64,374 research outputs found
Rules for transition rates in nonequilibrium steady states
Just as transition rates in a canonical ensemble must respect the principle
of detailed balance, constraints exist on transition rates in driven steady
states. I derive those constraints, by maximum information-entropy inference,
and apply them to the steady states of driven diffusion and a sheared lattice
fluid. The resulting ensemble can potentially explain nonequilibrium phase
behaviour and, for steady shear, gives rise to stress-mediated long-range
interactions.Comment: 4 pages. To appear in Physical Review Letter
Detailed balance has a counterpart in non-equilibrium steady states
When modelling driven steady states of matter, it is common practice either
to choose transition rates arbitrarily, or to assume that the principle of
detailed balance remains valid away from equilibrium. Neither of those
practices is theoretically well founded. Hypothesising ergodicity constrains
the transition rates in driven steady states to respect relations analogous to,
but different from the equilibrium principle of detailed balance. The
constraints arise from demanding that the design of any model system contains
no information extraneous to the microscopic laws of motion and the macroscopic
observables. This prevents over-description of the non-equilibrium reservoir,
and implies that not all stochastic equations of motion are equally valid. The
resulting recipe for transition rates has many features in common with
equilibrium statistical mechanics.Comment: Replaced with minor revisions to introduction and conclusions.
Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics
Force dependent fragility in RNA hairpins
We apply Kramers theory to investigate the dissociation of multiple bonds
under mechanical force and interpret experimental results for the
unfolding/refolding force distributions of an RNA hairpin pulled at different
loading rates using laser tweezers. We identify two different kinetic regimes
depending on the range of forces explored during the unfolding and refolding
process. The present approach extends the range of validity of the two-states
approximation by providing a theoretical framework to reconstruct free-energy
landscapes and identify force-induced structural changes in molecular
transition states using single molecule pulling experiments. The method should
be applicable to RNA hairpins with multiple kinetic barriers.Comment: Latex file, 4 pages+3 figure
Work probability distribution in single molecule experiments
We derive and solve a differential equation satisfied by the probability
distribution of the work done on a single biomolecule in a mechanical unzipping
experiment. The unzipping is described as a thermally activated escape process
in an energy landscape. The Jarzynski equality is recovered as an identity,
independent of the pulling protocol. This approach allows one to evaluate
easily, by numerical integration, the work distribution, once a few parameters
of the energy landscape are known.Comment: To appear on EP
The Nature of the Compact/Symmetric Near-IR Continuum Source in 4C 40.36
Using NICMOS on HST, we have imaged the emission-line nebulae and the
line-free continuum in 4C 40.36, a ultra-steep spectrum FR II radio galaxy at
z=2.269. The line-free continuum was found to be extremely compact and
symmetric while the emission-line nebulae seen in H-alpha+[N II] show very
clumpy structures spreading almost linearly over 16 kpc. However, this linear
structure is clearly misaligned from the radio axis. The SED of the line-free
continuum is very flat, suggesting that if the continuum emission is produced
by a single source, it is likely to be a young bursting stellar population or
scattered AGN light. However, because of the lack of a line-free optical image
with a comparable spatial resolution, we cannot exclude the possibility that
the observed SED is a composite of a young blue population and an old red
population.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; to appear in the proceedings of "The Hy-Redshift
Universe: Galaxy Formation and Evolution at High Redshift", eds. A.J.Bunker
and W. J. M. van Breuge
An exactly solvable dissipative transport model
We introduce a class of one-dimensional lattice models in which a quantity,
that may be thought of as an energy, is either transported from one site to a
neighbouring one, or locally dissipated. Transport is controlled by a
continuous bias parameter q, which allows us to study symmetric as well as
asymmetric cases. We derive sufficient conditions for the factorization of the
N-body stationary distribution and give an explicit solution for the latter,
before briefly discussing physically relevant situations.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to J. Phys.
Representations of p-brane topological charge algebras
The known extended algebras associated with p-branes are shown to be
generated as topological charge algebras of the standard p-brane actions. A
representation of the charges in terms of superspace forms is constructed. The
charges are shown to be the same in standard/extended superspace formulations
of the action.Comment: 22 pages. Typos fixed, refs added. Minor additions to comments
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Ecosystem Approach to Small Scale Tropical Marine Fisheries
This is a 4-page brochure about a WorldFish led project. Throughout the world, poor fisheries management contributes to resource degradation, poverty, and food insecurity. This European Union project on an Ecosystem Approach to Small-scale Tropical Marine Fisheries is led by WorldFish and implemented in collaboration with national partners in Asia (Southeastern)-Indonesia; the Asia (Southeastern)-Philippines; the Solomon Islands and Tanzania. The overall objective is to use an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) to improve governance of small-scale fisheries (SSF). The EAFM puts sustainability and equitability at the forefront of fisheries governance which enhances their contribution to poverty reduction.Specific objectives are to: 1. Assess existing institutional arrangements and identify opportunities for an EAFM to improve integrated SSF management; 2. Develop EAFM strategies and actions suitable for developing country contexts; 3. Strengthen the capacity of local fishery stakeholders and government agencies to collaborate and work within an EAFM. The project is taking a participatory and gender sensitive approach, both core philosophies of WorldFish. Representatives of all relevant stakeholder groups are involved in this action research project
Rice endosperm is cost-effective for the production of recombinant griffithsin with potent activity against HIV
Protein microbicides containing neutralizing antibodies and antiviral lectins may help to reduce the rate of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) if it is possible to manufacture the components in large quantities at a cost affordable in HIV‐endemic regions such as sub‐Saharan Africa. We expressed the antiviral lectin griffithsin (GRFT), which shows potent neutralizing activity against HIV, in the endosperm of transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa), to determine whether rice can be used to produce inexpensive GRFT as a microbicide ingredient. The yield of (OS)GRFT in the best‐performing plants was 223 μg/g dry seed weight. We also established a one‐step purification protocol, achieving a recovery of 74% and a purity of 80%, which potentially could be developed into a larger‐scale process to facilitate inexpensive downstream processing. (OS)GRFT bound to HIV glycans with similar efficiency to GRFT produced in Escherichia coli. Whole‐cell assays using purified (OS)GRFT and infectivity assays using crude extracts of transgenic rice endosperm confirmed that both crude and pure (OS)GRFT showed potent activity against HIV and the crude extracts were not toxic towards human cell lines, suggesting they could be administered as a microbicide with only minimal processing. A freedom‐to‐operate analysis confirmed that GRFT produced in rice is suitable for commercial development, and an economic evaluation suggested that 1.8 kg/ha of pure GRFT could be produced from rice seeds. Our data therefore indicate that rice could be developed as an inexpensive production platform for GRFT as a microbicide component
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