On level crossings for a general class of piecewise-deterministic Markov processes

We consider a piecewise-deterministic Markov process governed by a jump intensity function, a rate function that determines the behaviour between jumps, and a stochastic kernel describing the conditional distribution of jump sizes. We study the point process of upcrossings of a level $b$ by the Markov process. Our main result shows that, under a suitable scaling $\nu(b)$, the point process converges, as $b$ tends to infinity, weakly to a geometrically compound Poisson process. We also prove a version of Rice's formula relating the stationary density of the process to level crossing intensities. This formula provides an interpretation of the scaling factor $\nu(b)$. While our proof of the limit theorem requires additional assumptions, Rice's formula holds whenever the (stationary) overall intensity of jumps is finite.Comment: 25 page

Going the distance in Canada

Athabasca University; University College of the Fraser Valle

Collagen biosynthesis.

Collagen is the major structural protein of the lung. At least five genetically distinct collagen types have been identified in lung tissue. However, the precise role of collagen in nonrespiratory lung function is not well understood, in part because of the difficulties inherent in studying lung collagen, regardless of the type of assay used. A major problem is the insolubility of lung collagen; generally less than 20% of total lung collagen can be solubilized as intact chains, even with harsh extraction procedures. Since such collagen may not be representative of total lung collagen, errors in quantitating collagen types, for example, may arise from using such material. Measurement of total lung collagen content may also pose problems, unless appropriate parameters of normalization are chosen. Biopsy dry weight, protein content, and DNA content, for example, may all change in certain disease states. Despite these difficulties, a number of changes in lung collagen have been documented in experimental pulmonary fibrosis, including increased collagen content, increased collagen synthesis rates, and changes in collagen type ratios. Many questions remain. For example, why do diverse toxic substances appear to cause essentially the same fibrotic response, even though initial sites of damage may vary? Conversely, why do similar toxic substances, such as ozone and NO2, cause diverse responses (fibrosis and emphysema, respectively)? Much work remains to be done to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the lung's choice of response

Hemotropic mycoplasmas in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus).

BackgroundHemotropic mycoplasmas are epicellular erythrocytic bacteria that can cause infectious anemia in some mammalian species. Worldwide, hemotropic mycoplasmas are emerging or re-emerging zoonotic pathogens potentially causing serious and significant health problems in wildlife. The objective of this study was to determine the molecular prevalence of hemotropic Mycoplasma species in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) with and without Pseudogymnoascus (Geomyces) destrucans, the causative agent of white nose syndrome (WNS) that causes significant mortality events in bats.MethodsIn order to establish the prevalence of hemotropic Mycoplasma species in a population of 68 little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) with (n = 53) and without (n = 15) white-nose syndrome (WNS), PCR was performed targeting the 16S rRNA gene.ResultsThe overall prevalence of hemotropic Mycoplasmas in bats was 47%, with similar (p = 0.5725) prevalence between bats with WNS (49%) and without WNS (40%). 16S rDNA sequence analysis (~1,200 bp) supports the presence of a novel hemotropic Mycoplasma species with 91.75% sequence homology with Mycoplasma haemomuris. No differences were found in gene sequences generated from WNS and non-WNS animals.ConclusionsGene sequences generated from WNS and non-WNS animals suggest that little brown bats could serve as a natural reservoir for this potentially novel Mycoplasma species. Currently, there is minimal information about the prevalence, host-specificity, or the route of transmission of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. among bats. Finally, the potential role of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. as co-factors in the development of disease manifestations in bats, including WNS in Myotis lucifugus, remains to be elucidated

Stratigraphic Control on CCL4 and CHCL3 Concentrations in the 200 West Area, Hanford Site

An extensive subsurface contaminant plume of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is the focus of a remedial effort in the 200 West Area of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in eastern Washington. Remediation requires a high-resolution understanding of the region’s spatially variable lithofacies and of the effect these lithofacies have on CCl4 migration through the unconfi ned aquifer. To increase the level of detail of our current understanding, a transect was chosen along the primary groundwater fl ow path in the most heavily contaminated area. Borehole logs of wells along this 3.7 km-long transect were standardized and used to create a cross section displaying the depth and continuity of lithofacies. Natural and spectral gamma geophysical logs were examined to pinpoint the depths of geologic units. Depth discrete concentrations of CCl4 and its reductive dechlorination product, chloroform (CHCl3), were overlain on this cross section. Comparison of stratigraphy to contaminant levels shows that peaks in CCl4 concentration occur in thin, fine-grained layers and that other fine-grained layers frequently form lower boundaries to regions of high concentration. Peaks in CCl4 concentrations are frequently located at different depths from those of CHCl3, suggesting that these concentrations are affected by dechlorination of CCl4. Transformation of CCl4 to CHCl3 appears to be more prevalent within reduced, iron-containing sediments. The infl uence of thin, fine-grained layers within the larger aquifer unit indicates that characterization of contamination in this locality should consider subsurface geology with at least as much resolution as provided in this study

Continuity of the measure of the spectrum for quasiperiodic Schrodinger operators with rough potentials

We study discrete quasiperiodic Schr\"odinger operators on \ell^2(\zee) with potentials defined by $\gamma$-H\"older functions. We prove a general statement that for $\gamma >1/2$ and under the condition of positive Lyapunov exponents, measure of the spectrum at irrational frequencies is the limit of measures of spectra of periodic approximants. An important ingredient in our analysis is a general result on uniformity of the upper Lyapunov exponent of strictly ergodic cocycles.Comment: 15 page

Classification of calorimetric titration plots for alkyltrimethylammonium and alkylpyridinium cationic surfactants in aqueous solutions

Calorimetric titration plots for deaggregation of micelles formed by alkylpyridinium and alkyltrimethylammonium surfactants are classified into three types, A, B and C, depending on the shape of the plot of the enthalpy of dilution as a function of surfactant concentration. For Type A plots the recorded heat of injection q changes sharply between two parts of the titration curve over which the recorded heats are effectively independent of the composition of the solution in the sample cell. For Type B plots, the change is less sharp and both parts of the plot show dependences of heat q on solution composition, a pattern accounted for in terms of solute-solute interactions. Type C plots are complicated, in that no sharp change in q is recorded, the complexity of the plots being accounted for in terms of micelle-monomer equilibria over a range of surfactant concentrations and related enthalpies of deaggregation

Enhanced ionization in small rare gas clusters

A detailed theoretical investigation of rare gas atom clusters under intense short laser pulses reveals that the mechanism of energy absorption is akin to {\it enhanced ionization} first discovered for diatomic molecules. The phenomenon is robust under changes of the atomic element (neon, argon, krypton, xenon), the number of atoms in the cluster (16 to 30 atoms have been studied) and the fluency of the laser pulse. In contrast to molecules it does not dissappear for circular polarization. We develop an analytical model relating the pulse length for maximum ionization to characteristic parameters of the cluster