2,317 research outputs found
Staircase polygons: moments of diagonal lengths and column heights
We consider staircase polygons, counted by perimeter and sums of k-th powers
of their diagonal lengths, k being a positive integer. We derive limit
distributions for these parameters in the limit of large perimeter and compare
the results to Monte-Carlo simulations of self-avoiding polygons. We also
analyse staircase polygons, counted by width and sums of powers of their column
heights, and we apply our methods to related models of directed walks.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures; to appear in proceedings of Counting Complexity:
An International Workshop On Statistical Mechanics And Combinatorics, 10-15
July 2005, Queensland, Australi
Rigorous results on spontaneous symmetry breaking in a one-dimensional driven particle system
We study spontaneous symmetry breaking in a one-dimensional driven
two-species stochastic cellular automaton with parallel sublattice update and
open boundaries. The dynamics are symmetric with respect to interchange of
particles. Starting from an empty initial lattice, the system enters a symmetry
broken state after some time T_1 through an amplification loop of initial
fluctuations. It remains in the symmetry broken state for a time T_2 through a
traffic jam effect. Applying a simple martingale argument, we obtain rigorous
asymptotic estimates for the expected times ~ L ln(L) and ln() ~ L,
where L is the system size. The actual value of T_1 depends strongly on the
initial fluctuation in the amplification loop. Numerical simulations suggest
that T_2 is exponentially distributed with a mean that grows exponentially in
system size. For the phase transition line we argue and confirm by simulations
that the flipping time between sign changes of the difference of particle
numbers approaches an algebraic distribution as the system size tends to
infinity.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure
An Interdisciplinary Approach to a Dental Information Technology Course
Purpose: To develop an interdisciplinary course to teach dental students about evidence-based dentistry, development of search strategies, critical appraisal of literature, and dental informatics. [See PDF for complete abstract
The Role of Friction in Compaction and Segregation of Granular Materials
We investigate the role of friction in compaction and segregation of granular
materials by combining Edwards' thermodynamic hypothesis with a simple
mechanical model and mean-field based geometrical calculations. Systems of
single species with large friction coefficients are found to compact less.
Binary mixtures of grains differing in frictional properties are found to
segregate at high compactivities, in contrary to granular mixtures differing in
size, which segregate at low compactivities. A phase diagram for segregation
vs. friction coefficients of the two species is generated. Finally, the
characteristics of segregation are related directly to the volume fraction
without the explicit use of the yet unclear notion of compactivity.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Does wage rank affect employees' well-being?
How do workers make wage comparisons? Both an experimental study and an analysis of 16,000 British employees are reported. Satisfaction and well-being levels are shown to depend on more than simple relative pay. They depend upon the ordinal rank of an individual's wage within a comparison group. “Rank” itself thus seems to matter to human beings. Moreover, consistent with psychological theory, quits in a workplace are correlated with pay distribution skewness
Antigenic specificity of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity directed against human immunodeficiency virus in antibody-positive sera
Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) specific for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been described for HIV-infected individuals. To determine the antigenic specificity of this immune response and to define its relationship to the disease state, an ADCC assay was developed using Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell line targets infected with vaccinia virus vectors expressing HIV proteins. The vaccinia virus vectors induced appropriate HIV proteins (envelope glycoproteins gp160, gp120, and gp41 or gag proteins p55, p40, p24, and p17) in infected lymphoblastoid cell lines as demonstrated by radioimmunoprecipitation and syncytia formation with c8166 cells. Killer cell-mediated, HIV-specific ADCC was found in sera from HIV-seropositive but not HIV-seronegative hemophiliacs. This HIV-specific response was directed against envelope glycoprotein but was completely absent against target cells expressing the HIV gag proteins. The ADCC directed against gp160 was present at serum dilutions up to 1/316,000. There was no correlation between serum ADCC titer and the stage of HIV-related illness as determined by T-helper-cell numbers. These experiments clearly implicated gp160 as the target antigen of HIV-specific ADCC activity following natural infection. Vaccines which stimulate antibodies directed against gp160, which are capable of mediating ADCC against infected cells, could be important for protection against infection by cell-associated virus
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