Persistence of high-frequency spin fluctuations in overdoped superconducting La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.22)

We report a detailed inelastic neutron scattering study of the collective magnetic excitations of overdoped superconducting La(1.78)Sr(0.22)CuO(4) for the energy range 0-160 meV. Our measurements show that overdoping suppresses the strong response present for optimally doped La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4) which is peaked near 50 meV. The remaining response is peaked at incommensurate wave vectors for all energies investigated. We observe a strong high-frequency magnetic response for E approximately >80 meV suggesting that significant antiferromagnetic exchange couplings persist well into the overdoped part of the cuprate phase diagram.     

Synthesis, crystal structures, and electronic properties of nonlinear fused thienoacene semiconductors

Two fused thienoacene compounds with two-dimensional ring connectivity were synthesized, and their semiconducting properties were characterized. Both compounds have a crystal structure comprised of herringbone arrays of tight π-π stacks. Strong π-π interactions lead to self-assembly into well-defined crystalline thin films from the vapor phase for both compounds. Field effect transistors were fabricated, affording identical hole mobilities of 3.0 × 10(-3) cm(2)/(V s) and I(on/off) > 10(5).     

Development of Thermoelectric Self-Powered Heating Equipment

In this work, a self-powered residential heating system was developed using thermoelectric generation technology. A full-size prototype was designed, constructed, and tested, in which Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric modules were incorporated into a gas-fired heating boiler. Up to 161 W of electricity is generated by the thermoelectric modules. This is sufficient to power all the electrical components of the residential heating equipment including pump, fan, blower, valves, and control panel. In this way, the heating system can operate entirely on fuel combustion and does not need externally generated electricity. The performance of the thermoelectric devices has been investigated in the integrated heating system under various operating conditions. The energy system’s advantages include simplicity, low noise, clean operation, and low maintenance. The thermoelectric self-powered heating system could provide the consumer with heating system reliability and a reduction in electric power consumption.     

On stress-state dependent plasticity modeling: Significance of the hydrostatic stress, the third invariant of stress deviator and the non-associated flow rule

It has been shown that the plastic response of many materials, including some metallic alloys, depends on the stress state. In this paper, we describe a plasticity model for isotropic materials, which is a function of the hydrostatic stress as well as the second and third invariants of the stress deviator, and present its finite element implementation, including integration of the constitutive equations using the backward Euler method and formulation of the consistent tangent moduli. Special attention is paid for the adoption of the non-associated flow rule. As an application, this model is calibrated and verified for a 5083 aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman porous plasticity model, which is widely used to simulate the void growth process of ductile fracture, is extended to include the effects of hydrostatic stress and the third invariant of stress deviator on the matrix material.     

Cell‐Tethered Ligands Modulate Bone Remodeling by Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts

The goals of the present study are to establish an in vitro co‐culture model of osteoblast and osteoclast function and to quantify the resulting bone remodeling. The bone is tissue engineered using well‐defined silk protein biomaterials in 2D and 3D formats in combination with human cells. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and glucose‐dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) are selected because of their roles in bone remodeling for expression in tethered format on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The cell‐modified biomaterial surfaces are reconstructed from scanning electron microscopy images into 3D models for quantitative measurement of surface characteristics. Increased calcium deposition and surface roughness are found in 3D surface models of silk protein films remodeled by co‐cultures containing tethered PTH, and decreased surface roughness is found for the films remodeled by tethered GIP co‐cultures. Increased surface roughness is not found in monocultures of hMSCs expressing tethered PTH, suggesting that osteoclast‐osteoblast interactions in the presence of PTH signaling are responsible for the increased mineralization. These data point towards the design of in vitro bone models in which osteoblast‐osteoclast interactions are mimicked for a better understanding of bone remodeling.     

Coherent interactions in two-beam excite-probe absorption measurements: Phase gratings in flowing samples

As a rule, phase gratings yield no power transfer in two-beam excite-probe experiments. We show that an exception to this rule is that of ultrashort-pulse excite-probe experiments involving slow phase effects, such as thermal gratings, occurring in a moving sample medium under high-repetition-rate excitation. A symmetric coherent artifact results, and depending on the direction of the sample motion, its amplitude can be positive, negative, or zero. This artifact occurs only in multiple-pulse experiments, involving accumulated gratings, while, on the other hand, the antisymmetric artifact (described by Palfrey and Heinz) results only from single-pulse effects. We discuss these two complementary effects and present both theory and experiments.This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences Division     

Early stages in the oxidation of magnesium,aluminium and magnesium/aluminium alloys: I. Exoelectron emission and long wavelength photoemission

The initial stages in the oxidation of magnesium, aluminium and magnesium/aluminium alloys have been studied using a photoelectron spectrometer (XPS and exoelectron energy spectra) and the diode technique (surface potentials and volumetric adsorption of oxygen). This paper describes and characterises the exoelectron emission and the visible wavelength photoemission which occurs during oxidation. At low oxygen exposures (< 10 L), exoelectrons with a 4 eV energy spread are emitted in the dark from magnesium and magnesium/aluminium alloy. Aluminium shows no such emission. Another, dark pressure-dependent emission of exoelectrons occurs only on magnesium/aluminium alloy and aluminium at high oxygen exposures. The onset of this emission lies 3 eV higher and it again has a 4 eV spread. When the surface is illuminated, it is possible to distinguish photo/exoelectron emission, which occurs during oxygen uptake, and true photoemission which occurs in vacuo. Both these types of emission, which were only recorded on magnesium, show a resolved triplet. Photoelectric work functions as low as 0.3 eV were observed. A patchy surface evidently develops during oxidation. This process, which may correspond to the nucleation of oxide islands, is slower than the chemisorption of of oxygen. The nature of the low work function patches, which we associate with the electron emissions, is therefore very dependent on the oxygen ambient pressure. A tentative energy scheme is given for such “exopatches” which are neither metal nor oxide and contain a curious energy level that must be situated above the vacuum level of the patch, as well as above the metal Fermi level. The energy with which exoelectrons are emitted derives from the heat of adsorption.     

Franck-Condon analysis of predissociations in the lower valence states of the NH radical

The origins of the predissociations observed by Smith, Brzozowski, and Erman for the A³Πand c¹Π states of NH have been investigated via a Franck-Condon analysis. It is shown that the measured variation of the predissociation probability is is proportional to the Franck-Condon densities between the bound rotational levels of the A and c states and the vibrational continuum of a ⁵Σ^- state arising from the ground state asympote. Similar calculations for the X³Σ^- ground state vibrational continuum, the only other state with a lower dissociation limit, showed that state to be ineffective in producing the observed predissociation.     

A scaled, high-performance (4.5 fJ) bipolar device in a 0.35 μmhigh-density BiCMOS SRAM technology

We present the performance improvements obtained both by scaling the Selectively Compensated Collector (SCC) BJT and by using a modified Current-Mode Logic (CML) gate configuration. Scaling the perimeter parameter by using the (tighter) bitcell design rules results in a ~30% reduction in parasitic capacitances, and a 23% lower power-delay product; reducing it from 48 fJ to 37 fJ. The greatest return comes from using a modified CML gate, which has an n-MOS current source. At a supply voltage of 1.1 V, and at 40 μA switching current, the minimum power-delay product of this CML gate is a silicon-substrate bipolar record 4.5 fJ