Simulation of the channelling of ions from MeV C60 in crystalline solids

Simulations were performed describing the motion and breakup of energetic C60 ions interacting with crystalline targets. A hybrid algorithm was used that employs a binary collision model for the scattering of the carbon ions by the atoms of the solid, and molecular dynamics for the Coulomb interactions of the 60 carbon ions with one another. For the case of yttrium iron garnet (YIG), directions such as [1 1 0], [1 0 0], [0 1 0] and [0 0 1] demonstrate channelling for a large fraction of the C ions. For directions such as [1 1 1], [2 1 1] and [7 5 3] the trajectories show no more channelling than for random directions. The effects of tilt, shielding and wake-field interactions were investigated for YIG and α-quartz

Delineation of Emitter-Collector Shorts in Bipolar Test Structures by Voltage Contrast Scanning Electron Microscopy

In examining emitter-collector shorts and their relationship to structural defects, we desire a nondestructive method for locating the short-circuited devices in large test arrays. Voltage contrast scanning electron microscopy (VC-SEM) and an established electrochemical anodization technique have been used to identify electrically faulty bipolar transistors. Direct comparison of these approaches was achieved by examining the same emitters with each method. The results indicate that VC-SEM may serve as a useful technique for delineating E-C shorts because of its nondestructive and purely electrical nature. In our qualitative investigation, the sensitivity and voltage resolution available by VC-SEM were not sufficient to differentiate device leakage levels as is often possible with anodization. Such information may, however, be obtainable by utilizing image subtraction and more sophisticated detector systems. Transmission electron microscopy of the transistor structures revealed dislocations in many short-circuited emitters and occasionally in unshorted devices. This confirmed prior observations that crystallographic defects in silicon devices may sometimes be, but are not always, electrically active. Deleterious effects may depend on factors such as junction penetration and dopant-defect interactions

Small Leaf Mid-Rib Xylem Related to Leaf Freeze Tolerance Trait in Bahia (\u3cem\u3ePaspalum Notatum\u3c/em\u3e Flugge) Grass Lines

Controlled freeze (-60o C) trials of 31 bahiagrass selections from a breeding program for cold tolerance by Blount et al. (2001) showed diverse genotype Leaf Tissue Cold Damage (LTCD). Breman et al. (2003) defined LTCD on a rating scale (1 = no damage to 9 = 100% leaf damage). Unique midrib damage was observed as part of LTCD in bahiagrass under transpiration stress after a freeze trial. Small xylem conduit diameter and area has been strongly correlated with reduced cavitation caused by freeze thaw cycles which maintain leaf tissue in evergreen temperate woody plants; further shown in twelve woody species by Davis et al. (1999). Air bubbles in vessel ice columns prevent normal refill and function upon thawing. The purpose of this study was to test whether genotype xylem diameter and area could be used to predict LTCD

Bedload‐Bedrock Contrasts Form Enigmatic Low‐Relief Surfaces of the Pyrenees

Low-relief, high-elevation surfaces in mountain belts highlight the dynamic nature of landscapes and have provided evidence for changes in tectonics and/or climate. Yet quantifying when changes occurred from topographic data is challenging and relationships between erosion rate, lithology and precipitation are complex. In the Pyrenees, low-relief, high elevation surfaces are found across both plutonic massifs and the surrounding softer rocks and channel steepness values are relatively uniform between these lithologies. This suggests a weak relationship between erosion rate and lithology despite a clear relationship between the drainage network configuration and the location of the plutonic rocks. We explore this conflicting evidence for strength of the relationship between lithology and erosion rate using a landscape evolution model which accounts for the contrast between bedrock and bedload erodibility. This contrast produces dispersed channel steepness values and predicts the in situ development of low-relief surfaces, under steady forcing conditions

Comparison of soil moisture fields estimated by catchment modelling and remote sensing: a case study in South Africa

International audienceThe paper compares two independent approaches to estimate soil moisture at the regional scale over a 4625 km2 catchment (Liebenbergsvlei, South Africa). The first estimate is derived from a physically-based hydrological model (TOPKAPI). The second estimate is derived from the scatterometer on board on the European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS). Results show a very good correspondence between the modelled and remotely sensed soil moisture, illustrated over two selected seasons of 8 months by regression R2 coefficients lying between 0.78 and 0.92. Such a close similarity between these two different, independent approaches is very promising for (i) remote sensing in general (ii) the use of hydrological models to back-calculate and disaggregate the satellite soil moisture estimate and (iii) for hydrological models to assimilate the remotely sensed soil moisture

The cessation in pregnancy incentives trial (CPIT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Seventy percent of women in Scotland have at least one baby, making pregnancy an opportunity to help most young women quit smoking before their own health is irreparably compromised. By quitting during pregnancy their infants will be protected from miscarriage and still birth as well as low birth weight, asthma, attention deficit disorder and adult cardiovascular disease. In the UK, the NICE guidelines: 'How to stop smoking in pregnancy and following childbirth' (June 2010) highlighted that little evidence exists in the literature to confirm the efficacy of financial incentives to help pregnant smokers to quit. Its first research recommendation was to determine: Within a UK context, are incentives an acceptable, effective and cost-effective way to help pregnant women who smoke to quit? <p/>Design and Methods: This study is a phase II exploratory individually randomised controlled trial comparing standard care for pregnant smokers with standard care plus the additional offer of financial voucher incentives to engage with specialist cessation services and/or to quit smoking during pregnancy. Participants (n=600) will be pregnant smokers identified at maternity booking who when contacted by specialist cessation services agree to having their details passed to the NHS Smokefree Pregnancy Study Helpline to discuss the trial. The NHS Smokefree Pregnancy Study Helpline will be responsible for telephone consent and follow-up in late pregnancy. The primary outcome will be self reported smoking in late pregnancy verified by cotinine measurement. An economic evaluation will refine cost data collection and assess potential cost-effectiveness while qualitative research interviews with clients and health professionals will assess the level of acceptance of this form of incentive payment. Research questions What is the likely therapeutic efficacy? Are incentives potentially cost-effective? Is individual randomisation an efficient trial design without introducing outcome bias? Can incentives be introduced in a way that is feasible and acceptable? <p/>Discussion: This phase II trial will establish a workable design to reduce the risks associated with a future definitive phase III multicentre randomised controlled trial and establish a framework to assess the costs and benefits of financial incentives to help pregnant smokers to quit

Excitation of Orbital Eccentricities of Extrasolar Planets by Repeated Resonance Crossings

Orbits of known extrasolar planets that are located outside the tidal circularization regions of their parent stars are often substantially eccentric. By contrast, planetary orbits in our Solar System are approximately circular, reflecting planet formation within a nearly axisymmetric, circumsolar disk. We propose that orbital eccentricities may be generated by divergent orbital migration of two planets in a viscously accreting circumstellar disk. The migration is divergent in the sense that the ratio of the orbital period of the outer planet to that of the inner planet grows. As the period ratio diverges, the planets traverse, but are not captured into, a series of mean-motion resonances that amplify their orbital eccentricities in rough inverse proportion to their masses. Strong viscosity gradients in protoplanetary disks offer a way to reconcile the circular orbits of Solar System gas giants with the eccentric orbits of currently known extrasolar planets.Comment: Final revised version, accepted by ApJ Letters. Includes discussion from the community at larg

ArCLight - a Compact Dielectric Large-Area Photon Detector

ArCLight is a novel device for detecting scintillation light over large areas with Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) of the order of a few percent. Its robust technological design allows for efficient use in large-volume particle detectors, such as Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) or liquid scintillator detectors. Due to its dielectric structure it can be placed inside volumes with high electric field. It could potentially replace vacuum PhotoMultiplier Tubes (PMTs) in applications where high PDE is not required. The photon detection efficiency for a 10x10cm2 detector prototype was measured to be in the range of 0.8% to 2.2% across the active area

Quantum Memory with a controlled homogeneous splitting

We propose a quantum memory protocol where a input light field can be stored onto and released from a single ground state atomic ensemble by controlling dynamically the strength of an external static and homogeneous field. The technique relies on the adiabatic following of a polaritonic excitation onto a state for which the forward collective radiative emission is forbidden. The resemblance with the archetypal Electromagnetically-Induced-Transparency (EIT) is only formal because no ground state coherence based slow-light propagation is considered here. As compared to the other grand category of protocols derived from the photon-echo technique, our approach only involves a homogeneous static field. We discuss two physical situations where the effect can be observed, and show that in the limit where the excited state lifetime is longer than the storage time, the protocols are perfectly efficient and noise-free. We compare the technique to other quantum memories, and propose atomic systems where the experiment can be realized.Comment: submitted to New Journal of Physics, Focus on Quantum Memor