Search results for " Soft"
showing 10 items of 1710 documents
Rivalry of diffusion, external field and gravity in micro-convection of magnetic colloids
2019
Magnetic fields and magnetic materials have promising microfluidic applications. For example, magnetic micro-convection can enhance mixing considerably. However, previous studies have not explained increased effective diffusion during this phenomenon. Here we show that enhanced interface smearing comes from a gravity induced convective motion within a thin microfluidic channel, caused by a small density difference between miscible magnetic and non-magnetic fluids. This motion resembles diffusive behavior and can be described with an effective diffusion coefficient. We explain this with a theoretical model, based on a dimensionless gravitational Rayleigh number, and verify it by numerical si…
Validation of mathematical model for CZ process using small-scale laboratory crystal growth furnace
2018
The present material is focused on the modelling of small-scale laboratory NaCl-RbCl crystal growth furnace. First steps towards fully transient simulations are taken in the form of stationary simulations that deal with the optimization of material properties to match the model to experimental conditions. For this purpose, simulation software primarily used for the modelling of industrial-scale silicon crystal growth process was successfully applied. Finally, transient simulations of the crystal growth are presented, giving a sufficient agreement to experimental results.
Experimental and numerical investigation of laboratory crystal growth furnace for the development of model-based control of CZ process
2019
Abstract The presented study is focused on laboratory Czochralski crystal growth experiments and their mathematical modelling. The developed small-scale CZ crystal growth furnace is described as well as the involved automation systems: crystal radius detection by image recognition, temperature sensors, adjustable heater power and crystal pull rate. The CZ-Trans program is used to model the experimental results – transient, 2D axisymmetric simulation software primarily used for modelling of the industrial-scale silicon crystal growth process. Poor agreement with the experimental results is reached; however, the proven ability to perform affordable, small-scale experiments and successfully mo…
Spontaneous order in ensembles of rotating magnetic droplets
2019
Ensembles of elongated magnetic droplets in a rotating field are studied experimentally. In a given range of field strength and frequency the droplets form rotating structures with a triangular order - rotating crystals. A model is developed to describe ensembles of several droplets, taking into account the hydrodynamic interactions between the rotating droplets in the presence of a solid wall below the rotating ensemble. A good agreement with the experimentally observed periodic dynamics for an ensemble of four droplets is obtained. During the rotation, the tips of the elongated magnetic droplets approach close to one another. An expression is derived that gives the magnetic interaction be…
Nonlinear response theory for Markov processes II: Fifth-order response functions
2017
The nonlinear response of stochastic models obeying a master equation is calculated up to fifth-order in the external field thus extending the third-order results obtained earlier (G. Diezemann, Phys. Rev. E{\bf 85}, 051502 (2012)). For sinusoidal fields the $5\om$-component of the susceptibility is computed for the model of dipole reorientations in an asymmetric double well potential and for a trap model with a Gaussian density of states. For most realizations of the models a hump is found in the higher-order susceptibilities. In particular, for the asymmetric double well potential model there are two characteristic temperature regimes showing the occurence of such a hump as compared to a …
Planning for the future : identifying conservation priority areas for Iberian birds under climate change
2018
[Context]: Species are expected to shift their distributions in response to global environmental changes and additional protected areas are needed to encompass the corresponding changes in the distributions of their habitats. Conservation policies are likely to become obsolete unless they integrate the potential impacts of climate and land-use change on biodiversity.
Systematic targeting of management actions as a tool to enhance conservation of traditional rural biotopes
2017
Traditional rural biotopes (TRBs), which are biologically and culturally valuable habitats maintained by low-intensity grazing and mowing, are a core element of biodiversity in Europe. During the last decades, TRBs have faced severe habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural modernization. Despite their well-known critical state, their conservation remains inadequate, thus raising a need to advance TRB conservation via spatial land-use planning. In this study we analyze a national GIS database on TRBs in order to examine how the current TRB network can be complemented in terms of conservation value based on known ecological characteristics. Given different target scenarios for the a…
Optimal conservation resource allocation under variable economic and ecological time discounting rates in boreal forest
2016
Resource allocation to multiple alternative conservation actions is a complex task. A common trade-off occurs between protection of smaller, expensive, high-quality areas versus larger, cheaper, partially degraded areas. We investigate optimal allocation into three actions in boreal forest: current standard forest management rules, setting aside of mature stands, or setting aside of clear-cuts. We first estimated how habitat availability for focal indicator species and economic returns from timber harvesting develop through time as a function of forest type and action chosen. We then developed an optimal resource allocation by accounting for budget size and habitat availability of indicator…
Modeling dense inflorescences
2016
Showy inflorescences - clusters of flowers - are a common feature of many plants, greatly contributing to their beauty. The large numbers of individual flowers (florets), arranged in space in a systematic manner, make inflorescences a natural target for procedural modeling. We present a suite of biologically motivated algorithms for modeling and animating the development of inflorescences with closely packed florets. These inflorescences share the following characteristics: (i) in their ensemble, the florets form a relatively smooth, often approximately planar surface; (ii) there are numerous collisions between petals of the same or adjacent florets; and (iii) the developmental stage and ty…
Emergence, dispersal, and mate finding via a substrate-borne sex pheromone in the parasitoidMetaphycus luteolus
2013
Metaphycus luteolus Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a facultatively gregarious parasitoid of soft scale insects. We conducted behavioral experiments to better understand the mating structure of this species. Emergence of male and female offspring is synchronized, beginning at the onset of photoperiod. Both sexes are able to disperse, although dispersal of males from natal patches appears to take longer than dispersal of females. We demonstrated the presence of a female-produced contact pheromone using open arena bioassays and motion tracking software, testing residues deposited by walking females, and extracts of females. Males responded to the females' chemical footprints' and to a…