The Switch in a Genetic Toggle System with Lévy Noise

A bistable toggle switch is a paradigmatic model in the field of biology. The dynamics of the system induced by Gaussian noise has been intensively investigated, but Gaussian noise cannot incorporate large bursts typically occurring in real experiments. This paper aims to examine effects of variations from one protein imposed by a non-Gaussian Lévy noise, which is able to describe even large jumps, on the coherent switch and the on/off switch via the steady-state probability density, the joint steady-state probability density, and the mean first passage time. We find that a large burst of one protein due to the Lévy noises can induce coherent switches even with small noise intensities in contrast to the Gaussian case which requires large intensities for this. The influences of the stability index, skewness parameter and noise intensity on the on/off switch are analyzed, leading to an adjustment of the concentrations of both proteins and a decision which stable point to stay most. The mean first passage times show complex effects under Lévy noise, especially the stability index and skewness parameter. Our results also imply that the presence of non-Gaussian Lévy noises has fundamentally changed the escape mechanism in such a system compared with Gaussian noise

Uncovering Radiation Chemistry in the Solid State Through Periodic Density-Functional Calculations: Confrontation with Experimental Results and Beyond

Three questions are crucial to unravel the radiation chemistry of any solid-state molecular system: what is the structure of the radicals formed, how are they formed and why? Molecular modeling methods based on Density Functional Theory – in confrontation with experimental Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) results – can help in finding an answer to all three questions. In this contri-bution, one view on how to perform such computational research is presented, with emphasis on the application of a periodic approach to biomolecules such as amino acids and carbohydrates. General strategies are outlined and common pit-falls are indicated. Topics include: effect of level of theory, model space and tem-perature on calculated EPR properties, formation mechanisms of radiation-induced radicals, and reaction path simulations for radiochemical transformations. In three case studies, these principles are applied to several radiation-induced radi-cals of sucrose

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1, 2, 3, 4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47 ± 10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean ± standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160 petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears7, 8, 9, potentially negating the climate stabilization provided by thermokarst lakes during the late Holocene

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1–4. However, the same thermokarstlakes can also sequester carbon5 , and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost.We find that carbon accumulationin deep thermokarst-lake sediments since thelast deglaciationis about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead toimmediate radiative warming, carbon uptakein peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarstlake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47 6 10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean 6 standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulatedlake productivity and by slow decompositionin cold, anoxic lake bottoms.When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160 petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears7–9, potentially negating the climate stabilization provided by thermokarst lakes during the late Holocene