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The effects of both hydrodynamic interaction and the form of the interparticle potential on the aggregation process for dispersed spherical particles are investigated by computational simulation. The simulation methods of Brownian Dynamics (BD) and Stokesian Dynamics (SD) are applied, over a range of solid volume fraction of 0.04≤φ≤0.12. The interparticle potential is a combination of a generalized Lennard-Jones form and a Yukawa potential, the latter of which describes a screened electrostatic repulsion at longer range. The combined potential is parameterized to include a roughly constant primary minimum near contact, along with a variable repulsive barrier at slightly larger separation. The microstructure is characterized through the pair distribution function, g(r), and the static structure factor. The repulsive barrier reduces the rate of aggregation and is also seen to affect the structure, with a large repulsion associated with a more tenuous structure. This is reflected in the potential having a strong effect on the evolution of 'bonds' per particle. Hydrodynamic interactions were found to reduce the solid fraction required for percolation, with the influence depending upon the form of the potential; the difference in percolation threshold was significant, with φ(c,SD)≐0.06 and φ(c,BD)≥0.08 a typical difference for moderate repulsion barriers. These results are for 864 particles in a cubic unit cell. To address the mechanism for this influence of hydrodynamic interactions, a complementary analysis of the evolution of numerous independent three-particle aggregates was performed. The analysis shows that hydrodynamic interaction slows the evolution toward a condensed aggregate of lowest potential energy in a way which cannot be explained by a simple rescaling of the drag due to uncorrelated particle motions.

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Brillouin scattering in liquids composed of optically and mechanically anisotropic molecules is affected by coupling between rotational and translational dynamics. While this effect has been extensively studied in depolarized (VH) scattering where it produces the "Rytov dip," recent theoretical analyses by Pick, Franosch show that it should also produce observable effects in polarized (VV) scattering [Eur. Phys. J. B 31, 217 (2003)]; 31, 229 (2003)]]. To test this theory, we carried out Brillouin scattering studies of the molecular glassformer salol in the temperature range 210-380 K, including VH-backscattering, VH-90 degrees, and VV-90 degrees spectra. The data were analyzed consistently to determine the effects of rotation-translation coupling on both the polarized and depolarized spectra. A previously unanticipated feature predicted by these authors was observed: a narrow negative region in the q -dependent part of the 90 degrees VV spectra, which we designate as the "VV dip." It is an analog of the Rytov dip observed at high temperatures in the 90 degrees VH spectra, which is also accurately described by this theory. Analysis of the 90 degrees VV spectra was carried out both with and without inclusion of translation-rotation coupling in order to determine quantitatively the role this coupling plays.

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Brillouin-scattering spectra of the molecular glass-forming material propylene carbonate (PC) in the temperature range 140 K to 350 K were analyzed using both the phenomenological Cole-Davidson memory function and a hybrid memory function consisting of the Cole-Davidson function plus a power-law term representing the critical decay part of the fast beta relaxation. The spectra were also analyzed using the extended two-correlator schematic mode-coupling theory (MCT) model recently employed by Götze and Voigtmann to analyze depolarized light backscattering, dielectric, and neutron-scattering spectra of PC [Phys. Rev. E 61, 4133 (2000)]. We assess the ability of the phenomenological and MCT fits, each with three free fitting parameters, to simultaneously describe the spectra and give reasonable values for the alpha-relaxation time tau(alpha).

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Polarized and depolarized Brillouin scattering experiments on molten ZnCl2 were performed between 300 and 600 degrees C in different geometries. VV spectra measured in backscattering and small angle scattering were analyzed with conventional viscoelastic theory using either a Debye or a Cole-Davidson model for the memory function. We also analyzed in the same way the temperature dependence of the transverse Brillouin lines detected in a 90 degrees VH geometry. We show that the Cole-Davidson memory function yields a consistent interpretation of all the spectra. The resulting shear and longitudinal relaxation times are equal within their error bars, and are about 2.5 times smaller than the alpha relaxation time previously determined. The static shear viscosity values deduced from the analysis of the propagating transverse waves agree, at all temperatures, with the measured viscosity values.

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We describe novel composite pulse sequences which act as general rotors and thus are particularly suitable for nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computation. The resonance offset tailoring to enhance nutations approach permits perfect compensation of off-resonance errors at two selected frequencies placed symmetrically around the frequency of the radiofrequency source.

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We propose a technique for achieving phase matching in Brillouin scattering in a dielectric fiber doped by three-level Lambda-type ions. This can lead to a dramatic increase of efficiency of ponderomotive nonlinear interaction between the electromagnetic waves and holds promise for applications in quantum optics such as squeezing and quantum nondemolition measurements.

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The "knee" found in the depolarized light scattering spectra of Ca0.4K0.6(NO3)(1.4) at low temperatures by G. Li, W.M. Du, X.K. Chen, H.Z. Cummins, and N.J. Tao [Phys. Rev. A 45, 3867 (1992)] appears to have been an experimental artifact. The origin of this feature is analyzed, and its implications for the mode coupling theory of the liquid-glass transition are considered.

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The evolution of a dendritic pattern from a planar solid-liquid interface during directional solidification of a binary alloy was investigated experimentally. The model alloy used was the transparent organic crystal succinonitrile doped with the laser dye coumarin 152. The buildup of solute ahead of the initially stable planar interface and the subsequent instability of the planar front were measured in detail and compared with recent theoretical calculations by Warren and Langer [Warren, J. A. & Langer, J. S. (1993) Phys. Rev. E 47, 2702- 2712]. The fluorescence of coumarin 152 was used for direct observations of the evolution of the solute concentration profile ahead of the initially planar solid-liquid interface. UV absorption was used to produce thermal perturbations of the sample that generated spatially periodic modulations of the planar interface. This technique allows for measurement of both positive and negative linear growth coefficients (determined from the growth or decay rate of the modulation after the perturbation is switched off) for a large range of wave vectors. Measurements of the evolution of the concentration profile and the linear growth coefficients, and the occurrence of the initial instability, were in good agreement with the Warren-Langer predictions.

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The evolution of the crystal-melt interface was investigated during directional solidification of a dilute binary alloy, starting at the marginal stability time t(i) at which the planar interface first becomes unstable. The time delay between t(i) and the crossover time t(0) at which the interface modulation becomes observable was determined experimentally. The interface morphology was analyzed as the cellular pattern appeared, and it was followed through the coarsening phase to the final steady-state dendritic pattern. The relevance of the initial instability for steady-state pattern selection was verified experimentally, and some aspects of the coarsening dynamics were measured and compared with theoretical predictions of Warren and Langer [Warren, J. A. & Langer, J. S. (1990) Phys. Rev. A 42, 3518-3525; Warren, J. A. & Langer, J. S. (1993) Phys. Rev. E 47, 2702-2712].

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OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in humans to the prevalence of M. bovis infection in cattle in south-west Ireland and discuss possible links between them. SETTING: In the south-west region of Ireland, a mixed urban and rural community (pop. 536,000), there is a residuum of human tuberculosis caused by M. bovis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the incidence of culture-positive M. bovis disease in humans in south-west Ireland from 1983 to 1994 and of the results of tuberculin testing in cattle from 1978 to 1994 for the same region. RESULTS: One to five cases of human tuberculosis due to M. bovis were recorded per year while the overall prevalence of bovine infection fell gradually during the period of study from 467 tuberculin-positive animals per 100,000 cattle tested in 1983 to 158 per 100,000 in 1994. CONCLUSION: The low incidence plateau of human tuberculosis due to M. bovis together with the decline in prevalence of animal infection in the overall period studied suggest a cut-off in the animal to human chain of infection at two points; the animal source and the ingestion of (now pasteurized) milk. This would suggest that disease in humans is now due to reactivation of previous foci of infection which were acquired when milk pasteurization was not compulsory. Based on this, we would anticipate a further reduction and possible elimination of human tuberculosis due to M. bovis in this region in the next 10-15 years.

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The potential of ramosetron ((R)-5-[(1-methyl-3-indolyl)carbonyl]-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1 H-benzimidazole hydrochloride, CAS 132907-72-3, YM060) orally disintegrating tablets to cause irritation to the oral mucosa was assessed in a group of six male and six female Syrian hamsters. Each animal was given one tablet containing 0.1 mg YM060 into the right cheek pouch once daily for 14 consecutive days. A neck collar was fitted for 1 h after each administration to ensure that the tablet was not expelled. A similarly constituted group of hamsters received placebo tablets and acted as a contemporaneous control. Left and right cheek pouches were examined before dosing each day, and on the day following the last treatment. At the end of the treatment period the animals were killed, the cheek pouches excised and examined macroscopically. The cheek pouches of all animals were assessed for histopathological change. There were no signs to indicate systemic or local reactions to treatment in any animal. Macroscopic and microscopic examination of the cheek pouches did not reveal any treatment-related effect. It is concluded that YM060 orally disintegrating tablets are non-irritant to the hamster oral mucosa.

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Osmotic-swelling experiments were conducted on a variety of preparations of "uniform" unilamellar vesicle systems. The synthetic lipid preparations included both vesicles produced by extrusion through polycarbonate ultrafiltration membranes and vesicles produced by the pH-adjustment method. The vesicles were monitored by photon correlation spectroscopy during swelling as the osmolarity of the external solution was decreased. Contrary to our previously reported results [Aurora, T. S., Li, W., Cummins, H. Z., & Haines, T. H. (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 820, 250-258; Li, W., & Haines, T. H. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7477-7483; Li, W., Aurora, T. S., Haines, T. H., & Cummins, H. Z. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 8220-8229; Haines, T. H., Li, W., Green, M., & Cummins, H. Z. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 5439-5447] large unilamellar vesicles produced from acidic lipids by the pH-adjustment technique were highly polydisperse and did not swell in a manner that permitted the computation of a Young's modulus, presumably due to the polydispersity. Also contrary to our previous reports, membranes derived from bovine submitochondrial particles did not produce evidence of swelling when subjected to similar protocols. Analysis of osmotic swelling of extruded unilamellar vesicles has allowed us to assign Young's moduli for bilayers of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine and dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol, in the range (5-8) x 10(8) and (3-6) x 10(8) dyn/cm2, respectively. The diameters and polydispersites obtained with electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy were compared directly and with computer-modeling techniques. While excellent agreement was obtained for distributions with low polydispersity (approximately greater than 0.1), serious disagreement was found when the polydispersity exceeded approximately 0.2.

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Uniform, unilamellar vesicles have been prepared by the pH-modification technique. The initial sizes of the vesicles were from 200 to 700 nm and were measured to within 1-3% by photo correlation spectroscopy. Vesicles were made of the dioleoyl esters of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, the diphytanyl ethers of phosphatidylglycerol, Escherichia coli lipids, and lac permease reconstituted into E. coli lipids. The vesicle suspensions were prepared and then diluted with electrolyte (KCl) and/or nonelectrolyte (sucrose, trehalose, pentaerythritol) impermeants. The amplitude of the swelling is linearly proportional to the osmotic pressure difference across the bilayer. We have determined the elastic modulus, the elastic limit (percent surface expansion at bursting), and the transbilayer pressure difference at bursting for each of these vesicles at constant osmolarity but at different ionic strengths. We find that the elastic properties of the bilayer vary by a factor of 10 in electrolyte media as compared to isosmolal nonelectrolyte media and that this variation appears to be related to both the charge density at the surface and the ionic strength of the media. Anionic lipid vesicles in 150 mM KCl have a significantly higher modulus (50 X 10(7) dyn/cm2) and transbilayer pressure difference (40 mosM) at bursting with a small capacity to stretch (3-4% surface expansion) compared to the same vesicles suspended in nonelectrolyte impermeants. The latter vesicles undergo a significant surface expansion (8-10%), display a low modulus (3 X 10(7) dyn/cm2), and burst at 3-4 mosM bilayer pressure difference. Vesicles suspended in media of constant osmolarity at various ionic strengths display properties with proportional values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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A rapid and accurate method has been developed for measuring the elastic response of vesicle bilayer membranes to an applied osmotic pressure. The technique of dynamic light scattering is used to measure both the elastic constant and the elastic limit of dioleoylphosphatidic acid (DOPA) and DOPA-cholesterol vesicles and of submitochondrial particles derived from the inner membrane of bovine heart mitochondria. The vesicles prepared by the pH-adjustment method are unilamellar and of uniform size between 240 and 460 nm in diameter. The vesicles swell uniformly upon dilution. The observed change in size is not due to any change in the shape of the vesicles. The data also indicate that the vesicles are spherical and not flaccid. The total vesicle swelling in these studies resulted in a 3-4% increase in surface area for vesicles swollen in 0.15 M KCl and a 5-10% increase in surface area for vesicles swollen in 0.25 M sucrose. This maximum represents the elastic limit of the vesicles. Evidence is presented to show that the vesicles release contents after swelling to this maximum, reseal immediately, and reswell according to the osmotic pressure. For DOPA vesicles in a 0.15 M KCl-tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride (Tris-HCl) buffer (pH 7.55), the observed membrane modulus is found to be in the range of 10(8) dyn/cm2. The modulus was found to be in the order of 10(7) dyn/cm2 for DOPA vesicles in a 0.25 M sucrose-Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.55). This is comparable to that of submitochondrial particles in the same sucrose-Tris-HCl buffer. The observed membrane modulus also decreases with vesicle size. Its magnitude and its variation with ionic strength indicate that the major component of bilayer elasticity is neither the inherent elasticity of the bilayer nor the bending modulus. The variation of the membrane modulus with respect to curvature suggests that its principal component may be related to surface tension effects including the negative charges on the vesicle surface. There is considerable variation between vesicles swollen in sucrose and those swollen in KCl in the membrane modulus, in the elastic limit at which the vesicles burst, and in the transbilayer pressure difference at bursting. The latter was found to be 4-6 mosM (10(5) dyn/cm2) in sucrose solution and 20-4 mosM (10(6) dyn/cm2) in KCl solution.

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A method has been developed for making large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) with low polydispersity. The LUV, constituted of dioleoylphosphatidic acid (DOPA), 300 nm in diameter are made by a modification of the pH adjustment technique (Hauser, H. and Gains, N. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 1683-1687). This size is 10 times that (30 nm) of vesicles prepared by prolonged sonication. Vesicle size is increased stepwise by adding cholesterol (to a maximum of 40 mol% cholesterol) to form vesicles in 0.15 M KCl with up to 600 nm diameter. The vesicle size is measured by photon correlation spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and by measurement of the internal volume with cyanocobalamin while calculating the number of DOPA molecules per vesicle. Vesicles are stable for at least three weeks. Sepharose 4B column chromatography of the preparation yields a peak of fractions with the same polydispersity as the original sample and shows that 30 to 40% of the original lipid in a sample is recovered as LUV. Less than 2% of the sample forms small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) (diameter = 30 nm), which emerge from the column in a separate peak. Since the remaining lipid is not suspended in the buffer during vesicle formation, for most purposes the vesicles may be used immediately after titration so that they can be prepared in less than 40 min.

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An analysis of the frequency of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes from 47 thorium workers and three external controls is presented. Thirty-seven of these cases were divided into three age-matched groups based upon the means of the sums of their emanating radium-224 and bismuth-212 (Ra + Bi) burdens. The low burden group (mean Ra + Bi burden = -0.06 +/- 0.03 nCi) had two two-break chromosome aberrations in 1200 cells, the moderate burden group (mean Ra + Bi burden = 0.21 +/- 0.03 nCi) had three such aberrations in 1000 cells and the high burden group (mean Ra + Bi burden = 0.99 +/- 0.21 nCi) had five such aberrations in 1500 cells. While there is a two-fold increase in the two-break aberration frequency in pooled data from the two higher exposure groups (8/2500 cells) as compared with the lowest exposure group (2/1200 cells), the difference between these subsamples is not statistically significant (p = 0.32). The frequency of dicentrics and centric ring chromosomes (8/3300 cells) in the pooled higher body burden groups from the total sample (mean Ra + Bi burden = 0.56 +/- 0.09 nCi) does however show a very highly significant increase over the historical control frequency. A similar analysis based on total months of employment in the thorium-processing industry did not show a positive relationship between duration of employment and aberration frequency. In broad outline, our results are compatible with those from similar studies on Brazilian thorium workers and Thorotrast patients.

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Microscopic methods of performing motility assays of spermatozoa are slow, subjective, and involve a small number of spermatozoa. Laser light-scattering methods can analyze the motility of many spermatozoa within minutes. The swimming speed distribution of human spermatozoa was investigated by photon correlation spectroscopy. The sperm was diluted in seminal plasma to avoid modifying the viscosity. The swimming speed distribution was reconstructed from the correlation data by Stock's method of splines. When compared with a videomicroscopic assay, the reconstructed swimming speed distribution accurately reflects translational motion between 0 and 80 micrometers per second, while for speeds greater than 80 micrometers per second the distribution is distorted by the effects of rotational motion.

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