Analytical Approach to the One-Dimensional Disordered Exclusion Process with Open Boundaries and Random Sequential Dynamics

A one dimensional disordered particle hopping rate asymmetric exclusion process (ASEP) with open boundaries and a random sequential dynamics is studied analytically. Combining the exact results of the steady states in the pure case with a perturbative mean field-like approach the broken particle-hole symmetry is highlighted and the phase diagram is studied in the parameter space $(\alpha,\beta)$, where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ represent respectively the injection rate and the extraction rate of particles. The model displays, as in the pure case, high-density, low-density and maximum-current phases. All critical lines are determined analytically showing that the high-density low-density first order phase transition occurs at $\alpha \neq \beta$. We show that the maximum-current phase extends its stability region as the disorder is increased and the usual $1/\sqrt{\ell}$-decay of the density profile in this phase is universal. Assuming that some exact results for the disordered model on a ring hold for a system with open boundaries, we derive some analytical results for platoon phase transition within the low-density phase and we give an analytical expression of its corresponding critical injection rate $\alpha^*$. As it was observed numerically$^{(19)}$, we show that the quenched disorder induces a cusp in the current-density relation at maximum flow in a certain region of parameter space and determine the analytical expression of its slope. The results of numerical simulations we develop agree with the analytical ones.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures. to appear in J. Stat. Phy

Optimal Management of Severe/Refractory Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, affecting approximately 300 million people worldwide. Asthma results in airway hyperresponsiveness, leading to paroxysmal symptoms of wheeze, cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. When these symptoms remain uncontrolled, despite treatment with high doses of inhaled and ingested corticosteroids, asthmatic patients are predisposed to greater morbidity and require more health care support. Treating patients with severe asthma can be difficult and often poses a challenge to physicians when providing ongoing management. This clinical review aims to discuss the definition, prevalence and evaluation of severe asthmatics, and provides a review of the existing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options

Functional morphology of the forelimb of Early Miocene caviomorph rodents from Patagonia

Caviomorph rodents (New World Hystricognathi) are represented in the Santa Cruz Formation of Patagonia (Early Miocene, Santacrucian) by four superfamilies. From this unit, excellent cranial and associated postcranial remains of Neoreomys, Eocardia, Schistomys (Cavioidea), Perimys (Chinchilloidea) and Steiromys (Erethizontoidea) are known. To interpret their use of substrate, a comparative description of limb bones (scapula, humerus, radius and ulna) of the five genera was performed within a taxonomic and ecologically diverse sample of extant rodents. Using palaeobiological inferences based on the habits and functional morphology of members of the extant sample, hypotheses were generated for the use of substrate by the Santacrucian taxa. Neoreomys would have had a marked flexo-extension capacity of the humerus and a moderate flexion of the manus. This genus and Eocardia would have had a complete and stabilized forearm extension, with wide stride and moderate extension of the forearm for the latter. Schistomys presents features similar to Eocardia. Perimys would have had strong external rotation of the humerus, moderate flexion of the manus and moderate, complete and stabilized extension of the forearm. Steiromys would have had good pronation/supination capacity, strong internal rotation of the humerus and flexion of the forearm and manus. Neoreomys would have been ambulatory and an occasional runner. Eocardia and Schistomys would have been good runners. Perimys would have been a digger and Steiromys a climber. This morphological disparity reflects a high ecological diversity, compatible with differential use of space during the Santacrucian.Fil: Muñoz, Nahuel Antu. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Toledo, Néstor. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Candela, Adriana Magdalena. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Vizcaíno, Sergio Fabián. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Comparison of wheat simulation models under climate change. II. Application of climate change scenarios.

A comparison of the performance of 5 wheat models (AFRCWHEAT2, CERES, NWHEAT, SIRIUS and SOILN) was carried out for 2 sites in Europe Rothamsted, UK, and Seville, Spain. The aims of this study were (1) to compare predictions of wheat models for climate change scenarios, and (2) to investigate the effects of changes in climatic variability in climate change scenarios on model predic-tions. Simulations were run for climate change scenarios derived from a number of 2 × CO2 equilibrium and transient GCM (global circulation model) experiments. For most climate change scenarios the model results were broadly similar. Where results differed, much of the difference could be explained by model sensitivity to climate and differences in initial conditions. Transient scenarios without changes in climatic variability usually resulted in large yield increases for Rothamsted and in nil to large yield increases for Seville. Incorporation of changed climatic variability in the transient scenario had a more profound effect on grain yield and resulted in a substantial decrease in mean yield with a strong increase in yield variation at Seville. This was associated with the changes in the duration of dry spells and a redistribution of precipitation over the vegetation period. The results show that future studies of the effect of climate change on crop yields must consider changes in climatic variability as well as changes in mean climate

Comparison of wheat simulation models under climate change. I. Model calibration and sensitivity analyses.

A comparison of the performance of 5 wheat models was carried out for 2 sites in Europe with considerably different agroclimatic conditions Rothamsted, UK, and Seville, Spain. The models were calibrated against field data sets from both sites. For Rothamsted the measured time courses of crop growth, evapo-transpiration and nitrogen uptake were reproduced reasonably well by the different models, except for leaf area index. For Seville, the experimental data set was insufficient for such a detailed comparison and mainly simulated results were compared. The sensitivity of the model results to stepwise changes in individual weather variables was then determined. In the different model runs a temperature rise generally resulted in lower yields, an increase in precipitation and atmospheric CO2 concentration resulted in higher yields, and increased variability of weather variables often resulted in lower yields with increased yield variability

Computational modelling of full interaction between crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion at a crack tip

Oxidation-promoted crack growth, one of the major concerns for nickel-based superalloys, is closely linked to the diffusion of oxygen into the crack tip. The phenomenon is still not well understood yet, especially the full interaction between oxygen diffusion and severe near-tip mechanical deformation. This work aimed at the development of a robust numerical strategy to model the full coupling of crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion in a single crystal nickel-based superalloy. In order to accomplish this, finite element package ABAQUS is used as a platform to develop a series of user-defined subroutines to model the fully coupled process of deformation and diffusion. The formulation allowed easy incorporation of nonlinear material behaviour, various loading conditions and arbitrary model geometries. Using this method, finite element analyses of oxygen diffusion, coupled with crystal plastic deformation, were carried out to simulate oxygen penetration at a crack tip and associated change of near-tip stress field, which has significance in understanding crack growth acceleration in oxidation environment. Based on fully coupled diffusion-deformation analyses, a case study was carried out to predict crack growth rate in oxidation environment and under dwell-fatigue loading conditions, for which a two-parameter failure criterion, in terms of accumulated inelastic strain and oxygen concentration at the crack tip, has been utilized

Microscopic View on Short-Range Wetting at the Free Surface of the Binary Metallic Liquid Gallium-Bismuth: An X-ray Reflectivity and Square Gradient Theory Study

We present an x-ray reflectivity study of wetting at the free surface of the binary liquid metal gallium-bismuth (Ga-Bi) in the region where the bulk phase separates into Bi-rich and Ga-rich liquid phases. The measurements reveal the evolution of the microscopic structure of wetting films of the Bi-rich, low-surface-tension phase along different paths in the bulk phase diagram. A balance between the surface potential preferring the Bi-rich phase and the gravitational potential which favors the Ga-rich phase at the surface pins the interface of the two demixed liquid metallic phases close to the free surface. This enables us to resolve it on an Angstrom level and to apply a mean-field, square gradient model extended by thermally activated capillary waves as dominant thermal fluctuations. The sole free parameter of the gradient model, i.e. the so-called influence parameter, $\kappa$, is determined from our measurements. Relying on a calculation of the liquid/liquid interfacial tension that makes it possible to distinguish between intrinsic and capillary wave contributions to the interfacial structure we estimate that fluctuations affect the observed short-range, complete wetting phenomena only marginally. A critical wetting transition that should be sensitive to thermal fluctuations seems to be absent in this binary metallic alloy.Comment: RevTex4, twocolumn, 15 pages, 10 figure

Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions

Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena, nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where "surface fields" may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described as well. The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given

The Swift X-Ray Te1escope: Status and Performance

We present science highlights and performance from the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT), which was launched on November 20,2004. The XRT covers the 0.2-10 keV band, and spends most of its time observing gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows, though it has also performed observations of many other objects. By mid-August 2007, the XRT had observed over 220 GRB afterglows, detecting about 96% of them. The XRT positions enable followup ground-based optical observations, with roughly 60% of the afterglows detected at optical or near IR wavelengths. Redshifts are measured for 33% of X-ray afterglows. Science highlights include the discovery of flaring behavior at quite late times, with implications for GRB central engines; localization of short GRBs, leading to observational support for compact merger progenitors for this class of bursts; a mysterious plateau phase to GRB afterglows; as well as many other interesting observations such as X-ray emission from comets, novae, galactic transients, and other objects