459 research outputs found
Onsager-Machlup theory and work fluctuation theorem for a harmonically driven Brownian particle
We extend Tooru-Cohen analysis for nonequilirium steady state(NSS) of a
Brownian particle to nonequilibrium oscillatory state (NOS) of Brownian
particle by considering time dependent external drive protocol. We consider an
unbounded charged Brownian particle in the presence of an oscillating electric
field and prove work fluctuation theorem, which is valid for any initial
distribution and at all times. For harmonically bounded and constantly dragged
Brownian particle considered by Tooru and Cohen, work fluctuation theorem is
valid for any initial condition(also NSS), but only in large time limit. We use
Onsager-Machlup Lagrangian with a constraint to obtain frequency dependent work
distribution function, and describe entropy production rate and properties of
dissipation functions for the present system using Onsager-Machlup functional.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur
Effective pair potentials for spherical nanoparticles
An effective description for spherical nanoparticles in a fluid of point
particles is presented. The points inside the nanoparticles and the point
particles are assumed to interact via spherically symmetric additive pair
potentials, while the distribution of points inside the nanoparticles is taken
to be spherically symmetric and smooth. The resulting effective pair
interactions between a nanoparticle and a point particle, as well as between
two nanoparticles, are then given by spherically symmetric potentials. If
overlap between particles is allowed, the effective potential generally has
non-analytic points, but for each effective potential the expressions for
different overlapping cases can be written in terms of one analytic auxiliary
potential. Effective potentials for hollow nanoparticles (appropriate e.g. for
buckyballs) are also considered, and shown to be related to those for solid
nanoparticles. Finally, explicit expressions are given for the effective
potentials derived from basic pair potentials of power law and exponential
form, as well as from the commonly used London-Van der Waals, Morse,
Buckingham, and Lennard-Jones potential. The applicability of the latter is
demonstrated by comparison with an atomic description of nanoparticles with an
internal face centered cubic structure.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures. Unified description of overlapping and
nonoverlapping particles added, as well as a comparison with an idealized
atomic descriptio
Crucial role of sidewalls in velocity distributions in quasi-2D granular gases
Our experiments and three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of
particles confined to a vertical monolayer by closely spaced frictional walls
(sidewalls) yield velocity distributions with non-Gaussian tails and a peak
near zero velocity. Simulations with frictionless sidewalls are not peaked.
Thus interactions between particles and their container are an important
determinant of the shape of the distribution and should be considered when
evaluating experiments on a tightly constrained monolayer of particles.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Added reference, model explanation charified,
other minor change
An Extension of the Fluctuation Theorem
Heat fluctuations are studied in a dissipative system with both mechanical
and stochastic components for a simple model: a Brownian particle dragged
through water by a moving potential. An extended stationary state fluctuation
theorem is derived. For infinite time, this reduces to the conventional
fluctuation theorem only for small fluctuations; for large fluctuations, it
gives a much larger ratio of the probabilities of the particle to absorb rather
than supply heat. This persists for finite times and should be observable in
experiments similar to a recent one of Wang et al.Comment: 12 pages, 1 eps figure in color (though intelligible in black and
white
Extended Heat-Fluctuation Theorems for a System with Deterministic and Stochastic Forces
Heat fluctuations over a time \tau in a non-equilibrium stationary state and
in a transient state are studied for a simple system with deterministic and
stochastic components: a Brownian particle dragged through a fluid by a
harmonic potential which is moved with constant velocity. Using a Langevin
equation, we find the exact Fourier transform of the distribution of these
fluctuations for all \tau. By a saddle-point method we obtain analytical
results for the inverse Fourier transform, which, for not too small \tau, agree
very well with numerical results from a sampling method as well as from the
fast Fourier transform algorithm. Due to the interaction of the deterministic
part of the motion of the particle in the mechanical potential with the
stochastic part of the motion caused by the fluid, the conventional heat
fluctuation theorem is, for infinite and for finite \tau, replaced by an
extended fluctuation theorem that differs noticeably and measurably from it. In
particular, for large fluctuations, the ratio of the probability for absorption
of heat (by the particle from the fluid) to the probability to supply heat (by
the particle to the fluid) is much larger here than in the conventional
fluctuation theorem.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures. Figures are now in color, Eq. (67) was corrected
and a footnote was added on the d-dimensional cas
Fronts with a Growth Cutoff but Speed Higher than
Fronts, propagating into an unstable state , whose asymptotic speed
is equal to the linear spreading speed of infinitesimal
perturbations about that state (so-called pulled fronts) are very sensitive to
changes in the growth rate for . It was recently found
that with a small cutoff, for ,
converges to very slowly from below, as . Here we show
that with such a cutoff {\em and} a small enhancement of the growth rate for
small behind it, one can have , {\em even} in the
limit . The effect is confirmed in a stochastic lattice model
simulation where the growth rules for a few particles per site are accordingly
modified.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Rapid Comm., Phys. Rev.
The association between fast-food outlet proximity and density and Body Mass Index:Findings from 147,027 Lifelines cohort study participants
Unhealthy food environments may contribute to an elevated Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a chronic disease risk factor. We examined the association between residential fast-food outlet exposure, in terms of proximity and density, and BMI in the Dutch adult general population. Additionally, we investigated to what extent this association was modified by urbanisation level. In this cross-sectional study, we linked residential addresses of baseline adult Lifelines cohort participants (N = 147,027) to fast-food outlet locations using geo-coding. We computed residential fast-food outlet proximity, and density within 500 m(m), 1, 3, and 5 km(km). We used stratified (urban versus rural areas) multilevel linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex, partner status, education, employment, neighbourhood deprivation, and address density. The mean BMI of participants was 26.1 (SD 4.3) kg/m2. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 44.9 (13.0), 57.3% was female, and 67.0% lived in a rural area. Having two or more (urban areas) or five or more (rural areas) fast-food outlets within 1 km was associated with a higher BMI (B = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.03,0.62; B = 0.23, 95% CI:0.10,0.36, respectively). Participants in urban and rural areas with a fast-food outlet within <250 m had a higher BMI (B = 0.30, 95% CI:0.03,0.57; B = 0.20, 95% CI:0.09,0.31, respectively). In rural areas, participants also had a higher BMI when having at least one fast-food outlet within 500 m (B = 0.10, 95% CI:0.02,0.18). In conclusion, fast-food outlet exposure within 1 km from the residential address was associated with BMI in urban and rural areas. Also, fast-food outlet exposure within 500 m was associated with BMI in rural areas, but not in urban areas. In the future, natural experiments should investigate changes in the fast-food environment over time
The association between the presence of fast-food outlets and BMI:the role of neighbourhood socio-economic status, healthy food outlets, and dietary factors
BACKGROUND: Evidence on the association between the presence of fast-food outlets and Body Mass Index (BMI) is inconsistent. Furthermore, mechanisms underlying the fast-food outlet presence-BMI association are understudied. We investigated the association between the number of fast-food outlets being present and objectively measured BMI. Moreover, we investigated to what extent this association was moderated by neighbourhood socio-economic status (NSES) and healthy food outlets. Additionally, we investigated mediation by frequency of fast-food consumption and amount of fat intake. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we used baseline data of adults in Lifelines (N = 149,617). Geo-coded residential addresses were linked to fast-food and healthy food outlet locations. We computed the number of fast-food and healthy food outlets within 1 kilometre (km) of participants' residential addresses (each categorised into null, one, or at least two). Participants underwent objective BMI measurements. We linked data to Statistics Netherlands to compute NSES. Frequency of fast-food consumption and amount of fat intake were measured through questionnaires in Lifelines. Multivariable multilevel linear regression analyses were performed to investigate associations between fast-food outlet presence and BMI, adjusting for individual and environmental potential confounders. When exposure-moderator interactions had p-value < 0.10 or improved model fit (∆AIC ≥ 2), we conducted stratified analyses. We used causal mediation methods to assess mediation. RESULTS: Participants with one fast-food outlet within 1 km had a higher BMI than participants with no fast-food outlet within 1 km (B = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.21). Effect sizes for at least two fast-food outlets were larger in low NSES areas (B = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.57), and especially in low NSES areas where at least two healthy food outlets within 1 km were available (B = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.19, 1.31). Amount of fat intake, but not frequency of fast-food consumption, explained this association for 3.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Participants living in low SES neighbourhoods with at least two fast-food outlets within 1 km of their residential address had a higher BMI than their peers with no fast-food outlets within 1 km. Among these participants, healthy food outlets did not buffer the potentially unhealthy impact of fast-food outlets. Amount of fat intake partly explained this association. This study highlights neighbourhood socio-economic inequalities regarding fast-food outlets and BMI
Onsager-Machlup theory for nonequilibrium steady states and fluctuation theorems
A generalization of the Onsager-Machlup theory from equilibrium to
nonequilibrium steady states and its connection with recent fluctuation
theorems are discussed for a dragged particle restricted by a harmonic
potential in a heat reservoir. Using a functional integral approach, the
probability functional for a path is expressed in terms of a Lagrangian
function from which an entropy production rate and dissipation functions are
introduced, and nonequilibrium thermodynamic relations like the energy
conservation law and the second law of thermodynamics are derived. Using this
Lagrangian function we establish two nonequilibrium detailed balance relations,
which not only lead to a fluctuation theorem for work but also to one related
to energy loss by friction. In addition, we carried out the functional
integrals for heat explicitly, leading to the extended fluctuation theorem for
heat. We also present a simple argument for this extended fluctuation theorem
in the long time limit.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figure
The Weakly Pushed Nature of "Pulled" Fronts with a Cutoff
The concept of pulled fronts with a cutoff has been introduced to
model the effects of discrete nature of the constituent particles on the
asymptotic front speed in models with continuum variables (Pulled fronts are
the fronts which propagate into an unstable state, and have an asymptotic front
speed equal to the linear spreading speed of small linear perturbations
around the unstable state). In this paper, we demonstrate that the introduction
of a cutoff actually makes such pulled fronts weakly pushed. For the nonlinear
diffusion equation with a cutoff, we show that the longest relaxation times
that govern the convergence to the asymptotic front speed and profile,
are given by , for
.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Brief Reports, Phys. Rev.
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