2,758 research outputs found
An expression for stationary distribution in nonequilibrium steady state
We study the nonequilibrium steady state realized in a general stochastic
system attached to multiple heat baths and/or driven by an external force.
Starting from the detailed fluctuation theorem we derive concise and suggestive
expressions for the corresponding stationary distribution which are correct up
to the second order in thermodynamic forces. The probability of a microstate
is proportional to where
is the excess entropy change.
Here is the difference between two kinds of conditioned
path ensemble averages of excess heat transfer from the -th heat bath whose
inverse temperature is . Our expression may be verified experimentally
in nonequilibrium states realized, for example, in mesoscopic systems.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
SEQUAL 2.1 User’s Manual
SEQUAL is a device simulation program which performs a quantum mechanical analysis of electron transport. The user need not be an expert in quantum mechanics to obtain useful results from this program, although an understanding of the subject is an invaluable aid in the interpretation of output. For this reason,, the theoretical formulation of the analysis is presented in some detail, following a brief introduction. The knowledgeable (or anxious) user may turn directly to the discussions of input and output in Chapters 3 and 4. The reader is cautioned, however, not to skip Chaper 2 entirely. At the heart of many a program error\u27 lies a misinterpretation of output
Interactions between parental traits, environmental harshness and growth rate in determining telomere length in wild juvenile salmon
A larger body size confers many benefits, such as increased reproductive success, ability to evade predators and increased competitive ability and social status. However, individuals rarely maximise their growth rates, suggesting that this carries costs. One such cost could be faster attrition of the telomeres that cap the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and play an important role in chromosome protection. A relatively short telomere length is indicative of poor biological state, including poorer tissue and organ performance, reduced potential longevity and increased disease susceptibility. Telomere loss during growth may also be accelerated by environmental factors, but these have rarely been subjected to experimental manipulation in the natural environment. Using a wild system involving experimental manipulations of juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in Scottish streams, we found that telomere length in juvenile fish was influenced by parental traits and by direct environmental effects. We found that faster-growing fish had shorter telomeres and there was a greater cost (in terms of reduced telomere length) if the growth occurred in a harsher environment. We also found a positive association between offspring telomere length and the growth history of their fathers (but not mothers), represented by the number of years fathers had spent at sea. This suggests that there may be long term consequences of growth conditions and parental life history for individual longevity
Chapman-Enskog expansion about nonequilibrium states: the sheared granular fluid
The Chapman-Enskog method of solution of kinetic equations, such as the
Boltzmann equation, is based on an expansion in gradients of the deviations fo
the hydrodynamic fields from a uniform reference state (e.g., local
equilibrium). This paper presents an extension of the method so as to allow for
expansions about \emph{arbitrary}, far-from equilibrium reference states. The
primary result is a set of hydrodynamic equations for studying variations from
the arbitrary reference state which, unlike the usual Navier-Stokes
hydrodynamics, does not restrict the reference state in any way. The method is
illustrated by application to a sheared granular gas which cannot be studied
using the usual Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics.Comment: 23 pages, no figures. Submited to PRE Replaced to correct misc.
errors Replaced to correct misc. errors, make notation more consistant,
extend discussio
The law of action and reaction for the effective force in a nonequilibrium colloidal system
We study a nonequilibrium Langevin many-body system containing two 'test'
particles and many 'background' particles. The test particles are spatially
confined by a harmonic potential, and the background particles are driven by an
external driving force. Employing numerical simulations of the model, we
formulate an effective description of the two test particles in a
nonequilibrium steady state. In particular, we investigate several different
definitions of the effective force acting between the test particles. We find
that the law of action and reaction does not hold for the total mechanical
force exerted by the background particles, but that it does hold for the
thermodynamic force defined operationally on the basis of an idea used to
extend the first law of thermodynamics to nonequilibrium steady states.Comment: 13 page
Persistence of orally administered Megasphaera elsdenii and Ruminococcus bromii in the rumen of beef cattle fed a high grain (barley) diet
When cattle are fed grain, acidotic ruminal conditions and decreased efficiency in starch utilisation can result from the rapid production and accumulation of lactic acid in the rumen. The efficacy of drenching cattle with Megasphaera elsdenii and Ruminococcus bromii to improve animal performance was investigated. A feedlot trial was undertaken with 80 Bos indicus crossbred steers (initial liveweight 347.1 (s.d. 31.7) kg) in 10 pens in a randomised complete block design. An empty-pen-buffer was maintained between treated (inoculated) and untreated (control) groups to avoid transfer of inoculant bacteria to the control steers. Inoculated steers were orally drenched with M. elsdenii YE34 and R. bromii YE282, and populations increased rapidly over 3-14 days. The steers were fed for a total of 70 days with commercial, barley-based, feedlot rations. High growth rates (1.91 kg per day) were achieved throughout the experiment in both the inoculated and control steers. Intakes averaged 21.3 g dry matter (DM) per kg liveweight per day. There was probably no acidosis achieved in this trial following challenge (i.e. no change in pH occurred). There were no differences in any production or carcass measurements between the control and inoculated steers overall. However, the control group acquired dense ruminal populations of M. elsdenii by Day 14, while R. bromii populations established at high densities within the first 2 weeks but then declined and were undetectable by Day 50. R. bromii appears to be only transiently dominant, and once its dominance waned, it appeared that Ruminobacter spp. established in the rumen. Ruminobacter spp. became dominant between 14 and 28 days in all the steers examined and persisted through to the end of the study. These Ruminobacter spp. may be of future interest in the development of probiotics for grain-fed cattle
Assessing the Use of Molecular Barcoding and qPCR for Investigating the Ecology of Prorocentrum minimum (Dinophyceae), a Harmful Algal Species
Prorocentrum minimum is a species of marine dinoflagellate that occurs worldwide and can be responsible for harmful algal blooms (HABs). Some studies have reported it to produce tetrodotoxin; however, results have been inconsistent. qPCR and molecular barcoding (amplicon sequencing) using high-throughput sequencing have been increasingly applied to quantify HAB species for ecological analyses and monitoring. Here, we isolated a strain of P. minimum from eastern Australian waters, where it commonly occurs, and developed and validated a qPCR assay for this species based on a region of ITS rRNA in relation to abundance estimates from the cultured strain as determined using light microscopy. We used this tool to quantify and examine ecological drivers of P. minimum in Botany Bay, an estuary in southeast Australia, for over ~14 months in 2016-2017. We compared abundance estimates using qPCR with those obtained using molecular barcoding based on an 18S rRNA amplicon. There was a significant correlation between the abundance estimates from amplicon sequencing and qPCR, but the estimates from light microscopy were not significantly correlated, likely due to the counting method applied. Using amplicon sequencing, ~600 unique actual sequence variants (ASVs) were found, much larger than the known phytoplankton diversity from this region. P. minimum abundance in Botany Bay was found to be significantly associated with lower salinities and higher dissolved CO2 levels
Timing of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolt migration predicts successful passage through a reservoir
Around 30% of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts successfully survived passage through Loch Meig, a reservoir in the north of Scotland, en route to the sea. However, this survival rate was in turn dependent on the timing of migration, with the earliest migrants in the spring having the best chance of survival. This could have implication for fisheries management, since the estimation of smolt downstream survival may be influenced by which time period of the smolt run is analysed
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