The effect of the Casimir force in micro-and nanoelectromechanical systems is examined taking fully into account the dielectric properties of the materials, as well as the finite thickness of movable elements in micro-and nanosystems. The resulting equations are exact, and from the bifurcation diagrams the critical separation before jump-to-contact is determined. It is shown how the critical separation changes, for example, with the dielectric properties of the materials and how these systems can be rescaled based on the information from the bifurcation diagrams.

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In the framework of the induced matter theory of gravity, we derive a 5D solution of the field equations that can describe a 4D cosmological scenario where the dark fluid (dark matter plus dark energy) equation of state has a geometrical origin. There is no a natural separation of the dark sector into different components, and then the model may provide a geometrical explanation for the existence of a dark degeneracy in cosmological scenarios.Comment: 5 pages, under review in Physical Review

This study was conducted to compare different formulations of a slow-release fertilizer with a conventional fertilizer program to determine their impact on yield and growth of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum). Two formulations of a methylene-urea slow-release fertilizer (Nitamin®) were evaluated on drip-fertigated and plastic-mulched bell peppers during 2006 in the eastern coastal plain and western Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. Liquid slow-release formulations were applied the first 6 or 9 weeks of the growing season and a dry formulation was banded at planting. Treatments were compared with the extension-recommended rate of 200 lb/acre nitrogen (N) (NC-200) and a high-input fertilizer rate of 300 lb/acre N (HI-300) from calcium nitrate injected in 12 weekly applications of drip irrigation. Irrigation was applied twice per week. The slow-release granular formulation at 200 lb/acre N produced the highest marketable yield and better canopy quality in eastern soil. Early marketable yield for this treatment accounted for 46% of the total yield. All slow-release treatments had higher N use efficiency (NUE) values than NC-200 and HI-300 in the eastern study. In loam soil (western study), pepper yield was statistically similar among treatments. Lower rates (150 lb/acre N) of slow-release fertilizer performed as well as NC-200 and HI-300 for marketable yield. Low rates (150 lb/acre N) of one of the liquid formulations performed better in total and marketable NUE than NC-200 and HI-300 in Fletcher, North Carolina. Liquid and dry formulations of slow-release fertilizer showed a potential to be used on bell pepper production across the state at reduced N rates, with greater impact on yield in coarse-textured soils found predominantly in the eastern coastal plain region.

The dynamical stability of massive thin shells with a given equation of state (EOS) (both for the barotropic and non-barotropic case) is here compared with the results coming from thermodynamical stability. Our results show that the restrictions in the para-meter space of equilibrium configurations of the shell following from thermodynamical stability are much more stringent that those obtained from dynamical stability. As a byproduct, we furnish evidence that the link between the maximum mass along a sequence of equilibrium configurations and the onset of dynamical stability is valid for EOS relating the pressure P, the energy density $$\sigma $$σ of the matter on the shell, and its radius R, namely $$P=P(R, \sigma )$$P=P(R,σ).