341 research outputs found
Entropic Stochastic Resonance
We present a novel scheme for the appearance of Stochastic Resonance when the
dynamics of a Brownian particle takes place in a confined medium. The presence
of uneven boundaries, giving rise to an entropic contribution to the potential,
may upon application of a periodic driving force result in an increase of the
spectral amplification at an optimum value of the ambient noise level. This
Entropic Stochastic Resonance (ESR), characteristic of small-scale systems, may
constitute a useful mechanism for the manipulation and control of
single-molecules and nano-devices.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Damage spreading in the mode-coupling equations for glasses
We examine the problem of damage spreading in the off-equilibrium mode
coupling equations. The study is done for the spherical -spin model
introduced by Crisanti, Horner and Sommers. For we show the existence of
a temperature transition well above any relevant thermodynamic transition
temperature. Above the asymptotic damage decays to zero while below
it decays to a finite value independent of the initial damage. This transition
is stable in the presence of asymmetry in the interactions. We discuss the
physical origin of this peculiar phase transition which occurs as a consequence
of the non-linear coupling between the damage and the two-time correlation
functions.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Revtex fil
Diabetes-associated mitochondrial DNA mutation A3243G impairs cellular metabolic pathways necessary for beta cell function
Aims/hypothesis: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations cause several diseases, including mitochondrial inherited diabetes and deafness (MIDD), typically associated with the mtDNA A3243G point mutation on tRNALeu gene. The common hypothesis to explain the link between the genotype and the phenotype is that the mutation might impair mitochondrial metabolism expressly required for beta cell functions. However, this assumption has not yet been tested. Methods: We used clonal osteosarcoma cytosolic hybrid cells (namely cybrids) harbouring mitochondria derived from MIDD patients and containing either exclusively wild-type or mutated (A3243G) mtDNA. According to the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in beta cells, we studied the impact of the mutation on key parameters by comparing stimulation of these cybrids by the main insulin secretagogue glucose and the mitochondrial substrate pyruvate. Results: Compared with control mtDNA from the same patient, the A3243G mutation markedly modified metabolic pathways leading to a high glycolytic rate (2.8-fold increase), increased lactate production (2.5-fold), and reduced glucose oxidation (−83%). We also observed impaired NADH responses (−56%), negligible mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced, only transient ATP generation. Moreover, cybrid cells carrying patient-derived mutant mtDNA exhibited deranged cell calcium handling with increased cytosolic loads (1.4-fold higher), and elevated reactive oxygen species (2.6-fold increase) under glucose deprivation. Conclusions/interpretation: The present study demonstrates that the mtDNA A3243G mutation impairs crucial metabolic events required for proper cell functions, such as coupling of glucose recognition to insulin secretio
Thermal noise suppression: how much does it cost?
In order to stabilize the behavior of noisy systems, confining it around a
desirable state, an effort is required to suppress the intrinsic noise. This
noise suppression task entails a cost. For the important case of thermal noise
in an overdamped system, we show that the minimum cost is achieved when the
system control parameters are held constant: any additional deterministic or
random modulation produces an increase of the cost. We discuss the implications
of this phenomenon for those overdamped systems whose control parameters are
intrinsically noisy, presenting a case study based on the example of a Brownian
particle optically trapped in an oscillating potential.Comment: 6 page
Entropically-induced asymmetric passage times of charged tracers across corrugated channels
We analyze the diffusion of charged and neutral tracers suspended in an electrolyte embedded in a channel of varying cross section. Making use of systematic approximations, the diffusion equation governing the motion of tracers is mapped into an effective 1D equation describing the dynamics along the longitudinal axis of the channel where its varying-section is encoded as an effective entropic potential. This simplified approach allows us to characterize tracer diffusion under generic confinement by measuring their mean first passage time (MFPT). In particular, we show that the interplay between geometrical confinement and electrostatic interactions strongly affect the MFTP of tracers across corrugated channels hence leading to alternative means to control tracers translocation across charged pores. Finally, our results show that the MFPTs of a charged tracer in opposite directions along an asymmetric channel may differ We expect our results to be relevant for biological as well synthetic devices whose dynamics is controlled by the detection of diluted tracer
Preinterventional Third-Molar Assessment Using Robust Machine Learning
Machine learning (ML) models, especially deep neural networks, are increasingly being used for the analysis of medical images and as a supporting tool for clinical decision-making. In this study, we propose an artificial intelligence system to facilitate dental decision-making for the removal of mandibular third molars (M3M) based on 2-dimensional orthopantograms and the risk assessment of such a procedure. A total of 4,516 panoramic radiographic images collected at the Center of Dental Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, were used for training the ML model. After image preparation and preprocessing, a spatially dependent U-Net was employed to detect and retrieve the region of the M3M and inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). Image patches identified to contain a M3M were automatically processed by a deep neural network for the classification of M3M superimposition over the IAN (task 1) and M3M root development (task 2). A control evaluation set of 120 images, collected from a different data source than the training data and labeled by 5 dental practitioners, was leveraged to reliably evaluate model performance. By 10-fold cross-validation, we achieved accuracy values of 0.94 and 0.93 for the M3M-IAN superimposition task and the M3M root development task, respectively, and accuracies of 0.9 and 0.87 when evaluated on the control data set, using a ResNet-101 trained in a semisupervised fashion. Matthew's correlation coefficient values of 0.82 and 0.75 for task 1 and task 2, evaluated on the control data set, indicate robust generalization of our model. Depending on the different label combinations of task 1 and task 2, we propose a diagnostic table that suggests whether additional imaging via 3-dimensional cone beam tomography is advisable. Ultimately, computer-aided decision-making tools benefit clinical practice by enabling efficient and risk-reduced decision-making and by supporting less experienced practitioners before the surgical removal of the M3M
Fractional quantum Hall effect in CVD-grown graphene
We show the emergence of fractional quantum Hall states in dry-transferred
chemical vapor deposition (CVD) derived graphene assembled into
heterostructures for magnetic fields from below 3 T to 35 T. Effective
composite-fermion filling factors up to are visible and higher
order composite-fermion states (with four flux quanta attached) start to emerge
at the highest fields. Our results show that the quantum mobility of CVD-grown
graphene is comparable to that of exfoliated graphene and, more specifically,
that the fractional quantum Hall states have energy gaps of up to 30 K,
well comparable to those observed in other silicon-gated devices based on
exfoliated graphene.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Growth of flat SrRuO3(111) thin films suitable as bottom electrodes in heterostructures
Thin film growth of ferroelectric or multiferroic materials on SrTiO3(111)
with a buffer electrode has been hampered by the difficulty of growing flat
electrodes on this polar orientation. We report on the growth and
characterization of SrRuO3 thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on
SrTiO3(111). We show that our SrRuO3(111) films are epitaxial and display
magnetic bulk-like properties. Films presenting a thickness between 20 and 30nm
are found to be very flat (with an RMS of about 0.5 nm) and therefore suitable
as bottom electrodes in heterostructures.Comment: Only PDF. 14 pages including 4 color figure
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