397 research outputs found
Tautomeric mutation: A quantum spin modelling
A quantum spin model representing tautomeric mutation is proposed for any DNA
molecule. Based on this model, the quantum mechanical calculations for
mutational rate and complementarity restoring repair rate in the replication
processes are carried out. A possible application to a real biological system
is discussed.Comment: 7 pages (no figures
Oxidation mechanism in metal nanoclusters: Zn nanoclusters to ZnO hollow nanoclusters
Zn nanoclusters (NCs) are deposited by Low-energy cluster beam deposition
technique. The mechanism of oxidation is studied by analysing their
compositional and morphological evolution over a long span of time (three
years) due to exposure to ambient atmosphere. It is concluded that the
mechanism proceeds in two steps. In the first step, the shell of ZnO forms over
Zn NCs rapidly up to certain limiting thickness: with in few days -- depending
upon the size -- Zn NCs are converted to Zn-ZnO (core-shell), Zn-void-ZnO, or
hollow ZnO type NCs. Bigger than ~15 nm become Zn-ZnO (core-shell) type: among
them, NCs above ~25 nm could able to retain their initial geometrical shapes
(namely triangular, hexagonal, rectangular and rhombohedral), but ~25 to 15 nm
size NCs become irregular or distorted geometrical shapes. NCs between ~15 to 5
nm become Zn-void-ZnO type, and smaller than ~5 nm become ZnO hollow sphere
type i.e. ZnO hollow NCs. In the second step, all Zn-void-ZnO and Zn-ZnO
(core-shell) structures are converted to hollow ZnO NCs in a slow and gradual
process, and the mechanism of conversion proceeds through expansion in size by
incorporating ZnO monomers inside the shell. The observed oxidation behaviour
of NCs is compared with theory of Cabrera - Mott on low-temperature oxidation
of metal.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Godel-type Universes in String-inspired Charged Gravity
We consider a string-inspired, gravitational theory of scalar and
electromagnetic fields and we investigate the existence of axially-symmetric,
G\"{o}del-type cosmological solutions. The neutral case is studied first and an
"extreme" G\"{o}del-type rotating solution, that respects the causality, is
determined. The charged case is considered next and two new configurations for
the, minimally-coupled to gravity, electromagnetic field are presented. Another
configuration motivated by the expected distribution of currents and charges in
a rotating universe is studied and shown to lead to a G\"{o}del-type solution
for a space-dependent coupling function. Finally, we investigate the existence
of G\"{o}del-type cosmological solutions in the framework of the one-loop
corrected superstring effective action and we determine the sole configuration
of the electromagnetic field that leads to such a solution. It turns out that,
in all the charged cases considered, Closed Timelike Curves do appear and the
causality is always violated.Comment: 26 pages, LaTex file, a few comments and references added, version to
appear in Physical Review
Holographic Protection of Chronology in Universes of the Godel Type
We analyze the structure of supersymmetric Godel-like cosmological solutions
of string theory. Just as the original four-dimensional Godel universe, these
solutions represent rotating, topologically trivial cosmologies with a
homogeneous metric and closed timelike curves. First we focus on
"phenomenological" aspects of holography, and identify the preferred
holographic screens associated with inertial comoving observers in Godel
universes. We find that holography can serve as a chronology protection agency:
The closed timelike curves are either hidden behind the holographic screen, or
broken by it into causal pieces. In fact, holography in Godel universes has
many features in common with de Sitter space, suggesting that Godel universes
could represent a supersymmetric laboratory for addressing the conceptual
puzzles of de Sitter holography. Then we initiate the investigation of
"microscopic" aspects of holography of Godel universes in string theory. We
show that Godel universes are T-dual to pp-waves, and use this fact to generate
new Godel-like solutions of string and M-theory by T-dualizing known
supersymmetric pp-wave solutions.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figures. v2: typos corrected, references adde
Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR
Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to
explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC
energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing
net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was
created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the
hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities
and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a
rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and
partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like
quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in
our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of
various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter
(CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD
phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is
designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the
key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential
observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense
phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100
(sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD
matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500
MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as
it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we
review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including
activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the
worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal
Goedel-type Universes and the Landau Problem
We point out a close relation between a family of Goedel-type solutions of
3+1 General Relativity and the Landau problem in S^2, R^2 and H_2; in
particular, the classical geodesics correspond to Larmor orbits in the Landau
problem. We discuss the extent of this relation, by analyzing the solutions of
the Klein-Gordon equation in these backgrounds. For the R^2 case, this relation
was independently noticed in hep-th/0306148. Guided by the analogy with the
Landau problem, we speculate on the possible holographic description of a
single chronologically safe region.Comment: Latex, 21 pages, 1 figure. v2 missing references to previous work on
the subject adde
Gas Accretion via Lyman Limit Systems
In cosmological simulations, a large fraction of the partial Lyman limit
systems (pLLSs; 16<log N(HI)<17.2) and LLSs (17.2log N(HI)<19) probes
large-scale flows in and out of galaxies through their circumgalactic medium
(CGM). The overall low metallicity of the cold gaseous streams feeding galaxies
seen in these simulations is the key to differentiating them from metal rich
gas that is either outflowing or being recycled. In recent years, several
groups have empirically determined an entirely new wealth of information on the
pLLSs and LLSs over a wide range of redshifts. A major focus of the recent
research has been to empirically determine the metallicity distribution of the
gas probed by pLLSs and LLSs in sizable and representative samples at both low
(z2) redshifts. Here I discuss unambiguous evidence for
metal-poor gas at all z probed by the pLLSs and LLSs. At z<1, all the pLLSs and
LLSs so far studied are located in the CGM of galaxies with projected distances
<100-200 kpc. Regardless of the exact origin of the low-metallicity pLLSs/LLSs,
there is a significant mass of cool, dense, low-metallicity gas in the CGM that
may be available as fuel for continuing star formation in galaxies over cosmic
time. As such, the metal-poor pLLSs and LLSs are currently among the best
observational evidence of cold, metal-poor gas accretion onto galaxies.Comment: Invited review to appear in Gas Accretion onto Galaxies, Astrophysics
and Space Science Library, eds. A. J. Fox & R. Dav\'e, to be published by
Springe
Evaluation of geospatial methods to generate subnational HIV prevalence estimates for local level planning
Objective: There is evidence of substantial subnational variation in the HIV epidemic.
However, robust spatial HIV data are often only available at high levels of geographic
aggregation and not at the finer resolution needed for decision making. Therefore,
spatial analysis methods that leverage available data to provide local estimates of HIV
prevalence may be useful. Such methods exist but have not been formally compared
when applied to HIV.
Design/methods: Six candidate methods – including those used by the Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to generate maps and a Bayesian geostatistical
approach applied to other diseases – were used to generate maps and subnational
estimates of HIV prevalence across three countries using cluster level data from
household surveys. Two approaches were used to assess the accuracy of predictions:
internal validation, whereby a proportion of input data is held back (test dataset) to
challenge predictions; and comparison with location-specific data from household
surveys in earlier years.
Results: Each of the methods can generate usefully accurate predictions of prevalence
at unsampled locations, with the magnitude of the error in predictions similar across
approaches. However, the Bayesian geostatistical approach consistently gave marginally the strongest statistical performance across countries and validation procedures.
Conclusions: Available methods may be able to furnish estimates of HIV prevalence at
finer spatial scales than the data currently allow. The subnational variation revealed can
be integrated into planning to ensure responsiveness to the spatial features of the
epidemic. The Bayesian geostatistical approach is a promising strategy for integrating
HIV data to generate robust local estimates
A Better Way to Reconstruct Dark Energy Models ?
To reconstruct dark energy models the redshift , marking the end of
radiation era and the beginning of matter-dominated era, can play a role as
important as , the redshift at which deceleration parameter experiences
a signature flip. To implement the idea we propose a variable equation of state
for matter that can bring a smooth transition from radiation to
matter-dominated era in a single model. A popular dark
energy model is chosen for demonstration but found to be unacceptable. An
alternative model is proposed and found to be more
close to observation.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures Accepted for publication in `Astrophysics and
Space Science
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