1,895 research outputs found
Topological analysis of polymeric melts: Chain length effects and fast-converging estimators for entanglement length
Primitive path analyses of entanglements are performed over a wide range of
chain lengths for both bead spring and atomistic polyethylene polymer melts.
Estimators for the entanglement length N_e which operate on results for a
single chain length N are shown to produce systematic O(1/N) errors. The
mathematical roots of these errors are identified as (a) treating chain ends as
entanglements and (b) neglecting non-Gaussian corrections to chain and
primitive path dimensions. The prefactors for the O(1/N) errors may be large;
in general their magnitude depends both on the polymer model and the method
used to obtain primitive paths. We propose, derive and test new estimators
which eliminate these systematic errors using information obtainable from the
variation of entanglement characteristics with chain length. The new estimators
produce accurate results for N_e from marginally entangled systems. Formulas
based on direct enumeration of entanglements appear to converge faster and are
simpler to apply.Comment: Major revisions. Developed near-ideal estimators which operate on
multiple chain lengths. Now test these on two very different model polymers
Angular Correlations in Internal Pair Conversion of Aligned Heavy Nuclei
We calculate the spatial correlation of electrons and positrons emitted by
internal pair conversion of Coulomb excited nuclei in heavy ion collisions. The
alignment or polarization of the nucleus results in an anisotropic emission of
the electron-positron pairs which is closely related to the anisotropic
emission of -rays. However, the angular correlation in the case of
internal pair conversion exhibits diverse patterns. This might be relevant when
investigating atomic processes in heavy-ion collisions performed at the Coulomb
barrier.Comment: 27 pages + 6 eps figures, uses revtex.sty and epsf.sty,
tar-compressed and uuencoded with uufile
Screening of microbial communities associated with endive lettuce during postharvest processing on industrial scale
In this study, the composition of the microbial community on endive lettuce (Cichorium endivia) was evaluated during different postharvest processing steps. Microbial community structure was characterized by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Endive lettuce was sampled exemplarily at four different stages of processing (raw material, cut endive lettuce, washed endive lettuce, and spin-dried (ready to pack) endive lettuce) and analysed by plate count analysis using non-selective and selective agar plates with subsequent identification of bacteria colonies by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of light mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Additionally, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequence analysis were conducted. The results revealed structural differences in the lettuce microbiomes during the different processing steps. The most predominant bacteria on endive lettuce were detected by almost all methods. Bacterial species belonging to the families Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, and Moraxellaceae were detected in most of the examined samples including some unexpected potentially human pathogenic bacteria, especially those with the potential to build resistance to antibiotics (e.g., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (0.9 % in cut sample, 0.4 % in spin-dried sample), Acinetobacter sp. (0.6 % in raw material, 0.9 % in cut sample, 0.9 % in washed sample, 0.4 % in spin-dried sample), Morganella morganii (0.2 % in cut sample, 3 % in washed sample)) revealing the potential health risk for consumers. However, more seldom occurring bacterial species were detected in varying range by the different methods. In conclusion, the applied methods allow the determination of the microbiome's structure and its dynamic changes during postharvest processing in detail. Such a combined approach enables the implementation of tailored control strategies including hygienic design, innovative decontamination techniques, and appropriate storage conditions for improved product safety
Broadening the perspective on ocean privatizations: an interdisciplinary social science enquiry
On the Geometry of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanical Systems
We consider some simple examples of supersymmetric quantum mechanical systems
and explore their possible geometric interpretation with the help of geometric
aspects of real Clifford algebras. This leads to natural extensions of the
considered systems to higher dimensions and more complicated potentials.Comment: 18 page
Broadening the perspective on ocean privatizations: an interdisciplinary social science enquiry
On a new definition of quantum entropy
It is proved here that, as a consequence of the unitary quantum evolution,
the expectation value of a properly defined quantum entropy operator (as
opposed to the non-evolving von Neumann entropy) can only increase during non
adiabatic transformations and remains constant during adiabatic ones. Thus
Clausius formulation of the second law is established as a theorem in quantum
mechanics, in a way that is equivalent to the previously established
formulation in terms of minimal work principle [A. E. Allahverdyan and T. M.
Nieuwenhuizen, Phys. Rev. E 71, 046107 (2005)]. The corresponding Quantum
Mechanical Principle of Entropy Increase is then illustrated with an exactly
solvable example, namely the driven harmonic oscillator. Attention is paid to
both microcanonical and canonical initial condition. The results are compared
to their classical counterparts.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Recommended from our members
Sublethal injury and Viable but Non-culturable (VBNC) state in microorganisms during preservation of food and biological materials by non-thermal processes
The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, as well as sublethal injury of microorganisms pose a distinct threat to food safety, as the use of traditional, culture-based microbiological analyses might lead to an underestimation or a misinterpretation of the product's microbial status and recovery phenomena of microorganisms may occur. For thermal treatments, a large amount of data and experience is available and processes are designed accordingly. In case of innovative inactivation treatments, however, there are still several open points with relevance for the investigation of inactivation mechanisms as well as for the application and validation of the preservation processes. Thus, this paper presents a comprehensive compilation of non-thermal preservation technologies, i.e., high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), pulsed light (PL), and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as cold plasma (CP) treatments. The basic technological principles and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action are described. Based on this, appropriate analytical methods are outlined, i.e., direct viable count, staining, and molecular biological methods, in order to enable the differentiation between viable and dead cells, as well as the possible occurrence of an intermediate state. Finally, further research needs are outlined
Asymmetric Squares as Standing Waves in Rayleigh-Benard Convection
Possibility of asymmetric square convection is investigated numerically using
a few mode Lorenz-like model for thermal convection in Boussinesq fluids
confined between two stress free and conducting flat boundaries. For relatively
large value of Rayleigh number, the stationary rolls become unstable and
asymmetric squares appear as standing waves at the onset of secondary
instability. Asymmetric squares, two dimensional rolls and again asymmetric
squares with their corners shifted by half a wavelength form a stable limit
cycle.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Coupling to haloform molecules in intercalated C60?
For field-effect-doped fullerenes it was reported that the superconducting
transition temperature Tc is markedly larger for C60.2CHX_3 (X=Cl, Br)
crystals, than for pure C60. Initially this was explained by the expansion of
the volume per C60-molecule and the corresponding increase in the density of
states at the Fermi level in the intercalated crystals. On closer examination
it has, however, turned out to be unlikely that this is the mechanism behind
the increase in Tc. An alternative explanation of the enhanced transition
temperatures assumes that the conduction electrons not only couple to the
vibrational modes of the C60-molecule, but also to the modes of the
intercalated molecules. We investigate the possibility of such a coupling. We
find that, assuming the ideal bulk structure of the intercalated crystal, both
a coupling due to hybridization of the molecular levels, and a coupling via
dipole moments should be very small. This suggests that the presence of the
gate-oxide in the field-effect-devices strongly affects the structure of the
fullerene crystal at the interface.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to be published in PRB (rapid communication
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