On the critical thickness for non-localized to localized plastic flow transition in metallic glasses: A molecular dynamics study

Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the specimen thickness-dependent tensile behavior of a series of Cu(x)Z(100-x) (x = 20, 40, 50, 64 and 80 at%) metallic glass (MG) films, with a particular focus on the critical thickness, tc, below which non-localized plastic flow takes place. The simulation results reveal that while the transition occurs in all the alloys examined, t(c) is sensitive to the composition. We rationalize t(c) by postulating that the strain energy stored in the sample at the onset of plastic deformation has to be sufficient for the formation of shear bands. The composition-dependence of t(c) was found to correlate with the average activation energy of the atomic level plastic deformation events. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Appraisal of groundwater resource in Holocene soil deposits by resistivity, hydrochemical and granulomerial studies in the Gulf of Mannar Coast from Southern India

This article is aimed to delineate groundwater sources in Holocene deposits area in the Gulf of Mannar Coast from Southern India. For this purpose 2-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), hydrochemical and granulomerical studies were carried out and integrated to identify hydrogeological structures and portable groundwater resource in shallow depths which in general appears in the coastal tracts. The 2-D ERT was used to determine the two-dimensional subsurface geological formations by multicore cable with Wenner array. Low resistivity of 1-5 Omega m for saline water appeared due to calcite at the depth of about 5 m below the ground level (bgl). Sea water intrusion was observed around the maximum resistivity as 5 Omega m at the 8 m depth, bgl in the calcite environs, but the calcareous sandstone layer shows around 15-64 Omega m at the 6 m depth, bgl. The hydrochemical variation of TDS, HCO3-, Cl-, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations was observed for the saline and sea water intrusion in the groundwater system. The granulometic analysis shows that the study area was under the sea between 5400 and 3000 year ago. The events of ice melting an unnatural ice-stone rain/hail among 5000-4000 years ago resulted in the inundation of sea over the area and deposits of late Holocene marine transgression formation up to Puthukottai quartzite region for a stretch of around 17 km.

Measuring Receptor/Ligand Interaction at the Single-Bond Level: Experimental and Interpretative Issues

There is increased interest in measuring kinetic rates, lifetimes, and rupture forces of single receptor/ligand bonds. Valuable insights have been obtained from previous experiments attempting such measurements. However, it remains difficult to know with sufficient certainty that single bonds were indeed measured. Using exemplifying data, evidence supporting single-bond observation is examined and caveats in the experimental design and data interpretation are identified. Critical issues preventing definitive proof and disproof of single-bond observation include complex binding schemes, multimeric interactions, clustering, and heterogeneous surfaces. It is concluded that no single criterion is sufficient to ensure that single bonds are actually observed. However, a cumulative body of evidence may provide reasonable confidence. 0 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society.

Influences of slope gradient on soil erosion

The main factors influencing soil erosion include the net rain excess, the water depth, the velocity, the shear stress of overland flows, and the erosion-resisting capacity of soil. The laws of these factors varying with the slope gradient were investigated by using the kinematic wave theory. Furthermore, the critical slope gradient of erosion was driven. The analysis shows that the critical slope gradient of soil erosion is dependent on grain size, soil bulk density, surface roughness, runoff length, net rain excess, and the friction coefficient of soil, etc. The critical slope gradient has been estimated theoretically with its range between 41.5 degrees similar to 50 degrees.

Critical Sensitivity and Trans-Scale Fluctuations in Catastrophic Rupture

Rupture in the heterogeneous crust appears to be a catastrophe transition. Catastrophic rupture sensitively depends on the details of heterogeneity and stress transfer on multiple scales. These are difficult to identify and deal with. As a result, the threshold of earthquake-like rupture presents uncertainty. This may be the root of the difficulty of earthquake prediction. Based on a coupled pattern mapping model, we represent critical sensitivity and trans-scale fluctuations associated with catastrophic rupture. Critical sensitivity means that a system may become significantly sensitive near catastrophe transition. Trans-scale fluctuations mean that the level of stress fluctuations increases strongly and the spatial scale of stress and damage fluctuations evolves from the mesoscopic heterogeneity scale to the macroscopic scale as the catastrophe regime is approached. The underlying mechanism behind critical sensitivity and trans-scale fluctuations is the coupling effect between heterogeneity and dynamical nonlinearity. Such features may provide clues for prediction of catastrophic rupture, like material failure and great earthquakes. Critical sensitivity may be the physical mechanism underlying a promising earthquake forecasting method, the load-unload response ratio (LURR).

Search For Critical Slip Surface In Slope Stability Analysis By Spline-Based Ga Method

The stability of a soil slope is usually analyzed by limit equilibrium methods, in which the identification of the critical slip surface is of principal importance. In this study the spline curve in conjunction with a genetic algorithm is used to search the critical slip surface, and Spencer's method is employed to calculate the factor of safety. Three examples are presented to illustrate the reliability and efficiency of the method. Slip surfaces defined by a series of straight lines are compared with those defined by spline curves, and the results indicate that use of spline curves renders better results for a given number of slip surface nodal points comparing with the approximation using straight line segments.

Two-Dimensional Hillslope Scale Soil Erosion Model

On a hillslope, overland flow first generates sheet erosion and then, with increasing flux, it causes rill erosion. Sheet erosion (interrill erosion) and rill erosion are commonly observed to coexist on hillslopes. Great differences exist between both the intensities and incidences of rill and interrill erosion. In this paper, a two-dimensional rill and interrill erosion model is developed to simulate the details of the soil erosion process on hillslopes. The hillslope is treated as a combination of a two-dimensional interrill area and a one-dimensional rill. The rill process, the interrill process, and the joint occurrence of rill and interrill areas are modeled, respectively. Thus, the process of sheet flow replenishing rill flow with water and sediment can be simulated in detail, which may possibly render more truthful results for rill erosion. The model was verified with two sets of data and the results seem good. Using this model, the characteristics of soil erosion on hillslopes are investigated. Study results indicate that (1) the proposed model is capable of describing the complex process of interrill and rill erosion on hillslopes; (2) the spatial distribution of erosion is simulated on a simplified two-dimensional hillslope, which shows that the distribution of interrill erosion may contribute to rill development; and (3) the quantity of soil eroded increases rapidly with the slope gradient, then declines, and a critical slope gradient exists, which is about 15-20 degrees for the accumulated erosion amount.

Mechanistic studies of reactions at the single-molecule level using microfluidics with applications in molecular diagnostics

Motivated by needs in molecular diagnostics and advances in microfabrication, researchers started to seek help from microfluidic technology, as it provides approaches to achieve high throughput, high sensitivity, and high resolution. One strategy applied in microfluidics to fulfill such requirements is to convert continuous analog signal into digitalized signal. One most commonly used example for this conversion is digital PCR, where by counting the number of reacted compartments (triggered by the presence of the target entity) out of the total number of compartments, one could use Poisson statistics to calculate the amount of input target.

However, there are still problems to be solved and assumptions to be validated before the technology is widely employed. In this dissertation, the digital quantification strategy has been examined from two angles: efficiency and robustness. The former is a critical factor for ensuring the accuracy of absolute quantification methods, and the latter is the premise for such technology to be practically implemented in diagnosis beyond the laboratory. The two angles are further framed into a “fate” and “rate” determination scheme, where the influence of different parameters is attributed to fate determination step or rate determination step. In this discussion, microfluidic platforms have been used to understand reaction mechanism at single molecule level. Although the discussion raises more challenges for digital assay development, it brings the problem to the attention of the scientific community for the first time.

This dissertation also contributes towards developing POC test in limited resource settings. On one hand, it adds ease of access to the tests by incorporating massively producible, low cost plastic material and by integrating new features that allow instant result acquisition and result feedback. On the other hand, it explores new isothermal chemistry and new strategies to address important global health concerns such as cyctatin C quantification, HIV/HCV detection and treatment monitoring as well as HCV genotyping.

Radio frequency studies of surface resistance and critical magnetic field of type I and type II superconductors

The surface resistance and the critical magnetic field of lead electroplated on copper were studied at 205 MHz in a half-wave coaxial resonator. The observed surface resistance at a low field level below 4.2°K could be well described by the BCS surface resistance with the addition of a temperature independent residual resistance. The available experimental data suggest that the major fraction of the residual resistance in the present experiment was due to the presence of an oxide layer on the surface. At higher magnetic field levels the surface resistance was found to be enhanced due to surface imperfections.

The attainable rf critical magnetic field between 2.2°K and T_c of lead was found to be limited not by the thermodynamic critical field but rather by the superheating field predicted by the one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau theory. The observed rf critical field was very close to the expected superheating field, particularly in the higher reduced temperature range, but showed somewhat stronger temperature dependence than the expected superheating field in the lower reduced temperature range.

The rf critical magnetic field was also studied at 90 MHz for pure tin and indium, and for a series of SnIn and InBi alloys spanning both type I and type II superconductivity. The samples were spherical with typical diameters of 1-2 mm and a helical resonator was used to generate the rf magnetic field in the measurement. The results of pure samples of tin and indium showed that a vortex-like nucleation of the normal phase was responsible for the superconducting-to-normal phase transition in the rf field at temperatures up to about 0.98-0.99 T_c' where the ideal superheating limit was being reached. The results of the alloy samples showed that the attainable rf critical fields near T_c were well described by the superheating field predicted by the one-dimensional GL theory in both the type I and type II regimes. The measurement was also made at 300 MHz resulting in no significant change in the rf critical field. Thus it was inferred that the nucleation time of the normal phase, once the critical field was reached, was small compared with the rf period in this frequency range.

Microwave dynamics of quasiparticles and critical fields in superconducting films

The microwave response of the superconducting state in equilibrium and non-equilibrium configurations was examined experimentally and analytically. Thin film superconductors were mostly studied in order to explore spatial effects. The response parameter measured was the surface impedance.

For small microwave intensity the surface impedance at 10 GHz was measured for a variety of samples (mostly Sn) over a wide range of sample thickness and temperature. A detailed analysis based on the BCS theory was developed for calculating the surface impedance for general thickness and other experimental parameters. Experiment and theory agreed with each other to within the experimental accuracy. Thus it was established that the samples, thin films as well as bulk, were well characterised at low microwave powers (near equilibrium).

Thin films were perturbed by a small dc supercurrent and the effect on the superconducting order parameter and the quasiparticle response determined by measuring changes in the surface resistance (still at low microwave intensity and independent of it) due to the induced current. The use of fully superconducting resonators enabled the measurement of very small changes in the surface resistance (< 10^-9 Ω/sq.). These experiments yield information regarding the dynamics of the order parameter and quasiparticle systems. For all the films studied the results could be described at temperatures near T_c by the thermodynamic depression of the order parameter due to the static current leading to a quadratic increase of the surface resistance with current.

For the thinnest films the low temperature results were surprising in that the surface resistance decreased with increasing current. An explanation is proposed according to which this decrease occurs due to an additional high frequency quasiparticle current caused by the combined presence of both static and high frequency fields. For frequencies larger than the inverse of the quasiparticle relaxation time this additional current is out of phase (by π) with the microwave electric field and is observed as a decrease of surface resistance. Calculations agree quantitatively with experimental results. This is the first observation and explanation of this non-equilibrium quasiparticle effect.

For thicker films of Sn, the low temperature surface resistance was found to increase with applied static current. It is proposed that due to the spatial non-uniformity of the induced current distribution across the thicker films, the above purely temporal analysis of the local quasiparticle response needs to be generalised to include space and time non-equilibrium effects.

The nonlinear interaction of microwaves arid superconducting films was also examined in a third set of experiments. The surface impedance of thin films was measured as a function of the incident microwave magnetic field. The experiments exploit the ability to measure the absorbed microwave power and applied microwave magnetic field absolutely. It was found that the applied surface microwave field could not be raised above a certain threshold level at which the absorption increased abruptly. This critical field level represents a dynamic critical field and was found to be associated with the penetration of the app1ied field into the film at values well below the thermodynamic critical field for the configuration of a field applied to one side of the film. The penetration occurs despite the thermal stability of the film which was unequivocally demonstrated by experiment. A new mechanism for such penetration via the formation of a vortex-antivortex pair is proposed. The experimental results for the thinnest films agreed with the calculated values of this pair generation field. The observations of increased transmission at the critical field level and suppression of the process by a metallic ground plane further support the proposed model.

Metallothionein as an indicator of water quality: assessment of the bioavailability of cadmium, copper, mercury and zinc in aquatic animals at the cellular level

The study of metallothioneins (MTs) has greatly improved our understanding of body burdens, metal storage and detoxification in aquatic organisms subjected to contamination by the toxic heavy metals, Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn. These studies have shown that in certain organisms MT status can be used to assess impact of these metals at the cellular level and, whilst validation is currently limited to a few examples, this stress response may be linked to higher levels of organisation, thus indicating its potential for environmental quality assessment. Molluscs, such as Mytilus spp., and several commonly occurring teleost species, are the most promising of the indicator species tested. Natural variability of MT levels caused by the organism's size, condition, age, position in the sexual cycle, temperature and various stressors, can lead to difficulties in interpretation of field data as a definitive response-indicator of metal contamination unless a critical appraisal of these variables is available. From laboratory and field studies these data are almost complete for teleost fish. Whilst for molluscs much of this information is lacking, when suitable controls are utilised and MT measurements are combined with observations of metal partitioning, current studies indicate that they are nevertheless a powerful tool in the interpretation of impact, and may prove useful in water quality assessment.

Indicadores de avaliação ambiental em Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APPs) na sub-bacia do Rio Saracuruna RJ

Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APPs) configuram áreas protegidas, cobertas ou não por vegetação nativa, legalmente estabelecidas em lei. Estas possuem funções ambientais que se integram entre si e se associam às suas diferentes categorias. O trabalho objetivou a adaptação do sistema de indicadores PEIR (pressão, estado, impacto, resposta) para avaliação ambiental integrada de APPs, com aplicação na sub-bacia do rio Saracuruna, RJ. Especificamente visou: a) Levantamento da legislação pertinente às APPs inseridas no contexto do uso e ocupação do solo e gestão ambiental integrada; b) Delimitação das faixas de APP, segundo os parâmetros definidos pelo Código Florestal para cada categoria existente na área; c) Seleção de indicadores ambientais relacionados às APPs delimitadas considerando suas diversas categorias e funções ambientais associadas; d) Avaliação do potencial e limitações da aplicação de indicadores de avaliação integrada em APPs, envolvendo a espacialização das informações com suporte de geotecnologias, com enfoque para a legitimação/intervenções nas faixas inseridas na sub-bacia em estudo. Metodologicamente envolveu a pesquisa bibliográfica, compreendendo o levantamento de todo o arcabouço jurídico ambiental pertinente às APPs e das referências de cartas de indicadores; a caracterização física e humana da sub-bacia, subsidiando a delimitação e pré-avaliação de APPs; a seleção de indicadores ambientais voltados à avaliação integrada de APPs, a aplicação, com o suporte de geotecnologias, de parte destes indicadores estruturados em ciclos PEIR frente à hierarquização, exemplificativa, das funções ambientais por grupo de categorias de APPs; e, por fim, a elaboração de mapas-síntese da situação das faixas de APP ligadas à drenagem e ao relevo de altitude, com enfoque na legitimação das mesmas. A revisão das políticas específicas e transversais às APPs e de seus planos incidentes atestou uma ampla base para a gestão local ou compartilhada destas faixas, no entanto, a delimitação de APPs em função da realidade local ainda não ocorre. A Carta-síntese de indicadores de avaliação integrada de APPs na sub-bacia contemplou um conjunto de quarenta indicadores, dentre os quais vinte e seis compuseram dois ciclos aplicados e seis ciclos parcialmente aplicados. Para as APPs ligadas à drenagem e ao relevo de altitude foram aplicados, respectivamente, os indicadores de: a) pressão: Alteração de áreas naturais por áreas antrópicas e Evolução da área urbana em encostas; b) estado: Impermeabilização do solo e Qualidade ambiental das terras; c) impacto: Áreas críticas de inundação e Áreas de risco de escorregamentos ou desmoronamentos; e d) resposta: Plano de bacia hidrográfica e Áreas de risco recuperadas. Tais ciclos atestaram a precisão dos indicadores de pressão e estado quando da avaliação sobre a preservação em APPs, porém não foram capazes de explicar isoladamente a causa de impactos, os quais não ocorrem de maneira exclusiva nestas faixas. Demonstraram ainda um nível maior de antropização em APPs localizadas na porção de baixada da sub-bacia, principalmente em margens de rios. Sendo assim, cabem ações voltadas à fiscalização de APPs legitimadas, à recuperação de faixas com baixa interferência humana, e às intervenções urbanísticas ou prioritárias em áreas degradadas ou impactadas

What Can the Brain Teach Us about Winemaking? An fMRI Study of Alcohol Level Preferences

Over the last few decades, wine makers have been producing wines with a higher alcohol content, assuming that they are more appreciated by consumers. To test this hypothesis, we used functional magnetic imaging to compare reactions of human subjects to different types of wine, focusing on brain regions critical for flavor processing and food reward. Participants were presented with carefully matched pairs of high- and low- alcohol content red wines, without informing them of any of the wine attributes. Contrary to expectation, significantly greater activation was found for low- alcohol than for high- alcohol content wines in brain regions that are sensitive to taste intensity, including the insula as well as the cerebellum. Wines were closely matched for all physical attributes except for alcohol content, thus we interpret the preferential response to the low- alcohol content wines as arising from top-down modulation due to the low alcohol content wines inducing greater attentional exploration of aromas and flavours. The findings raise intriguing possibilities for objectively testing hypotheses regarding methods of producing a highly complex product such as wine.

The modelling of soil plasticity

The modeling of the soil plasticity was discussed and it was shown that the grain breakage is an important factor of the plastic soil behaviour. A reduction of internal coefficient of friction was observed when stress-level was increased. The yield paths of all stress path tests determined by curve fitting were presented.