2,183 research outputs found
Frustration of the isotropic-columnar phase transition of colloidal hard platelets by a transient cubatic phase
Using simulations and theory, we show that the cubatic phase is metastable
for three model hard platelets. The locally favored structures of perpendicular
particle stacks in the fluid prevent the formation of the columnar phase
through geometric frustration resulting in vitrification. Also, we find a
direct link between structure and dynamic heterogeneities in the cooperative
rotation of particle stacks, which is crucial for the devitrification process.
Finally, we show that the life time of the glassy cubatic phase can be tuned by
surprisingly small differences in particle shape.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Freezing of parallel hard cubes with rounded edges
The freezing transition in a classical three-dimensional system of parallel
hard cubes with rounded edges is studied by computer simulation and
fundamental-measure density functional theory. By switching the rounding
parameter s from zero to one, one can smoothly interpolate between cubes with
sharp edges and hard spheres. The equilibrium phase diagram of rounded parallel
hard cubes is computed as a function of their volume fraction and the rounding
parameter s. The second order freezing transition known for oriented cubes at s
= 0 is found to be persistent up to s = 0.65. The fluid freezes into a
simple-cubic crystal which exhibits a large vacancy concentration. Upon a
further increase of s, the continuous freezing is replaced by a first-order
transition into either a sheared simple cubic lattice or a deformed
face-centered cubic lattice with two possible unit cells: body-centered
orthorhombic or base-centered monoclinic. In principle, a system of parallel
cubes could be realized in experiments on colloids using advanced synthesis
techniques and a combination of external fields.Comment: Submitted to JC
Antifouling bastadin congeners target blue mussel phenoloxidase and complex copper(II) ions
Synthetically prepared congeners of spongederived bastadin derivatives such as 5,5'-dibromohemibastadin- 1 (DBHB) that suppress the settling of barnacle larvae were identified in this study as strong inhibitors of blue mussel phenoloxidase that is involved in the firm attachment of mussels to a given substrate. The IC50 value of DBHB as the most active enzyme inhibitor encountered in this study amounts to 0.84 mu M. Inhibition of phenoloxidase by DBHB is likely due to complexation of copper(II) ions from the catalytic centre of the enzyme by the a-oxo-oxime moiety of the compound as shown here for the first time by structure activity studies and by X-ray structure determination of a copper(II) complex of DBHB.Biotechnology & Applied MicrobiologyMarine & Freshwater BiologySCI(E)EI0ARTICLE61148-11581
Development of probabilistic models for quantitative pathway analysis of plant pest introduction for the EU territory
This report demonstrates a probabilistic quantitative pathway analysis model that can be used in risk assessment for plant pest introduction into EU territory on a range of edible commodities (apples, oranges, stone fruits and wheat). Two types of model were developed: a general commodity model that simulates distribution of an imported infested/infected commodity to and within the EU from source countries by month; and a consignment model that simulates the movement and distribution of individual consignments from source countries to destinations in the EU. The general pathway model has two modules. Module 1 is a trade pathway model, with a Eurostat database of five years of monthly trade volumes for each specific commodity into the EU28 from all source countries and territories. Infestation levels based on interception records, commercial quality standards or other information determine volume of infested commodity entering and transhipped within the EU. Module 2 allocates commodity volumes to processing, retail use and waste streams and overlays the distribution onto EU NUTS2 regions based on population densities and processing unit locations. Transfer potential to domestic host crops is a function of distribution of imported infested product and area of domestic production in NUTS2 regions, pest dispersal potential, and phenology of susceptibility in domestic crops. The consignment model covers the several routes on supply chains for processing and retail use. The output of the general pathway model is a distribution of estimated volumes of infested produce by NUTS2 region across the EU28, by month or annually; this is then related to the accessible susceptible domestic crop. Risk is expressed as a potential volume of infested fruit in potential contact with an area of susceptible domestic host crop. The output of the consignment model is a volume of infested produce retained at each stage along the specific consignment trade chain
Differently Shaped Hard Body Colloids in Confinement: From passive to active particles
We review recent progress in the theoretical description of anisotropic hard
colloidal particles. The shapes considered range from rods and dumbbells to
rounded cubes, polyhedra and to biaxial particles with arbitrary shape. Our
focus is on both static and dynamical density functional theory and on computer
simulations. We describe recent results for the structure, dynamics and phase
behaviour in the bulk and in various confining geometries, e.g. established by
two parallel walls which reduce the dimensionality of the system to two
dimensions. We also include recent theoretical modelling for active particles,
which are autonomously driven by some intrinsic motor, and highlight their
fascinating nonequilibrium dynamics and collective behaviour.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, EPJ ST (accepted
Les tunnels alpins : observatoires de l’hydrogéologie des grands massifs montagneux
International audienceL'étude des venues d'eau rencontrées lors de la réalisation d'ouvrages souterrains au travers des Alpes a permis de caractériser les circulations profondes d'eau souterraine au sein de ces massifs montagneux. Les principaux résultats sont illustrés au moyen de l'exemple du tunnel du Mont-Blanc. Les perméabilités mesurées dans les tunnels sont dépendantes de trois paramètres : l'échelle (forte variabilité des perméabilités dans les petits tronçons), la lithologie (roches cristallines plus perméables que les roches cristallophylliennes) et la profondeur (décroissance de perméabilité avec la profondeur du tunnel) des tronçons considérés. Une zone décomprimée caractérise les 600 premiers mètres au sein desquels la perméabilité est plus élevée. La température des eaux s'avère être un traceur efficace des circulations d'eau dans les massifs, l'eau s'infiltrant en altitude à température peu élevée contribuant au refroidissement des massifs. Les âges des eaux sont cohérents avec l'hydrodynamisme du massif, avec la présence d'eaux anciennes dans les parties les moins perméables et d'eaux récentes dans les zones les plus perméables. Un mélange d'eaux récentes et anciennes est observé dans les zones à perméabilité intermédiaire. Dans la plupart des ouvrages, les teneurs en Oxygène-18 sont compatibles avec des aires de recharge situées verticalement au droit des venues d'eau. Seules quelques exceptions mettent en évidence des circulations régionales, l'influence de la zone décomprimée ou l'infiltration d'eaux de surface (lacs)
TRIDENT: an Infrared Differential Imaging Camera Optimized for the Detection of Methanated Substellar Companions
A near-infrared camera in use at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)
and at the 1.6-m telescope of the Observatoire du Mont-Megantic is described.
The camera is based on a Hawaii-1 1024x1024 HgCdTe array detector. Its main
feature is to acquire three simultaneous images at three wavelengths across the
methane absorption bandhead at 1.6 microns, enabling, in theory, an accurate
subtraction of the stellar point spread function (PSF) and the detection of
faint close methanated companions. The instrument has no coronagraph and
features fast data acquisition, yielding high observing efficiency on bright
stars. The performance of the instrument is described, and it is illustrated by
laboratory tests and CFHT observations of the nearby stars GL526, Ups And and
Chi And. TRIDENT can detect (6 sigma) a methanated companion with delta H = 9.5
at 0.5" separation from the star in one hour of observing time. Non-common path
aberrations and amplitude modulation differences between the three optical
paths are likely to be the limiting factors preventing further PSF attenuation.
Instrument rotation and reference star subtraction improve the detection limit
by a factor of 2 and 4 respectively. A PSF noise attenuation model is presented
to estimate the non-common path wavefront difference effect on PSF subtraction
performance.Comment: 41 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Fine Structure of the N=1 (1s3p)3Î u State of the Hydrogen Molecule Determined by Magnetic Resonance
International audienceIn the preceding paper some of our results on the magnetic-resonance experiments performed at 64 MHz indicated a beginning of N.S decoupling on the N=1 (1s3p)3Πu state of H2 excited by electron impact. In the present paper we present further results on the resonance experiments performed at higher frequencies in order to determine the fine structure of this level. Our findings indicate that the energy separation between J=1 and J=2 levels is 160+/-5 MHz and between J=1 and J=0 levels it is 2100+/-600 MHz, and in addition the former exhibits a small dependence on the vibrational number. The relative order of these levels is J=1, 2, 0 instead of the theoretically predicted 2, 1, 0. The Landé g factor is 1.249+/-0.010, which corresponds to a pure Hund's-coupling case (b)
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