9,578 research outputs found
Entropy-driven cutoff phenomena
In this paper we present, in the context of Diaconis' paradigm, a general
method to detect the cutoff phenomenon. We use this method to prove cutoff in a
variety of models, some already known and others not yet appeared in
literature, including a chain which is non-reversible w.r.t. its stationary
measure. All the given examples clearly indicate that a drift towards the
opportune quantiles of the stationary measure could be held responsible for
this phenomenon. In the case of birth- and-death chains this mechanism is
fairly well understood; our work is an effort to generalize this picture to
more general systems, such as systems having stationary measure spread over the
whole state space or systems in which the study of the cutoff may not be
reduced to a one-dimensional problem. In those situations the drift may be
looked for by means of a suitable partitioning of the state space into classes;
using a statistical mechanics language it is then possible to set up a kind of
energy-entropy competition between the weight and the size of the classes.
Under the lens of this partitioning one can focus the mentioned drift and prove
cutoff with relative ease.Comment: 40 pages, 1 figur
Turning ABO antiferroelectrics into ferroelectrics: Design rules for practical rotation-driven ferroelectricity in double perovskites and ABO Ruddlesden-Popper compounds
Ferroic transition metal oxides, which exhibit spontaneous elastic,
electrical, magnetic or toroidal order, exhibit functional properties that find
use in ultrastable solid-state memories to sensors and medical imaging
technologies. To realize multifunctional behavior, where one order parameter
can be coupled to the conjugate field of another order parameter, however,
requires a common microscopic origin for the long-range order. Here, we
formulate a complete theory for a novel form of ferroelectricity, whereby a
spontaneous and switchable polarization emerges from the destruction of an
antiferroelectric state due to octahedral rotations and ordered cation
sublattices. We then construct a materials design framework based on
crystal-chemistry descriptors rooted in group theory, which enables the facile
design of artificial oxides with large electric polarizations, P, simultaneous
with small energetic switching barriers between +P and -P. We validate the
theory with first principles density functional calculations on more than 16
perovskite-structured oxides, illustrating it could be operative in any
materials classes exhibiting two- or three-dimensional corner-connected
octahedral frameworks. We show the principles governing materials selection of
the "layered" systems originate in the lattice dynamics of the A cation
displacements stabilized by the pervasive BO rotations of single phase
ABO materials, whereby the latter distortions govern the optical band gaps,
magnetic order and critical transition temperatures. Our approach provides the
elusive route to the ultimate multifunctionality property control by an
external electric field.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure
Electric Field Effect in Ultrathin Films near the Superconductor-Insulator Transition
The effect of an electric field on the conductance of ultrathin films of
metals deposited on substrates coated with a thin layer of amorphous Ge was
investigated. A contribution to the conductance modulation symmetric with
respect to the polarity of the applied electric field was found in regimes in
which there was no sign of glassy behavior. For films with thicknesses that put
them on the insulating side of the superconductor-insulator transition, the
conductance increased with electric field, whereas for films that were becoming
superconducting it decreased. Application of magnetic fields to the latter,
which reduce the transition temperature and ultimately quench
superconductivity, changed the sign of the reponse of the conductance to
electric field back to that found for insulators. We propose that this
symmetric response to capacitive charging is a consequence of changes in the
conductance of the a-Ge layer, and is not a fundamental property of the physics
of the superconductor-insulator transition as previously suggested.Comment: 4 pages text, 4 figure
Electrical transport studies of quench condensed Bi films at the initial stage of film growth: Structural transition and the possible formation of electron droplets
The electrical transport properties of amorphous Bi films prepared by
sequential quench deposition have been studied in situ. A
superconductor-insulator (S-I) transition was observed as the film was made
increasingly thicker, consistent with previous studies. Unexpected behavior was
found at the initial stage of film growth, a regime not explored in detail
prior to the present work. As the temperature was lowered, a positive
temperature coefficient of resistance (dR/dT > 0) emerged, with the resistance
reaching a minimum before the dR/dT became negative again. This behavior was
accompanied by a non-linear and asymmetric I-V characteristic. As the film
became thicker, conventional variable-range hopping (VRH) was recovered. We
attribute the observed crossover in the electrical transport properties to an
amorphous to granular structural transition. The positive dR/dT found in the
amorphous phase of Bi formed at the initial stage of film growth was
qualitatively explained by the formation of metallic droplets within the
electron glass.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Streamlined determination of processive run length and mechanochemical coupling of nucleic acid motor activities
Quantitative determination of enzymatic rates, processivity and mechanochemical coupling is a key aspect in characterizing nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)-driven nucleic acid motor enzymes, for both basic research and technological applications. Here, we present a streamlined analytical method suitable for the determination of all key functional parameters based on measurement of NTP hydrolysis during interaction of motor enzymes with the nucleic acid track. The proposed method utilizes features of kinetic time courses of NTP hydrolysis that have not been addressed in previous analyses, and also accounts for the effect of protein traps used in kinetic experiments on processivity. This analysis is suitable for rapid and precise assessment of the effects of mutations, physical conditions, binding partners and other effectors on the functioning of translocases, helicases, polymerases and other NTP-consuming processive nucleic acid motors
Barriers to SARS-CoV-2 Testing among U.S. Employers in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis Conducted January through April 2021
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. companies were seeking ways to support their employees to return to the workplace. Nonetheless, the development of strategies to support the access, use, and interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 testing was challenging. In the present study, we explore, from the perspective of owners and company leadership, the barriers to SARSCoV-2 testing among U.S. companies. Key informant interviews with company representatives were conducted during January--April 2021 about SARS-CoV-2 testing. A pre-interview survey assessed respondent socio-demographic and organizational characteristics. Interview sessions were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using MaxQDA. A total of twenty interviews were completed with at least two interviews conducted in each major U.S. industry sector. Ninety percent of participants represented companies in business \u3e10 years, comprising both small and large workforces. Using a grounded theory approach, six themes emerged: (1) access to and knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 tests; (2) strategies for symptomatic and asymptomatic testing of workers; (3) type/availability of personal protective equipment to mitigate coronavirus exposures; (4) return-to-work policies; (5) guidance and communication of SARS-CoV-2 Testing; and (6) use of contact tracing and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Various modifiable and non-modifiable challenges for SARS-CoV-2 testing among U.S. companies were identified and can inform work-related SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies
Analytic Representation of Finite Quantum Systems
A transform between functions in R and functions in Zd is used to define the
analogue of number and coherent states in the context of finite d-dimensional
quantum systems. The coherent states are used to define an analytic
representation in terms of theta functions. All states are represented by
entire functions with growth of order 2, which have exactly d zeros in each
cell. The analytic function of a state is constructed from its zeros. Results
about the completeness of finite sets of coherent states within a cell are
derived
Current guidelines for the management of asthma in young children
The diagnosis and management of asthma in young children is difficult, since there are many different wheezy phenotypes with varying underlying aetiologies and outcomes. This review discusses the different approaches to managing young children with wheezy illnesses presented in recently published global guidelines. Four major guidelines published since 2007 are considered. Helpful approaches are presented to assist the clinician to decide whether a clinical diagnosis of asthma can, or should be made in a young child with a recurrent wheezy illness and which treatments would be appropriate, dependent on risk factors, age of presentation, response to initial treatment and safety considerations. Each of the guidelines provide useful information for clinicians assessing young children with recurrent wheezy illnesses. There are differences in classification of the disease and treatment protocols. Although a firm diagnosis of asthma may only be made retrospectively in some cases and there are several effective guidelines to initiating treatment. Consistent review of the need for ongoing treatment with a particular pharmacological modality is essential, since many children with recurrent wheezing in infancy go into spontaneous remission. It is probable that newer biomarkers of airway inflammation will assist the clinician as to when to initiate and when to continue pharmacological treatment in the future
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