Apparatus for measuring thermal conductivity Patent

Development of apparatus for measuring thermal conductivit

Parity Effect in a Small Superconducting Particle

Matveev and Larkin calculated the parity effect on the ground state energy of a small superconducting particle in the regimes where the mean level spacing is either large or small compared to the bulk gap. We perform a numerical calculation which extends their results into the intermediate regime, where the level spacing is of the same order as the bulk gap.Comment: 6 LaTeX pages, including 2 EPS figures; corrected reference and spellin

Integrity bases for local invariants of composite quantum systems

Unitary group branchings appropriate to the calculation of local invariants of density matrices of composite quantum systems are formulated using the method of $S$-function plethysms. From this, the generating function for the number of invariants at each degree in the density matrix can be computed. For the case of two two-level systems the generating function is $F(q) = 1 + q + 4q^{2} + 6 q^{3} + 16 q^{4} + 23 q^{5} + 52 q^{6} + 77 q^{7} + 150 q^{8} + 224 q^{9} + 396 q^{10} + 583 q^{11}+ O(q^{12})$. Factorisation of such series leads in principle to the identification of an integrity basis of algebraically independent invariants. This note replaces Appendix B of our paper\cite{us} J Phys {\bf A33} (2000) 1895-1914 (\texttt{quant-ph/0001076}) which is incorrect.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, correcting Appendix B of quant-ph/0001076 Error in $F(q)$ corrected and conclusions modified accordingl

Ethanol: A Better Preservation Technique For Daphnia

A 4% formalin-40% sucrose solution has been used by limnologists for three decades as the preferred freshwater zooplankton preservative because it kills and fixes cladocera (Branchiopoda) with relatively little distortion. Because of the increasing evidence of health hazards related to formalin, we sought an alternative, safer preservative that satisfies the need for low distortion. Our results suggest the ethanol preservative methods (70% and 95% treatments) are as good or better as using 4% sugar formalin to fix and store samples. Our results indicate the best method is to fix samples in 95% EtOH followed by storage in 70% EtOH. This technique gave us the least frequent distortion, the highest average number of eggs per female, and the fewest embryos lost from the brood chamber. None of the techniques appeared to have positive or negative effects on body length. Using hot water to fix animals before storage is not recommended

Overriding adolescent refusals of treatment

Adolescents are routinely treated differently to adults, even when they possess similar capacities. In this article, we explore the justification for one case of differential treatment of adolescents. We attempt to make philosophical sense of the concurrent consents doctrine in law: adolescents found to have decision-making capacity have the power to consent to—and thereby, all else being equal, permit—their own medical treatment, but they lack the power always to refuse treatment and so render it impermissible. Other parties, that is, individuals who exercise parental responsibility or a court, retain the authority to consent on an adolescent’s behalf. We explore four defences of the doctrine. We reject two attempts to defend the asymmetry in the power to consent to and refuse medical treatment by reference to transitional paternalism. We then consider and reject a stage of life justification. Finally, we articulate a justification based on the distinctiveness of adolescent well-being

Tunneling Anomaly in Superconductor above Paramagnetic Limit

We study the tunneling density of states (DoS) in the superconducting systems driven by Zeeman splitting E_Z into the paramagnetic phase. We show that, even though the BCS gap disappears, superconducting fluctuations cause a strong DoS singularity in the vicinity of energies -E^* for electrons polarized along the magnetic field and E^* for the opposite polarization. The position of the singularity E^*=(1/2) (E_Z + \sqrt{E_Z^2- \Delta^2}) (where \Delta is BCS gap at E_Z=0) is universal. We found analytically the shape of the DoS for different dimensionality of the system. For ultrasmall grains the singularity has the form of the hard gap, while in higher dimensions it appears as a significant though finite dip. Our results are consistent with recent experiments in superconducting films.Comment: 4 pages, 2 .eps figures include

Impact Of The Internet On Internal Service Quality Factors: The Travel Industry Case

The growth of multichannel and pure-play companies attests to the changes that technology has brought to business processes. These changes have an effect on the quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction. In this qualitative study, the Service Quality Model was applied to gain insight into the internal service quality factors of two types of travel agencies. In addition, the impact of the Internet on quality of service was explored. The findings have theoretical and managerial implications.

Black hole microstate geometries from string amplitudes

In this talk we review recent calculations of the asymptotic supergravity fields sourced by bound states of D1 and D5-branes carrying travelling waves. We compute disk one-point functions for the massless closed string fields. At large distances from the branes, the effective open string coupling is small, even in the regime of parameters where the classical D1-D5-P black hole may be considered. The fields sourced by the branes differ from the black hole solution by various multipole moments, and have led to the construction of a new 1/8-BPS ansatz in type IIB supergravity.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, Contribution to the proceedings of the Black Objects in Supergravity School, Frascati, 201

Theory of Transition Temperature of Magnetic Double Perovskites

We formulate a theory of double perovskite coumpounds such as Sr$_2$FeReO$_6$ and Sr$_2$FeMoO$_6$ which have attracted recent attention for their possible uses as spin valves and sources of spin polarized electrons. We solve the theory in the dynamical mean field approximation to find the magnetic transition temperature $T_c$. We find that $T_c$ is determined by a subtle interplay between carrier density and the Fe-Mo/Re site energy difference, and that the non-Fe same-sublattice hopping acts to reduce $T_c$. Our results suggest that presently existing materials do not optimize $T_c$

The nature of a broad line radio galaxy: Simultaneous RXTE and Chandra HETG observations of 3C 382

We present the results from simultaneous chandra and rxte observations of the X-ray bright Broad-Line Radio Galaxy (BLRG) 3C 382. The long (120 ks) exposure with chandra HETG allows a detailed study of the soft X-ray continuum and of the narrow component of the Fe Kalpha line. The rxte PCA data are used to put an upper limit on the broad line component and constrain the hard X-ray continuum. A strong soft excess below 1 keV is observed in the time-averaged HETG spectrum, which can be parameterized with a steep power law or a thermal model. The flux variability at low energies indicates that the origin of the soft excess cannot be entirely ascribed to the circumnuclear diffuse emission, detected by chandra on scales of 20-30 arcsec (22-33 kpc). A narrow (sigma<90 eV) Fe Kalpha line (with EW< 100 eV) is observed by the chandra HEG. Similar values for the line parameters are measured by the rxte PCA, suggesting that the contribution from a broad line component is negligible. The fact that the exposure is split into two observations taken three days apart allows us to investigate the spectral and temporal evolution of the source on different timescales. Significant flux variability associated with spectral changes is observed on timescales of hours and days. The spectral variability is similar to that observed in radio-quiet AGN ruling out a jet-dominated origin of the X-rays.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Ap