2,683 research outputs found
Quantum well infrared photodetectors hardiness to the non ideality of the energy band profile
We report results on the effect of a non-sharp and disordered potential in
Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIP). Scanning electronic transmission
microscopy is used to measure the alloy profile of the structure which is shown
to present a gradient of composition along the growth axis. Those measurements
are used as inputs to quantify the effect on the detector performance (peak
wavelength, spectral broadening and dark current). The influence of the random
positioning of the doping is also studied. Finally we demonstrate that QWIP
properties are quite robust with regard to the non ideality of the energy band
profile
CFHTLS weak-lensing constraints on the neutrino masses
We use measurements of cosmic shear from CFHTLS, combined with WMAP-5 cosmic
microwave background anisotropy data, baryonic acoustic oscillations from SDSS
and 2dFGRS and supernovae data from SNLS and Gold-set, to constrain the
neutrino mass. We obtain a 95% confidence level upper limit of 0.54 eV for the
sum of the neutrino masses, and a lower limit of 0.03 eV. The preference for
massive neutrinos vanishes when shear-measurement systematics are included in
the analysis.Comment: 10 pages. Published versio
The XUV environments of exoplanets from Jupiter-size to super-Earth
Planets that reside close-in to their host star are subject to intense high-energy irradiation. Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray radiation (together, XUV) is thought to drive mass-loss from planets with volatile envelopes. We present XMM–Newton observations of six nearby stars hosting transiting planets in tight orbits (with orbital period, Porb < 10 d), wherein we characterize the XUV emission from the stars and subsequent irradiation levels at the planets. In order to reconstruct the unobservable EUV emission, we derive a new set of relations from Solar TIMED/SEE data that are applicable to the standard bands of the current generation of X-ray instruments. From our sample, WASP-80b and HD 149026b experience the highest irradiation level, but HAT-P-11b is probably the best candidate for Ly α evaporation investigations because of the system’s proximity to the Solar system. The four smallest planets have likely lost a greater percentage of their mass over their lives than their larger counterparts. We also detect the transit of WASP-80b in the near-ultraviolet with the optical monitor on XMM–Newton
Experimental evidence for 56Ni-core breaking from the low-spin structure of the N=Z nucleus 58Cu
Low-spin states in the odd-odd N=Z nucleus 58Cu were investigated with the
58Ni(p,n gamma)58Cu fusion evaporation reaction at the FN-tandem accelerator in
Cologne. Seventeen low spin states below 3.6 MeV and 17 new transitions were
observed. Ten multipole mixing ratios and 17 gamma-branching ratios were
determined for the first time. New detailed spectroscopic information on the
2+,2 state, the Isobaric Analogue State (IAS) of the 2+,1,T=1 state of 58Ni,
makes 58Cu the heaviest odd-odd N=Z nucleus with known B(E2;2+,T=1 --> 0+,T=1)
value. The 4^+ state at 2.751 MeV, observed here for the first time, is
identified as the IAS of the 4+,1,T=1 state in 58Ni. The new data are compared
to full pf-shell model calculations with the novel GXPF1 residual interaction
and to calculations within a pf5/2 configurational space with a residual
surface delta interaction. The role of the 56Ni core excitations for the
low-spin structure in 58Cu is discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Summary version of the Standards, Options and Recommendations for palliative or terminal nutrition in adults with progressive cancer (2001)
Taxing the Informal Economy: The Current State of Knowledge and Agendas for Future Research
This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates
and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused
on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent
arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic
growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and
benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and
citizen-state bargaining over taxation
Submm/FIR astronomy in Antarctica: Potential for a large telescope facility
20International audiencePreliminary site testing datasets suggest that Dome C in Antarctica is one of the best sites on Earth for astronomical observations in the 200 to 500 micron regime, i.e. for far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre (submm) astronomy. We present an overview of potential science cases that could be addressed with a large telescope facility at Dome C. This paper also includes a presentation of the current knowledge about the site characterics in terms of atmospheric transmission, stability, sky noise and polar constraints on telescopes. Current and future site testing campaigns are finally described
The role of Comprehension in Requirements and Implications for Use Case Descriptions
Within requirements engineering it is generally accepted that in writing specifications (or indeed any requirements phase document), one attempts to produce an artefact which will be simple to comprehend for the user. That is, whether the document is intended for customers to validate requirements, or engineers to understand what the design must deliver, comprehension is an important goal for the author. Indeed, advice on producing ‘readable’ or ‘understandable’ documents is often included in courses on requirements engineering. However, few researchers, particularly within the software engineering domain, have attempted either to define or to understand the nature of comprehension and it’s implications for guidance on the production of quality requirements.
Therefore, this paper examines thoroughly the nature of textual comprehension, drawing heavily from research in discourse process, and suggests some implications for requirements (and other) software documentation. In essence, we find that the guidance on writing requirements, often prevalent within software engineering, may be based upon assumptions which are an oversimplification of the nature of comprehension. Hence, the paper examines guidelines which have been proposed, in this case for use case descriptions, and the extent to which they agree with discourse process theory; before suggesting refinements to the guidelines which attempt to utilise lessons learned from our richer understanding of the underlying discourse process theory. For example, we suggest subtly different sets of writing guidelines for the different tasks of requirements, specification and design
Migraine aura: retracting particle-like waves in weakly susceptible cortex
Cortical spreading depression (SD) has been suggested to underlie migraine aura. Despite a precise match in speed, the spatio-temporal patterns of SD and aura symptoms on the cortical surface ordinarily differ in aspects of size and shape. We show that this mismatch is reconciled by utilizing that both pattern types bifurcate from an instability point of generic reaction-diffusion models. To classify these spatio-temporal pattern we suggest a susceptibility scale having the value [sigma]=1 at the instability point. We predict that human cortex is only weakly susceptible to SD ([sigma]<1), and support this prediction by directly matching visual aura symptoms with anatomical landmarks using fMRI retinotopic mapping. We discuss the increased dynamical repertoire of cortical tissue close to [sigma]=1, in particular, the resulting implications on migraine pharmacology that is hitherto tested in the regime ([sigma]>>1), and potentially silent aura occurring below a second bifurcation point at [sigma]=0 on the susceptible scale
- …