Deterministic time-reversible thermostats: chaos, ergodicity, and the zeroth law of thermodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Patra, Puneet Kumar; Sprott, Julien Clinton; Hoover, William Graham; Griswold Hoover, Carol

2015-09-01

The relative stability and ergodicity of deterministic time-reversible thermostats, both singly and in coupled pairs, are assessed through their Lyapunov spectra. Five types of thermostat are coupled to one another through a single Hooke's-law harmonic spring. The resulting dynamics shows that three specific thermostat types, Hoover-Holian, Ju-Bulgac, and Martyna-Klein-Tuckerman, have very similar Lyapunov spectra in their equilibrium four-dimensional phase spaces and when coupled in equilibrium or nonequilibrium pairs. All three of these oscillator-based thermostats are shown to be ergodic, with smooth analytic Gaussian distributions in their extended phase spaces (coordinate, momentum, and two control variables). Evidently these three ergodic and time-reversible thermostat types are particularly useful as statistical-mechanical thermometers and thermostats. Each of them generates Gibbs' universal canonical distribution internally as well as for systems to which they are coupled. Thus they obey the zeroth law of thermodynamics, as a good heat bath should. They also provide dissipative heat flow with relatively small nonlinearity when two or more such temperature baths interact and provide useful deterministic replacements for the stochastic Langevin equation.

Testing the effect of defaults on the thermostat settings of OECD employees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Zachary; Johnstone, Nick; Haščič, Ivan; Vong, Laura; Barascud, Francis

2013-01-01

We describe a randomized controlled experiment in which the default settings on office thermostats in an OECD office building were manipulated during the winter heating season, and employees' chosen thermostat setting observed over a 6-week period. Using difference-in-differences, panel, and censored regression models (to control for maximum allowable thermostat settings), we find that a 1 °C decrease in the default caused a reduction in the chosen setting by 0.38 °C, on average. Sixty-five percent of this effect could be attributed to office occupant behavior (p-value = 0.044). The difference-in-differences models show that small decreases in the default (1°) led to a greater reduction in chosen settings than large decreases (2°). We also find that office occupants who were more apt to adjust their thermostats prior to the intervention were less susceptible to the default. We conclude that this kind of intervention can increase building-level energy efficiency, and discuss potential explanations and broader policy implications of our findings. - Highlights: • We conduct a randomized controlled trial to test if thermostat defaults affect agent behavior. • Two treatments (schedules of default settings) were tested against a control for 6 weeks at OECD. • Small changes in defaults had a greater effect on chosen settings than larger changes in defaults. • Occupants who frequently changed their thermostats in baseline were less affected by defaults. • Thermostat defaults in office environments can be manipulated to increase energy efficiency

Optical bistability controlling light with light

CERN Document Server

Gibbs, Hyatt

1985-01-01

Optical Bistability: Controlling Light with Light focuses on optical bistability in nonlinear optical systems. Emphasis is on passive (non-laser) systems that exhibit reversible bistability with input intensity as the hysteresis variable, along with the physics and the potential applications of such systems for nonlinear optical signal processing. This book consists of seven chapters and begins with a historical overview of optical bistability in lasers and passive systems. The next chapter describes steady-state theories of optical bistability, including the Bonifacio-Lugiato model, as we

A Miniature Coupled Bistable Vibration Energy Harvester

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, D; Arthur, D C; Beeby, S P

2014-01-01

This paper reports the design and test of a miniature coupled bistable vibration energy harvester. Operation of a bistable structure largely depends on vibration amplitude rather than frequency, which makes it very promising for wideband vibration energy harvesting applications. A coupled bistable structure consists of a pair of mobile magnets that create two potential wells and thus the bistable phenomenon. It requires lower excitation to trigger bistable operation compared to conventional bistable structures. Based on previous research, this work focused on miniaturisation of the coupled bistable structure for energy harvesting application. The proposed bistable energy harvester is a combination of a Duffing's nonlinear structure and a linear assisting resonator. Experimental results show that the output spectrum of the miniature coupled bistable vibration energy harvester was the superposition of several spectra. It had a higher maximum output power and a much greater bandwidth compared to simply the Duffing's structure without the assisting resonator

Model predictive control for a thermostatic controlled system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shafiei, Seyed Ehsan; Rasmussen, Henrik; Stoustrup, Jakob

2013-01-01

This paper proposes a model predictive control scheme to provide temperature set-points to thermostatic controlled cooling units in refrigeration systems. The control problem is formulated as a convex programming problem to minimize the overall operating cost of the system. The foodstuff temperat......This paper proposes a model predictive control scheme to provide temperature set-points to thermostatic controlled cooling units in refrigeration systems. The control problem is formulated as a convex programming problem to minimize the overall operating cost of the system. The foodstuff...

Thermostatic Radiator Valve Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dentz, Jordan [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative, New York, NY (United States); Ansanelli, Eric [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative, New York, NY (United States)

2015-01-01

A large stock of multifamily buildings in the Northeast and Midwest are heated by steam distribution systems. Losses from these systems are typically high and a significant number of apartments are overheated much of the time. Thermostatically controlled radiator valves (TRVs) are one potential strategy to combat this problem, but have not been widely accepted by the residential retrofit market.

Controlling bistability by linear augmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Pooja Rani; Shrimali, Manish Dev; Prasad, Awadhesh; Feudel, Ulrike

2013-01-01

In many bistable oscillating systems only one of the attractors is desired to possessing certain system performance. We present a method to drive a bistable system to a desired target attractor by annihilating the other one. This shift from bistability to monostability is achieved by augmentation of the nonlinear oscillator with a linear control system. For a proper choice of the control function one of the attractors disappears at a critical coupling strength in an control-induced boundary crisis. This transition from bistability to monostability is demonstrated with two paradigmatic examples, the autonomous Chua oscillator and a neuronal system with a periodic input signal.

Bistable Mechanisms for Space Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zirbel, Shannon A; Tolman, Kyler A; Trease, Brian P; Howell, Larry L

2016-01-01

Compliant bistable mechanisms are monolithic devices with two stable equilibrium positions separated by an unstable equilibrium position. They show promise in space applications as nonexplosive release mechanisms in deployment systems, thereby eliminating friction and improving the reliability and precision of those mechanical devices. This paper presents both analytical and numerical models that are used to predict bistable behavior and can be used to create bistable mechanisms in materials not previously feasible for compliant mechanisms. Materials compatible with space applications are evaluated for use as bistable mechanisms and prototypes are fabricated in three different materials. Pin-puller and cutter release mechanisms are proposed as potential space applications.

A novel bistable energy harvesting concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarselli, G; Nicassio, F; Pinto, F; Ciampa, F; Iervolino, O; Meo, M

2016-01-01

Bistable energy harvesting has become a major field of research due to some unique features for converting mechanical energy into electrical power. When properly loaded, bistable structures snap-through from one stable configuration to another, causing large strains and consequently power generation. Moreover, bistable structures can harvest energy across a broad-frequency bandwidth due to their nonlinear characteristics. Despite the fact that snap-through may be triggered regardless of the form or frequency of exciting vibration, the external force must reach a specific snap-through activation threshold value to trigger the transition from one stable state to another. This aspect is a limiting factor for realistic vibration energy harvesting application with bistable devices. This paper presents a novel power harvesting concept for bistable composites based on a ‘lever effect’ aimed at minimising the activation force to cause the snap through by choosing properly the bistable structures’ constraints. The concept was demonstrated with the help of numerical simulation and experimental testing. The results showed that the actuation force is one order of magnitude smaller (3%–6%) than the activation force of conventionally constrained bistable devices. In addition, it was shown that the output voltage was higher than the conventional configuration, leading to a significant increase in power generation. This novel concept could lead to a new generation of more efficient bistable energy harvesters for realistic vibration environments. (paper)

Smart Thermostats: An Experimental Facility to Test Their Capabilities and Savings Potential

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Bustamante

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The European Commission has explained how heating and cooling in buildings and industry account for half of the energy consumption of the EU. Several studies explain how to achieve an energy saving at home, and the use of smart thermostats will help to reduce energy consumption while increasing the efficiency of households. In this article, a comparative evaluation was carried out between four smart thermostats that are now on the market, whose characteristics vary in terms of price, precision of measurements and set temperature, algorithms, etc. A thermal test chamber was designed and constructed from a refrigerator, a thermal blanket, a Raspberry Pi and the necessary electronic components for its control and data collection. From the tests carried out in the thermal chamber, data on the operation of the four thermostats such as the maintenance and the anticipation of the setpoint temperature, were obtained. It was necessary to run the system enough times for each thermostat to memorize the housing characteristics, such as its inertia and its thermal insulation. This would also allow for the generation of a better algorithm to regulate the temperature, which would create a lower oscillation with respect to the setpoint temperature. The learning of the thermostats was not demonstrated and for the anticipation mode it was seen that the thermostats failed to improve or learn in this aspect, as they did not improve the start-up times of the heating system, with the consequent increase in energy consumption.

What is refractive optical bistability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhehov, Tomislav

1993-01-01

The basic elements of the theory of refractive optical bistability, assuming mediums with linear absorption are given. Special attention is paid to bistable etalons of semiconductor materials an oxide glasses, since some of them are considered as promising components for optical bistability applications. The design optimization of such devices for minimum switching intensity is analyzed. Computer simulation of the transfer characteristic recording for two InSb etalons is presented. (author)

A bistable mechanism for directional sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beta, C; Amselem, G; Bodenschatz, E

2008-01-01

We present a generic mechanism for directional sensing in eukaryotic cells that is based on bistable dynamics. As the key feature of this modeling approach, the velocity of trigger waves in the bistable sensing system changes its sign across cells that are exposed to an external chemoattractant gradient. This is achieved by combining a two-component activator/inhibitor system with a bistable switch that induces an identical symmetry breaking for arbitrary gradient input signals. A simple kinetic example is designed to illustrate the dynamics of a bistable directional sensing mechanism in numerical simulations

Deterministic thermostats, theories of nonequilibrium systems and parallels with the ergodic condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jepps, Owen G; Rondoni, Lamberto

2010-01-01

Deterministic 'thermostats' are mathematical tools used to model nonequilibrium steady states of fluids. The resulting dynamical systems correctly represent the transport properties of these fluids and are easily simulated on modern computers. More recently, the connection between such thermostats and entropy production has been exploited in the development of nonequilibrium fluid theories. The purpose and limitations of deterministic thermostats are discussed in the context of irreversible thermodynamics and the development of theories of nonequilibrium phenomena. We draw parallels between the development of such nonequilibrium theories and the development of notions of ergodicity in equilibrium theories. (topical review)

Bistable scattering in graphene-coated dielectric nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rujiang; Wang, Huaping; Zheng, Bin; Dehdashti, Shahram; Li, Erping; Chen, Hongsheng

2017-06-22

In nonlinear plasmonics, the switching threshold of optical bistability is limited by the weak nonlinear responses from the conventional Kerr dielectric media. Considering the giant nonlinear susceptibility of graphene, here we develop a nonlinear scattering model under the mean field approximation and study the bistable scattering in graphene-coated dielectric nanowires based on the semi-analytical solutions. We find that the switching intensities of bistable scattering can be smaller than 1 MW cm -2 at the working frequency. To further decrease the switching intensities, we show that the most important factor that restricts the bistable scattering is the relaxation time of graphene. Our work not only reveals some general characteristics of graphene-based bistable scattering, but also provides a guidance to further applications of optical bistability in the high speed all-optical signal processing.

Large Scale Demand Response of Thermostatic Loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Totu, Luminita Cristiana

This study is concerned with large populations of residential thermostatic loads (e.g. refrigerators, air conditioning or heat pumps). The purpose is to gain control over the aggregate power consumption in order to provide balancing services for the electrical grid. Without affecting the temperat......This study is concerned with large populations of residential thermostatic loads (e.g. refrigerators, air conditioning or heat pumps). The purpose is to gain control over the aggregate power consumption in order to provide balancing services for the electrical grid. Without affecting....... The control architecture is defined by parsimonious communication requirements that also have a high level data privacy, and it furthermore guarantees a robust and secure local operation. Mathematical models are put forward, and the effectiveness is shown by numerical simulations. A case study of 10000...

A unified thermostat scheme for efficient configurational sampling for classical/quantum canonical ensembles via molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhijun; Liu, Xinzijian; Chen, Zifei; Zheng, Haifeng; Yan, Kangyu; Liu, Jian

2017-07-01

We show a unified second-order scheme for constructing simple, robust, and accurate algorithms for typical thermostats for configurational sampling for the canonical ensemble. When Langevin dynamics is used, the scheme leads to the BAOAB algorithm that has been recently investigated. We show that the scheme is also useful for other types of thermostats, such as the Andersen thermostat and Nosé-Hoover chain, regardless of whether the thermostat is deterministic or stochastic. In addition to analytical analysis, two 1-dimensional models and three typical real molecular systems that range from the gas phase, clusters, to the condensed phase are used in numerical examples for demonstration. Accuracy may be increased by an order of magnitude for estimating coordinate-dependent properties in molecular dynamics (when the same time interval is used), irrespective of which type of thermostat is applied. The scheme is especially useful for path integral molecular dynamics because it consistently improves the efficiency for evaluating all thermodynamic properties for any type of thermostat.

Optimization of Bistable Viscoelastic Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kristian Ejlebjærg; Szabo, Peter; Okkels, Fridolin

2014-01-01

driving pressure corresponding to the point of bistability, such that the effect is enhanced. The point of bistability is, however, not explicitly contained in the solution, so we opt for a heuristic approach based on the dissipation ratio between the asymmetric and unstable symmetric flow solutions. We...... find a design that significantly reduces the driving pressure required for bistability, and furthermore is in agreement with the approach followed by experimental researchers. Furthermore, by comparing the two asymmetric solutions, we succesfully apply the same approach to a problem with two fluids...

A broadband electromagnetic energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, D; Beeby, S P

2013-01-01

This paper investigates a broadband electromagnetic energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure. Both analytical model and experimental results showed that the coupled bistable structure requires lower excitation force to trigger bistable operation than conventional bistable structures. A compact electromagnetic vibration energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure was implemented and tested. It was excited under white noise vibrations. Experimental results showed that the coupled bistable energy harvester can achieve bistable operation with lower excitation amplitude and generate more output power than both conventional bistable and linear energy harvesters under white noise excitation

Diversity and functional properties of bistable pigments.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukamoto, Hisao; Terakita, Akihisa

2010-11-01

Rhodopsin and related opsin-based pigments, which are photosensitive membrane proteins, have been extensively studied using a wide variety of techniques, with rhodopsin being the most understood G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Animals use various opsin-based pigments for vision and a wide variety of non-visual functions. Many functionally varied pigments are roughly divided into two kinds, based on their photoreaction: bistable and monostable pigments. Bistable pigments are thermally stable before and after photo-activation, but monostable pigments are stable only before activation. Here, we review the diversity of bistable pigments and their molecular characteristics. We also discuss the mechanisms underlying different molecular characteristics of bistable and monostable pigments. In addition, the potential of bistable pigments as a GPCR model is proposed.

Distributed processing in bistable perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knapen, T.H.J.

2007-01-01

A very incisive way of studying visual awareness and the mechanisms that underlie it, it to use bistable perception. In bistable perception, an observer's perceptual state alternates between one interpretation and its mutually exclusive counterpart while the stimulus remains the same. This gives us

Bistability of Cavity Magnon Polaritons

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yi-Pu; Zhang, Guo-Qiang; Zhang, Dengke; Li, Tie-Fu; Hu, C.-M.; You, J. Q.

2018-01-01

We report the first observation of the magnon-polariton bistability in a cavity magnonics system consisting of cavity photons strongly interacting with the magnons in a small yttrium iron garnet (YIG) sphere. The bistable behaviors emerged as sharp frequency switchings of the cavity magnon polaritons (CMPs) and related to the transition between states with large and small numbers of polaritons. In our experiment, we align, respectively, the [100] and [110] crystallographic axes of the YIG sphere parallel to the static magnetic field and find very different bistable behaviors (e.g., clockwise and counter-clockwise hysteresis loops) in these two cases. The experimental results are well fitted and explained as being due to the Kerr nonlinearity with either a positive or negative coefficient. Moreover, when the magnetic field is tuned away from the anticrossing point of CMPs, we observe simultaneous bistability of both magnons and cavity photons by applying a drive field on the lower branch.

Optical bistability without the rotating wave approximation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharaby, Yasser A., E-mail: Yasser_Sharaby@hotmail.co [Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Suez Canal University, Suez (Egypt); Joshi, Amitabh, E-mail: ajoshi@eiu.ed [Department of Physics, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920 (United States); Hassan, Shoukry S., E-mail: Shoukryhassan@hotmail.co [Mathematics Department, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038 (Bahrain)

2010-04-26

Optical bistability for two-level atomic system in a ring cavity is investigated outside the rotating wave approximation (RWA) using non-autonomous Maxwell-Bloch equations with Fourier decomposition up to first harmonic. The first harmonic output field component exhibits reversed or closed loop bistability simultaneously with the usual (anti-clockwise) bistability in the fundamental field component.

Optical bistability without the rotating wave approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharaby, Yasser A.; Joshi, Amitabh; Hassan, Shoukry S.

2010-01-01

Optical bistability for two-level atomic system in a ring cavity is investigated outside the rotating wave approximation (RWA) using non-autonomous Maxwell-Bloch equations with Fourier decomposition up to first harmonic. The first harmonic output field component exhibits reversed or closed loop bistability simultaneously with the usual (anti-clockwise) bistability in the fundamental field component.

Bistable near field and bistable transmittance in 2D composite slab consisting of nonlocal core-Kerr shell inclusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yang; Wu, Ya Min; Gao, Lei

2017-01-23

We carry out a theoretical study on optical bistability of near field intensity and transmittance in two-dimensional nonlinear composite slab. This kind of 2D composite is composed of nonlocal metal/Kerr-type dielectric core-shell inclusions randomly embedded in the host medium, and we derivate the nonlinear relation between the field intensity in the shell of inclusions and the incident field intensity with self-consistent mean field approximation. Numerical demonstration has been performed to show the viable parameter space for the bistable near field. We show that nonlocality can provide broader region in geometric parameter space for bistable near field as well as bistable transmittance of the nonlocal composite slab compared to local case. Furthermore, we investigate the bistable transmittance in wavelength spectrum, and find that besides the input intensity, the wavelength operation could as well make the transmittance jump from a high value to a low one. This kind of self-tunable nano-composite slab might have potential application in optical switching devices.

Bistable microelectromechanical actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, James G.

1999-01-01

A bistable microelectromechanical (MEM) actuator is formed on a substrate and includes a stressed membrane of generally rectangular shape that upon release assumes a curvilinear cross-sectional shape due to attachment at a midpoint to a resilient member and at opposing edges to a pair of elongate supports. The stressed membrane can be electrostatically switched between a pair of mechanical states having mirror-image symmetry, with the MEM actuator remaining in a quiescent state after a programming voltage is removed. The bistable MEM actuator according to various embodiments of the present invention can be used to form a nonvolatile memory element, an optical modulator (with a pair of mirrors supported above the membrane and moving in synchronism as the membrane is switched), a switchable mirror (with a single mirror supported above the membrane at the midpoint thereof) and a latching relay (with a pair of contacts that open and close as the membrane is switched). Arrays of bistable MEM actuators can be formed for applications including nonvolatile memories, optical displays and optical computing.

Determination of the mechanical thermostat electrical contacts switching quality with sound and vibration analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rejc, Jure; Munih, Marko [University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2017-05-15

A mechanical thermostat is a device that switches heating or cooling appliances on or off based on temperature. For this kind of use, electronic or mechanical switching concepts are applied. During the production of electrical contacts, several irregularities can occur leading to improper switching events of the thermostat electrical contacts. This paper presents a non-obstructive method based on the fact that when the switching event occurs it can be heard and felt by human senses. We performed several laboratory tests with two different methods. The first method includes thermostat switch sound signal analysis during the switching event. The second method is based on sampling of the accelerometer signal during the switching event. The results show that the sound analysis approach has great potential. The approach enables an accurate determination of the switching event even if the sampled signal carries also the switching event of the neighbour thermostat.

Transcriptional delay stabilizes bistable gene networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Chinmaya; López, José Manuel; Ott, William; Josić, Krešimir; Bennett, Matthew R

2013-08-02

Transcriptional delay can significantly impact the dynamics of gene networks. Here we examine how such delay affects bistable systems. We investigate several stochastic models of bistable gene networks and find that increasing delay dramatically increases the mean residence times near stable states. To explain this, we introduce a non-Markovian, analytically tractable reduced model. The model shows that stabilization is the consequence of an increased number of failed transitions between stable states. Each of the bistable systems that we simulate behaves in this manner.

Bubbling and bistability in two parameter discrete systems

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The birth of X *. · is concurrent with the ... for bistability viz. a½, and the higher order bistability points a¾, etc. are marked. The quadrilateral marked as ... The characteristics of 2 parameter 1-d maps that exhibit bubbling/bistability related to their ...

Bistable amphoteric centers in semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikitina, A. G.; Zuev, V. V.

2008-01-01

It is shown that, at thermodynamic equilibrium, the release of charge carriers from the localized states of bistable amphoteric centers into quasi-free states depends on the degree of compensation. This brings about different functional dependences of the concentration of free charge carriers on temperature. It is found that, in uncompensated semiconductors, the concentration of free charge carriers follows the same dependence in the case of bistable amphoteric centers and bistable amphoteric U - centers, although the distributions of charge carriers over the charge states and configurations are different for these types of centers. The results can be used for interpreting various experimental data insufficiently explained in the context of the traditional approach

A broadband electromagnetic energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure

OpenAIRE

Zhu, Dibin; Beeby, Steve

2013-01-01

This paper investigates a broadband electromagnetic energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure. Both analytical model and experimental results showed that the coupled bistable structure requires lower excitation force to trigger bistable operation than conventional bistable structures. A compact electromagnetic vibration energy harvester with a coupled bistable structure was implemented and tested. It was excited under white noise vibrations. Experimental results showed that the coupl...

GABA shapes the dynamics of bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

van Loon, Anouk M; Knapen, Tomas; Scholte, H Steven; St John-Saaltink, Elexa; Donner, Tobias H; Lamme, Victor A F

2013-05-06

Sometimes, perception fluctuates spontaneously between two distinct interpretations of a constant sensory input. These bistable perceptual phenomena provide a unique window into the neural mechanisms that create the contents of conscious perception. Models of bistable perception posit that mutual inhibition between stimulus-selective neural populations in visual cortex plays a key role in these spontaneous perceptual fluctuations. However, a direct link between neural inhibition and bistable perception has not yet been established experimentally. Here, we link perceptual dynamics in three distinct bistable visual illusions (binocular rivalry, motion-induced blindness, and structure from motion) to measurements of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in human visual cortex (as measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and to pharmacological stimulation of the GABAA receptor by means of lorazepam. As predicted by a model of neural interactions underlying bistability, both higher GABA concentrations in visual cortex and lorazepam administration induced slower perceptual dynamics, as reflected in a reduced number of perceptual switches and a lengthening of percept durations. Thus, we show that GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, shapes the dynamics of bistable perception. These results pave the way for future studies into the competitive neural interactions across the visual cortical hierarchy that elicit conscious perception. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The derivation of a bistable criterion for double V-beam mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Cho-Chun; Chen, Rongshun; Lin, Meng-Ju

2013-01-01

This study presents the theoretical derivation of the discriminant D as a structural and material criterion for determining whether bistability can occur in micromechanically bistable mechanisms. When D < 0, the mechanism displays bistable behavior if an appropriate force is applied to push the bistable mechanism, whereas when D > 0, bistable behavior cannot occur. The proposed V-beam bistable mechanism was successfully fabricated with various beam lengths and tilted angles. The experiments conducted in this study validated the theoretical study of bistability. A comparison of the theoretical solutions and experimental results shows good agreement. Results further show that to design a bistable V-beam mechanism, the tilted angle should be larger for the same beam length, whereas the beam length should be longer for the same tilted angle. The developed discriminant D can be used to predict if a bistable mechanism can achieve bistable behavior based on structural sizes and material properties. Consequently, researchers can reduce trial-and-error experiments when designing a bistable mechanism. A V-beam with a larger tilted angle of up to 5° was successfully fabricated to act as a bistable mechanism, compared to a 3.5° tilted angle in existing studies. Consequently, the proposed method has the advantages of shorter beam lengths and smaller device areas. (paper)

Balancing bistable perception during self-motion.

Science.gov (United States)

van Elk, Michiel; Blanke, Olaf

2012-10-01

In two experiments we investigated whether bistable visual perception is influenced by passive own body displacements due to vestibular stimulation. For this we passively rotated our participants around the vertical (yaw) axis while observing different rotating bistable stimuli (bodily or non-bodily) with different ambiguous motion directions. Based on previous work on multimodal effects on bistable perception, we hypothesized that vestibular stimulation should alter bistable perception and that the effects should differ for bodily versus non-bodily stimuli. In the first experiment, it was found that the rotation bias (i.e., the difference between the percentage of time that a CW or CCW rotation was perceived) was selectively modulated by vestibular stimulation: the perceived duration of the bodily stimuli was longer for the rotation direction congruent with the subject's own body rotation, whereas the opposite was true for the non-bodily stimulus (Necker cube). The results found in the second experiment extend the findings from the first experiment and show that these vestibular effects on bistable perception only occur when the axis of rotation of the bodily stimulus matches the axis of passive own body rotation. These findings indicate that the effect of vestibular stimulation on the rotation bias depends on the stimulus that is presented and the rotation axis of the stimulus. Although most studies on vestibular processing have traditionally focused on multisensory signal integration for posture, balance, and heading direction, the present data show that vestibular self-motion influences the perception of bistable bodily stimuli revealing the importance of vestibular mechanisms for visual consciousness.

Steady state statistical correlations predict bistability in reaction motifs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakravarty, Suchana; Barik, Debashis

2017-03-28

Various cellular decision making processes are regulated by bistable switches that take graded input signals and convert them to binary all-or-none responses. Traditionally, a bistable switch generated by a positive feedback loop is characterized either by a hysteretic signal response curve with two distinct signaling thresholds or by characterizing the bimodality of the response distribution in the bistable region. To identify the intrinsic bistability of a feedback regulated network, here we propose that bistability can be determined by correlating higher order moments and cumulants (≥2) of the joint steady state distributions of two components connected in a positive feedback loop. We performed stochastic simulations of four feedback regulated models with intrinsic bistability and we show that for a bistable switch with variation of the signal dose, the steady state variance vs. covariance adopts a signatory cusp-shaped curve. Further, we find that the (n + 1)th order cross-cumulant vs. nth order cross-cumulant adopts a closed loop structure for at least n = 3. We also propose that our method is capable of identifying systems without intrinsic bistability even though the system may show bimodality in the marginal response distribution. The proposed method can be used to analyze single cell protein data measured at steady state from experiments such as flow cytometry.

Organic bistable light-emitting devices

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Liping; Liu, Jie; Pyo, Seungmoon; Yang, Yang

2002-01-01

An organic bistable device, with a unique trilayer structure consisting of organic/metal/organic sandwiched between two outmost metal electrodes, has been invented. [Y. Yang, L. P. Ma, and J. Liu, U.S. Patent Pending, U.S. 01/17206 (2001)]. When the device is biased with voltages beyond a critical value (for example 3 V), the device suddenly switches from a high-impedance state to a low-impedance state, with a difference in injection current of more than 6 orders of magnitude. When the device is switched to the low-impedance state, it remains in that state even when the power is off. (This is called "nonvolatile" phenomenon in memory devices.) The high-impedance state can be recovered by applying a reverse bias; therefore, this bistable device is ideal for memory applications. In order to increase the data read-out rate of this type of memory device, a regular polymer light-emitting diode has been integrated with the organic bistable device, such that it can be read out optically. These features make the organic bistable light-emitting device a promising candidate for several applications, such as digital memories, opto-electronic books, and recordable papers.

Space charge effects and electronic bistability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruffini, A.; Strumia, F.; Tommasi, O.

1996-01-01

The excitation of metastable states in an atomic beam apparatus by means of electron collision is a widespread technique. The authors have observed a large bistable behaviour in apparatus designed to provide an intense and collimated beam of metastable helium by excitation with orthogonally impinging electrons. This bistable behaviour largely affects the efficiency of the apparatus and is therefore worth of being carefully investigated. The apparatus has an electrode configuration equivalent to that of a tetrode valve with large intergrid distances. The bistability consists in a hysteresis cycle in the curve of the anode current vs. grid voltage. Experimental measurements, supported by a simple theoretical model and by numerical simulation, stress out the crucial role played by space charge effects for the onset of bistability. A comparison with previous observations of this phenomenon is given. Spontaneous current oscillations with various shapes have been recorded in one of the two curves of the hysteresis cycle

Bistability in a laser with injected signal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorobantu, I.A.; Vlad, V.I.; Ursu, I.

1987-04-01

A unified description of bistability is given in free running lasers, optical bistable devices, ring lasers and lasers with an injected signal (LIS). A general review of laser instabilities is also presented in the frame of the theory of elementary catastrophes, emphasizing the apparence of higher order catastrophes in the case of a LIS suggesting thus a possibility to devise from first principles the whole hierarchy of laser instabilities. Experimental results on the bistability in the polarisation of LIS are also discussed. (authors)

Genes contribute to the switching dynamics of bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, Robert W; Patrick, Christopher J; Jiang, Yi; Bernat, Edward; He, Sheng

2011-03-09

Ordinarily, the visual system provides an unambiguous representation of the world. However, at times alternative plausible interpretations of a given stimulus arise, resulting in a dynamic perceptual alternation of the differing interpretations, commonly referred to as bistable or rivalrous perception. Recent research suggests that common neural mechanisms may be involved in the dynamics of very different types of bistable phenomena. Further, evidence has emerged that genetic factors may be involved in determining the rate of switch for at least one form of bistable perception, known as binocular rivalry. The current study evaluated whether genetic factors contribute to the switching dynamics for distinctly different variants of bistable perception in the same participant sample. Switching rates were recorded for MZ and DZ twin participants in two different bistable perception tasks, binocular rivalry and the Necker Cube. Strong concordance in switching rates across both tasks was evident for MZ but not DZ twins, indicating that genetic factors indeed contribute to the dynamics of multiple forms of bistable perception.

Does visual attention drive the dynamics of bistable perception?

Science.gov (United States)

Dieter, Kevin C; Brascamp, Jan; Tadin, Duje; Blake, Randolph

2016-10-01

How does attention interact with incoming sensory information to determine what we perceive? One domain in which this question has received serious consideration is that of bistable perception: a captivating class of phenomena that involves fluctuating visual experience in the face of physically unchanging sensory input. Here, some investigations have yielded support for the idea that attention alone determines what is seen, while others have implicated entirely attention-independent processes in driving alternations during bistable perception. We review the body of literature addressing this divide and conclude that in fact both sides are correct-depending on the form of bistable perception being considered. Converging evidence suggests that visual attention is required for alternations in the type of bistable perception called binocular rivalry, while alternations during other types of bistable perception appear to continue without requiring attention. We discuss some implications of this differential effect of attention for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bistable perception, and examine how these mechanisms operate during our everyday visual experiences.

Design and Implementation of Frequency-responsive Thermostat Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyeng, Preben; Østergaard, Jacob; Togeby, Mikael

2010-01-01

properties and needs of each application, and on the other hand the requirements of the system operator. The control algorithms are implemented on a microcontroller unit that is interfaced with existing thermostats for each application. To validate the control algorithms and overall system design, a series...

A bistable model of cell polarity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Semplice

Full Text Available Ultrasensitivity, as described by Goldbeter and Koshland, has been considered for a long time as a way to realize bistable switches in biological systems. It is not as well recognized that when ultrasensitivity and reinforcing feedback loops are present in a spatially distributed system such as the cell plasmamembrane, they may induce bistability and spatial separation of the system into distinct signaling phases. Here we suggest that bistability of ultrasensitive signaling pathways in a diffusive environment provides a basic mechanism to realize cell membrane polarity. Cell membrane polarization is a fundamental process implicated in several basic biological phenomena, such as differentiation, proliferation, migration and morphogenesis of unicellular and multicellular organisms. We describe a simple, solvable model of cell membrane polarization based on the coupling of membrane diffusion with bistable enzymatic dynamics. The model can reproduce a broad range of symmetry-breaking events, such as those observed in eukaryotic directional sensing, the apico-basal polarization of epithelium cells, the polarization of budding and mating yeast, and the formation of Ras nanoclusters in several cell types.

Perceptual incongruence influences bistability and cortical activation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brouwer, G.J.; Tong, F.; Hagoort, P.; van Ee, R.

2009-01-01

We employed a parametric psychophysical design in combination with functional imaging to examine the influence of metric changes in perceptual incongruence on perceptual alternation rates and cortical responses. Subjects viewed a bistable stimulus defined by incongruent depth cues; bistability

GABA shapes the dynamics of bistable perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Loon, A.M.; Knapen, T.; Scholte, H.S.; St. John-Saaltink, E.; Donner, T.H.; Lamme, V.A.F.

2013-01-01

Sometimes, perception fluctuates spontaneously between two distinct interpretations of a constant sensory input. These bistable perceptual phenomena provide a unique window into the neural mechanisms that create the contents of conscious perception. Models of bistable perception posit that mutual

A genetic bistable switch utilizing nonlinear protein degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Daniel; Holtz, William J; Maharbiz, Michel M

2012-07-09

Bistability is a fundamental property in engineered and natural systems, conferring the ability to switch and retain states. Synthetic bistable switches in prokaryotes have mainly utilized transcriptional components in their construction. Using both transcriptional and enzymatic components, creating a hybrid system, allows for wider bistable parameter ranges in a circuit. In this paper, we demonstrate a tunable family of hybrid bistable switches in E. coli using both transcriptional components and an enzymatic component. The design contains two linked positive feedback loops. The first loop utilizes the lambda repressor, CI, and the second positive feedback loop incorporates the Lon protease found in Mesoplasma florum (mf-Lon). We experimentally tested for bistable behavior in exponential growth phase, and found that our hybrid bistable switch was able to retain its state in the absence of an input signal throughout 40 cycles of cell division. We also tested the transient behavior of our switch and found that switching speeds can be tuned by changing the expression rate of mf-Lon. To our knowledge, this work demonstrates the first use of dynamic expression of an orthogonal and heterologous protease to tune a nonlinear protein degradation circuit. The hybrid switch is potentially a more robust and tunable topology for use in prokaryotic systems.

Temporal nonlocality in bistable perception

Science.gov (United States)

Atmanspacher, Harald; Filk, Thomas

2012-12-01

A novel conceptual framework for theoretical psychology is presented and illustrated for the example of bistable perception. A basic formal feature of this framework is the non-commutativity of operations acting on mental states. A corresponding model for the bistable perception of ambiguous stimuli, the Necker-Zeno model, is sketched and some empirical evidence for it so far is described. It is discussed how a temporal nonlocality of mental states, predicted by the model, can be understood and tested.

An Inductive Water Thermostat Using On‐Off Triac Control and Platinum Sensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diamond, Joseph M.

1971-01-01

An on‐off thermostat is described using novel means for heating, sensing, and triac control. Heating is performed by sending the water through a coil of silver tubing which forms the short‐circuited secondary winding of a transformer. This arrangement permits extremely good insulation, which...... was essential in the medical application (a dialysis water thermostat) for which it was designed; its quick response also contributes to the excellent regulation achieved with simple on‐off control. Sensing is provided by a very low resistance platinum coil in direct contact with the water, thus providing quick...

A Microwave Thermostatic Reactor for Processing Liquid Materials Based on a Heat-Exchanger.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yongqiang; Zhang, Chun; Xie, Tian; Hong, Tao; Zhu, Huacheng; Yang, Yang; Liu, Changjun; Huang, Kama

2017-10-08

Microwaves have been widely used in the treatment of different materials. However, the existing adjustable power thermostatic reactors cannot be used to analyze materials characteristics under microwave effects. In this paper, a microwave thermostatic chemical reactor for processing liquid materials is proposed, by controlling the velocity of coolant based on PLC (programmable logic controller) in different liquid under different constant electric field intensity. A nonpolar coolant (Polydimethylsiloxane), which is completely microwave transparent, is employed to cool the liquid materials. Experiments are performed to measure the liquid temperature using optical fibers, the results show that the precision of temperature control is at the range of ±0.5 °C. Compared with the adjustable power thermostatic control system, the effect of electric field changes on material properties are avoided and it also can be used to detect the properties of liquid materials and special microwave effects.

Optical bistability using quantum interference in V-type atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anton, M A; Calderon, Oscar G

2002-01-01

The behaviour of a V-type three-level atomic system in a ring cavity driven by a coherent field is studied. We consider a V configuration under conditions such that interference between decay channels is important. We find that when quantum interference is taken into account, optical bistability can be realized with a considerable decrease in the threshold intensity and the cooperative parameter. On the other hand, we also include the finite bandwidth of the driving field and study its role in the optical bistable response. It is found that at certain linewidths of the driving field optical bistability is obtained even if the system satisfies the trapping condition and the threshold intensity can be controlled. Furthermore, a change from the optical bistability due to quantum interference to the usual bistable behaviour based on saturation occurs as the driving field linewidth increases

Fundamental role of bistability in optimal homeostatic control

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guanyu

2013-03-01

Bistability is a fundamental phenomenon in nature and has a number of fine properties. However, these properties are consequences of bistability at the physiological level, which do not explain why it had to emerge during evolution. Using optimal homeostasis as the first principle and Pontryagin's Maximum Principle as the optimization approach, I find that bistability emerges as an indispensable control mechanism. Because the mathematical model is general and the result is independent of parameters, it is likely that most biological systems use bistability to control homeostasis. Glucose homeostasis represents a good example. It turns out that bistability is the only solution to a dilemma in glucose homeostasis: high insulin efficiency is required for rapid plasma glucose clearance, whereas an insulin sparing state is required to guarantee the brain's safety during fasting. This new perspective can illuminate studies on the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes and the corresponding intervening strategies. For example, overnutrition and sedentary lifestyle may represent sudden environmental changes that cause the lose of optimality, which may contribute to the marked rise of obesity and diabetes in our generation.

Bistable perception modeled as competing stochastic integrations at two levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Gigante, Guido; Mattia, Maurizio; Braun, Jochen; Del Giudice, Paolo

2009-07-01

We propose a novel explanation for bistable perception, namely, the collective dynamics of multiple neural populations that are individually meta-stable. Distributed representations of sensory input and of perceptual state build gradually through noise-driven transitions in these populations, until the competition between alternative representations is resolved by a threshold mechanism. The perpetual repetition of this collective race to threshold renders perception bistable. This collective dynamics - which is largely uncoupled from the time-scales that govern individual populations or neurons - explains many hitherto puzzling observations about bistable perception: the wide range of mean alternation rates exhibited by bistable phenomena, the consistent variability of successive dominance periods, and the stabilizing effect of past perceptual states. It also predicts a number of previously unsuspected relationships between observable quantities characterizing bistable perception. We conclude that bistable perception reflects the collective nature of neural decision making rather than properties of individual populations or neurons.

Bistable firing properties of soleus motor units in unrestrained rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

EKEN, T.; KIEHN, O.

1989-01-01

of the motoneuron pool by stimulation of la afferents, or inhibition by stimulation of skin afferents. The shifts were not related to gross limb movements. This phenomenon is referred to as a bistable firing pattern. Bistable firing also occurred spontaneously during quiet standing. Typically the firing frequency...... was unchanged or only phasically influenced. These results demonstrate for the first time a bistable firing pattern during postural activity in the intact animal. The firing pattern closely resembles the bistable behaviour described in spinal motoneurons in reduced preparations, where it is due to the presence...... of a plateau potential. This suggests that the bistable firing is unexplained by plateau potentials also in the intact animal....

Time step MOTA thermostat simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guthrie, G.L.

1978-09-01

The report details the logic, program layout, and operating procedures for the time-step MOTA (Materials Open Test Assembly) thermostat simulation program known as GYRD. It will enable prospective users to understand the operation of the program, run it, and interpret the results. The time-step simulation analysis was the approach chosen to determine the maximum value gain that could be used to minimize steady temperature offset without risking undamped thermal oscillations. The advantage of the GYRD program is that it directly shows hunting, ringing phenomenon, and similar events. Programs BITT and CYLB are faster, but do not directly show ringing time

Triggered Snap-Through of Bistable Shells

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yijie; Huang, Shicheng; Trase, Ian; Hu, Nan; Chen, Zi

Elastic bistable shells are common structures in nature and engineering, such as the lobes of the Venus flytrap or the surface of a toy jumping poppers. Despite their ubiquity, the parameters that control the bistability of such structures are not well understood. In this study, we explore how the geometrical features of radially symmetric elastic shells affect the shape and potential energy of a shell's stable states, and how to tune certain parameters in order to generate a snap-through transition from a convex semi-stable state to concave stable state. We fabricated a series of elastic shells with varying geometric parameters out of silicone rubber and measured the resulting potential energy in the semi-stable state. Finite element simulations were also conducted in order to determine the deformation and stress in the shells during snap-through. It was found that the energy of the semi-stable state is controlled by only two geometric parameters and a dimensionless ratio. We also noted two distinct transitions during snap-through, one between monostability and semi-bistability (the state a popper toy is in before it snaps-through and jumps), and a second transition between semi-bistability and true bistability. This work shows that it is possible to use a set of simple parameters to tailor the energy landscape of an elastic shell in order to generate complex trigger motions for their potential use in smart applications. Z.C. acknowledge support from Society in Science-Branco Weiss Fellowship, administered by ETH Zurich.

Longitudinal magnetic bistability of electroplated wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurlyandskaya, G.V.; Garcia-Miquel, H.; Vazquez, M.; Svalov, A.V.; Vas'kovskiy, V.O.

2002-01-01

Fe 20 Ni 74 Co 6 and Fe 20 Ni 64 Co 16 1 μm thick magnetic tubes electroplated onto Cu 98 Be 2 conductive wire have been investigated in as-deposited state, after heat treatment under longitudinal magnetic field for 1 h at 330 deg. C, and after rf-sputtering deposition of the additional 2 μm Fe 19 Ni 81 layer. Heat treatments and an additional layer deposition modify the shape of hysteresis loops. Magnetically bistable behaviour, observed after the field annealing at a temperature of 330 deg. C, is studied as a function of the length of the samples. This is the first report by our knowledge on the bistable behaviour of the electroplated wires. The bistability of these wires is promising for applications such as tagging or pulse generator applications

Hybrid optoelectronic device with multiple bistable outputs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Costazo-Caso, Pablo A; Jin Yiye; Gelh, Michael; Granieri, Sergio; Siahmakoun, Azad, E-mail: pcostanzo@ing.unlp.edu.are, E-mail: granieri@rose-hulma.edu, E-mail: siahmako@rose-hulma.edu [Department of Physics and Optical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803 (United States)

2011-01-01

Optoelectronic circuits which exhibit optical and electrical bistability with hysteresis behavior are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The systems are based on semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA), bipolar junction transistors (BJT), PIN photodiodes (PD) and laser diodes externally modulated with integrated electro-absorption modulators (LD-EAM). The device operates based on two independent phenomena leading to both electrical bistability and optical bistability. The electrical bistability is due to the series connection of two p-i-n structures (SOA, BJT, PD or LD) in reverse bias. The optical bistability is consequence of the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) in the multi-quantum well (MQW) structure in the intrinsic region of the device. This effect produces the optical modulation of the transmitted light through the SOA (or reflected from the PD). Finally, because the optical transmission of the SOA (in reverse bias) and the reflected light from the PD are so small, a LD-EAM modulated by the voltage across these devices are employed to obtain a higher output optical power. Experiments show that the maximum switching frequency is in MHz range and the rise/fall times lower than 1 us. The temporal response is mainly limited by the electrical capacitance of the devices and the parasitic inductances of the connecting wires. The effects of these components can be reduced in current integration technologies.

Bistable flow spectral analysis. Repercussions on jet pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavilan Moreno, C.J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The most important thing in this paper, is the spectral characterization of the bistable flow in a Nuclear Power Plant. → This paper goes deeper in the effect of the bistable flow over the jet pump and the induced vibrations. → The jet pump frequencies are very close to natural jet pump frequencies, in the 3rd and 6th mode. - Abstract: There have been many attempts at characterizing and predicting bistable flow in boiling water reactors (BWRs). Nevertheless, in most cases the results have only managed to develop models that analytically reproduce the phenomenon (). Modeling has been forensic in all cases, while the capacity of the model focus on determining the exclusion areas on the recirculation flow map. The bistability process is known by its effects given there is no clear definition of its causal process. In the 1980s, Hitachi technicians () managed to reproduce bistable flow in the laboratory by means of pipe geometry, similar to that which is found in recirculation loops. The result was that the low flow pattern is formed by the appearance of a quasi stationary, helicoidal vortex in the recirculation collector's branches. This vortex creates greater frictional losses than regions without vortices, at the same discharge pressure. Neither the behavior nor the dynamics of these vortices were characterized in this paper. The aim of this paper is to characterize these vortices in such a way as to enable them to provide their own frequencies and their later effect on the jet pumps. The methodology used in this study is similar to the one used previously when analyzing the bistable flow in tube arrays with cross flow (). The method employed makes use of the power spectral density function. What differs is the field of application. We will analyze a Loop B with a bistable flow and compare the high and low flow situations. The same analysis will also be carried out on the loop that has not developed the bistable flow (Loop A) at the same moments

Non-resonant energy harvesting via an adaptive bistable potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseinloo, Ashkan Haji; Turitsyn, Konstantin

2016-01-01

Narrow bandwidth and easy detuning, inefficiency in broadband and non-stationary excitations, and difficulties in matching a linear harvester’s resonance frequency to low-frequency excitations at small scales, have convinced researchers to investigate nonlinear, and in particular bistable, energy harvesters in recent years. However, bistable harvesters suffer from co-existing low and high energy orbits, and sensitivity to initial conditions, and have recently been proven inefficient when subjected to many real-world random and non-stationary excitations. Here, we propose a novel non-resonant buy-low-sell-high strategy that can significantly improve the harvester’s effectiveness at low frequencies in a much more robust fashion. This strategy could be realized by a passive adaptive bistable system. Simulation results confirm the high effectiveness of the adaptive bistable system following a buy-low-sell-high logic when subjected to harmonic and random non-stationary walking excitations compared to its conventional bistable and linear counterparts. (paper)

Chaos in a new bistable rotating electromechanical system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsapla Fotsa, R.; Woafo, P.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new electromechanical system with rotating arm and bistable potential energy is studied. • The bistability is generated by the interaction of three permanent magnets, one fixed at the end of the arm and two other fixed at equal distance relative to the central position of the arm. • It exhibits dissipative and Hamiltonian chaos. • Such a bistable electromechanical system can be used as the actuation part of chaotic sieves and mixers. - Abstract: A device consisting of an induction motor activating a rotating rigid arm is designed and comprises a bistable potential due to the presence of three permanent magnets. Its mathematical equations are established and the numerical results both in the absence and in the presence of magnets are compared. The generation of chaotic behavior is achieved using two different external excitations: sinewave and square wave. In the presence of magnets, the system presents periodic and dissipative chaotic dynamics. Approximating the global potential energy to a bistable quartic potential, the Melnikov method is used to derive the conditions for the appearance of Hamiltonian chaos. Such a device can be used for industrial and domestic applications for mixing and sieving activities.

Frontoparietal cortex mediates perceptual transitions in bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Weilnhammer, Veith A; Ludwig, Karin; Hesselmann, Guido; Sterzer, Philipp

2013-10-02

During bistable vision, perception oscillates between two mutually exclusive percepts despite constant sensory input. Greater BOLD responses in frontoparietal cortex have been shown to be associated with endogenous perceptual transitions compared with "replay" transitions designed to closely match bistability in both perceptual quality and timing. It has remained controversial, however, whether this enhanced activity reflects causal influences of these regions on processing at the sensory level or, alternatively, an effect of stimulus differences that result in, for example, longer durations of perceptual transitions in bistable perception compared with replay conditions. Using a rotating Lissajous figure in an fMRI experiment on 15 human participants, we controlled for potential confounds of differences in transition duration and confirmed previous findings of greater activity in frontoparietal areas for transitions during bistable perception. In addition, we applied dynamic causal modeling to identify the neural model that best explains the observed BOLD signals in terms of effective connectivity. We found that enhanced activity for perceptual transitions is associated with a modulation of top-down connectivity from frontal to visual cortex, thus arguing for a crucial role of frontoparietal cortex in perceptual transitions during bistable perception.

A bistable mechanism for chord extension morphing rotors

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Terrence; Frecker, Mary; Gandhi, Farhan

2009-03-01

Research efforts have shown that helicopter rotor blade morphing is an effective means to improve flight performance. Previous example of rotor blade morphing include using smart-materials for trailing deflection and rotor blade twist and tip twist, the development of a comfortable airfoil using compliant mechanisms, the use of a Gurney flap for air-flow deflection and centrifugal force actuated device to increase the span of the blade. In this paper we explore the use of a bistable mechanism for rotor morphing, specifically, blade chord extension using a bistable arc. Increasing the chord of the rotor blade is expected to generate more lift-load and improve helicopter performance. Bistable or "snap through" mechanisms have multiple stable equilibrium states and are a novel way to achieve large actuation output stroke. Bistable mechanisms do not require energy input to maintain a stable equilibrium state as both states do not require locking. In this work, we introduce a methodology for the design of bistable arcs for chord morphing using the finite element analysis and pseudo-rigid body model, to study the effect of different arc types, applied loads and rigidity on arc performance.

Bistable microvalve and microcatheter system

Science.gov (United States)

Seward, Kirk Patrick

2003-05-20

A bistable microvalve of shape memory material is operatively connected to a microcatheter. The bistable microvalve includes a tip that can be closed off until it is in the desired position. Once it is in position it can opened and closed. The system uses heat and pressure to open and close the microvalve. The shape memory material will change stiffness and shape when heated above a transition temperature. The shape memory material is adapted to move from a first shape to a second shape, either open or closed, where it can perform a desired function.

Model-based design of bistable cell factories for metabolic engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Shyam; Cluett, William R; Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan

2018-04-15

Metabolism can exhibit dynamic phenomena like bistability due to the presence of regulatory motifs like the positive feedback loop. As cell factories, microorganisms with bistable metabolism can have a high and a low product flux at the two stable steady states, respectively. The exclusion of metabolic regulation and network dynamics limits the ability of pseudo-steady state stoichiometric models to detect the presence of bistability, and reliably assess the outcomes of design perturbations to metabolic networks. Using kinetic models of metabolism, we assess the change in the bistable characteristics of the network, and suggest designs based on perturbations to the positive feedback loop to enable the network to produce at its theoretical maximum rate. We show that the most optimal production design in parameter space, for a small bistable metabolic network, may exist at the boundary of the bistable region separating it from the monostable region of low product fluxes. The results of our analysis can be broadly applied to other bistable metabolic networks with similar positive feedback network topologies. This can complement existing model-based design strategies by providing a smaller number of feasible designs that need to be tested in vivo. http://lmse.biozone.utoronto.ca/downloads/. krishna.mahadevan@utoronto.ca. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Bistable Reflective Etalon (BRET)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Shellenbarger, Zane

2003-01-01

This project designed, fabricated, and characterized normal-incidence etalon structures at 1550 nm wavelength operation for application, as bistable elements, to photonic analog-to-digital conversion...

Multistability in Bistable Ferroelectric Materials toward Adaptive Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghosh, Anirban; Koster, Gertjan; Rijnders, Augustinus J.H.M.

2016-01-01

Traditionally thermodynamically bistable ferroic materials are used for nonvolatile operations based on logic gates (e.g., in the form of field effect transistors). But, this inherent bistability in these class of materials limits their applicability for adaptive operations. Emulating biological

End users heat energy savings using thermostat regulation valves radiators, v. 16(64)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakimovska, Emilija Misheva; Potsev, Eftim

2008-01-01

Billing the used heat energy offers the opportunity to motivate end users to use the heat energy rationally and to save the energy. Installing the thermostat valves on the radiators it is possible frequently to regulate the room temperature and to use the heat gains, obtaining comfortable climate in the apartments and saving the energy. Thermostat valves give the possibility to use the heat energy rationally and save the energy, and these way and users can regulate the heat energy consumption according to their own level of thermal comfort. (Author)

End users heat energy savings using thermostat regulation valves radiators, v. 16(63)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakimovska, Emilija Misheva; Potsev, Eftim

2008-01-01

Billing the used heat energy offers the opportunity to motivate end users to use the heat energy rationally and to save the energy. Installing the thermostat valves on the radiators it is possible frequently to regulate the room temperature and to use the heat gains, obtaining comfortable climate in the apartments and saving the energy. Thermostat valves give the possibility to use the heat energy rationally and save the energy, and these way and users can regulate the heat energy consumption according to their own level of thermal comfort. (Author)

Bistable energy harvesting enhancement with an auxiliary linear oscillator

Science.gov (United States)

Harne, R. L.; Thota, M.; Wang, K. W.

2013-12-01

Recent work has indicated that linear vibrational energy harvesters with an appended degree-of-freedom (DOF) may be advantageous for introducing new dynamic forms to extend the operational bandwidth. Given the additional interest in bistable harvester designs, which exhibit a propitious snap through effect from one stable state to the other, it is a logical extension to explore the influence of an added DOF to a bistable system. However, bistable snap through is not a resonant phenomenon, which tempers the presumption that the dynamics induced by an additional DOF on bistable designs would inherently be beneficial as for linear systems. This paper presents two analytical formulations to assess the fundamental and superharmonic steady-state dynamics of an excited bistable energy harvester to which is attached an auxiliary linear oscillator. From an energy harvesting perspective, the model predicts that the additional linear DOF uniformly amplifies the bistable harvester response magnitude and generated power for excitation frequencies less than the attachment’s resonance while improved power density spans a bandwidth below this frequency. Analyses predict bandwidths having co-existent responses composed of a unique proportion of fundamental and superharmonic dynamics. Experiments validate key analytical predictions and observe the ability for the coupled system to develop an advantageous multi-harmonic interwell response when the initial conditions are insufficient for continuous high-energy orbit at the excitation frequency. Overall, the addition of an auxiliary linear oscillator to a bistable harvester is found to be an effective means of enhancing the energy harvesting performance and robustness.

A thermostatted kinetic theory model for event-driven pedestrian dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Bianca, Carlo; Mogno, Caterina

2018-06-01

This paper is devoted to the modeling of the pedestrian dynamics by means of the thermostatted kinetic theory. Specifically the microscopic interactions among pedestrians and an external force field are modeled for simulating the evacuation of pedestrians from a metro station. The fundamentals of the stochastic game theory and the thermostatted kinetic theory are coupled for the derivation of a specific mathematical model which depicts the time evolution of the distribution of pedestrians at different exits of a metro station. The perturbation theory is employed in order to establish the stability analysis of the nonequilibrium stationary states in the case of a metro station consisting of two exits. A general sensitivity analysis on the initial conditions, the magnitude of the external force field and the number of exits is presented by means of numerical simulations which, in particular, show how the asymptotic distribution and the convergence time are affected by the presence of an external force field. The results show how, in evacuation conditions, the interaction dynamics among pedestrians can be negligible with respect to the external force. The important role of the thermostat term in allowing the reaching of the nonequilibrium stationary state is stressed out. Research perspectives are underlined at the end of paper, in particular for what concerns the derivation of frameworks that take into account the definition of local external actions and the introduction of the space and velocity dynamics.

Electrical bistabilities and memory stabilities of nonvolatile bistable devices fabricated utilizing C60 molecules embedded in a polymethyl methacrylate layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Sung Hwan; Lee, Dong Ik; Jung, Jae Hun; Kim, Tae Whan

2009-01-01

Current-voltage (I-V) measurements on Al/fullerene (C 60 ) molecules embedded in polymethyl methacrylate/Al devices at 300 K showed a current bistability due to the existence of the C 60 molecules. The on/off ratio of the current bistability for the memory devices was as large as 10 3 . The retention time of the devices was above 2.5 x 10 4 s at room temperature, and cycling endurance tests on these devices indicated that the ON and OFF currents showed no degradation until 50 000 cycles. Carrier transport mechanisms for the nonvolatile bistable devices are described on the basis of the I-V experimental and fitting results.

Oscillations in the bistable regime of neuronal networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Roxin, Alex; Compte, Albert

2016-07-01

Bistability between attracting fixed points in neuronal networks has been hypothesized to underlie persistent activity observed in several cortical areas during working memory tasks. In network models this kind of bistability arises due to strong recurrent excitation, sufficient to generate a state of high activity created in a saddle-node (SN) bifurcation. On the other hand, canonical network models of excitatory and inhibitory neurons (E-I networks) robustly produce oscillatory states via a Hopf (H) bifurcation due to the E-I loop. This mechanism for generating oscillations has been invoked to explain the emergence of brain rhythms in the β to γ bands. Although both bistability and oscillatory activity have been intensively studied in network models, there has not been much focus on the coincidence of the two. Here we show that when oscillations emerge in E-I networks in the bistable regime, their phenomenology can be explained to a large extent by considering coincident SN and H bifurcations, known as a codimension two Takens-Bogdanov bifurcation. In particular, we find that such oscillations are not composed of a stable limit cycle, but rather are due to noise-driven oscillatory fluctuations. Furthermore, oscillations in the bistable regime can, in principle, have arbitrarily low frequency.

Bistable soliton states and switching in doubly inhomogeneously ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Dec. 2001 physics pp. 969–979. Bistable soliton states and switching in doubly inhomogeneously doped fiber couplers. AJIT KUMAR. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110 016, India. Abstract. Switching between the bistable soliton states in a doubly and inhomogeneously doped.

Convection Enhances Magnetic Turbulence in AM CVn Accretion Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Matthew S. B.; Blaes, Omer; Hirose, Shigenobu; Hauschildt, Peter H.

2018-04-01

We present the results of local, vertically stratified, radiation magnetohydrodynamic shearing-box simulations of magnetorotational instability (MRI) turbulence for a (hydrogen poor) composition applicable to accretion disks in AM CVn type systems. Many of these accreting white dwarf systems are helium analogs of dwarf novae (DNe). We utilize frequency-integrated opacity and equation-of-state tables appropriate for this regime to accurately portray the relevant thermodynamics. We find bistability of thermal equilibria in the effective-temperature, surface-mass-density plane typically associated with disk instabilities. Along this equilibrium curve (i.e., the S-curve), we find that the stress to thermal pressure ratio α varied with peak values of ∼0.15 near the tip of the upper branch. Similar to DNe, we found enhancement of α near the tip of the upper branch caused by convection; this increase in α occurred despite our choice of zero net vertical magnetic flux. Two notable differences we find between DN and AM CVn accretion disk simulations are that AM CVn disks are capable of exhibiting persistent convection in outburst, and ideal MHD is valid throughout quiescence for AM CVns. In contrast, DNe simulations only show intermittent convection, and nonideal MHD effects are likely important in quiescence. By combining our previous work with these new results, we also find that convective enhancement of the MRI is anticorrelated with mean molecular weight.

Thermostatic Radiator Valve Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dentz, J. [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative (ARIES), New York, NY (United States); Ansanelli, E. [Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative (ARIES), New York, NY (United States)

2015-01-01

A large stock of multifamily buildings in the Northeast and Midwest are heated by steam distribution systems. Losses from these systems are typically high and a significant number of apartments are overheated much of the time. Thermostatically controlled radiator valves (TRVs) are one potential strategy to combat this problem, but have not been widely accepted by the residential retrofit market. In this project, the ARIES team sought to better understand the current usage of TRVs by key market players in steam and hot water heating and to conduct limited experiments on the effectiveness of new and old TRVs as a means of controlling space temperatures and reducing heating fuel consumption. The project included a survey of industry professionals, a field experiment comparing old and new TRVs, and cost-benefit modeling analysis using BEopt™ (Building Energy Optimization software).

Optical bistability via quantum interference from incoherent pumping and spontaneous emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahrai, M.; Asadpour, S.H.; Sadighi-Bonabi, R.

2011-01-01

We theoretically investigate the optical bistability (OB) in a V-type three-level atomic system confined in a unidirectional ring cavity via incoherent pumping field. It is shown that the threshold of optical bistability can be controlled by the rate of an incoherent pumping field and by interference mechanism arising from the spontaneous emission and incoherent pumping field. We demonstrate that the optical bistability converts to optical multi-stability (OM) by the quantum interference mechanism. - Highlights: → We modulate the optical bistability (OB) in a four-level N-type atomic system. → The threshold of optical bistability can be controlled by the quantum interferences. → OB converts to optical multi-stability (OM) by the quantum interferences. → We discuss the effect of an incoherent pumping field on reduction of OB threshold.

Evaluation of bistable systems versus matched filters in detecting bipolar pulse signals

OpenAIRE

Duan, Fabing; Abbott, Derek; Gao, Qisheng

2004-01-01

This paper presents a thorough evaluation of a bistable system versus a matched filter in detecting bipolar pulse signals. The detectability of the bistable system can be optimized by adding noise, i.e. the stochastic resonance (SR) phenomenon. This SR effect is also demonstrated by approximate statistical detection theory of the bistable system and corresponding numerical simulations. Furthermore, the performance comparison results between the bistable system and the matched filter show that...

Bifurcation of transition paths induced by coupled bistable systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Chengzhe; Mitarai, Namiko

2016-06-07

We discuss the transition paths in a coupled bistable system consisting of interacting multiple identical bistable motifs. We propose a simple model of coupled bistable gene circuits as an example and show that its transition paths are bifurcating. We then derive a criterion to predict the bifurcation of transition paths in a generalized coupled bistable system. We confirm the validity of the theory for the example system by numerical simulation. We also demonstrate in the example system that, if the steady states of individual gene circuits are not changed by the coupling, the bifurcation pattern is not dependent on the number of gene circuits. We further show that the transition rate exponentially decreases with the number of gene circuits when the transition path does not bifurcate, while a bifurcation facilitates the transition by lowering the quasi-potential energy barrier.

Bistable dynamics of a levitated nanoparticle (Presentation Recording)

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, Francesco; Spasenovic, M.; Rica, Raúl A.; Novotny, Lukas; Quidant, Romain

2015-08-01

Bistable systems are ubiquitous in nature. Classical examples in chemistry and biology include relaxation kinetics in chemical reactions [1] and stochastic resonance processes such as neuron firing [2,3]. Likewise, bistable systems play a key role in signal processing and information handling at the nanoscale, giving rise to intriguing applications such as optical switches [4], coherent signal amplification [5,6] and weak forces detection [5]. The interest and applicability of bistable systems are intimately connected with the complexity of their dynamics, typically due to the presence of a large number of parameters and nonlinearities. Appropriate modeling is therefore challenging. Alternatively, the possibility to experimentally recreate bistable systems in a clean and controlled way has recently become very appealing, but elusive and complicated. With this aim, we combined optical tweezers with a novel active feedback-cooling scheme to develop a well-defined opto-mechanical platform reaching unprecedented performances in terms of Q-factor, frequency stability and force sensitivity [7,8]. Our experimental system consists of a single nanoparticle levitated in high vacuum with optical tweezers, which behaves as a non-linear (Duffing) oscillator under appropriate conditions. Here, we prove it to be an ideal tool for a deep study of bistability. We demonstrate bistability of the nanoparticle by noise activated switching between two oscillation states, discussing our results in terms of a double-well potential model. We also show the flexibility of our system in shaping the potential at will, in order to meet the conditions prescribed by any bistable system that could therefore then be simulated with our setup. References [1] T. Amemiya, T. Ohmori, M. Nakaiwa, T. Yamamoto, and T. Yamaguchi, "Modeling of Nonlinear Chemical Reaction Systems and Two-Parameter Stochastic Resonance," J. Biol. Phys. 25 (1999) 73 [2] F. Moss, L. M. Ward, and W. G. Sannita, "Stochastic

Magnetic-field induced bistability in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor microcavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Chuanyi; Zhang, Weifeng

2015-01-01

We theoretically study the magnetic-field induced bistability in a quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor microcavity. A critical magnetic field is obtained, and the bistability appears if a magnetic field is greater than the critical value. For a positive energy detuning of the pump from the bare exciton polaritons, one bistability loop first emerges, then it divides into two loops, and finally one of them vanishes with the increasing magnetic field. This phenomenon originates from the magnetic-field modulated interactions for opposite spins. In the variational process, there are two important effects: one is a logic gate with a small variation of the excitation laser, and the other is a spin texture like skyrmion and this texture is periodic if the energy detuning varies periodically in real space, which is useful for designing the spin-dependent optoelectronic devices. - Highlights: • We study the bistability induced by a magnetic field in a microcavity. • One bistability loop can divide into two, and then the two loops return to one. • A spin texture like skyrmion and logic gate arise in the variation of bistability loop

Modeling Populations of Thermostatic Loads with Switching Rate Actuation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Totu, Luminita Cristiana; Wisniewski, Rafal; Leth, John-Josef

2015-01-01

We model thermostatic devices using a stochastic hybrid description, and introduce an external actuation mechanism that creates random switch events in the discrete dynamics. We then conjecture the form of the Fokker-Planck equation and successfully verify it numerically using Monte Carlo...... simulations. The actuation mechanism and subsequent modeling result are relevant for power system operation....

Evaluating functions of positive-definite matrices using colored-noise thermostats

Science.gov (United States)

Nava, Marco; Ceriotti, Michele; Dryzun, Chaim; Parrinello, Michele

2014-02-01

Many applications in computational science require computing the elements of a function of a large matrix. A commonly used approach is based on the the evaluation of the eigenvalue decomposition, a task that, in general, involves a computing time that scales with the cube of the size of the matrix. We present here a method that can be used to evaluate the elements of a function of a positive-definite matrix with a scaling that is linear for sparse matrices and quadratic in the general case. This methodology is based on the properties of the dynamics of a multidimensional harmonic potential coupled with colored-noise, generalized Langevin equation thermostats. This "f-thermostat" approach allows us to calculate directly elements of functions of a positive-definite matrix by carefully tailoring the properties of the stochastic dynamics. We demonstrate the scaling and the accuracy of this approach for both dense and sparse problems and compare the results with other established methodologies.

Two optical bistability domains in composites of metal nanoparticles with nonlinear dielectric core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shewamare, Sisay, E-mail: sisayshewa20@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Mal' nev, V.N., E-mail: vadimnmalnev@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

2012-12-15

It is shown that the local field in metal spherical particles with a dielectric core in an external varying electric field has two maxima at two different frequencies. The second maximum becomes more important with an increment in the metal fraction. Due to the nonlinear dielectric function of the core, the composite of these inclusions may have two optically induced bistability domains at different frequencies. At rather high metal fraction, two bistability domains merge and form one entire bistability domain. The parameters of these domains are studied numerically. The paper focuses on the second bistability domain, which has not been discussed in the literature so far. This domain exists in a comparatively narrow frequency range and its onset fields are lower than those of the first bistability domain. The lowest bistability onset fields are obtained in the entire domain. This peculiarity of the optical induced bistability in the metal composite with small dielectric cores can be attractive for possible applications.

Two optical bistability domains in composites of metal nanoparticles with nonlinear dielectric core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shewamare, Sisay; Mal'nev, V.N.

2012-01-01

It is shown that the local field in metal spherical particles with a dielectric core in an external varying electric field has two maxima at two different frequencies. The second maximum becomes more important with an increment in the metal fraction. Due to the nonlinear dielectric function of the core, the composite of these inclusions may have two optically induced bistability domains at different frequencies. At rather high metal fraction, two bistability domains merge and form one entire bistability domain. The parameters of these domains are studied numerically. The paper focuses on the second bistability domain, which has not been discussed in the literature so far. This domain exists in a comparatively narrow frequency range and its onset fields are lower than those of the first bistability domain. The lowest bistability onset fields are obtained in the entire domain. This peculiarity of the optical induced bistability in the metal composite with small dielectric cores can be attractive for possible applications.

Optical bistability induced by quantum coherence in a negative index atomic medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Hong-Jun; Sun Hui; Li Jin-Ping; Yin Bao-Yin; Guo Hong-Ju

2013-01-01

Bistability behaviors in an optical ring cavity filled with a dense V-type four-level atomic medium are theoretically investigated. It is found that the optical bistability can appear in the negative refraction frequency band, while both the bistability and multi-stability can occur in the positive refraction frequency bands. Therefore, optical bistability can be realized from conventional material to negative index material due to quantum coherence in our scheme. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Optical bistability and multistability in polaritonic materials doped with nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhiping; Yu, Benli

2014-01-01

We investigate the optical bistability and multistability in polaritonic materials doped with nanoparticles inside an optical ring cavity. It is found that the optical bistability and multistability can be easily controlled by adjusting the corresponding parameters of the system properly. The effect of the dipole–dipole interaction has also been included in the formulation, which leads to interesting phenomena. Our scheme opens up the possibility of controling the optical bistability and multistability in polaritonic materials doped with nanoparticles. (letter)

Ca++ dependent bistability induced by serotonin in spinal motoneurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hounsgaard, J.; Kiehn, O.

1985-01-01

The plateau potential, responsible for the bistable state of spinal motoneurons, recently described in the decerebrate cat, was suggested to depend on serotonin (Hounsgaard et al. 1984). In an in vitro preparation of the spinal cord of the turtle we now show that serotonin, applied directly...... to the bath, transforms the intrinsic response properties of motoneurons, uncovering a plateau potential and voltage sensitive bistability. The changes induced by serotonin were blocked by Mn++, while the plateau potential and the bistability remained after application of tetrodotoxin. We conclude...... that serotonin controls the expression of a Ca++ dependent plateau potential in motoneurons....

Dynamic control of a bistable wing under aerodynamic loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilgen, Onur; Arrieta, Andres F; Friswell, Michael I; Hagedorn, Peter

2013-01-01

The aerodynamic evaluation of a dynamic control technique applied to a bistable unsymmetrical cross-ply composite plate with surface bonded piezoelectric actuators is presented. The plate is clamped on one end to form a low-aspect-ratio wing. A previously proposed dynamic control method, utilizing bending resonance in different stable equilibrium positions, is used to induce snap-through between the two equilibrium states. Compared to quasi-static actuation, driving the bistable plate near resonance using surface bonded piezoelectric materials requires, theoretically, a lower peak excitation voltage to achieve snap-through. First, a set of extensive wind tunnel experiments are conducted on the passive bistable wing to understand the change in the dynamic behavior under various aerodynamic conditions. The passive wing demonstrated sufficient bending stiffness to sustain its shape under aerodynamic loading while preserving the desired bistable behavior. Next, by the use of the resonant control technique, the plate is turned into an effectively monostable structure, or alternatively, both stable equilibrium positions can be reached actively from the other stable equilibrium. Dynamic forward and reverse snap-through is demonstrated in the wind tunnel which shows both the effectiveness of the piezoelectric actuation as well as the load carrying capability of both states of the bistable wing. (paper)

Investigation of a bistable dual-stage vibration isolator under harmonic excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Kai; Huang, Hai; Harne, R L; Wang, K W

2014-01-01

This study explores the steady-state performance of a dual-stage vibration isolator, which is configured by a bistable oscillator and a linear oscillator. The potential force of the bistable stage comprises negative linear and positive cubic nonlinear stiffnesses such that the two restoring force contributions may counterbalance to minimize dynamic force transmission. By applying a first-order harmonic balance, it is predicted that the bistable dual-stage isolator may significantly outperform an equivalent pure linear dual-stage isolator. This conclusion is verified through a series of numerical investigations. Following a parametric study, design guidelines are detailed to achieve performance improvements. Then, the ‘valley’ response, which is the special phenomenon of the bistable dual-stage isolator due to the counterbalance of the negative linear and positive nonlinear potential forces, is revealed and quantitatively explained. Numerical studies demonstrate the role of initial conditions, and it is shown that the likelihood of beneficial single periodic valley and intra-well responses for isolation purposes can be increased by greater bistable stage damping. Finally, a bistable dual-stage isolator prototype is developed and tested, and the numerical and experimental results verify the theoretical predictions. (paper)

Linear population allocation by bistable switches in response to transient stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Srimani, Jaydeep K; Yao, Guang; Neu, John; Tanouchi, Yu; Lee, Tae Jun; You, Lingchong

2014-01-01

Many cellular decision processes, including proliferation, differentiation, and phenotypic switching, are controlled by bistable signaling networks. In response to transient or intermediate input signals, these networks allocate a population fraction to each of two distinct states (e.g. OFF and ON). While extensive studies have been carried out to analyze various bistable networks, they are primarily focused on responses of bistable networks to sustained input signals. In this work, we investigate the response characteristics of bistable networks to transient signals, using both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. We find that bistable systems exhibit a common property: for input signals with short durations, the fraction of switching cells increases linearly with the signal duration, allowing the population to integrate transient signals to tune its response. We propose that this allocation algorithm can be an optimal response strategy for certain cellular decisions in which excessive switching results in lower population fitness.

Modeling heterogeneous populations of thermostatically controlled loads using diffusion-advection PDEs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moura, Scott; Ruiz, Victor; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on developing a partial differential equation (PDE)-based model and parameter identification scheme for heterogeneous populations of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs). First, a coupled two-state hyperbolic PDE model for homogenous TCL populations is derived. This model i...

Bistable behaviour of biexciton population in a dense exciton-biexciton system in semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Ba An.

1986-05-01

The steady state bistable behaviour of biexciton population in a dense exciton-biexciton semiconductor is considered. The intrinsic optical feedback is provided by the recombination mechanism. The exciton-biexciton and biexciton-biexciton interactions play the role of non-linearity responsible for biexciton bistability to occur. The conditions leading to the effect of bistability are obtained and two-parameter phase transition diagrams are drawn for both intensity and frequency bistable phenomena. (author)

Bubbling and bistability in two parameter discrete systems

OpenAIRE

Ambika, G.; Sujatha, N. V.

2000-01-01

We present a graphical analysis of the mechanisms underlying the occurrences of bubbling sequences and bistability regions in the bifurcation scenario of a special class of one dimensional two parameter maps. The main result of the analysis is that whether it is bubbling or bistability is decided by the sign of the third derivative at the inflection point of the map function.

Controllable optical bistability in a three-mode optomechanical system with atom-cavity-mirror couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bin; Wang, Xiao-Fang; Yan, Jia-Kai; Zhu, Xiao-Fei; Jiang, Cheng

2018-01-01

We theoretically investigate the optical bistable behavior in a three-mode optomechanical system with atom-cavity-mirror couplings. The effects of the cavity-pump detuning and the pump power on the bistable behavior are discussed detailedly, the impacts of the atom-pump detuning and the atom-cavity coupling strength on the bistability of the system are also explored, and the influences of the cavity-resonator coupling strength and the cavity decay rate are also taken into consideration. The numerical results demonstrate that by tuning these parameters the bistable behavior of the system can be freely switched on or off, and the threshold of the pump power for the bistability as well as the bistable region width can also be effectively controlled. These results can find potential applications in optical bistable switch in the quantum information processing.

Bistable luminescence of trivalent rare-earth ions in crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sole, Jose Garcia; Ramirez O, Maria de la; Rodenas, Airan; Jaque, Daniel; Bausa, Luisa; Bettinelli, Marco; Speghini, Adolfo; Cavalli, Enrico; Ivleva, Lioudmila

2006-01-01

In this work, we have examined three new bistable systems based on the luminescence of three different crystals activated with trivalent rare earth ions. We have focussed our attention on Yb 3+ ions activators, for which the most relevant results are obtained. The first crystal, Sr 0.6 Ba 0.4 Nb 2 O 6 , is a ferroelectric material with a relatively low phase transition temperature (∼370 K), which provides bistability in the luminescence of Yb 3+ ions due to the thermal hysteresis associated with phase transition. The second crystal, LiNbO 3 , provides an intrinsic bistability in the luminescence of Yb 3+ ions, which is driven by changes in the excitation intensity. In the third crystal, NdPO 4 , a new mechanism of excitation intensity driven bistability is obtained when activated with Yb 3+ ions, due to a interplay between the Nd 3+ ↔Yb 3+ energy transfer and back transfer processes

Controllable optical bistability in photonic-crystal one-atom laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Xiaoyong; Lue Shuchen

2009-01-01

We investigate the property of optical bistability in a photonic-crystal one-atom laser when nonlinear microcavity is present. The physical system consists of a coherently driven two-level light emitter strongly coupled to a high-quality microcavity which is embedded within a photonic crystal and another coherent probing field which has incident into the microcavity. In our case, the microcavity is fabricated by nonlinear material and placed as an impurity in photonic crystal. This study reveals that such a system can exhibit optical bistability. The dependence of threshold value and hysteresis loop on the photonic band gap of the photonic crystal, driving field Rabi frequency and dephasing processes, are studied. Our results clearly illustrate the ability to control optical bistability through suitable photonic-crystal architectures and external coherent driving field, and this study suggests that in a photonic-crystal nonlinear microcavity, the one-atom laser acts as an effective controllable bistable device in the design of all-light digital computing systems in the near future.

Optical Bistability in Graded Core-Shell Granular Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Ya-Min; Chen Guo-Qing; Xue Si-Zhong; Zhu Zhuo-Wei; Ma Chao-Qun

2012-01-01

The intrinsic optical bistability (OB) of graded core-shell granular composites is investigated. The coated particles are made of cores with gradient dielectric function in c (r) = A(r/a) k and nonlinear shells. In view of the exponential distribution of the core dielectric constant, the potential functions of each region are obtained by solving the Maxwell equations, and the mathematical expressions of electric field in the shells and cores are determined. Numerical study reveals that the optical bistable threshold and the threshold width of the composite medium are dependent on the shell thickness, core dielectric exponent, and power function coefficient. The optical bistable width increases with the decreasing shell thickness and the power exponent and with the increasing power function coefficient

Bistable output from a coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, A. J.; Choquette, K. D.; Chow, W. W.; Allerman, A. A.; Geib, K.

2000-01-01

We report a monolithic coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser with an ion-implanted top cavity and a selectively oxidized bottom cavity which exhibits bistable behavior in the light output versus injection current. Large bistability regions over current ranges as wide as 18 mA have been observed with on/off contrast ratios of greater than 20 dB. The position and width of the bistability region can be varied by changing the bias to the top cavity. Switching between on and off states can be accomplished with changes as small as 250 μW to the electrical power applied to the top cavity. The bistable behavior is the response of the nonlinear susceptibility in the top cavity to the changes in the bottom intracavity laser intensity as the bottom cavity reaches the thermal rollover point

A Redox-Active Bistable Molecular Switch Mounted inside a Metal-Organic Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qishui; Sun, Junling; Li, Peng; Hod, Idan; Moghadam, Peyman Z; Kean, Zachary S; Snurr, Randall Q; Hupp, Joseph T; Farha, Omar K; Stoddart, J Fraser

2016-11-02

We describe the incorporation of a bistable mechanically interlocked molecule (MIM) into a robust Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, by employing a post-synthetic functionalization protocol. On average, close to two bistable [2]catenanes can be incorporated per repeating unit of the hexagonal channels of NU-1000. The reversible redox-switching of the bistable [2]catenanes is retained inside the MOF, as evidenced by solid-state UV-vis-NIR reflectance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. This research demonstrates that bistable MIMs are capable of exhibiting robust dynamics inside the nanopores of a MOF.

Unidirectional Transition Waves in Bistable Lattices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadkarni, Neel; Arrieta, Andres F; Chong, Christopher; Kochmann, Dennis M; Daraio, Chiara

2016-06-17

We present a model system for strongly nonlinear transition waves generated in a periodic lattice of bistable members connected by magnetic links. The asymmetry of the on-site energy wells created by the bistable members produces a mechanical diode that supports only unidirectional transition wave propagation with constant wave velocity. We theoretically justify the cause of the unidirectionality of the transition wave and confirm these predictions by experiments and simulations. We further identify how the wave velocity and profile are uniquely linked to the double-well energy landscape, which serves as a blueprint for transition wave control.

Bistability and self-oscillations effects in a polariton-laser semiconductor microcavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cotta, E A; Matinaga, F M

2007-01-01

We report an experimental observation of polaritonic optical bistability of the laser emission in a planar semiconductor microcavity with a 100 0 A GaAs single quantum well in the strong-coupling regime. The bistability curves show crossings that indicate a competition between a Kerr-like effect induced by the polariton population and thermal effects. Associated with the bistability, laser-like emission occurs at the bare cavity mode

Geometric and potential dynamics interpretation of the optic ring resonator bistability

Science.gov (United States)

Chiangga, S.; Chittha, T.; Frank, T. D.

2015-07-01

The optical bistability is a fundamental nonlinear feature of the ring resonator. A geometric and potential dynamics interpretation of the bistability is given. Accordingly, the bistability of the nonlinear system is shown to be a consequence of geometric laws of vector calculus describing the resonator ring. In contrast, the so-called transcendental relations that have been obtained in the literature in order to describe the optical wave are interpreted in terms of potential dynamical systems. The proposed novel interpretation provides new insights into the nature of the ring resonator optical bistability. The fundamental work by Rukhlenko, Premaratne and Agrawal (2010) as well as a more recent study by Chiangga, Pitakwongsaporn, Frank and Yupapin (2013) are considered.

Bistable polarization switching in a continuous wave ruby laser

Science.gov (United States)

Lawandy, N. M.; Afzal, R. Sohrab

1988-01-01

Bistability in the output power, polarization state, and mode volume of an argon-ion laser pumped single mode ruby laser at 6943 A has been observed. The laser operates in a radially confined mode which exhibits hysteresis and bistability only when the pump polarization is parallel to the c-axis.

Asymmetric Effects on Escape Rates of Bistable System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Canjun; Mei Dongcheng; Dai Zucheng

2011-01-01

The asymmetric effects on the escape rates from the stable states x ± in the bistable system are analyzed. The results indicate that the multiplicative noise and the additive noise always enhance the particle escape from stable states x ± of bistable. However, the asymmetric parameter r enhances the particle escape from stable state x + , and holds back the particle escape from stable state x - . (general)

Numerical and experimental study of bistable plates for morphing structures

Science.gov (United States)

Nicassio, F.; Scarselli, G.; Avanzini, G.; Del Core, G.

2017-04-01

This study is concerned with the activation energy threshold of bistable composite plates in order to tailor a bistable system for specific aeronautical applications. The aim is to explore potential configurations of the bistable plates and their dynamic behavior for designing novel morphing structure suitable for aerodynamic surfaces and, as a possible further application, for power harvesters. Bistable laminates have two stable mechanical shapes that can withstand aerodynamic loads without additional constraint forces or locking mechanisms. This kind of structures, when properly loaded, snap-through from one stable configuration to another, causing large strains that can also be used for power harvesting scopes. The transition between the stable states of the composite laminate can be triggered, in principle, simply by aerodynamic loads (pilot, disturbance or passive inputs) without the need of servo-activated control systems. Both numerical simulations based on Finite Element models and experimental testing based on different activating forcing spectra are used to validate this concept. The results show that dynamic activation of bistable plates depend on different parameters that need to be carefully managed for their use as aircraft passive wing flaps.

Perceptual incongruence influences bistability and cortical activation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gijs Joost Brouwer

Full Text Available We employed a parametric psychophysical design in combination with functional imaging to examine the influence of metric changes in perceptual incongruence on perceptual alternation rates and cortical responses. Subjects viewed a bistable stimulus defined by incongruent depth cues; bistability resulted from incongruence between binocular disparity and monocular perspective cues that specify different slants (slant rivalry. Psychophysical results revealed that perceptual alternation rates were positively correlated with the degree of perceived incongruence. Functional imaging revealed systematic increases in activity that paralleled the psychophysical results within anterior intraparietal sulcus, prior to the onset of perceptual alternations. We suggest that this cortical activity predicts the frequency of subsequent alternations, implying a putative causal role for these areas in initiating bistable perception. In contrast, areas implicated in form and depth processing (LOC and V3A were sensitive to the degree of slant, but failed to show increases in activity when these cues were in conflict.

The Necker-Zeno model for bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Atmanspacher, Harald; Filk, Thomas

2013-10-01

A novel conceptual framework for theoretical psychology is presented and illustrated for the example of bistable perception. A basic formal feature of this framework is the non-commutativity of operations acting on mental states. A corresponding model for the bistable perception of ambiguous stimuli, the Necker-Zeno model, is sketched and some empirical evidence for it so far is described. It is discussed how a temporal non-locality of mental states, predicted by the model, can be understood and tested. © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Design of a bistable switch to control cellular uptake.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyarzún, Diego A; Chaves, Madalena

2015-12-06

Bistable switches are widely used in synthetic biology to trigger cellular functions in response to environmental signals. All bistable switches developed so far, however, control the expression of target genes without access to other layers of the cellular machinery. Here, we propose a bistable switch to control the rate at which cells take up a metabolite from the environment. An uptake switch provides a new interface to command metabolic activity from the extracellular space and has great potential as a building block in more complex circuits that coordinate pathway activity across cell cultures, allocate metabolic tasks among different strains or require cell-to-cell communication with metabolic signals. Inspired by uptake systems found in nature, we propose to couple metabolite import and utilization with a genetic circuit under feedback regulation. Using mathematical models and analysis, we determined the circuit architectures that produce bistability and obtained their design space for bistability in terms of experimentally tuneable parameters. We found an activation-repression architecture to be the most robust switch because it displays bistability for the largest range of design parameters and requires little fine-tuning of the promoters' response curves. Our analytic results are based on on-off approximations of promoter activity and are in excellent qualitative agreement with simulations of more realistic models. With further analysis and simulation, we established conditions to maximize the parameter design space and to produce bimodal phenotypes via hysteresis and cell-to-cell variability. Our results highlight how mathematical analysis can drive the discovery of new circuits for synthetic biology, as the proposed circuit has all the hallmarks of a toggle switch and stands as a promising design to control metabolic phenotypes across cell cultures. © 2015 The Author(s).

Bistable minimum energy structures (BiMES) for binary robotics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Follador, M; Conn, A T; Rossiter, J

2015-01-01

Bistable minimum energy structures (BiMES) are devices derived from the union of the concepts of dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures and bistable systems. This article presents this novel approach to active, elastic and bistable structures. BiMES are based on dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), which act as antagonists and provide the actuation for switching between the two equilibrium positions. A central elastic beam is the backbone of the structure and is buckled into the minimum energy configurations by the action of the two DEAs. The theory and the model of the device are presented, and also its fabrication process. BiMES are considered as fundamental units for more complex structures, which are presented and fabricated as proof of concept. Two different ways of combining the multiple units are proposed: a parallel configuration, to make a simple gripper, and a serial configuration, to generate a binary device. The possibility of using the bistable system as a continuous bender actuator, by modulating the actuation voltage of the two DEAs, was also investigated. (paper)

Bistable cholesteric liquid crystal light shutter with multielectrode driving.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cheng-Chang; Tseng, Heng-Yi; Pai, Tsung-Wei; Wu, Yu-Ching; Hsu, Wen-Hao; Jau, Hung-Chang; Chen, Chun-Wei; Lin, Tsung-Hsien

2014-08-01

An electrically activated bistable light shutter that exploits polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal film was developed. Under double-sided three-terminal electrode driving, the device can be bistable and switched between focal conic and homeotropic textures with a uniform in-plane and vertical electrical field. The transparent state with a transmittance of 80% and the opaque/scattering state with a transmittance of 13% can be realized without any optical compensation film, and each can be simply switched to the other by applying a pulse voltage. Also, gray-scale selection can be performed by varying the applied voltage. The designed energy-saving bistable light shutter can be utilized to preserve privacy and control illumination and the flow of energy.

Bistable Topological Insulator with Exciton-Polaritons

Science.gov (United States)

Kartashov, Yaroslav V.; Skryabin, Dmitry V.

2017-12-01

The functionality of many nonlinear and quantum optical devices relies on the effect of optical bistability. Using microcavity exciton-polaritons in a honeycomb arrangement of microcavity pillars, we report the resonance response and bistability of topological edge states. A balance between the pump, loss, and nonlinearity ensures a broad range of dynamical stability and controls the distribution of power between counterpropagating states on the opposite edges of the honeycomb lattice stripe. Tuning energy and polarization of the pump photons, while keeping their momentum constant, we demonstrate control of the propagation direction of the dominant edge state. Our results facilitate the development of practical applications of topological photonics.

Thermostatic system of sensor in NIR spectrometer based on PID control

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhihong; Qiao, Liwei; Ji, Xufei

2016-11-01

Aiming at the shortcomings of the primary sensor thermostatic control system in the near infrared (NIR) spectrometer, a novel thermostatic control system based on proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control technology was developed to improve the detection precision of the NIR spectrometer. There were five parts including bridge amplifier circuit, analog-digital conversion (ADC) circuit, microcontroller, digital-analog conversion (DAC) circuit and drive circuit in the system. The five parts formed a closed-loop control system based on PID algorithm that was used to control the error between the temperature calculated by the sampling data of ADC and the designed temperature to ensure the stability of the spectrometer's sensor. The experimental results show that, when the operating temperature of sensor is -11°, compared with the original system, the temperature control precision of the new control system is improved from ±0.64° to ±0.04° and the spectrum signal to noise ratio (SNR) is improved from 4891 to 5967.

Capillary Tube and Thermostatic Expansion Valve Comparative Analysis in Water Chiller Air Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Wijaya Sunu, Putu; Made Rasta, I.; Anakottapary, Daud Simon; Made Suarta, I.; Cipta Santosa, I. D. M.

2018-01-01

The aims of this study to compares the performance characteristics of a water chiller air conditioning simulation equipped with thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) with those of a capillary tube. Water chiller system filled with the same charge of refrigerant. Comparative analyses were performed based on coefficient of performance (COP) and performance parameter of the refrigeration system, carried out at medium cooling load level with the ambient temperature of 29-31°C, constant compressor speed and fixed chilled water volume flowrate at 15 lpm. It was shown that the TEV system showed better energy consumption compared to that of capillary tube. From the coefficient of performance perspective, the thermostatic expansion valve system showed higher COP (± 21.4%) compared to that of capillary tube system.

Dynamics of a bistable Miura-origami structure

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hongbin; Li, Suyi; Ji, Huimin; Wang, K. W.

2017-05-01

Origami-inspired structures and materials have shown extraordinary properties and performances originating from the intricate geometries of folding. However, current state of the art studies have mostly focused on static and quasistatic characteristics. This research performs a comprehensive experimental and analytical study on the dynamics of origami folding through investigating a stacked Miura-Ori (SMO) structure with intrinsic bistability. We fabricate and experimentally investigated a bistable SMO prototype with rigid facets and flexible crease lines. Under harmonic base excitation, the SMO exhibits both intrawell and interwell oscillations. Spectrum analyses reveal that the dominant nonlinearities of SMO are quadratic and cubic, which generate rich dynamics including subharmonic and chaotic oscillations. The identified nonlinearities indicate that a third-order polynomial can be employed to approximate the measured force-displacement relationship. Such an approximation is validated via numerical study by qualitatively reproducing the phenomena observed in the experiments. The dynamic characteristics of the bistable SMO resemble those of a Helmholtz-Duffing oscillator (HDO); this suggests the possibility of applying the established tools and insights of HDO to predict origami dynamics. We also show that the bistability of SMO can be programmed within a large design space via tailoring the crease stiffness and initial stress-free configurations. The results of this research offer a wealth of fundamental insights into the dynamics of origami folding, and provide a solid foundation for developing foldable and deployable structures and materials with embedded dynamic functionalities.

Dynamics of a bistable Miura-origami structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Hongbin; Li, Suyi; Ji, Huimin; Wang, K W

2017-05-01

Origami-inspired structures and materials have shown extraordinary properties and performances originating from the intricate geometries of folding. However, current state of the art studies have mostly focused on static and quasistatic characteristics. This research performs a comprehensive experimental and analytical study on the dynamics of origami folding through investigating a stacked Miura-Ori (SMO) structure with intrinsic bistability. We fabricate and experimentally investigated a bistable SMO prototype with rigid facets and flexible crease lines. Under harmonic base excitation, the SMO exhibits both intrawell and interwell oscillations. Spectrum analyses reveal that the dominant nonlinearities of SMO are quadratic and cubic, which generate rich dynamics including subharmonic and chaotic oscillations. The identified nonlinearities indicate that a third-order polynomial can be employed to approximate the measured force-displacement relationship. Such an approximation is validated via numerical study by qualitatively reproducing the phenomena observed in the experiments. The dynamic characteristics of the bistable SMO resemble those of a Helmholtz-Duffing oscillator (HDO); this suggests the possibility of applying the established tools and insights of HDO to predict origami dynamics. We also show that the bistability of SMO can be programmed within a large design space via tailoring the crease stiffness and initial stress-free configurations. The results of this research offer a wealth of fundamental insights into the dynamics of origami folding, and provide a solid foundation for developing foldable and deployable structures and materials with embedded dynamic functionalities.

Bistability of mangrove forests and competition with freshwater plants

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jiang; Fuller, Douglas O; Teh, Su Yean; Zhai, Lu; Koh, Hock Lye; DeAngelis, Donald L.; Sternberg, L.D.S.L.

2015-01-01

Halophytic communities such as mangrove forests and buttonwood hammocks tend to border freshwater plant communities as sharp ecotones. Most studies attribute this purely to underlying physical templates, such as groundwater salinity gradients caused by tidal flux and topography. However, a few recent studies hypothesize that self-reinforcing feedback between vegetation and vadose zone salinity are also involved and create a bistable situation in which either halophytic dominated habitat or freshwater plant communities may dominate as alternative stable states. Here, we revisit the bistability hypothesis and demonstrate the mechanisms that result in bistability. We demonstrate with remote sensing imagery the sharp boundaries between freshwater hardwood hammock communities in southern Florida and halophytic communities such as buttonwood hammocks and mangroves. We further document from the literature how transpiration of mangroves and freshwater plants respond differently to vadose zone salinity, thus altering the salinity through feedback. Using mathematical models, we show how the self-reinforcing feedback, together with physical template, controls the ecotones between halophytic and freshwater communities. Regions of bistability along environmental gradients of salinity have the potential for large-scale vegetation shifts following pulse disturbances such as hurricane tidal surges in Florida, or tsunamis in other regions. The size of the region of bistability can be large for low-lying coastal habitat due to the saline water table, which extends inland due to salinity intrusion. We suggest coupling ecological and hydrologic processes as a framework for future studies.

Bistable responses in bacterial genetic networks: Designs and dynamical consequences

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, Abhinav; Ray, J. Christian J.; Narula, Jatin; Igoshin, Oleg A.

2011-01-01

A key property of living cells is their ability to react to stimuli with specific biochemical responses. These responses can be understood through the dynamics of underlying biochemical and genetic networks. Evolutionary design principles have been well studied in networks that display graded responses, with a continuous relationship between input signal and system output. Alternatively, biochemical networks can exhibit bistable responses so that over a range of signals the network possesses two stable steady states. In this review, we discuss several conceptual examples illustrating network designs that can result in a bistable response of the biochemical network. Next, we examine manifestations of these designs in bacterial master-regulatory genetic circuits. In particular, we discuss mechanisms and dynamic consequences of bistability in three circuits: two-component systems, sigma-factor networks, and a multistep phosphorelay. Analyzing these examples allows us to expand our knowledge of evolutionary design principles for networks with bistable responses. PMID:21385588

Bi-stable optical actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Holdener, Fred R.; Boyd, Robert D.

2000-01-01

The present invention is a bi-stable optical actuator device that is depowered in both stable positions. A bearing is used to transfer motion and smoothly transition from one state to another. The optical actuator device may be maintained in a stable position either by gravity or a restraining device.

Interlinked bistable mechanisms generate robust mitotic transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutter, Lukas H; Rata, Scott; Hochegger, Helfrid; Novák, Béla

2017-10-18

The transitions between phases of the cell cycle have evolved to be robust and switch-like, which ensures temporal separation of DNA replication, sister chromatid separation, and cell division. Mathematical models describing the biochemical interaction networks of cell cycle regulators attribute these properties to underlying bistable switches, which inherently generate robust, switch-like, and irreversible transitions between states. We have recently presented new mathematical models for two control systems that regulate crucial transitions in the cell cycle: mitotic entry and exit, 1 and the mitotic checkpoint. 2 Each of the two control systems is characterized by two interlinked bistable switches. In the case of mitotic checkpoint control, these switches are mutually activating, whereas in the case of the mitotic entry/exit network, the switches are mutually inhibiting. In this Perspective we describe the qualitative features of these regulatory motifs and show that having two interlinked bistable mechanisms further enhances robustness and irreversibility. We speculate that these network motifs also underlie other cell cycle transitions and cellular transitions between distinct biochemical states.

Brain networks underlying bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Daniel H; Karapanagiotidis, Theodoros; Coggan, David D; Wailes-Newson, Kirstie; Smallwood, Jonathan

2015-10-01

Bistable stimuli, such as the Necker Cube, demonstrate that experience can change in the absence of changes in the environment. Such phenomena can be used to assess stimulus-independent aspects of conscious experience. The current study used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to index stimulus-independent changes in neural activity to understand the neural architecture that determines dominance durations during bistable perception (using binocular rivalry and Necker cube stimuli). Anterior regions of the Superior Parietal Lobule (SPL) exhibited robust connectivity with regions of primary sensorimotor cortex. The strength of this region's connectivity with the striatum predicted shorter dominance durations during binocular rivalry, whereas its connectivity to pre-motor cortex predicted longer dominance durations for the Necker Cube. Posterior regions of the SPL, on the other hand, were coupled to associative cortex in the temporal and frontal lobes. The posterior SPL's connectivity to the temporal lobe predicted longer dominance during binocular rivalry. In conjunction with prior work, these data suggest that the anterior SPL contributes to perceptual rivalry through the inhibition of incongruent bottom up information, whereas the posterior SPL influences rivalry by supporting the current interpretation of a bistable stimulus. Our data suggests that the functional connectivity of the SPL with regions of sensory, motor, and associative cortex allows it to regulate the interpretation of the environment that forms the focus of conscious attention at a specific moment in time. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Two Bistable Switches Govern M Phase Entry.

Science.gov (United States)

Mochida, Satoru; Rata, Scott; Hino, Hirotsugu; Nagai, Takeharu; Novák, Béla

2016-12-19

The abrupt and irreversible transition from interphase to M phase is essential to separate DNA replication from chromosome segregation. This transition requires the switch-like phosphorylation of hundreds of proteins by the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1):cyclin B (CycB) complex. Previous studies have ascribed these switch-like phosphorylations to the auto-activation of Cdk1:CycB through the removal of inhibitory phosphorylations on Cdk1-Tyr15 [1, 2]. The positive feedback in Cdk1 activation creates a bistable switch that makes mitotic commitment irreversible [2-4]. Here, we surprisingly find that Cdk1 auto-activation is dispensable for irreversible, switch-like mitotic entry due to a second mechanism, whereby Cdk1:CycB inhibits its counteracting phosphatase (PP2A:B55). We show that the PP2A:B55-inhibiting Greatwall (Gwl)-endosulfine (ENSA) pathway is both necessary and sufficient for switch-like phosphorylations of mitotic substrates. Using purified components of the Gwl-ENSA pathway in a reconstituted system, we found a sharp Cdk1 threshold for phosphorylation of a luminescent mitotic substrate. The Cdk1 threshold to induce mitotic phosphorylation is distinctly higher than the Cdk1 threshold required to maintain these phosphorylations-evidence for bistability. A combination of mathematical modeling and biochemical reconstitution show that the bistable behavior of the Gwl-ENSA pathway emerges from its mutual antagonism with PP2A:B55. Our results demonstrate that two interlinked bistable mechanisms provide a robust solution for irreversible and switch-like mitotic entry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analytic descriptions of stochastic bistable systems under force ramp.

Science.gov (United States)

Friddle, Raymond W

2016-05-01

Solving the two-state master equation with time-dependent rates, the ubiquitous driven bistable system, is a long-standing problem that does not permit a complete solution for all driving rates. Here we show an accurate approximation to this problem by considering the system in the control parameter regime. The results are immediately applicable to a diverse range of bistable systems including single-molecule mechanics.

Bistable Microvalve For Use With Microcatheter System

Science.gov (United States)

Seward, Kirk Patrick

2003-12-16

A bistable microvalve of shape memory material is operatively connected to a microcatheter. The bistable microvalve includes a tip that can be closed off until it is in the desired position. Once it is in position it can be opened and closed. The system uses heat and pressure to open and close the microvalve. The shape memory material will change stiffness and shape when heated above a transition temperature. The shape memory material is adapted to move from a first shape to a second shape, either open or closed, where it can perform a desired function.

Noticeable positive Doppler effect on optical bistability in an N-type active Raman gain atomic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Zeng-Guang; Zhang Jing-Tao; Niu Yue-Ping; Gong Shang-Qing

2012-01-01

We theoretically investigate the Doppler effect on optical bistability in an N-type active Raman gain atomic system inside an optical ring cavity. It is shown that the Doppler effect can greatly enhance the dispersion and thus create the bistable behaviour or greatly increase the bistable region, which has been known as the positive Doppler effect on optical bistability. In addition, we find that a positive Doppler effect can change optical bistability from the hybrid dispersion-gain type to a dispersive type

Multiple Bistability in Quinonoid-Bridged Diiron(II) Complexes: Influence of Bridge Symmetry on Bistable Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Meer, Margarethe; Rechkemmer, Yvonne; Breitgoff, Frauke D; Marx, Raphael; Neugebauer, Petr; Frank, Uta; van Slageren, Joris; Sarkar, Biprajit

2016-11-21

Quinonoid bridges are well-suited for generating dinuclear assemblies that might display various bistable properties. In this contribution we present two diiron(II) complexes where the iron(II) centers are either bridged by the doubly deprotonated form of a symmetrically substituted quinonoid bridge, 2,5-bis[4-(isopropyl)anilino]-1,4-benzoquinone (H 2 L2') with a [O,N,O,N] donor set, or with the doubly deprotonated form of an unsymmetrically substituted quinonoid bridge, 2-[4-(isopropyl)anilino]-5-hydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (H 2 L5') with a [O,O,O,N] donor set. Both complexes display temperature-induced spin crossover (SCO). The nature of the SCO is strongly dependent on the bridging ligand, with only the complex with the [O,O,O,N] donor set displaying a prominent hysteresis loop of about 55 K. Importantly, only the latter complex also shows a pronounced light-induced spin state change. Furthermore, both complexes can be oxidized to the mixed-valent iron(II)-iron(III) form, and the nature of the bridge determines the Robin and Day classification of these forms. Both complexes have been probed by a battery of electrochemical, spectroscopic, and magnetic methods, and this combined approach is used to shed light on the electronic structures of the complexes and on bistability. The results presented here thus show the potential of using the relatively new class of unsymmetrically substituted bridging quinonoid ligands for generating intriguing bistable properties and for performing site-specific magnetic switching.

Controllable optical bistability and multistability in asymmetric double quantum wells via spontaneously generated coherence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yuan; Deng, Li [Department of Applied Physics, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, 330013 (China); Chen, Aixi, E-mail: aixichen@ecjtu.jx.cn [Department of Applied Physics, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, 330013 (China); Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada)

2015-02-15

We investigate the nonlinear optical phenomena of the optical bistability and multistability via spontaneously generated coherence in an asymmetric double quantum well structure coupled by a weak probe field and a controlling field. It is shown that the threshold and hysteresis cycle of the optical bistability can be conveniently controlled only by adjusting the intensity of the SGC or the controlling field. Moreover, switching between optical bistability and multistability can be achieved. These studies may have practical significance for the preparation of optical bistable switching device.

Controllable optical bistability and multistability in asymmetric double quantum wells via spontaneously generated coherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yuan; Deng, Li; Chen, Aixi

2015-01-01

We investigate the nonlinear optical phenomena of the optical bistability and multistability via spontaneously generated coherence in an asymmetric double quantum well structure coupled by a weak probe field and a controlling field. It is shown that the threshold and hysteresis cycle of the optical bistability can be conveniently controlled only by adjusting the intensity of the SGC or the controlling field. Moreover, switching between optical bistability and multistability can be achieved. These studies may have practical significance for the preparation of optical bistable switching device

Evidence for distinct mechanisms underlying attentional priming and sensory memory for bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkhuis, M A B; Kristjánsson, Á; Brascamp, J W

2015-08-01

Attentional selection in visual search paradigms and perceptual selection in bistable perception paradigms show functional similarities. For example, both are sensitive to trial history: They are biased toward previously selected targets or interpretations. We investigated whether priming by target selection in visual search and sensory memory for bistable perception are related. We did this by presenting two trial types to observers. We presented either ambiguous spheres that rotated over a central axis and could be perceived as rotating in one of two directions, or search displays in which the unambiguously rotating target and distractor spheres closely resembled the two possible interpretations of the ambiguous stimulus. We interleaved both trial types within experiments, to see whether priming by target selection during search trials would affect the perceptual outcome of bistable perception and, conversely, whether sensory memory during bistable perception would affect target selection times during search. Whereas we found intertrial repetition effects among consecutive search trials and among consecutive bistable trials, we did not find cross-paradigm effects. Thus, even though we could ascertain that our experiments robustly elicited processes of both search priming and sensory memory for bistable perception, these same experiments revealed no interaction between the two.

The Independent and Shared Mechanisms of Intrinsic Brain Dynamics: Insights From Bistable Perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teng Cao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In bistable perception, constant input leads to alternating perception. The dynamics of the changing perception reflects the intrinsic dynamic properties of the “unconscious inferential” process in the brain. Under the same condition, individuals differ in how fast they experience the perceptual alternation. In this study, testing many forms of bistable perception in a large number of observers, we investigated the key question of whether there is a general and common mechanism or multiple and independent mechanisms that control the dynamics of the inferential brain. Bistable phenomena tested include binocular rivalry, vase-face, Necker cube, moving plaid, motion induced blindness, biological motion, spinning dancer, rotating cylinder, Lissajous-figure, rolling wheel, and translating diamond. Switching dynamics for each bistable percept was measured in 100 observers. Results show that the switching rates of subsets of bistable percept are highly correlated. The clustering of dynamic properties of some bistable phenomena but not an overall general control of switching dynamics implies that the brain’s inferential processes are both shared and independent – faster in constructing 3D structure from motion does not mean faster in integrating components into an objects.

Take it of leave it : Mechanisms underlying bacterial bistable regulatory networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siebring, Jeroen; Sorg, Robin; Herber, Martijn; Kuipers, Oscar; Filloux, Alain A.M.

2012-01-01

Bistable switches occur in regulatory networks that can exist in two distinct stable states. Such networks allow distinct switching of individual cells. In bacteria these switches coexist with regulatory networks that respond gradually to environmental input. Bistable switches play key roles in high

A bistable switch in dynamic thiodepsipeptide folding and template-directed ligation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Rakesh; Cohen-Luria, Rivka; Wagner, Nathaniel; Ashkenasy, Gonen

2015-10-12

Bistable reaction networks provide living cells with chemically controlled mechanisms for long-term memory storage. Such networks are also often switchable and can be flipped from one state to the other. We target here a major challenge in systems chemistry research, namely developing synthetic, non-enzymatic, networks that mimic such a complex function. Therefore, we describe a dynamic network that depending on initial thiodepsipeptide concentrations leads to one of two distinct steady states. This bistable system is readily switched by applying the appropriate stimuli. The relationship between the reaction network topology and its capacity to invoke bistability is then analyzed by control experiments and theory. We suggest that demonstrating bistable behavior using synthetic networks further highlights their possible role in early evolution, and may shine light on potential utility for novel applications, such as chemical memories. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Revisiting the Lissajous figure as a tool to study bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Weilnhammer, V A; Ludwig, K; Sterzer, P; Hesselmann, G

2014-05-01

During bistable vision perception spontaneously "switches" between two mutually exclusive percepts despite constant sensory input. The endogenous nature of these perceptual transitions has motivated extensive research aimed at the underlying mechanisms, since spontaneous perceptual transitions of bistable stimuli should in principle allow for a dissociation of processes related to sensory stimulation from those related to conscious perception. However, transitions from one conscious percept to another are often not instantaneous, and participants usually report a considerable amount of mixed or unclear percepts. This feature of bistable vision makes it difficult to isolate transition-related visual processes. Here, we revisited an ambiguous depth-from-motion stimulus which was first introduced to experimental psychology more than 80 years ago. This rotating Lissajous figure might prove useful in complementing other bistable stimuli, since its perceptual transitions only occur at critical stimulus configurations and are virtually instantaneous, thus facilitating the construction of a perceptually equivalent replay condition. We found that three parameters of the Lissajous figure - complexity, line width, and rotational speed - differentially modulated its perceptual dominance durations and transition probabilities, thus providing experimenters with a versatile tool to study the perceptual dynamics of bistable vision. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of unidirectionally coupled bistable Henon maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sausedo-Solorio, J.M.; Pisarchik, A.N.

2011-01-01

We study dynamics of two bistable Henon maps coupled in a master-slave configuration. In the case of coexistence of two periodic orbits, the slave map evolves into the master map state after transients, which duration determines synchronization time and obeys a -1/2 power law with respect to the coupling strength. This scaling law is almost independent of the map parameter. In the case of coexistence of chaotic and periodic attractors, very complex dynamics is observed, including the emergence of new attractors as the coupling strength is increased. The attractor of the master map always exists in the slave map independently of the coupling strength. For a high coupling strength, complete synchronization can be achieved only for the attractor similar to that of the master map. -- Highlights: → We study dynamics of two bistable Henon maps coupled in a master-slave configuration. → Synchronization time for periodic orbits obeys a -1/2 power law with respect to coupling. → For a high coupling strength, the slave map remains bistable. → Complete synchronization can be achieved only when both maps stay at the same attractor.

A review of the recent research on vibration energy harvesting via bistable systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harne, R L; Wang, K W

2013-01-01

The investigation of the conversion of vibrational energy into electrical power has become a major field of research. In recent years, bistable energy harvesting devices have attracted significant attention due to some of their unique features. Through a snap-through action, bistable systems transition from one stable state to the other, which could cause large amplitude motion and dramatically increase power generation. Due to their nonlinear characteristics, such devices may be effective across a broad-frequency bandwidth. Consequently, a rapid engagement of research has been undertaken to understand bistable electromechanical dynamics and to utilize the insight for the development of improved designs. This paper reviews, consolidates, and reports on the major efforts and findings documented in the literature. A common analytical framework for bistable electromechanical dynamics is presented, the principal results are provided, the wide variety of bistable energy harvesters are described, and some remaining challenges and proposed solutions are summarized. (topical review)

Controlling the optical bistability and multistability in a two-level pumped-probe system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoudi, Mohammad; Sahrai, Mostafa; Masoumeh Mousavi, Seyede

2010-01-01

We study the behavior of the optical bistability (OB) and multistability (OM) in a two-level pumped-probe atomic system by means of a unidirectional ring cavity. We show that the optical bistability in a two-level atomic system can be controlled by adjusting the intensity of the pump field and the detuning between two fields. We find that applying the pumping field decreases the threshold of the optical bistability.

A predictive coding account of bistable perception - a model-based fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Weilnhammer, Veith; Stuke, Heiner; Hesselmann, Guido; Sterzer, Philipp; Schmack, Katharina

2017-05-01

In bistable vision, subjective perception wavers between two interpretations of a constant ambiguous stimulus. This dissociation between conscious perception and sensory stimulation has motivated various empirical studies on the neural correlates of bistable perception, but the neurocomputational mechanism behind endogenous perceptual transitions has remained elusive. Here, we recurred to a generic Bayesian framework of predictive coding and devised a model that casts endogenous perceptual transitions as a consequence of prediction errors emerging from residual evidence for the suppressed percept. Data simulations revealed close similarities between the model's predictions and key temporal characteristics of perceptual bistability, indicating that the model was able to reproduce bistable perception. Fitting the predictive coding model to behavioural data from an fMRI-experiment on bistable perception, we found a correlation across participants between the model parameter encoding perceptual stabilization and the behaviourally measured frequency of perceptual transitions, corroborating that the model successfully accounted for participants' perception. Formal model comparison with established models of bistable perception based on mutual inhibition and adaptation, noise or a combination of adaptation and noise was used for the validation of the predictive coding model against the established models. Most importantly, model-based analyses of the fMRI data revealed that prediction error time-courses derived from the predictive coding model correlated with neural signal time-courses in bilateral inferior frontal gyri and anterior insulae. Voxel-wise model selection indicated a superiority of the predictive coding model over conventional analysis approaches in explaining neural activity in these frontal areas, suggesting that frontal cortex encodes prediction errors that mediate endogenous perceptual transitions in bistable perception. Taken together, our current work

A predictive coding account of bistable perception - a model-based fMRI study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veith Weilnhammer

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In bistable vision, subjective perception wavers between two interpretations of a constant ambiguous stimulus. This dissociation between conscious perception and sensory stimulation has motivated various empirical studies on the neural correlates of bistable perception, but the neurocomputational mechanism behind endogenous perceptual transitions has remained elusive. Here, we recurred to a generic Bayesian framework of predictive coding and devised a model that casts endogenous perceptual transitions as a consequence of prediction errors emerging from residual evidence for the suppressed percept. Data simulations revealed close similarities between the model's predictions and key temporal characteristics of perceptual bistability, indicating that the model was able to reproduce bistable perception. Fitting the predictive coding model to behavioural data from an fMRI-experiment on bistable perception, we found a correlation across participants between the model parameter encoding perceptual stabilization and the behaviourally measured frequency of perceptual transitions, corroborating that the model successfully accounted for participants' perception. Formal model comparison with established models of bistable perception based on mutual inhibition and adaptation, noise or a combination of adaptation and noise was used for the validation of the predictive coding model against the established models. Most importantly, model-based analyses of the fMRI data revealed that prediction error time-courses derived from the predictive coding model correlated with neural signal time-courses in bilateral inferior frontal gyri and anterior insulae. Voxel-wise model selection indicated a superiority of the predictive coding model over conventional analysis approaches in explaining neural activity in these frontal areas, suggesting that frontal cortex encodes prediction errors that mediate endogenous perceptual transitions in bistable perception. Taken together

Energy landscape and dynamics of brain activity during human bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Takamitsu; Masuda, Naoki; Megumi, Fukuda; Kanai, Ryota; Rees, Geraint

2014-08-28

Individual differences in the structure of parietal and prefrontal cortex predict the stability of bistable visual perception. However, the mechanisms linking such individual differences in brain structures to behaviour remain elusive. Here we demonstrate a systematic relationship between the dynamics of brain activity, cortical structure and behaviour underpinning bistable perception. Using fMRI in humans, we find that the activity dynamics during bistable perception are well described as fluctuating between three spatially distributed energy minimums: visual-area-dominant, frontal-area-dominant and intermediate states. Transitions between these energy minimums predicted behaviour, with participants whose brain activity tend to reflect the visual-area-dominant state exhibiting more stable perception and those whose activity transits to frontal-area-dominant states reporting more frequent perceptual switches. Critically, these brain activity dynamics are correlated with individual differences in grey matter volume of the corresponding brain areas. Thus, individual differences in the large-scale dynamics of brain activity link focal brain structure with bistable perception.

Peltier battery thermostat for semiconductor detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caini, V.

1980-01-01

The description is given of a Peltier battery cooling thermostat for semiconductor detectors, whose sensing element is the detector itself. A signal proportional to the leakage current is amplified and compared with a chosen reference voltage. The difference, amplified and sensed, regulates the cooling current to the Peltier battery. Special mechanical devices speed up measurement-taking. The leakage current proved to be reducible to as little as 1/1000 of that at ambient temperature and the stabilization obtained is between +-5 nA (although between +-1 nA is also feasible). Hence it is possible to use very high load resistance preamplifiers to reduce noise and to improve stability and pulse height resolution in α spectroscopy, even with a detector unsuitable for work at very low temperatures. Other applications can be foreseen. (orig.)

Harnessing the bistable composite shells to design a tunable phononic band gap structure

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi; Xu, Yanlong

2018-02-01

By proposing a system composed of an array of bistable composite shells immersed in air, we develop a new class of periodic structure to control the propagation of sound. Through numerical investigation, we find that the acoustic band gap of this system can be switched on and off by triggering the snap through deformation of the bistable composite shells. The shape of cross section and filling fraction of unit cell can be altered by different number of bistable composite shells, and they have strong impact on the position and width of the band gap. The proposed concept paves the way of using the bistable structures to design a new class of metamaterials that can be enable to manipulate sound.

Optical bistability in the oscillation of an inhomogeneously broadened quasi-three-level laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Junhai; Tian, Xueping

2013-01-01

A theoretical modeling analysis is presented to study the optical bistability exhibited in the oscillation of an inhomogeneously broadened quasi-three-level laser. All the major characteristics of optical bistability depend on two normalized parameters, f and x a , which are defined by f = I sat,a /I sat,m and x a = 2α a0 p a /δ and are related to measurable properties of the laser medium. In comparison with the case of a homogeneously broadened laser, the essential condition for the occurrence of such bistability, f a /(x a + 1), turns out to be the same, whereas the intensities at the up- and down-thresholds are substantially increased and the bistability range is reduced. (paper)

Load management: Model-based control of aggregate power for populations of thermostatically controlled loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perfumo, Cristian; Kofman, Ernesto; Braslavsky, Julio H.; Ward, John K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Characterisation of power response of a population of air conditioners. ► Implementation of demand side management on a group of air conditioners. ► Design of a controller for the power output of a group of air conditioners. ► Quantification of comfort impact of demand side management. - Abstract: Large groups of electrical loads can be controlled as a single entity to reduce their aggregate power demand in the electricity network. This approach, known as load management (LM) or demand response, offers an alternative to the traditional paradigm in the electricity market, where matching supply and demand is achieved solely by regulating how much generation is dispatched. Thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), such as air conditioners (ACs) and fridges, are particularly suitable for LM, which can be implemented using feedback control techniques to regulate their aggregate power. To achieve high performance, such feedback control techniques require an accurate mathematical model of the TCL aggregate dynamics. Although such models have been developed, they appear too complex to be effectively used in control design. In this paper we develop a mathematical model aimed at the design of a model-based feedback control strategy. The proposed model analytically characterises the aggregate power response of a population of ACs to a simultaneous step change in temperature set points. Based on this model, we then derive, and completely parametrise in terms of the ACs ensemble properties, a reduced-order mathematical model to design an internal-model controller that regulates aggregate power by broadcasting temperature set-point offset changes. The proposed controller achieves high LM performance provided the ACs are equipped with high resolution thermostats. With coarser resolution thermostats, which are typical in present commercial and residential ACs, performance deteriorates significantly. This limitation is overcome by subdividing the population

Reverse bistable effect in ferroelectric liquid crystal devices with ultra-fast switching at low driving voltage.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Qi; Zhao, Xiaojin; Zhao, Huijie; Chigrinov, V G

2015-05-15

In this Letter, reverse bistable effect with deep-sub-millisecond switching time is first reported in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) devices using a homogeneous photo-alignment technique. It is indicated by our experimental results that both the anchoring energy and the dielectric property of the FLC's alignment layer is critical for the existence of the reverse bistable effect. In addition, with the derived criteria of the reverse bistable effect, we quantitatively analyze the switching dynamics of the reverse bistable FLC and the transition condition between the traditional bistability and our presented reverse bistability. Moreover, the fabricated FLC device exhibits an ultra-fast switching of ∼160  μs and a high contrast ratio of 1000:1, both of which were measured at a low driving voltage of 11 V. The featured deep-sub-millisecond switching time is really advantageous for our presented reverse bistable FLC devices, which enables a significant quality improvement of the existing optical devices, as well as a wide range of new applications in photonics and display areas.

Non-symmetric bi-stable flow around the Ahmed body

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meile, W.; Ladinek, T.; Brenn, G.; Reppenhagen, A.; Fuchs, A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The non-symmetric bi-stable flow around the Ahmed body is investigated experimentally. • Bi-stability, described for symmetric flow by Cadot and co-workers, was found in nonsymmetric flow also. • The flow field randomly switches between two states. • The flow is subject to a spanwise instability identified by Cadot and co-workers for symmetric flow. • Aerodynamic forces fluctuate strongly due to the bi-stability. - Abstract: The flow around the Ahmed body at varying Reynolds numbers under yawing conditions is investigated experimentally. The body geometry belongs to a regime subject to spanwise flow instability identified in symmetric flow by Cadot and co-workers (Grandemange et al., 2013b). Our experiments cover the two slant angles 25° and 35° and Reynolds numbers up to 2.784 × 10"6. Special emphasis lies on the aerodynamics under side wind influence. For the 35° slant angle, forces and moments change significantly with the yawing angle in the range 10° ≤ |β| ≤ 15°. The lift and the pitching moment exhibit strong fluctuations due to bi-stable flow around a critical angle β of ±12.5°, where the pitching moment changes sign. Time series of the forces and moments are studied and explained by PIV measurements in the flow field near the rear of the body.

Optical bistability in Er-Yb codoped phosphate glass microspheres at room temperature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Warda, Jonathan M.; O'Shea, Danny G.; Shortt, Brian J.; Chormaic, Sile Nic

2007-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate optical bistability in Er(3+)-Yb(3+) phosphate glass microspheres at 295 K. Bistability is associated with both Er(3+) fluorescence and lasing behavior, and chromatic switching. The chromatic switching results from an intrinsic mechanism exploiting the thermal coupling

A Strategy for Magnifying Vibration in High-Energy Orbits of a Bistable Oscillator at Low Excitation Levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Guang-Qing; Liao Wei-Hsin

2015-01-01

This work focuses on how to maintain a high-energy orbit motion of a bistable oscillator when subjected to a low level excitation. An elastic magnifier (EM) positioned between the base and the bistable oscillator is used to magnify the base vibration displacement to significantly enhance the output characteristics of the bistable oscillator. The dimensionless electromechanical equations of the bistable oscillator with an EM are derived, and the effects of the mass and stiffness ratios between the EM and the bistable oscillator on the output displacement are studied. It is shown that the jump phenomenon occurs at a lower excitation level with increasing the mass and stiffness ratios. With the comparison of the displacement trajectories and the phase portraits obtained from experiments, it is validated that the bistable oscillator with an EM can effectively oscillate in a high-energy orbit and can generate a superior output vibration at a low excitation level as compared with the bistable oscillator without an EM. (paper)

Bistable resistive memory behavior in gelatin-CdTe quantum dot composite film

Science.gov (United States)

Vallabhapurapu, Sreedevi; Rohom, Ashwini; Chaure, N. B.; Du, Shengzhi; Srinivasan, Ananthakrishnan

2018-05-01

Bistable memory behavior has been observed for the first time in gelatin type A thin film dispersed with functionalized CdTe quantum dots. The two terminal device with the polymer nanocomposite layer sandwiched between an indium tin oxide coated glass plate and an aluminium top electrode performs as a bistable resistive random access memory module. Butterfly shaped (O-shaped with a hysteresis in forward and reverse sweeps) current-voltage response is observed in this device. The conduction mechanism leading to the bistable electrical switching has been deduced to be a combination of ohmic and electron hopping.

Bistable laser device with multiple coupled active vertical-cavity resonators

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Arthur J.; Choquette, Kent D.; Chow, Weng W.

2003-08-19

A new class of bistable coupled-resonator vertical-cavity semiconductor laser devices has been developed. These bistable laser devices can be switched, either electrically or optically, between lasing and non-lasing states. A switching signal with a power of a fraction of a milliwatt can change the laser output of such a device by a factor of a hundred, thereby enabling a range of optical switching and data encoding applications.

Delay induced stability switch, multitype bistability and chaos in an intraguild predation model.

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Hongying; Hu, Xi; Wang, Lin; Watmough, James

2015-12-01

In many predator-prey models, delay has a destabilizing effect and induces oscillations; while in many competition models, delay does not induce oscillations. By analyzing a rather simple delayed intraguild predation model, which combines both the predator-prey relation and competition, we show that delay in intraguild predation models promotes very complex dynamics. The delay can induce stability switches exhibiting a destabilizing role as well as a stabilizing role. It is shown that three types of bistability are possible: one stable equilibrium coexists with another stable equilibrium (node-node bistability); one stable equilibrium coexists with a stable periodic solution (node-cycle bistability); one stable periodic solution coexists with another stable periodic solution (cycle-cycle bistability). Numerical simulations suggest that delay can also induce chaos in intraguild predation models.

A novel optic bistable device with very low threshold intensity using photorefractive films

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sean X.; Sun, Yuankun; Trivedi, Sudhir B.; Li, Guifang

1994-08-01

Brimrose Corporation of America reports the successful completion of the SBIR Phase I research in low-threshold intensity optical bistable devices using photorefractive nonlinearity. A thin photorefractive film optical bistable device was proposed in the Phase I proposal. The feasibility of this device was theoretically investigated. The theoretical feasibility study formulates the materials requirements in such a kind of configuration for Phase II research. In addition, we have proposed and investigated another configuration of optical bistable devices that do not require advanced photorefractive materials, namely, the self-pumped phase conjugator. We have successfully demonstrated a low-threshold optical bistable operation in a KNSBN:CU crystal. To the best of our knowledge, the threshold of 650 mW/sq. cm is the lowest of its kind to be achieved so far.

Investigation of charges for thermostatic expansion valves containing condensable and non condensable gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langmaack, Lasse Nicolai; Knudsen, Hans-Jørgen Høgaard

2006-01-01

The bulb of a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) is basically a temperature-pressure converter. It senses the temperature at the outlet of the evaporator, and the substance in the bulb (charge) generates the corresponding saturation pressure inside the bulb. The aim of the work presented in this ...

Bistable fluidic valve is electrically switched

Science.gov (United States)

Fiet, O.; Salvinski, R. J.

1970-01-01

Bistable control valve is selectively switched by direct application of an electrical field to divert fluid from one output channel to another. Valve is inexpensive, has no moving parts, and operates on fluids which are relatively poor electrical conductors.

Control for large scale demand response of thermostatic loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Totu, Luminita Cristiana; Leth, John; Wisniewski, Rafal

2013-01-01

appliances with on/off operation. The objective is to reduce the consumption peak of a group of loads composed of both flexible and inflexible units. The power flexible units are the thermostat-based appliances. We discuss a centralized, model predictive approach and a distributed structure with a randomized......Demand response is an important Smart Grid concept that aims at facilitating the integration of volatile energy resources into the electricity grid. This paper considers a residential demand response scenario and specifically looks into the problem of managing a large number thermostatbased...

Propensity for Bistability of Bursting and Silence in the Leech Heart Interneuron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Dashevskiy

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The coexistence of neuronal activity regimes has been reported under normal and pathological conditions. Such multistability could enhance the flexibility of the nervous system and has many implications for motor control, memory, and decision making. Multistability is commonly promoted by neuromodulation targeting specific membrane ionic currents. Here, we investigated how modulation of different ionic currents could affect the neuronal propensity for bistability. We considered a leech heart interneuron model. It exhibits bistability of bursting and silence in a narrow range of the leak current parameters, conductance (gleak and reversal potential (Eleak. We assessed the propensity for bistability of the model by using bifurcation diagrams. On the diagram (gleak, Eleak, we mapped bursting and silent regimes. For the canonical value of Eleak we determined the range of gleak which supported the bistability. We use this range as an index of propensity for bistability. We investigated how this index was affected by alterations of ionic currents. We systematically changed their conductances, one at a time, and built corresponding bifurcation diagrams in parameter planes of the maximal conductance of a given current and the leak conductance. We found that conductance of only one current substantially affected the index of propensity; the increase of the maximal conductance of the hyperpolarization-activated cationic current increased the propensity index. The second conductance with the strongest effect was the conductance of the low-threshold fast Ca2+ current; its reduction increased the propensity index although the effect was about two times smaller in magnitude. Analyzing the model with both changes applied simultaneously, we found that the diagram (gleak, Eleak showed a progressively expanded area of bistability of bursting and silence.

Bistable traveling waves for a competitive-cooperative system with nonlocal delays

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yanling; Zhao, Xiao-Qiang

2018-04-01

This paper is devoted to the study of bistable traveling waves for a competitive-cooperative reaction and diffusion system with nonlocal time delays. The existence of bistable waves is established by appealing to the theory of monotone semiflows and the finite-delay approximations. Then the global stability of such traveling waves is obtained via a squeezing technique and a dynamical systems approach.

Bistability induces episodic spike communication by inhibitory neurons in neuronal networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazantsev, V B; Asatryan, S Yu

2011-09-01

Bistability is one of the important features of nonlinear dynamical systems. In neurodynamics, bistability has been found in basic Hodgkin-Huxley equations describing the cell membrane dynamics. When the neuron is clamped near its threshold, the stable rest potential may coexist with the stable limit cycle describing periodic spiking. However, this effect is often neglected in network computations where the neurons are typically reduced to threshold firing units (e.g., integrate-and-fire models). We found that the bistability may induce spike communication by inhibitory coupled neurons in the spiking network. The communication is realized in the form of episodic discharges with synchronous (correlated) spikes during the episodes. A spiking phase map is constructed to describe the synchronization and to estimate basic spike phase locking modes.

Dynamics of interface in three-dimensional anisotropic bistable reaction-diffusion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Zhizhu; Liu, Jing

2010-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of dynamics of interface (wave front) in three-dimensional (3D) reaction-diffusion (RD) system for bistable media with anisotropy constructed by means of anisotropic surface tension. An equation of motion for the wave front is derived to carry out stability analysis of transverse perturbations, which discloses mechanism of pattern formation such as labyrinthine in 3D bistable media. Particularly, the effects of anisotropy on wave propagation are studied. It was found that, sufficiently strong anisotropy can induce dynamical instabilities and lead to breakup of the wave front. With the fast-inhibitor limit, the bistable system can further be described by a variational dynamics so that the boundary integral method is adopted to study the dynamics of wave fronts.

Excitonic optical bistability in n-type doped semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Ba An; Le Thi Cat Tuong

1991-07-01

A resonant monochromatic pump laser generates coherent excitons in an n-type doped semiconductor. Both exciton-exciton and exciton-donor interactions come into play. The former interaction can give rise to the appearance of optical bistability which is heavily influenced by the latter one. When optical bistability occurs at a fixed laser frequency both its holding intensity and hysteresis loop size are shown to decrease with increasing donor concentration. Two possibilities are suggested for experimentally determining one of the two parameters of the system - the exciton-donor coupling constant and the donor concentration, if the other parameter is known beforehand. (author). 36 refs, 2 figs

Bistability Analysis of Excitatory-Inhibitory Neural Networks in Limited-Sustained-Activity Regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ni Yun; Wu Liang; Wu Dan; Zhu Shiqun

2011-01-01

Bistable behavior of neuronal complex networks is investigated in the limited-sustained-activity regime when the network is composed of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. The standard stability analysis is performed on the two metastable states separately. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show consistently that the difference between time scales of excitatory and inhibitory populations can influence the dynamical behaviors of the neuronal networks dramatically, leading to the transition from bistable behaviors with memory effects to the collapse of bistable behaviors. These results may suggest one possible neuronal information processing by only tuning time scales. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

High-resolution bistable nematic liquid crystal device realized on orientational surface patterns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong-Hyun; Yoneya, Makoto; Yokoyama, Hiroshi

2003-01-01

The four-fold symmetry of a checkerboard-like surface alignment consisted of square domains arrived at the macroscopic orientational bistability of nematic liquid crystals. Switching between the two orientations took place with an appropriate electric field. Here the threshold field of bistable switching decreased as temperature increased, and the light could heat only the selected region in the cell including a light-absorbing medium. Irradiating the laser concurrently with an electric field, we addressed a selected region in the alignment pattern without the disturbance of neighboring regions. Extending this process, we realized an extremely fine bistable device of nematic liquid crystal with a pixel size down to about 2 μm

Microscopic observation of zenithal bistable switching in nematic devices with different surface relief structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uche, C; Elston, S J; Parry-Jones, L A

2005-01-01

Nematic liquid crystals have been shown to exhibit zenithal electro-optic bistability in devices containing sinusoidal and deformed sinusoidal gratings. Recently it has been shown that zenithal bistable states can also be supported at isolated edges of square gratings. In this paper, we present microscopic observations of bistability in cells containing sinusoidal gratings and long-pitch square gratings. We have also investigated a novel display based on square wells. High frame-rate video microscopy was used to obtain time-sequenced images when the devices were switched with monopolar pulses. These show that zenithal bistable switching can occur by two different processes: (i) domain growth (observed in cells containing sinusoidal gratings) and (ii) homogenous switching (observed in cells containing isolated edges

Control characteristics and heating performance analysis of automatic thermostatic valves for radiant slab heating system in residential apartments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Byung-Cheon [Department of Building Equipment System Engineering, Kyungwon University, Seongnam City (Korea); Song, Jae-Yeob [Graduate School, Building Equipment System Engineering, Kyungwon University, Seongnam City (Korea)

2010-04-15

Computer simulations and experiments are carried out to research the control characteristics and heating performances for a radiant slab heating system with automatic thermostatic valves in residential apartments. An electrical equivalent R-C circuit is applied to analyze the unsteady heat transfer in the house. In addition, the radiant heat transfer between slabs, ceilings and walls in the room is evaluated by enclosure analysis method. Results of heating performance and control characteristics were determined from control methods such as automatic thermostatic valves, room air temperature-sensing method, water-temperature-sensing method, proportional control method, and On-Off control method. (author)

Reversibly Bistable Flexible Electronics

KAUST Repository

Alfaraj, Nasir

2015-05-01

Introducing the notion of transformational silicon electronics has paved the way for integrating various applications with silicon-based, modern, high-performance electronic circuits that are mechanically flexible and optically semitransparent. While maintaining large-scale production and prototyping rapidity, this flexible and translucent scheme demonstrates the potential to transform conventionally stiff electronic devices into thin and foldable ones without compromising long-term performance and reliability. In this work, we report on the fabrication and characterization of reversibly bistable flexible electronic switches that utilize flexible n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. The transistors are fabricated initially on rigid (100) silicon substrates before they are peeled off. They can be used to control flexible batches of light-emitting diodes, demonstrating both the relative ease of scaling at minimum cost and maximum reliability and the feasibility of integration. The peeled-off silicon fabric is about 25 µm thick. The fabricated devices are transferred to a reversibly bistable flexible platform through which, for example, a flexible smartphone can be wrapped around a user’s wrist and can also be set back to its original mechanical position. Buckling and cyclic bending of such host platforms brings a completely new dimension to the development of flexible electronics, especially rollable displays.

Flexible Bistable Cholesteric Reflective Displays

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Deng-Ke

2006-03-01

Cholesteric liquid crystals (ChLCs) exhibit two stable states at zero field condition-the reflecting planar state and the nonreflecting focal conic state. ChLCs are an excellent candidate for inexpensive and rugged electronic books and papers. This paper will review the display cell structure,materials and drive schemes for flexible bistable cholesteric (Ch) reflective displays.

All-optical bistable logic control based on coupled Tamm plasmons.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei Li; Jiang, Yao; Zhu, Ye Yu; Wang, Fen; Rao, Yun Jiang

2013-10-15

A method for realizing low-threshold all-optical bistable logic control is proposed based on Tamm plasmons (TPs), which are formed in an asymmetric dielectric Bragg reflector (DBR)-metal-DBR (ADMD) structure with a layer of Kerr medium embedded. The ADMD structure supports two TPs due to coupling of trapped modes at each metal-DBR interface, generating two dips in the structure's reflection spectrum. Thus, control (i.e., pump) and controlled (i.e., probe) light with wavelengths close to the two dips, respectively, can be imported. It is verified theoretically that, thanks to the enhanced Kerr nonlinearity related to excitation of high-quality TP, bistable switching at very low injection intensity can be initiated by strength or direction variation of the pump. Meanwhile, the probe changes correspondingly with the pump. Thus, all-optical bistable logic operation of the probe can be controlled by the pump.

Low-threshold optical bistability with multilayer graphene-covering Otto configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hengliang; Wu, Jipeng; Xiang, Yuanjiang; Wen, Shuangchun; Guo, Jun; Jiang, Leyong

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a modified Otto configuration to realize tunable and low-threshold optical bistability at terahertz frequencies by attaching multilayer graphene sheets to a nonlinear substrate interface. Our work demonstrates that the threshold of optical bistability can be markedly reduced (three orders of magnitude) by covering the nonlinear substrate with multilayer graphene sheets, due to strong local field enhancement with the excitation of surface plasmons. We present the influences of the Fermi energy of graphene, the incident angle, the thickness of air gap and the relaxation time of graphene on the hysteresis phenomenon and give a way to optimize the surface plasmon resonance, which will enable us to further lower the minimal power requirements for realizing optical bistability due to the strong interaction of light with graphene sheets. These results are promising for realization of terahertz optical switches, optical modulators and logical devices. (paper)

Cell individuality: the bistable gene expression of the type III secretion system in Dickeya dadantii 3937.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Quan; Laiosa, Michael D; Steeber, Douglas A; Biddle, Eulandria M; Peng, Quan; Yang, Ching-Hong

2012-01-01

Dickeya dadantii 3937 is a gram-negative phytopathogenic bacterium that expresses genes encoding a type III secretion system (T3SS) in a bistable pattern when cultured in a homogeneous minimal media. In this work, we further characterized the bistable gene expression of T3SS at the single-cell level. We demonstrated that bistable expression of the HrpL-regulon genes, such as hrpA and hrpN, is controlled by the same regulatory mechanism. We also showed that the expression level of the T3SS master regulatory gene hrpL plays an important role in the development of the bistable expression of hrpA. A high expression level of hrpL is required but unable to guarantee the high-state expression of hrpA in a cell. In addition, bistable expression patterns of T3SS genes in other gram-negative pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families were also described in this study. This suggests that the T3SS bistability might be a conserved population behavior in several gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

Innovative Energy Harvester Design Using Bistable Mechanism With Compensational Springs In Gravity Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vysotskyi, Bogdan; Parrain, Fabien; Lefeuvre, Elie; Aubry, Denis; Gaucher, Philippe

2016-01-01

The purpose of the presented work is to introduce the novel design of electrostatic energy harvester using bistable mechanism with compensational springs in gravity field capable of providing the output of several μW under the excitation of extremely small amplitude (up to 0.2g) and low frequency (10-100Hz). Presented energy harvester uses the bistable hysteresis modification to achieve low-frequency low-amplitude sensibility. It was demonstrated with finite element modelling (FEM) that hysteresis width produced by bistability is changing with a constant linear coefficient as a function of a compensational spring stiffness and thus a device sensitivity could be adjusted to the minimum point for the amplitude of external excitation. Further, highly non-linear bistable double curved beam mechanism assures the high sensitivity in frequencial domain due to the non-defined bandwidth. The equivalent circuit technique is used for simulating the device performance. (paper)

Conditional bistability, a generic cellular mnemonic mechanism for robust and flexible working memory computations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Guillaume; Sarazin, Matthieu; Clemente, Alexandra; Holden, Stephanie; Paz, Jeanne T; Delord, Bruno

2018-04-30

Persistent neural activity, the substrate of working memory, is thought to emerge from synaptic reverberation within recurrent networks. However, reverberation models do not robustly explain fundamental dynamics of persistent activity, including high-spiking irregularity, large intertrial variability, and state transitions. While cellular bistability may contribute to persistent activity, its rigidity appears incompatible with persistent activity labile characteristics. Here, we unravel in a cellular model a form of spike-mediated conditional bistability that is robust, generic and provides a rich repertoire of mnemonic computations. Under asynchronous synaptic inputs of the awakened state, conditional bistability generates spiking/bursting episodes, accounting for the irregularity, variability and state transitions characterizing persistent activity. This mechanism has likely been overlooked because of the sub-threshold input it requires and we predict how to assess it experimentally. Our results suggest a reexamination of the role of intrinsic properties in the collective network dynamics responsible for flexible working memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study unravels a novel form of intrinsic neuronal property, i.e. conditional bistability. We show that, thanks of its conditional character, conditional bistability favors the emergence of flexible and robust forms of persistent activity in PFC neural networks, in opposition to previously studied classical forms of absolute bistability. Specifically, we demonstrate for the first time that conditional bistability 1) is a generic biophysical spike-dependent mechanism of layer V pyramidal neurons in the PFC and that 2) it accounts for essential neurodynamical features for the organisation and flexibility of PFC persistent activity (the large irregularity and intertrial variability of the discharge and its organization under discrete stable states), which remain unexplained in a robust fashion by current models

Bistable optical response of a nanoparticle heterodimer : Mechanism, phase diagram, and switching time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nugroho, Bintoro; Iskandar, Alexander; Malyshev, V.A.; Knoester, Jasper

2013-01-01

We conduct a theoretical study of the bistable optical response of a nanoparticle heterodimer comprised of a closely spaced semiconductor quantum dot and a metal nanoparticle. The bistable nature of the response results from the interplay between the quantum dot's optical nonlinearity and its

Possible hysteresis loops of resonatorless optical bistability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Ba An; Le Thi Cat Tuong.

1990-05-01

We qualitatively show that hysteresis loops of intrinsic optical bistability phenomena without any additional feedback may be of various shapes including those of a butterfly and a three-winged bow. (author). 15 refs, 4 figs

Optical nonlinearity and bistability in the bound exciton energy range of CdS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoenig, T.; Gutowski, J.

1988-01-01

Under high excitation conditions thick CdS samples show pronounced broad-band nonlinear transmission in the bound exciton region and up to a wavelength of about 515 nm at cryo-temperatures. This behavior is only explainable in a model based on impurity neutralization and bound exciton creation. The suitability of these nonlinearities to yield optical bistability will be shown. Bistable operation is investigated in dependence of crystal thickness, impurity concentration, excitation density, wavelength, and temperature. A strong correlation to acceptor-bound exciton generation is obtained, and the explanation of this bistable operation fits well with that of the above mentioned transmission behavior. (author)

A Precise Temperature-Responsive Bistable Switch Controlling Yersinia Virulence.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuss, Aaron Mischa; Schuster, Franziska; Roselius, Louisa; Klein, Johannes; Bücker, René; Herbst, Katharina; Heroven, Ann Kathrin; Pisano, Fabio; Wittmann, Christoph; Münch, Richard; Müller, Johannes; Jahn, Dieter; Dersch, Petra

2016-12-01

Different biomolecules have been identified in bacterial pathogens that sense changes in temperature and trigger expression of virulence programs upon host entry. However, the dynamics and quantitative outcome of this response in individual cells of a population, and how this influences pathogenicity are unknown. Here, we address these questions using a thermosensing virulence regulator of an intestinal pathogen (RovA of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis) as a model. We reveal that this regulator is part of a novel thermoresponsive bistable switch, which leads to high- and low-invasive subpopulations within a narrow temperature range. The temperature range in which bistability is observed is defined by the degradation and synthesis rate of the regulator, and is further adjustable via a nutrient-responsive regulator. The thermoresponsive switch is also characterized by a hysteretic behavior in which activation and deactivation occurred on vastly different time scales. Mathematical modeling accurately mirrored the experimental behavior and predicted that the thermoresponsiveness of this sophisticated bistable switch is mainly determined by the thermo-triggered increase of RovA proteolysis. We further observed RovA ON and OFF subpopulations of Y. pseudotuberculosis in the Peyer's patches and caecum of infected mice, and that changes in the RovA ON/OFF cell ratio reduce tissue colonization and overall virulence. This points to a bet-hedging strategy in which the thermoresponsive bistable switch plays a key role in adapting the bacteria to the fluctuating conditions encountered as they pass through the host's intestinal epithelium and suggests novel strategies for the development of antimicrobial therapies.

A Precise Temperature-Responsive Bistable Switch Controlling Yersinia Virulence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron Mischa Nuss

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Different biomolecules have been identified in bacterial pathogens that sense changes in temperature and trigger expression of virulence programs upon host entry. However, the dynamics and quantitative outcome of this response in individual cells of a population, and how this influences pathogenicity are unknown. Here, we address these questions using a thermosensing virulence regulator of an intestinal pathogen (RovA of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis as a model. We reveal that this regulator is part of a novel thermoresponsive bistable switch, which leads to high- and low-invasive subpopulations within a narrow temperature range. The temperature range in which bistability is observed is defined by the degradation and synthesis rate of the regulator, and is further adjustable via a nutrient-responsive regulator. The thermoresponsive switch is also characterized by a hysteretic behavior in which activation and deactivation occurred on vastly different time scales. Mathematical modeling accurately mirrored the experimental behavior and predicted that the thermoresponsiveness of this sophisticated bistable switch is mainly determined by the thermo-triggered increase of RovA proteolysis. We further observed RovA ON and OFF subpopulations of Y. pseudotuberculosis in the Peyer's patches and caecum of infected mice, and that changes in the RovA ON/OFF cell ratio reduce tissue colonization and overall virulence. This points to a bet-hedging strategy in which the thermoresponsive bistable switch plays a key role in adapting the bacteria to the fluctuating conditions encountered as they pass through the host's intestinal epithelium and suggests novel strategies for the development of antimicrobial therapies.

Large-Scale Analysis of Network Bistability for Human Cancers

Science.gov (United States)

Shiraishi, Tetsuya; Matsuyama, Shinako; Kitano, Hiroaki

2010-01-01

Protein–protein interaction and gene regulatory networks are likely to be locked in a state corresponding to a disease by the behavior of one or more bistable circuits exhibiting switch-like behavior. Sets of genes could be over-expressed or repressed when anomalies due to disease appear, and the circuits responsible for this over- or under-expression might persist for as long as the disease state continues. This paper shows how a large-scale analysis of network bistability for various human cancers can identify genes that can potentially serve as drug targets or diagnosis biomarkers. PMID:20628618

Construction and Start-up of a Large-Volume Thermostat for Dielectric-Constant Gas Thermometry

Science.gov (United States)

Merlone, A.; Moro, F.; Zandt, T.; Gaiser, C.; Fellmuth, B.

2010-07-01

A liquid-bath thermostat with a volume of about 800 L was designed to provide a suitable thermal environment for a dielectric-constant gas thermometer (DCGT) in the range from the triple point of mercury to the melting point of gallium. In the article, results obtained with the unique, huge thermostat without the DCGT measuring chamber are reported to demonstrate the capability of controlling the temperature of very large systems at a metrological level. First tests showed that the bath together with its temperature controller provide a temperature variation of less than ±0.5mK peak-to-peak. This temperature instability could be maintained over a period of several days. In the central working volume (diameter—500mm, height—650mm), in which the vacuum chamber containing the measuring system of the DCGT will be placed later, the temperature inhomogeneity has been demonstrated to be also well below 1mK.

Parallel replica dynamics method for bistable stochastic reaction networks: Simulation and sensitivity analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ting; Plecháč, Petr

2017-12-01

Stochastic reaction networks that exhibit bistable behavior are common in systems biology, materials science, and catalysis. Sampling of stationary distributions is crucial for understanding and characterizing the long-time dynamics of bistable stochastic dynamical systems. However, simulations are often hindered by the insufficient sampling of rare transitions between the two metastable regions. In this paper, we apply the parallel replica method for a continuous time Markov chain in order to improve sampling of the stationary distribution in bistable stochastic reaction networks. The proposed method uses parallel computing to accelerate the sampling of rare transitions. Furthermore, it can be combined with the path-space information bounds for parametric sensitivity analysis. With the proposed methodology, we study three bistable biological networks: the Schlögl model, the genetic switch network, and the enzymatic futile cycle network. We demonstrate the algorithmic speedup achieved in these numerical benchmarks. More significant acceleration is expected when multi-core or graphics processing unit computer architectures and programming tools such as CUDA are employed.

Flexible Bistable Smectic-A Liquid Crystal Device Using Photolithography and Photoinduced Phase Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Lu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A flexible bistable smectic-A liquid crystal (SmA LC device using pixel-isolated mode was demonstrated, in which SmA LC molecules were isolated in pixels by vertical polymer wall and horizontal polymer layer. The above microstructure was achieved by using ultraviolet (UV photolithography and photoinduced phase separation. The polymer wall was fabricated by photolithography, and then the SmA LC was encapsulated in pixels between polymer wall through UV-induced phase separation, in which the polymer wall acts as supporting structure from mechanical pressure and maintains the cell gap from bending, and the polymer layer acts as adhesive for tight attachment of two substrates. The results demonstrated that all the intrinsic bistable properties of the SmA LC are preserved, and good electrooptical characteristics such as high contrast ratio and excellent stability of the bistable states were characterized. This kind of SmA bistable flexible display has high potential to be used as electronic paper, smart switchable reflective windows, and so forth.

Parallel replica dynamics method for bistable stochastic reaction networks: Simulation and sensitivity analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ting; Plecháč, Petr

2017-12-21

Stochastic reaction networks that exhibit bistable behavior are common in systems biology, materials science, and catalysis. Sampling of stationary distributions is crucial for understanding and characterizing the long-time dynamics of bistable stochastic dynamical systems. However, simulations are often hindered by the insufficient sampling of rare transitions between the two metastable regions. In this paper, we apply the parallel replica method for a continuous time Markov chain in order to improve sampling of the stationary distribution in bistable stochastic reaction networks. The proposed method uses parallel computing to accelerate the sampling of rare transitions. Furthermore, it can be combined with the path-space information bounds for parametric sensitivity analysis. With the proposed methodology, we study three bistable biological networks: the Schlögl model, the genetic switch network, and the enzymatic futile cycle network. We demonstrate the algorithmic speedup achieved in these numerical benchmarks. More significant acceleration is expected when multi-core or graphics processing unit computer architectures and programming tools such as CUDA are employed.

Bistable flapping of flexible flyers in oscillatory flow

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yangyang; Kanso, Eva

2016-11-01

Biological and bio-inspired flyers move by shape actuation. The direct control of shape variables for locomotory purposes is well studied. Less is known about indirect shape actuation via the fluid medium. Here, we consider a flexible Λ-flyer in oscillatory flow that is free to flap and rotate around its fixed apex. We study its motion in the context of the inviscid vortex sheet model. We first analyze symmetric flapping about the vertical axis of gravity. We find that there is a finite value of the flexibility that maximizes both the flapping amplitude and elastic energy storage. Our results show that rather than resonance, the flyer relies on fluidic effects to optimize these two quantities. We then perturb the flyer away from the vertical and analyze its stability. Four distinct types of rolling behavior are identified: mono-stable, bistable, bistable oscillatory rotations and chaotic dynamics. We categorize these types of behavior in terms of the flyer's and flow parameters. In particular, the transition from mono-stable to bistable behavior occurs at a constant value of the product of the flow amplitude and acceleration. This product can be interpreted as the ratio of fluidic drag to gravity, confirming the fluid role in this transition.

Brain mechanisms for simple perception and bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Megan; Arteaga, Daniel; He, Biyu J

2013-08-27

When faced with ambiguous sensory inputs, subjective perception alternates between the different interpretations in a stochastic manner. Such multistable perception phenomena have intrigued scientists and laymen alike for over a century. Despite rigorous investigations, the underlying mechanisms of multistable perception remain elusive. Recent studies using multivariate pattern analysis revealed that activity patterns in posterior visual areas correlate with fluctuating percepts. However, increasing evidence suggests that vision--and perception at large--is an active inferential process involving hierarchical brain systems. We applied searchlight multivariate pattern analysis to functional magnetic resonance imaging signals across the human brain to decode perceptual content during bistable perception and simple unambiguous perception. Although perceptually reflective activity patterns during simple perception localized predominantly to posterior visual regions, bistable perception involved additionally many higher-order frontoparietal and temporal regions. Moreover, compared with simple perception, both top-down and bottom-up influences were dramatically enhanced during bistable perception. We further studied the intermittent presentation of ambiguous images--a condition that is known to elicit perceptual memory. Compared with continuous presentation, intermittent presentation recruited even more higher-order regions and was accompanied by further strengthened top-down influences but relatively weakened bottom-up influences. Taken together, these results strongly support an active top-down inferential process in perception.

Metastable and bistable defects in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukashev, Bulat N; Abdullin, Kh A; Gorelkinskii, Yurii V

2000-01-01

Existing data on the properties and structure of metastable and bistable defects in silicon are analyzed. Primary radiation-induced defects (vacancies, self-interstitial atoms, and Frenkel pairs), complexes of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and other impurity atoms and defects with negative correlation energy are considered. (reviews of topical problems)

Controlling steady-state and dynamical properties of atomic optical bistability

CERN Document Server

Joshi, Amitabh

2012-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical and experimental studies of atomic optical bistability and multistability, and their dynamical properties in systems with two- and three-level inhomogeneously-broadened atoms inside an optical cavity. By making use of the modified linear absorption and dispersion, as well as the greatly enhanced nonlinearity in the three-level electromagnetically induced transparency system, the optical bistablity and efficient all-optical switching can be achieved at relatively low laser powers, which can be well controlled and manipulated. Un

Electrodeposition of nickel onto steel, using a thermostatic cell and movable anode by a variable current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega G, J.D.

1994-01-01

In this work, metallic coatings of nickel was made over carbon steel using two different electrolytic solutions: The Watts's bath and the nickel sulfamate bath, using a pulse variable current. The method use was the traditional method, its means a thermostatic cell and one movable anode, which is a few know technique nowadays, it allow realize depositions away from any laboratory or special workshop, it has the advantage to be a portable dispositive. At last of all the electro depositions the coatings quality was valuable by them physical properties like: adhesion, hardness, wrinkled and thickness. The best results was obtain by the Nickel sulfamate bath and movable anode, less in the thickness, which has higher on the thermostatic cell. The variable current was obtain by a Pulse Generator and a Cathodic galvanometer. (Author)

Large Out-of-Plane Displacement Bistable Electromagnetic Microswitch on a Single Wafer.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Xiaodan; Dai, Xuhan; Huang, Yi; Ding, Guifu; Zhao, Xiaolin

2016-05-05

This paper presents a bistable microswitch fully batch-fabricated on a single glass wafer, comprising of a microactuator, a signal transformer, a microspring and a permanent magnet. The bistable mechanism of the microswitch with large displacement of 160 μm depends on the balance of the magnetic force and elastic force. Both the magnetic force and elastic force were optimized by finite-element simulation to predict the reliable of the device. The prototype was fabricated and characterized. By utilizing thick laminated photoresist sacrificial layer, the large displacement was obtained to ensure the insulation of the microswitch. The testing results show that the microswitch realized the bistable mechanism at a 3-5 V input voltage and closed in 0.96 ms, which verified the simulation.

Configurational rearrangements of bistable centers in covalent semiconductors - phase transitions of the second type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanyukovich, V.A.; Karas', V.I.; Lomako, V.M.

1989-01-01

A new radiation configurational-bistable defect diffring from the known similar defects by the fact that it possessestemperature inversion of states is detected in gallium arsenide. Configurational-bistable rearrangements are shown to be considered as phase transitions of the second type

Demand Response of Thermostatic Loads by Optimized Switching-Fraction Broadcast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Totu, Luminita Cristiana; Wisniewski, Rafal

2014-01-01

Demand response is an important Smart Grid concept that aims at facilitating the integration of volatile energy resources into the electricity grid. This paper considers the problem of managing large populations of thermostat-based devices with on/off operation. The objective is to enable demand...... Method is used to spatially discretize these equations. Next, a broadcast strategy with two switching-fraction signals is proposed for actuating the population. This is applied in an open-loop scenario for tracking a power reference by running an optimization with a multilinear objective....

Bistable diverter valve in microfluidics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tesař, Václav; Bandulasena, H.C.H.

2011-01-01

Roč. 50, č. 5 (2011), s. 1225-1233 ISSN 0723-4864 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/07/1499; GA AV ČR IAA200760705 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : fluidics * bistable diverter valves * pressure-driven microfluidics Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 1.735, year: 2011 http://www.springerlink.com/content/x4907p1908151522/

Demand Response on domestic thermostatically controlled loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lakshmanan, Venkatachalam

. For a safe and reliable operation of electric power systems, the balance between electricity generation and consumption has to be maintained. The conventional fossil fuel based power generation achieves this balance by adjusting the generation to follow the consumption. In the electric power system......Electricity has become an inevitable part of human life in present day world. In the past two centuries, the electric power system has undergone a lot of changes. Due to the awareness about the adverse impact of the fossil fuels, the power industry is adopting green and sustainable energy sources....... In general, the electricity consumers are classified as industrial, commercial and domestic. In this dissertation, only the thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) in the domestic segment are considered for the demand response study. The study is funded by Danish Council for Strategic Research (DCSR...

Experimental chaotic quantification in bistable vortex induced vibration systems

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, B. H.; Tjahjowidodo, T.

2017-02-01

The study of energy harvesting by means of vortex induced vibration systems has been initiated a few years ago and it is considered to be potential as a low water current energy source. The energy harvester is realized by exposing an elastically supported blunt structure under water flow. However, it is realized that the system will only perform at a limited operating range (water flow) that is attributed to the resonance phenomenon that occurs only at a frequency that corresponds to the fluid flow. An introduction of nonlinear elements seems to be a prominent solution to overcome the problem. Among many nonlinear elements, a bistable spring is known to be able to improve the harvested power by a vortex induced vibrations (VIV) based energy converter at the low velocity water flows. However, it is also observed that chaotic vibrations will occur at different operating ranges that will erratically diminish the harvested power and cause a difficulty in controlling the system that is due to the unpredictability in motions of the VIV structure. In order to design a bistable VIV energy converter with improved harvested power and minimum negative effect of chaotic vibrations, the bifurcation map of the system for varying governing parameters is highly on demand. In this study, chaotic vibrations of a VIV energy converter enhanced by a bistable stiffness element are quantified in a wide range of the governing parameters, i.e. damping and bistable gap. Chaotic vibrations of the bistable VIV energy converter are simulated by utilization of a wake oscillator model and quantified based on the calculation of the Lyapunov exponent. Ultimately, a series of experiments of the system in a water tunnel, facilitated by a computer-based force-feedback testing platform, is carried out to validate the existence of chaotic responses. The main challenge in dealing with experimental data is in distinguishing chaotic response from noise-contaminated periodic responses as noise will smear

Plasmon-modulated bistable four-wave mixing signals from a metal nanoparticle-monolayer MoS2 nanoresonator hybrid system

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-Bo; Tan, Xiao-Long; Ma, Jin-Hong; Xu, Si-Qin; Kuang, Zhi-Wei; Liang, Shan; Xiao, Si; He, Meng-Dong; Kim, Nam-Chol; Luo, Jian-Hua; Chen, Li-Qun

2018-06-01

We present a study for the impact of exciton-phonon and exciton-plasmon interactions on bistable four-wave mixing (FWM) signals in a metal nanoparticle (MNP)-monolayer MoS2 nanoresonator hybrid system. Via tracing the FWM response we predict that, depending on the excitation conditions and the system parameters, such a system exhibits ‘U-shaped’ bistable FWM signals. We also map out bistability phase diagrams within the system’s parameter space. Especially, we show that compared with the exciton-phonon interaction, a strong exciton-plasmon interaction plays a dominant role in the generation of optical bistability, and the bistable region will be greatly broadened by shortening the distance between the MNP and the monolayer MoS2 nanoresonator. In the weak exciton-plasmon coupling regime, the impact of exciton-phonon interaction on optical bistability will become obvious. The scheme proposed may be used for building optical switches and logic-gate devices for optical computing and quantum information processing.

Plasmon-modulated bistable four-wave mixing signals from a metal nanoparticle-monolayer MoS2 nanoresonator hybrid system.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-Bo; Tan, Xiao-Long; Ma, Jin-Hong; Xu, Si-Qin; Kuang, Zhi-Wei; Liang, Shan; Xiao, Si; He, Meng-Dong; Kim, Nam-Chol; Luo, Jian-Hua; Chen, Li-Qun

2018-06-22

We present a study for the impact of exciton-phonon and exciton-plasmon interactions on bistable four-wave mixing (FWM) signals in a metal nanoparticle (MNP)-monolayer MoS 2 nanoresonator hybrid system. Via tracing the FWM response we predict that, depending on the excitation conditions and the system parameters, such a system exhibits 'U-shaped' bistable FWM signals. We also map out bistability phase diagrams within the system's parameter space. Especially, we show that compared with the exciton-phonon interaction, a strong exciton-plasmon interaction plays a dominant role in the generation of optical bistability, and the bistable region will be greatly broadened by shortening the distance between the MNP and the monolayer MoS 2 nanoresonator. In the weak exciton-plasmon coupling regime, the impact of exciton-phonon interaction on optical bistability will become obvious. The scheme proposed may be used for building optical switches and logic-gate devices for optical computing and quantum information processing.

Excitonic bistabilities, instabilities and chaos in laser-pumped semiconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Ba An; Nguyen Trung Dan; Hoang Xuan Nguyen

1992-07-01

The Hurwitz criteria are used for a stability analysis of the steady state excitonic optical bistability curves in a semiconductor pumped by an external laser resonant with the exciton level. Besides the middle branch of the bistability curves which is unstable in the sense of the linear stability theory, we have found other domains of instability in the upper and lower branches of the steady state curves. Numerical results show that a possible route to chaos in the photon-exciton system is period-doubling self-oscillation process. The influence of the presence of free carriers that coexist with the excitons is also discussed. (author). 16 refs, 6 figs

Bulk chirality effect for symmetric bistable switching of liquid crystals on topologically self-patterned degenerate anchoring surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Min-Kyu; Joo, Kyung-Il; Kim, Hak-Rin

2017-06-26

We demonstrate a bistable switching liquid crystal (LC) mode utilizing a topologically self-structured dual-groove surface for degenerated easy axes of LC anchoring. In our study, the effect of the bulk elastic distortion of the LC directors on the bistable anchoring surface is theoretically analyzed for balanced bistable states based on a free energy diagram. By adjusting bulk LC chirality, we developed ideally symmetric and stable bistable anchoring and switching properties, which can be driven by a low in-plane pulsed field of about 0.7 V/µm. The fabricated device has a contrast ratio of 196:1.

Influence of Fano interference and incoherent processes on optical bistability in a four-level quantum dot nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hossein Asadpour, Seyyed; Solookinejad, G; Panahi, M; Ahmadi Sangachin, E

2016-01-01

Role of Fano interference and incoherent pumping field on optical bistability in a four-level designed InGaN/GaN quantum dot nanostructure embedded in a unidirectional ring cavity are analyzed. It is found that intensity threshold of optical bistability can be manipulated by Fano interference. It is shown that incoherent pumping fields make the threshold of optical bistability behave differently by Fano interference. Moreover, in the presence of Fano interference the medium becomes phase-dependent. Therefore, the relative phase of applied fields can affect the behaviors of optical bistability and intensity threshold can be controlled easily. (paper)

Design and Development of Autonomous High Voltage Driving System for DEAP Actuator in Radiator Thermostat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Lina; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2014-01-01

In radiator thermostat applications, DEAP (Dielectric Electro Active Polymer) actuator tends to be a good candidate to replace the conventional self-actuating or step motor based actuator due to its intrinsic advantages. The capacitive property and high voltage (HV) driving demand of DEAP actuator...

On the functional relevance of frontal cortex for passive and voluntarily controlled bistable vision.

Science.gov (United States)

de Graaf, Tom A; de Jong, Maartje C; Goebel, Rainer; van Ee, Raymond; Sack, Alexander T

2011-10-01

In bistable vision, one constant ambiguous stimulus leads to 2 alternating conscious percepts. This perceptual switching occurs spontaneously but can also be influenced through voluntary control. Neuroimaging studies have reported that frontal regions are activated during spontaneous perceptual switches, leading some researchers to suggest that frontal regions causally induce perceptual switches. But the opposite also seems possible: frontal activations may themselves be caused by spontaneous switches. Classically implicated in attentional processes, these same regions are also candidates for the origins of voluntary control over bistable vision. Here too, it remains unknown whether frontal cortex is actually functionally relevant. It is even possible that spontaneous perceptual switches and voluntarily induced switches are mediated by the same top-down mechanisms. To directly address these issues, we here induced "virtual lesions," with transcranial magnetic stimulation, in frontal, parietal, and 2 lower level visual cortices using an established ambiguous structure-from-motion stimulus. We found that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was causally relevant for voluntary control over perceptual switches. In contrast, we failed to find any evidence for an active role of frontal cortex in passive bistable vision. Thus, it seems the same pathway used for willed top-down modulation of bistable vision is not used during passive bistable viewing.

Controlling the optical bistability and transmission coefficient in a four-level atomic medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asadpour, Seyyed Hossein; Eslami-Majd, Abdullah

2012-01-01

A novel four level atomic configuration is proposed for controlling the optical bistability and transmission coefficient with application on all-optical switching. Two circularly polarized components from a weak linearly-polarized probe beam are interacted separately by two transitions of this medium. A coherent coupling field has derived another atomic transition. It is demonstrated that the transmission coefficient of two orthogonally polarized beams at different frequencies can be achieved by adjusting the magnitude of the external magnetic field. It is found that the threshold of the optical bistability can be controlled by magnitude of the external magnetic field. Also, it is shown that optical bistability can be converted to optical multistability by switching the two orthogonally polarized beams. - Highlights: ► An inverted Y-type four level atomic system is proposed. ► Transmission coefficient can be controlled by a novel interesting parameter. ► Optical bistability and multistability can be achieved via external magnetic field. ► It is shown that our proposed model is suitable for all optical switching application.

Design and Modelling of Thermostatically Controlled Loads as Frequency Controlled Reserve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Zhao; Østergaard, Jacob; Togeby, Mikael

2007-01-01

Using demand as frequency controlled reserve (DFR) is beneficial to power systems in many aspects. To study the impacts of this technology on power system operation, control logics and simulation models of relevant loads should be carefully developed. Two advanced control logics for using demand...... frequency, is developed. The developed simulation model is able to represent a variety of aggregated thermostatically controlled loads, such as heaters or refrigerators. Uncertainties including customer behaviours and ambient temperature variation are also modelled. Preliminary simulation results...

Durable bistable auxetics made of rigid solids

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Xiao; Liu, Lu; Rafsanjani, Ahmad; Pasini, Damiano

2018-02-01

Bistable Auxetic Metamaterials (BAMs) are a class of monolithic perforated periodic structures with negative Poisson's ratio. Under tension, a BAM can expand and reach a second state of equilibrium through a globally large shape transformation that is ensured by the flexibility of its elastomeric base material. However, if made from a rigid polymer, or metal, BAM ceases to function due to the inevitable rupture of its ligaments. The goal of this work is to extend the unique functionality of the original kirigami architecture of BAM to a rigid solid base material. We use experiments and numerical simulations to assess performance, bistability and durability of rigid BAMs at 10,000 cycles. Geometric maps are presented to elucidate the role of the main descriptors of BAM architecture. The proposed design enables the realization of BAM from a large palette of materials, including elastic-perfectly plastic materials and potentially brittle materials.

Revisiting bistability in the lysis/lysogeny circuit of bacteriophage lambda.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Bednarz

Full Text Available The lysis/lysogeny switch of bacteriophage lambda serves as a paradigm for binary cell fate decision, long-term maintenance of cellular state and stimulus-triggered switching between states. In the literature, the system is often referred to as "bistable." However, it remains unclear whether this term provides an accurate description or is instead a misnomer. Here we address this question directly. We first quantify transcriptional regulation governing lysogenic maintenance using a single-cell fluorescence reporter. We then use the single-cell data to derive a stochastic theoretical model for the underlying regulatory network. We use the model to predict the steady states of the system and then validate these predictions experimentally. Specifically, a regime of bistability, and the resulting hysteretic behavior, are observed. Beyond the steady states, the theoretical model successfully predicts the kinetics of switching from lysogeny to lysis. Our results show how the physics-inspired concept of bistability can be reliably used to describe cellular phenotype, and how an experimentally-calibrated theoretical model can have accurate predictive power for cell-state switching.

Coupling between feedback loops in autoregulatory networks affects bistability range, open-loop gain and switching times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Abhinav; Igoshin, Oleg A

2012-01-01

Biochemical regulatory networks governing diverse cellular processes such as stress-response, differentiation and cell cycle often contain coupled feedback loops. We aim at understanding how features of feedback architecture, such as the number of loops, the sign of the loops and the type of their coupling, affect network dynamical performance. Specifically, we investigate how bistability range, maximum open-loop gain and switching times of a network with transcriptional positive feedback are affected by additive or multiplicative coupling with another positive- or negative-feedback loop. We show that a network's bistability range is positively correlated with its maximum open-loop gain and that both quantities depend on the sign of the feedback loops and the type of feedback coupling. Moreover, we find that the addition of positive feedback could decrease the bistability range if we control the basal level in the signal-response curves of the two systems. Furthermore, the addition of negative feedback has the capacity to increase the bistability range if its dissociation constant is much lower than that of the positive feedback. We also find that the addition of a positive feedback to a bistable network increases the robustness of its bistability range, whereas the addition of a negative feedback decreases it. Finally, we show that the switching time for a transition from a high to a low steady state increases with the effective fold change in gene regulation. In summary, we show that the effect of coupled feedback loops on the bistability range and switching times depends on the underlying mechanistic details. (paper)

Single coil bistable, bidirectional micromechanical actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Tabat, Ned; Guckel, Henry

1998-09-15

Micromechanical actuators capable of bidirectional and bistable operation can be formed on substrates using lithographic processing techniques. Bistable operation of the microactuator is obtained using a single coil and a magnetic core with a gap. A plunger having two magnetic heads is supported for back and forth linear movement with respect to the gap in the magnetic core, and is spring biased to a neutral position in which the two heads are on each side of the gap in the core. The single electrical coil is coupled to the core and is provided with electrical current to attract one of the heads toward the core by reluctance action to drive the plunger to a limit of travel in one direction. The current is then cut off and the plunger returns by spring action toward the gap, whereafter the current is reapplied to the coil to attract the other head of the plunger by reluctance action to drive the plunger to its other limit of travel. This process can be repeated at a time when switching of the actuator is required.

Coupling-induced oscillations in nonhomogeneous, overdamped, bistable systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez, Mayra; In, Visarath; Longhini, Patrick; Palacios, Antonio; Bulsara, Adi; Kho, Andy

2008-01-01

Coupling-induced oscillations in a homogeneous network of overdamped bistable systems have been previously studied both theoretically and experimentally for a system of N (odd) elements, unidirectionally coupled in a ring topology. In this work, we extend the analysis of this system to include a network of nonhomogeneous elements with respect to the parameter that controls the topology of the potential function and the bistability of each element. In particular, we quantify the effects of the nonhomogeneity on the onset of oscillations and the response of the network to external (assumed to be constant and very small) perturbations, using our (recently developed) coupled core fluxgate magnetometer as a representative system. The potential applications of this work include signal detection and characterization for a large class of sensor systems

Coupling-induced oscillations in nonhomogeneous, overdamped, bistable systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernandez, Mayra [Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Group, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182 (United States)], E-mail: mayra.alina@yahoo.com; In, Visarath [Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Code 71730, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, CA 92152-5001 (United States)], E-mail: visarath.in@navy.mil; Longhini, Patrick [Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Code 71730, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, CA 92152-5001 (United States)], E-mail: longhini@navy.mil; Palacios, Antonio [Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Group, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182 (United States)], E-mail: palacios@euler.sdsu.edu; Bulsara, Adi [Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Code 71730, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, CA 92152-5001 (United States)], E-mail: bulsara@spawar.navy.mil; Kho, Andy [Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Code 71730, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, CA 92152-5001 (United States)], E-mail: kho@spawar.navy.mil

2008-06-09

Coupling-induced oscillations in a homogeneous network of overdamped bistable systems have been previously studied both theoretically and experimentally for a system of N (odd) elements, unidirectionally coupled in a ring topology. In this work, we extend the analysis of this system to include a network of nonhomogeneous elements with respect to the parameter that controls the topology of the potential function and the bistability of each element. In particular, we quantify the effects of the nonhomogeneity on the onset of oscillations and the response of the network to external (assumed to be constant and very small) perturbations, using our (recently developed) coupled core fluxgate magnetometer as a representative system. The potential applications of this work include signal detection and characterization for a large class of sensor systems.

Dynamics and bistability in a reduced model of the lac operon

Science.gov (United States)

Yildirim, Necmettin; Santillán, Moisés; Horike, Daisuke; Mackey, Michael C.

2004-06-01

It is known that the lac operon regulatory pathway is capable of showing bistable behavior. This is an important complex feature, arising from the nonlinearity of the involved mechanisms, which is essential to understand the dynamic behavior of this molecular regulatory system. To find which of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the lac operon is the origin of bistability, we take a previously published model which accounts for the dynamics of mRNA, lactose, allolactose, permease and β-galactosidase involvement and simplify it by ignoring permease dynamics (assuming a constant permease concentration). To test the behavior of the reduced model, three existing sets of data on β-galactosidase levels as a function of time are simulated and we obtain a reasonable agreement between the data and the model predictions. The steady states of the reduced model were numerically and analytically analyzed and it was shown that it may indeed display bistability, depending on the extracellular lactose concentration and growth rate.

A computational role for bistability and traveling waves in motor cortex

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Stewart eHeitmann

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Adaptive changes in behavior require rapid changes in brain states yet the brain must also remain stable. We investigated two neural mechanisms for evoking rapid transitions between spatiotemporal synchronization patterns of beta oscillations (13--30Hz in motor cortex. Cortex was modeled as a sheet of neural oscillators that were spatially coupled using a center-surround connection topology. Manipulating the inhibitory surround was found to evoke reliable transitions between synchronous oscillation patterns and traveling waves. These transitions modulated the simulated local field potential in agreement with physiological observations in humans. Intermediate levels of surround inhibition were also found to produce bistable coupling topologies that supported both waves and synchrony. State-dependent perturbation between bistable states produced very rapid transitions but were less reliable. We surmise that motor cortex may thus employ state-dependent computation to achieve very rapid changes between bistable motor states when the demand for speed exceeds the demand for accuracy.

Internal optical bistability of quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor nanoheterostructures

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Derevyanchuk, Oleksandr V.; Kramar, Natalia K.; Kramar, Valeriy M.

2018-01-01

We represent the results of numerical computations of the frequency and temperature domains of possible realization of internal optical bistability in flat quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor nanoheterostructures with a single quantum well (i.e., nanofilms). Particular computations have been made for a nanofilm of layered semiconductor PbI2 embedded in dielectric medium, i.e. ethylene-methacrylic acid (E-MAA) copolymer. It is shown that an increase in the nanofilm's thickness leads to a long-wave shift of the frequency range of the manifestation the phenomenon of bistability, to increase the size of the hysteresis loop, as well as to the expansion of the temperature interval at which the realization of this phenomenon is possible.

An analytical approach to bistable biological circuit discrimination using real algebraic geometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal-Gaskins, Dan; Franco, Elisa; Zhou, Tiffany; Murray, Richard M

2015-07-06

Biomolecular circuits with two distinct and stable steady states have been identified as essential components in a wide range of biological networks, with a variety of mechanisms and topologies giving rise to their important bistable property. Understanding the differences between circuit implementations is an important question, particularly for the synthetic biologist faced with determining which bistable circuit design out of many is best for their specific application. In this work we explore the applicability of Sturm's theorem--a tool from nineteenth-century real algebraic geometry--to comparing 'functionally equivalent' bistable circuits without the need for numerical simulation. We first consider two genetic toggle variants and two different positive feedback circuits, and show how specific topological properties present in each type of circuit can serve to increase the size of the regions of parameter space in which they function as switches. We then demonstrate that a single competitive monomeric activator added to a purely monomeric (and otherwise monostable) mutual repressor circuit is sufficient for bistability. Finally, we compare our approach with the Routh-Hurwitz method and derive consistent, yet more powerful, parametric conditions. The predictive power and ease of use of Sturm's theorem demonstrated in this work suggest that algebraic geometric techniques may be underused in biomolecular circuit analysis.

Interplay of Multisensory Processing, Attention, and Consciousness as Revealed by Bistable Figures

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Su-Ling Yeh

2011-10-01

Full Text Available We examined the novel crossmodal semantic congruency effect on bistable figures in which a static stimulus gives rise to two competing percepts that alternate over time. Participants viewed the bistable figure “my wife or my mother-in-law” while listening to the voice of an old woman or a young lady speaking in an unfamiliar language. They had to report whether they saw the old woman, the young lady, or a mixed percept. Robust crossmodal semantic congruency effects in the measures of the first percept and the predominance duration were observed. The possibilities that the participants simply responded to, and/or that they fixed at the location in favor of, the percept congruent with the sound that they happened to hear were ruled out. When the participants were instructed to maintain their attention to a specific view, a strong top-down modulation on the perception of bistable figure was observed, although the audiovisual semantic congruency effect still remained. These results thus demonstrate that top-down attention (ie,, selection and/or voluntary control modulates the audiovisual semantic congruency effect. As the alternating percepts in bistable figures indicate competition for conscious perception, this study has important implications for the multifaceted interactions between multisensory processing, attention, and consciousness.

Development of modular thermostatic vapour-cooled current leads for cryogenic service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blessing, H.; Lebrun, P.

1983-01-01

Cryogenic current leads cooled by helium vapour have been developed, built and tested. Their construction, based on standard electrolytic copper braids crimped at the ends, is such as to provide flexible cold terminations and make possible a modular design. The warm terminations combine electrical insulation, leak-tightness and integrated thermostatic valves controlling lead temperature and avoiding thermal run-away or ice build-up. After giving a detailed description of their construction, this report presents results of performance and reliability tests made on prototype units. (orig.)

The presence and growth of Legionella species in thermostatic shower mixer taps: an exploratory field study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joost van Hoof; P.W.J.J. van der Wielen; E. van der Blom; O.W.W. Nuijten; L. Hornstra

2014-01-01

Legislation in the Netherlands requires routine analysis of drinking water samples for cultivable Legionella species from high-priority installations. A field study was conducted to investigate the presence of Legionella species in thermostatic shower mixer taps. Water samples and the interior of

Ground-state kinetics of bistable redox-active donor-acceptor mechanically interlocked molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrenbach, Albert C; Bruns, Carson J; Li, Hao; Trabolsi, Ali; Coskun, Ali; Stoddart, J Fraser

2014-02-18

The ability to design and confer control over the kinetics of theprocesses involved in the mechanisms of artificial molecular machines is at the heart of the challenge to create ones that can carry out useful work on their environment, just as Nature is wont to do. As one of the more promising forerunners of prototypical artificial molecular machines, chemists have developed bistable redox-active donor-acceptor mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) over the past couple of decades. These bistable MIMs generally come in the form of [2]rotaxanes, molecular compounds that constitute a ring mechanically interlocked around a dumbbell-shaped component, or [2]catenanes, which are composed of two mechanically interlocked rings. As a result of their interlocked nature, bistable MIMs possess the inherent propensity to express controllable intramolecular, large-amplitude, and reversible motions in response to redox stimuli. In this Account, we rationalize the kinetic behavior in the ground state for a large assortment of these types of bistable MIMs, including both rotaxanes and catenanes. These structures have proven useful in a variety of applications ranging from drug delivery to molecular electronic devices. These bistable donor-acceptor MIMs can switch between two different isomeric states. The favored isomer, known as the ground-state co-conformation (GSCC) is in equilibrium with the less favored metastable state co-conformation (MSCC). The forward (kf) and backward (kb) rate constants associated with this ground-state equilibrium are intimately connected to each other through the ground-state distribution constant, KGS. Knowing the rate constants that govern the kinetics and bring about the equilibration between the MSCC and GSCC, allows researchers to understand the operation of these bistable MIMs in a device setting and apply them toward the construction of artificial molecular machines. The three biggest influences on the ground-state rate constants arise from

A CW Gunn diode bistable switching element.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurtado, M.; Rosenbaum, F. J.

1972-01-01

Experiments with a current-controlled bistable switching element using a CW Gunn diode are reported. Switching rates of the order of 10 MHz have been obtained. Switching is initiated by current pulses of short duration (5-10 ns). Rise times of the order of several nanoseconds could be obtained.

Heat dissipation and information flow for delayed bistable Langevin systems near coherence resonance.

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Xiao, Tiejun

2016-11-01

In this paper, stochastic thermodynamics of delayed bistable Langevin systems near coherence resonance is discussed. We calculate the heat dissipation rate and the information flow of a delayed bistable Langevin system under various noise intensities. Both the heat dissipation rate and the information flow are found to be bell-shaped functions of the noise intensity, which implies that coherence resonance manifests itself in the thermodynamic properties.

A minimal model of burst-noise induced bistability.

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Johannes Falk

Full Text Available We investigate the influence of intrinsic noise on stable states of a one-dimensional dynamical system that shows in its deterministic version a saddle-node bifurcation between monostable and bistable behaviour. The system is a modified version of the Schlögl model, which is a chemical reaction system with only one type of molecule. The strength of the intrinsic noise is varied without changing the deterministic description by introducing bursts in the autocatalytic production step. We study the transitions between monostable and bistable behavior in this system by evaluating the number of maxima of the stationary probability distribution. We find that changing the size of bursts can destroy and even induce saddle-node bifurcations. This means that a bursty production of molecules can qualitatively change the dynamics of a chemical reaction system even when the deterministic description remains unchanged.

Optical bistability of optical fiber ring doped by Erbium and quantum dots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safari, S.; Tofighi, S.; Bahrampour, A.; Sajad, B.; Shahshahani, F.

2012-01-01

In this paper, theoretical analysis of the steady state behavior of the optical bistability in an optical fiber ring doped by Erbium and quantum dots is presented. The up and down switching power is calculated and the dependence of the switching power on different fiber ring parameters is investigated. The switching power for this type of optical bistability device is obtained much lower than the fiber ring which its half length is doped by Erbium ion.

Bistable enhanced total reflection in Kretschmann configuration containing a saturable gain medium.

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Zhou, Haichun; Guo, Jie; Xu, Kun; Li, Zhe; Tang, Junqi; Man, Shiqing

2018-03-05

The reflection of a TM-polarized light beam from a Kretschmann configuration with a saturable gain medium is investigated theoretically. Here, the dielectric constant of the gain medium is described by a classical Lorentzian oscillator model. When surface plasmon polaritons are effectively excited in this structure, it is demonstrated that the curves of enhanced total reflection (ETR) show different shaped hysteresis loops associated with optical bistability owing to gain saturation effect. The effects of the angle of incidence, the thickness of metal film, and the value of small-signal gain on bistable ETR are discussed in detail in a homogeneously broadened (HB) gain medium at line center. Analogous results can also be obtained in an inhomogeneously broadened (inHB) gain medium, while the two switch thresholds and the width of optical bistability hysteresis in an inHB gain medium are significantly different from those in a HB gain medium.

Evolution of the bi-stable wake of a square-back automotive shape

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Pavia, Giancarlo; Passmore, Martin; Sardu, Costantino

2018-01-01

Square-back shapes are popular in the automotive market for their high level of practicality. These geometries, however, are usually characterised by high drag and their wake dynamics present aspects, such as the coexistence of a long-time bi-stable behaviour and short-time global fluctuating modes that are not fully understood. In the present paper, the unsteady behaviour of the wake of a generic square-back car geometry is characterised with an emphasis on identifying the causal relationship between the different dynamic modes in the wake. The study is experimental, consisting of balance, pressure, and stereoscopic PIV measurements. Applying wavelet and cross-wavelet transforms to the balance data, a quasi-steady correlation is demonstrated between the forces and bi-stable modes. This is investigated by applying proper orthogonal decomposition to the pressure and velocity data sets and a new structure is proposed for each bi-stable state, consisting of a hairpin vortex that originates from one of the two model's vertical trailing edges and bends towards the opposite side as it merges into a single streamwise vortex downstream. The wake pumping motion is also identified and for the first time linked with the motion of the bi-stable vortical structure in the streamwise direction, resulting in out-of-phase pressure variations between the two vertical halves of the model base. A phase-averaged low-order model is also proposed that provides a comprehensive description of the mechanisms of the switch between the bi-stable states. It is demonstrated that, during the switch, the wake becomes laterally symmetric and, at this point, the level of interaction between the recirculating structures and the base reaches a minimum, yielding, for this geometry, a 7% reduction of the base drag compared to the time-averaged result.

Bistable behavior of the lac operon in E. coli when induced with a mixture of lactose and TMG

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Orlando Díaz-Hernández

2010-07-01

Full Text Available In this work we investigate multistability in the lac operon of Escherichia coli when it is induced by a mixture of lactose and the non-metabolizable thiomethyl galactoside (TMG. In accordance with previously published experimental results and computer simulations, our simulations predict that: (1 when the system is induced by TMG, the system shows a discernible bistable behavior while, (2 when the system is induced by lactose, bistability does not disappear but excessively high concentrations of lactose would be required to observe it. Finally, our simulation results predict that when a mixture of lactose and TMG is used, the bistability region in the extracellular glucose concentration vs. extracellular lactose concentration parameter space changes in such a way that the model predictions regarding bistability could be tested experimentally. These experiments could help to solve a recent controversy regarding the existence of bistability in the lac operon under natural conditions.

Bistable behavior of the lac operon in E. coli when induced with a mixture of lactose and TMG.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Hernández, Orlando; Santillán, Moisés

2010-01-01

In this work we investigate multistability in the lac operon of Escherichia coli when it is induced by a mixture of lactose and the non-metabolizable thiomethyl galactoside (TMG). In accordance with previously published experimental results and computer simulations, our simulations predict that: (1) when the system is induced by TMG, the system shows a discernible bistable behavior while, (2) when the system is induced by lactose, bistability does not disappear but excessively high concentrations of lactose would be required to observe it. Finally, our simulation results predict that when a mixture of lactose and TMG is used, the bistability region in the extracellular glucose concentration vs. extracellular lactose concentration parameter space changes in such a way that the model predictions regarding bistability could be tested experimentally. These experiments could help to solve a recent controversy regarding the existence of bistability in the lac operon under natural conditions.

Small causes, big effects. For environment and sales: Check of thermostat valves in the internet; Kleine Ursache, grosse Wirkung. Zugunsten Umwelt und Umsatz: Thermostatventil-Check jetzt im Internet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2008-04-15

Fifty percent of all installed thermostat valves are assumed to be lacking in energy efficiency, according to the ''Optimus'' research report. Industry has reacted to this by developing a ThermostatCheck, which can be accessed in the internet by builder-owners and fitters. (orig.)

Experimental Analysis of a Coupled Energy Harvesting System with Monostable and Bistable Configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, D; Folkmer, B; Manoli, Y

2014-01-01

In this paper we present experimental results from an energy harvesting system with two coupled energy harvesters. The energy conversion mechanism of the two coupled energy harvesters is based on the electromagnetic principle. The coupling is generated by two magnets in a repulsive arrangement. In this manner a bistable configuration can be obtained if the gap between the magnets is sufficiently small. We demonstrate that the total power output can be increased in comparison to a linear reference system, if specific conditions are fulfilled. In this respect, the highest power output occurs in the nonlinear region of a monostable system configuration, mostly near the transition to a bistable configuration. On the other hand, the results also indicate, that a bistable operating mode does not necessarily enhance the power output of the coupled system

Topical Meeting on Optical Bistability Held at Rochester, New York on 15-17 June 1983.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

ThB16-1 SELF-BEATING INSTABILITIES IN BISTABLE DEVICES J.A. MARTIN-PEREDA .. M.A. MURIEL DEPARTAMENTO DE ELECTRONICA CUANTICA E.T.S. ING...OPTICAL BISTABLL SYSTEMS J.A. MARTIN PEREDA M.A. MURIEL ; DEPARTAMENIO DE ELECTRONICA CUANTICA E.T.S. ING. TELLCOMUNICACION UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE

An Optically Driven Bistable Janus Rotor with Patterned Metal Coatings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zong, Yiwu; Liu, Jing; Liu, Rui; Guo, Honglian; Yang, Mingcheng; Li, Zhiyuan; Chen, Ke

2015-11-24

Bistable rotation is realized for a gold-coated Janus colloidal particle in an infrared optical trap. The metal coating on the Janus particles are patterned by sputtering gold on a monolayer of closely packed polystyrene particles. The Janus particle is observed to stably rotate in an optical trap. Both the direction and the rate of rotation can be experimentally controlled. Numerical calculations reveal that the bistable rotation is the result of spontaneous symmetry breaking induced by the uneven curvature of the coating patterns on the Janus sphere. Our results thus provide a simple method to construct large quantities of fully functional rotary motors for nano- or microdevices.

Mathematical modeling of Myosin induced bistability of Lamellipodial fragments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, S; Manhart, A; Schmeiser, C

2017-01-01

For various cell types and for lamellipodial fragments on flat surfaces, externally induced and spontaneous transitions between symmetric nonmoving states and polarized migration have been observed. This behavior is indicative of bistability of the cytoskeleton dynamics. In this work, the Filament Based Lamellipodium Model (FBLM), a two-dimensional, anisotropic, two-phase continuum model for the dynamics of the actin filament network in lamellipodia, is extended by a new description of actin-myosin interaction. For appropriately chosen parameter values, the resulting model has bistable dynamics with stable states showing the qualitative features observed in experiments. This is demonstrated by numerical simulations and by an analysis of a strongly simplified version of the FBLM with rigid filaments and planar lamellipodia at the cell front and rear.

Investigation of bistable perception with the "silhouette spinner": sit still, spin the dancer with your will.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chao-Hsuan; Tzeng, Ovid J L; Hung, Daisy L; Tseng, Philip; Juan, Chi-Hung

2012-05-01

Many studies have used static and non-biologically related stimuli to investigate bistable perception and found that the percept is usually dominated by their intrinsic nature with some influence of voluntary control from the viewer. Here we used a dynamic stimulus of a rotating human body, the silhouette spinner illusion, to investigate how the viewers' intentions may affect their percepts. In two experiments, we manipulated observer intention (active or passive), fixation position (body or feet), and spinning velocity (fast, medium, or slow). Our results showed that the normalized alternating rate between two bistable percepts was greater when (1) participants actively attempted to switch percepts, (2) when participants fixated at the spinner's feet rather than the body, inducing as many as 25 switches of the bistable percepts within 1 min, and (3) when they watched the spinner at high velocity. These results suggest that a dynamic biologically-bistable percept can be quickly alternated by the viewers' intention. Furthermore, the higher alternating rate in the feet condition compared to the body condition suggests a role for biological meaningfulness in determining bistable percepts, where 'biologically plausible' interpretations are favored by the visual system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Traveling and Pinned Fronts in Bistable Reaction-Diffusion Systems on Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kouvaris, Nikos E.; Kori, Hiroshi; Mikhailov, Alexander S.

2012-01-01

Traveling fronts and stationary localized patterns in bistable reaction-diffusion systems have been broadly studied for classical continuous media and regular lattices. Analogs of such non-equilibrium patterns are also possible in networks. Here, we consider traveling and stationary patterns in bistable one-component systems on random Erdös-Rényi, scale-free and hierarchical tree networks. As revealed through numerical simulations, traveling fronts exist in network-organized systems. They represent waves of transition from one stable state into another, spreading over the entire network. The fronts can furthermore be pinned, thus forming stationary structures. While pinning of fronts has previously been considered for chains of diffusively coupled bistable elements, the network architecture brings about significant differences. An important role is played by the degree (the number of connections) of a node. For regular trees with a fixed branching factor, the pinning conditions are analytically determined. For large Erdös-Rényi and scale-free networks, the mean-field theory for stationary patterns is constructed. PMID:23028746

Optical bistability in a single-sided cavity coupled to a quantum channel

Science.gov (United States)

Payravi, M.; Solookinejad, Gh; Jabbari, M.; Nafar, M.; Ahmadi Sangachin, E.

2018-06-01

In this paper, we discuss the long wavelength optical reflection and bistable behavior of an InGaN/GaN quantum dot nanostructure coupled to a single-sided cavity. It is found that due to the presence of a strong coupling field, the reflection coefficient can be controlled at long wavelength, which is essential for adjusting the threshold of reflected optical bistability. Moreover, the phase shift features of the reflection pulse inside an electromagnetically induced transparency window are also discussed.

Toward Singlet-Triplet Bistable Nonalternant Kekulé Hydrocarbons: Azulene-to-Naphthalene Rearrangement.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Soumyajit; Wu, Jishan

2015-12-04

Recent developments of open-shell singlet diradicaloids motivated the search for stable singlet-triplet bistable nonalternant polycyclic hydrocarbons. During the synthesis of this type of molecule, such as the dibenzo-cyclohepta[def]fluorene 3, an unexpected azulene-to-naphthalene rearrangement was observed at room temperature, which resulted in new nonalternant hydrocarbons 8a/8b with a closed-shell singlet ground state. These studies provided insight into the unique chemistry of azulene and challenges for the synthesis of singlet-triplet bistable polycyclic hydrocarbons.

Nuclear quantum effects in solids using a colored-noise thermostat.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceriotti, Michele; Bussi, Giovanni; Parrinello, Michele

2009-07-17

We present a method, based on a non-Markovian Langevin equation, to include quantum corrections to the classical dynamics of ions in a quasiharmonic system. By properly fitting the correlation function of the noise, one can vary the fluctuations in positions and momenta as a function of the vibrational frequency, and fit them so as to reproduce the quantum-mechanical behavior, with minimal a priori knowledge of the details of the system. We discuss the application of the thermostat to diamond and to ice Ih. We find that results in agreement with path-integral methods can be obtained using only a fraction of the computational effort.

The interplay of multiple feedback loops with post-translational kinetics results in bistability of mycobacterial stress response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwari, Abhinav; Igoshin, Oleg A; Balázsi, Gábor; Gennaro, Maria Laura

2010-01-01

Bacterial persistence is the phenomenon in which a genetically identical fraction of a bacterial population can survive exposure to stress by reduction or cessation of growth. Persistence in mycobacteria has been recently linked to a stress-response network, consisting of the MprA/MprB two-component system and alternative sigma factor σ E . This network contains multiple positive transcriptional feedback loops which may give rise to bistability, making it a good candidate for controlling the mycobacterial persistence switch. To analyze the possibility of bistability, we develop a method that involves decoupling of the network into transcriptional and post-translational interaction modules. As a result we reduce the dimensionality of the dynamical system and independently analyze input–output relations in the two modules to formulate a necessary condition for bistability in terms of their logarithmic gains. We show that neither the positive autoregulation in the MprA/MprB network nor the σ E -mediated transcriptional feedback is sufficient to induce bistability in a biochemically realistic parameter range. Nonetheless, inclusion of the post-translational regulation of σ E by RseA increases the effective cooperativity of the system, resulting in bistability that is robust to parameter variation. We predict that overexpression or deletion of RseA, the key element controlling the ultrasensitive response, can eliminate bistability

Bistable switches control memory and plasticity in cellular differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Walker, Brandon L.; Iannaccone, Stephen; Bhatt, Devang; Kennedy, Patrick J.; Tse, William T.

2009-01-01

Development of stem and progenitor cells into specialized tissues in multicellular organisms involves a series of cell fate decisions. Cellular differentiation in higher organisms is generally considered irreversible, and the idea of developmental plasticity in postnatal tissues is controversial. Here, we show that inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in a human bone marrow stromal cell-derived myogenic subclone suppresses their myogenic ability and converts them into satellite cell-like precursors that respond to osteogenic stimulation. Clonal analysis of the induced osteogenic response reveals ultrasensitivity and an “all-or-none” behavior, hallmarks of a bistable switch mechanism with stochastic noise. The response demonstrates cellular memory, which is contingent on the accumulation of an intracellular factor and can be erased by factor dilution through cell divisions or inhibition of protein synthesis. The effect of MAPK inhibition also exhibits memory and appears to be controlled by another bistable switch further upstream that determines cell fate. Once the memory associated with osteogenic differentiation is erased, the cells regain their myogenic ability. These results support a model of cell fate decision in which a network of bistable switches controls inducible production of lineage-specific differentiation factors. A competitive balance between these factors determines cell fate. Our work underscores the dynamic nature of cellular differentiation and explains mechanistically the dual properties of stability and plasticity associated with the process. PMID:19366677

Kerr nonlinearity and plasmonic bistability in graphene nanoribbons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Thomas; Yan, Wei; Jauho, Antti-Pekka

2015-01-01

due to field enhancement, and the total nonlinearity is significantly affected by the field inhomogeneity of the plasmonic excitation. Finally, we discuss the emergence of a plasmonic bistability which exists for energies red-shifted relative to the linear resonance. Our results offer insights...

Electrical bistabilities and memory mechanisms of nonvolatile organic bistable devices based on exfoliated muscovite-type mica nanoparticle/poly(methylmethacrylate) nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Won Gyu; Lee, Dea Uk; Na, Han Gil; Kim, Hyoun Woo; Kim, Tae Whan

2018-02-01

Organic bistable devices (OBDs) with exfoliated mica nanoparticles (NPs) embedded into an insulating poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) layer were fabricated by using a spin-coating method. Current-voltage (I-V) curves for the Al/PMMA/exfoliated mica NP/PMMA/indium-tin-oxide/glass devices at 300 K showed a clockwise current hysteresis behavior due to the existence of the exfoliated muscovite-type mica NPs, which is an essential feature for bistable devices. Write-read-erase-read data showed that the OBDs had rewritable nonvolatile memories and an endurance number of ON/OFF switching for the OBDs of 102 cycles. An ON/OFF ratio of 1 × 103 was maintained for retention times larger than 1 × 104 s. The memory mechanisms of the fabricated OBDs were described by using the trapping and the tunneling processes within a PMMA active layer containing exfoliated muscovite-type mica NPs on the basis of the energy band diagram and the I-V curves.

Bistable out-of-plane stress-mismatched thermally actuated bilayer devices with large deflection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goessling, B A; Lucas, T M; Moiseeva, E V; Aebersold, J W; Harnett, C K

2011-01-01

In this paper, we explore microfabricated bistable actuators released as thin films from a silicon wafer. The actuators are based on a serpentine design where two cantilevers are coupled at the tips by a thin-film bar. These devices are parameterized by two lengths: cantilever length and the length of the coupling bar. These two dimensions are systematically varied to study the effect of design parameters on bistability. The three-dimensional devices have extremely large deflection (hundreds of microns rather than tens of microns for most planar microactuators of similar size) and are thermally actuated out of the plane of the wafer by applying a bias across either the left or right side of the serpentine. The bistability of these devices is evaluated using electron and optical microscopy. Potential applications include non-volatile mechanical memory, optical shutters, and reconfigurable antenna elements

A silicon-nanowire memory driven by optical gradient force induced bistability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, B. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Institute of Microelectronics, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Cai, H., E-mail: caih@ime.a-star.edu.sg; Gu, Y. D.; Kwong, D. L. [Institute of Microelectronics, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Chin, L. K.; Ng, G. I.; Ser, W. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Huang, J. G. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Institute of Microelectronics, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore 117685 (Singapore); School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Yang, Z. C. [School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Liu, A. Q., E-mail: eaqliu@ntu.edu.sg [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2015-12-28

In this paper, a bistable optical-driven silicon-nanowire memory is demonstrated, which employs ring resonator to generate optical gradient force over a doubly clamped silicon-nanowire. Two stable deformation positions of a doubly clamped silicon-nanowire represent two memory states (“0” and “1”) and can be set/reset by modulating the light intensity (<3 mW) based on the optical force induced bistability. The time response of the optical-driven memory is less than 250 ns. It has applications in the fields of all optical communication, quantum computing, and optomechanical circuits.

The effect of magnetic field on bistability in 1D photonic crystal doped by magnetized plasma and coupled nonlinear defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehdian, H.; Mohammadzahery, Z.; Hasanbeigi, A.

2014-01-01

In this work, we study the defect mode and bistability behavior of 1-D photonic band gap structure with magnetized plasma and coupled nonlinear defects. The transfer matrix method has been employed to investigate the magnetic field effect on defect mode frequency and bistability threshold. The obtained results show that the frequency of defect mode and bistability threshold can be altered, without changing the structure of the photonic multilayer. Therefore, the bistability behavior of the subjected structure in the presence of magnetized plasma can be utilized in manufacturing wide frequency range devices

A hierarchical stochastic model for bistable perception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Albert

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Viewing of ambiguous stimuli can lead to bistable perception alternating between the possible percepts. During continuous presentation of ambiguous stimuli, percept changes occur as single events, whereas during intermittent presentation of ambiguous stimuli, percept changes occur at more or less regular intervals either as single events or bursts. Response patterns can be highly variable and have been reported to show systematic differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Existing models of bistable perception often use detailed assumptions and large parameter sets which make parameter estimation challenging. Here we propose a parsimonious stochastic model that provides a link between empirical data analysis of the observed response patterns and detailed models of underlying neuronal processes. Firstly, we use a Hidden Markov Model (HMM for the times between percept changes, which assumes one single state in continuous presentation and a stable and an unstable state in intermittent presentation. The HMM captures the observed differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, but remains descriptive. Therefore, we secondly propose a hierarchical Brownian model (HBM, which produces similar response patterns but also provides a relation to potential underlying mechanisms. The main idea is that neuronal activity is described as an activity difference between two competing neuronal populations reflected in Brownian motions with drift. This differential activity generates switching between the two conflicting percepts and between stable and unstable states with similar mechanisms on different neuronal levels. With only a small number of parameters, the HBM can be fitted closely to a high variety of response patterns and captures group differences between healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia. At the same time, it provides a link to mechanistic models of bistable perception, linking the group

A hierarchical stochastic model for bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Stefan; Schmack, Katharina; Sterzer, Philipp; Schneider, Gaby

2017-11-01

Viewing of ambiguous stimuli can lead to bistable perception alternating between the possible percepts. During continuous presentation of ambiguous stimuli, percept changes occur as single events, whereas during intermittent presentation of ambiguous stimuli, percept changes occur at more or less regular intervals either as single events or bursts. Response patterns can be highly variable and have been reported to show systematic differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Existing models of bistable perception often use detailed assumptions and large parameter sets which make parameter estimation challenging. Here we propose a parsimonious stochastic model that provides a link between empirical data analysis of the observed response patterns and detailed models of underlying neuronal processes. Firstly, we use a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for the times between percept changes, which assumes one single state in continuous presentation and a stable and an unstable state in intermittent presentation. The HMM captures the observed differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, but remains descriptive. Therefore, we secondly propose a hierarchical Brownian model (HBM), which produces similar response patterns but also provides a relation to potential underlying mechanisms. The main idea is that neuronal activity is described as an activity difference between two competing neuronal populations reflected in Brownian motions with drift. This differential activity generates switching between the two conflicting percepts and between stable and unstable states with similar mechanisms on different neuronal levels. With only a small number of parameters, the HBM can be fitted closely to a high variety of response patterns and captures group differences between healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia. At the same time, it provides a link to mechanistic models of bistable perception, linking the group differences to

Modeling bistable behaviors in morphing structures through finite element simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Qiaohang; Zheng, Huang; Chen, Wenzhe; Chen, Zi

2014-01-01

Bistable structures, exemplified by the Venus flytrap and slap bracelets, can transit between different configurations upon certain external stimulation. Here we study, through three-dimensional finite element simulations, the bistable behaviors in elastic plates in the absence of terminate loads, but with pre-strains in one (or both) of the two composite layers. Both the scenarios with and without a given geometric mis-orientation angle are investigated, the results of which are consistent with recent theoretical and experimental studies. This work can open ample venues for programmable designs of plant/shell structures with large deformations, with applications in designing bio-inspired robotics for biomedical research and morphing/deployable structures in aerospace engineering.

Spatial waves of advance with bistable dynamics: cytoplasmic and genetic analogues of Allee effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, N H; Turelli, Michael

2011-09-01

Unlike unconditionally advantageous "Fisherian" variants that tend to spread throughout a species range once introduced anywhere, "bistable" variants, such as chromosome translocations, have two alternative stable frequencies, absence and (near) fixation. Analogous to populations with Allee effects, bistable variants tend to increase locally only once they become sufficiently common, and their spread depends on their rate of increase averaged over all frequencies. Several proposed manipulations of insect populations, such as using Wolbachia or "engineered underdominance" to suppress vector-borne diseases, produce bistable rather than Fisherian dynamics. We synthesize and extend theoretical analyses concerning three features of their spatial behavior: rate of spread, conditions to initiate spread from a localized introduction, and wave stopping caused by variation in population densities or dispersal rates. Unlike Fisherian variants, bistable variants tend to spread spatially only for particular parameter combinations and initial conditions. Wave initiation requires introduction over an extended region, while subsequent spatial spread is slower than for Fisherian waves and can easily be halted by local spatial inhomogeneities. We present several new results, including robust sufficient conditions to initiate (and stop) spread, using a one-parameter cubic approximation applicable to several models. The results have both basic and applied implications.

Disk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.A. Boncz (Peter); L. Liu (Lei); M. Tamer Özsu

2008-01-01

htmlabstractIn disk storage, data is recorded on planar, round and rotating surfaces (disks, discs, or platters). A disk drive is a peripheral device of a computer system, connected by some communication medium to a disk controller. The disk controller is a chip, typically connected to the CPU of

Interplay of bistable kinetics of gene expression during cellular growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhdanov, Vladimir P

2009-01-01

In cells, the bistable kinetics of gene expression can be observed on the level of (i) one gene with positive feedback between protein and mRNA production, (ii) two genes with negative mutual feedback between protein and mRNA production, or (iii) in more complex cases. We analyse the interplay of two genes of type (ii) governed by a gene of type (i) during cellular growth. In particular, using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we show that in the case where gene 1, operating in the bistable regime, regulates mutually inhibiting genes 2 and 3, also operating in the bistable regime, the latter genes may eventually be trapped either to the state with high transcriptional activity of gene 2 and low activity of gene 3 or to the state with high transcriptional activity of gene 3 and low activity of gene 2. The probability to get to one of these states depends on the values of the model parameters. If genes 2 and 3 are kinetically equivalent, the probability is equal to 0.5. Thus, our model illustrates how different intracellular states can be chosen at random with predetermined probabilities. This type of kinetics of gene expression may be behind complex processes occurring in cells, e.g., behind the choice of the fate by stem cells

Manually operatable on-chip bistable pneumatic microstructures for microfluidic manipulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Arnold; Pan, Tingrui

2014-09-07

Bistable microvalves are of particular interest because of their distinct nature of requiring energy consumption only during the transition between the open and closed states. This characteristic can be highly advantageous in reducing the number of external inputs and the complexity of control circuitries since microfluidic devices as contemporary lab-on-a-chip platforms are transferring from research settings to low-resource environments with high integrability and a small form factor. In this paper, we first present manually operatable, on-chip bistable pneumatic microstructures (BPMs) for microfluidic manipulation. The structural design and operation of the BPM devices can be readily integrated into any pneumatically powered microfluidic network consisting of pneumatic and fluidic channels. It is mainly composed of a vacuum activation chamber (VAC) and a pressure release chamber (PRC), of which users have direct control through finger pressing to switch either to the bistable vacuum state (VS) or the atmospheric state (AS). We have integrated multiple BPM devices into a 4-to-1 microfluidic multiplexor to demonstrate on-chip digital flow switching from different sources. Furthermore, we have shown its clinical relevance in a point-of-care diagnostic chip that processes blood samples to identify the distinct blood types (A/B/O) on-chip.

Ground-state thermodynamics of bistable redox-active donor-acceptor mechanically interlocked molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrenbach, Albert C; Bruns, Carson J; Cao, Dennis; Stoddart, J Fraser

2012-09-18

Fashioned through billions of years of evolution, biological molecular machines, such as ATP synthase, myosin, and kinesin, use the intricate relative motions of their components to drive some of life's most essential processes. Having control over the motions in molecules is imperative for life to function, and many chemists have designed, synthesized, and investigated artificial molecular systems that also express controllable motions within molecules. Using bistable mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs), based on donor-acceptor recognition motifs, we have sought to imitate the sophisticated nanoscale machines present in living systems. In this Account, we analyze the thermodynamic characteristics of a series of redox-switchable [2]rotaxanes and [2]catenanes. Control and understanding of the relative intramolecular movements of components in MIMs have been vital in the development of a variety of applications of these compounds ranging from molecular electronic devices to drug delivery systems. These bistable donor-acceptor MIMs undergo redox-activated switching between two isomeric states. Under ambient conditions, the dominant translational isomer, the ground-state coconformation (GSCC), is in equilibrium with the less favored translational isomer, the metastable-state coconformation (MSCC). By manipulating the redox state of the recognition site associated with the GSCC, we can stimulate the relative movements of the components in these bistable MIMs. The thermodynamic parameters of model host-guest complexes provide a good starting point to rationalize the ratio of GSCC to MSCC at equilibrium. The bistable [2]rotaxanes show a strong correlation between the relative free energies of model complexes and the ground-state distribution constants (K(GS)). This relationship does not always hold for bistable [2]catenanes, most likely because of the additional steric and electronic constraints present when the two rings are mechanically interlocked with each other

Implications of the spatial dynamics of fire spread for the bistability of savanna and forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Schertzer, E; Staver, A C; Levin, S A

2015-01-01

The role of fire in expanding the global distribution of savanna is well recognized. Empirical observations and modeling suggest that fire spread has a threshold response to fuel-layer continuity, which sets up a positive feedback that maintains savanna-forest bistability. However, modeling has so far failed to examine fire spread as a spatial process that interacts with vegetation. Here, we use simple, well-supported assumptions about fire spread as an infection process and its effects on trees to ask whether spatial dynamics qualitatively change the potential for savanna-forest bistability. We show that the spatial effects of fire spread are the fundamental reason that bistability is possible: because fire spread is an infection process, it exhibits a threshold response to fuel continuity followed by a rapid increase in fire size. Other ecological processes affecting fire spread may also contribute including temporal variability in demography or fire spread. Finally, including the potential for spatial aggregation increases the potential both for savanna-forest bistability and for savanna and forest to coexist in a landscape mosaic.

Pattern formation in the bistable Gray-Scott model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazin, W.; Rasmussen, K.E.; Mosekilde, Erik

1996-01-01

The paper presents a computer simulation study of a variety of far-from-equilibrium phenomena that can arise in a bistable chemical reaction-diffusion system which also displays Turing and Hopf instabilities. The Turing bifurcation curve and the wave number for the patterns of maximum linear grow...

Bistability of self-modulation oscillations in an autonomous solid-state ring laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudetskii, V Yu

2013-01-01

Bistable self-modulation regimes of generation for a ring YAG : Nd chip laser with the counterpropagating waves asymmetrically coupled via backward scattering are simulated numerically. Two branches of bistable self-modulation regimes of generation are found in the domain of the parametric resonance between the selfmodulation and relaxation oscillations. The self-modulation regimes observed in earlier experiments pertain to only one of the branches. Possible reasons for such a discrepancy are considered, related to the influence of technical and natural noise on the dynamics of solid-state ring lasers. (control of laser radiation parameters)

Deployable structures using bistable reeled composites

Science.gov (United States)

Daton-Lovett, Andrew J.; Compton-Bishop, Quentin M.; Curry, Richard G.

2000-06-01

This paper describes an innovative, patented use of composite materials developed by RolaTube Technology Ltd. to make smart deployable structures. Bi-stable reeled composites (BRCs) can alternate between two stable forms; that of a strong, rigid structure and that of a compact coil of flat-wound material. Bi-stability arises as a result of the manipulation of Poisson's ratio and isotropy in the various layers of the material. BRCs are made of fiber- reinforced composite materials, most often with a thermoplastic matrix. A range of fibers and polymer matrices can be used according to the requirements of the operating environment. Samples of a BRC structure were constructed using layers of unidirectional, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sheet with the layers at different angles. The whole assembly was then consolidated under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure. The properties of the BRC are described and the result of a series of experiments performed on the sample to determine the tensile strength of the BRC structure are reported. A full analysis using finite element methods is being undertaken in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, England. The first commercial use has been to fabricate boom and drive mechanisms for the remote inspection of industrial plant.

Unstable Modes and Order Parameters of Bistable Signaling Pathways at Saddle-Node Bifurcations: A Theoretical Study Based on Synergetics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Till D. Frank

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mathematical modeling has become an indispensable part of systems biology which is a discipline that has become increasingly popular in recent years. In this context, our understanding of bistable signaling pathways in terms of mathematical modeling is of particular importance because such bistable components perform crucial functions in living cells. Bistable signaling pathways can act as switches or memory functions and can determine cell fate. In the present study, properties of mathematical models of bistable signaling pathways are examined from the perspective of synergetics, a theory of self-organization and pattern formation founded by Hermann Haken. At the heart of synergetics is the concept of so-called unstable modes or order parameters that determine the behavior of systems as a whole close to bifurcation points. How to determine these order parameters for bistable signaling pathways at saddle-node bifurcation points is shown. The procedure is outlined in general and an explicit example is worked out in detail.

Generation Following with Thermostatically Controlled Loads via Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers Sharing Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Burger, Eric M.; Moura, Scott J.

2015-01-01

A fundamental requirement of the electric power system is to maintain a continuous and instantaneous balance between generation and load. The intermittency and uncertainty introduced by renewable energy generation requires the expansion of ancillary power system services to maintain such a balance. In this paper, we examine the potential of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), such as refrigerators and electric water heaters, to provide generation following services in real-time energy m...

Brain activity dynamics in human parietal regions during spontaneous switches in bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Megumi, Fukuda; Bahrami, Bahador; Kanai, Ryota; Rees, Geraint

2015-02-15

The neural mechanisms underlying conscious visual perception have been extensively investigated using bistable perception paradigms. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies suggest that the right anterior superior parietal (r-aSPL) and the right posterior superior parietal lobule (r-pSPL) have opposite roles in triggering perceptual reversals. It has been proposed that these two areas are part of a hierarchical network whose dynamics determine perceptual switches. However, how these two parietal regions interact with each other and with the rest of the brain during bistable perception is not known. Here, we investigated such a model by recording brain activity using fMRI while participants viewed a bistable structure-from-motion stimulus. Using dynamic causal modeling (DCM), we found that resolving such perceptual ambiguity was specifically associated with reciprocal interactions between these parietal regions and V5/MT. Strikingly, the strength of bottom-up coupling between V5/MT to r-pSPL and from r-pSPL to r-aSPL predicted individual mean dominance duration. Our findings are consistent with a hierarchical predictive coding model of parietal involvement in bistable perception and suggest that visual information processing underlying spontaneous perceptual switches can be described as changes in connectivity strength between parietal and visual cortical regions. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, F; Rica, R A; Spasenović, M; Gieseler, J; Rondin, L; Novotny, L; Quidant, R

2017-05-09

Nano-mechanical resonators have gained an increasing importance in nanotechnology owing to their contributions to both fundamental and applied science. Yet, their small dimensions and mass raises some challenges as their dynamics gets dominated by nonlinearities that degrade their performance, for instance in sensing applications. Here, we report on the precise control of the nonlinear and stochastic bistable dynamics of a levitated nanoparticle in high vacuum. We demonstrate how it can lead to efficient signal amplification schemes, including stochastic resonance. This work contributes to showing the use of levitated nanoparticles as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics, with applications to a wide variety of fields.

Design of all-optical flip-flop by using optical bistability in passive micro-rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karimi, M.; Abolfazli, M. J.; Rouholamini Nejad, H.; Bahrampour, A.

2007-01-01

In this paper at first, Optical bistability in the micro ring resonators in the presence of Kerr and two-photon absorption effects is studied and also, attenuation in micro rings with these nonlinear effects is calculated. An all-optical R-S flip-flop is designed by using optical bistability. Conditions for SET and RESET signals are calculated and their dependences on the optical parameters of micro rings are investigated.

Drag force actuated bistable microswitches for flow sensing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuipers, W.J.; van Baar, J.J.J.; Dijkstra, Marcel; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Lammerink, Theodorus S.J.; de Boer, J.H.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.

2006-01-01

This paper presents bistable microswitches with Au contacts with the aim to combine them with artificial hairs for flow sensing. The Au contacts are applied on both ends of a silicon nitride beam, suspended by a torsional bar at its center. The beam is provided with electrodes for electrostatic

Bistable dark solitons of a cubic-quintic Helmholtz equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christian, J. M.; McDonald, G. S.; Chamorro-Posada, P.

2010-01-01

We provide a report on exact analytical bistable dark spatial solitons of a nonlinear Helmholtz equation with a cubic-quintic refractive-index model. Our analysis begins with an investigation of the modulational instability characteristics of Helmholtz plane waves. We then derive a dark soliton by mapping the desired asymptotic form onto a uniform background field and obtain a more general solution by deploying rotational invariance laws in the laboratory frame. The geometry of the new soliton is explored in detail, and a range of new physical predictions is uncovered. Particular attention is paid to the unified phenomena of arbitrary-angle off-axis propagation and nondegenerate bistability. Crucially, the corresponding solution of paraxial theory emerges in a simultaneous multiple limit. We conclude with a set of computer simulations that examine the role of Helmholtz dark solitons as robust attractors.

Optical bistability and multistability in a three-level Δ-type atomic system under the nonresonant condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ai-Xi, Chen; Zhi-Ping, Wang; De-Hai, Chen; Yan-Qiu, Xu

2009-01-01

Under a nonresonant condition, we theoretically investigate hybrid absorptive-dispersive optical bistability and multistability behaviours in a three-level Δ-type system by using a microwave field to drive a hyperfine transition between two upper excited states inside a unidirectional ring cavity. We find that the optical bistability and multistability behaviours can be controlled by adjusting the intensity of the microwave field or the intensity of the coherent coupling field. Furthermore, our studies show an interesting phenomenon of the transition from the optical bistability to the optical multistability only by changing the negative detuning of the coupling field into the positive detuning of the coupling field. (classical areas of phenomenology)

Bistability of heat transfer of a viscous liquid under conditions of flow channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melkikh, A.V.; Seleznev, V.D.

2001-01-01

The heat exchange model for a viscous liquid flowing under the pressure drop effect in a tube, surrounded by the medium with a lower temperature, is considered. It is shown that the system bistable behavior is possible by availability of the liquid viscosity exponential dependence on the temperature and by negligible dissipative heat release. The transitions between cold and hot flows in this case should proceed by a jump. The liquid and channel parameters, whereby the bistability may be observed, are determined [ru

Electrical bistability and charge-transport mechanisms in cuprous sulfide nanosphere-poly(N-vinylcarbazole) composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Aiwei; Teng Feng; Liu Jie; Wang Yichao; Peng Hongshang; Hou Yanbing; Wang Yongsheng

2011-01-01

In this study, electrically bistable devices were fabricated by incorporating cuprous sulfide (Cu 2 S) nanospheres with mean size less than 10 nm into a poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) matrix. A remarkable electrical bistability was clearly observed in the current–voltage curves of the devices due to an electric-field-induced charge transfer between the dodecanethiol-capped Cu 2 S nanospheres and PVK. The maximum ON/OFF current ratio reached up to value as large as 10 4 , which was dependent on the mass ratios of Cu 2 S nanospheres to PVK, the amplitude of the scanning voltages, and the film thickness. The charge-transport mechanisms of the electrically bistable devices were described on the basis of the experimental results using different theoretical models of organic electronics.

Thermostat Controlled Loads Flexibility Assessment for Enabling Load Shifting – An Experimental Proof in a Low Voltage Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lakshmanan, Venkatachalam; Marinelli, Mattia; Kosek, Anna M.

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the usability of thermostat controlled domestic appliances for load shift in LV distribution grids. The proposed method uses refrigerators for the demonstration of adaptive load prediction to estimate its flexibility and perform scheduling based on load threshold limit. Tw...

Thermal response of a Fermi-Pasta-Ulam chain with Andersen thermostats

Science.gov (United States)

D'Ambrosio, Federico; Baiesi, Marco

2017-11-01

The linear response to temperature variations is well characterised for equilibrium systems but a similar theory is not available, for example, for inertial heat conducting systems, whose paradigm is the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) model driven by two different boundary temperatures. For models of inertial systems out of equilibrium, including relaxing systems, we show that Andersen thermostats are a natural tool for studying the thermal response. We derive a fluctuation-response relation that allows to predict thermal expansion coefficients or the heat capacitance in nonequilibrium regimes. Simulations of the FPU chain of oscillators suggest that estimates of susceptibilities obtained with our relation are better than those obtained via a small perturbation.

Review of inductively coupled plasmas: Nano-applications and bistable hysteresis physics

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyo-Chang

2018-03-01

Many different gas discharges and plasmas exhibit bistable states under a given set of conditions, and the history-dependent hysteresis that is manifested by intensive quantities of the system upon variation of an external parameter has been observed in inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs). When the external parameters (such as discharge powers) increase, the plasma density increases suddenly from a low- to high-density mode, whereas decreasing the power maintains the plasma in a relatively high-density mode, resulting in significant hysteresis. To date, a comprehensive description of plasma hysteresis and a physical understanding of the main mechanism underlying their bistability remain elusive, despite many experimental observations of plasma bistability conducted under radio-frequency ICP excitation. This fundamental understanding of mode transitions and hysteresis is essential and highly important in various applied fields owing to the widespread use of ICPs, such as semiconductor/display/solar-cell processing (etching, deposition, and ashing), wireless light lamp, nanostructure fabrication, nuclear-fusion operation, spacecraft propulsion, gas reformation, and the removal of hazardous gases and materials. If, in such applications, plasma undergoes a mode transition and hysteresis occurs in response to external perturbations, the process result will be strongly affected. Due to these reasons, this paper comprehensively reviews both the current knowledge in the context of the various applied fields and the global understanding of the bistability and hysteresis physics in the ICPs. At first, the basic understanding of the ICP is given. After that, applications of ICPs to various applied fields of nano/environmental/energy-science are introduced. Finally, the mode transition and hysteresis in ICPs are studied in detail. This study will show the fundamental understanding of hysteresis physics in plasmas and give open possibilities for applications to various applied

Involvement of the visual change detection process in facilitating perceptual alternation in the bistable image.

Science.gov (United States)

Urakawa, Tomokazu; Bunya, Mao; Araki, Osamu

2017-08-01

A bistable image induces one of two perceptual alternatives. When the bistable visual image is continuously viewed, the percept of the image alternates from one possible percept to the other. Perceptual alternation was previously reported to be induced by an exogenous perturbation in the bistable image, and this perturbation was theoretically interpreted to cause neural noise, prompting a transition between two stable perceptual states. However, little is known experimentally about the visual processing of exogenously driven perceptual alternation. Based on the findings of a previous behavioral study (Urakawa et al. in Perception 45:474-482, 2016), the present study hypothesized that the automatic visual change detection process, which is relevant to the detection of a visual change in a sequence of visual events, has an enhancing effect on the induction of perceptual alternation, similar to neural noise. In order to clarify this issue, we developed a novel experimental paradigm in which visual mismatch negativity (vMMN), an electroencephalographic brain response that reflects visual change detection, was evoked while participants continuously viewed the bistable image. In terms of inter-individual differences in neural and behavioral data, we found that enhancements in the peak amplitude of vMMN1, early vMMN at a latency of approximately 150 ms, correlated with increases in the proportion of perceptual alternation across participants. Our results indicate the involvement of automatic visual change detection in the induction of perceptual alternation, similar to neural noise, thereby providing a deeper insight into the neural mechanisms underlying exogenously driven perceptual alternation in the bistable image.

Entanglement and bistability in coupled quantum dots inside a driven cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, Arnab; Vyas, Reeta

2010-01-01

Generation and dissipation of entanglement between two coupled quantum dots (QDs) in a cavity driven by a coherent field is studied. We find that it is possible to generate and sustain a large amount of entanglement between the quantum dots in the steady state, even in the presence of strong decay in both the cavity and the dots. We investigate the effect of different parameters (decay rates, coupling strengths, and detunings) on entanglement. We find that the cavity field shows bistability and study the effect of relevant parameters on the existence of this bistable behavior. We also study the correlation between the cavity field and the entanglement between the dots. The experimental viability of the proposed scheme is discussed.

Combined fMRI- and eye movement-based decoding of bistable plaid motion perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilbertz, Gregor; Ketkar, Madhura; Guggenmos, Matthias; Sterzer, Philipp

2018-05-01

The phenomenon of bistable perception, in which perception alternates spontaneously despite constant sensory stimulation, has been particularly useful in probing the neural bases of conscious perception. The study of such bistability requires access to the observer's perceptual dynamics, which is usually achieved via active report. This report, however, constitutes a confounding factor in the study of conscious perception and can also be biased in the context of certain experimental manipulations. One approach to circumvent these problems is to track perceptual alternations using signals from the eyes or the brain instead of observers' reports. Here we aimed to optimize such decoding of perceptual alternations by combining eye and brain signals. Eye-tracking and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in twenty participants while they viewed a bistable visual plaid motion stimulus and reported perceptual alternations. Multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) for fMRI was combined with eye-tracking in a Support vector machine to decode participants' perceptual time courses from fMRI and eye-movement signals. While both measures individually already yielded high decoding accuracies (on average 86% and 88% correct, respectively) classification based on the two measures together further improved the accuracy (91% correct). These findings show that leveraging on both fMRI and eye movement data may pave the way for optimized no-report paradigms through improved decodability of bistable motion perception and hence for a better understanding of the neural correlates of consciousness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phase-locking and bistability in neuronal networks with synaptic depression

Science.gov (United States)

Akcay, Zeynep; Huang, Xinxian; Nadim, Farzan; Bose, Amitabha

2018-02-01

We consider a recurrent network of two oscillatory neurons that are coupled with inhibitory synapses. We use the phase response curves of the neurons and the properties of short-term synaptic depression to define Poincaré maps for the activity of the network. The fixed points of these maps correspond to phase-locked modes of the network. Using these maps, we analyze the conditions that allow short-term synaptic depression to lead to the existence of bistable phase-locked, periodic solutions. We show that bistability arises when either the phase response curve of the neuron or the short-term depression profile changes steeply enough. The results apply to any Type I oscillator and we illustrate our findings using the Quadratic Integrate-and-Fire and Morris-Lecar neuron models.

Focused Role of an Organic Small-Molecule PBD on Performance of the Bistable Resistive Switching.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lei; Sun, Yanmei; Ai, Chunpeng; Lu, Junguo; Wen, Dianzhong; Bai, Xuduo

2015-12-01

An undoped organic small-molecule 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-(4-biphenylyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) and a kind of nanocomposite blending poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) into PBD are employed to implement bistable resistive switching. For the bistable resistive switching indium tin oxide (ITO)/PBD/Al, its ON/OFF current ratio can touch 6. What is more, the ON/OFF current ratio, approaching to 10(4), is available due to the storage layer PBD:PMMA with the chemical composition 1:1 in the bistable resistive switching ITO/PBD:PMMA/Al. The capacity, data retention of more than 1 year and endurance performance (>10(4) cycles) of ITO/PBD:PMMA(1:1)/Al, exhibits better stability and reliability of the samples, which underpins the technique and application of organic nonvolatile memory.

Orientational transitions in ferromagnetic liquid crystals with bistable coupling between colloidal particles and the matrix

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakhlevnykh, A. N., E-mail: anz@psu.ru; Petrov, D. A. [Perm State National Research University (Russian Federation)

2016-10-15

We study the orientational response of a ferromagnetic liquid crystal that is induced by magnetic and electric fields. A modified form of the energy of the orientational interaction between magnetic impurity particles and the liquid crystal matrix that leads to bistable coupling is considered. It is shown that apart from magnetic impurity segregation, first-order orientational transitions can be due to the bistability of the potential of the orientational coupling between the director and the magnetization. The ranges of material parameters that lead to optical bistability are determined. The possibility of first-order orientational transitions is analyzed for the optical phase difference between the ordinary and extraordinary light rays transmitted through a ferronematic cell. It is shown that an electric field applied in the given geometry considerably enhances the magneto-orientational response of the ferronematic.

Bad seeds sprout perilous dynamics: stochastic thermostat induced trajectory synchronization in biomolecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voter, A. F.; Sindhikara, Daniel J.; Kim, Seonah; Roitberg, Adrian E.

2009-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations starting from different initial conditions are commonly used to mimic the behavior of an experimental ensemble. We show in this article that when a Langevin thermostat is used to maintain constant temperature during such simulations, extreme care must be taken when choosing the random number seeds used in order to prevent statistical correlation among the MD trajectories. While recent studies have shown that stochastically thermostatted trajectories evolving within a single potential basin with identical random number seeds tend to synchronize, we show that there is a synchronization effect even for complex, biologically relevant systems. We demonstrate this effect in simulations of Alanine trimer and pentamer and in a simulation of a temperature-jump experiment for peptide folding of a 14-residue peptide. Even in replica-exchange simulations, in which the trajectories are at different temperatures, we find partial synchronization occurring when the same random number seed is employed. We explain this by extending the recent derivation of the synchronization effect for two trajectories in a harmonic well to the case in which the trajectories are at two different temperatures. Our results suggest several ways in which mishandling selection of a pseudo random number generator initial seed can lead to corruption of simulation data. Simulators can fall into this trap in simple situations such as neglecting to specifically indicate different random seeds in either parallel or sequential restart simulations, utilizing a simulation package with a weak pseudorandom number generator, or using an advanced simulation algorithm that hasn't been programmed to distribute initial seeds

Bad Seeds Sprout Perilous Dynamics: Stochastic Thermostat Induced Trajectory Synchronization in Biomolecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Sindhikara, Daniel J; Kim, Seonah; Voter, Arthur F; Roitberg, Adrian E

2009-06-09

Molecular dynamics simulations starting from different initial conditions are commonly used to mimic the behavior of an experimental ensemble. We show in this article that when a Langevin thermostat is used to maintain constant temperature during such simulations, extreme care must be taken when choosing the random number seeds to prevent statistical correlation among the MD trajectories. While recent studies have shown that stochastically thermostatted trajectories evolving within a single potential basin with identical random number seeds tend to synchronize, we show that there is a synchronization effect even for complex, biologically relevant systems. We demonstrate this effect in simulations of alanine trimer and pentamer and in a simulation of a temperature-jump experiment for peptide folding of a 14-residue peptide. Even in replica-exchange simulations, in which the trajectories are at different temperatures, we find partial synchronization occurring when the same random number seed is employed. We explain this by extending the recent derivation of the synchronization effect for two trajectories in a harmonic well to the case in which the trajectories are at two different temperatures. Our results suggest several ways in which mishandling selection of a pseudorandom number generator initial seed can lead to corruption of simulation data. Simulators can fall into this trap in simple situations such as neglecting to specifically indicate different random seeds in either parallel or sequential restart simulations, utilizing a simulation package with a weak pseudorandom number generator, or using an advanced simulation algorithm that has not been programmed to distribute initial seeds.

Maximizing direct current power delivery from bistable vibration energy harvesting beams subjected to realistic base excitations

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Quanqi; Harne, Ryan L.

2017-04-01

Effective development of vibration energy harvesters is required to convert ambient kinetic energy into useful electrical energy as power supply for sensors, for example in structural health monitoring applications. Energy harvesting structures exhibiting bistable nonlinearities have previously been shown to generate large alternating current (AC) power when excited so as to undergo snap-through responses between stable equilibria. Yet, most microelectronics in sensors require rectified voltages and hence direct current (DC) power. While researchers have studied DC power generation from bistable energy harvesters subjected to harmonic excitations, there remain important questions as to the promise of such harvester platforms when the excitations are more realistic and include both harmonic and random components. To close this knowledge gap, this research computationally and experimentally studies the DC power delivery from bistable energy harvesters subjected to such realistic excitation combinations as those found in practice. Based on the results, it is found that the ability for bistable energy harvesters to generate peak DC power is significantly reduced by introducing sufficient amount of stochastic excitations into an otherwise harmonic input. On the other hand, the elimination of a low amplitude, coexistent response regime by way of the additive noise promotes power delivery if the device was not originally excited to snap-through. The outcomes of this research indicate the necessity for comprehensive studies about the sensitivities of DC power generation from bistable energy harvester to practical excitation scenarios prior to their optimal deployment in applications.

Phenomenological approach to bistable behavior of Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishi, K.; Nara, S.; Hamanaka, K.

1985-01-01

The interaction of unbiased Josephson junction with external electromagnetic field in the presence of externally applied uniform magnetic field is theoretically examined by means of phenomenological treatment. It is proposed that an irradiated junction with suitably chosen parameters shows a bistable behavior of voltage across the junction as a function of the radiation intensity

Different cell fates from cell-cell interactions: core architectures of two-cell bistable networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Rouault, Hervé; Hakim, Vincent

2012-02-08

The acquisition of different fates by cells that are initially in the same state is central to development. Here, we investigate the possible structures of bistable genetic networks that can allow two identical cells to acquire different fates through cell-cell interactions. Cell-autonomous bistable networks have been previously sampled using an evolutionary algorithm. We extend this evolutionary procedure to take into account interactions between cells. We obtain a variety of simple bistable networks that we classify into major subtypes. Some have long been proposed in the context of lateral inhibition through the Notch-Delta pathway, some have been more recently considered and others appear to be new and based on mechanisms not previously considered. The results highlight the role of posttranscriptional interactions and particularly of protein complexation and sequestration, which can replace cooperativity in transcriptional interactions. Some bistable networks are entirely based on posttranscriptional interactions and the simplest of these is found to lead, upon a single parameter change, to oscillations in the two cells with opposite phases. We provide qualitative explanations as well as mathematical analyses of the dynamical behaviors of various created networks. The results should help to identify and understand genetic structures implicated in cell-cell interactions and differentiation. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basins of attraction of the bistable region of time-delayed cutting dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yao; Xu, Jian; Wiercigroch, Marian

2017-09-01

This paper investigates the effects of bistability in a nonsmooth time-delayed dynamical system, which is often manifested in science and engineering. Previous studies on cutting dynamics have demonstrated persistent coexistence of chatter and chatter-free responses in a bistable region located in the linearly stable zone. As there is no widely accepted definition of basins of attraction for time-delayed systems, bistable regions are coined as unsafe zones (UZs). Hence, we have attempted to define the basins of attraction and stability basins for a typical delayed system to get insight into the bistability in systems with time delays. Special attention was paid to the influences of delayed initial conditions, starting points, and states at time zero on the long-term dynamics of time-delayed systems. By using this concept, it has been confirmed that the chatter is prone to occur when the waviness frequency in the workpiece surface coincides with the effective natural frequency of the cutting process. Further investigations unveil a thin "boundary layer" inside the UZ in the immediate vicinity of the stability boundary, in which we observe an extremely fast growth of the chatter basin stability. The results reveal that the system is more stable when the initial cutting depth is smaller. The physics of the tool deflection at the instant of the tool-workpiece engagement is used to evaluate the cutting safety, and the safe level could be zero when the geometry of tool engagement is unfavorable. Finally, the basins of attraction are used to quench the chatter by a single strike, where the resultant "islands" offer an opportunity to suppress the chatter even when the cutting is very close to the stability boundary.

Basins of attraction of the bistable region of time-delayed cutting dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yao; Xu, Jian; Wiercigroch, Marian

2017-09-01

This paper investigates the effects of bistability in a nonsmooth time-delayed dynamical system, which is often manifested in science and engineering. Previous studies on cutting dynamics have demonstrated persistent coexistence of chatter and chatter-free responses in a bistable region located in the linearly stable zone. As there is no widely accepted definition of basins of attraction for time-delayed systems, bistable regions are coined as unsafe zones (UZs). Hence, we have attempted to define the basins of attraction and stability basins for a typical delayed system to get insight into the bistability in systems with time delays. Special attention was paid to the influences of delayed initial conditions, starting points, and states at time zero on the long-term dynamics of time-delayed systems. By using this concept, it has been confirmed that the chatter is prone to occur when the waviness frequency in the workpiece surface coincides with the effective natural frequency of the cutting process. Further investigations unveil a thin "boundary layer" inside the UZ in the immediate vicinity of the stability boundary, in which we observe an extremely fast growth of the chatter basin stability. The results reveal that the system is more stable when the initial cutting depth is smaller. The physics of the tool deflection at the instant of the tool-workpiece engagement is used to evaluate the cutting safety, and the safe level could be zero when the geometry of tool engagement is unfavorable. Finally, the basins of attraction are used to quench the chatter by a single strike, where the resultant "islands" offer an opportunity to suppress the chatter even when the cutting is very close to the stability boundary.

Optical bistability of a thin film of resonant atoms in a phase-sensitive thermostate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basharov, A.M.

1995-01-01

It is shown theoretically that when a thin film of two-level atoms interacting with a resonant coherent electromagnetic wave is additionally illuminated with a squeezed field, a bistable transmission/reflection regime for coherent waves is obtained. This regime depends strongly on the phase difference between the coherent and the squeezed fields. New regimes, including a bistable regime, for the interaction of a coherent field with a film of resonant atoms are predicted based on this phenomenon. 14 refs., 5 figs

Remnants of semiclassical bistability in the few-photon regime of cavity QED.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerckhoff, Joseph; Armen, Michael A; Mabuchi, Hideo

2011-11-21

Broadband homodyne detection of the light transmitted by a Fabry-Perot cavity containing a strongly-coupled (133)Cs atom is used to probe the dynamic optical response in a regime where semiclassical theory predicts bistability but strong quantum corrections should apply. While quantum fluctuations destabilize true equilibrium bistability, our observations confirm the existence of metastable states with finite lifetimes and a hysteretic response is apparent when the optical drive is modulated on comparable timescales. Our experiment elucidates remnant semiclassical behavior in the attojoule (~10 photon) regime of single-atom cavity QED, of potential significance for ultra-low power photonic signal processing. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Bistability and displacement fluctuations in a quantum nanomechanical oscillator

Science.gov (United States)

Avriller, R.; Murr, B.; Pistolesi, F.

2018-04-01

Remarkable features have been predicted for the mechanical fluctuations at the bistability transition of a classical oscillator coupled capacitively to a quantum dot [Micchi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 206802 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.206802]. These results have been obtained in the regime ℏ ω0≪kBT ≪ℏ Γ , where ω0, T , and Γ are the mechanical resonating frequency, the temperature, and the tunneling rate, respectively. A similar behavior could be expected in the quantum regime of ℏ Γ ≪kBT ≪ℏ ω0 . We thus calculate the energy- and displacement-fluctuation spectra and study their behavior as a function of the electromechanical coupling constant when the system enters the Frank-Condon regime. We find that in analogy with the classical case, the energy-fluctuation spectrum and the displacement spectrum widths show a maximum for values of the coupling constant at which a mechanical bistability is established.

Waterbomb base: a symmetric single-vertex bistable origami mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanna, Brandon H; Lund, Jason M; Magleby, Spencer P; Howell, Larry L; Lang, Robert J

2014-01-01

The origami waterbomb base is a single-vertex bistable origami mechanism that has unique properties which may prove useful in a variety of applications. It also shows promise as a test bed for smart materials and actuation because of its straightforward geometry and multiple phases of motion, ranging from simple to more complex. This study develops a quantitative understanding of the symmetric waterbomb base's kinetic behavior. This is done by completing kinematic and potential energy analyses to understand and predict bistable behavior. A physical prototype is constructed and tested to validate the results of the analyses. Finite element and virtual work analyses based on the prototype are used to explore the locations of the stable equilibrium positions and the force–deflection response. The model results are verified through comparisons to measurements on a physical prototype. The resulting models describe waterbomb base behavior and provide an engineering tool for application development. (paper)

Optical bistability and limiting in polymer dispersed liquid crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yshino, K.; Tagawa, A.; Sadohara, Y.; Ozaki, M. (Osaka University, Osaka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering); Munezawa, T. (Ajinomoto Co. Inc., Tokyo (Japan)); Nomura, Y. (Takiron Co. Ltd., Osaka (Japan))

1991-04-15

The linear electro-optical effect of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) and the nonlinear optical response of electrically feedbacked PDLC were studied. Electro-optical limiting and bistability were observed in PDLCs with negative and positive feedback, respectively. In the PDLC film with positive feedback gain, an optical hysteresis loop shifted toward a high intensity region with decreasing magnitude of the feedback gain. The switching between high and low transmission states in an optical bistable region was realized by controlling incident light, and the on-off switching by superimposing light pulse on incident light for an extremely short period (several hundreds {mu}s). As the light pulse was strong, the minimum pulse width required for switching was as short as 500 {mu}s or less. The on-off switching was also realized by shutting out the incident light for a period equivalent to the pulse width. Slower response times of the PDLC film required longer minimum pulse widths. 12 refs., 11 figs.

A Reliable Bistable Board Implementation through I/O Redundancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Gyu; Chung, Tae Hyok; Lee, Youn Sang; Kim, Tae Hee; Song, Seung Hwan

2010-01-01

Nuclear power plant safety systems and related equipment used in the design, including an accident in all driving conditions that must be proven In addition, the safety-related equipment that is derived according to the digitization of the safety equipment is the most important factors. Therefore, it is necessary to prove that the device was satisfied the requirements for a given performance for safety-related digital equipment for the life of the installation. These proven is done through the process, design verification of the equipment, production management, such as installation and maintenance. Among other things, it is most important to implement of the performance and reliability features the safety-related equipment in the design phase. In this paper, Bistable Board implemented to generate a ESF sign-on signal throughout the signal processing of input signal from sensors. Also, for the reliable signal input and output, I/O Module that implements the redundancy increases the reliability of the Bistable Board , to verify the performance of safety-related equipment

On square-wave-driven stochastic resonance for energy harvesting in a bistable system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Dongxu, E-mail: sudx@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1538505 (Japan); Zheng, Rencheng; Nakano, Kimihiko [Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 1538505 (Japan); Cartmell, Matthew P [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2014-11-15

Stochastic resonance is a physical phenomenon through which the throughput of energy within an oscillator excited by a stochastic source can be boosted by adding a small modulating excitation. This study investigates the feasibility of implementing square-wave-driven stochastic resonance to enhance energy harvesting. The motivating hypothesis was that such stochastic resonance can be efficiently realized in a bistable mechanism. However, the condition for the occurrence of stochastic resonance is conventionally defined by the Kramers rate. This definition is inadequate because of the necessity and difficulty in estimating white noise density. A bistable mechanism has been designed using an explicit analytical model which implies a new approach for achieving stochastic resonance in the paper. Experimental tests confirm that the addition of a small-scale force to the bistable system excited by a random signal apparently leads to a corresponding amplification of the response that we now term square-wave-driven stochastic resonance. The study therefore indicates that this approach may be a promising way to improve the performance of an energy harvester under certain forms of random excitation.

On square-wave-driven stochastic resonance for energy harvesting in a bistable system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Dongxu; Zheng, Rencheng; Nakano, Kimihiko; Cartmell, Matthew P

2014-01-01

Stochastic resonance is a physical phenomenon through which the throughput of energy within an oscillator excited by a stochastic source can be boosted by adding a small modulating excitation. This study investigates the feasibility of implementing square-wave-driven stochastic resonance to enhance energy harvesting. The motivating hypothesis was that such stochastic resonance can be efficiently realized in a bistable mechanism. However, the condition for the occurrence of stochastic resonance is conventionally defined by the Kramers rate. This definition is inadequate because of the necessity and difficulty in estimating white noise density. A bistable mechanism has been designed using an explicit analytical model which implies a new approach for achieving stochastic resonance in the paper. Experimental tests confirm that the addition of a small-scale force to the bistable system excited by a random signal apparently leads to a corresponding amplification of the response that we now term square-wave-driven stochastic resonance. The study therefore indicates that this approach may be a promising way to improve the performance of an energy harvester under certain forms of random excitation

Bistable Si dopants in the GaAs (1 1 0) surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smakman, E P; Koenraad, P M

2015-01-01

In this review, recent work is discussed on bistable Si dopants in the GaAs (1 1 0) surface, studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The bistability arises because the dopant atom can switch between a positive and a negative charge state, which are associated with two different lattice configurations. Manipulation of the Si atom charge configuration is achieved by tuning the local band bending with the STM tip. Furthermore, illuminating the sample with a laser also influences the charge state, allowing the operation of the dopant atom as an optical switch. The switching dynamics without illumination is investigated in detail as a function of temperature, lateral tip position, and applied tunneling conditions. A physical model is presented that independently describes the thermal and quantum tunneling contributions to the switching frequency and charge state occupation of a single Si atom. The basic functionality of a memory cell is demonstrated employing a single bistable Si dopant as the active element, using the STM tip as a gate to write and read the information. (topical review)

Stochastic stabilization of phenotypic States: the genetic bistable switch as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Marc; Buceta, Javier

2013-01-01

We study by means of analytical calculation and stochastic simulations how intrinsic noise modifies the bifurcation diagram of gene regulatory processes that can be effectively described by the Langevin formalism. In a general context, our study raises the intriguing question of how biochemical fluctuations redesign the epigenetic landscape in differentiation processes. We have applied our findings to a general class of regulatory processes that includes the simplest case that displays a bistable behavior and hence phenotypic variability: the genetic auto-activating switch. Thus, we explain why and how the noise promotes the stability of the low-state phenotype of the switch and show that the bistable region is extended when increasing the intensity of the fluctuations. This phenomenology is found in a simple one-dimensional model of the genetic switch as well as in a more detailed model that takes into account the binding of the protein to the promoter region. Altogether, we prescribe the analytical means to understand and quantify the noise-induced modifications of the bifurcation points for a general class of regulatory processes where the genetic bistable switch is included.

Bistability in self-activating genes regulated by non-coding RNAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miro-Bueno, Jesus

2015-01-01

Non-coding RNA molecules are able to regulate gene expression and play an essential role in cells. On the other hand, bistability is an important behaviour of genetic networks. Here, we propose and study an ODE model in order to show how non-coding RNA can produce bistability in a simple way. The model comprises a single gene with positive feedback that is repressed by non-coding RNA molecules. We show how the values of all the reaction rates involved in the model are able to control the transitions between the high and low states. This new model can be interesting to clarify the role of non-coding RNA molecules in genetic networks. As well, these results can be interesting in synthetic biology for developing new genetic memories and biomolecular devices based on non-coding RNAs

Input-Independent Energy Harvesting in Bistable Lattices from Transition Waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Myungwon; Arrieta, Andres F

2018-02-26

We demonstrate the utilisation of transition waves for realising input-invariant, frequency-independent energy harvesting in 1D lattices of bistable elements. We propose a metamaterial-inspired design with an integrated electromechanical transduction mechanism to the unit cell, rendering the power conversion capability an intrinsic property of the lattice. Moreover, focusing of transmitted energy to desired locations is demonstrated numerically and experimentally by introducing engineered defects in the form of perturbation in mass or inter-element forcing. We achieve further localisation of energy and numerically observe a breather-like mode for the first time in this type of lattice, improving the harvesting performance by an order of magnitude. Our approach considers generic bistable unit cells and thus provides a universal mechanism to harvest energy and realise metamaterials effectively behaving as a capacitor and power delivery system.

Controlling the optical bistability beyond the multi-photon resonance condition in a three-level closed-loop atomic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahmoudi, Mohammad; Nozari, Narges; Vafafard, Azar; Sahrai, Mostafa

2012-01-01

We investigate the optical bistability behavior of a three-level closed-loop atomic system beyond the multi-photon resonance condition. Using the Floquet decomposition, we solve the time-dependent equations of motion, beyond the multi-photon resonance condition. By identifying the different scattering processes contributing to the medium response, it is shown that in general the optical bistability behavior of the system is not phase-dependent. The phase dependence is due to the scattering of the driving and coupling fields into the probe field at a frequency, which, in general, differs from the probe field frequency. - Highlights: → We investigate optical bistability of a three-level closed-loop atomic system, beyond the multi-photon resonance condition. → By applying Floquet decomposition to the equation of motion, the different scattering processes contributing to the medium response are determined. → It is shown that the phase dependence of optical bistability arises from the scattering of the driving and coupling fields into the probe field frequency.

Effect on the mean first passage time in symmetrical bistable systems by cross-correlation between noises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.; Cao, L.; Wu, D.J.

2003-01-01

We present an analytic investigation of the mean first passage time in two opposite directions (from the left well to the right well and from right to left) by studying symmetrical bistable systems driven by correlated Gaussian white noises, and prove that the mean first passage time in two opposite directions is not symmetrical any more when noises are correlated. As examples, the mean first passage time in the quartic bistable model and the sawtooth bistable model are calculated, respectively. From the analytic results of the mean first passage time, we testify further the relation T(from x - to x + ,λ)≠T(from x + to x - ,λ) in the same area of the parameter plan. Moreover, it is found that the dependences of T + (i.e., T(from x - to x + ,λ)) and T - (i.e., T(from x + to x - ,λ)) upon the multiplicative noise intensity Q and the additive noise intensity D exhibit entirely different properties. For same areas of the parameter plan: in the quartic bistable system, when the T + vs. Q curve exhibits a maximum, while the T - vs. Q curve is monotonous; when the T + vs. D curve is monotonous, while the T - vs. D curve experiences a phase transition from decreasing monotonously to possessing one minimum. Increasing Q, when the T + vs. D curve experiences a phase transition from decreasing monotonously to possessing one maximum, while the T - vs. D curve only increases monotonously. Similar behaviours also exist in the sawtooth bistable model

Economic MPC based on LPV model for thermostatically controlled loads

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zemtsov, Nikita; Hlava, Jaroslav; Frantsuzova, Galina

2017-01-01

Rapid increase of the renewable energy share in electricity production requires optimization and flexibility of the power consumption side. Thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) have a large potential for regulation service provision. Economic model predictive control (MPC) is an advanced...... control method which can be used to syncronize the power consumption with undispatchable renewable electricity production. Thermal behavior of TCLs can be described by linear models based on energy balance of the system. In some cases, parameters of the model may be time-varying. In this work, we present...... a modified economic MPC based on linear parameter-varying model. In particular, we provide an exact transformation from a standard economic MPC formulation to a linear program. We assume that the variables influencing the model parameters are known (predictable) for the prediction horizon of the controller...

Stable Amplification and High Current Drop Bistable Switching in Supercritical GaAs Tills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Izadpanah, S.H; Jeppsson, B; Jeppesen, Palle

1974-01-01

Bistable switching with current drops of 40% and switching times of 100 ps are obtained in pulsed operation of 10¿m supercritically doped n+ nn+ GaAs Transferred Electron Devices (TEDs). When CW-operated the same devices exhibit a 5-17 GHz bandwidth for the stable negative resistance.......Bistable switching with current drops of 40% and switching times of 100 ps are obtained in pulsed operation of 10¿m supercritically doped n+ nn+ GaAs Transferred Electron Devices (TEDs). When CW-operated the same devices exhibit a 5-17 GHz bandwidth for the stable negative resistance....

Study on non-linear bistable dynamics model based EEG signal discrimination analysis method.

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Xiaoguo; Lin, Han; Hui, Guohua

2015-01-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations generating from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain. EEG signal is looked as one of the most important factors that will be focused in the next 20 years. In this paper, EEG signal discrimination based on non-linear bistable dynamical model was proposed. EEG signals were processed by non-linear bistable dynamical model, and features of EEG signals were characterized by coherence index. Experimental results showed that the proposed method could properly extract the features of different EEG signals.

Design and experiment of controlled bistable vortex induced vibration energy harvesting systems operating in chaotic regions

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, B. H.; Tjahjowidodo, T.; Zhong, Z.-W.; Wang, Y.; Srikanth, N.

2018-01-01

Vortex induced vibration based energy harvesting systems have gained interests in these recent years due to its potential as a low water current energy source. However, the effectiveness of the system is limited only at a certain water current due to the resonance principle that governs the concept. In order to extend the working range, a bistable spring to support the structure is introduced on the system. The improvement on the performance is essentially dependent on the bistable gap as one of the main parameters of the nonlinear spring. A sufficiently large bistable gap will result in a significant performance improvement. Unfortunately, a large bistable gap might also increase a chance of chaotic responses, which in turn will result in diminutive harvested power. To mitigate the problem, an appropriate control structure is required to stabilize the chaotic vibrations of a VIV energy converter with the bistable supporting structure. Based on the nature of the double-well potential energy in a bistable spring, the ideal control structure will attempt to drive the responses to inter-well periodic vibrations in order to maximize the harvested power. In this paper, the OGY control algorithm is designed and implemented to the system. The control strategy is selected since it requires only a small perturbation in a structural parameter to execute the control effort, thus, minimum power is needed to drive the control input. Facilitated by a wake oscillator model, the bistable VIV system is modelled as a 4-dimensional autonomous continuous-time dynamical system. To implement the controller strategy, the system is discretized at a period estimated from the subspace hyperplane intersecting to the chaotic trajectory, whereas the fixed points that correspond to the desired periodic orbits are estimated by the recurrence method. Simultaneously, the Jacobian and sensitivity matrices are estimated by the least square regression method. Based on the defined fixed point and the

Bistable four-wave mixing response in a semiconductor quantum dot coupled to a photonic crystal nanocavity.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-Bo; Xiao, Si; Liang, Shan; He, Meng-Dong; Luo, Jian-Hua; Kim, Nam-Chol; Chen, Li-Qun

2017-10-16

We perform a theoretical study of the bistable four-wave mixing (FWM) response in a coupled system comprised of a semiconductor quantum dot (SQD) and a photonic crystal (PC) nanocavity in which the SQD is embedded. It is shown that the shape of the FWM spectrum can switch among single-peaked, double-peaked, triple-peaked, and four-peaked arising from the vacuum Rabi splitting and the exciton-nanocavity coupling. Especially, we map out bistability phase diagrams within a parameter subspace of the system, and find that it is easy to turn on or off the bistable FWM response by only adjusting the excitation frequency or the pumping intensity. Our results offer a feasible means for measuring the SQD-PC nanocavity coupling strength and open a new avenue to design optical switches and memories.

Bistable (latching) solenoid actuated propellant isolation valve

Science.gov (United States)

Wichmann, H.; Deboi, H. H.

1979-01-01

The design, fabrication, assembly and test of a development configuration bistable (latching) solenoid actuated propellant isolation valve suitable for the control hydrazine and liquid fluorine to an 800 pound thrust rocket engine is described. The valve features a balanced poppet, utilizing metal bellows, a hard poppet/seat interface and a flexure support system for the internal moving components. This support system eliminates sliding surfaces, thereby rendering the valve free of self generated particles.

Control of optical bistability and third-order nonlinearity via tunneling induced quantum interference in triangular quantum dot molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Si-Cong; Tong, Cun-Zhu; Zhang, Jin-Long; Shan, Xiao-Nan; Fu, Xi-Hong; Zeng, Yu-Gang; Qin, Li; Ning, Yong-Qiang; Wan, Ren-Gang

2015-01-01

The optical bistability of a triangular quantum dot molecules embedded inside a unidirectional ring cavity is studied. The type, the threshold and the hysteresis loop of the optical bistability curves can be modified by the tunneling parameters, as well as the probe laser field. The linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of the medium are also studied to interpret the corresponding results. The physical interpretation is that the tunneling can induce the quantum interference, which modifies the linear and the nonlinear response of the medium. As a consequence, the characteristics of the optical bistability are changed. The scheme proposed here can be utilized for optimizing and controlling the optical switching process

Phase-dependent optical bistability and multistability in a semiconductor quantum well system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhiping; Fan Hongyi

2010-01-01

We theoretically investigate the hybrid absorptive-dispersive optical bistability and multistability in a four-level inverted-Y quantum well system inside a unidirectional ring cavity. We find that the coupling field, the pumping field as well as the cycling field can affect the optical bistability and multistability dramatically, which can be used to manipulate efficiently the threshold intensity and the hysteresis loop. The effects of the relative phase and the electronic cooperation parameter on the OB and OM are also studied. Our study is much more practical than its atomic counterpart due to its flexible design and the wide adjustable parameters. Thus, it may provide some new possibilities for technological applications in optoelectronics and solid-state quantum information science.

Control of stochastic resonance in bistable systems by using periodic signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Lin; Li-Min, Fang; Yong-Jun, Zheng

2009-01-01

According to the characteristic structure of double wells in bistable systems, this paper analyses stochastic fluctuations in the single potential well and probability transitions between the two potential wells and proposes a method of controlling stochastic resonance by using a periodic signal. Results of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the phenomenon of stochastic resonance happens when the time scales of the periodic signal and the noise-induced probability transitions between the two potential wells achieve stochastic synchronization. By adding a bistable system with a controllable periodic signal, fluctuations in the single potential well can be effectively controlled, thus affecting the probability transitions between the two potential wells. In this way, an effective control can be achieved which allows one to either enhance or realize stochastic resonance

The transformation of optical bistability effect and of generated pulses in operation of a DFB laser with two sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Van Phu; Dinh Van Hoang

2005-01-01

In this paper is presented the transformation of characteristics of optical bistability effect and of generated pulses in operation of a DFB laser with two sections. By solving the rate equations describing the operation of this laser the appearance of optical bistability effect in stationary regime and of short pulses in transient regime is obtained. With the variation of dynamical laser parameter we can evaluate the transformation indicated above. The method of examination used here is simple for determining the influence of any dynamical laser parameter on characteristics of optical bistability effect and generated pulses. (author)

Single-Trial Decoding of Bistable Perception Based on Sparse Nonnegative Tensor Decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhisong; Maier, Alexander; Logothetis, Nikos K.; Liang, Hualou

2008-01-01

The study of the neuronal correlates of the spontaneous alternation in perception elicited by bistable visual stimuli is promising for understanding the mechanism of neural information processing and the neural basis of visual perception and perceptual decision-making. In this paper, we develop a sparse nonnegative tensor factorization-(NTF)-based method to extract features from the local field potential (LFP), collected from the middle temporal (MT) visual cortex in a macaque monkey, for decoding its bistable structure-from-motion (SFM) perception. We apply the feature extraction approach to the multichannel time-frequency representation of the intracortical LFP data. The advantages of the sparse NTF-based feature extraction approach lies in its capability to yield components common across the space, time, and frequency domains yet discriminative across different conditions without prior knowledge of the discriminating frequency bands and temporal windows for a specific subject. We employ the support vector machines (SVMs) classifier based on the features of the NTF components for single-trial decoding the reported perception. Our results suggest that although other bands also have certain discriminability, the gamma band feature carries the most discriminative information for bistable perception, and that imposing the sparseness constraints on the nonnegative tensor factorization improves extraction of this feature. PMID:18528515

Auditory event-related potentials associated with perceptual reversals of bistable pitch motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Gray D; Pitts, Michael A

2014-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) experiments have consistently identified two components associated with perceptual transitions of bistable visual stimuli, the "reversal negativity" (RN) and the "late positive complex" (LPC). The RN (~200 ms post-stimulus, bilateral occipital-parietal distribution) is thought to reflect transitions between neural representations that form the moment-to-moment contents of conscious perception, while the LPC (~400 ms, central-parietal) is considered an index of post-perceptual processing related to accessing and reporting one's percept. To explore the generality of these components across sensory modalities, the present experiment utilized a novel bistable auditory stimulus. Pairs of complex tones with ambiguous pitch relationships were presented sequentially while subjects reported whether they perceived the tone pairs as ascending or descending in pitch. ERPs elicited by the tones were compared according to whether perceived pitch motion changed direction or remained the same across successive trials. An auditory reversal negativity (aRN) component was evident at ~170 ms post-stimulus over bilateral fronto-central scalp locations. An auditory LPC component (aLPC) was evident at subsequent latencies (~350 ms, fronto-central distribution). These two components may be auditory analogs of the visual RN and LPC, suggesting functionally equivalent but anatomically distinct processes in auditory vs. visual bistable perception.

Carrier transport in flexible organic bistable devices of ZnO nanoparticles embedded in an insulating poly(methyl methacrylate) polymer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Dong-Ick; Park, Dong-Hee; Choi, Won Kook; Cho, Sung-Hwan; Kim, Won-Tae; Kim, Tae Whan

2009-01-01

The bistable effects of ZnO nanoparticles embedded in an insulating poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer single layer by using flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that ZnO nanoparticles were formed inside the PMMA polymer layer. Current-voltage (I-V) measurement on the Al/ZnO nanoparticles embedded in an insulating PMMA polymer layer/ITO/PET structures at 300 K showed a nonvolatile electrical bistability behavior with a flat-band voltage shift due to the existence of the ZnO nanoparticles, indicative of trapping, storing, and emission of charges in the electronic states of the ZnO nanoparticles. The carrier transport mechanism of the bistable behavior for the fabricated organic bistable device (OBD) structures is described on the basis of the I-V results by analyzing the effect of space charge.

Models of charge transport and transfer in molecular switch tunnel junctions of bistable catenanes and rotaxanes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flood, Amar H.; Wong, Eric W.; Stoddart, J. Fraser

2006-01-01

The processes by which charge transfer can occur play a foundational role in molecular electronics. Here we consider simplified models of the transfer processes that could be present in bistable molecular switch tunnel junction (MSTJ) devices during one complete cycle of the device from its low- to high- and back to low-conductance state. The bistable molecular switches, which are composed of a monolayer of either switchable catenanes or rotaxanes, exist in either a ground-state co-conformation or a metastable one in which the conduction properties of the two co-conformations, when measured at small biases (+0.1 V), are significantly different irrespective of whether transport is dominated by tunneling or hopping. The voltage-driven generation (±2 V) of molecule-based redox states, which are sufficiently long-lived to allow the relative mechanical movements necessary to switch between the two co-conformations, rely upon unequal charge transfer rates on to and/or off of the molecules. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy has been used to image the ground state of the bistable rotaxane in MSTJ-like devices. Consideration of these models provide new ways of looking at molecular electronic devices that rely, not only on nanoscale charge-transport, but also upon the bustling world of molecular motion in mechanically interlocked bistable molecules

On-Demand Final State Control of a Surface-Bound Bistable Single Molecule Switch.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido Torres, José A; Simpson, Grant J; Adams, Christopher J; Früchtl, Herbert A; Schaub, Renald

2018-04-12

Modern electronic devices perform their defined action because of the complete reliability of their individual active components (transistors, switches, diodes, and so forth). For instance, to encode basic computer units (bits) an electrical switch can be used. The reliability of the switch ensures that the desired outcome (the component's final state, 0 or 1) can be selected with certainty. No practical data storage device would otherwise exist. This reliability criterion will necessarily need to hold true for future molecular electronics to have the opportunity to emerge as a viable miniaturization alternative to our current silicon-based technology. Molecular electronics target the use of single-molecules to perform the actions of individual electronic components. On-demand final state control over a bistable unimolecular component has therefore been one of the main challenges in the past decade (1-5) but has yet to be achieved. In this Letter, we demonstrate how control of the final state of a surface-supported bistable single molecule switch can be realized. On the basis of the observations and deductions presented here, we further suggest an alternative strategy to achieve final state control in unimolecular bistable switches.

Reversal Negativity and Bistable Stimuli: Attention, Awareness, or Something Else?

Science.gov (United States)

Intaite, Monika; Koivisto, Mika; Ruksenas, Osvaldas; Revonsuo, Antti

2010-01-01

Ambiguous (or bistable) figures are visual stimuli that have two mutually exclusive perceptual interpretations that spontaneously alternate with each other. Perceptual reversals, as compared with non-reversals, typically elicit a negative difference called reversal negativity (RN), peaking around 250 ms from stimulus onset. The cognitive…

Quantum Oscillator in the Thermostat as a Model in the Thermodynamics of Open Quantum Systems

OpenAIRE

Sukhanov, Aleksander

2005-01-01

The quantum oscillator in the thermostat is considered as the model of an open quantum system. Our analysis will be heavily founded on the use of the Schroedinger generalized uncertainties relations (SUR). Our first aim is to demonstrate that for the quantum oscillator the state of thermal equilibrium belongs to the correlated coherent states (CCS), which imply the saturation of SUR at any temperature. The obtained results open the perspective for the search of some statistical theory, which ...

Modeling Bistable Composite Laminates for Piezoelectric Morphing Structures

OpenAIRE

Darryl V. Murray; Oliver J. Myers

2013-01-01

A sequential modeling effort for bistable composite laminates for piezoelectric morphing structures is presented. Thin unsymmetric carbon fiber composite laminates are examined for use of morphing structures using piezoelectric actuation. When cooling from the elevated cure temperature to room temperature, these unsymmetric composite laminates will deform. These postcure room temperature deformation shapes can be used as morphing structures. Applying a force to these deformed laminates will c...

Overview of Existing and Future Residential Use Cases for Connected Thermostats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rotondo, Julia [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Johnson, Robert [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Gonzalez, Nancy [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Waranowski, Alexandra [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Badger, Chris [Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Burlington, VT (United States); Lange, Nick [Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Burlington, VT (United States); Goldman, Ethan [Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Burlington, VT (United States); Foster, Rebecca [Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Burlington, VT (United States)

2017-03-01

This paper is intended to help inform future technology deployment opportunities for connected thermostats (CTs), based on investigation and review of the U.S. residential housing and CT markets, as well as existing, emerging, and future use cases for CT hardware and CT-generated data. The CT market has experienced tremendous growth over the last 5 years—both in terms of the number of units sold and the number of firms offering competing products—and can be characterized by its rapid pace of technological innovation. Despite many assuming CTs would become powerful tools for increasing comfort while saving energy, there remains a great deal of uncertainty about the actual energy and cost savings that are likely to be realized from deployment of CTs, particularly under different conditions.

Building America Case Study: The Impact of Thermostat Placement in Low-Load Homes in Sunny Climates, Denver, Colorado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-02-01

Modern, energy-efficient homes conforming to the Zero Energy Ready Home standard face the challenge of meeting high customer expectations for comfort. Traditional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sizing and control strategies may be insufficient to adequately condition each zone due to unique load patterns in each room caused by a number of factors. These factors include solar heat gains, occupant-related gains, and gains associated with appliances and electronics. Because of shrinking shell loads, these intermittent factors are having an increasingly significant impact on the thermal load in each zone. Consequently, occupant comfort can be compromised. To evaluate the impact of climate and house geometry, as well as HVAC system and control strategies on comfort conditions, IBACOS analyzed the results of 99 TRNSYS multiple-zone simulations. The results of this analysis indicate that for simple-geometry and single-story plans, a single zone and thermostat can adequately condition the entire house. Demanding house geometry and houses with multiple stories require the consideration of multiple thermostats and multiple zones.

Dynamic and energetic characteristics of a bistable piezoelectric vibration energy harvester with an elastic magnifier

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guangqing; Liao, Wei-Hsin; Yang, Binqiang; Wang, Xuebao; Xu, Wentan; Li, Xiuling

2018-05-01

Bistable piezoelectric energy harvesters are being increasingly seen as an alternative to batteries in low-power devices. However, their energy harvesting characteristics are limited. To enhance these, we use a configuration including an elastic magnifier to amplify base excitation and provide sufficient kinetic energy to overcome potential well barriers, thus leading to large-amplitude bistable motion. We derive the distributed parameter mathematical model of this configuration by using Hamilton's principle. We then investigate the nonlinear dynamic behaviors and energetic characteristics and analyze the bifurcation for the equilibrium solution of the model. The simulations and experiments show high electromechanical responses and energy generation characteristics of the proposed system over a broad frequency band. The results suggest that, compared with a typical bistable piezoelectric energy harvester, the proposed energy harvester system with an elastic magnifier can provide higher output over a broader frequency band at lower excitation levels by adjusting the system's mass and stiffness ratios.

Controlling the optical bistability via quantum interference in a four-level N-type atomic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahrai, M.; Asadpour, S.H.; Mahrami, H.; Sadighi-Bonabi, R.

2011-01-01

We investigate the optical bistability (OB) and optical multi-stability (OM) in a four-level N-type atomic system. The effect of spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) on OB and OM is then discussed. It is found that SGC makes the medium phase dependent, so the optical bistability and multi-stability threshold can be controlled via relative phase between applied fields. We realize that the frequency detuning of probe and coupling fields with the corresponding atomic transition plays an important role in creation OB and OM. Moreover, the effect of laser coupling fields and an incoherent pumping field on reduction of OB and OM threshold is then discussed. - Highlights: → We modulate the optical bistability (OB) in a four-level N-type atomic system. The effect of spontaneously generated coherence on OB is discussed. → Spontaneously generated coherence makes the medium phase dependent. → The frequency of coupling field can reduce OB threshold. → We discuss the effect of an incoherent pumping field on reduction of OB threshold.

Measurement of the ground-state distributions in bistable mechanically interlocked molecules using slow scan rate cyclic voltammetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrenbach, Albert C; Barnes, Jonathan C; Li, Hao; Benítez, Diego; Basuray, Ashish N; Fang, Lei; Sue, Chi-Hau; Barin, Gokhan; Dey, Sanjeev K; Goddard, William A; Stoddart, J Fraser

2011-12-20

In donor-acceptor mechanically interlocked molecules that exhibit bistability, the relative populations of the translational isomers--present, for example, in a bistable [2]rotaxane, as well as in a couple of bistable [2]catenanes of the donor-acceptor vintage--can be elucidated by slow scan rate cyclic voltammetry. The practice of transitioning from a fast scan rate regime to a slow one permits the measurement of an intermediate redox couple that is a function of the equilibrium that exists between the two translational isomers in the case of all three mechanically interlocked molecules investigated. These intermediate redox potentials can be used to calculate the ground-state distribution constants, K. Whereas, (i) in the case of the bistable [2]rotaxane, composed of a dumbbell component containing π-electron-rich tetrathiafulvalene and dioxynaphthalene recognition sites for the ring component (namely, a tetracationic cyclophane, containing two π-electron-deficient bipyridinium units), a value for K of 10 ± 2 is calculated, (ii) in the case of the two bistable [2]catenanes--one containing a crown ether with tetrathiafulvalene and dioxynaphthalene recognition sites for the tetracationic cyclophane, and the other, tetrathiafulvalene and butadiyne recognition sites--the values for K are orders (one and three, respectively) of magnitude greater. This observation, which has also been probed by theoretical calculations, supports the hypothesis that the extra stability of one translational isomer over the other is because of the influence of the enforced side-on donor-acceptor interactions brought about by both π-electron-rich recognition sites being part of a macrocyclic polyether.

On the bistable zone of milling processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dombovari, Zoltan; Stepan, Gabor

2015-09-28

A modal-based model of milling machine tools subjected to time-periodic nonlinear cutting forces is introduced. The model describes the phenomenon of bistability for certain cutting parameters. In engineering, these parameter domains are referred to as unsafe zones, where steady-state milling may switch to chatter for certain perturbations. In mathematical terms, these are the parameter domains where the periodic solution of the corresponding nonlinear, time-periodic delay differential equation is linearly stable, but its domain of attraction is limited due to the existence of an unstable quasi-periodic solution emerging from a secondary Hopf bifurcation. A semi-numerical method is presented to identify the borders of these bistable zones by tracking the motion of the milling tool edges as they might leave the surface of the workpiece during the cutting operation. This requires the tracking of unstable quasi-periodic solutions and the checking of their grazing to a time-periodic switching surface in the infinite-dimensional phase space. As the parameters of the linear structural behaviour of the tool/machine tool system can be obtained by means of standard modal testing, the developed numerical algorithm provides efficient support for the design of milling processes with quick estimates of those parameter domains where chatter can still appear in spite of setting the parameters into linearly stable domains. © 2015 The Authors.

Intrinsic membrane properties causing a bistable behaviour of α-motoneurones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hounsgaard, J.; Hultborn, H.; Jespersen, B.

1984-01-01

injected depolarizing current pulse and is terminated by a short train of inhibitory synaptic potentials or a hyperpolarizing current pulse. It is concluded that maintained motor unit firing triggered by a brief train of impulses in Ia afferent reflects an intrinsic bistable behaviour of α-motoneurones....

Towards an optimal model for a bistable nematic liquid crystal display device

KAUST Repository

Cummings, L. J.

2013-03-13

Bistable liquid crystal displays offer the potential for considerable power savings compared with conventional (monostable) LCDs. The existence of two stable field-free states that are optically distinct means that contrast can be maintained in a display without an externally applied electric field. An applied field is required only to switch the device from one state to the other, as needed. In this paper we examine a theoretical model of a possible bistable device, originally proposed by Cummings and Richardson (Euro J Appl Math 17:435-463 2006), and explore means by which it may be optimized, in terms of optical contrast, manufacturing considerations, switching field strength, and switching times. The compromises inherent in these conflicting design criteria are discussed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Continuous control of asymmetric forebody vortices in a bi-stable state

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qi-te; Cheng, Ke-ming; Gu, Yun-song; Li, Zhuo-qi

2018-02-01

Aiming at the problem of continuous control of asymmetric forebody vortices at a high angle of attack in a bi-stable regime, a dual synthetic jet actuator embedded in an ogive forebody was designed. Alternating unsteady disturbance with varying degree asymmetrical flow fields near the nozzles is generated by adjusting the duty cycle of the drive signal of the actuator, specifically embodying the asymmetric time-averaged pattern of jet velocity, vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy. Experimental results show that within the range of relatively high angles of attack, including the angle-of-attack region in a bi-stable state, the lateral force of the ogive forebody is continuously controlled by adjusting the duty cycle of the drive signal; the position of the forebody vortices in space, the vorticity magnitude, the total pressure coefficient near the vortex core, and the vortex breakdown location are continuously changed with the duty cycle increased observed from the time-averaged flow field. Instantaneous flow field results indicate that although the forebody vortices are in an unsteady oscillation state, a continuous change in the forebody vortices' oscillation balance position as the duty cycle increases leads to a continuous change in the model's surface pressure distribution and time-averaged lateral force. Different from the traditional control principle, in this study, other different degree asymmetrical states of the forebody vortices except the bi-stable state are obtained using the dual synthetic jet control technology.

Novel piezoelectric bistable oscillator architecture for wideband vibration energy harvesting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, W Q; Badel, A; Formosa, F; Wu, Y P; Agbossou, A

2013-01-01

Bistable vibration energy harvesters are attracting more and more interest because of their capability to scavenge energy over a large frequency band. The bistable effect is usually based on magnetic interaction or buckled beams. This paper presents a novel architecture based on amplified piezoelectric structures. This buckled spring–mass architecture allows the energy of the dynamic mass to be converted into electrical energy in the piezoelectric materials as efficiently as possible. Modeling and design are performed and a normalized expression of the harvester behavior is given. Chirp and band-limited noise excitations are used to evaluate the proposed harvester’s performances. Simulation and experimental results are in good agreement. A method of using a spectrum plot for investigating the interwell motion is presented. The effect of the electric load impedance matching strategy is also studied. Results and comparisons with the literature show that the proposed device combines a large bandwidth and a high power density. (paper)

Double-well chimeras in 2D lattice of chaotic bistable elements

Science.gov (United States)

Shepelev, I. A.; Bukh, A. V.; Vadivasova, T. E.; Anishchenko, V. S.; Zakharova, A.

2018-01-01

We investigate spatio-temporal dynamics of a 2D ensemble of nonlocally coupled chaotic cubic maps in a bistability regime. In particular, we perform a detailed study on the transition ;coherence - incoherence; for varying coupling strength for a fixed interaction radius. For the 2D ensemble we show the appearance of amplitude and phase chimera states previously reported for 1D ensembles of nonlocally coupled chaotic systems. Moreover, we uncover a novel type of chimera state, double-well chimera, which occurs due to the interplay of the bistability of the local dynamics and the 2D ensemble structure. Additionally, we find double-well chimera behavior for steady states which we call double-well chimera death. A distinguishing feature of chimera patterns observed in the lattice is that they mainly combine clusters of different chimera types: phase, amplitude and double-well chimeras.

Thiol-modified MoS2 nanosheets as a functional layer for electrical bistable devices

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guan; Tan, Fenxue; Lv, Bokun; Wu, Mengying; Wang, Ruiqi; Lu, Yue; Li, Xu; Li, Zhiqiang; Teng, Feng

2018-01-01

Molybdenum disulfide nanosheets have been synthesized by one-pot method using 1-ODT as sulfur source and surfactant. The structure, morphology and optical properties of samples were investigated by XRD, FTIR, Abs spectrum and TEM patterns. The XRD pattern indicated that the as-obtained MoS2 belong to hexagonal system. The as-obtained MoS2 nanosheets blending with PVK could be used to fabricate an electrically bistable devices through a simple spin-coating method and the device exhibited an obvious electrical bistability properties. The charge transport mechanism of the device was discussed based on the filamentary switching models.

Study of thermally-induced optical bistability and the role of surface treatments in Si-based mid-infrared photonic crystal cavities.

Science.gov (United States)

Shankar, Raji; Bulu, Irfan; Leijssen, Rick; Lončar, Marko

2011-11-21

We report the observation of optical bistability in Si-based photonic crystal cavities operating around 4.5 µm. Time domain measurements indicate that the source of this optical bistability is thermal, with a time constant on the order of 5 µs. Quality (Q) factor improvement is shown by the use of surface treatments (wet processes and annealing), resulting in a significant increase in Q-factor, which in our best devices is on the order of ~45,000 at 4.48 µm. After annealing in a N(2) environment, optical bistability is no longer seen in our cavities. © 2011 Optical Society of America

How the Invisible Hand is Supposed to Adjust the Natural Thermostat: A Guide for the Perplexed

OpenAIRE

Storm, Servaas

2016-01-01

Mainstream climate economics takes global warming seriously, but perplexingly concludes that the optimal economic policy is to almost do nothing about it. This conclusion can be traced to just a few “normative” assumptions, over which there exists fundamental disagreement amongst economists. This paper explores two axes of this disagreement. The first axis (“market vs. regulation”) measures faith in the invisible hand to adjust the natural thermostat. The second axis expresses differences in ...

The role of frontal and parietal brain areas in bistable perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knapen, T.; Brascamp, J.; Pearson, J.; van Ee, R.; Blake, R.

2011-01-01

When sensory input allows for multiple, competing perceptual interpretations, observers' perception can fluctuate over time, which is called bistable perception. Imaging studies in humans have revealed transient responses in a right-lateralized network in the frontal-parietal cortex (rFPC) around

Identifying Likely Disk-hosting M dwarfs with Disk Detective

Science.gov (United States)

Silverberg, Steven; Wisniewski, John; Kuchner, Marc J.; Disk Detective Collaboration

2018-01-01

M dwarfs are critical targets for exoplanet searches. Debris disks often provide key information as to the formation and evolution of planetary systems around higher-mass stars, alongside the planet themselves. However, less than 300 M dwarf debris disks are known, despite M dwarfs making up 70% of the local neighborhood. The Disk Detective citizen science project has identified over 6000 new potential disk host stars from the AllWISE catalog over the past three years. Here, we present preliminary results of our search for new disk-hosting M dwarfs in the survey. Based on near-infrared color cuts and fitting stellar models to photometry, we have identified over 500 potential new M dwarf disk hosts, nearly doubling the known number of such systems. In this talk, we present our methodology, and outline our ongoing work to confirm systems as M dwarf disks.

Overview of Existing and Future Residential Use Cases for Connected Thermostats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rotondo, Julia [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Johnson, Robert [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Gonzales, Nancy [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Waranowski, Alexandra [Energetics Inc., Washington, DC (United States); Badger, Chris [Vermont Energy Investment Corp., Burlington, VT (United States); Lange, Nack [Vermont Energy Investment Corp., Burlington, VT (United States); Goldman, Ethan [Vermont Energy Investment Corp., Burlington, VT (United States); Foster, Rebecca [Vermont Energy Investment Corp., Burlington, VT (United States)

2016-12-01

This paper is intended to help inform future technology deployment opportunities for connected thermostats (CTs), based on investigation and review of the U.S. residential housing and CT markets, as well as existing, emerging, and future use cases for CT hardware and CT-generated data. The CT market has experienced tremendous growth over the last five years — both in terms of the number of units sold and the number of firms offering competing products — and can be characterized by its rapid pace of technological innovation. Despite many assuming CTs would become powerful tools for increasing comfort while saving energy, there remains a great deal of uncertainty about the actual energy and cost savings that are likely to be realized from deployment of CTs, particularly under different conditions.

Numerical analysis of intrinsic bistability and chromatic switching in Tm3+ single-doped systems under photon avalanche pumping scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Li; Zhang Xinlu; Chen Lixue

2008-01-01

In this paper, we predict and numerically demonstrate the intrinsic intensity bistability, spectra bistability and chromatic switching of visible-infrared emission in Tm 3+ single-doped systems that are pumped by the photon avalanche scheme at 648 nm. Based on the coupled rate equation theory, the evolutions of the populations at various Tm 3+ energy levels, emission spectra and fluorescence intensity versus pump excitation are numerically investigated in detail. The results show that intrinsic optical bistability (IOB) associated with emission spectra and luminescence intensity takes place in the vicinity of the avalanche threshold (∼10 kW cm -2 ). When the pump excitation rises above the switching threshold (∼17.5 kW cm -2 ), the chromatic switching between the infrared (1716 nm) and the visible blue (452/469 nm) spectra can be performed. Moreover, the influences of system parameters on IOB and the origin of chromatic switching are discussed. These unique characteristics of Tm 3+ -doped systems would lead to the new possibility of the development of pump-controlled all-solid-state luminescence switches and optical bistability switches.

Phase dependence of optical bistability and multistability in a four-level quantum system near a plasmonic nanostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asadpour, Seyyed Hossein; Rahimpour Soleimani, H.

2016-01-01

The optical bistability and multistability properties of a four-level quantum system near a plasmonic nanostructure embedded in a unidirectional ring cavity are studied theoretically. Two orthogonal circularly polarized laser fields with the same frequency, different phases and electric fields amplitude are interacted by four-level quantum system. It is found that in the presence of the plasmonic nanostructure, the bistable behaviors related to one of the laser fields propagating through the unidirectional ring cavity can be modified by relative phase and amplitude control of another laser fields. Our obtained results show that the optical bistability can be converted into the optical multistability by varying the value of distance between the quantum system and the surface of the plasmonic nanostructure. Moreover, it is shown that under specific condition related to the distance, the lasing without population inversion can be obtained

Phase dependence of optical bistability and multistability in a four-level quantum system near a plasmonic nanostructure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asadpour, Seyyed Hossein; Rahimpour Soleimani, H., E-mail: Rahimpour@guilan.ac.ir [Computational Nanophysics Laboratory (CNL), Department of Physics, University of Guilan, Rasht (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-01-14

The optical bistability and multistability properties of a four-level quantum system near a plasmonic nanostructure embedded in a unidirectional ring cavity are studied theoretically. Two orthogonal circularly polarized laser fields with the same frequency, different phases and electric fields amplitude are interacted by four-level quantum system. It is found that in the presence of the plasmonic nanostructure, the bistable behaviors related to one of the laser fields propagating through the unidirectional ring cavity can be modified by relative phase and amplitude control of another laser fields. Our obtained results show that the optical bistability can be converted into the optical multistability by varying the value of distance between the quantum system and the surface of the plasmonic nanostructure. Moreover, it is shown that under specific condition related to the distance, the lasing without population inversion can be obtained.

Kinetic evaluation of photosensitivity in bi-stable variants of chimeric channelrhodopsins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shoko Hososhima

Full Text Available Channelrhodopsin-1 and 2 (ChR1 and ChR2 form cation channels that are gated by light through an unknown mechanism. We tested the DC-gate hypothesis that C167 and D195 are involved in the stabilization of the cation-permeable state of ChRWR/C1C2 which consists of TM1-5 of ChR1 and TM6-7 of ChR2 and ChRFR which consists of TM1-2 of ChR1 and TM3-7 of ChR2. The cation permeable state of each ChRWR and ChRFR was markedly prolonged in the order of several tens of seconds when either C167 or D195 position was mutated to alanine (A. Therefore, the DC-gate function was conserved among these chimeric ChRs. We next investigated the kinetic properties of the ON/OFF response of these bi-stable ChR mutants as they are important in designing the photostimulation protocols for the optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activities. The turning-on rate constant of each photocurrent followed a linear relationship to 0-0.12 mW mm(-2 of blue LED light or to 0-0.33 mW mm(-2 of cyan LED light. Each photocurrent of bi-stable ChR was shut off to the non-conducting state by yellow or orange LED light in a manner dependent on the irradiance. As the magnitude of the photocurrent was mostly determined by the turning-on rate constant and the irradiation time, the minimal irradiance that effectively evoked an action potential (threshold irradiance was decreased with time only if the neuron, which expresses bi-stable ChRs, has a certain large membrane time constant (eg. τm > 20 ms. On the other hand, in another group of neurons, the threshold irradiance was not dependent on the irradiation time. Based on these quantitative data, we would propose that these bi-stable ChRs would be most suitable for enhancing the intrinsic activity of excitatory pyramidal neurons at a minimal magnitude of irradiance.

ALMA Survey of Lupus Protoplanetary Disks. II. Gas Disk Radii

Science.gov (United States)

Ansdell, M.; Williams, J. P.; Trapman, L.; van Terwisga, S. E.; Facchini, S.; Manara, C. F.; van der Marel, N.; Miotello, A.; Tazzari, M.; Hogerheijde, M.; Guidi, G.; Testi, L.; van Dishoeck, E. F.

2018-05-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-Millimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 observations of a complete sample of protoplanetary disks in the young (∼1–3 Myr) Lupus star-forming region, covering the 1.33 mm continuum and the 12CO, 13CO, and C18O J = 2–1 lines. The spatial resolution is ∼0.″25 with a medium 3σ continuum sensitivity of 0.30 mJy, corresponding to M dust ∼ 0.2 M ⊕. We apply Keplerian masking to enhance the signal-to-noise ratios of our 12CO zero-moment maps, enabling measurements of gas disk radii for 22 Lupus disks; we find that gas disks are universally larger than millimeter dust disks by a factor of two on average, likely due to a combination of the optically thick gas emission and the growth and inward drift of the dust. Using the gas disk radii, we calculate the dimensionless viscosity parameter, α visc, finding a broad distribution and no correlations with other disk or stellar parameters, suggesting that viscous processes have not yet established quasi-steady states in Lupus disks. By combining our 1.33 mm continuum fluxes with our previous 890 μm continuum observations, we also calculate the millimeter spectral index, α mm, for 70 Lupus disks; we find an anticorrelation between α mm and millimeter flux for low-mass disks (M dust ≲ 5), followed by a flattening as disks approach α mm ≈ 2, which could indicate faster grain growth in higher-mass disks, but may also reflect their larger optically thick components. In sum, this work demonstrates the continuous stream of new insights into disk evolution and planet formation that can be gleaned from unbiased ALMA disk surveys.

THICK-DISK EVOLUTION INDUCED BY THE GROWTH OF AN EMBEDDED THIN DISK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villalobos, Alvaro; Helmi, Amina; Kazantzidis, Stelios

2010-01-01

We perform collisionless N-body simulations to investigate the evolution of the structural and kinematical properties of simulated thick disks induced by the growth of an embedded thin disk. The thick disks used in the present study originate from cosmologically common 5:1 encounters between initially thin primary disk galaxies and infalling satellites. The growing thin disks are modeled as static gravitational potentials and we explore a variety of growing-disk parameters that are likely to influence the response of thick disks. We find that the final thick-disk properties depend strongly on the total mass and radial scale length of the growing thin disk, and much less sensitively on its growth timescale and vertical scale height as well as the initial sense of thick-disk rotation. Overall, the growth of an embedded thin disk can cause a substantial contraction in both the radial and vertical direction, resulting in a significant decrease in the scale lengths and scale heights of thick disks. Kinematically, a growing thin disk can induce a notable increase in the mean rotation and velocity dispersions of thick-disk stars. We conclude that the reformation of a thin disk via gas accretion may play a significant role in setting the structure and kinematics of thick disks, and thus it is an important ingredient in models of thick-disk formation.

Theoretical Investigation of the Bistability Effect in Non-Self-Sustained Discharges in Kr and Ar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyatko, N.A.; Napartovich, A.P.

2004-01-01

The electron energy distribution function and the related plasma parameters in non-self-sustained discharges in Kr and Ar are studied theoretically. The investigations are carried out by numerically solving the corresponding Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function with allowance for electron-electron collisions. The electron energy distribution and electron density are calculated self-consistently as functions of the intensity q of the source of secondary electrons and the magnitude of the reduced electric field E/N. The main goal of the investigations was to determine the conditions under which the plasma exhibits bistable parameters. Calculations show that, for discharges in Kr, there is a certain range of q and E/N values in which the Boltzmann equation has two different stable solutions. For an Ar plasma, such a bistability effect was not found: over the parameter range under consideration, the Boltzmann equation has a unique solution. Various plasma parameters (such as the effective electron temperature, electron drift velocity, and electron current density) are calculated for different discharge conditions, including those corresponding to the bistability effect

Numerical and Experimental Studies on Nonlinear Dynamics and Performance of a Bistable Piezoelectric Cantilever Generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangkang Guo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A piezo-magneto-elastically coupled distributed-parameter model of a bistable piezoelectric cantilever generator is developed by using the generalized Hamilton principle. The influence of the spacing between two adjacent magnets on the static bifurcation characteristics of the system is studied and the range of magnet spacing corresponding to the bistable states is obtained. Numerical and experimental studies are carried out to analyze the bifurcation, response characteristics, and their impact on the electrical output performance under varying external excitations. Results indicate that interwell limit cycle motion of the beam around the two centers corresponds to optimum power output; interwell chaotic motion and multiperiodic motion including intrawell oscillations are less effective. At a given frequency, the phenomena of symmetric-breaking and amplitude-phase modulation are observed with increase of base excitation. Both period-doubling bifurcation and intermittency routes to chaotic motion in the bistable system are found. It can be observed that the power output is not proportional to the excitation level because of the bifurcation behaviours.

Observational constraints for the circumstellar disk of the B[e] star CPD-52 9243

Science.gov (United States)

Cidale, L. S.; Borges Fernandes, M.; Andruchow, I.; Arias, M. L.; Kraus, M.; Chesneau, O.; Kanaan, S.; Curé, M.; de Wit, W. J.; Muratore, M. F.

2012-12-01

Context. The formation and evolution of gas and dust environments around B[e] supergiants are still open issues. Aims: We intend to study the geometry, kinematics and physical structure of the circumstellar environment (CE) of the B[e] supergiant CPD-52 9243 to provide further insights into the underlying mechanism causing the B[e] phenomenon. Methods: The influence of the different physical mechanisms acting on the CE (radiation pressure, rotation, bi-stability or tidal forces) is somehow reflected in the shape and kinematic properties of the gas and dust regions (flaring, Keplerian, accretion or outflowing disks). To investigate these processes we mainly used quasi-simultaneous observations taken with high spatial resolution optical long-baseline interferometry (VLTI/MIDI), near-IR spectroscopy of CO bandhead features (Gemini/Phoenix and VLT/CRIRES) and optical spectra (CASLEO/REOSC). Results: High angular resolution interferometric measurements obtained with VLTI/MIDI provide strong support for the presence of a dusty disk(ring)-like structure around CPD-52 9243, with an upper limit for its inner edge of ~8 mas (~27.5 AU, considering a distance of 3.44 kpc to the star). The disk has an inclination angle with respect to the line of sight of 46 ± 7°. The study of CO first overtone bandhead evidences a disk structure in Keplerian rotation. The optical spectrum indicates a rapid outflow in the polar direction. Conclusions: The IR emission (CO and warm dust) indicates Keplerian rotation in a circumstellar disk while the optical line transitions of various species are consistent with a polar wind. Both structures appear simultaneously and provide further evidence for the proposed paradigms of the mass-loss in supergiant B[e] stars. The presence of a detached cold CO ring around CPD-52 9243 could be due to a truncation of the inner disk caused by a companion, located possibly interior to the disk rim, clearing the center of the system. More spectroscopic and

Oscillations of disks

CERN Document Server

Kato, Shoji

2016-01-01

This book presents the current state of research on disk oscillation theory, focusing on relativistic disks and tidally deformed disks. Since the launch of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in 1996, many high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (HFQPOs) have been observed in X-ray binaries. Subsequently, similar quasi-periodic oscillations have been found in such relativistic objects as microquasars, ultra-luminous X-ray sources, and galactic nuclei. One of the most promising explanations of their origin is based on oscillations in relativistic disks, and a new field called discoseismology is currently developing. After reviewing observational aspects, the book presents the basic characteristics of disk oscillations, especially focusing on those in relativistic disks. Relativistic disks are essentially different from Newtonian disks in terms of several basic characteristics of their disk oscillations, including the radial distributions of epicyclic frequencies. In order to understand the basic processes...

Chimeralike states in networks of bistable time-delayed feedback oscillators coupled via the mean field.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponomarenko, V I; Kulminskiy, D D; Prokhorov, M D

2017-08-01

We study the collective dynamics of oscillators in a network of identical bistable time-delayed feedback systems globally coupled via the mean field. The influence of delay and inertial properties of the mean field on the collective behavior of globally coupled oscillators is investigated. A variety of oscillation regimes in the network results from the presence of bistable states with substantially different frequencies in coupled oscillators. In the physical experiment and numerical simulation we demonstrate the existence of chimeralike states, in which some of the oscillators in the network exhibit synchronous oscillations, while all other oscillators remain asynchronous.

Bistability and hysteresis of the 'Secteur' differentiation are controlled by a two-gene locus in Nectria haematococca

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Daboussi Marie-Josée

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bistability and hysteresis are increasingly recognized as major properties of regulatory networks governing numerous biological phenomena, such as differentiation and cell cycle progression. The full scope of the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to bistability and hysteresis remains elusive. Nectria haemaotcocca, a saprophytic or pathogenic fungus with sexual reproduction, exhibits a bistable morphological modification characterized by a reduced growth rate and an intense pigmentation. Bistability is triggered by the presence or absence of σ, a cytoplasmic determinant. This determinant spreads in an infectious manner in the hyphae of the growing margin, insuring hysteresis of the differentiation. Results Seven mutants specifically affected in the generation of σ were selected through two different screening strategies. The s1 and s2 mutations completely abolish the generation of σ and of its morphological expression, the Secteur. The remaining five mutations promote its constitutive generation, which determines an intense pigmentation but not growth alteration. The seven mutations map at the same locus, Ses (for 'Secteur-specific'. The s2 mutant was obtained by an insertional mutagenesis strategy, which permitted the cloning of the Ses locus. Sequence and transcription analysis reveals that Ses is composed of two closely linked genes, SesA, mutated in the s1 and s2 mutant strains, and SesB, mutated in the s* mutant strains. SesB shares sequence similarity with animal and fungal putative proteins, with potential esterase/lipase/thioesterase activity, whereas SesA is similar to proteins of unknown function present only in the filamentous fungi Fusarium graminearum and Podospora anserina. Conclusions The cloning of Ses provides evidence that a system encoded by two linked genes directs a bistable and hysteretic switch in a eukaryote. Atypical regulatory relations between the two proteins may account for the hysteresis

Bistability and hysteresis of the 'Secteur' differentiation are controlled by a two-gene locus in Nectria haematococca

Science.gov (United States)

Graziani, Stéphane; Silar, Philippe; Daboussi, Marie-Josée

2004-01-01

Background Bistability and hysteresis are increasingly recognized as major properties of regulatory networks governing numerous biological phenomena, such as differentiation and cell cycle progression. The full scope of the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to bistability and hysteresis remains elusive. Nectria haemaotcocca, a saprophytic or pathogenic fungus with sexual reproduction, exhibits a bistable morphological modification characterized by a reduced growth rate and an intense pigmentation. Bistability is triggered by the presence or absence of σ, a cytoplasmic determinant. This determinant spreads in an infectious manner in the hyphae of the growing margin, insuring hysteresis of the differentiation. Results Seven mutants specifically affected in the generation of σ were selected through two different screening strategies. The s1 and s2 mutations completely abolish the generation of σ and of its morphological expression, the Secteur. The remaining five mutations promote its constitutive generation, which determines an intense pigmentation but not growth alteration. The seven mutations map at the same locus, Ses (for 'Secteur-specific'). The s2 mutant was obtained by an insertional mutagenesis strategy, which permitted the cloning of the Ses locus. Sequence and transcription analysis reveals that Ses is composed of two closely linked genes, SesA, mutated in the s1 and s2 mutant strains, and SesB, mutated in the s* mutant strains. SesB shares sequence similarity with animal and fungal putative proteins, with potential esterase/lipase/thioesterase activity, whereas SesA is similar to proteins of unknown function present only in the filamentous fungi Fusarium graminearum and Podospora anserina. Conclusions The cloning of Ses provides evidence that a system encoded by two linked genes directs a bistable and hysteretic switch in a eukaryote. Atypical regulatory relations between the two proteins may account for the hysteresis of Secteur differentiation

Methods for a Smart Thermostat to Estimate the Characteristics of a House Based on Sensor Data with Varying Extent of Completeness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ham, Wim; Klein, Michel; Tabatabaei, Seyed Amin; Thilakarathne, Dilhan; Treur, Jan

Smart thermostats can play an important role in achieving more economic energy usage in domestic situations. This paper focuses on the energy used for natural gas-based heating, and monitoring of gas usages versus indoor and outdoor temperatures over time. Two methods are presented that enable the

Feedback-induced bistability of an optically levitated nanoparticle: A Fokker-Planck treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Wenchao; Rodenburg, Brandon; Bhattacharya, M.

2016-08-01

Optically levitated nanoparticles have recently emerged as versatile platforms for investigating macroscopic quantum mechanics and enabling ultrasensitive metrology. In this paper we theoretically consider two damping regimes of an optically levitated nanoparticle cooled by cavityless parametric feedback. Our treatment is based on a generalized Fokker-Planck equation derived from the quantum master equation presented recently and shown to agree very well with experiment [B. Rodenburg, L. P. Neukirch, A. N. Vamivakas, and M. Bhattacharya, Quantum model of cooling and force sensing with an optically trapped nanoparticle, Optica 3, 318 (2016), 10.1364/OPTICA.3.000318]. For low damping, we find that the resulting Wigner function yields the single-peaked oscillator position distribution and recovers the appropriate energy distribution derived earlier using a classical theory and verified experimentally [J. Gieseler, R. Quidant, C. Dellago, and L. Novotny, Dynamic relaxation of a levitated nanoparticle from a non-equilibrium steady state, Nat. Nano. 9, 358 (2014), 10.1038/nnano.2014.40]. For high damping, in contrast, we predict a double-peaked position distribution, which we trace to an underlying bistability induced by feedback. Unlike in cavity-based optomechanics, stochastic processes play a major role in determining the bistable behavior. To support our conclusions, we present analytical expressions as well as numerical simulations using the truncated Wigner function approach. Our work opens up the prospect of developing bistability-based devices, characterization of phase-space dynamics, and investigation of the quantum-classical transition using levitated nanoparticles.

Regularity, variability and bi-stability in the activity of cerebellar purkinje cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Rokni, Dan; Tal, Zohar; Byk, Hananel; Yarom, Yosef

2009-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated that the membrane potential of Purkinje cells is bi-stable and that this phenomenon underlies bi-modal simple spike firing. Membrane potential alternates between a depolarized state, that is associated with spontaneous simple spike firing (up state), and a quiescent hyperpolarized state (down state). A controversy has emerged regarding the relevance of bi-stability to the awake animal, yet recordings made from behaving cat Purkinje cells have demonstrated that at least 50% of the cells exhibit bi-modal firing. The robustness of the phenomenon in vitro or in anaesthetized systems on the one hand, and the controversy regarding its expression in behaving animals on the other hand suggest that state transitions are under neuronal control. Indeed, we have recently demonstrated that synaptic inputs can induce transitions between the states and suggested that the role of granule cell input is to control the states of Purkinje cells rather than increase or decrease firing rate gradually. We have also shown that the state of a Purkinje cell does not only affect its firing but also the waveform of climbing fiber-driven complex spikes and the associated calcium influx. These findings call for a reconsideration of the role of Purkinje cells in cerebellar function. In this manuscript we review the recent findings on Purkinje cell bi-stability and add some analyses of its effect on the regularity and variability of Purkinje cell activity.

Regularity, variabilty and bi-stability in the activity of cerebellar Purkinje cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Rokni

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have demonstrated that the membrane potential of Purkinje cells is bi-stable and that this phenomenon underlies bi-modal simple spike firing. Membrane potential alternates between a depolarized state, that is associated with spontaneous simple spike firing (up state, and a quiescent hyperpolarized state (down state. A controversy has emerged regarding the relevance of bi-stability to the awake animal, yet recordings made from behaving cat Purkinje cells have demonstrated that at least 50% of the cells exhibit bi-modal firing. The robustness of the phenomenon in-vitro or in anaesthetized systems on the one hand, and the controversy regarding its expression in behaving animals on the other hand suggest that state transitions are under neuronal control. Indeed, we have recently demonstrated that synaptic inputs can induce transitions between the states and suggested that the role of granule cell input is to control the states of Purkinje cells rather than increase or decrease firing rate gradually. We have also shown that the state of a Purkinje cell does not only affect its firing but also the waveform of climbing fiber-driven complex spikes and the associated calcium influx. These findings call for a reconsideration of the role of Purkinje cells in cerebellar function. In this manuscript we review the recent findings on Purkinje cell bi-stability and add some analyses of its effect on the regularity and variability of Purkinje cell activity.

Dynamic optical bistability in resonantly enhanced Raman generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novikova, I.; Phillips, D.F.; Zibrov, A.S.; Andre, A.; Walsworth, R.L.

2004-01-01

We report observations of novel dynamic behavior in resonantly enhanced stimulated Raman scattering in Rb vapor. In particular, we demonstrate a dynamic hysteresis of the Raman scattered optical field in response to changes of the drive laser field intensity and/or frequency. This effect may be described as a dynamic form of optical bistability resulting from the formation and decay of atomic coherence. We have applied this phenomenon to the realization of an all-optical switch

Optical wall dynamics induced by coexistence of monostable and bistable spatial regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Odent, V; Louvergneaux, E; Clerc, M G; Andrade-Silva, I

2016-11-01

When nonequilibrium extended homogeneous systems exhibit multistability, it leads to the presence of domain walls between the existing equilibria. Depending on the stability of the steady states, the dynamics differs. Here, we consider the interface dynamics in the case of a spatially inhomogeneous system, namely, an optical system where the control parameter is spatially Gaussian. Then interfaces connect the monostable and the bistable nonuniform states that are associated with two distinct spatial regions. The coexistence of these two regions of different stability induces relaxation dynamics and the propagation of a wall with a time-dependent speed. We emphasize analytically these two dynamical behaviors using a generic bistable model. Experimentally, an inhomogeneous Gaussian light beam traveling through either a dye-doped liquid crystal cell or a Kerr cavity depicts these behaviors, in agreement with the theoretical predictions.

UP-DOWN cortical dynamics reflect state transitions in a bistable network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jercog, Daniel; Roxin, Alex; Barthó, Peter; Luczak, Artur; Compte, Albert; de la Rocha, Jaime

2017-08-04

In the idling brain, neuronal circuits transition between periods of sustained firing (UP state) and quiescence (DOWN state), a pattern the mechanisms of which remain unclear. Here we analyzed spontaneous cortical population activity from anesthetized rats and found that UP and DOWN durations were highly variable and that population rates showed no significant decay during UP periods. We built a network rate model with excitatory (E) and inhibitory (I) populations exhibiting a novel bistable regime between a quiescent and an inhibition-stabilized state of arbitrarily low rate. Fluctuations triggered state transitions, while adaptation in E cells paradoxically caused a marginal decay of E-rate but a marked decay of I-rate in UP periods, a prediction that we validated experimentally. A spiking network implementation further predicted that DOWN-to-UP transitions must be caused by synchronous high-amplitude events. Our findings provide evidence of bistable cortical networks that exhibit non-rhythmic state transitions when the brain rests.

Magnetically Induced Disk Winds and Transport in the HL Tau Disk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, Yasuhiro; Flock, Mario; Turner, Neal J.; Okuzumi, Satoshi

2017-01-01

The mechanism of angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks is fundamental to understanding the distributions of gas and dust in the disks. The unprecedented ALMA observations taken toward HL Tau at high spatial resolution and subsequent radiative transfer modeling reveal that a high degree of dust settling is currently achieved in the outer part of the HL Tau disk. Previous observations, however, suggest a high disk accretion rate onto the central star. This configuration is not necessarily intuitive in the framework of the conventional viscous disk model, since efficient accretion generally requires a high level of turbulence, which can suppress dust settling considerably. We develop a simplified, semi-analytical disk model to examine under what condition these two properties can be realized in a single model. Recent, non-ideal MHD simulations are utilized to realistically model the angular momentum transport both radially via MHD turbulence and vertically via magnetically induced disk winds. We find that the HL Tau disk configuration can be reproduced well when disk winds are properly taken into account. While the resulting disk properties are likely consistent with other observational results, such an ideal situation can be established only if the plasma β at the disk midplane is β 0 ≃ 2 × 10 4 under the assumption of steady accretion. Equivalently, the vertical magnetic flux at 100 au is about 0.2 mG. More detailed modeling is needed to fully identify the origin of the disk accretion and quantitatively examine plausible mechanisms behind the observed gap structures in the HL Tau disk.

Magnetically Induced Disk Winds and Transport in the HL Tau Disk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasegawa, Yasuhiro; Flock, Mario; Turner, Neal J. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Okuzumi, Satoshi, E-mail: yasuhiro@caltech.edu [Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan)

2017-08-10

The mechanism of angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks is fundamental to understanding the distributions of gas and dust in the disks. The unprecedented ALMA observations taken toward HL Tau at high spatial resolution and subsequent radiative transfer modeling reveal that a high degree of dust settling is currently achieved in the outer part of the HL Tau disk. Previous observations, however, suggest a high disk accretion rate onto the central star. This configuration is not necessarily intuitive in the framework of the conventional viscous disk model, since efficient accretion generally requires a high level of turbulence, which can suppress dust settling considerably. We develop a simplified, semi-analytical disk model to examine under what condition these two properties can be realized in a single model. Recent, non-ideal MHD simulations are utilized to realistically model the angular momentum transport both radially via MHD turbulence and vertically via magnetically induced disk winds. We find that the HL Tau disk configuration can be reproduced well when disk winds are properly taken into account. While the resulting disk properties are likely consistent with other observational results, such an ideal situation can be established only if the plasma β at the disk midplane is β {sub 0} ≃ 2 × 10{sup 4} under the assumption of steady accretion. Equivalently, the vertical magnetic flux at 100 au is about 0.2 mG. More detailed modeling is needed to fully identify the origin of the disk accretion and quantitatively examine plausible mechanisms behind the observed gap structures in the HL Tau disk.

First-passage time in a bistable potential with colored noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez-Piscina, L.; Maria Sancho, J.; Javier de la Rubia, F.; Lindenberg, K.; Tsironis, G.P.

1989-01-01

A precise digital simulation of a bistable system under the effect of colored noise is carried out. A set of data for the mean first-passage time is obtained. The results are interpreted and compared with presently available theories, which are revisited following a new insight. Discrepancies that have been discussed in the literature are understood within our framework

Oscillatory pulses and wave trains in a bistable reaction-diffusion system with cross diffusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemskov, Evgeny P; Tsyganov, Mikhail A; Horsthemke, Werner

2017-01-01

We study waves with exponentially decaying oscillatory tails in a reaction-diffusion system with linear cross diffusion. To be specific, we consider a piecewise linear approximation of the FitzHugh-Nagumo model, also known as the Bonhoeffer-van der Pol model. We focus on two types of traveling waves, namely solitary pulses that correspond to a homoclinic solution, and sequences of pulses or wave trains, i.e., a periodic solution. The effect of cross diffusion on wave profiles and speed of propagation is analyzed. We find the intriguing result that both pulses and wave trains occur in the bistable cross-diffusive FitzHugh-Nagumo system, whereas only fronts exist in the standard bistable system without cross diffusion.

Intrinsic Bistability and Critical Slowing in Tm3+/Yb3+ Codoped Laser Crystal with the Photon Avalanche Mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Li; Li-Xue, Chen; Xin-Lu, Zhang

2009-01-01

We present theoretically a novel intrinsic optical bistability (IOB) in the Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ codoped system with a photon avalanche mechanism. Numerical simulations based on the rate equation model demonstrate distinct IOB hysteresis and critical slowing dynamics around the avalanche thresholds. Such an IOB characteristic in Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ codoped crystal has potential applications in solid-state bistable optical displays and luminescence switchers in visible-infrared spectra. (fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications))

Stationary patterns in star networks of bistable units: Theory and application to chemical reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouvaris, Nikos E; Sebek, Michael; Iribarne, Albert; Díaz-Guilera, Albert; Kiss, István Z

2017-04-01

We present theoretical and experimental studies on pattern formation with bistable dynamical units coupled in a star network configuration. By applying a localized perturbation to the central or the peripheral elements, we demonstrate the subsequent spreading, pinning, or retraction of the activations; such analysis enables the characterization of the formation of stationary patterns of localized activity. The results are interpreted with a theoretical analysis of a simplified bistable reaction-diffusion model. Weak coupling results in trivial pinned states where the activation cannot propagate. At strong coupling, a uniform state is expected with active or inactive elements at small or large degree networks, respectively. A nontrivial stationary spatial pattern, corresponding to an activation pinning, is predicted to occur at an intermediate number of peripheral elements and at intermediate coupling strengths, where the central activation of the network is pinned, but the peripheral activation propagates toward the center. The results are confirmed in experiments with star networks of bistable electrochemical reactions. The experiments confirm the existence of the stationary spatial patterns and the dependence of coupling strength on the number of peripheral elements for transitions between pinned and retreating or spreading fronts in forced network configurations (where the central or periphery elements are forced to maintain their states).

Vibration Energy Harvester with Bi-stable Curved Beam Spring Offset by Gravitational Acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Koki; Fujita, Takayuki; Kanda, Kensuke; Maenaka, Kazusuke; Badel, Adrien; Formosa, Fabien

2015-01-01

We developed MEMS bi-stable spring for vibration energy harvester (VEH), which consists of intrinsically curved shape spring and gravitational acceleration. By applying the gravitational acceleration, the curved beam is offset to the gravity direction. It will make more symmetrical bi-stable motion and the symmetry is improved from 3.3 to 65.4%. We proposed that the combination between curved beam and gravity acceleration for decreasing snap- through acceleration. From the analytical result, we investigate the combination can effective to use for decreasing of snap-through force. We also fabricated the prototype device by using MEMS fabrication process. The frequency response for horizontal direction and the acceleration response for vertical direction are measured. The acceleration response shows that the gravitational acceleration improves the symmetry of snap-through force. (paper)

Bistable switching in dual-frequency liquid crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palto, S. P., E-mail: palto@online.ru; Barnik, M I [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography (Russian Federation)

2006-06-15

Various bistable switching modes in nematic liquid crystals with frequency inversion of the sign of dielectric anisotropy are revealed and investigated. Switching between states with different helicoidal distributions of the director field of a liquid crystal, as well as between uniform and helicoidal states, is realized by dual-frequency waveforms of a driving voltage. A distinctive feature of the dual-frequency switching is that the uniform planar distribution of the director field may correspond to a thermodynamically equilibrium state, and the chirality of an LC is not a necessary condition for switching to a helicoidal state.

Contact statuses between functionally graded brake disk and pure pad disk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahzamanian, M.M.; Sahari, B.B.; Bayat, M.; Mustapha, F.; Ismarrubie, Z.N.; Shahrjerdi, A.

2009-01-01

Full text: The contact statuses between functionally graded (FG) brake disks and pure pad disk are investigated by using finite element method (FEM). Two types of variation is considered for FG brake disk, the variation of materials are considered change in radial and thickness direction of disk. The material properties of these two types of FG brake disks are assumed to be represented by power-law distributions in the radius and thickness direction. The results are obtained and then compared. For the radial FG brake disk, the inner and outer surfaces are considered metal and ceramic respectively, and friction coefficient between metal surface and ceramic surface of FG brake dick with pad are considered 1.4 and 0.75 respectively. For the thickness FG brake disk the contact surface with pure pad brake disk is ceramic and the free surface is metal and friction coefficient between ceramic (contact) surface and pure pad brake disk is considered 0.75. In both types of FG brake disks the Coulomb contact friction is applied. Mechanical response of FG brake disks are compared and verified with the known results in the literatures. Three types of contact statuses are introduced as Sticking, Contact and Near Contact. The contact status between pad and disk for different values for pad thickness, grading index,n , and percentage of friction coefficient (λ) is shown. It can be seen that for all values of percentage of friction coefficient,λ , and grading indices, n, by increasing the thickness of pad cause the contact status changes from sticking to contact and then to near contact. (author)

Nonvolatile flexible organic bistable devices fabricated utilizing CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles embedded in a conducting poly N-vinylcarbazole polymer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Dong-Ick; Kim, Ji-Hwan; Park, Dong-Hee; Choi, Won Kook; Li, Fushan; Ham, Jung Hun; Kim, Tae Whan

2008-01-01

The bistable effects of CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles embedded in a conducting poly N-vinylcarbazole (PVK) polymer layer by using flexible poly-vinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles were formed inside the PVK polymer layer. Current-voltage (I-V) measurement on the Al/[CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles+ PVK]/ITO/PVDF and Al/[CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles+ PVK ]/ITO/PET structures at 300 K showed a nonvolatile electrical bistability behavior with a flat-band voltage shift due to the existence of the CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles, indicative of trapping, storing and emission of charges in the electronic states of the CdSe nanoparticles. A bistable behavior for the fabricated organic bistable device (OBD) structures is described on the basis of the I-V results. These results indicate that OBDs fabricated by embedding inorganic CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles in a conducting polymer matrix on flexible substrates are prospects for potential applications in flexible nonvolatile flash memory devices

An analytical approach for predicting the energy capture and conversion by impulsively-excited bistable vibration energy harvesters

Science.gov (United States)

Harne, R. L.; Zhang, Chunlin; Li, Bing; Wang, K. W.

2016-07-01

Impulsive energies are abundant throughout the natural and built environments, for instance as stimulated by wind gusts, foot-steps, or vehicle-road interactions. In the interest of maximizing the sustainability of society's technological developments, one idea is to capture these high-amplitude and abrupt energies and convert them into usable electrical power such as for sensors which otherwise rely on less sustainable power supplies. In this spirit, the considerable sensitivity to impulse-type events previously uncovered for bistable oscillators has motivated recent experimental and numerical studies on the power generation performance of bistable vibration energy harvesters. To lead to an effective and efficient predictive tool and design guide, this research develops a new analytical approach to estimate the electroelastic response and power generation of a bistable energy harvester when excited by an impulse. Comparison with values determined by direct simulation of the governing equations shows that the analytically predicted net converted energies are very accurate for a wide range of impulse strengths. Extensive experimental investigations are undertaken to validate the analytical approach and it is seen that the predicted estimates of the impulsive energy conversion are in excellent agreement with the measurements, and the detailed structural dynamics are correctly reproduced. As a result, the analytical approach represents a significant leap forward in the understanding of how to effectively leverage bistable structures as energy harvesting devices and introduces new means to elucidate the transient and far-from-equilibrium dynamics of nonlinear systems more generally.

GIANT PLANET MIGRATION, DISK EVOLUTION, AND THE ORIGIN OF TRANSITIONAL DISKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, Richard D.; Armitage, Philip J.

2009-01-01

We present models of giant planet migration in evolving protoplanetary disks. Our disks evolve subject to viscous transport of angular momentum and photoevaporation, while planets undergo Type II migration. We use a Monte Carlo approach, running large numbers of models with a range in initial conditions. We find that relatively simple models can reproduce both the observed radial distribution of extrasolar giant planets, and the lifetimes and accretion histories of protoplanetary disks. The use of state-of-the-art photoevaporation models results in a degree of coupling between planet formation and disk clearing, which has not been found previously. Some accretion across planetary orbits is necessary if planets are to survive at radii ∼<1.5 AU, and if planets of Jupiter mass or greater are to survive in our models they must be able to form at late times, when the disk surface density in the formation region is low. Our model forms two different types of 'transitional' disks, embedded planets and clearing disks, which show markedly different properties. We find that the observable properties of these systems are broadly consistent with current observations, and highlight useful observational diagnostics. We predict that young transition disks are more likely to contain embedded giant planets, while older transition disks are more likely to be undergoing disk clearing.

High-Speed and Low-Energy Flip-Flop Operation of Asymmetric Active-Multimode Interferometer Bi-Stable Laser Diodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Haisong; Chaen, Yutaka; Hagio, Takuma

2011-01-01

High-speed (121/25 ps rise/fall time) and low-switching energy (7.1 and 3.4 fJ) alloptical flip-flop operation of single-wavelength high-mesa asymmetric active-MMI bi-stable laser diodes is demonstrated for the first time using 25 ps long switching pulses.......High-speed (121/25 ps rise/fall time) and low-switching energy (7.1 and 3.4 fJ) alloptical flip-flop operation of single-wavelength high-mesa asymmetric active-MMI bi-stable laser diodes is demonstrated for the first time using 25 ps long switching pulses....

Bio-inspired structural bistability employing elastomeric origami for morphing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daynes, Stephen; Trask, Richard S; Weaver, Paul M

2014-01-01

A structural concept based upon the principles of adaptive morphing cells is presented whereby controlled bistability from a flat configuration into a textured arrangement is shown. The material consists of multiple cells made from silicone rubber with locally reinforced regions based upon kirigami principles. On pneumatic actuation these cells fold or unfold based on the fold lines created by the interaction of the geometry with the reinforced regions. Each cell is able to maintain its shape in either a retracted or deployed state, without the aid of mechanisms or sustained actuation, due to the existence of structural bistability. Mathematical quantification of the surface texture is introduced, based on out-of-plane deviations of a deployed structure compared to a reference plane. Additionally, finite element analysis is employed to characterize the geometry and stability of an individual cell during actuation and retraction. This investigation highlights the critical role that angular rotation, at the center of each cell, plays on the deployment angle as it transitions through the elastically deployed configuration. The analysis of this novel concept is presented and a pneumatically actuated proof-of-concept demonstrator is fabricated. (paper)

Bio-inspired structural bistability employing elastomeric origami for morphing applications

Science.gov (United States)

Daynes, Stephen; Trask, Richard S.; Weaver, Paul M.

2014-12-01

A structural concept based upon the principles of adaptive morphing cells is presented whereby controlled bistability from a flat configuration into a textured arrangement is shown. The material consists of multiple cells made from silicone rubber with locally reinforced regions based upon kirigami principles. On pneumatic actuation these cells fold or unfold based on the fold lines created by the interaction of the geometry with the reinforced regions. Each cell is able to maintain its shape in either a retracted or deployed state, without the aid of mechanisms or sustained actuation, due to the existence of structural bistability. Mathematical quantification of the surface texture is introduced, based on out-of-plane deviations of a deployed structure compared to a reference plane. Additionally, finite element analysis is employed to characterize the geometry and stability of an individual cell during actuation and retraction. This investigation highlights the critical role that angular rotation, at the center of each cell, plays on the deployment angle as it transitions through the elastically deployed configuration. The analysis of this novel concept is presented and a pneumatically actuated proof-of-concept demonstrator is fabricated.

Designing a stochastic genetic switch by coupling chaos and bistability.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiang; Ouyang, Qi; Wang, Hongli

2015-11-01

In stem cell differentiation, a pluripotent stem cell becomes progressively specialized and generates specific cell types through a series of epigenetic processes. How cells can precisely determine their fate in a fluctuating environment is a currently unsolved problem. In this paper, we suggest an abstract gene regulatory network to describe mathematically the differentiation phenomenon featuring stochasticity, divergent cell fates, and robustness. The network consists of three functional motifs: an upstream chaotic motif, a buffering motif of incoherent feed forward loop capable of generating a pulse, and a downstream motif which is bistable. The dynamic behavior is typically a transient chaos with fractal basin boundaries. The trajectories take transiently chaotic journeys before divergently settling down to the bistable states. The ratio of the probability that the high state is achieved to the probability that the low state is reached can maintain a constant in a population of cells with varied molecular fluctuations. The ratio can be turned up or down when proper parameters are adjusted. The model suggests a possible mechanism for the robustness against fluctuations that is prominently featured in pluripotent cell differentiations and developmental phenomena.

Designing a stochastic genetic switch by coupling chaos and bistability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Xiang [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Ouyang, Qi [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); The Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100871 (China); Wang, Hongli, E-mail: hlwang@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2015-11-15

In stem cell differentiation, a pluripotent stem cell becomes progressively specialized and generates specific cell types through a series of epigenetic processes. How cells can precisely determine their fate in a fluctuating environment is a currently unsolved problem. In this paper, we suggest an abstract gene regulatory network to describe mathematically the differentiation phenomenon featuring stochasticity, divergent cell fates, and robustness. The network consists of three functional motifs: an upstream chaotic motif, a buffering motif of incoherent feed forward loop capable of generating a pulse, and a downstream motif which is bistable. The dynamic behavior is typically a transient chaos with fractal basin boundaries. The trajectories take transiently chaotic journeys before divergently settling down to the bistable states. The ratio of the probability that the high state is achieved to the probability that the low state is reached can maintain a constant in a population of cells with varied molecular fluctuations. The ratio can be turned up or down when proper parameters are adjusted. The model suggests a possible mechanism for the robustness against fluctuations that is prominently featured in pluripotent cell differentiations and developmental phenomena.

Amplification of an Autodyne Signal in a Bistable Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser with the Use of a Vibrational Resonance

Science.gov (United States)

Chizhevsky, V. N.

2018-01-01

For the first time, it is demonstrated experimentally that a vibrational resonance in a polarization-bistable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser can be used to increase the laser response in autodyne detection of microvibrations from reflecting surfaces. In this case, more than 25-fold signal amplification is achieved. The influence of the asymmetry of the bistable potential on the microvibration-detection efficiency is studied.

A new concept for active bistable twisting structures

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Marc R.

2005-05-01

A novel type of morphing structure capable of a large change in shape with a small energy input is discussed in this paper. The considered structures consist of two curved shells that are joined in a specific manner to form a bistable airfoil-like structure. The two stable shapes have a difference in axial twist, and the structure may be transformed between the stable shapes by a simple snap-through action. The benefit of a bistable structure of this type is that, if the stable shapes are operational shapes, power is needed only to transform the structure from one shape to another. The discussed structures could be used in aerodynamic applications such as morphing wings, or as aerodynamic control surfaces. The investigation discussed in this paper considers both experiment and finite-element analysis. Several graphite-epoxy composite and one steel device were created as proof-of-concept models. To demonstrate active control of these structures, piezocomposite actuators were applied to one of the composite structures and used to transform the structure between stable shapes. The analysis was used to compare the predicted shapes with the experimental shapes, and to study how changes to the geometric input values affected the shape and operational characteristics of the structures. The predicted shapes showed excellent agreement with the experimental shapes, and the results of the parametric study suggest that the shapes and the snap-through characteristics can be easily tailored to meet specific needs.

Understanding bistability in yeast glycolysis using general properties of metabolic pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Planqué, Robert; Bruggeman, Frank J; Teusink, Bas; Hulshof, Josephus

2014-09-01

Glycolysis is the central pathway in energy metabolism in the majority of organisms. In a recent paper, van Heerden et al. showed experimentally and computationally that glycolysis can exist in two states, a global steady state and a so-called imbalanced state. In the imbalanced state, intermediary metabolites accumulate at low levels of ATP and inorganic phosphate. It was shown that Baker's yeast uses a peculiar regulatory mechanism--via trehalose metabolism--to ensure that most yeast cells reach the steady state and not the imbalanced state. Here we explore the apparent bistable behaviour in a core model of glycolysis that is based on a well-established detailed model, and study in great detail the bifurcation behaviour of solutions, without using any numerical information on parameter values. We uncover a rich suite of solutions, including so-called imbalanced states, bistability, and oscillatory behaviour. The techniques employed are generic, directly suitable for a wide class of biochemical pathways, and could lead to better analytical treatments of more detailed models. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Electrothermal bistability tuning in a large displacement micro actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Gerson, Y.; Krylov, S.; Ilic, B.

2010-11-01

We report on an approach allowing simple yet efficient tuning of the bistability properties in large displacement micro actuators. The devices fabricated from silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers using a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE)-based process incorporate elastic suspension realized as a pair of beams initially curved in-plane and are operated electrostatically by a comb-drive transducer. The curvature of beam and therefore the stability characteristics of the suspension are controlled by passing a current through the suspension and resistive heating the beam material. Experimental results, which are in good agreement with the finite elements model predictions, demonstrate the feasibility of the suggested approach and show that the application of a small tuning current increases the device deflection from 42 to 56 µm, allows adjustment of the critical snap-through and snap-back voltages and makes it possible the control of latching without an additional electrode. The approach can be efficiently implemented in electrical and optical switches and threshold inertial and mass sensors where the use of long displacement actuators with an adjustable bistability range is beneficial.

Stochastic dynamics of a delayed bistable system with multiplicative noise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dung, Nguyen Tien, E-mail: dung-nguyentien10@yahoo.com, E-mail: dungnt@fpt.edu.vn [Department of Mathematics, FPT University, No 8 Ton That Thuyet, My Dinh, Tu Liem, Hanoi (Viet Nam)

2014-05-15

In this paper we investigate the properties of a delayed bistable system under the effect of multiplicative noise. We first prove the existence and uniqueness of the positive solution and show that its moments are uniformly bounded. Then, we study stochastic dynamics of the solution in long time, the lower and upper bounds for the paths and an estimate for the average value are provided.

Fractionation of parietal function in bistable perception probed with concurrent TMS-EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Schauer, Georg; Chang, Acer; Schwartzman, David; Rae, Charlotte L; Iriye, Heather; Seth, Anil K; Kanai, Ryota

2016-08-16

When visual input has conflicting interpretations, conscious perception can alternate spontaneously between these possible interpretations. This is called bistable perception. Previous neuroimaging studies have indicated the involvement of two right parietal areas in resolving perceptual ambiguity (ant-SPLr and post-SPLr). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies that selectively interfered with the normal function of these regions suggest that they play opposing roles in this type of perceptual switch. In the present study, we investigated this fractionation of parietal function by use of combined TMS with electroencephalography (EEG). Specifically, while participants viewed either a bistable stimulus, a replay stimulus, or resting-state fixation, we applied single pulse TMS to either location independently while simultaneously recording EEG. Combined with participant's individual structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, this dataset allows for complex analyses of the effect of TMS on neural time series data, which may further elucidate the causal role of the parietal cortex in ambiguous perception.

Lake Restoration in Terms of Ecological Resilience: a Numerical Study of Biomanipulations under Bistable Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Amemiya

2005-12-01

Full Text Available An abstract version of the comprehensive aquatic simulation model (CASM is found to exhibit bistability under intermediate loading of nutrient input, supporting the alternative-stable-states theory and field observations for shallow lakes. Our simulations of biomanipulations under the bistable conditions reveal that a reduction in the abundance of zooplanktivorous fish cannot switch the system from a turbid to a clear state. Rather, a direct reduction of phytoplankton and detritus was found to be most effective to make this switch in the present model. These results imply that multiple manipulations may be effective for practical restorations of lakes. We discuss the present results of biomanipulations in terms of ecological resilience in multivariable systems or natural systems.

Electron transfer dynamics of bistable single-molecule junctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danilov, A.V; Kubatkin, S.; Kafanov, S. G.

2006-01-01

We present transport measurements of single-molecule junctions bridged by a molecule with three benzene rings connected by two double bonds and with thiol end-groups that allow chemical binding to gold electrodes. The I-V curves show switching behavior between two distinct states. By statistical ...... analysis of the switching events, we show that a 300 meV mode mediates the transition between the two states. We propose that breaking and reformation of a S-H bond in the contact zone between molecule and electrode explains the observed bistability....

Electrical bistability in conductive hybrid composites of doped polyaniline nanofibers-gold nanoparticles capped with dodecane thiol.

Science.gov (United States)

Borriello, A; Agoretti, P; Cassinese, A; D'Angelo, P; Mohanraj, G T; Sanguigno, L

2009-11-01

A novel electrical bistable hybrid nanocomposite based on doped Polyaniline nanofibers with 1-Dodecanethiol-protected Gold nanoparticle (PAni.AuDT), 3-4 nm in size, as the conductive component and polystyrene as polymer matrix was prepared. The structural morphology of the composite and the dispersion of nanoparticles inside it were evaluated using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The thermal stability and the ratio Polyaniline/Gold nanoparticles in the composite were determined by using thermogravimetric analysis. The electrical bistability of the PAni.AuDT-PS composite, the influence of the dispersion of the PAni.AuDT conductive network and the basic operation mechanism, have been assessed by measuring the electrical response of planar device architectures, also as a function of the environmental temperature (in the range 200 K K). The basic operation mechanism of the hybrid compound has been then correlated to the combined action of the thermally-induced scattering of charge carriers and the thermal contraction of the hosting polymeric matrix. Moreover, the right compromise between these two effects in terms of the most efficient bistability has been studied, founding the concentration of the conductive component which optimizes the device on-off ratio (I(on)/ I(off)).

Traveling waves in the discrete fast buffered bistable system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Je-Chiang; Sneyd, James

2007-11-01

We study the existence and uniqueness of traveling wave solutions of the discrete buffered bistable equation. Buffered excitable systems are used to model, among other things, the propagation of waves of increased calcium concentration, and discrete models are often used to describe the propagation of such waves across multiple cells. We derive necessary conditions for the existence of waves, and, under some restrictive technical assumptions, we derive sufficient conditions. When the wave exists it is unique and stable.

CT-guided percutaneous laser disk decompression for cervical and lumbar disk hernia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Kanichiro; Koyama, Tutomu; Harada, Junta; Abe, Toshiaki

2008-01-01

Percutaneous laser disk decompression under X-ray fluoroscopy was first reported in 1987 for minimally invasive therapy of lumbar disk hernia. In patients with disk hernia, laser vaporizes a small portion of the intervertebral disk thereby reducing the volume and pressure of the affected disk. We present the efficacy and safety of this procedure, and analysis of fair or poor response cases. In our study, 226 cases of lumbar disk hernia and 7 cases of cervical disk hernia were treated under CT guided PLDD. Japan Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Mac-Nab criteria were investigated to evaluate the response to treatment. Improvement ratio based on the JOA score was calculated as follows. Overall success rate was 91.6% in cases lumber disk hernia, and 100% in cases of cervical disk hernia. We experienced two cases with two cases with postoperative complication. Both cases were treated conservatively. The majority of acute cases and post operative cases were reported to be 'good' on Mac-Nab criteria. Cases of fair or poor response on Mac-Nab criteria were lateral type, foraminal stenosis or large disk hernia. CT-guided PLDD is a safe and accurate procedure. The overall success rate can be increased by carefully selecting patients. (author)

Disk Storage Server

CERN Multimedia

This model was a disk storage server used in the Data Centre up until 2012. Each tray contains a hard disk drive (see the 5TB hard disk drive on the main disk display section - this actually fits into one of the trays). There are 16 trays in all per server. There are hundreds of these servers mounted on racks in the Data Centre, as can be seen.

Design methodology for all-optical bistable switches based on a plasmonic resonator sandwiched between dielectric waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, Yinxiao; Cai, Wei; Wang, Lei; Ying, Cuifeng; Zhang, Xinzheng; Xu, Jingjun

2014-01-01

We present a bistable device consisting of a Bragg grating resonator with a Kerr medium sandwiched between two dielectric slab waveguides. The resonator is situated in a nanometer-scaled metal–insulator–metal plasmonic waveguide. Due to the dimensional confinement from the dielectric waveguide to the nanoscaled plasmonic waveguide, electric fields are enhanced greatly, which will further reduce the threshold value. Moreover, a semi-analytic method, based on the impedance theory and the transfer matrix method, is developed to study the transmission and reflection spectra as well as the bistability loop of such a switch. Our method is fast and accurate, as confirmed by the finite-difference time-domain simulation. (invited paper)

Lattice stretching bistability and dynamic heterogeneity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Peter Leth; Savin, A. V.; Zolotaryuk, A. V.

2012-01-01

A simple one-dimensional lattice model is suggested to describe the experimentally observed plateau in force-stretching diagrams for some macromolecules. This chain model involves the nearest-neighbor interaction of a Morse-like potential (required to have a saturation branch) and a harmonic second......-neighbor coupling. Under an external stretching applied to the chain ends, the intersite Morse-like potential results in the appearance of a double-well potential within each chain monomer, whereas the interaction between the second neighbors provides a homogeneous bistable (degenerate) ground state, at least...... stretched bonds with a double-well potential. This case allows us to explain the existence of a plateau in the force-extension diagram for DNA and α-helix protein. Finally, the soliton dynamics are studied in detail....

Out of sight, out of mind: Occlusion and eye closure destabilize moving bistable structure-from-motion displays.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastukhov, Alexander; Prasch, Johanna; Carbon, Claus-Christian

2018-03-20

Our brain constantly tries to anticipate the future by using a variety of memory mechanisms. Interestingly, studies using the intermittent presentation of multistable displays have shown little perceptual persistence for interruptions longer than a few hundred milliseconds. Here we examined whether we can facilitate the perceptual stability of bistable displays following a period of invisibility by employing a physically plausible and ecologically valid occlusion event sequence, as opposed to the typical intermittent presentation, with sudden onsets and offsets. To this end, we presented a bistable rotating structure-from-motion display that was moving along a linear horizontal trajectory on the screen and either was temporarily occluded by another object (a cardboard strip in Exp. 1, a computer-generated image in Exp. 2) or became invisible due to eye closure (Exp. 3). We report that a bistable rotation direction reliably persisted following occlusion or interruption only (1) if the pre- and postinterruption locations overlapped spatially (an occluder with apertures in Exp. 2 or brief, spontaneous blinks in Exp. 3) or (2) if an object's size allowed for the efficient grouping of dots on both sides of the occluding object (large objects in Exp. 1). In contrast, we observed no persistence whenever the pre- and postinterruption locations were nonoverlapping (large solid occluding objects in Exps. 1 and 2 and long, prompted blinks in Exp. 3). We report that the bistable rotation direction of a moving object persisted only for spatially overlapping neural representations, and that persistence was not facilitated by a physically plausible and ecologically valid occlusion event.

Bistable Helmholtz solitons in cubic-quintic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christian, J. M.; McDonald, G. S.; Chamorro-Posada, P.

2007-01-01

We propose a nonlinear Helmholtz equation for modeling the evolution of broad optical beams in media with a cubic-quintic intensity-dependent refractive index. This type of nonlinearity is appropriate for some semiconductor materials, glasses, and polymers. Exact analytical soliton solutions are presented that describe self-trapped nonparaxial beams propagating at any angle with respect to the reference direction. These spatially symmetric solutions are, to the best of our knowledge, the first bistable Helmholtz solitons to be derived. Accompanying conservation laws (both integral and particular forms) are also reported. Numerical simulations investigate the stability of the solitons, which appear to be remarkably robust against perturbations

HNC IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graninger, Dawn; Öberg, Karin I.; Qi, Chunhua; Kastner, Joel

2015-01-01

The distributions and abundances of small organics in protoplanetary disks are potentially powerful probes of disk physics and chemistry. HNC is a common probe of dense interstellar regions and the target of this study. We use the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to observe HNC 3–2 toward the protoplanetary disks around the T Tauri star TW Hya and the Herbig Ae star HD 163296. HNC is detected toward both disks, constituting the first spatially resolved observations of HNC in disks. We also present SMA observations of HCN 3–2 and IRAM 30 m observations of HCN and HNC 1–0 toward HD 163296. The disk-averaged HNC/HCN emission ratio is 0.1–0.2 toward both disks. Toward TW Hya, the HNC emission is confined to a ring. The varying HNC abundance in the TW Hya disk demonstrates that HNC chemistry is strongly linked to the disk physical structure. In particular, the inner rim of the HNC ring can be explained by efficient destruction of HNC at elevated temperatures, similar to what is observed in the ISM. However, to realize the full potential of HNC as a disk tracer requires a combination of high SNR spatially resolved observations of HNC and HCN and disk-specific HNC chemical modeling

HNC IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graninger, Dawn; Öberg, Karin I.; Qi, Chunhua [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Kastner, Joel, E-mail: dgraninger@cfa.harvard.edu [Center for Imaging Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, and Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)

2015-07-01

The distributions and abundances of small organics in protoplanetary disks are potentially powerful probes of disk physics and chemistry. HNC is a common probe of dense interstellar regions and the target of this study. We use the Submillimeter Array (SMA) to observe HNC 3–2 toward the protoplanetary disks around the T Tauri star TW Hya and the Herbig Ae star HD 163296. HNC is detected toward both disks, constituting the first spatially resolved observations of HNC in disks. We also present SMA observations of HCN 3–2 and IRAM 30 m observations of HCN and HNC 1–0 toward HD 163296. The disk-averaged HNC/HCN emission ratio is 0.1–0.2 toward both disks. Toward TW Hya, the HNC emission is confined to a ring. The varying HNC abundance in the TW Hya disk demonstrates that HNC chemistry is strongly linked to the disk physical structure. In particular, the inner rim of the HNC ring can be explained by efficient destruction of HNC at elevated temperatures, similar to what is observed in the ISM. However, to realize the full potential of HNC as a disk tracer requires a combination of high SNR spatially resolved observations of HNC and HCN and disk-specific HNC chemical modeling.

The effects of intrinsic noise on the behaviour of bistable cell regulatory systems under quasi-steady state conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Cruz, Roberto; Guerrero, Pilar; Spill, Fabian; Alarcón, Tomás

2015-08-21

We analyse the effect of intrinsic fluctuations on the properties of bistable stochastic systems with time scale separation operating under quasi-steady state conditions. We first formulate a stochastic generalisation of the quasi-steady state approximation based on the semi-classical approximation of the partial differential equation for the generating function associated with the chemical master equation. Such approximation proceeds by optimising an action functional whose associated set of Euler-Lagrange (Hamilton) equations provides the most likely fluctuation path. We show that, under appropriate conditions granting time scale separation, the Hamiltonian can be re-scaled so that the set of Hamilton equations splits up into slow and fast variables, whereby the quasi-steady state approximation can be applied. We analyse two particular examples of systems whose mean-field limit has been shown to exhibit bi-stability: an enzyme-catalysed system of two mutually inhibitory proteins and a gene regulatory circuit with self-activation. Our theory establishes that the number of molecules of the conserved species is order parameters whose variation regulates bistable behaviour in the associated systems beyond the predictions of the mean-field theory. This prediction is fully confirmed by direct numerical simulations using the stochastic simulation algorithm. This result allows us to propose strategies whereby, by varying the number of molecules of the three conserved chemical species, cell properties associated to bistable behaviour (phenotype, cell-cycle status, etc.) can be controlled.

The effects of intrinsic noise on the behaviour of bistable cell regulatory systems under quasi-steady state conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cruz, Roberto; Alarcón, Tomás de la [Centre de Recerca Matemàtica. Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Guerrero, Pilar [Department of Mathematics, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Spill, Fabian [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

2015-08-21

We analyse the effect of intrinsic fluctuations on the properties of bistable stochastic systems with time scale separation operating under quasi-steady state conditions. We first formulate a stochastic generalisation of the quasi-steady state approximation based on the semi-classical approximation of the partial differential equation for the generating function associated with the chemical master equation. Such approximation proceeds by optimising an action functional whose associated set of Euler-Lagrange (Hamilton) equations provides the most likely fluctuation path. We show that, under appropriate conditions granting time scale separation, the Hamiltonian can be re-scaled so that the set of Hamilton equations splits up into slow and fast variables, whereby the quasi-steady state approximation can be applied. We analyse two particular examples of systems whose mean-field limit has been shown to exhibit bi-stability: an enzyme-catalysed system of two mutually inhibitory proteins and a gene regulatory circuit with self-activation. Our theory establishes that the number of molecules of the conserved species is order parameters whose variation regulates bistable behaviour in the associated systems beyond the predictions of the mean-field theory. This prediction is fully confirmed by direct numerical simulations using the stochastic simulation algorithm. This result allows us to propose strategies whereby, by varying the number of molecules of the three conserved chemical species, cell properties associated to bistable behaviour (phenotype, cell-cycle status, etc.) can be controlled.

Temporal cross-correlation asymmetry and departure from equilibrium in a bistable chemical system.

Science.gov (United States)

Bianca, C; Lemarchand, A

2014-06-14

This paper aims at determining sustained reaction fluxes in a nonlinear chemical system driven in a nonequilibrium steady state. The method relies on the computation of cross-correlation functions for the internal fluctuations of chemical species concentrations. By employing Langevin-type equations, we derive approximate analytical formulas for the cross-correlation functions associated with nonlinear dynamics. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the chemical master equation are performed in order to check the validity of the Langevin equations for a bistable chemical system. The two approaches are found in excellent agreement, except for critical parameter values where the bifurcation between monostability and bistability occurs. From the theoretical point of view, the results imply that the behavior of cross-correlation functions cannot be exploited to measure sustained reaction fluxes in a specific nonlinear system without the prior knowledge of the associated chemical mechanism and the rate constants.

Development of Disk Rover, wall-climbing robot using permanent magnet disk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Shigeo; Tsutsumitake; Hiroshi; Toyama, Ryousei; Kobayashi, Kengo.

1992-01-01

A new type of wall climbing robot, named Disk Rover, using permanent magnet disks are developed. The newly introduced permanent magnet disk is to rotate the magnet disk on the surface of wall with partly contacted posture. It allows to produce high magnetic attraction force compared with conventional permanent wheel which utilizes only a small portion of the magnet installed around the wheel. The optimum design of the magnetic wheel is done by using finit element method and it is shown that the magnetic attraction force vs. weight ratio can be designed about three times higher than conventional type magnet wheel. The developed Disk Rover is 25 kg in weight including controller and battery, about 685 mm in diameter, 239 mm in height and has a pair of permanent magnet disks. It is demonstrated by the experiments that the Disk Rover can move around on the surface of the wall quite smoothly by radio control and has payload of about its own weight. Several considerations are also done in order to surmount bead weld. (author)

Early Top-Down Influences on Bistable Perception Revealed by Event-Related Potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Pitts, Michael A.; Gavin, William J.; Nerger, Janice L.

2008-01-01

A longstanding debate exists in the literature concerning bottom-up vs. top-down influences on bistable perception. Recently, a technique has been developed to measure early changes in brain activity (via ERPs) related to perceptual reversals (Kornmeier & Bach, 2004). An ERP component, the reversal negativity (RN) has been identified, and is…

All-polymer bistable resistive memory device based on nanoscale phase-separated PCBM-ferroelectric blends

KAUST Repository

Khan, Yasser; Bhansali, Unnat Sampatraj; Cha, Dong Kyu; Alshareef, Husam N.

2012-01-01

All polymer nonvolatile bistable memory devices are fabricated from blends of ferroelectric poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) and n-type semiconducting [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The nanoscale phase

Origami Mechanics: Bistability and Isometries

Science.gov (United States)

Adda-Bedia, Mokhtar; Lechenault, Frederic; Morphogenesis; multiscale phenomena Team

2015-03-01

Origami structures are usually seen as assemblies of rigid faces articulated around creases with hinge-like behaviour. Their deployment and degrees of freedom are purely kinematic, resulting only from the geometry of the crease network. However, in real folded structures, the base material can deform outside the creases. In such situations, face bending competes with crease actuation in a morphogenetic way. In order to rationalise this interplay, we investigate the mechanical behaviour of an infinite sheet on which one or more straight creases meet at a single vertex. We find that these structures generically exhibit bistability, in the sense that they can snap through from one metastable configuration to another. Furthermore, we uncover a new class of isometry of the plane, which corresponds to metastable states of a creased sheet for which the hoop stress vanishes, an instability mechanism that is also responsible for the wrinkling of thin plates.

Spatial effect on stochastic dynamics of bistable evolutionary games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

So, Kohaku H Z; Ohtsuki, Hisashi; Kato, Takeo

2014-01-01

We consider the lifetimes of metastable states in bistable evolutionary games (coordination games), and examine how they are affected by spatial structure. A semiclassical approximation based on a path integral method is applied to stochastic evolutionary game dynamics with and without spatial structure, and the lifetimes of the metastable states are evaluated. It is shown that the population dependence of the lifetimes is qualitatively different in these two models. Our result indicates that spatial structure can accelerate the transitions between metastable states. (paper)

Switching between bistable states in a discrete nonlinear model with long-range dispersion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansson, Magnus; Gaididei, Yuri B.; Christiansen, Peter Leth

1998-01-01

In the framework of a discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation with long-range dispersion, we propose a general mechanism for obtaining a controlled switching between bistable localized excitations. We show that the application of a spatially symmetric kick leads to the excitation of an internal...

Alternans by non-monotonic conduction velocity restitution, bistability and memory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Yun; Hong, Jin Hee; Heo, Ryoun; Lee, Kyoung J

2013-01-01

Conduction velocity (CV) restitution is a key property that characterizes any medium supporting traveling waves. It reflects not only the dynamics of the individual constituents but also the coupling mechanism that mediates their interaction. Recent studies have suggested that cardiac tissues, which have a non-monotonic CV-restitution property, can support alternans, a period-2 oscillatory response of periodically paced cardiac tissue. This study finds that single-hump, non-monotonic, CV-restitution curves are a common feature of in vitro cultures of rat cardiac cells. We also find that the Fenton–Karma model, one of the well-established mathematical models of cardiac tissue, supports a very similar non-monotonic CV restitution in a physiologically relevant parameter regime. Surprisingly, the mathematical model as well as the cell cultures support bistability and show cardiac memory that tends to work against the generation of an alternans. Bistability was realized by adopting two different stimulation protocols, ‘S1S2’, which produces a period-1 wave train, and ‘alternans-pacing’, which favors a concordant alternans. Thus, we conclude that the single-hump non-monotonicity in the CV-restitution curve is not sufficient to guarantee a cardiac alternans, since cardiac memory interferes and the way the system is paced matters. (paper)

Control and characterization of a bistable laminate generated with piezoelectricity

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Andrew J.; Moosavian, Amin; Inman, Daniel J.

2017-08-01

Extensive research has been conducted on utilizing smart materials such as piezoelectric and shape memory alloy actuators to induce snap through of bistable structures for morphing applications. However, there has only been limited success in initiating snap through from both stable states due to the lack of actuation authority. A novel solution in the form of a piezoelectrically generated bistable laminate consisting of only macro fiber composites (MFC), allowing complete configuration control without any external assistance, is explored in detail here. Specifically, this paper presents the full analytical, computational, and experimental results of the laminate’s design, geometry, bifurcation behavior, and snap through capability. By bonding two actuated MFCs in a [0MFC/90MFC]T layup and releasing the voltage post cure, piezoelectric strain anisotropy and the resulting in-plane residual stresses yield two statically stable states that are cylindrically shaped. The analytical model uses the Rayleigh-Ritz minimization of total potential energy and finite element analysis is implemented in MSC Nastran. The [0MFC/90MFC]T laminate is then manufactured and experimentally characterized for model validation. This paper demonstrates the adaptive laminate’s unassisted forward and reverse snap through capability enabled by the efficiencies gained from simultaneously being the actuator and the primary structure.

饱和蒸汽压式波纹管疏水阀热动元件实验研究%Experimental study on the saturated vapor pressure type thermostatic bellows for steam traps

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李树勋; 徐登伟; 把桥环

2011-01-01

针对液体膨胀式波纹管蒸汽疏水阀排量不稳定、漏汽率高等问题,分析波纹管热动元件的热工特性.基于Riedel蒸汽压方程和气液平衡方程,建立饱和蒸汽压式波纹管热动元件的热力学模型,设计相应实验系统,进行不同参数下的实验研究.结果表明,饱和蒸汽压式波纹管热动元件伸长量是相变温度的单值函数,近似呈指数关系；采用不同混合比、刚度及填充方式,可调节疏水阀的排水过冷度.%In view of the instabilities of displacement and high steam leakage rate for the liquid-expansion type ther-mostatic bellows steam traps, thermodynamic characteristical of thermostatic bellows was analyzed. Based on the Riedel equation and the vapor-liquid equilibrium equation, thermodynamic model of the saturated vapor pressure type thermostatic bellows was set up, corresponding experimental system was designed, and experimental studies with different parameters was carried out. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis. The results show that the elongation A/I of the saturated vapor pressure type thermostatic bellows is monodrome function of phase transition temperature T, and relationship between the elongation A/I and the phase change temperature t is an exponential function. The subcooled temperature of steam trap can be adjusted by using different mixture ratio, different bellows' stiffness and different sufficient attire method. This paper establishes theoretical and experimental foundation for improving the performance of thermostatic bellows steam traps.

Understanding Floppy Disks.

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, Pamela

1980-01-01

The author describes the floppy disk with an analogy to the phonograph record, and discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and capabilities of hard-sectored and soft-sectored floppy disks. She concludes that, at present, the floppy disk will continue to be the primary choice of personal computer manufacturers and their customers. (KC)

OT1_ipascucc_1: Understanding the Origin of Transition Disks via Disk Mass Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Pascucci, I.

2010-07-01

Transition disks are a distinguished group of few Myr-old systems caught in the phase of dispersing their inner dust disk. Three different processes have been proposed to explain this inside-out clearing: grain growth, photoevaporation driven by the central star, and dynamical clearing by a forming giant planet. Which of these processes lead to a transition disk? Distinguishing between them requires the combined knowledge of stellar accretion rates and disk masses. We propose here to use 43.8 hours of PACS spectroscopy to detect the [OI] 63 micron emission line from a sample of 21 well-known transition disks with measured mass accretion rates. We will use this line, in combination with ancillary CO millimeter lines, to measure their gas disk mass. Because gas dominates the mass of protoplanetary disks our approach and choice of lines will enable us to trace the bulk of the disk mass that resides beyond tens of AU from young stars. Our program will quadruple the number of transition disks currently observed with Herschel in this setting and for which disk masses can be measured. We will then place the transition and the ~100 classical/non-transition disks of similar age (from the Herschel KP "Gas in Protoplanetary Systems") in the mass accretion rate-disk mass diagram with two main goals: 1) reveal which gaps have been created by grain growth, photoevaporation, or giant planet formation and 2) from the statistics, determine the main disk dispersal mechanism leading to a transition disk.

Bistability By Self-Reflection In A Saturable Absorber

Science.gov (United States)

Roso-Franco, Luis

1987-01-01

Propagation of laser light through a saturable absorber is theoretically studied. Computed steady state solutions of the Maxwell equations describing the unidimensional propagation of a plane monochromatic wave without introducing the slowly-varying envelope approximation are presented showing how saturation effects can influence the absorption of the field. At a certain range of refractive index and extintion coefficients, computed solutions display a very susprising behaviour, and a self-reflected wave appears inside the absorber. This can be useful for a new kind of biestable device, similar to a standard bistable cavity but with the back mirror self-induced by the light.

Atom-loss-induced quantum optical bi-stability switch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Bao-Jun; Cui Fu-Cheng

2012-01-01

We investigate the nonlinear dynamics of a system composed of a cigar-shaped Bose—Einstein condensate and an optical cavity with the two sides coupled dispersively. By adopting discrete-mode approximation for the condensate, taking atom loss as a necessary part of the model to analyze the evolution of the system, while using trial and error method to find out steady states of the system as a reference, numerical simulation demonstrates that with a constant pump, atom loss will trigger a quantum optical bi-stability switch, which predicts a new interesting phenomenon for experiments to verify

Finite mixture model applied in the analysis of a turbulent bistable flow on two parallel circular cylinders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paula, A.V. de, E-mail: vagtinski@mecanica.ufrgs.br [PROMEC – Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica, UFRGS – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Möller, S.V., E-mail: svmoller@ufrgs.br [PROMEC – Programa de Pós Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica, UFRGS – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2013-11-15

This paper presents a study of the bistable phenomenon which occurs in the turbulent flow impinging on circular cylinders placed side-by-side. Time series of axial and transversal velocity obtained with the constant temperature hot wire anemometry technique in an aerodynamic channel are used as input data in a finite mixture model, to classify the observed data according to a family of probability density functions. Wavelet transforms are applied to analyze the unsteady turbulent signals. Results of flow visualization show that the flow is predominantly two-dimensional. A double-well energy model is suggested to describe the behavior of the bistable phenomenon in this case. -- Highlights: ► Bistable flow on two parallel cylinders is studied with hot wire anemometry as a first step for the application on the analysis to tube bank flow. ► The method of maximum likelihood estimation is applied to hot wire experimental series to classify the data according to PDF functions in a mixture model approach. ► Results show no evident correlation between the changes of flow modes with time. ► An energy model suggests the presence of more than two flow modes.

Exploring Disks Around Planets

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-07-01

Giant planets are thought to form in circumstellar disks surrounding young stars, but material may also accrete into a smaller disk around the planet. Weve never detected one of these circumplanetary disks before but thanks to new simulations, we now have a better idea of what to look for.Image from previous work simulating a Jupiter-mass planet forming inside a circumstellar disk. The planet has its own circumplanetary disk of accreted material. [Frdric Masset]Elusive DisksIn the formation of giant planets, we think the final phase consists of accretion onto the planet from a disk that surrounds it. This circumplanetary disk is important to understand, since it both regulates the late gas accretion and forms the birthplace of future satellites of the planet.Weve yet to detect a circumplanetary disk thus far, because the resolution needed to spot one has been out of reach. Now, however, were entering an era where the disk and its kinematics may be observable with high-powered telescopes (like the Atacama Large Millimeter Array).To prepare for such observations, we need models that predict the basic characteristics of these disks like the mass, temperature, and kinematic properties. Now a researcher at the ETH Zrich Institute for Astronomy in Switzerland, Judit Szulgyi, has worked toward this goal.Simulating CoolingSzulgyi performs a series of 3D global radiative hydrodynamic simulations of 1, 3, 5, and 10 Jupiter-mass (MJ) giant planets and their surrounding circumplanetary disks, embedded within the larger circumstellar disk around the central star.Density (left column), temperature (center), and normalized angular momentum (right) for a 1 MJ planet over temperatures cooling from 10,000 K (top) to 1,000 K (bottom). At high temperatures, a spherical circumplanetary envelope surrounds the planet, but as the planet cools, the envelope transitions around 64,000 K to a flattened disk. [Szulgyi 2017]This work explores the effects of different planet temperatures and

Optical bistabilities of higher harmonics: Inhomogeneous and transverse effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hassan, S.S., E-mail: Shoukryhassan@hotmail.com [Department of Mathematics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038 (Bahrain); Manchester Metropolitan University, Dept. of Computing, Maths. and Digital Technology, Manchester M1 5GD (United Kingdom); Sharaby, Y.A., E-mail: Yasser_Sharaby@hotmail.com [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Suez (Egypt); Ali, M.F.M., E-mail: dr.mona.fathy@hotmail.com [Department of Mathematics: Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo (Egypt); Joshi, A., E-mail: ajoshi@eiu.edu [Department of Physics, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920 (United States)

2012-10-15

The steady state behavior of optical bistable system in a ring cavity with transverse field variations and inhomogeneousely broadened two-level atoms is investigated outside the rotating wave approximation (RWA). Analytical and numerical investigation is presented for different cases of transverse field variations with Lorentzian or Gaussian line widths. When both (transverse and inhomogeneous) features taken into account, the first harmonic output field component outside the RWA exhibits a one-way switching down processes (butterfly OB) or reversed (clockwise) OB behavior, depending on the atomic linewidth shape.

Optical bistabilities of higher harmonics: Inhomogeneous and transverse effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, S.S.; Sharaby, Y.A.; Ali, M.F.M.; Joshi, A.

2012-01-01

The steady state behavior of optical bistable system in a ring cavity with transverse field variations and inhomogeneousely broadened two-level atoms is investigated outside the rotating wave approximation (RWA). Analytical and numerical investigation is presented for different cases of transverse field variations with Lorentzian or Gaussian line widths. When both (transverse and inhomogeneous) features taken into account, the first harmonic output field component outside the RWA exhibits a one-way switching down processes (butterfly OB) or reversed (clockwise) OB behavior, depending on the atomic linewidth shape.

Cops or Robbers — a Bistable Society

Science.gov (United States)

Kułakowski, K.

The norm game described by Axelrod in 1985 was recently treated with the master equation formalism. Here we discuss the equations, where (i) those who break the norm cannot punish and those who punish cannot break the norm, (ii) the tendency to punish is suppressed if the majority breaks the norm. The second mechanism is new. For some values of the parameters the solution shows the saddle-point bifurcation. Then, two stable solutions are possible, where the majority breaks the norm or the majority punishes. This means, that the norm breaking can be discontinuous, when measured in the social scale. The bistable character is reproduced also with new computer simulations on the Erdös-Rényi directed network.

A bistable switch and anatomical site control Vibrio cholerae virulence gene expression in the intestine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex T Nielsen

2010-09-01

Full Text Available A fundamental, but unanswered question in host-pathogen interactions is the timing, localization and population distribution of virulence gene expression during infection. Here, microarray and in situ single cell expression methods were used to study Vibrio cholerae growth and virulence gene expression during infection of the rabbit ligated ileal loop model of cholera. Genes encoding the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP and cholera toxin (CT were powerfully expressed early in the infectious process in bacteria adjacent to epithelial surfaces. Increased growth was found to co-localize with virulence gene expression. Significant heterogeneity in the expression of tcpA, the repeating subunit of TCP, was observed late in the infectious process. The expression of tcpA, studied in single cells in a homogeneous medium, demonstrated unimodal induction of tcpA after addition of bicarbonate, a chemical inducer of virulence gene expression. Striking bifurcation of the population occurred during entry into stationary phase: one subpopulation continued to express tcpA, whereas the expression declined in the other subpopulation. ctxA, encoding the A subunit of CT, and toxT, encoding the proximal master regulator of virulence gene expression also exhibited the bifurcation phenotype. The bifurcation phenotype was found to be reversible, epigenetic and to persist after removal of bicarbonate, features consistent with bistable switches. The bistable switch requires the positive-feedback circuit controlling ToxT expression and formation of the CRP-cAMP complex during entry into stationary phase. Key features of this bistable switch also were demonstrated in vivo, where striking heterogeneity in tcpA expression was observed in luminal fluid in later stages of the infection. When this fluid was diluted into artificial seawater, bacterial aggregates continued to express tcpA for prolonged periods of time. The bistable control of virulence gene expression points to a

Equilibrium configuration of a stratus floating above accretion disks: Full-disk calculation

Science.gov (United States)

Itanishi, Yusuke; Fukue, Jun

2017-06-01

We examine floating strati above a luminous accretion disk, supported by the radiative force from the entire disk, and calculate the equilibrium locus, which depends on the disk luminosity and the optical depth of the stratus. Due to the radiative transfer effect (albedo effect), the floating height of the stratus with a finite optical depth generally becomes high, compared with the particle case. In contrast to the case of the near-disk approximation, moreover, the floating height becomes yet higher in the present full-disk calculation, since the intense radiation from the inner disk is taken into account. As a result, when the disk luminosity normalized by the Eddington luminosity is ˜0.3 and the stratus optical depth is around unity, the stable configuration disappears at around r ˜ 50 rg, rg being the Schwarzschild radius, and the stratus would be blown off as a cloudy wind consisting of many strati with appropriate conditions. This luminosity is sufficiently smaller than the Eddington one, and the present results suggest that the radiation-driven cloudy wind can be easily blown off from the sub-Eddington disk, and this can explain various outflows observed in ultra-fast outflow objects as well as in broad-absorption-line quasars.

Chimera states in an ensemble of linearly locally coupled bistable oscillators

Science.gov (United States)

Shchapin, D. S.; Dmitrichev, A. S.; Nekorkin, V. I.

2017-11-01

Chimera states in a system with linear local connections have been studied. The system is a ring ensemble of analog bistable self-excited oscillators with a resistive coupling. It has been shown that the existence of chimera states is not due to the nonidentity of oscillators and noise, which is always present in real experiments, but is due to the nonlinear dynamics of the system on invariant tori with various dimensions.

New type of chimera structures in a ring of bistable FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators with nonlocal interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepelev, I.A., E-mail: igor_sar@li.ru; Vadivasova, T.E., E-mail: vadivasovate@yandex.ru; Bukh, A.V., E-mail: buh.andrey@yandex.ru; Strelkova, G.I., E-mail: strelkovagi@info.sgu.ru; Anishchenko, V.S., E-mail: wadim@info.sgu.ru

2017-04-25

We study the spatiotemporal dynamics of a ring of nonlocally coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators in the bistable regime. A new type of chimera patterns has been found in the noise-free network and when isolated elements do not oscillate. The region of existence of these structures has been explored when the coupling range and the coupling strength between the network elements are varied. - Highlights: • Dynamics of a ring of nonlocally coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators in the bistable regime is studied. • A new type of chimera patterns has been found in the noise-free network. • The region of existence of new structures has been explored when varying the coupling parameters.

2TB hard disk drive

CERN Multimedia

This particular object was used up until 2012 in the Data Centre. It slots into one of the Disk Server trays. Hard disks were invented in the 1950s. They started as large disks up to 20 inches in diameter holding just a few megabytes (link is external). They were originally called "fixed disks" or "Winchesters" (a code name used for a popular IBM product). They later became known as "hard disks" to distinguish them from "floppy disks (link is external)." Hard disks have a hard platter that holds the magnetic medium, as opposed to the flexible plastic film found in tapes and floppies.

Small Business Demand Response with Communicating Thermostats: SMUD's Summer Solutions Research Pilot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herter, Karen; Wayland, Seth; Rasin, Josh

2009-09-25

This report documents a field study of 78 small commercial customers in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District service territory who volunteered for an integrated energy-efficiency/demand-response (EE-DR) program in the summer of 2008. The original objective for the pilot was to provide a better understanding of demand response issues in the small commercial sector. Early findings justified a focus on offering small businesses (1) help with the energy efficiency of their buildings in exchange for occasional load shed, and (2) a portfolio of options to meet the needs of a diverse customer sector. To meet these expressed needs, the research pilot provided on-site energy efficiency advice and offered participants several program options, including the choice of either a dynamic rate or monthly payment for air-conditioning setpoint control. An analysis of hourly load data indicates that the offices and retail stores in our sample provided significant demand response, while the restaurants did not. Thermostat data provides further evidence that restaurants attempted to precool and reduce AC service during event hours, but were unable to because their air-conditioning units were undersized. On a 100 F reference day, load impacts of all participants during events averaged 14%, while load impacts of office and retail buildings (excluding restaurants) reached 20%. Overall, pilot participants including restaurants had 2007-2008 summer energy savings of 20% and bill savings of 30%. About 80% of participants said that the program met or surpassed their expectations, and three-quarters said they would probably or definitely participate again without the $120 participation incentive. These results provide evidence that energy efficiency programs, dynamic rates and load control programs can be used concurrently and effectively in the small business sector, and that communicating thermostats are a reliable tool for providing air-conditioning load shed and enhancing the ability

DISK DETECTIVE: DISCOVERY OF NEW CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK CANDIDATES THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuchner, Marc J.; McElwain, Michael; Padgett, Deborah L. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Code 667 Greenbelt, MD 21230 (United States); Silverberg, Steven M.; Wisniewski, John P. [Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy The University of Oklahoma 440 W. Brooks St. Norman, OK 73019 (United States); Bans, Alissa S. [Valparaiso University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Neils Science Center, 1610 Campus Drive East, Valparaiso, IN 46383 (United States); Bhattacharjee, Shambo [International Space University 1 Rue Jean-Dominique Cassini F-67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden (France); Kenyon, Scott J. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 60 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Debes, John H. [Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Dr. Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Currie, Thayne [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan 650 N A’ohokhu Place Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); García, Luciano [Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Laprida 854, X5000BGR, Córdoba (Argentina); Jung, Dawoon [Korea Aerospace Research Institute Lunar Exploration Program Office 169-84 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34133 (Korea, Republic of); Lintott, Chris [Denys Wilkinson Building Keble Road Oxford, OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Rebull, Luisa M. [Infrared Processing and Analaysis Center Caltech M/S 314-6 1200 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Nesvold, Erika, E-mail: Marc.Kuchner@nasa.gov, E-mail: michael.w.mcelwain@nasa.gov, E-mail: deborah.l.padgett@nasa.gov, E-mail: carol.a.grady@nasa.gov, E-mail: silverberg@ou.edu, E-mail: wisniewski@ou.edu [Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015-1305 (United States); Collaboration: Disk Detective Collaboration; and others

2016-10-20

The Disk Detective citizen science project aims to find new stars with 22 μ m excess emission from circumstellar dust using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) mission. Initial cuts on the AllWISE catalog provide an input catalog of 277,686 sources. Volunteers then view images of each source online in 10 different bands to identify false positives (galaxies, interstellar matter, image artifacts, etc.). Sources that survive this online vetting are followed up with spectroscopy on the FLWO Tillinghast telescope. This approach should allow us to unleash the full potential of WISE for finding new debris disks and protoplanetary disks. We announce a first list of 37 new disk candidates discovered by the project, and we describe our vetting and follow-up process. One of these systems appears to contain the first debris disk discovered around a star with a white dwarf companion: HD 74389. We also report four newly discovered classical Be stars (HD 6612, HD 7406, HD 164137, and HD 218546) and a new detection of 22 μ m excess around the previously known debris disk host star HD 22128.

DISK DETECTIVE: DISCOVERY OF NEW CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK CANDIDATES THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchner, Marc J.; McElwain, Michael; Padgett, Deborah L.; Silverberg, Steven M.; Wisniewski, John P.; Bans, Alissa S.; Bhattacharjee, Shambo; Kenyon, Scott J.; Debes, John H.; Currie, Thayne; García, Luciano; Jung, Dawoon; Lintott, Chris; Rebull, Luisa M.; Nesvold, Erika

2016-01-01

The Disk Detective citizen science project aims to find new stars with 22 μ m excess emission from circumstellar dust using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ( WISE ) mission. Initial cuts on the AllWISE catalog provide an input catalog of 277,686 sources. Volunteers then view images of each source online in 10 different bands to identify false positives (galaxies, interstellar matter, image artifacts, etc.). Sources that survive this online vetting are followed up with spectroscopy on the FLWO Tillinghast telescope. This approach should allow us to unleash the full potential of WISE for finding new debris disks and protoplanetary disks. We announce a first list of 37 new disk candidates discovered by the project, and we describe our vetting and follow-up process. One of these systems appears to contain the first debris disk discovered around a star with a white dwarf companion: HD 74389. We also report four newly discovered classical Be stars (HD 6612, HD 7406, HD 164137, and HD 218546) and a new detection of 22 μ m excess around the previously known debris disk host star HD 22128.

Disk Detective: Discovery of New Circumstellar Disk Candidates Through Citizen Science

Science.gov (United States)

Kuchner, Marc J.; Silverberg, Steven M.; Bans, Alissa S.; Bhattacharjee, Shambo; Kenyon, Scott J.; Debes, John H.; Currie, Thayne; Garcia, Luciano; Jung, Dawoon; Lintott, Chris;

Bistability breaks-off deterministic responses to intracortical stimulation during non-REM sleep

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Pigorini

2015-04-01

These results point to bistability as the underlying critical mechanism that prevents the emergence of complex interactions in human thalamocortical networks during NREM sleep. Besides sleep, the same basic neurophysiological dynamics may play a role in pathological conditions(Casali et al., 2013; Rosanova et al., 2012 where cortico-cortical communication and consciousness are impaired in spite of preserved neuronal activity.

Magnetohydrodynamics of accretion disks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torkelsson, U.

1994-04-01

The thesis consists of an introduction and summary, and five research papers. The introduction and summary provides the background in accretion disk physics and magnetohydrodynamics. The research papers describe numerical studies of magnetohydrodynamical processes in accretion disks. Paper 1 is a one-dimensional study of the effect of magnetic buoyancy on a flux tube in an accretion disk. The stabilizing influence of an accretion disk corona on the flux tube is demonstrated. Paper 2-4 present numerical simulations of mean-field dynamos in accretion disks. Paper 11 verifies the correctness of the numerical code by comparing linear models to previous work by other groups. The results are also extended to somewhat modified disk models. A transition from an oscillatory mode of negative parity for thick disks to a steady mode of even parity for thin disks is found. Preliminary results for nonlinear dynamos at very high dynamo numbers are also presented. Paper 3 describes the bifurcation behaviour of the nonlinear dynamos. For positive dynamo numbers it is found that the initial steady solution is replaced by an oscillatory solution of odd parity. For negative dynamo numbers the solution becomes chaotic at sufficiently high dynamo numbers. Paper 4 continues the studies of nonlinear dynamos, and it is demonstrated that a chaotic solution appears even for positive dynamo numbers, but that it returns to a steady solution of mixed parity at very high dynamo numbers. Paper 5 describes a first attempt at simulating the small-scale turbulence of an accretion disk in three dimensions. There is only find cases of decaying turbulence, but this is rather due to limitations of the simulations than that turbulence is really absent in accretion disks

Preparation of thin actinide metal disks using a multiple disk casting technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conner, W.V.

1975-01-01

A casting technique has been developed for preparing multiple actinide metal disks which have a minimum thickness of 0.006 inch. This technique was based on an injection casting procedure which utilizes the weight of a tantalum metal rod to force the molten metal into the mold cavity. Using the proper mold design and casting parameters, it has been possible to prepare ten 1/2 inch diameter neptunium or plutonium metal disks in a single casting, This casting technique is capable of producing disks which are very uniform. The average thickness of the disks from a typical casting will vary no more than 0.001 inch and the variation in the thickness of the individual disks will range from 0.0001 to 0.0005 inch. (Auth.)

Preparation of thin actinide metal disks using a multiple disk casting technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conner, W.V.

1976-01-01

A casting technique has been developed for preparing multiple actinide metal disks which have a minimum thickness of 0.006 inch. This technique was based on an injection casting procedure which utilizes the weight of a tantalum metal rod to force the molten metal into the mold cavity. Using the proper mold design and casting parameters, it has been possible to prepare ten 1/2 inch diameter neptunium or plutonium metal disks in a single casting. This casting technique is capable of producing disks which are very uniform. The average thickness of the disks from a typical casting will vary no more than 0.001 inch and the variation in the thickness of the individual disks will range from 0.0001 to 0.0005 inch. (author)

Impact of thermostatically controlled loads' demand response activation on aggregated power: A field experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lakshmanan, Venkatachalam; Marinelli, Mattia; Kosek, Anna Magdalena

2015-01-01

activation. The outcome of this experimental study quantifies the actual flexibility of household TCLs and the consequence for the different parties with respect to power behaviour. Each DR activation method adopts different scenarios to meet the power reduction, and has different impacts on the parameters......This paper describes the impacts of different types of DR (demand response) activation on TCLs' (thermostatically controlled loads) aggregated power. The different parties: power system operators, DR service providers (or aggregators) and consumers, have different objectives in relation to DR....... The experiments are conducted with real domestic refrigerators representing TCL. Activating refrigerators for DR with a delay reduces the ISE (integral square error) in power limitation by 28.46%, overshoot by 7.69%. The delay in refrigerator activation causes reduction in power ramp down rate by 39.90%, ramp up...

Optical bistability and multistability driven by external magnetic field in a dielectric slab doped with nanodiamond nitrogen vacancy centres

Science.gov (United States)

Nasehi, R.; Norouzi, F.

2016-08-01

The theoretical investigation of controlling the optical bistability (OB) and optical multistability (OM) in a dielectric medium doped with nanodiamond nitrogen vacancy centres under optical excitation are reported. The shape of the OB curve from dielectric slab can be tuned by changing the external magnetic field and polarization of the control beam. The effect of the intensity of the control laser field and the frequency detuning of probe laser field on the OB and OM behaviour are also discussed in this paper. The results obtained can be used for realizing an all-optical bistable switching or development of nanoelectronic devices.

Study on monostable and bistable reaction-diffusion equations by iteration of travelling wave maps

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Taishan; Chen, Yuming

2017-12-01

In this paper, based on the iterative properties of travelling wave maps, we develop a new method to obtain spreading speeds and asymptotic propagation for monostable and bistable reaction-diffusion equations. Precisely, for Dirichlet problems of monostable reaction-diffusion equations on the half line, by making links between travelling wave maps and integral operators associated with the Dirichlet diffusion kernel (the latter is NOT invariant under translation), we obtain some iteration properties of the Dirichlet diffusion and some a priori estimates on nontrivial solutions of Dirichlet problems under travelling wave transformation. We then provide the asymptotic behavior of nontrivial solutions in the space-time region for Dirichlet problems. These enable us to develop a unified method to obtain results on heterogeneous steady states, travelling waves, spreading speeds, and asymptotic spreading behavior for Dirichlet problem of monostable reaction-diffusion equations on R+ as well as of monostable/bistable reaction-diffusion equations on R.

ON THE TRANSITIONAL DISK CLASS: LINKING OBSERVATIONS OF T TAURI STARS AND PHYSICAL DISK MODELS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espaillat, C.; Andrews, S.; Qi, C.; Wilner, D.; Ingleby, L.; Calvet, N.; Hernández, J.; Furlan, E.; D'Alessio, P.; Muzerolle, J.

2012-01-01

Two decades ago 'transitional disks' (TDs) described spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of T Tauri stars with small near-IR excesses, but significant mid- and far-IR excesses. Many inferred this indicated dust-free holes in disks possibly cleared by planets. Recently, this term has been applied disparately to objects whose Spitzer SEDs diverge from the expectations for a typical full disk (FD). Here, we use irradiated accretion disk models to fit the SEDs of 15 such disks in NGC 2068 and IC 348. One group has a 'dip' in infrared emission while the others' continuum emission decreases steadily at all wavelengths. We find that the former have an inner disk hole or gap at intermediate radii in the disk and we call these objects 'transitional disks' and 'pre-transitional disks' (PTDs), respectively. For the latter group, we can fit these SEDs with FD models and find that millimeter data are necessary to break the degeneracy between dust settling and disk mass. We suggest that the term 'transitional' only be applied to objects that display evidence for a radical change in the disk's radial structure. Using this definition, we find that TDs and PTDs tend to have lower mass accretion rates than FDs and that TDs have lower accretion rates than PTDs. These reduced accretion rates onto the star could be linked to forming planets. Future observations of TDs and PTDs will allow us to better quantify the signatures of planet formation in young disks.

Development and analysis of a variable position thermostat for smart cooling system of a light duty diesel vehicles and engine emissions assessment during NEDC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, Eid S.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new concept of the variable position electromagnetic thermostat in MCS is proposed. • A series of experiments were conducted on a light duty diesel vehicle operated over the NEDC test. • A comparative study was done on emission characteristics of the MCS and the conventional cooling system. • Engine cold start and steady-state coolant flow rate and emissions are presented. • The effect of MCS on engine accumulation FC and emissions over NEDC are evaluated. - Graphical Abstract: Display Omitted - Abstract: Smart cooling control systems for IC engines can better regulate the combustion process and heat, a variable position thermostat and electric coolant pumps (EWP) for IC engines are under development by a number of researchers. However, the aim of this study is to assess the performance of a variable position electromagnetic thermostat (VPEMT) to provide more flexible control of the engine temperature and coolant mass flow rate of modification cooling system (MCS). The measurement procedure was applied to two phases under new European drive cycle (NEDC) on a chassis dynamometer, with conventional cooling system (baseline engine) and MCS of a light duty diesel engine. The experimental results revealed that MCS using a VPEMT and EWP contributed to a reduction of engine warm-up period. As a consequence, important reduces in coolant flow rate and most exhaust emission compounds (THC, CO_2, CO and smoke opacity) were obtained. In contrast, NOx emission was observed to increase in these conditions. Comparative results are given for various engine speeds during a cold start and engine fully warm-up tests when the engine was equipped by conventional cooling system and MCS operation under NEDC, revealing the effect of MCS on engine fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

Bistable direction switching in an off-axis pumped continuous wave ruby laser

Science.gov (United States)

Afzal, R. Sohrab; Lawandy, N. M.

1988-01-01

A report is presented of the observation of hysteretic bistable direction switching in a single-mode CW ruby laser system. This effect is only observed when the pump beam which is focused into the ruby rod is misaligned with respect to the rod end faces. At low pump powers, the ruby lases in a mode nearly collinear with the pump axis. At a higher pump power the ruby switches to a mode that is collinear with the rod end faces and preserves the original polarization. The effect is large enough to switch the beam by an angle equal to twice the diffraction angle. The observations show that under steady-state pumping, a CW ruby laser can exhibit bistable operation in its output direction and power. A calculation using the heat equation with two concentric cylinders with one as a heat source (pump laser) and the outer wall of the other held at 77 K, gives an increase in core temperature of about 0.01 K. Therefore, the increase in temperature is not large enough to change the index of refraction to account for such large macroscopic effects.

THE SPITZER INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH SURVEY OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS IN ORION A. I. DISK PROPERTIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, K. H. [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), 776, Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Watson, Dan M.; Manoj, P.; Forrest, W. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 (United States); Furlan, Elise [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Caltech, 770 S. Wilson Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Najita, Joan [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Sargent, Benjamin [Center for Imaging Science and Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 54 Lomb Memorial Dr., Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); Hernández, Jesús [Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomía, Apdo. Postal 264, Mérida 5101-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Calvet, Nuria [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Adame, Lucía [Facultad de Ciencias Físico-Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Av. Universidad S/N, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, C.P. 66451, México (Mexico); Espaillat, Catherine [Department of Astronomy, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Megeath, S. T. [Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606 (United States); Muzerolle, James, E-mail: quarkosmos@kasi.re.kr [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); and others

2016-09-01

We present our investigation of 319 Class II objects in Orion A observed by Spitzer /IRS. We also present the follow-up observations of 120 of these Class II objects in Orion A from the Infrared Telescope Facility/SpeX. We measure continuum spectral indices, equivalent widths, and integrated fluxes that pertain to disk structure and dust composition from IRS spectra of Class II objects in Orion A. We estimate mass accretion rates using hydrogen recombination lines in the SpeX spectra of our targets. Utilizing these properties, we compare the distributions of the disk and dust properties of Orion A disks with those of Taurus disks with respect to position within Orion A (Orion Nebular Cluster [ONC] and L1641) and with the subgroups by the inferred radial structures, such as transitional disks (TDs) versus radially continuous full disks (FDs). Our main findings are as follows. (1) Inner disks evolve faster than the outer disks. (2) The mass accretion rates of TDs and those of radially continuous FDs are statistically significantly displaced from each other. The median mass accretion rate of radially continuous disks in the ONC and L1641 is not very different from that in Taurus. (3) Less grain processing has occurred in the disks in the ONC compared to those in Taurus, based on analysis of the shape index of the 10 μ m silicate feature ( F {sub 11.3}/ F {sub 9.8}). (4) The 20–31 μ m continuum spectral index tracks the projected distance from the most luminous Trapezium star, θ {sup 1} Ori C. A possible explanation is UV ablation of the outer parts of disks.

Brown dwarf disks with ALMA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ricci, L.; Isella, A. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Testi, L.; De Gregorio-Monsalvo, I. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Natta, A. [INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Scholz, A., E-mail: lricci@astro.caltech.edu [School of Cosmic Physics, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 31 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

2014-08-10

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array continuum and spectral line data at 0.89 mm and 3.2 mm for three disks surrounding young brown dwarfs and very low mass stars in the Taurus star forming region. Dust thermal emission is detected and spatially resolved for all the three disks, while CO(J = 3-2) emission is seen in two disks. We analyze the continuum visibilities and constrain the disks' physical structure in dust. The results of our analysis show that the disks are relatively large; the smallest one has an outer radius of about 70 AU. The inferred disk radii, radial profiles of the dust surface density, and disk to central object mass ratios lie within the ranges found for disks around more massive young stars. We derive from our observations the wavelength dependence of the millimeter dust opacity. In all the three disks, data are consistent with the presence of grains with at least millimeter sizes, as also found for disks around young stars, and confirm that the early stages of the solid growth toward planetesimals occur also around very low-mass objects. We discuss the implications of our findings on models of solids evolution in protoplanetary disks, the main mechanisms proposed for the formation of brown dwarfs and very low-mass stars, as well as the potential of finding rocky and giant planets around very low-mass objects.

PLANETESIMAL DISK MICROLENSING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heng, Kevin; Keeton, Charles R.

2009-01-01

Motivated by debris disk studies, we investigate the gravitational microlensing of background starlight by a planetesimal disk around a foreground star. We use dynamical survival models to construct a plausible example of a planetesimal disk and study its microlensing properties using established ideas of microlensing by small bodies. When a solar-type source star passes behind a planetesimal disk, the microlensing light curve may exhibit short-term, low-amplitude residuals caused by planetesimals several orders of magnitude below Earth mass. The minimum planetesimal mass probed depends on the photometric sensitivity and the size of the source star, and is lower when the planetesimal lens is located closer to us. Planetesimal lenses may be found more nearby than stellar lenses because the steepness of the planetesimal mass distribution changes how the microlensing signal depends on the lens/source distance ratio. Microlensing searches for planetesimals require essentially continuous monitoring programs that are already feasible and can potentially set constraints on models of debris disks, the progeny of the supposed extrasolar analogues of Kuiper Belts.

Dusty disks around young stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhoeff, A.

2009-01-01

Stars are formed through the collapse of giant molecular clouds. During this contraction the matter spins up and naturally forms a circumstellar disk. Once accretion comes to a halt, these disks are relatively stable. Some disks are known to last up to 10 Myrs. Most disks however, dissipate on

Collective Activity of Many Bistable Assemblies Reproduces Characteristic Dynamics of Multistable Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Robin; Pastukhov, Alexander; Mattia, Maurizio; Braun, Jochen

2016-06-29

The timing of perceptual decisions depends on both deterministic and stochastic factors, as the gradual accumulation of sensory evidence (deterministic) is contaminated by sensory and/or internal noise (stochastic). When human observers view multistable visual displays, successive episodes of stochastic accumulation culminate in repeated reversals of visual appearance. Treating reversal timing as a "first-passage time" problem, we ask how the observed timing densities constrain the underlying stochastic accumulation. Importantly, mean reversal times (i.e., deterministic factors) differ enormously between displays/observers/stimulation levels, whereas the variance and skewness of reversal times (i.e., stochastic factors) keep characteristic proportions of the mean. What sort of stochastic process could reproduce this highly consistent "scaling property?" Here we show that the collective activity of a finite population of bistable units (i.e., a generalized Ehrenfest process) quantitatively reproduces all aspects of the scaling property of multistable phenomena, in contrast to other processes under consideration (Poisson, Wiener, or Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process). The postulated units express the spontaneous dynamics of attractor assemblies transitioning between distinct activity states. Plausible candidates are cortical columns, or clusters of columns, as they are preferentially connected and spontaneously explore a restricted repertoire of activity states. Our findings suggests that perceptual representations are granular, probabilistic, and operate far from equilibrium, thereby offering a suitable substrate for statistical inference. Spontaneous reversals of high-level perception, so-called multistable perception, conform to highly consistent and characteristic statistics, constraining plausible neural representations. We show that the observed perceptual dynamics would be reproduced quantitatively by a finite population of distinct neural assemblies, each with

Debris Disks: Probing Planet Formation

OpenAIRE

Wyatt, Mark C.

2018-01-01

Debris disks are the dust disks found around ~20% of nearby main sequence stars in far-IR surveys. They can be considered as descendants of protoplanetary disks or components of planetary systems, providing valuable information on circumstellar disk evolution and the outcome of planet formation. The debris disk population can be explained by the steady collisional erosion of planetesimal belts; population models constrain where (10-100au) and in what quantity (>1Mearth) planetesimals (>10km i...

Fast, Capacious Disk Memory Device

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Ronald M.

1990-01-01

Device for recording digital data on, and playing back data from, memory disks has high recording or playback rate and utilizes available recording area more fully. Two disks, each with own reading/writing head, used to record data at same time. Head on disk A operates on one of tracks numbered from outside in; head on disk B operates on track of same number in sequence from inside out. Underlying concept of device applicable to magnetic or optical disks.

Mass distributions in disk galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinsson, Thomas; Verheijen, Marc; Bershady, Matthew; Westfall, Kyle; Andersen, David; Swaters, Rob

We present results on luminous and dark matter mass distributions in disk galaxies from the DiskMass Survey. As expected for normal disk galaxies, stars dominate the baryonic mass budget in the inner region of the disk; however, at about four optical scale lengths (hR ) the atomic gas starts to

WIND-ACCRETION DISKS IN WIDE BINARIES, SECOND-GENERATION PROTOPLANETARY DISKS, AND ACCRETION ONTO WHITE DWARFS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perets, Hagai B.; Kenyon, Scott J.

2013-01-01

Mass transfer from an evolved donor star to its binary companion is a standard feature of stellar evolution in binaries. In wide binaries, the companion star captures some of the mass ejected in a wind by the primary star. The captured material forms an accretion disk. Here, we study the evolution of wind-accretion disks, using a numerical approach which allows us to follow the long-term evolution. For a broad range of initial conditions, we derive the radial density and temperature profiles of the disk. In most cases, wind accretion leads to long-lived stable disks over the lifetime of the asymptotic giant branch donor star. The disks have masses of a few times 10 –5 -10 –3 M ☉ , with surface density and temperature profiles that follow broken power laws. The total mass in the disk scales approximately linearly with the viscosity parameter used. Roughly, 50%-80% of the mass falling into the disk accretes onto the central star; the rest flows out through the outer edge of the disk into the stellar wind of the primary. For systems with large accretion rates, the secondary accretes as much as 0.1 M ☉ . When the secondary is a white dwarf, accretion naturally leads to nova and supernova eruptions. For all types of secondary star, the surface density and temperature profiles of massive disks resemble structures observed in protoplanetary disks, suggesting that coordinated observational programs might improve our understanding of uncertain disk physics.

How the Invisible Hand is Supposed to Adjust the Natural Thermostat: A Guide for the Perplexed.

Science.gov (United States)

Storm, Servaas

2017-10-01

Mainstream climate economics takes global warming seriously, but perplexingly concludes that the optimal economic policy is to almost do nothing about it. This conclusion can be traced to just a few "normative" assumptions, over which there exists fundamental disagreement amongst economists. This paper explores two axes of this disagreement. The first axis ("market vs. regulation") measures faith in the invisible hand to adjust the natural thermostat. The second axis expresses differences in views on the efficiency and equity implications of climate action. The two axes combined lead to a classification of conflicting approaches in climate economics. The variety of approaches does not imply a post-modern "anything goes", as the contradictions between climate and capitalism cannot be wished away.

A High-mass Protobinary System with Spatially Resolved Circumstellar Accretion Disks and Circumbinary Disk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraus, S.; Kluska, J.; Kreplin, A.; Bate, M.; Harries, T. J.; Hone, E.; Anugu, A. [School of Physics, Astrophysics Group, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL (United Kingdom); Hofmann, K.-H.; Weigelt, G. [Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Monnier, J. D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 311 West Hall, 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); De Wit, W. J. [ESO, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago 19 (Chile); Wittkowski, M., E-mail: skraus@astro.ex.ac.uk [ESO, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany)

2017-01-20

High-mass multiples might form via fragmentation of self-gravitational disks or alternative scenarios such as disk-assisted capture. However, only a few observational constraints exist on the architecture and disk structure of high-mass protobinaries and their accretion properties. Here, we report the discovery of a close (57.9 ± 0.2 mas = 170 au) high-mass protobinary, IRAS17216-3801, where our VLTI/GRAVITY+AMBER near-infrared interferometry allows us to image the circumstellar disks around the individual components with ∼3 mas resolution. We estimate the component masses to ∼20 and ∼18 M {sub ⊙} and find that the radial intensity profiles can be reproduced with an irradiated disk model, where the inner regions are excavated of dust, likely tracing the dust sublimation region in these disks. The circumstellar disks are strongly misaligned with respect to the binary separation vector, which indicates that the tidal forces did not have time to realign the disks, pointing toward a young dynamical age of the system. We constrain the distribution of the Br γ and CO-emitting gas using VLTI/GRAVITY spectro-interferometry and VLT/CRIRES spectro-astrometry and find that the secondary is accreting at a higher rate than the primary. VLT/NACO imaging shows L ′-band emission on (3–4)× larger scales than the binary separation, matching the expected dynamical truncation radius for the circumbinary disk. The IRAS17216-3801 system is ∼3× more massive and ∼5× more compact than other high-mass multiplies imaged at infrared wavelength and the first high-mass protobinary system where circumstellar and circumbinary dust disks could be spatially resolved. This opens exciting new opportunities for studying star–disk interactions and the role of multiplicity in high-mass star formation.

Source to Accretion Disk Tilt

OpenAIRE

Montgomery, M. M.; Martin, E. L.

2010-01-01

Many different system types retrogradely precess, and retrograde precession could be from a tidal torque by the secondary on a misaligned accretion disk. However, a source to cause and maintain disk tilt is unknown. In this work, we show that accretion disks can tilt due to a force called lift. Lift results from differing gas stream supersonic speeds over and under an accretion disk. Because lift acts at the disk's center of pressure, a torque is applied around a rotation axis passing through...

Temperature persistent bistability and threshold switching in a single barrier heterostructure hot-electron diode

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stasch, R.; Hey, R.; Asche, M.

1996-01-01

Bistable current–voltage characteristics caused by competition of tunneling through and field-enhanced thermionic emission across a single barrier are investigated in an n–-GaAs/Al0.34Ga0.66As/n+-GaAs structure. The S-shaped part of the characteristic persists in the whole temperature regime...

Electro-Optical Characterization of Bistable Smectic A Liquid Crystal Displays

Science.gov (United States)

Buyuktanir, Ebru Aylin

My dissertation focuses the characterization and optimization of the electro-optical properties of smectic A (SmA) based liquid crystal (LC) displays. I present the development of robust and flexible bistable SmA LC displays utilizing polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technology. The SmA PDLC displays produced on plastic substrates present electrically reversible memory, high contrast ratio, paper-like sunlight readability, and wide viewing angle characteristics. In order to optimize the SmA PDLC display, I investigated polymerization conditions, such as polymer concentration effect, polymerization temperature, and UV-light intensity variations. I characterized the electro-optical responses-such as static-response, time-response, threshold characteristics, and contrast ratio values' of the optimized SmA PDLC display and compared them to those of the pure SmA LC. The best electro-optical performance of SmA PDLC formulation was obtained using the combination of low mW/cm 2 and high mW/cm2 UV-light curing intensity. The contrast ratio of the optimum SmA PDLC at a 5o collection angle was 83% of that of the pure SmA material on plastic substrates. I fabricated 2.5 x 2.5 in., 4 x 4 in., and 6 x 6 in. sized monochrome flexible SmA PDLC displays, as well as red, yellow, and fluorescent dyes colored SmA PDLC displays on plastic substrates. The electro-optic performance of the bistable SmA LC display consisting of a patterned field-induced polymer wall infrastructure was also studied and compared to those of pure SmA material. I found that the contrast ratio of the SmA LC encapsulated between polymer walls was much greater than that of the SmA PDLC system, approaching the contrast ratio value of the pure SmA material. I also improved the electro-optical characteristics of bistable SmA LC displays by adding ferroparticles into the system. Finally, I illustrated the unique capabilities of polarized confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) to resolve the orientational order of Sm

Evolution of magnetic disk subsystems

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Satoru

1994-06-01

The higher recording density of magnetic disk realized today has brought larger storage capacity per unit and smaller form factors. If the required access performance per MB is constant, the performance of large subsystems has to be several times better. This article describes mainly the technology for improving the performance of the magnetic disk subsystems and the prospects of their future evolution. Also considered are 'crosscall pathing' which makes the data transfer channel more effective, 'disk cache' which improves performance coupling with solid state memory technology, and 'RAID' which improves the availability and integrity of disk subsystems by organizing multiple disk drives in a subsystem. As a result, it is concluded that since the performance of the subsystem is dominated by that of the disk cache, maximation of the performance of the disk cache subsystems is very important.

STELLAR MASS DEPENDENT DISK DISPERSAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, Grant M.; Kenyon, Scott J.

2009-01-01

We use published optical spectral and infrared (IR) excess data from nine young clusters and associations to study the stellar mass dependent dispersal of circumstellar disks. All clusters older than ∼3 Myr show a decrease in disk fraction with increasing stellar mass for solar to higher mass stars. This result is significant at about the 1σ level in each cluster. For the complete set of clusters we reject the null hypothesis-that solar and intermediate-mass stars lose their disks at the same rate-with 95%-99.9% confidence. To interpret this behavior, we investigate the impact of grain growth, binary companions, and photoevaporation on the evolution of disk signatures. Changes in grain growth timescales at fixed disk temperature may explain why early-type stars with IR excesses appear to evolve faster than their later-type counterparts. Little evidence that binary companions affect disk evolution suggests that photoevaporation is the more likely mechanism for disk dispersal. A simple photoevaporation model provides a good fit to the observed disk fractions for solar and intermediate-mass stars. Although the current mass-dependent disk dispersal signal is not strong, larger and more complete samples of clusters with ages of 3-5 Myr can improve the significance and provide better tests of theoretical models. In addition, the orbits of extra-solar planets can constrain models of disk dispersal and migration. We suggest that the signature of stellar mass dependent disk dispersal due to photoevaporation may be present in the orbits of observed extra-solar planets. Planets orbiting hosts more massive than ∼1.6 M sun may have larger orbits because the disks in which they formed were dispersed before they could migrate.

Manipulation of magnetic vortex parameters in disk-on-disk nanostructures with various geometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maxim E. Stebliy

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Magnetic nanostructures in the form of a sandwich consisting of two permalloy (Py disks with diameters of 600 and 200 nm separated by a nonmagnetic interlayer are studied. Magnetization reversal of the disk-on-disk nanostructures depends on the distance between centers of the small and big disks and on orientation of an external magnetic field applied during measurements. It is found that manipulation of the magnetic vortex chirality and the trajectory of the vortex core in the big disk is only possible in asymmetric nanostructures. Experimentally studied peculiarities of a motion path of the vortex core and vortex parameters by the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE magnetometer are supported by the magnetic force microscopy imaging and micromagnetic simulations.

Global Simulations of the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks with Comprehensive Disk Microphysics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bai, Xue-Ning, E-mail: xbai@cfa.harvard.edu [Institute for Theory and Computation, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS-51, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2017-08-10

The gas dynamics of weakly ionized protoplanetary disks (PPDs) are largely governed by the coupling between gas and magnetic fields, described by three non-ideal magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) effects (Ohmic, Hall, ambipolar). Previous local simulations incorporating these processes have revealed that the inner regions of PPDs are largely laminar and accompanied by wind-driven accretion. We conduct 2D axisymmetric, fully global MHD simulations of these regions (∼1–20 au), taking into account all non-ideal MHD effects, with tabulated diffusion coefficients and approximate treatment of external ionization and heating. With the net vertical field aligned with disk rotation, the Hall-shear instability strongly amplifies horizontal magnetic field, making the overall dynamics dependent on initial field configuration. Following disk formation, the disk likely relaxes into an inner zone characterized by asymmetric field configuration across the midplane, which smoothly transitions to a more symmetric outer zone. Angular momentum transport is driven by both MHD winds and laminar Maxwell stress, with both accretion and decretion flows present at different heights, and modestly asymmetric winds from the two disk sides. With anti-aligned field polarity, weakly magnetized disks settle into an asymmetric field configuration with supersonic accretion flow concentrated at one side of the disk surface, and highly asymmetric winds between the two disk sides. In all cases, the wind is magneto-thermal in nature, characterized by a mass loss rate exceeding the accretion rate. More strongly magnetized disks give more symmetric field configuration and flow structures. Deeper far-UV penetration leads to stronger and less stable outflows. Implications for observations and planet formation are also discussed.

Global Simulations of the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks with Comprehensive Disk Microphysics

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Xue-Ning

2017-08-01

The gas dynamics of weakly ionized protoplanetary disks (PPDs) are largely governed by the coupling between gas and magnetic fields, described by three non-ideal magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) effects (Ohmic, Hall, ambipolar). Previous local simulations incorporating these processes have revealed that the inner regions of PPDs are largely laminar and accompanied by wind-driven accretion. We conduct 2D axisymmetric, fully global MHD simulations of these regions (˜1-20 au), taking into account all non-ideal MHD effects, with tabulated diffusion coefficients and approximate treatment of external ionization and heating. With the net vertical field aligned with disk rotation, the Hall-shear instability strongly amplifies horizontal magnetic field, making the overall dynamics dependent on initial field configuration. Following disk formation, the disk likely relaxes into an inner zone characterized by asymmetric field configuration across the midplane, which smoothly transitions to a more symmetric outer zone. Angular momentum transport is driven by both MHD winds and laminar Maxwell stress, with both accretion and decretion flows present at different heights, and modestly asymmetric winds from the two disk sides. With anti-aligned field polarity, weakly magnetized disks settle into an asymmetric field configuration with supersonic accretion flow concentrated at one side of the disk surface, and highly asymmetric winds between the two disk sides. In all cases, the wind is magneto-thermal in nature, characterized by a mass loss rate exceeding the accretion rate. More strongly magnetized disks give more symmetric field configuration and flow structures. Deeper far-UV penetration leads to stronger and less stable outflows. Implications for observations and planet formation are also discussed.

Method of bistable optical information storage using antiferroelectric phase PLZT ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Land, Cecil E.

1990-01-01

A method for bistable storage of binary optical information includes an antiferroelectric (AFE) lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) layer having a stable antiferroelectric first phase and a ferroelectric (FE) second phase obtained by applying a switching electric field across the surface of the device. Optical information is stored by illuminating selected portions of the layer to photoactivate an FE to AFE transition in those portions. Erasure of the stored information is obtained by reapplying the switching field.

Divergence of relative difference in Gaussian distribution function and stochastic resonance in a bistable system with frictionless state transition

Science.gov (United States)

Kasai, Seiya; Ichiki, Akihisa; Tadokoro, Yukihiro

2018-03-01

A bistable system efficiently detects a weak signal by adding noise, which is referred to as stochastic resonance. A previous theory deals with friction in state transition; however, this hypothesis is inadequate when friction force is negligible such as in nano- and molecular-scale systems. We show that, when the transition occurs without friction, the sensitivity of the bistable system to a Gaussian-noise-imposed weak signal becomes significantly high. The sensitivity is determined by the relative difference in noise distribution function. We find that the relative difference in Gaussian distribution function diverges in its tail edge, resulting in a high sensitivity in the present system.

Noise activated bistable sensor based on chaotic system with output defined by temporal coding and firing rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Korneta, Wojciech; Gomes, Iacyel

2017-11-01

Traditional bistable sensors use external bias signal to drive its response between states and their detection strategy is based on the output power spectral density or the residence time difference (RTD) in two sensor states. Recently, the noise activated nonlinear dynamic sensors driven only by noise based on RTD technique have been proposed. Here, we present experimental results of dc voltage measurements by noise-driven bistable sensor based on electronic Chua's circuit operating in a chaotic regime where two single scroll attractors coexist. The output of the sensor is quantified by the proportion of the time the sensor stays in one state to the total observation time and by the spike-count rate with spikes defined by crossings between attractors. The relationship between the stimuli and particular observable for different noise intensities is obtained, the usefulness of each coding scheme is discussed, and the optimal noise intensity for detection is indicated. It is shown that the obtained relationship is the same for any observation time when population coding is used. The optimal time window for both detection and the number of units in population coding is found. Our results may be useful for analyses and understanding of the neural activity and in designing bistable storage elements at length scales where thermal fluctuations drastically increase and the effect of noise must be taken into consideration.

Stochastic resonance in an asymmetric bistable system driven by multiplicative colored noise and additive white noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Bingchang; Xu Wei

2008-01-01

The phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR) in a bistable system driven by multiplicative colored and additive white noises and a periodic rectangular signal with a constant component is studied by using the unified colored noise approximation and the theory of signal-to-noise (SNR) in the adiabatic limit. The analytic expression of the SNR is obtained for arbitrary signal amplitude without being restricted to small amplitudes. The SNR is a non-monotonic function of intensities of multiplicative colored and additive white noises and correlation time of multiplicative colored noise, so SR exhibits in the bistable system. The effects of potential asymmetry r and correlation time τ of multiplicative colored noise on SNR are opposite. Moreover, It is more sensitive to control SR through adjusting the additive white noise intensity D than adjusting the multiplicative colored noise intensity Q

WIND-ACCRETION DISKS IN WIDE BINARIES, SECOND-GENERATION PROTOPLANETARY DISKS, AND ACCRETION ONTO WHITE DWARFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perets, Hagai B. [Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel); Kenyon, Scott J., E-mail: hperets@physics.technion.ac.il [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-02-20

Mass transfer from an evolved donor star to its binary companion is a standard feature of stellar evolution in binaries. In wide binaries, the companion star captures some of the mass ejected in a wind by the primary star. The captured material forms an accretion disk. Here, we study the evolution of wind-accretion disks, using a numerical approach which allows us to follow the long-term evolution. For a broad range of initial conditions, we derive the radial density and temperature profiles of the disk. In most cases, wind accretion leads to long-lived stable disks over the lifetime of the asymptotic giant branch donor star. The disks have masses of a few times 10{sup -5}-10{sup -3} M {sub Sun }, with surface density and temperature profiles that follow broken power laws. The total mass in the disk scales approximately linearly with the viscosity parameter used. Roughly, 50%-80% of the mass falling into the disk accretes onto the central star; the rest flows out through the outer edge of the disk into the stellar wind of the primary. For systems with large accretion rates, the secondary accretes as much as 0.1 M {sub Sun }. When the secondary is a white dwarf, accretion naturally leads to nova and supernova eruptions. For all types of secondary star, the surface density and temperature profiles of massive disks resemble structures observed in protoplanetary disks, suggesting that coordinated observational programs might improve our understanding of uncertain disk physics.

Using billing and weather data to separate thermostat from insulation effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fels, M F; Goldberg, M L

1984-05-01

A simple methodology, which uses aggregate utility sales data to measure and decompose residential conservation trends, is demonstrated. The data base is the aggregate natural gas consumption of the nearly one million houses in New Jersey which use gas for heating. The conservation index resulting from the analysis is normalized annual consumption, which adjusts per-household consumption to typical weather conditions. To smooth erratic year-to-year changes, four-year composite analyses are moved forward in time over the period 1970-82. Dramatic decreases in consumption, totaling 26% since the oil embargo, are evident. A decomposition of the results for the four years following the embargo suggests that over half of this conservation effect is due to changes in interior temperatures, with the policy implication that thermostat setbacks have played a far greater conservation role than have either structural change through retrofitting or modifications in appliance usage. In more recent years, for which the overall reduction in energy usage is lower, the dominant conservation role appears to have shifted to reductions in temperature-independent, base-level consumption by water heaters and appliances, while the effects of retrofitting remain relatively small.

Noise-induced coherence in bistable systems with multiple time delays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Yu; Dong, Shi-Hai; Lozada-Cassou, M.

2004-01-01

We study the correlation properties of noise-driven bistable systems with multiple time-delay feedbacks. For small noisy perturbation and feedback magnitude, we derive the autocorrelation function and the power spectrum based on the two-state model with transition rates depending on the earlier states of the system. A comparison between the single and double time delays reveals that the auto correlation functions exhibit exponential decay with small undulation for the double time delays, in contrast with the remarkable oscillatory behavior at small time lags for the single time delay

The tunable bistable and multistable memory effect in polymer nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, Atikur; Sanyal, Milan K

2008-01-01

Tunable bistable and multistable resistance switching in conducting polymer nanowires has been reported. These wires show reproducible switching transition under several READ-WRITE-ERASE cycles. The switching is observed at low temperature and the ON/OFF resistance ratio for the voltage biased switching transition was found to be more than 10 3 . Current biased measurements show lower ON/OFF ratio and some of the nanowires exhibit a multistable switching transition in current biased measurements. The threshold voltage for switching and the ON/OFF resistance ratio can be tuned by changing doping concentration of the nanowires

Application of the Asymptotic Taylor Expansion Method to Bistable Potentials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okan Ozer

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A recent method called asymptotic Taylor expansion (ATEM is applied to determine the analytical expression for eigenfunctions and numerical results for eigenvalues of the Schrödinger equation for the bistable potentials. Optimal truncation of the Taylor series gives a best possible analytical expression for eigenfunctions and numerical results for eigenvalues. It is shown that the results are obtained by a simple algorithm constructed for a computer system using symbolic or numerical calculation. It is observed that ATEM produces excellent results consistent with the existing literature.

Indicators of Arctic Sea Ice Bistability in Climate Model Simulations and Observations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-30

associated with the ice - albedo feedback and the seasonal melt and growth of sea ice , as well as horizontal climate variations on a global domain. (2...1 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Indicators of Arctic Sea Ice Bistability in Climate...possibility that the climate system supports multiple Arctic sea ice states that are relevant for the evolution of sea ice during the next several

Effects of error feedback on a nonlinear bistable system with stochastic resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jian-Long; Zhou Hui

2012-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the effects of error feedback on the output of a nonlinear bistable system with stochastic resonance. The bit error rate is employed to quantify the performance of the system. The theoretical analysis and the numerical simulation are presented. By investigating the performances of the nonlinear systems with different strengths of error feedback, we argue that the presented system may provide guidance for practical nonlinear signal processing

Statistical approach to bistable behaviour of a nonlinear system in a stationary field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luks, A.; Perina, J.; Perinova, V.; Bertolotti, M.; Sibilia, C.

1984-01-01

The quantum statistical properties of an elastic scattering process are investigated comprising crossed light beams which are in interaction with a particle (electron) beam treated as ''two-step'' system. Using the master equation and the generalized Fokker-Planck equation techniques, the integrated intensities are characterized by their probability distributions and it is demonstrated that single modes exhibit two-peak bistable behaviour. (author)

Vibration of imperfect rotating disk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Půst L.

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This study is concerned with the theoretical and numerical calculations of the flexural vibrations of a bladed disk. The main focus of this study is to elaborate the basic background for diagnostic and identification methods for ascertaining the main properties of the real structure or an experimental model of turbine disks. The reduction of undesirable vibrations of blades is proposed by using damping heads, which on the experimental model of turbine disk are applied only on a limited number of blades. This partial setting of damping heads introduces imperfection in mass, stiffness and damping distribution on the periphery and leads to more complicated dynamic properties than those of a perfect disk. Calculation of FEM model and analytic—numerical solution of disk behaviour in the limited (two modes frequency range shows the splitting of resonance with an increasing speed of disk rotation. The spectrum of resonance is twice denser than that of a perfect disk.

RINGED ACCRETION DISKS: EQUILIBRIUM CONFIGURATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pugliese, D.; Stuchlík, Z., E-mail: d.pugliese.physics@gmail.com, E-mail: zdenek.stuchlik@physics.cz [Institute of Physics and Research Centre of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Philosophy and Science, Silesian University in Opava, Bezručovo náměstí 13, CZ-74601 Opava (Czech Republic)

2015-12-15

We investigate a model of a ringed accretion disk, made up by several rings rotating around a supermassive Kerr black hole attractor. Each toroid of the ringed disk is governed by the general relativity hydrodynamic Boyer condition of equilibrium configurations of rotating perfect fluids. Properties of the tori can then be determined by an appropriately defined effective potential reflecting the background Kerr geometry and the centrifugal effects. The ringed disks could be created in various regimes during the evolution of matter configurations around supermassive black holes. Therefore, both corotating and counterrotating rings have to be considered as being a constituent of the ringed disk. We provide constraints on the model parameters for the existence and stability of various ringed configurations and discuss occurrence of accretion onto the Kerr black hole and possible launching of jets from the ringed disk. We demonstrate that various ringed disks can be characterized by a maximum number of rings. We present also a perturbation analysis based on evolution of the oscillating components of the ringed disk. The dynamics of the unstable phases of the ringed disk evolution seems to be promising in relation to high-energy phenomena demonstrated in active galactic nuclei.

Bifurcation properties of nematic liquid crystals exposed to an electric field: Switchability, bistability, and multistability

KAUST Repository

Cummings, L. J.

2013-07-01

Bistable liquid crystal displays (LCDs) offer the potential for considerable power savings compared with conventional (monostable) LCDs. The existence of two (or more) stable field-free states that are optically distinct means that contrast can be maintained in a display without an externally applied electric field. An applied field is required only to switch the device from one state to the other, as needed. In this paper we examine the basic physical principles involved in generating multiple stable states and the switching between these states. We consider a two-dimensional geometry in which variable surface anchoring conditions are used to control the steady-state solutions and explore how different anchoring conditions can influence the number and type of solutions and whether or not switching is possible between the states. We find a wide range of possible behaviors, including bistability, tristability, and tetrastability, and investigate how the solution landscape changes as the boundary conditions are tuned. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Parietal theta burst TMS: Functional fractionation observed during bistable perception not evident in attention tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Schauer, Georg; Kanai, Ryota; Brascamp, Jan W

2016-02-01

When visual input is ambiguous, perception spontaneously alternates between interpretations: bistable perception. Studies have identified two distinct sites near the right intraparietal sulcus where inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) affects the frequency of occurrence of these alternations, but strikingly with opposite directions of effect for the two sites. Lesion and TMS studies on spatial and sustained attention have also indicated a parcellation of right parietal cortex, into areas serving distinct attentional functions. We used the exact TMS procedure previously employed to affect bistable perception, yet measured its effect on spatial and sustained attention tasks. Although there was a trend for TMS to affect performance, trends were consistently similar for both parietal sites, with no indication of opposite effects. We interpret this as signifying that the previously observed parietal fractionation of function regarding the perception of ambiguous stimuli is not due to TMS-induced modification of spatial or sustained attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Time Dynamic Response and Stochastic Resonance of Subdiffusive Overdamped Bistable Fractional Fokker-Planck Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan-Mei, Kang; Yao-Lin, Jiang

2008-01-01

To explore the influence of anomalous diffusion on stochastic resonance (SR) more deeply and effectively, the method of moments is extended to subdiffusive overdamped bistable fractional Fokker-Planck systems for calculating the long-time linear dynamic response. It is found that the method of moments attains high accuracy with the truncation order N = 10, and in normal diffusion such obtained spectral amplification factor (SAF) of the first-order harmonic is also confirmed by stochastic simulation. Observing the SAF of the odd-order harmonics we find some interesting results, i.e. for smaller driving frequency the decrease of sub diffusion exponent inhibits the stochastic resonance (SR), while for larger driving frequency the decrease of sub diffusion exponent enhances the second SR peak, but the first one vanishes and a double SR is induced in the third-order harmonic at the same time. These observations suggest that the anomalous diffusion has important influence on the bistable dynamics

CN rings in full protoplanetary disks around young stars as probes of disk structure

Science.gov (United States)

Cazzoletti, P.; van Dishoeck, E. F.; Visser, R.; Facchini, S.; Bruderer, S.

2018-01-01

Aims: Bright ring-like structure emission of the CN molecule has been observed in protoplanetary disks. We investigate whether such structures are due to the morphology of the disk itself or if they are instead an intrinsic feature of CN emission. With the intention of using CN as a diagnostic, we also address to which physical and chemical parameters CN is most sensitive. Methods: A set of disk models were run for different stellar spectra, masses, and physical structures via the 2D thermochemical code DALI. An updated chemical network that accounts for the most relevant CN reactions was adopted. Results: Ring-shaped emission is found to be a common feature of all adopted models; the highest abundance is found in the upper outer regions of the disk, and the column density peaks at 30-100 AU for T Tauri stars with standard accretion rates. Higher mass disks generally show brighter CN. Higher UV fields, such as those appropriate for T Tauri stars with high accretion rates or for Herbig Ae stars or for higher disk flaring, generally result in brighter and larger rings. These trends are due to the main formation paths of CN, which all start with vibrationally excited H_2^* molecules, that are produced through far ultraviolet (FUV) pumping of H2. The model results compare well with observed disk-integrated CN fluxes and the observed location of the CN ring for the TW Hya disk. Conclusions: CN rings are produced naturally in protoplanetary disks and do not require a specific underlying disk structure such as a dust cavity or gap. The strong link between FUV flux and CN emission can provide critical information regarding the vertical structure of the disk and the distribution of dust grains which affects the UV penetration, and could help to break some degeneracies in the SED fitting. In contrast with C2H or c-C3H2, the CN flux is not very sensitive to carbon and oxygen depletion.

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS OF THE T CHA TRANSITION DISK: CONSTRAINING THE OUTER DISK PROPERTIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cieza, Lucas A.; Olofsson, Johan; Henning, Thomas; Harvey, Paul M.; Evans II, Neal J.; Pinte, Christophe; Augereau, Jean-Charles; Ménard, Francois; Merín, Bruno; Najita, Joan

2011-01-01

T Cha is a nearby (d ∼ 100 pc) transition disk known to have an optically thin gap separating optically thick inner and outer disk components. Huélamo et al. recently reported the presence of a low-mass object candidate within the gap of the T Cha disk, giving credence to the suspected planetary origin of this gap. Here we present the Herschel photometry (70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm) of T Cha from the 'Dust, Ice, and Gas in Time' Key Program, which bridges the wavelength range between existing Spitzer and millimeter data and provide important constraints on the outer disk properties of this extraordinary system. We model the entire optical to millimeter wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of T Cha (19 data points between 0.36 and 3300 μm without any major gaps in wavelength coverage). T Cha shows a steep spectral slope in the far-IR, which we find clearly favors models with outer disks containing little or no dust beyond ∼40 AU. The full SED can be modeled equally well with either an outer disk that is very compact (only a few AU wide) or a much larger one that has a very steep surface density profile. That is, T Cha's outer disk seems to be either very small or very tenuous. Both scenarios suggest a highly unusual outer disk and have important but different implications for the nature of T Cha. Spatially resolved images are needed to distinguish between the two scenarios.

HERSCHEL OBSERVATIONS OF THE T CHA TRANSITION DISK: CONSTRAINING THE OUTER DISK PROPERTIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cieza, Lucas A. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Olofsson, Johan; Henning, Thomas [Max Planck Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Harvey, Paul M.; Evans II, Neal J. [Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Pinte, Christophe; Augereau, Jean-Charles; Menard, Francois [UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planetologie et d' Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, Grenoble, F-38041 (France); Merin, Bruno [Herschel Science Centre, European Space Agency (ESAC), P.O. Box 78, 28691 Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid (Spain); Najita, Joan, E-mail: lcieza@ifa.hawaii.edu [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 86719 (United States)

2011-11-10

T Cha is a nearby (d {approx} 100 pc) transition disk known to have an optically thin gap separating optically thick inner and outer disk components. Huelamo et al. recently reported the presence of a low-mass object candidate within the gap of the T Cha disk, giving credence to the suspected planetary origin of this gap. Here we present the Herschel photometry (70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 {mu}m) of T Cha from the 'Dust, Ice, and Gas in Time' Key Program, which bridges the wavelength range between existing Spitzer and millimeter data and provide important constraints on the outer disk properties of this extraordinary system. We model the entire optical to millimeter wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of T Cha (19 data points between 0.36 and 3300 {mu}m without any major gaps in wavelength coverage). T Cha shows a steep spectral slope in the far-IR, which we find clearly favors models with outer disks containing little or no dust beyond {approx}40 AU. The full SED can be modeled equally well with either an outer disk that is very compact (only a few AU wide) or a much larger one that has a very steep surface density profile. That is, T Cha's outer disk seems to be either very small or very tenuous. Both scenarios suggest a highly unusual outer disk and have important but different implications for the nature of T Cha. Spatially resolved images are needed to distinguish between the two scenarios.

The limiting dynamics of a bistable molecular switch with and without noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackey, Michael C; Tyran-Kamińska, Marta

2016-08-01

We consider the dynamics of a population of organisms containing two mutually inhibitory gene regulatory networks, that can result in a bistable switch-like behaviour. We completely characterize their local and global dynamics in the absence of any noise, and then go on to consider the effects of either noise coming from bursting (transcription or translation), or Gaussian noise in molecular degradation rates when there is a dominant slow variable in the system. We show analytically how the steady state distribution in the population can range from a single unimodal distribution through a bimodal distribution and give the explicit analytic form for the invariant stationary density which is globally asymptotically stable. Rather remarkably, the behaviour of the stationary density with respect to the parameters characterizing the molecular behaviour of the bistable switch is qualitatively identical in the presence of noise coming from bursting as well as in the presence of Gaussian noise in the degradation rate. This implies that one cannot distinguish between either the dominant source or nature of noise based on the stationary molecular distribution in a population of cells. We finally show that the switch model with bursting but two dominant slow genes has an asymptotically stable stationary density.

Audit: Automated Disk Investigation Toolkit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umit Karabiyik

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Software tools designed for disk analysis play a critical role today in forensics investigations. However, these digital forensics tools are often difficult to use, usually task specific, and generally require professionally trained users with IT backgrounds. The relevant tools are also often open source requiring additional technical knowledge and proper configuration. This makes it difficult for investigators without some computer science background to easily conduct the needed disk analysis. In this paper, we present AUDIT, a novel automated disk investigation toolkit that supports investigations conducted by non-expert (in IT and disk technology and expert investigators. Our proof of concept design and implementation of AUDIT intelligently integrates open source tools and guides non-IT professionals while requiring minimal technical knowledge about the disk structures and file systems of the target disk image.

EEG correlates of cognitive time scales in the Necker-Zeno model for bistable perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornmeier, J; Friedel, E; Wittmann, M; Atmanspacher, H

2017-08-01

The Necker-Zeno model of bistable perception provides a formal relation between the average duration of meta-stable percepts (dwell times T) of ambiguous figures and two other basic time scales (t 0 , ΔT) underlying cognitive processing. The model predicts that dwell times T covary with t 0 , ΔT or both. We tested this prediction by exploiting that observers, in particular experienced meditators, can volitionally control dwell times T. Meditators and non-meditators observed bistable Necker cubes either passively or tried to hold their current percept. The latencies of a centro-parietal event-related potential (CPP) were recorded as a physiological correlate of t 0 . Dwell times T and the CPP latencies, correlated with t 0 , differed between conditions and observer groups, while ΔT remained constant in the range predicted by the model. The covariation of CPP latencies and dwell times, as well as their quadratic functional dependence extends previous psychophysical confirmation of the Necker-Zeno model to psychophysiological measures. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Stochastic resonance in bistable systems driven by harmonic noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neiman, A.; Schimansky-Geier, L.

1994-01-01

We study stochastic resonance in a bistable system which is excited simultaneously by white and harmonic noise which we understand as the signal. In our case the spectral line of the signal has a finite width as it occurs in many real situations. Using techniques of cumulant analysis as well as computer simulations we find that the effect of stochastic resonance is preserved in the case of harmonic noise excitation. Moreover we show that the width of the spectral line of the signal at the output can be decreased via stochastic resonance. The last could be of importance in the practical using of the stochastic resonance

Oscillatory bistability of real-space transfer in semiconductor heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Do˙ttling, R.; Scho˙ll, E.

1992-01-01

Charge transport parallel to the layers of a modulation-doped GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs heterostructure is studied theoretically. The heating of electrons by the applied electric field leads to real-space transfer of electrons from the GaAs into the adjacent AlxGa1-xAs layer. For sufficiently large dc bias, spontaneous periodic 100-GHz current oscillations, and bistability and hysteretic switching transitions between oscillatory and stationary states are predicted. We present a detailed investigation of complex bifurcation scenarios as a function of the bias voltage U0 and the load resistance RL. For large RL subcritical Hopf bifurcations and global bifurcations of limit cycles are displayed.

Entire solutions for bistable lattice differential equations with obstacles

CERN Document Server

Hoffman, Aaron; Vleck, E S Van

2018-01-01

The authors consider scalar lattice differential equations posed on square lattices in two space dimensions. Under certain natural conditions they show that wave-like solutions exist when obstacles (characterized by "holes") are present in the lattice. Their work generalizes to the discrete spatial setting the results obtained in Berestycki, Hamel, and Matuno (2009) for the propagation of waves around obstacles in continuous spatial domains. The analysis hinges upon the development of sub and super-solutions for a class of discrete bistable reaction-diffusion problems and on a generalization of a classical result due to Aronson and Weinberger that concerns the spreading of localized disturbances.

The theory of stability, bistability, and instability in three-mode class-A lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahanpanah, J; Rahdar, A A

2014-01-01

Instability is an inevitable and common problem in all different kinds of lasers when they are oscillating in both single-and multi-mode states. Here, the stability conditions are investigated for a three-mode class-A laser. A set of linear equations is derived for the stable oscillation of the cavity central mode together with its left and right adjacent longitudinal modes. The coefficient determinant of stability equations is Hermitian and equal to zero for the roots of two diagonal arrays. In other words, the novelty of our work is to expand the stability coefficient determinant in terms of main diagonal arrays rather than for one row or one column. These diagonal roots lead to two lower and upper boundary curves in the form of a bifurcation. The lower boundary curve mimics the single-mode laser and delimits the instability region (with no above-threshold oscillating mode) from the bistability region (with two above-threshold oscillating modes). The upper boundary curve mimics the two-mode laser and delimits the bistability region from the stability region, in which all three-longitudinal modes are simultaneously oscillating in the above-threshold state. (paper)

YottaYotta announces new world record set for TCP disk-to-disk bulk transfer

CERN Document Server

2002-01-01

The Yottabyte NetStorage(TM) Company, today announced a new world record for TCP disk-to-disk data transfer using the company's NetStorager(R) System. The record-breaking demonstration transferred 5 terabytes of data between Chicago, Il. to Vancouver, BC and Ottawa, ON, at a sustained average throughput of 11.1 gigabits per second. Peak throughput exceeded 11.6 gigabits per second, more than 15-times faster than previous records for TCP transfer from disk-to-disk (1 page).

Disk-to-Disk network transfers at 100 Gb/s

Science.gov (United States)

Barczyk, Artur; Gable, Ian; Hay, Marilyn; Leavett-Brown, Colin; Legrand, Iosif; Lewall, Kim; McKee, Shawn; McWilliam, Donald; Mughal, Azher; Newman, Harvey; Rozsa, Sandor; Savard, Yvan; Sobie, Randall J.; Tam, Thomas; Voicu, Ramiro

2012-12-01

A 100 Gbps network was established between the California Institute of Technology conference booth at the Super Computing 2011 conference in Seattle, Washington and the computing center at the University of Victoria in Canada. A circuit was established over the BCNET, CANARIE and Super Computing (SCInet) networks using dedicated equipment. The small set of servers at the endpoints used a combination of 10GE and 40GE technologies, and SSD drives for data storage. The configuration of the network and the server configuration are discussed. We will show that the system was able to achieve disk-to-disk transfer rates of 60 Gbps and memory-to-memory rates in excess of 180 Gbps across the WAN. We will discuss the transfer tools, disk configurations, and monitoring tools used in the demonstration.

Disk-to-Disk network transfers at 100 Gb/s

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barczyk, Artur; Legrand, Iosif; Mughal, Azher; Newman, Harvey; Rozsa, Sandor; Voicu, Ramiro; Gable, Ian; Leavett-Brown, Colin; Lewall, Kim; Savard, Yvan; Sobie, Randall J; Hay, Marilyn; McWilliam, Donald; McKee, Shawn; Tam, Thomas

2012-01-01

A 100 Gbps network was established between the California Institute of Technology conference booth at the Super Computing 2011 conference in Seattle, Washington and the computing center at the University of Victoria in Canada. A circuit was established over the BCNET, CANARIE and Super Computing (SCInet) networks using dedicated equipment. The small set of servers at the endpoints used a combination of 10GE and 40GE technologies, and SSD drives for data storage. The configuration of the network and the server configuration are discussed. We will show that the system was able to achieve disk-to-disk transfer rates of 60 Gbps and memory-to-memory rates in excess of 180 Gbps across the WAN. We will discuss the transfer tools, disk configurations, and monitoring tools used in the demonstration.

MODELING DUST EMISSION OF HL TAU DISK BASED ON PLANET–DISK INTERACTIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Sheng; Ji, Jianghui; Li, Shengtai; Li, Hui; Isella, Andrea

2016-01-01

We use extensive global two-dimensional hydrodynamic disk gas+dust simulations with embedded planets, coupled with three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations, to model the dust ring and gap structures in the HL Tau protoplanetary disk observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). We include the self-gravity of disk gas and dust components and make reasonable choices of disk parameters, assuming an already settled dust distribution and no planet migration. We can obtain quite adequate fits to the observed dust emission using three planets with masses of 0.35, 0.17, and 0.26 M Jup at 13.1, 33.0, and 68.6 AU, respectively. Implications for the planet formation as well as the limitations of this scenario are discussed

Fast disk array for image storage

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Dan; Zhu, Zhichun; Jin, Hai; Zhang, Jiangling

1997-01-01

A fast disk array is designed for the large continuous image storage. It includes a high speed data architecture and the technology of data striping and organization on the disk array. The high speed data path which is constructed by two dual port RAM and some control circuit is configured to transfer data between a host system and a plurality of disk drives. The bandwidth can be more than 100 MB/s if the data path based on PCI (peripheral component interconnect). The organization of data stored on the disk array is similar to RAID 4. Data are striped on a plurality of disk, and each striping unit is equal to a track. I/O instructions are performed in parallel on the disk drives. An independent disk is used to store the parity information in the fast disk array architecture. By placing the parity generation circuit directly on the SCSI (or SCSI 2) bus, the parity information can be generated on the fly. It will affect little on the data writing in parallel on the other disks. The fast disk array architecture designed in the paper can meet the demands of the image storage.

Debris Disks in Aggregate: Using Hubble Space Telescope Coronagraphic Imagery to Understand the Scattered-Light Disk Detection Rate

Science.gov (United States)

Grady, Carol A.

2011-01-01

Despite more than a decade of coronagraphic imaging of debris disk candidate stars, only 16 have been imaged in scattered light. Since imaged disks provide our best insight into processes which sculpt disks, and can provide signposts of the presence of giant planets at distances which would elude radial velocity and transit surveys, we need to understand under what conditions we detect the disks in scattered light, how these disks differ from the majority of debris disks, and how to increase the yield of disks which are imaged with 0.1" angular resolution. In this talk, I will review what we have learned from a shallow HSTINICMOS NIR survey of debris disks, and present first results from our on-going HST /STIS optical imaging of bright scattered-light disks.

Coevolution of Binaries and Circumbinary Gaseous Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, David; Quinn, Thomas R.

2018-04-01

The recent discoveries of circumbinary planets by Kepler raise questions for contemporary planet formation models. Understanding how these planets form requires characterizing their formation environment, the circumbinary protoplanetary disk, and how the disk and binary interact. The central binary excites resonances in the surrounding protoplanetary disk that drive evolution in both the binary orbital elements and in the disk. To probe how these interactions impact both binary eccentricity and disk structure evolution, we ran N-body smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of gaseous protoplanetary disks surrounding binaries based on Kepler 38 for 10^4 binary orbital periods for several initial binary eccentricities. We find that nearly circular binaries weakly couple to the disk via a parametric instability and excite disk eccentricity growth. Eccentric binaries strongly couple to the disk causing eccentricity growth for both the disk and binary. Disks around sufficiently eccentric binaries strongly couple to the disk and develop an m = 1 spiral wave launched from the 1:3 eccentric outer Lindblad resonance (EOLR). This wave corresponds to an alignment of gas particle longitude of periastrons. We find that in all simulations, the binary semi-major axis decays due to dissipation from the viscous disk.

MOLECULAR GAS IN YOUNG DEBRIS DISKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moor, A.; Abraham, P.; Kiss, Cs.; Juhasz, A.; Kospal, A.; Pascucci, I.; Apai, D.; Henning, Th.; Csengeri, T.; Grady, C.

2011-01-01

Gas-rich primordial disks and tenuous gas-poor debris disks are usually considered as two distinct evolutionary phases of the circumstellar matter. Interestingly, the debris disk around the young main-sequence star 49 Ceti possesses a substantial amount of molecular gas and possibly represents the missing link between the two phases. Motivated to understand the evolution of the gas component in circumstellar disks via finding more 49 Ceti-like systems, we carried out a CO J = 3-2 survey with the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, targeting 20 infrared-luminous debris disks. These systems fill the gap between primordial and old tenuous debris disks in terms of fractional luminosity. Here we report on the discovery of a second 49 Ceti-like disk around the 30 Myr old A3-type star HD21997, a member of the Columba Association. This system was also detected in the CO(2-1) transition, and the reliable age determination makes it an even clearer example of an old gas-bearing disk than 49 Ceti. While the fractional luminosities of HD21997 and 49 Ceti are not particularly high, these objects seem to harbor the most extended disks within our sample. The double-peaked profiles of HD21997 were reproduced by a Keplerian disk model combined with the LIME radiative transfer code. Based on their similarities, 49 Ceti and HD21997 may be the first representatives of a so far undefined new class of relatively old (∼>8 Myr), gaseous dust disks. From our results, neither primordial origin nor steady secondary production from icy planetesimals can unequivocally explain the presence of CO gas in the disk of HD21997.

Deformation and Life Analysis of Composite Flywheel Disk and Multi-disk Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, S. M.; Saleeb, A. F.; AlZoubi, N. R.

2001-01-01

In this study an attempt is made to put into perspective the problem of a rotating disk, be it a single disk or a number of concentric disks forming a unit. An analytical model capable of performing an elastic stress analysis for single/multiple, annular/solid, anisotropic/isotropic disk systems, subjected to both pressure surface tractions, body forces (in the form of temperature-changes and rotation fields) and interfacial misfits is derived and discussed. Results of an extensive parametric study are presented to clearly define the key design variables and their associated influence. In general the important parameters were identified as misfit, mean radius, thickness, material property and/or load gradation, and speed; all of which must be simultaneously optimized to achieve the "best" and most reliable design. Also, the important issue of defining proper performance/merit indices (based on the specific stored energy), in the presence of multiaxiality and material anisotropy is addressed. These merit indices are then utilized to discuss the difference between flywheels made from PMC and TMC materials with either an annular or solid geometry. Finally two major aspects of failure analysis, that is the static and cyclic limit (burst) speeds are addressed. In the case of static limit loads, upper, lower, and out-of-plane bounds for disks with constant thickness are presented for both the case of internal pressure loading (as one would see in a hydroburst test) and pure rotation (as in the case of a free spinning disk). The results (interaction diagrams) are displayed graphically in designer friendly format. For the case of fatigue, a representative fatigue/life master curve is illustrated in which the normalized limit speed versus number of applied cycles is given for a cladded TMC disk application.

A steady state analysis indicates that negative feedback regulation of PTP1B by Akt elicits bistability in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giri Lopamudra

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The phenomenon of switch-like response to graded input signal is the theme involved in various signaling pathways in living systems. Positive feedback loops or double negative feedback loops embedded with nonlinearity exhibit these switch-like bistable responses. Such feedback regulations exist in insulin signaling pathway as well. Methods In the current manuscript, a steady state analysis of the metabolic insulin-signaling pathway is presented. The threshold concentration of insulin required for glucose transporter GLUT4 translocation was studied with variation in system parameters and component concentrations. The dose response curves of GLUT4 translocation at various concentration of insulin obtained by steady state analysis were quantified in-terms of half saturation constant. Results We show that, insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation can operate as a bistable switch, which ensures that GLUT4 settles between two discrete, but mutually exclusive stable steady states. The threshold concentration of insulin required for GLUT4 translocation changes with variation in system parameters and component concentrations, thus providing insights into possible pathological conditions. Conclusion A steady state analysis indicates that negative feedback regulation of phosphatase PTP1B by Akt elicits bistability in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. The threshold concentration of insulin required for GLUT4 translocation and the corresponding bistable response at different system parameters and component concentrations was compared with reported experimental observations on specific defects in regulation of the system.

FOMALHAUT'S DEBRIS DISK AND PLANET: CONSTRAINING THE MASS OF FOMALHAUT B FROM DISK MORPHOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiang, E.; Kalas, P.; Graham, J. R.; Kite, E.; Clampin, M.

2009-01-01

Following the optical imaging of exoplanet candidate Fomalhaut b (Fom b), we present a numerical model of how Fomalhaut's debris disk is gravitationally shaped by a single interior planet. The model is simple, adaptable to other debris disks, and can be extended to accommodate multiple planets. If Fom b is the dominant perturber of the belt, then to produce the observed disk morphology it must have a mass M pl J , an orbital semimajor axis a pl > 101.5 AU, and an orbital eccentricity e pl = 0.11-0.13. These conclusions are independent of Fom b's photometry. To not disrupt the disk, a greater mass for Fom b demands a smaller orbit farther removed from the disk; thus, future astrometric measurement of Fom b's orbit, combined with our model of planet-disk interaction, can be used to determine the mass more precisely. The inner edge of the debris disk at a ∼ 133 AU lies at the periphery of Fom b's chaotic zone, and the mean disk eccentricity of e ∼ 0.11 is secularly forced by the planet, supporting predictions made prior to the discovery of Fom b. However, previous mass constraints based on disk morphology rely on several oversimplifications. We explain why our constraint is more reliable. It is based on a global model of the disk that is not restricted to the planet's chaotic zone boundary. Moreover, we screen disk parent bodies for dynamical stability over the system age of ∼ 100 Myr, and model them separately from their dust grain progeny; the latter's orbits are strongly affected by radiation pressure and their lifetimes are limited to ∼ 0.1 Myr by destructive grain-grain collisions. The single planet model predicts that planet and disk orbits be apsidally aligned. Fomalhaut b's nominal space velocity does not bear this out, but the astrometric uncertainties may be large. If the apsidal misalignment proves real, our calculated upper mass limit of 3M J still holds. If the orbits are aligned, our model predicts M pl = 0.5M J , a pl = 115 AU, and e pl = 0

A bistable electromagnetically actuated rotary gate microvalve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luharuka, Rajesh; Hesketh, Peter J

2008-01-01

Two types of rotary gate microvalves are developed for flow modulation in microfluidic systems. These microvalves have been tested for an open flow rate of up to 100 sccm and operate under a differential pressure of 6 psig with flow modulation of up to 100. The microvalve consists of a suspended gate that rotates in the plane of the chip to regulate flow through the orifice. The gate is suspended by a novel fully compliant in-plane rotary bistable micromechanism (IPRBM) that advantageously constrains the gate in all degrees of freedom except for in-plane rotational motion. Multiple inlet/outlet orifices provide flexibility of operating the microvalve in three different flow configurations. The rotary gate microvalve is switched with an external electromagnetic actuator. The suspended gate is made of a soft magnetic material and its electromagnetic actuation is based on the operating principle of a variable-reluctance stepper motor

Characterization of conformational dynamics of bistable RNA by equilibrium and non-equilibrium NMR.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürtig, Boris; Reining, Anke; Sochor, Florian; Oberhauser, Eva Marie; Heckel, Alexander; Schwalbe, Harald

2014-12-19

Unlike proteins, a given RNA sequence can adopt more than a single conformation. The two (or more) conformations are long-lived and have similar stabilities, but interconvert only slowly. Such bi- or multistability is often linked to the biological functions of the RNA. This unit describes how nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can be used to characterize the conformational dynamics of bistable RNAs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

DISCOVERY OF AN EDGE-ON DEBRIS DISK WITH A DUST RING AND AN OUTER DISK WING-TILT ASYMMETRY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasper, Markus; Apai, Dániel; Wagner, Kevin; Robberto, Massimo

2015-01-01

Using Very Large Telescope/SPHERE near-infrared dual-band imaging and integral field spectroscopy, we discovered an edge-on debris disk around the 17 Myr old A-type member of the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association HD 110058. The edge-on disk can be traced to about 0.″6 or 65 AU projected separation. In its northern and southern wings, the disk shows at all wavelengths two prominent, bright, and symmetrically placed knots at 0.″3 or 32 AU from the star. We interpret these knots as a ring of planetesimals whose collisions may produce most of the dust observed in the disk. We find no evidence for a bow in the disk, but we identify a pair of symmetric, hooklike features in both wings. Based on similar features in the Beta Pictoris disk, we propose that this wing-tilt asymmetry traces either an outer planetesimal belt that is inclined with respect to the disk midplane or radiation-pressure-driven dust blown out from a yet unseen inner belt that is inclined with respect to the disk midplane. The misaligned inner or outer disk may be a result of interaction with a yet unseen planet. Overall, the disk geometry resembles the nearby disk around Beta Pictoris, albeit seen at smaller radial scales

Second-order differential-delay equation to describe a hybrid bistable device

Science.gov (United States)

Vallee, R.; Dubois, P.; Cote, M.; Delisle, C.

1987-08-01

The problem of a dynamical system with delayed feedback, a hybrid bistable device, characterized by n response times and described by an nth-order differential-delay equation (DDE) is discussed. Starting from a linear-stability analysis of the DDE, the effects of the second-order differential terms on the position of the first bifurcation and on the frequency of the resulting self-oscillation are shown. The effects of the third-order differential terms on the first bifurcation are also considered. Experimental results are shown to support the linear analysis.

Bistable electroactive polymer for refreshable Braille display with improved actuation stability

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Xiaofan; Brochu, Paul; Stoyanov, Hristiyan; Yun, Sung Ryul; Pei, Qibing

2012-04-01

Poly(t-butyl acrylate) is a bistable electroactive polymer (BSEP) capable of rigid-to-rigid actuation. The BSEP combines the large-strain actuation of dielectric elastomers with shape memory property. We have introduced a material approach to overcome pull-in instability in poly(t-butyl acrylate) that significantly improves the actuation lifetime at strains greater than 100%. Refreshable Braille display devices with size of a smartphone screen have been fabricated to manifest a potential application of the BSEP. We will report the testing results of the devices by a Braille user.