25,880 research outputs found
Model for Anisotropic Directed Percolation
We propose a simulation model to study the properties of directed percolation
in two-dimensional (2D) anisotropic random media. The degree of anisotropy in
the model is given by the ratio between the axes of a semi-ellipse
enclosing the bonds that promote percolation in one direction. At percolation,
this simple model shows that the average number of bonds per site in 2D is an
invariant equal to 2.8 independently of . This result suggests that
Sinai's theorem proposed originally for isotropic percolation is also valid for
anisotropic directed percolation problems. The new invariant also yields a
constant fractal dimension for all , which is the same
value found in isotropic directed percolation (i.e., ).Comment: RevTeX, 9 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.
Inhibition of DNA ejection from bacteriophage by Mg+2 counterions
The problem of inhibiting viral DNA ejection from bacteriophages by
multivalent counterions, specifically Mg counterions, is studied.
Experimentally, it is known that MgSO salt has a strong and non-monotonic
effect on the amount of DNA ejected. There exists an optimal concentration at
which the minimum amount of DNA is ejected from the virus. At lower or higher
concentrations, more DNA is ejected from the capsid. We propose that this
phenomenon is the result of DNA overcharging by Mg multivalent
counterions. As Mg concentration increases from zero, the net charge of
DNA changes from negative to positive. The optimal inhibition corresponds to
the Mg concentration where DNA is neutral. At lower/higher
concentrations, DNA genome is charged. It prefers to be in solution to lower
its electrostatic self-energy, which consequently leads to an increase in DNA
ejection. By fitting our theory to available experimental data, the strength of
DNADNA short range attraction energies, mediated by Mg, is found to
be 0.004 per nucleotide base. This and other fitted parameters agree
well with known values from other experiments and computer simulations. The
parameters are also in aggreement qualitatively with values for tri- and
tetra-valent counterions.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, improved manuscript. Submitted to J. Chem. Phys
(2010
U.S. Coast Guard Boat Recovery Simulation at NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator
The Boat Recovery Simulation was a collaboration between the U.S. Coast Guard and NASA. The experiment was conducted at the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). The goals were to (1) design a VMS experiment that can accurately simulate the motion of high sea conditions and to (2) collect data for the U.S. Coast Guard on human performance related to small boat recovery operations. The experiment setup included a software operation model designed around empirical boat position data; a replica boat section manufactured to incorporate real-world task elements; and the means to collect objective and subjective data from human participants. The VMS provided a viable testbed to assess certified U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers task performance while in motion
Magnetoresistance in semiconductor structures with hopping conductivity: effects of random potential and generalization for the case of acceptor states
We reconsider the theory of magnetoresistance in hopping semiconductors.
First, we have shown that the random potential of the background impurities
affects significantly preexponential factor of the tunneling amplitude which
becomes to be a short-range one in contrast to the long-range one for purely
Coulomb hopping centers. This factor to some extent suppresses the negative
interference magnetoresistance and can lead to its decrease with temperature
decrease which is in agreement with earlier experimental observations. We have
also extended the theoretical models of positive spin magnetoresistance, in
particular, related to a presence of doubly occupied states (corresponding to
the upper Hubbard band) to the case of acceptor states in 2D structures. We
have shown that this mechanism can dominate over classical wave-shrinkage
magnetoresistance at low temperatures. Our results are in semi-quantitative
agreement with experimental data.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure
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