7,121 research outputs found
Selfoscillations of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance under Voltage Bias
We theoretically investigate the electro-mechanics of a Suspended Carbon
Nanotube with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance subjected to a homogeneous
Magnetic Field and a constant Voltage Bias. We show that, (with the exception
of a singular case), for a sufficiently high magnetic field the
time-independent state of charge transport through the nanotube becomes
unstable to selfexcitations of the mechanical vibration accompanied by
oscialltions in the voltage drop and current across the nanotube.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
A theory of normed simulations
In existing simulation proof techniques, a single step in a lower-level
specification may be simulated by an extended execution fragment in a
higher-level one. As a result, it is cumbersome to mechanize these techniques
using general purpose theorem provers. Moreover, it is undecidable whether a
given relation is a simulation, even if tautology checking is decidable for the
underlying specification logic. This paper introduces various types of normed
simulations. In a normed simulation, each step in a lower-level specification
can be simulated by at most one step in the higher-level one, for any related
pair of states. In earlier work we demonstrated that normed simulations are
quite useful as a vehicle for the formalization of refinement proofs via
theorem provers. Here we show that normed simulations also have pleasant
theoretical properties: (1) under some reasonable assumptions, it is decidable
whether a given relation is a normed forward simulation, provided tautology
checking is decidable for the underlying logic; (2) at the semantic level,
normed forward and backward simulations together form a complete proof method
for establishing behavior inclusion, provided that the higher-level
specification has finite invisible nondeterminism.Comment: 31 pages, 10figure
Real-Reward Testing for Probabilistic Processes (Extended Abstract)
We introduce a notion of real-valued reward testing for probabilistic
processes by extending the traditional nonnegative-reward testing with negative
rewards. In this richer testing framework, the may and must preorders turn out
to be inverses. We show that for convergent processes with finitely many states
and transitions, but not in the presence of divergence, the real-reward
must-testing preorder coincides with the nonnegative-reward must-testing
preorder. To prove this coincidence we characterise the usual resolution-based
testing in terms of the weak transitions of processes, without having to
involve policies, adversaries, schedulers, resolutions, or similar structures
that are external to the process under investigation. This requires
establishing the continuity of our function for calculating testing outcomes.Comment: In Proceedings QAPL 2011, arXiv:1107.074
A transmission problem across a fractal self-similar interface
We consider a transmission problem in which the interior domain has
infinitely ramified structures. Transmission between the interior and exterior
domains occurs only at the fractal component of the interface between the
interior and exterior domains. We also consider the sequence of the
transmission problems in which the interior domain is obtained by stopping the
self-similar construction after a finite number of steps; the transmission
condition is then posed on a prefractal approximation of the fractal interface.
We prove the convergence in the sense of Mosco of the energy forms associated
with these problems to the energy form of the limit problem. In particular,
this implies the convergence of the solutions of the approximated problems to
the solution of the problem with fractal interface. The proof relies in
particular on an extension property. Emphasis is put on the geometry of the
ramified domain. The convergence result is obtained when the fractal interface
has no self-contact, and in a particular geometry with self-contacts, for which
an extension result is proved
On-Demand Delivery of Single DNA Molecules Using Nanopipets
Understanding the behavioral properties of single molecules or larger scale populations interacting with single molecules is currently a hotly pursued topic in nanotechnology. This arises from the potential such techniques have in relation to applications such as targeted drug delivery, early stage detection of disease, and drug screening. Although label and label-free single molecule detection strategies have existed for a number of years, currently lacking are efficient methods for the controllable delivery of single molecules in aqueous environments. In this article we show both experimentally and from simulations that nanopipets in conjunction with asymmetric voltage pulses can be used for label-free detection and delivery of single molecules through the tip of a nanopipet with âon-demandâ timing resolution. This was demonstrated by controllable delivery of 5 kbp and 10 kbp DNA molecules from solutions with concentrations as low as 3 pM
Nanoscale, Voltage-Driven Application of Bioactive Substances onto Cells with Organized Topography
With Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM), a non-contact scanning probe technique, it is possible to obtain information about both the surface topography of live cells and to apply molecules onto specific nanoscale structures. The technique is therefore widely used to apply chemical compounds and to study the properties of molecules on the surface of various cell types. The heart muscle cells, the cardiomyocytes, possess a highly elaborate, unique surface topography including T-tubule openings leading into a cell internal system which exclusively har-bors many proteins necessary for the cells physiological function. Here we applied Isoproterenol into these surface openings by changing the applied voltage over the SICM nanopipette. To determine the grade of precision of our application we used finite element simulations to inves-tigate how the concentration profile varies over the cell surface. We first obtained topography scans of the cardiomyocytes using SICM and then determined the electrophoretic mobility of Isoproterenol in a high ion solution to be -7Ă10-9 m2/Vs. The simulations showed that the delivery to the T-tubule opening is highly confined to the underlying Z-groove and especially to the first T-tubule opening, where the concen-tration is approximately 6.5 times higher compared to on a flat surface under the same delivery settings. Delivery to the crest, instead of the T-tubule opening, resulted in a much lower concentration, emphasizing the importance of topography on agonist delivery. In conclusion SICM, unlike other techniques, can reliably deliver precise quantities of compounds to the T-tubules of cardiomyocyte
Characterising Probabilistic Processes Logically
In this paper we work on (bi)simulation semantics of processes that exhibit
both nondeterministic and probabilistic behaviour. We propose a probabilistic
extension of the modal mu-calculus and show how to derive characteristic
formulae for various simulation-like preorders over finite-state processes
without divergence. In addition, we show that even without the fixpoint
operators this probabilistic mu-calculus can be used to characterise these
behavioural relations in the sense that two states are equivalent if and only
if they satisfy the same set of formulae.Comment: 18 page
Radiation chemistry provides nanoscopic insights into the role of intermediate phases in CeO<sub>2</sub> mesocrystal formation
The role of intermediate phases in CeO2 mesocrystal formation from aqueous Ce(III) solutions subjected to gamma-radiation was studied. Radiolytically formed hydroxyl radicals convert soluble Ce(III) into less soluble Ce(IV). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction studies of samples from different stages of the process allowed the identification of several stages in CeO2 mesocrystal evolution following the oxidation to Ce(IV): (1) formation of hydrated Ce(IV)-hydroxides, serving as intermediates in the liquid-to-solid phase transformation; (2) CeO2 primary particle growth inside the intermediate phase; (3) alignment of the primary particles into "pre-mesocrystals" and subsequently to mesocrystals, guided by confinement of the amorphous intermediate phase and accompanied by the formation of "mineral bridges". Further alignment of the obtained mesocrystals into supracrystals occurs upon slow drying, making it possible to form complex hierarchical architectures
Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model at Colliders
All experimental measurements of particle physics today are beautifully
described by the Standard Model. However, there are good reasons to believe
that new physics may be just around the corner at the TeV energy scale. This
energy range is currently probed by the Tevatron and HERA accelerators and
selected results of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model are
presented here. No signals for new physics have been found and limits are
placed on the allowed parameter space for a variety of different particles.Comment: Proceedings for 2007 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics,
Manchester, July 200
The use of digital photographs for the diagnosis of hand osteoarthritis: the AGES-Reykjavik study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of the study was to standardize a method using digital photographs to diagnose and grade hand osteoarthritis (HOA), to compare it with radiographs and clinical examination with regard to prevalence and relation to symptoms, and finally to construct a simple shortened version suitable for use in very large studies, where a global estimate may be preferable.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>High quality photographs with standard distance and hand positioning were analysed for the presence of HOA and subsequently compared with standard radiographs and clinical examination in 381 random participants in the AGES-Reykjavik Study, a large population study. The mean age of the participants was 76 years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the photographic method, the most commonly affected joints were the second DIP joints followed by the third DIP joints and second and third PIP joints. Both interobserver (ICC = 0.83) and intraobserver reading agreements (ICC = 0.89) were acceptable. On comparison with radiography and clinical examination, aggregate scores were significantly correlated (R<sub>s </sub>0.35-0.69), more so in females (R<sub>s </sub>0.53-0.72) than males. Hand pain in males showed very little association with HOA findings by the three methods but all methods showed a comparable moderate association with hand pain in females. The performance of photography in predicting pain on most days for at least a month in females was comparable to that of radiography and clinical examination (AUC 0.63 <it>p </it>= 0.004). Analysis of intermittent pain yielded similar results for in the DIP and PIP joints (OR 3.2-3.3, <it>p </it>< 0.01), but for the CMC1 joints, both radiography (OR 9.0, <it>p </it>< 0.0001), and clinical examination (OR 9.8, <it>p </it>< 0.0001), had higher predictive odds ratios for pain than photography (OR 3.6, <it>p </it>< 0.0001)., A shortened, rapidly performed form of reading photographs also showed a high degree of correlation with the other methods (R<sub>s </sub>0.56-0.82).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High quality hand photographs can be used to diagnose and grade hand osteoarthritis. The method has the advantage of being inexpensive and easy to perform. By using a slightly simplified method of reading, it appears to be highly suitable for use in large studies.</p
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