Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds that have a molecular structure containing both a hydrophilic (water loving) and a hydrophobic (water hating) region. The hydrophobic region is usually a long chain aliphatic hydrocarbon, whereas the hydrophilic portion can be composed of an ionic or non-ionic polar group. The physical nature of these molecules bestows the ability to reduce surface tension ...

When tailored to make durable thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), the Solution Precursor Plasma Spray (SPPS) process produces a microstructure containing uniformly vertical cracks. These cracks provide a high degree of strain tolerance to the ceramic top coat. In order to understand the formation of vertical crack in SPPS process, coatings of various thicknesses were deposited on a variety of subs...

We derive a relation between the observed polarization and beaming factor (Doppler factor) and compare this relation with the observed data for BL Lac objects. Our results indicate that the high optical polarization is correlated to the beaming effect and the difference in polarizations between Xray selected (XBLs) and radio selected (RBLs) BL Lac objects is due to the difference in their beami...

Establishing apical-basal polarity is instrumental in the functional shaping of a solitary lumen within an acinus. By exploiting micropatterned slides, wound healing assays, and three-dimensional culture systems, we identified a mother centriole subdistal appendage protein, cenexin, as a critical player in symmetric lumen expansion through the control of microtubule organization. In this regard...

We report all-fiber polarization interference filters, known as Lyot and Lyot-Őhman filters, based on alternative concatenation of UV-inscribed fiber gratings with structure tilted at 45° and polarization maintaining (PM) fiber cavities. Such filters generate comb-like transmission of linear polarization output. The free spectral range (FSR) of a single-stage (Lyot) filter is PM fiber cavity le...

In this paper, an ultracompact design of a polarization rotator (PR) based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform is presented. The design contains two simple silicon nanowires but with unequal width, which will be easier to fabricate. It is shown here that a low-loss, wide-bandwidth, and 52.8-μm-long compact PR with polarization cross talk of -20  dB can be achieved. A full-vectorial finite ...

Electrically induced electron spin polarization is imaged in n-type ZnSe epilayers using Kerr rotation spectroscopy. Despite no evidence for an electrically induced internal magnetic field, current-induced in-plane spin polarization is observed with characteristic spin lifetimes that decrease with doping density. The spin Hall effect is also observed, indicated by an electrically induced out-of...

The par genes were discovered in genetic screens for regulators of cytoplasmic partitioning in the early embryo of C. elegans, and encode six different proteins required for asymmetric cell division by the worm zygote. Some of the PAR proteins are localized asymmetrically and form physical complexes with one another. Strikingly, the PAR proteins have been found to regulate cell polarization in ...

Two streams have been identified in cortical visual processing: a ventral stream for form, color, and features, and a dorsal stream for spatial characteristics and motion. We investigated whether similar "what" and "where" dissociations of function exist for human somatosensory processing. Using identical stimuli and hand movements, subjects either performed tactile object recognition (TOR) and...