1,864 research outputs found
Non-Markovian Stochastic Resonance
The phenomenological linear response theory of non-Markovian Stochastic
Resonance (SR) is put forward for stationary two-state renewal processes. In
terms of a derivation of a non-Markov regression theorem we evaluate the
characteristic SR-quantifiers; i.e. the spectral power amplification (SPA) and
the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), respectively. In clear contrast to Markovian
SR, a characteristic benchmark of genuine non-Markovian SR is its distinctive
dependence of the SPA and SNR on small (adiabatic) driving frequencies;
particularly, the adiabatic SNR becomes strongly suppressed over its Markovian
counterpart. This non-Markovian SR theory is elucidated for a fractal gating
dynamics of a potassium ion channel possessing an infinite variance of closed
sojourn times.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Collective shuttling of attracting particles in asymmetric narrow channels
The rectification of a single file of attracting particles subjected to a low
frequency ac drive is proposed as a working mechanism for particle shuttling in
an asymmetric narrow channel. Increasing the particle attraction results in the
file condensing, as signalled by the dramatic enhancement of the net particle
current. Magnitude and direction of the current become extremely sensitive to
the actual size of the condensate, which can then be made to shuttle between
two docking stations, transporting particles in one direction, with an
efficiency much larger than conventional diffusive models predict
Toolbox for analyzing finite two-state trajectories
In many experiments, the aim is to deduce an underlying multi-substate on-off
kinetic scheme (KS) from the statistical properties of a two-state trajectory.
However, the mapping of a KS into a two-state trajectory leads to the loss of
information about the KS, and so, in many cases, more than one KS can be
associated with the data. We recently showed that the optimal way to solve this
problem is to use canonical forms of reduced dimensions (RD). RD forms are
on-off networks with connections only between substates of different states,
where the connections can have non-exponential waiting time probability density
functions (WT-PDFs). In theory, only a single RD form can be associated with
the data. To utilize RD forms in the analysis of the data, a RD form should be
associated with the data. Here, we give a toolbox for building a RD form from a
finite two-state trajectory. The methods in the toolbox are based on known
statistical methods in data analysis, combined with statistical methods and
numerical algorithms designed specifically for the current problem. Our toolbox
is self-contained - it builds a mechanism based only on the information it
extracts from the data, and its implementation on the data is fast (analyzing a
10^6 cycle trajectory from a thirty-parameter mechanism takes a couple of hours
on a PC with a 2.66 GHz processor). The toolbox is automated and is freely
available for academic research upon electronic request
A continuous process for the biological treatment of heavy metal contaminated acid mine water
Alkaline precipitation of heavy metals from acidic water streams is a popular and long standing treatment process. While this process is efficient it requires the continuous addition of an alkaline material, such as lime. In the long term or when treating large volumes of effluent this process becomes expensive, with costs in the mining sector routinely exceeding millions of rands annually. The process described below utilises alkalinity generated by the alga Spirulina sp., in a continuous system to precipitate heavy metals. The design of the system separates the algal component from the metal containing stream to overcome metal toxicity. The primary treatment process consistently removed over 99% of the iron (98.9 mg/l) and between 80 and 95% of the zinc (7.16 mg/l) and lead (2.35 mg/l) over a 14-day period (20 l effluent treated). In addition the pH of the raw effluent was increased from 1.8 to over 7 in the post-treatment stream. Secondary treatment and polishing steps depend on the nature of the effluent treated. In the case of the high sulphate effluent the treated stream was passed into an anaerobic digester at a rate of 4 l/day. The combination of the primary and secondary treatments effected a removal of over 95% of all metals tested for as well as a 90% reduction in the sulphate load. The running cost of such a process would be low as the salinity and nutrient requirements for the algal culture could be provided by using tannery effluent or a combination of saline water and sewage. This would have the additional benefit of treating either a tannery or sewage effluent as part of an integrated process
Entropic Stochastic Resonance
We present a novel scheme for the appearance of Stochastic Resonance when the
dynamics of a Brownian particle takes place in a confined medium. The presence
of uneven boundaries, giving rise to an entropic contribution to the potential,
may upon application of a periodic driving force result in an increase of the
spectral amplification at an optimum value of the ambient noise level. This
Entropic Stochastic Resonance (ESR), characteristic of small-scale systems, may
constitute a useful mechanism for the manipulation and control of
single-molecules and nano-devices.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Stochastic resonance as a collective property of ion channel assemblies
By use of a stochastic generalization of the Hodgkin-Huxley model we
investigate both the phenomena of stochastic resonance (SR) and coherence
resonance (CR) in variable size patches of an excitable cell membrane. Our
focus is on the challenge how internal noise stemming from individual ion
channels does affect collective properties of the whole ensemble. We
investigate both an unperturbed situation with no applied stimuli and one in
which the membrane is stimulated externally by a periodic signal and additional
external noise. For the nondriven case, we demonstrate the existence of an
optimal size of the membrane patch for which the internal noise causes a most
regular spike activity. This phenomenon shall be termed intrinsic CR. In
presence of an applied periodic stimulus we demonstrate that the
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exhibits SR vs. decreasing patch size, or vs.
increasing internal noise strength, respectively. Moreover, we demonstrate that
conventional SR vs. the external noise intensity occurs only for sufficiently
large membrane patches, when the intensity of internal noise is below its
optimal level. Thus, biological SR seemingly is rooted in the collective
properties of large ion channel ensembles rather than in the individual
stochastic dynamics of single ion channels.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Effective zero-thickness model for a conductive membrane driven by an electric field
The behavior of a conductive membrane in a static (DC) electric field is
investigated theoretically. An effective zero-thickness model is constructed
based on a Robin-type boundary condition for the electric potential at the
membrane, originally developed for electrochemical systems. Within such a
framework, corrections to the elastic moduli of the membrane are obtained,
which arise from charge accumulation in the Debye layers due to capacitive
effects and electric currents through the membrane and can lead to an
undulation instability of the membrane. The fluid flow surrounding the membrane
is also calculated, which clarifies issues regarding these flows sharing many
similarities with flows produced by induced charge electro-osmosis (ICEO).
Non-equilibrium steady states of the membrane and of the fluid can be
effectively described by this method. It is both simpler, due to the zero
thickness approximation which is widely used in the literature on fluid
membranes, and more general than previous approaches. The predictions of this
model are compared to recent experiments on supported membranes in an electric
field.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Soft disks in a narrow channel
The pressure components of "soft" disks in a two dimensional narrow channel
are analyzed in the dilute gas regime using the Mayer cluster expansion and
molecular dynamics. Channels with either periodic or reflecting boundaries are
considered. It is found that when the two-body potential, u(r), is singular at
some distance r_0, the dependence of the pressure components on the channel
width exhibits a singularity at one or more channel widths which are simply
related to r_0. In channels with periodic boundary conditions and for
potentials which are discontinuous at r_0, the transverse and longitudinal
pressure components exhibit a 1/2 and 3/2 singularity, respectively. Continuous
potentials with a power law singularity result in weaker singularities of the
pressure components. In channels with reflecting boundary conditions the
singularities are found to be weaker than those corresponding to periodic
boundaries
Ion exchange phase transitions in "doped" water--filled channels
Ion transport through narrow water--filled channels is impeded by a high
electrostatic barrier. The latter originates from the large ratio of the
dielectric constants of the water and a surrounding media. We show that
``doping'', i.e. immobile charges attached to the walls of the channel,
substantially reduces the barrier. This explains why most of the biological ion
channels are ``doped''. We show that at rather generic conditions the channels
may undergo ion exchange phase transitions (typically of the first order). Upon
such a transition a finite latent concentration of ions may either enter or
leave the channel, or be exchanged between the ions of different valences. We
discuss possible implications of these transitions for the Ca-vs.-Na
selectivity of biological Ca channels. We also show that transport of divalent
Ca ions is assisted by their fractionalization into two separate excitations.Comment: 16 pages, 27 figure
Enhanced production of propionic acid through acidic hydrolysis by choice of inoculum
BACKGROUND
In this study, the enhancement of propionic acid production from a model feedstock mimicking kitchen waste was investigated. For that purpose, two operational runs of a semicontinuous anaerobic hydrolysis reactor were carried out at pH 6.0 ± 0.1 and mesophilic (30 °C) temperature. Two different types of inocula, a mixed microbial culture selected over 24 months for growth on cellulose and a culture contained in goat cheese were compared.
RESULTS
The results show that the goat cheese inoculum was significantly more efficient for propionic acid (PA) production. The highest propionic acid concentration achieved amounted to 139 mmol L−1 at a yield of 23.3 mg g−1 volatile solids (VS), which was 55% greater than what was achieved with the mixed culture. Furthermore, it was observed that propionic acid production was enhanced by a combination of high hydraulic retention time (HRT) with low organic loading rate (OLR), ensuring sufficient time for complete processing of the complex organic substrates. The fermentation could be kept in a stable process of propionic acid production at HRT of 20 days and a rather low OLR of 11.1 g L−1 day−1 VS.
CONCLUSION
Our results give a better understanding of PA production in semicontinuous mode, applying optimized process parameters and selecting the adequate microbial community for inoculation. This study provides important information for the improvement of PA production from complex substrates for future industrial application. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI)
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