Formation and propagation of bands in jerky flow:a coupled lattice map description

There has been revival of interest in Jerky flow from the point of view of dynamical systems. The earliest attempt in this direction was from our group. One of the predictions of the theory is that Jerky flow could be chaotic. This has been recently verified by us. We have recently extended the earlier model to account for the spatial aspect as well. Both these models are in the form of coupled set of nonlinear differential equations and hence, they are complicated in their structure. For this reason we wish to devise a model based on the results of these two theories in the form of coupled lattice map for the description of the formation and propagation of dislocation bands. We report here one such model and its results.

First-principle description of magnonic PdnFem multilayers

Ab-initio calculations are used to determine the parameters that determine magnonic band structure of PdnFem multilayers (n = 2, m <= 8). We obtain the layer-resolved magnetization, the exchange coupling, and the magnetic anisotropy of the Pd-Fe structures. The Fe moment is 3.0 mu(B) close to the Pd layers and 2.2 mu(B) in the middle of the Fe layers. An intriguing but not usually considered aspect is that the elemental Pd is nonmagnetic, similar to Cu spacer layers in other multilayer systems. This leads to a pre-asymptotic ferromagnetic coupling through the Pd (about 40 mJ/m(2)). Furthermore, the Pd acquires a small moment due to spin polarization by neighboring Fe atoms, which translates into magnetic anisotropy. The anisotropies are large, in the range typical for L1(0) structures, which is beneficial for high-frequency applications. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3556763]

The diatom genus Gomphonema Ehrenberg in India: Checklist and description of three new species

We have compiled a checklist of Gomphonema Ehrenberg taxa reported previously from India. From forty-nine references, over 100 Gomphonema taxa have been reported, including 39 new taxon descriptions. In addition to these previous reports of Gomphonema taxa, we describe three new species. G. gandhii Karthick & Kociolek, sp. nov., G. difformum Karthick & Kociolek, sp. nov. and G. diminutum Karthick & Kociolek, sp. nov., all from hill streams of Western Ghats, India. Frustule morphology, as studied in light and scanning electron microscopy, is compared with that of other recently described Gomphonema species from Africa and Asia. All three Indian species have distinctly dilated proximal raphe ends, in addition to differentiated apical pore fields, septa, pseudosepta and a round external stigma! opening. Gomphonema gandhii is linear-lanceolate-clavate, has a wide axial area, and is 19-51 mu m long, 3-7 mu m broad. Gomphonema difformum is smaller than G. gandhii, and has a hyaline area around the headpole. Gomphonema diminuta is much smaller and narrower than the other two species. These species are distinct from their closest congeners by their sizes, shape and structure of the head pole, and striae densities. All these species were described from low nutrient, neutral, low ionic content streams of Western Ghats. As most other species described from tropical region these three species appear to be endemic to India. Moreover, within India they have hitherto only been found in Western Ghats, one of the twelve biodiversity hotspots of the World.

Insulating State and Breakdown of Fermi Liquid Description in Molecular-Scale Single-Crystalline Wires of Gold

Electrical transport measurements on ultrathin single-crystalline Au nanowires, synthesized via a wet chemical route, show an unexpected insulating behavior. The linear response electrical resistance exhibits a power-law dependence on temperature. In addition, the variation of current over a wide range of temperature and voltage obeys a universal scaling relation that provides compelling evidence for a non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our results demonstrate that the quantum ground state In ultrathin nanowires of simple metallic systems can be radically different from their bulk counterparts and can be described In terms of a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL), in the presence of remarkably strong electron-electron interactions.

Simulating grasping behavior of people using the relational description scheme

This paper presents an enhanced relational description for the prescription of the grasp requirement and evolution of the posture of a digital human hand towards satisfaction of this requirement. Precise relational description needs anatomical segmentation of the hand geometry into palmar, dorsal and lateral patches using the palm-plane and joint locations information, and operational segmentation of the object geometry into pull,push and lateral patches with due consideration to the effect of friction. Relational description identifies appropriate patches for a desired grasp condition. Satisfaction of this requirement occurs in two discrete stages,namely,contact establishment and post-contact force exertion for object capturing. Contact establishment occurs in four potentially overlapping phases,namely,re-orientation,transfer,pre- shaping,and closing-in. The novel h and re-orientation phase,enables the palm to face the object in a task sequence scenario, transfer takes the wrist to the ball park ; pre-shaping and close-in finally achieves the contact. In this paper, an anatomically pertinent closed-form formulation is presented for the closing-in phase for identification of the point of contact on the patches ,prescribed by the relational description. Since mere contact does not ensure grasp and slip phenomenon at the point of contact on application of force is a common occurrence, the effect of slip in presence of friction has been studied for 2D and 3D object grasping endeavours and a computational generation of the slip locus is presented.A general slip locus is found to be a non-linear curve even on planar faces.Two varieties of slip phenomena,namely,stabilizing and non-stabilizing slips, and their local characteristics have been identified.Study of the evolution of this slip characteristic over the slip locus exhibited diverse grasping behaviour possibilities. Thus, the relational description paradigm not only makes the requirement specification easy and meaningful but also enables high fidelity hand object interaction studies possible.

Theoretical description of coherent doublon creation via lattice modulation spectroscopy

Using a recently developed strong-coupling method, we present a comprehensive theory for doublon production processes in modulation spectroscopy of a three-dimensional system of ultracold fermionic atoms in an optical lattice with a trap. The theoretical predictions compare well to the experimental time traces of doublon production. For experimentally feasible conditions, we provide a quantitative prediction for the presence of a nonlinear ``two-photon'' excitation at strong modulation amplitudes.

Microscopic description of the evolution of the local structure and an evaluation of the chemical pressure concept in a solid solution

Extended x-ray absorption fine-structure studies have been performed at the Zn K and Cd K edges for a series of solid solutions of wurtzite Zn1-xCdxS samples with x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0, where the lattice parameter as a function of x evolves according to the well-known Vegard's law. In conjunction with extensive, large-scale first-principles electronic structure calculations with full geometry optimizations, these results establish that the percentage variation in the nearest-neighbor bond distances are lower by nearly an order of magnitude compared to what would be expected on the basis of lattice parameter variation, seriously undermining the chemical pressure concept. With experimental results that allow us to probe up to the third coordination shell distances, we provide a direct description of how the local structure, apparently inconsistent with the global structure, evolves very rapidly with interatomic distances to become consistent with it. We show that the basic features of this structural evolution with the composition can be visualized with nearly invariant Zn-S-4 and Cd-S-4 tetrahedral units retaining their structural integrity, while the tilts between these tetrahedral building blocks change with composition to conform to the changing lattice parameters according to the Vegard's law within a relatively short length scale. These results underline the limits of applicability of the chemical pressure concept that has been a favored tool of experimentalists to control physical properties of a large variety of condensed matter systems.

Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment

Bush frogs of the genus Raorchestes are distributed mainly in the Western Ghats Escarpment of Peninsular India. The inventory of species in this genus is incomplete and there is ambiguity in the systematic status of species recognized by morphological criteria. To address the dual problem of taxon sampling and systematic uncertainty in bush frogs, we used a large-scale spatial sampling design, explicitly incorporating the geographic and ecological heterogeneity of the Western Ghats. We then used a hierarchical multi-criteria approach by combining mitochondrial phylogeny, genetic distance, geographic range, morphology and advertisement call to delimit bush frog lineages. Our analyses revealed the existence of a large number of new lineages with varying levels of genetic divergence. Here, we provide diagnoses and descriptions for nine lineages that exhibit divergence across multiple axes. The discovery of new lineages that exhibit high divergence across wide ranges of elevation and across the major massifs highlights the large gaps in historical sampling. These discoveries underscore the significance of addressing inadequate knowledge of species distribution, namely the ``Wallacean shortfall'', in addressing the problem of taxon sampling and unknown diversity in tropical hotspots. A biogeographically informed sampling and analytical approach was critical in detecting and delineating lineages in a consistent manner across the genus. Through increased taxon sampling, we were also able to discern a number of well-supported sub-clades that were either unresolved or absent in earlier phylogenetic reconstructions and identify a number of shallow divergent lineages which require further examination for assessment of their taxonomic status.

Systematic status of Fejervarya ((Amphibia, Anura, Dicroglossidae) from South and SE Asia with the description of a new species from the Western Ghats of Peninsular India

We carried out a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of fejervaryan (dicroglossid frogs with `Fejervaryan lines' on the ventral side of the body) frogs, distributed in South and SE Asia, using published and newly generated sequences of unidentified individuals from the northern Western Ghats. The results corroborate the presence of a larger fejervaryan clade with a sister relationship to a clade composed of Sphaerotheca. Two sister clades could be discerned within the lager fejervaryan clade. The unidentified individuals formed a monophyletic group and showed a strong support for a sister relationship with Minervarya sahyadris. The species was found to be highly divergent (16S rRNA-4% and tyr-1%) from its sister lineage Minervarya sahyadris, and the clade composed of these two lineages were found to be deeply nested within the larger clade of Fejervarya. Based on this, the genus Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 is synonymized under the genus Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915. The unidentified lineage is recognized, based on phylogenetic position, genetic divergence and morphological divergence, as a distinct species and named here as Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. The presence of rictal glands was observed to be a synapomorphic character shared by the nested clade members, Fejervarya sahyadris and Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. Based on the presence of rictal gland and small size, Minervarya chilapata, a species from a lowland region in the Eastern Himalayas, is synonymized under Fejervarya and evidence for morphological separation from the new species, Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. is provided. For the fejervaryan frogs, currently three generic names (Frost, 2015) are available for the two phylogenetic subclades; the genus Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915 for the species of fejervaryan frogs having distribution in the South East Asia; the genus Zakerana Howlader, 2011 for the species of fejervaryan frogs having distribution in the South Asia and the genus Minervarya Dubois, Ohler and Biju, 2001 nested within the `Zakerana clade'. In the phylogenetic analysis Minervarya sahyadris, the new species described herein as Fejervarya gomantaki sp. nov. are nested within the `Zakerana clade', if the `Zakerana clade' for the fejervaryan frogs having distribution in the South Asia is provided a generic status the nomen `Minervarya' should be considered as per the principle of priority of the ICZN Code. Taking into consideration the overlapping distribution ranges of members of the sister clades within the larger fejervaryan clade and the absence of distinct morphological characteristics, we also synonymize the genus Zakerana Howlader, 2011, a name assigned to one of the sister clades with members predominantly distributed in South Asia, under the genus Fejervarya Bolkay, 1915. We discuss the need for additional sampling to identify additional taxa and determine the geographical ranges of the members of the sister clades within Fejervarya to resolve taxonomy within this group.

Gauge invariance in the theoretical description of time-resolved angle-resolved pump/probe photoemission spectroscopy

Nonequilibrium calculations in the presence of an electric field are usually performed in a gauge, and need to be transformed to reveal the gauge-invariant observables. In this work, we discuss the issue of gauge invariance in the context of time-resolved angle-resolved pump/probe photoemission. If the probe is applied while the pump is still on, one must ensure that the calculations of the observed photocurrent are gauge invariant. We also discuss the requirement of the photoemission signal to be positive and the relationship of this constraint to gauge invariance. We end by discussing some technical details related to the perturbative derivation of the photoemission spectra, which involve processes where the pump pulse photoemits electrons due to nonequilibrium effects.

A constitutive description of the inelastic response of ceramics

The objective of the article is to present a unified model for the dynamic mechanical response of ceramics under compressive stress states. The model incorporates three principal deformation mechanisms: (i) lattice plasticity due to dislocation glide or twinning; (ii) microcrack extension; and (iii) granular flow of densely packed comminuted particles. In addition to analytical descriptions of each mechanism, prescriptions are provided for their implementation into a finite element code as well as schemes for mechanism transitions. The utility of the code in addressing issues pertaining to deep penetration is demonstrated through a series of calculations of dynamic cavity expansion in an infinite medium. The results reveal two limiting behavioral regimes, dictated largely by the ratio of the cavity pressure p to the material yield strength σY. At low values of p/σY, cavity expansion occurs by lattice plasticity and hence its rate diminishes with increasing σY. In contrast, at high values, expansion occurs by microcracking followed by granular plasticity and is therefore independent of σY. In the intermediate regime, the cavity expansion rate is governed by the interplay between microcracking and lattice plasticity. That is, when lattice plasticity is activated ahead of the expanding cavity, the stress triaxiality decreases (toward more negative values) which, in turn, reduces the propensity for microcracking and the rate of granular flow. The implications for penetration resistance to high-velocity projectiles are discussed. Finally, the constitutive model is used to simulate the quasi-static and dynamic indentation response of a typical engineering ceramic (alumina) and the results compared to experimental measurements. Some of the pertinent observations are shown to be captured by the present model whereas others require alternative approaches (such as those based on fracture mechanics) for complete characterization. © 2011 The American Ceramic Society.

Statistical and stochastic description of microvoid evolution observed in dynamic failure of ductile materials

A brief review is presented of statistical approaches on microdamage evolution. An experimental study of statistical microdamage evolution in two ductile materials under dynamic loading is carried out. The observation indicates that there are large differences in size and distribution of microvoids between these two materials. With this phenomenon in mind, kinetic equations governing the nucleation and growth of microvoids in nonlinear rate-dependent materials are combined with the balance law of void number to establish statistical differential equations that describe the evolution of microvoids' number density. The theoretical solution provides a reasonable explanation of the experimentally observed phenomenon. The effects of stochastic fluctuation which is influenced by the inhomogeneous microscopic structure of materials are subsequently examined (i.e. stochastic growth model). Based on the stochastic differential equation, a Fokker-Planck equation which governs the evolution of the transition probability is derived. The analytical solution for the transition probability is then obtained and the effects of stochastic fluctuation is discussed. The statistical and stochastic analyses may provide effective approaches to reveal the physics of damage evolution and dynamic failure process in ductile materials.

Statistical description of pattern evolution in damage-fracture

A model of dynamical process and stochastic jump has been put forward to study the pattern evolution in damage-fracture. According to the final states of evolution processes, the evolution modes can be classified as globally stable modes (GS modes) and evolution induced catastrophic modes (ElC modes); the latter are responsible for fracture. A statistical description is introduced to clarify the pattern evolution in this paper. It is indicated that the appearance of fracture in disordered materials should be depicted by probability distribution function.