1,398 research outputs found
Size distribution of dust grains: A problem of self-similarity
Distribution functions describing the results of natural processes frequently show the shape of power laws, e.g., mass functions of stars and molecular clouds, velocity spectrum of turbulence, size distributions of asteroids, micrometeorites and also interstellar dust grains. It is an open question whether this behavior is a result simply coming about by the chosen mathematical representation of the observational data or reflects a deep-seated principle of nature. The authors suppose the latter being the case. Using a dust model consisting of silicate and graphite grains Mathis et al. (1977) showed that the interstellar extinction curve can be represented by taking a grain radii distribution of power law type n(a) varies as a(exp -p) with 3.3 less than or equal to p less than or equal to 3.6 (example 1) as a basis. A different approach to understanding power laws like that in example 1 becomes possible by the theory of self-similar processes (scale invariance). The beta model of turbulence (Frisch et al., 1978) leads in an elementary way to the concept of the self-similarity dimension D, a special case of Mandelbrot's (1977) fractal dimension. In the frame of this beta model, it is supposed that on each stage of a cascade the system decays to N clumps and that only the portion beta N remains active further on. An important feature of this model is that the active eddies become less and less space-filling. In the following, the authors assume that grain-grain collisions are such a scale-invarient process and that the remaining grains are the inactive (frozen) clumps of the cascade. In this way, a size distribution n(a) da varies as a(exp -(D+1))da (example 2) results. It seems to be highly probable that the power law character of the size distribution of interstellar dust grains is the result of a self-similarity process. We can, however, not exclude that the process leading to the interstellar grain size distribution is not fragmentation at all. It could be, e.g., diffusion-limited growth discussed by Sander (1986), who applied the theory of fractal geometry to the classification of non-equilibrium growth processes. He received D=2.4 for diffusion-limited aggregation in 3d-space
Fluid-Structure Interaction with the Entropic Lattice Boltzmann Method
We propose a novel fluid-structure interaction (FSI) scheme using the
entropic multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann (KBC) model for the fluid
domain in combination with a nonlinear finite element solver for the structural
part. We show validity of the proposed scheme for various challenging set-ups
by comparison to literature data. Beyond validation, we extend the KBC model to
multiphase flows and couple it with FEM solver. Robustness and viability of the
entropic multi-relaxation time model for complex FSI applications is shown by
simulations of droplet impact on elastic superhydrophobic surfaces
Entropic Lattice Boltzmann Method for Moving and Deforming Geometries in Three Dimensions
Entropic lattice Boltzmann methods have been developed to alleviate intrinsic
stability issues of lattice Boltzmann models for under-resolved simulations.
Its reliability in combination with moving objects was established for various
laminar benchmark flows in two dimensions in our previous work Dorschner et al.
[11] as well as for three dimensional one-way coupled simulations of
engine-type geometries in Dorschner et al. [12] for flat moving walls. The
present contribution aims to fully exploit the advantages of entropic lattice
Boltzmann models in terms of stability and accuracy and extends the methodology
to three-dimensional cases including two-way coupling between fluid and
structure, turbulence and deformable meshes. To cover this wide range of
applications, the classical benchmark of a sedimenting sphere is chosen first
to validate the general two-way coupling algorithm. Increasing the complexity,
we subsequently consider the simulation of a plunging SD7003 airfoil at a
Reynolds number of Re = 40000 and finally, to access the model's performance
for deforming meshes, we conduct a two-way coupled simulation of a
self-propelled anguilliform swimmer. These simulations confirm the viability of
the new fluid-structure interaction lattice Boltzmann algorithm to simulate
flows of engineering relevance.Comment: submitted to Journal of Computational Physic
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ECRG4 regulates neutrophil recruitment and CD44 expression during the inflammatory response to injury.
The complex molecular microenvironment of the wound bed regulates the duration and degree of inflammation in the wound repair process, while its dysregulation leads to impaired healing. Understanding factors controlling this response provides therapeutic targets for inflammatory disease. Esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) is a candidate chemokine that is highly expressed on leukocytes. We used ECRG4 knockout (KO) mice to establish that the absence of ECRG4 leads to defective neutrophil recruitment with a delay in wound healing. An in vitro human promyelocyte model identified an ECRG4-mediated suppression of the hyaluronic acid receptor, CD44, a key receptor mediating inflammation resolution. In ECRG4 KO mouse leukocytes, there was an increase in CD44 expression, consistent with a model in which ECRG4 negatively regulates CD44 levels. Therefore, we propose a previously unidentified mechanism in which ECRG4 regulates early neutrophil recruitment and subsequent CD44-mediated resolution of inflammation
Exploring shock-capturing schemes for Particles on Demand simulation of compressible flows
In this exploratory study, we apply shock-capturing schemes within the
framework of the Particles on Demand kinetic model to simulate compressible
flows with mild and strong shock waves and discontinuities. The model is based
on the semi-Lagrangian method where the information propagates along the
characteristics while a set of shock-capturing concepts such as the total
variation diminishing and weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes are
employed to capture the discontinuities and the shock-waves. The results show
that the reconstruction schemes are able to remove the oscillations at the
location of the shock waves and together with the Galilean invariance nature of
the Particles on Demand model, stable simulations of mild to extreme
compressible benchmarks can be carried out. Moreover, the essential numerical
properties of the reconstruction schemes such as their spectral analysis and
order of accuracy are discussed
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