990 research outputs found
Flexographic printing of ultra-thin semiconductor polymer layers
Methods of fabricating and controlling organic light emitting diode (OLED) or photovoltaic layers effectively are paramount for achieving a functional and durable device. The deposited film needs to be uniform and homogeneous to avoid non-uniform luminescence in the OLED. Although methods of depositing the ultra-thin sub 100ânm layers within OLED are effective, they are relatively slow and expensive. This paper therefore demonstrates flexography as an alternative method for depositing the semiconductor layer for OLED onto glass substrate. In this case a proprietary semiconducting polyflourine dispersed in xylene was used. This material functions as the hole injecting layer. The low polymer concentration and requirement for aromatic solvent presented challenges for the process; conventional photopolymer printing plates degraded rapidly on contact with xylene and rubber printing plates were found to be sufficiently resilient. Through optimisation of printing parameters and surface modification of both the printing plate and substrate with UV/ozone exposure, a consistent sub-100ânm film was achieved. Flexographic printing will enable a substantial reduction in layer fabrication time, as well as allowing roll to roll mass production at lower cost. The research indicated within this paper will aid the progression of flexography as a viable cost effective method for OLED or display technology application through continuous printing of ultra-thin layers
Searching for sterile neutrinos in ice
Oscillation interpretation of the results from the LSND, MiniBooNE and some
other experiments requires existence of sterile neutrino with mass eV
and mixing with the active neutrinos . It has
been realized some time ago that existence of such a neutrino affects
significantly the fluxes of atmospheric neutrinos in the TeV range which can be
tested by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. In view of the first IceCube data
release we have revisited the oscillations of high energy atmospheric neutrinos
in the presence of one sterile neutrino. Properties of the oscillation
probabilities are studied in details for various mixing schemes both
analytically and numerically. The energy spectra and angular distributions of
the events have been computed for the simplest mass, and
mixing schemes and confronted with the IceCube data. An
illustrative statistical analysis of the present data shows that in the
mass mixing case the sterile neutrinos with parameters required by
LSND/MiniBooNE can be excluded at about level. The
mixing scheme, however, can not be ruled out with currently available IceCube
data.Comment: 41 pages, 16 figures. Accepted for publication in JHEP. Minor changes
from the previous versio
Gluon induced contributions to Z gamma production at hadron colliders
We study the contribution of gluon induced partonic subprocesses to Z gamma
pair production at hadron colliders. These processes contribute only at
next-to-next-to-leading order but are potentially enhanced by two factors of
the gluon parton densities. However, we find that their contribution is modest
and that next-to-leading order calculations give reliable predictions.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Radiolysis of NaCl at high and low temperatures: development of size distribution of bubbles and colloids
New experimental results are presented on low temperature irradiation (18 °C) of rock-salt samples which had been exposed to initial doses up to 320 GRad at 100 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) shows that the latent heat of melting (LHM) of sodium colloids decreases during subsequent low-temperature irradiation, whereas the stored energy (SE) increases slowly, indicating that the process of radiolysis continues. The decrease of the LHM is due to dissolution of large colloids, because the intensities of the melting peaks decrease during the second stage irradiation at low temperature. The model is formulated to describe the nucleation kinetics and the evolution of the size distribution of chlorine precipitates and sodium colloids in NaCl under high dose irradiation. It is shown that the mechanism of dissolution of large Na colloids during low temperature irradiation can be related to melting of sodium colloids.
development and optimisation of a face-to-face behavioural intervention component
After weight loss, most individuals regain lost weight. Interventions to
support the transition from successful loss to weight loss maintenance (WLM),
regardless of the method of prior weight loss, are needed. The aims of this
study were to (1) develop a face-to-face behavioural intervention session to
support overweight and obese individuals who have recently lost a clinically
significant amount of weight in the transition to WLM; (2) to assess the
single-session intervention for acceptability and feasibility prior to its use
in a larger, 12-month, multi-component trial; and (3) to optimise the
intervention session for future use based on participant feedback.
Participants with a Body Mass Index of â„25â
kg/m2 prior to a â„5% weight loss in
the previous 12 months were recruited via the local government authority and
community-based advertisements. Each attended the one-hour session with a
trained facilitator, which focused on setting maintenance-relevant weight,
eating, and physical activity goals. Semi-structured interviews were carried
out immediately post-session to obtain feedback on the acceptability of this
intervention component. Data were used to generate recommendations for changes
to the session, which were discussed by the team, and used to optimise the
session. Seventeen participants (13 female; median WLâ=â13%) were recruited.
All participants evaluated the intervention session positively; 11
participants suggested improvements including reducing information provision
in favour of greater focus on identifying and coping with barriers, and the
inclusion of practical examples. The systematic refinement and optimisation
process resulted in an acceptable and feasible face-to-face behavioural
intervention session (described here), which will be tested as part of a
multi-component intervention. We anticipate the session could be used to
supplement existing support including online services, and has the potential
to benefit people who have lost a clinically significant amount of weight to
achieve WLM over the long term
Next-to-leading order predictions for Z gamma+jet and Z gamma gamma final states at the LHC
We present next-to-leading order predictions for final states containing
leptons produced through the decay of a Z boson in association with either a
photon and a jet, or a pair of photons. The effect of photon radiation from the
final state leptons is included and we also allow for contributions arising
from fragmentation processes. Phenomenological studies are presented for the
LHC in the case of final states containing charged leptons and in the case of
neutrinos. We also use the procedure introduced by Stewart and Tackmann to
provide a reliable estimate of the scale uncertainty inherent in our
theoretical calculations of jet-binned Z gamma cross sections. These
computations have been implemented in the public code MCFM.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure
A systematic review investigating fatigue, psychological and cognitive impairment following TIA and minor stroke:protocol paper
Approximately 20,000 people have a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and 23,375 have a minor stroke in England each year. Fatigue, psychological and cognitive impairments are well documented post-stroke. Evidence suggests that TIA and minor stroke patients also experience these impairments; however, they are not routinely offered relevant treatment. This systematic review aims to: (1) establish the prevalence of fatigue, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cognitive impairment following TIA and minor stroke and to investigate the temporal course of these impairments; (2) explore impact on quality of life (QoL), change in emotions and return to work; (3) identify where further research is required and to potentially inform an intervention study
Entanglement-enhanced probing of a delicate material system
Quantum metrology uses entanglement and other quantum effects to improve the
sensitivity of demanding measurements. Probing of delicate systems demands high
sensitivity from limited probe energy and has motivated the field's key
benchmark-the standard quantum limit. Here we report the first
entanglement-enhanced measurement of a delicate material system. We
non-destructively probe an atomic spin ensemble by means of near-resonant
Faraday rotation, a measurement that is limited by probe-induced scattering in
quantum-memory and spin-squeezing applications. We use narrowband,
atom-resonant NOON states to beat the standard quantum limit of sensitivity by
more than five standard deviations, both on a per-photon and per-damage basis.
This demonstrates quantum enhancement with fully realistic loss and noise,
including variable-loss effects. The experiment opens the way to ultra-gentle
probing of single atoms, single molecules, quantum gases and living cells.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures; Nature Photonics, advance online publication, 16
December 201
- âŠ