A study of the adhesive foot of the gecko: Translation of a publication by Franz Weitlaner

In recent years, hundreds of scientific studies have been published regarding gecko-inspired adhesives. The primary reason for this increasing interest lies in the unique properties which are combined in the adhesive system of the gecko: this natural system can quickly and repeatedly adhere to different surface chemistry and roughness without the use of adhesion-mediating fluids. Although these properties seem to be inconspicuous at first, there is no man-made system currently available which successfully combines all of these properties and competes with the biological adhesive system. However, there are many applications which may benefit from an artificial adhesion system inspired by geckos, ranging from climbing robots and handling systems to biomedical patches and household objects

In situ observation of contact mechanisms in bioinspired adhesives at high magnification

We analyzed the contact mechanisms of bioinspired microfibrillar adhesives using in situ scanning electron microscopy. During adhesion tests we observed that (i) the superior adhesion of mushroom-shaped fibrils is assisted by the stochastic nature of detachment, (ii) the aspect ratio of microfibrils influences the bending/buckling behavior and the contact reformation, and (iii) the backing layer deformation causes the microfibrils to elastically interact with each other. These studies give new insights into the mechanisms responsible for adhesion of bioinspired fibrillar adhesives

Voltage-controlled electron-hole interaction in a single quantum dot

The ground state of neutral and negatively charged excitons confined to a single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot is probed in a direct absorption experiment by high resolution laser spectroscopy. We show how the anisotropic electron-hole exchange interaction depends on the exciton charge and demonstrate how the interaction can be switched on and off with a small dc voltage. Furthermore, we report polarization sensitive analysis of the excitonic interband transition in a single quantum dot as a function of charge with and without magnetic field.Comment: Conference Proceedings, Physics and Applications of Spin-Related Phenomena in Semiconductors, Santa Barbara (CA), 2004. 4 pages, 4 figures; content as publishe

Absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy on a single self-assembled charge-tunable quantum dot

We have performed detailed photoluminescence (PL) and absorption spectroscopy on the same single self-assembled quantum dot in a charge-tunable device. The transition from neutral to charged exciton in the PL occurs at a more negative voltage than the corresponding transition in absorption. We have developed a model of the Coulomb blockade to account for this observation. At large negative bias, the absorption broadens as a result of electron and hole tunneling. We observe resonant features in this regime whenever the quantum dot hole level is resonant with two-dimensional hole states located at the capping layer-blocking barrier interface in our structure.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Adhesion behavior of polymer networks with tailored mechanical properties using spherical and flat contacts

Four acrylate-based networks were developed such that they possessed similar glass transition temperature (~-37 °C) but varied in material stiffness at room temperature by an order of magnitude (2-12 MPa). Thermo-mechanical and adhesion testing were performed to investigate the effect of elastic modulus on adhesion profiles of the developed samples. Adhesion experiments with a spherical probe revealed no dependency of the pull-off force on material modulus as predicted by the Johnson, Kendall, and Roberts theory. Results obtained using a flat probe showed that the pull-off force increases linearly with an increase in the material modulus, which matches very well with Kendall's theory

Formation of the internal structure of solids under severe action

On the example of a particular problem, the theory of vacancies, a new form of kinetic equations symmetrically incorporation the internal and free energies has been derived. The dynamical nature of irreversible phenomena at formation and motion of defects (dislocations) has been analyzed by a computer experiment. The obtained particular results are extended into a thermodynamic identity involving the law of conservation of energy at interaction with an environment (the 1st law of thermodynamics) and the law of energy transformation into internal degree of freedom (relaxation). The identity is compared with the analogous Jarzynski identity. The approach is illustrated by simulation of processes during severe plastic deformation, the Rybin kinetic equation for this case has been derived.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Proterozoic tectonostratigraphy and paleogeography of central Madagascar derived from detrital zircon U-Pb age populations

Detrital zircon U-Pb ages determined by SHRIMP distinguish two clastic sequences among Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks from central Madagascar. The Itremo Group is older: zircon data, stromatolite characteristics, and carbon isotope data all point to a depositional age around 1500-1700 Ma. The Molo Group is younger, deposited between ∼620 Ma (the age of the youngest zircon) and ∼560 Ma (the age of metamorphic overgrowths on detrital cores). Geochronologic provenance analysis of the Itremo Group points to sources in East Africa as well as local sources in central and southern Madagascar but provides no evidence for a detrital contribution from northern and eastern Madagascar nor from southern India. Detrital zircon and sedimentologic similarities between rocks of the Itremo Group and the Zambian Muva Supergroup suggest a lithostratigraphic correlation between the two. The Molo Group has a strong 1000-1100 Ma detrital signature that also indicates an east African provenance and suggests a Neoproterozoic geographic connection with Sri Lanka but shows no indication of input from the Dharwar craton and eastern Madagascar. Central Madagascar was probably juxtaposed with the Tanzanian craton in the Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic, whereas northern and eastern Madagascar were connected to India. Internal assembly of Madagascar postdates Neoproterozoic Molo Group sedimentation and is likely to have occurred at about 560 Ma. © 2004 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.Rónadh Cox, Drew S. Coleman, Carla B. Chokel, Stephen B. DeOreo, Joseph L. Wooden, Alan S. Collins, Bert De Waele, and Alfred Kröne

ULTRA HIGH FIELD MR CAROTID VESSEL WALL IMAGING: COMPARISON BETWEEN 7T AND 3T

Cardiovascular Aspects of Radiolog

A well-balanced scheme for two-fluid flows in variable cross-section ducts

International audienceWe propose a finite volume scheme for computing two-fluid flows in variable cross-section ducts. Our scheme satisfies a well-balanced property. It is based on the VFRoe approach. The VFRoe variables are the Riemann invariants of the stationnary wave and the cross-section. In order to avoid spurious pressure oscillations, the well-balanced approach is coupled with an ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian) technique at the interface and a random sampling remap