339 research outputs found
New periodic orbits in the solar sail three-body problem
We identify displaced periodic orbits in the circular restricted three-body problem, wher the third (small) body is a solar sail. In particular, we consider solar sail orbits in the earth-sun system which are high above the exliptic plane. It is shown that periodic orbits about surfaces of artificial equilibria are naturally present at linear order. Using the method of Lindstedt-Poincare, we construct nth order approximations to periodic solutions of the nonlinear equations of motion. In the second part of the paper we generalize to the solar sail elliptical restricted three-body problem. A numerical continuation, with the eccentricity, e, as the varying parameter, is used to find periodic orbits above the ecliptic, starting from a known orbit at e=0 and continuing to the requied eccentricity of e=0.0167. The stability of these periodic orbits is investigated
Co-occurrence of resonant activation and noise-enhanced stability in a model of cancer growth in the presence of immune response
We investigate a stochastic version of a simple enzymatic reaction which
follows the generic Michaelis-Menten kinetics. At sufficiently high
concentrations of reacting species, the molecular fluctuations can be
approximated as a realization of a Brownian dynamics for which the model
reaction kinetics takes on the form of a stochastic differential equation.
After eliminating a fast kinetics, the model can be rephrased into a form of a
one-dimensional overdamped Langevin equation. We discuss physical aspects of
environmental noises acting in such a reduced system, pointing out the
possibility of coexistence of dynamical regimes where noise-enhanced stability
and resonant activation phenomena can be observed together.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, published in Physical Review E 74, 041904
(2006
CARBOTRAF: A decision Support system for reducing pollutant emissions by adaptive traffic management
Traffic congestion with frequent “stop & go” situations causes substantial pollutant emissions. Black carbon (BC) is a good indicator of combustion-related air pollution and results in negative health effects. Both BC and CO2 emissions are also known to contribute significantly to global warming. Current traffic control systems are designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. The CARBOTRAF system combines real-time monitoring of traffic and air pollution with simulation models for emission and local air quality prediction in order to deliver on-line recommendations for alternative adaptive traffic management. The aim of introducing a CARBOTRAF system is to reduce BC and CO2 emissions and improve air quality by optimizing the traffic flows. The system is implemented and evaluated in two pilot cities, Graz and Glasgow. Model simulations link traffic states to emission and air quality levels. A chain of models combines micro-scale traffic simulations, traffic volumes, emission models and air quality simulations. This process is completed for several ITS scenarios and a range of traffic boundary conditions. The real-time DSS system uses all these model simulations to select optimal traffic and air quality scenarios. Traffic and BC concentrations are simultaneously monitored. In this paper the effects of ITS measures on air quality are analysed with a focus on BC
Air quality impact of a decision support system for reducing pollutant emissions: CARBOTRAF
Traffic congestion with frequent “stop & go” situations causes substantial pollutant emissions. Black carbon (BC) is a good indicator of combustion-related air pollution and results in negative health effects. Both BC and CO2 emissions are also known to contribute significantly to global warming. Current traffic control systems are designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. The CARBOTRAF system combines real-time monitoring of traffic and air pollution with simulation models for emission and local air quality prediction in order to deliver on-line recommendations for alternative adaptive traffic management. The aim of introducing a CARBOTRAF system is to reduce BC and CO2 emissions and improve air quality by optimizing the traffic flows. The system is implemented and evaluated in two pilot cities, Graz and Glasgow. Model simulations link traffic states to emission and air quality levels. A chain of models combines micro-scale traffic simulations, traffic volumes, emission models and air quality simulations. This process is completed for several ITS scenarios and a range of traffic boundary conditions. The real-time DSS system uses these off-line model simulations to select optimal traffic and air quality scenarios. Traffic and BC concentrations are simultaneously monitored. In this paper the effects of ITS measures on air quality are analysed with a focus on BC
Regular obstructed categories and TQFT
A proposal of the concept of -regular obstructed categories is given. The
corresponding regularity conditions for mappings, morphisms and related
structures in categories are considered. An n-regular TQFT is introduced. It is
shown the connection of time reversibility with the regularity.Comment: 22 pages in Latex. To be published in J. Math. Phy
Modelling radiation-induced cell cycle delays
Ionizing radiation is known to delay the cell cycle progression. In
particular after particle exposure significant delays have been observed and it
has been shown that the extent of delay affects the expression of damage such
as chromosome aberrations. Thus, to predict how cells respond to ionizing
radiation and to derive reliable estimates of radiation risks, information
about radiation-induced cell cycle perturbations is required. In the present
study we describe and apply a method for retrieval of information about the
time-course of all cell cycle phases from experimental data on the mitotic
index only. We study the progression of mammalian cells through the cell cycle
after exposure. The analysis reveals a prolonged block of damaged cells in the
G2 phase. Furthermore, by performing an error analysis on simulated data
valuable information for the design of experimental studies has been obtained.
The analysis showed that the number of cells analyzed in an experimental sample
should be at least 100 to obtain a relative error less than 20%.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Radiation and
Environmental Biophysic
Reduced Coupling of Oxidative Phosphorylation In Vivo Precedes Electron Transport Chain Defects Due to Mild Oxidative Stress in Mice
Oxidative stress and mitochondrial function are at the core of many degenerative conditions. However, the interaction between oxidative stress and in vivo mitochondrial function is unclear. We used both pharmacological (2 week paraquat (PQ) treatment of wild type mice) and transgenic (mice lacking Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1−/−)) models to test the effect of oxidative stress on in vivo mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Magnetic resonance and optical spectroscopy were used to measure mitochondrial ATP and oxygen fluxes and cell energetic state. In both models of oxidative stress, coupling of oxidative phosphorylation was significantly lower (lower P/O) at rest in vivo in skeletal muscle and was dose-dependent in the PQ model. Despite this reduction in efficiency, in vivo mitochondrial phosphorylation capacity (ATPmax) was maintained in both models, and ex vivo mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized muscle fibers was unchanged following PQ treatment. In association with the reduced P/O, PQ treatment led to a dose-dependent reduction in PCr/ATP ratio and increased phosphorylation of AMPK. These results indicate that oxidative stress uncouples oxidative phosphorylation in vivo and results in energetic stress in the absence of defects in the mitochondrial electron transport chain
Mean first-passage times of non-Markovian random walkers in confinement
The first-passage time (FPT), defined as the time a random walker takes to
reach a target point in a confining domain, is a key quantity in the theory of
stochastic processes. Its importance comes from its crucial role to quantify
the efficiency of processes as varied as diffusion-limited reactions, target
search processes or spreading of diseases. Most methods to determine the FPT
properties in confined domains have been limited to Markovian (memoryless)
processes. However, as soon as the random walker interacts with its
environment, memory effects can not be neglected. Examples of non Markovian
dynamics include single-file diffusion in narrow channels or the motion of a
tracer particle either attached to a polymeric chain or diffusing in simple or
complex fluids such as nematics \cite{turiv2013effect}, dense soft colloids or
viscoelastic solution. Here, we introduce an analytical approach to calculate,
in the limit of a large confining volume, the mean FPT of a Gaussian
non-Markovian random walker to a target point. The non-Markovian features of
the dynamics are encompassed by determining the statistical properties of the
trajectory of the random walker in the future of the first-passage event, which
are shown to govern the FPT kinetics.This analysis is applicable to a broad
range of stochastic processes, possibly correlated at long-times. Our
theoretical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations for several
examples of non-Markovian processes including the emblematic case of the
Fractional Brownian Motion in one or higher dimensions. These results show, on
the basis of Gaussian processes, the importance of memory effects in
first-passage statistics of non-Markovian random walkers in confinement.Comment: Submitted version. Supplementary Information can be found on the
Nature website :
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v534/n7607/full/nature18272.htm
A Novel Antibody-Based Biomarker for Chronic Algal Toxin Exposure and Sub-Acute Neurotoxicity
The neurotoxic amino acid, domoic acid (DA), is naturally produced by marine phytoplankton and presents a significant threat to the health of marine mammals, seabirds and humans via transfer of the toxin through the foodweb. In humans, acute exposure causes a neurotoxic illness known as amnesic shellfish poisoning characterized by seizures, memory loss, coma and death. Regular monitoring for high DA levels in edible shellfish tissues has been effective in protecting human consumers from acute DA exposure. However, chronic low-level DA exposure remains a concern, particularly in coastal and tribal communities that subsistence harvest shellfish known to contain low levels of the toxin. Domoic acid exposure via consumption of planktivorous fish also has a profound health impact on California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) affecting hundreds of animals yearly. Due to increasing algal toxin exposure threats globally, there is a critical need for reliable diagnostic tests for assessing chronic DA exposure in humans and wildlife. Here we report the discovery of a novel DA-specific antibody response that is a signature of chronic low-level exposure identified initially in a zebrafish exposure model and confirmed in naturally exposed wild sea lions. Additionally, we found that chronic exposure in zebrafish caused increased neurologic sensitivity to DA, revealing that repetitive exposure to DA well below the threshold for acute behavioral toxicity has underlying neurotoxic consequences. The discovery that chronic exposure to low levels of a small, water-soluble single amino acid triggers a detectable antibody response is surprising and has profound implications for the development of diagnostic tests for exposure to other pervasive environmental toxins
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