7,642 research outputs found
Photo-Thermoelectric Effect at a Graphene Interface Junction
We investigate the optoelectronic response of a graphene interface junction,
formed with bilayer and single-layer graphene, by photocurrent (PC) microscopy.
We measure the polarity and amplitude of the PC while varying the Fermi level
by tuning a gate voltage. These measurements show that the generation of PC is
by a photo-thermoelectric effect. The PC displays a factor of ~10 increase at
the cryogenic temperature as compared to room temperature. Assuming the
thermoelectric power has a linear dependence on the temperature, the inferred
graphene thermal conductivity from temperature dependent measurements has a
T^{1.5} dependence below ~100 K, which agrees with recent theoretical
predictions
DFT calculation of the intermolecular exchange interaction in the magnetic Mn dimer
The dimeric form of the single-molecule magnet
[MnOCl(OCEt)(py)] recently revealed interesting
phenomena: no quantum tunneling at zero field and tunneling before magnetic
field reversal. This is attributed to substantial antiferromagnetic exchange
interaction between different monomers. The intermolecular exchange
interaction, electronic structure and magnetic properties of this molecular
magnet are calculated using density-functional theory within
generalized-gradient approximation. Calculations are in good agreement with
experiment.Comment: 4 page
Ab-initio design of perovskite alloys with predetermined properties: The case of Pb(Sc_{0.5} Nb_{0.5})O_{3}
A first-principles derived approach is combined with the inverse Monte Carlo
technique to determine the atomic orderings leading to prefixed properties in
Pb(Sc_{0.5}Nb_{0.5})O_{3} perovskite alloy. We find that some arrangements
between Sc and Nb atoms result in drastic changes with respect to the
disordered material, including ground states of new symmetries, large
enhancement of electromechanical responses, and considerable shift of the Curie
temperature. We discuss the microscopic mechanisms responsible for these
unusual effects.Comment: 5 pages with 2 postscript figures embedde
Extracting the late-time kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
We propose a novel technique to separate the late-time, post-reionization component of the kinetic Sunyaev Zeldovich (kSZ) effect from the contribution to it from a (poorly understood and probably patchy) reionization history. The kSZ effect is one of the most promising probe of the missing baryons in the Universe. We study the possibility of reconstructing it in three dimensions (3D), using future spectroscopic surveys such as the Euclid survey. By reconstructing a 3D template from galaxy density and peculiar velocity fields from spectroscopic surveys we cross-correlate the estimator against CMB maps. The resulting cross-correlation can help us to map out the kSZ contribution to CMB in 3D as a function of redshift thereby extending previous results which use tomographic reconstruction. This allows the separation of the late-time effect from the contribution owing to reionization. By construction, it avoids contamination from foregrounds, primary CMB, tSZ effect as well as from star-forming galaxies. Due to a high number density of galaxies the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) for such cross-correlational studies is higher, compared to the studies involving CMB power-spectrum analysis. Using a spherical Bessel–Fourier (sFB) transform we introduce a pair of 3D power spectra: C⊥ℓ(k) and C⊥ℓ(k) that can be used for this purpose. We find that in a future spectroscopic survey with near all-sky coverage and a survey depth of z ≈ 1, reconstruction of C⊥ℓ(k) can be achieved in a few radial wave bands k ≈ (0.01–0.5 h−1 Mpc) with a S/N ratio of up to O(10) for angular harmonics in the range = (200–2000)
Nemo: a computational tool for analyzing nematode locomotion
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to an impressive range of
chemical, mechanical and thermal stimuli and is extensively used to investigate
the molecular mechanisms that mediate chemosensation, mechanotransduction and
thermosensation. The main behavioral output of these responses is manifested as
alterations in animal locomotion. Monitoring and examination of such
alterations requires tools to capture and quantify features of nematode
movement. In this paper, we introduce Nemo (nematode movement), a
computationally efficient and robust two-dimensional object tracking algorithm
for automated detection and analysis of C. elegans locomotion. This algorithm
enables precise measurement and feature extraction of nematode movement
components. In addition, we develop a Graphical User Interface designed to
facilitate processing and interpretation of movement data. While, in this
study, we focus on the simple sinusoidal locomotion of C. elegans, our approach
can be readily adapted to handle complicated locomotory behaviour patterns by
including additional movement characteristics and parameters subject to
quantification. Our software tool offers the capacity to extract, analyze and
measure nematode locomotion features by processing simple video files. By
allowing precise and quantitative assessment of behavioral traits, this tool
will assist the genetic dissection and elucidation of the molecular mechanisms
underlying specific behavioral responses.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. accepted by BMC Neuroscience 2007, 8:8
5G 3GPP-like Channel Models for Outdoor Urban Microcellular and Macrocellular Environments
For the development of new 5G systems to operate in bands up to 100 GHz,
there is a need for accurate radio propagation models at these bands that
currently are not addressed by existing channel models developed for bands
below 6 GHz. This document presents a preliminary overview of 5G channel models
for bands up to 100 GHz. These have been derived based on extensive measurement
and ray tracing results across a multitude of frequencies from 6 GHz to 100
GHz, and this document describes an initial 3D channel model which includes: 1)
typical deployment scenarios for urban microcells (UMi) and urban macrocells
(UMa), and 2) a baseline model for incorporating path loss, shadow fading, line
of sight probability, penetration and blockage models for the typical
scenarios. Various processing methodologies such as clustering and antenna
decoupling algorithms are also presented.Comment: To be published in 2016 IEEE 83rd Vehicular Technology Conference
Spring (VTC 2016-Spring), Nanjing, China, May 201
Continuum of vasodilator stress from rest to contrast medium to adenosine hyperemia for fractional flow reserve assessment
Objectives:
This study compared the diagnostic performance with adenosine-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) ≤0.8 of contrast-based FFR (cFFR), resting distal pressure (Pd)/aortic pressure (Pa), and the instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR).
Background:
FFR objectively identifies lesions that benefit from medical therapy versus revascularization. However, FFR requires maximal vasodilation, usually achieved with adenosine. Radiographic contrast injection causes submaximal coronary hyperemia. Therefore, intracoronary contrast could provide an easy and inexpensive tool for predicting FFR.
Methods:
We recruited patients undergoing routine FFR assessment and made paired, repeated measurements of all physiology metrics (Pd/Pa, iFR, cFFR, and FFR). Contrast medium and dose were per local practice, as was the dose of intracoronary adenosine. Operators were encouraged to perform both intracoronary and intravenous adenosine assessments and a final drift check to assess wire calibration. A central core lab analyzed blinded pressure tracings in a standardized fashion.
Results:
A total of 763 subjects were enrolled from 12 international centers. Contrast volume was 8 ± 2 ml per measurement, and 8 different contrast media were used. Repeated measurements of each metric showed a bias <0.005, but a lower SD (less variability) for cFFR than resting indexes. Although Pd/Pa and iFR demonstrated equivalent performance against FFR ≤0.8 (78.5% vs. 79.9% accuracy; p = 0.78; area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve: 0.875 vs. 0.881; p = 0.35), cFFR improved both metrics (85.8% accuracy and 0.930 area; p < 0.001 for each) with an optimal binary threshold of 0.83. A hybrid decision-making strategy using cFFR required adenosine less often than when based on either Pd/Pa or iFR.
Conclusions:
cFFR provides diagnostic performance superior to that of Pd/Pa or iFR for predicting FFR. For clinical scenarios or health care systems in which adenosine is contraindicated or prohibitively expensive, cFFR offers a universal technique to simplify invasive coronary physiological assessments. Yet FFR remains the reference standard for diagnostic certainty as even cFFR reached only ∼85% agreement
Intrinsic response time of graphene photodetectors
Graphene-based photodetectors are promising new devices for high-speed
optoelectronic applications. However, despite recent efforts, it is not clear
what determines the ultimate speed limit of these devices. Here, we present
measurements of the intrinsic response time of metal-graphene-metal
photodetectors with monolayer graphene using an optical correlation technique
with ultrashort laser pulses. We obtain a response time of 2.1 ps that is
mainly given by the short lifetime of the photogenerated carriers. This time
translates into a bandwidth of ~262 GHz. Moreover, we investigate the
dependence of the response time on gate voltage and illumination laser power
Baylisascaris procyonis in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area
Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm responsible for fatal larva migrans in humans, has long been thought to be absent from many regions in the southeastern United States. During spring 2002, 11 (22%) of 50 raccoons trapped in DeKalb County, Georgia, had B. procyonis infection. The increasing number of cases highlight this emerging zoonotic infection
- …