159 research outputs found
Gamma-burst emission from neutron-star accretion
A model for emission of the hard photons of gamma bursts is presented. The model assumes accretion at nearly the Eddington limited rate onto a neutron star without a magnetic field. Initially soft photons are heated as they are compressed between the accreting matter and the star. A large electric field due to relatively small charge separation is required to drag electrons into the star with the nuclei against the flux of photons leaking out through the accreting matter. The photon number is not increased substantially by Bremsstrahlung or any other process. It is suggested that instability in an accretion disc might provide the infalling matter required
Nonlinear susceptibilities and the measurement of a cooperative length
We derive the exact beyond-linear fluctuation dissipation relation,
connecting the response of a generic observable to the appropriate correlation
functions, for Markov systems. The relation, which takes a similar form for
systems governed by a master equation or by a Langevin equation, can be derived
to every order, in large generality with respect to the considered model, in
equilibrium and out of equilibrium as well. On the basis of the fluctuation
dissipation relation we propose a particular response function, namely the
second order susceptibility of the two-particle correlation function, as an
effective quantity to detect and quantify cooperative effects in glasses and
disordered systems. We test this idea by numerical simulations of the
Edwards-Anderson model in one and two dimensions.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Non-equilibrium fluctuations in a driven stochastic Lorentz gas
We study the stationary state of a one-dimensional kinetic model where a
probe particle is driven by an external field E and collides, elastically or
inelastically, with a bath of particles at temperature T. We focus on the
stationary distribution of the velocity of the particle, and of two estimates
of the total entropy production \Delta s_tot. One is the entropy production of
the medium \Delta s_m, which is equal to the energy exchanged with the
scatterers, divided by a parameter \theta, coinciding with the particle
temperature at E=0. The other is the work W done by the external field, again
rescaled by \theta. At small E, a good collapse of the two distributions is
found: in this case the two quantities also verify the Fluctuation Relation
(FR), indicating that both are good approximations of \Delta s_tot.
Differently, for large values of E, the fluctuations of W violate the FR, while
\Delta s_m still verifies it.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Fluctuating hydrodynamics and correlation lengths in a driven granular fluid
Static and dynamical structure factors for shear and longitudinal modes of
the velocity and density fields are computed for a granular system fluidized by
a stochastic bath with friction. Analytical expressions are obtained through
fluctuating hydrodynamics and are successfully compared with numerical
simulations up to a volume fraction . Hydrodynamic noise is the sum
of external noise due to the bath and internal one due to collisions. Only the
latter is assumed to satisfy the fluctuation-dissipation relation with the
average granular temperature. Static velocity structure factors
and display a general non-constant behavior with two plateaux
at large and small , representing the granular temperature and the
bath temperature respectively. From this behavior, two different
velocity correlation lengths are measured, both increasing as the packing
fraction is raised. This growth of spatial order is in agreement with the
behaviour of dynamical structure factors, the decay of which becomes slower and
slower at increasing density.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure
Nonlinear response and fluctuation dissipation relations
A unified derivation of the off equilibrium fluctuation dissipation relations
(FDR) is given for Ising and continous spins to arbitrary order, within the
framework of Markovian stochastic dynamics. Knowledge of the FDR allows to
develop zero field algorithms for the efficient numerical computation of the
response functions. Two applications are presented. In the first one, the
problem of probing for the existence of a growing cooperative length scale is
considered in those cases, like in glassy systems, where the linear FDR is of
no use. The effectiveness of an appropriate second order FDR is illustrated in
the test case of the Edwards-Anderson spin glass in one and two dimensions. In
the second one, the important problem of the definition of an off equilibrium
effective temperature through the nonlinear FDR is considered. It is shown
that, in the case of coarsening systems, the effective temperature derived from
the second order FDR is consistent with the one obtained from the linear FDR.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure
Identification of the critical temperature from non-equilibrium time-dependent quantities
We present a new procedure able to identify and measure the critical
temperature. This method is based on the divergence of the relaxation time
approaching the critical point in quenches from infinite temperature. We
introduce a dimensionless quantity that turns out to be time-independent at the
critical temperature. The procedure does not need equilibration and allows for
a relatively fast identification of the critical temperature. The method is
first tested in the ferromagnetic Ising model and then applied to the
one-dimensional Ising spin glass with power-law interactions. Here we always
find a finite critical temperature also in presence of a uniform external
field, in agreement with the mean-field picture for the low temperature phase
of spin glasses.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figure
Maternal depression and attachment: the evaluation of mother–child interactions during feeding practice
Internal working models (IWMs) of attachment can moderate the effect of maternal depression on mother-child interactions and child development. Clinical depression pre-dating birthgiving has been found to predict incoherent and less sensitive caregiving. Dysfunctional patterns observed, included interactive modes linked to feeding behaviors which may interfere with hunger-satiation, biological rhythms, and the establishment of children's autonomy and individuation. Feeding interactions between depressed mothers and their children seem to be characterized by repetitive interactive failures: children refuse food through oppositional behavior or negativity. The aim of this study was to investigate parenting skills in the context of feeding in mothers with major depression from the point of view of attachment theory. This perspective emphasizes parents' emotion, relational and affective history and personal resources. The sample consisted of 60 mother-child dyads. Mothers were divided into two groups: 30 with Major Depression and 30 without disorders. Children's age ranged between 12 and 36 months The measures employed were the Adult Attachment Interview and the Scale for the Evaluation of Alimentary Interactions between Mothers and Children. Insecure attachment prevailed in mothers with major depression, with differences on the Subjective Experience and State of Mind Scales. Groups also differed in maternal sensitivity, degrees of interactive conflicts and negative affective states, all of which can hinder the development of adequate interactive patterns during feeding. The results suggest that IWMs can constitute an indicator for the evaluation of the relational quality of the dyad and that evaluations of dyadic interactions should be considered when programming interventions
Thermal diffusion segregation in granular binary mixtures described by the Enskog equation
Diffusion induced by a thermal gradient in a granular binary mixture is
analyzed in the context of the (inelastic) Enskog equation. Although the Enskog
equation neglects velocity correlations among particles which are about to
collide, it retains spatial correlations arising from volume exclusion effects
and thus it is expected to apply to moderate densities. In the steady state
with gradients only along a given direction, a segregation criterion is
obtained from the thermal diffusion factor measuring the amount of
segregation parallel to the thermal gradient. As expected, the sign of the
factor provides a criterion for the transition between the Brazil-nut
effect (BNE) and the reverse Brazil-nut effect (RBNE) by varying the parameters
of the mixture (masses, sizes, concentration, solid volume fraction, and
coefficients of restitution). The form of the phase diagrams for the BNE/RBNE
transition is illustrated in detail for several systems, with special emphasis
on the significant role played by the inelasticity of collisions. In
particular, an effect already found in dilute gases (segregation in a binary
mixture of identical masses and sizes {\em but} different coefficients of
restitution) is extended to dense systems. A comparison with recent computer
simulation results shows a good qualitative agreement at the level of the
thermal diffusion factor. The present analysis generalizes to arbitrary
concentration previous theoretical results derived in the tracer limit case.Comment: 7 figures, 1 table. To appear in New J. Phys., special issue on
"Granular Segregation
High abundance synovial fluid proteome: distinct profiles in health and osteoarthritis
The development of increasingly high-throughput and sensitive mass spectroscopy-based proteomic techniques provides new opportunities to examine the physiology and pathophysiology of many biologic fluids and tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine protein expression profiles of high-abundance synovial fluid (SF) proteins in health and in the prevalent joint disease osteoarthritis (OA). A cross-sectional study of 62 patients with early OA (n = 21), patients with late OA (n = 21), and control individuals (n = 20) was conducted. SF proteins were separated by using one-dimensional PAGE, and the in-gel digested proteins were analyzed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 362 spots were examined and 135 high-abundance SF proteins were identified as being expressed across all three study cohorts. A total of 135 SF proteins were identified. Eighteen proteins were found to be significantly differentially expressed between control individuals and OA patients. Two subsets of OA that are not dependent on disease duration were identified using unsupervised analysis of the data. Several novel SF proteins were also identified. Our analyses demonstrate no disease duration-dependent differences in abundant protein composition of SF in OA, and we clearly identified two previously unappreciated yet distinct subsets of protein profiles in this disease cohort. Additionally, our findings reveal novel abundant protein species in healthy SF whose functional contribution to SF physiology was not previously recognized. Finally, our studies identify candidate biomarkers for OA with potential for use as highly sensitive and specific tests for diagnostic purposes or for evaluating therapeutic response
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