The time-dependence of the occupation probabilities of neighboring wells due to diffusion in one dimension is formulated in terms of a set of generalized rate equations describing transitions between neighboring wells and escape across a final barrier. The equations contain rate coefficients,...

The quasi-equilibrium approximation is employed as a systematic tool for solving the problem of deriving constitutive equations from kinetic models of liquid-crystalline polymers. It is demonstrated how kinetic models of liquid-crystalline polymers can be approximated in a systematic way, how...

The quasi-equilibrium or maximum entropy approximation is applied in order to derive constitutive equations from kinetic models of polymer dynamics. It is shown in general and illustrated for an example how canonical distribution functions are obtained from the maximum entropy principle, how...