Free Minimization of the Fundamental Measure Theory Functional: Freezing of Parallel Hard Squares and Cubes

Due to remarkable advances in colloid synthesis techniques, systems of squares and cubes, once an academic abstraction for theorists and simulators, are nowadays an experimental reality. By means of a free minimization of the free-energy functional, we apply Fundamental Measure Theory to analyze the phase behavior of parallel hard squares and hard cubes. We compare our results with those obtained by the traditional approach based on the Gaussian parameterization, finding small deviations and good overall agreement between the two methods. For hard squares our predictions feature at intermediate packing fraction a smectic phase, which is however expected to be unstable due to thermal fluctuations. This implies that for hard squares the theory predicts either a vacancy-rich second-order transition or a vacancy-poor weakly first-order phase transition at higher density. In accordance with previous studies, a second-order transition with a high vacancy concentration is predicted for hard cubes

Density Functional Theory for Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystals

Even though chiral nematic phases were the first liquid crystals experimentally observed more than a century ago, the origin of the thermodynamic stability of cholesteric states is still unclear. In this Letter we address the problem by means of a novel density functional theory for the equilibrium pitch of chiral particles. When applied to right-handed hard helices, our theory predicts an entropy-driven cholesteric phase, which can be either right- or left-handed, depending not only on the particle shape but also on the thermodynamic state. We explain the origin of the chiral ordering as an interplay between local nematic alignment and excluded-volume differences between left- and right-handed particle pairs

Depletion-induced biaxial nematic states of boardlike particles

With the aim of investigating the stability conditions of biaxial nematic liquid crystals, we study the effect of adding a non-adsorbing ideal depletant on the phase behavior of colloidal hard boardlike particles. We take into account the presence of the depletant by introducing an effective depletion attraction between a pair of boardlike particles. At fixed depletant fugacity, the stable liquid crystal phase is determined through a mean-field theory with restricted orientations. Interestingly, we predict that for slightly elongated boardlike particles a critical depletant density exists, where the system undergoes a direct transition from an isotropic liquid to a biaxial nematic phase. As a consequence, by tuning the depletant density, an easy experimental control parameter, one can stabilize states of high biaxial nematic order even when these states are unstable for pure systems of boardlike particles

Observations of annual modulation in direct detection of relic particles and light neutralinos

The long-standing model-independent annual modulation effect measured by the DAMA Collaboration, which fulfills all the requirements of a dark matter annual modulation signature, and the new result by the CoGeNT experiment that shows a similar behavior are comparatively examined under the hypothesis of a dark matter candidate particle interacting with the detectors' nuclei by a coherent elastic process. The ensuing physical regions in the plane of the dark matter-particle mass versus the dark matter-particle nucleon cross-section are derived for various galactic halo models and by taking into account the impact of various experimental uncertainties. It is shown that the DAMA and the CoGeNT regions agree well between each other and are well fitted by a supersymmetric model with light neutralinos which satisfies all available experimental constraints, including the most recent results from CMS and ATLAS at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Entangling macroscopic diamonds at room temperature: Bounds on the continuous-spontaneous-localization parameters

A recent experiment [K. C. Lee et al., Science 334, 1253 (2011)] succeeded in detecting entanglement between two macroscopic specks of diamonds, separated by a macroscopic distance, at room temperature. This impressive results is a further confirmation of the validity of quantum theory in (at least parts of) the mesoscopic and macroscopic domain, and poses a challenge to collapse models, which predict a violation of the quantum superposition principle, which is the bigger the larger the system. We analyze the experiment in the light of such models. We will show that the bounds placed by experimental data are weaker than those coming from matter-wave interferometry and non-interferometric tests of collapse models.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, v2: close to the published version, LaTe

Using full-scale duckweed ponds as the finish stage for swine waste treatment with a focus on organic matter degradation

Artigo Publicado em: IWA - Water Science & TechnologyThe rapid increase in the number of swine has caused pronounced environmental impacts worldwide, especially on water resources. As an aggregate, smallholdings have an important role in South American pork production, contributing to the net diffusion of pollution. Thus, duckweed ponds have been successfully used for swine waste polishing, mainly for nutrient removal. Few studies have been carried out to assess organic matter degradation in duckweed ponds. Hence, the present study evaluated the efficiency of two full-scale duckweed ponds for organic matter reduction of swine waste on small pig farms. Duckweed ponds, in series, received the effluent after an anaerobic biodigester and storage pond, with a flow rate of 1 m3 day 1. After 1 year of monitoring, an improvement in effluent quality was observed, with a reduction in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD), respectively, of 94.8 and 96.7%, operating at a loading rate of approximately 27 kgBOD ha 1 day 1 and 131 kgCOD ha 1 day 1. Algae inhibition due to duckweed coverage was strongly observed in the pond effluent, where chlorophyll a and turbidity remained below 25 μg L 1 and 10 NTU. Using the study conditions described herein, duckweed ponds were shown to be a suitable technology for swine waste treatment, contributing to the environmental sustainability of rural areas

Multigap RPC time resolution to 511 keV annihilation photons

The time resolution of Multigap Resistive Plate Counters (MRPCs) to $511$ keV gamma rays has been investigated using a $^{22}$Na source and four detectors. The MRPCs time resolution has been derived from the Time-of-Flight information, measured from pairs of space correlated triggered events. A GEANT4 simulation has been performed to analyze possible setup contributions and to support experimental results. A time resolution (FWHM) of $376$ ps and $312$ ps has been measured for a single MRPC with four $250$ $\mu$m gas gaps by considering respectively one and two independent pairs of detectors.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figure

Analisis Semiotika Iklan Rokok U Mild Versi Tiap Luka Punya Cerita

This study entitled Analysis of Semiotics of Masculinity In U Mild Ciggarets Version “Tiap Luka Punya Cerita”. The Purpose of this advertisement is to knowing the denotation meaning, conotation meaning and myth that represented in this ad and to knowing the meaning of masculinity by five of masculinity reachness from Archer and Lloyd.This research using analysis of semiotic theory by Roland Barthes, there are meaning of signifier, signified, denotation level, conotation level. In this advertisement have fourteen seconds of duration that divided in five scenes. The mhetod that used in this research is cualitative mhetod. The researcher downloaded the video of this advertisement for the first step from youtube, then turning out the video being the pieces of pictures which all will be analyzed. The video made be eight pictures and divided in five scenes.The lifestyle of society nowadays so close with cigarrets. Not only adults, teenagers even the children are many in comsuming cigarrets. Image of cigarrets advertisement in televison fixed with the kind of closeness objection that advertised. Cigarret is a regular consumption for man. The man is always showed up in way of masculinity.This research is using a couple of relevant theorys, are : Advertisement, semiotic, Roland Barthes semiotic theory, visual communication semiotic, masculinity, film structure and sounds. Denotation meaning of this ads is representing men that have masculinity by their looks. The men who can representing masculinity are they who have sharp body, hard and love the things of dangerousity and have the youth soul. The other things the men who can called masculine man if could handle broken hearted soul that caused by women. The conotation that showed up in this ads is represented by a friendship of man. Cigarrets conotated as a friend and the men who have youth soul.

Mutation of Directed Graphs -- Corresponding Regular Expressions and Complexity of Their Generation

Directed graphs (DG), interpreted as state transition diagrams, are traditionally used to represent finite-state automata (FSA). In the context of formal languages, both FSA and regular expressions (RE) are equivalent in that they accept and generate, respectively, type-3 (regular) languages. Based on our previous work, this paper analyzes effects of graph manipulations on corresponding RE. In this present, starting stage we assume that the DG under consideration contains no cycles. Graph manipulation is performed by deleting or inserting of nodes or arcs. Combined and/or multiple application of these basic operators enable a great variety of transformations of DG (and corresponding RE) that can be seen as mutants of the original DG (and corresponding RE). DG are popular for modeling complex systems; however they easily become intractable if the system under consideration is complex and/or large. In such situations, we propose to switch to corresponding RE in order to benefit from their compact format for modeling and algebraic operations for analysis. The results of the study are of great potential interest to mutation testing