Collective firing regularity of a scale-free Hodgkin–Huxley neuronal network in response to a subthreshold signal

We consider a scale-free network of stochastic HH neurons driven by a subthreshold periodic stimulus and investigate how the collective spiking regularity or the collective temporal coherence changes with the stimulus frequency, the intrinsic noise (or the cell size), the network average degree and the coupling strength. We show that the best temporal coherence is obtained for a certain level of the intrinsic noise when the frequencies of the external stimulus and the subthreshold oscillations of the network elements match. We also find that the collective regularity exhibits a resonance-like behavior depending on both the coupling strength and the network average degree at the optimal values of the stimulus frequency and the cell size, indicating that the best temporal coherence also requires an optimal coupling strength and an optimal average degree of the connectivity.     

Measurements of absolute values of electrooptic coefficients in a ferroelectric liquid crystal

Weak external electric field E causes two effects in chiral smectic liquid crystals: linear change of the optic axis direction and modification of the shape of the indicatrix. The relative changes in the light intensity consist of two components. The first component represents the modulation with the fundamental frequency f and the second one, with the doubled frequency 2f (second harmonic). We carried out measurements of the electrooptic modulation at both the first and second harmonics frequency. The applied calibration procedure allowed for expressing the experimental results as angular quantities independent of experimental conditions. Therefore we were able to determine the absolute values of the coefficients describing both effects of the electric field on the optical properties of the sample. We studied the temperature dependence of the first and second order coefficients in the ferroelectric smectic C? and paraelectric smectic A phases. The experiments delivered an information on the structure of tilted smectic liquid crystals and its dependence on the electric field.     

Universal scaling of the elliptic flow data at RHIC

Recent PHOBOS measurements of the excitation function for the pseudo-rapidity dependence of the elliptic flow in Au + Au collisions at RHIC have posed a significant theoretical challenge. Here we show that these differential measurements, as well as the RHIC measurements on transverse momentum satisfy a universal scaling relation predicted by the Buda-Lund model, based on exact solutions of perfect fluid hydrodynamics. We also show that the recently found transverse kinetic energy scaling of the elliptic flow is a special case of this universal scaling.     

Internal and external eigenvalue problems of Hermitian operators and their use in electronic structure theory

Within the fragment resolution of molecular systems the conceptual and interpretative advantages of using the separate eigenvalue problems for the internal and external part of the Hermitian matrix representing a physical quantity in quantum mechanics are examined. By definition, these two parts accordingly combine only the diagonal and off-diagonal subsystem-resolved blocks of matrix elements. These two partial eigenvalue problems bring about the matrix internal or external decouplings, respectively, which have recently been used in several interpretations of the molecular electronic structure. A character and structure of the external eigensolutions is examined in some detail and their recent applications in the Charge Sensitivity Analysis—to extract the most important electron-transfer effects between constituent atoms of model chemisorption systems, and in the Molecular-Orbital theory—to precisely identify the inter-orbital flows of electrons, are summarized and commented upon. The grouping relation, for combining the external/internal eigensolutions into those for the whole matrix, is derived in the context of the complementary “rotations” of the basis set vectors.     

Chemical Communication and Protocell-Matrix Dynamics in Segregated Colloidosome Micro-Colonies

Despite an emerging catalogue of collective behaviours in communities of homogeneously distributed cell-like objects, microscale protocell colonies with spatially segregated populations have received minimal attention. Here, we use microfluidics to fabricate Janus-like calcium alginate hydrogel microspheres with spatially partitioned populations of enzyme-containing inorganic colloidosomes and investigate their potential as integrated platforms for domain-mediated chemical communication and programmable protocell-matrix dynamics. Diffusive chemical signalling within the segregated communities gives rise to increased initial enzyme kinetics compared with a homogeneous distribution of protocells. We employ competing enzyme-mediated hydrogel crosslinking and decrosslinking reactions in different domains of the partitioned colonies to undertake selective expulsion of a specific protocell population from the community. Our results offer new possibilities for the design and construction of spatially organized cytomimetic consortia capable of endogenous chemical processing and protocell-environment interactivity.     

Risk aggregation in multivariate dependent Pareto distributions

In this paper we obtain closed expressions for the probability distribution function of aggregated risks with multivariate dependent Pareto distributions. We work with the dependent multivariate Pareto type II proposed by Arnold (1983, 2015), which is widely used in insurance and risk analysis. We begin with an individual risk model, where the probability density function corresponds to a second kind beta distribution, obtaining the VaR, TVaR and several other tail risk measures. Then, we consider a collective risk model based on dependence, where several general properties are studied. We study in detail some relevant collective models with Poisson, negative binomial and logarithmic distributions as primary distributions. In the collective Pareto–Poisson model, the probability density function is a function of the Kummer confluent hypergeometric function, and the density of the Pareto–negative binomial is a function of the Gauss hypergeometric function. Using data based on one-year vehicle insurance policies taken out in 2004–2005 (Jong and Heller, 2008) we conclude that our collective dependent models outperform other collective models considered in the actuarial literature in terms of AIC and CAIC statistics.     

Isospin effects on squeeze-out flow in heavy-ion collisions

The squeeze-out flow in reactions of ¹²⁴Sn + ¹²⁴Sn and ¹²⁴Ba + ¹²⁴Ba at different incident energies for different impact parameters is investigated by means of an isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model. For the first time, it is found that the more neutron-rich system (¹²⁴Sn + ¹²⁴Sn) exhibits weaker squeeze-out flow. This isospin dependence of the squeeze-out flow is shown to mainly result from the isospin dependence of nucleon-nucleon cross-section and the symmetry energy. Received: 14 March 2000 / Accepted: 29 September 2000     

Surface shape resonances of ridges on a thin film

The spectrum of surface shape resonances associated with a finite number of ridges on one interface of an otherwise plane film is calculated. The frequencies are obtained numerically by solving the homogeneous integral equations which describe the electrostatic field in the vicinity of a surface defect. The calculations are performed for a surface with ridges with Gaussian, Lorentzian and sinusoidal profiles. The results show a strong dependence of the localized plasmon frequencies on the surface profile, on the distance between the ridges, and on the thickness of the film. Received 5 April 1999 and Received in final form 6 July 1999     

Terminating high-spin bands in 101Rh

High spin states of ¹⁰¹Rh have been populated using the reaction ⁷⁰Zn+³⁶S at 130 MeV. γ-rays were detected with the EUROGAM2 array. New high-spin bands have been observed in this nucleus up to 45/2⁻, 57/2⁻ and 65/2⁺ states. They have been interpreted using the Nilsson-Strutinsky cranking formalism as terminating configurations. Two of the bands were observed up to the predicted terminating states which are built up from g_9/2 protons as well as d_5/2, g_7/2 and h_11/2 neutrons relative to a ⁹⁰Zr core. Received: 30 October 1998     

Magnetic anisotropy and low-frequency dielectric response of weak ferromagnetic phase in κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Cl, where BEDT-TTF is Bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene

We report a detailed characterization of the magnetism and AC transport in single crystals of the organic conductor -(BEDT-TTF)₂Cu[N(CN)₂]Cl by means of magnetic anisotropy measurements and low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy. Magnetic anisotropy obeys Curie-Weiss law with negative Curie-Weiss temperature in the temperature range 300 K-70 K. An antiferromagnetic transition with concomitant canted antiferromagnetic state is established at 22 K. A large hysteresis in the spin-flop transition and magnetic field reversal of the weak ferromagnetic magnetization are documented for the first time. A broad dielectric relaxation mode of moderate strength () emerges at 32 K, and weakens with temperature. The mean relaxation time, much larger than that expected for single-particle excitations, is thermally activated in a manner similar to the DC conductivity and saturates below 22 K. These features suggest the origin of the broad relaxation as an intrinsic property of the weak ferromagnetic ground state. We propose a charged domain wall in a random ferromagnetic domain structure as the relaxation entity. We argue that the observed features might be well described if Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction is taken into account. A Debye relaxation with similar temperature dependence was also observed and seems to be related to an additional ferromagnetic-like, most probably, field-induced phase. We tentatively associate this phase, whose tiny contribution was sample dependent, with a Cu²⁺ magnetic subsystem. Received 15 June 1998 and Received in final form 1 February 1999