11,681 research outputs found
Critical properties of Ising model on Sierpinski fractals. A finite size scaling analysis approach
The present paper focuses on the order-disorder transition of an Ising model
on a self-similar lattice. We present a detailed numerical study, based on the
Monte Carlo method in conjunction with the finite size scaling method, of the
critical properties of the Ising model on some two dimensional deterministic
fractal lattices with different Hausdorff dimensions. Those with finite
ramification order do not display ordered phases at any finite temperature,
whereas the lattices with infinite connectivity show genuine critical behavior.
In particular we considered two Sierpinski carpets constructed using different
generators and characterized by Hausdorff dimensions d_H=log 8/log 3 = 1.8927..
and d_H=log 12/log 4 = 1.7924.., respectively.
The data show in a clear way the existence of an order-disorder transition at
finite temperature in both Sierpinski carpets.
By performing several Monte Carlo simulations at different temperatures and
on lattices of increasing size in conjunction with a finite size scaling
analysis, we were able to determine numerically the critical exponents in each
case and to provide an estimate of their errors.
Finally we considered the hyperscaling relation and found indications that it
holds, if one assumes that the relevant dimension in this case is the Hausdorff
dimension of the lattice.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures; a new section has been added with results for a
second fractal; there are other minor change
Mechanical behaviour with temperatures of aluminum matrix composites with CNTs
Aluminum is a very useful structural metal employed in different industrial sectors, in particular it is used in
large quantities in automotive, aeronautic and nautical industries. The main reasons of its wide use are: a very
good oxidation resistance, excellent ductility, low melting temperature (660 °C) and low density (2.71 g/cm3).
However, in order to reduce the emissions and fuel consumption is necessary to reduce the overall weight of
vehicles by increasing mechanical properties of the structural material. The improvement of mechanical
properties is normally achieved through use of reinforcement in materials, used like matrix, in order to improve
some specific characteristics.
In this work composites of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in aluminum were made. The most difficulties
in the preparation of this type of composite are represented by the low wettability between metallic matrix and
fillers and the possibility of the oxidation of metal during melting with consequent decreasing of mechanical
proprieties. The composite was obtained by three consecutive step: the first one is the functionalization of
fillers surface to improve the fillers dispersion, the second one is the dispersion of fillers in the matrix by
powder mixing and the third one is the melting and casting of the mix prepared.
In particular, fillers used are multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with functionalized surface by
treatment with a solfonitric solution. Melting and casting are carried out with the aid of an induction furnace
with a controlled atmosphere system and centrifugal casting. Argon is the inert gas used to prevent the
oxidation of aluminium during fusion. Youngâs modulus was evaluated at different temperature and correlated
with the different CNTs percentage. The dispersion rate of fillers and the microstructure of the sample were
evaluated by FESEM micrograph
Dynamical excitonic effects in metals and semiconductors
The dynamics of an electron--hole pair induced by the time--dependent
screened Coulomb interaction is discussed. In contrast to the case where the
static electron--hole interaction is considered we demonstrate the occurrence
of important dynamical excitonic effects in the solution of the Bethe--Salpeter
equation.This is illustrated in the calculated absorption spectra of noble
metals (copper and silver) and silicon. Dynamical corrections strongly affect
the spectra, partially canceling dynamical self--energy effects and leading to
good agreement with experiment.Comment: Accepted for publication on Phys. Rev. Let
Towards a Characterization of Late Talkers: The Developmental Profile of Children with Late Language Emergence through a Web-Based Communicative-Language Assessment
Children acquire language naturally, but there is variation in language acquisition patterns. Indeed, different internal and external variables play a role in acquiring language. However, there are open research questions about the contribution of different variables to language development. Moreover, with societal changes and due to the pandemic situation, there has been a growing interest in testing digitalization related to indirect language acquisition assessment. In this study, a web-based assessment survey was developed to (1) describe the relation between expressive vocabulary, Socio-
Conversational Skills (SCS), gender, parental education, executive functions (EFs), and pretend play; (2) determine whether the survey can detect differences between late talkers (LTs) and children with typical language development; (3) identify children with âoverall highâ and âoverall lowâ communicative-language scores to test the validity of expressive vocabulary as a main indicator to detect LTs. The parents of 108 Italian children (51 males) aged 24â36 months participated in the study. The results showed that expressive vocabulary correlates with measures of SCS (assertiveness and responsiveness) and is reliable in identifying LTs (d = 2.73). Furthermore, SCS and EFs contribute to better characterizing the developmental profile of children aged 24â36 months
Oral malodor in Special Care Patients: current knowledge
Epidemiological studies report that about 50% of the population may have oral malodor
with a strong social and psychological impact in their daily life. When intra-oral causes are
excluded, referral to an appropriate medical specialist is paramount for management and
treatment of extra-oral causes. The intra-oral causes of halitosis are highly common, and the
dentist is the central clinician to diagnose and treat them. Pseudohalitosis or halitophobia
may occur and an early identification of these conditions by the dentist is important in order
to avoid unnecessary dental treatments for patients who need psychological or psychiatric
therapy. The organoleptic technique is still considered the most reliable examination method
to diagnose genuine halitosis. Special needs patients are more prone than others to have
oral malodor because of concurrent systemic or metabolic diseases, and medications.
The present report reviews halitosis, its implications, and the management in special care
dentistry
Excitons in boron nitride nanotubes: dimensionality effects
We show that the optical absorption spectra of boron nitride (BN) nanotubes
are dominated by strongly bound excitons. Our first-principles calculations
indicate that the binding energy for the first and dominant excitonic peak
depends sensitively on the dimensionality of the system, varying from 0.7 eV in
bulk hexagonal BN via 2.1 eV in the single sheet of BN to more than 3 eV in the
hypothetical (2,2) tube. The strongly localized nature of this exciton dictates
the fast convergence of its binding energy with increasing tube diameter
towards the sheet value. The absolute position of the first excitonic peak is
almost independent of the tube radius and system dimensionality. This provides
an explanation for the observed "optical gap" constancy for different tubes and
bulk hBN [R. Arenal et al., to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. (2005)].Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Interface pinning and slow ordering kinetics on infinitely ramified fractal structures
We investigate the time dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation for a non
conserved order parameter on an infinitely ramified (deterministic) fractal
lattice employing two alternative methods: the auxiliary field approach and a
numerical method of integration of the equations of evolution. In the first
case the domain size evolves with time as , where is
the anomalous random walk exponent associated with the fractal and differs from
the normal value 2, which characterizes all Euclidean lattices. Such a power
law growth is identical to the one observed in the study of the spherical model
on the same lattice, but fails to describe the asymptotic behavior of the
numerical solutions of the TDGL equation for a scalar order parameter. In fact,
the simulations performed on a two dimensional Sierpinski Carpet indicate that,
after an initial stage dominated by a curvature reduction mechanism \`a la
Allen-Cahn, the system enters in a regime where the domain walls between
competing phases are pinned by lattice defects.
The lack of translational invariance determines a rough free energy
landscape, the existence of many metastable minima and the suppression of the
marginally stable modes, which in translationally invariant systems lead to
power law growth and self similar patterns. On fractal structures as the
temperature vanishes the evolution is frozen, since only thermally activated
processes can sustain the growth of pinned domains.Comment: 16 pages+14 figure
Dark Matter searches using gravitational wave bar detectors: quark nuggets and newtorites
Many experiments have searched for supersymmetric WIMP dark matter, with null
results. This may suggest to look for more exotic possibilities, for example
compact ultra-dense quark nuggets, widely discussed in literature with several
different names. Nuclearites are an example of candidate compact objects with
atomic size cross section. After a short discussion on nuclearites, the result
of a nuclearite search with the gravitational wave bar detectors Nautilus and
Explorer is reported. The geometrical acceptance of the bar detectors is 19.5
sr, that is smaller than that of other detectors used for similar
searches. However, the detection mechanism is completely different and is more
straightforward than in other detectors. The experimental limits we obtain are
of interest because, for nuclearites of mass less than g, we find a
flux smaller than that one predicted considering nuclearites as dark matter
candidates. Particles with gravitational only interactions (newtorites) are
another example. In this case the sensitivity is quite poor and a short
discussion is reported on possible improvements.Comment: published on Astroparticle Physics Sept 25th 2016 replaced fig 1
Handling-Oriented Stiffness Control of a Multichamber Suspension
This paper deals with the development of a handling-oriented stiffness control strategy using multichamber suspensions. Indeed, being this technology capable of stiffness variability, it is particularly indicated for improving the vehicle handling performance, here intended as the reduction of roll and pitch angles during maneuvers. The proposed strategy exploits the multichamber's inner features in order to enhance the performance: simulation results show improvements up to 12% compared to the best passive stiffness configuration, still preventing deterioration of the driving comfort
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