68 research outputs found
Classification of KPZQ and BDP models by multiaffine analysis
We argue differences between the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang with Quenched disorder
(KPZQ) and the Ballistic Deposition with Power-law noise (BDP) models, using
the multiaffine analysis method. The KPZQ and the BDP models show mono-affinity
and multiaffinity, respectively. This difference results from the different
distribution types of neighbor-height differences in growth paths. Exponential
and power-law distributions are observed in the KPZQ and the BDP, respectively.
In addition, we point out the difference of profiles directly, i.e., although
the surface profiles of both models and the growth path of the BDP model are
rough, the growth path of the KPZQ model is smooth.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Effect of a columnar defect on the shape of slow-combustion fronts
We report experimental results for the behavior of slow-combustion fronts in
the presence of a columnar defect with excess or reduced driving, and compare
them with those of mean-field theory. We also compare them with simulation
results for an analogous problem of driven flow of particles with hard-core
repulsion (ASEP) and a single defect bond with a different hopping probability.
The difference in the shape of the front profiles for excess vs. reduced
driving in the defect, clearly demonstrates the existence of a KPZ-type of
nonlinear term in the effective evolution equation for the slow-combustion
fronts. We also find that slow-combustion fronts display a faceted form for
large enough excess driving, and that there is a corresponding increase then in
the average front speed. This increase in the average front speed disappears at
a non-zero excess driving in agreement with the simulated behavior of the ASEP
model.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Herpes simplex virus 1 induces egress channels through marginalized host chromatin
Lytic infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induces profound modification of the cell nucleus including formation of a viral replication compartment and chromatin marginalization into the nuclear periphery. We used three-dimensional soft X-ray tomography, combined with cryogenic fluorescence, confocal and electron microscopy, to analyse the transformation of peripheral chromatin during HSV-1 infection. Our data showed an increased presence of low-density gaps in the marginalized chromatin at late infection. Advanced data analysis indicated the formation of virus-nucleocapsid-sized (or wider) channels extending through the compacted chromatin of the host. Importantly, confocal and electron microscopy analysis showed that these gaps frequently contained viral nucleocapsids. These results demonstrated that HSV-1 infection induces the formation of channels penetrating the compacted layer of cellular chromatin and allowing for the passage of progeny viruses to the nuclear envelope, their site of nuclear egress
Chromatin organization regulates viral egress dynamics
Various types of DNA viruses are known to elicit the formation of a large nuclear viral replication compartment and marginalization of the cell chromatin. We used three-dimensional soft x-ray tomography, confocal and electron microscopy, combined with numerical modelling of capsid diffusion to analyse the molecular organization of chromatin in herpes simplex virus 1 infection and its effect on the transport of progeny viral capsids to the nuclear envelope. Our data showed that the formation of the viral replication compartment at late infection resulted in the enrichment of heterochromatin in the nuclear periphery accompanied by the compaction of chromatin. Random walk modelling of herpes simplex virus 1-sized particles in a three-dimensional soft x-ray tomography reconstruction of an infected cell nucleus demonstrated that the peripheral, compacted chromatin restricts viral capsid diffusion, but due to interchromatin channels capsids are able to reach the nuclear envelope, the site of their nuclear egress
Avalanche dynamics, surface roughening and self-organized criticality - experiments on a 3 dimensional pile of rice
We present a two-dimensional system which exhibits features of self-organized
criticality. The avalanches which occur on the surface of a pile of rice are
found to exhibit finite size scaling in their probability distribution. The
critical exponents are = 1.21(2) for the avalanche size distribution and
= 1.99(2) for the cut-off size. Furthermore the geometry of the avalanches
is studied leading to a fractal dimension of the active sites of =
1.58(2). Using a set of scaling relations, we can calculate the roughness
exponent = 0.41(3) and the dynamic exponent = 1.56(8). This result is compared with that obtained from a power
spectrum analysis of the surface roughness, which yields = 0.42(3) and
= 1.5(1) in excellent agreement with those obtained from the scaling
relations.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in PR
Evidence for geometry-dependent universal fluctuations of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang interfaces in liquid-crystal turbulence
We provide a comprehensive report on scale-invariant fluctuations of growing
interfaces in liquid-crystal turbulence, for which we recently found evidence
that they belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class for 1+1
dimensions [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 230601 (2010); Sci. Rep. 1, 34 (2011)]. Here
we investigate both circular and flat interfaces and report their statistics in
detail. First we demonstrate that their fluctuations show not only the KPZ
scaling exponents but beyond: they asymptotically share even the precise forms
of the distribution function and the spatial correlation function in common
with solvable models of the KPZ class, demonstrating also an intimate relation
to random matrix theory. We then determine other statistical properties for
which no exact theoretical predictions were made, in particular the temporal
correlation function and the persistence probabilities. Experimental results on
finite-time effects and extreme-value statistics are also presented. Throughout
the paper, emphasis is put on how the universal statistical properties depend
on the global geometry of the interfaces, i.e., whether the interfaces are
circular or flat. We thereby corroborate the powerful yet geometry-dependent
universality of the KPZ class, which governs growing interfaces driven out of
equilibrium.Comment: 31 pages, 21 figures, 1 table; references updated (v2,v3); Fig.19
updated & minor changes in text (v3); final version (v4); J. Stat. Phys.
Online First (2012
Effect of pre-milking teat preparation procedures on the microbial count on teats prior to cluster application
A study was carried out to investigate the effect of six pre-milking teat preparation procedures on lowering the staphylococal, streptococcal and coliform microbial count on teat skin prior to cluster application. The teat preparations included 'Iodine', 'Chlorhexidine' teat foam, 'Washing and drying' with paper, 'No preparation', 'Chlorine' teat foam, and disinfectant 'Wipes'. Teat preparations were applied for five days to 10 cows for each treatment during two herd management periods (indoors and outdoors). Teats were swabbed on day four and five before teat preparation and repeated after teat preparation. The swabs were plated on three selective agars: Baird Parker (Staphylococcus spp.), Edwards (Streptococcus spp.), and MacConkey (coliform). Following incubation, microbial counts for each pathogen type were manually counted and assigned to one of six categories depending on the microbial counts measured. The results were analysed by logistic regression using SAS [28]. The main analysis was conducted on binary improvement scores for the swabbing outcomes. There were no differences for staphylococcal, streptococcal and coliform bacterial counts between treatments, measured 'before' teat preparation. Treatments containing 'Chlorhexidine' teat foam (OR = 4.46) and 'Wipes' (OR = 4.46) resulted in a significant reduction (P < 0.01) in the staphylococcal count on teats compared to 'Washing and drying' or 'No preparation'. 'Chlorine' teat foam (OR = 3.45) and 'Wipes' (3.45) had the highest probability (P < 0.01) of reducing streptococcal counts compared to 'Washing and drying' or 'No preparation'. There was no statistical difference between any of the disinfectant treatments applied in reducing coliforms. Thus, the use of some disinfectant products for pre-milking teat preparation can have beneficial effects on reducing the levels of staphylococcal and streptococcal pathogens on teat skin
Alectorioid morphologies in Paleogene lichens : New evidence and re-evaluation of the fossil Alectoria succini Mägdefrau
One of the most important issues in molecular dating studies concerns the incorporation of reliable fossil taxa into the phylogenies reconstructed from DNA sequence variation in extant taxa. Lichens are symbiotic associations between fungi and algae and/or cyanobacteria. Several lichen fossils have been used as minimum age constraints in recent studies concerning the diversification of the Ascomycota. Recent evolutionary studies of Lecanoromycetes, an almost exclusively lichen-forming class in the Ascomycota, have utilized the Eocene amber inclusion Alectoria succinic as a minimum age constraint. However, a re-investigation of the type material revealed that this inclusion in fact represents poorly preserved plant remains, most probably of a root. Consequently, this fossil cannot be used as evidence of the presence of the genus Alectoria (Parmeliaceae, Lecanorales) or any other lichens in the Paleogene. However, newly discovered inclusions from Paleogene Baltic and Bitterfeld amber verify that alectorioid morphologies in lichens were in existence by the Paleogene. The new fossils represent either a lineage within the alectorioid group or belong to the genus Oropogon.Peer reviewe
New method for early detection of two random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) groups of Staphylococcus aureus causing bovine mastitis infection in Paraná State, Brazil
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