90 research outputs found
Efficient Multi-Word Compare and Swap
Atomic lock-free multi-word compare-and-swap (MCAS) is a powerful tool for designing concurrent algorithms. Yet, its widespread usage has been limited because lock-free implementations of MCAS make heavy use of expensive compare-and-swap (CAS) instructions. Existing MCAS implementations indeed use at least 2k+1 CASes per k-CAS. This leads to the natural desire to minimize the number of CASes required to implement MCAS.
We first prove in this paper that it is impossible to "pack" the information required to perform a k-word CAS (k-CAS) in less than k locations to be CASed. Then we present the first algorithm that requires k+1 CASes per call to k-CAS in the common uncontended case. We implement our algorithm and show that it outperforms a state-of-the-art baseline in a variety of benchmarks in most considered workloads. We also present a durably linearizable (persistent memory friendly) version of our MCAS algorithm using only 2 persistence fences per call, while still only requiring k+1 CASes per k-CAS
Accretion disks around Black Holes with Advection and Optical Depth Transition
We consider the effects of advection and radial gradients of pressure and
radial drift velocity on the structure of accretion disks around black holes
with proper description of optically thick/thin transitions. We concentrated
our efforts on the models with large accretion rate. Contrary to disk models
neglecting advection, we find that continuous solutions extending from the
outer disk regions to the inner edge exist for all accretion rates we have
considered. We show that the sonic point moves outward with increasing
accretion rate, and that in the innermost disk region advection acts as a
heating process that may even dominate over dissipative heating. Despite the
importance of advection on it's structure, the disk remains geometrically thin.
Global solutions of advective accretion disks, which describe continuously the
transition between optically thick outer region and optically thin inner region
are constructed and analyzed.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proceedings of the Gamov
Memorial International Conference, Odessa, Ukraine, August 8-14, 2004,
Cambridge Scientific Publication
On the Structure of Advective Accretion Disks At High Luminosity
Global solutions of optically thick advective accretion disks around black
holes are constructed. The solutions are obtained by solving numerically a set
of ordinary differential equations corresponding to a steady axisymmetric
geometrically thin disk. We pay special attention to consistently satisfy the
regularity conditions at singular points of the equations. For this reason we
analytically expand a solution at the singular point, and use coefficients of
the expansion in our iterative numerical procedure. We obtain consistent
transonic solutions in a wide range of values of the viscosity parameter alpha
and mass acretion rate. We compare two different form of viscosity: one takes
the shear stress to be proportional to the pressure, while the other uses the
angular velocity gradient-dependent stress.
We find that there are two singular points in solutions corresponding to the
pressure-proportional shear stress. The inner singular point locates close to
the last stable orbit around black hole. This point changes its type from a
saddle to node depending on values of alpha and accretion rate. The outer
singular point locates at larger radius and is always of a saddle-type. We
argue that, contrary to the previous investigations, a nodal-type inner
singular point does not introduce multiple solutions. Only one integral curve,
which corresponds to the unique global solution, passes simultaneously the
inner and outer singular points independently of the type of inner singular
point. Solutions with the angular velocity gradient-dependent shear stress have
one singular point which is always of a saddle-type and corresponds to the
unique global solution. The structure of accretion disks corresponding to both
viscosities are similar.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
Closed String Tachyons and Their Implications for Non-Supersymmetric Strings
Closed string tachyons have long been somewhat mysterious. We note that there
is often a regime in the classical moduli space in which one can systematically
compute the effective action for such fields. In this regime, the tachyon is
light, and cannot be integrated out. Instead, one must consider the combined
dynamics of gravitons, moduli, tachyons and other light fields. We compute the
action and find that the quartic term for the tachyon is positive in the field
definition where the tachyon has no derivative coupling to the radion. We study
the evolution of isotropic, homogeneous configurations and find that typically
the system is driven to regions where the calculation is no longer under
control.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, references adde
Hard X-ray emitting black hole fed by accretion of low angular momentum matter
Observed spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and luminous X-ray binaries
in our Galaxy suggest that both hot (~10^9 K) and cold (~10^6 K) plasma
components exist close to the central accreting black hole. Hard X-ray
component of the spectra is usually explained by Compton upscattering of
optical/UV photons from optically thick cold plasma by hot electrons.
Observations also indicate that some of these objects are quite efficient in
converting gravitational energy of accretion matter into radiation. Existing
theoretical models have difficulties in explaining the two plasma components
and high intensity of hard X-rays. Most of the models assume that the hot
component emerges from the cold one due to some kind of instability, but no one
offers a satisfactory physical explanation for this. Here we propose a solution
to these difficulties that reverses what was imagined previously: in our model
the hot component forms first and afterward it cools down to form the cold
component. In our model, accretion flow has initially a small angular momentum,
and thus it has a quasi-spherical geometry at large radii. Close to the black
hole, the accreting matter is heated up in shocks that form due to the action
of the centrifugal force. The hot post-shock matter is very efficiently cooled
down by Comptonization of low energy photons and condensates into a thin and
cold accretion disk. The thin disk emits the low energy photons which cool the
hot component.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, submitted to ApJ Let
Endocannabinoid basis of personality—Insights from animal model of social behavior
Rationale: The endocannabinoid system is known to be involved in learning, memory, emotional processing and regulation of personality patterns. Here we assessed the endocannabinoid profile in the brains of mice with strong characteristics of social dominance and submissiveness.Methods: A lipidomics approach was employed to assess the endocannabinoidome in the brains of Dominant (Dom) and Submissive (Sub) mice. The endocannabinoid showing the greatest difference in concentration in the brain between the groups, docosatetraenoyl ethanolamine (DEA), was synthesized, and its effects on the physiological and behavioral responses of Dom and Sub mice were evaluated. mRNA expression of the endocannabinoid receptors and enzymes involved in PUFA biosynthesis was assessed using qRT-PCR.Results: Targeted LC/MS analysis revealed that long-chain polyunsaturated ethanolamides including arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA), DEA, docosatrienoyl ethanolamide (DTEA), eicosatrienoyl ethanolamide (ETEA), eicosapentaenoyl ethanolamide (EPEA) and docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide (DHEA) were higher in the Sub compared with the Dom mice. Untargeted LC/MS analysis showed that the parent fatty acids, docosatetraenoic (DA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA), were higher in Sub vs. Dom. Gene expression analysis revealed increased mRNA expression of genes encoding the desaturase FADS2 and the elongase ELOVL5 in Sub mice compared with Dom mice. Acute DEA administration at the dose of 15 mg/kg produced antinociceptive and locomotion-inducing effects in Sub mice, but not in Dom mice. Subchronic treatment with DEA at the dose of 5 mg/kg augmented dominant behavior in wild-type ICR and Dom mice but not in Sub mice.Conclusion: This study suggests that the endocannabinoid system may play a role in the regulation of dominance and submissiveness, functional elements of social behavior and personality. While currently we have only scratched the surface, understanding the role of the endocannabinoid system in personality may help in revealing the mechanisms underlying the etiopathology of psychiatric disorders
Zebrafish GDNF and its co-receptor GFR alpha 1 activate the human RET receptor and promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons in vitro
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor ( GDNF) is a ligand that activates, through coreceptor GDNF family receptor alpha-1 (GFR alpha 1) and receptor tyrosine kinase "RET ", several signaling pathways crucial in the development and sustainment of multiple neuronal populations. We decided to study whether non-mammalian orthologs of these three proteins have conserved their function: can they activate the human counterparts? Using the baculovirus expression system, we expressed and purified Danio rerio RET, and its binding partners GFRa1 and GDNF, and Drosophila melanogaster RET and two isoforms of coreceptor GDNF receptor-like. Our results report high-level insect cell expression of posttranslationally modified and dimerized zebrafish RET and its binding partners. We also found that zebrafish GFRa1 and GDNF are comparably active as mammalian cell- produced ones. We also report the first measurements of the affinity of the complex to RET in solution: at least for zebrafish, the Kd for GFR alpha 1-GDNF binding RET is 5.9 mu M. Surprisingly, we also found that zebrafish GDNF as well as zebrafish GFRa1 robustly activated human RET signaling and promoted the survival of cultured mouse dopaminergic neurons with comparable efficiency to mammalian GDNF, unlike E. coli-produced human proteins. These results contradict previous studies suggesting that mammalian GFRa1 and GDNF cannot bind and activate non-mammalian RET and vice versa.Peer reviewe
Low Frequency Nonlinear Magnetic Response of an Unconventional Superconductor
We consider an unconventional superconductor in a low frequency harmonic
magnetic field. In the Meissner regime at low T a nonlinear magnetic response
arises from quasiparticle excitations near minima in the energy gap. Various
physical quantities then acquire higher harmonics of the frequency of the
applied field. We discuss how examination of the field and angular dependence
of these harmonics allows determination of the structure of the energy gap. We
show how to distinguish nodes from small finite minima ("quasinodes"). Gaps
with nodal lines give rise to universal power law field dependences for the
nonlinear magnetic moment and the nonlinear torque. They both have separable
temporal and angular dependences. In contrast, when there are quasinodes these
quantities have more complicated and nonseparable field, temporal, and angular
dependences. We illustrate this on the example of an s+id gap. We discuss how
to perform measurements so as to maximize the nonlinear signal and how to
investigate in detail the properties of the superconducting minima, thus
determining the gap function symmetry.Comment: To appear in Phys Rev B. Ten figures, 13 text page
In vitro fertilization as a method of infertility treatment in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Some patients with type 1 diabetes have anovulation, tubal occlusion, male factor and other causes of infertility which require IVF procedure. We examined 20 women with type 1 diabetes, in which pregnancy occurred as a result of ART, at the stage IVF protocol planning, during pregnancy course and delivery. One of the patients underwent IVF procedure twice. Mean age of the patients who applied to the Department of assisted reproductive technologies was 33±6 years, duration of infertility varied from 3 to 15 years. Two patients were performed donor oocytes transfer (patients with Turner Syndrome and Swyer Syndrome). In 70% of patients the method of CSII was used. Assessment of carbohydrate metabolism was based on the level of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), plasma glucose level measured at least 8 times a day and results of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). 18 singleton pregnancies and three multiple gestations (dichorionic diamniotic twins) occurred as a result of IVF. In 12 women delivery occurred on the 37–39th weeks of gestation, in 9 patients pregnancy was terminated on the 34–36th weeks. In all the cases it was live birth. Birth weight above the 90th percentile had 6 newborns
Variance of transmitted power in multichannel dissipative ergodic structures invariant under time reversal
We use random matrix theory (RMT) to study the first two moments of the wave
power transmitted in time reversal invariant systems having ergodic motion.
Dissipation is modeled by a number of loss channels of variable coupling
strength. To make a connection with ultrasonic experiments on ergodic
elastodynamic billiards, the channels injecting and collecting the waves are
assumed to be negligibly coupled to the medium, and to contribute essentially
no dissipation. Within the RMT model we calculate the quantities of interest
exactly, employing the supersymmetry technique. This approach is found to be
more accurate than another method based on simplifying naive assumptions for
the statistics of the eigenfrequencies and the eigenfunctions. The results of
the supersymmetric method are confirmed by Monte Carlo numerical simulation and
are used to reveal a possible source of the disagreement between the
predictions of the naive theory and ultrasonic measurements.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
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