2,690 research outputs found
Onset of Propagation of Planar Cracks in Heterogeneous Media
The dynamics of planar crack fronts in hetergeneous media near the critical
load for onset of crack motion are investigated both analytically and by
numerical simulations. Elasticity of the solid leads to long range stress
transfer along the crack front which is non-monotonic in time due to the
elastic waves in the medium. In the quasistatic limit with instantaneous stress
transfer, the crack front exhibits dynamic critical phenomenon, with a second
order like transition from a pinned to a moving phase as the applied load is
increased through a critical value. At criticality, the crack-front is
self-affine, with a roughness exponent . The dynamic
exponent is found to be equal to and the correlation length
exponent . These results are in good agreement with those
obtained from an epsilon expansion. Sound-travel time delays in the stress
transfer do not change the static exponents but the dynamic exponent
becomes exactly one. Real elastic waves, however, lead to overshoots in the
stresses above their eventual static value when one part of the crack front
moves forward. Simplified models of these stress overshoots are used to show
that overshoots are relevant at the depinning transition leading to a decrease
in the critical load and an apparent jump in the velocity of the crack front
directly to a non-zero value. In finite systems, the velocity also shows
hysteretic behaviour as a function of the loading. These results suggest a
first order like transition. Possible implications for real tensile cracks are
discussed.Comment: 51 pages + 20 figur
Monte Carlo Dynamics of driven Flux Lines in Disordered Media
We show that the common local Monte Carlo rules used to simulate the motion
of driven flux lines in disordered media cannot capture the interplay between
elasticity and disorder which lies at the heart of these systems. We therefore
discuss a class of generalized Monte Carlo algorithms where an arbitrary number
of line elements may move at the same time. We prove that all these dynamical
rules have the same value of the critical force and possess phase spaces made
up of a single ergodic component. A variant Monte Carlo algorithm allows to
compute the critical force of a sample in a single pass through the system. We
establish dynamical scaling properties and obtain precise values for the
critical force, which is finite even for an unbounded distribution of the
disorder. Extensions to higher dimensions are outlined.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The depinning transition of a driven interface in the random-field Ising model around the upper critical dimension
We investigate the depinning transition for driven interfaces in the
random-field Ising model for various dimensions. We consider the order
parameter as a function of the control parameter (driving field) and examine
the effect of thermal fluctuations. Although thermal fluctuations drive the
system away from criticality the order parameter obeys a certain scaling law
for sufficiently low temperatures and the corresponding exponents are
determined. Our results suggest that the so-called upper critical dimension of
the depinning transition is five and that the systems belongs to the
universality class of the quenched Edward-Wilkinson equation.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Collective Particle Flow through Random Media
A simple model for the nonlinear collective transport of interacting
particles in a random medium with strong disorder is introduced and analyzed. A
finite threshold for the driving force divides the behavior into two regimes
characterized by the presence or absence of a steady-state particle current.
Below this threshold, transient motion is found in response to an increase in
the force, while above threshold the flow approaches a steady state with motion
only on a network of channels which is sparse near threshold. Some of the
critical behavior near threshold is analyzed via mean field theory, and
analytic results on the statistics of the moving phase are derived. Many of the
results should apply, at least qualitatively, to the motion of magnetic bubble
arrays and to the driven motion of vortices in thin film superconductors when
the randomness is strong enough to destroy the tendencies to lattice order even
on short length scales. Various history dependent phenomena are also discussed.Comment: 63 preprint pages plus 6 figures. Submitted to Phys Rev
Hysteresis and hierarchies: dynamics of disorder-driven first-order phase transformations
We use the zero-temperature random-field Ising model to study hysteretic
behavior at first-order phase transitions. Sweeping the external field through
zero, the model exhibits hysteresis, the return-point memory effect, and
avalanche fluctuations. There is a critical value of disorder at which a jump
in the magnetization (corresponding to an infinite avalanche) first occurs. We
study the universal behavior at this critical point using mean-field theory,
and also present preliminary results of numerical simulations in three
dimensions.Comment: 12 pages plus 2 appended figures, plain TeX, CU-MSC-747
Hysteretic dynamics of domain walls at finite temperatures
Theory of domain wall motion in a random medium is extended to the case when
the driving field is below the zero-temperature depinning threshold and the
creep of the domain wall is induced by thermal fluctuations. Subject to an ac
drive, the domain wall starts to move when the driving force exceeds an
effective threshold which is temperature and frequency-dependent. Similarly to
the case of zero-temperature, the hysteresis loop displays three dynamical
phase transitions at increasing ac field amplitude . The phase diagram in
the 3-d space of temperature, driving force amplitude and frequency is
investigated.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Psychiatric Disorder in Two Siblings with Hallervorden-Spatz Disease
Hallervorden-Spatz disease (HSD) is a rare autosomal-recessive hereditary disorder characterized by the early onset of progressive movement alterations, including dystonia, rigidity, choreoathetosis, and mental deterioration. HSD is also associated with a variety of psychiatric symptoms, primarily depression and mental deterioration. However, psychosis has rarely been reported as a major symptom of HSD. We report two siblings who presented psychiatric symptoms as major clinical presentations, accompanied by ataxic and spastic gait, dysarthria, and typical neuroimaging findings of HSD. A 14-year-old girl presented complex motor tics, stereotypic behavior and anxiety symptoms. Her older brother, a 16-year-old boy, presented prominent auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions and social withdrawal symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms were improved after atypical antipsychotic treatment. HSD is a rare disease but should be carefully considered in the diagnosis of patients with both motor disorder and various psychiatric symptoms
Static and Dynamic Properties of Inhomogeneous Elastic Media on Disordered Substrate
The pinning of an inhomogeneous elastic medium by a disordered substrate is
studied analytically and numerically. The static and dynamic properties of a
-dimensional system are shown to be equivalent to those of the well known
problem of a -dimensional random manifold embedded in -dimensions.
The analogy is found to be very robust, applicable to a wide range of elastic
media, including those which are amorphous or nearly-periodic, with local or
nonlocal elasticity. Also demonstrated explicitly is the equivalence between
the dynamic depinning transition obtained at a constant driving force, and the
self-organized, near-critical behavior obtained by a (small) constant velocity
drive.Comment: 20 pages, RevTeX. Related (p)reprints also available at
http://matisse.ucsd.edu/~hwa/pub.htm
Proteomic Analysis of Rat Brains Following Exposure to Electroconvulsive Therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments used in psychiatry to date. The mechanisms of ECT action, however, are the least understood and still unclear. As a tool to elucidate the mechanisms of action of ECT, we employed proteomic analysis based on the identification of differentially expressed proteins after exposure to repeated ECT in rat brains. The expression of proteins was visualized by silver stain after two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of 24 differentially expressed protein spots (p<0.05 by Student t-test), six different proteins from 7 spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight (MALDI-TOF)/mass spectrometry. Among the identified proteins, there were five dominantly expressed proteins in the ECT-treated rat brain tissues (p<0.05); S100 protein beta chain, 14-3-3 protein zeta/delta, similar to ubiquitin-like 1 (sentrin) activating enzyme subunit 1, suppressor of G2 allele of SKP1 homolog, and phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha. The expression of only one protein, ACY1 protein, was repressed (p<0.05). These findings likely serve for a better understanding of mechanisms involved in the therapeutic effects of ECT
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