254 research outputs found
Dynamics of stick-slip in peeling of an adhesive tape
We investigate the dynamics of peeling of an adhesive tape subjected to a
constant pull speed. We derive the equations of motion for the angular speed of
the roller tape, the peel angle and the pull force used in earlier
investigations using a Lagrangian. Due to the constraint between the pull
force, peel angle and the peel force, it falls into the category of
differential-algebraic equations requiring an appropriate algorithm for its
numerical solution. Using such a scheme, we show that stick-slip jumps emerge
in a purely dynamical manner. Our detailed numerical study shows that these set
of equations exhibit rich dynamics hitherto not reported. In particular, our
analysis shows that inertia has considerable influence on the nature of the
dynamics. Following studies in the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect, we suggest a
phenomenological peel force function which includes the influence of the pull
speed. This reproduces the decreasing nature of the rupture force with the pull
speed observed in experiments. This rich dynamics is made transparent by using
a set of approximations valid in different regimes of the parameter space. The
approximate solutions capture major features of the exact numerical solutions
and also produce reasonably accurate values for the various quantities of
interest.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures. Minor modifications as suggested by refere
Dynamical scaling and isotope effect in temporal evolution of mesoscopic structure during hydration of cement
The evolution of mesoscopic structure for cement-water mixtures turning into
colloidal gels remains far from being understood. Recent neutron scattering
investigations (Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 255704 (2004); Phys. Rev. B. 72, 224208
(2005); Phys. Rev. B. 82, 064203 (2010)),, reveal the role of hydrogen bond in
temporal evolution of the mesoscopic structure during hydration of cement which
is the most consumed synthetic material. The present neutron scattering
investigation on hydration of cement with a mixture of light and heavy water
points to incomprehensibility of the temporal evolution of the mesoscopic
structure in terms of earlier observations on hydration with pure light or
heavy water. Unlike in the case of hydration with light water, disagreement has
been observed with the hypothesis of dynamical scaling for hydration of cement
with a mixture of the two types of water. The dynamics of evolution of the
mesoscopic structure has been observed to be nonlinear in regard to the
composition of hydration medium.Comment: 16 Pages, 5 Figure
A dynamical approach to the spatiotemporal aspects of the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect: Chaos,turbulence and band propagation
Experimental time series obtained from single and poly-crystals subjected to
a constant strain rate tests report an intriguing dynamical crossover from a
low dimensional chaotic state at medium strain rates to an infinite dimensional
power law state of stress drops at high strain rates. We present results of an
extensive study of all aspects of the PLC effect within the context a model
that reproduces this crossover. A study of the distribution of the Lyapunov
exponents as a function of strain rate shows that it changes from a small set
of positive exponents in the chaotic regime to a dense set of null exponents in
the scaling regime. As the latter feature is similar to the GOY shell model for
turbulence, we compare our results with the GOY model. Interestingly, the null
exponents in our model themselves obey a power law. The configuration of
dislocations is visualized through the slow manifold analysis. This shows that
while a large proportion of dislocations are in the pinned state in the chaotic
regime, most of them are at the threshold of unpinning in the scaling regime.
The model qualitatively reproduces the different types of deformation bands
seen in experiments. At high strain rates where propagating bands are seen, the
model equations are reduced to the Fisher-Kolmogorov equation for propagative
fronts. This shows that the velocity of the bands varies linearly with the
strain rate and inversely with the dislocation density, consistent with the
known experimental results. Thus, this simple dynamical model captures the
complex spatio-temporal features of the PLC effect.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figure
New apparatus for DTA at 2000 bar: thermodynamic studies on Au, Ag, Al and HTSC oxides
A new DTA (Differential Thermal Analysis) device was designed and installed
in a Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) furnace in order to perform high-pressure
thermodynamic investigations up to 2 kbar and 1200C. Thermal analysis can be
carried out in inert or oxidising atmosphere up to p(O2) = 400 bar. The
calibration of the DTA apparatus under pressure was successfully performed
using the melting temperature (Tm) of pure metals (Au, Ag and Al) as standard
calibration references. The thermal properties of these metals have been
studied under pressure. The values of DV (volume variation between liquid and
solid at Tm), ROsm (density of the solid at Tm) and ALPHAm (linear thermal
expansion coefficient at Tm) have been extracted. A very good agreement was
found with the existing literature and new data were added. This HP-DTA
apparatus is very useful for studying the thermodynamics of those systems where
one or more volatile elements are present, such as high TC superconducting
oxides. DTA measurements have been performed on Bi,Pb(2223) tapes up to 2 kbar
under reduced oxygen partial pressure (p(O2) = 0.07 bar). The reaction leading
to the formation of the 2223 phase was found to occur at higher temperatures
when applying pressure: the reaction DTA peak shifted by 49C at 2 kbar compared
to the reaction at 1 bar. This temperature shift is due to the higher stability
of the Pb-rich precursor phases under pressure, as the high isostatic pressure
prevents Pb from evaporating.Comment: 6 figures, 3 tables, Thermodynamics, Thermal property, Bi-2223,
fundamental valu
Relaxation oscillations and negative strain rate sensitivity in the Portevin - Le Chatelier effect
A characteristic feature of the Portevin - Le Chatelier effect or the jerky
flow is the stick-slip nature of stress-strain curves which is believed to
result from the negative strain rate dependence of the flow stress. The latter
is assumed to result from the competition of a few relevant time scales
controlling the dynamics of jerky flow. We address the issue of time scales and
its connection to the negative strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress
within the framework of a model for the jerky flow which is known to reproduce
several experimentally observed features including the negative strain rate
sensitivity of the flow stress. We attempt to understand the above issues by
analyzing the geometry of the slow manifold underlying the relaxational
oscillations in the model. We show that the nature of the relaxational
oscillations is a result of the atypical bent geometry of the slow manifold.
The analysis of the slow manifold structure helps us to understand the time
scales operating in different regions of the slow manifold. Using this
information we are able to establish connection with the strain rate
sensitivity of the flow stress. The analysis also helps us to provide a proper
dynamical interpretation for the negative branch of the strain rate
sensitivity.Comment: 7 figures, To appear in Phys. Rev.
Temperature Dependence of the Dynamics of Portevin-Le Chatelier Effect in Al-2.5%Mg alloy
Tensile tests were carried out by deforming polycrystalline samples of
Al-2.5%Mg alloy at four different temperatures in an intermediate strain rate
regime of 2x10-4s-1 to 2x10-3s-1. The Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect was
observed throughout the strain rate and temperature region. The mean cumulative
stress drop magnitude and the mean reloading time exhibit an increasing trend
with temperature which is attributed to the enhanced solute diffusion at higher
temperature. The observed stress-time series data were analyzed using the
nonlinear dynamical methods. From the analyses, we could establish the presence
of deterministic chaos in the PLC effect throughout the temperature regime. The
dynamics goes to higher dimension at a sufficiently high temperature of 425K
but the complexity of the dynamics is not affected by the temperature.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures; accepted in Met. Mater. Trans.
Towards standards for human fecal sample processing in metagenomic studies
Technical variation in metagenomic analysis must be minimized to confidently assess the contributions of microbiota to human health. Here we tested 21 representative DNA extraction protocols on the same fecal samples and quantified differences in observed microbial community composition. We compared them with differences due to library preparation and sample storage, which we contrasted with observed biological variation within the same specimen or within an individual over time. We found that DNA extraction had the largest effect on the outcome of metagenomic analysis. To rank DNA extraction protocols, we considered resulting DNA quantity and quality, and we ascertained biases in estimates of community diversity and the ratio between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We recommend a standardized DNA extraction method for human fecal samples, for which transferability across labs was established and which was further benchmarked using a mock community of known composition. Its adoption will improve comparability of human gut microbiome studies and facilitate meta-analyses
Phenotypic differentiation of gastrointestinal microbes is reflected in their encoded metabolic repertoires
The Complete Genome Sequence of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’, the Bacterium Associated with Potato Zebra Chip Disease
Zebra Chip (ZC) is an emerging plant disease that causes aboveground decline of
potato shoots and generally results in unusable tubers. This disease has led to
multi-million dollar losses for growers in the central and western United States
over the past decade and impacts the livelihood of potato farmers in Mexico and
New Zealand. ZC is associated with ‘Candidatus
Liberibacter solanacearum’, a fastidious alpha-proteobacterium that is
transmitted by a phloem-feeding psyllid vector, Bactericera
cockerelli Sulc. Research on this disease has been hampered by a
lack of robust culture methods and paucity of genome sequence information for
‘Ca. L. solanacearum’. Here we present the
sequence of the 1.26 Mbp metagenome of ‘Ca. L.
solanacearum’, based on DNA isolated from potato psyllids. The coding
inventory of the ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ genome was
analyzed and compared to related Rhizobiaceae to better
understand ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ physiology and
identify potential targets to develop improved treatment strategies. This
analysis revealed a number of unique transporters and pathways, all potentially
contributing to ZC pathogenesis. Some of these factors may have been acquired
through horizontal gene transfer. Taxonomically, ‘Ca. L.
solanacearum’ is related to ‘Ca. L.
asiaticus’, a suspected causative agent of citrus huanglongbing, yet many
genome rearrangements and several gene gains/losses are evident when comparing
these two Liberibacter. species. Relative to ‘Ca. L.
asiaticus’, ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ probably
has reduced capacity for nucleic acid modification, increased amino acid and
vitamin biosynthesis functionalities, and gained a high-affinity iron transport
system characteristic of several pathogenic microbes
Drug-microbiota interactions and treatment response: Relevance to rheumatoid arthritis
Knowledge about associations between changes in the structure and/or function of intestinal microbes (the microbiota) and the pathogenesis of various diseases is expanding. However, interactions between the intestinal microbiota and different pharmaceuticals and the impact of these on responses to treatment are less well studied. Several mechanisms are known by which drug-microbiota interactions can influence drug bioavailability, efficacy, and/or toxicity. This includes direct activation or inactivation of drugs by microbial enzymes which can enhance or reduce drug effectiveness. The extensive metabolic capabilities of the intestinal microbiota make it a hotspot for drug modification. However, drugs can also influence the microbiota profoundly and change the outcome of interactions with the host. Additionally, individual microbiota signatures are unique, leading to substantial variation in host responses to particular drugs. In this review, we describe several known and emerging examples of how drug-microbiota interactions influence the responses of patients to treatment for various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Focussing on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints which has been linked with microbial dysbiosis, we propose mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota may affect responses to treatment with methotrexate which are highly variable. Furthering our knowledge of this subject will eventually lead to the adoption of new treatment strategies incorporating microbiota signatures to predict or improve treatment outcomes
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