Bursts in discontinuous Aeolian saltation

Close to the onset of Aeolian particle transport through saltation we find in wind tunnel experiments a regime of discontinuous flux characterized by bursts of activity. Scaling laws are observed in the time delay between each burst and in the measurements of the wind fluctuations at the fluid threshold Shields number $\theta_c$. The time delay between each burst decreases on average with the increase of the Shields number until sand flux becomes continuous. A numerical model for saltation including the wind-entrainment from the turbulent fluctuations can reproduce these observations and gives insight about their origin. We present here also for the first time measurements showing that with feeding it becomes possible to sustain discontinuous flux even below the fluid threshold

Thorax and abdomen morphology of some Neotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera)

The external morphology of the thorax and abdomen of four species of Neotropical Hesperiidae, belonging to different tribes, are described and illustrated. The morphological characters traditionally used in the classification of the family are reviewed and new information is added with emphasis on the characters usually neglected in the classification and identification of Hesperiidae and Lepidoptera. The use of these characters, along with those commonly used in literature for the identification and taxonomy of the family, is discussed, aiming to contribute to comparative studies of morphology and taxonomy of this group. A morfologia externa do tórax e abdômen de quatro espécies de Hesperiidae neotropicais, pertencentes a diferentes tribos na família são ilustradas e descritas. Os caracteres morfológicos tradicionalmente utilizados na classificação da família foram revistos e novas informações são acrescentadas enfatizando os caracteres usualmente negligenciados na classificação e identificação de Hesperiidae e Lepidoptera. O uso destes caracteres é discutido quanto à sua potencial utilidade na identificação e taxonomia da família, além dos comumente utilizados na literatura, objetivando contribuir para estudos de morfologia comparativa e taxonomia do grupo

Weber-like interactions and energy conservation

Velocity dependent forces varying as $k(\hat{r}/r)(1 - \mu \dot{r}^2 + \gamma r \ddot{r})$ (such as Weber force), here called Weber-like forces, are examined from the point of view of energy conservation and it is proved that they are conservative if and only if $\gamma=2\mu$. As a consequence, it is shown that gravitational theories employing Weber-like forces cannot be conservative and also yield both the precession of the perihelion of Mercury as well as the gravitational deflection of light.Comment: latex, 11 pages, no figure

Monte-Carlo calculation of longitudinal and transverse resistivities in a model Type-II superconductor

We study the effect of a transport current on the vortex-line lattice in isotropic type-II superconductors in the presence of strong thermal fluctuations by means of 'driven-diffusion' Monte Carlo simulations of a discretized London theory with finite magnetic penetration depth. We calculate the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for various temperatures, for transverse as well as longitudinal currents I. From these characteristics, we estimate the linear resistivities R_xx=R_yy and R_zz and compare these with equilibrium results for the vortex-lattice structure factor and the helicity moduli. From this comparison a consistent picture arises, in which the melting of the flux-line lattice occurs in two stages for the system size considered. In the first stage of the melting, at a temperature T_m, the structure factor drops to zero and R_xx becomes finite. For a higher temperature T_z, the second stage takes place, in which the longitudinal superconducting coherence is lost, and R_zz becomes finite as well. We compare our results with related recent numerical work and experiments on cuprate superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, with eps figure

Failure mechanisms and surface roughness statistics of fractured Fontainebleau sandstone

In an effort to investigate the link between failure mechanisms and the geometry of fractures of compacted grains materials, a detailed statistical analysis of the surfaces of fractured Fontainebleau sandstones has been achieved. The roughness of samples of different widths W is shown to be self affine with an exponent zeta=0.46 +- 0.05 over a range of length scales ranging from the grain size d up to an upper cut-off length \xi = 0.15 W. This low zeta value is in agreement with measurements on other sandstones and on sintered materials. The probability distributions P(delta z,delta h) of the variations of height over different distances delta z > d can be collapsed onto a single Gaussian distribution with a suitable normalisation and do not display multifractal features. The roughness amplitude, as characterized by the height-height correlation over fixed distances delta z, does not depend on the sample width, implying that no anomalous scaling of the type reported for other materials is present. It is suggested, in agreement with recent theoretical work, to explain these results by the occurence of brittle fracture (instead of damage failure in materials displaying a higher value of zeta = 0.8).Comment: 7 page