Non-local fluctuation correlations in active gels

Many active materials and biological systems are driven far from equilibrium by embedded agents that spontaneously generate forces and distort the surrounding material. Probing and characterizing these athermal fluctuations is essential for understanding the properties and behaviors of such systems. Here we present a mathematical procedure to estimate the local action of force-generating agents from the observed fluctuating displacement fields. The active agents are modeled as oriented force dipoles or isotropic compression foci, and the matrix on which they act is assumed to be either a compressible elastic continuum or a coupled network-solvent system. Correlations at a single point and between points separated by an arbitrary distance are obtained, giving a total of three independent fluctuation modes that can be tested with microrheology experiments. Since oriented dipoles and isotropic compression foci give different contributions to these fluctuation modes, ratiometric analysis allows us characterize the force generators. We also predict and experimentally find a high-frequency ballistic regime, arising from individual force generating events in the form of the slow build-up of stress followed by rapid but finite decay. Finally, we provide a quantitative statistical model to estimate the mean filament tension from these athermal fluctuations, which leads to stiffening of active networks.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures; some clarifications and ammended figure notation

Cosmological Dynamics of a Dirac-Born-Infeld field

We analyze the dynamics of a Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) field in a cosmological set-up which includes a perfect fluid. Introducing convenient dynamical variables, we show the evolution equations form an autonomous system when the potential and the brane tension of the DBI field are arbitrary power-law or exponential functions of the DBI field. In particular we find scaling solutions can exist when powers of the field in the potential and warp-factor satisfy specific relations. A new class of fixed-point solutions are obtained corresponding to points which initially appear singular in the evolution equations, but on closer inspection are actually well defined. In all cases, we perform a phase-space analysis and obtain the late-time attractor structure of the system. Of particular note when considering cosmological perturbations in DBI inflation is a fixed-point solution where the Lorentz factor is a finite large constant and the equation of state parameter of the DBI field is $w=-1$. Since in this case the speed of sound $c_s$ becomes constant, the solution can be thought to serve as a good background to perturb about.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, minor corrections, references adde

Ac Susceptibility and Static Magnetization Measurements of CeRu2_2Si2_2 at Small Magnetic Fields and Ultra Low Temperatures

The magnetic properties of CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ at microkelvin temperatures (down to 170 $\mu$K) and ultra small magnetic fields ($0.02\sim6.21$ mT) are investigated experimentally for the first time. The simultaneously measured ac susceptibility and static magnetization show neither evidence of the magnetic ordering, superconductivity down to the lowest temperatures nor conventional Landau Fermi-Liquid behavior. The results imply the magnetic transition temperature in undoped CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ is very close to absolute 0 K. The possibility for proximity of CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ to the quantum critical point without any doping is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Communication) and scheduled issue on 1st of May 200

Dynamics of a scalar field in Robertson-Walker spacetimes

We analyze the dynamics of a single scalar field in Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with spatial curvature. We obtain the fixed point solutions which are shown to be late time attractors. In particular, we determine the corresponding scalar field potentials which correspond to these stable solutions. The analysis is quite general and incorporates expanding and contracting universes with both positive and negative scalar potentials. We demonstrate that the known power law, exponential, and de-Sitter solutions are certain limits of our general set of solutions.Comment: 10 pages, v2:references added. Accepted for publication in PR

Protein arginine methyltransferases interact with intraflagellar transport particles and change location during flagellar growth and resorption

© The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Molecular Biology of the Cell 28 (2017): 1208-1222, doi:10.1091/mbc.E16-11-0774.Changes in protein by posttranslational modifications comprise an important mechanism for the control of many cellular processes. Several flagellar proteins are methylated on arginine residues during flagellar resorption; however, the function is not understood. To learn more about the role of protein methylation during flagellar dynamics, we focused on protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) 1, 3, 5, and 10. These PRMTs localize to the tip of flagella and in a punctate pattern along the length, very similar, but not identical, to that of intraflagellar transport (IFT) components. In addition, we found that PRMT 1 and 3 are also highly enriched at the base of the flagella, and the basal localization of these PRMTs changes during flagellar regeneration and resorption. Proteins with methyl arginine residues are also enriched at the tip and base of flagella, and their localization also changes during flagellar assembly and disassembly. PRMTs are lost from the flagella of fla10-1 cells, which carry a temperature-sensitive mutation in the anterograde motor for IFT. The data define the distribution of specific PRMTs and their target proteins in flagella and demonstrate that PRMTs are cargo for translocation within flagella by the process of IFT.This work was supported by National Science Foundation Award MCB 0950402 (R.D.S.), the Ira Allen Eastman (Class of 1829) Professorship at Dartmouth (R.D.S.), which was established in 1910 through a gift to the College by his widow, Jane Eastman, and by a Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (K.M.)

Finite-Time Singularity Signature of Hyperinflation

We present a novel analysis extending the recent work of Mizuno et al. [2002] on the hyperinflations of Germany (1920/1/1-1923/11/1), Hungary (1945/4/30-1946/7/15), Brazil (1969-1994), Israel (1969-1985), Nicaragua (1969-1991), Peru (1969-1990) and Bolivia (1969-1985). On the basis of a generalization of Cagan's model of inflation based on the mechanism of ``inflationary expectation'' or positive feedbacks between realized growth rate and people's expected growth rate, we find that hyperinflations can be characterized by a power law singularity culminating at a critical time $t_c$. Mizuno et al.'s double-exponential function can be seen as a discrete time-step approximation of our more general nonlinear ODE formulation of the price dynamics which exhibits a finite-time singular behavior. This extension of Cagan's model, which makes natural the appearance of a critical time $t_c$, has the advantage of providing a well-defined end of the clearly unsustainable hyperinflation regime. We find an excellent and reliable agreement between theory and data for Germany, Hungary, Peru and Bolivia. For Brazil, Israel and Nicaragua, the super-exponential growth seems to be already contaminated significantly by the existence of a cross-over to a stationary regime.Comment: Latex 21 pages including 2 tables and 7 eps figure

Particle Acceleration, Magnetic Field Generation, and Associated Emission in Collisionless Relativistic Jets

Nonthermal radiation observed from astrophysical systems containing relativistic jets and shocks, e.g., active galactic nuclei (AGNs), gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), and Galactic microquasar systems usually have power-law emission spectra. Recent PIC simulations using injected relativistic electron-ion (electro-positron) jets show that acceleration occurs within the downstream jet. Shock acceleration is a ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g., the Buneman instability, other two-streaming instability, and the Weibel instability) created in the shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. The simulation results show that the Weibel instability is responsible for generating and amplifying highly nonuniform, small-scale magnetic fields. These magnetic fields contribute to the electron's transverse deflection behind the jet head. The ``jitter'' radiation from deflected electrons has different properties than synchrotron radiation which assumes a uniform magnetic field. This jitter radiation may be important to understanding the complex time evolution and/or spectral structure in gamma-ray bursts, relativistic jets, and supernova remnants.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, contributed talk at the workshop: High Energy Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows (HEPRO), Dublin, 24-28 September 2007. Fig. 3 is replaced by the correct versio

A statistical analysis of product prices in online markets

We empirically investigate fluctuations in product prices in online markets by using a tick-by-tick price data collected from a Japanese price comparison site, and find some similarities and differences between product and asset prices. The average price of a product across e-retailers behaves almost like a random walk, although the probability of price increase/decrease is higher conditional on the multiple events of price increase/decrease. This is quite similar to the property reported by previous studies about asset prices. However, we fail to find a long memory property in the volatility of product price changes. Also, we find that the price change distribution for product prices is close to an exponential distribution, rather than a power law distribution. These two findings are in a sharp contrast with the previous results regarding asset prices. We propose an interpretation that these differences may stem from the absence of speculative activities in product markets; namely, e-retailers seldom repeat buy and sell of a product, unlike traders in asset markets.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, proceedings of APFA

XMM-Newton discovery of transient X-ray pulsar in NGC 1313

We report on the discovery and analysis of the transient X-ray pulsar XMMU J031747.5-663010 detected in the 2004 November 23 XMM-Newton observation of the spiral galaxy NGC 1313. The X-ray source exhibits pulsations with a period P~765.6 s and a nearly sinusoidal pulse shape and pulsed fraction ~38% in the 0.3-7 keV energy range. The X-ray spectrum of XMMU J031747.5-663010 is hard and is well fitted with an absorbed simple power law of photon index ~1.5 in the 0.3-7 keV energy band. The X-ray properties of the source and the absence of an optical/UV counterpart brighter than 20 mag allow us to identify XMMU J031747.5-663010 as an accreting X-ray pulsar located in NGC 1313. The estimated absorbed 0.3-7 keV luminosity of the source L~1.6\times 10^{39} ergs/s, makes it one of the brightest X-ray pulsars known. Based on the relatively long pulse period and transient behaviour of the source, we classify it as a Be binary X-ray pulsar candidate. XMMU J031747.5-663010 is the second X-ray pulsar detected outside the Local Group, after transient 18 s pulsating source CXOU J073709.1+653544 discovered in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Updated to match the accepted versio