SRB States and Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics Close to Equilibrium

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics close to equilibrium is studied using SRB states and a formula [10] for their derivatives with respect to parameters. We write general expressions for the thermodynamic fluxes (or currents) and the transport coefficients, generalizing the results of [4, 5]. In this framework we give a general proof of the Onsager reciprocity relations. Received: 2 December 1996 / Accepted: 13 March 1997     

Laser induced air breakdown using 0.355, 0.532, and 1.06 µm radiation

Studies of breakdown threshold intensity for air at various pressures in the range of 24–760 torr using 0.355, 0.532 and 1.06 μm radiation are reported. We observep ^−0.8 scaling ofI _th at 1.06 μm and a weak scaling ofp ^−0.4 at 0.532 and 0.355 μm radiation. Strong dependence of breakdown spot size on laser power but weak dependence on air pressure is observed.     

Scheduling real-time and non-real-time traffic under nonstationary conditions

In this paper a statistical multiplexer that processes a mixture of real-time and non-real-time traffic is studied under bursts of traffic. Different scheduling algorithms are compared under conditions when one of the classes of traffic has a sudden increase in its arrival rate during a short period of time. The results show a difference in the way the scheduling disciplines studied behave under short overloads of traffic even though the scheduling algorithms had been set up to give similar performance under steady-state arrivals. The lifetime of real-time packets is shown to have a great effect on the way in which the performance of the scheduling algorithms compare.Robert Lackman is an IBM employee in the IBM Resident Study Program.     

Dibutyltin-3-hydroxyflavone titrates a dissociable component (cofactor) of mitochondrial ATP synthase: An energy-transfer component linked to the ubiquinone pool

Dibutyltin-3-hydroxyflavone, Bu₂Sn(of), is a new fluorescence probe inhibitor of F₁F₀-ATPase and oxidative phosphorylation which inhibits by titration of an unidentified component of F₀. Its site of action is closely related to that of the trialkyltins and of venturicidin. This F₀ component is part of a pool of this component which is present in the heart mitochondrial inner membrane at levels of 5–7 nmol (mg protein)^?1 [18 ± 3 Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase]. However, ATPase activity in submitochondrial particles is near maximally inhibited by titration of approx. three Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase. Over 60% (60–80%) of the Bu₂Sn(of) interaction sites can be lost during the purification of F₁F₀-ATPase from submitochondrial particles. The number of Bu₂Sn(of) interaction sites in various F₁F₀-ATPase preparations is variable. The high numbers of Bu₂Sn(of) sites per mol F₁F₀-ATPase for heart mitochondria (18–21) and submitochondrial particles (15–19.5) decline in ATP synthase (11–15) to the low values obtained in Complex V (7–10.5) and the minimal values observed in highly purified F₁F₀?ATPase (3.5–5.6), thus indicating a variable dissociable component or cofactor of ATP synthase. The Bu₂Sn(of) interaction site, a component of ATP synthase, is responsive to the redox status of the respiratory chain and the interaction with Bu₂Sn(of) is with the reduced form of this component. Fluorescence titration studies show that this component is in redox equilibrium with the ubiquinone pool of the respiratory chain. It is proposed that this redox component serves as an inhibitor titratable cofactor pool which cycles through an F₀ interaction site (or sites) via a system which serves as an energy-transfer link between the respiratory chain and ATP synthase.     

The primal-dual method for approximation algorithms

In this survey, we give an overview of a technique used to design and analyze algorithms that provide approximate solutions to NP-hard problems in combinatorial optimization. Because of parallels with the primal-dual method commonly used in combinatorial optimization, we call it the primal-dual method for approximation algorithms. We show how this technique can be used to derive approximation algorithms for a number of different problems, including network design problems, feedback vertex set problems, and facility location problems. Received: June 19, 2000 / Accepted: February 7, 2001?Published online October 2, 2001     

A topological aspect of Sobolev mappings

Let be a connected open set, . We give a sufficient condition for a mapping , , to have the property that sgn is almost everywhere of one sign. Following the work of Müller, Spector, and Tang [MST], we give an application of our results to the theory of non-linear elasticity. Received: 13 October 2000 / Accepted: 23 January 2001 / Published online: 4 May 2001