426 research outputs found
Snap-off production of monodisperse droplets
We introduce a novel technique to produce monodisperse droplets through the
snap-off mechanism. The methodology is simple, versatile, and requires no
specialized or expensive components. The droplets produced have polydispersity
<1% and can be as small as 2.5 m radius. A convenient feature is that the
droplet size is constant over a 100-fold change in flow rate, while at higher
flows the droplet size can be continuously adjusted.Comment: to be published in Eur. Phys. J. E as a "Tips and Tricks" articl
Chain Entanglement in Thin Freestanding Polymer Films
When a thin glassy film is strained uniaxially, a shear deformation zone (SDZ) can be observed. The ratio of the thickness of the SDZ to that of the undeformed film is related to the maximum extension ratio, which depends on the entanglement molecular weight, Me. We have measured _ as a function of film thickness in strained freestanding films of polystyrene as a probe of Me in confinement. It is found that thin films stretch further than thick films before failure, consistent with the interpretation that polymers in thin films are less entangled than bulk polymers, thus the effective value of Me in thin films is significantly larger than that of the bulk. Our results are well described by a conceptually simple model based on the probability of finding intermolecular entanglements near an interface
Compression and fracture of ordered and disordered droplet rafts
We simulate a two-dimensional array of droplets being compressed between two
walls. The droplets are adhesive due to an attractive depletion force. As one
wall moves toward the other, the droplet array is compressed and eventually
induced to rearrange. The rearrangement occurs via a fracture, where depletion
bonds are quickly broken between a subset of droplets. For monodisperse,
hexagonally ordered droplet arrays, this fracture is preceded by a maximum
force exerted on the walls, which drops rapidly after the fracture occurs. In
small droplet arrays a fracture is a single well-defined event, but for larger
droplet arrays, competing fractures can be observed. These are fractures
nucleated nearly simultaneously in different locations. Finally, we also study
the compression of bidisperse droplet arrays. The addition of a second droplet
size further disrupts fracture events, showing differences between ideal
crystalline arrays, crystalline arrays with a small number of defects, and
fully amorphous arrays. These results are in good agreement with previously
published experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figure
Dewetting of thin polymer films near the glass transition
Dewetting of ultra-thin polymer films near the glass transition exhibits
unexpected front morphologies [G. Reiter, Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, 186101 (2001)].
We present here the first theoretical attempt to understand these features,
focusing on the shear-thinning behaviour of these films. We analyse the profile
of the dewetting film, and characterize the time evolution of the dry region
radius, , and of the rim height, . After a transient time
depending on the initial thickness, grows like while
increases like . Different regimes of growth are
expected, depending on the initial film thickness and experimental time range.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures Revised version, published in Physical Review
Letters: F. Saulnier, E. Raphael and P.-G. de Gennes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88,
196101 (2002
Secondary Prevention Through Cardiac Rehabilitation: Position Paper of the Working Group on Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology of the European Society of Cardiology
The purpose of this statement is to provide specific recommendations in regard to evaluation and intervention in each of the core components of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to assist CR staff in the design and development of their programmes; the statement should also assist health care providers, insurers, policy makers and consumers in the recognition of the comprehensive nature of such programmes. Those charged with responsibility for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, whether at European, at national or at individual centre level, need to consider where and how structured programmes of CR can be delivered to the large constituency of patients now considered eligible for C
Discovery of underground argon with low level of radioactive 39Ar and possible applications to WIMP dark matter detectors
We report on the first measurement of 39Ar in argon from underground natural
gas reservoirs. The gas stored in the US National Helium Reserve was found to
contain a low level of 39Ar. The ratio of 39Ar to stable argon was found to be
<=4x10-17 (84% C.L.), less than 5% the value in atmospheric argon
(39Ar/Ar=8x10-16). The total quantity of argon currently stored in the National
Helium Reserve is estimated at 1000 tons. 39Ar represents one of the most
important backgrounds in argon detectors for WIMP dark matter searches. The
findings reported demonstrate the possibility of constructing large multi-ton
argon detectors with low radioactivity suitable for WIMP dark matter searches.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 2 table
Slow dynamics near glass transitions in thin polymer films
The -process (segmental motion) of thin polystyrene films supported
on glass substrate has been investigated in a wider frequency range from
10 Hz to 10 Hz using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and thermal
expansion spectroscopy. The relaxation rate of the -process increases
with decreasing film thickness at a given temperature above the glass
transition. This increase in the relaxation rate with decreasing film thickness
is much more enhanced near the glass transition temperature. The glass
transition temperature determined as the temperature at which the relaxation
time of the -process becomes a macroscopic time scale shows a distinct
molecular weight dependence. It is also found that the Vogel temperature has
the thickness dependence, i.e., the Vogel temperature decreases with decreasing
film thickness. The expansion coefficient of the free volume is
extracted from the temperature dependence of the relaxation time within the
free volume theory. The fragility index is also evaluated as a function of
thickness. Both and are found to decrease with decreasing film
thickness.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, and 2 table
A Search for Neutrinos from the Solar hep Reaction and the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
A search has been made for neutrinos from the hep reaction in the Sun and from the diffus
Measurement of the Total Active 8B Solar Neutrino Flux at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with Enhanced Neutral Current Sensitivity
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) has precisely determined the total
active (nu_x) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy
dependence of the nu_e survival probability. The measurements were made with
dissolved NaCl in the heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for
neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27 (stat) +/-
0.38 (syst) x10^6 cm^{-2}s^{-1}, in agreement with previous measurements and
standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor
neutrino results yields Delta m^{2} = 7.1^{+1.2}_{-0.6}x10^{-5} ev^2 and theta
= 32.5^{+2.4}_{-2.3} degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of
5.4 standard deviations.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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