) of $L_{ban}/D = 5$ dimers induces anticlinic (SmC$_A$) ordering in an untilted smectic (SmA) phase for $100^\circ \le \psi < 150^\circ$. For smaller $\psi$, half of each bow-shaped molecule is nanophase segregated between smectic layers, and the smectic layers are untilted. For $L_{ban}/D = 2.5$, no tilted phases are induced. However, with decreasing $\psi$ we observe a sharp transition from {\sl intralamellar} nanophase segregation (bow-shaped molecules segregated within smectic layers) to {\sl interlamellar} nanophase segregation (bow-shaped molecules concentrated between smectic layers) near $\psi = 130^\circ$. These results demonstrate that purely entropic effects can lead to surprisingly complex behavior in rod/banana mixtures.Comment: 5 pages Revtex, 7 postscript figure

Nearly Space-Filling Fractal Networks of Carbon Nanopores

URL:http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.115502 DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.115502Small-angle x-ray scattering, nitrogen adsorption, and scanning tunneling microscopy show that a series of activated carbons host an extended fractal network of channels with dimension Dp = 2.8-3.0 (pore fractal), channel width 15-20Å (lower end of scaling), network diameter 3000-3400Å (upper end of scaling), and porosity of 0.3-0.6. We interpret the network as a stack of quasiplanar invasion percolation clusters, formed by oxidative removal of walls between closed voids of diameter of ∼10Å and held in registry by fibrils of the biological precursor, and point out unique applications.This work was supported by the Petroleum Research Fund, Grant No. 30602-AC9,5 (P. P.); the Department of Energy, Contracts No. W-7405-ENG-36 (P. P.) and No. DE-AC04-00A185000 (T. P. R.); and the Ceramic and Non-Metallic Materials Program at AFOSR (W. P. H.)

Combined X-Ray and Fully Leaky Guided Mode Studies of the Smectic Layer and Optic Tensor Configuration in a Ferroelectric Liquid-Crystal Cell

B. Hodder, J. Roy Sambles, S. Jenkins, and R. M. Richardson, Physical Review Letters, Vol. 85, pp. 3181 - 3184 (2000). "Copyright © 2000 by the American Physical Society."X-ray scattering together with optical characterization using fully leaky guided modes have been used for the first time to study the same ferroelectric liquid-crystal cell. This enables direct calculation of an accurate cone and chevron description of the liquid-crystal director profile since the layer structure and optic tensor configuration are both well known

Angular velocimetry for fluid flows: an optical sensor using structured light and machine learning

Most velocimetry approaches for fluid flows measure linear components of the velocity vector; yet, the angular velocity components, particularly at small scales in turbulent flows, also need to be resolved to study energy transfer and other important flow characteristics. Here, we detail an optical sensor approach to determine a component of the angular velocity vector. This approach uses beams of structured light and a machine learning-based analysis. We discuss the methodology to train the machine learning model and test it in experimentally validated simulations. This approach represents an interesting new direction for fluid flow velocimetry which may be extended to sense other flow parameters by selecting different light structures. &nbsp;</p

Early-stage breast cancer is not associated with the risk of marital dissolution in a large prospective study of women

Background: As breast cancer and its treatment are likely to interfere with traditional expectations of womanhood, it may affect marital stability. Methods: The risk of marital dissolution was analysed with respect to diagnosis of early-stage (T1-4N0-3M0) breast cancer in a cohort of 134 435 married Finnish women followed for a median of 17.0 married years. Age, socioeconomic status, education, number of children, duration of marriage and earlier marriages were taken into account and the effects of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy were analysed separately. Results: Women with a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer did not show increase in marital dissolution (hazard ratio -0.96, 95% confidence interval = 0.79-1.17). Neither the type of surgical procedure nor any of the oncologic treatments was associated with an increase in the risk of divorce. Conclusions: Any evidence of excess risk of marital breakdown after the diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer and its treatment was not demonstrated.Peer reviewe

Evaluating the Number of Stages in Development of Squamous Cell and Adenocarcinomas across Cancer Sites Using Human Population-Based Cancer Modeling

BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinomas (ACs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) differ by clinical and molecular characteristics. We evaluated the characteristics of carcinogenesis by modeling the age patterns of incidence rates of ACs and SCCs of various organs to test whether these characteristics differed between cancer subtypes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Histotype-specific incidence rates of 14 ACs and 12 SCCs from the SEER Registry (1973-2003) were analyzed by fitting several biologically motivated models to observed age patterns. A frailty model with the Weibull baseline was applied to each age pattern to provide the best fit for the majority of cancers. For each cancer, model parameters describing the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis including the number of stages occurring during an individual's life and leading to cancer (m-stages) were estimated. For sensitivity analysis, the age-period-cohort model was incorporated into the carcinogenesis model to test the stability of the estimates. For the majority of studied cancers, the numbers of m-stages were similar within each group (i.e., AC and SCC). When cancers of the same organs were compared (i.e., lung, esophagus, and cervix uteri), the number of m-stages were more strongly associated with the AC/SCC subtype than with the organ: 9.79±0.09, 9.93±0.19 and 8.80±0.10 for lung, esophagus, and cervical ACs, compared to 11.41±0.10, 12.86±0.34 and 12.01±0.51 for SCCs of the respective organs (p<0.05 between subtypes). Most SCCs had more than ten m-stages while ACs had fewer than ten m-stages. The sensitivity analyses of the model parameters demonstrated the stability of the obtained estimates. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A model containing parameters capable of representing the number of stages of cancer development occurring during individual's life was applied to the large population data on incidence of ACs and SCCs. The model revealed that the number of m-stages differed by cancer subtype being more strongly associated with ACs/SCCs histotype than with organ/site

Epigenetic Silencing of Nucleolar rRNA Genes in Alzheimer's Disease

Background: Ribosomal deficits are documented in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which often represents an early stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as well as in advanced AD. The nucleolar rRNA genes (rDNA), transcription of which is critical for ribosomal biogenesis, are regulated by epigenetic silencing including promoter CpG methylation. Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess whether CpG methylation of the rDNA promoter was dysregulated across the AD spectrum, we analyzed brain samples from 10 MCI-, 23 AD-, and, 24 age-matched control individuals using bisulfite mapping. The rDNA promoter became hypermethylated in cerebro-cortical samples from MCI and AD groups. In parietal cortex, the rDNA promoter was hypermethylated more in MCI than in advanced AD. The cytosine methylation of total genomic DNA was similar in AD, MCI, and control samples. Consistent with a notion that hypermethylation-mediated silencing of the nucleolar chromatin stabilizes rDNA loci, preventing their senescence-associated loss, genomic rDNA content was elevated in cerebrocortical samples from MCI and AD groups. Conclusions/Significance: In conclusion, rDNA hypermethylation could be a new epigenetic marker of AD. Moreover, silencing of nucleolar chromatin may occur during early stages of AD pathology and play a role in AD-related ribosoma