1,050 research outputs found
Novel Orbital Ordering induced by Anisotropic Stress in a Manganite Thin Film
We performed resonant and nonresonant x-ray diffraction studies of a
Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 thin film that exhibits a clear first-order transition. Lattice
parameters vary drastically at the metal-insulator transition at 170K (=T_MI),
and superlattice reflections appear below 140K (=T_CO). The electronic
structure between T_MI and T_CO is identified as A-type antiferromagnetic with
the d_{x2-y2} ferroorbital ordering. Below T_CO, a new type of antiferroorbital
ordering emerges. The accommodation of the large lattice distortion at the
first-order phase transition and the appearance of the novel orbital ordering
are brought about by the anisotropy in the substrate, a new parameter for the
phase control.Comment: 4pages, 4figure
Near-Optimal Scheduling for LTL with Future Discounting
We study the search problem for optimal schedulers for the linear temporal
logic (LTL) with future discounting. The logic, introduced by Almagor, Boker
and Kupferman, is a quantitative variant of LTL in which an event in the far
future has only discounted contribution to a truth value (that is a real number
in the unit interval [0, 1]). The precise problem we study---it naturally
arises e.g. in search for a scheduler that recovers from an internal error
state as soon as possible---is the following: given a Kripke frame, a formula
and a number in [0, 1] called a margin, find a path of the Kripke frame that is
optimal with respect to the formula up to the prescribed margin (a truly
optimal path may not exist). We present an algorithm for the problem; it works
even in the extended setting with propositional quality operators, a setting
where (threshold) model-checking is known to be undecidable
Field-induced metal-insulator transition and switching phenomenon in correlated insulators
We study the nonequilibrium switching phenomenon associated with the
metal-insulator transition under electric field E in correlated insulator by a
gauge-covariant Keldysh formalism. Due to the feedback effect of the resistive
current I, this occurs as a first-order transition with a hysteresis of I-V
characteristics having a lower threshold electric field (\sim 10^4 Vcm^{-1})
much weaker than that for the Zener breakdown. It is also found that the
localized mid-gap states introduced by impurities and defects act as hot spots
across which the resonant tunneling occurs selectively, which leads to the
conductive filamentary paths and reduces the energy cost of the switching
function.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. A study on the metal-insulator transition in
correlated insulators was adde
Discounting in LTL
In recent years, there is growing need and interest in formalizing and
reasoning about the quality of software and hardware systems. As opposed to
traditional verification, where one handles the question of whether a system
satisfies, or not, a given specification, reasoning about quality addresses the
question of \emph{how well} the system satisfies the specification. One
direction in this effort is to refine the "eventually" operators of temporal
logic to {\em discounting operators}: the satisfaction value of a specification
is a value in , where the longer it takes to fulfill eventuality
requirements, the smaller the satisfaction value is.
In this paper we introduce an augmentation by discounting of Linear Temporal
Logic (LTL), and study it, as well as its combination with propositional
quality operators. We show that one can augment LTL with an arbitrary set of
discounting functions, while preserving the decidability of the model-checking
problem. Further augmenting the logic with unary propositional quality
operators preserves decidability, whereas adding an average-operator makes some
problems undecidable. We also discuss the complexity of the problem, as well as
various extensions
CSO validator: improving manual curation workflow for biological pathways
Summary: Manual curation and validation of large-scale biological pathways are required to obtain high-quality pathway databases. In a typical curation process, model validation and model update based on appropriate feedback are repeated and requires considerable cooperation of scientists. We have developed a CSO (Cell System Ontology) validator to reduce the repetition and time during the curation process. This tool assists in quickly obtaining agreement among curators and domain experts and in providing a consistent and accurate pathway database
Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation
This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described. Through use of focus groups, a theme study (concept evaluation of written activity descriptions), a component study, and pilot studies, an eight-session program was developed. This program involves novel activities (e.g., "talk show enactments," games, and alternative medicine-type activities such as yoga and meditation) in combination with motivation enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies to motivate and instruct in cessation initiation and maintenance efforts. The outcomes of the first experimental trial of Project EX, a school-based clinic program, are described, followed by a posthoc analysis of its effects mediation. A second EX study, a multiple baseline single group pilot study design in Wuhan, China, is described next. Description of a second experimental trial follows, which tested EX with nicotine gum versus a natural herb. A third experimental trial that tests a classroom prevention/cessation version of EX is then introduced. Finally, the implications of this work are discussed. The intent-to-treat quit rate for Project EX is approximately 15% across studies, double that of a standard care comparison. Effects last up to a six-month post-program at regular and alternative high schools. Through a systematic protocol of empirical program development and field trials, an effective and replicable model teen tobacco use cessation program is established. Future cessation work might expand on this work
Layer dynamics of a freely standing smectic-A film
We study the hydrodynamics of a freely-standing smectic-A film in the
isothermal, incompressible limit theoretically by analyzing the linearized
hydrodynamic equations of motion with proper boundary conditions. The dynamic
properties for the system can be obtained from the response functions for the
free surfaces. Permeation is included and its importance near the free surfaces
is discussed. The hydrodynamic mode structure for the dynamics of the system is
compared with that of bulk systems. We show that to describe the dynamic
correlation functions for the system, in general, it is necessary to consider
the smectic layer displacement and the velocity normal to the layers,
, together. Finally, our analysis also provides a basis for the
theoretical study of the off-equilibrium dynamics of freely-standing smectic-A
films.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure
An X-Ray Induced Structural Transition in La_0.875Sr_0.125MnO_3
We report a synchrotron x-ray scattering study of the magnetoresistive
manganite La_0.875Sr_0.125MnO_3. At low temperatures, this material undergoes
an x-ray induced structural transition at which charge ordering of Mn^3+ and
Mn^4+ ions characteristic to the low-temperature state of this compound is
destroyed. The transition is persistent but the charge-ordered state can be
restored by heating above the charge-ordering transition temperature and
subsequently cooling. The charge-ordering diffraction peaks, which are
broadened at all temperatures, broaden more upon x-ray irradiation, indicating
the finite correlation length of the charge-ordered state. Together with the
recent reports on x-ray induced transitions in Pr_(1-x)Ca_xMnO_3, our results
demonstrate that the photoinduced structural change is a common property of the
charge-ordered perovskite manganites.Comment: 5 pages, 4 embedded EPS figures; significant changes in the data
analysis mad
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