403 research outputs found
Interference of stochastic resonances: Splitting of Kramers' rate
We consider the escape of particles located in the middle well of a symmetric
triple well potential driven sinusoidally by two forces such that the potential
wells roll as in stochastic resonance and the height of the potential barrier
oscillates symmetrically about a mean as in resonant activation. It has been
shown that depending on their phase difference the application of these two
synchronized signals may lead to a splitting of time averaged Kramers' escape
rate and a preferential product distribution in a parallel chemical reaction in
the steady state
ON THE LAPLACIAN SPECTRA OF PRODUCT GRAPHS
Graph products and their structural properties have been studied extensively by many researchers. We investigate the Laplacian eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the product graphs for the four standard products, namely, the Cartesian product, the direct product, the strong product and the lexicographic product. A complete characterization of Laplacian spectrum of the Cartesian product of two graphs has been done by Merris. We give an explicit complete characterization of the Laplacian spectrum of the lexicographic product of two graphs using the Laplacian spectra of the factors. For the other two products, we describe the complete spectrum of the product graphs in some particular cases. We supply some new results relating to the algebraic connectivity of the product graphs. We describe the characteristic sets for the Cartesian product and for the lexicographic product of two graphs. As an application we construct new classes of Laplacian integral graphs
Graphene-edge dielectrophoretic tweezers for trapping of biomolecules
The many unique properties of graphene, such as the tunable optical, electrical, and plasmonic response make it ideally suited for applications such as biosensing. As with other surface-based biosensors, however, the performance is limited by the diffusive transport of target molecules to the surface. Here we show that atomically sharp edges of monolayer graphene can generate singular electrical field gradients for trapping biomolecules via dielectrophoresis. Graphene-edge dielectrophoresis pushes the physical limit of gradient-force-based trapping by creating atomically sharp tweezers. We have fabricated locally backgated devices with an 8-nm-thick HfO2 dielectric layer and chemical-vapor-deposited graphene to generate 10× higher gradient forces as compared to metal electrodes. We further demonstrate near-100% position-controlled particle trapping at voltages as low as 0.45 V with nanodiamonds, nanobeads, and DNA from bulk solution within seconds. This trapping scheme can be seamlessly integrated with sensors utilizing graphene as well as other two-dimensional materials
Quantum state-dependent diffusion and multiplicative noise: a microscopic approach
The state-dependent diffusion, which concerns the Brownian motion of a
particle in inhomogeneous media has been described phenomenologically in a
number of ways. Based on a system-reservoir nonlinear coupling model we present
a microscopic approach to quantum state-dependent diffusion and multiplicative
noise in terms of a quantum Markovian Langevin description and an associated
Fokker-Planck equation in position space in the overdamped limit. We examine
the thermodynamic consistency and explore the possibility of observing a
quantum current, a generic quantum effect, as a consequence of this
state-dependent diffusion similar to one proposed by B\"{u}ttiker [Z. Phys. B
{\bf 68}, 161 (1987)] in a classical context several years ago.Comment: To be published in Journal of Statistical Physics 28 pages, 3 figure
Extended van Royen-Weisskopf formalism for lepton-antilepton meson decay widths within non-relativistic quark models
The classical van Royen-Weisskopf formula for the decay width of a meson into
a lepton-antilepton pair is modified in order to include non-zero quark
momentum contributions within the meson as well as relativistic effects.
Besides, a phenomenological electromagnetic density for quarks is introduced.
The meson wave functions are obtained from two different models: a chiral
constituent quark model and a quark potential model including instanton
effects. The modified van Royen-Weisskopf formula is found to improve
systematically the results for the widths, giving an overall good description
of all known decays.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, RevTex, epsfig. To be published in Nucl. Phys.
Necessary Conditions for the Solutions of Second Order Non-linear Neutral Delay Difference Equations to Be Oscillatory or Tend to Zero
We find necessary conditions for every solution of the neutral delay difference equation Δ(rnΔ(yn−pnyn−m))+qnG(yn−k)=fn to oscillate or to tend to zero as n→∞, where Δ is the forward difference operator Δxn=xn+1−xn, and pn, qn, rn are sequences of real numbers with qn≥0, rn>0. Different ranges of {pn}, including pn=±1, are considered in this paper.
We do not assume that G is Lipschitzian nor nondecreasing
with xG(x)>0 for x≠0. In this way, the results of this paper improve, generalize, and extend recent results. Also, we provide illustrative examples for our results
Fishers in Post-harvest Fisheries Sector in India : An Assessment of Socio-economic Status
This paper presents the results of study carried out
during 2009-11, to assess literacy, health and income
status of fishers in India with reference to postharvest
sector which covered fishers in marketing
and processing. The study covered five states and
one union territory, covering 11 districts reaching
548 households. About 52.19% of the respondents
fell in the age group of 36-55. The average male- female ratio was 1.03 and 66.61% of the families
were in the small family category of 2-4 members.
It was observed that the literacy rates among fishers
in post-harvest sector in different states ranged from
63.74 to 95.81%. In general, the literacy rates were
comparable to the national average. Maternal and
child mortality were low in the sample studied and
the average birth weight of infants was 2.68 kg. The
average monthly income was Rs. 7027.45 with a
daily income of Rs. 234.25. About 44.70% of the
households had no savings and 47.81% of households
were in debt
Probing liquid surface waves, liquid properties and liquid films with light diffraction
Surface waves on liquids act as a dynamical phase grating for incident light.
In this article, we revisit the classical method of probing such waves
(wavelengths of the order of mm) as well as inherent properties of liquids and
liquid films on liquids, using optical diffraction. A combination of simulation
and experiment is proposed to trace out the surface wave profiles in various
situations (\emph{eg.} for one or more vertical, slightly immersed,
electrically driven exciters). Subsequently, the surface tension and the
spatial damping coefficient (related to viscosity) of a variety of liquids are
measured carefully in order to gauge the efficiency of measuring liquid
properties using this optical probe. The final set of results deal with liquid
films where dispersion relations, surface and interface modes, interfacial
tension and related issues are investigated in some detail, both theoretically
and experimentally. On the whole, our observations and analyses seem to support
the claim that this simple, low--cost apparatus is capable of providing a
wealth of information on liquids and liquid surface waves in a non--destructive
way.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, to appear in Measurement Science and Technology
(IOP
An African-specific haplotype in MRGPRX4 is associated with menthol cigarette smoking
In the U.S., more than 80% of African-American smokers use mentholated cigarettes, compared to less than 30% of Caucasian smokers. The reasons for these differences are not well understood. To determine if genetic variation contributes to mentholated cigarette smoking, we performed an exome-wide association analysis in a multiethnic population-based sample from Dallas, TX (N = 561). Findings were replicated in an independent cohort of African Americans from Washington, DC (N = 741). We identified a haplotype of MRGPRX4 (composed of rs7102322[G], encoding N245S, and rs61733596[G], T43T), that was associated with a 5-to-8 fold increase in the odds of menthol cigarette smoking. The variants are present solely in persons of African ancestry. Functional studies indicated that the variant G protein-coupled receptor encoded by MRGPRX4 displays reduced agonism in both arrestin-based and G protein-based assays, and alteration of agonism by menthol. These data indicate that genetic variation in MRGPRX4 contributes to inter-individual and inter-ethnic differences in the preference for mentholated cigarettes, and that the existence of genetic factors predisposing vulnerable populations to mentholated cigarette smoking can inform tobacco control and public health policies
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