14,307 research outputs found
Counterions at charge-modulated substrates
We consider counterions in the presence of a single planar surface with a
spatially inhomogeneous charge distribution using Monte-Carlo simulations and
strong-coupling theory. For high surface charges, multivalent counterions, or
pronounced substrate charge modulation the counterions are laterally correlated
with the surface charges and their density profile deviates strongly from the
limit of a smeared-out substrate charge distribution, in particular exhibiting
a much increased laterally averaged density at the surface.Comment: 7 page
Micro-bias and macro-performance
We use agent-based modeling to investigate the effect of conservatism and
partisanship on the efficiency with which large populations solve the density
classification task--a paradigmatic problem for information aggregation and
consensus building. We find that conservative agents enhance the populations'
ability to efficiently solve the density classification task despite large
levels of noise in the system. In contrast, we find that the presence of even a
small fraction of partisans holding the minority position will result in
deadlock or a consensus on an incorrect answer. Our results provide a possible
explanation for the emergence of conservatism and suggest that even low levels
of partisanship can lead to significant social costs.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Non-Local Product Rules for Percolation
Despite original claims of a first-order transition in the product rule model
proposed by Achlioptas et al. [Science 323, 1453 (2009)], recent studies
indicate that this percolation model, in fact, displays a continuous
transition. The distinctive scaling properties of the model at criticality,
however, strongly suggest that it should belong to a different universality
class than ordinary percolation. Here we introduce a generalization of the
product rule that reveals the effect of non-locality on the critical behavior
of the percolation process. Precisely, pairs of unoccupied bonds are chosen
according to a probability that decays as a power-law of their Manhattan
distance, and only that bond connecting clusters whose product of their sizes
is the smallest, becomes occupied. Interestingly, our results for
two-dimensional lattices at criticality shows that the power-law exponent of
the product rule has a significant influence on the finite-size scaling
exponents for the spanning cluster, the conducting backbone, and the cutting
bonds of the system. In all three cases, we observe a continuous variation from
ordinary to (non-local) explosive percolation exponents.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Attraction Between Like-Charged Walls: Short-Ranged Simulations Using Local Molecular Field Theory
Effective attraction between like-charged walls mediated by counterions is
studied using local molecular field (LMF) theory. Monte Carlo simulations of
the "mimic system'' given by LMF theory, with short-ranged "Coulomb core"
interactions in an effective single particle potential incorporating a
mean-field average of the long-ranged Coulomb interactions, provide a direct
test of the theory, and are in excellent agreement with more complex
simulations of the full Coulomb system by Moreira and Netz [Eur. Phys. J. E 8,
33 (2002)]. A simple, generally-applicable criterion to determine the
consistency parameter sigma_{min} needed for accurate use of the LMF theory is
presented
Sampling system for wheat (Triticum aestivum L) area estimation using digital LANDSAT MSS data and aerial photographs
A procedure to estimate wheat (Triticum aestivum L) area using sampling technique based on aerial photographs and digital LANDSAT MSS data is developed. Aerial photographs covering 720 square km are visually analyzed. To estimate wheat area, a regression approach is applied using different sample sizes and various sampling units. As the size of sampling unit decreased, the percentage of sampled area required to obtain similar estimation performance also decreased. The lowest percentage of the area sampled for wheat estimation with relatively high precision and accuracy through regression estimation is 13.90% using 10 square km as the sampling unit. Wheat area estimation using only aerial photographs is less precise and accurate than those obtained by regression estimation
Irrigated rice area estimation using remote sensing techniques: Project's proposal and preliminary results
The development of a methodology for annual estimates of irrigated rice crop in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using remote sensing techniques is proposed. The project involves interpretation, digital analysis, and sampling techniques of LANDSAT imagery. Results are discussed from a preliminary phase for identifying and evaluating irrigated rice crop areas in four counties of the State, for the crop year 1982/1983. This first phase involved just visual interpretation techniques of MSS/LANDSAT images
Universal reduction of pressure between charged surfaces by long-wavelength surface charge modulation
We predict theoretically that long-wavelength surface charge modulations
universally reduce the pressure between the charged surfaces with counterions
compared with the case of uniformly charged surfaces with the same average
surface charge density. The physical origin of this effect is the fact that
surface charge modulations always lead to enhanced counterion localization near
the surfaces, and hence, fewer charges at the midplane. We confirm the last
prediction with Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 8 pages 1 figure, Europhys. Lett., in pres
Transport on exploding percolation clusters
We propose a simple generalization of the explosive percolation process
[Achlioptas et al., Science 323, 1453 (2009)], and investigate its structural
and transport properties. In this model, at each step, a set of q unoccupied
bonds is randomly chosen. Each of these bonds is then associated with a weight
given by the product of the cluster sizes that they would potentially connect,
and only that bond among the q-set which has the smallest weight becomes
occupied. Our results indicate that, at criticality, all finite-size scaling
exponents for the spanning cluster, the conducting backbone, the cutting bonds,
and the global conductance of the system, change continuously and significantly
with q. Surprisingly, we also observe that systems with intermediate values of
q display the worst conductive performance. This is explained by the strong
inhibition of loops in the spanning cluster, resulting in a substantially
smaller associated conducting backbone.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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