Superconducting film with randomly magnetized dots: A realization of the 2D XY model with random phase shifts

We consider a thin superconducting film with randomly magnetized dots on top of it. The dots produce a disordered pinning potential for vortices in the film. We show that for dots with permanent and random magnetization normal or parallel to the film surface, our system is an experimental realization of the two-dimensional XY model with random phase shifts. The low-temperature superconducting phase, that exists without magnetic dots, survives in the presence of magnetic dots for sufficiently small disorder.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Crystal structure of the catalytic fragment of murine poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) has become an important pharmacological target in the treatment of cancer due to its cellular role as a 'DNA-strand break sensor', which leads in part to resistance to some existing chemo- and radiological treatments. Inhibitors have now been developed which prevent PARP-1 from synthesizing poly(ADP-ribose) in response to DNA-breaks and potentiate the cytotoxicity of DNA damaging agents. However, with the recent discoveries of PARP-2, which has a similar DNA-damage dependent catalytic activity, and additional members containing the 'PARP catalytic' signature, the isoform selectivity and resultant pharmacological effects of existing inhibitors are brought into question. We present here the crystal structure of the catalytic fragment of murine PARP-2, at 2.8 A resolution, and compare this to the catalytic fragment of PARP-1, with an emphasis on providing a possible framework for rational drug design in order to develop future isoform-specific inhibitors

Structural change of vortex patterns in anisotropic Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the changes in the spatial distribution of vortices in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate due to an increasing anisotropy of the trapping potential. Once the rotational symmetry is broken, we find that the vortex system undergoes a rich variety of structural changes, including the formation of zig-zag and linear configurations. These spatial re-arrangements are well signaled by the change in the behavior of the vortex-pattern eigenmodes against the anisotropy parameter. The existence of such structural changes opens up possibilities for the coherent exploitation of effective many-body systems based on vortex patterns.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Intensive test site assessment report

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Hierarchical Models for Independence Structures of Networks

We introduce a new family of network models, called hierarchical network models, that allow us to represent in an explicit manner the stochastic dependence among the dyads (random ties) of the network. In particular, each member of this family can be associated with a graphical model defining conditional independence clauses among the dyads of the network, called the dependency graph. Every network model with dyadic independence assumption can be generalized to construct members of this new family. Using this new framework, we generalize the Erd\"os-R\'enyi and beta-models to create hierarchical Erd\"os-R\'enyi and beta-models. We describe various methods for parameter estimation as well as simulation studies for models with sparse dependency graphs.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

Suitability and limitations of portion-specific abattoir data as part of an early warning system for emerging diseases of swine in Ontario

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Abattoir data have the potential to provide information for geospatial disease surveillance applications, but the quality of the data and utility for detecting disease outbreaks is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify non-disease factors that may bias these data for disease surveillance and 2) determine if major disease events that took place during the study period would be captured using multi-level modelling and scan statistics. We analyzed data collected at all provincially-inspected abattoirs in Ontario, Canada during 2001-2007. During these years there were outbreaks of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and swine influenza that produced widespread disease within the province. Negative binomial models with random intercepts for abattoir, to account for repeated measurements within abattoirs, were created. The relationships between partial carcass condemnation rates for pneumonia and nephritis with year, season, agricultural region, stock price, and abattoir processing capacity were explored. The utility of the spatial scan statistic for detecting clusters of high partial carcass condemnation rates in space, time, and space-time was investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Non-disease factors that were found to be associated with lung and kidney condemnation rates included abattoir processing capacity, agricultural region and season. Yearly trends in predicted condemnation rates varied by agricultural region, and temporal patterns were different for both types of condemnations. Some clusters of high condemnation rates of kidneys with nephritis in time and space-time preceded the timeframe during which case clusters were detected using traditional laboratory data. Yearly kidney condemnation rates related to nephritis lesions in eastern Ontario were most consistent with the trends that were expected in relation to the documented disease outbreaks. Yearly lung condemnation rates did not correspond with the timeframes during which major respiratory disease outbreaks took place.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrated that a number of abattoir-related factors require consideration when using abattoir data for quantitative disease surveillance. Data pertaining to lungs condemned for pneumonia did not provide useful information for predicting disease events, while partial carcass condemnations of nephritis were most consistent with expected trends. Techniques that adjust for non-disease factors should be considered when applying cluster detection methods to abattoir data.</p

Vortices with fractional flux in two-gap superconductors and in extended Faddeev model

We discuss vortices allowed in two-gap superconductors, bilayer systems and in equivalent extended Faddeev model. We show that in these systems there exist vortices which carry an arbitrary fraction of magnetic flux quantum. Besides that we discuss topological defects which do not carry magnetic flux and describe features of ordinary one-magnetic-flux-quantum vortices in the two-gap system. The results should be relevant for the newly discovered two-band superconductor $Mg B_2$.Comment: v2 references added, v3 journal version, presentation improved. Links to related papers are available at the home page of the author http://www.teorfys.uu.se/PEOPLE/ego

Equilibration through local information exchange in networks

We study the equilibrium states of energy functions involving a large set of real variables, defined on the links of sparsely connected networks, and interacting at the network nodes, using the cavity and replica methods. When applied to the representative problem of network resource allocation, an efficient distributed algorithm is devised, with simulations showing full agreement with theory. Scaling properties with the network connectivity and the resource availability are found.Comment: v1: 7 pages, 1 figure, v2: 4 pages, 2 figures, simplified analysis and more organized results, v3: minor change

Replicated Bethe Free Energy: A Variational Principle behind Survey Propagation

A scheme to provide various mean-field-type approximation algorithms is presented by employing the Bethe free energy formalism to a family of replicated systems in conjunction with analytical continuation with respect to the number of replicas. In the scheme, survey propagation (SP), which is an efficient algorithm developed recently for analyzing the microscopic properties of glassy states for a fixed sample of disordered systems, can be reproduced by assuming the simplest replica symmetry on stationary points of the replicated Bethe free energy. Belief propagation and generalized SP can also be offered in the identical framework under assumptions of the highest and broken replica symmetries, respectively.Comment: appeared in Journal of the Physical Society of Japan 74, 2133-2136 (2005