340 research outputs found
Modelling the engineering behaviour of fibrous peat formed due to rapid anthropogenic terrestrialization in Hangzhou, China
This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Engineering Geology on 21/10/2016, available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2016.10.009
The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Peat is a very variable but normally weak material. While engineering failures involving peat are common, the full diversity of engineering behaviours exhibited by peat has not been well classified due to its large range of possible compositions. This paper presents the behaviour of a fibrous peat which is a fill (made ground) originating from the most recent dredging of the West Lake, a site of cultural and historic importance in China. Given its relatively unique mechanism of deposition, the distinctive characteristics of this peat are presented in comparison to other peats reported in the literature highlighting its unique engineering behaviour. A laboratory study carried out on the peat at Jiangyangfan Eco-park, located in Hangzhou, China identifies that it has its special aspects when compared to other peats. The shearing behaviour of peat can be described using the framework of critical state theory. The most prominent characteristic of the West Lake Peat is that its undrained stress path bends towards the left at the very beginning of shearing which indicates that plastic deformation occurs at very small stress ratios. A constitutive model based on critical state theory for predicting the undrained shear behaviour of this type of peat from low stress to critical state levels is presented. This model also includes several elements of peat behaviour previously reported and it may therefore be applied to a wider range of peat soils
Nonlinear U(j) dependence determined directly from low-electric-field E-j_{s} curves in YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7- delta } thin films
Flux dynamics and vortex phase diagram of the new superconductor
Magnetic critical current density and relaxation rate have been measured on
bulks from 1.6 K to at magnetic fields up to 8 Tesla. A vortex
phase diagram is depicted based on these measurement. Two phase boundaries
and characterizing different irreversible
flux motions are found. The is characterized by the
appearance of the linear resistivity and is attributed to quantum vortex
melting induced by quantum fluctuation of vortices in the rather clean system.
The second boundary reflects the irreversible flux motion in
some local regions due to either very strong pinning or the surface barrier on
the tiny grains.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Aerosol particles at a high-altitude site on the Southeast Tibetan Plateau, China: Implications for pollution transport from South Asia
Bulk aerosol samples were collected from 16 July 2008 to 26 July 2009 at Lulang, a high-altitude (>3300m above sea level) site on the southeast Tibetan Plateau (TP); objectives were to determine chemical characteristics of the aerosol and identify its major sources. We report aerosol (total suspended particulate, TSP) mass levels and the concentrations of selected elements, carbonaceous species, and water-soluble inorganic ions. Significant buildup of aerosol mass and chemical species (organic carbon, element carbon, nitrate, and sulfate) occurred during the premonsoon, while lower concentrations were observed during the monsoon. Seasonal variations in aerosol and chemical species were driven by precipitation scavenging and atmospheric circulation. Two kinds of high-aerosol episodes were observed: one was enriched with dust indicators (Fe and Ca2+), and the other was enhanced with organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), SO42−, NO3−, and Fe. The TSP loadings during the latter were 3 to 6 times those on normal days. The greatest aerosol optical depths (National Centers for Environmental Protection/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis) occurred upwind, in eastern India and Bangladesh, and trajectory analysis indicates that air pollutants were transported from the southwest. Northwesterly winds brought high levels of natural emissions (Fe, Ca2+) and low levels of pollutants (SO42−, NO3−, K+, and EC); this was consistent with high aerosol optical depths over the western deserts and Gobi. Our work provides evidence that both geological and pollution aerosols from surrounding regions impact the aerosol population of the TP
Temperature stable K0.5(Nd1−xBix)0.5MoO4 microwave dielectrics ceramics with ultra-low sintering temperature
K 0.5 (Nd 1-x Bi x ) 0.5 MoO 4 (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.7) ceramics were prepared via the solid-state reaction method. All ceramics densified below 720°C with a uniform microstructure. As x increased from 0.2 to 0.7, relative permittivity (e(open) r ) increased from 13.6 to 26.2 commensurate with an increase in temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) from - 31 ppm/°C to + 60 ppm/°C and a decrease in Qf value (Q = quality factor; f = resonant frequency) from 23 400 to 8620 GHz. Optimum TCF was obtained for x = 0.3 (-15 ppm/°C) and 0.4 (+4 ppm/°C) sintered at 660 and 620°C with e(open) r ~15.4, Q f ~19 650 GHz, and e(open) r ~17.3, Q f ~13 050 GHz, respectively. Ceramics in this novel solid solution are a candidate for ultra low temperature co-fired ceramic (ULTCC) technology
In-plane and Out-of-plane Plasma Resonances in Optimally Doped La1.84Sr0.16CuO4
We addressed the inconsistency between the electron mass anisotropy ratios
determined by the far-infrared experiments and DC conductivity measurements. By
eliminating possible sources of error and increasing the sensitivity and
resolution in the far-infrared reflectivity measurement on the single
crystalline and on the polycrystalline La1.84Sr0.16CuO4, we have unambiguously
identified that the source of the mass anisotropy problem is in the estimation
of the free electron density involved in the charge transport and
superconductivity. In this study we found that only 2.8 % of the total
doping-induced charge density is itinerant at optimal doping. Our result not
only resolves the mass anisotropy puzzle but also points to a novel electronic
structure formed by the rest of the electrons that sets the stage for the high
temperature superconductivity
Unconventional magnetic phase diagram of cuprate superconductor La2-xSrxCuO4 at quantum critical point x = 1/9
We propose a new magnetic phase diagram of La2-xSrxCuO4 around a quantum
critical point x = 1/9 based on field-cooled magnetization measurements and
critical fittings. A new phase boundary Tm2(H) is discovered which buries
deeply below the first order vortex melting line in the vortex solid phase. The
coupling between superconductivity and antiferromagnetism is found to be
attractive below Tm2(H) while repulsive above. The attractive coupling between
superconducting order and static antiferromagnetic order provides compelling
experimental evidence that the antiferromagnetism microscopically coexists and
collaborates with the high temperature superconductivity in cuprates.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure
Multiple superconducting gap and anisotropic spin fluctuations in iron arsenides: Comparison with nickel analog
We present extensive 75As NMR and NQR data on the superconducting arsenides
PrFeAs0.89F0.11 (Tc=45 K), LaFeAsO0.92F0.08 (Tc=27 K), LiFeAs (Tc = 17 K) and
Ba0.72K0.28Fe2As2 (Tc = 31.5 K) single crystal, and compare with the nickel
analog LaNiAsO0.9F0.1 (Tc=4.0 K) . In contrast to LaNiAsO0.9F0.1 where the
superconducting gap is shown to be isotropic, the spin lattice relaxation rate
1/T1 in the Fe-arsenides decreases below Tc with no coherence peak and shows a
step-wise variation at low temperatures. The Knight shift decreases below Tc
and shows a step-wise T variation as well. These results indicate spinsinglet
superconductivity with multiple gaps in the Fe-arsenides. The Fe
antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations are anisotropic and weaker compared to
underdoped copper-oxides or cobalt-oxide superconductors, while there is no
significant electron correlations in LaNiAsO0.9F0.1. We will discuss the
implications of these results and highlight the importance of the Fermi surface
topology.Comment: 6 pages, 11 figure
Distribution of doped Mn at the \Sigma 3 (112) grain boundary in Ge
Using first-principles density functional theory method, we have investigated
the distribution and magnetism of doped Mn atoms in the vicinity of the 3 (112)
grain boundary in Ge. We find that at low concentration, the substitutional
sites are energetically favorable over the interstitial ones for Mn. The
binding energy of Mn varies with lattice sites in the boundary region, and
hence a non-uniform distribution of Mn nears the boundary. However, the average
of their segregation energy is quite small, thus no remarkable grain boundary
segregation of Mn is predicted. Due to volume expansion at the grain boundary,
the spin polarization of Mn is slightly enhanced. Overall, we find that the
magnetism of Mn-doped Ge is not sensitively dependent on the grain structure.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
Measurements of J/psi Decays into 2(pi+pi-)eta and 3(pi+pi-)eta
Based on a sample of 5.8X 10^7 J/psi events taken with the BESII detector,
the branching fractions of J/psi--> 2(pi+pi-)eta and J/psi-->3(pi+pi-)eta are
measured for the first time to be (2.26+-0.08+-0.27)X10^{-3} and
(7.24+-0.96+-1.11)X10^{-4}, respectively.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
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