Coplanar interconnection module

Module for interconnecting a semiconductor array to external leads or components incorporates a metal external heat sink for cooling the array. Heat sink, extending down from the molded block that supports the array, is immersed in a liquid nitrogen bath which is designed to maintain the desired array temperature

Bridging the Gap between the Interest Rate and Price Level Approaches in the AD-AS Model: The Role of the Loanable Funds Market

There are two generally accepted ways of plotting the aggregate demand (AD) and aggregate supply (AS) curves in the goods market. One puts the price level on the vertical axis (the P - y approach); the other plots the real interest rate on the vertical axis (the r - y approach). This paper develops the theoretical connections between these two approaches that permit one to tell a coherent dynamic story with the AD-AS model and also explores the conditions under which one approach or the other yields greater insight into the working of the model.Interest Rates; Interest; Price Level; Prices; Supply

Simulation of organismic morphology and behavior by synthetic poly-alpha-amino acids

Simulation of organismic morphology and behavior by synthetic poly-amino acid

Potentialities of proteinoids for nutritional investigation

Simultaneous synthesis of amino acids and proteinoid production for nutritional investigatio

Endocrine disruption in aquatic systems: up-scaling research to address ecological consequences

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can alter biological function in organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations and are a significant threat to aquatic biodiversity, but there is little understanding of exposure consequences for populations, communities and ecosystems. The pervasive nature of EDCs within aquatic environments and their multiple sub-lethal effects make assessments of their impact especially important but also highly challenging. Herein, we review the data on EDC effects in aquatic systems focusing on studies assessing populations and ecosystems, and including how biotic and abiotic processes may affect, and be affected by, responses to EDCs. Recent research indicates a significant influence of behavioural responses (e.g. enhancing feeding rates), transgenerational effects and trophic cascades in the ecological consequences of EDC exposure. In addition, interactions between EDCs and other chemical, physical and biological factors generate uncertainty in our understanding of the ecological effects of EDCs within aquatic ecosystems. We illustrate how effect thresholds for EDCs generated from individual-based experimental bioassays of the types commonly applied using chemical test guidelines [e.g. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)] may not necessarily reflect the hazards associated with endocrine disruption. We argue that improved risk assessment for EDCs in aquatic ecosystems urgently requires more ecologically oriented research as well as field-based assessments at population-, community- and food-web levels

Comparison of tools for the sustainability assessment of nanomaterials

Nanomaterials are becoming widely used in areas such as biomedical applications, food, environmental protection, energy production, information technology and agriculture. As such, more research has been conducted on their synthesis and manufacturing from a variety of feedstocks. However, concerns regarding their impact on human health and the environment leads researchers to conduct a variety of ‘sustainability’ assessments. The purpose of this paper was to review the current opinion of sustainability assessments concerning nanomaterials. Major assessment tools were reviewed including life cycle assessment, risk assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis, along with subcategories. The review found that each assessment tool did positively contribute to sustainability assessments, but each also had drawbacks of varying degrees. In particular, multi-criteria decision analysis provides the most relevant tool for conducting a sustainability assessment as it can handle criteria of any typology and provide multiple types of decision recommendations, including rankings, scores and classifications

Electron-phonon coupling in the conventional superconductor YNi2_2B2_2C at high phonon energies studied by time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy

We report an inelastic neutron scattering investigation of phonons with energies up to 159 meV in the conventional superconductor YNi$_2$B$_2$C. Using the SWEEP mode, a newly developed time-of-flight technique involving the continuous rotation of a single crystal specimen, allowed us to measure a four dimensional volume in (Q,E) space and, thus, determine the dispersion surface and linewidths of the $A_{1g}$ (~ 102 meV) and $A_u$ (~ 159 meV) type phonon modes for the whole Brillouin zone. Despite of having linewidths of $\Gamma = 10 meV$, $A_{1g}$ modes do not strongly contribute to the total electron-phonon coupling constant $\lambda$. However, experimental linewidths show a remarkable agreement with ab-initio calculations over the complete phonon energy range demonstrating the accuracy of such calculations in a rare comparison to a comprehensive experimental data set.Comment: accepted for publication in PR

Crystal Symmetry Lowering in Chiral Multiferroic Ba3_3TaFe3_3Si2_2O14_{14} observed by X-Ray Magnetic Scattering

Chiral multiferroic langasites have attracted attention due to their doubly-chiral magnetic ground state within an enantiomorphic crystal. We report on a detailed resonant soft X-ray diffraction study of the multiferroic Ba$_3$TaFe$_3$Si$_2$O$_{14}$ at the Fe $L_{2,3}$ and oxygen $K$ edges. Below $T_N$ ($\approx27K$) we observe the satellite reflections $(0,0,\tau)$, $(0,0,2\tau)$, $(0,0,3\tau)$ and $(0,0,1-3\tau)$ where $\tau \approx 0.140 \pm 0.001$. The dependence of the scattering intensity on X-ray polarization and azimuthal angle indicate that the odd harmonics are dominated by the out-of-plane ($\mathbf{\hat{c}}$-axis) magnetic dipole while the $(0,0,2\tau)$ originates from the electron density distortions accompanying magnetic order. We observe dissimilar energy dependences of the diffraction intensity of the purely magnetic odd-harmonic satellites at the Fe $L_3$ edge. Utilizing first-principles calculations, we show that this is a consequence of the loss of threefold crystal symmetry in the multiferroic phase

Microplastic ingestion by riverine macroinvertebrates

Although microplastics are a recognised pollutant in marine environments, less attention has been directed towards freshwater ecosystems despite their greater proximity to possible plastic sources. Here, we quantify the presence of microplastic particles (MPs) in river organisms upstream and downstream of five UK Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTWs). MPs were identified in approximately 50% of macroinvertebrate samples collected (Baetidae, Heptageniidae and Hydropsychidae) at concentrations up to 0.14 MP mg tissue−1 and they occurred at all sites. MP abundance was associated with macroinvertebrate biomass and taxonomic family, but MPs occurred independently of feeding guild and biological traits such as habitat affinity and ecological niche. There was no increase in plastic ingestion downstream of WwTW discharges averaged across sites, but MP abundance in macroinvertebrates marginally increased where effluent discharges contributed more to total runoff and declined with increasing river discharge. The ubiquity of microplastics within macroinvertebrates in this case study reveals a potential risk from MPs entering riverine food webs through at least two pathways, involving detritivory and filter-feeding, and we recommend closer attention to freshwater ecosystems in future research

Crystal symmetry lowering in chiral multiferroic Ba3TaFe3Si2O14{\mathrm{Ba}}_{3}{\mathrm{TaFe}}_{3}{\mathrm{Si}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{14} observed by x-ray magnetic scattering

Chiral multiferroic langasites have attracted attention due to their doubly chiral magnetic ground state within an enantiomorphic crystal. We report on a detailed resonant soft x-ray diffraction study of the multiferroic Ba3TaFe3Si2O14 at the Fe L2,3 and oxygen K edges. Below TN (≈27K) we observe the satellite reflections (0,0,τ), (0,0,2τ), (0,0,3τ), and (0,0,1−3τ) where τ≈0.140±0.001. The dependence of the scattering intensity on x-ray polarization and azimuthal angle indicate that the odd harmonics are dominated by the out-of-plane (ˆc axis) magnetic dipole while the (0,0,2τ) originates from the electron density distortions accompanying magnetic order. We observe dissimilar energy dependencies of the diffraction intensity of the purely magnetic odd-harmonic satellites at the Fe L3 edge. Utilizing first-principles calculations, we show that this is a consequence of the loss of threefold crystal symmetry in the multiferroic phase