757 research outputs found
Winning combinations of history-dependent games
The Parrondo effect describes the seemingly paradoxical situation in which
two losing games can, when combined, become winning [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 24
(2000)]. Here we generalize this analysis to the case where both games are
history-dependent, i.e. there is an intrinsic memory in the dynamics of each
game. New results are presented for the cases of both random and periodic
switching between the two games.Comment: (6 pages, 7 figures) Version 2: Major cosmetic changes and some minor
correction
Molecular features of lipoprotein CD0873 - a potential vaccine against the human pathogen Clostridioides difficile
This is the final version. Available on open access from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology via the DOI in this recordClostridioides difficile is the primary cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and colitis, a healthcare-associated intestinal disease resulting in a significant fatality rate. Colonization of the gut is critical for C. difficile pathogenesis, and the bacterial molecules essential for efficient colonization therefore offer great potential as vaccine candidates. Here we present findings demonstrating that the C. difficile immunogenic lipoprotein CD0873 plays a critical role in pathogen success in vivo. We found that in a dixenic colonization model, a CD0873-positive strain of C. difficile significantly outcompeted a CD0873-negative strain. Immunization of mice with recombinant CD0873 prevented long-term gut colonization and was correlated with a strong secretory IgA immune response. We further present high-resolution crystal structures of CD0873, at 1.80-2.50 Å resolutions, offering a first view of the ligand-binding pocket of CD0873 and provide evidence that this lipoprotein adhesin is part of a tyrosine import system, an amino acid key in C. difficile infection. These findings suggest that CD0873 could serve as a effective component in a vaccine against C. difficile
Quantum random walks with history dependence
We introduce a multi-coin discrete quantum random walk where the amplitude
for a coin flip depends upon previous tosses. Although the corresponding
classical random walk is unbiased, a bias can be introduced into the quantum
walk by varying the history dependence. By mixing the biased random walk with
an unbiased one, the direction of the bias can be reversed leading to a new
quantum version of Parrondo's paradox.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, RevTe
Optimal strategies in collective Parrondo games
We present a modification of the so-called Parrondo's paradox where one is
allowed to choose in each turn the game that a large number of individuals
play. It turns out that, by choosing the game which gives the highest average
earnings at each step, one ends up with systematic loses, whereas a periodic or
random sequence of choices yields a steadily increase of the capital. An
explanation of this behavior is given by noting that the short-range
maximization of the returns is "killing the goose that laid the golden eggs". A
continuous model displaying similar features is analyzed using dynamic
programming techniques from control theory.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, revised version in published for
Breaking of general rotational symmetries by multi-dimensional classical ratchets
We demonstrate that a particle driven by a set of spatially uncorrelated,
independent colored noise forces in a bounded, multidimensional potential
exhibits rotations that are independent of the initial conditions. We calculate
the particle currents in terms of the noise statistics and the potential
asymmetries by deriving an n-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation in the small
correlation time limit. We analyze a variety of flow patterns for various
potential structures, generating various combinations of laminar and rotational
flows.Comment: Accepted, Physical Review
Quantum ergodicity for graphs related to interval maps
We prove quantum ergodicity for a family of graphs that are obtained from
ergodic one-dimensional maps of an interval using a procedure introduced by
Pakonski et al (J. Phys. A, v. 34, 9303-9317 (2001)). As observables we take
the L^2 functions on the interval. The proof is based on the periodic orbit
expansion of a majorant of the quantum variance. Specifically, given a
one-dimensional, Lebesgue-measure-preserving map of an interval, we consider an
increasingly refined sequence of partitions of the interval. To this sequence
we associate a sequence of graphs, whose directed edges correspond to elements
of the partitions and on which the classical dynamics approximates the
Perron-Frobenius operator corresponding to the map. We show that, except
possibly for subsequences of density 0, the eigenstates of the quantum graphs
equidistribute in the limit of large graphs. For a smaller class of observables
we also show that the Egorov property, a correspondence between classical and
quantum evolution in the semiclassical limit, holds for the quantum graphs in
question.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur
Some geochemical constraints upon models for the crystallization of the upper critical zone-main zone interval, northwestern Bushveld complex
Ratios between elements Mg, Fe, Co, Cr, Ni, V, and Sc are consistently different in mafic rocks of the upper critical zone, and those above the Bastard unit. Within the 300 m section above the Merensky Reef, 87Sr/86Sr ratios increase from c.0.7063 to c.0.7087, irrespective of rock type. Decoupling of Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) ratios and the Ca contents of plagioclase, and wide variations in the proportions of anorthosite within the Bastard, Merensky, and Merensky Footwall units, are inconsistent with anorthosite formation by simple fractional crystallization of magma batches of limited volume
Low-Temperature Sintering of Alumina with Liquid-Forming Additives
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66046/1/j.1151-2916.1991.tb07825.x.pd
- …