Determining the density of states for classical statistical models: A random walk algorithm to produce a flat histogram

We describe an efficient Monte Carlo algorithm using a random walk in energy space to obtain a very accurate estimate of the density of states for classical statistical models. The density of states is modified at each step when the energy level is visited to produce a flat histogram. By carefully controlling the modification factor, we allow the density of states to converge to the true value very quickly, even for large systems. This algorithm is especially useful for complex systems with a rough landscape since all possible energy levels are visited with the same probability. In this paper, we apply our algorithm to both 1st and 2nd order phase transitions to demonstrate its efficiency and accuracy. We obtained direct simulational estimates for the density of states for two-dimensional ten-state Potts models on lattices up to $200 \times 200$ and Ising models on lattices up to $256 \times 256$. Applying this approach to a 3D $\pm J$ spin glass model we estimate the internal energy and entropy at zero temperature; and, using a two-dimensional random walk in energy and order-parameter space, we obtain the (rough) canonical distribution and energy landscape in order-parameter space. Preliminary data suggest that the glass transition temperature is about 1.2 and that better estimates can be obtained with more extensive application of the method.Comment: 22 pages (figures included

The dynamics of predation risk assessment: responses of anuran larvae to chemical cues of predators

1.  While the antipredator behaviour of prey has been well studied, little is known about the rules governing the predation risk assessment of prey. In this study, I measured the activity levels of predator-naive green frog ( Rana clamitans ) tadpoles during and after exposures to the chemical cue of predatory larval dragonflies ( Anax spp.). I then used the lengths of the time lags from the end of the cue exposures until the tadpoles returned to a control level of activity as an index of the perceived risk of the tadpoles. 2.  While tadpoles always responded upon exposure to the Anax chemical cue by strongly reducing their activity level, their perceived risk increased asymptotically over time during the initial period of the cue exposure. Tadpoles of all size classes perceived increasing risk in proportion to chemical cue concentration, but the length of time that tadpoles responded during cue exposure and the length of their post-exposure time lags decreased with increasing body mass. 3.  The results suggest that the perceived risk of green frog tadpoles varies over time and does not correspond directly to their behavioural response (i.e. activity level). However, their perceived risk does appear to vary in accordance with the predation risk associated with the Anax chemical cue and the reliability of the information from the cue, and therefore may be predictable.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73939/1/j.1365-2656.2008.01386.x.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73939/2/JANE_1386_sm_Figs1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73939/3/JANE_1386_sm_Figs2.pd

Complete measurement of three-body photodisintegration of 3He for photon energies between 0.35 and 1.55 GeV

The three-body photodisintegration of 3He has been measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab, using tagged photons of energies between 0.35 GeV and 1.55 GeV. The large acceptance of the spectrometer allowed us for the first time to cover a wide momentum and angular range for the two outgoing protons. Three kinematic regions dominated by either two- or three-body contributions have been distinguished and analyzed. The measured cross sections have been compared with results of a theoretical model, which, in certain kinematic ranges, have been found to be in reasonable agreement with the data.Comment: 22 pages, 25 eps figures, 2 tables, submitted to PRC. Modifications: removed 2 figures, improvements on others, a few minor modifications to the tex

eta-prime photoproduction on the proton for photon energies from 1.527 to 2.227 GeV

Differential cross sections for the reaction gamma p -> eta-prime p have been measured with the CLAS spectrometer and a tagged photon beam with energies from 1.527 to 2.227 GeV. The results reported here possess much greater accuracy than previous measurements. Analyses of these data indicate for the first time the coupling of the etaprime N channel to both the S_11(1535) and P_11(1710) resonances, known to couple strongly to the eta N channel in photoproduction on the proton, and the importance of j=3/2 resonances in the process.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of the Deuteron Structure Function F2 in the Resonance Region and Evaluation of Its Moments

Inclusive electron scattering off the deuteron has been measured to extract the deuteron structure function F2 with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The measurement covers the entire resonance region from the quasi-elastic peak up to the invariant mass of the final-state hadronic system W~2.7 GeV with four-momentum transfers Q2 from 0.4 to 6 (GeV/c)^2. These data are complementary to previous measurements of the proton structure function F2 and cover a similar two-dimensional region of Q2 and Bjorken variable x. Determination of the deuteron F2 over a large x interval including the quasi-elastic peak as a function of Q2, together with the other world data, permit a direct evaluation of the structure function moments for the first time. By fitting the Q2 evolution of these moments with an OPE-based twist expansion we have obtained a separation of the leading twist and higher twist terms. The observed Q2 behaviour of the higher twist contribution suggests a partial cancellation of different higher twists entering into the expansion with opposite signs. This cancellation, found also in the proton moments, is a manifestation of the "duality" phenomenon in the F2 structure function

Impact of a Tutored Theoretical-Practical Training to Develop Undergraduate Students’ Skills for the Detection of Caries Lesions: Study Protocol for a Multicenter Controlled Randomized Study

Background: Tutored laboratorial activities could be a manner of improving the competency development of students. However, its impact over conventional theoretical classes has not yet been tested. Additionally, different university contexts could influence this issue and should be explored. Objective: To assess the impact of a tutored theoretical-practical training for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions as compared with theoretical teaching activities. The impact of these teaching/learning activities will be assessed in terms of efficacy, cost/benefit, retention of knowledge/acquired competences, and student acceptability. Methods: Sixteen centers (7 centers from Brazil and 9 centers from other countries throughout the world) are involved in the inclusion of subjects for this protocol. A randomized controlled study with parallel groups will be conducted. One group (control) will be exposed to a 60- to 90-minute conventional theoretical class and the other group (test) will be exposed to the same theoretical class and also a 90-minute laboratory class, including exercises and discussions based on the evaluation of a pool of images and extracted teeth. The mentioned outcomes will be evaluated immediately after the teaching activities and also in medium- and long-term analyses. To compare the long-term outcomes, students who enrolled in the university before the participating students will be interviewed for data collection and these data will be used as a control and compared with the trained group. This stage will be a nonrandomized phase of this study, nested in the main study. Appropriate statistical analysis will be performed according to the aims of this study. Variables related to the centers will also be analyzed and used to model adjustment as possible sources of variability among results. Results: This ongoing study is funded by a Brazilian national funding agency (CNPq- 400736/2014-4). We expect that the tutored theoretical-practical training will improve the undergraduate students’ performance in the detection of caries lesions and subsequent treatment decisions, mainly in terms of long-term retention of knowledge. Our hypothesis is that tutored theoretical-practical training is a more cost-effective option for teaching undergraduate students to detect caries lesions. Conclusions: If our hypothesis is confirmed, the use of laboratory training in conjunction with theoretical classes could be used as an educational strategy in Cariology to improve the development of undergraduate students’ skills in the detection of caries lesions and clinical decision-making

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Breathing Current Domains in Globally Coupled Electrochemical Systems: A Comparison with a Semiconductor Model

Spatio-temporal bifurcations and complex dynamics in globally coupled intrinsically bistable electrochemical systems with an S-shaped current-voltage characteristic under galvanostatic control are studied theoretically on a one-dimensional domain. The results are compared with the dynamics and the bifurcation scenarios occurring in a closely related model which describes pattern formation in semiconductors. Under galvanostatic control both systems are unstable with respect to the formation of stationary large amplitude current domains. The current domains as well as the homogeneous steady state exhibit oscillatory instabilities for slow dynamics of the potential drop across the double layer, or across the semiconductor device, respectively. The interplay of the different instabilities leads to complex spatio-temporal behavior. We find breathing current domains and chaotic spatio-temporal dynamics in the electrochemical system. Comparing these findings with the results obtained earlier for the semiconductor system, we outline bifurcation scenarios leading to complex dynamics in globally coupled bistable systems with subcritical spatial bifurcations.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, 70 references, RevTex4 accepted by PRE http://pre.aps.or

Measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper reports a measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector with an integrated luminosity of 0.30 pb^-1 for jets with transverse momentum between 25 and 70 GeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta| < 2.5. D*+/- mesons found in jets are fully reconstructed in the decay chain: D*+ -> D0pi+, D0 -> K-pi+, and its charge conjugate. The production rate is found to be N(D*+/-)/N(jet) = 0.025 +/- 0.001(stat.) +/- 0.004(syst.) for D*+/- mesons that carry a fraction z of the jet momentum in the range 0.3 < z < 1. Monte Carlo predictions fail to describe the data at small values of z, and this is most marked at low jet transverse momentum.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (22 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review

Role of anisotropy, frequency, and interactions in magnetic hyperthermia applications: noninteracting nanoparticles and linear chain arrangements

Efforts by numerous research groups have provided a deeper insight into the physical mechanisms behind the power absorption of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles in magnetic-fluid-hyperthermia applications and theoretical models now account for the main experimental observations. However, the role of all parameters relevant to the magnetic relaxation remains a matter of debate. Here, we employ a nonlinear model for the magnetic relaxation of single-domain magnetic nanoparticles with uniaxial effective anisotropy and evaluate the influence of particle-intrinsic parameters as well as experimental conditions on the power absorption of both noninteracting and interacting systems (linear arrangements). These effects are assessed through the enclosed hysteresis area of the magnetization loops as a function of relative anisotropy hK (the anisotropy field with respect to the amplitude of the ac field), i.e., the "area curve"of the system. These curves can be divided into four regions with distinct magnetic responses and boundaries that depend on the particle size, frequency of the applied field and interactions. Interactions change the effective anisotropy of the system and shift the area curve towards lower hK values. For the low relative anisotropy range, dipolar interactions increase the area of the hysteresis loops [thus, the specific power absorption (SPA)], while they are detrimental or produce nonsignificant effects for the range of high relative anisotropy. Our study resolves seemingly contradictory results of interaction effects in linear arrangements recently reported in the literature. Simulations of randomly oriented particles and chains were contrasted with the oriented cases. An analytical approach and the thermal interpretation of its validity range are discussed, both aimed at the design of nanoparticles and the choice of the experimental conditions for optimal heating. We find that systems with low-thermal-fluctuation influence are better candidates for the application due to their high SPA values. © 2021 American Physical Society