178 research outputs found
Realization of an Inductance Scale Traceable to the Quantum Hall Effect Using an Automated Synchronous Sampling System
In this paper, the realization of an inductance scale from 1~H to 10~H
for frequencies ranging between 50~Hz to 20~kHz is presented. The scale is
realized directly from a series of resistance standards using a fully automated
synchronous sampling system. A careful systematic characterization of the
system shows that the lowest uncertainties, around 12~H/H, are obtained
for inductances in the range from 10~mH to 100~mH at frequencies in the kHz
range. This new measurement system which was successfully evaluated during an
international comparison, provides a primary realization of the henry, directly
traceable to the quantum Hall effect. An additional key feature of this system
is its versatility. In addition to resistance-inductance (R-L) comparison, any
kind of impedances can be compared: R-R, R-C, L-L or C-C, giving this sampling
system a great potential of use in many laboratories around the world
Nanoscale Contact Mechanics between Two Grafted Polyelectrolyte Surfaces
The adhesive and frictional behavior of end-grafted poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) films (brushes) in contact with atomic force microscope tips from which PDMAEMA or poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) were grafted has been shown to be a strong function of pH in aqueous solution. The interaction between the brush-coated surfaces is determined by a combination of electrostatic and noncovalent interactions, modulated by the effect of the solvation state on the brush and the resulting area of contact between the probe and the surface. For cationic PDMAEMA-PDMAEMA contacts at low pH, the brushes are highly solvated; a combination of electrostatic repulsion and a high degree of solvation (leading to a significant osmotic pressure) leads to a small area of contact, weak adhesion, and energy dissipation through plowing. As the pH increases, the electrostatic repulsion and the osmotic pressure decrease, leading to an increase in the area of contact and a concomitant increase in the strength of adhesion through hydrophobic interactions; as a consequence, the friction-load relationship becomes nonlinear as shear processes contribute to friction and the mechanics are fitted by DMT theory and, at higher pH, by the JKR model. For PDMAEMA-PMAA, the electrostatic interaction is attractive at neutral pH, leading to a large adhesion force, a large area of contact, and a nonlinear friction-load relationship. However, as the pH becomes either very small or very large, a significant charge is acquired by one of the contacting surfaces, leading to a large amount of bound solvent and a significant osmotic pressure that resists deformation. As a consequence, the area of contact is small, adhesion forces are reduced, and the friction-load relationship is linear, with energy dissipation dominated by molecular plowing
Realization of the farad from the dc quantum Hall effect with digitally-assisted impedance bridges
A new traceability chain for the derivation of the farad from dc quantum Hall
effect has been implemented at INRIM. Main components of the chain are two new
coaxial transformer bridges: a resistance ratio bridge, and a quadrature
bridge, both operating at 1541 Hz. The bridges are energized and controlled
with a polyphase direct-digital-synthesizer, which permits to achieve both main
and auxiliary equilibria in an automated way; the bridges and do not include
any variable inductive divider or variable impedance box. The relative
uncertainty in the realization of the farad, at the level of 1000 pF, is
estimated to be 64E-9. A first verification of the realization is given by a
comparison with the maintained national capacitance standard, where an
agreement between measurements within their relative combined uncertainty of
420E-9 is obtained.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 3 table
Spreading of a Macroscopic Lattice Gas
We present a simple mechanical model for dynamic wetting phenomena. Metallic
balls spread along a periodically corrugated surface simulating molecules of
liquid advancing along a solid substrate. A vertical stack of balls mimics a
liquid droplet. Stochastic motion of the balls, driven by mechanical vibration
of the corrugated surface, induces diffusional motion. Simple theoretical
estimates are introduced and agree with the results of the analog experiments,
with numerical simulation, and with experimental data for microscopic spreading
dynamics.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX, 9 Postscript figures, to be published in Phy. Rev. E
(September,1966
Modelling Small-Scale Drifting Snow with a Lagrangian Stochastic Model Based on Large-Eddy Simulations
Observations of drifting snow on small scales have shown that, in spite of nearly steady winds, the snow mass flux can strongly fluctuate in time and space. Most drifting snow models, however, are not able to describe drifting snow accurately over short time periods or on small spatial scales as they rely on mean flow fields and assume equilibrium saltation. In an attempt to gain understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of drifting snow on small scales, we propose to use a model combination of flow fields from large-eddy simulations (LES) and a Lagrangian stochastic model to calculate snow particle trajectories and so infer snow mass fluxes. Model results show that, if particle aerodynamic entrainment is driven by the shear stress retrieved from the LES, we can obtain a snow mass flux varying in space and time. The obtained fluctuating snow mass flux is qualitatively compared to field and wind-tunnel measurements. The comparison shows that the model results capture the intermittent behaviour of observed drifting snow mass flux yet differences between modelled turbulent structures and those likely to be found in the field complicate quantitative comparisons. Results of a model experiment show that the surface shear-stress distribution and its influence on aerodynamic entrainment appear to be key factors in explaining the intermittency of drifting snow
Single- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes viewed as elastic tubes with Young's moduli dependent on layer number
The complete energy expression of a deformed single-walled carbon nanotube
(SWNT) is derived in the continuum limit from the local density approximation
model proposed by Lenosky {\it et al.} \lbrack Nature (London) {\bf 355}, 333
(1992)\rbrack and shows to be content with the classic shell theory by which
the Young's modulus, the Poisson ratio and the effective wall thickness of
SWNTs are obtained as TPa, , , respectively.
The elasticity of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) is investigated as the
combination of the above SWNTs of layer distance and the
Young's modulus of the MWNT is found to be an apparent function of the number
of layers, , varying from 4.70TPa to 1.04TPa for N=1 to .Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Ab-initio structural, elastic, and vibrational properties of carbon nanotubes
A study based on ab initio calculations is presented on the estructural,
elastic, and vibrational properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes with
different radii and chiralities. We use SIESTA, an implementation of
pseudopotential-density-functional theory which allows calculations on systems
with a large number of atoms per cell. Different quantities like bond
distances, Young moduli, Poisson ratio and the frequencies of different phonon
branches are monitored versus tube radius. The validity of expectations based
on graphite is explored down to small radii, where some deviations appear
related to the curvature effects. For the phonon spectra, the results are
compared with the predictions of the simple zone-folding approximation. Except
for the known defficiencies of this approximation in the low-frequency
vibrational regions, it offers quite accurate results, even for relatively
small radii.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B (11 Nov. 98
Body Context and Posture Affect Mental Imagery of Hands
Different visual stimuli have been shown to recruit different mental imagery strategies. However the role of specific visual stimuli properties related to body context and posture in mental imagery is still under debate. Aiming to dissociate the behavioural correlates of mental processing of visual stimuli characterized by different body context, in the present study we investigated whether the mental rotation of stimuli showing either hands as attached to a body (hands-on-body) or not (hands-only), would be based on different mechanisms. We further examined the effects of postural changes on the mental rotation of both stimuli. Thirty healthy volunteers verbally judged the laterality of rotated hands-only and hands-on-body stimuli presented from the dorsum- or the palm-view, while positioning their hands on their knees (front postural condition) or behind their back (back postural condition). Mental rotation of hands-only, but not of hands-on-body, was modulated by the stimulus view and orientation. Additionally, only the hands-only stimuli were mentally rotated at different speeds according to the postural conditions. This indicates that different stimulus-related mechanisms are recruited in mental rotation by changing the bodily context in which a particular body part is presented. The present data suggest that, with respect to hands-only, mental rotation of hands-on-body is less dependent on biomechanical constraints and proprioceptive input. We interpret our results as evidence for preferential processing of visual- rather than kinesthetic-based mechanisms during mental transformation of hands-on-body and hands-only, respectively
Enhanced Temporal but Not Attentional Processing in Expert Tennis Players
In tennis, as in many disciplines of sport, fine spatio-temporal resolution is required to reach optimal performance. While many studies on tennis have focused on anticipatory skills or decision making, fewer have investigated the underlying visual perception abilities. In this study, we used a battery of seven visual tests that allowed us to assess which kind of visual information processing is performed better by tennis players than other athletes (triathletes) and non-athletes. We found that certain time-related skills, such as speed discrimination, are superior in tennis players compared to non-athletes and triathletes. Such tasks might be used to improve tennis performance in the future
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