A note about convected time derivatives for flows of complex fluids

We present a direct derivation of the typical time derivatives used in a continuum description of complex fluid flows, harnessing the principles of the kinematics of line elements. The evolution of the microstructural conformation tensor in a flow and the physical interpretation of different derivatives then follow naturally.Comment: 1 figur

The symmetry of mobility laws for viscous flow along arbitrarily patterned surfaces

Generalizations of the no-slip boundary condition to allow for slip at a patterned fluid-solid boundary introduce a surface mobility tensor, which relates the shear traction vector tangent to the mean surface to an apparent surface velocity vector. For steady, low-Reynolds-number fluid motions over planar surfaces perturbed by arbitrary periodic height and Navier slip fluctuations, we prove that the resulting mobility tensor is always symmetric, which had previously been conjectured. We describe generalizations of the results to three other families of geometries, which typically have unsteady flow.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF MSPRF program)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NSF Grant No. CBET-0961081

The TRENDS High-Contrast Imaging Survey. VII. Discovery of a Nearby Sirius-like White Dwarf System (HD 169889)

Monitoring the long-term radial velocity (RV) and acceleration of nearby stars has proven an effective method for directly detecting binary and substellar companions. Some fraction of nearby RV trend systems are expected to be comprised of compact objects that likewise induce a systemic Doppler signal. In this paper, we report the discovery of a white dwarf companion found to orbit the nearby ($\pi = 28.297 \pm 0.066$ mas) G9 V star HD 169889. High-contrast imaging observations using NIRC2 at Keck and LMIRCam at the LBT uncover the ($\Delta H = 9.76 \pm 0.16$, $\Delta L' = 9.60 \pm 0.03$) companion at an angular separation of 0.8'' (28 au). Thirteen years of precise Doppler observations reveal a steep linear acceleration in RV time series and place a dynamical constraint on the companion mass of $M \geq 0.369 \pm 0.010 M_{\odot}$. This "Sirius-like" system adds to the census of white dwarf companions suspected to be missing in the solar neighborhood.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Dividend Distribution Proposals: The Dividends Received Deductions by Corporations and Related Matters

Professor Blum advocates repeal of the earnings and profits limitation on dividend income. Professor Blum traces some of the early history and concludes that taxing most corporate distributions of a corporation would eliminate a needless intermediate step of defining earnings and profits, which serves only to complicate the double-tax regime. Mr. Stone opposes repeal of the earnings and profits concept to deal with Wall Street gimmicks and recommends a move toward a fundamental change in corporate taxation, including a system of integration where the impact of the two-tiered tax on corporate income would give way to some type of single-tax scheme

Spreading of thin films assisted by thermal fluctuations

We study the spreading of viscous drops on a solid substrate, taking into account the effects of thermal fluctuations in the fluid momentum. A nonlinear stochastic lubrication equation is derived, and studied using numerical simulations and scaling analysis. We show that asymptotically spreading drops admit self-similar shapes, whose average radii can increase at rates much faster than these predicted by Tanner's law. We discuss the physical realizability of our results for thin molecular and complex fluid films, and predict that such phenomenon can in principal be observed in various flow geometries.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Clogging by sieving in microchannels: Application to the detection of contaminants in colloidal suspensions

We report on a microfluidic method that allows measurement of a small concentration of large contaminants in suspensions of solid micrometer-scale particles. To perform the measurement, we flow the colloidal suspension through a series of constrictions, i.e. a microchannel of varying cross-section. We show and quantify the role of large contaminants in the formation of clogs at a constriction and the growth of the resulting filter cake. By measuring the time interval between two clogging events in an array of parallel microchannels, we are able to estimate the concentration of contaminants whose size is selected by the geometry of the microfluidic device. This technique for characterizing colloidal suspensions offers a versatile and rapid tool to explore the role of contaminants on the properties of the suspensions

Introducing Agricultural Engineering in China

The Committee on Agricultural Engineering in China. was invited by the Chinese government to visit the country and determine by research and demonstration the practicability of introducing agricultural engineering techniques, and to assist in advancing education in the field of agricultural engineering. The program of the Committee was carried out under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China. The program was sponsored by the International Harvester Company of Chicago, assisted by twenty- four other American firms

Experimental and theoretical scaling laws for transverse diffusive broadening in two-phase laminar flows in microchannels

This letter quantifies both experimentally and theoretically the diffusion of low-molecular-weight species across the interface between two aqueous solutions in pressure-driven laminar flow in microchannels at high Peclet numbers. Confocal fluorescent microscopy was used to visualize a fluorescent product formed by reaction between chemical species carried separately by the two solutions. At steady state, the width of the reaction-diffusion zone at the interface adjacent to the wall of the channel and transverse to the direction of flow scales as the one-third power of both the axial distance down the channel (from the point where the two streams join) and the average velocity of the flow, instead of the more familiar one- half power scaling which was measured in the middle of the channel. A quantitative description of reaction-diffusion processes near the walls of the channel, such as described in this letter, is required for the rational use of laminar flows for performing spatially resolved surface chemistry and biology inside microchannels and for understanding three-dimensional features of mass transport in shearing flows near surfaces