4,014 research outputs found
Direct current control of three magnon scattering processes in spin-valve nanocontacts
We have investigated the generation of spin waves in the free layer of an
extended spin-valve structure with a nano-scaled point contact driven by both
microwave and direct electric current using Brillouin light scattering
microscopy. Simultaneously with the directly excited spin waves, strong
nonlinear effects are observed, namely the generation of eigenmodes with
integer multiple frequencies (2 \emph{f}, 3 \emph{f}, 4 \emph{f}) and modes
with non-integer factors (0.5 \emph{f}, 1.5 \emph{f}) with respect to the
excitation frequency \emph{f}. The origin of these nonlinear modes is traced
back to three magnon scattering processes. The direct current influence on the
generation of the fundamental mode at frequency \emph{f} can be related to the
spin-transfer torque, while the efficiency of three-magnon-scattering processes
is controlled by the Oersted field as an additional effect of the direct
current
Half-life and spin of 60Mn^g
A value of 0.28 +/- 0.02 s has been deduced for the half-life of the ground
state of 60Mn, in sharp contrast to the previously adopted value of 51 +/- 6 s.
Access to the low-spin 60Mn ground state was accomplished via beta decay of the
0+ 60Cr parent nuclide. New, low-energy states in 60Mn have been identified
from beta-delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy. The new, shorter half-life of 60Mn^g
is not suggestive of isospin forbidden beta decay, and new spin and parity
assignments of 1+ and 4+ have been adopted for the ground and isomeric
beta-decaying states, respectively, of 60Mn.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Performance of a demand controlled mechanical extract ventilation system for dwellings
The main aim of ventilation is to guarantee a goodindoor air quality, related to the energy consumed forheating and fan(s). Active or passive heat recoverysystems seem to focus on the reduction of heatingconsumption at the expense of fan electricityconsumption and maintenance. In this study, demandcontrolledmechanical extract ventilation systems ofRenson (DCV1 and DCV2), based on natural supply inthe habitable rooms and mechanical extraction in thewet rooms (or even the bedrooms), was analysed forone year by means of multi-zone Contam simulationson a reference detached house and compared withstandard MEV and mechanical extract ventilationsystems with heat recovery (MVHR).
To this end, IAQ, total energy consumption,CO2 emissions and total cost of the systems aredetermined. The results show that DCV systems withincreased supply air flow rates or direct mechanicalextract from bedrooms can significantly improve IAQ,while reducing total energy consumption comparedto MEV. Applying DCV reduces primary heatingenergy consumption and yearly fan electricityconsumption at most by 65% to 50% compared toMEV. Total operational energy costs and CO2emissions of DCV are similar when compared toMVHR. Total costs of DCV systems over 15 years aresmaller when compared to MVHR due to lowerinvestment and maintenance costs
Single and vertically coupled type II quantum dots in a perpendicular magnetic field: exciton groundstate properties
The properties of an exciton in a type II quantum dot are studied under the
influence of a perpendicular applied magnetic field. The dot is modelled by a
quantum disk with radius , thickness and the electron is confined in the
disk, whereas the hole is located in the barrier. The exciton energy and
wavefunctions are calculated using a Hartree-Fock mesh method. We distinguish
two different regimes, namely (the hole is located at the radial
boundary of the disk) and (the hole is located above and below the
disk), for which angular momentum transitions are predicted with
increasing magnetic field. We also considered a system of two vertically
coupled dots where now an extra parameter is introduced, namely the interdot
distance . For each and for a sufficient large magnetic field,
the ground state becomes spontaneous symmetry broken in which the electron and
the hole move towards one of the dots. This transition is induced by the
Coulomb interaction and leads to a magnetic field induced dipole moment. No
such symmetry broken ground states are found for a single dot (and for three
vertically coupled symmetric quantum disks). For a system of two vertically
coupled truncated cones, which is asymmetric from the start, we still find
angular momentum transitions. For a symmetric system of three vertically
coupled quantum disks, the system resembles for small the pillar-like
regime of a single dot, where the hole tends to stay at the radial boundary,
which induces angular momentum transitions with increasing magnetic field. For
larger the hole can sit between the disks and the state
remains the groundstate for the whole -region.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figure
A new spatially and temporally variable sigma parameter in degree-day melt modelling of the Greenland Ice Sheet 1870–2013
The degree-day based method of calculating ice-/snow-melt across the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) commonly includes the temperature parameter sigma (σ) accounting for temperature variability on short (sub-monthly down to hourly) timescales, in order to capture melt in months where the mean temperature is below 0 °C. Sigma is typically assumed to be constant in space and time, with values ranging from ~ 2.5 to 5.5 °C. It is unclear in many cases how these values were derived and little sensitivity analysis or validation has been conducted. Here we determine spatially and temporally varying monthly values of σ for the unique, extended 1870–2013 timescale based on downscaled, corrected European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim (ERA-I) and Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) meteorological reanalysis 2 m air temperatures on a 5 km × 5 km polar stereographic grid for the GrIS. The resulting monthly σ values reveal a distinct seasonal cycle. The mean summer σ value for the study period is ~ 3.2 °C, around 1 °C lower than the value of 4.2 °C commonly used in the literature. Sigma values for individual summers range from 1.7 to 5.9 °C. Since the summer months dominate the melt calculation, use of the new variable σ parameter would lead to a smaller melt area and a more positive surface mass balance for the GrIS. Validation of our new variable σ dataset shows good agreement with standard deviations calculated from automatic weather station observations across the ice sheet. Trend analysis shows large areas of the ice sheet exhibit statistically significant increasing temperature variability from 1870–2013 in all seasons, with notable exceptions around Summit in spring, and Summit and South Dome in winter. More recently, since 1990, σ has been decreasing, significantly so in the north-west during July. These interannual σ trends reflect climate change and variability processes operating across the ice sheet, several mechanisms of which are briefly discussed
Spectroscopy of the odd-odd fp-shell nucleus 52Sc from secondary fragmentation
The odd-odd fp-shell nucleus 52Sc was investigated using in-beam gamma-ray
spectroscopy following secondary fragmentation of a 55V and 57Cr cocktail beam.
Aside from the known gamma-ray transition at 674(5)keV, a new decay at
E_gamma=212(3) keV was observed. It is attributed to the depopulation of a
low-lying excited level. This new state is discussed in the framework of
shell-model calculations with the GXPF1, GXPF1A, and KB3G effective
interactions. These calculations are found to be fairly robust for the
low-lying level scheme of 52Sc irrespective of the choice of the effective
interaction. In addition, the frequency of spin values predicted by the shell
model is successfully modeled by a spin distribution formulated in a
statistical approach with an empirical, energy-independent spin-cutoff
parameter.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Massive Increase, Spread, and Exchange of Extended Spectrum {beta}-Lactamase-Encoding Genes Among Intestinal Enterobacteriaceae in Hospitalized Children With Severe Acute Malnutrition in Niger.
Background. From the time of CTX-M emergence, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteria (ESBL-E) have spread worldwide in community settings as well as in hospitals, particularly in developing countries. Although their dissemination appears linked to Escherichia coli intestinal carriage, precise paths of this dynamic are largely unknown. Methods. Children from a pediatric renutrition center were prospectively enrolled in a fecal carriage study. Antibiotic exposure was recorded. ESBL-E strains were isolated using selective media from fecal samples obtained at admission and, when negative, also at discharge. ESBL-encoding genes were identified, their environments and plasmids were characterized, and clonality was assessed with polymerase chain reaction-based methods and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. E. coli strains were subjected to multilocus sequence typing. Results. The ESBL-E carriage rate was 31% at admission in the 55 children enrolled. All children enrolled received antibiotics during hospitalization. Among the ESBL-E-negative children, 16 were resampled at discharge, and the acquisition rate was 94%. The bla(CTX-M-15) gene was found in >90% of the carriers. Genetic environments and plasmid characterization evidenced the roles of a worldwide, previously described, multidrug-resistant region and of IncF plasmids in CTX-M-15 E. coli dissemination. Diversity of CTX-M-15-carrying genetic structures and clonality of acquired ESBL E. coli suggested horizontal genetic transfer and underlined the potential of some ST types for nosocomial cross-transmission. Conclusions. Cross-transmission and high selective pressure lead to very high acquisition of ESBL-E carriage, contributing to dissemination in the community. Strict hygiene measures as well as careful balancing of benefit-risk ratio of current antibiotic policies need to be reevaluated
Identifying Overlapping and Hierarchical Thematic Structures in Networks of Scholarly Papers: A Comparison of Three Approaches
We implemented three recently proposed approaches to the identification of
overlapping and hierarchical substructures in graphs and applied the
corresponding algorithms to a network of 492 information-science papers coupled
via their cited sources. The thematic substructures obtained and overlaps
produced by the three hierarchical cluster algorithms were compared to a
content-based categorisation, which we based on the interpretation of titles
and keywords. We defined sets of papers dealing with three topics located on
different levels of aggregation: h-index, webometrics, and bibliometrics. We
identified these topics with branches in the dendrograms produced by the three
cluster algorithms and compared the overlapping topics they detected with one
another and with the three pre-defined paper sets. We discuss the advantages
and drawbacks of applying the three approaches to paper networks in research
fields.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure
One-neutron knockout in the vicinity of the N=32 sub-shell closure: 9Be(57Cr,56Cr+ gamma)X
The one-neutron knockout reaction 9Be(57Cr,56Cr + gamma)X has been measured
in inverse kinematics with an intermediate-energy beam. Cross sections to
individual states in 56Cr were partially untangled through the detection of the
characteristic gamma-ray transitions in coincidence with the reaction residues.
The experimental inclusive longitudinal momentum distribution and the yields to
individual states are compared to calculations that combine spectroscopic
factors from the full fp shell model and nucleon-removal cross sections
computed in a few-body eikonal approach.Comment: PRC, in pres
Kaehler Manifolds of Quasi-Constant Holomorphic Sectional Curvatures
The Kaehler manifolds of quasi-constant holomorphic sectional curvatures are
introduced as Kaehler manifolds with complex distribution of codimension two,
whose holomorphic sectional curvature only depends on the corresponding point
and the geometric angle, associated with the section. A curvature identity
characterizing such manifolds is found. The biconformal group of
transformations whose elements transform Kaehler metrics into Kaehler ones is
introduced and biconformal tensor invariants are obtained. This makes it
possible to classify the manifolds under consideration locally. The class of
locally biconformal flat Kaehler metrics is shown to be exactly the class of
Kaehler metrics whose potential function is only a function of the distance
from the origin in complex Euclidean space. Finally we show that any rotational
even dimensional hypersurface carries locally a natural Kaehler structure,
which is of quasi-constant holomorphic sectional curvatures.Comment: 36 page
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