655 research outputs found
Experience with the CAIS
Intermetrics' experience is that the Ada package construct, which allows separation of specification and implementation allows specification of a CAIS that is transportable across varying hardware and software bases. Additionally, the CAIS is an excellent basis for providing operating system functionality to Ada applications. By allowing the Byron APSE to be moved easily from system to system, and allowing significant re-writes of underlying code. Ada and the CAIS provide portability as well as transparency to change at the application operating system interface level
Convergence of derivative expansions of the renormalization group
We investigate the convergence of the derivative expansion of the exact
renormalization group, by using it to compute the beta function of scalar field
theory. We show that the derivative expansion of the Polchinski flow equation
converges at one loop for certain fast falling smooth cutoffs. The derivative
expansion of the Legendre flow equation trivially converges at one loop, but
also at two loops: slowly with sharp cutoff (as a momentum-scale expansion),
and rapidly in the case of a smooth exponential cutoff. Finally, we show that
the two loop contributions to certain higher derivative operators (not involved
in beta) have divergent momentum-scale expansions for sharp cutoff, but the
smooth exponential cutoff gives convergent derivative expansions for all such
operators with any number of derivatives.Comment: Latex inc axodraw. 20 page
Force balance in canonical ensembles of static granular packings
We investigate the role of local force balance in the transition from a
microcanonical ensemble of static granular packings, characterized by an
invariant stress, to a canonical ensemble. Packings in two dimensions admit a
reciprocal tiling, and a collective effect of force balance is that the area of
this tiling is also invariant in a microcanonical ensemble. We present
analytical relations between stress, tiling area and tiling area fluctuations,
and show that a canonical ensemble can be characterized by an intensive
thermodynamic parameter conjugate to one or the other. We test the equivalence
of different ensembles through the first canonical simulations of the force
network ensemble, a model system.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JSTA
Angoricity and compactivity describe the jamming transition in soft particulate matter
The application of concepts from equilibrium statistical mechanics to
out-of-equilibrium systems has a long history of describing diverse systems
ranging from glasses to granular materials. For dissipative jammed systems--
particulate grains or droplets-- a key concept is to replace the energy
ensemble describing conservative systems by the volume-stress ensemble. Here,
we test the applicability of the volume-stress ensemble to describe the jamming
transition by comparing the jammed configurations obtained by dynamics with
those averaged over the ensemble as a probe of ergodicity. Agreement between
both methods suggests the idea of "thermalization" at a given angoricity and
compactivity. We elucidate the thermodynamic order of the jamming transition by
showing the absence of critical fluctuations in static observables like
pressure and volume. The approach allows to calculate observables such as the
entropy, volume, pressure, coordination number and distribution of forces to
characterize the scaling laws near the jamming transition from a statistical
mechanics viewpoint.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figure
Reduction in ionic permeability of a silicone hydrogel contact lenses after one month of daily wear
[EN] Purpose. To compare the ionic permeability using the ionoflux method of new and worn samples of a silicone hydrogel contact lens material. Methods. An ionoflux experimental setup was established to measure the ionic permeability (NaCl) of soft contact lenses. Samples of a silicone hydrogel lens (Comfilcon A, Coopervision, Pleasanton, CA) with optical powers of -1.00, -1.50 and -4.75 diopters (D) were used in this study. Three samples of each power were measured after being worn for one month on a daily wear basis. Lenses were cleaned and disinfected every night using multipurpose disinfecting solutions. Three samples of new lenses from the same batch and the same optical power were also measured to evaluate the effect of lens wear on the ionic permeability of the lens material. Before measurement, the lenses were equilibrated with a 1 M NaCl solution during one week before of each measurement. Results. Lens power had minimal effect on the ionic permeability of a modern silicone hydrogel contact lens with the -1.00 lens having a 15% lower permeability compared to the other two lenses. After one month of lens wear the apparent ionic permeability for lenses with -1.50 D decreased by 15%. In the case of -1.00 and -4.75 D lenses there was a decrease of 26%. Conclusions. The ionic permeability of silicone hydrogel lenses of different optical powers was not significantly different. Worn lenses present a significant reduction of the ionic permeability after a month of wear. The potential effect this reduction on lens movement and discomfort associated to lens wear should be further evaluated.The authors have no proprietary interest in any of the materials mentioned in this article. This work was funded in part by FEDER through the COMPTETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of projects PTDC/SAU-BEB/098391/2008, PTDC/SAU-BEB/098392/2008 and the Strategic Project PEST-C/FIS/UI607/2011.Ferreira Da Silva, AR.; Compañ Moreno, V.; Gonzalez-Meijome, JM. (2015). Reduction in ionic permeability of a silicone hydrogel contact lenses after one month of daily wear. Materials Research Express. 2(6). https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/2/6/065007S26Yoon, S. C., & Jhon, M. S. (1982). The transport phenomena of some model solutes through postcrosslinked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) membranes with different tactic precursors. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 27(8), 3133-3149. doi:10.1002/app.1982.070270834Yasuda, H., Lamaze, C. E., & Ikenberry, L. D. (1968). Die Makromolekulare Chemie, 118(1), 19-35. doi:10.1002/macp.1968.021180102MURPHY, S., HAMILTON, C., & TIGHE, B. (1988). Synthetic hydrogels: 5. Transport processes in 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers. Polymer, 29(10), 1887-1893. doi:10.1016/0032-3861(88)90407-7Nicolson, P. C., & Vogt, J. (2001). Soft contact lens polymers: an evolution. Biomaterials, 22(24), 3273-3283. doi:10.1016/s0142-9612(01)00165-xMonticelli, M. V., Chauhan, A., & Radke, C. J. (2005). The Effect of Water Hydraulic Permeability on the Settling of a Soft Contact Lens on the Eye. Current Eye Research, 30(5), 329-336. doi:10.1080/02713680590934085Guan, L., Jiménez, M. E. G., Walowski, C., Boushehri, A., Prausnitz, J. M., & Radke, C. J. (2011). Permeability and partition coefficient of aqueous sodium chloride in soft contact lenses. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 122(3), 1457-1471. doi:10.1002/app.33336Cheng, M.-L., & Sun, Y.-M. (2005). Observation of the solute transport in the permeation through hydrogel membranes by using FTIR-microscopy. Journal of Membrane Science, 253(1-2), 191-198. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2005.01.017CHHABRA, M., PRAUSNITZ, J., & RADKE, C. (2007). A single-lens polarographic measurement of oxygen permeability (Dk) for hypertransmissible soft contact lenses. Biomaterials, 28(30), 4331-4342. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2007.06.024González-Méijome, J. M., López-Alemany, A., Almeida, J. B., & Parafita, M. A. (2009). Surface AFM microscopy of unworn and worn samples of silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 88B(1), 75-82. doi:10.1002/jbm.b.31153González-Méijome, J. M., López-Alemany, A., Almeida, J. B., & Parafita, M. A. (2008). Dynamic in vitro dehydration patterns of unworn and worn silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 90B(1), 250-258. doi:10.1002/jbm.b.31279Pozuelo, J., Compañ, V., González-Méijome, J. M., González, M., & Mollá, S. (2014). Oxygen and ionic transport in hydrogel and silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials: An experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Membrane Science, 452, 62-72. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2013.10.010Wolffsohn, J. S., Hunt, O. A., & Basra, A. K. (2009). Simplified recording of soft contact lens fit. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 32(1), 37-42. doi:10.1016/j.clae.2008.12.00
Force distributions in a triangular lattice of rigid bars
We study the uniformly weighted ensemble of force balanced configurations on
a triangular network of nontensile contact forces. For periodic boundary
conditions corresponding to isotropic compressive stress, we find that the
probability distribution for single-contact forces decays faster than
exponentially. This super-exponential decay persists in lattices diluted to the
rigidity percolation threshold. On the other hand, for anisotropic imposed
stresses, a broader tail emerges in the force distribution, becoming a pure
exponential in the limit of infinite lattice size and infinitely strong
anisotropy.Comment: 11 pages, 17 figures Minor text revisions; added references and
acknowledgmen
Parity Effect and Charge Binding Transition in Submicron Josephson Junction Arrays
We reconsider the issue of Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition
into an insulating state in the Coulomb-dominated Josephson junction arrays. We
show that previously predicted picture of the Cooper-pair BKT transtion at T =
T_2 is valid only under the condition that T_2 is considerably below the
parity-effect temperature (which is usually almost 10 times below the value of
superconductive transition temperature), and even in this case it is not a
rigorous phase transition but only a crossover, whereas the real phase
transition takes place at T_1 = T_2/4. Our theory is in agreement with
available experimental data on Coulomb-dominated Josephson arrays and also
sheds some light on the origin of unusual reentrant temperature dependence of
resistivity in the array with nearly-criticial ratio of Coulomb to Josephson
energies.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, to be published in JETP Letters, April 9
Quantum energy flow in mesoscopic dielectric structures
We investigate the phononic energy transport properties of mesoscopic,
suspended dielectric wires. The Landauer formula for the thermal conductance is
derived and its universal aspects discussed. We then determine the variance of
the energy current in the presence of a steady state current flow. In the final
part, some initial results are presented concerning the nature of the
temperature fluctuations of a mesoscopic electron gas thermometer due to the
absorption and emission of wire phonons.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
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