Classical solutions of drift-diffusion equations for semiconductor devices: the 2d case

We regard drift-diffusion equations for semiconductor devices in Lebesgue spaces. To that end we reformulate the (generalized) van Roosbroeck system as an evolution equation for the potentials to the driving forces of the currents of electrons and holes. This evolution equation falls into a class of quasi-linear parabolic systems which allow unique, local in time solution in certain Lebesgue spaces. In particular, it turns out that the divergence of the electron and hole current is an integrable function. Hence, Gauss' theorem applies, and gives the foundation for space discretization of the equations by means of finite volume schemes. Moreover, the strong differentiability of the electron and hole density in time is constitutive for the implicit time discretization scheme. Finite volume discretization of space, and implicit time discretization are accepted custom in engineering and scientific computing.--This investigation puts special emphasis on non-smooth spatial domains, mixed boundary conditions, and heterogeneous material compositions, as required in electronic device simulation

Impact of controlled foreign corporation rules on post-acquisition investment and profit shifting in targets

We investigate real investment, financial revenues and profits in formerly domestic firms once they enter a multinational entity (MNE) through an acquisition. We argue that following the acquisition, those targets are tax-optimized in a profit shifting context if they are acquired by MNEs with no controlled foreign corporation (CFC) rules in their headquarters’ countries. In this case, we hypothesize that MNE-wide profit shifting opportunities decrease high-tax targets’ cost of capital, which may have a positive effect on real investment of these targets. In addition, we hypothesize that financial revenues respectively profits of low-tax targets increase after the acquisition, since they may become destinations of profit shifting themselves. In line with the effects on real investment, profits of high-tax targets should decline. We find evidence for the effects on real investment. Further, these effects can no longer be observed in case of existing CFC rules in the acquirer’s headquarters’ country. This finding may suggest that CFC rules effectively mitigate MNE-wide profit shifting which in turn has detrimental investment effects. We also find some evidence for the expected effects for financial revenues but not for the profit measure

Density and current of a dissipative Schrödinger operator

A net current flow through an open 1-dimensional Schrödinger-Poisson system is modeled by replacing self-adjoint boundary conditions by dissipative ones. To give a rigorous definition of carrier and current densities the well-known dilation theory of dissipative operators is used where the self-adjoint dilation is regarded as the Hamiltonian of a larger closed system which contains the open one. The carrier density turns out to be performed by the generalized eigenstates of the dilation while the current density is related to the characteristic function of the dissipative operator. A rigorous setup of a dissipative Schrödinger-Poisson system is outlined

On one dimensional dissipative Schrödinger-type operators, their dilations and eigenfunction expansions

We study in detail Schrödinger-type operators on a bounded interval of the real axis with dissipative boundary conditions. The characteristic function of such operators is computed, its minimal self-adjoint dilation is constructed and the generalized eigenfunction expansion for the dilation is developed. The problem is motivated by semiconductor physics

Macroscopic current induced boundary conditions for Schrödinger-type operators

We describe an embedding of a quantum mechanically described structure into a macroscopic flow. The open quantum system is partly driven by an adjacent macroscopic flow acting on the boundary of the bounded spatial domain designated to quantum mechanics. This leads to an essentially non-selfadjoint Schrödinger-type operator, the spectral properties of which will be investigated

Monotonicity properties of the quantum mechanical particle density

An elementary proof of the anti-monotonicity of the quantum mechanical particle density with respect to the potential in the Hamiltonian is given for a large class of admissible thermodynamic equilibrium distribution functions. In particular the zero temperature case is included

Is Smaller Always Better? - Evaluating Video Compression Techniques for Simulation Ensembles

We provide an evaluation of the applicability of video compression techniques for compressing visualization image databases that are often used for in situ visualization. Considering relevant practical implementation aspects, we identify relevant compression parameters, and evaluate video compression for several test cases, involving several data sets and visualization methods; we use three different video codecs. To quantify the benefits and drawbacks of video compression, we employ metrics for image quality, compression rate, and performance. The experiments discussed provide insight into good choices of parameter values, working well in the considered cases

Sarcopenia Is a Negative Prognostic Factor in Patients Undergoing Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) for Hepatic Malignancies

Background and Aims: While transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) represents a standard of therapy for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is also routinely performed in patients with liver metastases, it is still debated which patients represent the ideal candidates for TACE therapy in terms of overall survival. Sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, has been associated with an adverse outcome for various malignancies, but its role in the context of TACE has largely remained unknown. Here, we evaluated the role of sarcopenia on the outcome of patients undergoing TACE for primary and secondary liver cancer. Methods: The patients’ psoas muscle size was measured on axial computed tomography (CT) scans and normalized for the patients’ height squared. This value was referred to as the psoas muscle index (PMI). The PMI was correlated with clinical and laboratory markers. Results: While pre-interventional sarcopenia had no impact on the direct tumor response to TACE, sarcopenic patients with a pre-interventional PMI below our ideal cut-o value of 13.39 mm/m2 had a significantly impaired long-term outcome with a median overall survival of 491 days compared to 1291 days for patients with a high PMI. This finding was confirmed by uni- and multivariate Cox-regression analyses. Moreover, a progressive rapid decline in muscle mass after TACE was a predictor for an unfavorable prognosis. Conclusion: Our data suggest that sarcopenia represents a previously unrecognized prognostic factor for patients undergoing TACE therapy which might yield important information on the patients’ post-interventional outcome and should therefore be implemented into clinical stratification algorithms

Exponential Decay Lifetimes of Excitons in Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The dynamics of excitons in individual semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes was studied using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL decay from tubes of the same (n,m) type was found to be monoexponential, however, with lifetimes varying between less than 20 and 200 ps from tube to tube. Competition of nonradiative decay of excitons is facilitated by a thermally activated process, most likely a transition to a low-lying optically inactive trap state that is promoted by a low-frequency phonon mode