934 research outputs found
Anti-self-dual conformal structures with null Killing vectors from projective structures
Using twistor methods, we explicitly construct all local forms of
four--dimensional real analytic neutral signature anti--self--dual conformal
structures with a null conformal Killing vector. We show that is
foliated by anti-self-dual null surfaces, and the two-dimensional leaf space
inherits a natural projective structure. The twistor space of this projective
structure is the quotient of the twistor space of by the group action
induced by the conformal Killing vector.
We obtain a local classification which branches according to whether or not
the conformal Killing vector is hyper-surface orthogonal in . We give
examples of conformal classes which contain Ricci--flat metrics on compact
complex surfaces and discuss other conformal classes with no Ricci--flat
metrics.Comment: 43 pages, 4 figures. Theorem 2 has been improved: ASD metrics are
given in terms of general projective structures without needing to choose
special representatives of the projective connection. More examples (primary
Kodaira surface, neutral Fefferman structure) have been included. Algebraic
type of the Weyl tensor has been clarified. Final version, to appear in
Commun Math Phy
Small angle neutron scattering observation of chain retraction after a large step deformation
The process of retraction in entangled linear chains after a fast nonlinear stretch was detected from time-resolved but quenched small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on long, well-entangled polyisoprene chains. The statically obtained SANS data cover the relevant time regime for retraction, and they provide a direct, microscopic verification of this nonlinear process as predicted by the tube model. Clear, quantitative agreement is found with recent theories of contour length fluctuations and convective constraint release, using parameters obtained mainly from linear rheology. The theory captures the full range of scattering vectors once the crossover to fluctuations on length scales below the tube diameter is accounted for
A Novel Method of Extraction of Blend Component Structure from SANS Measurements of Homopolymer Bimodal Blends
A new method is presented for the extraction of single-chain form factors and interchain interference functions from a range of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on bimodal homopolymer blends. The method requires a minimum of three blends, made up of hydrogenated and deuterated components with matched degree of polymerization at two different chain lengths, but with carefully varying deuteration levels. The method is validated through an experimental study on polystyrene homopolymer bimodal blends with inline image. By fitting Debye functions to the structure factors, it is shown that there is good agreement between the molar mass of the components obtained from SANS and from chromatography. The extraction method also enables, for the first time, interchain scattering functions to be produced for scattering between chains of different lengths
Receptor recognition by the novel coronavirus from Wuhan: An analysis based on decade-long structural studies of SARS coronavirus
Recently, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has emerged from Wuhan, China, causing symptoms in humans similar to those caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Since the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002, extensive structural analyses have revealed key atomic-level interactions between the SARS-CoV spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and its host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which regulate both the cross-species and human-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV. Here, we analyzed the potential receptor usage by 2019-nCoV, based on the rich knowledge about SARS-CoV and the newly released sequence of 2019-nCoV. First, the sequence of 2019-nCoV RBD, including its receptor-binding motif (RBM) that directly contacts ACE2, is similar to that of SARS-CoV, strongly suggesting that 2019-nCoV uses ACE2 as its receptor. Second, several critical residues in 2019-nCoV RBM (particularly Gln493) provide favorable interactions with human ACE2, consistent with 2019-nCoV’s capacity for human cell infection. Third, several other critical residues in 2019-nCoV RBM (particularly Asn501) are compatible with, but not ideal for, binding human ACE2, suggesting that 2019-nCoV has acquired some capacity for human-to-human transmission. Last, while phylogenetic analysis indicates a bat origin of 2019-nCoV, 2019-nCoV also potentially recognizes ACE2 from a diversity of animal species (except mice and rats), implicating these animal species as possible intermediate hosts or animal models for 2019-nCoV infections. These analyses provide insights into the receptor usage, cell entry, host cell infectivity and animal origin of 2019-nCoV and may help epidemic surveillance and preventive measures against 2019-nCoV. IMPORTANCE The recent emergence of Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) puts the world on alert. 2019-nCoV is reminiscent of the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002 to 2003. Our decade-long structural studies on the receptor recognition by SARS-CoV have identified key interactions between SARS-CoV spike protein and its host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which regulate both the cross-species and human-to-human transmissions of SARS-CoV. One of the goals of SARS-CoV research was to build an atomic-level iterative framework of virus-receptor interactions to facilitate epidemic surveillance, predict species-specific receptor usage, and identify potential animal hosts and animal models of viruses. Based on the sequence of 2019-nCoV spike protein, we apply this predictive framework to provide novel insights into the receptor usage and likely host range of 2019-nCoV. This study provides a robust test of this reiterative framework, providing the basic, translational, and public health research communities with predictive insights that may help study and battle this novel 2019-nCoV
A Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Classical Phase Space Structure on a Quantum System
We present a detailed numerical study of a chaotic classical system and its
quantum counterpart. The system is a special case of a kicked rotor and for
certain parameter values possesses cantori dividing chaotic regions of the
classical phase space. We investigate the diffusion of particles through a
cantorus; classical diffusion is observed but quantum diffusion is only
significant when the classical phase space area escaping through the cantorus
per kicking period greatly exceeds Planck's constant. A quantum analysis
confirms that the cantori act as barriers. We numerically estimate the
classical phase space flux through the cantorus per kick and relate this
quantity to the behaviour of the quantum system. We introduce decoherence via
environmental interactions with the quantum system and observe the subsequent
increase in the transport of quantum particles through the boundary.Comment: 15 pages, 22 figure
Lifespan theorem for constrained surface diffusion flows
We consider closed immersed hypersurfaces in and evolving by
a class of constrained surface diffusion flows. Our result, similar to earlier
results for the Willmore flow, gives both a positive lower bound on the time
for which a smooth solution exists, and a small upper bound on a power of the
total curvature during this time. By phrasing the theorem in terms of the
concentration of curvature in the initial surface, our result holds for very
general initial data and has applications to further development in asymptotic
analysis for these flows.Comment: 29 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:1201.657
Frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy localises viscoelastic remodelling in the ageing sheep aorta
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Royal Society for the provision of an International Travel Grant for Collaboration (R112205) to RA, and Wellcome Trust Value in People Award to RA and MJS. MJS and BD gratefully acknowledge the support of the Medical Research Council (www.mrc.ac.uk: grant reference G1001398)
Constraints on the SU(3) Electroweak Model
We consider a recent proposal by Dimopoulos and Kaplan to embed the
electroweak SU(2)_L X U(1)_Y into a larger group SU(3)_W X SU(2) X U(1) at a
scale above a TeV. This idea is motivated by the prediction for the weak mixing
angle sin^2 theta_W = 1/4, which naturally appears in these models so long as
the gauge couplings of the high energy SU(2) and U(1) groups are moderately
large. The extended gauge dynamics results in new effective operators that
contribute to four-fermion interactions and Z pole observables. We calculate
the corrections to these electroweak precision observables and carry out a
global fit of the new physics to the data. For SU(2) and U(1) gauge couplings
larger than 1, we find that the 95% C.L. lower bound on the matching (heavy
gauge boson mass) scale is 11 TeV. We comment on the fine-tuning of the high
energy gauge couplings needed to allow matching scales above our bounds. The
remnants of SU(3)_W breaking include multi-TeV SU(2)_L doublets with electric
charge (+-2,+-1). The lightest charged gauge boson is stable, leading to
cosmological difficulties.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures embedded, uses JHEP.cl
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