30,119 research outputs found
Brownian ratchets driven by asymmetric nucleation of hydrolysis waves
We propose a stochastic process wherein molecular transport is mediated by
asymmetric nucleation of domains on a one-dimensional substrate. Track-driven
mechanisms of molecular transport arise in biophysical applications such as
Holliday junction positioning and collagenase processivity. In contrast to
molecular motors that hydrolyze nucleotide triphosphates and undergo a local
molecular conformational change, we show that asymmetric nucleation of
hydrolysis waves on a track can also result in directed motion of an attached
particle. Asymmetrically cooperative kinetics between ``hydrolyzed'' and
``unhydrolyzed'' states on each lattice site generate moving domain walls that
push a particle sitting on the track. We use a novel fluctuating-frame,
finite-segment mean field theory to accurately compute steady-state velocities
of the driven particle and to discover parameter regimes which yield maximal
domain wall flux, leading to optimal particle drift.Comment: 5 pp, 6 fig
Improving clerkship preparedness: a hospital medicine elective for pre-clerkship students.
BackgroundMedical students often struggle to apply their nascent clinical skills in clerkships. While transitional clerkships can orient students to new roles and logistics, students may benefit from developing clinical skills in inpatient environments earlier in their curriculum to improve readiness for clerkships.InterventionOur four- to six-session elective provides pre-clerkship students with individualized learning in the inpatient setting with the aim of improving clerkship preparedness. Students work one-on-one with faculty who facilitate individualized learning through mentoring, deliberate practice, and directed feedback. Second-year medical students are placed on an attending-only, traditionally 'non-teaching' service in the hospital medicine division of a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital for half-day sessions. Most students self-select into the elective following a class-wide advertisement. The elective also accepts students who are referred for remediation of their clinical skills.OutcomeIn the elective's first two years, 25 students participated and 47 students were waitlisted. We compared participant and waitlisted (non-participant) students' self-efficacy in several clinical and professional domains during their first clerkship. Elective participants reported significantly higher clerkship preparedness compared to non-participants in the areas of physical exam, oral presentation, and formulation of assessments and plans.ConclusionsStudents found the one-on-one feedback and personalized attention from attending physicians to be a particularly useful aspect of the course. This frequently cited benefit points to students' perceived needs and the value they place on individualized feedback. Our innovation harnesses an untapped resource - the hospital medicine 'non-teaching' service - and serves as an attainable option for schools interested in enhancing early clinical skill-building for all students, including those recommended for remediation.AbbreviationsA&P: Assessment and plan; H&P: History and physical; ILP: Individual learning plan
Towards experimental entanglement connection with atomic ensembles in the single excitation regime
We present a protocol for performing entanglement connection between pairs of
atomic ensembles in the single excitation regime. Two pairs are prepared in an
asynchronous fashion and then connected via a Bell measurement. The resulting
state of the two remaining ensembles is mapped to photonic modes and a reduced
density matrix is then reconstructed. Our observations confirm for the first
time the creation of coherence between atomic systems that never interacted, a
first step towards entanglement connection, a critical requirement for quantum
networking and long distance quantum communications
Chapman-Enskog expansion about nonequilibrium states: the sheared granular fluid
The Chapman-Enskog method of solution of kinetic equations, such as the
Boltzmann equation, is based on an expansion in gradients of the deviations fo
the hydrodynamic fields from a uniform reference state (e.g., local
equilibrium). This paper presents an extension of the method so as to allow for
expansions about \emph{arbitrary}, far-from equilibrium reference states. The
primary result is a set of hydrodynamic equations for studying variations from
the arbitrary reference state which, unlike the usual Navier-Stokes
hydrodynamics, does not restrict the reference state in any way. The method is
illustrated by application to a sheared granular gas which cannot be studied
using the usual Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics.Comment: 23 pages, no figures. Submited to PRE Replaced to correct misc.
errors Replaced to correct misc. errors, make notation more consistant,
extend discussio
Preparation of Dicke States in an Ion Chain
We have investigated theoretically and experimentally a method for preparing
Dicke states in trapped atomic ions. We consider a linear chain of ion
qubits that is prepared in a particular Fock state of motion, . The
phonons are removed by applying a laser pulse globally to the qubits, and
converting the motional excitation to flipped spins. The global nature of
this pulse ensures that the flipped spins are shared by all the target ions
in a state that is a close approximation to the Dicke state \D{N}{m}. We
calculate numerically the fidelity limits of the protocol and find small
deviations from the ideal state for and . We have demonstrated
the basic features of this protocol by preparing the state \D{2}{1} in two
Mg target ions trapped simultaneously with an Al
ancillary ion.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Maximally Symmetric Minimal Unification Model SO(32) with Three Families in Ten Dimensional Space-time
Based on a maximally symmetric minimal unification hypothesis and a quantum
charge-dimension correspondence principle, it is demonstrated that each family
of quarks and leptons belongs to the Majorana-Weyl spinor representation of
14-dimensions that relate to quantum spin-isospin-color charges. Families of
quarks and leptons attribute to a spinor structure of extra 6-dimensions that
relate to quantum family charges. Of particular, it is shown that 10-dimensions
relating to quantum spin-family charges form a motional 10-dimensional quantum
space-time with a generalized Lorentz symmetry SO(1,9), and 10-dimensions
relating to quantum isospin-color charges become a motionless 10-dimensional
quantum intrinsic space. Its corresponding 32-component fermions in the spinor
representation possess a maximal gauge symmetry SO(32). As a consequence, a
maximally symmetric minimal unification model SO(32) containing three families
in ten dimensional quantum space-time is naturally obtained by choosing a
suitable Majorana-Weyl spinor structure into which quarks and leptons are
directly embedded. Both resulting symmetry and dimensions coincide with the
ones of type I string and heterotic string SO(32) in string theory.Comment: 17 pages, RevTex, published version with minor typos correcte
Deep shower interpretation of the cosmic ray events observed in excess of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin energy
We consider the possibility that the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray flux has a
small component of exotic particles which create showers much deeper in the
atmosphere than ordinary hadronic primaries. It is shown that applying the
conventional AGASA/HiRes/Auger data analysis procedures to such exotic events
results in large systematic biases in the energy spectrum measurement. SubGZK
exotic showers may be mis-reconstructed with much higher energies and mimick
superGZK events. Alternatively, superGZK exotic showers may elude detection by
conventional fluorescence analysis techniques.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
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