1,106 research outputs found
Ion-channel-like behavior in lipid bilayer membranes at the melting transition
It is well known that at the gel-liquid phase transition temperature a lipid
bilayer membrane exhibits an increased ion permeability. We analyze the
quantized currents in which the increased permeability presents itself. The
open time histogram shows a "-3/2" power law which implies an open-closed
transition rate that decreases like as time evolves. We
propose a "pore freezing" model to explain the observations. We discuss how
this model also leads to the noise that is commonly observed in
currents across biological and artificial membranes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Three and four current reversals versus temperature in correlation ratchets with a simple sawtooh potential
Transport of Brownian particles on a simple sawtooth potential subjected to
both unbiased thermal and nonequilibrium symmetric three-level Markovian noise
is considered. The new effects of three and four current reversals as a
function of temperature are established in such correlation ratchets. The
parameter space coordinates of the fixed points associated with these current
reversals and the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the
novel current reversals are found.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; some changes introduced; accepted for publication
in Physical Review
Redox-Modulation der PTEN-Phosphataseaktivität durchWasserstoffperoxid und Bisperoxidovanadium-Komplexe
Separation quality of a geometric ratchet
We consider an experimentally relevant model of a geometric ratchet in which
particles undergo drift and diffusive motion in a two-dimensional periodic
array of obstacles, and which is used for the continuous separation of
particles subject to different forces. The macroscopic drift velocity and
diffusion tensor are calculated by a Monte-Carlo simulation and by a
master-equation approach, using the correponding microscopic quantities and the
shape of the obstacles as input. We define a measure of separation quality and
investigate its dependence on the applied force and the shape of the obstacles
Multiple current reversals in forced inhomogeneous ratchets
Transport properties of overdamped Brownian paricles in a rocked thermal
ratchet with space dependent friction coefficient is studied. By tuning the
parameters, the direction of current exhibit multiple reversals, both as a
function of the thermal noise strength as well as the amplitude of rocking
force. Current reversals also occur under deterministic conditions and exhibits
intriguing structure. All these features arise due to mutual interplay between
potential asymmetry,noise, driving frequency and inhomogeneous friction.Comment: 6 figure
Influence of the Barrier Shape on Resonant Activation
The escape of a Brownian particle over a dichotomously fluctuating barrier is
investigated for various shapes of the barrier. The problem of resonant
activation is revisited with the attention on the effect of the barrier shape
on optimal value of the mean escape time in the system. The characteristic
features of resonant behavior are analyzed for barriers switching either
between different heights, or "on" and "off" positions. PACS number(s):
05.10-a, 02.50.-r, 82.20.-wj.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, RevTex4. Manuscript has been revised and
enhanced. Pictures have been made more clear and some of them have been
cancelled. Additional references have been added. The paper has been
submitted to Phys. Rev.
School-based Smoking Prevention with Media Literacy: A Pilot Study
School-based tobacco prevention programs have had limited success reducing smoking rates in the long term. Media literacy programs offer an innovative vehicle for delivery of potentially more efficacious anti-tobacco education. However, these programs have been neither widely implemented nor well evaluated. We conducted a pre-post evaluation of a cross-disciplinary tobacco media literacy program. The sample consisted of 204 students across six schools. Results indicated that students’ smoking-specific media literacy and general media literacy measures increased significantly over the course of the intervention
Feynman's ratchet and pawl: an exactly solvable model
We introduce a simple, discrete model of Feynman's ratchet and pawl,
operating between two heat reservoirs. We solve exactly for the steady-state
directed motion and heat flows produced, first in the absence and then in the
presence of an external load. We show that the model can act both as a heat
engine and as a refrigerator. We finally investigate the behavior of the system
near equilibrium, and use our model to confirm general predictions based on
linear response theory.Comment: 19 pages + 10 figures; somewhat tighter presentatio
Transition from Secondary school CLIL to EMI at University: Initial evidence from research in Italy
Through vocabulary tests, interviews with students and recordings of classes/lectures, we measured students' English vocabulary knowledge against the vocabulary in the teachers' talk, the nature of classroom interaction in the two settings and the students' approaches to their learning in general and their in-class listening strategies in particular. In this way we aimed to identify the challenges students faced in English-medium education in the secondary and tertiary educational phases
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