1,066 research outputs found
Effects of impurities on radiation damage of silicon solar cells
Impurities effects on radiation damage of silicon solar cell
Two coupled Josephson junctions: dc voltage controlled by biharmonic current
We study transport properties of two Josephson junctions coupled by an
external shunt resistance. One of the junction (say, the first) is driven by an
unbiased ac current consisting of two harmonics. The device can rectify the ac
current yielding a dc voltage across the first junction. For some values of
coupling strength, controlled by an external shunt resistance, a dc voltage
across the second junction can be generated. By variation of system parameters
like the relative phase or frequency of two harmonics, one can conveniently
manipulate both voltages with high efficiency, e.g., changing the dc voltages
across the first and second junctions from positive to negative values and vice
versa.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Condens. Matter (2012
Relationships between Muscle Contributions to Walking Subtasks and Functional Walking Status in Persons with Post-Stroke Hemiparesis
Walking speed is commonly used to predict stroke severity and assess functional walking status (i.e., household, limited community and community walking status) post-stroke. The underlying mechanisms that limit walking speed (and functional walking status by extension) need to be understood to improve post-stroke rehabilitation. Previous experimental studies have shown correlations between paretic plantarflexor output during the pre-swing phase and walking speed and suggest that the paretic hip flexors can compensate in some hemiparetic subjects. Modeling and simulation studies of healthy walking have shown that the ankle plantarflexors, soleus (SOL) and gastrocnemius (GAS), and uniarticular hip flexors (IL) are essential contributors to the walking subtasks of forward propulsion, swing initiation and/or power generation during pre-swing. However, the relationships between functional walking status and individual muscle contributions to these walking subtasks in hemiparetic walking are unknown. The goal of this study was to use 3D forward dynamics simulations to investigate the relationships between functional walking status in post-stroke hemiparetic walking and muscle contributions to forward propulsion, swing initiation and power generation
Pre-Swing Deficits in Forward Propulsion, Swing Initiation and Power Generation by Individual Muscles in Hemiparetic Walking
Clinical studies of hemiparetic walking have shown pre-swing abnormalities in the paretic leg suggesting that paretic muscle contributions to important biomechanical walking subtasks are different than those of non-disabled individuals. Three-dimensional forward dynamics simulations of two representative hemiparetic subjects with different levels of walking function classified by self-selected walking speed (i.e., limited community=0.4â0.8 m/s and community walkers=\u3e0.8 m/s) and a speed-matched control were generated to quantify individual muscle contributions to forward propulsion, swing initiation and power generation during the pre-swing phase (i.e., double support phase proceeding toe-off). Simulation analyses identified decreased paretic soleus and gastrocnemius contributions to forward propulsion and power generation as the primary impairment in the limited community walker compared to the control subject. The non-paretic leg did not compensate for decreased forward propulsion by paretic muscles during pre-swing in the limited community walker. Paretic muscles had the net effect to absorb energy from the paretic leg during pre-swing in the community walker suggesting that deficits in swing initiation are a primary impairment. Specifically, the paretic gastrocnemius and hip flexors (i.e., iliacus, psoas and sartorius) contributed less to swing initiation and the paretic soleus and gluteus medius absorbed more power from the paretic leg in the community walker compared to the control subject. Rehabilitation strategies aimed at diminishing these deficits have much potential to improve walking function in these hemiparetic subjects and those with similar deficits
Development and analysis of the Software Implemented Fault-Tolerance (SIFT) computer
SIFT (Software Implemented Fault Tolerance) is an experimental, fault-tolerant computer system designed to meet the extreme reliability requirements for safety-critical functions in advanced aircraft. Errors are masked by performing a majority voting operation over the results of identical computations, and faulty processors are removed from service by reassigning computations to the nonfaulty processors. This scheme has been implemented in a special architecture using a set of standard Bendix BDX930 processors, augmented by a special asynchronous-broadcast communication interface that provides direct, processor to processor communication among all processors. Fault isolation is accomplished in hardware; all other fault-tolerance functions, together with scheduling and synchronization are implemented exclusively by executive system software. The system reliability is predicted by a Markov model. Mathematical consistency of the system software with respect to the reliability model has been partially verified, using recently developed tools for machine-aided proof of program correctness
Escape from a zero current state in a one dimensional array of Josephson junctions
A long one dimensional array of small Josephson junctions exhibits Coulomb
blockade of Cooper pair tunneling. This zero current state exists up to a
switching voltage, Vsw, where there is a sudden onset of current. In this paper
we present histograms showing how Vsw changes with temperature for a long array
and calculations of the corresponding escape rates. Our analysis of the problem
is based on the existence of a voltage dependent energy barrier and we do not
make any assumptions about its shape. The data divides up into two temperature
regimes, the higher of which can be explained with Kramers thermal escape
model. At low temperatures the escape becomes independent of temperature.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure
Non Equilibrium Electronic Distribution in Single Electron Devices
The electronic distribution in devices with sufficiently small diemnsions may
not be in thermal equilibrium with their surroundings. Systems where the
occupancies of electronic states are solely determined by tunneling processes
are analyzed. It is shown that the effective temperature of the device may be
higher, or lower, than that of its environment, depending on the applied
voltage and the energy dependence of the tunneling rates. The I-V
characteristics become asymmetric. Comparison with recent experiments is made
Hiding solutions in random satisfiability problems: A statistical mechanics approach
A major problem in evaluating stochastic local search algorithms for
NP-complete problems is the need for a systematic generation of hard test
instances having previously known properties of the optimal solutions. On the
basis of statistical mechanics results, we propose random generators of hard
and satisfiable instances for the 3-satisfiability problem (3SAT). The design
of the hardest problem instances is based on the existence of a first order
ferromagnetic phase transition and the glassy nature of excited states. The
analytical predictions are corroborated by numerical results obtained from
complete as well as stochastic local algorithms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, revised version to app. in PR
Fractional diffusion in periodic potentials
Fractional, anomalous diffusion in space-periodic potentials is investigated.
The analytical solution for the effective, fractional diffusion coefficient in
an arbitrary periodic potential is obtained in closed form in terms of two
quadratures. This theoretical result is corroborated by numerical simulations
for different shapes of the periodic potential. Normal and fractional spreading
processes are contrasted via their time evolution of the corresponding
probability densities in state space. While there are distinct differences
occurring at small evolution times, a re-scaling of time yields a mutual
matching between the long-time behaviors of normal and fractional diffusion
- âŠ