Disordered two-dimensional superconductors: roles of temperature and interaction strength

We have considered the half-filled disordered attractive Hubbard model on a square lattice, in which the on-site attraction is switched off on a fraction $f$ of sites, while keeping a finite $U$ on the remaining ones. Through Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations for several values of $f$ and $U$, and for system sizes ranging from $8\times 8$ to $16\times 16$, we have calculated the configurational averages of the equal-time pair structure factor $P_s$, and, for a more restricted set of variables, the helicity modulus, $\rho_s$, as functions of temperature. Two finite-size scaling {\it ansatze} for $P_s$ have been used, one for zero-temperature and the other for finite temperatures. We have found that the system sustains superconductivity in the ground state up to a critical impurity concentration, $f_c$, which increases with $U$, at least up to U=4 (in units of the hopping energy). Also, the normalized zero-temperature gap as a function of $f$ shows a maximum near $f\sim 0.07$, for $2\lesssim U\lesssim 6$. Analyses of the helicity modulus and of the pair structure factor led to the determination of the critical temperature as a function of $f$, for $U=3,$ 4 and 6: they also show maxima near $f\sim 0.07$, with the highest $T_c$ increasing with $U$ in this range. We argue that, overall, the observed behavior results from both the breakdown of CDW-superconductivity degeneracy and the fact that free sites tend to "push" electrons towards attractive sites, the latter effect being more drastic at weak couplings.Comment: 9 two-column pages, 14 figures, RevTe

The impact of economic globalization welfare states

The literature has yet to draw firm conclusions regarding the effect of economic globalization on government spending in developing countries in general and Pakistan in particular. This paper tries to overcome this gap on the literature and analyses the impact of globalization and democracy on the aggregate level of Pakistan's social spending from 1972 to 2018. The methods used include econometrics models. The results confirm that globalization is inversely related to social spending, while democracy positively affects social expenditures. Other results confirm that debt service and inflation rate harm social spending. In contrast, the more significant economic development and the increased unemployment rate have a positive and meaningful relationship with social expenditure in the long run. Public decision-makers should consider these conclusions to promote economic and social sustainability in Pakistan.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Immunization and Aging: a Learning Process in the Immune Network

The immune system can be thought as a complex network of different interacting elements. A cellular automaton, defined in shape-space, was recently shown to exhibit self-regulation and complex behavior and is, therefore, a good candidate to model the immune system. Using this model to simulate a real immune system we find good agreement with recent experiments on mice. The model exhibits the experimentally observed refractory behavior of the immune system under multiple antigen presentations as well as loss of its plasticity caused by aging.Comment: 4 latex pages, 3 postscript figures attached. To be published in Physical Review Letters (Tentatively scheduled for 5th Oct. issue

Saberes ambientais dos trabalhadores rurais no assentamento Darcy Ribeiro: um estudo de caso.

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Disorder Induced Localized States in Graphene

We consider the electronic structure near vacancies in the half-filled honeycomb lattice. It is shown that vacancies induce the formation of localized states. When particle-hole symmetry is broken, localized states become resonances close to the Fermi level. We also study the problem of a finite density of vacancies, obtaining the electronic density of states, and discussing the issue of electronic localization in these systems. Our results also have relevance for the problem of disorder in d-wave superconductors.Comment: Replaced with published version. 4 pages, 4 figures. Fig. 1 was revise

Phenomenological study of the electronic transport coefficients of graphene

Using a semi-classical approach and input from experiments on the conductivity of graphene, we determine the electronic density dependence of the electronic transport coefficients -- conductivity, thermal conductivity and thermopower -- of doped graphene. Also the electronic density dependence of the optical conductivity is obtained. Finally we show that the classical Hall effect (low field) in graphene has the same form as for the independent electron case, characterized by a parabolic dispersion, as long as the relaxation time is proportional to the momentum.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Smart and sustainable cities in the Mediterranean region: The contribution of short supply chains of food

The cities around the world in general, and in the Mediterranean area in particular, are facing tremendous challenges at the environmental, social, economic, and institutional levels, due to the urbanization trend, environmental climatic changes and challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, cities need to be sustainable and smart in the future. An economically important and innovative sector in urban areas is food security. Nowadays, most of the literature explores the concept of smart cities from the point of view of information and communications technology, indeed, the connection with the sustainability aspects of the food supply chain and the ways to operationalize that, remains unsolved. This paper tries to overcome this gap in the literature. The main aim is to analyze the contribution of the short supply chain of food in terms of sustainability in smart cities, regarding current urban trends in cities in general and in Mediterranean areas in particular. The methodology was based on a literature review and includes quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results confirm the existence of positive impacts in the short supply chains of food in urban areas in terms of sustainability. Despite the existence of a considerable number of papers about smart cities and ICT-related topics, the benefits from society of short supply chains of food, and the linkage among the topics and subjects, remain unreferred to or with a limited knowledge exchange. The conclusions of this paper will be helpful for public decision makers to implement policies in order to promote the sustainability of Mediterranean cities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio