5,024 research outputs found
Understanding the limits of plasmonic enhancement in organic photovoltaics
Plasmonic enhancement in organic photovoltaics has been extensively studied in the past decade. However, the reported improvements in power conversion efficiency (PCE) are highly inconsistent due to a poor understanding of the limitations of how plasmonics affect charge generation and transport in solar cells. In this work, we address these long-standing uncharted questions as to when plasmonic enhancements are useful and when they are not. We do this with a model system consisting of poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-bâČ]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)]:[6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester PCDTBT polymer active layer with silver nanostructures embedded in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene PEDOT:PSS sulfonate hole-transport layer. We demonstrate that: (a) plasmonic enhancements are most pronounced when the charge carrier mobilities of the donor and acceptor materials are unbalanced; (b) the introduction of plasmonic nanostructures in devices with balanced charge transport usually results in a decrease in efficiency; (c) plasmonic enhancement is highly shape-dependent; (d) for devices with asymmetric mobilities, as long as the species with low mobility is extracted at the contact where light is incident, device efficiency will be boosted; and (e) increase in light absorption in the active layer has minimal impact on PCE; the efficiency is primarily driven by exciton generation and charge collection efficiency. The findings of our work provide a generalized framework to guide researchers as to when plasmonic effects could be helpful to a device and when they could degrade performance
EOS MLS observations of dehydration in the 2004-2005 polar winters
We prove various estimates for the first eigenvalue of the magnetic Dirichlet
Laplacian on a bounded domain in two dimensions. When the magnetic field is
constant, we give lower and upper bounds in terms of geometric quantities of
the domain. We furthermore prove a lower bound for the first magnetic Neumann
eigenvalue in the case of constant field.Comment: 19 page
Not all surveillance data are created equalâA multiâmethod dynamic occupancy approach to determine rabies elimination from wildlife
1. A necessary component of elimination programmes for wildlife disease is effective surveillance. The ability to distinguish between disease freedom and nonâdetection can mean the difference between a successful elimination campaign and new epizootics. Understanding the contribution of different surveillance methods helps to optimize and better allocate effort and develop more effective surveillance programmes.
2. We evaluated the probability of rabies virus elimination (disease freedom) in an enzootic area with active management using dynamic occupancy modelling of 10 years of raccoon rabies virus (RABV) surveillance data (2006â2015) collected from three states in the eastern United States. We estimated detection probability of RABV cases for each surveillance method (e.g. strange acting reports, roadkill, surveillanceâtrapped animals, nuisance animals and public health samples) used by the USDA National Rabies Management Program.
3. Strange acting, found dead and public health animals were the most likely to detect RABV when it was present, and generally detectability was higher in fallâ winter compared to springâsummer. Found dead animals in fallâwinter had the highest detection at 0.33 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.48). Nuisance animals had the lowest detection probabilities (~0.02).
4. Areas with oral rabies vaccination (ORV) management had reduced occurrence probability compared to enzootic areas without ORV management. RABV occurrence was positively associated with deciduous and mixed forests and medium to high developed areas, which are also areas with higher raccoon (Procyon lotor) densities. By combining occupancy and detection estimates we can create a probability of elimination surface that can be updated seasonally to provide guidance on areas managed for wildlife disease.
5. Synthesis and applications. Wildlife disease surveillance is often comprised of a combination of targeted and convenienceâbased methods. Using a multiâmethod analytical approach allows us to compare the relative strengths of these methods, providing guidance on resource allocation for surveillance actions. Applying this multiâmethod approach in conjunction with dynamic occupancy analyses better informs management decisions by understanding ecological drivers of disease occurrence
Insights into pneumococcal pneumonia using lung aspirates and nasopharyngeal swabs collected from pneumonia patients in The Gambia.
We investigated the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia using clinical specimens collected for pneumonia surveillance in The Gambia. Lung aspirates and nasopharyngeal swabs from 31 patients were examined by culture, qPCR, whole genome sequencing, serotyping, and reverse transcription qPCR. Five lung aspirates cultured pneumococci, with a matching strain identified in the nasopharynx. Three virulence genes including ply (pneumolysin) were upregulated >20-fold in the lung compared with the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal density was higher in pediatric pneumonia patients compared with controls (p <0.0001). Findings suggest that changes in pneumococcal gene expression occurring in the lung environment may be important in pathogenesis
A Microscopic Derivation of the SO(5)-Symmetric Landau-Ginzburg Potential
We construct a microscopic model of electron interactions which gives rise to
both superconductivity and antiferromagnetism, and which admits an approximate
SO(5) symmetry that relates these two phases. The symmetry can be exact, or it
may exist only in the long-wavelength limit, depending on the detailed form of
the interactions. We compute the macroscopic Landau-Ginzburg free energy for
this model as a function of temperature and doping, by explicitly integrating
out the fermions. We find that the resulting phase diagram can resemble that
observed for the cuprates, with the antiferromagnetism realized as a spin
density wave, whose wavelength might be incommensurate with the lattice spacing
away from half filling.Comment: 29 pp., plain TeX, 7 figures, uses macros.tex (included) and
epsf.tex; added subject clas
Quantum Kinks: Solitons at Strong Coupling
We examine solitons in theories with heavy fermions. These ``quantum''
solitons differ dramatically from semi-classical (perturbative) solitons
because fermion loop effects are important when the Yukawa coupling is strong.
We focus on kinks in a --dimensional theory coupled to
fermions; a large- expansion is employed to treat the Yukawa coupling
nonperturbatively. A local expression for the fermion vacuum energy is derived
using the WKB approximation for the Dirac eigenvalues. We find that fermion
loop corrections increase the energy of the kink and (for large ) decrease
its size. For large , the energy of the quantum kink is proportional to ,
and its size scales as , unlike the classical kink; we argue that these
features are generic to quantum solitons in theories with strong Yukawa
couplings. We also discuss the possible instability of fermions to solitons.Comment: 21 pp. + 2 figs., phyzzx, JHU-TIPAC-92001
Metamagnetism and critical fluctuations in high quality single crystals of the bilayer ruthenate Sr3Ru2O7
We report the results of low temperature transport, specific heat and
magnetisation measurements on high quality single crystals of the bilayer
perovskite Sr3Ru2O7, which is a close relative of the unconventional
superconductor Sr2RuO4. Metamagnetism is observed, and transport and
thermodynamic evidence for associated critical fluctuations is presented. These
relatively unusual fluctuations might be pictured as variations in the Fermi
surface topography itself. No equivalent behaviour has been observed in the
metallic state of Sr2RuO4.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Revtex 3.
The ground state of Sr3Ru2O7 revisited; Fermi liquid close to a ferromagnetic instability
We show that single-crystalline Sr3Ru2O7 grown by a floating-zone technique
is an isotropic paramagnet and a quasi-two dimensional metal as spin-triplet
superconducting Sr2RuO4 is. The ground state is Fermi liquid with very low
residual resistivity (3 micro ohm cm for in-plane currents) and a nearly
ferromagnetic metal with the largest Wilson ratio Rw>10 among paramagnets so
far. This contrasts with the ferromagnetic order at Tc=104 K reported on single
crystals grown by a flux method [Cao et al., Phys. Rev. B 55, R672 (1997)]. We
have also found a dramatic changeover from paramagnetism to ferromagnetism
under applied pressure. This suggests the existence of a substantial
ferromagnetic instability on the verge of a quantum phase transition in the
Fermi liquid state.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B : Rapid co
Effective action of a 2+1 dimensional system of nonrelativistic fermions in the presence of a uniform magnetic field: dissipation effects
The effective action of nonrelativistic fermions in 2+1 dimensions is
analyzed at finite temperature and chemical potential in the presence of a
uniform magnetic field perpendicular to the plane. The method used is a
generalization of the derivative expansion technique. The induced Chern-Simons
term is computed and shown to exhibit the Hall quantization. Effects of
dissipation due to collisions are also analyzed.Comment: 12 page
Moiré interferometry applied to fracture in titanium tubes
Despite there being a substantial body of evidence to the contrary, moiré interferometry is often regarded - even by some adherents - as a curiosity of the optics lab. The present work seeks to demonstrate still further that the method can be an effective tool for practical materials research and assessment, in this case, in a novel and challenging experimental application involving fracture testing of heat exchanger tube material, the work being conducted in a conventional materials test laboratory setting. The key to the utility of the present setup lies with the priority given to its optical efficiency. In standard fracture toughness tests, it is axiomatic that standard specimen geometries be used. A dilemma arises when a material's properties are transformed to a substantial degree by the final stages of its process of manufacture, and when the very nature of the finished form dictates that standard geometries cannot be produced. The focus of this investigation was to measure crack-tip opening displacements (CTODs) in thin-walled titanium tubes. Fringe patterns corresponding to in-plane displacement contours were obtained interferometrically and the method for extracting CTODs from these is described. Significant differences in yield, ultimate strength, elongation, and fracture behaviour were observed for different material orientations
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