We present a systematic approach for generating smooth and accurate fields from particle simulation data using the notions of statistical inference. As an extension to a parametric representation based on the maximum likelihood technique previously developed for velocity and temperature fields, a nonparametric estimator based on the principle of maximum entropy is proposed for particle density ...

When the adhesive toe pads of geckos become wet, they become ineffective in enabling geckos to stick to substrates. This result is puzzling given that many species of gecko are endemic to tropical environments where water covered surfaces are ubiquitous. We hypothesized that geckos can recover adhesive capabilities following exposure of their toe pads to water by walking on a dry surface, simil...

We present a systematic numerical investigation of the shear strength and structure of granular packings composed of irregular polyhedral particles. The angularity of the particles is varied by increasing the number of faces from 8 (octahedronlike shape) to 596. We find that the shear strength increases with angularity up to a maximum value and saturates as the particles become more angular (be...

The roles of grain boundaries and twin boundaries in mechanical properties are well understood for metals and alloys. However, for covalent solids, their roles in deformation response to applied stress are not established. Here we characterize the nanotwins in boron suboxide (B6O) with twin boundaries along the {0111} planes using both scanning transmission electron microscopy and quantum mecha...

Organic nanoparticles of poly(styrene-co-maleimide) or SMI were synthesized in aqueous dispersion with a maximum concentration of 35 wt.% and are favorably applied in industrial coating processes. In order to evaluate the further processability and flow behavior of these nanoparticle dispersions, general rheological characterization under creep, oscillatory and rotational testing was done by ap...

ÐTi±Si mixtures were subjected to high-strain-rate deformation at a pressure below the threshold for shock-wave initiation. Whereas the collapse of interparticle pores did not initiate reaction, regions of localized macro-deformation initiated reaction inside shear bands at suciently high strains (g010), and propagation of the reaction through the entire specimen at higher strains (g020±40). T...

2014 The apparent viscosity of dilute polymer solutions in non-inertial flows through channels consisting of successive short tubes or slits separated by expansions displays a marked divergence from shear-thinning powerlaw behaviour beyond a critical shear rate calculated for constricted sections. The product of this critical shear rate by the Rouse relaxation time was found to be nearly consta...

A massive foreground cluster lens changes the shapes (shear effect) and number density (magnification effect) of the faint background galaxy population. In this paper we investigate how the shear, magnification and combined information can be used to constrain cluster mass profiles in the weak lensing regime. We develop maximum likelihood techniques to make quantitative predictions for each of ...