631 research outputs found
Phase diagram of a generalized ABC model on the interval
We study the equilibrium phase diagram of a generalized ABC model on an
interval of the one-dimensional lattice: each site is occupied by a
particle of type \a=A,B,C, with the average density of each particle species
N_\a/N=r_\a fixed. These particles interact via a mean field
non-reflection-symmetric pair interaction. The interaction need not be
invariant under cyclic permutation of the particle species as in the standard
ABC model studied earlier. We prove in some cases and conjecture in others that
the scaled infinite system N\rw\infty, i/N\rw x\in[0,1] has a unique
density profile \p_\a(x) except for some special values of the r_\a for
which the system undergoes a second order phase transition from a uniform to a
nonuniform periodic profile at a critical temperature .Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
Characterisation of aged HDPE pipes from drinking water distribution : investigation of crack depth by Nol ring tests under creep loading
International audienceHDPE pipes are used for the transport of drinking water. However, disinfectants in waterseem to have a strong impact on their mechanical behaviour, limiting their lifetime inoperation. Indeed, oxidation occurs when they are in contact with disinfectants leading to theformation of a thin oxidised layer coupled to the cracks initiation of cracks of different lengthsfrom the inner wall surface. An original method is proposed here to characterise the ageingeffect of the pipe mechanical behaviour. Inspired from the ASTM D 2290-04 standard, NolRing tests have been performed under tensile and creep loadings on smooth rings. Aconstitutive equation has been determined from these tests using a finite element (FE)modelling. FE simulations have been performed to study the influence of the thin oxidised PElayer. Precracked specimens with different crack depth ratio have also been modelled. Thecrack depth ratio is an important parameter to quantify pipe ageing
Acacia auriculiformis production in the Mampu agroforestry zone on the Batéké plateau, Democratic Republic of Congo
peer reviewedThe Mampu agroforestry zone on the Batéké plateau in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been managed with Acacia auriculiformis shade trees for over twenty years by local communities, supplies subsistence products and fuel wood to Kinshasa. Thanks to international grant funding, this agroforestry system, which integrates traditional slashand- burn cultivation, has been replicated in many places across the RDC, but its performance has never been assessed. The aim of this study was to estimate Acacia auriculiformis production in terms of total biomass and usable biomass for charcoal (stems and branches more than 4 cm in diameter) as part of the agroforestry system. To do so, two local allometric equations for total and usable biomass were adjusted from destructive testing data. Using existing inventory data (n = 112 plots), we identified significant structural heterogeneity throughout the rotation period (8-10 years) but also among plots of the same age. Despite this heterogeneity, which may be accounted for by environmental conditions on site and/or by differences in the handling of plot management techniques, production is comparable to that observed at other sites, averaging 145 tonnes per hectare over 10 years. The Mampu agroforestry system has many advantages, including direct services creating rural employment and combined production of subsistence goods and charcoal, but also indirect services such as avoided deforestation and carbon sequestration. The system's sustainability and dissemination should nevertheless be discussed
Phase diagram of the ABC model on an interval
The three species asymmetric ABC model was initially defined on a ring by
Evans, Kafri, Koduvely, and Mukamel, and the weakly asymmetric version was
later studied by Clincy, Derrida, and Evans. Here the latter model is studied
on a one-dimensional lattice of N sites with closed (zero flux) boundaries. In
this geometry the local particle conserving dynamics satisfies detailed balance
with respect to a canonical Gibbs measure with long range asymmetric pair
interactions. This generalizes results for the ring case, where detailed
balance holds, and in fact the steady state measure is known only for the case
of equal densities of the different species: in the latter case the stationary
states of the system on a ring and on an interval are the same. We prove that
in the N to infinity limit the scaled density profiles are given by (pieces of)
the periodic trajectory of a particle moving in a quartic confining potential.
We further prove uniqueness of the profiles, i.e., the existence of a single
phase, in all regions of the parameter space (of average densities and
temperature) except at low temperature with all densities equal; in this case a
continuum of phases, differing by translation, coexist. The results for the
equal density case apply also to the system on the ring, and there extend
results of Clincy et al.Comment: 52 pages, AMS-LaTeX, 8 figures from 10 eps figure files. Revision:
minor changes in response to referee reports; paper to appear in J. Stat.
Phy
The grand canonical ABC model: a reflection asymmetric mean field Potts model
We investigate the phase diagram of a three-component system of particles on
a one-dimensional filled lattice, or equivalently of a one-dimensional
three-state Potts model, with reflection asymmetric mean field interactions.
The three types of particles are designated as , , and . The system is
described by a grand canonical ensemble with temperature and chemical
potentials , , and . We find that for
the system undergoes a phase transition from a
uniform density to a continuum of phases at a critical temperature . For other values of the chemical potentials the system
has a unique equilibrium state. As is the case for the canonical ensemble for
this model, the grand canonical ensemble is the stationary measure
satisfying detailed balance for a natural dynamics. We note that , where is the critical temperature for a similar transition in
the canonical ensemble at fixed equal densities .Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Quantification of segregation dynamics in ice mixtures
(Abridged) The observed presence of pure CO2 ice in protostellar envelopes is
attributed to thermally induced ice segregation, but a lack of quantitative
experimental data has prevented its use as a temperature probe. Quantitative
segregation studies are also needed to characterize diffusion in ices, which
underpins all ice dynamics and ice chemistry. This study aims to quantify the
segregation mechanism and barriers in different H2O:CO2 and H2O:CO ice mixtures
covering a range of astrophysically relevant ice thicknesses and mixture
ratios. The ices are deposited at 16-50 K under (ultra-)high vacuum conditions.
Segregation is then monitored at 23-70 K as a function of time, through
infrared spectroscopy. Thin (8-37 ML) H2O:CO2/CO ice mixtures segregate
sequentially through surface processes, followed by an order of magnitude
slower bulk diffusion. Thicker ices (>100 ML) segregate through a fast bulk
process. The thick ices must therefore be either more porous or segregate
through a different mechanism, e.g. a phase transition. The segregation
dynamics of thin ices are reproduced qualitatively in Monte Carlo simulations
of surface hopping and pair swapping. The experimentally determined
surface-segregation rates for all mixture ratios follow the Ahrrenius law with
a barrier of 1080[190] K for H2O:CO2 and 300[100] K for H2O:CO mixtures. During
low-mass star formation H2O:CO2 segregation will be important already at 30[5]
K. Both surface and bulk segregation is proposed to be a general feature of ice
mixtures when the average bond strengths of the mixture constituents in pure
ice exceeds the average bond strength in the ice mixture.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 25 pages, including 13 figure
Phase diagram of the ABC model with nonconserving processes
The three species ABC model of driven particles on a ring is generalized to
include vacancies and particle-nonconserving processes. The model exhibits
phase separation at high densities. For equal average densities of the three
species, it is shown that although the dynamics is {\it local}, it obeys
detailed balance with respect to a Hamiltonian with {\it long-range
interactions}, yielding a nonadditive free energy. The phase diagrams of the
conserving and nonconserving models, corresponding to the canonical and
grand-canonical ensembles, respectively, are calculated in the thermodynamic
limit. Both models exhibit a transition from a homogeneous to a phase-separated
state, although the phase diagrams are shown to differ from each other. This
conforms with the expected inequivalence of ensembles in equilibrium systems
with long-range interactions. These results are based on a stability analysis
of the homogeneous phase and exact solution of the hydrodynamic equations of
the models. They are supported by Monte-Carlo simulations. This study may serve
as a useful starting point for analyzing the phase diagram for unequal
densities, where detailed balance is not satisfied and thus a Hamiltonian
cannot be defined.Comment: 32 page, 7 figures. The paper was presented at Statphys24, held in
Cairns, Australia, July 201
The Complete Genome Sequence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis IP31758, the Causative Agent of Far East Scarlet-Like Fever
The first reported Far East scarlet-like fever (FESLF) epidemic swept the Pacific coastal region of Russia in the late 1950s. Symptoms of the severe infection included erythematous skin rash and desquamation, exanthema, hyperhemic tongue, and a toxic shock syndrome. The term FESLF was coined for the infection because it shares clinical presentations with scarlet fever caused by group A streptococci. The causative agent was later identified as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, although the range of morbidities was vastly different from classical pseudotuberculosis symptoms. To understand the origin and emergence of the peculiar clinical features of FESLF, we have sequenced the genome of the FESLF-causing strain Y. pseudotuberculosis IP31758 and compared it with that of another Y. pseudotuberculosis strain, IP32953, which causes classical gastrointestinal symptoms. The unique gene pool of Y pseudotuberculosis IP31758 accounts for more than 260 strain-specific genes and introduces individual physiological capabilities and virulence determinants, with a significant proportion horizontally acquired that likely originated from Enterobacteriaceae and other soil-dwelling bacteria that persist in the same ecological niche. The mobile genome pool includes two novel plasmids phylogenetically unrelated to all currently reported Yersinia plasmids. An icm/dot type IVB secretion system, shared only with the intracellular persisting pathogens of the order Legionellales, was found on the larger plasmid and could contribute to scarlatinoid fever symptoms in patients due to the introduction of immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive capabilities. We determined the common and unique traits resulting from genome evolution and speciation within the genus Yersinia and drew a more accurate species border between Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis. In contrast to the lack of genetic diversity observed in the evolutionary young descending Y. pestis lineage, the population genetics of Y. pseudotuberculosis is more heterogenous. Both Y. pseudotuberculosis strains IP31758 and the previously sequenced Y. pseudotuberculosis strain IP32953 have evolved by the acquisition of specific plasmids and by the horizontal acquisition and incorporation of different genetic information into the chromosome, which all together or independently seems to potentially impact the phenotypic adaptation of these two strains
The nonlinear time-dependent response of isotactic polypropylene
Tensile creep tests, tensile relaxation tests and a tensile test with a
constant rate of strain are performed on injection-molded isotactic
polypropylene at room temperature in the vicinity of the yield point. A
constitutive model is derived for the time-dependent behavior of
semi-crystalline polymers. A polymer is treated as an equivalent network of
chains bridged by permanent junctions. The network is modelled as an ensemble
of passive meso-regions (with affine nodes) and active meso-domains (where
junctions slip with respect to their positions in the bulk medium with various
rates). The distribution of activation energies for sliding in active
meso-regions is described by a random energy model. Adjustable parameters in
the stress--strain relations are found by fitting experimental data. It is
demonstrated that the concentration of active meso-domains monotonically grows
with strain, whereas the average potential energy for sliding of junctions and
the standard deviation of activation energies suffer substantial drops at the
yield point. With reference to the concept of dual population of crystalline
lamellae, these changes in material parameters are attributed to transition
from breakage of subsidiary (thin) lamellae in the sub-yield region to
fragmentation of primary (thick) lamellae in the post-yield region of
deformation.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure
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