Ultra-dense magnetoresistive mass memory

This report details the progress and accomplishments of Nonvolatile Electronics (NVE), Inc., on the design of the wafer scale MRAM mass memory system during the fifth quarter of the project. NVE has made significant progress this quarter on the one megabit design in several different areas. A test chip, which will verify a working GMR bit with the dimensions required by the 1 Meg chip, has been designed, laid out, and is currently being processed in the NVE labs. This test chip will allow electrical specifications, tolerances, and processing issues to be finalized before construction of the actual chip, thus providing a greater assurance of success of the final 1 Meg design. A model has been developed to accurately simulate the parasitic effects of unselected sense lines. This model gives NVE the ability to perform accurate simulations of the array electronic and test different design concepts. Much of the circuit design for the 1 Meg chip has been completed and simulated and these designs are included. Progress has been made in the wafer scale design area to verify the reliable operation of the 16 K macrocell. This is currently being accomplished with the design and construction of two stand alone test systems which will perform life tests and gather data on reliabiliy and wearout mechanisms for analysis

Thermodynamics of lattice QCD with 3 flavours of colour-sextet quarks

We have been studying QCD with 2 flavours of colour-sextet quarks to distinguish whether it is QCD-like or conformal. For comparison we are now studying QCD with 3 flavours of colour-sextet quarks, which is believed to be conformal in the chiral limit. Here we present the results of simulations of lattice QCD with 3 colour-sextet quarks at finite temperatures on lattices of temporal extent $N_t=4$ and 6, with masses small enough to yield access to the chiral limit. As for the 2-flavour case, we find well-separated deconfinement and chiral-symmetry restoration transitions, both of which move to appreciably weaker couplings as $N_t$ is increased from 4 to 6. If this theory is conformal, we would expect there to be a bulk chiral transition at a fixed coupling. For this reason we conclude that for $N_t=4$ and 6, the chiral and hence the deconfinement transitions are in the strong-coupling domain where the theory is essentially quenched. The similarity between the behaviours of the 2 and 3 flavour theories suggested that the $N_t=4$ and 6 transitions for the 2-flavour theory also lie in the strong-coupling domain. The phase structure of both theories is very similar.Comment: 17 pages Latex(Revtex), 7 postscript figure

Development of a Bahiagrass \u3cem\u3ePaspalum Notatum\u3c/em\u3e Flugge With Increased Short-Day Biomass

Low herbage productivity of subtropical grasses during the short-day winter months of October through to March can place a severe burden on livestock producers in Southeastern U.S. Researchers at the University of Florida (Sinclair et al., 2001) hypothesised that the decrease in forage production might result from physiological dormancy induced by short day length. A study using artificial lights to extend the day length demonstrated that maintaining the day length at 15 hr during the short-day length period increased \u27Pensacola\u27 bahiagrass P. notatum Flugge saure Parodi forage yield 122% when compared with normal photoperiod (Mislevy et al., 2001). A Pensacola-derived bahiagrass population was selected for increased vegetative growth under short-day length using restricted recurrent phenotypic selection for three cycles (UF Cycle 3) to increase forage yield. Plants that comprise this population were less sensitive to short photoperiod and produced increased forage mass during the short days. The objective of this clipping study was to evaluate forage production and forage nutritive value of UF Cycle 3 compared with selected standard entries during short and long day length periods

Memento Mori: The development and validation of the Death Reflection Scale

Despite its potential for advancing organizational behavior (OB) research, the topic of death awareness has been vastly understudied. Moreover, research on death awareness has predominantly focused on the anxiety‐provoking aspect of death‐related cognitions, thus overlooking the positive aspect of death awareness, death reflection. This gap is exacerbated by the lack of a valid research instrument to measure death reflection. To address this issue, we offer a systematic conceptualization of death reflection, develop the Death Reflection Scale, and assess its psychometric properties across four studies. Further, using a sample of 268 firefighters, we examine whether death reflection buffers the detrimental impact of mortality cues at work on employee well‐being and safety performance. Results provide strong support for the psychometric properties of the Death Reflection Scale. Further, moderation analysis indicates death reflection weakens the negative effect of mortality cues on firefighters' safety performance. Overall, these findings suggest the newly developed Death Reflection Scale will prove useful in future research on death‐related cognitions

Small Leaf Mid-Rib Xylem Related to Leaf Freeze Tolerance Trait in Bahia (\u3cem\u3ePaspalum Notatum\u3c/em\u3e Flugge) Grass Lines

Controlled freeze (-60o C) trials of 31 bahiagrass selections from a breeding program for cold tolerance by Blount et al. (2001) showed diverse genotype Leaf Tissue Cold Damage (LTCD). Breman et al. (2003) defined LTCD on a rating scale (1 = no damage to 9 = 100% leaf damage). Unique midrib damage was observed as part of LTCD in bahiagrass under transpiration stress after a freeze trial. Small xylem conduit diameter and area has been strongly correlated with reduced cavitation caused by freeze thaw cycles which maintain leaf tissue in evergreen temperate woody plants; further shown in twelve woody species by Davis et al. (1999). Air bubbles in vessel ice columns prevent normal refill and function upon thawing. The purpose of this study was to test whether genotype xylem diameter and area could be used to predict LTCD

Delineation of Emitter-Collector Shorts in Bipolar Test Structures by Voltage Contrast Scanning Electron Microscopy

In examining emitter-collector shorts and their relationship to structural defects, we desire a nondestructive method for locating the short-circuited devices in large test arrays. Voltage contrast scanning electron microscopy (VC-SEM) and an established electrochemical anodization technique have been used to identify electrically faulty bipolar transistors. Direct comparison of these approaches was achieved by examining the same emitters with each method. The results indicate that VC-SEM may serve as a useful technique for delineating E-C shorts because of its nondestructive and purely electrical nature. In our qualitative investigation, the sensitivity and voltage resolution available by VC-SEM were not sufficient to differentiate device leakage levels as is often possible with anodization. Such information may, however, be obtainable by utilizing image subtraction and more sophisticated detector systems. Transmission electron microscopy of the transistor structures revealed dislocations in many short-circuited emitters and occasionally in unshorted devices. This confirmed prior observations that crystallographic defects in silicon devices may sometimes be, but are not always, electrically active. Deleterious effects may depend on factors such as junction penetration and dopant-defect interactions

Extended Daylength to Increase Fall/Winter Yields of Warm-Season Perennial Grasses

Low forage production in fall/winter months is a severe limitation for dairy and beef cattle producers in the southeastern U.S. It was hypothesized that shrt daylengths during these months induce a physiological dormancy in grasses. Four grasses [Pensacola bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum Flugge; Tifton 85 and Florakirk bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.); Florona stargrass, C. nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis] were subjected to extended daylengths during the winter/fall months in a field test. Pensacola bahiagrass and Tifton 85 bermudagrass showed especially dramatic increases in forage yield during the fall/winter season under the extended daylength. Genetic elimination of daylength sensitivity in these grasses appears to be a viable option for increasing year-round forage production

Can positivity be counterproductive when suffering domestic abuse?: a narrative review

Positive Psychology has been criticized for making people feel pressured to remain positive irrespective of circumstances. This narrative review specifically investigates the relationship between positive attitudes and denial in the context of domestic abuse, in order to examine whether there is research evidence to support the critique on the adverse upshots of positivity. The search yielded 29 studies. Overall the literature suggests that misdirected or overgeneralized positivity exacerbates harm and abuse: an optimistic bias can put victims in danger; empathy, hope, acceptance and resilience are associated with refraining to leave abusive relationships; and forgiveness increases the likelihood of further transgressions. We therefore argue that scholars and practitioners need demonstrate care in promoting positivity, since it can be detrimental within a toxic context