The development of versatile scanning probe methods such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) makes it today possible to study bio-adhesion on a single molecule level. In this paper, we present AFM-force-spectroscopy experiments on complementary DNA strands. From such experiments, intrinsic thermodynamical properties (energy landscape) of these weak non covalent bonds can be determined. Introductio...

[1] We examine the radiated waves emitted by events on a model fault. The model deterministically produces a complex sequence of events, with a wide range of sizes, from a uniform frictional instability. The spontaneous rupture events emit a rich spectrum of radiated waves as they nucleate, propagate, and decelerate within the complex stress field left by previous events. Two model innovations,...

The 1992 magnitude 7.3 Landers, California, earthquake is modeled kinemat-ically and dynamically with a three-dimensional nite-diierence method. The kinematic model uses xed, prescribed rupture parameters from the kinematic slip inversion by Wald and Heaton (1994413]) and the dynamic models generate spontaneous ruptures controlled by a prestress distribution computed from the slip distribution ...

Elastomers and gels can often deformmultiple times their original length. The stretchability is insensitive to small cuts in the samples, but reduces markedly when the cuts are large. We show that this transition occurs when the depth of cut exceeds a material-specific length, defined by the ratio of the fracture energy measured in the large-cut limit and the work to rupture measured in the sma...

This paper presents a procedure to optimize a conceptual ship side structure from a crashworthiness point of view. As an example, this procedure is presented for a chemical or product tanker. A particle swarm optimization algorithm is used for the procedure. The classification society compliance of the conceptual design is checked through service loads that are applied to the ship’s hull girder...

Potential energy stored during the inter-seismic period by tectonic loading around faults is released earthquakes as radiated energy, frictional dissipation and fracture energy. The latter of first importance since it expected to control nucleation, propagation arrest seismic rupture. On one side, seismological estimated for natural (commonly called breakdown work) ranges between 1 J/m2 tens MJ...

By using seismic records of the 2004 magnitude 6.0 Parkfield earthquake, we identified a burst of high-frequency seismic radiation that occurred about 13 kilometers northwest of the hypocenter and 5 seconds after rupture initiation. We imaged this event in three dimensions by using a waveform back-projection method, as well as by timing distinct arrivals visible on many of the seismograms. The ...

The introduction of femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is a paradigm changing approach in cataract surgery, the most commonly performed surgical procedure. FLACS has the potential to optimize the creation of an anterior lens capsulotomy, a critical step in accessing the cataractous lens. The merits of using a laser instead of a manual approach include a potentially more circula...

Within self-consistent field theory, we develop an ‘‘on-the-fly’’ string method to compute the minimum free energy path for several activated processes involving a charged, solvophobic nanoparticle and a lipid membrane. Under tensions well below the mechanical stability limit of the membrane, and in the regime where the event can occur on experimentally relevant time scales, our study suggests ...

We analyse the statistical pattern of seismicity before a 1-2 10 m chalk cliff collapse on the Normandie ocean shore, Western France. We show that a power law acceleration of seismicity rate and energy in both 40 Hz-1.5 kHz and 2 Hz-10kHz frequency range, is defined on 3 order of magnitude, within 2 hours from the collapse time. Simultaneously, the average size of the seismic events increases t...