1,290 research outputs found

    What buoyancy really is. A generalized Archimedes' principle for sedimentation and ultracentrifugation

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    Particle settling is a pervasive process in nature, and centrifugation is a versatile separation technique. Yet, the results of settling and ultracentrifugation experiments often appear to contradict the very law on which they are based: Archimedes' principle - arguably, the oldest physical law. The purpose of this paper is delving into the very roots of the concept of buoyancy by means of a combined experimental-theoretical study on sedimentation profiles in colloidal mixtures. Our analysis shows that the standard Archimedes' principle is only a limiting approximation, valid for mesoscopic particles settling in a molecular fluid, and we provide a general expression for the actual buoyancy force. This "Generalized Archimedes' Principle" accounts for unexpected effects, such as denser particles floating on top of a lighter fluid, which in fact we observe in our experiments

    Are all pastures eligible for conservation? A phytosociological survey of the Sardinian–Corsican Province as a basic tool for the Habitats Directive

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    A consistent vegetation classification is an essential tool for conservation and monitoring purposes, also for semi-natural habitats such as pastures and hay meadows that are linked to traditional land use and generally considered crucial to maintain biodiversity within agricultural systems. Indeed, these habitats can be strongly affected by land abandonment or agriculture intensification. Despite their importance in the framework of the EU Habitats Directive (43/92/EEC), information on distribution, species composition, and conservation status is still lacking for many regions. To fill these gaps, we investigated from a phytosociological point of view the sheep pastures of the North-Western Sardinian trachy-basaltic sector. Three main communities were described as new: (i) perennial montane (meso-supratemperate) cattle and sheep pastures (Loto alpini- Festucetum morisianae); (ii) mixed (annual and perennial) Mediterranean (lower Thermomediterranean to lower supratemperate) sheep pastures (Ornithogalo corsici-Poetum bulbosae); and (iii) annual ploughed subnitrophilous Mediterranean and Temperate pastures (Cynosuro polybracteati-Vulpietum ligusticae). As the first two host numerous endemic taxa and show a peculiar floristic composition, we assign them a higher conservation value, testified also by their classification in two new syntaxa: Danthonio decumbentis-Caricenion insularis (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) and Ornithogalo corsici-Trifolienion subterranei (Poetea bulbosae), respectively

    Multiple solutions to a magnetic nonlinear Choquard equation

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    We consider the stationary nonlinear magnetic Choquard equation [(-\mathrm{i}\nabla+A(x))^{2}u+V(x)u=(\frac{1}{|x|^{\alpha}}\ast |u|^{p}) |u|^{p-2}u,\quad x\in\mathbb{R}^{N}%] where A A\ is a real valued vector potential, VV is a real valued scalar potential,, N≥3N\geq3, α∈(0,N)\alpha\in(0,N) and 2−(α/N)<p<(2N−α)/(N−2)2-(\alpha/N) <p<(2N-\alpha)/(N-2). \ We assume that both AA and VV are compatible with the action of some group GG of linear isometries of RN\mathbb{R}^{N}. We establish the existence of multiple complex valued solutions to this equation which satisfy the symmetry condition u(gx)=τ(g)u(x)   for allg∈G,x∈RN, u(gx)=\tau(g)u(x)\text{\ \ \ for all}g\in G,\text{}x\in\mathbb{R}^{N}, where τ:G→S1\tau:G\rightarrow\mathbb{S}^{1} is a given group homomorphism into the unit complex numbers.Comment: To appear on ZAM

    Edge-Weighted Consensus Based Formation Control Strategy With Collision Avoidance

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    In this paper, a consensus-based control strategy is presented to gather formation for a group of differential-wheeled robots. The for- mation shape and the avoidance of collisions between robots are ob- tained by exploiting the properties of weighted graphs. Since mobile robots are supposed to move in unknown environments, the presented approach to multi-robot coordination has been extended in order to include obstacle avoidance. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy has been demonstrated by means of analytical proofs. More- over, results of simulations and experiments on real robots are provided for validation purposes

    SIMULATION OF PULVERIZED COAL FIRED BOILER: REACTION CHAMBER

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    This work is part of a joint project to built a computational tool for power plant simulation, dealing specifically with the reaction chamber (place of the boiler where the fuel is burned). In order to describe the conversion of chemical energy to thermal energy, an onedimensional pseudo-homogeneous mathematical model, with variable physical properties, and based on mass and energy balances, was developed. The equations were implemented in the gPROMS simulator and the model parameters were estimated using the module gEST of this software, with experimental data from a large-scale coal-fired utility boiler and kinetic data from the open literature. The results showed that the model predicts the composition of the outlet combustion gas satisfactorily
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