307 research outputs found
Simulation and analysis of in vitro DNA evolution
We study theoretically the in vitro evolution of a DNA sequence by binding to
a transcription factor. Using a simple model of protein-DNA binding and
available binding constants for the Mnt protein, we perform large-scale,
realistic simulations of evolution starting from a single DNA sequence. We
identify different parameter regimes characterized by distinct evolutionary
behaviors. For each regime we find analytical estimates which agree well with
simulation results. For small population sizes, the DNA evolutional path is a
random walk on a smooth landscape. While for large population sizes, the
evolution dynamics can be well described by a mean-field theory. We also study
how the details of the DNA-protein interaction affect the evolution.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Submitted to PNA
Black hole entropy for the general area spectrum
We consider the possibility that the horizon area is expressed by the general
area spectrum in loop quantum gravity and calculate the black hole entropy by
counting the degrees of freedom in spin-network states related to its area.
Although the general area spectrum has a complex expression, we succeeded in
obtaining the result that the black hole entropy is proportional to its area as
in previous works where the simplified area formula has been used. This gives
new values for the Barbero-Immirzi parameter () which are larger than that of previous works.Comment: 5 page
Hyperactivation of NF-κB via the MEK signaling is indispensable for the inhibitory effect of cAMP on DNA damage-induced cell death
With cAMP signaling having a profound inhibitory effect on DNA damage-induced apoptosis in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) cells, understanding how this signaling pathway affects the survival capacity of the cell has important implications for cancer therapy. We have recently shown that p53 is critical for the inhibitory effect of cAMP on genotoxic agents-mediated apoptosis in BCP-ALLs. Here, we show that elevation of cAMP levels in cells exposed to DNA damage enhances the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of NF-κB by accelerating the phosphorylation of IKKβ and thereby phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα. Furthermore, we show that the ability of cAMP to potentiate the ionizing radiation-induced activation of NF-κB requires the activity of MEK. Importantly, pharmacological or genetic ablation of NF-κB reversed the inhibitory effect of cAMP on DNA damage-induced apoptosis, demonstrating that, in addition to p53, cAMP relies on the activity of NF-κB to provide cells with a survival advantage in the face of DNA damage. Collectively, our results uncover a novel and important interaction between the cAMP and NF-κB pathways that may have implications for the targeted treatment of lymphoid malignancies, such as BCP-ALL, in which aberrant NF-κB activity functions as a driving force for treatment resistance
Generic isolated horizons in loop quantum gravity
Isolated horizons model equilibrium states of classical black holes. A
detailed quantization, starting from a classical phase space restricted to
spherically symmetric horizons, exists in the literature and has since been
extended to axisymmetry. This paper extends the quantum theory to horizons of
arbitrary shape. Surprisingly, the Hilbert space obtained by quantizing the
full phase space of \textit{all} generic horizons with a fixed area is
identical to that originally found in spherical symmetry. The entropy of a
large horizon remains one quarter its area, with the Barbero-Immirzi parameter
retaining its value from symmetric analyses. These results suggest a
reinterpretation of the intrinsic quantum geometry of the horizon surface.Comment: 13 page
Dynamic critical behavior of failure and plastic deformation in the random fiber bundle model
The random fiber bundle (RFB) model, with the strength of the fibers
distributed uniformly within a finite interval, is studied under the assumption
of global load sharing among all unbroken fibers of the bundle. At any fixed
value of the applied stress (load per fiber initially present in the bundle),
the fraction of fibers that remain unbroken at successive time steps is shown
to follow simple recurrence relations. The model is found to have stable fixed
point for applied stress in the range 0 and 1; beyond which total failure of
the bundle takes place discontinuously. The dynamic critical behavior near this
failure point has been studied for this model analysing the recurrence
relations. We also investigated the finite size scaling behavior. At the
critical point one finds strict power law decay (with time t) of the fraction
of unbroken fibers. The avalanche size distribution for this mean-field
dynamics of failure has been studied. The elastic response of the RFB model has
also been studied analytically for a specific probability distribution of fiber
strengths, where the bundle shows plastic behavior before complete failure,
following an initial linear response.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, extensively revised and accepted for publication
in Phys. Rev.
An Interface View of Directed Sandpile Dynamics
We present a directed unloading sand box type avalanche model, driven by
slowly lowering the retaining wall at the bottom of the slope. The avalanche
propagation in the two dimensional surface is related to the space-time
configurations of one dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) type interface
growth dynamics. We express the scaling exponents for the avalanche cluster
distributions into that framework. The numerical results agree closely with KPZ
scaling, but not perfectly.Comment: 4 pages including 5 figure
Loop quantum gravity without the Hamiltonian constraint
We show that under certain technical assumptions, including the existence of
a constant mean curvature (CMC) slice and strict positivity of the scalar
field, general relativity conformally coupled to a scalar field can be
quantised on a partially reduced phase space, meaning reduced only with respect
to the Hamiltonian constraint and a proper gauge fixing. More precisely, we
introduce, in close analogy to shape dynamics, the generator of a local
conformal transformation acting on both, the metric and the scalar field, which
coincides with the CMC gauge condition. A new metric, which is invariant under
this transformation, is constructed and used to define connection variables
which can be quantised by standard loop quantum gravity methods. While it is
hard to address dynamical problems in this framework (due to the complicated
'time' function), it seems, due to good accessibility properties of the CMC
gauge, to be well suited for problems such as the computation of black hole
entropy, where actual physical states can be counted and the dynamics is only
of indirect importance. The corresponding calculation yields the surprising
result that the usual prescription of fixing the Barbero-Immirzi parameter beta
to a constant value in order to obtain the well-known formula S = a(Phi) A/(4G)
does not work for the black holes under consideration, while a recently
proposed prescription involving an analytic continuation of beta to the case of
a self-dual space-time connection yields the correct result. Also, the
interpretation of the geometric operators gets an interesting twist, which
exemplifies the deep relationship between observables and the choice of a time
function and has consequences for loop quantum cosmology.Comment: 8 pages. v2: Journal version. Black hole state counting based on
physical states added. Applications to loop quantum cosmology discussed.
Gauge condition used shown to coincide with CMC gauge. Minor clarifications.
v3: Erroneous topology dependence of the entropy in journal version
corrected, conclusions fixed accordingly. Main results unaffecte
Gravastar Solutions with Continuous Pressures and Equation of State
We study the gravitational vacuum star (gravastar) configuration as proposed
by other authors in a model where the interior de Sitter spacetime segment is
continuously extended to the exterior Schwarzschild spacetime. The multilayered
structure in previous papers is replaced by a continuous stress-energy tensor
at the price of introducing anisotropy in the (fluid) model of the gravastar.
Either with an ansatz for the equation of state connecting the radial and
tangential pressure or with a calculated equation of state with
non-homogeneous energy/fluid density, solutions are obtained which in all
aspects satisfy the conditions expected for an anisotropic gravastar. Certain
energy conditions have been shown to be obeyed and a polytropic equation of
state has been derived. Stability of the solution with respect to possible
axial perturbation is shown to hold.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures. Latest version contains new and updated
references along with some clarifying remarks in the stability analysi
Shear yielding of amorphous glassy solids: Effect of temperature and strain rate
We study shear yielding and steady state flow of glassy materials with
molecular dynamics simulations of two standard models: amorphous polymers and
bidisperse Lennard-Jones glasses. For a fixed strain rate, the maximum shear
yield stress and the steady state flow stress in simple shear both drop
linearly with increasing temperature. The dependence on strain rate can be
described by a either a logarithm or a power-law added to a constant. In marked
contrast to predictions of traditional thermal activation models, the rate
dependence is nearly independent of temperature. The relation to more recent
models of plastic deformation and glassy rheology is discussed, and the
dynamics of particles and stress in small regions is examined in light of these
findings
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