1,265 research outputs found
Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of SiO_2 using novel alkoxysilane precursors
This communication describes our results using these novel alkoxysilane precursors for PECVD of SiO_2 films in an inductively coupled rf plasma reactor. The effects of deposition time, rf power, and organosilane pressure on the filmsâ characteristics are described
Microrelief-Controlled Overland Flow Generation: Laboratory and Field Experiments
Surface microrelief affects overland flow generation and the related hydrologic processes. However, such influences vary depending on other factors such as rainfall characteristics, soil properties, and initial soil moisture conditions. Thus, in-depth research is needed to better understand and evaluate the combined effects of these factors on overland flow dynamics. The objective of this experimental study was to examine how surface microrelief, in conjunction with the factors of rainfall, soil, and initial moisture conditions, impacts overland flow generation and runoff processes in both laboratory and field settings. A series of overland flow experiments were conducted for rough and smooth surfaces that represented distinct microtopographic characteristics and the experimental data were analyzed and compared. Across different soil types and initial moisture conditions, both laboratory and field experiments demonstrated that a rough soil surface experienced a delayed initiation of runoff and featured a stepwise threshold flow pattern due to the microrelief-controlled puddle filling-spilling-merging dynamics. It was found from the field experiments that a smooth plot surface was more responsive to rainfall variations especially during an initial rainfall event. However, enhanced capability of overland flow generation and faster puddle connectivity of a rough field plot occurred during the subsequent rain events
Exploring precision polymers to fine-tune magnetic resonance imaging properties of iron oxide nanoparticles
The use of bio-polymers as stabilising agents for iron oxide-based negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents has become popular in recent years, however the wide polydispersity of biologically-derived and commercially available polymers limits the ability to produce truly tuneable and reproducible behaviour, a major challenge in this area. In this work, stable colloids of iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared utilising precision-engineered bio-polymer mimics, poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sodium sulfonate) (P(AMPS)) polymers, with controlled narrow polydispersity molecular weights, as templating stabilisers. In addition to producing magnetic colloids with excellent MRI contrast capabilities (r2 values reaching 434.2 mMâ1 sâ1 at 25 °C and 23 MHz, several times higher than similar commercial analogues), variable field relaxometry provided unexpected important insights into the dynamic environment of the hydrated materials, and hence their exceptional MRI behaviour. Thanks to the polymerâs templating backbone and flexible conformation in aqueous suspension, nanocomposites appear to behave as âmulti-coreâ clustered species, enhancing interparticle interactions whilst retaining water diffusion, boosting relaxation properties at low frequency. This clustering behaviour, evidenced by small-angle X-ray scattering, and strong relaxometric response, was fine-tuned using the well-defined molecular weight polymer species with precise iron to polymer ratios. By also showing negligible haemolytic activity, these nanocomposites exhibit considerable potential for MRI diagnostics
Pruning Algorithms for Pretropisms of Newton Polytopes
Pretropisms are candidates for the leading exponents of Puiseux series that
represent solutions of polynomial systems. To find pretropisms, we propose an
exact gift wrapping algorithm to prune the tree of edges of a tuple of Newton
polytopes. We prefer exact arithmetic not only because of the exact input and
the degrees of the output, but because of the often unpredictable growth of the
coordinates in the face normals, even for polytopes in generic position. We
provide experimental results with our preliminary implementation in Sage that
compare favorably with the pruning method that relies only on cone
intersections.Comment: exact, gift wrapping, Newton polytope, pretropism, tree pruning,
accepted for presentation at Computer Algebra in Scientific Computing, CASC
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