Current-Induced Resonant Motion of a Magnetic Vortex Core: Effect of Nonadiabatic Spin Torque

The current-induced resonant excitation of a magnetic vortex core is investigated by means of analytical and micromagnetic calculations. We find that the radius and the phase shift of the resonant motion are not correctly described by the analytical equations because of the dynamic distortion of a vortex core. In contrast, the initial tilting angle of a vortex core is free from the distortion and determined by the nonadiabaticity of the spin torque. It is insensitive to experimentally uncontrollable current-induced in-plane Oersted field. We propose that a time-resolved imaging of the very initial trajectory of a core is essential to experimentally estimate the nonadiabaticity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Aligning Purchasing Strategy with Business Strategy for Mnaufacturers

The importance of aligning purchasing strategy with business strategy is argued through a literature review. Different business strategies will lead to different competitive priorities, some purchases will have a greater impact on the competitive priorities of the business and suppliers cannot be expected to achieve optimal performance in everything they do, especially at day one. To analyse these differences in priorities in the context of strategic purchasing, current portfolio models have been introduced. However, weaknesses are seen in the exiting models. This thesis develops a purchasing portfolio model to support competitive advantage through purchasing strategy. The research considers five case studies in South Korea; four elevator manufacturers and one electric water boiler manufacturer. The thesis presents the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritise the components of an electric traction elevator in the context of their importance to the business strategy of the manufacturer. This is the first step in the formulation of the manufacturers' purchasing strategies. The relative importance of the competitive elements in the form of quality, cost, availability and time are first established for the manufacturers' business strategies, along with the relative importance of the subcriteria used to measure these elements. The components of the elevator are then assessed to see which have the greatest impact on these sub-criterion measures to establish component priorities and groupings to guide those forming the purchasing strategy. Secondly, a purchasing portfolio model is developed for purchasing strategy. Two dimensions are used, one related to the importance of a purchase, 'component value' and one related to the nature of the supply, 'supply risk'. It is argued that 'component value' is a relative measure based on qualitative measurement whereas 'supply risk' is an absolute measure. For 'component value' the AHP is suited. However, the AHP is not appropriate for assessing the supply risk associated with an individual component, which should be measured independently or directly, so the 'supply risk model' is introduced. Two case studies in the elevator manufacturing industry are used to demonstrate the application of the portfolio model. This reveals how two companies that appear on the surface to be facing the same situation actually face different situations that require different purchasing strategies. Finally, the 'lean & agile component model' is developed using two dimensions, 'leanness' and 'agility'. The model is applied to one of the elevator manufacturers and the electric boiler manufacturer to demonstrate how functional and innovative products require different component purchasing strategies. This reveals some notable differences in the component characteristics in the 'lean & agile component models' of the two different manufacturers, and therefore differences in the purchasing strategies derived for the companies. The case studies support the argument that when purchasing strategies are developed, a manufacturer must consider its components' characteristics to support its business strategy, and therefore its manufacturing strategy, for competitive advantage

In-situ fabrication of cobalt-doped SrFe2As2 thin films by using pulsed laser deposition with excimer laser

The remarkably high superconducting transition temperature and upper critical field of iron(Fe)-based layered superconductors, despite ferromagnetic material base, open the prospect for superconducting electronics. However, success in superconducting electronics has been limited because of difficulties in fabricating high-quality thin films. We report the growth of high-quality c-axis-oriented cobalt(Co)-doped SrFe2As2 thin films with bulk superconductivity by using an in-situ pulsed laser deposition technique with a 248-nm-wavelength KrF excimer laser and an arsenic(As)-rich phase target. The temperature and field dependences of the magnetization showing strong diamagnetism and transport critical current density with superior Jc-H performance are reported. These results provide necessary information for practical applications of Fe-based superconductors.Comment: 8 pages, 3figures. to be published at Appl. Phys. Let

Use of signal sequences as an in situ removable sequence element to stimulate protein synthesis in cell-free extracts

This study developed a method to boost the expression of recombinant proteins in a cell-free protein synthesis system without leaving additional amino acid residues. It was found that the nucleotide sequences of the signal peptides serve as an efficient downstream box to stimulate protein synthesis when they were fused upstream of the target genes. The extent of stimulation was critically affected by the identity of the second codons of the signal sequences. Moreover, the yield of the synthesized protein was enhanced by as much as 10 times in the presence of an optimal second codon. The signal peptides were in situ cleaved and the target proteins were produced in their native sizes by carrying out the cell-free synthesis reactions in the presence of Triton X-100, most likely through the activation of signal peptidase in the S30 extract. The amplification of the template DNA and the addition of the signal sequences were accomplished by PCR. Hence, elevated levels of recombinant proteins were generated within several hours