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Investigation of a SPR based refractive index sensor using a single mode fiber with a large D shaped microfluidic channel
In this work, a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a single mode fiber (SMF) incorporating a large microfluidic channel (MFC) for refractive index (RI) sensing is designed and optimized using a full-vectorial finite element method (FEM). The fluidic channel size can be varied according to the requirement due to the availability of the large cladding diameter of SMF, which makes it simple and easy to fabricate. The proposed novel sensor is favourable to both analytes and metallic strips. The D-shaped hollow section above the core is filled with the measurand analytes and a gold (Au) strip is deposited on the base of the MFC, as it is known as the most attractive metal for SPR. Our numerical simulations illustrate that the confinement loss of the designed sensor is highly influenced by the distance of the MFC from the core along with the width and thickness of the Au strip. The designed sensor shows an average sensitivity of 1350 nm/RIU and maximum sensitivity of 8250 nm/RIU in the sensing range of 1.33-1.35 and 1.41-1.43, respectively. However, for a small variation of na at a step of 0.005, within ranges like 1.415, 1.420, and 1.425, we have achieved a maximum sensitivity of 7000 nm/RIU, 9000 nm/RIU and 11000 nm/RIU, respectively. This novel SPR sensor with MFC can open up a new opportunity in the application of chemical and biological sensing
Anisotropy parameters of superconducting MgB
Data on macroscopic superconducting anisotropy of MgB are reviewed. The
data are described within a weak coupling two-gaps anisotropic s-wave model of
superconductivity. The calculated ratio of the upper critical fields
increases with decreasing temperature in
agreement with available data, whereas the calculated ratio of London
penetration depths decreases to reach
at T=0. Possible macroscopic consequences of
are discussed.Comment: accepted to Physica C, special MgB2 issu
Angular dependence of the bulk nucleation field Hc2 of aligned MgB2 crystallites
Studies on the new MgB2 superconductor, with a critical temperature Tc ~ 39
K, have evidenced its potential for applications although intense magnetic
relaxation effects limit the critical current density, Jc, at high magnetic
fields. This means that effective pinning centers must be added into the
material microstructure, in order to halt dissipative flux movements.
Concerning the basic microscopic mechanism to explain the superconductivity in
MgB2, several experimental and theoretical works have pointed to the relevance
of a phonon-mediated interaction, in the framework of the BCS theory. Questions
have been raised about the relevant phonon modes, and the gap and Fermi surface
anisotropies, in an effort to interpret spectroscopic and thermal data that
give values between 2.4 and 4.5 for the gap energy ratio. Preliminary results
on the anisotropy of Hc2 have shown a ratio, between the in-plane and
perpendicular directions, around 1.7 for aligned MgB2 crystallites and 1.8 for
epitaxial thin films. Here we show a study on the angular dependence of Hc2
pointing to a Fermi velocity anisotropy around 2.5. This anisotropy certainly
implies the use of texturization techniques to optimize Jc in MgB2 wires and
other polycrystalline components.Comment: 10 pages + 4 Figs.; Revised version accepted in Phys. Rev.
Unusual effects of anisotropy on the specific heat of ceramic and single crystal MgB2
The two-gap structure in the superconducting state of MgB_2 gives rise to
unusual thermodynamic properties which depart markedly from the isotropic
single-band BCS model, both in their temperature- and field dependence. We
report and discuss measurements of the specific heat up to 16 T on ceramic, and
up to 14 T on single crystal samples, which demonstrate these effects in the
bulk. The behavior in zero field is described in terms of two characteristic
temperatures, a crossover temperature Tc_pi ~ 13 K, and a critical temperature
Tc = Tc_sigma ~ 38 K, whereas the mixed-state specific heat requires three
characteristic fields, an isotropic crossover field Hc2_pi ~ 0.35 T, and an
anisotropic upper critical field with extreme values Hc2_sigma_c ~ 3.5 T and
Hc2_sigma_ab ~ 19 T, where the indexes \pi and \sigma refer to the 3D and 2D
sheets of the Fermi surface. Irradiation-induced interband scattering tends to
move the gaps toward a common value, and increases the upper critical field up
to ~ 28 T when Tc = 30 K.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures. Accepted in the Physica C special issue on MgB
A magnetization and B NMR study of MgAlB superconductors
We demonstrate for the first time the magnetic field distribution of the pure
vortex state in lightly doped MgAlB () powder
samples, by using B NMR in magnetic fields of 23.5 and 47 kOe. The
magnetic field distribution at T=5 K is Al-doping dependent, revealing a
considerable decrease of anisotropy in respect to pure MgB. This result
correlates nicely with magnetization measurements and is consistent with
-band hole driven superconductivity for MgB
Electronic anisotropy, magnetic field-temperature phase diagram and their dependence on resistivity in c-axis oriented MgB2 thin films
An important predicted, but so far uncharacterized, property of the new
superconductor MgB2 is electronic anisotropy arising from its layered crystal
structure. Here we report on three c-axis oriented thin films, showing that the
upper critical field anisotropy ratio Hc2par/Hc2perp is 1.8 to 2.0, the ratio
increasing with higher resistivity. Measurements of the magnetic
field-temperature phase diagram show that flux pinning disappears at H* ~
0.8Hc2perp(T) in untextured samples. Hc2par(0) is strongly enhanced by alloying
to 39 T for the highest resistivity film, more than twice that seen in bulk
samples.Comment: 5 pages Acrobat 3.02 pd
The supernatural characters and powers of sacred trees in the Holy Land
This article surveys the beliefs concerning the supernatural characteristics and powers of sacred trees in Israel; it is based on a field study as well as a survey of the literature and includes 118 interviews with Muslims and Druze. Both the Muslims and Druze in this study attribute supernatural dimensions to sacred trees which are directly related to ancient, deep-rooted pagan traditions. The Muslims attribute similar divine powers to sacred trees as they do to the graves of their saints; the graves and the trees are both considered to be the abode of the soul of a saint which is the source of their miraculous powers. Any violation of a sacred tree would be strictly punished while leaving the opportunity for atonement and forgiveness. The Druze, who believe in the transmigration of souls, have similar traditions concerning sacred trees but with a different religious background. In polytheistic religions the sacred grove/forest is a centre of the community's official worship; any violation of the trees is regarded as a threat to the well being of the community. Punishments may thus be collective. In the monotheistic world (including Christianity, Islam and Druze) the pagan worship of trees was converted into the worship/adoration of saints/prophets; it is not a part of the official religion but rather a personal act and the punishments are exerted only on the violating individual
Novel mutations and their functional and clinical relevance in myeloproliferative neoplasms: JAK2, MPL, TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH and IKZF1
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) originate from genetically transformed hematopoietic stem cells that retain the capacity for multilineage differentiation and effective myelopoiesis. Beginning in early 2005, a number of novel mutations involving Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), Myeloproliferative Leukemia Virus (MPL), TET oncogene family member 2 (TET2), Additional Sex Combs-Like 1 (ASXL1), Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene (CBL), Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and IKAROS family zinc finger 1 (IKZF1) have been described in BCR-ABL1-negative MPNs. However, none of these mutations were MPN specific, displayed mutual exclusivity or could be traced back to a common ancestral clone. JAK2 and MPL mutations appear to exert a phenotype-modifying effect and are distinctly associated with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis; the corresponding mutational frequencies are ∼99, 55 and 65% for JAK2 and 0, 3 and 10% for MPL mutations. The incidence of TET2, ASXL1, CBL, IDH or IKZF1 mutations in these disorders ranges from 0 to 17% these latter mutations are more common in chronic (TET2, ASXL1, CBL) or juvenile (CBL) myelomonocytic leukemias, mastocytosis (TET2), myelodysplastic syndromes (TET2, ASXL1) and secondary acute myeloid leukemia, including blast-phase MPN (IDH, ASXL1, IKZF1). The functional consequences of MPN-associated mutations include unregulated JAK-STAT (Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription) signaling, epigenetic modulation of transcription and abnormal accumulation of oncoproteins. However, it is not clear as to whether and how these abnormalities contribute to disease initiation, clonal evolution or blastic transformation
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