5,571 research outputs found
Effect of manganese doping on the size effect of lead zirconate titanate thin films and the extrinsic nature of dead layers
We have investigated the size effect in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin
films with a range of manganese (Mn) doping concentrations. We found that the
size effect in the conventional Pt/PZT/Pt thin-film capacitors could be
systematically reduced and almost completely eliminated by increasing Mn doping
concentration. The interfacial layer at the electrode-film interface appears to
disappear almost entirely for the PZT films with 2% Mn doping levels, confirmed
by the fits using the conventional in-series capacitor model. Our work
indicates that the size effect in ferroelectrics is extrinsic in nature,
supporting the work by Saad et al. Other implications of our results have also
been discussed. By comparing a variety of experimental studies in the
literature we propose a scenario that the dead layer between PZT (or barium
strontium titanate, BST) and metal electrodes such as Pt and Au might have a
defective pyrochlore/fluorite structure (possibly with a small portion of
ferroelectric perovskite phase).Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure
Duality in Off-Shell Electromagnetism
In this paper, we examine the Dirac monopole in the framework of Off-Shell
Electromagnetism, the five dimensional U(1) gauge theory associated with
Stueckelberg-Schrodinger relativistic quantum theory. After reviewing the Dirac
model in four dimensions, we show that the structure of the five dimensional
theory prevents a natural generalization of the Dirac monopole, since the
theory is not symmetric under duality transformations. It is shown that the
duality symmetry can be restored by generalizing the electromagnetic field
strength to an element of a Clifford algebra. Nevertheless, the generalized
framework does not permit us to recover the phenomenological (or conventional)
absence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 18 page
Solutions for certain classes of Riccati differential equation
We derive some analytic closed-form solutions for a class of Riccati equation
y'(x)-\lambda_0(x)y(x)\pm y^2(x)=\pm s_0(x), where \lambda_0(x), s_0(x) are
C^{\infty}-functions. We show that if \delta_n=\lambda_n
s_{n-1}-\lambda_{n-1}s_n=0, where \lambda_{n}=
\lambda_{n-1}^\prime+s_{n-1}+\lambda_0\lambda_{n-1} and
s_{n}=s_{n-1}^\prime+s_0\lambda_{k-1}, n=1,2,..., then The Riccati equation has
a solution given by y(x)=\mp s_{n-1}(x)/\lambda_{n-1}(x). Extension to the
generalized Riccati equation y'(x)+P(x)y(x)+Q(x)y^2(x)=R(x) is also
investigated.Comment: 10 page
Clustered bottlenecks in mRNA translation and protein synthesis
We construct an algorithm that generates large, band-diagonal transition
matrices for a totally asymmetric exclusion process (TASEP) with local hopping
rate inhomogeneities. The matrices are diagonalized numerically to find
steady-state currents of TASEPs with local variations in hopping rate. The
results are then used to investigate clustering of slow codons along mRNA.
Ribosome density profiles near neighboring clusters of slow codons interact,
enhancing suppression of ribosome throughput when such bottlenecks are closely
spaced. Increasing the slow codon cluster size, beyond , does not
significantly reduce ribosome current. Our results are verified by extensive
Monte-Carlo simulations and provide a biologically-motivated explanation for
the experimentally-observed clustering of low-usage codons
Linear response strength functions with iterative Arnoldi diagonalization
We report on an implementation of a new method to calculate RPA strength
functions with iterative non-hermitian Arnoldi diagonalization method, which
does not explicitly calculate and store the RPA matrix. We discuss the
treatment of spurious modes, numerical stability, and how the method scales as
the used model space is enlarged. We perform the particle-hole RPA benchmark
calculations for double magic nucleus 132Sn and compare the resulting
electromagnetic strength functions against those obtained within the standard
RPA.Comment: 9 RevTeX pages, 11 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Strain Gradients in Epitaxial Ferroelectrics
X-ray analysis of ferroelectric thin layers of Ba1/2Sr1/2TiO3 with different
thickness reveals the presence of internal strain gradients across the film
thickness and allows us to propose a functional form for the internal strain
profile. We use this to calculate the direct influence of strain gradient,
through flexoelectric coupling, on the degradation of the ferroelectric
properties of thin films with decreasing thickness, in excellent agreement with
the observed behaviour. This work highlights the link between strain relaxation
and strain gradients in epitaxial films, and shows the pressing need to avoid
strain gradients in order to obtain thin ferroelectrics with bulk-like
properties.Comment: 4 pages, 3 embedded figures (1 color), revTex
Low-Cost Compact Integrated Rectenna for Implantable Medical Receivers
This work describes a novel fully integrated rectenna circuit using tunnelling-based devices for implanted medical devices. An ASPAT (Asymmetric Spacer Layer Tunnel Diode) was used as the active rectifier due to its high non-linearity and temperature insensitivity features. A miniaturized geometry rectenna ( 1×5 mm 2 ) with improved matching characteristics was demonstrated, by integrating a Cockcroft-Walton rectifier with an L-shaped planar folded antenna structure operating at ISM frequency bands. The circuit performance was experimentally explored at various separation distance between transmitter and receiver units. For a 5cm transmission set-up, the rectenna with a single-stage rectifier delivered 0.8V output at 20dBm transmit power. An extended doubler configuration exhibited enhanced performance when multiple stages are used, is predicted to reach 0.24mW output power at 23dBm transmit power and yielding ~1.6V output voltage with an efficiency of 0.12%. These findings can assist in compensating for the degraded antenna gain attributed to the extremely small effective-radiating area of 0.04λ . Furthermore, the ability of controlling the antenna input impedance helps in circumventing the requirement for a matching circuitry thereby offering further reduction in chip size.UWIPOM2 project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857654
Impact of nitrogen regime on fatty acid profiles of Desmodesmus quadricaudatus and Chlorella sp. and ability to produce biofuel
Abstract
Microalgae have emerged as one of the most promising sources for fatty acid production. Since the various fatty acid profiles (chain length, degree of unsaturation, and branching of the chain) of the different sources influence biodiesel fuel properties, it is important to possess data on how the presence of NaNO3 as nitrogen source can influence the profile of produced fatty acids from algae. The fatty acid profiles of Desmodesmus quadricaudatus and Chlorella sp. were detected in pure batch cultures experiments. BG-11 nitrogen free medium and the medium contained 1.5 g NaNO3 l−1 were used in this investigation. At late stationary growth phase in nitrogen free medium, Chlorella sp. produced 58.39% saturated fatty acids and 41.60% unsaturated fatty acids. While in medium contained 1.5 g NaNO3 l−1Chlorella sp. produced 62.08% saturated fatty acids and 37.92% unsaturated fatty acids. In nitrogen free medium D. quadricaudatus produced 66.92% saturated fatty acids and 33.07% unsaturated fatty acids. While in cultures contained 1.5 g NaNO3 l−1D. quadricaudatus produced 51.62% saturated fatty acids and 48.37% unsaturated fatty acids.
The fatty acid profile of Chlorella sp. and D. quadricaudatus that isolated from Egyptian water body and grown in nitrogen free medium may be suitable for biodiesel production. The results discussed and compared to fatty acid profiles produced by other algal species
Assessment of rock slope stability and structurally controlled failures along Samma escarpment road, Asir Region (Saudi Arabia)
Samma escarpment road is located in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia. It is located NW of Abha city. This escarpment road represents a major corridor in the area which connects different cities and touristic resorts in the region. It is descended from Sudah plateau at about 2700 m above sea level (asl) toward Wadi al Aws at about 1500 m asl. The total length of the road section is about 8 km which is passing through a highly mountainous area characterized by a complex geological and structural elements. This road has been exposed to frequent slope failures from time to time due to various factors such as intense rain storms, different geological and structural elements (weak rocks, shear zones, and faults), road characteristics (different horizontal/vertical curvatures and narrow road section), and human activities (uncontrolled rock cuts). Many sliding events have been documented along this escarpment road, particularly during and following rainstorms. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the geology and structures by applying the rock mass rating (RMR) and slope stability (structurally controlled failures) along the Samma escarpment road. The stability analysis was performed using two Dips and RockPack III programs with the help of RocLab software. The Summa escarpment rock cuts were classified into 51 stations which were investigated in detail. Results indicated that most rock stations are poor quality, and 31, 32, and 41 stations are stable, 4, 6, and 7 stations are marginally stable, and 16, 13, and 3 stations are potentially unstable due to planar, wedge, and toppling failures, respectively. Finally, different recommendations and remediation methods were suggested as mitigation measures
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