7,359 research outputs found
Reptation in the Rubinstein-Duke model: the influence of end-reptons dynamics
We investigate the Rubinstein-Duke model for polymer reptation by means of
density-matrix renormalization group techniques both in absence and presence of
a driving field. In the former case the renewal time \tau and the diffusion
coefficient D are calculated for chains up to N=150 reptons and their scaling
behavior in N is analyzed. Both quantities scale as powers of N: and with the asymptotic exponents z=3 and x=2, in agreement
with the reptation theory. For an intermediate range of lengths, however, the
data are well-fitted by some effective exponents whose values are quite
sensitive to the dynamics of the end reptons. We find 2.7 <z< 3.3 and 1.8 <x<
2.1 for the range of parameters considered and we suggest how to influence the
end reptons dynamics in order to bring out such a behavior. At finite and not
too small driving field, we observe the onset of the so-called band inversion
phenomenon according to which long polymers migrate faster than shorter ones as
opposed to the small field dynamics. For chains in the range of 20 reptons we
present detailed shapes of the reptating chain as function of the driving field
and the end repton dynamics.Comment: RevTeX 12 Pages and 14 figure
A Striped Holographic Superconductor
We study inhomogeneous solutions of a 3+1-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-scalar
theory. Our results provide a holographic model of superconductivity in the
presence of a charge density wave sourced by a modulated chemical potential. We
find that below a critical temperature superconducting stripes develop. We show
that they are thermodynamically favored over the normal state by computing the
grand canonical potential. We investigate the dependence of the critical
temperature on the modulation's wave vector, which characterizes the
inhomogeneity. We find that it is qualitatively similar to that expected for a
weakly coupled BCS theory, but we point out a quantitative difference. Finally,
we use our solutions to compute the conductivity along the direction of the
stripes.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, v2: references added, figure 4 replace
An improved effective-one-body Hamiltonian for spinning black-hole binaries
Building on a recent paper in which we computed the canonical Hamiltonian of
a spinning test particle in curved spacetime, at linear order in the particle's
spin, we work out an improved effective-one-body (EOB) Hamiltonian for spinning
black-hole binaries. As in previous descriptions, we endow the effective
particle not only with a mass m, but also with a spin S*. Thus, the effective
particle interacts with the effective Kerr background (having spin S_Kerr)
through a geodesic-type interaction and an additional spin-dependent
interaction proportional to S*. When expanded in post-Newtonian (PN) orders,
the EOB Hamiltonian reproduces the leading order spin-spin coupling and the
spin-orbit coupling through 2.5PN order, for any mass-ratio. Also, it
reproduces all spin-orbit couplings in the test-particle limit. Similarly to
the test-particle limit case, when we restrict the EOB dynamics to spins
aligned or antialigned with the orbital angular momentum, for which circular
orbits exist, the EOB dynamics has several interesting features, such as the
existence of an innermost stable circular orbit, a photon circular orbit, and a
maximum in the orbital frequency during the plunge subsequent to the inspiral.
These properties are crucial for reproducing the dynamics and
gravitational-wave emission of spinning black-hole binaries, as calculated in
numerical relativity simulations.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures. Minor changes to match version accepted for
publication in PR
Evidence for a long duration component in the prompt emission of short Gamma-Ray Bursts detected with BeppoSAX
A statistical study on the light curves of all the short Gamma-Ray Bursts
detected with the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GRBM) aboard BeppoSAX is reported.
Evidence for a very weak and long duration component associated with these
events in the two 1 s counters of the GRBM (40-700 keV and >100 keV) is found.
It starts a few tens of seconds before the burst and continues for about 30 s
after the burst. The overall hardness of this component is comparable with that
of the event itself. The detection of a signal before the onset time and the
similar hardness are consistent with an interpretation of the long duration
component in terms of prompt emission associated with short GRBs.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
The role of the novel Th17 cytokine IL-26 in intestinal inflammation
Background and aims: Interleukin 26 (IL-26), a novel IL-10-like cytokine without a murine homologue, is expressed in T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 cells. Currently, its function in human disease is completely unknown. The aim of this study was to analyse its role in intestinal inflammation.Methods: Expression studies were performed by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), quantitative PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Signal transduction was analysed by western blot experiments and ELISA. Cell proliferation was measured by MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. IL-26 serum levels were determined by an immunoluminometric assay (ILMA).Results: All examined intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) lines express both IL-26 receptor subunits IL-20R1 and IL-10R2. IL-26 activates extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)-1/2 and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, Akt and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 1/3. IL-26 stimulation increases the mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines but decreases cell proliferation. In inflamed colonic lesions of patients with Crohn's disease, an elevated IL-26 mRNA expression was found that correlated highly with the IL-8 and IL-22 expression. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated IL-26 protein expression in colonic T cells including Th17 cells expressing the orphan nuclear receptor ROR\textgreekgt, with an increased number of colonic IL-26-expressing cells in active Crohn's disease.Conclusion: Intestinal cells express the functional IL-26 receptor complex. IL-26 modulates IEC proliferation and proinflammatory gene expression and its expression is upregulated in active Crohn's disease, indicating a role for this cytokine system in the innate host cell response during intestinal inflammation. For the first time, IL-26 expression is demonstrated in colonic ROR\textgreekgt-expressing Th17 cells in situ, supporting a role for this cell type in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease
Spin-to-Orbital Angular Momentum Conversion and Spin-Polarization Filtering in Electron Beams
We propose the design of a space-variant Wien filter for electron beams that
induces a spin half-turn and converts the corresponding spin angular momentum
variation into orbital angular momentum of the beam itself by exploiting a
geometrical phase arising in the spin manipulation. When applied to a spatially
coherent input spin-polarized electron beam, such a device can generate an
electron vortex beam, carrying orbital angular momentum. When applied to an
unpolarized input beam, the proposed device, in combination with a suitable
diffraction element, can act as a very effective spin-polarization filter. The
same approach can also be applied to neutron or atom beams.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
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