Dynamics of Phononic Dissipation at the Atomic Scale: Dependence on Internal Degrees of Freedom

Dynamics of dissipation of a local phonon distribution to the substrate is a key issue in friction between sliding surfaces as well as in boundary lubrication. We consider a model system consisting of an excited nano-particle which is weakly coupled with a substrate. Using three different methods we solve the dynamics of energy dissipation for different types of coupling between the nano-particle and the substrate, where different types of dimensionality and phonon densities of states were also considered for the substrate. In this paper, we present our analysis of transient properties of energy dissipation via phonon discharge in the microscopic level towards the substrate. Our theoretical analysis can be extended to treat realistic lubricant molecules or asperities, and also substrates with more complex densities of states. We found that the decay rate of the nano-particle phonons increases as the square of the interaction constant in the harmonic approximation.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Optical Conductivity in a Two-Band Superconductor: Pb

We demonstrate the effect of bandstructure on the superconducting properties of Pb by calculating the strong-coupling features in the optical conductivity, $\sigma(\omega)$, due to the electron-phonon interaction. The importance of momentum dependence in the calculation of the properties of superconductors has previously been raised for MgB$_2$. Pb resembles MgB$_2$ in that it is a two band superconductor in which the bands' contributions to the Fermi surface have very different topologies. We calculate $\sigma(\omega)$ by calculating a memory function which has been recently used to analyze $\sigma(\omega)$ of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$. In our calculations the two components of the Fermi surface are described by parameterizations of de Haas--van Alphen data. We use a phonon spectrum which is a fit to neutron scattering data. By including the momentum dependence of the Fermi surface good agreement is found with the experimentally determined strong-coupling features which can be described by a broad peak at around 4.5 meV and a narrower higher peak around 8 meV of equal height. The calculated features are found to be dominated by scattering between states within the third band. By contrast scattering between states in the second band leads to strong-coupling features in which the height of the high energy peak is reduced by $\sim 50$ compared to that of the low energy peak. This result is similar to that in the conventional isotropic (momentum independent) treatment of superconductivity. Our results show that it is important to use realistic models of the bandstructure and phonons, and to avoid using momentum averaged quantities, in calculations in order to get quantitatively accurate results

Spatial changes of beach profiles for a small tidal inlet (Currumbin Creek, Australia)

Many tidal inlets are actively monitored to investigate the change in flood or ebb shoals, as these sand deposits can have a major influence on the sediment budget of the adjacent coast. However, here it is hypothesized that the shores of the back barrier area can also act as a source of sediment to be considered in the sediment budget. Therefore, profile changes around Currumbin Creek tidal inlet were considered to identify the extent of such a contribution on the surrounding beach and the overall evolution of the inlet system. The results of 16 weeks survey showed that in general, the shores of the back barrier lagoon had a very marginal effect in the provision of material to the sand budget, although the gorge area is highly vulnerable and dynamic. Even an intense storm event and heavy rainfall during the data collection period, resulting in erosion of the surrounding beaches, showed no significant influence on the shore face of the lagoon

Tawney and the third way

From the 1920s to the 1950s R. H. Tawney was the most influential socialist thinker in Britain. He articulated an ethical socialism at odds with powerful statist and mechanistic traditions in British socialist thinking. Tawney's work is thus an important antecedent to third way thinking. Tawney's religiously-based critique of the morality of capitalism was combined with a concern for detailed institutional reform, challenging simple dichotomies between public and private ownership. He began a debate about democratizing the enterprise and corporate governance though his efforts fell on stony ground. Conversely, Tawney's moralism informed a whole-hearted condemnation of market forces in tension with both his concern with institutional reform and modern third way thought. Unfortunately, he refused to engage seriously with emergent welfare economics which for many social democrats promised a more nuanced understanding of the limits of market forces. Tawney's legacy is a complex one, whose various elements form a vital part of the intellectual background to current third way thinking

Airborne multiwavelength High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2) observations during TCAP 2012 : Vertical profiles of optical and microphysical properties of a smoke/urban haze plume over the northeastern coast of the US

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.We present measurements acquired by the world's first airborne 3 backscatter (β) + 2 extinction (α) High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2). HSRL-2 measures particle backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm, and particle extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm. The instrument has been developed by the NASA Langley Research Center. The instrument was operated during Phase 1 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) in July 2012. We observed pollution outflow from the northeastern coast of the US out over the western Atlantic Ocean. Lidar ratios were 50-60 sr at 355 nm and 60-70 sr at 532 nm. Extinction-related Ångström exponents were on average 1.2-1.7, indicating comparably small particles. Our novel automated, unsupervised data inversion algorithm retrieved particle effective radii of approximately 0.2 μm, which is in agreement with the large Ångström exponents. We find good agreement with particle size parameters obtained from coincident in situ measurements carried out with the DOE Gulfstream-1 aircraft.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

An investigation into CLIL-related sections of EFL coursebooks : issues of CLIL inclusion in the publishing market

The current ELT global coursebook market has embraced CLIL as a weak form of bilingual education and an innovative component to include in General English coursebooks for EFL contexts. In this paper I investigate how CLIL is included in ELT coursebooks aimed at teenaged learners, available to teachers in Argentina. My study is based on the content analysis of four series which include a section advertised as CLIL-oriented. Results suggest that such sections are characterised by (1) little correlation between featured subject specific content and school curricula in L1, (2) oversimplification of contents, and (3) dominance of reading skills development and lower-order thinking tasks. Through this study, I argue that CLIL components become superficial supplements rather than a meaningful attempt to promote weak forms of bilingual education

TeleMed: An example of a new system developed with object technology

Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a virtual patient record system called TeleMed which is based on a distributed national radiographic and patient record repository located throughout the country. Without leaving their offices, participating doctors can view clinical drug and radiographic data via a sophisticated multimedia interface. For example, a doctor can match a patient`s radiographic information with the data in the repository, review treatment history and success, and then determine the best treatment. Furthermore, the features of TeleMed that make it attractive to clinicians and diagnosticians make it valuable for teaching and presentation as well. Thus, a resident can use TeleMed for self-training in diagnostic techniques and a physician can use it to explain to a patient the course of their illness. In fact, the data can be viewed simultaneously by users at two or more distant locations for consultation with specialists in different fields. This capability is of enormous value to a wide spectrum of healthcare providers. It is made possible by the integration of multimedia information using commercial CORBA technology linking object-enabled databases with client interfaces using a three-tiered architecture

Questioning policy, youth participation and lifestyle sports

Young people have been identified as a key target group for whom participation in sport and physical activity could have important benefits to health and wellbeing and consequently have been the focus of several government policies to increase participation in the UK. Lifestyle sports represent one such strategy for encouraging and sustaining new engagements in sport and physical activity in youth groups, however, there is at present a lack of understanding of the use of these activities within policy contexts. This paper presents findings from a government initiative which sought to increase participation in sport for young people through provision of facilities for mountain biking in a forest in south-east England. Findings from qualitative research with 40 young people who participated in mountain biking at the case study location highlight the importance of non-traditional sports as a means to experience the natural environments through forms of consumption which are healthy, active and appeal to their identities. In addition, however, the paper raises questions over the accessibility of schemes for some individuals and social groups, and the ability to incorporate sports which are inherently participant-led into state-managed schemes. Lifestyle sports such as mountain biking involve distinct forms of participation which present a challenge for policy-makers who seek to create and maintain sustainable communities of youth participants

Fungal Communities in Sediments Along a Depth Gradient in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Deep waters represent the largest biome on Earth and the largest ecosystem of Costa Rica. Fungi play a fundamental role in global biogeochemical cycling in marine sediments, yet, they remain little explored. We studied fungal diversity and community composition in several marine sediments from 16 locations sampled along a bathymetric gradient (from a depth of 380 to 3,474 m) in two transects of about 1,500 km length in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) of Costa Rica. Sequence analysis of the V7-V8 region of the 18S rRNA gene obtained from sediment cores revealed the presence of 787 fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). On average, we detected a richness of 75 fungal ASVs per sample. Ascomycota represented the most abundant phylum with Saccharomycetes constituting the dominant class. Three ASVs accounted for ca. 63% of all fungal sequences: the yeast Metschnikowia (49.4%), Rhizophydium (6.9%), and Cladosporium (6.7%). We distinguished a cluster composed mainly by yeasts, and a second cluster by filamentous fungi, but we were unable to detect a strong effect of depth and the overlying water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH on the composition of fungal communities. We highlight the need to understand further the ecological role of fungi in deep-sea ecosystems.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Force and energy dissipation variations in non-contact atomic force spectroscopy on composite carbon nanotube systems

UHV dynamic force and energy dissipation spectroscopy in non-contact atomic force microscopy were used to probe specific interactions with composite systems formed by encapsulating inorganic compounds inside single-walled carbon nanotubes. It is found that forces due to nano-scale van der Waals interaction can be made to decrease by combining an Ag core and a carbon nanotube shell in the Ag@SWNT system. This specific behaviour was attributed to a significantly different effective dielectric function compared to the individual constituents, evaluated using a simple core-shell optical model. Energy dissipation measurements showed that by filling dissipation increases, explained here by softening of C-C bonds resulting in a more deformable nanotube cage. Thus, filled and unfilled nanotubes can be discriminated based on force and dissipation measurements. These findings have two different implications for potential applications: tuning the effective optical properties and tuning the interaction force for molecular absorption by appropriately choosing the filling with respect to the nanotube.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure