3,162 research outputs found
Marine Protected Areas and commercial fisheries: the existing fishery in potential protected areas, and a modelling study of the impact of protected areas on North Sea Plaice
Dit rapport presenteert resultaten van onderzoek, dat in 2005/2006 is uitgevoerd. In het kader van de Europese Vogel en Habitat Richtlijnen dienen lidstaten te beschermen gebieden op zee aan te wijzen, wat mogelijk zou leiden tot beperkingen van visserijactiviteiten in deze gebieden. De vraag was, welke invloed dit zou hebben op de vis en visserij. In dit onderzoek is enerzijds een statische beschrijving opgesteld van de visserijinspanning en de vangsten in de voorgestelde gebieden, en is anderzijds een eerste analyse (simulatie-model) opgezet van het lange-termijn effect op migrerende vis (schol). Dit onderzoek werd eind 2006 afgerond met een concept-rapport
Self-organization of hydrophobic soil and granular surfaces
Soil can become extremely water repellent following forest fires or oil spillages, thus preventing penetration of water and increasing runoff and soil erosion. Here the authors show that evaporation of a droplet from the surface of a hydrophobic granular material can be an active process, lifting, self-coating, and selectively concentrating small solid grains. Droplet evaporation leads to the formation of temporary liquid marbles and, as droplet volume reduces, particles of different wettabilities compete for water-air interfacial surface area. This can result in a sorting effect with self-organization of a mixed hydrophobic-hydrophilic aggregate into a hydrophobic shell surrounding a hydrophilic core
DNA Translocation through Graphene Nanopores
Nanopores -- nanosized holes that can transport ions and molecules -- are
very promising devices for genomic screening, in particular DNA sequencing.
Both solid-state and biological pores suffer from the drawback, however, that
the channel constituting the pore is long, viz. 10-100 times the distance
between two bases in a DNA molecule (0.5 nm for single-stranded DNA). Here, we
demonstrate that it is possible to realize and use ultrathin nanopores
fabricated in graphene monolayers for single-molecule DNA translocation. The
pores are obtained by placing a graphene flake over a microsize hole in a
silicon nitride membrane and drilling a nanosize hole in the graphene using an
electron beam. As individual DNA molecules translocate through the pore,
characteristic temporary conductance changes are observed in the ionic current
through the nanopore, setting the stage for future genomic screening
Brotate and Tribike:Designing Smartphone Control for Cycling
The more people commute by bicycle, the higher is the number of cyclists using their smartphones while cycling and compromising traffic safety. We have designed, implemented and evaluated two prototypes for smartphone control devices that do not require the cyclists to remove their hands from the handlebars - the three-button device Tribike and the rotation-controlled Brotate. The devices were the result of a user-centred design process where we identified the key features needed for a on-bike smartphone control device. We evaluated the devices in a biking exercise with 19 participants, where users completed a series of common smartphone tasks. The study showed that Brotate allowed for significantly more lateral control of the bicycle and both devices reduced the cognitive load required to use the smartphone. Our work contributes insights into designing interfaces for cycling
Multiple Functionality in Nanotube Transistors
Calculations of quantum transport in a carbon nanotube transistor show that
such a device offers unique functionality. It can operate as a ballistic
field-effect transistor, with excellent characteristics even when scaled to 10
nm dimensions. At larger gate voltages, channel inversion leads to resonant
tunneling through an electrostatically defined nanoscale quantum dot. Thus the
transistor becomes a gated resonant tunelling device, with negative
differential resistance at a tunable threshold. For the dimensions considered
here, the device operates in the Coulomb blockade regime, even at room
temperature.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Wigner Distribution Function Approach to Dissipative Problems in Quantum Mechanics with emphasis on Decoherence and Measurement Theory
We first review the usefulness of the Wigner distribution functions (WDF),
associated with Lindblad and pre-master equations, for analyzing a host of
problems in Quantum Optics where dissipation plays a major role, an arena where
weak coupling and long-time approximations are valid. However, we also show
their limitations for the discussion of decoherence, which is generally a
short-time phenomenon with decay rates typically much smaller than typical
dissipative decay rates. We discuss two approaches to the problem both of which
use a quantum Langevin equation (QLE) as a starting-point: (a) use of a reduced
WDF but in the context of an exact master equation (b) use of a WDF for the
complete system corresponding to entanglement at all times
Mean-field calculations of quasi-elastic responses in 4He
We present calculations of the quasi-elastic responses functions in 4He based
upon a mean-field model used to perform analogous calculations in heavier
nuclei. The meson exchange current contribution is small if compared with the
results of calculations where short-range correlations are explicitly
considered. It is argued that the presence of these correlations in the
description of the nuclear wave functions is crucial to make meson exchange
current effects appreciable.Comment: uuencoded file containing 7 LaTex peges plus 3 ps figures. To be
published in Physical Review
Negative differential resistance in nanotube devices
Carbon nanotube junctions are predicted to exhibit negative differential
resistance, with very high peak-to-valley current ratios even at room
temperature. We treat both nanotube p-n junctions and undoped
metal-nanotube-metal junctions, calculating quantum transport through the
self-consistent potential within a tight-binding approximation. The undoped
junctions in particular may be suitable for device integration.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter
A Storage Ring for Neutral Atoms
We have demonstrated a storage ring for ultra-cold neutral atoms. Atoms with
mean velocities of 1 m/s corresponding to kinetic energies of ~100 neV are
confined to a 2 cm diameter ring by magnetic forces produced by two
current-carrying wires. Up to 10^6 atoms are loaded at a time in the ring, and
7 revolutions are clearly observed. Additionally, we have demonstrated multiple
loading of the ring and deterministic manipulation of the longitudinal velocity
distribution of the atoms using applied laser pulses. Applications of this ring
include large area atom interferometers and cw monochromatic atomic beam
generation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
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