138 research outputs found
Measurement of positron lifetime to probe the mixed molecular states of liquid water
Positron lifetime spectra were measured in liquid water at temperatures
between 0c and 50c. The long lifetime of ortho-positronium atoms (o-Ps)
determined by electron pick-off in molecular substances decreases smoothly by
10% as the temperature is raised. This lifetime temperature dependence can be
explained by combining the Ps-bubble model and the mixture state model of
liquid water.Comment: 11 pages, 6 page
Recommended from our members
Automatic test case generation for WS-Agreements using combinatorial testing
In the scope of the applications developed under the service-based paradigm, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are a standard mechanism used to flexibly specify the Quality of Service (QoS) that must be delivered. These agreements contain the conditions negotiated between the service provider and consumers as well as the potential penalties derived from the violation of such conditions. In this context, it is important to assure that the service based application (SBA) behaves as expected in order to avoid potential consequences like penalties or dissatisfaction between the stakeholders that have negotiated and signed the SLA. In this article we address the testing of SLAs specified using the WS-Agreement standard by means of applying testing techniques such as the Classification Tree Method and Combinatorial Testing to generate test cases. From the content of the individual terms of the SLA, we identify situations that need to be tested. We also obtain a set of constraints based on the SLA specification and the behavior of the SBA in order to guarantee the testability of the test cases. Furthermore, we define three different coverage strategies with the aim at grading the intensity of the tests. Finally, we have developed a tool named SLACT (SLA Combinatorial Testing) in order to automate the process and we have applied the whole approach to an eHealth case study
Entropy-driven liquid-liquid separation in supercooled water
Twenty years ago Poole et al. (Nature 360, 324, 1992) suggested that the
anomalous properties of supercooled water may be caused by a critical point
that terminates a line of liquid-liquid separation of lower-density and
higher-density water. Here we present an explicit thermodynamic model based on
this hypothesis, which describes all available experimental data for
supercooled water with better quality and with fewer adjustable parameters than
any other model suggested so far. Liquid water at low temperatures is viewed as
an 'athermal solution' of two molecular structures with different entropies and
densities. Alternatively to popular models for water, in which the
liquid-liquid separation is driven by energy, the phase separation in the
athermal two-state water is driven by entropy upon increasing the pressure,
while the critical temperature is defined by the 'reaction' equilibrium
constant. In particular, the model predicts the location of density maxima at
the locus of a near-constant fraction (about 0.12) of the lower-density
structure.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Version 2 contains an additional supplement with
tables for the mean-field equatio
Evaluating the Functioning Mechanisms of ‘TANK Systems’ in Peri-Urban Areas of Chennai, India—Land Use Change as the Determinant
Ensuring the sustenance of water resources that act as sources of water for cities threatened by urbanization and developmental pressures is a crucial problem in peri-urban areas. The objective of this research was to establish the role of change in agricultural land use as a determinant in the evaluation of the existing water management system and to ascertain whether the control by the government or community management can be effective in ensuring the sustenance of water resources in peri-urban areas. The cases selected for the study were the water management systems present in two villages located in the peri-urban areas of Chennai, India. This research adopted a case study strategy with mixed methods of analyses. The analysis traces trajectories of change in the land use of agricultural lands and the common lands related to water management through methods, trend analysis, analysis of spatial patterns of change and the changes in the components of the community management. Results from the analysis indicated that under the context of intensive change from agricultural to nonagricultural land uses, the interlinkages within the traditional community management model had broken up, making community control improbable. The current management model of the government was also found to be inadequate. Results indicated that government agencies with trained personnel engaged in periodic maintenance activities, constant monitoring against encroachment, and pollution, and through the formation of user associations under their control can ensure the sustenance of water resources
- …