1,614 research outputs found
Radial Distribution Function for Semiflexible Polymers Confined in Microchannels
An analytic expression is derived for the distribution of the
end-to-end distance of semiflexible polymers in external potentials
to elucidate the effect of confinement on the mechanical and statistical
properties of biomolecules. For parabolic confinement the result is exact
whereas for realistic potentials a self-consistent ansatz is developed, so that
is given explicitly even for hard wall confinement. The
theoretical result is in excellent quantitative agreement with fluorescence
microscopy data for actin filaments confined in rectangularly shaped
microchannels. This allows an unambiguous determination of persistence length
and the dependence of statistical properties such as Odijk's deflection
length on the channel width . It is shown that neglecting the
effect of confinement leads to a significant overestimation of bending
rigidities for filaments
One dimensional Si-in-Si(001) template for single-atom wire growth
Single atom metallic wires of arbitrary length are of immense technological
and scientific interest. We describe a novel silicon-only template enabling the
self-organised growth of isolated micrometer long surface and subsurface
single-atom chains. It consists of a one dimensional, defect-free
reconstruction - the Haiku core, here revealed for the first time in details -
self-assembled on hydrogenated Si(001) terraces, independent of any step edges.
We discuss the potential of this Si-in-Si template as an appealing alternative
to vicinal surfaces for nanoscale patterning.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
Dynamical constraints on some orbital and physical properties of the WD0137-349 A/B binary system
In this paper I deal with the WD0137-349 binary system consisting of a white
dwarf (WD) and a brown dwarf (BD) in a close circular orbit of about 116 min.
I, first, constrain the admissible range of values for the inclination i by
noting that, from looking for deviations from the third Kepler law, the
quadrupole mass moment Q would assume unlikely large values, incompatible with
zero at more than 1-sigma level for i 43 deg. Then, by
conservatively assuming that the most likely values for i are those that
prevent such an anomalous behavior of Q, i.e. those for which the third Kepler
law is an adequate modeling of the orbital period, I obtain i=39 +/- 2 deg.
Such a result is incompatible with the value i=35 deg quoted in literature by
more than 2 sigma. Conversely, it is shown that the white dwarf's mass range
obtained from spectroscopic measurements is compatible with my experimental
range, but not for i=35 deg. As a consequence, my estimate of yields an
orbital separation of a=(0.59 +/- 0.05)R_Sun and an equilibrium temperature of
BD of T_eq=(2087 +/- 154)K which differ by 10% and 4%, respectively, from the
corresponding values for i=35 deg.Comment: LaTex2e, 11 pages, 3 figures, no tables. It refers to gr-qc/0611126
and better clarify the result obtained there. Accepted by Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Measurement of the -asymmetry parameter of Cu in search for tensor type currents in the weak interaction
Precision measurements at low energy search for physics beyond the Standard
Model in a way complementary to searches for new particles at colliders. In the
weak sector the most general decay Hamiltonian contains, besides vector
and axial-vector terms, also scalar, tensor and pseudoscalar terms. Current
limits on the scalar and tensor coupling constants from neutron and nuclear
decay are on the level of several percent.
The goal of this paper is extracting new information on tensor coupling
constants by measuring the -asymmetry parameter in the pure Gamow-Teller
decay of Cu, thereby testing the V-A structure of the weak interaction.
An iron sample foil into which the radioactive nuclei were implanted was cooled
down to milliKelvin temperatures in a He-He dilution refrigerator. An
external magnetic field of 0.1 T, in combination with the internal hyperfine
magnetic field, oriented the nuclei. The anisotropic radiation was
observed with planar high purity germanium detectors operating at a temperature
of about 10\,K. An on-line measurement of the asymmetry of Cu
was performed as well for normalization purposes. Systematic effects were
investigated using Geant4 simulations.
The experimental value, = 0.587(14), is in agreement with the
Standard Model value of 0.5991(2) and is interpreted in terms of physics beyond
the Standard Model. The limits obtained on possible tensor type charged
currents in the weak interaction hamiltonian are -0.045
0.159 (90\% C.L.). The obtained limits are comparable to limits from other
correlation measurements in nuclear decay and contribute to further
constraining tensor coupling constants
Confirmation of Parity Violation in the Gamma Decay of
This paper reports measurements using the technique of On Line Nuclear
Orientation (OLNO) which reexamine the gamma decay of isomeric Hf and specifically the 501 keV 8 -- 6
transition. The irregular admixture of E2 to M2/E3 multipolarity in this
transition, deduced from the forward-backward asymmetry of its angular
distribution, has for decades stood as the prime evidence for parity mixing in
nuclear states. The experiment, based on ion implantation of the newly
developed mass-separated Hf beam at ISOLDE, CERN into an
iron foil maintained at millikelvin temperatures, produces higher degrees of
polarization than were achieved in previous studies of this system. The value
found for the E2/M2 mixing ratio, = -0.0324(16)(17), is in close
agreement with the previous published average value = - 0.030(2), in
full confirmation of the presence of the irregular E2 admixture in the 501 keV
transition. The temperature dependence of the forward-backward asymmetry has
been measured over a more extended range of nuclear polarization than
previously possible, giving further evidence for parity mixing of the 8 and 8 levels and the deduced E2/M2 mixing ratio.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Mise au point d'un nouveau modèle de comportement élasto-viscoplastique. Application au dimensionnement à la fatigue d'un collecteur d'échappement de moteur Diesel en fonte
National audienceFatigue design of structures for high temperature service resorts to modelling based on elasto-viscoplasticity constitutive laws. The new model describes complex anisothermal cyclic loadings, accounting for viscosity on a large range of strain. The new constitutive law that has been developed for nodular cast iron, is intended for the design of automotive parts for high temperature service
Détermination d'une nouvelle loi de comportement élasto-viscoplastique pour une fonte à graphite sphéroidal. Application au dimensionnement à la fatigue oligocyclique d'un collecteur d'échappement de moteur diesel automobile
National audienceLe travail présenté ici porte sur le développement d'une nouvelle loi de comportement mécanique élastoviscoplastique. Cette dernière est développée dans le but de dimensionner à la fatigue thermomécanique des structures de l'industrie automobile travaillant à hautes températures en décrivant au mieux la viscosité sur une large gamme de sollicitation. Ce nouveau modèle a été implémenté dans le code Abaqus en se basant sur l'algorithme du retour radial. Des simulations thermomécaniques ont été ensuite réalisées sur des collecteurs d'échappement et ont permis de prédire la tenue dimensionnelle ainsi que les zones à risque du point de vue fissuration
CLIP and complementary methods
RNA molecules start assembling into ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes during transcription. Dynamic RNP assembly, largely directed by cis-acting elements on the RNA, coordinates all processes in which the RNA is involved. To identify the sites bound by a specific RNA-binding protein on endogenous RNAs, cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) and complementary, proximity-based methods have been developed. In this Primer, we discuss the main variants of these protein-centric methods and the strategies for their optimization and quality assessment, as well as RNA-centric methods that identify the protein partners of a specific RNA. We summarize the main challenges of computational CLIP data analysis, how to handle various sources of background and how to identify functionally relevant binding regions. We outline the various applications of CLIP and available databases for data sharing. We discuss the prospect of integrating data obtained by CLIP with complementary methods to gain a comprehensive view of RNP assembly and remodelling, unravel the spatial and temporal dynamics of RNPs in specific cell types and subcellular compartments and understand how defects in RNPs can lead to disease. Finally, we present open questions in the field and give directions for further development and applications
- …