438 research outputs found
Ecological taxes in some European countries
Production and consumption of fossil fuels is one of the major causes of the green house effect, which is in economics known as a form of ecological externality. Fiscal solution, as one way of internalization of externalities, is based on polluters-pay principle and the imposition of tax on emission. Although the implementation of ecological tax was intensified during the previous decade, fiscal revenues are modest and account for only 5% of the total fiscal revenues of the European Union. Taxes on energetic products, accounting for 76%, are dominant among ecological taxes. Since the EU Directive 82/92 imposes minimum excise rates on oil products, during the last decade Central Eastern European countries have increased excise rates on fossil fuels and fully engaged in the field of ecological policy
Exact formula for currents in strongly pumped diffusive systems
We analyze a generic model of mesoscopic machines driven by the nonadiabatic
variation of external parameters. We derive a formula for the probability
current; as a consequence we obtain a no-pumping theorem for cyclic processes
satisfying detailed balance and demonstrate that the rectification of current
requires broken spatial symmetry.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in the Journal of Statistical
Physic
DNA transport by a micromachined Brownian ratchet device
We have micromachined a silicon-chip device that transports DNA with a
Brownian ratchet that rectifies the Brownian motion of microscopic particles.
Transport properties for a DNA 50mer agree with theoretical predictions, and
the DNA diffusion constant agrees with previous experiments. This type of
micromachine could provide a generic pump or separation component for DNA or
other charged species as part of a microscale lab-on-a-chip. A device with
reduced feature size could produce a size-based separation of DNA molecules,
with applications including the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms.Comment: Latex: 8 pages, 4 figure
Cooperative Transport of Brownian Particles
We consider the collective motion of finite-sized, overdamped Brownian
particles (e.g., motor proteins) in a periodic potential. Simulations of our
model have revealed a number of novel cooperative transport phenomena,
including (i) the reversal of direction of the net current as the particle
density is increased and (ii) a very strong and complex dependence of the
average velocity on both the size and the average distance of the particles.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Reducing vortex density in superconductors using the ratchet effect
A serious obstacle that impedes the application of low and high temperature
superconductor (SC) devices is the presence of trapped flux. Flux lines or
vortices are induced by fields as small as the Earth's magnetic field. Once
present, vortices dissipate energy and generate internal noise, limiting the
operation of numerous superconducting devices. Methods used to overcome this
difficulty include the pinning of vortices by the incorporation of impurities
and defects, the construction of flux dams, slots and holes and magnetic
shields which block the penetration of new flux lines in the bulk of the SC or
reduce the magnetic field in the immediate vicinity of the superconducting
device. Naturally, the most desirable would be to remove the vortices from the
bulk of the SC. There is no known phenomenon, however, that could form the
basis for such a process. Here we show that the application of an ac current to
a SC that is patterned with an asymmetric pinning potential can induce vortex
motion whose direction is determined only by the asymmetry of the pattern. The
mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is the so called ratchet effect, and
its working principle applies to both low and high temperature SCs. As a first
step here we demonstrate that with an appropriate choice of the pinning
potential the ratchet effect can be used to remove vortices from low
temperature SCs in the parameter range required for various applications.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Nature (in press
Transitions in the Horizontal Transport of Vertically Vibrated Granular Layers
Motivated by recent advances in the investigation of fluctuation-driven
ratchets and flows in excited granular media, we have carried out experimental
and simulational studies to explore the horizontal transport of granular
particles in a vertically vibrated system whose base has a sawtooth-shaped
profile. The resulting material flow exhibits novel collective behavior, both
as a function of the number of layers of particles and the driving frequency;
in particular, under certain conditions, increasing the layer thickness leads
to a reversal of the current, while the onset of transport as a function of
frequency occurs gradually in a manner reminiscent of a phase transition. Our
experimental findings are interpreted here with the help of extensive, event
driven Molecular Dynamics simulations. In addition to reproducing the
experimental results, the simulations revealed that the current may be reversed
as a function of the driving frequency as well. We also give details about the
simulations so that similar numerical studies can be carried out in a more
straightforward manner in the future.Comment: 12 pages, 18 figure
Social acceptability of a marine protected area: The case of Reunion Island
This paper examines variations in social acceptability of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) prior to implementation. The influence of a number of factors, including socio-economic characteristics, perception of coral resources state of health and attitudes towards non-compliance with regulations are analysed. During May 2006, 640 questionnaires were distributed to school children around Reunion Island, Western Indian Ocean, for completion by their parents, following an informal educational activity made in school. From a 73% (n = 469) response rate, results showed that 78% of participants were in favour of the MPA. Analysis further identified that those supportive of the MPA were generally from higher socio-professional categories, had a negative perception of the coral reef ecosystem's health and were not originally from Reunion. In contrast, locals (born in Reunion) from lower socio-professional categories or with no employment activity and having a positive perception of the health status of coral reefs offered no opinion on the MPA. Attitudes towards enforcement and compliance highlighted that SCUBA divers, fishers and jet skiers attributed a higher value to the protection of the coral reef environment through enforcement of MPA regulations than to their own use of the coral reef resource. When asked about the use of penalties to deter non-compliance, swimmers were awarded the lowest fines, followed by SCUBA divers, fishers then jet skiers being awarded the highest fines. Thus, the more severe the act of non-compliance by a resource user group was perceived to be, the more these users themselves disapproved of non-compliant behaviour and supported use of high penalties. The survey design through focusing on school children's parents, demonstrated a simple and cost-effective method for data collection while providing environmental education, which could be employed in similar case studies elsewhere
Many-particle hydrodynamic interactions in parallel-wall geometry: Cartesian-representation method
This paper describes the results of our theoretical and numerical studies of
hydrodynamic interactions in a suspension of spherical particles confined
between two parallel planar walls, under creeping-flow conditions. We propose a
novel algorithm for accurate evaluation of the many-particle friction matrix in
this system--no such algorithm has been available so far.
Our approach involves expanding the fluid velocity field into spherical and
Cartesian fundamental sets of Stokes flows. The interaction of the fluid with
the particles is described using the spherical basis fields; the flow scattered
with the walls is expressed in terms of the Cartesian fundamental solutions. At
the core of our method are transformation relations between the spherical and
Cartesian basis sets. These transformations allow us to describe the flow field
in a system that involves both the walls and particles.
We used our accurate numerical results to test the single-wall superposition
approximation for the hydrodynamic friction matrix. The approximation yields
fair results for quantities dominated by single particle contributions, but it
fails to describe collective phenomena, such as a large transverse resistance
coefficient for linear arrays of spheres
Effect of Chaotic Noise on Multistable Systems
In a recent letter [Phys.Rev.Lett. {\bf 30}, 3269 (1995), chao-dyn/9510011],
we reported that a macroscopic chaotic determinism emerges in a multistable
system: the unidirectional motion of a dissipative particle subject to an
apparently symmetric chaotic noise occurs even if the particle is in a
spatially symmetric potential. In this paper, we study the global dynamics of a
dissipative particle by investigating the barrier crossing probability of the
particle between two basins of the multistable potential. We derive
analytically an expression of the barrier crossing probability of the particle
subject to a chaotic noise generated by a general piecewise linear map. We also
show that the obtained analytical barrier crossing probability is applicable to
a chaotic noise generated not only by a piecewise linear map with a uniform
invariant density but also by a non-piecewise linear map with non-uniform
invariant density. We claim, from the viewpoint of the noise induced motion in
a multistable system, that chaotic noise is a first realization of the effect
of {\em dynamical asymmetry} of general noise which induces the symmetry
breaking dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Myiasis in domestic cats: A global review
Myiasis is an infestation caused by larvae of Diptera in humans and other vertebrates. In domestic cats, Felis silvestris catus L. (Carnivora: Felidae), four dipteran families have been reported as agents of obligatory and facultative myiasis: Oestridae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae. Among agents of obligatory myiasis, the most frequent genus is Cuterebra Clark (Oestridae) and the most frequent species is Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Calliphoridae). Among the agents of facultative myiasis, the most frequent species is Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Calliphoridae). A survey of myiasis in cats reported in literature shows that the cases are distributed worldwide and linked to the geographical range of the dipteran species. Factors favouring the occurrence of myiasis in cats are prowling in infested areas, poor hygiene conditions due to diseases and/or neglect, and wounds inflicted during territorial or reproductive competition. The aim of the review is to provide an extended survey of literature on myiasis in cats, as general information and possible development of guidelines for veterinarians, entomologists and other researchers interested in the field
- …