474 research outputs found
Intermittent random walks for an optimal search strategy: One-dimensional case
We study the search kinetics of an immobile target by a concentration of
randomly moving searchers. The object of the study is to optimize the
probability of detection within the constraints of our model. The target is
hidden on a one-dimensional lattice in the sense that searchers have no a
priori information about where it is, and may detect it only upon encounter.
The searchers perform random walks in discrete time n=0,1,2, ..., N, where N is
the maximal time the search process is allowed to run. With probability \alpha
the searchers step on a nearest-neighbour, and with probability (1-\alpha) they
leave the lattice and stay off until they land back on the lattice at a fixed
distance L away from the departure point. The random walk is thus intermittent.
We calculate the probability P_N that the target remains undetected up to the
maximal search time N, and seek to minimize this probability. We find that P_N
is a non-monotonic function of \alpha, and show that there is an optimal choice
\alpha_{opt}(N) of \alpha well within the intermittent regime, 0 <
\alpha_{opt}(N) < 1, whereby P_N can be orders of magnitude smaller compared to
the "pure" random walk cases \alpha =0 and \alpha = 1.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed
Matter; special issue on Chemical Kinetics Beyond the Textbook: Fluctuations,
Many-Particle Effects and Anomalous Dynamics, eds. K.Lindenberg, G.Oshanin
and M.Tachiy
Massless particles on supergroups and AdS3 x S3 supergravity
Firstly, we study the state space of a massless particle on a supergroup with
a reparameterization invariant action. After gauge fixing the
reparameterization invariance, we compute the physical state space through the
BRST cohomology and show that the quadratic Casimir Hamiltonian becomes
diagonalizable in cohomology. We illustrate the general mechanism in detail in
the example of a supergroup target GL(1|1). The space of physical states
remains an indecomposable infinite dimensional representation of the space-time
supersymmetry algebra. Secondly, we show how the full string BRST cohomology in
the particle limit of string theory on AdS3 x S3 renders the quadratic Casimir
diagonalizable, and reduces the Hilbert space to finite dimensional
representations of the space-time supersymmetry algebra (after analytic
continuation). Our analysis provides an efficient way to calculate the
Kaluza-Klein spectrum for supergravity on AdS3 x S3. It may also be a step
towards the identification of an interesting and simpler subsector of
logarithmic supergroup conformal field theories, relevant to string theory.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
Survival of an evasive prey
We study the survival of a prey that is hunted by N predators. The predators
perform independent random walks on a square lattice with V sites and start a
direct chase whenever the prey appears within their sighting range. The prey is
caught when a predator jumps to the site occupied by the prey. We analyze the
efficacy of a lazy, minimal-effort evasion strategy according to which the prey
tries to avoid encounters with the predators by making a hop only when any of
the predators appears within its sighting range; otherwise the prey stays
still. We show that if the sighting range of such a lazy prey is equal to 1
lattice spacing, at least 3 predators are needed in order to catch the prey on
a square lattice. In this situation, we establish a simple asymptotic relation
ln(Pev)(t) \sim (N/V)2ln(Pimm(t)) between the survival probabilities of an
evasive and an immobile prey. Hence, when the density of the predators is low
N/V<<1, the lazy evasion strategy leads to the spectacular increase of the
survival probability. We also argue that a short-sighting prey (its sighting
range is smaller than the sighting range of the predators) undergoes an
effective superdiffusive motion, as a result of its encounters with the
predators, whereas a far-sighting prey performs a diffusive-type motion.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Virus-Mediated Cell-Cell Fusion
Cell-cell fusion between eukaryotic cells is a general process involved in many physiological and pathological conditions, including infections by bacteria, parasites, and viruses. As obligate intracellular pathogens, viruses use intracellular machineries and pathways for efficient replication in their host target cells. Interestingly, certain viruses, and, more especially, enveloped viruses belonging to different viral families and including human pathogens, can mediate cell-cell fusion between infected cells and neighboring non-infected cells. Depending of the cellular environment and tissue organization, this virus-mediated cell-cell fusion leads to the merge of membrane and cytoplasm contents and formation of multinucleated cells, also called syncytia, that can express high amount of viral antigens in tissues and organs of infected hosts. This ability of some viruses to trigger cell-cell fusion between infected cells as virus-donor cells and surrounding non-infected target cells is mainly related to virus-encoded fusion proteins, known as viral fusogens displaying high fusogenic properties, and expressed at the cell surface of the virus-donor cells. Virus-induced cell-cell fusion is then mediated by interactions of these viral fusion proteins with surface molecules or receptors involved in virus entry and expressed on neighboring non-infected cells. Thus, the goal of this review is to give an overview of the different animal virus families, with a more special focus on human pathogens, that can trigger cell-cell fusion
New prognosis inflammatory and nutritional indexes: comparison with the Prognostic Inflammatory and Nutritional Index as reference index
Random walks on finite lattice tubes
Exact results are obtained for random walks on finite lattice tubes with a
single source and absorbing lattice sites at the ends. Explicit formulae are
derived for the absorption probabilities at the ends and for the expectations
that a random walk will visit a particular lattice site before being absorbed.
Results are obtained for lattice tubes of arbitrary size and each of the
regular lattice types; square, triangular and honeycomb. The results include an
adjustable parameter to model the effects of strain, such as surface curvature,
on the surface diffusion. Results for the triangular lattice tubes and the
honeycomb lattice tubes model diffusion of adatoms on single walled zig-zag
carbon nano-tubes with open ends.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure
Asymptotic Symmetries of String Theory on AdS3 X S3 with Ramond-Ramond Fluxes
String theory on AdS3 space-times with boundary conditions that allow for
black hole states has global asymptotic symmetries which include an infinite
dimensional conformal algebra. Using the conformal current algebra for
sigma-models on PSU(1,1|2), we explicitly construct the R-symmetry and Virasoro
charges in the worldsheet theory describing string theory on AdS3 X S3 with
Ramond-Ramond fluxes. We also indicate how to construct the full boundary
superconformal algebra. The boundary superconformal algebra plays an important
role in classifying the full spectrum of string theory on AdS3 with
Ramond-Ramond fluxes, and in the microscopic entropy counting in D1-D5 systems.Comment: 30 page
Geometry of open strings ending on backreacting D3-branes
We investigate open string theory on backreacting D3-branes using a spacetime
approach. We study in detail the half-BPS supergravity solutions describing
open strings ending on D3-branes, in the near horizon of the D3-branes. We
recover quantitatively several non-trivial features of open string physics
including the appearance of D3-brane spikes, the polarization of fundamental
strings into D5-branes, and the Hanany-Witten effect. Finally we detail the
computation of the gravitational potential between two open strings, and
contrast it with the holographic computation of Wilson lines. We argue that the
D-brane backreaction has a large influence on the low-energy gravity, which may
lead to experimental tests for string theory brane-world scenarios.Comment: 64 pages, 20 figure
Geometry-controlled kinetics
It has long been appreciated that transport properties can control reaction
kinetics. This effect can be characterized by the time it takes a diffusing
molecule to reach a target -- the first-passage time (FPT). Although essential
to quantify the kinetics of reactions on all time scales, determining the FPT
distribution was deemed so far intractable. Here, we calculate analytically
this FPT distribution and show that transport processes as various as regular
diffusion, anomalous diffusion, diffusion in disordered media and in fractals
fall into the same universality classes. Beyond this theoretical aspect, this
result changes the views on standard reaction kinetics. More precisely, we
argue that geometry can become a key parameter so far ignored in this context,
and introduce the concept of "geometry-controlled kinetics". These findings
could help understand the crucial role of spatial organization of genes in
transcription kinetics, and more generally the impact of geometry on
diffusion-limited reactions.Comment: Submitted versio
The influence of D-branes' backreaction upon gravitational interactions between open strings
We argue that gravitational interactions between open strings ending on
D3-branes are largely shaped by the D3-branes' backreaction. To this end we
consider classical open strings coupled to general relativity in Poincare AdS5
backgrounds. We compute the linear gravitational backreaction of a static
string extending up to the Poincare horizon, and deduce the potential energy
between two such strings. If spacetime is non-compact, we find that the
gravitational potential energy between parallel open strings is independent of
the strings' inertial masses and goes like 1/r at large distance r. If the
space transverse to the D3-branes is suitably compactified, a collective mode
of the graviton propagates usual four-dimensional gravity. In that case the
backreaction of the D3-branes induces a correction to the Newtonian potential
energy that violates the equivalence principle. The observed enhancement of the
gravitational attraction is specific to string theory; there is no similar
effect for point-particles.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures. Typos corrected, minor addition
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