161 research outputs found
Universal features of the order-parameter fluctuations : reversible and irreversible aggregation
We discuss the universal scaling laws of order parameter fluctuations in any
system in which the second-order critical behaviour can be identified. These
scaling laws can be derived rigorously for equilibrium systems when combined
with the finite-size scaling analysis. The relation between order parameter,
criticality and scaling law of fluctuations has been established and the
connexion between the scaling function and the critical exponents has been
found. We give examples in out-of-equilibrium aggregation models such as the
Smoluchowski kinetic equations, or of at-equilibrium Ising and percolation
models.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure
Degradation and healing in a generalized neo-Hookean solid due to infusion of a fluid
The mechanical response and load bearing capacity of high performance polymer
composites changes due to diffusion of a fluid, temperature, oxidation or the
extent of the deformation. Hence, there is a need to study the response of
bodies under such degradation mechanisms. In this paper, we study the effect of
degradation and healing due to the diffusion of a fluid on the response of a
solid which prior to the diffusion can be described by the generalized
neo-Hookean model. We show that a generalized neo-Hookean solid - which behaves
like an elastic body (i.e., it does not produce entropy) within a purely
mechanical context - creeps and stress relaxes when infused with a fluid and
behaves like a body whose material properties are time dependent. We
specifically investigate the torsion of a generalized neo-Hookean circular
cylindrical annulus infused with a fluid. The equations of equilibrium for a
generalized neo-Hookean solid are solved together with the convection-diffusion
equation for the fluid concentration. Different boundary conditions for the
fluid concentration are also considered. We also solve the problem for the case
when the diffusivity of the fluid depends on the deformation of the generalized
neo-Hookean solid.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Mechanics of Time-dependent
Material
Discrimination of Potent Inhibitors of Toxoplasma gondii Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase by a Thermal Shift Assay
Many microbial pathogens rely on a type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) pathway that is distinct from the type I pathway found in humans. Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR) is an essential FASII pathway enzyme and the target of a number of antimicrobial drug discovery efforts. The biocide triclosan is established as a potent inhibitor of ENR and has been the starting point for medicinal chemistry studies. We evaluated a series of triclosan analogues for their ability to inhibit the growth of Toxoplasma gondii, a pervasive human pathogen, and its ENR enzyme (TgENR). Several compounds that inhibited TgENR at low nanomolar concentrations were identified but could not be further differentiated because of the limited dynamic range of the TgENR activity assay. Thus, we adapted a thermal shift assay (TSA) to directly measure the dissociation constant (Kd) of the most potent inhibitors identified in this study as well as inhibitors from previous studies. Furthermore, the TSA allowed us to determine the mode of action of these compounds in the presence of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) cofactor. We found that all of the inhibitors bind to a TgENR–NAD+ complex but that they differed in their dependence on NAD+ concentration. Ultimately, we were able to identify compounds that bind to the TgENR–NAD+ complex in the low femtomolar range. This shows how TSA data combined with enzyme inhibition, parasite growth inhibition data, and ADMET predictions allow for better discrimination between potent ENR inhibitors for the future development of medicine
Identified particles in Au+Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV
The yields of identified particles have been measured at RHIC for Au+Au
collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 200 GeV using the PHOBOS spectrometer. The ratios of
antiparticle to particle yields near mid-rapidity are presented. The first
measurements of the invariant yields of charged pions, kaons and protons at
very low transverse momenta are also shown.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Contribution to Quark Matter 2002, Nantes,
France, July 200
Universal Behavior of Charged Particle Production in Heavy Ion Collisions
The PHOBOS experiment at RHIC has measured the multiplicity of primary
charged particles as a function of centrality and pseudorapidity in Au+Au
collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 19.6, 130 and 200 GeV. Two kinds of universal
behavior are observed in charged particle production in heavy ion collisions.
The first is that forward particle production, over a range of energies,
follows a universal limiting curve with a non-trivial centrality dependence.
The second arises from comparisons with pp/pbar-p and e+e- data.
N_tot/(N_part/2) in nuclear collisions at high energy scales with sqrt(s) in a
similar way as N_tot in e+e- collisions and has a very weak centrality
dependence. This feature may be related to a reduction in the leading particle
effect due to the multiple collisions suffered per participant in heavy ion
collisions.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 Figures, contributed to the Proceedings of Quark Matter
2002, Nantes, France, 18-24 July 200
Recent Results from PHOBOS at RHIC
The PHOBOS experiment at RHIC has recorded measurements for Au-Au collisions
spanning nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies from 19.6 GeV to 200 GeV.
Global observables such as elliptic flow and charged particle multiplicity
provide important constraints on model predictions that characterize the state
of matter produced in these collisions. The nearly 4 pi acceptance of the
PHOBOS experiment provides excellent coverage for complete flow and
multiplicity measurements. Results including beam energy and centrality
dependencies are presented and compared to elementary systems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, proceedings from PANIC02 in Osaka, Japa
Global Observations from PHOBOS
Particle production in Au+Au collisions has been measured in the PHOBOS
experiment at RHIC for a range of collision energies. Three empirical
observations have emerged from this dataset which require theoretical
examination. First, there is clear evidence of limiting fragmentation. Namely,
particle production in central Au+Au collisions, when expressed as
(), becomes energy independent at high energy for a
broad region of around . This energy-independent region grows
with energy, allowing only a limited region (if any) of longitudinal
boost-invariance. Second, there is a striking similarity between particle
production in e+e- and Au+Au collisions (scaled by the number of participating
nucleon pairs). Both the total number of produced particles and the
longitudinal distribution of produced particles are approximately the same in
e+e- and in scaled Au+Au. This observation was not predicted and has not been
explained. Finally, particle production has been found to scale approximately
with the number of participating nucleon pairs for . This scaling
occurs both for the total multiplicity and for high \pT particles (3 <\pT<
4.5 GeV/c).Comment: QM2002 plenary talk, 10 pages, 11 figure
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