8,000 research outputs found
About the screening of the charge of a proton migrating in a metal
The amount of screening of a proton in a metal, migrating under the influence
of an applied electric field, is calculated using different theoretical
formulations. First the lowest order screening expression derived by Sham
(1975) is evaluated. In addition 'exact' expressions are evaluated which were
derived according to different approaches. For a proton in a metal modeled as a
jellium the screening appears to be 15 +/- 10 %, which is neither negligible
not reconcilable with the controversial full-screening point of view of
Bosvieux and Friedel (1962). In reconsidering the theory of electromigration, a
new simplified linear-response expression for the driving force is shown to
lead to essentially the same result as found by Sorbello (1985), who has used a
rather complicated technique. The expressions allow for a reduction such that
only the scattering phase shifts of the migrating impurity are required.
Finally it is shown that the starting formula for the driving force of Bosvieux
and Friedel leads exactly to the zero-temperature limit of well-established
linear response descriptions, by which the sting of the controversy has been
removed.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Resistivity due to low-symmetrical defects in metals
The impurity resistivity, also known as the residual resistivity, is
calculated ab initio using multiple-scattering theory. The mean-free path is
calculated by solving the Boltzmann equation iteratively. The resistivity due
to low-symmetrical defects, such as an impurity-vacancy pair, is calculated for
the FCC host metals Al and Ag and the BCC transition metal V. Commonly, 1/f
noise is attributed to the motion of such defects in a diffusion process.Comment: 24 pages in REVTEX-preprint format, 10 Postscript figures. Phys. Rev.
B, vol. 57 (1998), accepted for publicatio
Theory for the electromigration wind force in dilute alloys
A multiple scattering formulation for the electromigration wind force on
atoms in dilute alloys is developed. The theory describes electromigration via
a vacancy mechanism. The method is used to calculate the wind valence for
electromigration in various host metals having a close-packed lattice
structure, namely aluminum, the noble metals copper, silver and gold and the
transition metals. The self-electromigration results for aluminum and the
noble metals compare well with experimental data. For the metals small
wind valences are found, which make these metals attractive candidates for the
experimental study of the direct valence.Comment: 18 pages LaTeX, epsfig, 8 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. B 56 of
15/11/199
Towards designing robust coupled networks
Natural and technological interdependent systems have been shown to be highly
vulnerable due to cascading failures and an abrupt collapse of global
connectivity under initial failure. Mitigating the risk by partial
disconnection endangers their functionality. Here we propose a systematic
strategy of selecting a minimum number of autonomous nodes that guarantee a
smooth transition in robustness. Our method which is based on betweenness is
tested on various examples including the famous 2003 electrical blackout of
Italy. We show that, with this strategy, the necessary number of autonomous
nodes can be reduced by a factor of five compared to a random choice. We also
find that the transition to abrupt collapse follows tricritical scaling
characterized by a set of exponents which is independent on the protection
strategy
Accurate evaluation of the interstitial KKR-Green function
It is shown that the Brillouin zone integral for the interstitial KKR-Green
function can be evaluated accurately by taking proper care of the free-electron
singularities in the integrand. The proposed method combines two recently
developed methods, a supermatrix method and a subtraction method. This
combination appears to provide a major improvement compared with an earlier
proposal based on the subtraction method only. By this the barrier preventing
the study of important interstitial-like defects, such as an electromigrating
atom halfway along its jump path, can be considered as being razed.Comment: 23 pages, RevTe
On the Use of Quantum Algebras in Rotation-Vibration Spectroscopy
A two-parameter deformation of the Lie algebra u is used, in conjunction
with the rotor system and the oscillator system, to generate a model for
rotation-vibration spectroscopy of molecules and nuclei.Comment: 10 pages, Latex File, published in Modern Group Theoretical Methods
in Physics, J. Bertrand et al. (eds.), Kluwer Academic Publishers (1995),
27-3
Management of shoulder pain by UK general practitioners (GPs): a national survey
OBJECTIVES: Studies in Canada, the USA and Australia suggested low confidence among general practitioners (GPs) in diagnosing and managing shoulder pain, with frequent use of investigations. There are no comparable studies in the UK; our objective was to describe the diagnosis and management of shoulder pain by GPs in the UK. METHODS: A national survey of a random sample of 5000 UK GPs collected data on shoulder pain diagnosis and management using two clinical vignettes that described primary care presentations with rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) and adhesive capsulitis (AdhC). RESULTS: Seven hundred and fourteen (14.7%) responses were received. 56% and 83% of GPs were confident in their diagnosis of RCT and AdhC, respectively, and a wide range of investigations and management options were reported. For the RCT presentation, plain radiographs of the shoulder were most common (60%), followed by blood tests (42%) and ultrasound scans (USS) (38%). 19% of those who recommended a radiograph and 76% of those who recommended a USS did so 'to confirm the diagnosis'. For the AdhC presentation, the most common investigations were blood tests (60%), plain shoulder radiographs (58%) and USS (31%). More than two-thirds of those recommending a USS did so 'to confirm the diagnosis'. The most commonly recommended treatment for both presentations was physiotherapy (RCT 77%, AdhC 71%) followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (RCT 58%, AdhC 74%). 17% opted to refer the RCT to secondary care (most often musculoskeletal interface service), compared with 31% for the AdhC. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of GPs in the UK highlights reliance on radiographs and blood tests in the management of common shoulder pain presentations. GPs report referring more than 7 out of 10 patients with RCT and AdhC to physiotherapists. These findings need to be viewed in the context of low response to the survey and, therefore, potential non-response bias
On the Impact of Link Layer Retransmissions on TCP for Aeronautical Communications
In this article, we evaluate the impact of link layer retransmissions on the performance of TCP in the context of aeronautical communications.We present the architecture of aeronautical networks, which is manly driven by an important channel access delay, and the various retransmission strategies that can be implemented at both link and transport layers. We consider a worst case scenario to illustrate the benefits provided by the ARQ scheme at the link layer in terms of transmission delay.We evaluate the trade-off between allowing a fast data transmission and a low usage of satellite capacity by adjusting link layer parameters
Language motivation in a reconfigured Europe: access, identity, autonomy
In this paper, I propose that we need to develop an appropriate set of conceptual tools for examining motivational issues pertaining to linguistic diversity, mobility and social integration in a rapidly changing and expanding Europe. I begin by drawing on research that has begun to reframe the concept of integrative motivation in the context of theories of self and identity. Expanding the notion of identity, I discuss the contribution of the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio in promoting a view of motivation as the development of a plurilingual European identity and the enabling of access and mobility across a multilingual Europe. Next, I critically examine the assumption that the individual pursuit of a plurilingual identity is unproblematic, by highlighting the social context in which motivation and identity are constructed and embedded. To illuminate the role of this social context, I explore three inter-related theoretical frameworks: poststructuralist perspectives on language motivation as 'investment'; sociocultural theory; and theories of autonomy in language education. I conclude with the key message that, as with autonomy, language motivation today has an inescapably political dimension of which we need to take greater account in our research and pedagogical practice
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