Experimental observation of von Kármán vortices during drop impact

The observation of von Kármán type vortices during the impact of water droplets onto a pool of water is reported. Shadowgraph imaging and laser-sheet visualization are used to document these events. The appearance of these vortices occurs within theoretically predicted regions in a Reynolds-splash number parameter space. In addition, and also in agreement with theoretical predictions, smooth splashing, with vortices absent, is found for smaller Reynolds number. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Verification of periodically controlled hybrid systems: Application to an autonomous vehicle

This article introduces Periodically Controlled Hybrid Automata (PCHA) for modular specification of embedded control systems. In a PCHA, control actions that change the control input to the plant occur roughly periodically, while other actions that update the state of the controller may occur in the interim. Such actions could model, for example, sensor updates and information received from higher-level planning modules that change the set point of the controller. Based on periodicity and subtangential conditions, a new sufficient condition for verifying invariant properties of PCHAs is presented. For PCHAs with polynomial continuous vector fields, it is possible to check these conditions automatically using, for example, quantifier elimination or sum of squares decomposition. We examine the feasibility of this automatic approach on a small example. The proposed technique is also used to manually verify safety and progress properties of a fairly complex planner-controller subsystem of an autonomous ground vehicle. Geometric properties of planner-generated paths are derived which guarantee that such paths can be safely followed by the controller. © 2012 ACM.

Bending of nanoscale filament assemblies by elastocapillary densification

We report a mechanism by which nanoscale filaments self-assemble into asymmetric aggregates by elastocapillary action. Specifically, capillary rise of liquid into an asymmetric pattern of vertically aligned filaments causes the filaments to deflect laterally during elastocapillary densification. We quantitatively show that the lateral deflection can be controlled precisely by the pattern shape and the coupling strength among the filaments. We exploit this mechanism to fabricate asymmetric micropillars and multidirectional bridges of densely packed carbon nanotubes. Analogous behavior occurs as biological filaments interact with liquids, and these findings enable scalable fabrication of anisotropic filament assemblies for manipulating surface interactions between solids and liquids. © 2010 The American Physical Society.

Spontaneous emission from radiative chiral nematic liquid crystals at the photonic band-gap edge: An investigation into the role of the density of photon states near resonance

In this article, we investigate the spontaneous emission properties of radiating molecules embedded in a chiral nematic liquid crystal, under the assumption that the electronic transition frequency is close to the photonic edge mode of the structure, i.e., at resonance. We take into account the transition broadening and the decay of electromagnetic field modes supported by the so-called "mirrorless"cavity. We employ the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian to describe the electron interaction with the electromagnetic field, focusing on the mode with the diffracting polarization in the chiral nematic layer. As known in these structures, the density of photon states, calculated via the Wigner method, has distinct peaks on either side of the photonic band gap, which manifests itself as a considerable modification of the emission spectrum. We demonstrate that, near resonance, there are notable differences between the behavior of the density of states and the spontaneous emission profile of these structures. In addition, we examine in some detail the case of the logarithmic peak exhibited in the density of states in two-dimensional photonic structures and obtain analytic relations for the Lamb shift and the broadening of the atomic transition in the emission spectrum. The dynamical behavior of the atom-field system is described by a system of two first-order differential equations, solved using the Green's-function method and the Fourier transform. The emission spectra are then calculated and compared with experimental data. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Swimming dynamics of bidirectional artificial flagella

We study magnetic artificial flagella whose swimming speed and direction can be controlled using light and magnetic field as external triggers. The dependence of the swimming velocity on the system parameters (e.g., length, stiffness, fluid viscosity, and magnetic field) is explored using a computational framework in which the magnetostatic, fluid dynamic, and solid mechanics equations are solved simultaneously. A dimensionless analysis is carried out to obtain an optimal combination of system parameters for which the swimming velocity is maximal. The swimming direction reversal is addressed by incorporating photoresponsive materials, which in the photoactuated state can mimic natural mastigonemes. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Influence of processing temperature on microstructure and microhardness of copper subjected to high-pressure torsion

Cu samples were subjected to high-pressure torsion (HPT) with up to 6 turns at room temperature (RT) and liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT), respectively. The effects of temperature on grain refinement and microhardness variation were investigated. For the samples after HPT processing at RT, the grain size reduced from 43 mu m to 265 nm, and the Vickers microhardness increased from HV52 to HV140. However, for the samples after HPT processing at LNT, the value of microhardness reached its maximum of HV150 near the center of the sample and it decreased to HV80 at the periphery region. Microstructure observations revealed that HPT straining at LNT induced lamellar structures with thickness less than 100 nm appearing near the central region of the sample, but further deformation induced an inhomogeneous distribution of grain sizes, with submicrometer-sized grains embedded inside micrometer-sized grains. The submicrometer-sized grains with high dislocation density indicated their nonequilibrium nature. On the contrary, the micrometer-sized grains were nearly free of dislocation, without obvious deformation trace remaining in them. These images demonstrated that the appearance of micrometer-sized grains is the result of abnormal grain growth of the deformed fine grains.

低功率氩电弧加热发动机的数值模拟

采用可求解可压缩流动与传热的全速度SIMPLE算法, 对低功率氩电弧加热发动机内部的传热与流动进行了数值模拟, 获得了电弧加热发动机内的温度、速度、马赫数及流线分布. 计算结果表明: 电弧加热发动机内最高温度出现在阴极下游附近中心轴线处, 这是因为电弧在阴极表面收缩形成阴极弧点, 从而焦耳热成为该高温区的主要加热机制; 沿着发动机中心轴线, 气体温度和速度开始时随着距阴极距离的增加而迅速增加, 然后在等离子体流向喷管出口的过程中, 气体温度和速度逐渐下降. 此外还详细考察了弧电流变化对电弧加热发动机内部传热与流动特性的影响, 计算获得的发动机流量和比冲与实验结果基本一致.

Crystallization Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Crosslinked Plasticized Poly(L-lactic acid)

Enhancing the stability of plasticized poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) is necessary for its practical application. In this study, plasticized PLLA (PLLA/PEG 80/20 wt/wt) was crosslinked under I-ray (Co-60) in the presence of triallyl isocyanurate (TALC) as crosslinking agent. FTIR analysis revealed that PLLA, PEG, and TALC formed a cocrosslinking structure. Crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of the crosslinked plasticized PLLA were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile tests. Experimental results indicated that the crystallization behaviors of both PEG and PLLA in the blends were restrained after irradiation. The melting peak of PEG in the crystallized samples disappeared at a low irradiation doses about 10 kGy. Although PLLA still owned the behavior of crystallize, its cold crystallization temperature and glass transition temperature shifted to higher temperature. Mechanical properties of the plasticized PLLA were strengthened through crosslinking. Both yield strength and elastic modulus of the samples increased after crosslinking.

敏捷制造策略原理及关键技术

本文研究了敏捷制造策略的基本原理和关键技术.敏捷制造策略被认为是全面提高企业竞争能力的21世纪的制造策略,敏捷制造策略是在CIMS和并行工程的基础上,更大范围内企业之间的集成.其研究与发展对未来的企业文化、先进制造技术和世界市场竞争格局变化将具有主导作用。

贵州岩溶荒漠化成因及其防治

岩溶荒漠化是贵州岩溶地区的主要生态环境问题之一。对土地生产力的破坏作用巨大。它是碳酸盐岩的侵蚀过程与人类活动共同作用的结果。分析了贵州碳酸盐岩区域侵蚀的地质背景，认为岩溶地区的碳酸盐岩侵蚀及地貌和生态环境特点、被侵蚀土粒的物质输送规律构成了岩溶荒漠化的自然基础。指出碳酸盐岩的化学侵蚀并非风化成土过程，以及一般的土壤侵蚀指标不能代表岩溶地区土壤侵蚀的真实情况。还分析了岩溶荒漠化产生和发展过程中的不合理人为活动的主要表现形式及其产生根源。在此基础上本文提出了相应的综合防治措施。

Predicting interpretability of metabolome models based on behavior, putative identity, and biological relevance of explanatory signals

Enot, D. P., Beckmann, M., Overy, D., Draper, J. (2006). Predicting interpretability of metabolome models based on behavior, putative identity, and biological relevance of explanatory signals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 103(40), 14865-14870. Sponsorship: BBSRC RAE2008