The existence of small order loops of contacts is presented as an intrinsic characteristic of force granular networks. Based on molecular dynamics simulations, it is proposed that the presence of these small order loops — and in particular third order loops of contacts — is important to understand the transition from fluid-like to solid-like behavior of granular packings. In addition, we show a...

The major factors limiting the thermal performance of passive two-phase heat–spreading devices are the ability of the wick structures to transport liquid by means of capillary forces and the thermal resistance posed by the wicks. Nano-scale geometric enhancements to the wick structure, through the use of carbon nanotubes and metallic nanowires, promise to enhance the capillary transport while a...

We show that standard silicon nitride cantilevers can be used for tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) in air, provided that the energy of the oscillating cantilever is sufficiently high to overcome the adhesion of the water layer. The same cantilevers are successfully used for tapping mode AFhif in liquid. Acoustic modes in the liquid excite the canti1eve.r. On soft samples, e.g., biolog...

Abstract. For minimal surfaces in spheres, there is a well known conjecture about the quantization of intrinsic curvature which has been solved only in special cases so far. We recall an intrinsic and an extrinsic version for the known results and extend them to compact non-minimal surfaces in spheres. In particular we discuss special classes like Willmore surfaces and surfaces with parallel me...

of the Dissertation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv Chapter

Understanding the machine-type communication (MTC) traffic is a key for designing and optimizing a network and the applicable QoS scheme capable of providing adequate communication services without compromising the conventional services such as data, voice, and video. In this paper, we propose a framework for traffic modeling, generation, and load estimation for machine-type communication that ...

Due to the intrinsic connection between the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes and their long-ranged interactions, an accurate description for both covalent and van der Waals forces is desired in nanomechanical studies. A tight-binding treatment offers an accurate description for the covalent bonding but fails to account for the long-ranged attractions and for the energy variations of gr...