Transition-metal silicides lattice-matched to silicon

We have used a systematic search to determine all the possible transition-metal silicides that are geometrically lattice-matched to either the (100), (110), or the (111) face of silicon. A short table with the best possible matches is presented here, and a more comprehensive table including slightly worse matches is deposited with the editor

Martian impact basins: Morphology differences and tectonic provinces

Detailed geomorphic and structural mapping of five Martian basins and preliminary study of eleven other basins reveal four characteristic styles of modification that relate to the degree and age of past tectonic activity. Within regions that exhibit no evidence for tectonic activity, the modification style can be used to distinguish areas dominated by different exogenic processes. A framework for understanding these different styles of basin modification is provided

Professionalism in residency training: A compilation of desirable behaviors and a case-based comparison between pathologists in training and practice

Professionalism is one of the most important competencies for physicians but is also the most difficult to teach, assess, and manage. To better understand professionalism in pathology, we surveyed practicing pathologists and pathology residents and fellows in training. We identified 12 key desirable attributes of professionalism. In addition, 8 case scenarios highlighting unprofessional behavior were presented, and results between pathologists in practice and in training were compared. No significant differences between attending pathologists and residents were identified in how these cases should be managed. Our study demonstrated remarkable concordance between practicing pathologists and residents as to what constitutes professionalism and how to manage unprofessional behavior. Our case-based approach can be a useful technique to teach professionalism to both pathologists in practice and in training

Surface core excitons in III-V semiconductors

Recent experiments have shown that the cation core excitons on the (110) surface of many III-V semiconductors have very large binding energies.(^1) They are sometimes reported to be bound by as much as ≳0.8 eV, tightly bound compared to bulk binding energies of ≾0.1 eV. To explore this phenomenon, we have calculated the binding energies and oscillator strengths of core excitons on the (110) surface of GaAs, GaSb, GaP, and InP

A Dose of Reality: Overcoming Usability Challenges in VR Head-Mounted Displays

We identify usability challenges facing consumers adopting Virtual Reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) in a survey of 108 VR HMD users. Users reported significant issues in interacting with, and being aware of their real-world context when using a HMD. Building upon existing work on blending real and virtual environments, we performed three design studies to address these usability concerns. In a typing study, we show that augmenting VR with a view of reality significantly corrected the performance impairment of typing in VR. We then investigated how much reality should be incorporated and when, so as to preserve users’ sense of presence in VR. For interaction with objects and peripherals, we found that selectively presenting reality as users engaged with it was optimal in terms of performance and users’ sense of presence. Finally, we investigated how this selective, engagement-dependent approach could be applied in social environments, to support the user’s awareness of the proximity and presence of others

Hole tunneling times in GaAs/AlAs double-barrier structures

We have calculated hole tunneling times in GaAs/AlAs double-barrier structures taking quantum well band-mixing effects into account. Our results indicate that for sufficiently high hole temperatures and concentrations, band-mixing effects reduce average hole tunneling times from the pure heavy hole value to values comparable to electron tunneling times in the same structure. For very low hole temperatures and concentrations, band mixing is less important and average hole tunneling times should approach the pure heavy hole value. These results provide an explanation for previously reported experimental results in which electrons and holes were found to be characterized by very similar tunneling times

Carrier lifetimes in ion-damaged GaAs

Photoluminescence excitation correlation spectroscopy has been used to measure the dependence of carrier lifetime on the H+ ion implantation dose in GaAs. For doses greater than 1×10^12 cm^−2 the carrier lifetime is inversely proportional to the ion dose. The minimum lifetime measured was 0.6±0.2 ps for a dose of 1×10^14 cm^−2. Most important, there is no sign of saturation of carrier lifetime with ion dose down to this lifetime, thus still shorter lifetimes should be achievable with increased ion dose

Academic Writing & Publication: My Journey of Learning Through the Development of Articles from my Masters Thesis

Abstract: In this essay, I discuss how I turned my masters thesis into three peer reviewed publications and the lessons I learned about academic writing and publication in the process

Push clocks: a new approach to charge-coupled devices clocking

A new approach to charge-coupled device clocking has been developed—dynamic push clocks. With dynamic push clocks, the charge is transferred by pushing it from one storage site to another. The push clock approach results in a larger signal dynamic range, larger signal-to-noise ratio, and better performance at both high and low frequencies