Estimation of the stratified dispersal rate

The establishment and spread of invading organisms have dramatic consequences for ecosystems. Many organisms expand their range by being transferred passively over short and long distances simultaneously, thus resulting in a stratified dispersal process. The stochastic events of long-distance dispersal complicate the estimation of the spread rate of an invading population. Our goal is to measure the accelerating effect of secondary foci created by long-distance dispersal on the invasion spread rate. We developed a spatially explicit host-pathogen model describing independently continuous short- and stochastic long-distance dispersal processes. Comparison of exact solutions of diffusive spread with results of Monte Carlo simulations of stratified dispersal allowed us to estimate the impact of long-distance dispersal events on the spread rate. Due to independent description of the two modes of dispersal, the developed model can be parameterized easily and used in epidemiology. The explicit representation of the two-dimensional habitat allows coupling our model with a landscape optimization method to design landscapes unfavorable to fast epidemics spread.

Interplay between interferences and electron-electron interactions in epitaxial graphene

We separate localization and interaction effects in epitaxial graphene devices grown on the C-face of a 4H-SiC substrate by analyzing the low temperature conductivities. Weak localization and antilocalization are extracted at low magnetic fields, after elimination of a geometric magnetoresistance and subtraction of the magnetic field dependent Drude conductivity. The electron electron interaction correction is extracted at higher magnetic fields, where localization effects disappear. Both phenomena are weak but sizable and of the same order of magnitude. If compared to graphene on silicon dioxide, electron electron interaction on epitaxial graphene are not significantly reduced by the larger dielectric constant of the SiC substrate

Selective epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC

We present an innovative method of selective epitaxial growth of few layers graphene (FLG) on a pre-patterned SiC substrate. The methods involves, successively, the sputtering of a thin AlN layer on top of a mono-crystalline SiC substrate and, then, patterning it with e-beam lithography (EBL) and wet etching. The sublimation of few atomic layers of Si from the SiC substrate occurs only through the selectively etched AlN layer. The presence of the Raman G-band at ~1582 cm-1 in the AlN-free areas is used to validate the concept, it gives absolute evidence of the selective FLG growth.Comment: comments: 3 pages, reference 3 replace

Growth of monolayer graphene on 8deg off-axis 4H-SiC (000-1) substrates with application to quantum transport devices

Using high temperature annealing conditions with a graphite cap covering the C-face of an 8deg off-axis 4H-SiC sample, large and homogeneous single epitaxial graphene layers have been grown. Raman spectroscopy shows evidence of the almost free-standing character of these monolayer graphene sheets, which was confirmed by magneto-transport measurements. We find a moderate p-type doping, high carrier mobility and half integer Quantum Hall effect typical of high quality graphene samples. This opens the way to a fully compatible integration of graphene with SiC devices on the wafers that constitute the standard in today's SiC industry.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures , Submitted in AP

Evaluation d’alternatives d’economie d’eau dans les systemes de double riziculture irriguee a l’office du Niger (Mali)

Face au besoin d’extension des superficies irriguées et la baisse de disponibilité en eau dans les grands cours d’eau, cette étude a été conduite sur un échantillon de sols représentatifs pour améliorer le service de l’eau à l’Office du Niger (ON). Les propriétés hydrodynamiques de chaque sol ont été préalablement caractérisées au niveau de l’horizon racinaire par la méthode gravimétrique au niveau d’un échantillon de canaux tertiaires. Les résultats montrent que les sols à l’Office du Niger sont peu perméables. Les doses théoriques moyennes d’humectation pour porter les sols des parcelles à leur capacité au champ sur la profondeur racinaire du riz varient de 24 mm sur les sols les plus sableux à 87 mm sur sols argileux. Ces résultats ont permis de définir de nouvelles normes d’irrigation en hivernage en fonction des calendriers culturaux de l’ON. Ils montrent que, compte tenu du stock d’eau important dans les sols, les besoins bruts annuels en eau d’irrigation peuvent être revus à la baisse quel que soit le type de sol pour un objectif de10000 m3/ha, pour des débits fictifs continus en période de pointe variant de 1L/s/ha (hivernage) à 1,40 L/s/ha (contre-saison) en tête d’arroseur.Mots clés : Double riziculture, propriétés hydrodynamiques, besoins en eau, normes d’irrigation, Office du Niger

Graphene formed on SiC under various environments: Comparison of Si-face and C-face

The morphology of graphene on SiC {0001} surfaces formed in various environments including ultra-high vacuum, 1 atm of argon, and 10^-6 to 10^-4 Torr of disilane is studied by atomic force microscopy, low-energy electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The graphene is formed by heating the surface to 1100 - 1600 C, which causes preferential sublimation of the Si atoms. The argon atmosphere or the background of disilane decreases the sublimation rate so that a higher graphitization temperature is required, thus improving the morphology of the films. For the (0001) surface, large areas of monolayer-thick graphene are formed in this way, with the size of these areas depending on the miscut of the sample. Results on the (000-1) surface are more complex. This surface graphitizes at a lower temperature than for the (0001) surface and consequently the growth is more three-dimensional. In an atmosphere of argon the morphology becomes even worse, with the surface displaying markedly inhomogeneous nucleation, an effect attributed to unintentional oxidation of the surface during graphitization. Use of a disilane environment for the (000-1) surface is found to produce improved morphology, with relatively large areas of monolayer-thick graphene.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, Proceedings of STEG-2 Conference; eliminated Figs. 4 and 7 from version 1, for brevity, and added Refs. 18, 29, 30, 31 together with associated discussio