2,442 research outputs found
Gauge invariant nonlinear electric transport in mesoscopic conductors
We use the scattering approach to investigate the nonlinear current-voltage
characteristic of mesoscopic conductors. We discuss the leading nonlinearity by
taking into account the self-consistent nonequilibrium potential. We emphasize
conservation of the overall charge and current which are connected to the
invariance under a global voltage shift (gauge invariance). As examples, we
discuss the rectification coefficient of a quantum point contact and the
nonlinear current-voltage characteristic of a resonant level in a double
barrier structure.Comment: (Replaced version, with corrected Eq.(4)); 5 pages, RevTeX, 1 figure,
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A Comparison of Blocking Methods for Record Linkage
Record linkage seeks to merge databases and to remove duplicates when unique
identifiers are not available. Most approaches use blocking techniques to
reduce the computational complexity associated with record linkage. We review
traditional blocking techniques, which typically partition the records
according to a set of field attributes, and consider two variants of a method
known as locality sensitive hashing, sometimes referred to as "private
blocking." We compare these approaches in terms of their recall, reduction
ratio, and computational complexity. We evaluate these methods using different
synthetic datafiles and conclude with a discussion of privacy-related issues.Comment: 22 pages, 2 tables, 7 figure
Diffusivity and Surface Emissivity in Wood Drying
Edge and end-coated sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don.) Endl.) 6 X 10 cm samples, of thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 cm in either the longitudinal or tangential directions, were dried, from either the water-soaked condition or from slightly below fiber saturation, to equilibrium in circulated air (300 ft/min) at 100 F and 75% relative humidity.A constant-rate drying period was observed during the early stages of drying for the initially water-soaked samples but not for those initially below fiber saturation. The apparent diffusion coefficient D', calculated for the samples initially below fiber saturation on the assumption that surface resistance to drying was negligible, that is D' ≈ 0.2 a2/t0.5 (where a is the half-thickness and t0.5 is the half-drying time), increased with increasing wood thickness. The true diffusion coefficient D and the surface emission coefficient S (which is inversely proportional to the surface resistance to drying) were calculated from the linear relationships observed between t0.5/a2 (or 0.2/D') and 1/a, or between t0.5/a (or 0.2a/D') and a, using Newman's solution to the diffusion equation.The diffusion coefficient D was higher for longitudinal than for tangential drying for both woods, and higher for sapwood than for heartwood of redwood. The surface emission coefficient S for redwood was found to be 60% greater than for sweetgum, presumably because redwood is less hygroscopic and also less dense than sweetgum
Low Frequency Quantum Transport in a Three-probe Mesoscopic Conductor
The low frequency quantum transport properties of a three-probe mesoscopic
conductor are studied using B\"uttiker's AC transport formalism. The static
transmission coefficients and emittance matrix of the system were computed by
explicitly evaluating the various partial density of states (PDOS). We have
investigated the finite size effect of the scattering volume on the global
PDOS. By increasing the scattering volume we observed a gradual improvement in
the agreement of the total DOS as computed externally or locally. Our numerical
data permits a particular fitting form of the finite size effect.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Unusual Closed Traumatic Avulsion of Both Flexor Tendons in Zones 1 and 3 of the Little Finger.
Closed tendon avulsion of both flexor tendons in the same finger is an extremely rare condition. We encountered the case of a patient who presented a rupture of the flexor digitorum profundus in zone 1 and flexor digitorum superficialis in zone 3 in the little finger. This occurrence has not been reported previously. We hereby present our case, make a review of the literature of avulsion of both flexor tendons of the same finger, and propose a treatment according to the site of the ruptures
Charge injection instability in perfect insulators
We show that in a macroscopic perfect insulator, charge injection at a
field-enhancing defect is associated with an instability of the insulating
state or with bistability of the insulating and the charged state. The effect
of a nonlinear carrier mobility is emphasized. The formation of the charged
state is governed by two different processes with clearly separated time
scales. First, due to a fast growth of a charge-injection mode, a localized
charge cloud forms near the injecting defect (or contact). Charge injection
stops when the field enhancement is screened below criticality. Secondly, the
charge slowly redistributes in the bulk. The linear instability mechanism and
the final charged steady state are discussed for a simple model and for
cylindrical and spherical geometries. The theory explains an experimentally
observed increase of the critical electric field with decreasing size of the
injecting contact. Numerical results are presented for dc and ac biased
insulators.Comment: Revtex, 7pages, 4 ps figure
Colorado AgrAbility: Enhancing the Effectiveness of Outreach Efforts Targeting Farmers and Ranchers With Disabilities
The Colorado AgrAbility Project (CAP) provides farmers and ranchers who have disabilities with the information and assistive technologies needed to remain successful producers. At present, however, CAP services are underutilized, and the rate of use is declining. This study investigates awareness and attitudinal barriers that might constrain farmers and ranchers with disabilities from seeking assistance. It also identifies preferred outlets for distributing agricultural information in the hope that this will improve the efficacy of outreach efforts. Mail survey research involving 798 randomly selected Colorado farmers and ranchers was conducted in the spring of 2006. Findings suggest that lack of awareness constituted the primary obstacle to increased use of CAP services. Farmers and ranchers were more inclined to refer others in need farmers and ranchers as preferred sources for information and expressed interest in the stories of farmers and ranchers with disabilities who had been helped by CAP. Based on Survey findings, strategies for improving the effectiveness of outreach efforts are proposed, including mobilizing opinion leaders in the farming and ranching communities, recruiting past CAP clients as spokespeople, and placing CAP success stories in agricultural publications
Different methods of evaluation of Monilinia laxa on apricot flowers and branches
- Organic apricot production is currently not profitable.
- The main obstacle to sustainable profitability is brown rot caused by the fungus Monilinia laxa (Aderh. & Ruhl).
- In the current apricot germplasm no source of total resistance has been shown, but some varieties are expressing interesting levels of tolerance.
- A good evaluation of the M. laxa symptoms is essential for a precise diagnosis of the infection and to appreciate differences between tolerant and susceptible varieties and genotypes
Partial Densities of States, Scattering Matrices, and Green's Functions
The response of an arbitrary scattering problem to quasi-static perturbations
in the scattering potential is naturally expressed in terms of a set of local
partial densities of states and a set of sensitivities each associated with one
element of the scattering matrix. We define the local partial densities of
states and the sensitivities in terms of functional derivatives of the
scattering matrix and discuss their relation to the Green's function. Certain
combinations of the local partial densities of states represent the injectivity
of a scattering channel into the system and the emissivity into a scattering
channel. It is shown that the injectivities and emissivities are simply related
to the absolute square of the scattering wave-function. We discuss also the
connection of the partial densities of states and the sensitivities to
characteristic times. We apply these concepts to a delta-barrier and to the
local Larmor clock.Comment: 13 pages (revtex), 4 figure
Electrochemical capacitance of a leaky nano-capacitor
We report a detailed theoretical investigation on electrochemical capacitance
of a nanoscale capacitor where there is a DC coupling between the two
conductors. For this ``leaky'' quantum capacitor, we have derived general
analytic expressions of the linear and second order nonlinear electrochemical
capacitance within a first principles quantum theory in the discrete potential
approximation. Linear and nonlinear capacitance coefficients are also derived
in a self-consistent manner without the latter approximation and the
self-consistent analysis is suitable for numerical calculations. At linear
order, the full quantum formula improves the semiclassical analysis in the
tunneling regime. At nonlinear order which has not been studied before for
leaky capacitors, the nonlinear capacitance and nonlinear nonequilibrium charge
show interesting behavior. Our theory allows the investigation of crossover of
capacitance from a full quantum to classical regimes as the distance between
the two conductors is changed
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