A Note on the Efficiency of an Educational Voucher System

David E. R. Gay is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Arkansas

Adam Smith as A Moral Philosopher: A Comment

David E. R. Gay is a Visiting Associate Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University and Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Arkansas

Monopoles in the Higgs Phase

We describe new solutions of Yang-Mills-Higgs theories consisting of magnetic monopoles in a phase with fully broken gauge symmetry. Rather than spreading out radially, the magnetic field lines form flux tubes. The solution is topologically stable and, when embedded in N=2 SQCD, preserves 1/4 of the supercharges. From the perspective of the flux-tube the monopole appears as a kink. Many monopoles may be threaded onto a single flux tube and placed at arbitrary separation to create a stable, BPS necklace of solitons.Comment: 8 Pages, 1 Figure. v2: Added references and comments on 3He. v3: Another reference and corrected term in Lagrangia

On finite-difference approximations for normalized Bellman equations

A class of stochastic optimal control problems involving optimal stopping is considered. Methods of Krylov are adapted to investigate the numerical solutions of the corresponding normalized Bellman equations and to estimate the rate of convergence of finite difference approximations for the optimal reward functions.Comment: 36 pages, ArXiv version updated to the version accepted in Appl. Math. Opti

Calculation of the emission power distribution of microstructured OLEDs using the reciprocity theorem

S. Zhang, E.R. Martins, G.A. Turnbull and I.D.W. Samuel are grateful to the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for financial support.Integrating photonic microstructures into organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been a widely used strategy to improve their light out-coupling efficiency. However, there is still a need for optical modelling methods which quantitatively characterise the spatial emission pattern of microstructured OLEDs. In this paper, we demonstrate such rigorous calculation using the reciprocity theorem. The calculation of the emission intensity at each direction in the far field can be simplified into only two simple calculations of an incident plane wave propagating from the far field into a single cell of the periodic structure. The emission from microstructured OLED devices with three different grating periods was calculated as a test of the approach, and the calculated results were in good agreement with experiment. This optical modelling method is a useful calculation tool to investigate and control the spatial emission pattern of microstructured OLEDs.PostprintPeer reviewe

Stability and electrochemical performance of nanostructured La2CuO4þd cathodes

La2CuO4þd cathode layers are prepared by spray-pyrolysis deposition and their structural, microstructural and electrical properties are compared with those of submicrometric powders obtained from freeze-dried precursors. In order to improve the cathode performance, three different electrode architectures have been proposed: (i) powder cathodes obtained by conventional screen-printing and sintering, and cathodes deposited by spray-pyrolysis on: (ii) as-prepared electrolyte surfaces and (iii) porous electrolyte backbones. The cathode activity for the oxygen reduction reaction has been investigated as a function of the microstructure and the sintering temperature. The microstructural optimization of the cathodes and the low fabrication temperature minimize the instability problems between the electrolyte and the cathode materials, leading to polarization resistances as low as 0.14 U cm2 at 600 C.MINECO (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), MAT2016-77648-R y EC2014-53906-

Durability and performance of CGO barriers and LSCF cathode deposited by spray-pyrolysis

Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (CGO) protective layers are prepared by two different methods to prevent the reaction between the Zr0.84Y0.16O1.92 (YSZ) electrolyte and the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) cathode. In the first method, the CGO layers are deposited by an airbrushing technique from an ink containing CGO particles without and with cobalt as sintering aids. The second strategy consists in preparing both a dense CGO barrier layer and a porous LSCF cathode by spray-pyrolysis deposition, in order to further reduce the fabrication temperature and minimize the reaction between the cell components. The samples prepared by spray-pyrolysis exhibit better performance and durability than those obtained by conventional sintering methods. The results suggest that the interfacial reactivity between YSZ and LSCF as well as the Sr-enrichment at the cathode surface can be avoided by using low-temperature fabrication methods and by operating at temperatures lower than 650 °C.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, EC2014-53906-R y MAT2016-77648-

Effect of Zn addition on the structure and electrochemical properties of codoped BaCe0.6Zr0.2Ln0.2O3-δ (Ln=Y, Gd, Yb) proton conductors

In this work, BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.2-xYbxO3-δ and BaCe0.6Zr0.2Gd0.2-xYbxO3-δ (x=0–0.20), proton conducting materials are prepared by the freeze-drying precursor method. The sintering conditions were optimized by adding Zn (NO3)2·6H2O as sintering additive. The materials are thoroughly characterized by different structural and microstructural techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis. The addition of Zn favours the phase formation and densification at lower sintering temperatures; however, it leads to the segregation of a Zn-rich secondary phase, with general formula BaLn2ZnO5 (Ln˭Y, Gd and Yb), which is identified and quantified for the first time. All samples with Zn as sintering aid exhibit cubic structure; however, the samples without Zn crystallize with orthorhombic or cubic structure, depending on the composition and thermal treatment. The electrical properties are studied by impedance spectroscopy. A deep analysis of the bulk and grain boundary contributions to the conductivity has revealed that the bulk conductivity remains almost unchanged along both series over Yb-doping; however, the grain boundary resistance decreases. The highest conductivity values are found for the intermediate members of both series, BaCe0.6Zr0.2Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ and BaCe0.6Zr0.2Gd0.1Yb1O3-δ, with 33 and 28 mS cm−1 at 750 °C, respectively.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), MAT2016-77648-

Highly efficient La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ - Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 nanocomposite cathodes for solid oxide fuel cells

La0.8Sr0.2MnO3-δ-Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95 (LSM-CGO) nanostructured cathodes are successfully prepared in a single process by a chemical spray-pyrolysis deposition method. The cathode is composed of nanometric particles of approximately 15 nm of diameter, providing high triple-phase boundary sites for the oxygen reduction reactions. A low polarization resistance of 0.046 Ω cm2 is obtained at 700 °C, which is comparable to the most efficient cobaltite-based perovskite cathodes. A NiO-YSZ anode supported fuel cell with the nanostructured cathode generates a power output of 1.4 W cm−2 at 800 °C, significantly higher than 0.75 W cm−2 for a cell with conventional LSM-CGO cathode. The results suggest that this is a promising strategy to achieve high efficiency electrodes for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in a single preparation step, simplifying notably the fabrication process compared to traditional methods.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovació