Voltage-controlled Group Velocity of Edge Magnetoplasmon in the Quantum Hall Regime

We investigate the group velocity of edge magnetoplasmons (EMPs) in the quantum Hall regime by means of time-of-flight measurement. The EMPs are injected from an Ohmic contact by applying a voltage pulse, and detected at a quantum point contact by applying another voltage pulse to its gate. We find that the group velocity of the EMPs traveling along the edge channel defined by a metallic gate electrode strongly depends on the voltage applied to the gate. The observed variation of the velocity can be understood to reflect the degree of screening caused by the metallic gate, which damps the in-plane electric field and hence reduces the velocity. The degree of screening can be controlled by changing the distance between the gate and the edge channel with the gate voltage.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Physical Review

Diffusion and activation of n-type dopants in germanium

The diffusion and activation of $n$-type impurities (P and As) implanted into $p$-type Ge(100) substrates were examined under various dose and annealing conditions. The secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles of chemical concentrations indicated the existence of a sufficiently high number of impurities with increasing implanted doses. However, spreading resistance probe profiles of electrical concentrations showed electrical concentration saturation in spite of increasing doses and indicated poor activation of As relative to P in Ge. The relationships between the chemical and electrical concentrations of P in Ge and Si were calculated, taking into account the effect of incomplete ionization. The results indicated that the activation of P was almost the same in Ge and Si. The activation ratios obtained experimentally were similar to the calculated values, implying insufficient degeneration of Ge. The profiles of P in Ge substrates with and without damage generated by Ge ion implantation were compared, and it was clarified that the damage that may compensate the activated $n$-type dopants has no relationship with the activation of P in Ge.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

A precessing accretion disc in the intermediate polar XY Ari?

XY Ari is the only intermediate polar to show deep X-ray eclipses of its white dwarf. Previously published observations with Ginga and Chandra have also revealed a broad X-ray orbital modulation, roughly antiphased with the eclipse, and presumed to be due to absorption in an extended structure near the edge of an accretion disc. The X-ray pulse profile is generally seen to be double-peaked, although a single-peaked pulse was seen by RXTE during an outburst in 1996.We intended to investigate the cause of the broad orbital modulation in XY Ari to better understand the accretion flow in this system and other intermediate polars. We observed XY Ari with RXTE and analysed previously unpublished archival observations of the system made with ASCA and XMM-Newton. These observations comprise six separate visits and span about ten years. The various X-ray observations show that the broad orbital modulation varies in phase and significance, then ultimately disappears entirely in the last few years. In addition, the X-ray pulse profile shows variations in depth and shape, and in the recent RXTE observations displays no evidence for changes in hardness ratio. The observed changes indicates that both the pulse profile and the orbital modulation are solely due to geometrical effects at the time of the RXTE observations, rather than phase-dependent variations in photoelectric absorption as seen previously. We suggest that this is evidence for a precessing, tilted accretion disc in this system. The precession of the disc moves structures out of our line of sight both at its outer edge (changing the orbital modulation) and at its inner edge where the accretion curtains are anchored (changing the pulse profile).Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Tongue interface based on surface EMG signals of suprahyoid muscles

The research described herein was undertaken to develop and test a novel tongue interface based on classification of tongue motions from the surface electromyography (EMG) signals of the suprahyoid muscles detected at the underside of the jaw. The EMG signals are measured via 22 active surface electrodes mounted onto a special flexible boomerang-shaped base. Because of the sensor’s shape and flexibility, it can adapt to the underjaw skin contour. Tongue motion classification was achieved using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm for pattern recognition where the root mean square (RMS) features and cepstrum coefficients (CC) features of the EMG signals were analyzed. The effectiveness of the approach was verified with a test for the classification of six tongue motions conducted with a group of five healthy adult volunteer subjects who had normal motor tongue functions. Results showed that the system classified all six tongue motions with high accuracy of 95.1 ± 1.9 %. The proposed method for control of assistive devices was evaluated using a test in which a computer simulation model of an electric wheelchair was controlled using six tongue motions. This interface system, which weighs only 13.6 g and which has a simple appearance, requires no installation of any sensor into the mouth cavity. Therefore, it does not hinder user activities such as swallowing, chewing, or talking. The number of tongue motions is sufficient for the control of most assistive devices

Entropy for Asymptotically AdS_3 Black Holes

We propose that Strominger's method to derive the BTZ black hole entropy is in fact applicable to other asymptotically AdS_3 black holes and gives the correct functional form of entropies. We discuss various solutions in the Einstein-Maxwell theory, dilaton gravity, Einstein-scalar theories, and Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory. In some cases, solutions approach AdS_3 asymptotically, but their entropies do not have the form of Cardy's formula. However, it turns out that they are actually not "asymptotically $AdS_3$" solutions. On the other hand, for truly asymptotically AdS_3 solutions, their entropies have the form of Cardy's formula. In this sense, all known solutions are consistent with our proposal.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX; v2: added discussion for section 3.

Cohesion, team mental models, and collective efficacy: Towards an integrated framework of team dynamics in sport

A nomological network on team dynamics in sports consisting of a multi-framework perspective is introduced and tested. The aim was to explore the interrelationship among cohesion, team mental models (TMM), collective-efficacy (CE), and perceived performance potential (PPP). Three hundred and forty college-aged soccer players representing 17 different teams (8 female and 9 male) participated in the study. They responded to surveys on team cohesion, TMM, CE and PPP. Results are congruent with the theoretical conceptualization of a parsimonious view of team dynamics in sports. Specifically, cohesion was found to be an exogenous variable predicting both TMM and CE beliefs. TMM and CE were correlated and predicted PPP, which in turn accounted for 59% of the variance of objective performance scores as measured by teams’ season record. From a theoretical standpoint, findings resulted in a parsimonious view of team dynamics, which may represent an initial step towards clarifying the epistemological roots and nomological network of various team-level properties. From an applied standpoint, results suggest that team expertise starts with the establishment of team cohesion. Following the establishment of cohesiveness, teammates are able to advance team-related schemas and a collective sense of confidence. Limitations and key directions for future research are outlined

Scattering functions of knotted ring polymers

We discuss the scattering function of a Gaussian random polygon with N nodes under a given topological constraint through simulation. We obtain the Kratky plot of a Gaussian polygon of N=200 having a fixed knot for some different knots such as the trivial, trefoil and figure-eight knots. We find that some characteristic properties of the different Kratky plots are consistent with the distinct values of the mean square radius of gyration for Gaussian polygons with the different knots.Comment: 4pages, 3figures, 3table

Near-Infrared Adaptive Optics Spectroscopy of Binary Brown Dwarf HD 130948B and C

We present near-infrared spectroscopy of low-mass companions in a nearby triple system HD 130948 (Gliese 564, HR 5534). Adaptive optics on the Subaru Telescope allowed spectroscopy of the individual components of the 0".13 binary system. Based on a direct comparison with a series of template spectra, we determined the spectral types of HD 130948B and C to be L4 +- 1. If we take the young age of the primary star into account (0.3-0.8 Gyr), HD 130948B and C most likely are a binary brown dwarf system.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Epithelial cell–derived secreted and transmembrane 1a signals to activated neutrophils during pneumococcal pneumonia

Airway epithelial cell responses are critical to the outcome of lung infection. In this study, we aimed to identify unique contributions of epithelial cells during lung infection. To differentiate genes induced selectively in epithelial cells during pneumonia, we compared genome-wide expression profiles from three sorted cell populations: epithelial cells from uninfected mouse lungs, epithelial cells from mouse lungs with pneumococcal pneumonia, and nonepithelial cells from those same infected lungs. Of 1,166 transcripts that were more abundant in epithelial cells from infected lungs compared with nonepithelial cells from the same lungs or from epithelial cells of uninfected lungs, 32 genes were identified as highly expressed secreted products. Especially strong signals included two related secreted and transmembrane (Sectm) 1 genes, Sectm1a and Sectm1b. Refinement of sorting strategies suggested that both Sectm1 products were induced predominantly in conducting airway epithelial cells. Sectm1 was induced during the early stages of pneumococcal pneumonia, and mutation of NF-kB RelA in epithelial cells did not diminish its expression. Instead, type I IFN signaling was necessary and sufficient for Sectm1 induction in lung epithelial cells, mediated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 1. For target cells, Sectm1a bound to myeloid cells preferentially, in particular Ly6GbrightCD11bbright neutrophils in the infected lung. In contrast, Sectm1a did not bind to neutrophils from uninfected lungs. Sectm1a increased expression of the neutrophil-attracting chemokine CXCL2 by neutrophils from the infected lung. We propose that Sectm1a is an epithelial product that sustains a positive feedback loop amplifying neutrophilic inflammation during pneumococcal pneumonia