Mapping forces in 3D elastic assembly of grains

Our understanding of the elasticity and rheology of disordered materials, such as granular piles, foams, emulsions or dense suspensions relies on improving experimental tools to characterize their behaviour at the particle scale. While 2D observations are now routinely carried out in laboratories, 3D measurements remain a challenge. In this paper, we use a simple model system, a packing of soft elastic spheres, to illustrate the capability of X-ray microtomography to characterise the internal structure and local behaviour of granular systems. Image analysis techniques can resolve grain positions, shapes and contact areas; this is used to investigate the material's microstructure and its evolution upon strain. In addition to morphological measurements, we develop a technique to quantify contact forces and estimate the internal stress tensor. As will be illustrated in this paper, this opens the door to a broad array of static and dynamical measurements in 3D disordered systems

EVIDENCE FOR TWO TELLURIUM SITES IN DILUTE LIQUID Te-Tl ALLOYS.

Recently, experimental evidence was presented which suggests that as the stoichiometric composition CuTe, NiTe, Tl//2Te and MnTe are approached from pure Te in the liquid state, substantial charge transfer takes place and Te exists in the form Te**y**31 ions with y close to 2. The system studied (Te-Tl) is one in which charge transfer localizes electrons on the tellurium and leads to semiconducting behavior at the stoichiometric composition Tl//2Te.

Mapping the conceptual design activity of interdisciplinary teams

The conceptual design phase of any project is, by its very nature, a vibrant, creative and dynamic period. It can also be disorganized with much backtracking accompanying the exchange of information between design team members. The transfer of information, ideas and opinion is critical to the development of concepts and as such, rather than being recognized as merely a component of conceptual design activity, it needs to be understood and, ultimately, managed. This paper describes an experimental workshop involving fifteen design professionals in which conceptual design activity was tracked, and subsequently mapped, in order to test and validate a tentative design framework (phase and activity model). The nature of the design progression of the various teams is captured and analyzed, allowing a number of conclusions to be drawn regarding both the iterative nature of this phase of design and how teams of professionals actually design together.

Mapping chromosomal homologies between humans and two langurs (Semnopithecus francoisi and S-Phayrei) by chromosome painting

Chromosomal homologies were established between human and two Chinese langurs (Semnopithecus francoisi, 2n=44, and S. phayrei, 2n=44) by chromosome painting with chromosome-specific DNA probes of all human chromosomes except the Y. Both langur species showed identical hybridization patterns in addition to similar G-banding patterns. In total, 23 human chromosome-specific probes detected 30 homologous chromosome segments in a haploid langur genome. Except for human chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 16 and 19 probes, which each gave signals on two non-homologous langur chromosomes respectively, all other probes each hybridized to a single chromosome. The results indicate a high degree of conservation of chromosomal synteny between human and these two Chinese langurs. The human chromosome 2 probe painted the entire euchromatic regions of langur chromosomes 14 and 19. Human chromosome 1 probe hybridized to three regions on langur autosomes, one region on langur chromosome 4 and two regions on langur chromosome 5. Human 19 probe hybridized on the same pattern to one region on chromosome 4 and to two regions on langur chromosome 5, where it alternated with the human chromosome 1 probe. Human 6 and 16 probes both hybridized to one region on each of the two langur autosomes 15 and 18. Only two langur chromosomes (12 and 21) were each labelled by probes specific for two whole human chromosomes (14 and 15 and 21 and 22 respectively). Comparison of the hybridization patterns of human painting probes on these two langurs with the data on other Old World primates suggests that reciprocal and Robertsonian translocations as will as inversions could have occurred since the divergance of human and the langurs from a common ancestor. This comparison also indicates that Asian colobines are karyotypically more closely related to each other that to African colobines.

Comparative molecular cytogenetic studies in the order Carnivora: mapping chromosomal rearrangements onto the phylogenetic tree

We have made a set of chromosome-specific painting probes for the American mink by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. The painting probes were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among human, red fox, dog, cat and eight species of the family Mustelidae, including the European mink, steppe and forest polecats, least weasel, mountain weasel, Japanese sable, striped polecat, and badger. Based on the results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between these species have been established. The integrated map demonstrates a high level of karyotype conservation among mustelid species. Comparative analysis of the conserved chromosomal segments among mustelids and outgroup species revealed 18 putative ancestral autosomal segments that probably represent the ancestral chromosomes, or chromosome arms, in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the family Mustelidae. The proposed 2n = 38 ancestral Mustelidae karyotype appears to have been retained in some modern mustelids, e.g., Martes, Lutra, ktonyx, and Vormela. The derivation of the mustelid karyotypes from the putative ancestral state resulted from centric fusions, fissions, the addition of heterochromatic arms, and occasional pericentric inversions. Our results confirm many of the evolutionary conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the carnivore phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements. Copyright (C) 2002 S. KargerAG, Basel.

High-density comparative BAC mapping in the black muntjac (Muntiacus crinifrons): Molecular cytogenetic dissection of the origin of MCR 1p+4 in the X1X2Y1Y2Y3 sex chromosome system

The black muntjac (Muntiacus crinifrons, 2n = 8 female/9 male) is a critically endangered mammalian species that is confined to a narrow region of southeastern China. Male black muntjacs have an astonishing X1X2Y1Y2Y3 sex chromosome system, unparalleled i