1,967 research outputs found
Non-equilibrium concentration fluctuations in binary liquids with realistic boundary conditions
Because of the spatially long-ranged nature of spontaneous fluctuations in
thermal non-equilibrium systems, they are affected by boundary conditions for
the fluctuating hydrodynamic variables. In this paper we consider a liquid
mixture between two rigid and impervious plates with a stationary concentration
gradient resulting from a temperature gradient through the Soret effect. For
liquid mixtures with a large Lewis number, we are able to obtain explicit
analytical expressions for the intensity of the non-equilibrium concentration
fluctuations as a function of the frequency and the wave number of
the fluctuations. In addition we elucidate the spatial dependence of the
intensity of the non-equilibrium fluctuations responsible for a non-equilibrium
Casimir effect.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Word recognition and content comprehension of subtitles for television by deaf children
This project explores how deaf children read subtitles on television. The participants – recruited from years 3 to 6 of a mainstream school with a hearing impairment unit – were exposed to both broadcast and enhanced subtitles and their performances were compared. In particular, the focus is on identifying enhancements that can help children to understand subtitle content and to recognise new or difficult words. Among the enhancements introduced were repetition and highlighting of new or difficult words through the use of a bigger and different typeface, use of longer reading times, text reduction and careful spotting. This pilot study provides some useful information for future empirical experimental research on subtitling for deaf children
Inelastic lifetimes of hot electrons in real metals
We report a first-principles description of inelastic lifetimes of excited
electrons in real Cu and Al, which we compute, within the GW approximation of
many-body theory, from the knowledge of the self-energy of the excited
quasiparticle. Our full band-structure calculations indicate that actual
lifetimes are the result of a delicate balance between localization, density of
states, screening, and Fermi-surface topology. A major contribution from
-electrons participating in the screening of electron-electron interactions
yields lifetimes of excited electrons in copper that are larger than those of
electrons in a free-electron gas with the electron density equal to that of
valence () electrons. In aluminum, a simple metal with no -bands,
splitting of the band structure over the Fermi level results in electron
lifetimes that are smaller than those of electrons in a free-electron gas.Comment: 4 papes, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Regional tax effort in Spain
This work examines in depth the hypotheses explaining the tax capacity of regional governments, also determining their tax effort and explanatory factors. The study is done for the Spanish regions, using different techniques which have rarely been applied in this area. The results show that these jurisdictions have exercised their tax autonomy responsibly, in response to different budget and demographic factors and to the economic cycle. Also, an asymmetrical tax behaviour linked to income is observed: some regions have practically exhausted the possibilities of current sub-central taxes, while others still have ample fiscal space
Regional tax effort in Spain
This work examines in depth the hypotheses explaining the tax capacity of regional governments, also determining their tax effort and explanatory factors. The study is done for the Spanish regions, using different techniques which have rarely been applied in this area. The results show that these jurisdictions have exercised their tax autonomy responsibly, in response to different budget and demographic factors and to the economic cycle. Also, an asymmetrical tax behaviour linked to income is observed: some regions have practically exhausted the possibilities of current sub-central taxes, while others still have ample fiscal space
The Stokes-Einstein Relation at Moderate Schmidt Number
The Stokes-Einstein relation for the self-diffusion coefficient of a
spherical particle suspended in an incompressible fluid is an asymptotic result
in the limit of large Schmidt number, that is, when momentum diffuses much
faster than the particle. When the Schmidt number is moderate, which happens in
most particle methods for hydrodynamics, deviations from the Stokes-Einstein
prediction are expected. We study these corrections computationally using a
recently-developed minimally-resolved method for coupling particles to an
incompressible fluctuating fluid in both two and three dimensions. We find that
for moderate Schmidt numbers the diffusion coefficient is reduced relative to
the Stokes-Einstein prediction by an amount inversely proportional to the
Schmidt number in both two and three dimensions. We find, however, that the
Einstein formula is obeyed at all Schmidt numbers, consistent with linear
response theory. The numerical data is in good agreement with an approximate
self-consistent theory, which can be used to estimate finite-Schmidt number
corrections in a variety of methods. Our results indicate that the corrections
to the Stokes-Einstein formula come primarily from the fact that the particle
itself diffuses together with the momentum. Our study separates effects coming
from corrections to no-slip hydrodynamics from those of finite separation of
time scales, allowing for a better understanding of widely observed deviations
from the Stokes-Einstein prediction in particle methods such as molecular
dynamics.Comment: Submitte
Violation of action--reaction and self-forces induced by nonequilibrium fluctuations
We show that the extension of Casimir-like forces to fluctuating fluids
driven out of equilibrium can exhibit two interrelated phenomena forbidden at
equilibrium: self-forces can be induced on single asymmetric objects and the
action--reaction principle between two objects can be violated. These effects
originate in asymmetric restrictions imposed by the objects' boundaries on the
fluid's fluctuations. They are not ruled out by the second law of
thermodynamics since the fluid is in a nonequilibrium state. Considering a
simple reaction--diffusion model for the fluid, we explicitly calculate the
self-force induced on a deformed circle. We also show that the action--reaction
principle does not apply for the internal Casimir forces exerting between a
circle and a plate. Their sum, instead of vanishing, provides the self-force on
the circle-plate assembly.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. V2: New title; Abstract partially rewritten;
Largely enhanced introductory and concluding remarks (incl. new Refs.
Modelling and simulation of the effect loading on structures using and adaptive blending of discrete and finite element methods
We present a new computational model for predicting the effect of blast loading on structures. The model is based in the adaptive coupling of the finite element method (FEM) and the discrete element method (DEM) for the accurate reproduction of multifracturing and failure of structures under blast loading. In the paper we briefly describe the basis of the coupled DEM/FEM technology and demonstrate its efficiency in its application to the study of the effect of blast loading on a masonry wall, a masonry tunnel and a double curvature dam
Assessing water footprint at river basin level: a case study for the Heihe River Basin in Northwest China
Increasing water scarcity places considerable importance on the quantification of water footprint (WF) at different levels. Despite progress made previously, there are still very few WF studies focusing on specific river basins, especially for those in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of this study is to quantify WF within the Heihe River Basin (HRB), a basin located in the arid and semi-arid northwest of China. The findings show that the WF was 1768 million m3 yr−1 in the HRB over 2004–2006. Agricultural production was the largest water consumer, accounting for 96% of the WF (92% for crop production and 4% for livestock production). The remaining 4% was for the industrial and domestic sectors. The "blue" (surface- and groundwater) component of WF was 811 million m3 yr−1. This indicates a blue water proportion of 46%, which is much higher than the world average and China's average, which is mainly due to the aridness of the HRB and a high dependence on irrigation for crop production. However, even in such a river basin, blue WF was still smaller than "green" (soil water) WF, indicating the importance of green water. We find that blue WF exceeded blue water availability during eight months per year and also on an annual basis. This indicates that WF of human activities was achieved at a cost of violating environmental flows of natural freshwater ecosystems, and such a WF pattern is not sustainable. Considering the large WF of crop production, optimizing the crop planting pattern is often a key to achieving more sustainable water use in arid and semi-arid region
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