We have studied the effect of osmotic pressure on complexes formed by DNA with the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate using small-angle x-ray scattering. Earlier studies have shown that these complexes exhibit three different phases depending on the DNA and surfactant concentrations in the solution. The hexagonal superlattice phase (H_I,s^c) is found to be corralled into the hexagonal phase (H_I^c) above a threshold osmotic pressure. We have also estimated the DNA to surfactant micelle stoichiometry of the complexes in the three phases using elemental analysis. Our results provide further support for the structures of these complexes proposed earlier based on small-angle x-ray scattering data.The excess work required to drive a stochastic system out of thermodynamic equilibrium through a time-dependent external perturbation is directly related to the amount of entropy produced during the driving process, allowing excess work and entropy production to be used interchangeably to quantify dissipation. Given the common intuition of biological molecular machines as internally communicating work between components, it is tempting to extend this correspondence to the driving of one component of an autonomous system by another; however, no such relation between the internal excess work and entropy production exists. Repotrectinib ALK inhibitor Here we introduce the “transduced additional free-energy rate” between strongly coupled subsystems of an autonomous system, which is analogous to the excess power in systems driven by an external control parameter that receives no feedback from the system. We prove that this is a relevant measure of dissipation-in that it equals the steady-state entropy production rate due to the downstream subsystem-and demonstrate its advantages with a simple model system.Many biological processes involve macromolecules searching for their specific targets that are surrounded by other objects, and binding to these objects affects the target search. Acceleration of the target search by nonspecific binders was observed experimentally and analyzed theoretically, for example, for DNA-binding proteins. According to existing theories this acceleration requires continuous transfer between the nonspecific binders and the specific target. In contrast, our analysis predicts that (i) nonspecific binders could accelerate the search without continuous transfer to the specific target provided that the searching particle is capable of sliding along the binder; (ii) in some cases such binders could decelerate the target search, but provide an advantage in competition with the “binder-free” target; (iii) nonbinding objects decelerate the target search. We also show that although the target search in the presence of binders could be considered as diffusion in inhomogeneous media, in the general case it cannot be described by the effective diffusion coefficient.We propose to use ultrahigh intensity laser pulses with wave-front rotation (WFR) to produce short, ultraintense surface plasma waves (SPW) on grating targets for electron acceleration. Combining a smart grating design with optimal WFR conditions identified through simple analytical modeling and particle-in-cell simulation allows us to decrease the SPW duration (down to a few optical cycles) and increase its peak amplitude. In the relativistic regime, for Iλ_0^2=3.4×10^19W/cm^2μm^2, such SPW are found to accelerate high charge (few 10 s of pC), high energy (up to 70 MeV), and ultrashort (few fs) electron bunches.We study fluctuating dynamics of a freely movable piston that separates an infinite cylinder into two regions filled with ideal gas particles at the same pressure but different temperatures. To investigate statistical properties of the time-averaged velocity of the piston in the long-time limit, we perturbatively calculate the large deviation function of the time-averaged velocity. Then, we derive an infinite number of effective Langevin equations yielding the same large deviation function as in the original model. Finally, we provide two possibilities for uniquely determining the form of the effective model.The emergence of surface patterns on the surfaces of compliant materials subject to plowing wear is a complex problem which can be quantitatively characterized, e.g., on polymer surfaces scraped by an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. Here we explore the applicability of a phenomenological model recently introduced to describe this phenomenon. Based on the competition between the viscoplastic indentation and the elastic shear stress caused by the tip, the model is able to reproduce the wavy features (ripples) observed when the tip is scanned along a series of parallel lines. For low values of the driving velocity v and the spacing b between scan lines, the existence of dotted areas formed by variously oriented pit alignments is observed. Moreover, coexistence of rippled with dotted domains is also observed at suitable parameter values. The formation process of the ripples is also described in detail. The amplitude, period, and orientation of these features are estimated numerically for different values of v and b parameters. We have also revisited the formation of the wavy patterns formed when a single line is scanned, and derived an equation which correctly describes their period and depth, and the static friction as well. This equation is not applicable when several lines are scanned one after the other and the ripples emerge as result of a cooperative process which involves the scanning of several lines.Using video microscopy and simulations, we study the long-time diffusion of colloidal tracers in a wide range of model porous media composed of frozen colloidal matrices with different structures. We found that the diffusion coefficient of a tracer can be quantitatively determined by the structures of porous media. In particular, a universal scaling relation exists between the dimensionless diffusion coefficient of the tracer and the structural entropy of the system. This universal scaling relation is an extension of the scaling law previously discovered for the diffusion of colloidal particles in fluctuating media.