393 research outputs found
Control of multiatom entanglement in a cavity
We propose a general formalism for analytical description of multiatomic
ensembles interacting with a single mode quantized cavity field under the
assumption that most atoms remain un-excited on average. By combining the
obtained formalism with the nilpotent technique for the description of
multipartite entanglement we are able to overview in a unified fashion
different probabilistic control scenarios of entanglement among atoms or
examine atomic ensembles. We then apply the proposed control schemes to the
creation of multiatom states useful for quantum information.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure. Finalized versio
The Error and Repair Catastrophes: A Two-Dimensional Phase Diagram in the Quasispecies Model
This paper develops a two gene, single fitness peak model for determining the
equilibrium distribution of genotypes in a unicellular population which is
capable of genetic damage repair. The first gene, denoted by ,
yields a viable organism with first order growth rate constant if it
is equal to some target ``master'' sequence . The second
gene, denoted by , yields an organism capable of genetic repair
if it is equal to some target ``master'' sequence . This
model is analytically solvable in the limit of infinite sequence length, and
gives an equilibrium distribution which depends on \mu \equiv L\eps , the
product of sequence length and per base pair replication error probability, and
\eps_r , the probability of repair failure per base pair. The equilibrium
distribution is shown to exist in one of three possible ``phases.'' In the
first phase, the population is localized about the viability and repairing
master sequences. As \eps_r exceeds the fraction of deleterious mutations,
the population undergoes a ``repair'' catastrophe, in which the equilibrium
distribution is still localized about the viability master sequence, but is
spread ergodically over the sequence subspace defined by the repair gene. Below
the repair catastrophe, the distribution undergoes the error catastrophe when exceeds \ln k/\eps_r , while above the repair catastrophe, the
distribution undergoes the error catastrophe when exceeds , where denotes the fraction of deleterious mutations.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
Quasi-elastic polarization-transfer measurements on the deuteron in anti-parallel kinematics
We present measurements of the polarization-transfer components in the
H reaction, covering a previously unexplored kinematic
region with large positive (anti-parallel) missing momentum, , up
to 220 MeV, and . These measurements, performed
at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI), were motivated by theoretical calculations which
predict small final-state interaction (FSI) effects in these kinematics, making
them favorable for searching for medium modifications of bound nucleons in
nuclei. We find in this kinematic region that the measured
polarization-transfer components and and their ratio agree with the
theoretical calculations, which use free-proton form factors. Using this, we
establish upper limits on possible medium effects that modify the bound
proton's form factor ratio at the level of a few percent. We also
compare the measured polarization-transfer components and their ratio for H
to those of a free (moving) proton. We find that the universal behavior of
H, He and C in the double ratio
is maintained in the positive
missing-momentum region
Use of structured expert judgment to forecast invasions by bighead and silver carp in Lake Erie
Identifying which nonindigenous species will become invasive and forecasting the damage they will cause is difficult and presents a significant problem for natural resource management. Often, the data or resources necessary for ecological risk assessment are incomplete or absent, leaving environmental decision makers ill equipped to effectively manage valuable natural resources. Structured expert judgment (SEJ) is a mathematical and performance‐based method of eliciting, weighting, and aggregating expert judgments. In contrast to other methods of eliciting and aggregating expert judgments (where, for example, equal weights may be assigned to experts), SEJ weights each expert on the basis of his or her statistical accuracy and informativeness through performance measurement on a set of calibration variables. We used SEJ to forecast impacts of nonindigenous Asian carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) in Lake Erie, where it is believed not to be established. Experts quantified Asian carp biomass, production, and consumption and their impact on 4 fish species if Asian carp were to become established. According to experts, in Lake Erie Asian carp have the potential to achieve biomass levels that are similar to the sum of biomasses for several fishes that are harvested commercially or recreationally. However, the impact of Asian carp on the biomass of these fishes was estimated by experts to be small, relative to long term average biomasses, with little uncertainty. Impacts of Asian carp in tributaries and on recreational activities, water quality, or other species were not addressed. SEJ can be used to quantify key uncertainties of invasion biology and also provide a decision‐support tool when the necessary information for natural resource management and policy is not available.El Uso de Juicio Experto Estructurado para Predecir Invasiones de Carpas Asiáticas en el Lago ErieResumenIdentificar cuáles especies no‐nativas se volverán invasoras y predecir el daño que causarán es complicado y presenta un problema significativo para el manejo de recursos naturales. Con frecuencia los datos o recursos necesarios para la evaluación de riesgo ecológico están incompletos o son inexistentes, lo que deja mal equipados a quienes toman las decisiones ambientales para manejar efectivamente recursos naturales valiosos. El juicio experto estructurado (JEE) es un método con bases matemáticas y de desempeño para obtener, sopesar y agregar juicios expertos. En contraste con otros métodos de obtención y agregación de juicios expertos (donde, por ejemplo, se le pueden asignar pesos iguales a los expertos), JEE sopesa a cada experto con base en su asertividad estadística y capacidad de informar por medio de la medida de desempeño en un conjunto de variables de calibración. Usamos JEE para predecir los impactos de las carpas asiáticas no‐nativas Hypophthalmichthys spp. en el Lago Erie, donde se cree que no se ha establecido. Los expertos cuantificaron la biomasa, producción y consumo de la carpa asiática y su impacto sobre cuatro especies de peces si la carpa asiática se llegara a establecer en el lago. De acuerdo a los expertos, en el Lago Erie, la carpa asiática tiene el potencial de adquirir niveles de biomasa similares a la suma de biomasa de varios peces que se han cultivado comercialmente o recreativamente. Sin embargo, se estimó por los expertos que el impacto de la carpa asiática sobre la biomasa de estos peces sería pequeño, con poca incertidumbre. Los impactos de la carpa asiática sobre los tributarios y las actividades recreativas, la calidad del agua o sobre otras especies no se evaluaron. El JEE puede usarse para cuantificar incertidumbres clave de la biología de la invasión y también proporcionar una herramienta de apoyo para las decisiones cuando la información necesaria para el manejo de los recursos naturales y la política no está disponible.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110571/1/cobi12369.pd
Temperature effects on dislocation core energies in silicon and germanium
Temperature effects on the energetics of the 90-degree partial dislocation in
silicon and germanium are investigated, using non-equilibrium methods to
estimate free energies, coupled with Monte Carlo simulations. Atomic
interactions are described by Tersoff and EDIP interatomic potentials. Our
results indicate that the vibrational entropy has the effect of increasing the
difference in free energy between the two possible reconstructions of the
90-degree partial, namely, the single-period and the double-period geometries.
This effect further increases the energetic stability of the double-period
reconstruction at high temperatures. The results also indicate that anharmonic
effects may play an important role in determining the structural properties of
these defects in the high-temperature regime.Comment: 8 pages in two-column physical-review format with six figure
Epibiotic pressure contributes to biofouling invader success
Reduced competition is a frequent explanation for the success of many introduced species. In benthic marine biofouling communities, space limitation leads to high rates of overgrowth competition. Some species can utilise other living organisms as substrate (epibiosis), proffering a competitive advantage for the epibiont. Additionally, some species can prevent or reduce epibiotic settlement on their surfaces and avoid being basibionts. To test whether epibiotic pressure differs between native and introduced species, we undertook ex situ experiments comparing bryozoan larval settlement to determine if introduced species demonstrate a greater propensity to settle as epibionts, and a reduced propensity to be basibionts, than native species. Here we report that introduced species opportunistically settle on any space (bare, native, or introduced), whereas native species exhibit a strong tendency to settle on and near other natives, but avoid settling on or near introduced basibionts. In addition, larvae of native species experience greater larval wastage (mortality) than introduced species, both in the presence and absence of living substrates. Introduced species’ ability to settle on natives as epibionts, and in turn avoid epibiosis as basibionts, combined with significantly enhanced native larval wastage, provides a comprehensive suite of competitive advantages contributing to the invasion success of these biofouling species
The influence of Fermi motion on the comparison of the polarization transfer to a proton in elastic and quasi-elastic scattering
A comparison between polarization-transfer to a bound proton in quasi-free
kinematics by the A knockout reaction and that in elastic
scattering off a free proton can provide information on the characteristics of
the bound proton. In the past the reported measurements have been compared to
those of a free proton with zero initial momentum. We introduce, for the first
time, expressions for the polarization-transfer components when the proton is
initially in motion and compare them to the H data measured at the Mainz
Microtron (MAMI). We show the ratios of the transverse () and longitudinal
() components of the polarization transfer in , to those of elastic scattering off a "moving proton", assuming
the proton's initial (Fermi) momentum equals the negative missing momentum in
the measured reaction. We found that the correction due to the proton motion is
up to 20\% at high missing momentum.
However the effect on the double ratio
is largely canceled out, as
shown for both H and C data. This implies that the kinematics is not
the primary cause for the deviations between quasi-elastic and elastic
scattering reported previously
The Role of Histone H4 Biotinylation in the Structure of Nucleosomes
Background: Post-translational modifications of histones play important roles in regulating nucleosome structure and gene transcription. It has been shown that biotinylation of histone H4 at lysine-12 in histone H4 (K12Bio-H4) is associated with repression of a number of genes. We hypothesized that biotinylation modifies the physical structure of nucleosomes, and that biotin-induced conformational changes contribute to gene silencing associated with histone biotinylation.
Methodology/Principal Findings: To test this hypothesis we used atomic force microscopy to directly analyze structures of nucleosomes formed with biotin-modified and non-modified H4. The analysis of the AFM images revealed a 13% increase in the length of DNA wrapped around the histone core in nucleosomes with biotinylated H4. This statistically significant (p,0.001) difference between native and biotinylated nucleosomes corresponds to adding approximately 20 bp to the classical 147 bp length of nucleosomal DNA.
Conclusions/Significance: The increase in nucleosomal DNA length is predicted to stabilize the association of DNA with histones and therefore to prevent nucleosomes from unwrapping. This provides a mechanistic explanation for the gene silencing associated with K12Bio-H4. The proposed single-molecule AFM approach will be instrumental for studying the effects of various epigenetic modifications of nucleosomes, in addition to biotinylation
Measurement of polarization transfer in the quasi-elastic process
Polarization transfer to a bound proton in polarized electron knock-out
reactions, , is a powerful tool to look
for in-medium modification of the bound proton. It requires comparison to
calculations which consider the many-body effects accompanying the quasi-free
process. We report here measured components , , and
their ratio , of polarization transfer to protons
bound in , which is described well by the shell model and for
which reliable calculations are available. While the calculations capture the
essence of the data, our statistical precision allows us to observe deviations
which cannot be explained by simple scaling, including by varying the proton
electromagnetic form factor ratio . We further explore the deviations
of the ratio of the polarization transfer components from that of a free
proton, , and its dependence on the bound-proton virtuality
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