632 research outputs found
Generalized model for dynamic percolation
We study the dynamics of a carrier, which performs a biased motion under the
influence of an external field E, in an environment which is modeled by dynamic
percolation and created by hard-core particles. The particles move randomly on
a simple cubic lattice, constrained by hard-core exclusion, and they
spontaneously annihilate and re-appear at some prescribed rates. Using
decoupling of the third-order correlation functions into the product of the
pairwise carrier-particle correlations we determine the density profiles of the
"environment" particles, as seen from the stationary moving carrier, and
calculate its terminal velocity, V_c, as the function of the applied field and
other system parameters. We find that for sufficiently small driving forces the
force exerted on the carrier by the "environment" particles shows a
viscous-like behavior. An analog Stokes formula for such dynamic percolative
environments and the corresponding friction coefficient are derived. We show
that the density profile of the environment particles is strongly
inhomogeneous: In front of the stationary moving carrier the density is higher
than the average density, , and approaches the average value as an
exponential function of the distance from the carrier. Past the carrier the
local density is lower than and the relaxation towards may
proceed differently depending on whether the particles number is or is not
explicitly conserved.Comment: Latex, 32 pages, 4 ps-figures, submitted to PR
International trade and domestic competition: Evidence from Belgium
We investigate the effect of domestic market competition on firm-level export intensity. We employ a comprehensive dataset of Belgian firms from 2005–2008, when the fall in the number of firms engaged in trade was accompanied by a growing amount of transactions. The resulting increase in the domestic concentration of Belgian firms has sparked numerous debates, since the direction of causality between domestic market structure and export performance is unclear. We apply the fractional logit estimator and control for both self-selection and simultaneity bias. We find that a positive linkage exists between the level of competition and export intensity
A global perspective on marine photosynthetic picoeukaryote community structure
A central goal in ecology is to understand the factors affecting the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of microorganisms and the underlying processes causing differences in community structure and composition. However, little is known in this respect for photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs), algae that are now recognised as major players in marine CO2 fixation. Here, we analysed dot blot hybridisation and cloning–sequencing data, using the plastid-encoded 16S rRNA gene, from seven research cruises that encompassed all four ocean biomes. We provide insights into global abundance, α- and β-diversity distribution and the environmental factors shaping PPE community structure and composition. At the class level, the most commonly encountered PPEs were Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae. These taxa displayed complementary distribution patterns, with peak abundances of Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae in waters of high (25:1) or low (12:1) nitrogen:phosphorus (N:P) ratio, respectively. Significant differences in phylogenetic composition of PPEs were demonstrated for higher taxonomic levels between ocean basins, using Unifrac analyses of clone library sequence data. Differences in composition were generally greater between basins (interbasins) than within a basin (intrabasin). These differences were primarily linked to taxonomic variation in the composition of Prymnesiophyceae and Prasinophyceae whereas Chrysophyceae were phylogenetically similar in all libraries. These data provide better knowledge of PPE community structure across the world ocean and are crucial in assessing their evolution and contribution to CO2 fixation, especially in the context of global climate change
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