2,884 research outputs found
Demixing can occur in binary hard-sphere mixtures with negative non-additivity
A binary fluid mixture of non-additive hard spheres characterized by a size
ratio and a non-additivity parameter
is considered in infinitely many
dimensions. From the equation of state in the second virial approximation
(which is exact in the limit ) a demixing transition with a
critical consolute point at a packing fraction scaling as
is found, even for slightly negative non-additivity, if
. Arguments concerning the stability of the
demixing with respect to freezing are provided.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; title changed; final paragraph added; to be
published in PRE as a Rapid Communicatio
Mesoscale simulations of surfactant dissolution and mesophase formation
The evolution of the contact zone between pure surfactant and solvent has
been studied by mesoscale simulation. It is found that mesophase formation
becomes diffusion controlled and follows the equilibrium phase diagram
adiabatically almost as soon as individual mesophases can be identified,
corresponding to times in real systems of order 10 microseconds.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, ReVTeX
Deforming glassy polystyrene: Influence of pressure, thermal history, and deformation mode on yielding and hardening
The toughness of a polymer glass is determined by the interplay of yielding, strain softening, and strain hardening. Molecular-dynamics simulations of a typical polymer glass, atactic polystyrene, under the influence of active deformation have been carried out to enlighten these processes. It is observed that the dominant interaction for the yield peak is of interchain nature and for the strain
hardening of intrachain nature. A connection is made with the microscopic cage-to-cage motion. It is found that the deformation does not lead to complete erasure of the thermal history but that differences persist at large length scales. Also we find that the strain-hardening modulus increases with increasing external pressure. This new observation cannot be explained by current theories
such as the one based on the entanglement picture and the inclusion of this effect will lead to an improvement in constitutive modeling
The silicon trypanosome
African trypanosomes have emerged as promising unicellular model organisms for the next generation of systems biology. They offer unique advantages, due to their relative simplicity, the availability of all standard genomics techniques and a long history of quantitative research. Reproducible cultivation methods exist for morphologically and physiologically distinct life-cycle stages. The genome has been sequenced, and microarrays, RNA-interference and high-accuracy metabolomics are available. Furthermore, the availability of extensive kinetic data on all glycolytic enzymes has led to the early development of a complete, experiment-based dynamic model of an important biochemical pathway. Here we describe the achievements of trypanosome systems biology so far and outline the necessary steps towards the ambitious aim of creating a , a comprehensive, experiment-based, multi-scale mathematical model of trypanosome physiology. We expect that, in the long run, the quantitative modelling enabled by the Silicon Trypanosome will play a key role in selecting the most suitable targets for developing new anti-parasite drugs
Effects of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis on Kinematics and Kinetics of the Lower Extremities Call for Consequences in Physical Activities Recommendations
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients (n = 36) with symmetrical polyarticular joint involvement of the lower extremities and healthy controls (n = 20) were compared concerning differences in kinematic, kinetic, and spatio-temporal parameters with 3D gait analysis. The aims of this study were to quantify the differences in gait between JIA patients and healthy controls and to provide data for more detailed sport activities recommendations. JIA-patients showed reduced walking speed and step length, strongly anterior tilted pelvis, reduced maximum hip extension, reduced knee extension during single support phase and reduced plantar flexion in push off. Additionally the roll-off procedure of the foot was slightly decelerated. The reduced push off motion in the ankle was confirmed by lower peaks in ankle moment and power. The gait of JIA-patients can be explained as a crouch-like gait with hyperflexion in hip and knee joints and less plantar flexion in the ankle. A preventive mobility workout would be recommendable to reduce these restrictions in the future. Advisable are sports with emphasis on extension in hip, knee, and ankle plantar flexion
WISER Deliverable D3.3-2: The importance of invertebrate spatial and temporal variation for ecological status classification for European lakes
European lakes are affected by many human induced disturbances. In principle, ecological
theories predict that the structure and functioning of benthic invertebrate assemblage (one of
the Biological Quality Elements following the Water Framework Directive, WFD
terminology) change in response to the level of disturbances, making this biological element
suitable for assessing the status and management of lake ecosystems. In practice, to set up
assessment systems based on invertebrates, we need to distiguish community changes that are
related to human pressures from those that are inherent natural variability. This task is
complicated by the fact that invertebrate communities inhabiting the littoral and the profundal
zones of lakes are constrained by different factors and respond unevenly to distinct human
disturbances. For example it is not clear yet how the invertebrates assemblages respond to
watershed and shoreline alterations, nor the relative importance of spatial and temporal
factors on assemblage dynamics and relative bioindicator values of taxa, the habitat
constraints on species traits and other taxonomic and methodological limitations.
The current lack of knowledge of basic features of invertebrate temporal and spatial variations
is limiting the fulfillment of the EU-wide intercalibration of lake ecological quality
assessment systems in Europe, and thus compromising the basis for setting the environmental
objectives as required by the WFD. The aim of this deliverable is to provide a contribution
towards the understanding of basic sources of spatial and temporal variation of lake
invertebrate assemblages. The report is structured around selected case studies, manly
involving the analysis of existing datasets collated within WISER. The case studies come
from different European lake types in the Northern, Central, Alpine and Mediterranean
regions. All chapters have an obvious applied objective and our aim is to provide to those
dealing with WFD implementation at various levels useful information to consider when
designing monitoring programs and / or invertebrate-based classification systems
The Influence of Boron (B), Tin (Sn), Copper (Cu), and Manganese (Mn) on the Microstructure of Spheroidal Graphite Irons
Most spheroidal graphite irons (SGIs) have a matrix consisting of ferrite, pearlite, or a mix of the two. To achieve the desired matrix composition, pearlite promoters such as Mn, Cu, or Sn, are added to the molten metal. Among these elements, Sn is the most potent pearlite promoter. However, each has a different impact on the solidification, graphite precipitation, eutectoid transformation, and ultimately the final structure of the material. Research has shown that B promotes ferrite in fully pearlitic grades where Cu and Mn were used to promote pearlite. The present work investigates the effect of B in SGI with additions of Sn, Cu, and Mn, and the effects of varying amounts of the different pearlite promoters on the matrix composition. The results show that Mn alone at levels of approximately 0.9 wt% is not enough to promote a fully pearlitic matrix, while 0.5 wt% Cu combined with 0.67 wt% Mn is sufficient. Likewise, a fully pearlitic microstructure can be obtained by alloying with 0.06 wt% Sn and 0.67 wt% Mn. B was found to promote ferrite in fully pearlitic SGI alloyed with Sn or Cu. However, in the absence of those elements, B promoted pearlite when alloyed with just Mn. Graphite protrusions were observed on the graphite nodule surface only for B-added alloys with Sn and Cu. In these cases, it is believed B promotes ferrite by changing the growth mechanism of graphite after solidification from spherical to lamellar. However, a different graphite morphology is observed when B is added with just Mn. Thermal analysis data is in agreement with the microstructural observations regarding the ferrite promoting effect of B
Nonlocal electron-phonon coupling: consequences for the nature of polaron states
We develop a variational approach to an extended Holstein model, comprising both local and nonlocal electron-phonon coupling. The approach is based on the minimization of a Bogoliubov bound to the Helmholtz free energy. The ambivalent character of nonlocal coupling, which both promotes and hinders transport, is clearly observed. Furthermore, a salient feature of our results is that the local and nonlocal couplings can compensate each other, leading to a reduction of polaronic effects and a quasi-free character of the excitation. Our findings have implications for organic crystals of -conjugated molecules, where this electron-phonon coupling mechanism plays an important role
Precision neutron interferometric measurement of the nd coherent neutron scattering length and consequences for models of three-nucleon forces
We have performed the first high precision measurement of the coherent
neutron scattering length of deuterium in a pure sample using neutron
interferometry. We find b_nd = (6.665 +/- 0.004) fm in agreement with the world
average of previous measurements using different techniques, b_nd = (6.6730 +/-
0.0045) fm. We compare the new world average for the nd coherent scattering
length b_nd = (6.669 +/- 0.003) fm to calculations of the doublet and quartet
scattering lengths from several modern nucleon-nucleon potential models with
three-nucleon force (3NF) additions and show that almost all theories are in
serious disagreement with experiment. This comparison is a more stringent test
of the models than past comparisons with the less precisely-determined nuclear
doublet scattering length of a_nd = (0.65 +/- 0.04) fm.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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