2,786 research outputs found
Blue flag with yellow tiger? Flags, authenticity and identity
The Flag of the Formosa Republic in the collection of the National Taiwan Museum is a national icon. It is a copy of one made in 1895 to mark the formation of a new Taiwanese republic; this replica, described in a contemporary newspaper account as an exact copy, was made in Japan in 1909. The painted flag was an intriguing puzzle. Instrumental analysis and a close study of the flag itself and of surviving historic photographs and records were used to try to establish whether what looked like later additions and repairs were actually part of the original construction. An international team of conservators and scientists from Taiwan, the UK, the USA and Germany carried out the investigation and the conservation treatment. Although dye analysis was inconclusive and it has not yet been possible to ascertain the original colour, it was felt that an addition in the upper right corner and some of the repairs could well be part of the original construction and these were left in situ though other repairs were removed. The paper lining was removed, revealing that the flag was painted on both sides. The fabric was cleaned using a vacuum suction table, while the paint surface was cleaned with swabs. The flag was supported using an adhesive treatment with Lascaux acrylic resin
Dielectric susceptibility of the Coulomb-glass
We derive a microscopic expression for the dielectric susceptibility
of a Coulomb glass, which corresponds to the definition used in classical
electrodynamics, the derivative of the polarization with respect to the
electric field. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem tells us that is a
function of the thermal fluctuations of the dipole moment of the system. We
calculate numerically for three-dimensional Coulomb glasses as a
function of temperature and frequency
Electronic correlation effects and the Coulomb gap at finite temperature
We have investigated the effect of the long-range Coulomb interaction on the
one-particle excitation spectrum of n-type Germanium, using tunneling
spectroscopy on mechanically controllable break junctions. The tunnel
conductance was measured as a function of energy and temperature. At low
temperatures, the spectra reveal a minimum at zero bias voltage due to the
Coulomb gap. In the temperature range above 1 K the Coulomb gap is filled by
thermal excitations. This behavior is reflected in the temperature dependence
of the variable-range hopping resitivity measured on the same samples: Up to a
few degrees Kelvin the Efros-Shkovskii ln law is obeyed,
whereas at higher temperatures deviations from this law are observed,
indicating a cross-over to Mott's ln law. The mechanism of
this cross-over is different from that considered previously in the literature.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
The Electron Glass in a Switchable Mirror: Relaxation, Aging and Universality
The rare earth hydride YH can be tuned through the
metal-insulator transition both by changing and by illumination with
ultraviolet light. The transition is dominated by strong electron-electron
interactions, with transport in the insulator sensitive to both a Coulomb gap
and persistent quantum fluctuations. Via a systematic variation of UV
illumination time, photon flux, Coulomb gap depth, and temperature, we
demonstrate that polycrystalline YH serves as a model system for
studying the properties of the interacting electron glass. Prominent among its
features are logarithmic relaxation, aging, and universal scaling of the
conductivity
Hopping Conduction in Uniaxially Stressed Si:B near the Insulator-Metal Transition
Using uniaxial stress to tune the critical density near that of the sample,
we have studied in detail the low-temperature conductivity of p-type Si:B in
the insulating phase very near the metal-insulator transition. For all values
of temperature and stress, the conductivity collapses onto a single universal
scaling curve. For large values of the argument, the scaling function is well
fit by the exponentially activated form associated with variable range hopping
when electron-electron interactions cause a soft Coulomb gap in the density of
states at the Fermi energy. The temperature dependence of the prefactor,
corresponding to the T-dependence of the critical curve, has been determined
reliably for this system, and is proportional to the square-root of T. We show
explicitly that nevlecting the prefactor leads to substantial errors in the
determination of the scaling parameters and the critical exponents derived from
them. The conductivity is not consistent with Mott variable-range hopping in
the critical region nor does it obey this form for any range of the parameters.
Instead, for smaller argument of the scaling function, the conductivity of Si:B
is well fit by an exponential form with exponent 0.31 related to the critical
exponents of the system at the metal- insulator transition.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Glassy behavior of electrons near metal-insulator transitions
The emergence of glassy behavior of electrons is investigated for systems
close to the disorder and/or interaction-driven metal-insulator transitions.
Our results indicate that Anderson localization effects strongly stabilize such
glassy behavior, while Mott localization tends to suppress it. We predict the
emergence of an intermediate metallic glassy phase separating the insulator
from the normal metal. This effect is expected to be most pronounced for
sufficiently disordered systems, in agreement with recent experimental
observations.Comment: Final version as published in Physical Review Letter
Universal Crossover between Efros-Shklovskii and Mott Variable-Range-Hopping Regimes
A universal scaling function, describing the crossover between the Mott and
the Efros-Shklovskii hopping regimes, is derived, using the percolation picture
of transport in strongly localized systems. This function is agrees very well
with experimental data. Quantitative comparison with experiment allows for the
possible determination of the role played by polarons in the transport.Comment: 7 pages + 1 figure, Revte
Intravenous Dofetilide, a Class III Antiarrhythmic Agent, for the Termination of Sustained Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter
AbstractObjectives. This study sought to determine the safety and efficacy of a single bolus of intravenous dofetilide, a pure class III antiarrhythmic agent, for the termination of sustained atrial fibrillation or flutter.Background. Dofetilide is a highly selective blocker of the rapid component of the delayed rectifier current causing action potential prolongation. These effects, and preliminary clinical data, suggest that it may be effective in the treatment of atrial fibrillation and flutter.Methods. Ninety-one patients with sustained atrial fibrillation (75 patients) or flutter (16 patients) were entered into a double-blind, randomized multicenter study of one of two doses of dofetilide (4 or 8 μg/kg body weight) or placebo.Results. Dofetilide effectively terminated the arrhythmia in 31% of patients receiving 8 μg/kg, a statistically significant difference from those receiving 4 μg/kg (conversion rate 12.5%, p < 0.05) or placebo (no conversion, p < 0.01). Patients with atrial flutter had a greater response to dofetilide (54% conversion rate) than those with atrial fibrillation (14.5% conversion rate, p < 0.001).Conclusions. Intravenous dofetilide can convert sustained atrial fibrillation or flutter to sinus rhythm. However, its efficacy is greater in flutter—a response that contrasts with the poorer response seen with class I agents. This finding potentially represents an important advance in the pharmacologic termination of atrial flutter.(J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:385–90
Seed quality of high protein corn lines in low input and conventional farming systems
Seed quality is a major issue for crop establishment especially in low input farming systems, where varieties often grow under more stressful conditions than in conventional farming systems. Corn (Zea mays L.) seed for organic (low input) production will eventually need to be grown organically, thus research is needed to ensure excellent seed quality in organic corn seed production. The objective of this study was to compare seed quality and composition differences between a group of high protein corn genotypes grown under low input and conventional farming systems, and to compare the relative seed quality of these genotypes to two well known inbreds, B73 or Mo17. Twenty high protein breeding genotypes were planted during two growing seasons in conventional and organic nurseries near Ames, Iowa, to produce seeds for laboratory tests. The germination, saturated cold, accelerated aging, and soak test percentages of seeds produced organically were 5 to 11% lower than for seeds produced conventionally. Protein, measured by near-infrared reflectance, was unaffected by the production location, but the oil content of seeds produced organically was significantly higher (between 0.2 and 0.3% higher) than in the conventional system. Location by genotype interactions for most tests were non significant both years, indicating that genotypes selected for high seed quality in a conventional system will also have high seed quality when grown in a low input, organic system
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