12,064 research outputs found
A Development Environment for Visual Physics Analysis
The Visual Physics Analysis (VISPA) project integrates different aspects of
physics analyses into a graphical development environment. It addresses the
typical development cycle of (re-)designing, executing and verifying an
analysis. The project provides an extendable plug-in mechanism and includes
plug-ins for designing the analysis flow, for running the analysis on batch
systems, and for browsing the data content. The corresponding plug-ins are
based on an object-oriented toolkit for modular data analysis. We introduce the
main concepts of the project, describe the technical realization and
demonstrate the functionality in example applications
Noise-Induced Transition from Translational to Rotational Motion of Swarms
We consider a model of active Brownian agents interacting via a harmonic
attractive potential in a two-dimensional system in the presence of noise. By
numerical simulations, we show that this model possesses a noise-induced
transition characterized by the breakdown of translational motion and the onset
of swarm rotation as the noise intensity is increased. Statistical properties
of swarm dynamics in the weak noise limit are further analytically
investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Support varieties for selfinjective algebras
Support varieties for any finite dimensional algebra over a field were
introduced by Snashall-Solberg using graded subalgebras of the Hochschild
cohomology. We mainly study these varieties for selfinjective algebras under
appropriate finite generation hypotheses. Then many of the standard results
from the theory of support varieties for finite groups generalize to this
situation. In particular, the complexity of the module equals the dimension of
its corresponding variety, all closed homogeneous varieties occur as the
variety of some module, the variety of an indecomposable module is connected,
periodic modules are lines and for symmetric algebras a generalization of
Webb's theorem is true
Radiation hardness of CMS pixel barrel modules
Pixel detectors are used in the innermost part of the multi purpose
experiments at LHC and are therefore exposed to the highest fluences of
ionising radiation, which in this part of the detectors consists mainly of
charged pions. The radiation hardness of all detector components has thoroughly
been tested up to the fluences expected at the LHC. In case of an LHC upgrade,
the fluence will be much higher and it is not yet clear how long the present
pixel modules will stay operative in such a harsh environment. The aim of this
study was to establish such a limit as a benchmark for other possible detector
concepts considered for the upgrade.
As the sensors and the readout chip are the parts most sensitive to radiation
damage, samples consisting of a small pixel sensor bump-bonded to a CMS-readout
chip (PSI46V2.1) have been irradiated with positive 200 MeV pions at PSI up to
6E14 Neq and with 21 GeV protons at CERN up to 5E15 Neq.
After irradiation the response of the system to beta particles from a Sr-90
source was measured to characterise the charge collection efficiency of the
sensor. Radiation induced changes in the readout chip were also measured. The
results show that the present pixel modules can be expected to be still
operational after a fluence of 2.8E15 Neq. Samples irradiated up to 5E15 Neq
still see the beta particles. However, further tests are needed to confirm
whether a stable operation with high particle detection efficiency is possible
after such a high fluence.Comment: Contribution to the 11th European Symposium on Semiconductor
Detectors June 7-11, 2009 Wildbad Kreuth, German
Application of thermodynamics to driven systems
Application of thermodynamics to driven systems is discussed. As particular
examples, simple traffic flow models are considered. On a microscopic level,
traffic flow is described by Bando's optimal velocity model in terms of
accelerating and decelerating forces. It allows to introduce kinetic,
potential, as well as total energy, which is the internal energy of the car
system in view of thermodynamics. The latter is not conserved, although it has
certain value in any of two possible stationary states corresponding either to
fixed point or to limit cycle in the space of headways and velocities. On a
mesoscopic level of description, the size n of car cluster is considered as a
stochastic variable in master equation. Here n=0 corresponds to the fixed-point
solution of the microscopic model, whereas the limit cycle is represented by
coexistence of a car cluster with n>0 and free flow phase. The detailed balance
holds in a stationary state just like in equilibrium liquid-gas system. It
allows to define free energy of the car system and chemical potentials of the
coexisting phases, as well as a relaxation to a local or global free energy
minimum. In this sense the behaviour of traffic flow can be described by
equilibrium thermodynamics. We find, however, that the chemical potential of
the cluster phase of traffic flow depends on an outer parameter - the density
of cars in the free-flow phase. It allows to distinguish between the traffic
flow as a driven system and purely equilibrium systems.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. Eur. Phys. J. B (2007) to be publishe
Exotic trees
We discuss the scaling properties of free branched polymers. The scaling
behaviour of the model is classified by the Hausdorff dimensions for the
internal geometry: d_L and d_H, and for the external one: D_L and D_H. The
dimensions d_H and D_H characterize the behaviour for long distances while d_L
and D_L for short distances. We show that the internal Hausdorff dimension is
d_L=2 for generic and scale-free trees, contrary to d_H which is known be equal
two for generic trees and to vary between two and infinity for scale-free
trees. We show that the external Hausdorff dimension D_H is directly related to
the internal one as D_H = \alpha d_H, where \alpha is the stability index of
the embedding weights for the nearest-vertex interactions. The index is
\alpha=2 for weights from the gaussian domain of attraction and 0<\alpha <2 for
those from the L\'evy domain of attraction. If the dimension D of the target
space is larger than D_H one finds D_L=D_H, or otherwise D_L=D. The latter
result means that the fractal structure cannot develop in a target space which
has too low dimension.Comment: 33 pages, 6 eps figure
A guanosine 5′-triphosphate-dependent protein kinase is localized in the outer envelope membrane of pea chloroplasts
A guanosine 5-triphosphate (GTP)-dependent protein kinase was detected in preparations of outer chloroplast envelope membranes of pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts. The protein-kinase activity was capable of phosphorylating several envelope-membrane proteins. The major phosphorylated products were 23- and 32.5-kilo-dalton proteins of the outer envelope membrane. Several other envelope proteins were labeled to a lesser extent. Following acid hydrolysis of the labeled proteins, most of the label was detected as phosphoserine with only minor amounts detected as phosphothreonine. Several criteria were used to distinguish the GTP-dependent protein kinase from an ATP-dependent kinase also present in the outer envelope membrane. The ATP-dependent kinase phosphorylated a very different set of envelope-membrane proteins. Heparin inhibited the GTP-dependent kinase but had little effect upon the ATP-dependent enzyme. The GTP-dependent enzyme accepted phosvitin as an external protein substrate whereas the ATP-dependent enzyme did not. The outer membrane of the chloroplast envelope also contained a phosphotransferase capable of transferring labeled phosphate from [-32P]GTP to ADP to yield (-32P]ATP. Consequently, addition of ADP to a GTP-dependent protein-kinase assay resulted in a switch in the pattern of labeled products from that seen with GTP to that typically seen with ATP
CYP17A1 deficient XY mice display susceptibility to atherosclerosis, altered lipidomic profile and atypical sex development
CYP17A1 is a cytochrome P450 enzyme with 17-alpha-hydroxylase and C17,20-lyase activities. CYP17A1 genetic variants are associated with coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction and visceral and subcutaneous fat distribution; however, the underlying pathological mechanisms remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the function of CYP17A1 and its impact on atherosclerosis in mice. At 4-6 months, CYP17A1-deficient mice were viable, with a KO:Het:WT ratio approximating the expected Mendelian ratio of 1:2:1. All Cyp17a1 knockout (KO) mice were phenotypically female; however, 58% were Y chromosome-positive, resembling the phenotype of human CYP17A1 deficiency, leading to 46,XY differences/disorders of sex development (DSD). Both male and female homozygous KO mice were infertile, due to abnormal genital organs. Plasma steroid analyses revealed a complete lack of testosterone in XY-KO mice and marked accumulation of progesterone in XX-KO mice. Elevated corticosterone levels were observed in both XY and XX KO mice. In addition, Cyp17a1 heterozygous mice were also backcrossed onto an Apoe KO atherogenic background and fed a western-type diet (WTD) to study the effects of CYP17A1 on atherosclerosis. Cyp17a1 x Apoe double KO XY mice developed more atherosclerotic lesions than Apoe KO male controls, regardless of diet (standard or WTD). Increased atherosclerosis in CYP17A1 XY KO mice lacking testosterone was associated with altered lipid profiles. In mice, CYP17A1 deficiency interferes with sex differentiation. Our data also demonstrate its key role in lipidomic profile, and as a risk factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
A differential U-module algebra for U=U_q sl(2) at an even root of unity
We show that the full matrix algebra Mat_p(C) is a U-module algebra for U =
U_q sl(2), a 2p^3-dimensional quantum sl(2) group at the 2p-th root of unity.
Mat_p(C) decomposes into a direct sum of projective U-modules P^+_n with all
odd n, 1<=n<=p. In terms of generators and relations, this U-module algebra is
described as the algebra of q-differential operators "in one variable" with the
relations D z = q - q^{-1} + q^{-2} z D and z^p = D^p = 0. These relations
define a "parafermionic" statistics that generalizes the fermionic commutation
relations. By the Kazhdan--Lusztig duality, it is to be realized in a
manifestly quantum-group-symmetric description of (p,1) logarithmic conformal
field models. We extend the Kazhdan--Lusztig duality between U and the (p,1)
logarithmic models by constructing a quantum de Rham complex of the new
U-module algebra.Comment: 29 pages, amsart++, xypics. V3: The differential U-module algebra was
claimed quantum commutative erroneously. This is now corrected, the other
results unaffecte
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