10,865 research outputs found
Steady-state, effective-temperature dynamics in a glassy material
We present an STZ-based analysis of numerical simulations by Haxton and Liu
(HL). The extensive HL data sharply test the basic assumptions of the STZ
theory, especially the central role played by the effective disorder
temperature as a dynamical state variable. We find that the theory survives
these tests, and that the HL data provide important and interesting constraints
on some of its specific ingredients. Our most surprising conclusion is that,
when driven at various constant shear rates in the low-temperature glassy
state, the HL system exhibits a classic glass transition, including
super-Arrhenius behavior, as a function of the effective temperature.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Inter- and Intra-Chain Attractions in Solutions of Flexible Polyelectrolytes at Nonzero Concentration
Constant temperature molecular dynamics simulations were used to study
solutions of flexible polyelectrolyte chains at nonzero concentrations with
explicit counterions and unscreened coulombic interactions. Counterion
condensation, measured via the self-diffusion coefficient of the counterions,
is found to increase with polymer concentration, but contrary to the prediction
of Manning theory, the renormalized charge fraction on the chains decreases
with increasing Bjerrum length without showing any saturation. Scaling analysis
of the radius of gyration shows that the chains are extended at low polymer
concentrations and small Bjerrum lengths, while at sufficiently large Bjerrum
lengths, the chains shrink to produce compact structures with exponents smaller
than a gaussian chain, suggesting the presence of attractive intrachain
interactions. A careful study of the radial distribution function of the
center-of-mass of the polyelectrolyte chains shows clear evidence that
effective interchain attractive interactions also exist in solutions of
flexible polyelectrolytes, similar to what has been found for rodlike
polyelectrolytes. Our results suggest that the broad maximum observed in
scattering experiments is due to clustering of chains.Comment: 12 pages, REVTeX, 15 eps figure
Gene loss and lineage specific restriction-modification systems associated with niche differentiation in the Campylobacter jejuni Sequence Type 403 clonal complex
Campylobacter jejuni is a highly diverse species of bacteria commonly associated with infectious intestinal disease of humans and zoonotic carriage in poultry, cattle, pigs, and other animals. The species contains a large number of distinct clonal complexes that vary from host generalist lineages commonly found in poultry, livestock, and human disease cases to host-adapted specialized lineages primarily associated with livestock or poultry. Here, we present novel data on the ST403 clonal complex of C. jejuni, a lineage that has not been reported in avian hosts. Our data show that the lineage exhibits a distinctive pattern of intralineage recombination that is accompanied by the presence of lineage-specific restriction-modification systems. Furthermore, we show that the ST403 complex has undergone gene decay at a number of loci. Our data provide a putative link between the lack of association with avian hosts of C. jejuni ST403 and both gene gain and gene loss through nonsense mutations in coding sequences of genes, resulting in pseudogene formation
Measurement of correlations between low-frequency vibrational modes and particle rearrangements in quasi-two-dimensional colloidal glasses
We investigate correlations between low-frequency vibrational modes and
rearrangements in two-dimensional colloidal glasses composed of thermosensitive
microgel particles which readily permit variation of sample packing fraction.
At each packing fraction, the particle displacement covariance matrix is
measured and used to extract the vibrational spectrum of the "shadow" colloidal
glass (i.e., the particle network with the same geometry and interactions as
the sample colloid but absent damping). Rearrangements are induced by
successive, small reductions in packing fraction. The experimental results
suggest that low-frequency quasi-localized phonon modes in colloidal glasses,
i.e., modes that present low energy barriers for system rearrangements, are
spatially correlated with rearrangements in this thermal system
Rate dependent shear bands in a shear transformation zone model of amorphous solids
We use Shear Transformation Zone (STZ) theory to develop a deformation map
for amorphous solids as a function of the imposed shear rate and initial
material preparation. The STZ formulation incorporates recent simulation
results [Haxton and Liu, PRL 99 195701 (2007)] showing that the steady state
effective temperature is rate dependent. The resulting model predicts a wide
range of deformation behavior as a function of the initial conditions,
including homogeneous deformation, broad shear bands, extremely thin shear
bands, and the onset of material failure. In particular, the STZ model predicts
homogeneous deformation for shorter quench times and lower strain rates, and
inhomogeneous deformation for longer quench times and higher strain rates. The
location of the transition between homogeneous and inhomogeneous flow on the
deformation map is determined in part by the steady state effective
temperature, which is likely material dependent. This model also suggests that
material failure occurs due to a runaway feedback between shear heating and the
local disorder, and provides an explanation for the thickness of shear bands
near the onset of material failure. We find that this model, which resolves
dynamics within a sheared material interface, predicts that the stress weakens
with strain much more rapidly than a similar model which uses a single state
variable to specify internal dynamics on the interface.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, corrected typos, added section on rate
strengthening vs. rate weakening material
A five year record of high-frequency in situ measurements of non-methane hydrocarbons at Mace Head, Ireland
Continuous high-frequency in situ measurements of a range of non-methane hydrocarbons have been made at Mace Head since January 2005. Mace Head is a background Northern Hemispheric site situated on the eastern edge of the Atlantic. Five year measurements (2005–2009) of six C<sub>2</sub>–C<sub>5</sub> non-methane hydrocarbons have been separated into baseline Northern Hemispheric and European polluted air masses, among other sectors. Seasonal cycles in baseline Northern Hemispheric air masses and European polluted air masses arriving at Mace Head have been studied. Baseline air masses show a broad summer minima between June and September for shorter lived species, longer lived species show summer minima in July/August. All species displayed a winter maxima in February. European air masses showed baseline elevated mole fractions for all non-methane hydrocarbons. Largest elevations (of up to 360 ppt for ethane maxima) from baseline data were observed in winter maxima, with smaller elevations observed during the summer. Analysis of temporal trends using the Mann-Kendall test showed small (<6 % yr<sup>&minus;1</sup>) but statistically significant decreases in the butanes and <i>i</i>-pentane between 2005 and 2009 in European air. No significant trends were found for any species in baseline air
BIOMECHANICS OF LONGSWINGS PRECEDING TKACHEV ON UNEVEN BARS
Changes in the rules governing the separation of uneven bars have allowed female gymnasts to perform the Tkachev in both directions. The aim of this study was to compare the similarities in the preparatory longswing during the outward (O) and inward (I) Tkachevs. Video recordings of the Tkachevs (O=5, I=5) were collected from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. A 37° greater range of movement was found at the hips during the I Tkachev. In the more conventional O technique changes in the hip angle were smaller (23°) and occurred over a greater circle angle. This study has identified differences in what appear to be very similar skills. Further inter-segmental coordination and joint kinetic analyses may provide insight into the performance of these release and regrasp skills
Interaction of Bearing and Tensile Loads on Creep Properties of Joints
The interaction of bearing and tensile loads on the creep behavior of joints was studied. A specimen was designed for this study which possessed some of the general features of pin and rivet joint connections and an apparatus was constructed to apply both bearing and tensile loads to the joint model. Deformation measurements were made by use of a photogrid printed on the joint model
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