5,579 research outputs found
Multiscale analysis of re-entrant production lines: An equation-free approach
The computer-assisted modeling of re-entrant production lines, and, in
particular, simulation scalability, is attracting a lot of attention due to the
importance of such lines in semiconductor manufacturing. Re-entrant flows lead
to competition for processing capacity among the items produced, which
significantly impacts their throughput time (TPT). Such production models
naturally exhibit two time scales: a short one, characteristic of single items
processed through individual machines, and a longer one, characteristic of the
response time of the entire factory. Coarse-grained partial differential
equations for the spatio-temporal evolution of a "phase density" were obtained
through a kinetic theory approach in Armbruster et al. [2]. We take advantage
of the time scale separation to directly solve such coarse-grained equations,
even when we cannot derive them explicitly, through an equation-free
computational approach. Short bursts of appropriately initialized stochastic
fine-scale simulation are used to perform coarse projective integration on the
phase density. The key step in this process is lifting: the construction of
fine-scale, discrete realizations consistent with a given coarse-grained phase
density field. We achieve this through computational evaluation of conditional
distributions of a "phase velocity" at the limit of large item influxes.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figure
Chaos in cosmological Hamiltonians
This paper summarises a numerical investigation which aimed to identify and
characterise regular and chaotic behaviour in time-dependent Hamiltonians
H(r,p,t) = p^2/2 + U(r,t), with U=R(t)V(r) or U=V[R(t)r], where V(r) is a
polynomial in x, y, and/or z, and R = const * t^p is a time-dependent scale
factor. When p is not too negative, one can distinguish between regular and
chaotic behaviour by determining whether an orbit segment exhibits a sensitive
dependence on initial conditions. However, chaotic segments in these potentials
differ from chaotic segments in time-independent potentials in that a small
initial perturbation will usually exhibit a sub- or super-exponential growth in
time. Although not periodic, regular segments typically exhibit simpler shapes,
topologies, and Fourier spectra than do chaotic segments. This distinction
between regular and chaotic behaviour is not absolute since a single orbit
segment can seemingly change from regular to chaotic and visa versa. All these
observed phenomena can be understood in terms of a simple theoretical model.Comment: 16 pages LaTeX, including 5 figures, no macros require
Sec24-Dependent Secretion Drives Cell-Autonomous Expansion of Tracheal Tubes in Drosophila
Epithelial tubes in developing organs, such as mammalian lungs and insect tracheae, need to expand their initially narrow lumina to attain their final, functional dimensions [1]. Despite its critical role for organ function, the cellular mechanism of tube expansion remains unclear. Tracheal tube expansion in Drosophila involves apical secretion and deposition of a luminal matrix [2,3,4,5], but the mechanistic role of secretion and the nature of forces involved in the process were not previously clear. Here we address the roles of cell-intrinsic and extrinsic processes in tracheal tube expansion. We identify mutations in the sec24 gene stenosis, encoding a cargo-binding subunit of the COPII complex [6,7,8]. Via genetic-mosaic analyses, we show that stenosis-dependent secretion drives tube expansion in a cell-autonomous fashion. Strikingly, single cells autonomously adjust both tube diameter and length by implementing a sequence of events including apical membrane growth, cell flattening, and taenidial cuticle formation. Known luminal components are not required for this process. Thus, a cell-intrinsic program, rather than nonautonomous extrinsic cues, controls the dimensions of tracheal tubes. These results indicate a critical role of membrane-associated proteins in the process and imply a mechanism that coordinates autonomous behaviors of individual cells within epithelial structures
Phase Space Transport in Noisy Hamiltonian Systems
This paper analyses the effect of low amplitude friction and noise in
accelerating phase space transport in time-independent Hamiltonian systems that
exhibit global stochasticity. Numerical experiments reveal that even very weak
non-Hamiltonian perturbations can dramatically increase the rate at which an
ensemble of orbits penetrates obstructions like cantori or Arnold webs, thus
accelerating the approach towards an invariant measure, i.e., a
near-microcanonical population of the accessible phase space region. An
investigation of first passage times through cantori leads to three
conclusions, namely: (i) that, at least for white noise, the detailed form of
the perturbation is unimportant, (ii) that the presence or absence of friction
is largely irrelevant, and (iii) that, overall, the amplitude of the response
to weak noise scales logarithmically in the amplitude of the noise.Comment: 13 pages, 3 Postscript figures, latex, no macors. Annals of the New
York Academy of Sciences, in pres
Broken symmetries and pattern formation in two-frequency forced Faraday waves
We exploit the presence of approximate (broken) symmetries to obtain general
scaling laws governing the process of pattern formation in weakly damped
Faraday waves. Specifically, we consider a two-frequency forcing function and
trace the effects of time translation, time reversal and Hamiltonian structure
for three illustrative examples: hexagons, two-mode superlattices, and two-mode
rhomboids. By means of explicit parameter symmetries, we show how the size of
various three-wave resonant interactions depends on the frequency ratio m:n and
on the relative temporal phase of the two driving terms. These symmetry-based
predictions are verified for numerically calculated coefficients, and help
explain the results of recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
State of the science on controversial topics: missing maxillary lateral incisors--a report of the Angle Society of Europe 2012 meeting.
BACKGROUND: The optimal long-term management of the congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisor continues to cause controversy within the specialty. The Angle Society of Europe meeting 2012 dedicated a day to address some of the current controversies relating to the management of these missing lateral incisors. FINDINGS: The format of the day consisted of morning presentations and afternoon breakout sessions to discuss a variety of questions related to the management of missing lateral incisors. CONCLUSIONS: The consensus viewpoint from this day was that the care of patients with congenitally missing lateral incisors is best achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach. The current evidence base is weak, and further well-designed, prospective trials are needed
Non-equilibrium dynamics and floral trait interactions shape extant angiosperm diversity.
Why are some traits and trait combinations exceptionally common across the tree of life, whereas others are vanishingly rare? The distribution of trait diversity across a clade at any time depends on the ancestral state of the clade, the rate at which new phenotypes evolve, the differences in speciation and extinction rates across lineages, and whether an equilibrium has been reached. Here we examine the role of transition rates, differential diversification (speciation minus extinction) and non-equilibrium dynamics on the evolutionary history of angiosperms, a clade well known for the abundance of some trait combinations and the rarity of others. Our analysis reveals that three character states (corolla present, bilateral symmetry, reduced stamen number) act synergistically as a key innovation, doubling diversification rates for lineages in which this combination occurs. However, this combination is currently less common than predicted at equilibrium because the individual characters evolve infrequently. Simulations suggest that angiosperms will remain far from the equilibrium frequencies of character states well into the future. Such non-equilibrium dynamics may be common when major innovations evolve rarely, allowing lineages with ancestral forms to persist, and even outnumber those with diversification-enhancing states, for tens of millions of years
Search for long lived heaviest nuclei beyond the valley of stability
The existence of long lived superheavy nuclei (SHN) is controlled mainly by
spontaneous fission and -decay processes. According to microscopic
nuclear theory, spherical shell effects at Z=114, 120, 126 and N=184 provide
the extra stability to such SHN to have long enough lifetime to be observed. To
investigate whether the so-called "stability island" could really exist around
the above Z, N values, the -decay half lives along with the spontaneous
fission and -decay half lives of such nuclei are studied. The
-decay half lives of SHN with Z=102-120 are calculated in a quantum
tunneling model with DDM3Y effective nuclear interaction using
values from three different mass formulae prescribed by Koura, Uno, Tachibana,
Yamada (KUTY), Myers, Swiatecki (MS) and Muntian, Hofmann, Patyk, Sobiczewski
(MMM). Calculation of spontaneous fission (SF) half lives for the same SHN are
carried out using a phenomenological formula and compared with SF half lives
predicted by Smolanczuk {\it et al}. Possible source of discrepancy between the
calculated -decay half lives of some nuclei and the experimental data
of GSI, JINR-FLNR, RIKEN are discussed. In the region of Z=106-108 with N
160-164, the -stable SHN is predicted to have
highest -decay half life () using
value from MMM. Interestingly, it is much greater than the recently measured
() of deformed doubly magic
nucleus. A few fission-survived long-lived SHN which are either -stable
or having large -decay half lives are predicted to exist near
, , and .
These nuclei might decay predominantly through -particle emission.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
Modeling Supply Networks and Business Cycles as Unstable Transport Phenomena
Physical concepts developed to describe instabilities in traffic flows can be
generalized in a way that allows one to understand the well-known instability
of supply chains (the so-called ``bullwhip effect''). That is, small variations
in the consumption rate can cause large variations in the production rate of
companies generating the requested product. Interestingly, the resulting
oscillations have characteristic frequencies which are considerably lower than
the variations in the consumption rate. This suggests that instabilities of
supply chains may be the reason for the existence of business cycles. At the
same time, we establish some link to queuing theory and between micro- and
macroeconomics.Comment: For related work see http://www.helbing.or
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