14,965 research outputs found
Run-and-tumble particles with hydrodynamics: sedimentation, trapping and upstream swimming
We simulate by lattice Boltzmann the nonequilibrium steady states of
run-and-tumble particles (inspired by a minimal model of bacteria), interacting
by far-field hydrodynamics, subject to confinement. Under gravity, hydrodynamic
interactions barely perturb the steady state found without them, but for
particles in a harmonic trap such a state is quite changed if the run length is
larger than the confinement length: a self-assembled pump is formed. Particles
likewise confined in a narrow channel show a generic upstream flux in
Poiseuille flow: chiral swimming is not required
Finite element analysis applied to redesign of submerged entry nozzles for steelmaking
The production of steel by continuous casting is facilitated by the use of refractory hollow-ware components. A critical component in this process is the submerged entry nozzle (SEN). The normal operating conditions of the SEN are arduous, involving large temperature gradients and exposure to mechanical forces arising from the flow of molten steel; experimental development of the components is challenging in so hazardous an environment. The effects of the thermal stress conditions in relation to a well-tried design were therefore simulated using a finite element analysis approach. It was concluded from analyses that failures of the type being experienced are caused by the large temperature gradient within the nozzle. The analyses pointed towards a supported shoulder area of the nozzle being most vulnerable to failure and practical in-service experience confirmed this. As a direct consequence of the investigation, design modifications, incorporating changes to both the internal geometry and to the nature of the intermediate support material, were implemented, thereby substantially reducing the stresses within the Al2O3/graphite ceramic liner. Industrial trials of this modified design established that the component reliability would be significantly improved and the design has now been implemented in series production
Influence of general anesthetics on a specific neural pathway in Drosophila melanogaster.
The gap exponent of XXZ model in a transverse field
We have calculated numerically the gap exponent of the anisotropic Heisenberg
model in the presence of the transverse magnetic field. We have implemented the
modified Lanczos method to obtain the excited states of our model with the same
accuracy of the ground state. The coefficient of the leading term in the
perturbation expansion diverges in the thermodynamic limit (N --> infinity). We
have obtained the relation between this divergence and the scaling behaviour of
the energy gap. We have found that the opening of gap in the presence of
transverse field scales with a critical exponent which depends on the
anisotropy parameter (Delta). Our numerical results are in well agreement with
the field theoretical approach in the whole range of the anisotropy parameter,
-1 < Delta < 1.Comment: 6 pages and 4 figure
Relaxation of strained silicon on Si0.5Ge0.5 virtual substrates
Strain relaxation has been studied in tensile strained silicon layers grown on Si0.5Ge0.5 virtual substrates, for layers many times the critical thickness, using high resolution x-ray diffraction. Layers up to 30 nm thick were found to relax less than 2% by the glide of preexisting 60° dislocations. Relaxation is limited because many of these dislocations dissociate into extended stacking faults that impede the dislocation glide. For thicker layers, nucleated microtwins were observed, which significantly increased relaxation to 14%. All these tensile strained layers are found to be much more stable than layers with comparable compressive strain
A view from the watershed
International audiencePapers by H. L. Penman, H. C. Pereira, J. E. Nash and M. Nixon presented at a one-day Symposium to mark the opening of the Institute of Hydrology's new building in 1973 and reprinted from Institute of Hydrology Report No. 20
Near-Optimal Computation of Runs over General Alphabet via Non-Crossing LCE Queries
Longest common extension queries (LCE queries) and runs are ubiquitous in
algorithmic stringology. Linear-time algorithms computing runs and
preprocessing for constant-time LCE queries have been known for over a decade.
However, these algorithms assume a linearly-sortable integer alphabet. A recent
breakthrough paper by Bannai et.\ al.\ (SODA 2015) showed a link between the
two notions: all the runs in a string can be computed via a linear number of
LCE queries. The first to consider these problems over a general ordered
alphabet was Kosolobov (\emph{Inf.\ Process.\ Lett.}, 2016), who presented an
-time algorithm for answering LCE queries. This
result was improved by Gawrychowski et.\ al.\ (accepted to CPM 2016) to time. In this work we note a special \emph{non-crossing} property
of LCE queries asked in the runs computation. We show that any such
non-crossing queries can be answered on-line in time, which
yields an -time algorithm for computing runs
The Hypanis Valles delta: The last highstand of a sea on early Mars?
One of the most contentious hypotheses in the geological history of Mars is whether the northern lowlands ever contained an oceanic water body. Arguably, the best evidence for an ocean comes from the presence of sedimentary fans around Mars' dichotomy boundary, which separates the northern lowlands from the southern highlands. Here we describe the palaeogeomorphology of the Hypanis Valles sediment fan, the largest sediment fan complex reported on Mars (area >970 km2). This has an extensive catchment (4.6 x 105 km2) incorporating Hypanis and Nanedi Valles, that we show was active during the late-Noachian/early-Hesperian period (âŒ3.7 Ga). The fan comprises a series of lobe-shaped sediment bodies, connected by multiple bifurcating flat-topped ridges. We interpret the latter as former fluvial channel belts now preserved in inverted relief. Meter-scale-thick, sub-horizontal layers that are continuous over tens of kilometres are visible in scarps and the inverted channel margins. The inverted channel branches and lobes are observed to occur up to at least 140 km from the outlet of Hypanis Valles and descend âŒ500 m in elevation. The progressive basinward advance of the channellobe transition records deposition and avulsion at the margin of a retreating standing body of water, assuming the elevation of the northern plains basin floor is stable. We interpret the Hypanis sediment fan to represent an ancient delta as opposed to a fluvial fan system. At its location at the dichotomy boundary, the Hypanis Valles fan system is topographically open to Chryse Planitia â an extensive plain that opens in turn into the larger northern lowlands basin. We conclude that the observed progradation of fan bodies was due to basinward shoreline retreat of an ancient body of water which extended across at least Chryse Planitia. Given the open topography, it is plausible that the Hypanis fan system records the existence, last highstand, and retreat of a large sea in Chryse Planitia and perhaps even an ocean that filled the northern plains of Mars
Is the propensity to emit alarm calls associated with health status?
This work was supported by the National Geographic Society, UCLA (Faculty Senate and the Division of Life Sciences), a RMBL research fellowship, and by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (IDBR-0754247, and DEB-1119660 and 1557130 to D.T.B., as well as DBI-0242960, 0731346, and 1226713 to the RMBL).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Meltwater Intrusions Reveal Mechanisms for Rapid Submarine Melt at a Tidewater Glacier
Submarine melting has been implicated as a driver of glacier retreat and sea level rise, but to date melting has been difficult to observe and quantify. As a result, melt rates have been estimated from parameterizations that are largely unconstrained by observations, particularly at the near-vertical termini of tidewater glaciers. With standard coefficients, these melt parameterizations predict that ambient
melting (the melt away from subglacial discharge outlets) is negligible compared to discharge-driven melting for typical tidewater glaciers. Here, we present new data from LeConte Glacier, Alaska, that challenges this paradigm. Using autonomous kayaks, we observe ambient meltwater intrusions that are ubiquitous within 400 m of the terminus, and we provide the first characterization of their properties, structure, and distribution. Our results suggest that ambient melt rates are substantially higher (Ă100) than standard theory predicts and that ambient melting is a significant part of the total submarine melt flux. We explore modifications to the prevalent melt parameterization to provide a path forward for improved modeling of ocean-glacier interactions.This work was funded by NSF OPP Grants 1503910, 1504191, 1504288,
and 1504521 and National Geographic Grant CP4-171R-17. Additionally, this research was supported by the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, administered by UCARâs Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) under award #NA18NWS4620043B. These observations would not be possible without the skilled engineering team who developed the autonomous kayaksâincluding Jasmine Nahorniak, June Marion, Nick McComb, Anthony Grana, and Corwin Perrenâand also the Captain and crew of the M/V Amber Anne. We thank Donald Slater and an anonymous reviewer for valuable feedback that improved this manuscript. Data availability: All of the oceanographic data collected by ship and kayak have been archived with the National Centers for Environmental Information (Accession 0189574, https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/ 0189574). The glacier data have been archived at the Arctic Data Center (https://doi.org/10.18739/A22G44).Ye
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