7,666 research outputs found
Symmetries in Fluctuations Far from Equilibrium
Fluctuations arise universally in Nature as a reflection of the discrete
microscopic world at the macroscopic level. Despite their apparent noisy
origin, fluctuations encode fundamental aspects of the physics of the system at
hand, crucial to understand irreversibility and nonequilibrium behavior. In
order to sustain a given fluctuation, a system traverses a precise optimal path
in phase space. Here we show that by demanding invariance of optimal paths
under symmetry transformations, new and general fluctuation relations valid
arbitrarily far from equilibrium are unveiled. This opens an unexplored route
toward a deeper understanding of nonequilibrium physics by bringing symmetry
principles to the realm of fluctuations. We illustrate this concept studying
symmetries of the current distribution out of equilibrium. In particular we
derive an isometric fluctuation relation which links in a strikingly simple
manner the probabilities of any pair of isometric current fluctuations. This
relation, which results from the time-reversibility of the dynamics, includes
as a particular instance the Gallavotti-Cohen fluctuation theorem in this
context but adds a completely new perspective on the high level of symmetry
imposed by time-reversibility on the statistics of nonequilibrium fluctuations.
The new symmetry implies remarkable hierarchies of equations for the current
cumulants and the nonlinear response coefficients, going far beyond Onsager's
reciprocity relations and Green-Kubo formulae. We confirm the validity of the
new symmetry relation in extensive numerical simulations, and suggest that the
idea of symmetry in fluctuations as invariance of optimal paths has
far-reaching consequences in diverse fields.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
The effects of subsampling and between-haul variation on the size-selectivity estimation of Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi gayi)
Using the data collected in a size selectivity experiment on Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi gayi) carried out in 2000, the selectivity parameters for four codend mesh sizes (100, 110, 130, and 140 mm of mesh size opening) were estimated and modelled by the SELECT model. These analyses included considerations of the sampling proportions of the catch in the codend and cover. Furthermore, the analyses took into account between-haul variation. The l(50) values were 30.8, 29.9, 30.0, and 41.2 cm of total length, respectively, values lower than the estimates obtained from previous studies. The contribution of explanatory variables to the selectivity model was also tested in order to determine the role of mesh size, catch size (in number), and towing speed. Increases in catch size and in towing speed were accompanied by decreases in the l(50) estimates. These results demonstrate how incorporation of subsampling effect and explanatory variables to model between-haul variation can improve selectivity estimates and management of a valuable resource
Transforming triangulations on non planar-surfaces
We consider whether any two triangulations of a polygon or a point set on a
non-planar surface with a given metric can be transformed into each other by a
sequence of edge flips. The answer is negative in general with some remarkable
exceptions, such as polygons on the cylinder, and on the flat torus, and
certain configurations of points on the cylinder.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures. This version has been accepted in the SIAM
Journal on Discrete Mathematics. Keywords: Graph of triangulations,
triangulations on surfaces, triangulations of polygons, edge fli
Transportation and Economic Development: Characterizing Economic Development Impacts for Corridor Improvements
Transportation plays an important role in the development and prosperity of human beings. The project development process involves the analysis of different alternatives along with their possible impacts and benefits. Nowadays, renewed importance on safety and economic development is generating a shift from only-mobility-oriented projects to more diverse-goals-oriented developments. This study summarizes the tools and methodologies used in practice for the assessment of the economic development potential of highway corridor improvements
Advancing Our Knowledge of ADHD in Latino Children: Psychometric and Cultural Properties of Spanish-Versions of Parental/Family Functioning Measures
The lack of available Spanish versions of assessment measures contributes to insufficient research and underutilization of mental health services for Latino children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the psychometric and cultural properties of several Spanish versions of parental/family functioning measures commonly used in comprehensive ADHD assessments (i.e., the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale). Participants included 68 Spanish-speaking, Latino parents in Southeast Wisconsin. In general, the Spanish translations of the measures demonstrated good reliability and validity. Furthermore, the psychometrically-sound measures were significantly related to acculturation as predicted, suggesting that the scales are not only psychometrically valid, but also culturally valid for use with Spanish-speaking, Latino families
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Disrupted GABAergic facilitation of working memory performance in people with schizophrenia.
ObjectivesGamma-Amiobutyric acid (GABA) is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that facilitates neural oscillations that coordinate neural activity between brain networks to facilitate cognition. The present magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study tests the hypothesis that GABAergic facilitation of working memory is disrupted in people with schizophrenia (PSZ).Methods51 healthy participants and 40 PSZ from the UC Davis Early Psychosis Program performed an item and temporal order working memory (WM) task and underwent resting MRS to measure GABA and glutamate concentrations in dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate (ACC) regions of interest. MRS was acquired on a 3 Tesla Siemens scanner and GABA and glutamate concentrations were referenced to creatine. Percent correct on the WM task indexed performance and correlation coefficients examined GABAergic or Glutamatergic facilitation of WM, with Fisher's Z transformation testing for group differences.ResultsThere were no group differences in GABA or glutamate concentrations, but WM correlations were reversed between groups. In patients, higher DLPFC GABA was associated with worse rather than better WM performance. This pattern was not observed for glutamate or in the ACC. Although under-powered, there was no indication of medication effects.Conclusions and relevanceResults cannot be explained by group differences in DLPFC GABA or glutamate concentrations but, instead, indicate that schizophrenia disrupts the GABAergic facilitation of WM seen in healthy individuals. Results appear to parallel post mortem findings in suggesting that schizophrenia alters the distribution of different classes of GABAergic interneurons rather than producing a general deficit across the total population of neurons
Spectral signatures of symmetry-breaking dynamical phase transitions
Large deviation theory provides the framework to study the probability of
rare fluctuations of time-averaged observables, opening new avenues of research
in nonequilibrium physics. One of the most appealing results within this
context are dynamical phase transitions (DPTs), which might occur at the level
of trajectories in order to maximize the probability of sustaining a rare
event. While the Macroscopic Fluctuation Theory has underpinned much recent
progress on the understanding of symmetry-breaking DPTs in driven diffusive
systems, their microscopic characterization is still challenging. In this work
we shed light on the general spectral mechanism giving rise to continuous DPTs
not only for driven diffusive systems, but for any jump process in which a
discrete symmetry is broken. By means of a symmetry-aided
spectral analysis of the Doob-transformed dynamics, we provide the conditions
whereby symmetry-breaking DPTs might emerge and how the different dynamical
phases arise from the specific structure of the degenerate eigenvectors. We
show explicitly how all symmetry-breaking features are encoded in the
subleading eigenvectors of the degenerate manifold. Moreover, by partitioning
configuration space into equivalence classes according to a proper order
parameter, we achieve a substantial dimensional reduction which allows for the
quantitative characterization of the spectral fingerprints of DPTs. We
illustrate our predictions in three paradigmatic many-body systems: (i) the 1D
boundary-driven weakly asymmetric exclusion process (WASEP), which exhibits a
particle-hole symmetry-breaking DPT for current fluctuations, (ii) the and
-state Potts model, which displays discrete rotational symmetry-breaking DPT
for energy fluctuations, and (iii) the closed WASEP which presents a continuous
symmetry-breaking DPT to a time-crystal phase characterized by a rotating
condensate
Evaluation of the shrinkage and creep of medium strength self compacting concrete
The difference between self compacting concrete (SCC) and conventional concrete (CC) is in fresh state, is the high fluidity at first and the need for vibration at second, but in hardened state, both concretes must comply with the resistance specified, in addition to securing the safety and functionality for which it was designed. This article describes the tests and results for shrinkage and creep at some medium strength Self Compacting Concrete with added sand (SCC-MSs) and two types of cement. The research was conducted at the
Laboratorio de TecnologĂa de Estructuras (LTE) of the Universitat PolitĂ©cnica de Catalunya (UPC), in dosages of 200 liters; with the idea of evaluating the effectiveness of implementation of these new concretes at elements designed with conventional concrete (CCs).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
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