1,461 research outputs found
Euler buckling instability and enhanced current blockade in suspended single-electron transistors
Single-electron transistors embedded in a suspended nanobeam or carbon
nanotube may exhibit effects originating from the coupling of the electronic
degrees of freedom to the mechanical oscillations of the suspended structure.
Here, we investigate theoretically the consequences of a capacitive
electromechanical interaction when the supporting beam is brought close to the
Euler buckling instability by a lateral compressive strain. Our central result
is that the low-bias current blockade, originating from the electromechanical
coupling for the classical resonator, is strongly enhanced near the Euler
instability. We predict that the bias voltage below which transport is blocked
increases by orders of magnitude for typical parameters. This mechanism may
make the otherwise elusive classical current blockade experimentally
observable.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 1 table; published versio
A Self-Organized-Criticality model consistent with statistical properties of edge turbulence in a fusion plasma
The statistical properties of the intermittent signal generated by a recent
model for self-organized-criticality (SOC) are examined. A successful
comparison is made with previously published results of the equivalent
quantities measured in the electrostatic turbulence at the edge of a fusion
plasma. This result re-establishes SOC as a potential paradigm for transport in
magnetic fusion devices, overriding shortcomings pointed out in earlier works
[E. Spada, et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 3032 (2001); V. Antoni, et al, Phys.
Rev. Lett. 87, 045001 (2001)].Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Entanglement of identical particles and reference phase uncertainty
We have recently introduced a measure of the bipartite entanglement of
identical particles, E_P, based on the principle that entanglement should be
accessible for use as a resource in quantum information processing. We show
here that particle entanglement is limited by the lack of a reference phase
shared by the two parties, and that the entanglement is constrained to
reference-phase invariant subspaces. The super-additivity of E_P results from
the fact that this constraint is weaker for combined systems. A shared
reference phase can only be established by transferring particles between the
parties, that is, with additional nonlocal resources. We show how this nonlocal
operation can increase the particle entanglement.Comment: 8 pages, no figures. Invited talk given at EQIS'03, Kyoto, September,
2003. Minor typos corrected, 1 reference adde
Dynamics of light propagation in spatiotemporal dielectric structures
Propagation, transmission and reflection properties of linearly polarized
plane waves and arbitrarily short electromagnetic pulses in one-dimensional
dispersionless dielectric media possessing an arbitrary space-time dependence
of the refractive index are studied by using a two-component, highly symmetric
version of Maxwell's equations. The use of any slow varying amplitude
approximation is avoided. Transfer matrices of sharp nonstationary interfaces
are calculated explicitly, together with the amplitudes of all secondary waves
produced in the scattering. Time-varying multilayer structures and
spatiotemporal lenses in various configurations are investigated analytically
and numerically in a unified approach. Several new effects are reported, such
as pulse compression, broadening and spectral manipulation of pulses by a
spatiotemporal lens, and the closure of the forbidden frequency gaps with the
subsequent opening of wavenumber bandgaps in a generalized Bragg reflector
A photochemical dehydrogenative strategy for aniline synthesis
Chemical reactions that reliably join two molecular fragments together (cross-couplings) are essential to the discovery and manufacture of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals1,2. The introduction of amines onto functionalized aromatics at specific and pre-determined positions (ortho versus meta versus para) is currently achievable only in transition-metal-catalysed processes and requires halogen- or boron-containing substrates3-6. The introduction of these groups around the aromatic unit is dictated by the intrinsic reactivity profile of the method (electrophilic halogenation or C-H borylation) so selective targeting of all positions is often not possible. Here we report a non-canonical cross-coupling approach for the construction of anilines, exploiting saturated cyclohexanones as aryl electrophile surrogates. Condensation between amines and carbonyls, a process that frequently occurs in nature and is often used by (bio-)organic chemists7, enables a predetermined and site-selective carbon-nitrogen (C-N) bond formation, while a photoredox- and cobalt-based catalytic system progressively desaturates the cyclohexene ring en route to the aniline. Given that functionalized cyclohexanones are readily accessible with complete regiocontrol using the well established carbonyl reactivity, this approach bypasses some of the frequent selectivity issues of aromatic chemistry. We demonstrate the utility of this C-N coupling protocol by preparing commercial medicines and by the late-stage amination-aromatization of natural products, steroids and terpene feedstocks
Model for the spatio-temporal intermittency of the energy dissipation in turbulent flows
Modeling the intermittent behavior of turbulent energy dissipation processes
both in space and time is often a relevant problem when dealing with phenomena
occurring in high Reynolds number flows, especially in astrophysical and space
fluids. In this paper, a dynamical model is proposed to describe the
spatio-temporal intermittency of energy dissipation rate in a turbulent system.
This is done by using a shell model to simulate the turbulent cascade and
introducing some heuristic rules, partly inspired by the well known -model,
to construct a spatial structure of the energy dissipation rate. In order to
validate the model and to study its spatially intermittency properties, a
series of numerical simulations have been performed. These show that the level
of spatial intermittency of the system can be simply tuned by varying a single
parameter of the model and that scaling laws in agreement with those obtained
from experiments on fully turbulent hydrodynamic flows can be recovered. It is
finally suggested that the model could represent a useful tool to simulate the
spatio-temporal intermittency of turbulent energy dissipation in those high
Reynolds number astrophysical fluids where impulsive energy release processes
can be associated to the dynamics of the turbulent cascade.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure
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Turbulence in the First Stars
We present preliminary results of 2-D simulations of the effects of turbulence in the mixing of Pair Instability Supenovae. We make use of the FLASH code to evolve initial 1-D models of post-bounce PISNe and seed turbulence in form of velocity perturbations. We identify the energetic and spatial scale for the turbulence to have mixing effects on the metal shells inside the star. Under the conditions we examine, we observe some mixing but the onion structure of the metal distribution is not disrupted
Environmental Impact of Dietary Choices: Role of the Mediterranean and Other Dietary Patterns in an Italian Cohort
Background: Current scientific literature suggests healthy dietary patterns may have less
environmental impact than current consumption patterns, but most of the studies rely on theoretical
modeling. The aim of this study was to assess the impact on resources (land, water, and energy)
use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of healthy dietary patterns in a sample of Italian adults.
Methods: Participants (n = 1806) were recruited through random sampling in the city of Catania,
southern Italy. Dietary consumption was assessed through a validated food frequency questionnaire
(FFQ); dietary patterns were calculated through dietary scores. The specific environmental footprints
of food item production/processing were obtained from various available life-cycle assessments; a
sustainability score was created based on the impact of the four environmental components calculated.
Results: The contribution of major food groups to the environmental footprint showed that animal
products (dairy, egg, meat, and fish) represented more than half of the impact on GHG emissions and
energy requirements; meat products were the stronger contributors to GHG emissions and water
use, while dairy products to energy use, and cereals to land use. All patterns investigated, with
the exception of the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), were linearly associated with
the sustainability score. Among the components, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and
Alternate Diet Quality Index (AHEI) was associated with lower GHG emissions, dietary quality
index-international (DQI-I) with land use, while Nordic diet with land and water use. Conclusions:
In conclusion, the adoption of healthy dietary patterns involves less use of natural resources and
GHG emissions, representing eco-friendlier options in Italian adults
Comparative Study on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Determination of Isometric Points with and Without Navigation
OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of tunnel placement and graft isometry for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction performed using a computer-assisted navigation system (Orthopilot) and using traditional instruments. METHODS: The anterior cruciate ligament was removed intact from 36 pairs of human cadaver knees. From each pair, one knee was randomized to Group 1 (conventional) and the other to Group 2 (Orthopilot). An inelastic suture was then passed through the central points of the tibial and femoral tunnels. Neither of the tunnels was drilled. All knees were then dissected, and six parameters were obtained: distances from the tibial tunnel center to the 1) posterior cruciate ligament, 2) anterior horn of the lateral meniscus and 3) medial tibial spine; 4) distance from the femoral tunnel center to the posterior femoral cortex; 5) femoral tunnel coronal angle; and 6) variation of the distance from the femoral to the tibial tunnel with the knee extended and at 90 degrees of flexion. RESULTS: The variation of the distance from the femoral to the tibial tunnel during flexion and extension was smaller in the Orthopilot group (better isometry) compared to the conventional group. There were no statistical differences in any other parameters between the groups, and all tunnels were considered to be in satisfactory positions. DISCUSSION: The results obtained for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction depend on precise isometric point positioning, and a navigation system is a precision tool that can assist surgeons in tunnel positioning. CONCLUSION: No differences in tunnel position were observed between the groups. Nonetheless, better isometry was achieved in the Orthopilot group than with conventional instruments
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GRBs from the First Stars
We present an estimate of the Gamma Ray Bursts which should be expected from metal-free, elusive first generation of stars known as PopulationIII (PopIII). We derive the GRB rate from these stars from the Stellar Formation Rate obtained in several Reionization scenarios available in the literature. In all of the analyzed models we find that GRBs from PopIII are subdominant with respect to the ''standard'' (PopII) ones up to z {approx} 10
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