27,071 research outputs found
Uni-directional polymerization leading to homochirality in the RNA world
The differences between uni-directional and bi-directional polymerization are
considered. The uni-directional case is discussed in the framework of the RNA
world. Similar to earlier models of this type, where polymerization was assumed
to proceed in a bi-directional fashion (presumed to be relevant to peptide
nucleic acids), left-handed and right-handed monomers are produced via an
autocatalysis from an achiral substrate. The details of the bifurcation from a
racemic solution to a homochiral state of either handedness is shown to be
remarkably independent of whether the polymerization in uni-directional or
bi-directional. Slightly larger differences are seen when dissociation is
allowed and the dissociation fragments are being recycled into the achiral
substrate.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Astrobiolog
X-ray fluorescence spectra of metals excited below threshold
X-ray scattering spectra of Cu and Ni metals have been measured using
monochromatic synchrotron radiation tuned from far above to more than 10 eV
below threshold. Energy conservation in the scattering process is found to be
sufficient to explain the modulation of the spectral shape, neglecting momentum
conservation and channel interference. At excitation energies close to and
above threshold, the emission spectra map the occupied local partial density of
states. For the sub-threshold excitations, the high-energy flank of the
inelastic scattering exhibits a Raman-type linear dispersion, and an asymmetric
low energy tail develops. For excitation far below threshold the emission
spectra are proportional to a convolution of the occupied and unoccuppied local
partial densities of states.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures,
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.68.04511
Full Carbon Account for Russia.
The Forestry Project (FOR) at IIASA has produced a full carbon account (FCA) for Russia for 1990, together with scenarios for 2010. Currently, there are rather big question marks regarding the existing carbon accounts for Russia, and Russia is critical to the global carbon balance due to its size. IIASA is in a position to perform solid analysis of Russia because of the databases that the Institute has built over the years. FOR based this work on a comprehensive geographic information system comprising georeferenced descriptions of the environment and land of Russia, which in turn are based on a number of thematic, digitized maps and databases. For the Russian energy sector and other industrial sectors (except the forest industry), the project used emissions estimates from the recent IIASA study "Global Energy Perspectives" (1998). The project carried out a separate substudy for the Russian forest industry sector. According to FOR's estimate, the total fluxes (including energy and industry sectors) in Russia were a net source of 527 teragrams of carbon (Tg C) in 1990. To illustrate the possible development of the carbon pools and fluxes over the next 10 years, FOR developed three different scenarios for the period 1990-2010, reflecting different assumptions regarding Russia's GDP growth. According to these scenarios, Russia will continue to be a net source of carbon to the atmosphere with 156-385 Tg C in 2010, including the emissions from energy and other industrial sectors. However, analysis of the FCA also shows considerable uncertainties involved in the carbon accounting. These uncertainties exceed the calculated changes in the full flux balance for the period 1990-2010. At present, this raises grave questions regarding the reliability of any accounting system used to measure terrestrial ecosystems for compliance with the Kyoto Protocol.
Lifting Grobner bases from the exterior algebra
In the article "Non-commutative Grobner bases for commutative algebras",
Eisenbud-Peeva-Sturmfels proved a number of results regarding Grobner bases and
initial ideals of those ideals in the free associative algebra which contain
the commutator ideal. We prove similar results for ideals which contains the
anti-commutator ideal (the defining ideal of the exterior algebra). We define
one notion of generic initial ideals in the free assoicative algebra, and show
that gin's of ideals containing the commutator ideal, or the anti-commutator
ideal, are finitely generated.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX2
Electronic structure of GaAs1-xNx alloy by soft-X-ray absorption and emission: Origin of the reduced optical efficiency
The local electronic structure of N atoms in a diluted GaAs1-xNx (x=3%)
alloy, in view of applications in optoelectronics, is determined for the first
time using soft-X-ray absorption (SXA) and emission (SXE). Deviations from
crystalline GaN, in particular in the conduction band, are dramatic. Employing
the orbital character and elemental specificity of the SXE/SXA spectroscopies,
we identify a charge transfer from the N atoms at the valence band maximum,
reducing the overlap with the wavefunction in conduction band minimum, as the
main factor limiting the optical efficiency of GaAs1-xNx alloys. Moreover, a
k-conserving process of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering involving the L1
derived valence and conduction states is discovered.Comment: 3 pages, physica status solidi (Rapid Research Notes), in pres
Faithful fermionic representations of the Kondo lattice model
We study the Kondo lattice model using a class of canonical transformations
that allow us to faithfully represent the model entirely in terms of fermions
without constraints. The transformations generate interacting theories that we
study using mean field theory. Of particular interest is a new manifestly
O(3)-symmetric representation in terms of Majorana fermions at half-filling on
bipartite lattices. This representation suggests a natural O(3)-symmetric trial
state that is investigated and characterized as a gapped spin liquid.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, minor update
On Making Good Games - Using Player Virtue Ethics and Gameplay Design Patterns to Identify Generally Desirable Gameplay Features
This paper uses a framework of player virtues to perform a
theoretical exploration of what is required to make a game
good. The choice of player virtues is based upon the view
that games can be seen as implements, and that these are
good if they support an intended use, and the intended use
of games is to support people to be good players. A collection of gameplay design patterns, identified through
their relation to the virtues, is presented to provide specific starting points for considering design options for this type of good games. 24 patterns are identified supporting the virtues, including RISK/REWARD, DYNAMIC ALLIANCES, GAME MASTERS, and PLAYER DECIDED RESULTS, as are 7 countering three or more virtues, including ANALYSIS
PARALYSIS, EARLY ELIMINATION, and GRINDING. The paper concludes by identifying limitations of the approach as well as by showing how it can be applied using other views of what are preferable features in games
The Coulomb impurity problem in graphene
We address the problem of an unscreened Coulomb charge in graphene, and
calculate the local density of states and displaced charge as a function of
energy and distance from the impurity. This is done non-perturbatively in two
different ways: (1) solving the problem exactly by studying numerically the
tight-binding model on the lattice; (2) using the continuum description in
terms of the 2D Dirac equation. We show that the Dirac equation, when properly
regularized, provides a qualitative and quantitative low energy description of
the problem. The lattice solution shows extra features that cannot be described
by the Dirac equation, namely bound state formation and strong renormalization
of the van Hove singularities.Comment: 3 Figures; minor typo corrections and minor update in Fig. 3
- …