3,192 research outputs found
Monte Carlo computation of correlation times of independent relaxation modes at criticality
We investigate aspects of universality of Glauber critical dynamics in two
dimensions. We compute the critical exponent and numerically corroborate
its universality for three different models in the static Ising universality
class and for five independent relaxation modes. We also present evidence for
universality of amplitude ratios, which shows that, as far as dynamic behavior
is concerned, each model in a given universality class is characterized by a
single non-universal metric factor which determines the overall time scale.
This paper also discusses in detail the variational and projection methods that
are used to compute relaxation times with high accuracy
Universal Dynamics of Independent Critical Relaxation Modes
Scaling behavior is studied of several dominant eigenvalues of spectra of
Markov matrices and the associated correlation times governing critical slowing
down in models in the universality class of the two-dimensional Ising model. A
scheme is developed to optimize variational approximants of progressively
rapid, independent relaxation modes. These approximants are used to reduce the
variance of results obtained by means of an adaptation of a quantum Monte Carlo
method to compute eigenvalues subject to errors predominantly of statistical
nature. The resulting spectra and correlation times are found to be universal
up to a single, non-universal time scale for each model
Concepts for design of an energy management system incorporating dispersed storage and generation
New forms of generation based on renewable resources must be managed as part of existing power systems in order to be utilized with maximum effectiveness. Many of these generators are by their very nature dispersed or small, so that they will be connected to the distribution part of the power system. This situation poses new questions of control and protection, and the intermittent nature of some of the energy sources poses problems of scheduling and dispatch. Under the assumption that the general objectives of energy management will remain unchanged, the impact of dispersed storage and generation on some of the specific functions of power system control and its hardware are discussed
The Impact of Mindfulness on Student Success
As schools are adopting the whole child approach, it is important to examine how the approach impacts academic success. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-based mindfulness curriculum on student reading scores and classroom engagement. Using a multiple baseline design, this study examined the rate of improvement in reading scores and academic engagement in elementary students receiving a mindfulness curriculum. The curriculum was introduced in addition to the regular curriculum in 15-minute lessons twice a week. Rate of improvement was examined utilizing curriculum-based measures, while student engagement was evaluated through classroom observation methods. This study found that the following the implementation of a mindfulness curriculum oral reading fluency increased an average of three words correct per minute, retell fluency an average of three words per minute. Furthermore, student engagement during reading instruction increased from 52% to 75% in group one, and from 38% to 73% in group two. At maintenance, five weeks after Group One completed the mindfulness curriculum, and two weeks after Group Two completed the curriculum, oral reading fluency increased nine words per minute from baseline mean in Group One, and four words per minute in group two. Additionally, engagement for Group One increased from 52% at baseline to 65% at maintenance. Group Two’s engagement increased from 38% at baseline to 92% at maintenance. While there was a positive directionality to the group reading scores after introduction of the intervention, due to limitations of the study, causation cannot be attributed to the mindfulness curriculum
The secretion of von Willebrand factor from endothelial cells; an increasingly complicated story.
von Willebrand factor (VWF) plays key roles in both primary and secondary hemostasis by capturing platelets and chaperoning clotting factor VIII, respectively. It is stored within the Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) of endothelial cells as a highly prothrombotic protein, and its release is thus necessarily under tight control. Regulating the secretion of VWF involves multiple layers of cellular machinery that act together at different stages, leading to the exocytic fusion of WPBs with the plasma membrane and the consequent release of VWF. This review aims to provide a snapshot of the current understanding of those components, in particular the members of the Rab family, acting in the increasingly complex story of VWF secretion
High-growth firms: introduction to the special section
High-growth firms (HGFs) have attracted considerable attention recently, as academics and policymakers have increasingly recognized the highly skewed nature of many metrics of firm performance. A small number of HGFs drives a disproportionately large amount of job creation, while the average firm has a limited impact on the economy. This article explores the reasons for this increased interest, summarizes the existing literature, and highlights the methodological considerations that constrain and bias research. This special section draws attention to the importance of HGFs for future industrial performance, explores their unusual growth trajectories and strategies, and highlights the lack of persistence of high growth. Consequently, while HGFs are important for understanding the economy and developing public policy, they are unlikely to be useful vehicles for public policy given the difficulties involved in predicting which firms will grow, the lack of persistence in high growth levels, and the complex and often indirect relationship between firm capability, high growth, and macro-economic performance
Transfer-matrix approach to the three-dimensional bond percolation: An application of Novotny's formalism
A transfer-matrix simulation scheme for the three-dimensional (d=3) bond
percolation is presented. Our scheme is based on Novotny's transfer-matrix
formalism, which enables us to consider arbitrary (integral) number of sites N
constituting a unit of the transfer-matrix slice even for d=3. Such an
arbitrariness allows us to perform systematic finite-size-scaling analysis of
the criticality at the percolation threshold. Diagonalizing the transfer matrix
for N =4,5,...,10, we obtain an estimate for the correlation-length critical
exponent nu = 0.81(5)
Lineage specific recombination rates and microevolution in Listeria monocytogenes
Background: The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a saprotroph as well as an opportunistic human foodborne pathogen, which has previously been shown to consist of at least two widespread lineages (termed lineages I and II) and an uncommon lineage (lineage III). While some L. monocytogenes strains show evidence for considerable diversification by homologous recombination, our understanding of the contribution of recombination to L. monocytogenes evolution is still limited. We therefore used
STRUCTURE and ClonalFrame, two programs that model the effect of recombination, to make inferences about the population structure and different aspects of the recombination process in L. monocytogenes. Analyses were performed using sequences for seven loci (including the house-keeping genes gap, prs, purM and ribC, the stress response gene sigB, and the virulence genes actA and inlA) for 195 L. monocytogenes isolates.
Results: Sequence analyses with ClonalFrame and the Sawyer's test showed that recombination is more
prevalent in lineage II than lineage I and is most frequent in two house-keeping genes (ribC and purM) and the two virulence genes (actA and inlA). The relative occurrence of recombination versus point mutation is about six times higher in lineage II than in lineage I, which causes a higher genetic variability in lineage II. Unlike lineage I, lineage II represents a genetically heterogeneous population with a relatively high proportion (30% average) of genetic material imported from external sources. Phylograms, constructed with correcting for recombination, as well as Tajima's D data suggest that both lineages I and II have suffered a population bottleneck.
Conclusion: Our study shows that evolutionary lineages within a single bacterial species can differ
considerably in the relative contributions of recombination to genetic diversification. Accounting for recombination in phylogenetic studies is critical, and new evolutionary models that account for the possibility of changes in the rate of recombination would be required. While previous studies suggested that only L. monocytogenes lineage I has experienced a recent bottleneck, our analyses clearly show that lineage II experienced a bottleneck at about the same time, which was subsequently obscured by abundant
homologous recombination after the lineage II bottleneck. While lineage I and lineage II should be considered separate species from an evolutionary viewpoint, maintaining single species name may be warranted since both lineages cause the same type of human disease
Optimization of ground and excited state wavefunctions and van der Waals clusters
A quantum Monte Carlo method is introduced to optimize excited state trial
wavefunctions. The method is applied in a correlation function Monte Carlo
calculation to compute ground and excited state energies of bosonic van der
Waals clusters of upto seven particles. The calculations are performed using
trial wavefunctions with general three-body correlations
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