1,123 research outputs found
Oxygen-related traps in pentacene thin films: Energetic position and implications for transistor performance
We studied the influence of oxygen on the electronic trap states in a
pentacene thin film. This was done by carrying out gated four-terminal
measurements on thin-film transistors as a function of temperature and without
ever exposing the samples to ambient air. Photooxidation of pentacene is shown
to lead to a peak of trap states centered at 0.28 eV from the mobility edge,
with trap densities of the order of 10(18) cm(-3). These trap states need to be
occupied at first and cause a reduction in the number of free carriers, i.e. a
consistent shift of the density of free holes as a function of gate voltage.
Moreover, the exposure to oxygen reduces the mobility of the charge carriers
above the mobility edge. We correlate the change of these transport parameters
with the change of the essential device parameters, i.e. subthreshold
performance and effective field-effect mobility. This study supports the
assumption of a mobility edge for charge transport, and contributes to a
detailed understanding of an important degradation mechanism of organic
field-effect transistors. Deep traps in an organic field-effect transistor
reduce the effective field-effect mobility by reducing the number of free
carriers and their mobility above the mobility edge.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Mass generation for non-Abelian antisymmetric tensor fields in a three-dimensional space-time
Starting from a recently proposed Abelian topological model in (2+1)
dimensions, which involve the Kalb-Ramond two form field, we study a
non-Abelian generalization of the model. An obstruction for generalization is
detected. However we show that the goal is achieved if we introduce a vectorial
auxiliary field. Consequently, a model is proposed, exhibiting a non-Abelian
topological mass generation mechanism in D=3, that provides mass for the
Kalb-Ramond field. The covariant quantization of this model requires ghosts for
ghosts. Therefore in order to quantize the theory we construct a complete set
of BRST and anti-BRST equations using the horizontality condition.Comment: 8 pages. To appear in Physical Review
Strings in gravity with torsion
A theory of gravitation in 4D is presented with strings used in the material
action in spacetime. It is shown that the string naturally gives rise to
torsion. It is also shown that the equation of motion a string follows from the
Bianchi identity, gives the identical result as the Noether conservation laws,
and follows a geodesic only in the lowest order approximation. In addition, the
conservation laws show that strings naturally have spin, which arises not from
their motion but from their one dimensional structure.Comment: 16 page
Extraction of BoNT/A, /B, /E, and /F with a Single, High Affinity Monoclonal Antibody for Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxin by Endopep-MS
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are extremely potent toxins that are capable of causing respiratory failure leading to long-term intensive care or death. The best treatment for botulism includes serotype-specific antitoxins, which are most effective when administered early in the course of the intoxication. Early confirmation of human exposure to any serotype of BoNT is an important public health goal. In previous work, we focused on developing Endopep-MS, a mass spectrometry-based endopeptidase method for detecting and differentiating the seven serotypes (BoNT/A-G) in buffer and BoNT/A, /B, /E, and /F (the four serotypes that commonly affect humans) in clinical samples. We have previously reported the success of antibody-capture to purify and concentrate BoNTs from complex matrices, such as clinical samples. However, to check for any one of the four serotypes of BoNT/A, /B, /E, or /F, each sample is split into 4 aliquots, and tested for the specific serotypes separately. The discovery of a unique monoclonal antibody that recognizes all four serotypes of BoNT/A, /B, /E and /F allows us to perform simultaneous detection of all of them. When applied in conjunction with the Endopep-MS assay, the detection limit for each serotype of BoNT with this multi-specific monoclonal antibody is similar to that obtained when using other serotype-specific antibodies
Scaling Property of the global string in the radiation dominated universe
We investigate the evolution of the global string network in the radiation
dominated universe by use of numerical simulations in 3+1 dimensions. We find
that the global string network settles down to the scaling regime where the
energy density of global strings, , is given by with the string tension per unit length and the scaling parameter,
, irrespective of the cosmic time. We also find that the
loop distribution function can be fitted with that predicted by the so-called
one scale model. Concretely, the number density, , of the loop with
the length, , is given by
where and is related with the Nambu-Goldstone(NG)
boson radiation power from global strings, , as with
. Therefore, the loop production function also scales and
the typical scale of produced loops is nearly the horizon distance. Thus, the
evolution of the global string network in the radiation dominated universe can
be well described by the one scale model in contrast with that of the local
string network.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Interacting Particles and Strings in Path and Surface Representations
Non-relativistic charged particles and strings coupled with abelian gauge
fields are quantized in a geometric representation that generalizes the Loop
Representation. We consider three models: the string in self-interaction
through a Kalb-Ramond field in four dimensions, the topological interaction of
two particles due to a BF term in 2+1 dimensions, and the string-particle
interaction mediated by a BF term in 3+1 dimensions. In the first case one
finds that a consistent "surface-representation" can be built provided that the
coupling constant is quantized. The geometrical setting that arises corresponds
to a generalized version of the Faraday's lines picture: quantum states are
labeled by the shape of the string, from which emanate "Faraday`s surfaces". In
the other models, the topological interaction can also be described by
geometrical means. It is shown that the open-path (or open-surface) dependence
carried by the wave functional in these models can be eliminated through an
unitary transformation, except by a remaining dependence on the boundary of the
path (or surface). These feature is closely related to the presence of
anomalous statistics in the 2+1 model, and to a generalized "anyonic behavior"
of the string in the other case.Comment: RevTeX 4, 28 page
Caregiver perspectives on the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with intellectual/developmental disabilities
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted caregivers, especially those raising a child with an intellectual/developmental disability (IDD). While research has shown substantial disruption to the family, school, and occupational lives of the IDD community, little is known about the long-term impacts of COVID-19. To address this question, 249 caregivers were surveyed via an online questionnaire, between April and August of 2022 (more than 2 years into the pandemic) about potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their child\u27s access to health- and school-based therapeutic services, caregiver mental health, and family life. The majority of caregivers reported disruptions in access to and quality of school-based therapeutic services for their child as well as a reduction in educational accommodations in the 2021-2022 academic year. Nearly half of caregivers reported feeling anxious and almost a quarter reported feeling depressed for the majority of their days. More than half of respondents reported decreased social support, and one-fifth reported employment disruptions and decreased access to food. These findings suggest that families of children with IDD are still experiencing ongoing negative impacts of the pandemic, emphasizing the critical need for continued support in the wake of the initial and more obvious disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak
The Dual Formulation of Cosmic Strings and Vortices
We study four dimensional systems of global, axionic and local strings. By
using the path integral formalism, we derive the dual formulation of these
systems, where Goldstone bosons, axions and missive vector bosons are described
by antisymmetric tensor fields, and strings appear as a source for these tensor
fields. We show also how magnetic monopoles attached to local strings are
described in the dual formulation. We conclude with some remarks.Comment: 18 pages, CU-TP-588 and CERN-TH.6780/9
Geometric Laws of Vortex Quantum Tunneling
In the semiclassical domain the exponent of vortex quantum tunneling is
dominated by a volume which is associated with the path the vortex line traces
out during its escape from the metastable well. We explicitly show the
influence of geometrical quantities on this volume by describing point vortex
motion in the presence of an ellipse. It is argued that for the semiclassical
description to hold the introduction of an additional geometric constraint, the
distance of closest approach, is required. This constraint implies that the
semiclassical description of vortex nucleation by tunneling at a boundary is in
general not possible. Geometry dependence of the tunneling volume provides a
means to verify experimental observation of vortex quantum tunneling in the
superfluid Helium II.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revised version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Finite, diffeomorphism invariant observables in quantum gravity
Two sets of spatially diffeomorphism invariant operators are constructed in
the loop representation formulation of quantum gravity. This is done by
coupling general relativity to an anti- symmetric tensor gauge field and using
that field to pick out sets of surfaces, with boundaries, in the spatial three
manifold. The two sets of observables then measure the areas of these surfaces
and the Wilson loops for the self-dual connection around their boundaries. The
operators that represent these observables are finite and background
independent when constructed through a proper regularization procedure.
Furthermore, the spectra of the area operators are discrete so that the
possible values that one can obtain by a measurement of the area of a physical
surface in quantum gravity are valued in a discrete set that includes integral
multiples of half the Planck area. These results make possible the construction
of a correspondence between any three geometry whose curvature is small in
Planck units and a diffeomorphism invariant state of the gravitational and
matter fields. This correspondence relies on the approximation of the classical
geometry by a piecewise flat Regge manifold, which is then put in
correspondence with a diffeomorphism invariant state of the gravity-matter
system in which the matter fields specify the faces of the triangulation and
the gravitational field is in an eigenstate of the operators that measure their
areas.Comment: Latex, no figures, 30 pages, SU-GP-93/1-
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