Transport in Molecular Junctions with Different Metallic Contacts

Ab initio calculations of phenyl dithiol connected to Au, Ag, Pd, and Pt electrodes are performed using non-equilibrium Green's functions and density functional theory. For each metal, the properties of the molecular junction are considered both in equilibrium and under bias. In particular, we consider in detail charge transfer, changes in the electrostatic potential, and their subsequent effects on the IV curves through the junctions. Gold is typically used in molecular junctions because it forms strong chemical bonds with sulfur. We find however that Pt and Pd make better electrical contacts than Au. The zero-bias conductance is found to be greatest for Pt, followed by Pd, Au, and then Ag

Determinants of Farm Households' Willingness to Accept (WTA) Compensation for Conservation Technologies: Ethiopia, Amhara Region, Northern Showa

The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the WTP limits of irrigation water in the Sheva region of the Northern Amhara region of Ethiopia to understand whether irrigation water is feasible. Data were collected from primary research sources. An upright bivariate model was used to determine households' willingness to address irrigation water problems in the study area. Using data from a sample of 800 farmers, the results show that WTP is positive for irrigation water in the North Sheva region. The results show that the average household can obtain irrigation water for about 3,001.47 0.25 hectares of land in Ethiopia, which is a one-time irrigation land value of US$100.05 at the current exchange rate. In addition, the study found that household size, agricultural experience, household costs, irrigated land, livestock capital education level, and measured tropical livestock live-stock units had a positive effect on willingness to pay for irrigation water. Capital is adversely affected by family age, but market access for farmers is not guaranteed. Based on the pursuit, convincing reliability constraints, increasing market access through information and irrigation schemes, and increasing farmers' awareness of irrigation water and its use, is the efficient use of irrigation and irrigation water. Valid maintenance conditions are recommended. Stick to discipline

Assessing the Influence of Indoor Exposure to “Outdoor Ozone” on the Relationship between Ozone and Short-term Mortality in U.S. Communities

Background: City-to-city differences have been reported for the increase in short-term mortality associated with a given increase in ozone concentration (ozone mortality coefficient). Although ozone concentrations are monitored at central outdoor locations, a large fraction of total ozone exposure occurs indoors

Discovery of a New Member of the Inner Oort Cloud from The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey

We report the discovery of 2010 GB$_{174}$, a likely new member of the Inner Oort Cloud (IOC). 2010 GB$_{174}$ is one of 91 Trans Neptunian Objects (TNOs) and Centaurs discovered in a 76 deg$^2$ contiguous region imaged as part of the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) --- a moderate ecliptic latitude survey reaching a mean limiting magnitude of $g^\prime \simeq 25.5$ --- using MegaPrime on the 3.6m Canada France Hawaii Telescope. 2010 GB$_{174}$ is found to have an orbit with semi-major axis $a\simeq350.8$ AU, inclination $i \simeq 21.6^\circ$ and pericentre $q\sim48.5$ AU. This is the second largest perihelion distance among known solar system objects. Based on the sky coverage and depth of the NGVS, we estimate the number of IOC members with sizes larger than 300 km ($H_V \le 6.2$ mag) to be $\simeq 11\,000$. A comparison of the detection rate from the NGVS and the PDSSS (a characterized survey that `re-discovered' the IOC object Sedna) gives, for an assumed a power-law LF for IOC objects, a slope of $\alpha \simeq 0.7 \pm 0.2$, with only two detections in this region this slope estimate is highly uncertain.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Simulation of nonlinear superconducting rf losses derived from characteristic topography of etched and electropolished niobium surfaces

A simplified numerical model has been developed to simulate nonlinear superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) losses on Nb surfaces. This study focuses exclusively on excessive surface resistance (R-s) losses due to the microscopic topographical magnetic field enhancements. When the enhanced local surface magnetic field exceeds the superconducting critical transition magnetic field H-c, small volumes of surface material may become normal conducting and increase the effective surface resistance without inducing a quench. We seek to build an improved quantitative characterization of this qualitative model. Using topographic data from typical buffered chemical polish (BCP)- and electropolish (EP)-treated fine grain niobium, we have estimated the resulting field-dependent losses and extrapolated this model to the implications for cavity performance. The model predictions correspond well to the characteristic BCP versus EP high field Q(0) performance differences for fine grain niobium. We describe the algorithm of the model, its limitations, and the effects of this nonlinear loss contribution on SRF cavity performance