Spacetime Defects: von K\'arm\'an vortex street like configurations

A special arrangement of spinning strings with dislocations similar to a von K\'arm\'an vortex street is studied. We numerically solve the geodesic equations for the special case of a test particle moving along twoinfinite rows of pure dislocations and also discuss the case of pure spinning defects.Comment: 9 pages, 2figures, CQG in pres

Cosmic censorship and spherical gravitational collapse with tangential pressure

We study the spherical gravitational collapse of a compact object under the approximation that the radial pressure is identically zero, and the tangential pressure is related to the density by a linear equation of state. It turns out that the Einstein equations can be reduced to the solution of an integral for the evolution of the area radius. We show that for positive pressure there is a finite region near the center which necessarily expands outwards, if collapse begins from rest. This region could be surrounded by an inward moving one which could collapse to a singularity - any such singularity will necessarily be covered by a horizon. For negative pressure the entire object collapses inwards, but any singularities that could arise are not naked. Thus the nature of the evolution is very different from that of dust, even when the ratio of pressure to density is infinitesimally small.Comment: 16 pages, Latex file, two figures, uses epsf.st

Translocation Dynamics with Attractive Nanopore-Polymer Interactions

Using Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate the influence of polymer-pore interactions on the dynamics of biopolymer translocation through nanopores. We find that an attractive interaction can significantly change the translocation dynamics. This can be understood by examining the three components of the total translocation time $\tau \approx \tau_1+\tau_2+\tau_3$ corresponding to the initial filling of the pore, transfer of polymer from the \textit{cis} side to the \textit{trans} side, and emptying of the pore, respectively. We find that the dynamics for the last process of emptying of the pore changes from non-activated to activated in nature as the strength of the attractive interaction increases, and $\tau_3$ becomes the dominant contribution to the total translocation time for strong attraction. This leads to a new dependence of $\tau$ as a function of driving force and chain length. Our results are in good agreement with recent experimental findings, and provide a possible explanation for the different scaling behavior observed in solid state nanopores {\it vs.} that for the natural $\alpha$-hemolysin channel.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figure

On the gravitational field of static and stationary axial symmetric bodies with multi-polar structure

We give a physical interpretation to the multi-polar Erez-Rozen-Quevedo solution of the Einstein Equations in terms of bars. We find that each multi-pole correspond to the Newtonian potential of a bar with linear density proportional to a Legendre Polynomial. We use this fact to find an integral representation of the $\gamma$ function. These integral representations are used in the context of the inverse scattering method to find solutions associated to one or more rotating bodies each one with their own multi-polar structure.Comment: To be published in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Language of Lullabies: The Russification and De-Russification of the Baltic States

This article argues that the laws for promotion of the national languages are a legitimate means for the Baltic states to establish their cultural independence from Russia and the former Soviet Union

A review of the decoherent histories approach to the arrival time problem in quantum theory

We review recent progress in understanding the arrival time problem in quantum mechanics, from the point of view of the decoherent histories approach to quantum theory. We begin by discussing the arrival time problem, focussing in particular on the role of the probability current in the expected classical solution. After a brief introduction to decoherent histories we review the use of complex potentials in the construction of appropriate class operators. We then discuss the arrival time problem for a particle coupled to an environment, and review how the arrival time probability can be expressed in terms of a POVM in this case. We turn finally to the question of decoherence of the corresponding histories, and we show that this can be achieved for simple states in the case of a free particle, and for general states for a particle coupled to an environment.Comment: 10 pages. To appear in DICE 2010 conference proceeding

Influence of polymer-pore interactions on translocation

We investigate the influence of polymer-pore interactions on the translocation dynamics using Langevin dynamics simulations. An attractive interaction can greatly improve translocation probability. At the same time, it also increases translocation time slowly for weak attraction while exponential dependence is observed for strong attraction. For fixed driving force and chain length the histogram of translocation time has a transition from Gaussian distribution to long-tailed distribution with increasing attraction. Under a weak driving force and a strong attractive force, both the translocation time and the residence time in the pore show a non-monotonic behavior as a function of the chain length. Our simulations results are in good agreement with recent experimental data.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Effects of R-parity violating supersymmetry in top pair production at linear colliders with polarized beams

In the minimal supersymmetric standard model with R-parity violation, the lepton number violating top quark interactions can contribute to the top pair production at a linear collider via tree-level u-channel squark exchange diagrams. We calculate such contributions and find that in the allowed range of these R-violating couplings, the top pair production rate as well as the top quark polarization and the forward-backward asymmetry can be significantly altered. By comparing the unpolarized beams with the polarized beams, we find that the polarized beams are more powerful in probing such new physics.Comment: 10 pages, 6 fig

Semantic analysis of citizen sensing, crowdsourcing and VGI

This paper describes a semantic analysis of terms used to describe citizen sensing and crowdsourced data use in scientific analyses. It applies a latency analysis to journal abstracts downloaded from Scopus that matched one of number of terms related to crowd sourced data and citizen science. The latency analysis shows how the terms associated with crowdsourcing are related and how they have evolved over time.JRC.H.6-Digital Earth and Reference Dat