A Pixel Vertex Tracker for the TESLA Detector

In order to fully exploit the physics potential of a e+e- linear collider, such as TESLA, a Vertex Tracker providing high resolution track reconstruction is required. Hybrid Silicon pixel sensors are an attractive sensor technology option due to their read-out speed and radiation hardness, favoured in the high rate TESLA environment, but have been so far limited by the achievable single point space resolution. A novel layout of pixel detectors with interleaved cells to improve their spatial resolution is introduced and the results of the characterisation of a first set of test structures are discussed. In this note, a conceptual design of the TESLA Vertex Tracker, based on hybrid pixel sensors is presentedComment: 20 pages, 11 figure

Evaluation of automated segmentation of hip joint in revision arthroplasty

We present a case of a 72-year-old female patient with a history of degenerative hip joint disease for whom a custom-made prosthesis—an acetabulum cage—was designed. With the growing number of total hip arthroplasty (THA) operations and the rapid development of technology, biology, and tissue bioengineering, there is a market to develop new artificial hip joints. The quality of the custom made prosthesis depends on the quality of segmentation to delineate accurately patient’s anatomy. The error of segmentation may propagate to the overall error of the final prosthesis. We evaluate an in-house segmentation method, that was used in the design of the custom made prosthesis, and a commercial segmentation method, using qualitative and quantitative approaches

Characterisation of Hybrid Pixel Detectors with capacitive charge division

In order to fully exploit the physics potential of the future high energy e+ e- linear collider, a Vertex Tracker providing high resolution track reconstruction is required. Hybrid pixel sensors are an attractive technology due to their fast read-out capabilities and radiation hardness. A novel pixel detector layout with interleaved cells between the readout nodes has been developed to improve the single point resolution. The results of the characterisation of the first processed prototypes are reported.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, presented at LCWS2000, Linear Collider Workshop, October 24-28 2000, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois, U.S.A. Proceedings to be published by the American Institute of Physic

Critical light instability in CB/DIO processed PBDTTT-EFT:PC<inf>71</inf>BM organic photovoltaic devices

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices often undergo ‘burn-in’ during the early stages of operation, this period describing the relatively rapid drop in power output before stabilising. For normal and inverted PBDTTT-EFT:PC71BM OPVs prepared according to current protocols, we identify a critical and severe light-induced burn-in phase that reduces power conversion efficiency by at least 60% after 24 hours simulated AM1.5 illumination. Such losses result primarily from a reduction in photocurrent, and for inverted devices we correlate this process in-situ with the simultaneous emergence of space-chare effects on the μs timescale. The effects of burn in are also found to reduce the lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers, as determine by in-situ transient photovoltage measurements. To identify the underlying mechanisms of this instability, a range of techniques are employed ex-situ to separate bulk- and electrode-specific degradation processes. We find that whilst the active layer nanostructure and kinetics of free charge generation remain unchanged, partial photobleaching (6% of film O.D.) of PBDTTT-EFT:PC71BM occurs alongside an increase in the ground state bleach decay time of PBDTTT-EFT. We hypothesise that this latter observation may reflect relaxation from excited states on PBDTTT-EFT that do not undergo dissociation into free charges. Owing to the poor lifetime of the reference PBDTTT-EFT:PC71BM OPVs, the fabrication protocol is modified to identify routes for stability enhancement in this initially promising solar cell blend.The authors would like to thank SABIC for partially funding this research. PEH, EC, RHF and NCG thank the EPSRC for funding through the Supergen Supersolar Consortium (EP/J017361/1). PEH also thanks CKIK for additional funding. KD thanks the Gates Cambridge Scholarship fund. MAJ thanks Nyak Technology Ltd for PhD scholarship funding. AJP thanks David Lidzey (University of Sheffield) for use of a sample chamber for X-ray scattering measurements and Adam Brown (University of Cambridge) for UPS measurements.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2015.12.02

Simple theory of extremely overdoped HTS

We demonstrate the existence of a simple physical picture of superconductivity for extremely overdoped CuO2 planes. It possesses all characteristic features of HTS, such as a high superconducting transition temperature, the $d_{x^2 - y^2}$ symmetry of order parameter, and the coexistence of a single electron Fermi surface and a pseudogap in the normal state. Values of pseudogap are calculated for different doping levels. An orbital paramagnetism of preformed pairs is predicted.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Unexpected coexisting solid solutions in the quasi-binary Ag(II)F2/Cu(II)F2 phase diagram

High-temperature solid-state reaction between orthorhombic AgF2 and monoclinic CuF2 (y = 0.15, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) in a fluorine atmosphere resulted in coexisting solid solutions of Cu-poor orthorhombic and Cu-rich monoclinic phases with stoichiometry Ag1-xCuxF2. Based on X-ray powder diffraction analyses, the mutual solubility in the orthorhombic phase (AgF2 doped with Cu) appears to be at an upper limit of Cu concentration of 30 mol % (Ag0.7Cu0.3F2), while the monoclinic phase (CuF2 doped with Ag) can form a nearly stoichiometric Cu : Ag = 1 : 1 solid solution (Cu0.56Ag0.44F2), preserving the CuF2 crystal structure. Experimental data and DFT calculations showed that AgF2 doped with Cu and CuF2 doped with Ag solid solutions deviate from the classical Vegards law. Magnetic measurements of Ag1-xCuxF2 showed that the Neel temperature (TN) decreases with increasing Cu content in both phases. Likewise, theoretical DFT+U calculations for Ag1-xCuxF2 showed that the progressive substitution of Ag by Cu decreases the magnetic interaction strength (J2D) in both structures. Electrical conductivity measurements of Ag0.85Cu0.15F2 showed a ca. 2-fold increase in specific ionic conductivity (3.71 x 10-13 plus/minus 2.6 x 10-15 S/cm) as compared to pure AgF2 (1.85 x 10-13 plus/minus 1.2 x 10-15 S/cm), indicating the formation of a vacancy- or F adatom-free metal difluoride sample.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 Table, and electronic supplement of 14 page

Interrelation between the pseudogap and the incoherent quasi-particle features of high-Tc superconductors

Using a scenario of a hybridized mixture of localized bipolarons and conduction electrons, we demonstrate for the latter the simultaneous appearance of a pseudogap and of strong incoherent contributions to their quasi-particle spectrum which arise from phonon shake-off effects. This can be traced back to temporarily fluctuating local lattice deformations, giving rise to a double-peak structure in the pair distribution function, which should be a key feature in testing the origin of these incoherent contributions, recently seen in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

The boson-fermion model with on-site Coulomb repulsion between fermions

The boson-fermion model, describing a mixture of itinerant electrons hybridizing with tightly bound electron pairs represented as hard-core bosons, is here generalized with the inclusion of a term describing on-site Coulomb repulsion between fermions with opposite spins. Within the general framework of the Dynamical Mean-Field Theory, it is shown that around the symmetric limit of the model this interaction strongly competes with the local boson-fermion exchange mechanism, smoothly driving the system from a pseudogap phase with poor conducting properties to a metallic regime characterized by a substantial reduction of the fermionic density. On the other hand, if one starts from correlated fermions described in terms of the one-band Hubbard model, the introduction in the half-filled insulating phase of a coupling with hard-core bosons leads to the disappearance of the correlation gap, with a consequent smooth crossover to a metallic state.Comment: 7 pages, 6 included figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Amine functionalization of cholecyst-derived extracellular matrix with generation 1 PAMAM dendrimer

This document is the unedited author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Biomacromolecules, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work, see http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bm701055k.A method to functionalize cholecyst-derived extracellular matrix (CEM) with free amine groups was established in an attempt to improve its potential for tethering of bioactive molecules. CEM was incorporated with Generation-1 polyamidoamine (G1 PAMAM) dendrimer by using N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide cross-linking system. The nature of incorporation of PAMAM dendrimer was evaluated using shrink temperature measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) assessment, ninhydrin assay, and swellability. The effects of PAMAM incorporation on mechanical and degradation properties of CEM were evaluated using a uniaxial mechanical test and collagenase degradation assay, respectively. Ninhydrin assay and FTIR assessment confirmed the presence of increasing free amine groups with increasing quantity of PAMAM in dendrimer-incorporated CEM (DENCEM) scaffolds. The amount of dendrimer used was found to be critical in controlling scaffold degradation, shrink temperature, and free amine content. Cell culture studies showed that fibroblasts seeded on DENCEM maintained their metabolic activity and ability to proliferate in vitro. In addition, fluorescence cell staining and scanning electron microscopy analysis of cell-seeded DENCEM showed preservation of normal fibroblast morphology and phenotype