Models solvable through the empty-interval method

The most general one dimensional reaction-diffusion model with nearest-neighbor interactions solvable through the empty interval method, and without any restriction on the particle-generation from two adjacent empty sites is studied. It is shown that turning on the reactions which generate particles from two adjacent empty sites, results in a gap in the spectrum of the evolution operator (or equivalently a finite relaxation time).Comment: 8 page

Exactly solvable models through the generalized empty interval method: multi-species and more-than-two-site interactions

Multi-species reaction-diffusion systems, with more-than-two-site interaction on a one-dimensional lattice are considered. Necessary and sufficient constraints on the interaction rates are obtained, that guarantee the closedness of the time evolution equation for $E^{\mathbf a}_n(t)$'s, the expectation value of the product of certain linear combination of the number operators on $n$ consecutive sites at time $t$.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Static- and dynamical-phase transition in multidimensional voting models on continua

A voting model (or a generalization of the Glauber model at zero temperature) on a multidimensional lattice is defined as a system composed of a lattice each site of which is either empty or occupied by a single particle. The reactions of the system are such that two adjacent sites, one empty the other occupied, may evolve to a state where both of these sites are either empty or occupied. The continuum version of this model in a Ddimensional region with boundary is studied, and two general behaviors of such systems are investigated. The stationary behavior of the system, and the dominant way of the relaxation of the system toward its stationary state. Based on the first behavior, the static phase transition (discontinuous changes in the stationary profiles of the system) is studied. Based on the second behavior, the dynamical phase transition (discontinuous changes in the relaxation-times of the system) is studied. It is shown that the static phase transition is induced by the bulk reactions only, while the dynamical phase transition is a result of both bulk reactions and boundary conditions.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX2

On the solvable multi-species reaction-diffusion processes

A family of one-dimensional multi-species reaction-diffusion processes on a lattice is introduced. It is shown that these processes are exactly solvable, provided a nonspectral matrix equation is satisfied. Some general remarks on the solutions to this equation, and some special solutions are given. The large-time behavior of the conditional probabilities of such systems are also investigated.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX2

Binocular advantage for prehension movements performed in visually enriched environments requiring visual search

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of binocular vision during a prehension task performed in a visually enriched environment where the target object was surrounded by distractors/obstacles. Fifteen adults reached and grasped for a cylindrical peg while eye movements and upper limb kinematics were recorded. The complexity of the visual environment was manipulated by varying the number of distractors and the saliency of the target. Gaze behavior (i.e., the latency of the primary gaze shift and frequency of gaze shifts prior to reach initiation) was comparable between viewing conditions. In contrast, a binocular advantage was evident in performance accuracy. Specifically, participants picked up the wrong object twice as often during monocular viewing when the complexity of the environment increased. Reach performance was more efficient during binocular viewing, which was demonstrated by shorter reach reaction time and overall movement time. Reaching movements during the approach phase had higher peak velocity during binocular viewing. During monocular viewing reach trajectories exhibited a direction bias during the acceleration phase, which was leftward during left eye viewing and rightward during right eye viewing. This bias can be explained by the presence of esophoria in the covered eye. The grasping interval was also extended by ~20% during monocular viewing. In conclusion, binocular vision provides important input for planning and execution of prehension movements in visually enriched environments. Binocular advantage was evident, regardless of set size or target saliency, indicating that adults plan their movements more cautiously during monocular viewing, even in relatively simple environments with a highly salient target. Nevertheless, in visually-normal adults monocular input provides sufficient information to engage in online control to correct the initial errors in movement planning

Study on the association of BoLA-DRB3.2 alleles with clinical mastitis in Iranian Holstein and Sarabi (Iranian native) cattle

Seventy-five Iranian Holstein cattle which comprised of two different groups (49 susceptible cattle to clinical mastitis and 26 resistant cattle to clinical mastitis) as well as forty-five Sarabi breed cattle were studied randomly for polymorphism in BoLA-DRB3.2 gene. Genotyping by single strand conformation polymorphism- polymerase chain reaction (SSCP-PCR) and then sequencing revealed the presence of previously reported 13 alleles of BoLA-DRB3.2 gene across both studied breeds. However, 3 new alleleswere identified for the studied gene in Sarabi breed in addition to the 13 alleles. Cloning and sequencing of the three newly found alleles in this study confirmed their novelty (NCBI Genebank accession numbers, EU362974, EU372975 and EU372976). Multi-primer target polymerase chain reaction (MPT-PCR) in this study failed to accurately differentiate the resistant and susceptible cattle to clinical mastitis. A combination of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and heteroduplex analysis (HA) in a non-denaturing gel, successfully detected the resistant genotype to clinical mastitis (DRB3.2*16). To the best of our knowledge, this is a pioneer study on the BoLA-DRB3.2 gene across an Iranian native breed (Sarabi). The results demonstrated that the BoLA-DRB3.2 locus is highlypolymorphic in the Sarabi cattle

Energy Harvesting from Roadways

AbstractThis paper presents a preview of an ongoing study to develop an energy harvesting system based on piezoelectric elements embedded into the pavements structure. The system development involved designing and testing a number of prototypes in the laboratory under controlled stress conditions. In addition, it involved numerical modeling of the stress distribution in the power generation module and economic analysis of the value of the electric power generated, under a given traffic composition scenario. The results available to date suggest that this technology shows promise in powering LED traffic lights and wireless sensors embedded into pavement structures

Exactly solvable models through the empty interval method

The most general one dimensional reaction-diffusion model with nearest-neighbor interactions, which is exactly-solvable through the empty interval method, has been introduced. Assuming translationally-invariant initial conditions, the probability that $n$ consecutive sites are empty ($E_n$), has been exactly obtained. In the thermodynamic limit, the large-time behavior of the system has also been investigated. Releasing the translational invariance of the initial conditions, the evolution equation for the probability that $n$ consecutive sites, starting from the site $k$, are empty ($E_{k,n}$) is obtained. In the thermodynamic limit, the large time behavior of the system is also considered. Finally, the continuum limit of the model is considered, and the empty-interval probability function is obtained.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX2

Polymeric micelle as a nanocarrier for delivery of therapeutic agents: A comprehensive review

For selective and effective drug delivery of therapeutic agent nanocarriers are the most effective agents. Micelles are an aggregate of surfactant molecules that dispersed in a liquid colloid. Micelles have a variety of shapes such as spheres, rods, vesicles, tubules, and lamellae. The shape and size of a micelle are a function of the molecular geometry of its surfactant molecules and solution conditions such as surfactant concentration, temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) is the most commonly used hydrophilic segment of micelles for drug delivery. Besides PEG, other polymers including poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) have also been used as hydrophilic portion of micelles. In this review we all discus about the polymeric micelles (PMs) as a nanocarriers for delivery of therapeutic agents. Keywords: Polymeric Micelles, Colloids, Nanocarriers, Drug Delivery, Poly Ethylene Glycol(PEG

Phase transition in an asymmetric generalization of the zero-temperature q-state Potts model

An asymmetric generalization of the zero-temperature q-state Potts model on a one dimensional lattice, with and without boundaries, has been studied. The dynamics of the particle number, and specially the large time behavior of the system has been analyzed. In the thermodynamic limit, the system exhibits two kinds of phase transitions, a static and a dynamic phase transition.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX2