2,904 research outputs found
A Parallel Tree code for large Nbody simulation: dynamic load balance and data distribution on CRAY T3D system
N-body algorithms for long-range unscreened interactions like gravity belong
to a class of highly irregular problems whose optimal solution is a challenging
task for present-day massively parallel computers. In this paper we describe a
strategy for optimal memory and work distribution which we have applied to our
parallel implementation of the Barnes & Hut (1986) recursive tree scheme on a
Cray T3D using the CRAFT programming environment. We have performed a series of
tests to find an " optimal data distribution " in the T3D memory, and to
identify a strategy for the " Dynamic Load Balance " in order to obtain good
performances when running large simulations (more than 10 million particles).
The results of tests show that the step duration depends on two main factors:
the data locality and the T3D network contention. Increasing data locality we
are able to minimize the step duration if the closest bodies (direct
interaction) tend to be located in the same PE local memory (contiguous block
subdivison, high granularity), whereas the tree properties have a fine grain
distribution. In a very large simulation, due to network contention, an
unbalanced load arises. To remedy this we have devised an automatic work
redistribution mechanism which provided a good Dynamic Load Balance at the
price of an insignificant overhead.Comment: 16 pages with 11 figures included, (Latex, elsart.style). Accepted by
Computer Physics Communication
Locality and stability of the cascades of two-dimensional turbulence
We investigate and clarify the notion of locality as it pertains to the
cascades of two-dimensional turbulence. The mathematical framework underlying
our analysis is the infinite system of balance equations that govern the
generalized unfused structure functions, first introduced by L'vov and
Procaccia. As a point of departure we use a revised version of the system of
hypotheses that was proposed by Frisch for three-dimensional turbulence. We
show that both the enstrophy cascade and the inverse energy cascade are local
in the sense of non-perturbative statistical locality. We also investigate the
stability conditions for both cascades. We have shown that statistical
stability with respect to forcing applies unconditionally for the inverse
energy cascade. For the enstrophy cascade, statistical stability requires
large-scale dissipation and a vanishing downscale energy dissipation. A careful
discussion of the subtle notion of locality is given at the end of the paper.Comment: v2: 23 pages; 4 figures; minor revisions; resubmitted to Phys. Rev.
Shear-banding in a lyotropic lamellar phase, Part 2: Temporal fluctuations
We analyze the temporal fluctuations of the flow field associated to a
shear-induced transition in a lyotropic lamellar phase: the layering transition
of the onion texture. In the first part of this work [Salmon et al., submitted
to Phys. Rev. E], we have evidenced banded flows at the onset of this
shear-induced transition which are well accounted for by the classical picture
of shear-banding. In the present paper, we focus on the temporal fluctuations
of the flow field recorded in the coexistence domain. These striking dynamics
are very slow (100--1000s) and cannot be due to external mechanical noise.
Using velocimetry coupled to structural measurements, we show that these
fluctuations are due to a motion of the interface separating the two
differently sheared bands. Such a motion seems to be governed by the
fluctuations of , the local stress at the interface between the
two bands. Our results thus provide more evidence for the relevance of the
classical mechanical approach of shear-banding even if the mechanism leading to
the fluctuations of remains unclear
Velocity profiles in shear-banding wormlike micelles
Using Dynamic Light Scattering in heterodyne mode, we measure velocity
profiles in a much studied system of wormlike micelles (CPCl/NaSal) known to
exhibit both shear-banding and stress plateau behavior. Our data provide
evidence for the simplest shear-banding scenario, according to which the
effective viscosity drop in the system is due to the nucleation and growth of a
highly sheared band in the gap, whose thickness linearly increases with the
imposed shear rate. We discuss various details of the velocity profiles in all
the regions of the flow curve and emphasize on the complex, non-Newtonian
nature of the flow in the highly sheared band.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
C^{2} formulation of Euler fluid
The Hamiltonian formalism for the continuous media is constructed using the
representation of Euler variables in phase
space.Comment: 8 page
hNuf2 inhibition blocks stable kinetochore–microtubule attachment and induces mitotic cell death in HeLa cells
Identification of proteins that couple kinetochores to spindle microtubules is critical for understanding how accurate chromosome segregation is achieved in mitosis. Here we show that the protein hNuf2 specifically functions at kinetochores for stable microtubule attachment in HeLa cells. When hNuf2 is depleted by RNA interference, spindle formation occurs normally as cells enter mitosis, but kinetochores fail to form their attachments to spindle microtubules and cells block in prometaphase with an active spindle checkpoint. Kinetochores depleted of hNuf2 retain the microtubule motors CENP-E and cytoplasmic dynein, proteins previously implicated in recruiting kinetochore microtubules. Kinetochores also retain detectable levels of the spindle checkpoint proteins Mad2 and BubR1, as expected for activation of the spindle checkpoint by unattached kinetochores. In addition, the cell cycle block produced by hNuf2 depletion induces mitotic cells to undergo cell death. These data highlight a specific role for hNuf2 in kinetochore–microtubule attachment and suggest that hNuf2 is part of a molecular linker between the kinetochore attachment site and tubulin subunits within the lattice of attached plus ends
Shear-banding in a lyotropic lamellar phase, Part 1: Time-averaged velocity profiles
Using velocity profile measurements based on dynamic light scattering and
coupled to structural and rheological measurements in a Couette cell, we
present evidences for a shear-banding scenario in the shear flow of the onion
texture of a lyotropic lamellar phase. Time-averaged measurements clearly show
the presence of structural shear-banding in the vicinity of a shear-induced
transition, associated to the nucleation and growth of a highly sheared band in
the flow. Our experiments also reveal the presence of slip at the walls of the
Couette cell. Using a simple mechanical approach, we demonstrate that our data
confirms the classical assumption of the shear-banding picture, in which the
interface between bands lies at a given stress . We also outline
the presence of large temporal fluctuations of the flow field, which are the
subject of the second part of this paper [Salmon {\it et al.}, submitted to
Phys. Rev. E]
Recent Developments in Understanding Two-dimensional Turbulence and the Nastrom-Gage Spectrum
Two-dimensional turbulence appears to be a more formidable problem than
three-dimensional turbulence despite the numerical advantage of working with
one less dimension. In the present paper we review recent numerical
investigations of the phenomenology of two-dimensional turbulence as well as
recent theoretical breakthroughs by various leading researchers. We also review
efforts to reconcile the observed energy spectrum of the atmosphere (the
spectrum) with the predictions of two-dimensional turbulence and
quasi-geostrophic turbulence.Comment: Invited review; accepted by J. Low Temp. Phys.; Proceedings for
Warwick Turbulence Symposium Workshop on Universal features in turbulence:
from quantum to cosmological scales, 200
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