11,100 research outputs found
Response of electrically coupled spiking neurons: a cellular automaton approach
Experimental data suggest that some classes of spiking neurons in the first
layers of sensory systems are electrically coupled via gap junctions or
ephaptic interactions. When the electrical coupling is removed, the response
function (firing rate {\it vs.} stimulus intensity) of the uncoupled neurons
typically shows a decrease in dynamic range and sensitivity. In order to assess
the effect of electrical coupling in the sensory periphery, we calculate the
response to a Poisson stimulus of a chain of excitable neurons modeled by
-state Greenberg-Hastings cellular automata in two approximation levels. The
single-site mean field approximation is shown to give poor results, failing to
predict the absorbing state of the lattice, while the results for the pair
approximation are in good agreement with computer simulations in the whole
stimulus range. In particular, the dynamic range is substantially enlarged due
to the propagation of excitable waves, which suggests a functional role for
lateral electrical coupling. For probabilistic spike propagation the Hill
exponent of the response function is , while for deterministic spike
propagation we obtain , which is close to the experimental values
of the psychophysical Stevens exponents for odor and light intensities. Our
calculations are in qualitative agreement with experimental response functions
of ganglion cells in the mammalian retina.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, to appear in the Phys. Rev.
Experimental Realization of the Fuse Model of Crack Formation
In this work, we present an experimental investigation of the fuse model. Our
main goal was to study the influence of the disorder on the fracture process.
The experimental apparatus used consisted of an square lattice with
fuses placed on each bond of the lattice. Two types of materials were used as
fuses: copper and steel wool wires. The lattice composed only by copper wires
varied from a weakly disordered system to a strongly disordered one. The
lattice formed only by steel wool wires corresponded to a strongly disordered
one. The experimental procedure consisted of applying a potential difference V
to the lattice and measuring the respective current I. The characteristic
function obtained was investigated in order to find the scaling law
dependence of the voltage and the current on the system size when the
disorder was changed. Our results show that the scaling laws are only verified
for the disordered regime.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures.ep
A Review on Mechanics and Mechanical Properties of 2D Materials - Graphene and Beyond
Since the first successful synthesis of graphene just over a decade ago, a
variety of two-dimensional (2D) materials (e.g., transition
metal-dichalcogenides, hexagonal boron-nitride, etc.) have been discovered.
Among the many unique and attractive properties of 2D materials, mechanical
properties play important roles in manufacturing, integration and performance
for their potential applications. Mechanics is indispensable in the study of
mechanical properties, both experimentally and theoretically. The coupling
between the mechanical and other physical properties (thermal, electronic,
optical) is also of great interest in exploring novel applications, where
mechanics has to be combined with condensed matter physics to establish a
scalable theoretical framework. Moreover, mechanical interactions between 2D
materials and various substrate materials are essential for integrated device
applications of 2D materials, for which the mechanics of interfaces (adhesion
and friction) has to be developed for the 2D materials. Here we review recent
theoretical and experimental works related to mechanics and mechanical
properties of 2D materials. While graphene is the most studied 2D material to
date, we expect continual growth of interest in the mechanics of other 2D
materials beyond graphene
Program of Research in Aeronautics
A prospectus of the educational and research opportunities available at the Joint Institute for Advancement of Flight Sciences, operated at NASA Langley Research Center in conjunction with George Washington University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is presented. Requirements of admission to various degree programs are given as well as the course offerings in the areas of acoustics, aeronautics, environmental modelling, materials science, and structures and dynamics. Research facilities for each field of study are described. Presentations and publications (including dissertations and theses) generated by each program are listed as well as faculty members visting scientists and engineers
Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation
Rate theory of the radiation-induced precipitation in solids is modified with
account of non-equilibrium fluctuations driven by the gas of lattice solitons
(a.k.a. quodons) produced by irradiation. According to quantitative
estimations, a steady-state density of the quodon gas under sufficiently
intense irradiation can be as high as the density of phonon gas. The quodon gas
may be a powerful driver of the chemical reaction rates under irradiation, the
strength of which exponentially increases with irradiation flux and may be
comparable with strength of the phonon gas that exponentially increases with
temperature. The modified rate theory is applied to modelling of copper
precipitation in FeCu binary alloys under electron irradiation. In contrast to
the classical rate theory, which disagrees strongly with experimental data on
all precipitation parameters, the modified rate theory describes quite well
both the evolution of precipitates and the matrix concentration of copper
measured by different methodsComment: V. Dubinko, R. Shapovalov, Theory of a quodon gas. With application
to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation. (Springer
International Publishing, Switzerland, 2014
Analytic theory of narrow lattice solitons
The profiles of narrow lattice solitons are calculated analytically using
perturbation analysis. A stability analysis shows that solitons centered at a
lattice (potential) maximum are unstable, as they drift toward the nearest
lattice minimum. This instability can, however, be so weak that the soliton is
``mathematically unstable'' but ``physically stable''. Stability of solitons
centered at a lattice minimum depends on the dimension of the problem and on
the nonlinearity. In the subcritical and supercritical cases, the lattice does
not affect the stability, leaving the solitons stable and unstable,
respectively. In contrast, in the critical case (e.g., a cubic nonlinearity in
two transverse dimensions), the lattice stabilizes the (previously unstable)
solitons. The stability in this case can be so weak, however, that the soliton
is ``mathematically stable'' but ``physically unstable''
Reducing Cascading Failure Risk by Increasing Infrastructure Network Interdependency
Increased coupling between critical infrastructure networks, such as power
and communication systems, will have important implications for the reliability
and security of these systems. To understand the effects of power-communication
coupling, several have studied interdependent network models and reported that
increased coupling can increase system vulnerability. However, these results
come from models that have substantially different mechanisms of cascading,
relative to those found in actual power and communication networks. This paper
reports on two sets of experiments that compare the network vulnerability
implications resulting from simple topological models and models that more
accurately capture the dynamics of cascading in power systems. First, we
compare a simple model of topological contagion to a model of cascading in
power systems and find that the power grid shows a much higher level of
vulnerability, relative to the contagion model. Second, we compare a model of
topological cascades in coupled networks to three different physics-based
models of power grids coupled to communication networks. Again, the more
accurate models suggest very different conclusions. In all but the most extreme
case, the physics-based power grid models indicate that increased
power-communication coupling decreases vulnerability. This is opposite from
what one would conclude from the coupled topological model, in which zero
coupling is optimal. Finally, an extreme case in which communication failures
immediately cause grid failures, suggests that if systems are poorly designed,
increased coupling can be harmful. Together these results suggest design
strategies for reducing the risk of cascades in interdependent infrastructure
systems
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