Search Results (13)

The holographic Einstein–Maxwell-dilaton model is employed to map state-of-the-art lattice QCD thermodynamics data from the temperature (T) axis towards the baryon–chemical potential (${\mu }_B$) axis and aims to gain a warm equation of state (EoS) of deconfined QCD matter which can be supplemented with a cool and confined part suitable for subsequent compact (neutron) star (merger) investigations. The model exhibits a critical end point (CEP) at $T_{\mathrm{CEP}}=\mathcal{O}\left(100\right)$ MeV and ${\mu }_{B\mathrm{CEP}}=500\dots 700$ MeV with an emerging first-order phase transition (FOPT) curve which extends to large values of ${\mu }_B$ without approaching the ${\mu }_B$ axis. We consider the impact and peculiarities of the related phase structure on the EoS for the employed dilaton potential and dynamical coupling parameterizations. These seem to prevent the design of an overall trustable EoS without recourse to hybrid constructions. Full article

The formation of the nematic to twist-bend nematic (N_TB) phase has emerged as a fascinating phenomenon in the field of supramolecular chemistry, based on complex intermolecular interactions. Through a careful analysis of molecular structures and dynamics, we elucidate how these intermolecular interactions drive the complex twist-bend modulation observed in the N_TB. The study employs broadband dielectric spectroscopy spanning frequencies from 10 to 2 × 10⁹ Hz to investigate the molecular orientational dynamics within the glass-forming thioether-linked cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal dimers, namely, CBSC7SCB and CBSC7OCB. The experimental findings align with theoretical expectations, revealing the presence of two distinct relaxation processes contributing to the dielectric permittivity of these dimers. The low-frequency relaxation mode is attributed to an “end-over-end rotation” of the dipolar groups parallel to the director. The high-frequency relaxation mode is associated with precessional motions of the dipolar groups about the director. Various models are employed to describe the temperature-dependent behavior of the relaxation times for both modes. Particularly, the critical-like description via the dynamic scaling model seems to give not only quite good numerical fittings, but also provides a consistent physical picture of the orientational dynamics in accordance with findings from infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Here, as the longitudinal correlations of dipoles intensify, the m₁ mode experiences a sudden upsurge in enthalpy, while the m₂ mode undergoes continuous changes, displaying critical mode coupling behavior. Interestingly, both types of molecular motion exhibit a strong cooperative interplay within the lower temperature range of the N_TB phase, evolving in tandem as the material’s temperature approaches the glass transition point. Consequently, both molecular motions converge to determine the glassy dynamics, characterized by a shared glass transition temperature, T_g. Full article

Radiation therapy is an essential component of present-day cancer management, utilizing ionizing radiation (IR) of different modalities to mitigate cancer progression. IR functions by generating ionizations in cells that induce a plethora of DNA lesions. The most detrimental among them are the DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). In the course of evolution, cells of higher eukaryotes have evolved four major DSB repair pathways: classical non-homologous end joining (c-NHEJ), homologous recombination (HR), alternative end-joining (alt-EJ), and single strand annealing (SSA). These mechanistically distinct repair pathways have different cell cycle- and homology-dependencies but, surprisingly, they operate with widely different fidelity and kinetics and therefore contribute unequally to cell survival and genome maintenance. It is therefore reasonable to anticipate tight regulation and coordination in the engagement of these DSB repair pathway to achieve the maximum possible genomic stability. Here, we provide a state-of-the-art review of the accumulated knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underpinning these repair pathways, with emphasis on c-NHEJ and HR. We discuss factors and processes that have recently come to the fore. We outline mechanisms steering DSB repair pathway choice throughout the cell cycle, and highlight the critical role of DNA end resection in this process. Most importantly, however, we point out the strong preference for HR at low DSB loads, and thus low IR doses, for cells irradiated in the G₂-phase of the cell cycle. We further explore the molecular underpinnings of transitions from high fidelity to low fidelity error-prone repair pathways and analyze the coordination and consequences of this transition on cell viability and genomic stability. Finally, we elaborate on how these advances may help in the development of improved cancer treatment protocols in radiation therapy. Full article

Insects’ visual system is directly related to ecology and critical for their survival. Some cicadas present obvious differences in color and ultrastructure of compound eyes between nymphal and adult stages, but little is known about when cicadas obtain their visual ability to deal with the novel above-ground habitat. We use transcriptome analyses and reveal that cicada Meimuna mongolica has a trichromatic color vision system and that the eyes undergo a non-gradual development process at the end of the 5th-instar nymphal stage. The white-eye 5th-instar nymphs (i.e., younger 5th-instar nymphs) have no visual ability because critical components of the visual system are deficient. The transformation of eyes toward possessing visual function takes place after a tipping point in the transition phase from the white-eye period to the subsequent red-eye period, which is related to a decrease of Juvenile Hormone. The period shortly after adult emergence is also critical for eye development. Key differentially-expressed genes related to phototransduction and chromophore synthesis play positive roles for cicadas to adapt to above-ground habitat. The accumulation of ommochromes corresponds to the color change of eyes from white to red and dark brown during the end of the 5th-instar nymphal period. Cuticle tanning leads to eye color changing from dark-brown to light-brown during the early adult stage. We hypothesize that the accumulation of ommochromes occurring at the end of 5th-instar nymphal stage and the early adult stage is not only for cicadas to obtain visual ability, but also is a secure strategy to cope with potential photodamage after emergence. Full article

We analyze the $p_T$ spectra of ${\pi }^{\pm }$, $K^{\pm }$, p, and $\overline{p}$ produced in different centralities’ Au-Au collisions at different collision energies from 7.7 to 62.4 GeV using a two-component Erlang distribution in the framework of a multi-source thermal model. The fitting results are consistent with the experimental data, and the yield ratios of negative to positive particles are obtained from the normalization constants. Based on the yield ratios, the chemical potentials of light hadrons ($\pi$, K, and p) and quarks (u, d, and s) are extracted. This study shows that only the yield ratios of p decrease with the increase in centrality. The logarithms of these yield ratios in the same centrality show obvious linear dependence on $1/\sqrt{s_{NN}}$. The extracted chemical potentials (the absolute magnitude for $\pi$) of light hadrons and quarks decrease with the increase in energy. The curves of chemical potential vs. energy for all centralities derived from the linear fits of the logarithms of the yield ratio as a function of energy have their maximum (the absolute magnitude for $\pi$) at the same energy of 3.526 GeV, which is possibly the critical energy of phase transition from a liquid-like hadron state to a gas-like quark state in the collision system. Full article

The RNA world is one of the principal hypotheses to explain the emergence of living systems on the prebiotic Earth. It posits that RNA oligonucleotides acted as both carriers of information as well as catalytic molecules, promoting their own replication. However, it does not explain the origin of the catalytic RNA molecules. How could the transition from a pre-RNA to an RNA world occur? A starting point to answer this question is to analyze the dynamics in sequence space on the lowest level, where mononucleotide and short oligonucleotides come together and collectively evolve into larger molecules. To this end, we study the sequence-dependent self-assembly of polymers from a random initial pool of short building blocks via templated ligation. Templated ligation requires two strands that are hybridized adjacently on a third strand. The thermodynamic stability of such a configuration crucially depends on the sequence context and, therefore, significantly influences the ligation probability. However, the sequence context also has a kinetic effect, since non-complementary nucleotide pairs in the vicinity of the ligation site stall the ligation reaction. These sequence-dependent thermodynamic and kinetic effects are explicitly included in our stochastic model. Using this model, we investigate the system-level dynamics inside a non-equilibrium ‘RNA reactor’ enabling a fast chemical activation of the termini of interacting oligomers. Moreover, the RNA reactor subjects the oligomer pool to periodic temperature changes inducing the reshuffling of the system. The binding stability of strands typically grows with the number of complementary nucleotides forming the hybridization site. While shorter strands unbind spontaneously during the cold phase, larger complexes only disassemble during the temperature peaks. Inside the RNA reactor, strand growth is balanced by cleavage via hydrolysis, such that the oligomer pool eventually reaches a non-equilibrium stationary state characterized by its length and sequence distribution. How do motif-dependent energy and stalling parameters affect the sequence composition of the pool of long strands? As a critical factor for self-enhancing sequence selection, we identify kinetic stalling due to non-complementary base pairs at the ligation site. Kinetic stalling enables cascades of self-amplification that result in a strong reduction of occupied states in sequence space. Moreover, we discuss the significance of the symmetry breaking for the transition from a pre-RNA to an RNA world. Full article

In this work, we discuss the deconfinement phase transition to quark matter in hot/dense matter. We examine the effect that different charge fractions, isospin fractions, net strangeness, and chemical equilibrium with respect to leptons have on the position of the coexistence line between different phases. In particular, we investigate how different sets of conditions that describe matter in neutron stars and their mergers, or matter created in heavy-ion collisions affect the position of the critical end point, namely where the first-order phase transition becomes a crossover. We also present an introduction to the topic of critical points, including a review of recent advances concerning QCD critical points. Full article

In this paper, we describe a comprehensive study of the thermoresponsive properties of statistic copolymers and multiblock copolymers synthesized by poly(glycidol)s (PG) and poly(ethyl glycidyl ether) (PEGE) with different copolymerization methods. These copolymers were first synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP), which was initiated by tert-butylbenzyl alcohol (tBBA) and 1-tert-butyl-4,4,4-tris(dimethylamino)-2,2-bis[tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidenamino]-2Λ⁵,4Λ⁵-catenadi(phosphazene) (t-Bu-P₄) as the catalyst, and then the inherent protective groups were removed to obtain the copolymers without any specific chain end groups. The thermoresponsive property of the statistic copolymer PG_x-stat-PEGE_y was compared with the diblock copolymer PG_x-b-PEGE_y, and the triblock copolymers were compared with the pentablock copolymers. Among them, PG-stat-PEGE, PG-b-PEGE-b-PG-b-PEGE-b-PG, and PEGE-b-PG-b-PEGE-b-PG-b-PEGE, and even the specific ratio of PEGE-b-PG-b-PEGE, exhibited LCST-type phase transitions in water, which were characterized by cloud point (T_cp). Although the ratio of x to y affected the value of the T_cp of PG_x-stat-PEGE_y, we found that the disorder of the copolymer has a decisive effect on the phase-transition behavior. The phase-transition behaviors of PG-b-PEGE, part of PEGE-b-PG-b-PEGE, and PG-b-PEGE-b-PG copolymers in water present a two-stage phase transition, that is, firstly LCST-type and then the upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-like phase transition. In addition, we have extended the research on the thermoresponsive properties of EGE homopolymers without specific α-chain ends. Full article

Interfacial properties such as interfacial profiles, surface activity, wetting transitions, and interfacial tensions along the three-phase line are described for a Type IIIa binary mixture. The methodological approach combines the square gradient theory coupled to the statistical associating fluid theory for Mie potentials of variable range, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations using the same underlying potential. The water + n-hexane mixture at three-phase equilibrium is chosen as a benchmark test case. The results show that the use of the same molecular representation for both the theory and the simulations provides a complementary picture of the aforementioned mixture, with an excellent agreement between the molecular models and the available experimental data. Interfacial tension calculations are extended to temperatures where experimental data are not available. From these extrapolations, it is possible to infer a first order wetting transition at 347.2 K, where hexane starts to completely wet the water/vapor interface. Similarly, the upper critical end point is estimated at 486.3 K. Both results show a very good agreement to the available experimental information. The concentration profiles confirm the wetting behavior of n-hexane along with a strong positive surface activity that increases with temperature, contrasting the weak positive surface activity of water that decreases with temperature. Full article

We explore the phase diagram and the modification of mesonic observables in a hot and dense medium using the (2 + 1) Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. We present the phase diagram in the ( $T,{\mu }_B)$ -plane, with its isentropic trajectories, paying special attention to the chiral critical end point (CEP). Chiral and deconfinement transitions are examined. The modifications of mesonic observables in the medium are explored as a tool to analyze the effective restoration of chiral symmetry for different regions of the phase diagram. It is shown that the meson masses, namely that of the kaons, change abruptly near the CEP, which can be relevant for its experimental search. Full article

Wall-bounded flows experience a transition to turbulence characterized by the coexistence of laminar and turbulent domains in some range of Reynolds number R, the natural control parameter. This transitional regime takes place between an upper threshold $R_{\mathrm{t}}$ above which turbulence is uniform (featureless) and a lower threshold $R_{\mathrm{g}}$ below which any form of turbulence decays, possibly at the end of overlong chaotic transients. The most emblematic cases of flow along flat plates transiting to/from turbulence according to this scenario are reviewed. The coexistence is generally in the form of bands, alternatively laminar and turbulent, and oriented obliquely with respect to the general flow direction. The final decay of the bands at $R_{\mathrm{g}}$ points to the relevance of directed percolation and criticality in the sense of statistical-physics phase transitions. The nature of the transition at $R_{\mathrm{t}}$ where bands form is still somewhat mysterious and does not easily fit the scheme holding for pattern-forming instabilities at increasing control parameter on a laminar background. In contrast, the bands arise at $R_{\mathrm{t}}$ out of a uniform turbulent background at a decreasing control parameter. Ingredients of a possible theory of laminar-turbulent patterning are discussed. Full article

We investigate the phase diagram of the so-called Polyakov–Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model at finite temperature and non-zero chemical potential with three quark flavors. Chiral and deconfinement phase transitions are discussed and the relevant order-like parameters are analyzed. The results are compared with simple thermodynamic expectations and lattice data. We present the phase diagram in the (T, μB) plane, paying special attention to the critical end point: as the strength of the flavor-mixing interaction becomes weaker, the critical end point moves to low temperatures and can even disappear. Full article

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