850 research outputs found
Quantum equilibration in finite time
It has recently been shown that small quantum subsystems generically
equilibrate, in the sense that they spend most of the time close to a fixed
equilibrium state. This relies on just two assumptions: that the state is
spread over many different energies, and that the Hamiltonian has
non-degenerate energy gaps. Given the same assumptions, it has also been shown
that closed systems equilibrate with respect to realistic measurements. We
extend these results in two important ways. First, we prove equilibration over
a finite (rather than infinite) time-interval, allowing us to bound the
equilibration time. Second, we weaken the non degenerate energy gaps condition,
showing that equilibration occurs provided that no energy gap is hugely
degenerate.Comment: 7 page
Comparing projected impacts of cigarette floor price and excise tax policies on socioeconomic disparities in smoking
About half of all US states have cigarette minimum price laws (MPLs) that require a per cent mark-up on prices, but research suggests they may not be very effective in raising prices. An alternative type of MPL sets a floor price below which packs cannot be sold, and may be more promising. This new type of MPL policy has only been implemented in 1 city, therefore its benefits relative to excise taxes is difficult to assess
Shear stress fluctuations in the granular liquid and solid phases
We report on experimentally observed shear stress fluctuations in both
granular solid and fluid states, showing that they are non-Gaussian at low
shear rates, reflecting the predominance of correlated structures (force
chains) in the solidlike phase, which also exhibit finite rigidity to shear.
Peaks in the rigidity and the stress distribution's skewness indicate that a
change to the force-bearing mechanism occurs at the transition to fluid
behaviour, which, it is shown, can be predicted from the behaviour of the
stress at lower shear rates. In the fluid state stress is Gaussian distributed,
suggesting that the central limit theorem holds. The fibre bundle model with
random load sharing effectively reproduces the stress distribution at the yield
point and also exhibits the exponential stress distribution anticipated from
extant work on stress propagation in granular materials.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, latex. Replacement adds journal reference and
addresses referee comment
Spontaneous emission of non-dispersive Rydberg wave packets
Non dispersive electronic Rydberg wave packets may be created in atoms
illuminated by a microwave field of circular polarization. We discuss the
spontaneous emission from such states and show that the elastic incoherent
component (occuring at the frequency of the driving field) dominates the
spectrum in the semiclassical limit, contrary to earlier predictions. We
calculate the frequencies of single photon emissions and the associated rates
in the "harmonic approximation", i.e. when the wave packet has approximately a
Gaussian shape. The results agree well with exact quantum mechanical
calculations, which validates the analytical approach.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Squeezing of electromagnetic field in a cavity by electrons in Trojan states
The notion of the Trojan state of a Rydberg electron, introduced by
I.Bialynicki-Birula, M.Kali\'nski, and J.H.Eberly (Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1777
(1994)) is extended to the case of the electromagnetic field quantized in
acavity. The shape of the electronic wave packet describing the Trojan state is
practically the same as in the previously studied externally driven system. The
fluctuations of the quantized electromagnetic field around its classical value
exhibit strong squeezing. The emergence of Trojan states in the cylindrically
symmetrical system is attributed to spontaneous symmetry braking.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Superscars in the LiNC=LiCN isomerization reaction
We demonstrate the existence of superscarring in the LiNC=LiCN isomerization
reaction described by a realistic potential interaction in the range of readily
attainable experimental energies. This phenomenon arises as the effect of two
periodic orbits appearing "out of the blue"in a saddle--node bifurcation taking
place in the dynamics of the system. Potential practical consequences of this
superlocalization in the corresponding wave functions are also considered.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. to appear in EP
High-throughput screening of cellulase F mutants from multiplexed plasmid sets using an automated plate assay on a functional proteomic robotic workcell
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The field of plasmid-based functional proteomics requires the rapid assay of proteins expressed from plasmid libraries. Automation is essential since large sets of mutant open reading frames are being cloned for evaluation. To date no integrated automated platform is available to carry out the entire process including production of plasmid libraries, expression of cloned genes, and functional testing of expressed proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used a functional proteomic assay in a multiplexed setting on an integrated plasmid-based robotic workcell for high-throughput screening of mutants of cellulase F, an endoglucanase from the anaerobic fungus <it>Orpinomyces </it>PC-2. This allowed us to identify plasmids containing optimized clones expressing mutants with improved activity at lower pH. A plasmid library of mutagenized clones of the <it>celF </it>gene with targeted variations in the last four codons was constructed by site-directed PCR mutagenesis and transformed into <it>Escherichia coli</it>. A robotic picker integrated into the workcell was used to inoculate medium in a 96-well deep well plate, combining the transformants into a multiplexed set in each well, and the plate was incubated on the workcell. Plasmids were prepared from the multiplexed culture on the liquid handler component of the workcell and used for <it>in vitro </it>transcription/translation. The multiplexed expressed recombinant proteins were screened for improved activity and stability in an azo-carboxymethylcellulose plate assay. The multiplexed wells containing mutants with improved activity were identified and linked back to the corresponding multiplexed cultures stored in glycerol. Spread plates were prepared from the glycerol stocks and the workcell was used to pick single colonies from the spread plates, prepare plasmid, produce recombinant protein, and assay for activity. The screening assay and subsequent deconvolution of the multiplexed wells resulted in identification of improved CelF mutants and corresponding optimized clones in expression-ready plasmids.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The multiplex method using an integrated automated platform for high-throughput screening in a functional proteomic assay allows rapid identification of plasmids containing optimized clones ready for use in subsequent applications including transformations to produce improved strains or cell lines.</p
Tobacco smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution in Hungary’s bars, restaurants and transportation venues
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