4,687 research outputs found
The Erpenbeck high frequency instability theorem for ZND detonations
The rigorous study of spectral stability for strong detonations was begun by
J.J. Erpenbeck in [Er1]. Working with the Zeldovitch-von Neumann-D\"oring (ZND)
model, which assumes a finite reaction rate but ignores effects like viscosity
corresponding to second order derivatives, he used a normal mode analysis to
define a stability function V(\tau,\eps) whose zeros in
correspond to multidimensional perturbations of a steady detonation profile
that grow exponentially in time. Later in a remarkable paper [Er3] he provided
strong evidence, by a combination of formal and rigorous arguments, that for
certain classes of steady ZND profiles, unstable zeros of exist for
perturbations of sufficiently large transverse wavenumber \eps, even when the
von Neumann shock, regarded as a gas dynamical shock, is uniformly stable in
the sense defined (nearly twenty years later) by Majda. In spite of a great
deal of later numerical work devoted to computing the zeros of V(\tau,\eps),
the paper \cite{Er3} remains the only work we know of that presents a detailed
and convincing theoretical argument for detecting them.
The analysis in [Er3] points the way toward, but does not constitute, a
mathematical proof that such unstable zeros exist. In this paper we identify
the mathematical issues left unresolved in [Er3] and provide proofs, together
with certain simplifications and extensions, of the main conclusions about
stability and instability of detonations contained in that paper.
The main mathematical problem, and our principal focus here, is to determine
the precise asymptotic behavior as \eps\to \infty of solutions to a linear
system of ODEs in , depending on \eps and a complex frequency as
parameters, with turning points on the half-line
Regulation of polar peptidoglycan biosynthesis by Wag31 phosphorylation in mycobacteria
Background. Sensing and responding to environmental changes is a central aspect of cell division regulation. Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains eleven Ser/Thr kinases, two of which, PknA and PknB, are key signaling molecules that regulate cell division/morphology. One substrate of these kinases is Wag31, and we previously showed that partial depletion of Wag31 caused morphological changes indicative of cell wall defects, and that the phosphorylation state of Wag31 affected cell growth in mycobacteria. In the present study, we further characterized the role of the Wag31 phosphorylation in polar peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Results. We demonstrate that the differential growth among cells expressing different wag31 alleles (wild-type, phosphoablative, or phosphomimetic) is caused by, at least in part, dissimilar nascent peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The phosphorylation state of Wag31 is found to be important for protein-protein interactions between the Wag31 molecules, and thus, for its polar localization. Consistent with these results, cells expressing a phosphomimetic wag31 allele have a higher enzymatic activity in the peptidoglycan biosynthetic pathway. Conclusions. The Wag31 Mtbphosphorylation is a novel molecular mechanism by which Wag31 Mtbregulates peptidoglycan synthesis and thus, optimal growth in mycobacteria. © 2010 Jani et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Critical Point Field Mixing in an Asymmetric Lattice Gas Model
The field mixing that manifests broken particle-hole symmetry is studied for
a 2-D asymmetric lattice gas model having tunable field mixing properties.
Monte Carlo simulations within the grand canonical ensemble are used to obtain
the critical density distribution for different degrees of particle-hole
asymmetry. Except in the special case when this asymmetry vanishes, the density
distributions exhibit an antisymmetric correction to the limiting
scale-invariant form. The presence of this correction reflects the mixing of
the critical energy density into the ordering operator. Its functional form is
found to be in excellent agreement with that predicted by the mixed-field
finite-size-scaling theory of Bruce and Wilding. A computational procedure for
measuring the significant field mixing parameter is also described, and its
accuracy gauged by comparing the results with exact values obtained
analytically.Comment: 10 Pages, LaTeX + 8 figures available from author on request, To
appear in Z. Phys.
Molecular dynamics simulations of oxide memristors: thermal effects
We have extended our recent molecular-dynamic simulations of memristors to
include the effect of thermal inhomogeneities on mobile ionic species appearing
during operation of the device. Simulations show a competition between an
attractive short-ranged interaction between oxygen vacancies and an enhanced
local temperature in creating/destroying the conducting oxygen channels. Such a
competition would strongly affect the performance of the memristive devices.Comment: submit/0169777; 6 pages, 4 figure
Variability of organic and elemental carbon, water soluble organic carbon, and isotopes in Hong Kong
International audienceTo determine the levels and variations of carbonaceous aerosol in Hong Kong, PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected by high volume (Hi-vol) samplers at three monitoring stations (representing middle-scale roadside, urban-, and regional-scale environments) during winter (November 2000 to February 2001) and summer (June 2001 to August 2001) periods. The highest concentrations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were found at the middle-scale roadside site with the lowest at the regional-scale site. The percentages of WSOC in total carbon at these sites were inversely correlated with their concentrations (i.e., the highest percentages of WSOC were observed at the regional-scale site). A high WSOC fraction may be associated with aged aerosol because of the secondary formation by photochemical oxidation of organic precursors of anthropogenic pollutants during transport. The annual average of isotope abundances (?13C) of OC and EC were ?26.9±0.5? and ?25.6±0.1?, respectively. There were no notable differences for seasonal distributions of carbon isotopic composition, consistent with motor vehicle emissions being the main source contributors of carbonaceous aerosol in Hong Kong. OC 13C abundances at the regional-scale site were higher than those at the middle-scale roadside and urban sites, consistent with secondary organic aerosols of biogenic origin
Dynamical conformal transformation and classical Euclidean wormholes
We investigate the necessary condition for the existence of classical
Euclidean wormholes in a conformally non-invariant gravitational model
minimally coupled to an scalar field. It is shown that while the original Ricci
tensor with positive eigenvalues does not allow the Euclidean wormholes to
occur, under dynamical conformal transformations the Ricci tensor, with respect
to the original metric, is dynamically coupled with the conformal field and its
eigenvalues may become negative allowing the Euclidean wormholes to occur.
Therefore, it is conjectured that dynamical conformal transformations may
provide us with {\it effective} forms of matter sources leading to Euclidean
wormholes in conformally non-invariant systems.Comment: 6 pages, minor revisio
The transition from the adiabatic to the sudden limit in core level photoemission: A model study of a localized system
We consider core electron photoemission in a localized system, where there is
a charge transfer excitation. The system is modelled by three electron levels,
one core level and two outer levels. The model has a Coulomb interaction
between these levels and the continuum states into which the core electron is
emitted. The model is simple enough to allow an exact numerical solution, and
with a separable potential an analytic solution. We calculate the ratio
r(omega) between the weights of the satellite and the main peak as a function
of the photon energy omega. The transition from the adiabatic to the sudden
limit takes place for quite small photoelectron kinetic energies. For such
small energies, the variation of the dipole matrix element is substantial and
described by the energy scale Ed. Without the coupling to the photoelectron,
the corresponding ratio r0(omega) is determined by Ed and the satellite
excitation energy dE. When the interaction potential with the continuum states
is introduced, a new energy scale Es=1/(2Rs^2) enters, where Rs is a length
scale of the interaction potential. At threshold there is typically a (weak)
constructive interference between intrinsic and extrinsic contributions, and
the ratio r(omega)/r0(omega) is larger than its limiting value for large omega.
The interference becomes small or weakly destructive for photoelectron energies
of the order Es. For larger energies r(omega)/r0(omega) therefore typically has
a weak undershoot. If this undershoot is neglected, r(omega)/r0(omega) reaches
its limiting value on the energy scale Es.Comment: 18 pages, latex2e, 13 eps figure
Diffusion of impurities in a granular gas
Diffusion of impurities in a granular gas undergoing homogeneous cooling
state is studied. The results are obtained by solving the Boltzmann--Lorentz
equation by means of the Chapman--Enskog method. In the first order in the
density gradient of impurities, the diffusion coefficient is determined as
the solution of a linear integral equation which is approximately solved by
making an expansion in Sonine polynomials. In this paper, we evaluate up to
the second order in the Sonine expansion and get explicit expressions for
in terms of the restitution coefficients for the impurity--gas and gas--gas
collisions as well as the ratios of mass and particle sizes. To check the
reliability of the Sonine polynomial solution, analytical results are compared
with those obtained from numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation by means
of the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. In the simulations, the
diffusion coefficient is measured via the mean square displacement of
impurities. The comparison between theory and simulation shows in general an
excellent agreement, except for the cases in which the gas particles are much
heavier and/or much larger than impurities. In theses cases, the second Sonine
approximation to improves significantly the qualitative predictions made
from the first Sonine approximation. A discussion on the convergence of the
Sonine polynomial expansion is also carried out.Comment: 9 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev.
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Development ofDirect SLS Processing for Production ofCermet Composite Turbine Sealing Components - Part I
This paper presents the development to date of SLS (selective laser sintering)
technologies for production of cermet composite turbine sealing components, the particular
application being an abrasive blade tip. The component chosen for the application is an integral
part of the low pressure turbine in a IHP'TET (Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine
Technology) demonstrator engine. Both indirect and direct SLS techniques are being developed.
Initial trials and process development involved the use of fugitive polymeric binders. Sequential
refinements were performed to develop a binderless direct SLS process. Results from mechanical
testing indicate that acceptable microstructure and properties are attainable by SLS with
substantial cost savings as compared to the currently employed production method. This is the
rust instance ofdirect SFF methods applied to a functional componentMechanical Engineerin
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