Pseudo-gap features of intrinsic tunneling in (HgBr_2)-Bi2212 single crystals

The c-axis tunneling properties of both pristine Bi2212 and its HgBr$_2$ intercalate have been measured in the temperature range 4.2 - 250 K. Lithographically patterned 7-10 unit-cell heigh mesa structures on the surfaces of these single crystals were investigated. Clear SIS-like tunneling curves for current applied in the $\it c$-axis direction have been observed. The dynamic conductance d$I/$d$V(V)$ shows both sharp peaks corresponding to a superconducting gap edge and a dip feature beyond the gap, followed by a wide maximum, which persists up to a room temperature. Shape of the temperature dependence of the {\it c}-axis resistance does not change after the intercalation suggesting that a coupling between $\rm CuO_2$-bilayers has little effect on the pseudogap.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; presented at the Second Int Conf. New3Sc-1999 (Las Vegas, NV

The effect of Fe atoms on the adsorption of a W atom on W(100) surface

We report a first-principles calculation that models the effect of iron (Fe) atoms on the adsorption of a tungsten (W) atom on W(100) surfaces. The adsorption of a W atom on a clean W(100) surface is compared with that of a W atom on a W(100) surface covered with a monolayer of Fe atoms. The total energy of the system is computed as the function of the height of the W adatom. Our result shows that the W atom first adsorbs on top of the Fe monolayer. Then the W atom can replace one of the Fe atoms through a path with a moderate energy barrier and reduce its energy further. This intermediate site makes the adsorption (and desorption) of W atoms a two-step process in the presence of Fe atoms and lowers the overall adsorption energy by nearly 2.4 eV. The Fe atoms also provide a surface for W atoms to adsorb facilitating the diffusion of W atoms. The combination of these two effects result in a much more efficient desorption and diffusion of W atoms in the presence of Fe atoms. Our result provides a fundamental mechanism that can explain the activated sintering of tungsten by Fe atoms.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Spatial Analysis of Rural Economic Development Using a Locally Weighted Regression Model

This study uses locally weighted regression to identify county-level characteristics that serve as drivers of creative employment throughout the southern United States. We found that higher per capita income, greater infrastructure investments, and the rural nature of a county tended to promote creative employment density, while higher scores on a natural amenity index had the opposite effect. We were also able to identify and map clusters of rural counties where the marginal effects of these variables on creative employment density were greatest. These findings should help rural communities to promote creative employment growth as a means of furthering rural economic development.creative class, locally weighted regression, natural amenities, rural economic development, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Interspecific competition underlying mutualistic networks

The architecture of bipartite networks linking two classes of constituents is affected by the interactions within each class. For the bipartite networks representing the mutualistic relationship between pollinating animals and plants, it has been known that their degree distributions are broad but often deviate from power-law form, more significantly for plants than animals. Here we consider a model for the evolution of the mutualistic networks and find that their topology is strongly dependent on the asymmetry and non-linearity of the preferential selection of mutualistic partners. Real-world mutualistic networks analyzed in the framework of the model show that a new animal species determines its partners not only by their attractiveness but also as a result of the competition with pre-existing animals, which leads to the stretched-exponential degree distributions of plant species.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted version in PR

An Optimal Application of Swine Effluent in Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle Determined by Bayesian Stochastic Dynamic Programming

Swine Effluent Irrigation, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Charge-Focusing Readout of Time Projection Chambers

Time projection chambers (TPCs) have found a wide range of applications in particle physics, nuclear physics, and homeland security. For TPCs with high-resolution readout, the readout electronics often dominate the price of the final detector. We have developed a novel method which could be used to build large-scale detectors while limiting the necessary readout area. By focusing the drift charge with static electric fields, we would allow a small area of electronics to be sensitive to particle detection for a much larger detector volume. The resulting cost reduction could be important in areas of research which demand large-scale detectors, including dark matter searches and detection of special nuclear material. We present simulations made using the software package Garfield of a focusing structure to be used with a prototype TPC with pixel readout. This design should enable significant focusing while retaining directional sensitivity to incoming particles. We also present first experimental results and compare them with simulation.Comment: 5 pages, 17 figures, Presented at IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium 201

Searching for rotating galaxy clusters in SDSS and 2dFGRS

We present a result of searching for galaxy clusters that show an indication of global rotation using a spectroscopic sample of galaxies in SDSS and 2dFGRS. We have determined the member galaxies of 899 Abell clusters covered in SDSS and 2dFGRS using the redshift and the positional data of galaxies, and have estimated the ratio of the cluster rotation amplitude to the cluster velocity dispersion and the velocity gradient across the cluster. We have found 12 tentative rotating clusters that have large ratios of rotation amplitude to dispersion and large velocity gradients. We have determined the morphological parameters for 12 tentative rotating clusters using the positional information of the member galaxies: the ellipticity of the dispersion ellipse is in the range of 0.08$-$0.57, and the position angle of major or minor axis does not appear to be related to the position angle of rotation axis. We have investigated the substructures in the sample of tentative rotating clusters, finding from the Dressler-Shectman plots that the majority (9 out of 12) of clusters show an evidence of substructure due to the spatially correlated velocities of galaxies. We have selected six probable rotating clusters (A0954, A1139, A1399, A2162, A2169, and A2366) that show a single number density peak around the cluster center with a spatial segregation of the high and low velocity galaxies. We have found no strong evidences of a recent merging for the probable rotating clusters: the probable rotating clusters do not deviate significantly from the relation of the X-ray luminosity and the velocity dispersion or the virial mass of the clusters, and two probable rotating clusters (A0954 and A1399) have small values of the peculiar velocities and the clustercentric distances of the brightest cluster galaxies.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures. To appear in Ap

Inflation by non-minimal coupling

Inflationary scenarios based on simple non-minimal coupling and its generalizations are studied. Generalizing the form of non-minimal coupling to "K(phi)R" with an arbitrary function K(phi), we show that the flat potential still is obtainable when V(phi)/K^2(phi) is asymptotically constant. Very interestingly, if the ratio of the dimensionless self-coupling constant of the inflaton field and the non-minimal coupling constant is small the cosmological observables for general monomial cases are in good agreement with recent observational data.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur