841 research outputs found
Structure, stability and stress properties of amorphous and nanostructured carbon films
Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous and nanocomposite carbon
are investigated using tight-binding molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo
simulations. In the case of amorphous carbon, we show that the variation of
sp^3 fraction as a function of density is linear over the whole range of
possible densities, and that the bulk moduli follow closely the power-law
variation suggested by Thorpe. We also review earlier work pertained to the
intrinsic stress state of tetrahedral amorphous carbon. In the case of
nanocomposites, we show that the diamond inclusions are stable only in dense
amorphous tetrahedral matrices. Their hardness is considerably higher than that
of pure amorphous carbon films. Fully relaxed diamond nanocomposites possess
zero average intrinsic stress.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Plasma Turbulence in the Local Bubble
Turbulence in the Local Bubble could play an important role in the
thermodynamics of the gas that is there. The best astronomical technique for
measuring turbulence in astrophysical plasmas is radio scintillation.
Measurements of the level of scattering to the nearby pulsar B0950+08 by
Philips and Clegg in 1992 showed a markedly lower value for the line-of-sight
averaged turbulent intensity parameter is smaller than normal for two of them, but is completely nominal for
the third. This inconclusive status of affairs could be improved by
measurements and analysis of ``arcs'' in ``secondary spectra'' of pulsars.Comment: Submitted to Space Science Reviews as contribution to Proceedings of
ISSI (International Space Science Institute) workshop "From the Heliosphere
to the Local Bubble". Refereed version accepted for publicatio
Quantum Disordered Regime and Spin Gap in the Cuprate Superconductors
We discuss the crossover from the quantum critical, , to the quantum
disordered regime in high-T materials in relation to the experimental data
on the nuclear relaxation, bulk susceptibility, and inelastic neutron
scattering. In our scenario, the spin excitations develop a gap
well above T, which is supplemented by the
quasiparticle gap below T. The above experiments yield consistent estimates
for the value of the spin gap, which increases as the correlation length
decreases.Comment: 14 pages, REVTeX v3.0, PostScript file for 3 figures is attached,
UIUC-P-93-07-06
A Simple Model of Liquid-liquid Phase Transitions
In recent years, a second fluid-fluid phase transition has been reported in
several materials at pressures far above the usual liquid-gas phase transition.
In this paper, we introduce a new model of this behavior based on the
Lennard-Jones interaction with a modification to mimic the different kinds of
short-range orientational order in complex materials. We have done Monte Carlo
studies of this model that clearly demonstrate the existence of a second
first-order fluid-fluid phase transition between high- and low-density liquid
phases
Linear Response, Validity of Semi-Classical Gravity, and the Stability of Flat Space
A quantitative test for the validity of the semi-classical approximation in
gravity is given. The criterion proposed is that solutions to the
semi-classical Einstein equations should be stable to linearized perturbations,
in the sense that no gauge invariant perturbation should become unbounded in
time. A self-consistent linear response analysis of these perturbations, based
upon an invariant effective action principle, necessarily involves metric
fluctuations about the mean semi-classical geometry, and brings in the
two-point correlation function of the quantum energy-momentum tensor in a
natural way. This linear response equation contains no state dependent
divergences and requires no new renormalization counterterms beyond those
required in the leading order semi-classical approximation. The general linear
response criterion is applied to the specific example of a scalar field with
arbitrary mass and curvature coupling in the vacuum state of Minkowski
spacetime. The spectral representation of the vacuum polarization function is
computed in n dimensional Minkowski spacetime, and used to show that the flat
space solution to the semi-classical Einstein equations for n=4 is stable to
all perturbations on distance scales much larger than the Planck length.Comment: 22 pages: This is a significantly expanded version of gr-qc/0204083,
with two additional sections and two new appendices giving a complete,
explicit example of the semi-classical stability criterion proposed in the
previous pape
Focused methane migration formed pipe structures in permeable sandstones: Insights from uncrewed aerial vehicle-based digital outcrop analysis in Varna, Bulgaria
Focused fluid flow shapes the evolution of marine sedimentary basins by transferring fluids and pressure across geological formations. Vertical fluid conduits may form where localized overpressure breaches a cap rock (permeability barrier) and thereby transports overpressured fluids towards shallower reservoirs or the surface. Field outcrops of an Eocene fluid flow system at Pobiti Kamani and Beloslav Quarry (ca 15 km west of Varna, Bulgaria) reveal large carbonate‐cemented conduits, which formed in highly permeable, unconsolidated, marine sands of the northern Tethys Margin. An uncrewed aerial vehicle with an RGB sensor camera produces ortho‐rectified image mosaics, digital elevation models and point clouds of the two kilometre‐scale outcrop areas. Based on these data, geological field observations and petrological analysis of rock/core samples; fractures and vertical fluid conduits were mapped and analyzed with centimetre accuracy. The results show that both outcrops comprise several hundred carbonate‐cemented fluid conduits (pipes), oriented perpendicular to bedding, and at least seven bedding‐parallel calcite cemented interbeds which differ from the hosting sand formation only by their increased amount of cementation. The observations show that carbonate precipitation likely initiated around areas of focused fluid flow, where methane entered the formation from the underlying fractured subsurface. These first carbonates formed the outer walls of the pipes and continued to grow inward, leading to self‐sustaining and self‐reinforcing focused fluid flow. The results, supported by literature‐based carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of the carbonates, indicate that ambient seawater and advected fresh/brackish water were involved in the carbonate precipitation by microbial methane oxidation. Similar structures may also form in modern settings where focused fluid flow advects fluids into overlying sand‐dominated formations, which has wide implications for the understanding of how focusing of fluids works in sedimentary basins with broad consequences for the migration of water, oil and gas
CONSORT Harms 2022 statement, explanation, and elaboration: updated guideline for the reporting of harms in randomized trials.
Randomized controlled trials remain the reference standard for healthcare research on effects of interventions, and the need to report both benefits and harms is essential. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (the main CONSORT) statement includes one item on reporting harms (i.e., all important harms or unintended effects in each group). In 2004, the CONSORT group developed the CONSORT Harms extension; however, it has not been consistently applied and needs to be updated. Here, we describe CONSORT Harms 2022, which replaces the CONSORT Harms 2004 checklist, and shows how CONSORT Harms 2022 items could be incorporated into the main CONSORT checklist. Thirteen items from the main CONSORT were modified to improve harms reporting. Three new items were added. In this article, we describe CONSORT Harms 2022 and how it was integrated into the main CONSORT checklist and elaborate on each item relevant to complete reporting of harms in randomized controlled trials. Until future work from the CONSORT group produces an updated checklist, authors, journal reviewers, and editors of randomized controlled trials should use the integrated checklist presented in this paper
Discovering Application-Level Insider Attacks Using Symbolic Execution
Coordinated Science Laboratory was formerly known as Control Systems LaboratoryNational Science Foundation / 727 NSF CNS 05-5166
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