Effect of high oxygen pressure annealing on superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 thin films by pulsed laser deposition from Cu-enriched targets

We show that the quality of Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 films grown by pulsed laser deposition can be enhanced by using a non-stoichiometric target with extra copper added to suppress the formation of a parasitic (Nd, Ce)2O3 phase. The properties of these films are less dependent on the exact annealing procedure after deposition as compared to films grown from a stoichiometric target. Film growth can be followed by a 1 bar oxygen annealing, after an initial vacuum annealing, while retaining the superconducting properties and quality. This enables the integration of electron-doped cuprates with their hole-doped counterparts on a single chip, to create, for example, superconducting pn-junctions.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Superconductor Science and Technology. The publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-2048/27/4/04401

Reconstruction methods — P‾ANDA focussing-light guide disc DIRC

The Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC will provide crucial Particle Identification (PID) information for the P‾ANDA experiment at FAIR, GSI. This detector presents a challenging environment for reconstruction due to the complexity of the expected hit patterns and the operating conditions of the P‾ANDA experiment. A discussion of possible methods to reconstruct PID from this detector is given here. Reconstruction software is currently under development

The bar PANDA focussing-lightguide disc DIRC

bar PANDA will be a fixed target experiment internal to the HESR antiproton storage ring at the future FAIR complex. The ANDA detector requires excellent particle-identification capabilities in order to achieve its scientific potential. Cherenkov counters employing the DIRC principle were chosen as PID detectors for the Target Spectrometer. The proposed Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC will cover the forward part of the Target Spectrometer acceptance in the angular range between 5° and 22°. Its design includes a novel approach to mitigate dispersion effects in the solid radiator of a DIRC counter using optical elements. The dispersion correction will enable the Focussing-Lightguide Disc DIRC to provide pion-kaon identification for momenta well above 3.5 GeV/c

Malaria and land use: a spatial and temporal risk analysis in Southern Sri Lanka

Malaria / Waterborne diseases / Disease vectors / Land use / Water use / GIS / Statistical analysis / Risks / Mapping / Public health / Sri Lanka / Uda Walawe / Thanamalvila / Embilipitiya

Dynamic model of gene regulation for the lac operon

Gene regulatory network is a collection of DNA which interact with each other and with other matter in the cell. The lac operon is an example of a relatively simple genetic network and is one of the best-studied structures in the Escherichia coli bacteria. In this work we consider a deterministic model of the lac operon with a noise term, representing the stochastic nature of the regulation. The model is written in terms of a system of simultaneous first order differential equations with delays. We investigate an analytical and numerical solution and analyse the range of values for the parameters corresponding to a stable solution

Logics of preference when there is no best

Well-behaved preferences (e.g., total pre-orders) are a cornerstone of several areas in artificial intelligence, from knowledge representation, where preferences typically encode likelihood comparisons, to both game and decision theories, where preferences typically encode utility comparisons. Yet weaker (e.g., cyclical) structures of comparison have proven important in a number of areas, from argumentation theory to tournaments and social choice theory. In this paper we provide logical foundations for reasoning about this type of preference structures where no obvious best elements may exist. Concretely, we compare and axiomatize a number of ways in which the concepts of maximality and optimality can be lifted to this general class of preferences. In doing so we expand the scope of the long-standing tradition of the logical analysis of preference

Testing feasibility of scalar-tensor gravity by scale dependent mass and coupling to matter

We investigate whether there are any cosmological evidences for a scalar field with a mass and coupling to matter which change accordingly to the properties of the astrophysical system it "lives in", without directly focusing on the underlying mechanism that drives the scalar field scale-dependent properties. We assume a Yukawa type of coupling between the field and matter and also that the scalar field mass grows with density, in order to overcome all gravity constraints within the solar system. We analyse three different gravitational systems assumed as "cosmological indicators": supernovae type Ia, low surface brightness spiral galaxies and clusters of galaxies. Results show that: a) a quite good fit to the rotation curves of low surface brightness galaxies only using visible stellar and gas mass components is obtained; b) a scalar field can fairly well reproduce the matter profile in clusters of galaxies, estimated by X-ray observations and without the need of any additional dark matter; c) there is an intrinsic difficulty in extracting information about the possibility of a scale-dependent massive scalar field (or more generally about a varying gravitational constant) from supernovae type Ia.Comment: 30 pages, 15 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Technical Design Report for PANDA Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMC)

This document presents the technical layout and the envisaged performance of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMC) for the PANDA target spectrometer. The EMC has been designed to meet the physics goals of the PANDA experiment. The performance figures are based on extensive prototype tests and radiation hardness studies. The document shows that the EMC is ready for construction up to the front-end electronics interface

Technical Design Report for the PANDA Micro Vertex Detector

This document illustrates the technical layout and the expected performance of the Micro Vertex Detector (MVD) of the PANDA experiment. The MVD will detect charged particles as close as possible to the interaction zone. Design criteria and the optimisation process as well as the technical solutions chosen are discussed and the results of this process are subjected to extensive Monte Carlo physics studies. The route towards realisation of the detector is outlined