Towards a microchannel‐based X‐ray detector with two‐dimensional spatial and time resolution and high dynamic range

X‐ray detectors that combine two‐dimensional spatial resolution with a high time resolution are needed in numerous applications of synchrotron radiation. Most detectors with this combination of capabilities are based on semiconductor technology and are therefore limited in size. Furthermore, the time resolution is often realised through rapid time‐gating of the acquisition, followed by a slower readout. Here, a detector technology is realised based on relatively inexpensive microchannel plates that uses GHz waveform sampling for a millimeter‐scale spatial resolution and better than 100 ps time resolution. The technology is capable of continuous streaming of time‐ and location‐tagged events at rates greater than 10⁷ events per cm². Time‐gating can be used for improved dynamic range.     

Physical properties of the cubic spinel LiMn2O4

We have performed an ab initio study of structural, electronic, magnetic, vibrational and thermal properties of the cubic spinel LiMn₂O₄ by employing the density functional theory, the linear-response formalism, and the plane-wave pseudopotential method. An analysis of the electronic structure with the help of electronic density of states shows that the density of states at the Fermi level (N (E_F)) is found to be governed by the Mn 3d electrons with some contributions from the 2p states of O atoms. It is important to note that the contribution of Mn 3d states to N(_EF)$N\left(E_F\right)$ is as much as 85%. From our phonon calculations, we have obtained that the main contribution to phonon density of states (below 250 cm⁻¹) comes from the coupled motion of Mn and O atoms while phonon modes between 250 cm⁻¹ and 375 cm⁻¹ are characterized by the vibrations of all the three types of atoms. The contribution from Li increases rapidly at higher frequency (above 375 cm⁻¹) due to the light mass of this atom. Finally, the specific heat and the Debye temperature at 300 K are calculated to be 249.29 J/mol K and 820.80 K respectively.     

Design of Hamming Code Checker Using Titanium-Diffused Lithium Niobate-Based Waveguide

ABSTRACT

This work presents an electro-optic effect-based design for the widely used Hamming code for checking single bit errors in the received data. The structure is based on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer, designed using Titanium-diffused Lithium Niobate-based waveguides. The proposed device has been successfully tested using the beam propagation method. For a received 7-bit code, the three simultaneously generated check bits are combined to check the error position. Critical performance parameters like extinction ratio (24.39dB), contrast ratio (25.711dB), insertion loss (0.041dB), and amplitude modulation (0.079dB) calculated for the overall device are within acceptable limits for the feasibility of the device.     

Observation of bulk like magnetic ordering below the blocking temperature in nanosized zinc ferrite

We investigated the magnetic behavior of nanosized zinc ferrite with the help of vibrating sample magnetometry and in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy. The nanoparticles of zinc ferrite with crystallite size ranging from 10 to 62 nm were synthesized by a nitrate method. The structure and phase were determined with the help of X-ray diffraction. Attributes of cation inversion were found with the calculated values of lattice parameter. The saturation magnetization decreases with the increase in crystallite size at room temperature, while these values are almost the same at 10 K for all the samples except the one with crystallite size of 10 nm. The thermal magnetization measurement shows a decrease in blocking temperature with increase in particle size for these samples. The synthesized samples exhibit the presence of antiferromagnetic ordering below the blocking temperature as investigated by in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy.     

A linear operator associated with the Mittag-Leffer function and related conformal mappings

In the present paper, we introduce a linear operator associated with the Mittag-Leffler function. Some convolution properties of meromorphic functions involving this operator are given.     

An Asynchronous Distributed Expectation Maximization Algorithm for Massive Data: The DEM Algorithm

The family of expectation--maximization (EM) algorithms provides a general approach to fitting flexible models for large and complex data. The expectation (E) step of EM-type algorithms is time-consuming in massive data applications because it requires multiple passes through the full data. We address this problem by proposing an asynchronous and distributed generalization of the EM called the distributed EM (DEM). Using DEM, existing EM-type algorithms are easily extended to massive data settings by exploiting the divide-and-conquer technique and widely available computing power, such as grid computing. The DEM algorithm reserves two groups of computing processes called workers and managers for performing the E step and the maximization step (M step), respectively. The samples are randomly partitioned into a large number of disjoint subsets and are stored on the worker processes. The E step of DEM algorithm is performed in parallel on all the workers, and every worker communicates its results to the managers at the end of local E step. The managers perform the M step after they have received results from a γ-fraction of the workers, where γ is a fixed constant in (0, 1]. The sequence of parameter estimates generated by the DEM algorithm retains the attractive properties of EM: convergence of the sequence of parameter estimates to a local mode and linear global rate of convergence. Across diverse simulations focused on linear mixed-effects models, the DEM algorithm is significantly faster than competing EM-type algorithms while having a similar accuracy. The DEM algorithm maintains its superior empirical performance on a movie ratings database consisting of 10 million ratings. Supplementary material for this article is available online.     

Linearization relations for the generalized Bedient polynomials of the first and second kinds via their integral representations

The main object of this paper is to investigate several general families of hyper-geometric polynomials and their associated multiple integral representations. By suitably specializing our main results, the corresponding integral representations are deduced for such familiar classes of hypergeometric polynomials as (for example) the generalized Bedient polynomials of the first and second kinds. Each of the integral representations, which are derived in this paper, may be viewed also as a linearization relationship for the product of two different members of the associated family of hypergeometric polynomials.     

The middleman as a panacea for supply chain coordination problems

The prevalence of intermediaries (middlemen) in supply chains is often seen as a dying remnant of less efficient times. Despite predictions that supply chains will rapidly “cut out the middleman” as technological advances have eased logistics, middlemen have continued to thrive. In this paper, we demonstrate a transaction role of middlemen that may help clarify their staying power. In a model with self-interested decision-making by both a manufacturer and a retailer, wherein incentive misalignment creates investment and production inefficiencies, we show that the integrated (first-best) outcome can be achieved with simple cost-based contracts if and only if a middleman is present. We further show that the approach of utilizing a middleman to fully coordinate the supply chain is robust in that it can be applied to a variety of circumstances discussed in the literature, including multilateral investment/effort choices, multiple product providers, and logistical investments made by the middleman.     

Composition distributions in FePt(Au) nanoparticles

Ternary alloy FePt(Au) nanoparticles were prepared by the co-reduction of platinum(II) acetylacetonate and gold(III) acetate and the thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in hot phenyl ether in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine ligands. This gave spherical particles with an average diameter of 4.4 nm with a range of diameters from approximately 1.6–9 nm. The as-synthesized particles had a solid solution, face-centered-cubic structure. Though the average composition of the particles was Fe₄₄Pt₄₅Au₁₁, individual particle analysis by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy–X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy showed a broad distribution in composition. In general, smaller-sized particles tended to have a lower amount of Au as compared to larger-sized particles. As the Au content increased, the ratio of Fe/Pt widened.