Guest-host colloid crystals: experimental study and simulations

Disorder in colloid crystals was induced by doping them with a different number of large or small guest particles, which had a different deviation in size from the host colloids. The change in optical properties of the guest-host colloid crystals was assessed by using optical transmission spectroscopy while the variation in crystal structure was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The disruption in the crystalline lattices depended on the relative deviation in sizes of the guest and host particles and the concentration of the guest colloids. In parallel with experiments, the packing of spheres in guest-host crystals was modeled with a simulated annealing algorithm. A good correlation was found between the changes in crystal structure observed by SEM imaging and the simulated sphere packing. The experimental and simulated changes in the transmission spectra of guest-host colloid crystals were in good agreement.     

A model for the analysis of enthalpies and entropies of liquid binary alloys

The automatic treatment of calculations of chemical equilibrium in homogeneous phases requires analytical representation of the enthalpies and entropies of mixing of the components; therefore various approaches have been investigated, including in particular an attempt to find significant models. The ‘surrounded atom’ model provides a satisfactory method of representing all the thermodynamic characteristics of mixing in binary alloys, on the basis of four adjustable parameters.     

Monotone corrections for generic cell-centered finite volume approximations of anisotropic diffusion equations

We present a nonlinear technique to correct a general finite volume scheme for anisotropic diffusion problems, which provides a discrete maximum principle. We point out general properties satisfied by many finite volume schemes and prove the proposed corrections also preserve these properties. We then study two specific corrections proving, under numerical assumptions, that the corresponding approximate solutions converge to the continuous one as the size of the mesh tends to zero. Finally we present numerical results showing that these corrections suppress local minima produced by the original finite volume scheme.     

The Lie algebra of type G2 is rational over its quotient by the adjoint action

Let G be a split simple group of type $G_2$ over a field k, and let $\mathfrak{g}$ be its Lie algebra. Answering a question of J.-L. Colliot-Thélène, B. Kunyavski?, V.L. Popov, and Z. Reichstein, we show that the function field $k(\mathfrak{g})$ is generated by algebraically independent elements over the field of adjoint invariants $k{(\mathfrak{g})}^G$.     

Spatial structuring and size selection as collective behaviours in an agent-based model for barchan fields

In order to test parameters of the peculiar dynamics occurring in barchan fields, and compute statistical analysis over large numbers of dunes, we build and study an agent-based model, which includes the well-known physics of an isolated barchan, and observations of interactions between dunes. We showed in a previous study that such a model, where barchans interact through short-range sand recapture and collisions, reproduces the peculiar behaviours of real fields, namely its spatial structuring along the wind direction, and the size selection by the local density. In this paper we focus on the mechanisms that drives these features. In particular, we show that eolian remote sand transfer between dunes ensures that a dense field structures itself into a very heterogeneous pattern, which alternates dense and diluted stripes in the wind direction. In these very dense clusters of dunes, the accumulation of collisions leads to the local emergence of a new size for the dunes.     

Controlling the generation of high frequency electromagnetic pulses with relativistic flying mirrors using an inhomogeneous plasma

A method for the controlled generation of intense high frequency electromagnetic fields by a breaking Langmuir wave (relativistic flying mirrors) in a gradually inhomogeneous plasma is proposed. The wave breaking threshold depends on the local plasma density gradient. Compression, chirping and frequency multiplication of an electromagnetic wave reflected from relativistic mirrors is demonstrated using Particle-In-Cell simulations. Adjusting the shape of the density profile enables control of the reflected light properties.     

Estimating the efficient price from the order flow: A Brownian Cox process approach

At the ultra high frequency level, the notion of price of an asset is very ambiguous. Indeed, many different prices can be defined (last traded price, best bid price, mid price, etc.). Thus, in practice, market participants face the problem of choosing a price when implementing their strategies. In this work, we propose a notion of efficient price which seems relevant in practice. Furthermore, we provide a statistical methodology enabling to estimate this price from the order flow.     

A Structural View on Medicinal Chemistry Strategies against Drug Resistance

The natural phenomenon of drug resistance is a widespread issue that hampers the performance of drugs in many major clinical indications. Antibacterial and antifungal drugs are affected, as well as compounds for the treatment of cancer, viral infections, or parasitic diseases. Despite the very diverse set of biological targets and organisms involved in the development of drug resistance, the underlying molecular mechanisms have been identified to understand the emergence of resistance and to overcome this detrimental process. Detailed structural information on the root causes for drug resistance is nowadays frequently available, so next‐generation drugs can be designed that are anticipated to suffer less from resistance. This knowledge‐based approach is essential for fighting the inevitable occurrence of drug resistance.     

Jet substructure as a new Higgs-search channel at the Large Hadron Collider

It is widely considered that, for Higgs boson searches at the CERN Large Hadron Colider, WH and ZH production where the Higgs boson decays to bb are poor search channels due to large backgrounds. We show that at high transverse momenta, employing state-of-the-art jet reconstruction and decomposition techniques, these processes can be recovered as promising search channels for the standard model Higgs boson around 120 GeV in mass.