In mesoscopic continuum physics it is common to introduce a mesoscopic distribution function. Often also an evolution equation is derived for this distribution function. The mesoscopic balance equations for mass and the evolution equation for the distribution function, however, are not independent. We discuss different usage cases of mesoscopic balances in connection with the evolution equation. Furthermore, the problem of virtual boundaries is discovered, referring to cases where the domain in the mesoscopic description becomes non-contiguous despite the macroscopic domain being contiguous.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0020-7225(92)90062-L
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