The upper critical field of filamentary Nb3Sn conductors

We have examined the upper critical field of a large and representative set of present multi-filamentary Nb3Sn wires and one bulk sample over a temperature range from 1.4 K up to the zero field critical temperature. Since all present wires use a solid-state diffusion reaction to form the A15 layers, inhomogeneities with respect to Sn content are inevitable, in contrast to some previously studied homogeneous samples. Our study emphasizes the effects that these inevitable inhomogeneities have on the field-temperature phase boundary. The property inhomogeneities are extracted from field-dependent resistive transitions which we find broaden with increasing inhomogeneity. The upper 90-99 % of the transitions clearly separates alloyed and binary wires but a pure, Cu-free binary bulk sample also exhibits a zero temperature critical field that is comparable to the ternary wires. The highest mu0Hc2 detected in the ternary wires are remarkably constant: The highest zero temperature upper critical fields and zero field critical temperatures fall within 29.5 +/- 0.3 T and 17.8 +/- 0.3 K respectively, independent of the wire layout. The complete field-temperature phase boundary can be described very well with the relatively simple Maki-DeGennes model using a two parameter fit, independent of composition, strain state, sample layout or applied critical state criterion.Comment: Accepted Journal of Applied Physics Few changes to shorten document, replaced eq. 7-

Dynamic control of visible radiation by a liquid crystal filled Fabry-Pérot etalon

Copyright © 2007 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 102 (2007) and may be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?JAPIAU/102/093108/1A liquid crystal filled Fabry-Pérot etalon has been constructed to control the resonant transmission of electromagnetic radiation over the visible range of the spectrum. This has been achieved through the use of a 1.5 µm thick homogeneously aligned liquid crystal layer in the core of a silver-clad etalon structure. Applying an electric field across the core reorientates the liquid crystal director and changes the refractive index for incident light polarized parallel to the rubbing direction. By measuring the transmitted intensity as a function of wavelength for a variety of applied voltages shifts in the positions of the resonant transmission modes of up to 80 nm have been observed. In addition, these results have been compared to model data generated using a multilayer optics model to obtain the dispersion of the liquid crystal over the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum

Geometrical optimization for high efficiency carbon perovskite modules

The carbon based perovskite solar cell (C-PSC) has a strong commercial potential due its low manufacturing cost and its improved stability. A C-PSC consists of three mesoporous layers sandwiched between a Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate as bottom electrode and carbon as top electrode. However, the low conductivity of the two electrodes represents a real challenge when scaling from individual cells to modules. Here, 2D direct current simulation is used to investigate the influence of width of the active area on the performance of a single C-PSC. The same method is used to study the effect of the sub-cell’s width, the interconnection’s width and the contact resistance at the interconnection on the performance of a 10 sub-cells module connected in series. The intrinsic properties of the carbon cell are taken in account using experimental JSC and VOC as an input to the modelling. The carbon conductivity is found to be critical in defining the optimum geometry. For a 10 Ω/sq carbon sheet resistance, the optimum interconnection width is 500 μm and the sub cell width is 4.9 mm, leading to an optimum fill factor of 64%

Detection and discrimination of cosmological non-Gaussian signatures by multi-scale methods

Recent Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations indicate that the temperature anisotropies arise from quantum fluctuations in the inflationary scenario. In the simplest inflationary models, the distribution of CMB temperature fluctuations should be Gaussian. However, non-Gaussian signatures can be present. They might have different origins and thus different statistical and morphological characteristics. In this context and motivated by recent and future CMB experiments, we search for, and discriminate between, different non-Gaussian signatures. We analyse simulated maps of three cosmological sources of temperature anisotropies: Gaussian distributed CMB anisotropies from inflation, temperature fluctuations from cosmic strings and anisotropies due to the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect both showing a non-Gaussian character. We use different multi-scale methods, namely, wavelet, ridgelet and curvelet transforms. The sensitivity and the discriminating power of the methods is evaluated using simulated data sets. We find that the bi-orthogonal wavelet transform is the most powerful for the detection of non-Gaussian signatures and that the curvelet and ridgelet transforms characterise quite precisely and exclusively the cosmic strings. They allow us thus to detect them in a mixture of CMB + SZ + cosmic strings. We show that not one method only should be applied to understand non-Gaussianity but rather a set of different robust and complementary methods should be used.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Paper with high resolution figures can be found at http://jstarck.free.fr/cmb03.pd

The Early Byzantine Domed Basilicas of West Asia Minor, An essay in Graphic Reconstruction

This paper investigates the methodology employed in the recent survey and reconstruction of the major Early Byzantine domed churches of west Asia Minor. This involved both the documentation of construction details as well as their interpretation by reference to coeval monuments elsewhere. Focusing on this methodology, the author explores techniques of graphic recording and the theoretical framework within which parallels with other buildings can inform the work of reconstruction. The detailed examination of two case studies illustrates the way in which seemingly random scraps of testimony were interpreted to provide evidence for the missing superstructure of the churches. These case studies also serve to explore the adaptation of the methodology to sites with different characteristics and help to assess the credibility of the resulting graphic reconstructions

Tumor site immune markers associated with risk for subsequent basal cell carcinomas.

BackgroundBasal cell carcinoma (BCC) tumors are the most common skin cancer and are highly immunogenic.ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess how immune-cell related gene expression in an initial BCC tumor biopsy was related to the appearance of subsequent BCC tumors.Materials and methodsLevels of mRNA for CD3ε (a T-cell receptor marker), CD25 (the alpha chain of the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor expressed on activated T-cells and B-cells), CD68 (a marker for monocytes/macrophages), the cell surface glycoprotein intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), the cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 were measured in BCC tumor biopsies from 138 patients using real-time PCR.ResultsThe median follow-up was 26.6 months, and 61% of subjects were free of new BCCs two years post-initial biopsy. Patients with low CD3ε CD25, CD68, and ICAM-1 mRNA levels had significantly shorter times before new tumors were detected (p = 0.03, p = 0.02, p = 0.003, and p = 0.08, respectively). Furthermore, older age diminished the association of mRNA levels with the appearance of subsequent tumors.ConclusionsOur results show that levels of CD3ε, CD25, CD68, and ICAM-1 mRNA in BCC biopsies may predict risk for new BCC tumors

The plasticity of near space: evidence for contraction

The distinction between near space and the space farther away has been well established, as has the relation of this distinction to arm length. Recent studies provide evidence for the plasticity of near space, showing that it is possible to expand its extent ("size") through tool-use. In the present study, we examine the converse effect, whether contraction of near space results from increasing the effort involved on a line bisection task. Adult participants bisected lines at different distances, while, in some cases, wearing weights. In Experiment 1, the arms, specifically, were weighted (wrist weights), and in Experiment 2, more general body weights were used (heavy backpack). As in previous studies, unencumbered participants showed leftward bias when bisecting lines at the closest distances and a rightward shift in bias with increasingly farther distances. With wrist weights, but not a heavy backpack, participants showed more rightward bias at the closest distances, and a more gradual rightward shift with increasing distance, as if the nearest locations were represented as being farther away. These results suggest that increased effort, when specifically related to the arm, can serve to reduce the size of near space, providing support for the generally symmetrical plasticity of near space representations

Chamber basis of the Orlik-Solomon algebra and Aomoto complex

We introduce a basis of the Orlik-Solomon algebra labeled by chambers, so called chamber basis. We consider structure constants of the Orlik-Solomon algebra with respect to the chamber basis and prove that these structure constants recover D. Cohen's minimal complex from the Aomoto complex.Comment: 16 page