Coupled-resonator-induced plasmonic bandgaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yujia; Sun, Chengwei; Gong, Qihuang; Chen, Jianjun

2017-10-15

By drawing an analogy with the conventional photonic crystals, the plasmonic bandgaps have mainly employed the periodic metallic structures, named as plasmonic crystals. However, the sizes of the plasmonic crystals are much larger than the wavelengths, and the large sizes considerably decrease the density of the photonic integration circuits. Here, based on the coupled-resonator effect, the plasmonic bandgaps are experimentally realized in the subwavelength waveguide-resonator structure, which considerably decreases the structure size to subwavelength scales. An analytic model and the phase analysis are established to explain this phenomenon. Both the experiment and simulation show that the plasmonic bandgap structure has large fabrication tolerances (>20%). Instead of the periodic metallic structures in the bulky plasmonic crystals, the utilization of the subwavelength plasmonic waveguide-resonator structure not only significantly shrinks the bandgap structure to be about λ 2 /13, but also expands the physics of the plasmonic bandgaps. The subwavelength dimension, together with the waveguide configuration and robust realization, makes the bandgap structure easy to be highly integrated on chips.

Device Modeling of the Performance of Cu(In,GaSe2 Solar Cells with V-Shaped Bandgap Profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shou-Yi Kuo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of Cu(In,GaSe2 (CIGS with V-shaped bandgap on device performance is investigated in detail. A series of Ga/(In+Ga ratio are set to study the influence of V-shaped bandgap profile on the electricity of CIGS thin film solar cells. The modeling of device current density-voltage (J-V curve and bandgap grading profile corresponded well to measurement results. Detailed characteristic and modeling results show that an increased gradient of bandgap from valley to the buffer layer CdS will result in a barrier and lead to an enhanced recombination in the valley. This phenomenon can be modified by the back electric field resulting from a gradient bandgap from valley (bandgap minimum to the Mo back contact. These results indicate CIGS-based solar cells can achieve higher performance by optimizing the V-shaped bandgap profile.

Complex layered materials and periodic electromagnetic band-gap structures: Concepts, characterizations, and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Mosallaei, Hossein

The main objective of this dissertation is to characterize and create insight into the electromagnetic performances of two classes of composite structures, namely, complex multi-layered media and periodic Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures. The advanced and diversified computational techniques are applied to obtain their unique propagation characteristics and integrate the results into some novel applications. In the first part of this dissertation, the vector wave solution of Maxwell's equations is integrated with the Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization method to provide a powerful technique for characterizing multi-layered materials, and obtaining their optimal designs. The developed method is successfully applied to determine the optimal composite coatings for Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction of canonical structures. Both monostatic and bistatic scatterings are explored. A GA with hybrid planar/curved surface implementation is also introduced to efficiently obtain the optimal absorbing materials for curved structures. Furthermore, design optimization of the non-uniform Luneburg and 2-shell spherical lens antennas utilizing modal solution/GA-adaptive-cost function is presented. The lens antennas are effectively optimized for both high gain and suppressed grating lobes. The second part demonstrates the development of an advanced computational engine, which accurately computes the broadband characteristics of challenging periodic electromagnetic band-gap structures. This method utilizes the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) technique with Periodic Boundary Condition/Perfectly Matched Layer (PBC/PML), which is efficiently integrated with the Prony scheme. The computational technique is successfully applied to characterize and present the unique propagation performances of different classes of periodic structures such as Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS), Photonic Band-Gap (PBG) materials, and Left-Handed (LH) composite media. The results are

Tunable bandgaps in a deployable metamaterial

Science.gov (United States)

Nanda, Aditya; Karami, M. A.

2018-06-01

In this manuscript, we investigate deployable structures (such as solar arrays) and origami-inspired foldable structures as metamaterials capable of tunable wave manipulation. Specifically, we present a metamaterial whose bandgaps can be modulated by changing the fold angle of adjacent panels. The repeating unit cell of the structure consists of a beam (representing a panel) and a torsional spring (representing the folding mechanism). Two important cases are considered. Firstly, the fold angle (angle between adjacent beams), Ψ, is zero and only flexural waves propagate. In the second case, the fold angle is greater than zero (Ψ > 0). This causes longitudinal and transverse vibration to be coupled. FEM models are used to validate both these analyses. Increasing the fold angle was found to inflict notable changes to the wave transmission characteristics of the structure. In general, increasing the fold angles caused the bandwidth of bandgaps to increase. For the lowest four bandgaps we found bandwidth increases of 252 %, 177 %, 230 % and 163 % respectively at Ψ = 90 deg (relative to the bandwidths at Ψ = 0). In addition, non-trivial increases in bandwidth of the odd-numbered bandgaps occurs even at small fold angles-the bandwidth for the first and third bandgaps effectively double in size (increase by 100 %) at Ψ = 20 deg relative to those at Ψ = 0. This could have ramifications in the context of tunable wave manipulation and adaptive filtering. In addition, by expanding out the characteristic equation of transfer matrix for the straight structure, we prove that the upper band edge of the nth bandgap will always equal the nth simply supported natural frequency of the constituent beam. Further, we found that the ratio (EI/kt) is a pertinent parameter affecting the bandwidth of bandgaps. For low values of the ratio, effectively, no bandgap exists. For higher values of the ratio (EI/kt), we obtain a relatively large bandgap over which no waves propagate. This can

GW quasiparticle bandgaps of anatase TiO2 starting from DFT + U.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Christopher E; Giustino, Feliciano

2012-05-23

We investigate the quasiparticle band structure of anatase TiO(2), a wide gap semiconductor widely employed in photovoltaics and photocatalysis. We obtain GW quasiparticle energies starting from density-functional theory (DFT) calculations including Hubbard U corrections. Using a simple iterative procedure we determine the value of the Hubbard parameter yielding a vanishing quasiparticle correction to the fundamental bandgap of anatase TiO(2). The bandgap (3.3 eV) calculated using this optimal Hubbard parameter is smaller than the value obtained by applying many-body perturbation theory to standard DFT eigenstates and eigenvalues (3.7 eV). We extend our analysis to the rutile polymorph of TiO(2) and reach similar conclusions. Our work highlights the role of the starting non-interacting Hamiltonian in the calculation of GW quasiparticle energies in TiO(2) and suggests an optimal Hubbard parameter for future calculations.

Optimization of Membership Functions for the Fuzzy Controllers of the Water Tank and Inverted Pendulum with Differents PSO Variants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Melin

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper the Particle Swarm Optimization metaheuristic and two of its variants (inertia weight and constriction coefficient are used as an optimization strategy for the design of optimal membership functions of fuzzy control systems for the water tank and inverted pendulum benchmark problems. Each variant has its own advantages in the algorithm, allowing the exploration and exploitation in different ways and this allows finding the optimal solution in a better way.

Contact and Bandgap Engineering in Two Dimensional Crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Tao

At the heart of semiconductor research, bandgap is one of the key parameters for materials and determine their applications in modern technologies. For traditional bulk semiconductors, the bandgap is determined by the chemical composition and specific arrangement of the crystal lattices, and usually invariant during the device operation. Nevertheless, it is highly desirable for many optoelectronic and electronic applications to have materials with continuously tunable bandgap available. In the past decade, 2D layered materials including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have sparked interest in the scientific community, owing to their unique material properties and tremendous potential in various applications. Among many newly discovered properties that are non-existent in bulk materials, the strong in-plane bonding and weak van der Waals inter-planar interaction in these 2D layered structures leads to a widely tunable bandgap by electric field. This provides an extra knob to engineer the fundamental material properties and open a new design space for novel device operation. This thesis focuses on this field controlled dynamic bandgap and can be divided into three parts: (1) bilayer graphene is the first known 2D crystal with a bandgap can be continuously tuned by electric field. However, the electrical transport bandgaps is much smaller than both theoretical predictions and extracted bandgaps from optical measurements. In the first part of the thesis, the limiting factors of preventing achieving a large transport bandgap in bilayer graphene are investigated and different strategies to achieve a large transport bandgap are discussed, including the vertically scaling of gate oxide and patterning channel into ribbon structure. With a record large transport bandgap of ~200meV, a dual-gated semiconducting bilayer graphene P/N junction with extremely scaled gap of 20nm in-between is fabricated. A tunable local maxima feature, associated with 1D v

Coupled Acoustic-Mechanical Bandgaps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard; Kook, Junghwan

2016-01-01

medium and the presence of acoustic resonances. It is demonstrated that corrugation of the plate structure can introduce bending wave bandgaps and bandgaps in the acoustic domain in overlapping and audible frequency ranges. This effect is preserved also when taking the physical coupling between the two...... domains into account. Additionally, the coupling is shown to introduce extra gaps in the band structure due to modal interaction and the appearance of a cut-on frequency for the fundamental acoustic mode....

Review of wide band-gap semiconductors technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Haiwei

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Silicon carbide (SiC and gallium nitride (GaN are typical representative of the wide band-gap semiconductor material, which is also known as third-generation semiconductor materials. Compared with the conventional semiconductor silicon (Si or gallium arsenide (GaAs, wide band-gap semiconductor has the wide band gap, high saturated drift velocity, high critical breakdown field and other advantages; it is a highly desirable semiconductor material applied under the case of high-power, high-temperature, high-frequency, anti-radiation environment. These advantages of wide band-gap devices make them a hot spot of semiconductor technology research in various countries. This article describes the research agenda of United States and European in this area, focusing on the recent developments of the wide band-gap technology in the US and Europe, summed up the facing challenge of the wide band-gap technology.

Photonic Bandgap (PBG) Shielding Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Bastin, Gary L.

2007-01-01

Photonic Bandgap (PBG) shielding technology is a new approach to designing electromagnetic shielding materials for mitigating Electromagnetic Interference (EM!) with small, light-weight shielding materials. It focuses on ground planes of printed wiring boards (PWBs), rather than on components. Modem PSG materials also are emerging based on planar materials, in place of earlier, bulkier, 3-dimensional PBG structures. Planar PBG designs especially show great promise in mitigating and suppressing EMI and crosstalk for aerospace designs, such as needed for NASA's Constellation Program, for returning humans to the moon and for use by our first human visitors traveling to and from Mars. Photonic Bandgap (PBG) materials are also known as artificial dielectrics, meta-materials, and photonic crystals. General PBG materials are fundamentally periodic slow-wave structures in I, 2, or 3 dimensions. By adjusting the choice of structure periodicities in terms of size and recurring structure spacings, multiple scatterings of surface waves can be created that act as a forbidden energy gap (i.e., a range of frequencies) over which nominally-conductive metallic conductors cease to be a conductor and become dielectrics. Equivalently, PBG materials can be regarded as giving rise to forbidden energy gaps in metals without chemical doping, analogous to electron bandgap properties that previously gave rise to the modem semiconductor industry 60 years ago. Electromagnetic waves cannot propagate over bandgap regions that are created with PBG materials, that is, over frequencies for which a bandgap is artificially created through introducing periodic defects

Direct Bandgap Group IV Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-21

AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2017-0049 Direct Bandgap group IV Materials Hung Hsiang Cheng NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY Final Report 01/21/2016 DISTRIBUTION A...NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY 1 ROOSEVELT RD. SEC. 4 TAIPEI CITY, 10617 TW 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING...14. ABSTRACT Direct bandgap group IV materials have been long sought for in both academia and industry for the implementation of photonic devices

In- and Ga-based inorganic double perovskites with direct bandgaps for photovoltaic applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Jun; Ma, Liang; Ju, Minggang; Huang, Jinsong; Zeng, Xiao Cheng

2017-08-16

Double perovskites in the form of A 2 B'B''X 6 (A = Cs, B' = Ag, B'' = Bi) have been reported as potential alternatives to lead-containing organometal trihalide perovskites. However, all double perovskites synthesized to date exhibit indirect bandgaps >1.95 eV, which are undesirable for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report a comprehensive computer-aided screening of In- and Ga-based double perovskites for potential photovoltaic applications. To this end, several preconditions are implemented for the screening of optimal candidates, which include structural stability, electronic bandgaps, and optical absorption. Importantly, four In- and Ga-based double perovskites are identified to possess direct bandgaps within the desirable range of 0.9-1.6 eV for photovoltaic applications. Dominant optical absorption of the four double perovskites is found to be in the UV range. The structural and thermal stability of the four double perovskites are examined using both the empirical Goldschmidt ratio and convex-hull calculations. Only Cs 2 AgInBr 6 is predicted to be thermodynamically stable.

Planar Circularly Symmetric Electromagnetic Band-Gap Antennas for Low Cost High Performance Integrated Antennas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neto, A.; LLombart, N.; Gerini, G.; Maagt, P.J. de

2009-01-01

The use of Planar Circularly Symmetric (PCS) Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures for optimizing the performances of single antenna elements and arrays is been discussed. The key advantage of using this sort of super structures is that they are planar and thus very cheap to manufacture with

Planar circularly symmetric Electromagnetic Band-Gap antennas for low cost high performance integrated antennas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neto, A.; Llombart, N.; Gerini, G.; de Maagt, P.J.I.

2009-01-01

The use of planar circularly symmetric (PCS) electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures for optimizing the performances of single antenna elements and arrays is been discussed. The key advantage of using this sort of super structures is that they are planar and thus very cheap to manufacture with

Densely Aligned Graphene Nanoribbon Arrays and Bandgap Engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Justin [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Chen, Changxin [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Gong, Ming [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Kenney, Michael [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

2017-01-04

Graphene has attracted great interest for future electronics due to its high mobility and high thermal conductivity. However, a two-dimensional graphene sheet behaves like a metal, lacking a bandgap needed for the key devices components such as field effect transistors (FETs) in digital electronics. It has been shown that, partly due to quantum confinement, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with ~2 nm width can open up sufficient bandgaps and evolve into semiconductors to exhibit high on/off ratios useful for FETs. However, a challenging problem has been that, such ultra-narrow GNRs (~2 nm) are difficult to fabricate, especially for GNRs with smooth edges throughout the ribbon length. Despite high on/off ratios, these GNRs show very low mobility and low on-state conductance due to dominant scattering effects by imperfections and disorders at the edges. Wider GNRs (>5 nm) show higher mobility, higher conductance but smaller bandgaps and low on/off ratios undesirable for FET applications. It is highly desirable to open up bandgaps in graphene or increase the bandgaps in wide GNRs to afford graphene based semiconductors for high performance (high on-state current and high on/off ratio) electronics. Large scale ordering and dense packing of such GNRs in parallel are also needed for device integration but have also been challenging thus far. It has been shown theoretically that uniaxial strains can be applied to a GNR to engineer its bandgap. The underlying physics is that under uniaxial strain, the Dirac point moves due to stretched C-C bonds, leading to an increase in the bandgap of armchair GNRs by up to 50% of its original bandgap (i.e. bandgap at zero strain). For zigzag GNRs, due to the existence of the edge states, changes of bandgap are smaller under uniaxial strain and can be increased by ~30%. This work proposes a novel approach to the fabrication of densely aligned graphene nanoribbons with highly smooth edges afforded by anisotropic etching and uniaxial strain for

True photonic band-gap mode-control in VCSEL structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Romstad, F.; Madsen, M.; Birkedal, Dan

2003-01-01

Photonic band-gap mode confinement in novel nano-structured large area VCSEL structures is confirmed by the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum. Both guide and anti-guide VCSEL structures are experimentally characterised to verify the photonic band-gap effect.......Photonic band-gap mode confinement in novel nano-structured large area VCSEL structures is confirmed by the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum. Both guide and anti-guide VCSEL structures are experimentally characterised to verify the photonic band-gap effect....

Plasmonically Enhanced Reflectance of Heat Radiation from Low-Bandgap Semiconductor Microinclusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Janika; Thakore, Vaibhav; Ala-Nissila, Tapio

2017-07-18

Increased reflectance from the inclusion of highly scattering particles at low volume fractions in an insulating dielectric offers a promising way to reduce radiative thermal losses at high temperatures. Here, we investigate plasmonic resonance driven enhanced scattering from microinclusions of low-bandgap semiconductors (InP, Si, Ge, PbS, InAs and Te) in an insulating composite to tailor its infrared reflectance for minimizing thermal losses from radiative transfer. To this end, we compute the spectral properties of the microcomposites using Monte Carlo modeling and compare them with results from Fresnel equations. The role of particle size-dependent Mie scattering and absorption efficiencies, and, scattering anisotropy are studied to identify the optimal microinclusion size and material parameters for maximizing the reflectance of the thermal radiation. For composites with Si and Ge microinclusions we obtain reflectance efficiencies of 57-65% for the incident blackbody radiation from sources at temperatures in the range 400-1600 °C. Furthermore, we observe a broadbanding of the reflectance spectra from the plasmonic resonances due to charge carriers generated from defect states within the semiconductor bandgap. Our results thus open up the possibility of developing efficient high-temperature thermal insulators through use of the low-bandgap semiconductor microinclusions in insulating dielectrics.

Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, James S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2013-07-03

Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride, 4H and 6H Silicon Carbide are attractive materials for compact, high voltage, extrinsic, photoconductive switches due to their wide bandgap, high dark resistance, high critical electric field strength and high electron saturation velocity. These wide bandgap semiconductors are made semi-insulating by the addition of vanadium (4H and 6HSiC) and iron (2H-GaN) impurities that form deep acceptors. These deep acceptors trap electrons donated from shallow donor impurities. The electrons can be optically excited from these deep acceptor levels into the conduction band to transition the wide bandgap semiconductor materials from a semi-insulating to a conducting state. Extrinsic photoconductive switches with opposing electrodes have been constructed using vanadium compensated 6H-SiC and iron compensated 2H-GaN. These extrinsic photoconductive switches were tested at high voltage and high power to determine if they could be successfully used as the closing switch in compact medical accelerators.

Wide bandgap engineering of (AlGa)2O3 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fabi; Saito, Katsuhiko; Tanaka, Tooru; Nishio, Mitsuhiro; Guo, Qixin; Arita, Makoto

2014-01-01

Bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films were deposited on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The deposited films are of high transmittance as measured by spectrophotometer. The Al content in films is almost the same as that in targets. The measurement of bandgap energies by examining the onset of inelastic energy loss in core-level atomic spectra using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is proved to be valid for determining the bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films as it is in good agreement with the bandgap values from transmittance spectra. The measured bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films increases continuously with the Al content covering the whole Al content range from about 5 to 7 eV, indicating PLD is a promising growth technology for growing bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films.

High-efficiency, monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem photovoltaic energy converters

Science.gov (United States)

Wanlass, Mark W [Golden, CO

2011-11-29

A monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem solar photovoltaic converter has at least one, and preferably at least two, subcells grown lattice-matched on a substrate with a bandgap in medium to high energy portions of the solar spectrum and at least one subcell grown lattice-mismatched to the substrate with a bandgap in the low energy portion of the solar spectrum, for example, about 1 eV.

Terahertz spectroscopy of three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oezbay, E.; Michel, E.; Tuttle, G.; Biswas, R.; Ho, K.M.; Bostak, J.; Bloom, D.M.

1994-01-01

We have fabricated and built three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals with band-gap frequencies larger than 500 GHz. We built the crystals by stacking micromachined (110) silicon wafers. The transmission and dispersion characteristics of the structures were measured by an all-electronic terahertz spectroscopy setup. The experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical calculations. To our knowledge, our new crystal has the highest reported photonic band-gap frequency

A Particle Swarm Optimization Variant with an Inner Variable Learning Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guohua Wu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Although Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO has demonstrated competitive performance in solving global optimization problems, it exhibits some limitations when dealing with optimization problems with high dimensionality and complex landscape. In this paper, we integrate some problem-oriented knowledge into the design of a certain PSO variant. The resulting novel PSO algorithm with an inner variable learning strategy (PSO-IVL is particularly efficient for optimizing functions with symmetric variables. Symmetric variables of the optimized function have to satisfy a certain quantitative relation. Based on this knowledge, the inner variable learning (IVL strategy helps the particle to inspect the relation among its inner variables, determine the exemplar variable for all other variables, and then make each variable learn from the exemplar variable in terms of their quantitative relations. In addition, we design a new trap detection and jumping out strategy to help particles escape from local optima. The trap detection operation is employed at the level of individual particles whereas the trap jumping out strategy is adaptive in its nature. Experimental simulations completed for some representative optimization functions demonstrate the excellent performance of PSO-IVL. The effectiveness of the PSO-IVL stresses a usefulness of augmenting evolutionary algorithms by problem-oriented domain knowledge.

Tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inaoka, Takeshi, E-mail: inaoka@phys.u-ryukyu.ac.jp; Furukawa, Takuro; Toma, Ryo; Yanagisawa, Susumu [Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 (Japan)

2015-09-14

By means of a hybrid density-functional method, we investigate the tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge. We consider [001], [111], and [110] uniaxial tensility and (001), (111), and (110) biaxial tensility. Under the condition of no normal stress, we determine both normal compression and internal strain, namely, relative displacement of two atoms in the primitive unit cell, by minimizing the total energy. We identify those strain types which can induce the band-gap transition, and evaluate the critical strain coefficient where the gap transition occurs. Either normal compression or internal strain operates unfavorably to induce the gap transition, which raises the critical strain coefficient or even blocks the transition. We also examine how each type of tensile strain decreases the band-gap energy, depending on its orientation. Our analysis clearly shows that synergistic operation of strain orientation and band anisotropy has a great influence on the gap transition and the gap energy.

Analysis of multifunctional piezoelectric metastructures for low-frequency bandgap formation and energy harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Sugino, C.; Erturk, A.

2018-05-01

Vibration-based energy harvesting is a growing field for generating low-power electricity to use in wireless electronic devices, such as the sensor networks used in structural health monitoring applications. Locally resonant metastructures, which are structures that comprise locally resonant metamaterial components, enable bandgap formation at wavelengths much longer than the lattice size, for critical applications such as low-frequency vibration attenuation in flexible structures. This work aims to bridge the domains of energy harvesting and locally resonant metamaterials to form multifunctional structures that exhibit both low-power electricity generation and vibration attenuation capabilities. A fully coupled electromechanical modeling framework is developed for two characteristic systems and their modal analysis is presented. Simulations are performed to explore the vibration and electrical power frequency response maps for varying electrical load resistance, and optimal loading conditions are presented. Case studies are presented to understand the interaction of bandgap formation and energy harvesting capabilities of this new class of multifunctional energy-harvesting locally resonant metastructures. It is shown that useful energy can be harvested from locally resonant metastructures without significantly diminishing their dramatic vibration attenuation in the locally resonant bandgap. Thus, integrating energy harvesters into a locally resonant metastructure enables a new potential for multifunctional locally resonant metastructures that can host self-powered sensors.

Electrically tunable liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Scolari, Lara; Wei, Lei

2010-01-01

We demonstrate electrical tunability of a fiber laser by using a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber. Tuning of the laser is achieved by combining the wavelength filtering effect of a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber device with an ytterbium-doped photonic crystal fiber. We fabricate an al...

Phosphorene nanoribbons: Passivation effect on bandgap and effective mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Li-Chun; Song, Xian-Jiang; Yang, Zhi; Cao, Ling; Liu, Rui-Ping; Li, Xiu-Yan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hydrogenation and fluorination can passivate the metallic edge states of zPNRs. • The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases duo to the quantum confinement effect. • Two local configurations of passivated atoms can coexist in nanoribbons and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. • New passivation configuration can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons. - Abstract: The edge passivation effect of phosphorene nanoribbons is systematically investigated using density functional theory. Hydrogen and fluorine atoms passivate the metallic edge states of nanoribbons and can open a bandgap up to 2.25 eV. The two configurations of passivated atoms can exist at two edges and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The new configuration, named C b , can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons, which benefits the future design of phosphorene-based electronic devices

Phosphorene nanoribbons: Passivation effect on bandgap and effective mass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Li-Chun, E-mail: xulichun@tyut.edu.cn; Song, Xian-Jiang; Yang, Zhi; Cao, Ling; Liu, Rui-Ping; Li, Xiu-Yan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hydrogenation and fluorination can passivate the metallic edge states of zPNRs. • The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases duo to the quantum confinement effect. • Two local configurations of passivated atoms can coexist in nanoribbons and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. • New passivation configuration can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons. - Abstract: The edge passivation effect of phosphorene nanoribbons is systematically investigated using density functional theory. Hydrogen and fluorine atoms passivate the metallic edge states of nanoribbons and can open a bandgap up to 2.25 eV. The two configurations of passivated atoms can exist at two edges and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The new configuration, named C{sub b}, can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons, which benefits the future design of phosphorene-based electronic devices.

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Detector Optimization for Flash X-Ray Measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roecker, Caleb Daniel [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Schirato, Richard C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-11-17

Charge trapping, resulting in a decreased and spatially dependent electric field, has long been a concern for wide bandgap semiconductor detectors. While significant work has been performed to characterize this degradation at varying temperatures and radiation environments, this work concentrates upon examining the event-to-event response in a flash X-ray environment. The following work investigates if charge trapping is a problem for CZT detectors, with particular emphasis on flash X-ray radiation fields at cold temperatures. Results are compared to a non-flash radiation field, using an Am-241 alpha source and similar temperature transitions. Our ability to determine if a response change occurred was hampered by the repeatability of our flash X-ray systems; a small response change was observed with the Am-241 source. Due to contrast of these results, we are in the process of revisiting the Am-241 measurements in the presence of a high radiation environment. If the response change is more pronounced in the high radiation environment, a similar test will be performed in the flash X-ray environment.

Advances in photonic bandgap fiber functionality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian

In order to take advantage of the many intriguing optical properties of photonic bandgap fibers, there are some technological challenges that have to be addressed. Among other things this includes transmission loss and the fibers ability to maintain field polarization. The work presented in this ......In order to take advantage of the many intriguing optical properties of photonic bandgap fibers, there are some technological challenges that have to be addressed. Among other things this includes transmission loss and the fibers ability to maintain field polarization. The work presented...

Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, James S. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Plattsburgh, NY (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

2012-01-20

Photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) have been investigated since the late 1970s. Some devices have been developed that withstand tens of kilovolts and others that switch hundreds of amperes. However, no single device has been developed that can reliably withstand both high voltage and switch high current. Yet, photoconductive switches still hold the promise of reliable high voltage and high current operation with subnanosecond risetimes. Particularly since good quality, bulk, single crystal, wide bandgap semiconductor materials have recently become available. In this chapter we will review the basic operation of PCSS devices, status of PCSS devices and properties of the wide bandgap semiconductors 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 2H-GaN.

On the mechanism of bandgap formation in locally resonant finite elastic metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Sugino, Christopher; Leadenham, Stephen; Ruzzene, Massimo; Erturk, Alper

2016-10-01

Elastic/acoustic metamaterials made from locally resonant arrays can exhibit bandgaps at wavelengths much longer than the lattice size for various applications spanning from low-frequency vibration/sound attenuation to wave guiding and filtering in mechanical and electromechanical devices. For an effective use of such locally resonant metamaterial concepts in finite structures, it is required to bridge the gap between the lattice dispersion characteristics and modal behavior of the host structure with its resonators. To this end, we develop a novel argument for bandgap formation in finite-length elastic metamaterial beams, relying on the modal analysis and the assumption of infinitely many resonators. We show that the dual problem to wave propagation through an infinite periodic beam is the modal analysis of a finite beam with an infinite number of resonators. A simple formula that depends only on the resonator natural frequency and total mass ratio is derived for placing the bandgap in a desired frequency range, yielding an analytical insight and a rule of thumb for design purposes. A method for understanding the importance of a resonator location and mass is discussed in the context of a Riemann sum approximation of an integral, and a method for determining the optimal number of resonators for a given set of boundary conditions and target frequency is introduced. The simulations of the theoretical framework are validated by experiments for bending vibrations of a locally resonant cantilever beam.

Micromachined millimeter-wave photonic band-gap crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oezbay, E.; Michel, E.; Tuttle, G.; Biswas, R.; Sigalas, M.; Ho, K.

1994-01-01

We have developed a new technique for fabricating three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals. Our method utilizes an orderly stacking of micromachined (110) silicon wafers to build the periodic structure. A structure with a full three-dimensional photonic band gap centered near 100 GHz was measured, with experimental results in good agreement with theoretical predictions. This basic approach described should be extendable to build structures with photonic band-gap frequencies ranging from 30 GHz to 3 THz

Photo-Detection on Narrow-Bandgap High-Mobility 2D Semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Charnas, Adam; Qiu, Gang; Deng, Yexin; Wang, Yixiu; Du, Yuchen; Yang, Lingming; Wu, Wenzhuo; Ye, Peide

Photo-detection and energy harvesting device concepts have been demonstrated widely in 2D materials such as graphene, TMDs, and black phosphorus. In this work, we demonstrate anisotropic photo-detection achieved using devices fabricated from hydrothermally grown narrow-bandgap high-mobility 2D semiconductor. Back-gated FETs were fabricated by transferring the 2D flakes onto a Si/SiO2 substrate and depositing various metal contacts across the flakes to optimize the access resistance for optoelectronic devices. Photo-responsivity was measured and mapped by slightly biasing the devices and shining a laser spot at different locations of the device to observe and map the resulting photo-generated current. Optimization of the Schottky barrier height for both n and p at the metal-2D interfaces using asymmetric contact engineering was performed to improve device performance.

Decision-Making Approach to Selecting Optimal Platform of Service Variants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Modrak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, it is anticipated that service sector companies will be inspired to follow mass customization trends of industrial sector. However, services are more abstract than products and therefore concepts for mass customization in manufacturing domain cannot be transformed without a methodical change. This paper is focused on the development of a methodological framework to support decisions in a selection of optimal platform of service variants when compatibility problems between service options occurred. The approach is based on mutual relations between waste and constrained design space entropy. For this purpose, software for quantification of constrained and waste design space is developed. Practicability of the methodology is presented on a realistic case.

Thermal tunability of photonic bandgaps in liquid crystal infiltrated microstructured polymer optical fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yuan, Scott Wu; Wei, Lei; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2009-01-01

We demonstrate the photonic bandgap effect and the thermal tunability of bandgaps in microstructured polymer optical fibers infiltrated with liquid crystal. Two liquid crystals with opposite sign of the temperature gradient of the ordinary refractive index (E7 and MDA-00- 1444) are used to demons......We demonstrate the photonic bandgap effect and the thermal tunability of bandgaps in microstructured polymer optical fibers infiltrated with liquid crystal. Two liquid crystals with opposite sign of the temperature gradient of the ordinary refractive index (E7 and MDA-00- 1444) are used...... to demonstrate that both signs of the thermal tunability of the bandgaps are possible. The useful bandgaps are ultimately bounded to the visible range by the transparency window of the polymer....

Recent Advances in Wide-Bandgap Photovoltaic Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yunhao; Huo, Lijun; Sun, Yanming

2017-06-01

The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the field of organic solar cells (OSCs). Ongoing improvements in the power conversion efficiency of OSCs have been achieved, which were mainly attributed to the design and synthesis of novel conjugated polymers with different architectures and functional moieties. Among various conjugated polymers, the development of wide-bandgap (WBG) polymers has received less attention than that of low-bandgap and medium-bandgap polymers. Here, we briefly summarize recent advances in WBG polymers and their applications in organic photovoltaic (PV) devices, such as tandem, ternary, and non-fullerene solar cells. Addtionally, we also dissuss the application of high open-circuit voltage tandem solar cells in PV-driven electrochemical water dissociation. We mainly focus on the molecular design strategies, the structure-property correlations, and the photovoltaic performance of these WBG polymers. Finally, we extract empirical regularities and provide invigorating perspectives on the future development of WBG photovoltaic materials. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fullerene-based low-density superhard materials with tunable bandgaps

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Ai-Hua; Zhao, Wen-Juan; Gan, Li-Hua

2018-06-01

Four carbon allotropes built from tetrahedral symmetrical fullerenes C28 and C40 are predicted to be superhard materials with mass density around that of water, and all of them are porous semiconductors. Both the bandgaps and hardness decrease with increasing ratio of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms. The mechanical and thermodynamic stabilities of C28- and C40-based allotropes at zero pressure are confirmed by a variety of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations. The evolution trend of bandgap found here suggests that one can obtain low-density hard materials with tunable bandgaps by substituting the carbon atom in diamond with different Td-symmetrical non-IPR fullerene Cn.

Research on bandgaps in two-dimensional phononic crystal with two resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Nansha; Wu, Jiu Hui; Yu, Lie

2015-02-01

In this paper, the bandgap properties of a two-dimensional phononic crystal with the two resonators is studied and embedded in a homogenous matrix. The resonators are not connected with the matrix but linked with connectors directly. The dispersion relationship, transmission spectra, and displacement fields of the eigenmodes of this phononic crystal are studied with finite-element method. In contrast to the phononic crystals with one resonators and hollow structure, the proposed structures with two resonators can open bandgaps at lower frequencies. This is a very interesting and useful phenomenon. Results show that, the opening of the bandgaps is because of the local resonance and the scattering interaction between two resonators and matrix. An equivalent spring-pendulum model can be developed in order to evaluate the frequencies of the bandgap edge. The study in this paper is beneficial to the design of opening and tuning bandgaps in phononic crystals and isolators in low-frequency range. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation between Photoluminescence and Carrier Transport and a Simple In Situ Passivation Method for High-Bandgap Hybrid Perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoddard, Ryan J; Eickemeyer, Felix T; Katahara, John K; Hillhouse, Hugh W

2017-07-20

High-bandgap mixed-halide hybrid perovskites have higher open-circuit voltage deficits and lower carrier diffusion lengths than their lower-bandgap counterparts. We have developed a ligand-assisted crystallization (LAC) technique that introduces additives in situ during the solvent wash and developed a new method to dynamically measure the absolute intensity steady-state photoluminescence and the mean carrier diffusion length simultaneously. The measurements reveal four distinct regimes of material changes and show that photoluminescence brightening often coincides with losses in carrier transport, such as in degradation or phase segregation. Further, the measurements enabled optimization of LAC on the 1.75 eV bandgap FA 0.83 Cs 0.17 Pb(I 0.66 Br 0.34 ) 3 , resulting in an enhancement of the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of over an order of magnitude, an increase of 80 meV in the quasi-Fermi level splitting (to 1.29 eV), an increase in diffusion length by a factor of 3.5 (to over 1 μm), and enhanced open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current from photovoltaics fabricated from the LAC-treated films.

Comparison and optimization of in silico algorithms for predicting the pathogenicity of sodium channel variants in epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Katherine D; Bouley, Thomas M; Horn, Paul S

2017-07-01

Variants in neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel α-subunits genes SCN1A, SCN2A, and SCN8A are common in early onset epileptic encephalopathies and other autosomal dominant childhood epilepsy syndromes. However, in clinical practice, missense variants are often classified as variants of uncertain significance when missense variants are identified but heritability cannot be determined. Genetic testing reports often include results of computational tests to estimate pathogenicity and the frequency of that variant in population-based databases. The objective of this work was to enhance clinicians' understanding of results by (1) determining how effectively computational algorithms predict epileptogenicity of sodium channel (SCN) missense variants; (2) optimizing their predictive capabilities; and (3) determining if epilepsy-associated SCN variants are present in population-based databases. This will help clinicians better understand the results of indeterminate SCN test results in people with epilepsy. Pathogenic, likely pathogenic, and benign variants in SCNs were identified using databases of sodium channel variants. Benign variants were also identified from population-based databases. Eight algorithms commonly used to predict pathogenicity were compared. In addition, logistic regression was used to determine if a combination of algorithms could better predict pathogenicity. Based on American College of Medical Genetic Criteria, 440 variants were classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic and 84 were classified as benign or likely benign. Twenty-eight variants previously associated with epilepsy were present in population-based gene databases. The output provided by most computational algorithms had a high sensitivity but low specificity with an accuracy of 0.52-0.77. Accuracy could be improved by adjusting the threshold for pathogenicity. Using this adjustment, the Mendelian Clinically Applicable Pathogenicity (M-CAP) algorithm had an accuracy of 0.90 and a

New Light-Harvesting Materials Using Accurate and Efficient Bandgap Calculations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; Hüser, Falco; Pandey, Mohnish

2014-01-01

Electronic bandgap calculations are presented for 2400 experimentally known materials from the Materials Project database and the bandgaps, obtained with different types of functionals within density functional theory and (partial) self-consistent GW approximation, are compared for 20 randomly...

Structural correlations in the generation of polaron pairs in low-bandgap polymers for photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tautz, Raphael; da Como, Enrico; Limmer, Thomas; Feldmann, Jochen; Egelhaaf, Hans-Joachim; von Hauff, Elizabeth; Lemaur, Vincent; Beljonne, David; Yilmaz, Seyfullah; Dumsch, Ines; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich

2012-07-01

Polymeric semiconductors are materials where unique optical and electronic properties often originate from a tailored chemical structure. This allows for synthesizing conjugated macromolecules with ad hoc functionalities for organic electronics. In photovoltaics, donor-acceptor co-polymers, with moieties of different electron affinity alternating on the chain, have attracted considerable interest. The low bandgap offers optimal light-harvesting characteristics and has inspired work towards record power conversion efficiencies. Here we show for the first time how the chemical structure of donor and acceptor moieties controls the photogeneration of polaron pairs. We show that co-polymers with strong acceptors show large yields of polaron pair formation up to 24% of the initial photoexcitations as compared with a homopolymer (η=8%). π-conjugated spacers, separating the donor and acceptor centre of masses, have the beneficial role of increasing the recombination time. The results provide useful input into the understanding of polaron pair photogeneration in low-bandgap co-polymers for photovoltaics.

Analysis of phononic bandgap structures with dissipation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Erik; Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2013-01-01

and longer wavelengths, we show that the two formulations produce nearly identical results in terms of propagation constant and wave decay. We use the k(ω)-formulation to compute loss factors with dissipative bandgap materials for steady-state wave propagation and create simplified diagrams that unify...... the spatial loss factor from dissipative and bandgap effects. Additionally, we demonstrate the applicability of the k(ω)-formulation for the computation of the band diagram for viscoelastic composites and compare the computed loss factors for low frequency wave propagation to existing results based on quasi...

Compact electromagnetic bandgap structures for notch band in ultra-wideband applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Rotaru, Mihai; Sykulski, Jan

2010-01-01

This paper introduces a novel approach to create notch band filters in the front-end of ultra-wideband (UWB) communication systems based on electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures. The concept presented here can be implemented in any structure that has a microstrip in its configuration. The EBG structure is first analyzed using a full wave electromagnetic solver and then optimized to work at WLAN band (5.15-5.825 GHz). Two UWB passband filters are used to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the novel EBG notch band feature. Simulation results are provided for two cases studied.

Strain-Modulated Bandgap and Piezo-Resistive Effect in Black Phosphorus Field-Effect Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zuocheng; Li, Likai; Horng, Jason; Wang, Nai Zhou; Yang, Fangyuan; Yu, Yijun; Zhang, Yu; Chen, Guorui; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Chen, Xian Hui; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Yuanbo

2017-10-11

Energy bandgap largely determines the optical and electronic properties of a semiconductor. Variable bandgap therefore makes versatile functionality possible in a single material. In layered material black phosphorus, the bandgap can be modulated by the number of layers; as a result, few-layer black phosphorus has discrete bandgap values that are relevant for optoelectronic applications in the spectral range from red, in monolayer, to mid-infrared in the bulk limit. Here, we further demonstrate continuous bandgap modulation by mechanical strain applied through flexible substrates. The strain-modulated bandgap significantly alters the density of thermally activated carriers; we for the first time observe a large piezo-resistive effect in black phosphorus field-effect transistors (FETs) at room temperature. The effect opens up opportunities for future development of electromechanical transducers based on black phosphorus, and we demonstrate an ultrasensitive strain gauge constructed from black phosphorus thin crystals.

Single-graded CIGS with narrow bandgap for tandem solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Feurer, Thomas; Bissig, Benjamin; Weiss, Thomas P; Carron, Romain; Avancini, Enrico; Löckinger, Johannes; Buecheler, Stephan; Tiwari, Ayodhya N

2018-01-01

Multi-junction solar cells show the highest photovoltaic energy conversion efficiencies, but the current technologies based on wafers and epitaxial growth of multiple layers are very costly. Therefore, there is a high interest in realizing multi-junction tandem devices based on cost-effective thin film technologies. While the efficiency of such devices has been limited so far because of the rather low efficiency of semitransparent wide bandgap top cells, the recent rise of wide bandgap perovskite solar cells has inspired the development of new thin film tandem solar devices. In order to realize monolithic, and therefore current-matched thin film tandem solar cells, a bottom cell with narrow bandgap (~1 eV) and high efficiency is necessary. In this work, we present Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 with a bandgap of 1.00 eV and a maximum power conversion efficiency of 16.1%. This is achieved by implementing a gallium grading towards the back contact into a CuInSe 2 base material. We show that this modification significantly improves the open circuit voltage but does not reduce the spectral response range of these devices. Therefore, efficient cells with narrow bandgap absorbers are obtained, yielding the high current density necessary for thin film multi-junction solar cells.

Transmission properties of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falk, Charlotte Ijeoma; Hald, Jan; Petersen, Jan C.

2010-01-01

Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers.......Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers....

Ultrasensitive tunability of the direct bandgap of 2D InSe flakes via strain engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Wang, Tianmeng; Wu, Meng; Cao, Ting; Chen, Yanwen; Sankar, Raman; Ulaganathan, Rajesh K.; Chou, Fangcheng; Wetzel, Christian; Xu, Cheng-Yan; Louie, Steven G.; Shi, Su-Fei

2018-04-01

InSe, a member of the layered materials family, is a superior electronic and optical material which retains a direct bandgap feature from the bulk to atomically thin few-layers and high electronic mobility down to a single layer limit. We, for the first time, exploit strain to drastically modify the bandgap of two-dimensional (2D) InSe nanoflakes. We demonstrated that we could decrease the bandgap of a few-layer InSe flake by 160 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial tensile strain to 1.06% and increase the bandgap by 79 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial compressive strain to 0.62%, as evidenced by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The large reversible bandgap change of ~239 meV arises from a large bandgap change rate (bandgap strain coefficient) of few-layer InSe in response to strain, ~154 meV/% for uniaxial tensile strain and ~140 meV/% for uniaxial compressive strain, representing the most pronounced uniaxial strain-induced bandgap strain coefficient experimentally reported in 2D materials. We developed a theoretical understanding of the strain-induced bandgap change through first-principles DFT and GW calculations. We also confirmed the bandgap change by photoconductivity measurements using excitation light with different photon energies. The highly tunable bandgap of InSe in the infrared regime should enable a wide range of applications, including electro-mechanical, piezoelectric and optoelectronic devices.

Bandgap Engineering of Double Perovskites for One- and Two-photon Water Splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; Thygesen, Kristian Sommer; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel

2013-01-01

Computational screening is becoming increasingly useful in the search for new materials. We are interested in the design of new semiconductors to be used for light harvesting in a photoelectrochemical cell. In the present paper, we study the double perovskite structures obtained by combining 46...... stable cubic perovskites which was found to have a finite bandgap in a previous screening-study. The four-metal double perovskite space is too large to be investigated completely. For this reason we propose a method for combining different metals to obtain a desired bandgap. We derive some bandgap design...... rules on how to combine two cubic perovskites to generate a new combination with a larger or smaller bandgap compared with the constituent structures. Those rules are based on the type of orbitals involved in the conduction bands and on the size of the two cubic bandgaps. We also see that a change...

Optically controlled photonic bandgap structures for microstrip circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadman, Darren Arthur

2003-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the optical control of microwave photonic bandgap circuits using high resistivity silicon. Photoconducting processes that occur within silicon are investigated. The influence of excess carrier density on carrier mobility and lifetime is examined. In addition, electron-hole pair recombination mechanisms (Shockley-Read-Hall, Auger, radiative and surface) are investigated. The microwave properties of silicon are examined, in particular the variation of silicon reflectivity with excess carrier density. Filtering properties of microstrip photonic bandgap structures and how they may be controlled optically are studied. A proof-of-concept microstrip photonic bandgap structure with optical control is designed, simulated and measured. With no optical illumination incident upon the silicon, the microstrip photonic bandgap structure's filtering properties are well-defined; a 3dB stopband width of 2.6GHz, a 6dB bandwidth of 2GHz and stopband depth of -11.6dB at the centre frequency of 9.9GHz. When the silicon is illuminated, the structure's filtering properties are suppressed. Under illumination the experimental results display an increase in S 21 of 6.5dB and a reduction in S 11 of more than 10dB at 9.9GHz. A comparison of measured and simulated results reveal that the photogenerated excess carrier density is between 4 x 10 15 cm -3 and 1.1 x 10 16 cm -3 . (author)

Medium-Bandgap Small-Molecule Donors Compatible with Both Fullerene and Nonfullerene Acceptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Yong; Yan, Cenqi; Kan, Bin; Liu, Xiao-Fei; Chen, Li-Chuan; Hu, Chen-Xia; Lau, Tsz-Ki; Lu, Xinhui; Sun, Chun-Lin; Shao, Xiangfeng; Chen, Yongsheng; Zhan, Xiaowei; Zhang, Hao-Li

2018-03-21

Much effort has been devoted to the development of new donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells due to their inherent advantages of well-defined molecular weight, easy purification, and good reproducibility in photovoltaic performance. Herein, we report two small-molecule donors that are compatible with both fullerene and nonfullerene acceptors. Both molecules consist of an (E)-1,2-di(thiophen-2-yl)ethane-substituted (TVT-substituted) benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) as the central unit, and two rhodanine units as the terminal electron-withdrawing groups. The central units are modified with either alkyl side chains (DRBDT-TVT) or alkylthio side chains (DRBDT-STVT). Both molecules exhibit a medium bandgap with complementary absorption and proper energy level offset with typical acceptors like PC 71 BM and IDIC. The optimized devices show a decent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.87% for small-molecule organic solar cells and 6.63% for nonfullerene all small-molecule organic solar cells. Our results reveal that rationally designed medium-bandgap small-molecule donors can be applied in high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells with different types of acceptors.

Liquid Crystal photonic Bandgap Fiber Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei

In this Ph.D. thesis, an experimental investigation of liquid crystal photonic bandgap (LCPBG) fiber devices and applications is presented. Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) consist of a cladding microstructure with periodic index variations and a core defined by a defect of the structure. The prese......In this Ph.D. thesis, an experimental investigation of liquid crystal photonic bandgap (LCPBG) fiber devices and applications is presented. Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) consist of a cladding microstructure with periodic index variations and a core defined by a defect of the structure...... of each LCPBG fiber. Finally, the applications for LCPBG fiber devices based on the on-chip platform design have been demonstrated in realizing microwave true-time delay and creating an electrically tunable fiber laser. Referatet mailes...

Water-Dependent Photonic Bandgap in Silica Artificial Opals

OpenAIRE

Gallego-Gomez, Francisco; Blanco, Alvaro; Canalejas-Tejero, Victor; Lopez, Cefe

2011-01-01

Some characteristics of silica-based structuresa-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheresa-can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is partic...

Physical properties and analytical models of band-to-band tunneling in low-bandgap semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shih, Chun-Hsing; Dang Chien, Nguyen

2014-01-01

Low-bandgap semiconductors, such as InAs and InSb, are widely considered to be ideal for use in tunnel field-effect transistors to ensure sufficient on-current boosting at low voltages. This work elucidates the physical and mathematical considerations of applying conventional band-to-band tunneling models in low-bandgap semiconductors, and presents a new analytical alternative for practical use. The high-bandgap tunneling generates most at maximum field region with shortest tunnel path, whereas the low-bandgap generations occur dispersedly because of narrow tunnel barrier. The local electrical field associated with tunneling-electron numbers dominates in low-bandgap materials. This work proposes decoupled electric-field terms in the pre-exponential factor and exponential function of generation-rate expressions. Without fitting, the analytical results and approximated forms exhibit great agreements with the sophisticated forms both in high- and low-bandgap semiconductors. Neither nonlocal nor local field is appropriate to be used in numerical simulations for predicting the tunneling generations in a variety of low- and high-bandgap semiconductors

Pareto-optimal reversed-phase chromatography separation of three insulin variants with a solubility constraint.

Science.gov (United States)

Arkell, Karolina; Knutson, Hans-Kristian; Frederiksen, Søren S; Breil, Martin P; Nilsson, Bernt

2018-01-12

With the shift of focus of the regulatory bodies, from fixed process conditions towards flexible ones based on process understanding, model-based optimization is becoming an important tool for process development within the biopharmaceutical industry. In this paper, a multi-objective optimization study of separation of three insulin variants by reversed-phase chromatography (RPC) is presented. The decision variables were the load factor, the concentrations of ethanol and KCl in the eluent, and the cut points for the product pooling. In addition to the purity constraints, a solubility constraint on the total insulin concentration was applied. The insulin solubility is a function of the ethanol concentration in the mobile phase, and the main aim was to investigate the effect of this constraint on the maximal productivity. Multi-objective optimization was performed with and without the solubility constraint, and visualized as Pareto fronts, showing the optimal combinations of the two objectives productivity and yield for each case. Comparison of the constrained and unconstrained Pareto fronts showed that the former diverges when the constraint becomes active, because the increase in productivity with decreasing yield is almost halted. Consequently, we suggest the operating point at which the total outlet concentration of insulin reaches the solubility limit as the most suitable one. According to the results from the constrained optimizations, the maximal productivity on the C 4 adsorbent (0.41 kg/(m 3  column h)) is less than half of that on the C 18 adsorbent (0.87 kg/(m 3  column h)). This is partly caused by the higher selectivity between the insulin variants on the C 18 adsorbent, but the main reason is the difference in how the solubility constraint affects the processes. Since the optimal ethanol concentration for elution on the C 18 adsorbent is higher than for the C 4 one, the insulin solubility is also higher, allowing a higher pool concentration

Multi-fidelity machine learning models for accurate bandgap predictions of solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilania, Ghanshyam; Gubernatis, James E.; Lookman, Turab

2016-01-01

Here, we present a multi-fidelity co-kriging statistical learning framework that combines variable-fidelity quantum mechanical calculations of bandgaps to generate a machine-learned model that enables low-cost accurate predictions of the bandgaps at the highest fidelity level. Additionally, the adopted Gaussian process regression formulation allows us to predict the underlying uncertainties as a measure of our confidence in the predictions. In using a set of 600 elpasolite compounds as an example dataset and using semi-local and hybrid exchange correlation functionals within density functional theory as two levels of fidelities, we demonstrate the excellent learning performance of the method against actual high fidelity quantum mechanical calculations of the bandgaps. The presented statistical learning method is not restricted to bandgaps or electronic structure methods and extends the utility of high throughput property predictions in a significant way.

Fraction-variant beam orientation optimization for non-coplanar IMRT

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Daniel; Yu, Victoria; Nguyen, Dan; Ruan, Dan; Sheng, Ke

2018-02-01

Conventional beam orientation optimization (BOO) algorithms for IMRT assume that the same set of beam angles is used for all treatment fractions. In this paper we present a BOO formulation based on group sparsity that simultaneously optimizes non-coplanar beam angles for all fractions, yielding a fraction-variant (FV) treatment plan. Beam angles are selected by solving a multi-fraction fluence map optimization problem involving 500-700 candidate beams per fraction, with an additional group sparsity term that encourages most candidate beams to be inactive. The optimization problem is solved using the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm. Our FV BOO algorithm is used to create five-fraction treatment plans for digital phantom, prostate, and lung cases as well as a 30-fraction plan for a head and neck case. A homogeneous PTV dose coverage is maintained in all fractions. The treatment plans are compared with fraction-invariant plans that use a fixed set of beam angles for all fractions. The FV plans reduced OAR mean dose and D 2 values on average by 3.3% and 3.8% of the prescription dose, respectively. Notably, mean OAR dose was reduced by 14.3% of prescription dose (rectum), 11.6% (penile bulb), 10.7% (seminal vesicle), 5.5% (right femur), 3.5% (bladder), 4.0% (normal left lung), 15.5% (cochleas), and 5.2% (chiasm). D 2 was reduced by 14.9% of prescription dose (right femur), 8.2% (penile bulb), 12.7% (proximal bronchus), 4.1% (normal left lung), 15.2% (cochleas), 10.1% (orbits), 9.1% (chiasm), 8.7% (brainstem), and 7.1% (parotids). Meanwhile, PTV homogeneity defined as D 95/D 5 improved from .92 to .95 (digital phantom), from .95 to .98 (prostate case), and from .94 to .97 (lung case), and remained constant for the head and neck case. Moreover, the FV plans are dosimetrically similar to conventional plans that use twice as many beams per fraction. Thus, FV BOO offers the potential to reduce delivery time for non-coplanar IMRT.

Resonance fluorescence spectrum in a two-band photonic bandgap crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ray-Kuang; Lai, Yinchieh

2003-05-01

Steady state resonance fluorescence spectra from a two-level atom embedded in a photonic bandgap crystal and resonantly driven by a classical pump light are calculated. The photonic crystal is considered to be with a small bandgap which is in the order of magnitude of the Rabi frequency and is modeled by the anisotropic two-band dispersion relation. Non-Markovian noises caused by the non-uniform distribution of photon density states near the photonic bandgap are taken into account by a new approach which linearizes the optical Bloch equations by using the Liouville operator expansion. Fluorescence spectra that only exhibit sidebands of the Mollow triplet are found, indicating that there is no coherent Rayleigh scattering process.

Photonic bandgap narrowing in conical hollow core Bragg fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozturk, Fahri Emre; Yildirim, Adem; Kanik, Mehmet [UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Bayindir, Mehmet, E-mail: bayindir@nano.org.tr [UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Department of Physics, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey)

2014-08-18

We report the photonic bandgap engineering of Bragg fibers by controlling the thickness profile of the fiber during the thermal drawing. Conical hollow core Bragg fibers were produced by thermal drawing under a rapidly alternating load, which was applied by introducing steep changes to the fiber drawing speed. In conventional cylindrical Bragg fibers, light is guided by omnidirectional reflections from interior dielectric mirrors with a single quarter wave stack period. In conical fibers, the diameter reduction introduced a gradient of the quarter wave stack period along the length of the fiber. Therefore, the light guided within the fiber encountered slightly smaller dielectric layer thicknesses at each reflection, resulting in a progressive blueshift of the reflectance spectrum. As the reflectance spectrum shifts, longer wavelengths of the initial bandgap cease to be omnidirectionally reflected and exit through the cladding, which narrows the photonic bandgap. A narrow transmission bandwidth is particularly desirable in hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensing schemes, where broadband light is coupled to the fiber and the analyte vapor is introduced into the hollow core to measure infrared absorption. We carried out sensing simulations using the absorption spectrum of isopropyl alcohol vapor to demonstrate the importance of narrow bandgap fibers in chemical sensing applications.

High-Temperature Electronics: A Role for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors?

Science.gov (United States)

Neudeck, Philip G.; Okojie, Robert S.; Chen, Liang-Yu

2002-01-01

It is increasingly recognized that semiconductor based electronics that can function at ambient temperatures higher than 150 C without external cooling could greatly benefit a variety of important applications, especially-in the automotive, aerospace, and energy production industries. The fact that wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of electronic functionality at much higher temperatures than silicon has partially fueled their development, particularly in the case of SiC. It appears unlikely that wide bandgap semiconductor devices will find much use in low-power transistor applications until the ambient temperature exceeds approximately 300 C, as commercially available silicon and silicon-on-insulator technologies are already satisfying requirements for digital and analog very large scale integrated circuits in this temperature range. However, practical operation of silicon power devices at ambient temperatures above 200 C appears problematic, as self-heating at higher power levels results in high internal junction temperatures and leakages. Thus, most electronic subsystems that simultaneously require high-temperature and high-power operation will necessarily be realized using wide bandgap devices, once the technology for realizing these devices become sufficiently developed that they become widely available. Technological challenges impeding the realization of beneficial wide bandgap high ambient temperature electronics, including material growth, contacts, and packaging, are briefly discussed.

Hyperuniform Disordered photonic bandgap materials, from 2D to 3D, and their applications

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Weining; Florescu, Marian; Sahba, Shervin; Sellers, Steven

Recently, hyperuniform disordered systems attracted increasing attention due to their unique physical properties and the potential possibilities of self-assembling them. We had introduced a class of 2D hyperuniform disordered (HUD) photonic bandgap (PBG) materials enabled by a novel constrained optimization method for engineering the material's isotropic photonic bandgap. The intrinsic isotropy in these disordered structures is an inherent advantage associated with the lack of crystalline order, offering unprecedented freedom for functional defect design impossible to achieve in photonic crystals. Beyond our previous experimental work using macroscopic samples with microwave radiation, we demonstrated functional devices based on submicron-scale planar hyperuniform disordered PBG structures further highlight their ability to serve as highly compact, flexible and energy-efficient platforms for photonic integrated circuits. We further extended the design, fabrication, and characterization of the disordered photonic system into 3D. We also identify local self-uniformity as a novel measure of a disordered network's internal structural similarity, which we found crucial for photonic band gap formation. National Science Foundations award DMR-1308084.

Low-bandgap polymer photovoltaic cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duren, van J.K.J.; Dhanabalan, A.; Hal, van P.A.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2001-01-01

A-novel low-bandgap conjugated polymer (PTPTB, Eg = ~1.6 eV), consisting of alternating electron-rich N-dodecyl-2,5-bis(2'-thienyl)pyrrole (TPT) and electron-deficient 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (B) units, as a donor material is studied together with a soluble fullerene derivative (PCBM) as acceptor to

Small-bandgap polymer solar cells with unprecedented short-circuit current density and high fill factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyosung; Ko, Seo-Jin; Kim, Taehyo; Morin, Pierre-Olivier; Walker, Bright; Lee, Byoung Hoon; Leclerc, Mario; Kim, Jin Young; Heeger, Alan J

2015-06-03

Small-bandgap polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a thick bulk heterojunction film of 340 nm exhibit high power conversion efficiencies of 9.40% resulting from high short-circuit current density (JSC ) of 20.07 mA cm(-2) and fill factor of 0.70. This remarkable efficiency is attributed to maximized light absorption by the thick active layer and minimized recombination by the optimized lateral and vertical morphology through the processing additive. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Below-bandgap photoreflection spectroscopy of semiconductor laser structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotnikov, Aleksandr E; Chernikov, Maksim A; Ryabushkin, Oleg A; Trubenko, P; Moshegov, N; Ovchinnikov, A

2004-01-01

A new method of modulated light reflection - below-bandgap photoreflection, is considered. Unlike the conventional photoreflection method, the proposed method uses optical pumping by photons of energy smaller than the bandgap of any layer of a semiconductor structure under study. Such pumping allows one to obtain the modulated reflection spectrum for all layers of the structure without excitation of photoluminescence. This method is especially promising for the study of wide-gap semiconductors. The results of the study of semiconductor structures used in modern high-power multimode semiconductor lasers are presented. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Energy level alignment and sub-bandgap charge generation in polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Sai-Wing; Chen, Song; So, Franky

2013-05-07

Using charge modulated electroabsorption spectroscopy (CMEAS), for the first time, the energy level alignment of a polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell is directly measured. The charge-transfer excitons generated by the sub-bandgap optical pumping are coupled with the modulating electric field and introduce subtle changes in optical absorption in the sub-bandgap region. This minimum required energy for sub-bandgap charge genreation is defined as the effective bandgap. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Coulomb engineering of the bandgap and excitons in two-dimensional materials

Science.gov (United States)

Raja, Archana; Chaves, Andrey; Yu, Jaeeun; Arefe, Ghidewon; Hill, Heather M.; Rigosi, Albert F.; Berkelbach, Timothy C.; Nagler, Philipp; Schüller, Christian; Korn, Tobias; Nuckolls, Colin; Hone, James; Brus, Louis E.; Heinz, Tony F.; Reichman, David R.; Chernikov, Alexey

2017-01-01

The ability to control the size of the electronic bandgap is an integral part of solid-state technology. Atomically thin two-dimensional crystals offer a new approach for tuning the energies of the electronic states based on the unusual strength of the Coulomb interaction in these materials and its environmental sensitivity. Here, we show that by engineering the surrounding dielectric environment, one can tune the electronic bandgap and the exciton binding energy in monolayers of WS2 and WSe2 by hundreds of meV. We exploit this behaviour to present an in-plane dielectric heterostructure with a spatially dependent bandgap, as an initial step towards the creation of diverse lateral junctions with nanoscale resolution. PMID:28469178

Multi-cavity locally resonant structure with the low frequency and broad band-gaps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiulong Jiang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A multi-cavity periodic structure with the characteristic of local resonance was proposed in the paper. The low frequency band-gap structure was comparatively analyzed by the finite element method (FEM and electric circuit analogy (ECA. Low frequency band-gap can be opened through the dual influence of the coupling’s resonance in the cavity and the interaction among the couplings between structures. Finally, the influence of the structural factors on the band-gap was analyzed. The results show that the structure, which is divided into three parts equally, has a broader effective band-gap below the frequency of 200 Hz. It is also proved that reducing the interval between unit structures can increase the intensity of the couplings among the structures. And in this way, the width of band-gap would be expanded significantly. Through the parameters adjustment, the structure enjoys a satisfied sound insulation effect below the frequency of 500Hz. In the area of low frequency noise reduction, the structure has a lot of potential applications.

A Direct Bandgap Copper-Antimony Halide Perovskite.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, Brenda; Ramos, Estrella; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Enrique; Alonso, Juan Carlos; Solis-Ibarra, Diego

2017-07-12

Since the establishment of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), there has been an intense search for alternative materials to replace lead and improve their stability toward moisture and light. As single-metal perovskite structures have yielded unsatisfactory performances, an alternative is the use of double perovskites that incorporate a combination of metals. To this day, only a handful of these compounds have been synthesized, but most of them have indirect bandgaps and/or do not have bandgaps energies well-suited for photovoltaic applications. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a unique mixed metal ⟨111⟩-oriented layered perovskite, Cs 4 CuSb 2 Cl 12 (1), that incorporates Cu 2+ and Sb 3+ into layers that are three octahedra thick (n = 3). In addition to being made of abundant and nontoxic elements, we show that this material behaves as a semiconductor with a direct bandgap of 1.0 eV and its conductivity is 1 order of magnitude greater than that of MAPbI 3 (MA = methylammonium). Furthermore, 1 has high photo- and thermal-stability and is tolerant to humidity. We conclude that 1 is a promising material for photovoltaic applications and represents a new type of layered perovskite structure that incorporates metals in 2+ and 3+ oxidation states, thus significantly widening the possible combinations of metals to replace lead in PSCs.

Actively doped solid core Photonic Bandgap Fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broeng, Jes; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian

2010-01-01

Solid photonic bandgap fibers offer distributed spectral filtering with extraordinary high suppression. This opens new possibilities of artificially tailoring the gain spectrum of fibers. We present record-performance of such fibers and outline their future applications....

Bandgap tunability at single-layer molybdenum disulphide grain boundaries

KAUST Repository

Huang, Yu Li

2015-02-17

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as a new class of semiconductor materials with novel electronic and optical properties of interest to future nanoelectronics technology. Single-layer molybdenum disulphide, which represents a prototype two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide, has an electronic bandgap that increases with decreasing layer thickness. Using high-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we measure the apparent quasiparticle energy gap to be 2.40±0.05 eV for single-layer, 2.10±0.05 eV for bilayer and 1.75±0.05 eV for trilayer molybdenum disulphide, which were directly grown on a graphite substrate by chemical vapour deposition method. More interestingly, we report an unexpected bandgap tunability (as large as 0.85±0.05 eV) with distance from the grain boundary in single-layer molybdenum disulphide, which also depends on the grain misorientation angle. This work opens up new possibilities for flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices with tunable bandgaps that utilize both the control of two-dimensional layer thickness and the grain boundary engineering.

Large Bandgap Semiconductors for Solar Water Splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malizia, Mauro

Photoelectrochemical water splitting represents an eco-friendly technology that could enable the production of hydrogen using water as reactant and solar energy as primary energy source. The exploitation of solar energy for the production of hydrogen would help modern society to reduce the reliance...... on fossil fuels as primary feedstock for hydrogen production and diminish the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, weakening the global warming phenomenon.The dissertation reports the development of GaP (gallium phosphide) photocathodes as a large bandgap semiconductor for photoelectrochemical...... water splitting devices having tandem design. The increase of the photovoltage produced by GaP under illumination was the main goal of this work. GaP has a bandgap of 2.25 eV and could in theory produce a photovoltage of approximately 1.7 V. Instead, the photovoltage produced by the semiconductor...

Optical devices based on liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2005-01-01

the waveguiding mechanism of LC filled PCFs. The principle of tunable fibers based on LCs is thereafter discussed and an alignment and coating study of LC in capillaries is presented. Next, the Liquid Crystal Photonic BandGap (LCPBG) fiber is presented and the waveguiding mechanism is analyzed through plane...... hole. The presence of a LC in the holes of the PCF transforms the fiber from a Total Internal Reflection (TIR) guiding type into a Photonic BandGap (PBG) guiding type, where light is confined to the silica core by coherent scattering from the LC-billed holes. The high dielectric and optical anisotropy...

Experimental Methods for Implementing Graphene Contacts to Finite Bandgap Semiconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer-Holdt, Jakob

Present Ph.D. thesis describes my work on implanting graphene as electrical contact to finite bandgap semiconductors. Different transistor architectures, types of graphene and finite bandgap semiconductors have been employed. The device planned from the beginning of my Ph.D. fellowship...... contacts to semiconductor nanowires, more specifically, epitaxially grown InAs nanowires. First, we tried a top down method where CVD graphene was deposited on substrate supported InAs nanowires followed by selective graphene ashing to define graphene electrodes. While electrical contact between...

Complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap in a simple cubic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shawn-Yu; Fleming, J. G.; Lin, Robin; Sigalas, M. M.; Biswas, R.; Ho, K. M.

2001-01-01

The creation of a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal with simple cubic (sc) symmetry is important for applications in the signal routing and 3D waveguiding of light. With a simple stacking scheme and advanced silicon processing, a 3D sc structure was constructed from a 6-in. silicon wafer. The sc structure is experimentally shown to have a complete 3D photonic bandgap in the infrared wavelength. The finite size effect is also observed, accounting for a larger absolute photonic bandgap

ADORE-GA: Genetic algorithm variant of the ADORE algorithm for ROP detector layout optimization in CANDU reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kastanya, Doddy

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► ADORE is an algorithm for CANDU ROP Detector Layout Optimization. ► ADORE-GA is a Genetic Algorithm variant of the ADORE algorithm. ► Robustness test of ADORE-GA algorithm is presented in this paper. - Abstract: The regional overpower protection (ROP) systems protect CANDU® reactors against overpower in the fuel that could reduce the safety margin-to-dryout. The overpower could originate from a localized power peaking within the core or a general increase in the global core power level. The design of the detector layout for ROP systems is a challenging discrete optimization problem. In recent years, two algorithms have been developed to find a quasi optimal solution to this detector layout optimization problem. Both of these algorithms utilize the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm as their optimization engine. In the present paper, an alternative optimization algorithm, namely the genetic algorithm (GA), has been implemented as the optimization engine. The implementation is done within the ADORE algorithm. Results from evaluating the effects of using various mutation rates and crossover parameters are presented in this paper. It has been demonstrated that the algorithm is sufficiently robust in producing similar quality solutions.

First-principles study of bandgap tuning in Ge1-xPbxSe

Science.gov (United States)

Lohani, Himanshu

2018-03-01

Narrow bandgap and its tuning are important aspects of materials for their technological applications. In this context group IV-VI semiconductors are one of the interesting candidates. In this paper, we explore the possibility of bandgap tuning in one of the family member of this family GeSe by using isoelectronic Pb doping. Our study is first-principles based electronic structure calculations of Ge1-xPbxSe. This study reveals that the Ge-p and Se-p states are strongly hybridized in GeSe and shows a gap in the DOS at Ef in GeSe. This gap reduces systematically with simultaneous enhancement of the states in the near Ef region as a function of Pb doping. This leads tuning of the indirect bandgap in GeSe via Pb doping. The results of the indirect bandgap decrement are consistent with the experimental findings. We propose a mechanism where the electrostatic effect of dopant Pb cation could be responsible for these changes in the electronic structure of GeSe.

Compact electrically controlled broadband liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber polarizer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

2009-01-01

An electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic-bandgap fiber polarizer is experimentally demonstrated. A maximum 21.3dB electrically tunable polarization extinction ratio is achieved with 45° rotatable transmission axis as well as switched on and off in 1300nm–1600nm.......An electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic-bandgap fiber polarizer is experimentally demonstrated. A maximum 21.3dB electrically tunable polarization extinction ratio is achieved with 45° rotatable transmission axis as well as switched on and off in 1300nm–1600nm....

A Polarization Maintaining Filter based on a Liquid-Crystal-Photonic-Bandgap-Fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scolari, Lara; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2008-01-01

A polarization maintaining filter based on a liquid-crystal-photonic-bandgap-fiber is demonstrated. Its polarization extinction ratio is 14 dB at 1550 nm. Its tunability is 150 nm.......A polarization maintaining filter based on a liquid-crystal-photonic-bandgap-fiber is demonstrated. Its polarization extinction ratio is 14 dB at 1550 nm. Its tunability is 150 nm....

Thermally controlled mid-IR band-gap engineering in all-glass chalcogenide microstructured fibers: a numerical study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barh, Ajanta; Varshney, Ravi K.; Pal, Bishnu P.

2017-01-01

Presence of photonic band-gap (PBG) in an all-glass low refractive index (RI) contrast chalcogenide (Ch) microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) is investigated numerically. The effect of external temperature on the position of band-gap is explored to realize potential fiber-based wavelength filters....... Then the temperature sensitivity of band-gaps is investigated to design fiber-based mid-IR wavelength filters/sensors....

Passive band-gap reconfiguration born from bifurcation asymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Brian P; Mann, Brian P

2013-11-01

Current periodic structures are constrained to have fixed energy transmission behavior unless active control or component replacement is used to alter their wave propagation characteristics. The introduction of nonlinearity to generate multiple stable equilibria is an alternative strategy for realizing distinct energy propagation behaviors. We investigate the creation of a reconfigurable band-gap system by implementing passive switching between multiple stable states of equilibrium, to alter the level of energy attenuation in response to environmental stimuli. The ability to avoid potentially catastrophic loads is demonstrated by tailoring the bandpass and band-gap regions to coalesce for two stable equilibria and varying an external load parameter to trigger a bifurcation. The proposed phenomenon could be utilized in remote or autonomous applications where component modifications and active control are impractical.

Tuning the hybridization bandgap by meta-molecules with in-unit interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yongqiang; Li, Yunhui, E-mail: liyunhui@tongji.edu.cn; Wu, Qian; Jiang, Haitao; Zhang, Yewen; Chen, Hong [Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

2015-09-07

In this paper, we demonstrate that the hybridization bandgap (HBG) can be tuned conveniently by deep subwavelength meta-molecules with in-unit interaction. Spontaneous-emission-cancellation-like (SEC-like) effect is realized in a meta-molecule by introducing the destructive interference of two detuned meta-atoms. The meta-atoms consisting of subwavelength zero-index-metamaterial-based resonators are side-coupled to a microstrip. Compared to conventional HBG configurations, the presence of in-unit interaction between meta-atoms provides more flexibility in tuning the bandgap properties, keeping the device volume almost unchanged. Both numerical simulations and microwave experiments confirm that the width, depth, and spectrum shape of HBG can be tuned by simply introducing SEC-like interaction into the meta-molecule. Due to these features, our design may be promising to be applied in microwave or optics communications systems with strict limitation of device volume and flexible bandgap properties.

Simultaneous high crystallinity and sub-bandgap optical absorptance in hyperdoped black silicon using nanosecond laser annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franta, Benjamin, E-mail: bafranta@gmail.com; Pastor, David; Gandhi, Hemi H.; Aziz, Michael J.; Mazur, Eric [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Rekemeyer, Paul H.; Gradečak, Silvija [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

2015-12-14

Hyperdoped black silicon fabricated with femtosecond laser irradiation has attracted interest for applications in infrared photodetectors and intermediate band photovoltaics due to its sub-bandgap optical absorptance and light-trapping surface. However, hyperdoped black silicon typically has an amorphous and polyphasic polycrystalline surface that can interfere with carrier transport, electrical rectification, and intermediate band formation. Past studies have used thermal annealing to obtain high crystallinity in hyperdoped black silicon, but thermal annealing causes a deactivation of the sub-bandgap optical absorptance. In this study, nanosecond laser annealing is used to obtain high crystallinity and remove pressure-induced phases in hyperdoped black silicon while maintaining high sub-bandgap optical absorptance and a light-trapping surface morphology. Furthermore, it is shown that nanosecond laser annealing reactivates the sub-bandgap optical absorptance of hyperdoped black silicon after deactivation by thermal annealing. Thermal annealing and nanosecond laser annealing can be combined in sequence to fabricate hyperdoped black silicon that simultaneously shows high crystallinity, high above-bandgap and sub-bandgap absorptance, and a rectifying electrical homojunction. Such nanosecond laser annealing could potentially be applied to non-equilibrium material systems beyond hyperdoped black silicon.

A review of velocity-type PSO variants

OpenAIRE

Ivo Sousa-Ferreira; Duarte Sousa

2017-01-01

This paper presents a review of the particular variants of particle swarm optimization, based on the velocity-type class. The original particle swarm optimization algorithm was developed as an unconstrained optimization technique, which lacks a model that is able to handle constrained optimization problems. The particle swarm optimization and its inapplicability in constrained optimization problems are solved using the dynamic-objective constraint-handling method. The dynamic-objective constr...

Emergence of an enslaved phononic bandgap in a non-equilibrium pseudo-crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelard, Nicolas; Ropp, Chad; Dubois, Marc; Zhao, Rongkuo; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

2017-08-01

Material systems that reside far from thermodynamic equilibrium have the potential to exhibit dynamic properties and behaviours resembling those of living organisms. Here we realize a non-equilibrium material characterized by a bandgap whose edge is enslaved to the wavelength of an external coherent drive. The structure dynamically self-assembles into an unconventional pseudo-crystal geometry that equally distributes momentum across elements. The emergent bandgap is bestowed with lifelike properties, such as the ability to self-heal to perturbations and adapt to sudden changes in the drive. We derive an exact analytical solution for both the spatial organization and the bandgap features, revealing the mechanism for enslavement. This work presents a framework for conceiving lifelike non-equilibrium materials and emphasizes the potential for the dynamic imprinting of material properties through external degrees of freedom.

Emergence of an enslaved phononic bandgap in a non-equilibrium pseudo-crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelard, Nicolas; Ropp, Chad; Dubois, Marc; Zhao, Rongkuo; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

2017-08-01

Material systems that reside far from thermodynamic equilibrium have the potential to exhibit dynamic properties and behaviours resembling those of living organisms. Here we realize a non-equilibrium material characterized by a bandgap whose edge is enslaved to the wavelength of an external coherent drive. The structure dynamically self-assembles into an unconventional pseudo-crystal geometry that equally distributes momentum across elements. The emergent bandgap is bestowed with lifelike properties, such as the ability to self-heal to perturbations and adapt to sudden changes in the drive. We derive an exact analytical solution for both the spatial organization and the bandgap features, revealing the mechanism for enslavement. This work presents a framework for conceiving lifelike non-equilibrium materials and emphasizes the potential for the dynamic imprinting of material properties through external degrees of freedom.

Stability and bandgaps of layered perovskites for one- and two-photon water splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; García Lastra, Juan Maria; Hüser, Falco

2013-01-01

in the Ruddlesden–Popper phase of the layered perovskite structure. Based on screening criteria for the stability, bandgaps and band edge positions, we suggest 20 new materials for the light harvesting photo-electrode of a one-photon water splitting device and 5 anode materials for a two-photon device with silicon...... as photo-cathode. In addition, we explore a simple rule relating the bandgap of the perovskite to the number of octahedra in the layered structure and the B-metal ion. Finally, the quality of the GLLB-SC potential used to obtain the bandgaps, including the derivative discontinuity, is validated against G0W......0@LDA gaps for 20 previously identified oxides and oxynitrides in the cubic perovskite structure....

Hybrid Algorithm of Particle Swarm Optimization and Grey Wolf Optimizer for Improving Convergence Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narinder Singh

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A newly hybrid nature inspired algorithm called HPSOGWO is presented with the combination of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO and Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO. The main idea is to improve the ability of exploitation in Particle Swarm Optimization with the ability of exploration in Grey Wolf Optimizer to produce both variants’ strength. Some unimodal, multimodal, and fixed-dimension multimodal test functions are used to check the solution quality and performance of HPSOGWO variant. The numerical and statistical solutions show that the hybrid variant outperforms significantly the PSO and GWO variants in terms of solution quality, solution stability, convergence speed, and ability to find the global optimum.

Bandgap tunability at single-layer molybdenum disulphide grain boundaries

KAUST Repository

Huang, Yu Li; Chen, Yifeng; Zhang, Wenjing; Quek, Su Ying; Chen, Chang-Hsiao; Li, Lain-Jong; Hsu, Wei-Ting; Chang, Wen-Hao; Zheng, Yu Jie; Chen, Wei; Wee, Andrew T. S.

2015-01-01

represents a prototype two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide, has an electronic bandgap that increases with decreasing layer thickness. Using high-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we measure the apparent quasiparticle

Humidity control as a strategy for lattice optimization applied to crystals of HLA-A*1101 complexed with variant peptides from dengue virus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chotiyarnwong, Pojchong; Stewart-Jones, Guillaume B.; Tarry, Michael J.; Dejnirattisai, Wanwisa; Siebold, Christian; Koch, Michael; Stuart, David I.; Harlos, Karl; Malasit, Prida; Screaton, Gavin; Mongkolsapaya, Juthathip; Jones, E. Yvonne

2007-01-01

Crystals of an MHC class I molecule bound to naturally occurring peptide variants from the dengue virus NS3 protein contained high levels of solvent and required optimization of cryoprotectant and dehydration protocols for each complex to yield well ordered diffraction, a process facilitated by the use of a free-mounting system. T-cell recognition of the antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I molecules normally triggers protective immune responses, but can result in immune enhancement of disease. Cross-reactive T-cell responses may underlie immunopathology in dengue haemorrhagic fever. To analyze these effects at the molecular level, the functional MHC class I molecule HLA-A*1101 was crystallized bound to six naturally occurring peptide variants from the dengue virus NS3 protein. The crystals contained high levels of solvent and required optimization of the cryoprotectant and dehydration protocols for each complex to yield well ordered diffraction, a process that was facilitated by the use of a free-mounting system

Humidity control as a strategy for lattice optimization applied to crystals of HLA-A*1101 complexed with variant peptides from dengue virus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chotiyarnwong, Pojchong [Department of Immunology, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Medical Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (Thailand); Stewart-Jones, Guillaume B.; Tarry, Michael J. [Division of Structural Biology and Oxford Protein Production Facility (OPPF), The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Dejnirattisai, Wanwisa [Department of Immunology, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Medical Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (Thailand); Siebold, Christian; Koch, Michael; Stuart, David I.; Harlos, Karl [Division of Structural Biology and Oxford Protein Production Facility (OPPF), The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Malasit, Prida [Medical Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (Thailand); Medical Biotechnology Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Bangkok (Thailand); Screaton, Gavin [Department of Immunology, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Mongkolsapaya, Juthathip, E-mail: j.mongkolsapaya@imperial.ac.uk [Department of Immunology, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London (United Kingdom); Medical Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (Thailand); Jones, E. Yvonne, E-mail: j.mongkolsapaya@imperial.ac.uk [Division of Structural Biology and Oxford Protein Production Facility (OPPF), The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Department of Immunology, Division of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)

2007-05-01

Crystals of an MHC class I molecule bound to naturally occurring peptide variants from the dengue virus NS3 protein contained high levels of solvent and required optimization of cryoprotectant and dehydration protocols for each complex to yield well ordered diffraction, a process facilitated by the use of a free-mounting system. T-cell recognition of the antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I molecules normally triggers protective immune responses, but can result in immune enhancement of disease. Cross-reactive T-cell responses may underlie immunopathology in dengue haemorrhagic fever. To analyze these effects at the molecular level, the functional MHC class I molecule HLA-A*1101 was crystallized bound to six naturally occurring peptide variants from the dengue virus NS3 protein. The crystals contained high levels of solvent and required optimization of the cryoprotectant and dehydration protocols for each complex to yield well ordered diffraction, a process that was facilitated by the use of a free-mounting system.

Effects of corrugation shape on frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic elastic layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorokin, Vladislav

2016-01-01

The paper concerns determining frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic waveguide. The waveguide may be considered either as an elastic layer with variable thickness or as a rod with variable cross section. As a result, widths and locations of all frequency band-gaps are det......The paper concerns determining frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic waveguide. The waveguide may be considered either as an elastic layer with variable thickness or as a rod with variable cross section. As a result, widths and locations of all frequency band......, harmonic in the corrugation series. The revealed insights into the mechanism of band-gap formation can be used to predict locations and widths of all frequency band-gaps featured by any corrugation shape. These insights are general and can be valid also for other types of wave motion in periodic structures...

Two-dimensional Kagome photonic bandgap waveguide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jens Bo; Søndergaard, Thomas; Libori, Stig E. Barkou

2000-01-01

The transverse-magnetic photonic-bandgap-guidance properties are investigated for a planar two-dimensional (2-D) Kagome waveguide configuration using a full-vectorial plane-wave-expansion method. Single-moded well-localized low-index guided modes are found. The localization of the optical modes...... is investigated with respect to the width of the 2-D Kagome waveguide, and the number of modes existing for specific frequencies and waveguide widths is mapped out....

Monolithic all-PM femtosecond Yb-doped fiber laser using photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2009-01-01

We present a monolithic Yb fiber laser, dispersion managed by an all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, and pulse compressed in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The laser delivers 9 nJ, 275-fs long pulses at 1035 nm.......We present a monolithic Yb fiber laser, dispersion managed by an all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, and pulse compressed in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The laser delivers 9 nJ, 275-fs long pulses at 1035 nm....

Bandgap tuning with thermal residual stresses induced in a quantum dot.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Eui-Hyun; Joo, Soo-Hyun; Park, Hyun-Jin; Song, Seungwoo; Chang, Yong-June; Kim, Hyoung Seop; Jang, Hyun Myung

2014-09-24

Lattice distortion induced by residual stresses can alter electronic and mechanical properties of materials significantly. Herein, a novel way of the bandgap tuning in a quantum dot (QD) by lattice distortion is presented using 4-nm-sized CdS QDs grown on a TiO2 particle as an application example. The bandgap tuning (from 2.74 eV to 2.49 eV) of a CdS QD is achieved by suitably adjusting the degree of lattice distortion in a QD via the tensile residual stresses which arise from the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between CdS and TiO2. The idea of bandgap tuning is then applied to QD-sensitized solar cells, achieving ≈60% increase in the power conversion efficiency by controlling the degree of thermal residual stress. Since the present methodology is not limited to a specific QD system, it will potentially pave a way to unexplored quantum effects in various QD-based applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Relation between bandgap and resistance drift in amorphous phase change materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Rütten, Martin; Kaes, Matthias; Albert, Andreas; Wuttig, Matthias; Salinga, Martin

2015-12-01

Memory based on phase change materials is currently the most promising candidate for bridging the gap in access time between memory and storage in traditional memory hierarchy. However, multilevel storage is still hindered by the so-called resistance drift commonly related to structural relaxation of the amorphous phase. Here, we present the temporal evolution of infrared spectra measured on amorphous thin films of the three phase change materials Ag4In3Sb67Te26, GeTe and the most popular Ge2Sb2Te5. A widening of the bandgap upon annealing accompanied by a decrease of the optical dielectric constant ε∞ is observed for all three materials. Quantitative comparison with experimental data for the apparent activation energy of conduction reveals that the temporal evolution of bandgap and activation energy can be decoupled. The case of Ag4In3Sb67Te26, where the increase of activation energy is significantly smaller than the bandgap widening, demonstrates the possibility to identify new phase change materials with reduced resistance drift.

Design for maximum band-gaps in beam structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olhoff, Niels; Niu, Bin; Cheng, Gengdong

2012-01-01

This paper aims to extend earlier optimum design results for transversely vibrating Bernoulli-Euler beams by determining new optimum band-gap beam structures for (i) different combinations of classical boundary conditions, (ii) much larger values of the orders n and n-1 of adjacent upper and lower...

Quasiperiodic one-dimensional photonic crystals with adjustable multiple photonic bandgaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyunishev, Andrey M; Pankin, Pavel S; Svyakhovskiy, Sergey E; Timofeev, Ivan V; Vetrov, Stepan Ya

2017-09-15

We propose an elegant approach to produce photonic bandgap (PBG) structures with multiple photonic bandgaps by constructing quasiperiodic photonic crystals (QPPCs) composed of a superposition of photonic lattices with different periods. Generally, QPPC structures exhibit both aperiodicity and multiple PBGs due to their long-range order. They are described by a simple analytical expression, instead of quasiperiodic tiling approaches based on substitution rules. Here we describe the optical properties of QPPCs exhibiting two PBGs that can be tuned independently. PBG interband spacing and its depth can be varied by choosing appropriate reciprocal lattice vectors and their amplitudes. These effects are confirmed by the proof-of-concept measurements made for the porous silicon-based QPPC of the appropriate design.

Electronic structure characterization and bandgap engineeringofsolar hydrogen materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Jinghua

2007-11-01

Bandgap, band edge positions as well as the overall band structure of semiconductors are of crucial importance in photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic applications. The energy position of the band edge level can be controlled by the electronegativity of the dopants, the pH of the solution (flatband potential variation of 60 mV per pH unit), as well as by quantum confinement effects. Accordingly, band edges and bandgap can be tailored to achieve specific electronic, optical or photocatalytic properties. Synchrotron radiation with photon energy at or below 1 keV is giving new insight into such areas as condensed matter physics and extreme ultraviolet optics technology. In the soft x-ray region, the question tends to be, what are the electrons doing as they migrated between the atoms. In this paper, I will present a number of soft x-ray spectroscopic study of nanostructured 3d metal compounds Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and ZnO.

Integrating sequencing technologies in personal genomics: optimal low cost reconstruction of structural variants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Du

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The goal of human genome re-sequencing is obtaining an accurate assembly of an individual's genome. Recently, there has been great excitement in the development of many technologies for this (e.g. medium and short read sequencing from companies such as 454 and SOLiD, and high-density oligo-arrays from Affymetrix and NimbelGen, with even more expected to appear. The costs and sensitivities of these technologies differ considerably from each other. As an important goal of personal genomics is to reduce the cost of re-sequencing to an affordable point, it is worthwhile to consider optimally integrating technologies. Here, we build a simulation toolbox that will help us optimally combine different technologies for genome re-sequencing, especially in reconstructing large structural variants (SVs. SV reconstruction is considered the most challenging step in human genome re-sequencing. (It is sometimes even harder than de novo assembly of small genomes because of the duplications and repetitive sequences in the human genome. To this end, we formulate canonical problems that are representative of issues in reconstruction and are of small enough scale to be computationally tractable and simulatable. Using semi-realistic simulations, we show how we can combine different technologies to optimally solve the assembly at low cost. With mapability maps, our simulations efficiently handle the inhomogeneous repeat-containing structure of the human genome and the computational complexity of practical assembly algorithms. They quantitatively show how combining different read lengths is more cost-effective than using one length, how an optimal mixed sequencing strategy for reconstructing large novel SVs usually also gives accurate detection of SNPs/indels, how paired-end reads can improve reconstruction efficiency, and how adding in arrays is more efficient than just sequencing for disentangling some complex SVs. Our strategy should facilitate the sequencing of

Direct bandgap silicon: tensile-strained silicon nanocrystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kůsová, Kateřina; Hapala, Prokop; Valenta, J.; Jelínek, Pavel; Cibulka, Ondřej; Ondič, Lukáš; Pelant, Ivan

2014-01-01

Roč. 1, č. 2 (2014), "1300042-1"-"1300042-9" ISSN 2196-7350 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP108/12/G108; GA ČR GPP204/12/P235; GA ČR GAP204/10/0952 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon nanocrystals * badstructure * light emission * direct bandgap * surface capping Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism

Advances in wide bandgap SiC for optoelectronics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ou, Haiyan; Ou, Yiyu; Argyraki, Aikaterini

2014-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) has played a key role in power electronics thanks to its unique physical properties like wide bandgap, high breakdown field, etc. During the past decade, SiC is also becoming more and more active in optoelectronics thanks to the progress in materials growth and nanofabrication...

Analysis of optical band-gap shift in impurity doped ZnO thin films by using nonparabolic conduction band parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Won Mok; Kim, Jin Soo; Jeong, Jeung-hyun; Park, Jong-Keuk; Baik, Young-Jun; Seong, Tae-Yeon

2013-01-01

Polycrystalline ZnO thin films both undoped and doped with various types of impurities, which covered the wide carrier concentration range of 10 16 –10 21 cm −3 , were prepared by magnetron sputtering, and their optical-band gaps were investigated. The experimentally measured optical band-gap shifts were analyzed by taking into account the carrier density dependent effective mass determined by the first-order nonparabolicity approximation. It was shown that the measured shifts in optical band-gaps in ZnO films doped with cationic dopants, which mainly perturb the conduction band, could be well represented by theoretical estimation in which the band-gap widening due to the band-filling effect and the band-gap renormalization due to the many-body effect derived for a weakly interacting electron-gas model were combined and the carrier density dependent effective mass was incorporated. - Highlights: ► Optical band-gaps of polycrystalline ZnO thin films were analyzed. ► Experimental carrier concentration range covered from 10 16 to 10 21 cm −3 . ► Nonparabolic conduction band parameters were used in theoretical analysis. ► The band-filling and the band-gap renormalization effects were considered. ► The measured optical band-gap shifts corresponded well with the calculated ones

Complete low-frequency bandgap in a two-dimensional phononic crystal with spindle-shaped inclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Ting, Wang; Hui, Wang; Mei-Ping, Sheng; Qing-Hua, Qin

2016-04-01

A two-dimensional phononic crystal (PC) structure possessing a relatively low frequency range of complete bandgap is presented. The structure is composed of periodic spindle-shaped plumbum inclusions in a rubber matrix which forms a square lattice. The dispersion relation, transmission spectrum and displacement field are studied using the finite element method in conjunction with the Bloch theorem. Numerical results show that the present PC structure can achieve a large complete bandgap in a relatively low frequency range compared with two inclusions of different materials, which is useful in low-frequency noise and vibration control and can be designed as a low frequency acoustic filter and waveguides. Moreover, the transmission spectrum and effective mass are evaluated to validate the obtained band structure. It is interesting to see that within the band gap the effective mass becomes negative, resulting in an imaginary wave speed and wave exponential attenuation. Finally, sensitivity analysis of the effect of geometrical parameters of the presented PC structure on the lowest bandgap is performed to investigate the variations of the bandgap width and frequency. Project supported by the China Scholarship Council.

Temperature-modified photonic bandgap in colloidal photonic crystals fabricated by vinyl functionalized silica spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Tiansong; Zhang Junyan; Zhu Kongtao; Zhang Qifeng; Wu Jinlei

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: A thermal annealing procedure was described for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals, which were self-assembled from vinyl-functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. Highlights: → We described a thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. → The position of its stop band had more than 25% blue shift by annealing the sample from 60 to 600 deg. C. → The annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. → The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. - Abstract: A thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals was described. The colloidal photonic crystals were assembled from monodisperse vinyl functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. The samples diffract light following Bragg's law combined with Snell's law. By annealing the sample at temperatures in the range of 60-600 deg. C, the position of its stop band shifted from 943 to 706 nm. It had more than 25% blue shift. In addition, the annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) curves of vinyl functionalized silica spheres confirmed the above results. The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals.

Semi-transparent polymer solar cells with excellent sub-bandgap transmission for third generation photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Beiley, Zach M.

2013-10-07

Semi-transparent organic photovoltaics are of interest for a variety of photovoltaic applications, including solar windows and hybrid tandem photovoltaics. The figure shows a photograph of our semi-transparent solar cell, which has a power conversion efficiency of 5.0%, with an above bandgap transmission of 34% and a sub-bandgap transmission of 81%. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Enhanced Impurity-Free Intermixing Bandgap Engineering for InP-Based Photonic Integrated Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xiao; Zhang, Can; Liang, Song; Zhu, Hong-Liang; Hou, Lian-Ping

2014-04-01

Impurity-free intermixing of InGaAsP multiple quantum wells (MQW) using sputtering Cu/SiO2 layers followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP) is demonstrated. The bandgap energy could be modulated by varying the sputtering power and time of Cu, RTP temperature and time to satisfy the demands for lasers, modulators, photodetector, and passive waveguides for the photonic integrated circuits with a simple procedure. The blueshift of the bandgap wavelength of MQW is experimentally investigated on different sputtering and annealing conditions. It is obvious that the introduction of the Cu layer could increase the blueshift more greatly than the common impurity free vacancy disordering technique. A maximum bandgap blueshift of 172 nm is realized with an annealing condition of 750°C and 200s. The improved technique is promising for the fabrication of the active/passive optoelectronic components on a single wafer with simple process and low cost.

Effects of Ge- and Sb-doping and annealing on the tunable bandgaps of SnS films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Hsuan-Tai; Chiang, Ming-Hung; Huang, Chen-Hao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Lin, Wen-Tai, E-mail: wtlin@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Fu, Yaw-Shyan [Department of Greenergy, National University of Tainan, Tainan 700, Taiwan (China); Guo, Tzung-Fang [Department of Photonics, Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China)

2015-06-01

SnS, Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films with single orthorhombic SnS phase were fabricated via solvothermal routes and subsequent spin-coating, respectively. The substitution solubilities of Ge and Sb in SnS are about 6 and 5 at.%, respectively. The bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films can be tuned in the ranges of 1.25–1.35 and 1.30–1.39 eV, respectively. The possible mechanisms for the tunable bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films are discussed. For the Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films subjected to annealing at 200–350 °C in N{sub 2}, the bandgaps of 200 °C-annealed films remain unchanged, while those of 300 °C- and 350 °C-annealed films decrease with the annealing temperature because of the evaporation of Ge and Sb respectively. - Highlights: • Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films were fabricated via spin-coating. • The solubilities of Ge and Sb in SnS are about 6 and 5 at.%, respectively. • The bandgaps of SnS films can be tuned by Ge and Sb doping respectively. • Annealing above 300 °C reduces the bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films.

Silica-air photonic crystal fiber design that permits waveguiding by a true photonic bandgap effect

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barkou, Stig Eigil; Broeng, Jes; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

1999-01-01

A theoretical investigation of a novel type of optical fiber is presented. The operation of the fiber relies entirely on wave guidance through the photonic bandgap effect and not on total internal reflection, thereby distinguishing that fiber from all other known fibers, including recently studied...... photonic crystal fibers. The novel fiber has a central low-index core region and a cladding consisting of a silica background material with air holes situated within a honeycomb lattice structure. We show the existence of photonic bandgaps for the silica–air cladding structure and demonstrate how light can...... be guided at the central low-index core region for a well-defined frequency that falls inside the photonic bandgap region of the cladding structure....

Small-bandgap semiconducting polymers with high near-infrared photoresponse

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendriks, K.H.; Li, W.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2014-01-01

Lowering the optical bandgap of conjugated polymers while maintaining a high efficiency for photoinduced charge transfer to suitable electron acceptors such as fullerene has remained a formidable challenge in the area of organic photovoltaics. Here we present the synthesis and application of a

Bandgap Opening in Graphene Induced by Patterned Hydrogen Adsorption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balog, Richard; Jørgensen, Bjarke; Nilsson, Louis

2010-01-01

fermions, and graphene shows ballistic charge transport, turning it into an ideal material for circuit fabrication. However, graphene lacks a bandgap around the Fermi level, which is the defining concept for semiconductor materials and essential for controlling the conductivity by electronic means. Theory...

CMOS bandgap references and temperature sensors and their applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, G.

2005-01-01

Two main parts have been presented in this thesis: device characterization and circuit. In integrated bandgap references and temperature sensors, the IC(VBE, characteristics of bipolar transistors are used to generate the basic signals with high accuracy. To investigate the possibilities to

Single-nanowire, low-bandgap hot carrier solar cells with tunable open-circuit voltage

Science.gov (United States)

Limpert, Steven; Burke, Adam; Chen, I.-Ju; Anttu, Nicklas; Lehmann, Sebastian; Fahlvik, Sofia; Bremner, Stephen; Conibeer, Gavin; Thelander, Claes; Pistol, Mats-Erik; Linke, Heiner

2017-10-01

Compared to traditional pn-junction photovoltaics, hot carrier solar cells offer potentially higher efficiency by extracting work from the kinetic energy of photogenerated ‘hot carriers’ before they cool to the lattice temperature. Hot carrier solar cells have been demonstrated in high-bandgap ferroelectric insulators and GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures, but so far not in low-bandgap materials, where the potential efficiency gain is highest. Recently, a high open-circuit voltage was demonstrated in an illuminated wurtzite InAs nanowire with a low bandgap of 0.39 eV, and was interpreted in terms of a photothermoelectric effect. Here, we point out that this device is a hot carrier solar cell and discuss its performance in those terms. In the demonstrated devices, InP heterostructures are used as energy filters in order to thermoelectrically harvest the energy of hot electrons photogenerated in InAs absorber segments. The obtained photovoltage depends on the heterostructure design of the energy filter and is therefore tunable. By using a high-resistance, thermionic barrier, an open-circuit voltage is obtained that is in excess of the Shockley-Queisser limit. These results provide generalizable insight into how to realize high voltage hot carrier solar cells in low-bandgap materials, and therefore are a step towards the demonstration of higher efficiency hot carrier solar cells.

Band-gap tunable dielectric elastomer filter for low frequency noise

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Kun; Wang, Mian; Lu, Tongqing; Zhang, Jinhua; Wang, Tiejun

2016-05-01

In the last decades, diverse materials and technologies for sound insulation have been widely applied in engineering. However, suppressing the noise radiation at low frequency still remains a challenge. In this work, a novel membrane-type smart filter, consisting of a pre-stretched dielectric elastomer membrane with two compliant electrodes coated on the both sides, is presented to control the low frequency noise. Since the stiffness of membrane dominates its acoustic properties, sound transmission band-gap of the membrane filter can be tuned by adjusting the voltage applied to the membrane. The impedance tube experiments have been carried out to measure the sound transmission loss (STL) of the filters with different electrodes, membrane thickness and pre-stretch conditions. The experimental results show that the center frequency of sound transmission band-gap mainly depends on the stress in the dielectric elastomer, and a large band-gap shift (more than 60 Hz) can be achieved by tuning the voltage applied to the 85 mm diameter VHB4910 specimen with pre-stretch {λ }0=3. Based on the experimental results and the assumption that applied electric field is independent of the membrane behavior, 3D finite element analysis has also been conducted to calculate the membrane stress variation. The sound filter proposed herein may provide a promising facility to control low frequency noise source with tonal characteristics.

Wide-bandgap epitaxial heterojunction windows for silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Loferski, Joseph J.; Beaulieu, Roland; Sekula-Moise, Patricia A.; Vernon, Stanley M.

1990-01-01

It is shown that the efficiency of a solar cell can be improved if minority carriers are confined by use of a wide-bandgap heterojunction window. For silicon (lattice constant a = 5.43 A), nearly lattice-matched wide-bandgap materials are ZnS (a = 5.41 A) and GaP (a = 5.45 A). Isotype n-n heterojuntions of both ZnS/Si and GaP/Si were grown on silicon n-p homojunction solar cells. Successful deposition processes used were metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) for GaP and ZnS, and vacuum evaporation of ZnS. Planar (100) and (111) and texture-etched - (111)-faceted - surfaces were used. A decrease in minority-carrier surface recombination compared to a bare surface was seen from increased short-wavelength spectral response, increased open-circuit voltage, and reduced dark saturation current, with no degradation of the minority carrier diffusion length.

Water-dependent photonic bandgap in silica artificial opals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego-Gómez, Francisco; Blanco, Alvaro; Canalejas-Tejero, Victor; López, Cefe

2011-07-04

Some characteristics of silica--based structures-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheres--can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is particularly surprising, because water desorption increases the refractive index contrast, which should lead instead to bandgap broadening. A quantitative explanation of this experiment is provided using a simple model for water distribution in the opal that assumes a nonclose-packed fcc structure. This model further predicts that, at room temperature, about 50% of the interstitial water forms necks between nearest-neighbor spheres, which are separated by 5% of their diameter. Upon heating, dehydration predominantly occurs at the sphere surfaces (in the opal voids), so that above 65 °C the remaining water resides exclusively in the necks. A near-close-packed fcc arrangement is only achieved above 200 °C. The high sensitivity to water changes exhibited by silica opals, even under gentle heating of few degrees, must be taken into account for practical applications. Remarkably, accurate control of the distance between spheres--from 16 to 1 nm--is obtained with temperature. In this study, novel use of the optical properties of the opal is made to infer quantitative information about water distribution within silica beads and dehydration phenomena from simple reflection spectra. Taking advantage of the well-defined opal morphology, this approach offers a simple tool for the straightforward investigation of generic adsorption-desorption phenomena, which might be extrapolated to many other fields involving capillary condensation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGa

Creation of tunable absolute bandgaps in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal modulated by a nematic liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chenyang

2008-01-01

Photonic crystals (PCs) have many potential applications because of their ability to control light-wave propagation. We have investigated the tunable absolute bandgap in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal structures modulated by a nematic liquid crystal. The PC structure composed of an anisotropic-dielectric cylinder in the liquid crystal medium is studied by solving Maxwell's equations using the plane wave expansion method. The photonic band structures are found to exhibit absolute bandgaps for the square and triangular lattices. Numerical simulations show that the absolute bandgaps can be continuously tuned in the square and triangular lattices consisting of anisotropic-dielectric cylinders by infiltrating nematic liquid crystals. Such a mechanism of bandgap adjustment should open up a new application for designing components in photonic integrated circuits

Theoretical prediction of sandwiched two-dimensional phosphide binary compound sheets with tunable bandgaps and anisotropic physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C. Y.; Yu, M.

2018-03-01

Atomic layers of GaP and InP binary compounds with unique anisotropic structural, electronic and mechanical properties have been predicted from first-principle molecular dynamics simulations. These new members of the phosphide binary compound family stabilize to a sandwiched two-dimensional (2D) crystalline structure with orthorhombic lattice symmetry and high buckling of 2.14 Å-2.46 Å. Their vibration modes are similar to those of phosphorene with six Raman active modes ranging from ˜80 cm-1 to 400 cm-1. The speeds of sound in their phonon dispersions reflect anisotropy in their elastic constants, which was further confirmed by their strong directional dependence of Young’s moduli and effective nonlinear elastic moduli. They show wide bandgap semiconductor behavior with fundamental bandgaps of 2.89 eV for GaP and 2.59 eV for InP, respectively, even wider than their bulk counterparts. Such bandgaps were found to be tunable under strain. In particular, a direct-indirect bandgap transition was found under certain strains along zigzag or biaxial orientations, reflecting their promising applications in strain-induced bandgap engineering in nanoelectronics and photovoltaics. Feasible pathways to realize these novel 2D phosphide compounds are also proposed.

Optical spectroscopy and imaging of the higher energy excitons and bandgap of monolayer MoS2

Science.gov (United States)

Borys, Nicholas; Bao, Wei; Barnard, Edward; Ko, Changhyun; Tongay, Sefaatin; Wu, Junqiao; Yang, Li; Schuck, P. James

Monolayer MoS2 (ML-MoS2) exhibits a rich manifold of excitons that dictate optoelectronic performance and functionality. Disentangling these states, which include the quasi-particle bandgap, is critical for developing 2D optoelectronic devices that operate beyond the optical bandgap. Whereas photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy only probes the lowest-energy radiative state and absorption spectroscopy fails to discriminate energetically degenerate states, photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy selectively probes only the excited states that thermalize to the emissive ground state exciton. Using PLE spectroscopy of ML-MoS2, we identify the Rydberg series of the exciton A and exciton B states as well as signatures of the quasi-particle bandgap and coupling between the indirect C exciton and the lowest-energy A exciton, which have eluded previous PLE studies. The assignment of these states is confirmed with density functional theory. Mapping the PLE spectrum reveals spatial variations of the higher-energy exciton manifold and quasi-particle bandgap which mirror the heterogeneity in the PL but also indicate variations in local exciton thermalization processes and chemical potentials.

High-Power Yb-Doped Solid-Core Photonic Bandgap Fiber Amplifier at 1150-1200nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maruyama, H.; Shirakawa, A.; Ueda, K.

2008-01-01

Solid-core photonic-bandgap fiber amplification at the long-wavelength edge of ytterbium band is reported. A 32W output at 1156nm with a 66% slope efficiency and 9.1W output at 1178nm were succesfully obtained.......Solid-core photonic-bandgap fiber amplification at the long-wavelength edge of ytterbium band is reported. A 32W output at 1156nm with a 66% slope efficiency and 9.1W output at 1178nm were succesfully obtained....

New approaches for the reliability-oriented structural optimization considering time-variant aspects; Neue Ansaetze fuer die zuverlaessigkeitsorientierte Strukturoptimierung unter Beachtung zeitvarianter Aspekte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuschel, N.

2000-07-01

The optimization of structures with respect to cost, weight or performance is a well-known application of the nonlinear optimization. However reliability-based structural optimization has been subject of only very few studies. The approaches suggested up to now have been unsatisfactory regarding general possibility of application or easy handling by user. The objective of this thesis is the development of general approaches to solve both optimization problems, the minimization of cost with respect to constraint reliabilty and the maximization of reliability under cost constraint. The extented approach of an one-level-method will be introduced in detail for the time-invariant problems. Here, the reliability of the sturcture will be analysed in the framework of the First-Order-Reliability-Method (FORM). The use of time-variant reliability analysis is necessary for a realistic modelling of many practical problems. Therefore several generalizations of the new approaches will be derived for the time-variant reliability-based structural optimization. Some important properties of the optimization problems are proved. In addition some interesting extensions of the one-level-method, for example the cost optimization of structural series systems and the cost optimization in the frame of the Second-Order-Reliabiity-Method (SORM), are presented in the thesis. (orig.) [German] Die Optimierung von Tragwerken im Hinblick auf die Kosten, das Gewicht oder die Gestalt ist eine sehr bekannte Anwendung der nichtlinearen Optimierung. Die zuverlaessigkeitsorientierte Strukturoptimierung wurde dagegen weit seltener untersucht. Die bisher vorgeschlagenen Ansaetze koennen bezueglich ihrer allgemeinen Verwendbarkeit oder ihrer nutzerfreundlichen Handhabung nicht befriedigen. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist nun die Entwicklung allgemeiner Ansaetze zur Loesung der beiden Optimierungsprobleme, einer Kostenminimierung unter Zuverlaessigkeitsrestriktionen und einer

Automating Energy Bandgap Measurements in Semiconductors Using LabVIEW

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Amit; Sharma, Reena; Dhingra, Vishal

2010-01-01

In this paper, we report the development of an automated system for energy bandgap and resistivity measurement of a semiconductor sample using Four-Probe method for use in the undergraduate laboratory of Physics and Electronics students. The automated data acquisition and analysis system has been developed using National Instruments USB-6008 DAQ…

Design of Multijunction Photovoltaic Cells Optimized for Varied Atmospheric Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Band gap engineering provides an opportunity to not only provide higher overall conversion efficiencies of the reference AM1.5 spectra but also customize PV device design for specific geographic locations and microenvironments based on atmospheric conditions characteristic to that particular location. Indium gallium nitride and other PV materials offer the opportunity for limited bandgap engineering to match spectra. The effects of atmospheric conditions such as aerosols, cloud cover, water vapor, and air mass have been shown to cause variations in spectral radiance that alters PV system performance due to both overrating and underrating. Designing PV devices optimized for spectral radiance of a particular region can result in improved PV system performance. This paper presents a new method for designing geographically optimized PV cells with using a numerical model for bandgap optimization. The geographic microclimate spectrally resolved solar flux for twelve representative atmospheric conditions for the incident radiation angle (zenith angle of 48.1° and fixed array angle of 40° is used to iteratively optimize the band gap for tandem, triple, and quad-layer of InGaN-based multijunction cells. The results of this method are illustrated for the case study of solar farms in the New York region and discussed.

Light Absorption Enhancement of Silicon-Based Photovoltaic Devices with Multiple Bandgap Structures of Porous Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuen-Hsien Wu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Porous-silicon (PS multi-layered structures with three stacked PS layers of different porosity were prepared on silicon (Si substrates by successively tuning the electrochemical-etching parameters in an anodization process. The three PS layers have different optical bandgap energy and construct a triple-layered PS (TLPS structure with multiple bandgap energy. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated by depositing aluminum electrodes of Schottky contacts on the surfaces of the developed TLPS structures. The TLPS-based devices exhibit broadband photoresponses within the spectrum of the solar irradiation and get high photocurrent for the incident light of a tungsten lamp. The improved spectral responses of devices are owing to the multi-bandgap structures of TLPS, which are designed with a layered configuration analog to a tandem cell for absorbing a wider energy range of the incidental sun light. The large photocurrent is mainly ascribed to an enhanced light-absorption ability as a result of applying nanoporous-Si thin films as the surface layers to absorb the short-wavelength light and to improve the Schottky contacts of devices. Experimental results reveal that the multi-bandgap PS structures produced from electrochemical-etching of Si wafers are potentially promising for development of highly efficient Si-based solar cells.

Band structure of germanium carbides for direct bandgap silicon photonics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephenson, C. A., E-mail: cstephe3@nd.edu; Stillwell, R. A.; Wistey, M. A. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); O' Brien, W. A. [Rigetti Quantum Computing, 775 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710 (United States); Penninger, M. W. [Honeywell UOP, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016 (United States); Schneider, W. F. [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Gillett-Kunnath, M. [Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244 (United States); Zajicek, J. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Yu, K. M. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Kudrawiec, R. [Institute of Physics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland)

2016-08-07

Compact optical interconnects require efficient lasers and modulators compatible with silicon. Ab initio modeling of Ge{sub 1−x}C{sub x} (x = 0.78%) using density functional theory with HSE06 hybrid functionals predicts a splitting of the conduction band at Γ and a strongly direct bandgap, consistent with band anticrossing. Photoreflectance of Ge{sub 0.998}C{sub 0.002} shows a bandgap reduction supporting these results. Growth of Ge{sub 0.998}C{sub 0.002} using tetrakis(germyl)methane as the C source shows no signs of C-C bonds, C clusters, or extended defects, suggesting highly substitutional incorporation of C. Optical gain and modulation are predicted to rival III–V materials due to a larger electron population in the direct valley, reduced intervalley scattering, suppressed Auger recombination, and increased overlap integral for a stronger fundamental optical transition.

Bandgap Engineering of InP QDs Through Shell Thickness and Composition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dennis, Allison M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mangum, Benjamin D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Piryatinski, Andrei [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Park, Young-Shin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Htoon, Han [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hollingsworth, Jennifer A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-06-21

Fields as diverse as biological imaging and telecommunications utilize the unique photophysical and electronic properties of nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs). The development of new NQD compositions promises material properties optimized for specific applications, while addressing material toxicity. Indium phosphide (InP) offers a 'green' alternative to the traditional cadmium-based NQDs, but suffers from extreme susceptibility to oxidation. Coating InP cores with more stable shell materials significantly improves nanocrystal resistance to oxidation and photostability. We have investigated several new InP-based core-shell compositions, correlating our results with theoretical predictions of their optical and electronic properties. Specifically, we can tailor the InP core-shell QDs to a type-I, quasi-type-II, or type-II bandgap structure with emission wavelengths ranging from 500-1300 nm depending on the shell material used (ZnS, ZnSe, CdS, or CdSe) and the thickness of the shell. Single molecule microscopy assessments of photobleaching and blinking are used to correlate NQD properties with shell thickness.

Visible light photoreactivity from hybridization states between carbon nitride bandgap states and valence states in Nb and Ti oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hosik, E-mail: hosiklee@gmail.com [School of Mechanical and Advanced Materials Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Unist-gil 100 Eonyang-eup, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); Ohno, Takahisa, E-mail: OHNO.Takahisa@nims.go.jp [Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN), National Institute for Material Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba (Japan); Computational Materials Science Unit (CMSU), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan)

2013-03-29

Highlights: ► Origin of bandgap reduction for visible photoreactivity is suggested. ► Carbon nitride adsorption in interlayer space can induce the bandgap reduction. ► The electronic structures are studied by density functional theory calculations. - Abstract: For better efficiency as photocatalysts, N-doping for visible light reactivity has been intensively studied in Lamellar niobic and titanic solid acids (HNb{sub 3}O{sub 8}, H{sub 2}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 9}), and its microscopic structures have been debated in this decade. We calculate the layered solid acids’ structures and bandgaps. Bandgap reduction by carbon nitride adsorption in interlayer space is observed computationally. It originates from localized nitrogen states which form delocalized top-valence states by hybridizing with the host oxygen states and can contribute to photo-current.

Pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals: effects on optoelectronics and thermoelectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vivek; Yu, Yixuan; Sun, Qi-C.; Korgel, Brian; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-11-01

While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in nanoscaled silicon semiconductors. Therefore, these results can have important implications for the design of optoelectronics and thermoelectric devices based on nanostructured silicon.While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in

Linewidth of Cyclotron Absorption in Band-Gap Graphene: Relaxation Time Approximation vs. Monte Carlo Method

OpenAIRE

S.V. Kryuchkov; E.I. Kukhar’; D.V. Zav’yalov

2015-01-01

The power of the elliptically polarized electromagnetic radiation absorbed by band-gap graphene in presence of constant magnetic field is calculated. The linewidth of cyclotron absorption is shown to be non-zero even if the scattering is absent. The calculations are performed analytically with the Boltzmann kinetic equation and confirmed numerically with the Monte Carlo method. The dependence of the linewidth of the cyclotron absorption on temperature applicable for a band-gap graphene in the...

Towards double-functionalized small diamondoids: selective electronic band-gap tuning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adhikari, Bibek; Fyta, Maria

2015-01-01

Diamondoids are nanoscale diamond-like cage structures with hydrogen terminations, which can occur in various sizes and with a diverse type of modifications. In this work, we focus on the structural alterations and the effect of doping and functionalization on the electronic properties of diamondoids, from the smallest adamantane to heptamantane. The results are based on quantum mechanical calculations. We perform a self-consistent study, starting with doping the smallest diamondoid, adamantane. Boron, nitrogen, silicon, oxygen, and phosphorus are chosen as dopants at sites which have been previously optimized and are also consistent with the literature. At a next step, an amine- and a thiol- group are separately used to functionalize the adamantane molecule. We mainly focus on a double functionalization of diamondoids up to heptamantane using both these atomic groups. The effect of isomeration in the case of tetramantane is also studied. We discuss the higher efficiency of a double-functionalization compared to doping or a single-functionalization of diamondoids in tuning the electronic properties, such as the electronic band-gap, of modified small diamondoids in view of their novel nanotechnological applications. (paper)

Origin of unusual bandgap shift and dual emission in organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Dar, M Ibrahim; Jacopin, Gwénolé; Meloni, Simone; Mattoni, Alessandro; Arora, Neha; Boziki, Ariadni; Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Grätzel, Michael

2016-10-01

Emission characteristics of metal halide perovskites play a key role in the current widespread investigations into their potential uses in optoelectronics and photonics. However, a fundamental understanding of the molecular origin of the unusual blueshift of the bandgap and dual emission in perovskites is still lacking. In this direction, we investigated the extraordinary photoluminescence behavior of three representatives of this important class of photonic materials, that is, CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 , CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 , and CH(NH 2 ) 2 PbBr 3 , which emerged from our thorough studies of the effects of temperature on their bandgap and emission decay dynamics using time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The low-temperature (photoluminescence of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 and CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 reveals two distinct emission peaks, whereas that of CH(NH 2 ) 2 PbBr 3 shows a single emission peak. Furthermore, irrespective of perovskite composition, the bandgap exhibits an unusual blueshift by raising the temperature from 15 to 300 K. Density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics simulations allow for assigning the additional photoluminescence peak to the presence of molecularly disordered orthorhombic domains and also rationalize that the unusual blueshift of the bandgap with increasing temperature is due to the stabilization of the valence band maximum. Our findings provide new insights into the salient emission properties of perovskite materials, which define their performance in solar cells and light-emitting devices.

All-PM monolithic fs Yb-fiber laser, dispersion-managed with all-solid photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2009-01-01

All-in-fiber SESAM-modelocked self-starting fiber laser is demonstrated. Cavity dispersion is managed by a spliced-in PM all-solid photonic bandgap fiber. The laser directly delivers 1.25 nJ pulses of 280 fs duration.......All-in-fiber SESAM-modelocked self-starting fiber laser is demonstrated. Cavity dispersion is managed by a spliced-in PM all-solid photonic bandgap fiber. The laser directly delivers 1.25 nJ pulses of 280 fs duration....

A global evolutionary and metabolic analysis of human obesity gene risk variants.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo, Joseph J; Hazlett, Zachary S; Orlando, Robert A; Garver, William S

2017-09-05

It is generally accepted that the selection of gene variants during human evolution optimized energy metabolism that now interacts with our obesogenic environment to increase the prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to perform a global evolutionary and metabolic analysis of human obesity gene risk variants (110 human obesity genes with 127 nearest gene risk variants) identified using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to enhance our knowledge of early and late genotypes. As a result of determining the mean frequency of these obesity gene risk variants in 13 available populations from around the world our results provide evidence for the early selection of ancestral risk variants (defined as selection before migration from Africa) and late selection of derived risk variants (defined as selection after migration from Africa). Our results also provide novel information for association of these obesity genes or encoded proteins with diverse metabolic pathways and other human diseases. The overall results indicate a significant differential evolutionary pattern for the selection of obesity gene ancestral and derived risk variants proposed to optimize energy metabolism in varying global environments and complex association with metabolic pathways and other human diseases. These results are consistent with obesity genes that encode proteins possessing a fundamental role in maintaining energy metabolism and survival during the course of human evolution. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Fabrication and characterization of porous-core honeycomb bandgap THz fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bao, Hualong; Nielsen, Kristian; Rasmussen, Henrik K.

We have fabricated a porous-core honeycomb fiber in the cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) Topas® by drill-draw technology [1]. A cross-sectional image of the fabricated fiber is shown in the left Panel of Fig. 1. Simulation of the electromagnetic properties of the fiber shows two wide bandgaps within......-TDS system (Picometrix T-Ray 4000). The reference pulse before coupling into the fiber is shown in Fig. 1(a) and the time trace of the THz pulse after propagation through a 5-cm long segment of fiber is shown in Fig. 1(b) (blue curve). After adding some water on the outside of the fiber surface......, the transmitted pulse experiences less pronounced oscillations at times later than 20 ps ( red curve in Fig. 1(b)). Figs. 1(c) and (d) show the short-time Fourier transforms of the two time-domain traces in Fig. 1(b), overlaid with the calculated group delay in the two bandgaps (black squares). The frequencies...

Electronic structure characterization and bandgap engineering of solar hydrogen materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Jinghua

2007-01-01

Bandgap, band edge positions as well as the overall band structure of semiconductors are of crucial importance in photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic applications. The energy position of the band edge level can be controlled by the electronegativity of the dopants, the pH of the solution (flatband potential variation of 60 mV per pH unit), as well as by quantum confinement effects. Accordingly, band edges and bandgap can be tailored to achieve specific electronic, optical or photocatalytic properties. Synchrotron radiation with photon energy at or below 1 keV is giving new insight into such areas as condensed matter physics and extreme ultraviolet optics technology. In the soft x-ray region, the question tends to be, what are the electrons doing as they migrated between the atoms. In this paper, I will present a number of soft x-ray spectroscopic study of nanostructured 3d metal compounds Fe 2 O 3 and ZnO

Intermediate Bandgap Solar Cells From Nanostructured Silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Black, Marcie [Bandgap Engineering, Lincoln, MA (United States)

2014-10-30

This project aimed to demonstrate increased electronic coupling in silicon nanostructures relative to bulk silicon for the purpose of making high efficiency intermediate bandgap solar cells using silicon. To this end, we formed nanowires with controlled crystallographic orientation, small diameter, <111> sidewall faceting, and passivated surfaces to modify the electronic band structure in silicon by breaking down the symmetry of the crystal lattice. We grew and tested these silicon nanowires with <110>-growth axes, which is an orientation that should produce the coupling enhancement.

Design and optimization of cascaded DCG based holographic elements for spectrum-splitting PV systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuechen; Chrysler, Benjamin; Pelaez, Silvana Ayala; Kostuk, Raymond K.

2017-09-01

In this work, the technique of designing and optimizing broadband volume transmission holograms using dichromate gelatin (DCG) is summarized for solar spectrum-splitting application. Spectrum splitting photovoltaic system uses a series of single bandgap PV cells that have different spectral conversion efficiency properties to more fully utilize the solar spectrum. In such a system, one or more high performance optical filters are usually required to split the solar spectrum and efficiently send them to the corresponding PV cells. An ideal spectral filter should have a rectangular shape with sharp transition wavelengths. DCG is a near ideal holographic material for solar applications as it can achieve high refractive index modulation, low absorption and scattering properties and long-term stability to solar exposure after sealing. In this research, a methodology of designing and modeling a transmission DCG hologram using coupled wave analysis for different PV bandgap combinations is described. To achieve a broad diffraction bandwidth and sharp cut-off wavelength, a cascaded structure of multiple thick holograms is described. A search algorithm is also developed to optimize both single and two-layer cascaded holographic spectrum splitters for the best bandgap combinations of two- and three-junction SSPV systems illuminated under the AM1.5 solar spectrum. The power conversion efficiencies of the optimized systems under the AM1.5 solar spectrum are then calculated using the detailed balance method, and shows an improvement compared with tandem structure.

Parameter Selection and Performance Comparison of Particle Swarm Optimization in Sensor Networks Localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Huanqing; Shu, Minglei; Song, Min; Wang, Yinglong

2017-03-01

Localization is a key technology in wireless sensor networks. Faced with the challenges of the sensors' memory, computational constraints, and limited energy, particle swarm optimization has been widely applied in the localization of wireless sensor networks, demonstrating better performance than other optimization methods. In particle swarm optimization-based localization algorithms, the variants and parameters should be chosen elaborately to achieve the best performance. However, there is a lack of guidance on how to choose these variants and parameters. Further, there is no comprehensive performance comparison among particle swarm optimization algorithms. The main contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, it surveys the popular particle swarm optimization variants and particle swarm optimization-based localization algorithms for wireless sensor networks. Secondly, it presents parameter selection of nine particle swarm optimization variants and six types of swarm topologies by extensive simulations. Thirdly, it comprehensively compares the performance of these algorithms. The results show that the particle swarm optimization with constriction coefficient using ring topology outperforms other variants and swarm topologies, and it performs better than the second-order cone programming algorithm.

Parameter Selection and Performance Comparison of Particle Swarm Optimization in Sensor Networks Localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huanqing Cui

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Localization is a key technology in wireless sensor networks. Faced with the challenges of the sensors’ memory, computational constraints, and limited energy, particle swarm optimization has been widely applied in the localization of wireless sensor networks, demonstrating better performance than other optimization methods. In particle swarm optimization-based localization algorithms, the variants and parameters should be chosen elaborately to achieve the best performance. However, there is a lack of guidance on how to choose these variants and parameters. Further, there is no comprehensive performance comparison among particle swarm optimization algorithms. The main contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, it surveys the popular particle swarm optimization variants and particle swarm optimization-based localization algorithms for wireless sensor networks. Secondly, it presents parameter selection of nine particle swarm optimization variants and six types of swarm topologies by extensive simulations. Thirdly, it comprehensively compares the performance of these algorithms. The results show that the particle swarm optimization with constriction coefficient using ring topology outperforms other variants and swarm topologies, and it performs better than the second-order cone programming algorithm.

Ultrasonic bandgaps in 3D-printed periodic ceramic microlattices

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kruisová, Alena; Ševčík, Martin; Seiner, Hanuš; Sedlák, Petr; Román-Manso, B.; Miranzo, P.; Belmonte, M.; Landa, Michal

January (2018), s. 91-100 ISSN 0041-624X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-01618S Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : phononic crystals * ceramic s * additive manufacturing * bandgaps * wave propagation * finite elements method Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics OBOR OECD: Applied mechanics Impact factor: 2.327, year: 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ultras.2017.07.017

Electromagnetic interference reduction using electromagnetic bandgap structures in packages, enclosures, cavities, and antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Mohajer Iravani, Baharak

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a source of noise problems in electronic devices. The EMI is attributed to coupling between sources of radiation and components placed in the same media such as package or chassis. This coupling can be either through conducting currents or through radiation. The radiation of electromagnetic (EM) fields is supported by surface currents. Thus, minimizing these surface currents is considered a major and critical step to suppress EMI. In this work, we present novel strategies to confine surface currents in different applications including packages, enclosures, cavities, and antennas. The efficiency of present methods of EM noise suppression is limited due to different drawbacks. For example, the traditional use of lossy materials and absorbers suffers from considerable disadvantages including mechanical and thermal reliability leading to limited life time, cost, volume, and weight. In this work, we consider the use of Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) structures. These structures are suitable for suppressing surface currents within a frequency band denoted as the bandgap. Their design is straight forward, they are inexpensive to implement, and they do not suffer from the limitations of the previous methods. A new method of EM noise suppression in enclosures and cavity-backed antennas using mushroom-type EBG structures is introduced. The effectiveness of the EBG as an EMI suppresser is demonstrated using numerical simulations and experimental measurements. To allow integration of EBGs in printed circuit boards and packages, novel miniaturized simple planar EBG structures based on use of high-k dielectric material (epsilonr > 100) are proposed. The design consists of meander lines and patches. The inductive meander lines serve to provide current continuity bridges between the capacitive patches. The high-k dielectric material increases the effective capacitive load substantially in comparison to commonly used material with much lower

Defects induced luminescence and tuning of bandgap energy narrowing in ZnO nanoparticles doped with Li ions

KAUST Repository

Awan, Saif Ullah; Hasanain, S. K.; Hassnain Jaffari, G.; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Qurashi, Umar S.

2014-01-01

Microstructural and optical properties of Zn1-yLiyO (0.00 ≤y ≤0.10) nanoparticles are investigated. Li incorporation leads to substantial changes in the structural characterization. From micro-structural analysis, no secondary phases or clustering of Li was detected. Elemental maps confirmed homogeneous distribution of Li in ZnO. Sharp UV peak due to the recombination of free exciton and defects based luminescence broad visible band was observed. The transition from the conduction band to Zinc vacancy defect level in photoluminescence spectra is found at 518±2.5nm. The yellow luminescence was observed and attributed to Li related defects in doped samples. With increasing Li doping, a decrease in energy bandgap was observed in the range 3.26±0.014 to 3.17±0.018eV. The bandgap narrowing behavior is explained in terms of the band tailing effect due to structural disorder, carrier-impurities, carrier-carrier, and carrier-phonon interactions. Tuning of the bandgap energy in this class of wide bandgap semiconductor is very important for room temperature spintronics applications and optical devices. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Defects induced luminescence and tuning of bandgap energy narrowing in ZnO nanoparticles doped with Li ions

KAUST Repository

Awan, Saif Ullah

2014-08-28

Microstructural and optical properties of Zn1-yLiyO (0.00 ≤y ≤0.10) nanoparticles are investigated. Li incorporation leads to substantial changes in the structural characterization. From micro-structural analysis, no secondary phases or clustering of Li was detected. Elemental maps confirmed homogeneous distribution of Li in ZnO. Sharp UV peak due to the recombination of free exciton and defects based luminescence broad visible band was observed. The transition from the conduction band to Zinc vacancy defect level in photoluminescence spectra is found at 518±2.5nm. The yellow luminescence was observed and attributed to Li related defects in doped samples. With increasing Li doping, a decrease in energy bandgap was observed in the range 3.26±0.014 to 3.17±0.018eV. The bandgap narrowing behavior is explained in terms of the band tailing effect due to structural disorder, carrier-impurities, carrier-carrier, and carrier-phonon interactions. Tuning of the bandgap energy in this class of wide bandgap semiconductor is very important for room temperature spintronics applications and optical devices. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Self-stabilization of a mode-locked femtosecond fiber laser using a photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2010-01-01

We demonstrate a self-stabilization mechanism of a semiconductor saturable absorber mode-locked linearcavity Yb-doped fiber laser using an intracavity photonic bandgap fiber. This mechanism relies on the spectral shift of the laser pulses to a spectral range of higher anomalous dispersion...... and higher loss of the photonic bandgap fiber, as a reaction to the intracavity power buildup. This, in particular, results in a smaller cavity loss for the stably mode-locked laser, as opposed to the Q-switched mode-locking scenario. The laser provides stable 39–49 pJ pulses of around 230 fs duration at 29...

Nanoscale probing of bandgap states on oxide particles using electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Qianlang [School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 85287 AZ (United States); March, Katia [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Bâtiment 510, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Crozier, Peter A., E-mail: CROZIER@asu.edu [School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 85287 AZ (United States)

2017-07-15

Surface and near-surface electronic states were probed with nanometer spatial resolution in MgO and TiO{sub 2} anatase nanoparticles using ultra-high energy resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) coupled to a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). This combination allows the surface electronic structure determined with spectroscopy to be correlated with nanoparticle size, morphology, facet etc. By acquiring the spectra in aloof beam mode, radiation damage to the surface can be significantly reduced while maintaining the nanometer spatial resolution. MgO and TiO{sub 2} showed very different bandgap features associated with the surface/sub-surface layer of the nanoparticles. Spectral simulations based on dielectric theory and density of states models showed that a plateau feature found in the pre-bandgap region in the spectra from (100) surfaces of 60 nm MgO nanocubes is consistent with a thin hydroxide surface layer. The spectroscopy shows that this hydroxide species gives rise to a broad filled surface state at 1.1 eV above the MgO valence band. At the surfaces of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles, pronounced peaks were observed in the bandgap region, which could not be well fitted to defect states. In this case, the high refractive index and large particle size may make Cherenkov or guided light modes the likely causes of the peaks. - Highlights: • Bandgap states detected with aloof beam monochromated EELS on oxide nanoparticle surfaces. • Dielectric theory applied to simulate the spectra and interpret surface structure. • Density of states models also be employed to understand the surface electronic structure. • In MgO, one states associate with water species was found close to the valence band edge. • In anatase, two mid-gap states associated with point defects were found.

Probing defect states in polycrystalline GaN grown on Si(111) by sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Hsiao, F.-M.; Schnedler, M.; Portz, V.; Huang, Y.-C.; Huang, B.-C.; Shih, M.-C.; Chang, C.-W.; Tu, L.-W.; Eisele, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R. E.; Ebert, Ph.; Chiu, Y.-P.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate the potential of sub-bandgap laser-excited cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to investigate the presence of defect states in semiconductors. The characterization method is illustrated on GaN layers grown on Si(111) substrates without intentional buffer layers. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, the GaN layers consist of nanoscale wurtzite and zincblende crystallites with varying crystal orientations and hence contain high defect state densities. In order to discriminate between band-to-band excitation and defect state excitations, we use sub-bandgap laser excitation. We probe a clear increase in the tunnel current at positive sample voltages during sub-bandgap laser illumination for the GaN layer with high defect density, but no effect is found for high quality GaN epitaxial layers. This demonstrates the excitation of free charge carriers at defect states. Thus, sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy is a powerful complimentary characterization tool for defect states.

Theoretical evaluation of maximum electric field approximation of direct band-to-band tunneling Kane model for low bandgap semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Dang Chien, Nguyen; Shih, Chun-Hsing; Hoa, Phu Chi; Minh, Nguyen Hong; Thi Thanh Hien, Duong; Nhung, Le Hong

2016-06-01

The two-band Kane model has been popularly used to calculate the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) current in tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) which is currently considered as a promising candidate for low power applications. This study theoretically clarifies the maximum electric field approximation (MEFA) of direct BTBT Kane model and evaluates its appropriateness for low bandgap semiconductors. By analysing the physical origin of each electric field term in the Kane model, it has been elucidated in the MEFA that the local electric field term must be remained while the nonlocal electric field terms are assigned by the maximum value of electric field at the tunnel junction. Mathematical investigations have showed that the MEFA is more appropriate for low bandgap semiconductors compared to high bandgap materials because of enhanced tunneling probability in low field regions. The appropriateness of the MEFA is very useful for practical uses in quickly estimating the direct BTBT current in low bandgap TFET devices.

Wild Band Edges: The Role of Bandgap Grading and Band-Edge Fluctuations in High-Efficiency Chalcogenide Devices: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Repins, Ingrid; Mansfield, Lorelle; Kanevce, Ana; Jensen, Soren A.; Kuciauskas, Darius; Glynn, Stephen; Barnes, Teresa; Metzger, Wyatt; Burst, James; Jiang, Chun-Sheng; Dippo, Patricia; Harvey, Steve; Teeter, Glenn; Perkins, Craig; Egaas, Brian; Zakutayev, Andriy; Alsmeier, J.-H.; Lussky, T.; Korte, L.; Wilks, R. G.; Bar, M.; Yan, Y.; Lany, Stephan; Zawadzki, Pawel; Park, Ji-Sang; Wei, Suhuai

2016-06-16

Band-edge effects -- including grading, electrostatic fluctuations, bandgap fluctuations, and band tails -- affect chalcogenide device efficiency. These effects now require more careful consideration as efficiencies increase beyond 20%. Several aspects of the relationships between band-edge phenomena and device performance for NREL absorbers are examined. For Cu(In,Ga)Se2 devices, recent increases in diffusion length imply changes to optimum bandgap profile. The origin, impact, and modification of electrostatic and bandgap fluctuations are also discussed. The application of the same principles to devices based on CdTe, kesterites, and emerging absorbers (Cu2SnS3, CuSbS2), considering differences in materials properties and defect formation energies, is examined.

Overcoming the Photovoltage Plateau in Large Bandgap Perovskite Photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajagopal, Adharsh; Stoddard, Ryan J; Jo, Sae Byeok; Hillhouse, Hugh W; Jen, Alex K-Y

2018-05-09

Development of large bandgap (1.80-1.85 eV E g ) perovskite is crucial for perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells. However, the performance of 1.80-1.85 eV E g perovskite solar cells (PVKSCs) are significantly lagging their counterparts in the 1.60-1.75 eV E g range. This is because the photovoltage ( V oc ) does not proportionally increase with E g due to lower optoelectronic quality of conventional (MA,FA,Cs)Pb(I,Br) 3 and results in a photovoltage plateau ( V oc limited to 80% of the theoretical limit for ∼1.8 eV E g ). Here, we incorporate phenylethylammonium (PEA) in a mixed-halide perovskite composition to solve the inherent material-level challenges in 1.80-1.85 eV E g perovskites. The amount of PEA incorporation governs the topography and optoelectronic properties of resultant films. Detailed structural and spectroscopic characterization reveal the characteristic trends in crystalline size, orientation, and charge carrier recombination dynamics and rationalize the origin of improved material quality with higher luminescence. With careful interface optimization, the improved material characteristics were translated to devices and V oc values of 1.30-1.35 V were achieved, which correspond to 85-87% of the theoretical limit. Using an optimal amount of PEA incorporation to balance the increase in V oc and the decrease in charge collection, a highest power conversion efficiency of 12.2% was realized. Our results clearly overcome the photovoltage plateau in the 1.80-1.85 eV E g range and represent the highest V oc achieved for mixed-halide PVKSCs. This study provides widely translatable insights, an important breakthrough, and a promising platform for next-generation perovskite tandems.

A 98 W 1178 nm Yb-doped solid-core photonic bandgap fiber oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Xinyan; Chen, Mingchen; Shirakawa, Akira; Ueda, Ken-ichi; Olausson, Christina B; Broeng, Jes

2013-01-01

A high-power ytterbium-doped solid-core photonic bandgap fiber laser directly oscillating at 1178 nm is reported. The sharp-cut bandpass distributed filtering effect of photonic bandgap fiber can suppress amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the conventional high-gain spectral region. The oscillator is composed of a high reflection fiber Bragg grating spliced with a 39 m gain fiber and a Fresnel fiber end surface. A model based on rate equations is investigated numerically. A record output power of 98 W is achieved with a slope efficiency of 54%. The laser linewidth is 0.5 nm. The spectrum at 98 W indicates that ASE and parasitic lasing are suppressed effectively. (letter)

Broadband optically controlled switching effect in a microfluid-filled photonic bandgap fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Junqi; Liu, Yan-ge; Wang, Zhi; Luo, Mingming; Huang, Wei; Liu, Xiaoqi; Han, Tingting

2016-01-01

Broadband optically controlled switching in a microfluid-filled photonic bandgap fiber (MF-PBGF) was observed and investigated. The MF-PBGF was formed by infusing a temperature-sensitive high-index fluid into all of the cladding holes of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF). The fiber was then side pumped with a 532 nm continuous wave laser. An extinction ratio of greater than 20 dB at most of the bandgap wavelengths (more than 200 nm) was obtained with a switching power of ∼147 mW. Theoretical and experimental investigations revealed that the effect originated from changes in the temperature gradient induced by heat absorption of the fiber coating with laser illumination. These investigations offer a new and simple approach to achieve wideband and flexible all-optical fiber switching devices without using any photosensitive materials. (paper)

A Discounted Cash Flow variant to detect the optimal amount of additional burdens in Public-Private Partnership transactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Copiello, Sergio

2016-01-01

The Discounted Cash Flow method is a long since well-known tool to assess the feasibility of investment projects, as the background which shapes a broad range of techniques, from the Cost-Benefit Analysis up to the Life-Cycle Cost Analysis. Its rationale lies in the comparison of deferred values, only once they have been discounted back to the present. The DCF variant proposed here fits into a specific application field. It is well-suited to the evaluations required in order to structure equitable transactions under the umbrella of Public-Private Partnership. •The discount rate relies upon the concept of expected return on equity, instead than on those of weighted average cost of capital, although the latter is the most common reference within the scope of real estate investment valuation.•Given a feasible project, whose Net Present Value is more than satisfactory, we aim to identify the amount of the additional burdens that could be charged to the project, under the condition of keeping the same economically viable.•The DCF variant essentially deals with an optimization problem, which can be solved by means of simple one-shot equations, derived from financial mathematics, or through iterative calculations if additional constraints must be considered.

Physical ageing in the above-bandgap photoexposured glassy arsenic selenides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kozdras, A [Faculty of Physics of Opole University of Technology, 75, Ozimska str., Opole, PL-45370 (Poland); Golovchak, R [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-79031 (Ukraine); Shpotyuk, O [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-79031 (Ukraine)

2007-08-15

Physical ageing induced by above-bandgap light illumination is studied in glassy As-Se using differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that measurable effect like to known short-term physical ageing is observed only in Se-rich glasses. The kinetics of this effect is compared with that caused by natural storage in a dark.

Physical ageing in the above-bandgap photoexposured glassy arsenic selenides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozdras, A; Golovchak, R; Shpotyuk, O

2007-01-01

Physical ageing induced by above-bandgap light illumination is studied in glassy As-Se using differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that measurable effect like to known short-term physical ageing is observed only in Se-rich glasses. The kinetics of this effect is compared with that caused by natural storage in a dark

Copper-organic/octamolybdates: structures, bandgap sizes, and photocatalytic activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Lan; Lin, Haisheng; Li, Le; Smirnova, Tatyana I; Maggard, Paul A

2014-04-07

The structures, optical bandgap sizes, and photocatalytic activities are described for three copper-octamolybdate hybrid solids prepared using hydrothermal methods, [Cu(pda)]4[β-Mo8O26] (I; pda = pyridazine), [Cu(en)2]2[γ-Mo8O26] (II; en = ethylenediamine), and [Cu(o-phen)2]2[α-Mo8O26] (III; o-phen = o-phenanthroline). The structure of I consists of a [Cu(pda)]4(4+) tetramer that bridges to neighboring [β-Mo8O26](4-) octamolybdate clusters to form two-dimensional layers that stack along the a axis. The previously reported structures of II and III are constructed from [Cu2(en)4Mo8O26] and [Cu2(o-phen)4Mo8O26] clusters. The optical bandgap sizes were measured by UV-vis diffuse reflectance techniques to be ∼1.8 eV for I, ∼3.1 eV for II, and ∼3.0 eV for III. Electronic structure calculations show that the smaller bandgap size of I originates primarily from an electronic transition between the valence and conduction band edges comprised of filled 3d(10) orbitals on Cu(I) and empty 4d(0) orbitals on Mo(VI). Both II and III contain Cu(II) and exhibit larger bandgap sizes. Accordingly, aqueous suspensions of I exhibit visible-light photocatalytic activity for the production of oxygen at a rate of ∼90 μmol O2 g(-1) h(-1) (10 mg samples; radiant power density of ∼1 W/cm(2)) and a turnover frequency per calculated surface [Mo8O26](4-) cluster of ∼36 h(-1). Under combined ultraviolet and visible-light irradiation, I also exhibits photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production in 20% aqueous methanol of ∼316 μmol H2 g(-1) h(-1). By contrast, II decomposed during the photocatalysis measurements. The molecular [Cu2(o-phen)4(α-Mo8O26)] clusters of III dissolve into the aqueous methanol solution under ultraviolet irradiation and exhibit homogeneous photocatalytic rates for hydrogen production of up to ∼8670 μmol H2·g(-1) h(-1) and a turnover frequency of 17 h(-1). The clusters of III can be precipitated out by evaporation and redispersed into solution with

Space-coiling fractal metamaterial with multi-bandgaps on subwavelength scale

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Xianfeng; Liu, Tingting; Xia, Baizhan; Luo, Zhen; Xie, Longxiang; Liu, Jian

2018-06-01

Acoustic metamaterials are remarkably different from conventional materials, as they can flexibly manipulate and control the propagation of sound waves. Unlike the locally resonant metamaterials introduced in earlier studies, we designed an ultraslow artificial structure with a sound speed much lower than that in air. In this paper, the space-coiling approach is proposed for achieving artificial metamaterial for extremely low-frequency airborne sound. In addition, the self-similar fractal technique is utilized for designing space-coiling Mie-resonance-based metamaterials (MRMMs) to obtain a band-dispersive spectrum. The band structures of two-dimensional (2D) acoustic metamaterials with different fractal levels are illustrated using the finite element method. The low-frequency bandgap can easily be formed, and multi-bandgap properties are observed in high-level fractals. Furthermore, the designed MRMMs with higher order fractal space coiling shows a good robustness against irregular arrangement. Besides, the proposed artificial structure was found to modify and control the radiation field arbitrarily. Thus, this work provides useful guidelines for the design of acoustic filtering devices and acoustic wavefront shaping applications on the subwavelength scale.

Quantum state propagation in linear photonic bandgap structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severini, S; Tricca, D; Sibilia, C; Bertolotti, M; Perina, Jan

2004-01-01

In this paper we investigate the propagation of a generic quantum state in a corrugated waveguide, which reproduces a photonic bandgap structure. We find the conditions that assure the outcoming state to preserve the quantum properties of the incoming state. Then, focusing on a particular quantum state (realized by two counter-propagating coherent states), we study the possibility of preserving the quantum properties of this particular double coherent state even in the presence of absorption phenomena during propagation in the structure

Modification of structure and optical band-gap of nc-Si:H films with ion irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yabin; Wang Zhiguang; Sun Jianrong; Yao Cunfeng; Shen Tielong; Li Bingsheng; Wei Kongfang; Pang Lilong; Sheng Yanbin; Cui Minghuan; Li Yuanfei; Wang Ji; Zhu Huiping

2012-01-01

Hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) films fabricated by using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition are irradiated at room temperature with 6.0 MeV Xe-ions. The irradiation fluences are 1.0 × 10 13 , 5.0 × 10 13 and 1.0 × 10 14 Xe-ions/cm 2 . The structure and optical band-gap of the irradiated films varying with ion fluence are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman and UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopes, as well as transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the crystallite size, the crystalline fraction and the optical band-gap decrease continuously with increasing the ion fluence. The crystalline fraction of the films irradiated to the fluences from 0 to 1.0 × 10 14 Xe-ions/cm 2 decreases from about 65.7% to 2.9% and the optical band-gap decreases from about 2.1 to 1.6 eV. Possible origins of the modification of the nc-Si:H films under 6.0 MeV Xe-ions irradiation are briefly discussed.

Fabrication and characterization of an all-solid tellurite-phosphate photonic bandgap fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Tonglei; Sakai, Yukiko; Suzuki, Takenobu; Ohishi, Yasutake

2015-05-01

We present an all-solid tellurite-phosphate photonic bandgap fiber (PBGF) with two layers of high-index rods (TeO2-Li2O-WO3-MoO3-Nb2O5, TLWMN) in the cladding (TeO2-ZnO-Li2O-K2O-Al2O3-P2O5, TZLKAP). TLWMN and TZLKAP glasses have good compatibility for fabricating the all-solid PBGF. Photonic bandgap (PBG) properties are calculated by the plane wave expansion method (PWM), and the results agree well with the measured transmission spectrum. Furthermore, the modal field patterns are measured at ∼1300 and 1520 nm, respectively. The light is confined to the core at ∼1300  nm and lost in the cladding at ∼1520  nm, which match well with the calculated modal field intensities.

Photonic bandgap structure of 3-D fcc silica nanospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo, Y. K.; Ha, N. Y.; Hwang, Ji Soo; Chang, H. J.; Wu, J. W. [Dept. of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-07-01

Photonic crystal is an artificial optical material with a periodic dielectric potential, hence exhibiting a bandgap for a propagating electromagnetic wave. We fabricated crystal possessing 3-D fcc opal structure from silica nanospheres. The crystals are self-assembled on a flat glass by evaporating the solvent in the nanosphere suspension at the room temperature. The suspension consists of silica nanospheres with a diameter of 200 nm. The microscopic arrangement of nanospheres is identified by a scanning electron microscope, the resulting structure being fcc.Transmission spectrum of the fabricated photonic crystal in the visible and near-infrared regions is measured at different incident angles to find the distinct Bragg peaks, analysis of which further confirmed the fcc structure of the photonic crystal. From the optical microscopic image, we find that the opal domain varies from 30 μm to 125 μm in size. In order to relate the observed Bragg peaks with the microscopic arrangement of silica nanospheres, we introduced the scalar wave approximation, where the electric field in the medium is treated as a scalar rather than a vector quantity. It is found that the theoretical prediction of the position of bandgap is in a good agreement with the experimental measurement.

Photonic bandgap structure of 3-D fcc silica nanospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Y. K.; Ha, N. Y.; Hwang, Ji Soo; Chang, H. J.; Wu, J. W.

2002-01-01

Photonic crystal is an artificial optical material with a periodic dielectric potential, hence exhibiting a bandgap for a propagating electromagnetic wave. We fabricated crystal possessing 3-D fcc opal structure from silica nanospheres. The crystals are self-assembled on a flat glass by evaporating the solvent in the nanosphere suspension at the room temperature. The suspension consists of silica nanospheres with a diameter of 200 nm. The microscopic arrangement of nanospheres is identified by a scanning electron microscope, the resulting structure being fcc.Transmission spectrum of the fabricated photonic crystal in the visible and near-infrared regions is measured at different incident angles to find the distinct Bragg peaks, analysis of which further confirmed the fcc structure of the photonic crystal. From the optical microscopic image, we find that the opal domain varies from 30 μm to 125 μm in size. In order to relate the observed Bragg peaks with the microscopic arrangement of silica nanospheres, we introduced the scalar wave approximation, where the electric field in the medium is treated as a scalar rather than a vector quantity. It is found that the theoretical prediction of the position of bandgap is in a good agreement with the experimental measurement.

Highly Efficient Perovskite-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells Reaching 80% of the Theoretical Limit in Photovoltage.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajagopal, Adharsh; Yang, Zhibin; Jo, Sae Byeok; Braly, Ian L; Liang, Po-Wei; Hillhouse, Hugh W; Jen, Alex K-Y

2017-09-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite multijunction solar cells have immense potential to realize power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells; however, they are limited by large nonideal photovoltage loss (V oc,loss ) in small- and large-bandgap subcells. Here, an integrated approach is utilized to improve the V oc of subcells with optimized bandgaps and fabricate perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with small V oc,loss . A fullerene variant, Indene-C 60 bis-adduct, is used to achieve optimized interfacial contact in a small-bandgap (≈1.2 eV) subcell, which facilitates higher quasi-Fermi level splitting, reduces nonradiative recombination, alleviates hysteresis instabilities, and improves V oc to 0.84 V. Compositional engineering of large-bandgap (≈1.8 eV) perovskite is employed to realize a subcell with a transparent top electrode and photostabilized V oc of 1.22 V. The resultant monolithic perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cell shows a high V oc of 1.98 V (approaching 80% of the theoretical limit) and a stabilized PCE of 18.5%. The significantly minimized nonideal V oc,loss is better than state-of-the-art silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, which highlights the prospects of using perovskite-perovskite tandems for solar-energy generation. It also unlocks opportunities for solar water splitting using hybrid perovskites with solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies beyond 15%. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nanoscale probing of bandgap states on oxide particles using electron energy-loss spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qianlang; March, Katia; Crozier, Peter A

2017-07-01

Surface and near-surface electronic states were probed with nanometer spatial resolution in MgO and TiO 2 anatase nanoparticles using ultra-high energy resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) coupled to a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). This combination allows the surface electronic structure determined with spectroscopy to be correlated with nanoparticle size, morphology, facet etc. By acquiring the spectra in aloof beam mode, radiation damage to the surface can be significantly reduced while maintaining the nanometer spatial resolution. MgO and TiO 2 showed very different bandgap features associated with the surface/sub-surface layer of the nanoparticles. Spectral simulations based on dielectric theory and density of states models showed that a plateau feature found in the pre-bandgap region in the spectra from (100) surfaces of 60nm MgO nanocubes is consistent with a thin hydroxide surface layer. The spectroscopy shows that this hydroxide species gives rise to a broad filled surface state at 1.1eV above the MgO valence band. At the surfaces of TiO 2 nanoparticles, pronounced peaks were observed in the bandgap region, which could not be well fitted to defect states. In this case, the high refractive index and large particle size may make Cherenkov or guided light modes the likely causes of the peaks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tunable polarisation-maintaining filter based on liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scolari, Lara; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Weirich, Johannes

2008-01-01

A tunable and polarisation-maintaining all-in-fibre filter based on a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre is demonstrated. Its polarisation extinction ratio reaches 14 dB at 1550 nm wavelength. Its spectral tunability range spans over 250 nm in the temperature range 30–70°C. The measured...

Detecting very low allele fraction variants using targeted DNA sequencing and a novel molecular barcode-aware variant caller.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chang; Nezami Ranjbar, Mohammad R; Wu, Zhong; DiCarlo, John; Wang, Yexun

2017-01-03

Detection of DNA mutations at very low allele fractions with high accuracy will significantly improve the effectiveness of precision medicine for cancer patients. To achieve this goal through next generation sequencing, researchers need a detection method that 1) captures rare mutation-containing DNA fragments efficiently in the mix of abundant wild-type DNA; 2) sequences the DNA library extensively to deep coverage; and 3) distinguishes low level true variants from amplification and sequencing errors with high accuracy. Targeted enrichment using PCR primers provides researchers with a convenient way to achieve deep sequencing for a small, yet most relevant region using benchtop sequencers. Molecular barcoding (or indexing) provides a unique solution for reducing sequencing artifacts analytically. Although different molecular barcoding schemes have been reported in recent literature, most variant calling has been done on limited targets, using simple custom scripts. The analytical performance of barcode-aware variant calling can be significantly improved by incorporating advanced statistical models. We present here a highly efficient, simple and scalable enrichment protocol that integrates molecular barcodes in multiplex PCR amplification. In addition, we developed smCounter, an open source, generic, barcode-aware variant caller based on a Bayesian probabilistic model. smCounter was optimized and benchmarked on two independent read sets with SNVs and indels at 5 and 1% allele fractions. Variants were called with very good sensitivity and specificity within coding regions. We demonstrated that we can accurately detect somatic mutations with allele fractions as low as 1% in coding regions using our enrichment protocol and variant caller.

A model for the direct-to-indirect band-gap transition in monolayer ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. A monolayer of MoSe2 is found to be a direct band-gap semiconductor. We show, ... In order to determine appropriate basis for the tight-binding model, the Mo and Se ..... RD thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Spectroscopic studies on novel donor-acceptor and low band-gap polymeric semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cravino, A.

2002-11-01

Novel low band-gap conjugated polymeric semiconductors as well as conjugated electron donor chains carrying electron acceptor substituents were electrochemically prepared and investigated by means of different spectroscopic techniques. Using in situ FTIR and ESR spectroelectrochemistry, the spectroscopic features of injected positive charges are found to be different as opposed to the negative charge carriers on the same conjugated polymer. These results, for which the theoretical models so far developed do not account, demonstrate the different structure and delocalization of charge carriers with opposite signs. In addition, vibrational spectroscopy results proof the enhanced 'quinoid' character of low band-gap conjugated chains. Excited state spectroscopy was applied to study photoexcitations in conjugated polymers carrying tetracyanoanthraquinone type or fullerene moieties. This novel class of materials, hereafter called double-cable polymers, was found promising as alternative to the conjugated polymer:fullerene mixtures currently used for the preparation of 'bulk-heterojunction' polymeric solar cells. (author)

Ab initio study of the bandgap engineering of Al1−xGaxN for optoelectronic applications

KAUST Repository

Amin, B.; Ahmad, Iftikhar; Maqbool, M.; Goumri-Said, S.; Ahmad, R.

2011-01-01

A theoretical study of Al1−xGaxN, based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, is used to investigate the variations in the bandgap,optical properties, and nonlinear behavior of the compound with the change in the Ga concentration. It is found that the bandgap decreases with the increase in Ga. A maximum value of 5.50 eV is determined for the bandgap of pure AlN, which reaches a minimum value of 3.0 eV when Al is completely replaced by Ga. The static index of refraction and dielectric constant decreases with the increase in the bandgap of the material, assigning a high index of refraction to pure GaN when compared to pure AlN. The refractive index drops below 1 for higher energy photons, larger than 14 eV. The group velocity of these photons is larger than the vacuum velocity of light. This astonishing result shows that at higher energies the optical properties of the material shifts from linear to nonlinear. Furthermore, frequency dependent reflectivity and absorption coefficients show that peak values of the absorption coefficient and reflectivity shift toward lower energy in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum with the increase in Ga concentration. This comprehensive theoretical study of the optoelectronic properties predicts that the material can be effectively used in the optical devices working in the visible and UV spectrum.

Ab initio study of the bandgap engineering of Al1−xGaxN for optoelectronic applications

KAUST Repository

Amin, B.

2011-01-19

A theoretical study of Al1−xGaxN, based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, is used to investigate the variations in the bandgap,optical properties, and nonlinear behavior of the compound with the change in the Ga concentration. It is found that the bandgap decreases with the increase in Ga. A maximum value of 5.50 eV is determined for the bandgap of pure AlN, which reaches a minimum value of 3.0 eV when Al is completely replaced by Ga. The static index of refraction and dielectric constant decreases with the increase in the bandgap of the material, assigning a high index of refraction to pure GaN when compared to pure AlN. The refractive index drops below 1 for higher energy photons, larger than 14 eV. The group velocity of these photons is larger than the vacuum velocity of light. This astonishing result shows that at higher energies the optical properties of the material shifts from linear to nonlinear. Furthermore, frequency dependent reflectivity and absorption coefficients show that peak values of the absorption coefficient and reflectivity shift toward lower energy in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum with the increase in Ga concentration. This comprehensive theoretical study of the optoelectronic properties predicts that the material can be effectively used in the optical devices working in the visible and UV spectrum.

On the Performance of Linear Decreasing Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimization for Global Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Arasomwan, Martins Akugbe; Adewumi, Aderemi Oluyinka

2013-01-01

Linear decreasing inertia weight (LDIW) strategy was introduced to improve on the performance of the original particle swarm optimization (PSO). However, linear decreasing inertia weight PSO (LDIW-PSO) algorithm is known to have the shortcoming of premature convergence in solving complex (multipeak) optimization problems due to lack of enough momentum for particles to do exploitation as the algorithm approaches its terminal point. Researchers have tried to address this shortcoming by modifying LDIW-PSO or proposing new PSO variants. Some of these variants have been claimed to outperform LDIW-PSO. The major goal of this paper is to experimentally establish the fact that LDIW-PSO is very much efficient if its parameters are properly set. First, an experiment was conducted to acquire a percentage value of the search space limits to compute the particle velocity limits in LDIW-PSO based on commonly used benchmark global optimization problems. Second, using the experimentally obtained values, five well-known benchmark optimization problems were used to show the outstanding performance of LDIW-PSO over some of its competitors which have in the past claimed superiority over it. Two other recent PSO variants with different inertia weight strategies were also compared with LDIW-PSO with the latter outperforming both in the simulation experiments conducted. PMID:24324383

Optical bandgap of semiconductor nanostructures: Methods for experimental data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Raciti, R.; Bahariqushchi, R.; Summonte, C.; Aydinli, A.; Terrasi, A.; Mirabella, S.

2017-06-01

Determination of the optical bandgap (Eg) in semiconductor nanostructures is a key issue in understanding the extent of quantum confinement effects (QCE) on electronic properties and it usually involves some analytical approximation in experimental data reduction and modeling of the light absorption processes. Here, we compare some of the analytical procedures frequently used to evaluate the optical bandgap from reflectance (R) and transmittance (T) spectra. Ge quantum wells and quantum dots embedded in SiO2 were produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and light absorption was characterized by UV-Vis/NIR spectrophotometry. R&T elaboration to extract the absorption spectra was conducted by two approximated methods (single or double pass approximation, single pass analysis, and double pass analysis, respectively) followed by Eg evaluation through linear fit of Tauc or Cody plots. Direct fitting of R&T spectra through a Tauc-Lorentz oscillator model is used as comparison. Methods and data are discussed also in terms of the light absorption process in the presence of QCE. The reported data show that, despite the approximation, the DPA approach joined with Tauc plot gives reliable results, with clear advantages in terms of computational efforts and understanding of QCE.

Electromagnetically induced photonic bandgap in hot Cs atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D. W.; Zhang, L.; Su, X. M.; Zhuo, Z. C.; Kim, J. B

2010-01-01

Three-level Λ-type thermal Cs atoms are used to demonstrate the phenomenon of a photonic bandgap induced by quantum coherence with a standing wave (SW). We observed the transmitted signals of probe field driven by several kinds of SW, which are formed by a strong forward-traveling field and a backward-traveling field when a mirror reflects the forward-traveling beam. Considering Doppler inhomogeneous broadenings with a SW drive, we employ Fourier transformation to solve density-matrix equations for simulation results. The simulation results are found to be consistent with the experimental results.

Systematic Bandgap Engineering of Graphene Quantum Dots and Applications for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yibo; Chen, Jie; Li, Nan; Tian, Jingqi; Li, Kaixin; Jiang, Jizhou; Liu, Jiyang; Tian, Qinghua; Chen, Peng

2018-04-24

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which is the latest addition to the nanocarbon material family, promise a wide spectrum of applications. Herein, we demonstrate two different functionalization strategies to systematically tailor the bandgap structures of GQDs whereby making them snugly suitable for particular applications. Furthermore, the functionalized GQDs with a narrow bandgap and intramolecular Z-scheme structure are employed as the efficient photocatalysts for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction under visible light. The underlying mechanisms of our observations are studied and discussed.

Characteristics and optimization of ZnO/CdS/CZTS photovoltaic solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Gueddim, A.; Bouarissa, N.; Naas, A.; Daoudi, F.; Messikine, N.

2018-02-01

In the present contribution a ZnO/CdS/CZTS structure with new thicknesses of the different layers has been proposed using solar cell capacitance simulator. The objective of this study is the improvement of the device efficiency while varying the thickness of the various layers and the CZTS system energy band-gap. Our results showed that cells with optimal values of thicknesses of 0.1, 0.02 and 1 µm for ZnO window layer, CdS buffer layer and CZTS absorber layer, respectively give conversion efficiency of 23.56%. Furthermore, the higher performance of these cells is obtained for a CZTS band-gap energy of about 1.45 eV. The obtained conversion efficiency is comparable to those previously reported in the literature.

The Tunable Bandgap of AB-Stacked Bilayer Graphene on SiO2 with H2O Molecule Adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Tao; Guo Qing; Liu Yan; Wang Wen-Bo; Sheng Kuang; Ao Zhi-Min; Yu Bin

2011-01-01

The atomic and electronic structures of AB-stacking bilayer graphene (BLG) in the presence of H 2 O molecules are investigated by density functional theory calculations. For free-standing BLG, the bandgap is opened to 0.101 eV with a single H 2 O molecule adsorbed on its surface. The perfectly suspended BLG is sensitive to H 2 O adsorbates, which break the BLG lattice symmetry and open an energy gap. While a single H 2 O molecule is adsorbed on the BLG surface with a SiO 2 substrate, the bandgap widens to 0.363 eV. Both the H 2 O molecule adsorption and the oxide substrate contribute to the BLG bandgap opening. The phenomenon is interpreted with the charge transfer process in 2D carbon nanostructures. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Space-time topology optimization for one-dimensional wave propagation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2009-01-01

-dimensional transient wave propagation in an elastic rod with time dependent Young's modulus. By two simulation examples it is demonstrated how dynamic structures can display rich dynamic behavior such as wavenumber/frequency shifts and lack of energy conservation. The optimization method's potential for creating...... structures with novel dynamic behavior is illustrated by a simple example; it is shown that an elastic rod in which the optimized stiffness distribution is allowed to vary in time can be much more efficient in prohibiting wave propagation compared to a static bandgap structure. Optimized designs in form...... of spatio-temporal laminates and checkerboards are generated and discussed. The example lays the foundation for creating designs with more advanced functionalities in future work....

Effect of ripple taper on band-gap overlap in a coaxial Bragg structure operating at terahertz frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Xueyong; Li Hongfan; Lv Zhensu

2012-01-01

Based on the mode-coupling method, numerical analysis is presented to demonstrate the influence of ripple taper on band-gap overlap in a coaxial Bragg structure operating at terahertz frequency. Results show that the interval between the band-gaps of the competing mode and the desired working mode is narrowed by use of positive-taper ripples, but is expanded if negative-taper ripples are employed, and the influence of the negative-taper ripples is obviously more advantageous than the positive-taper ripples; the band-gap overlap of modes can be efficiently separated by use of negative-taper ripples. The residual side-lobes of the frequency response in a coaxial Bragg structure with ripple taper also can be effectively suppressed by employing the windowing-function technique. These peculiarities provide potential advantage in constructing a coaxial Bragg cavity with high quality factor for single higher-order-mode operation of a high-power free-electron maser in the terahertz frequency range.

Electronic band-gap modified passive silicon optical modulator at telecommunications wavelengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Liu, Xiangdong; Lu, Qingming; Wang, Jiyang

2015-11-13

The silicon optical modulator is considered to be the workhorse of a revolution in communications. In recent years, the capabilities of externally driven active silicon optical modulators have dramatically improved. Self-driven passive modulators, especially passive silicon modulators, possess advantages in compactness, integration, low-cost, etc. Constrained by a large indirect band-gap and sensitivity-related loss, the passive silicon optical modulator is scarce and has been not advancing, especially at telecommunications wavelengths. Here, a passive silicon optical modulator is fabricated by introducing an impurity band in the electronic band-gap, and its nonlinear optics and applications in the telecommunications-wavelength lasers are investigated. The saturable absorption properties at the wavelength of 1.55 μm was measured and indicates that the sample is quite sensitive to light intensity and has negligible absorption loss. With a passive silicon modulator, pulsed lasers were constructed at wavelengths at 1.34 and 1.42 μm. It is concluded that the sensitive self-driven passive silicon optical modulator is a viable candidate for photonics applications out to 2.5 μm.

Direct-Indirect Nature of the Bandgap in Lead-Free Perovskite Nanocrystals

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Yuhai

2017-06-23

With record efficiencies achieved in lead halide perovskite-based photovoltaics, urgency has shifted toward finding alternative materials that are stable and less toxic. Bismuth-based perovskite materials are currently one of the most promising candidates among those alternatives. However, the band structures of these materials, including the nature of the bandgaps, remain elusive due to extremely low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and scattering issues in their thin-film form. Here, we reveal the specific nature of the material\\'s electronic transitions by realizing monodisperse colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) of hexagonal-phase Cs3Bi2X9 perovskites, which afford well-resolved PL features. Interestingly, the PL profile exhibits a dual-spectral feature at room temperature with comparable intensities, based on which we propose an exciton recombination process involving both indirect and direct transitions simultaneously-an observation further supported by temperature-dependent and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our findings provide experimental and theoretical insights into the nature of the bandgaps in bismuth halide materials-essential information for assessing their viability in solar cells and optoelectronics.

Triple photonic band-gap structure dynamically induced in the presence of spontaneously generated coherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Jinwei; Bao Qianqian; Wan Rengang; Cui Cuili; Wu Jinhui

2011-01-01

We study a cold atomic sample coherently driven into the five-level triple-Λ configuration for attaining a dynamically controlled triple photonic band-gap structure. Our numerical calculations show that three photonic band gaps with homogeneous reflectivities up to 92% can be induced on demand around the probe resonance by a standing-wave driving field in the presence of spontaneously generated coherence. All these photonic band gaps are severely malformed with probe reflectivities declining rapidly to very low values when spontaneously generated coherence is gradually weakened. The triple photonic band-gap structure can also be attained in a five-level chain-Λ system of cold atoms in the absence of spontaneously generated coherence, which however requires two additional traveling-wave fields to couple relevant levels.

Wide bandgap collector III-V double heterojunction bipolar transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flitcroft, R.M.

2000-10-01

This thesis is devoted to the study and development of Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBTs) designed for high voltage operation. The work concentrates on the use of wide bandgap III-V semiconductor materials as the collector material and their associated properties influencing breakdown, such as impact ionisation coefficients. The work deals with issues related to incorporating a wide bandgap collector into double heterojunction structures such as conduction band discontinuities at the base-collector junction and results are presented which detail, a number of methods designed to eliminate the effects of such discontinuities. In particular the use of AlGaAs as the base material has been successful in eliminating the conduction band spike at this interface. A method of electrically injecting electrons into the collector has been employed to investigate impact ionisation in GaAs, GaInP and AlInP which has used the intrinsic gain of the devices to extract impact ionisation coefficients over a range of electric fields beyond the scope of conventional optical injection techniques. This data has enabled the study of ''dead space'' effects in HBT collectors and have been used to develop an analytical model of impact ionisation which has been incorporated into an existing Ebers-Moll HBT simulator. This simulator has been shown to accurately reproduce current-voltage characteristics in both the devices used in this work and for external clients. (author)

Reducing support loss in micromechanical ring resonators using phononic band-gap structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Feng-Chia; Huang, Tsun-Che; Wang, Chin-Hung; Chang, Pin [Industrial Technology Research Institute-South, Tainan 709, Taiwan (China); Hsu, Jin-Chen, E-mail: fengchiahsu@itri.org.t, E-mail: hsujc@yuntech.edu.t [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliou, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan (China)

2011-09-21

In micromechanical resonators, energy loss via supports into the substrates may lead to a low quality factor. To eliminate the support loss, in this paper a phononic band-gap structure is employed. We demonstrate a design of phononic-crystal (PC) strips used to support extensional wine-glass mode ring resonators to increase the quality factor. The PC strips are introduced to stop elastic-wave propagation by the band-gap and deaf-band effects. Analyses of resonant characteristics of the ring resonators and the dispersion relations, eigenmodes, and transmission properties of the PC strips are presented. With the proposed resonator architecture, the finite-element simulations show that the leaky power is effectively reduced and the stored energy inside the resonators is enhanced simultaneously as the operating frequencies of the resonators are within the band gap or deaf bands. Realization of a high quality factor micromechanical ring resonator with minimized support loss is expected.

Reducing support loss in micromechanical ring resonators using phononic band-gap structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Feng-Chia; Huang, Tsun-Che; Wang, Chin-Hung; Chang, Pin; Hsu, Jin-Chen

2011-01-01

In micromechanical resonators, energy loss via supports into the substrates may lead to a low quality factor. To eliminate the support loss, in this paper a phononic band-gap structure is employed. We demonstrate a design of phononic-crystal (PC) strips used to support extensional wine-glass mode ring resonators to increase the quality factor. The PC strips are introduced to stop elastic-wave propagation by the band-gap and deaf-band effects. Analyses of resonant characteristics of the ring resonators and the dispersion relations, eigenmodes, and transmission properties of the PC strips are presented. With the proposed resonator architecture, the finite-element simulations show that the leaky power is effectively reduced and the stored energy inside the resonators is enhanced simultaneously as the operating frequencies of the resonators are within the band gap or deaf bands. Realization of a high quality factor micromechanical ring resonator with minimized support loss is expected.

Fabrication of a three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystal of air-spheres in a titania matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Diop, M.; Maurin, G.; Tork, Amir; Lessard, Roger A.

2003-02-01

A three-dimensional (3D) colloidal crystal have been grown from an aqueous colloidal solution of highly monodisperse submicrometer-sized polystyrene spheres using a self-assembly processing technique. The electromagnetic waves diffracted by this crystal can interfere and give rise to a photonic band-gap. However, due to the low refractive index contrast within this material the band-gap is incomplete. By filling the voids between the spheres of the colloidal crystal with titania and removing the polystyrene beads by sublimation, we obtained an inverse-opal structure with an increased refractive index contrast showing strong opalescence.

A computational study on the energy bandgap engineering in performance enhancement of CdTe thin film solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ameen M. Ali

Full Text Available In this study, photovoltaic properties of CdTe thin film in the configuration of n-SnO2/n-CdS/p-CdTe/p-CdTe:Te/metal have been studied by numerical simulation software named “Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structure” (AMPS-1D. A modified structure for CdTe thin film solar cell has been proposed by numerical analysis with the insertion of a back contact buffer layer (CdTe:Te. This layer can serve as a barrier that will decelerate the copper diffusion in CdTe solar cell. Four estimated energy bandgap relations versus the Tellurium (Te concentrations and the (CdTe:Te layer thickness have been examined thoroughly during simulation. Correlation between energy bandgap with the CdTe thin film solar cell performance has also been established. Keywords: Numerical modelling, CdTe thin film, Solar cell, AMPS-1D, Bandgap

Effect of background dielectric on TE-polarized photonic bandgap of metallodielectric photonic crystals using Dirichlet-to-Neumann map method.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedghi, Aliasghar; Rezaei, Behrooz

2016-11-20

Using the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map method, we have calculated the photonic band structure of two-dimensional metallodielectric photonic crystals having the square and triangular lattices of circular metal rods in a dielectric background. We have selected the transverse electric mode of electromagnetic waves, and the resulting band structures showed the existence of photonic bandgap in these structures. We theoretically study the effect of background dielectric on the photonic bandgap.

Large bandgap narrowing in rutile TiO2 aimed towards visible light applications and its correlation with vacancy-type defects history and transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Radhika V.; Gayathri, P. K.; Siva Gummaluri, Venkata; Nambissan, P. M. G.; Vijayan, C.

2018-01-01

Extension of photoactivity of TiO2 to the visible region is achievable via effective control over the intrinsic defects such as oxygen and Ti vacancies, which has several applications in visible photocatalysis and sensing. We present here the first observation of an apparent bandgap narrowing and bandgap tuning effect due to vacancy cluster transformation in rutile TiO2 structures to 1.84 eV from the bulk bandgap of 3 eV. A gradual transformation of divacancies (V Ti-O) to tri vacancies ({{V}Ti-O-T{{i-}}} ) achieved through a controlled solvothermal scheme appears to result in an apparent narrowing bandgap and tunability, as supported by positron annihilation lifetime and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements. Visible photocatalytic activity of the samples is demonstrated in terms of photodegradation of rhodamine B dye molecules.

Soliton formation in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper

2009-01-01

of an approximate scaling relation is tested. It is concluded that compression of input pulses of several ps duration and sub-MW peak power can lead to a formation of solitons with ∼100 fs duration and multi-megawatt peak powers. The dispersion slope of realistic hollow-core fibers appears to be the main obstacle......The formation of solitons upon compression of linearly chirped pulses in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers is investigated numerically. The dependence of soliton duration on the chirp and power of the input pulse and on the dispersion slope of the fiber is investigated, and the validity...

Regioregular narrow-bandgap-conjugated polymers for plastic electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Lei; Huang, Fei; Bazan, Guillermo C.

2017-03-01

Progress in the molecular design and processing protocols of semiconducting polymers has opened significant opportunities for the fabrication of low-cost plastic electronic devices. Recent studies indicate that field-effect transistors and organic solar cells fabricated using narrow-bandgap regioregular polymers with translational symmetries in the direction of the backbone vector often outperform those containing analogous regiorandom polymers. This review addresses the cutting edge of regioregularity chemistry, in particular how to control the spatial distribution in the molecular structures and how this order translates to more ordered bulk morphologies. The effect of regioregularity on charge transport and photovoltaic properties is also outlined.

The Ontology of Knowledge Based Optimization

OpenAIRE

Nasution, Mahyuddin K. M.

2012-01-01

Optimization has been becoming a central of studies in mathematic and has many areas with different applications. However, many themes of optimization came from different area have not ties closing to origin concepts. This paper is to address some variants of optimization problems using ontology in order to building basic of knowledge about optimization, and then using it to enhance strategy to achieve knowledge based optimization.

Contributions of oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials to band-gap states of reduced titania

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jingfeng; Lazzari, Rémi; Chenot, Stéphane; Jupille, Jacques

2018-01-01

The spectroscopic fingerprints of the point defects of titanium dioxide remain highly controversial. Seemingly indisputable experiments lead to conflicting conclusions in which oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials are alternately referred to as the primary origin of the Ti 3 d band-gap states. We report on experiments performed by electron energy loss spectroscopy whose key is the direct annealing of only the very surface of rutile TiO2(110 ) crystals and the simultaneous measurement of its temperature via the Bose-Einstein loss/gain ratio. By surface preparations involving reactions with oxygen and water vapor, in particular, under electron irradiation, vacancy- and interstitial-related band-gap states are singled out. Off-specular measurements reveal that both types of defects contribute to a unique charge distribution that peaks in subsurface layers with a common dispersive behavior.

Photonic bandgap fiber lasers and multicore fiber lasers for next generation high power lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shirakawa, A.; Chen, M.; Suzuki, Y.

2014-01-01

Photonic bandgap fiber lasers are realizing new laser spectra and nonlinearity mitigation that a conventional fiber laser cannot. Multicore fiber lasers are a promising tool for power scaling by coherent beam combination. © 2014 OSA....

Synthesis and characterization of a low bandgap conjugated polymer for bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dhanabalan, A.; Duren, van J.K.J.; Hal, van P.A.; Dongen, van J.L.J.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2001-01-01

Low optical bandgap conjugated polymers may improve the efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices by increasing the absorption in the visible and near infrared region of the solar spectrum. Here we demonstrate that condensation polymerization of

A Variant of the Topkis-Veinott Method for Solving Inequality Constrained Optimization Problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birge, J. R.; Qi, L.; Wei, Z.

2000-01-01

In this paper we give a variant of the Topkis-Veinott method for solving inequality constrained optimization problems. This method uses a linearly constrained positive semidefinite quadratic problem to generate a feasible descent direction at each iteration. Under mild assumptions, the algorithm is shown to be globally convergent in the sense that every accumulation point of the sequence generated by the algorithm is a Fritz-John point of the problem. We introduce a Fritz-John (FJ) function, an FJ1 strong second-order sufficiency condition (FJ1-SSOSC), and an FJ2 strong second-order sufficiency condition (FJ2-SSOSC), and then show, without any constraint qualification (CQ), that (i) if an FJ point z satisfies the FJ1-SSOSC, then there exists a neighborhood N(z) of z such that, for any FJ point y element of N(z) {z } , f 0 (y) ≠ f 0 (z) , where f 0 is the objective function of the problem; (ii) if an FJ point z satisfies the FJ2-SSOSC, then z is a strict local minimum of the problem. The result (i) implies that the entire iteration point sequence generated by the method converges to an FJ point. We also show that if the parameters are chosen large enough, a unit step length can be accepted by the proposed algorithm

Halogenation of SiC for band-gap engineering and excitonic functionalization

Science.gov (United States)

Drissi, L. B.; Ramadan, F. Z.; Lounis, S.

2017-11-01

The optical excitation spectra and excitonic resonances are investigated in systematically functionalized SiC with Fluorine and/or Chlorine utilizing density functional theory in combination with many-body perturbation theory. The latter is required for a realistic description of the energy band-gaps as well as for the theoretical realization of excitons. Structural, electronic and optical properties are scrutinized and show the high stability of the predicted two-dimensional materials. Their realization in laboratory is thus possible. Large band-gaps of the order of 4 eV are found in the so-called GW approximation, with the occurrence of bright excitons, optically active in the four investigated materials. Their binding energies vary from 0.9 eV to 1.75 eV depending on the decoration choice and in one case, a dark exciton is foreseen to exist in the fully chlorinated SiC. The wide variety of opto-electronic properties suggest halogenated SiC as interesting materials with potential not only for solar cell applications, anti-reflection coatings or high-reflective systems but also for a possible realization of excitonic Bose-Einstein condensation.

Defect Characterization, Imaging, and Control in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors and Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Brillson, L. J.; Foster, G. M.; Cox, J.; Ruane, W. T.; Jarjour, A. B.; Gao, H.; von Wenckstern, H.; Grundmann, M.; Wang, B.; Look, D. C.; Hyland, A.; Allen, M. W.

2018-03-01

Wide-bandgap semiconductors are now leading the way to new physical phenomena and device applications at nanoscale dimensions. The impact of defects on the electronic properties of these materials increases as their size decreases, motivating new techniques to characterize and begin to control these electronic states. Leading these advances have been the semiconductors ZnO, GaN, and related materials. This paper highlights the importance of native point defects in these semiconductors and describes how a complement of spatially localized surface science and spectroscopy techniques in three dimensions can characterize, image, and begin to control these electronic states at the nanoscale. A combination of characterization techniques including depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging can describe the nature and distribution of defects at interfaces at both bulk and nanoscale surfaces, their metal interfaces, and inside nanostructures themselves. These features as well as temperature and mechanical strain inside wide-bandgap device structures at the nanoscale can be measured even while these devices are operating. These advanced capabilities enable several new directions for describing defects at the nanoscale, showing how they contribute to device degradation, and guiding growth processes to control them.

Tunable Bandgap and Optical Properties of Black Phosphorene Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunmei Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Black phosphorus (BP, a new two-dimensional material, has been the focus of scientists’ attention. BP nanotubes have potential in the field of optoelectronics due to their low-dimensional effects. In this work, the bending strain energy, electronic structure, and optical properties of BP nanotubes were investigated by using the first-principles method based on density functional theory. The results show that these properties are closely related to the rolling direction and radius of the BP nanotube. All the calculated BP nanotube properties show direct bandgaps, and the BP nanotubes with the same rolling direction express a monotone increasing trend in the value of bandgap with a decrease in radius, which is a stacking effect of the compression strain on the inner atoms and the tension strain on the outer atoms. The bending strain energy of the zigzag phosphorene nanotubes (zPNTs is higher than that of armchair phosphorene nanotubes (aPNT with the same radius of curvature due to the anisotropy of the BP’s structure. The imaginary part of the dielectric function, the absorption range, reflectivity, and the imaginary part of the refractive index of aPNTs have a wider range than those of zPNTs, with higher values overall. As a result, tunable BP nanotubes are suitable for optoelectronic devices, such as lasers and diodes, which function in the infrared and ultra-violet regions, and for solar cells and photocatalysis.

Postgrowth tuning of the bandgap of single-layer molybdenum disulfide films by sulfur/selenium exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Quan; Isarraraz, Miguel; Wang, Chen S; Preciado, Edwin; Klee, Velveth; Bobek, Sarah; Yamaguchi, Koichi; Li, Emily; Odenthal, Patrick Michael; Nguyen, Ariana; Barroso, David; Sun, Dezheng; von Son Palacio, Gretel; Gomez, Michael; Nguyen, Andrew; Le, Duy; Pawin, Greg; Mann, John; Heinz, Tony F; Rahman, Talat Shahnaz; Bartels, Ludwig

2014-05-27

We demonstrate bandgap tuning of a single-layer MoS2 film on SiO2/Si via substitution of its sulfur atoms by selenium through a process of gentle sputtering, exposure to a selenium precursor, and annealing. We characterize the substitution process both for S/S and S/Se replacement. Photoluminescence and, in the latter case, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide direct evidence of optical band gap shift and selenium incorporation, respectively. We discuss our experimental observations, including the limit of the achievable bandgap shift, in terms of the role of stress in the film as elucidated by computational studies, based on density functional theory. The resultant films are stable in vacuum, but deteriorate under optical excitation in air.

Opto-electronics of PbS quantum dot and narrow bandgap polymer blends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kahmann, Simon; Mura, Andrea; Protesescu, Loredana; Kovalenko, Maksym V.; Brabec, Christoph J.; Loi, Maria A.

2015-01-01

Here we report on the interaction between the narrow bandgap polymer [2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta-[2,1-b;3,4-b]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) and lead sulphide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) upon photoexcitation. We show that the presence of both materials

High bandgap III-V alloys for high efficiency optoelectronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alberi, Kirstin; Mascarenhas, Angelo; Wanlass, Mark

2017-01-10

High bandgap alloys for high efficiency optoelectronics are disclosed. An exemplary optoelectronic device may include a substrate, at least one Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP layer, and a step-grade buffer between the substrate and at least one Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP layer. The buffer may begin with a layer that is substantially lattice matched to GaAs, and may then incrementally increase the lattice constant in each sequential layer until a predetermined lattice constant of Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP is reached.

Mode Division Multiplexing Exploring Hollow-Core Photonic Bandgap Fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Jing; Lyngso, Jens Kristian; Leick, Lasse

2013-01-01

We review our recent exploratory investigations on mode division multiplexing using hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBGFs). Compared with traditional multimode fibers, HC-PBGFs have several attractive features such as ultra-low nonlinearities, low-loss transmission window around 2 µm etc....... After having discussed the potential and challenges of using HC-PBGFs as transmission fibers for mode multiplexing applications, we will report a number of recent proof-of-concept results obtained in our group using direct detection receivers. The first one is the transmission of two 10.7 Gbit/s non...

Particle Swarm Optimization with Various Inertia Weight Variants for Optimal Power Flow Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prabha Umapathy

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an efficient method to solve the optimal power flow problem in power systems using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO. The objective of the proposed method is to find the steady-state operating point which minimizes the fuel cost, while maintaining an acceptable system performance in terms of limits on generator power, line flow, and voltage. Three different inertia weights, a constant inertia weight (CIW, a time-varying inertia weight (TVIW, and global-local best inertia weight (GLbestIW, are considered with the particle swarm optimization algorithm to analyze the impact of inertia weight on the performance of PSO algorithm. The PSO algorithm is simulated for each of the method individually. It is observed that the PSO algorithm with the proposed inertia weight yields better results, both in terms of optimal solution and faster convergence. The proposed method has been tested on the standard IEEE 30 bus test system to prove its efficacy. The algorithm is computationally faster, in terms of the number of load flows executed, and provides better results than other heuristic techniques.

Effects of weak nonlinearity on dispersion relations and frequency band-gaps of periodic structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorokin, Vladislav; Thomsen, Jon Juel

2015-01-01

of these for nonlinear problems is impossible or cumbersome, since Floquet theory is applicable for linear systems only. Thus the nonlinear effects for periodic structures are not yet fully uncovered, while at the same time applica-tions may demand effects of nonlinearity on structural response to be accounted for....... The present work deals with analytically predicting dynamic responses for nonlinear continuous elastic periodic structures. Specifically, the effects of weak nonlinearity on the dispersion re-lation and frequency band-gaps of a periodic Bernoulli-Euler beam performing bending os-cillations are analyzed......The analysis of the behaviour of linear periodic structures can be traced back over 300 years, to Sir Isaac Newton, and still attracts much attention. An essential feature of periodic struc-tures is the presence of frequency band-gaps, i.e. frequency ranges in which waves cannot propagate...

Efficient low bandgap polymer solar cell with ordered heterojunction defined by nanoimprint lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yi; Mielczarek, Kamil; Zakhidov, Anvar; Hu, Walter

2014-11-12

In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of using nanoimprint lithography (NIL) to make efficient low bandgap polymer solar cells with well-ordered heterojunction. High quality low bandgap conjugated polymer poly[2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']-dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) nanogratings are fabricated using this technique for the first time. The geometry effect of PCPDTBT nanostructures on the solar cell performance is investigated by making PCPDTBT/C70 solar cells with different feature sizes of PCPDTBT nanogratings. It is found that the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases with increasing nanograting height, PCPDTBT/C70 junction area, and decreasing nanograting width. We also find that NIL makes PCPDTBT chains interact more strongly and form an improved structural ordering. Solar cells made on the highest aspect ratio PCPDTBT nanostructures are among the best reported devices using the same material with a PCE of 5.5%.

Metallic photonic band-gap materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sigalas, M.M.; Chan, C.T.; Ho, K.M.; Soukoulis, C.M.

1995-01-01

We calculate the transmission and absorption of electromagnetic waves propagating in two-dimensional (2D) and 3D periodic metallic photonic band-gap (PBG) structures. For 2D systems, there is substantial difference between the s- and p-polarized waves. The p-polarized waves exhibit behavior similar to the dielectric PBG's. But, the s-polarized waves have a cutoff frequency below which there are no propagating modes. For 3D systems, the results are qualitatively the same for both polarizations but there are important differences related to the topology of the structure. For 3D structures with isolated metallic scatterers (cermet topology), the behavior is similar to that of the dielectric PBG's, while for 3D structures with the metal forming a continuous network (network topology), there is a cutoff frequency below which there are no propagating modes. The systems with the network topology may have some interesting applications for frequencies less than about 1 THz where the absorption can be neglected. We also study the role of the defects in the metallic structures

Accurate genotyping across variant classes and lengths using variant graphs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sibbesen, Jonas Andreas; Maretty, Lasse; Jensen, Jacob Malte

2018-01-01

of read k-mers to a graph representation of the reference and variants to efficiently perform unbiased, probabilistic genotyping across the variation spectrum. We demonstrate that BayesTyper generally provides superior variant sensitivity and genotyping accuracy relative to existing methods when used...... collecting a set of candidate variants across discovery methods, individuals and databases, and then realigning the reads to the variants and reference simultaneously. However, this realignment problem has proved computationally difficult. Here, we present a new method (BayesTyper) that uses exact alignment...... to integrate variants across discovery approaches and individuals. Finally, we demonstrate that including a ‘variation-prior’ database containing already known variants significantly improves sensitivity....

Photolithography of thick photoresist coating for electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei; Khomtchenko, Elena; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2009-01-01

Thick photoresist coating for electrode patterning in an anisotropically etched V-groove is investigated for electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre devices. The photoresist step coverage at the convex corners is compared with and without soft baking after photoresist spin...

Transitions of bandgap and built-in stress for sputtered HfZnO thin films after thermal treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Chih-Hung; Chen, Jian-Zhang [Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan (China); Cheng, I-Chun [Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics and Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan (China)

2013-08-28

HfZnO thin films with various Hf contents are sputter-deposited on glass substrates from Hf{sub x}Zn{sub 1−x}O (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 at. %) targets at room temperature. The incorporation of Hf in the ZnO film leads to the amorphorization of the materials. The amorphous structures of high-Hf-content films remain after annealing at 600 °C for 30 min. The built-in stresses of as-deposited films are compressive. As the annealing temperature increases, the stresses are relaxed and even become tensile. The films exhibit a high transmission of 80% in the visible region. The optical bandgap increases with the Hf content, but it decreases with the annealing temperature. This can be attributed to the alteration of strain (stress) status in the films and atomic substitution. The reduction of bandgap partly results from the grain growth, which is due to the quantum confinement effect of the small grains. Hf doping increases the resistivity of ZnO owing to the disorder of the material structure and the higher bandgap, which result in more carrier traps and less thermally excited carriers in the conduction bands.

Bandgap engineering of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 alloy for photovoltaic applications: A complementary experimental and first-principles study

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Zhen-Yu

2013-11-11

We report on bandgap engineering of an emerging photovoltaic material of Cu2CdxZn1-xSnS4 (CCZTS) alloy. CCZTS alloy thin films with different Cd contents and single kesterite phase were fabricated using the sol-gel method. The optical absorption measurements indicate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy can be continuously tuned in a range of 1.55-1.09 eV as Cd content varied from x = 0 to 1. Hall effect measurements suggest that the hole concentration of CCZTS films decreases with increasing Cd content. The CCZTS-based solar cell with x = 0.47 demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of 1.2%. Our first-principles calculations based on the hybrid functional method demonstrate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy decreases monotonically with increasing Cd content, supporting the experimental results. Furthermore, Cu2ZnSnS4/Cu 2CdSnS4 interface has a type-I band-alignment with a small valence-band offset, explaining the narrowing of the bandgap of CCZTS as the Cd content increases. Our results suggest that CCZTS alloy is a potentially suitable material to fabricate high-efficiency multi-junction tandem solar cells with different bandgap-tailored absorption layers. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Ab initio quasi-particle approximation bandgaps of silicon nanowires calculated at density functional theory/local density approximation computational effort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, M., E-mail: ribeiro.jr@oorbit.com.br [Office of Operational Research for Business Intelligence and Technology, Principal Office, Buffalo, Wyoming 82834 (United States)

2015-06-21

Ab initio calculations of hydrogen-passivated Si nanowires were performed using density functional theory within LDA-1/2, to account for the excited states properties. A range of diameters was calculated to draw conclusions about the ability of the method to correctly describe the main trends of bandgap, quantum confinement, and self-energy corrections versus the diameter of the nanowire. Bandgaps are predicted with excellent accuracy if compared with other theoretical results like GW, and with the experiment as well, but with a low computational cost.

Ab initio quasi-particle approximation bandgaps of silicon nanowires calculated at density functional theory/local density approximation computational effort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, M.

2015-01-01

Ab initio calculations of hydrogen-passivated Si nanowires were performed using density functional theory within LDA-1/2, to account for the excited states properties. A range of diameters was calculated to draw conclusions about the ability of the method to correctly describe the main trends of bandgap, quantum confinement, and self-energy corrections versus the diameter of the nanowire. Bandgaps are predicted with excellent accuracy if compared with other theoretical results like GW, and with the experiment as well, but with a low computational cost

Cellulase variants

Science.gov (United States)

Blazej, Robert; Toriello, Nicholas; Emrich, Charles; Cohen, Richard N.; Koppel, Nitzan

2015-07-14

This invention provides novel variant cellulolytic enzymes having improved activity and/or stability. In certain embodiments the variant cellulotyic enzymes comprise a glycoside hydrolase with or comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to one or more of residues F64, A226, and/or E246 in Thermobifida fusca Cel9A enzyme. In certain embodiments the glycoside hydrolase is a variant of a family 9 glycoside hydrolase. In certain embodiments the glycoside hydrolase is a variant of a theme B family 9 glycoside hydrolase.

Adaptive algorithm of selecting optimal variant of errors detection system for digital means of automation facility of oil and gas complex

Science.gov (United States)

Poluyan, A. Y.; Fugarov, D. D.; Purchina, O. A.; Nesterchuk, V. V.; Smirnova, O. V.; Petrenkova, S. B.

2018-05-01

To date, the problems associated with the detection of errors in digital equipment (DE) systems for the automation of explosive objects of the oil and gas complex are extremely actual. Especially this problem is actual for facilities where a violation of the accuracy of the DE will inevitably lead to man-made disasters and essential material damage, at such facilities, the diagnostics of the accuracy of the DE operation is one of the main elements of the industrial safety management system. In the work, the solution of the problem of selecting the optimal variant of the errors detection system of errors detection by a validation criterion. Known methods for solving these problems have an exponential valuation of labor intensity. Thus, with a view to reduce time for solving the problem, a validation criterion is compiled as an adaptive bionic algorithm. Bionic algorithms (BA) have proven effective in solving optimization problems. The advantages of bionic search include adaptability, learning ability, parallelism, the ability to build hybrid systems based on combining. [1].

Controlling spin-dependent tunneling by bandgap tuning in epitaxial rocksalt MgZnO films.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, D L; Ma, Q L; Wang, S G; Ward, R C C; Hesjedal, T; Zhang, X-G; Kohn, A; Amsellem, E; Yang, G; Liu, J L; Jiang, J; Wei, H X; Han, X F

2014-12-02

Widespread application of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) for information storage has so far been limited by the complicated interplay between tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio and the product of resistance and junction area (RA). An intricate connection exists between TMR ratio, RA value and the bandgap and crystal structure of the barrier, a connection that must be unravelled to optimise device performance and enable further applications to be developed. Here, we demonstrate a novel method to tailor the bandgap of an ultrathin, epitaxial Zn-doped MgO tunnel barrier with rocksalt structure. This structure is attractive due to its good Δ1 spin filtering effect, and we show that MTJs based on tunable MgZnO barriers allow effective balancing of TMR ratio and RA value. In this way spin-dependent transport properties can be controlled, a key challenge for the development of spintronic devices.

High-Temperature, Wirebondless, Ultra-Compact Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Modules for Space Power Systems, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Silicon carbide (SiC) and other wide band-gap semiconductors offer great promise of high power rating, high operating temperature, simple thermal management, and...

Transmission properties of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers in relation to molecular spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falk, Charlotte Ijeoma; Hald, Jan; Petersen, Jan C.

2010-01-01

The transmission properties of five types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBFs) are characterized in the telecom wavelength range around 1:5 μm. The variations in optical transmission are measured as a function of laser frequency over a 2GHz scan range as well as a function of time over...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Green emission and bandgap narrowing due to two-photon excitation in thin film CdS formed by spray pyrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ullrich, B.; Schroeder, R.

2001-08-01

Thin (10 µm) film CdS on Pyrex® formed by spray pyrolysis is excited below the gap at 804 nm with 200 fs laser pulses at room temperature. Excitation intensities up to 250 GW cm-2 evoke green bandgap emission due to two-photon transitions. This two-photon photoluminescence does not show a red emission contribution in contrast to the single-photon excited emission, which is dominated by broad emission in the red spectral range. It is demonstrated that two-photon excitation causes photo-induced bandgap narrowing due to Debye screening. At 250 GW cm-2 bandgap narrowing of 47 meV is observed, which corresponds to an excited electron density of 1.6×1018 cm-3.

Highly efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on earth-abundant indirect-bandgap silicon quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Meinardi, Francesco; Ehrenberg, Samantha; Dhamo, Lorena; Carulli, Francesco; Mauri, Michele; Bruni, Francesco; Simonutti, Roberto; Kortshagen, Uwe; Brovelli, Sergio

2017-02-01

Building-integrated photovoltaics is gaining consensus as a renewable energy technology for producing electricity at the point of use. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could extend architectural integration to the urban environment by realizing electrode-less photovoltaic windows. Crucial for large-area LSCs is the suppression of reabsorption losses, which requires emitters with negligible overlap between their absorption and emission spectra. Here, we demonstrate the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures such as highly emissive silicon quantum dots. Silicon is non-toxic, low-cost and ultra-earth-abundant, which avoids the limitations to the industrial scaling of quantum dots composed of low-abundance elements. Suppressed reabsorption and scattering losses lead to nearly ideal LSCs with an optical efficiency of η = 2.85%, matching state-of-the-art semi-transparent LSCs. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that optimized silicon quantum dot LSCs have a clear path to η > 5% for 1 m2 devices. We are finally able to realize flexible LSCs with performances comparable to those of flat concentrators, which opens the way to a new design freedom for building-integrated photovoltaics elements.

Freedom from band-gap slavery: from diode lasers to quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Capasso, Federico

2010-02-01

Semiconductor heterostructure lasers, for which Alferov and Kromer received part of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000, are the workhorse of technologies such as optical communications, optical recording, supermarket scanners, laser printers and fax machines. They exhibit high performance in the visible and near infrared and rely for their operation on electrons and holes emitting photons across the semiconductor bandgap. This mechanism turns into a curse at longer wavelengths (mid-infrared) because as the bandgap, shrinks laser operation becomes much more sensitive to temperature, material defects and processing. Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL), invented in 1994, rely on a radically different process for light emission. QCLs are unipolar devices in which electrons undergo transitions between quantum well energy levels and are recycled through many stages emitting a cascade of photons. Thus by suitable tailoring of the layers' thickness, using the same heterostructure material, they can lase across the molecular fingerprint region from 3 to 25 microns and beyond into the far-infrared and submillimiter wave spectrum. High power cw room temperature QCLs and QCLs with large continuous single mode tuning range have found many applications (infrared countermeasures, spectroscopy, trace gas analysis and atmospheric chemistry) and are commercially available. )

Electrical and Optical Measurements of the Bandgap Energy of a Light-Emitting Diode

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Matthieu; Michez, Lisa; Raimundo, Jean-Manuel; Dumas, Philippe

2016-01-01

Semiconductor materials are at the core of electronics. Most electronic devices are made of semiconductors. The operation of these components is well described by quantum physics which is often a difficult concept for students to understand. One of the intrinsic parameters of semiconductors is their bandgap energy E[subscript g]. In the case of…

Wide and ultra-wide bandgap oxides: where paradigm-shift photovoltaics meets transparent power electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Tomás, Amador; Chikoidze, Ekaterine; Jennings, Michael R.; Russell, Stephen A. O.; Teherani, Ferechteh H.; Bove, Philippe; Sandana, Eric V.; Rogers, David J.

2018-03-01

Oxides represent the largest family of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors and also offer a huge potential range of complementary magnetic and electronic properties, such as ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, antiferroelectricity and high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we review our integration of WBG and ultra WBG semiconductor oxides into different solar cells architectures where they have the role of transparent conductive electrodes and/or barriers bringing unique functionalities into the structure such above bandgap voltages or switchable interfaces. We also give an overview of the state-of-the-art and perspectives for the emerging semiconductor β- Ga2O3, which is widely forecast to herald the next generation of power electronic converters because of the combination of an UWBG with the capacity to conduct electricity. This opens unprecedented possibilities for the monolithic integration in solar cells of both self-powered logic and power electronics functionalities. Therefore, WBG and UWBG oxides have enormous promise to become key enabling technologies for the zero emissions smart integration of the internet of things.

Development of Radiation-hard Bandgap Reference and Temperature Sensor in CMOS 130 nm Technology

CERN Document Server

Kuczynska, Marika; Bugiel, Szymon; Firlej, Miroslaw; Fiutowski, Tomasz; Idzik, Marek; Michelis, Stefano; Moron, Jakub; Przyborowski, Dominik; Swientek, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

A stable reference voltage (or current) source is a standard component of today's microelectronics systems. In particle physics experiments such reference is needed in spite of harsh ionizing radiation conditions, i.e. doses exceeding 100 Mrads and fluences above 1e15 n/cm2. After such radiation load a bandgap reference using standard p-n junction of bipolar transistor does not work properly. Instead of using standard p-n junctions, two enclosed layout transistor (ELTMOS) structures are used to create radiation-hard diodes: the ELT bulk diode and the diode obtained using the ELTMOS as dynamic threshold transistor (DTMOS). In this paper we have described several sub-1V references based on ELTMOS bulk diode and DTMOS based diode, using CMOS 130 nm process. Voltage references the structures with additional PTAT (Proportional To Absolute Temperature) output for temperature measurements were also designed. We present and compare post-layout simulations of the developed bandgap references and temperature sensors, w...

Maintenance optimization after RCM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.K.; Lee, C.-G.; Cho, D.

2005-01-01

Variant forms of RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) have been the maintenance optimizing tools of choice in industry for the last 20 years. Several such optimization techniques have been implemented at the Bruce Nuclear Station. Further cost refinement of the Station preventive maintenance strategy whereby decisions are based on statistical analysis of historical failure data are now being evaluated. The evaluation includes a requirement to demonstrate that earlier optimization projects have long term positive impacts. This proved to be a significant challenge. Eventually a methodology was developed using Crowe/AMSAA (Army Materials Systems Analysis Activity) plots to justify expenditures on further optimization efforts. (authors)

Somatic cancer variant curation and harmonization through consensus minimum variant level data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah I. Ritter

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To truly achieve personalized medicine in oncology, it is critical to catalog and curate cancer sequence variants for their clinical relevance. The Somatic Working Group (WG of the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen, in cooperation with ClinVar and multiple cancer variant curation stakeholders, has developed a consensus set of minimal variant level data (MVLD. MVLD is a framework of standardized data elements to curate cancer variants for clinical utility. With implementation of MVLD standards, and in a working partnership with ClinVar, we aim to streamline the somatic variant curation efforts in the community and reduce redundancy and time burden for the interpretation of cancer variants in clinical practice. Methods We developed MVLD through a consensus approach by i reviewing clinical actionability interpretations from institutions participating in the WG, ii conducting extensive literature search of clinical somatic interpretation schemas, and iii survey of cancer variant web portals. A forthcoming guideline on cancer variant interpretation, from the Association of Molecular Pathology (AMP, can be incorporated into MVLD. Results Along with harmonizing standardized terminology for allele interpretive and descriptive fields that are collected by many databases, the MVLD includes unique fields for cancer variants such as Biomarker Class, Therapeutic Context and Effect. In addition, MVLD includes recommendations for controlled semantics and ontologies. The Somatic WG is collaborating with ClinVar to evaluate MVLD use for somatic variant submissions. ClinVar is an open and centralized repository where sequencing laboratories can report summary-level variant data with clinical significance, and ClinVar accepts cancer variant data. Conclusions We expect the use of the MVLD to streamline clinical interpretation of cancer variants, enhance interoperability among multiple redundant curation efforts, and increase submission of

eCD4-Ig variants that more potently neutralize HIV-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Fetzer, Ina; Gardner, Matthew R; Davis-Gardner, Meredith E; Prasad, Neha R; Alfant, Barnett; Weber, Jesse A; Farzan, Michael

2018-03-28

The HIV-1 entry inhibitor eCD4-Ig is a fusion of CD4-Ig and a coreceptor-mimetic peptide. eCD4-Ig is markedly more potent than CD4-Ig, with neutralization efficiencies approaching those of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). However, unlike bNAbs, eCD4-Ig neutralizes all HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV isolates that it has been tested against, suggesting that it may be useful in clinical settings where antibody escape is a concern. Here we characterize three new eCD4-Ig variants, each with different architectures and each utilizing D1.22, a stabilized form of CD4 domain 1. These variants were 10- to 20-fold more potent than our original eCD4-Ig variant, with a construct bearing four D1.22 domains (eD1.22-HL-Ig) exhibiting the greatest potency. However, this variant mediated less efficient antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity than eCD4-Ig itself or several other eCD4-Ig variants, including the smallest variant (eD1.22-Ig). A variant with the same architecture as original eCD4-Ig (eD1.22-D2-Ig) showed modestly higher thermal stability and best prevented promotion of infection of CCR5-positive, CD4-negative cells. All three variants, and eCD4-Ig itself, mediated more efficient shedding of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 than did CD4-Ig. Finally, we show that only three D1.22 mutations contributed to the potency of eD1.22-D2-Ig, and that introduction of these changes into eCD4-Ig resulted in a variant 9-fold more potent than eCD4-Ig and 2-fold more potent than eD1.22-D2-Ig. These studies will assist in developing eCD4-Ig variants with properties optimized for prophylaxis, therapy, and cure applications. IMPORTANCE HIV-1 bNAbs have properties different from antiretroviral compounds. Specifically, antibodies can enlist immune effector cells to eliminate infected cells, whereas antiretroviral compounds simply interfere with various steps in the viral lifecycle. Unfortunately, HIV-1 is adept at evading antibody recognition, limiting the

Sub-bandgap optical absorption spectroscopy of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon thin films prepared using hot-wire CVD (Cat-CVD) process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goktas, O.; Isik, N.; Okur, S.; Gunes, M.; Carius, R.; Klomfass, J.; Finger, F.

2006-01-01

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) thin films with different silane concentration (SC) have been prepared using the HW-CVD technique. Dual beam photoconductivity (DBP), photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS), and transmission measurements have been used to investigate the optical properties of the μc-Si:H films. Two different sub-bandgap absorption, α(hν), methods have been applied and analyzed to obtain a better insight into the electronic states involved. A good agreement has been obtained in the absorption spectrum obtained from the PDS and DBP measurements at energies above the bandgap. Differences between PDS and DBP spectra exist below the bandgap energy where DBP spectra always give lower α(hν) values and show a dependence on the SC. For some films, differences exist in the α(hν) spectra when the DBP measurements are carried out through the film and substrate side. In addition, for some films, there remains fringe pattern left on the spectrum after the calculation of the fringe-free absorption spectrum, which indicates structural inhomogeneities present throughout the film

CDKL5 variants

Science.gov (United States)

Kalscheuer, Vera M.; Hennig, Friederike; Leonard, Helen; Downs, Jenny; Clarke, Angus; Benke, Tim A.; Armstrong, Judith; Pineda, Mercedes; Bailey, Mark E.S.; Cobb, Stuart R.

2017-01-01

Objective: To provide new insights into the interpretation of genetic variants in a rare neurologic disorder, CDKL5 deficiency, in the contexts of population sequencing data and an updated characterization of the CDKL5 gene. Methods: We analyzed all known potentially pathogenic CDKL5 variants by combining data from large-scale population sequencing studies with CDKL5 variants from new and all available clinical cohorts and combined this with computational methods to predict pathogenicity. Results: The study has identified several variants that can be reclassified as benign or likely benign. With the addition of novel CDKL5 variants, we confirm that pathogenic missense variants cluster in the catalytic domain of CDKL5 and reclassify a purported missense variant as having a splicing consequence. We provide further evidence that missense variants in the final 3 exons are likely to be benign and not important to disease pathology. We also describe benign splicing and nonsense variants within these exons, suggesting that isoform hCDKL5_5 is likely to have little or no neurologic significance. We also use the available data to make a preliminary estimate of minimum incidence of CDKL5 deficiency. Conclusions: These findings have implications for genetic diagnosis, providing evidence for the reclassification of specific variants previously thought to result in CDKL5 deficiency. Together, these analyses support the view that the predominant brain isoform in humans (hCDKL5_1) is crucial for normal neurodevelopment and that the catalytic domain is the primary functional domain. PMID:29264392

Tunable Bandgap Opening in the Proposed Structure of Silicon Doped Graphene

OpenAIRE

Azadeh, Mohammad S. Sharif; Kokabi, Alireza; Hosseini, Mehdi; Fardmanesh, Mehdi

2011-01-01

A specific structure of doped graphene with substituted silicon impurity is introduced and ab. initio density-functional approach is applied for energy band structure calculation of proposed structure. Using the band structure calculation for different silicon sites in the host graphene, the effect of silicon concentration and unit cell geometry on the bandgap of the proposed structure is also investigated. Chemically silicon doped graphene results in an energy gap as large as 2eV according t...

Microstructured and Photonic Bandgap Fibers for Applications in the Resonant Bio- and Chemical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maksim Skorobogatiy

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We review application of microstructured and photonic bandgap fibers for designing resonant optical sensors of changes in the value of analyte refractive index. This research subject has recently invoked much attention due to development of novel fiber types, as well as due to development of techniques for the activation of fiber microstructure with functional materials. Particularly, we consider two sensors types. The first sensor type employs hollow core photonic bandgap fibers where core guided mode is confined in the analyte filled core through resonant effect in the surrounding periodic reflector. The second sensor type employs metalized microstructured or photonic bandgap waveguides and fibers, where core guided mode is phase matched with a plasmon propagating at the fiber/analyte interface. In resonant sensors one typically employs fibers with strongly nonuniform spectral transmission characteristics that are sensitive to changes in the real part of the analyte refractive index. Moreover, if narrow absorption lines are present in the analyte transmission spectrum, due to Kramers-Kronig relation this will also result in strong variation in the real part of the refractive index in the vicinity of an absorption line. Therefore, resonant sensors allow detection of minute changes both in the real part of the analyte refractive index (10−6–10−4 RIU, as well as in the imaginary part of the analyte refractive index in the vicinity of absorption lines. In the following we detail various resonant sensor implementations, modes of operation, as well as analysis of sensitivities for some of the common transduction mechanisms for bio- and chemical sensing applications. Sensor designs considered in this review span spectral operation regions from the visible to terahertz.

Electrically pumped edge-emitting photonic bandgap semiconductor laser

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shawn-Yu; Zubrzycki, Walter J.

2004-01-06

A highly efficient, electrically pumped edge-emitting semiconductor laser based on a one- or two-dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG) structure is described. The laser optical cavity is formed using a pair of PBG mirrors operating in the photonic band gap regime. Transverse confinement is achieved by surrounding an active semiconductor layer of high refractive index with lower-index cladding layers. The cladding layers can be electrically insulating in the passive PBG mirror and waveguide regions with a small conducting aperture for efficient channeling of the injection pump current into the active region. The active layer can comprise a quantum well structure. The quantum well structure can be relaxed in the passive regions to provide efficient extraction of laser light from the active region.

A superhard sp3 microporous carbon with direct bandgap

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yilong; Xie, Chenlong; Xiong, Mei; Ma, Mengdong; Liu, Lingyu; Li, Zihe; Zhang, Shuangshuang; Gao, Guoying; Zhao, Zhisheng; Tian, Yongjun; Xu, Bo; He, Julong

2017-12-01

Carbon allotropes with distinct sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridization possess various different properties. Here, a novel all-sp3 hybridized tetragonal carbon, namely the P carbon, was predicted by the evolutionary particle swarm structural search. It demonstrated a low density among all-sp3 carbons, due to the corresponding distinctive microporous structure. P carbon is thermodynamically stable than the known C60 and could be formed through the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) compression. P carbon is a direct bandgap semiconductor displaying a strong and superhard nature. The unique combination of electrical and mechanical properties constitutes P carbon a potential superhard material for semiconductor industrial fields.

A 158 fs 5.3 nJ fiber-laser system at 1 mu m using photonic bandgap fibers for dispersion control and pulse compression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, C.K.; Jespersen, Kim Giessmann; Keiding, S.R.

2006-01-01

We demonstrate a 158 fs 5.3 nJ mode-locked laser system based on a fiber oscillator, fiber amplifier and fiber compressor. Dispersion compensation in the fiber oscillator was obtained with a solid-core photonic bandgap (SC-PBG) fiber spliced to standard fibers, and external compression is obtained...... with a hollow-core photonic bandgap (HC-PBG) fiber....

Influence of band-gap grading on luminescence properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haarstrich, Jakob; Metzner, Heiner; Ronning, Carsten [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Friedrich Schiller Universitaet Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena (Germany); Rissom, Thorsten; Kaufmann, Christian A.; Schock, Hans-Werner [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Solar Energy Research, Institute for Technology, Lise-Meitner-Campus, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin (Germany); Undisz, Andreas [Institute for Material Science and Technology, Metallic Materials, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Loebdergraben 32, 07743 Jena (Germany)

2011-07-01

Cathodoluminescence (CL) has been measured on Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} with Ga-grading as it is used in high-efficiency thin-film solar cells at 10 K in both cross-section and plain view configuration. In cross-section geometry, we show that the vertical profile of the emission energy represents the Ga-profile in the film and, thus, we are able to measure the band-gap grading present by means of CL methods. At the same time, we observe a strong drift of excited charge carriers towards the minimum of the band-gap which can be explained by the Ga-grading. It is shown by voltage-dependent CL, how these results directly influence the interpretation of luminescence spectra obtained on Ga-graded Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} and, thus, they will have to be considered as a basis for all forthcoming investigations on this topic.

Design of a Polymer-Based Hollow-Core Bandgap Fiber for Low-Loss Terahertz Transmission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barh, Ajanta; Varshney, Ravi K.; Pal, Bishnu P.

2016-01-01

wavelength-scale circular air holes in a hexagonal pattern, embedded in a uniform Teflon matrix. The THz guidance in this fiber is achieved by exploiting the photonic bandgap (PBG) effect. In our low index contrast Teflon-air (1.44:1) hexagonal periodic lattice, the PBG appears only for a certain range...

Hybrid Firefly Variants Algorithm for Localization Optimization in WSN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. SrideviPonmalar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Localization is one of the key issues in wireless sensor networks. Several algorithms and techniques have been introduced for localization. Localization is a procedural technique of estimating the sensor node location. In this paper, a novel three hybrid algorithms based on firefly is proposed for localization problem. Hybrid Genetic Algorithm-Firefly Localization Algorithm (GA-FFLA, Hybrid Differential Evolution-Firefly Localization Algorithm (DE-FFLA and Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization -Firefly Localization Algorithm (PSO-FFLA are analyzed, designed and implemented to optimize the localization error. The localization algorithms are compared based on accuracy of estimation of location, time complexity and iterations required to achieve the accuracy. All the algorithms have hundred percent estimation accuracy but with variations in the number of firefliesr requirements, variation in time complexity and number of iteration requirements. Keywords: Localization; Genetic Algorithm; Differential Evolution; Particle Swarm Optimization

Shape and phase evolution from CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocubes to tetragonal CsPb2Br5 nanosheets with an indirect bandgap.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guopeng; Wang, Hui; Zhu, Zhifeng; Chang, Yajing; Zhang, Ting; Song, Zihang; Jiang, Yang

2016-09-13

Tetragonal CsPb 2 Br 5 nanosheets were obtained by an oriented attachment of orthorhombic CsPbBr 3 nanocubes, involving a lateral shape evolution from octagonal to square. Meanwhile, the experimental results, together with DFT simulation results, indicated that the tetragonal CsPb 2 Br 5 is an indirect bandgap semiconductor that is PL-inactive with a bandgap of 2.979 eV.

A Novel Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Global Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chun-Feng; Liu, Kui

2016-01-01

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a recently developed optimization method, which has attracted interest of researchers in various areas due to its simplicity and effectiveness, and many variants have been proposed. In this paper, a novel Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is presented, in which the information of the best neighbor of each particle and the best particle of the entire population in the current iteration is considered. Meanwhile, to avoid premature, an abandoned mechanism is used. Furthermore, for improving the global convergence speed of our algorithm, a chaotic search is adopted in the best solution of the current iteration. To verify the performance of our algorithm, standard test functions have been employed. The experimental results show that the algorithm is much more robust and efficient than some existing Particle Swarm Optimization algorithms.

Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices: Band-gap structure and solitons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Louis, Pearl J. Y.; Kivshar, Yuri S.; Ostrovskaya, Elena A.; Savage, Craig M.

2003-01-01

We analyze the existence and stability of spatially extended (Bloch-type) and localized states of a Bose-Einstein condensate loaded into an optical lattice. In the framework of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with a periodic potential, we study the band-gap structure of the matter-wave spectrum in both the linear and nonlinear regimes. We demonstrate the existence of families of spatially localized matter-wave gap solitons, and analyze their stability in different band gaps, for both repulsive and attractive atomic interactions

Millijoule Pulse Energy Second Harmonic Generation With Single-Stage Photonic Bandgap Rod Fiber Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laurila, Marko; Saby, Julien; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2011-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate, for the first time, a single-stage Q-switched single-mode (SM) ytterbium-doped rod fiber laser delivering record breaking pulse energies at visible and UV light. We use a photonic bandgap rod fiber with a mode field diameter of 59μm based on a new distributed...

Integrating functional data to prioritize causal variants in statistical fine-mapping studies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gleb Kichaev

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Standard statistical approaches for prioritization of variants for functional testing in fine-mapping studies either use marginal association statistics or estimate posterior probabilities for variants to be causal under simplifying assumptions. Here, we present a probabilistic framework that integrates association strength with functional genomic annotation data to improve accuracy in selecting plausible causal variants for functional validation. A key feature of our approach is that it empirically estimates the contribution of each functional annotation to the trait of interest directly from summary association statistics while allowing for multiple causal variants at any risk locus. We devise efficient algorithms that estimate the parameters of our model across all risk loci to further increase performance. Using simulations starting from the 1000 Genomes data, we find that our framework consistently outperforms the current state-of-the-art fine-mapping methods, reducing the number of variants that need to be selected to capture 90% of the causal variants from an average of 13.3 to 10.4 SNPs per locus (as compared to the next-best performing strategy. Furthermore, we introduce a cost-to-benefit optimization framework for determining the number of variants to be followed up in functional assays and assess its performance using real and simulation data. We validate our findings using a large scale meta-analysis of four blood lipids traits and find that the relative probability for causality is increased for variants in exons and transcription start sites and decreased in repressed genomic regions at the risk loci of these traits. Using these highly predictive, trait-specific functional annotations, we estimate causality probabilities across all traits and variants, reducing the size of the 90% confidence set from an average of 17.5 to 13.5 variants per locus in this data.

Multiplexed resequencing analysis to identify rare variants in pooled DNA with barcode indexing using next-generation sequencer.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitsui, Jun; Fukuda, Yoko; Azuma, Kyo; Tozaki, Hirokazu; Ishiura, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Yuji; Goto, Jun; Tsuji, Shoji

2010-07-01

We have recently found that multiple rare variants of the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) confer a robust risk for Parkinson disease, supporting the 'common disease-multiple rare variants' hypothesis. To develop an efficient method of identifying rare variants in a large number of samples, we applied multiplexed resequencing using a next-generation sequencer to identification of rare variants of GBA. Sixteen sets of pooled DNAs from six pooled DNA samples were prepared. Each set of pooled DNAs was subjected to polymerase chain reaction to amplify the target gene (GBA) covering 6.5 kb, pooled into one tube with barcode indexing, and then subjected to extensive sequence analysis using the SOLiD System. Individual samples were also subjected to direct nucleotide sequence analysis. With the optimization of data processing, we were able to extract all the variants from 96 samples with acceptable rates of false-positive single-nucleotide variants.

Free-carrier-compensated charged domain walls produced with super-bandgap illumination in insulating ferroelectrics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bednyakov, Petr; Sluka, T.; Tagantsev, A.; Damjanovic, D.; Setter, N.

2016-01-01

Roč. 28, č. 43 (2016), s. 9498-9503 ISSN 0935-9648 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-04121S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : super-bandgap illumination * charged domain walls * ferroelectric BaTiO 3 * free-carrier generation Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 19.791, year: 2016

Bandgap modulation in photoexcited topological insulator Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} via atomic displacements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hada, Masaki, E-mail: hadamasaki@okayama-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 332-0012 (Japan); Norimatsu, Katsura; Tsuruta, Tetsuya; Igarashi, Kyushiro; Kayanuma, Yosuke; Sasagawa, Takao; Nakamura, Kazutaka G. [Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Tanaka, Sei' ichi; Ishikawa, Tadahiko; Koshihara, Shin-ya [Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551 (Japan); Keskin, Sercan [The Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 22761 (Germany); Miller, R. J. Dwayne [The Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 22761 (Germany); Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3H6 (Canada); Onda, Ken [PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 332-0012 (Japan); Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan)

2016-07-14

The atomic and electronic dynamics in the topological insulator (TI) Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} under strong photoexcitation were characterized with time-resolved electron diffraction and time-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy. Three-dimensional TIs characterized as bulk insulators with an electronic conduction surface band have shown a variety of exotic responses in terms of electronic transport when observed under conditions of applied pressure, magnetic field, or circularly polarized light. However, the atomic motions and their correlation between electronic systems in TIs under strong photoexcitation have not been explored. The artificial and transient modification of the electronic structures in TIs via photoinduced atomic motions represents a novel mechanism for providing a comparable level of bandgap control. The results of time-domain crystallography indicate that photoexcitation induces two-step atomic motions: first bismuth and then tellurium center-symmetric displacements. These atomic motions in Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} trigger 10% bulk bandgap narrowing, which is consistent with the time-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy results.

Radiation resistant low bandgap InGaAsP solar cell for multi-junction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Aurangzeb; Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Dharmaras, Nathaji; Yamada, Takashi; Tanabe, Tatsuya; Takagishi, Shigenori; Itoh, Hisayoshi; Ohshima, Takeshi

2001-01-01

We have explored the superior radiation tolerance of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown, low bandgap, (0.95eV) InGaAsP solar cells as compared to GaAs-on-Ge cells, after 1 MeV electron irradiation. The minority carrier injection due to forward bias and light illumination under low concentration ratio, can lead to enhanced recovery of radiation damage in InGaAsP n + -p junction solar cells. An injection anneal activation energy (0.58eV) of the defects involved in damage/recovery of the InGaAsP solar cells has been estimated from the resultant recovery of the solar cell properties following minority carrier injection. The results suggest that low bandgap radiation resistant InGaAsP (0.95eV) lattice matched to InP substrates provide an alternative to use as bottom cells in multi-junction solar cells instead of less radiation ressitant conventional GaAs based solar cells for space applications. (author)

Binary Cockroach Swarm Optimization for Combinatorial Optimization Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibidun Christiana Obagbuwa

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The Cockroach Swarm Optimization (CSO algorithm is inspired by cockroach social behavior. It is a simple and efficient meta-heuristic algorithm and has been applied to solve global optimization problems successfully. The original CSO algorithm and its variants operate mainly in continuous search space and cannot solve binary-coded optimization problems directly. Many optimization problems have their decision variables in binary. Binary Cockroach Swarm Optimization (BCSO is proposed in this paper to tackle such problems and was evaluated on the popular Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP, which is considered to be an NP-hard Combinatorial Optimization Problem (COP. A transfer function was employed to map a continuous search space CSO to binary search space. The performance of the proposed algorithm was tested firstly on benchmark functions through simulation studies and compared with the performance of existing binary particle swarm optimization and continuous space versions of CSO. The proposed BCSO was adapted to TSP and applied to a set of benchmark instances of symmetric TSP from the TSP library. The results of the proposed Binary Cockroach Swarm Optimization (BCSO algorithm on TSP were compared to other meta-heuristic algorithms.

Optimization of fractionated radiotherapy of tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, V.K.

1984-01-01

Underlying modern conceptions of clinical radiobiology and mathematic methods in system theory a model of radiation therapy for tumors is developed. To obtain optimal fractionating conditions the principle of gradual optimization is used. A optimal therapeutic method permits to minimize the survival of a tumor cell population with localized lesions of the intact tissue. An analytic research is carried out for the simplest variant of the model. By help of a SORT-program unit the conditions are ascertained for gradual optimization of radiotherapy. (author)

Semiconductor Metal-Organic Frameworks: Future Low-Bandgap Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, Muhammad; Mendiratta, Shruti; Lu, Kuang-Lieh

2017-02-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with low density, high porosity, and easy tunability of functionality and structural properties, represent potential candidates for use as semiconductor materials. The rapid development of the semiconductor industry and the continuous miniaturization of feature sizes of integrated circuits toward the nanometer (nm) scale require novel semiconductor materials instead of traditional materials like silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide etc. MOFs with advantageous properties of both the inorganic and the organic components promise to serve as the next generation of semiconductor materials for the microelectronics industry with the potential to be extremely stable, cheap, and mechanically flexible. Here, a perspective of recent research is provided, regarding the semiconducting properties of MOFs, bandgap studies, and their potential in microelectronic devices. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Enhanced complete photonic bandgap in a moderate refractive index contrast chalcogenide-air system with connected-annular-rods photonic crystals

KAUST Repository

Hou, Jin

2018-03-27

Connected-annular-rods photonic crystals (CARPCs) in both triangular and square lattices are proposed to enhance the two-dimensional complete photonic bandgap (CPBG) for chalcogenide material systems with moderate refractive index contrast. For the typical chalcogenide-glass–air system with an index contrast of 2.8:1, the optimized square lattice CARPC exhibits a significantly larger normalized CPBG of about 13.50%, though the use of triangular lattice CARPC is unable to enhance the CPBG. It is almost twice as large as our previously reported result [IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 22, 4900108 (2016) [CrossRef] ]. Moreover, the CPBG of the square-lattice CARPC could remain until an index contrast as low as 2.24:1. The result not only favors wideband CPBG applications for index contrast systems near 2.8:1, but also makes various optical applications that are dependent on CPBG possible for more widely refractive index contrast systems.

Bandgap engineering of the Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4} mixed crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levushkina, V.S., E-mail: viktoriia.levushkina@ut.ee [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Ravila 14c, 50411 Tartu (Estonia); Physics Faculty, Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1-2, 11991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Spassky, D.A. [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Ravila 14c, 50411 Tartu (Estonia); Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1-2, 11991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Aleksanyan, E.M. [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Ravila 14c, 50411 Tartu (Estonia); A. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory, Yerevan Physics Institute, Alikhanyan Yeghbayrneri St. 2, 0036 Yerevan (Armenia); Brik, M.G. [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Ravila 14c, 50411 Tartu (Estonia); College of Sciences, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, 400065 Chongqing (China); Institute of Physics, Jan Dlugosz University, Armii Krajowej 13/15, PL-42200 Czestochowa (Poland); Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw (Poland); Tretyakova, M.S.; Zadneprovski, B.I. [Central Research and Development Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, Nagatinskaya St. 16a, 115487 Moscow (Russian Federation); Belsky, A.N. [Institute of Light and Matter, CNRS, University Lyon1, 69622 Villeurbanne (France)

2016-03-15

Bandgap modification of the Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4} mixed crystals has been studied by thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) and ab-initio calculation methods. Doping of Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4} with Ce{sup 3+} allowed to follow up the changes of electron traps depth, caused by the modification of the bottom of conduction band. The observed gradual shift of the most intensive TSL peaks to higher temperatures with increase of x value was connected with the high-energy shift of the conduction band bottom. According to the band structure calculations the bottom of the conduction band is formed by the 5d and 4d states of Lu and Y, respectively. Therefore, substitution of one cation by another is responsible for the observed variation of the electronic and optical properties. Doping with Eu{sup 3+} was used to study the modification of the hole traps and the top of the valence band in Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4}. The independence of the TSL peaks position on x value in Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} allows to conclude that the top of the valence band is negligibly affected by the cation substitution. According to the band structure calculations the top of the valence band is formed by the O 2p electronic states, which are not affected by the cation substitution. The resulting increase of the bandgap with x value is confirmed by the data of ab-initio calculations. - Highlights: • Band structure modification with x in Lu{sub x}Y{sub 1−x}PO{sub 4}:RE{sup 3+} (RE=Ce, Eu) is studied. • Depth of electron traps is affected by the bandgap modification. • Increase of bandgap with x is due to the shift of conduction band bottom.

Waveguidance by the photonic bandgap effect in optical fibres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broeng, Jes; Søndergaard, Thomas; Barkou, Stig Eigil

1999-01-01

Photonic crystals form a new class of intriguing building blocks to be utilized in future optoelectronics and electromagnetics. One of the most exciting possiblilties offered by phtonic crystals is the realization of new types of electromagnetic waveguides. In the optical domain, the most mature...... technology for such photonic bandgap (PBG) waveguides is in optical fibre configurations. These new fibres can be classified in a fundamentally different way to all optical waveguides and possess radically different guiding properties due to PBG guidance, as opposed to guidance by total internal refelction....... In this paper we summarize and review our theoretical work demonstrating the underlying physical principles of PBG guiding optical fibres and discuss some of their unique waveguiding properties....

Topology optimization of two-dimensional asymmetrical phononic crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Hao-Wen [Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Su, Xiao-Xing [School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Wang, Yue-Sheng, E-mail: yswang@bjtu.edu.cn [Institute of Engineering Mechanics, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044 (China); Zhang, Chuanzeng [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Siegen, D-57068 Siegen (Germany)

2014-01-17

The multiple elitist genetic algorithm with the adaptive fuzzy fitness granulation (AFFG) is used to design the phononic crystals with large relative bandgap width (BGW) for combined out-of-plane and in-plane wave modes. Without assumption on the symmetry of the unit-cell, we obtain an asymmetrical phononic crystal with the relative BGW which is quite larger than that of the optimized symmetrical structure. With the help of AFFG, the number of the fitness function evaluations is reduced by over 50% and the procedure converges 5 times faster than the conventional evolutionary algorithm to reach the same final fitness values.

Single-mode ytterbium-doped large-mode-area photonic bandgap rod fiber amplifier

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Scolari, Lara; Broeng, Jes

2011-01-01

bandgap structure. The structure allows resonant coupling of higher-order modes from the core and acts as a spatially Distributed Mode Filter (DMF). With this approach, we demonstrate passive SM performance in an only ~50cm long and straight ytterbium-doped rod fiber. The amplifier has a mode field...... diameter of ∼59Lim at 1064nm and exhibits a pump absorption of 27dB/m at 976nm. © 2011 Optical Society of America....

Optimal Coordination of Directional Overcurrent Relays Using PSO-TVAC Considering Series Compensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nabil Mancer

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The integration of system compensation such as Series Compensator (SC into the transmission line makes the coordination of directional overcurrent in a practical power system important and complex. This article presents an efficient variant of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO algorithm based on Time-Varying Acceleration Coefficients (PSO-TVAC for optimal coordination of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs considering the integration of series compensation. Simulation results are compared to other methods to confirm the efficiency of the proposed variant PSO in solving the optimal coordination of directional overcurrent relay in the presence of series compensation.

Investigation on bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects of photonic crystal structure in GaN/InGaN LEDs for light extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Patra, Saroj Kanta; Adhikari, Sonachand; Pal, Suchandan

2014-06-20

In this paper, we have made a clear differentiation among bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects in photonic crystal structures (PhCs). For observing bandgap, diffraction, and refraction effects, PhCs are considered on the top p-GaN surface of light emitting diodes (LEDs), whereas for interference effect, hole type PhCs are considered to be embedded within n-GaN layer of LED. From analysis, it is observed that at a particular lattice periodicity, for which bandgap lies within the wavelength of interest shows a significant light extraction due to inhibition of guided mode. Beyond a certain periodicity, diffraction effect starts dominating and light extraction improves further. The interference effect is observed in embedded photonic crystal LEDs, where depth of etching supports constructive interference of outward light waves. We have also shed light on refraction effects exhibited by the PhCs and whether negative refraction properties of PhCs may be useful in case of LED light extraction.

Structural, optical, and electronic studies of wide-bandgap lead halide perovskites

KAUST Repository

Comin, Riccardo; Walters, Grant; Thibau, Emmanuel Sol; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Lu, Zheng-Hong; Sargent, Edward H.

2015-01-01

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. We investigate the family of mixed Br/Cl organolead halide perovskites which enable light emission in the blue-violet region of the visible spectrum. We report the structural, optical and electronic properties of this air-stable family of perovskites, demonstrating full bandgap tunability in the 400-550 nm range and enhanced exciton strength upon Cl substitution. We complement this study by tracking the evolution of the band levels across the gap, thereby providing a foundational framework for future optoelectronic applications of these materials.

Analysis of photonic band-gap (PBG) structures using the FDTD method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tong, M.S.; Cheng, M.; Lu, Y.L.

2004-01-01

In this paper, a number of photonic band-gap (PBG) structures, which are formed by periodic circuit elements printed oil transmission-line circuits, are studied by using a well-known numerical method, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results validate the band-stop filter...... behavior of these structures, and the computed results generally match well with ones published in the literature. It is also found that the FDTD method is a robust, versatile, and powerful numerical technique to perform such numerical studies. The proposed PBG filter structures may be applied in microwave...

Investigating absence of optimal photovoltaics response in CZTS solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Atul; Thakur, Ajay D.

2018-05-01

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has an optimal bandgap of 1.5eV. However contrary to expecting an optimal photovoltaic (PV) behavior is usually not seen from using solution processed approach. Here we try to understand the possible key reasons behind this based on the material attributes. The CZTS film is synthesized using two different solvents of Methoxy-ethanol and DMSO. The effect of air annealing and sulphurisation is studied on these two samples for their phase formation mechanism. XRD, TGA, Raman, UV-Vis, AFM and electrical characterization of the films are performed. A diode behavior is obtained in heterojunction of the CZTS/ZnO. Presence of secondary phases and interfacial recombination leads to poor PV behavior without any PV response.

Demonstration of suppressed phonon tunneling losses in phononic bandgap shielded membrane resonators for high-Q optomechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsaturyan, Yeghishe; Barg, Andreas; Simonsen, Anders; Villanueva, Luis Guillermo; Schmid, Silvan; Schliesser, Albert; Polzik, Eugene S

2014-03-24

Dielectric membranes with exceptional mechanical and optical properties present one of the most promising platforms in quantum opto-mechanics. The performance of stressed silicon nitride nanomembranes as mechanical resonators notoriously depends on how their frame is clamped to the sample mount, which in practice usually necessitates delicate, and difficult-to-reproduce mounting solutions. Here, we demonstrate that a phononic bandgap shield integrated in the membrane's silicon frame eliminates this dependence, by suppressing dissipation through phonon tunneling. We dry-etch the membrane's frame so that it assumes the form of a cm-sized bridge featuring a 1-dimensional periodic pattern, whose phononic density of states is tailored to exhibit one, or several, full band gaps around the membrane's high-Q modes in the MHz-range. We quantify the effectiveness of this phononic bandgap shield by optical interferometry measuring both the suppressed transmission of vibrations, as well as the influence of frame clamping conditions on the membrane modes. We find suppressions up to 40 dB and, for three different realized phononic structures, consistently observe significant suppression of the dependence of the membrane's modes on sample clamping-if the mode's frequency lies in the bandgap. As a result, we achieve membrane mode quality factors of 5 × 10(6) with samples that are tightly bolted to the 8 K-cold finger of a cryostat. Q × f -products of 6 × 10(12) Hz at 300 K and 14 × 10(12) Hz at 8 K are observed, satisfying one of the main requirements for optical cooling of mechanical vibrations to their quantum ground-state.

A new approach for reliability analysis with time-variant performance characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zequn; Wang, Pingfeng

2013-01-01

Reliability represents safety level in industry practice and may variant due to time-variant operation condition and components deterioration throughout a product life-cycle. Thus, the capability to perform time-variant reliability analysis is of vital importance in practical engineering applications. This paper presents a new approach, referred to as nested extreme response surface (NERS), that can efficiently tackle time dependency issue in time-variant reliability analysis and enable to solve such problem by easily integrating with advanced time-independent tools. The key of the NERS approach is to build a nested response surface of time corresponding to the extreme value of the limit state function by employing Kriging model. To obtain the data for the Kriging model, the efficient global optimization technique is integrated with the NERS to extract the extreme time responses of the limit state function for any given system input. An adaptive response prediction and model maturation mechanism is developed based on mean square error (MSE) to concurrently improve the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed approach. With the nested response surface of time, the time-variant reliability analysis can be converted into the time-independent reliability analysis and existing advanced reliability analysis methods can be used. Three case studies are used to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of NERS approach

Improved Particle Swarm Optimization with a Collective Local Unimodal Search for Continuous Optimization Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Arasomwan, Martins Akugbe; Adewumi, Aderemi Oluyinka

2014-01-01

A new local search technique is proposed and used to improve the performance of particle swarm optimization algorithms by addressing the problem of premature convergence. In the proposed local search technique, a potential particle position in the solution search space is collectively constructed by a number of randomly selected particles in the swarm. The number of times the selection is made varies with the dimension of the optimization problem and each selected particle donates the value in the location of its randomly selected dimension from its personal best. After constructing the potential particle position, some local search is done around its neighbourhood in comparison with the current swarm global best position. It is then used to replace the global best particle position if it is found to be better; otherwise no replacement is made. Using some well-studied benchmark problems with low and high dimensions, numerical simulations were used to validate the performance of the improved algorithms. Comparisons were made with four different PSO variants, two of the variants implement different local search technique while the other two do not. Results show that the improved algorithms could obtain better quality solution while demonstrating better convergence velocity and precision, stability, robustness, and global-local search ability than the competing variants. PMID:24723827

Theory of adiabatic pressure-gradient soliton compression in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper; Roberts, John

2009-01-01

Adiabatic soliton compression by means of a pressure gradient in a hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber is investigated theoretically and numerically. It is shown that the dureation of the compressed pulse is limited mainly by the interplay between third-order dispersion and the Raman-induced soliton...... frequency shift. Analytical expressions for this limit are derived and compared with results of detailed numerical simulations for a realistic fiber structure....

Modelling and measurement of bandgap behaviour in medium-wavelength IR InAs/InAs0.815Sb0.185 strained-layer superlattices

Science.gov (United States)

Letka, Veronica; Keen, James; Craig, Adam; Marshall, Andrew R. J.

2017-10-01

InAs/InAs1-xSbx type-II strained-layer superlattices (SLS) are a structure with potential infrared detection applications, owing to its tunable bandgap and suppressed Auger recombination. A series of medium-wavelength infrared (MWIR) InAs/InAs0.815Sb0.185 SLS structures, grown as undoped absorption epilayers on GaAs, were fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy in order to study the dependence of the ground state transitions on temperature and superlattice period thickness. Photoluminescence peaks at 4 K were obtained with the use of a helium-cooled micro-PL system and an InSb detector, and temperature-dependent absorption spectra were measured in the range 77 K - 300 K on a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, equipped with a 1370 K blackbody source and a DTGS detector. An nBn device sample with the absorber structure identical to one of the undoped samples was also grown and processed with the goal of measuring temperature-dependent spectral response. A model for superlattice band alignment was also devised, incorporating the Bir-Pikus transformation results for uniaxial and biaxial strain, and the Einstein oscillator model for bandgap temperature dependence. Absorption coefficients of several 1000 cm-1 throughout the entire MWIR range are found for all samples, and temperature dependence of the bandgaps is extracted and compared to the model. This and photoluminescence data also demonstrate bandgap shifts consistent with the different superlattice periods of the three samples.

Two Regimes of Bandgap Red Shift and Partial Ambient Retention in Pressure-Treated Two-Dimensional Perovskites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Gang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Kong, Lingping [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Guo, Peijun [Center; Stoumpos, Constantinos C. [Department; Hu, Qingyang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Liu, Zhenxian [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Cai, Zhonghou [Advanced; Gosztola, David J. [Center; Mao, Ho-kwang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G. [Department; Schaller, Richard D. [Center; Department

2017-10-09

The discovery of elevated environmental stability in two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper hybrid perovskites represents a significant advance in low-cost, high-efficiency light absorbers. In comparison to 3D counterparts, 2D perovskites of organo-lead-halides exhibit wider, quantum-confined optical bandgaps that reduce the wavelength range of light absorption. Here, we characterize the structural and optical properties of 2D hybrid perovskites as a function of hydrostatic pressure. We observe bandgap narrowing with pressure of 633 meV that is partially retained following pressure release due to an atomic reconfiguration mechanism. We identify two distinct regimes of compression dominated by the softer organic and less compressible inorganic sublattices. Our findings, which also include PL enhancement, correlate well with density functional theory calculations and establish structure–property relationships at the atomic scale. These concepts can be expanded into other hybrid perovskites and suggest that pressure/strain processing could offer a new route to improved materials-by-design in applications.

Band-gap analysis of a novel lattice with a hierarchical periodicity using the spectral element method

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhijing; Li, Fengming; Zhang, Chuanzeng

2018-05-01

Inspired by the hierarchical structures of butterfly wing surfaces, a new kind of lattice structures with a two-order hierarchical periodicity is proposed and designed, and the band-gap properties are investigated by the spectral element method (SEM). The equations of motion of the whole structure are established considering the macro and micro periodicities of the system. The efficiency of the SEM is exploited in the modeling process and validated by comparing the results with that of the finite element method (FEM). Based on the highly accurate results in the frequency domain, the dynamic behaviors of the proposed two-order hierarchical structures are analyzed. An original and interesting finding is the existence of the distinct macro and micro stop-bands in the given frequency domain. The mechanisms for these two types of band-gaps are also explored. Finally, the relations between the hierarchical periodicities and the different types of the stop-bands are investigated by analyzing the parametrical influences.

Control of electric field in CdZnTe radiation detectors by above-bandgap light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franc, J.; Dědič, V.; Rejhon, M.; Zázvorka, J.; Praus, P.; Touš, J.; Sellin, P. J.

2015-01-01

We have studied the possibility of above bandgap light induced depolarization of CdZnTe planar radiation detector operating under high flux of X-rays by Pockels effect measurements. In this contribution, we show a similar influence of X-rays at 80 kVp and LED with a wavelength of 910 nm irradiating the cathode on polarization of the detector due to an accumulation of a positive space charge of trapped photo-generated holes. We have observed the depolarization of the detector under simultaneous cathode-site illumination with excitation LED at 910 nm and depolarization above bandgap LED at 640 nm caused by trapping of drifting photo-generated electrons. Although the detector current is quite high during this depolarization, we have observed that it decreases relatively fast to its initial value after switching off the depolarizing light. In order to get detailed information about physical processes present during polarization and depolarization and, moreover, about associated deep levels, we have performed the Pockels effect infrared spectral scanning measurements of the detector without illumination and under illumination in polarized and optically depolarized states

Control of electric field in CdZnTe radiation detectors by above-bandgap light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franc, J.; Dědič, V.; Rejhon, M.; Zázvorka, J.; Praus, P. [Institute of Physics of Charles University, Prague (Czech Republic); Touš, J. [Crytur Ltd., Turnov (Czech Republic); Sellin, P. J. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford (United Kingdom)

2015-04-28

We have studied the possibility of above bandgap light induced depolarization of CdZnTe planar radiation detector operating under high flux of X-rays by Pockels effect measurements. In this contribution, we show a similar influence of X-rays at 80 kVp and LED with a wavelength of 910 nm irradiating the cathode on polarization of the detector due to an accumulation of a positive space charge of trapped photo-generated holes. We have observed the depolarization of the detector under simultaneous cathode-site illumination with excitation LED at 910 nm and depolarization above bandgap LED at 640 nm caused by trapping of drifting photo-generated electrons. Although the detector current is quite high during this depolarization, we have observed that it decreases relatively fast to its initial value after switching off the depolarizing light. In order to get detailed information about physical processes present during polarization and depolarization and, moreover, about associated deep levels, we have performed the Pockels effect infrared spectral scanning measurements of the detector without illumination and under illumination in polarized and optically depolarized states.

First-principle approach based bandgap engineering for cubic boron nitride doped with group IIA elements

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yubo; Wang, Pengtao; Hua, Fei; Zhan, Shijie; Wang, Xiaozhi; Luo, Jikui; Yang, Hangsheng

2018-03-01

Electronic properties of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) doped with group IIA elements were systematically investigated using the first principle calculation based on density functional theory. The electronic bandgap of c-BN was found to be narrowed when the impurity atom substituted either the B (IIA→B) or the N (IIA→N) atom. For IIA→B, a shallow accept level degenerated into valence band (VB); while for IIA→N, a shallow donor level degenerated conduction band (CB). In the cases of IIBe→N and IIMg→N, deep donor levels were also induced. Moreover, a zigzag bandgap narrowing pattern was found, which is in consistent with the variation pattern of dopants' radius of electron occupied outer s-orbital. From the view of formation energy, the substitution of B atom under N-rich conditions and the substitution of N atom under B-rich conditions were energetically favored. Our simulation results suggested that Mg and Ca are good candidates for p-type dopants, and Ca is the best candidate for n-type dopant.

Computationally optimized deimmunization libraries yield highly mutated enzymes with low immunogenicity and enhanced activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvat, Regina S; Verma, Deeptak; Parker, Andrew S; Kirsch, Jack R; Brooks, Seth A; Bailey-Kellogg, Chris; Griswold, Karl E

2017-06-27

Therapeutic proteins of wide-ranging function hold great promise for treating disease, but immune surveillance of these macromolecules can drive an antidrug immune response that compromises efficacy and even undermines safety. To eliminate widespread T-cell epitopes in any biotherapeutic and thereby mitigate this key source of detrimental immune recognition, we developed a Pareto optimal deimmunization library design algorithm that optimizes protein libraries to account for the simultaneous effects of combinations of mutations on both molecular function and epitope content. Active variants identified by high-throughput screening are thus inherently likely to be deimmunized. Functional screening of an optimized 10-site library (1,536 variants) of P99 β-lactamase (P99βL), a component of ADEPT cancer therapies, revealed that the population possessed high overall fitness, and comprehensive analysis of peptide-MHC II immunoreactivity showed the population possessed lower average immunogenic potential than the wild-type enzyme. Although similar functional screening of an optimized 30-site library (2.15 × 10 9 variants) revealed reduced population-wide fitness, numerous individual variants were found to have activity and stability better than the wild type despite bearing 13 or more deimmunizing mutations per enzyme. The immunogenic potential of one highly active and stable 14-mutation variant was assessed further using ex vivo cellular immunoassays, and the variant was found to silence T-cell activation in seven of the eight blood donors who responded strongly to wild-type P99βL. In summary, our multiobjective library-design process readily identified large and mutually compatible sets of epitope-deleting mutations and produced highly active but aggressively deimmunized constructs in only one round of library screening.

Topology optimization of periodic microstructures for enhanced dynamic properties of viscoelastic composite materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Erik; Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2014-01-01

We present a topology optimization method for the design of periodic composites with dissipative materials for maximizing the loss/attenuation of propagating waves. The computational model is based on a finite element discretization of the periodic unit cell and a complex eigenvalue problem...... with a prescribed wave frequency. The attenuation in the material is described by its complex wavenumber, and we demonstrate in several examples optimized distributions of a stiff low loss and a soft lossy material in order to maximize the attenuation. In the examples we cover different frequency ranges and relate...... the results to previous studies on composites with high damping and stiffness based on quasi-static conditions for low frequencies and the bandgap phenomenon for high frequencies. Additionally, we consider the issues of stiffness and connectivity constraints and finally present optimized composites...

Bandgap tailoring of in-situ nitrogen-doped TiO₂ sputtered films intended for electrophotocatalytic applications under solar light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delegan, N.; El Khakani, M. A., E-mail: elkhakani@emt.inrs.ca [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650, Boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X-1S2 (Canada); Daghrir, R.; Drogui, P. [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement, 490 Rue de la Couronne, Québec G1K-9A9 (Canada)

2014-10-21

We report on a reactive RF-sputtering process permitting the in-situ nitrogen doping of TiO₂ films in order to shift their photoactivity from UV to visible range. By carefully controlling the relative nitrogen-to-argon mass flow rate ratio (within the 0%–25% range) in the sputter deposition chamber, TiO₂:N films were grown with nitrogen contents ranging from 0 to 6.2 at. %, as determined by high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy measurements. A systematic investigation of the crystalline structure of the TiO₂:N films, as a function of their N content, revealed that low N contents (0.2–0.3 at. %) induce crystallization in the rutile phase while higher N contents (≥1.4 at. %) were accompanied with the recovery of the anatase structure with an average crystallite size of ~35 nm. By using both UV-Vis absorption and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements, we were able to quantitatively determine the bandgap (E{sub g}) variation of the TiO₂:N films as a function of their N content. Thus, we have demonstrated that the E{sub g} of the TiO₂:N films effectively narrows from 3.2 eV down to a value as low as ~2.3 eV for the optimal N doping concentration of 3.4 at. % (higher N incorporation does not translate into further red shifting of the TiO₂:N films' E{sub g}). The photoactivity of the TiO₂:N films under visible light was confirmed through electro-photocatalytic decomposition of chlortetracycline (CTC, an emerging water pollutant) under standard 1.5AM solar radiation. Thus, CTC degradation efficiencies of up to 98% were achieved with 2 hours process cycles under simulated solar light. Moreover, the electro-photocatalytic performance of the TiO₂:N films is shown to be directly correlated to their optoelectronic properties (namely their bandgap narrowing).

Modified artificial bee colony algorithm for reactive power optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaiman, Noorazliza; Mohamad-Saleh, Junita; Abro, Abdul Ghani

2015-05-01

Bio-inspired algorithms (BIAs) implemented to solve various optimization problems have shown promising results which are very important in this severely complex real-world. Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm, a kind of BIAs has demonstrated tremendous results as compared to other optimization algorithms. This paper presents a new modified ABC algorithm referred to as JA-ABC3 with the aim to enhance convergence speed and avoid premature convergence. The proposed algorithm has been simulated on ten commonly used benchmarks functions. Its performance has also been compared with other existing ABC variants. To justify its robust applicability, the proposed algorithm has been tested to solve Reactive Power Optimization problem. The results have shown that the proposed algorithm has superior performance to other existing ABC variants e.g. GABC, BABC1, BABC2, BsfABC dan IABC in terms of convergence speed. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm has also demonstrated excellence performance in solving Reactive Power Optimization problem.

Optimization of tax on corporate income

OpenAIRE

OBERTÍKOVÁ, Lucie

2017-01-01

My diploma thesis is focused on the optimization of corporate income tax. The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part are described terms such as taxpayers, subject of tax, tax base, tax calculation or when the tax is payable. The practical part begins with the characteristic of the company, followed by the calculation of the tax liability and the optimization of the corporate income tax. The aim of the thesis was to find the optimal variant of the c...

A New Hybrid Whale Optimizer Algorithm with Mean Strategy of Grey Wolf Optimizer for Global Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narinder Singh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The quest for an efficient nature-inspired optimization technique has continued over the last few decades. In this paper, a hybrid nature-inspired optimization technique has been proposed. The hybrid algorithm has been constructed using Mean Grey Wolf Optimizer (MGWO and Whale Optimizer Algorithm (WOA. We have utilized the spiral equation of Whale Optimizer Algorithm for two procedures in the Hybrid Approach GWO (HAGWO algorithm: (i firstly, we used the spiral equation in Grey Wolf Optimizer algorithm for balance between the exploitation and the exploration process in the new hybrid approach; and (ii secondly, we also applied this equation in the whole population in order to refrain from the premature convergence and trapping in local minima. The feasibility and effectiveness of the hybrid algorithm have been tested by solving some standard benchmarks, XOR, Baloon, Iris, Breast Cancer, Welded Beam Design, Pressure Vessel Design problems and comparing the results with those obtained through other metaheuristics. The solutions prove that the newly existing hybrid variant has higher stronger stability, faster convergence rate and computational accuracy than other nature-inspired metaheuristics on the maximum number of problems and can successfully resolve the function of constrained nonlinear optimization in reality.

Spatially-Variant Tikhonov Regularization for Double-Difference Waveform Inversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Youzuo [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Huang, Lianjie [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Zhang, Zhigang [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2011-01-01

Double-difference waveform inversion is a potential tool for quantitative monitoring for geologic carbon storage. It jointly inverts time-lapse seismic data for changes in reservoir geophysical properties. Due to the ill-posedness of waveform inversion, it is a great challenge to obtain reservoir changes accurately and efficiently, particularly when using time-lapse seismic reflection data. Regularization techniques can be utilized to address the issue of ill-posedness. The regularization parameter controls the smoothness of inversion results. A constant regularization parameter is normally used in waveform inversion, and an optimal regularization parameter has to be selected. The resulting inversion results are a trade off among regions with different smoothness or noise levels; therefore the images are either over regularized in some regions while under regularized in the others. In this paper, we employ a spatially-variant parameter in the Tikhonov regularization scheme used in double-difference waveform tomography to improve the inversion accuracy and robustness. We compare the results obtained using a spatially-variant parameter with those obtained using a constant regularization parameter and those produced without any regularization. We observe that, utilizing a spatially-variant regularization scheme, the target regions are well reconstructed while the noise is reduced in the other regions. We show that the spatially-variant regularization scheme provides the flexibility to regularize local regions based on the a priori information without increasing computational costs and the computer memory requirement.

Structure and optical band-gap energies of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films fabricated by RF magnetron plasma sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Zhimou; Suzuki, Masato; Yokoyama, Shin

2005-01-01

The structure and optical band-gap energies of Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 (BST0.5) thin films prepared on SiO 2 /Si and fused quartz substrates by RF magnetron plasma sputtering were studied in terms of deposition temperature and film thickness. Highly (100)-oriented BST0.5 thin films were successfully sputtered on a Si substrate with an approximately 1.0-μm-thick SiO 2 layer at a deposition temperature of above 450degC. The optical transmittance of BST0.5 thin films weakly depended on the magnitude of X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak intensity. This is very helpful for monolithic integration of BST0.5 films for electrooptical functions directly onto a SiO 2 /Si substrate. The band-gap energies showed a strong dependence on the deposition temperature and film thickness. It was mainly related to the quantum size effect and the influence of the crystallinity of thin films, such as grain boundaries, grain size, oriented growth, and the existence of an amorphous phase. The band-gap energy values, which were much larger than those of single crystals, decreased with the increase in the deposition temperature and the thickness of BST0.5 thin films. The band-gap energy of 311-nm-thick amorphous BST0.5 thin film was about 4.45 eV and that of (100)-oriented BST0.5 thin film with a thickness of 447 nm was about 3.89 eV. It is believed that the dependence of the band-gap energies of the thin films on the crystallinity for various values of deposition temperature and film thickness means that there could be application in integrated optical devices. (author)

Stable Inverted Low-Bandgap Polymer Solar Cells with Aqueous Solution Processed Low-Temperature ZnO Buffer Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunfu Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Efficient inverted low-bandgap polymer solar cells with an aqueous solution processed low-temperature ZnO buffer layer have been investigated. The low-bandgap material PTB-7 is employed so that more solar light can be efficiently harvested, and the aqueous solution processed ZnO electron transport buffer layer is prepared at 150°C so that it can be compatible with the roll-to-roll process. Power conversion efficiency (PCE of the inverted device reaches 7.12%, which is near the control conventional device. More importantly, the inverted device shows a better stability, keeping more than 90% of its original PCE after being stored for 625 hours, while PCE of the conventional device is only 75% of what it was. In addition, it is found that the ZnO thin film annealed in N2 can obviously increase PCE of the inverted device further to 7.26%.

An integrative variant analysis suite for whole exome next-generation sequencing data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Challis Danny

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Whole exome capture sequencing allows researchers to cost-effectively sequence the coding regions of the genome. Although the exome capture sequencing methods have become routine and well established, there is currently a lack of tools specialized for variant calling in this type of data. Results Using statistical models trained on validated whole-exome capture sequencing data, the Atlas2 Suite is an integrative variant analysis pipeline optimized for variant discovery on all three of the widely used next generation sequencing platforms (SOLiD, Illumina, and Roche 454. The suite employs logistic regression models in conjunction with user-adjustable cutoffs to accurately separate true SNPs and INDELs from sequencing and mapping errors with high sensitivity (96.7%. Conclusion We have implemented the Atlas2 Suite and applied it to 92 whole exome samples from the 1000 Genomes Project. The Atlas2 Suite is available for download at http://sourceforge.net/projects/atlas2/. In addition to a command line version, the suite has been integrated into the Genboree Workbench, allowing biomedical scientists with minimal informatics expertise to remotely call, view, and further analyze variants through a simple web interface. The existing genomic databases displayed via the Genboree browser also streamline the process from variant discovery to functional genomics analysis, resulting in an off-the-shelf toolkit for the broader community.

Plasma Reflection in Multigrain Layers of Narrow-Bandgap Semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukov, N. D.; Shishkin, M. I.; Rokakh, A. G.

2018-04-01

Qualitatively similar spectral characteristics of plasma-resonance reflection in the region of 15-25 μm were obtained for layers of electrodeposited submicron particles of InSb, InAs, and GaAs and plates of these semiconductors ground with M1-grade diamond powder. The most narrow-bandgap semiconductor InSb (intrinsic absorption edge ˜7 μm) is characterized by an absorption band at 2.1-2.3 μm, which is interpreted in terms of the model of optical excitation of electrons coupled by the Coulomb interaction. The spectra of a multigrain layer of chemically deposited PbS nanoparticles (50-70 nm) exhibited absorption maxima at 7, 10, and 17 μm, which can be explained by electron transitions obeying the energy-quantization rules for quantum dots.

III-N Wide Bandgap Deep-Ultraviolet Lasers and Photodetectors

KAUST Repository

Detchprohm, T.

2016-11-05

The III-N wide-bandgap alloys in the AlInGaN system have many important and unique electrical and optical properties which have been exploited to develop deep-ultraviolet (DUV) optical devices operating at wavelengths < 300 nm, including light-emitting diodes, optically pumped lasers, and photodetectors. In this chapter, we review some aspects of the development and current state of the art of these DUV materials and devices. We describe the growth of III-N materials in the UV region by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition as well as the properties of epitaxial layers and heterostructure devices. In addition, we discuss the simulation and design of DUV laser diodes, the processing of III-N optical devices, and the description of the current state of the art of DUV lasers and photodetectors.

Analysis of photonic band-gap structures in stratified medium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tong, Ming-Sze; Yinchao, Chen; Lu, Yilong

2005-01-01

in electromagnetic and microwave applications once the Maxwell's equations are appropriately modeled. Originality/value - The method validates its values and properties through extensive studies on regular and defective 1D PBG structures in stratified medium, and it can be further extended to solving more......Purpose - To demonstrate the flexibility and advantages of a non-uniform pseudo-spectral time domain (nu-PSTD) method through studies of the wave propagation characteristics on photonic band-gap (PBG) structures in stratified medium Design/methodology/approach - A nu-PSTD method is proposed...... in solving the Maxwell's equations numerically. It expands the temporal derivatives using the finite differences, while it adopts the Fourier transform (FT) properties to expand the spatial derivatives in Maxwell's equations. In addition, the method makes use of the chain-rule property in calculus together...

Orthorhombic Ti2O3: A Polymorph-Dependent Narrow-Bandgap Ferromagnetic Oxide

KAUST Repository

Li, Yangyang

2017-12-16

Magnetic semiconductors are highly sought in spintronics, which allow not only the control of charge carriers like in traditional electronics, but also the control of spin states. However, almost all known magnetic semiconductors are featured with bandgaps larger than 1 eV, which limits their applications in long-wavelength regimes. In this work, the discovery of orthorhombic-structured Ti2O3 films is reported as a unique narrow-bandgap (≈0.1 eV) ferromagnetic oxide semiconductor. In contrast, the well-known corundum-structured Ti2O3 polymorph has an antiferromagnetic ground state. This comprehensive study on epitaxial Ti2O3 thin films reveals strong correlations between structure, electrical, and magnetic properties. The new orthorhombic Ti2O3 polymorph is found to be n-type with a very high electron concentration, while the bulk-type trigonal-structured Ti2O3 is p-type. More interestingly, in contrast to the antiferromagnetic ground state of trigonal bulk Ti2O3, unexpected ferromagnetism with a transition temperature well above room temperature is observed in the orthorhombic Ti2O3, which is confirmed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. Using first-principles calculations, the ferromagnetism is attributed to a particular type of oxygen vacancies in the orthorhombic Ti2O3. The room-temperature ferromagnetism observed in orthorhombic-structured Ti2O3, demonstrates a new route toward controlling magnetism in epitaxial oxide films through selective stabilization of polymorph phases.

Orthorhombic Ti2O3: A Polymorph-Dependent Narrow-Bandgap Ferromagnetic Oxide

KAUST Repository

Li, Yangyang; Weng, Yakui; Yin, Xinmao; Yu, Xiaojiang; Sarath Kumar, S. R.; Wehbe, Nimer; Wu, Haijun; Alshareef, Husam N.; Pennycook, Stephen J.; Breese, Mark B. H.; Chen, Jingsheng; Dong, Shuai; Wu, Tao

2017-01-01

Magnetic semiconductors are highly sought in spintronics, which allow not only the control of charge carriers like in traditional electronics, but also the control of spin states. However, almost all known magnetic semiconductors are featured with bandgaps larger than 1 eV, which limits their applications in long-wavelength regimes. In this work, the discovery of orthorhombic-structured Ti2O3 films is reported as a unique narrow-bandgap (≈0.1 eV) ferromagnetic oxide semiconductor. In contrast, the well-known corundum-structured Ti2O3 polymorph has an antiferromagnetic ground state. This comprehensive study on epitaxial Ti2O3 thin films reveals strong correlations between structure, electrical, and magnetic properties. The new orthorhombic Ti2O3 polymorph is found to be n-type with a very high electron concentration, while the bulk-type trigonal-structured Ti2O3 is p-type. More interestingly, in contrast to the antiferromagnetic ground state of trigonal bulk Ti2O3, unexpected ferromagnetism with a transition temperature well above room temperature is observed in the orthorhombic Ti2O3, which is confirmed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements. Using first-principles calculations, the ferromagnetism is attributed to a particular type of oxygen vacancies in the orthorhombic Ti2O3. The room-temperature ferromagnetism observed in orthorhombic-structured Ti2O3, demonstrates a new route toward controlling magnetism in epitaxial oxide films through selective stabilization of polymorph phases.

Grothendieck Inequalities, Nonlocal Games and Optimization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Briët (Jop)

2011-01-01

htmlabstractMotivated by applications in quantum information theory and optimization we introduce new variants of a celebrated inequality known as Grothendieck's Inequality. In quantum information theory we apply these mathematical tools to study of one of the most surprising and

Multi-objective shape optimization of runner blade for Kaplan turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Power machines LMZ, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation))" data-affiliation=" (OJSC Power machines LMZ, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation))" >Semenova, A; Power machines LMZ, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation))" data-affiliation=" (OJSC Power machines LMZ, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation))" >Pylev, I; Chirkov, D; Lyutov, A; Chemy, S; Skorospelov, V

2014-01-01

Automatic runner shape optimization based on extensive CFD analysis proved to be a useful design tool in hydraulic turbomachinery. Previously the authors developed an efficient method for Francis runner optimization. It was successfully applied to the design of several runners with different specific speeds. In present work this method is extended to the task of a Kaplan runner optimization. Despite of relatively simpler blade shape, Kaplan turbines have several features, complicating the optimization problem. First, Kaplan turbines normally operate in a wide range of discharges, thus CFD analysis of each variant of the runner should be carried out for several operation points. Next, due to a high specific speed, draft tube losses have a great impact on the overall turbine efficiency, and thus should be accurately evaluated. Then, the flow in blade tip and hub clearances significantly affects the velocity profile behind the runner and draft tube behavior. All these features are accounted in the present optimization technique. Parameterization of runner blade surface using 24 geometrical parameters is described in details. For each variant of runner geometry steady state three-dimensional turbulent flow computations are carried out in the domain, including wicket gate, runner, draft tube, blade tip and hub clearances. The objectives are maximization of efficiency in best efficiency and high discharge operation points, with simultaneous minimization of cavitation area on the suction side of the blade. Multiobjective genetic algorithm is used for the solution of optimization problem, requiring the analysis of several thousands of runner variants. The method is applied to optimization of runner shape for several Kaplan turbines with different heads

Multi-objective shape optimization of runner blade for Kaplan turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Semenova, A.; Chirkov, D.; Lyutov, A.; Chemy, S.; Skorospelov, V.; Pylev, I.

2014-03-01

Automatic runner shape optimization based on extensive CFD analysis proved to be a useful design tool in hydraulic turbomachinery. Previously the authors developed an efficient method for Francis runner optimization. It was successfully applied to the design of several runners with different specific speeds. In present work this method is extended to the task of a Kaplan runner optimization. Despite of relatively simpler blade shape, Kaplan turbines have several features, complicating the optimization problem. First, Kaplan turbines normally operate in a wide range of discharges, thus CFD analysis of each variant of the runner should be carried out for several operation points. Next, due to a high specific speed, draft tube losses have a great impact on the overall turbine efficiency, and thus should be accurately evaluated. Then, the flow in blade tip and hub clearances significantly affects the velocity profile behind the runner and draft tube behavior. All these features are accounted in the present optimization technique. Parameterization of runner blade surface using 24 geometrical parameters is described in details. For each variant of runner geometry steady state three-dimensional turbulent flow computations are carried out in the domain, including wicket gate, runner, draft tube, blade tip and hub clearances. The objectives are maximization of efficiency in best efficiency and high discharge operation points, with simultaneous minimization of cavitation area on the suction side of the blade. Multiobjective genetic algorithm is used for the solution of optimization problem, requiring the analysis of several thousands of runner variants. The method is applied to optimization of runner shape for several Kaplan turbines with different heads.

Cu2I2Se6: A Metal-Inorganic Framework Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor for Photon Detection at Room Temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wenwen; Stoumpos, Constantinos C; Kontsevoi, Oleg Y; Liu, Zhifu; He, Yihui; Das, Sanjib; Xu, Yadong; McCall, Kyle M; Wessels, Bruce W; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G

2018-02-07

Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 is a new wide-bandgap semiconductor with high stability and great potential toward hard radiation and photon detection. Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 crystallizes in the rhombohedral R3̅m space group with a density of d = 5.287 g·cm -3 and a wide bandgap E g of 1.95 eV. First-principles electronic band structure calculations at the density functional theory level indicate an indirect bandgap and a low electron effective mass m e * of 0.32. The congruently melting compound was grown in centimeter-size Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 single crystals using a vertical Bridgman method. A high electric resistivity of ∼10 12 Ω·cm is readily achieved, and detectors made of Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 single crystals demonstrate high photosensitivity to Ag Kα X-rays (22.4 keV) and show spectroscopic performance with energy resolutions under 241 Am α-particles (5.5 MeV) radiation. The electron mobility is measured by a time-of-flight technique to be ∼46 cm 2 ·V -1 ·s -1 . This value is comparable to that of one of the leading γ-ray detector materials, TlBr, and is a factor of 30 higher than mobility values obtained for amorphous Se for X-ray detection.

Widely bandgap tunable amorphous Cd–Ga–O oxide semiconductors exhibiting electron mobilities ≥10 cm{sup 2 }V{sup −1 }s{sup −1}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagi, Hiroshi, E-mail: hyanagi@yamanashi.ac.jp [Graduate Faculty of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Yamanashi, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510 (Japan); Sato, Chiyuki; Kimura, Yota [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-4-37 Takeda, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510 (Japan); Suzuki, Issei; Omata, Takahisa [Division of Material and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kamiya, Toshio [Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mailbox R3-4, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Materials Research Center for Element Strategy, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mailbox S2-16, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Hosono, Hideo [Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mailbox R3-4, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Materials Research Center for Element Strategy, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mailbox S2-16, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan); Frontier Research Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mailbox S2-16, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503 (Japan)

2015-02-23

Amorphous oxide semiconductors exhibit large electron mobilities; however, their bandgaps are either too large for solar cells or too small for deep ultraviolet applications depending on the materials system. Herein, we demonstrate that amorphous Cd–Ga–O semiconductors display bandgaps covering the entire 2.5–4.3 eV region while maintaining large electron mobilities ≥10 cm{sup 2 }V{sup −1 }s{sup −1}. The band alignment diagram obtained by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and the bandgap values reveal that these semiconductors form type-II heterojunctions with p-type Cu{sub 2}O, which is suitable for solar cells and solar-blind ultraviolet sensors.

Effects of indirect bandgap top cells in a monolithic cascade cell structure

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, H. B.; Godlewski, M. P.

1982-01-01

The effect of having a slightly indirect top cell in a three junction cascade monolithic stack is calculated. The minority carrier continuity equations are utilized to calculate individual junction performance. Absorption coefficient curves for general III-V compounds are calculated for a variety of direct and indirect gap materials. The results indicate that for a small excursion into the indirect region, (about 0.1 eV), the loss of efficiency is acceptably small (less than 2.5 percent) and considerably less than attempting to make the top junction a smaller direct bandgap.

HSTLBO: A hybrid algorithm based on Harmony Search and Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization for complex high-dimensional optimization problems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shouheng Tuo

Full Text Available Harmony Search (HS and Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO as new swarm intelligent optimization algorithms have received much attention in recent years. Both of them have shown outstanding performance for solving NP-Hard optimization problems. However, they also suffer dramatic performance degradation for some complex high-dimensional optimization problems. Through a lot of experiments, we find that the HS and TLBO have strong complementarity each other. The HS has strong global exploration power but low convergence speed. Reversely, the TLBO has much fast convergence speed but it is easily trapped into local search. In this work, we propose a hybrid search algorithm named HSTLBO that merges the two algorithms together for synergistically solving complex optimization problems using a self-adaptive selection strategy. In the HSTLBO, both HS and TLBO are modified with the aim of balancing the global exploration and exploitation abilities, where the HS aims mainly to explore the unknown regions and the TLBO aims to rapidly exploit high-precision solutions in the known regions. Our experimental results demonstrate better performance and faster speed than five state-of-the-art HS variants and show better exploration power than five good TLBO variants with similar run time, which illustrates that our method is promising in solving complex high-dimensional optimization problems. The experiment on portfolio optimization problems also demonstrate that the HSTLBO is effective in solving complex read-world application.

Design of a Rad-Hard eFuse Trimming Circuit for Bandgap Voltage Reference for LHC Experiments Upgrades

CERN Document Server

Besirli, Mustafa; Koukab, Adil; Michelis, Stefano

A precise and stable reference voltage is required to generate a stable output voltage in DC/DC converters. This reference voltage must be independent of temperature, power supply, radiation, intrinsic technology mismatch and process variation. This master's thesis reports the development of a rad-hard bandgap voltage reference with electrical fuse (eFuse) based analog calibration circuit in a commercial 130nm technology. According to the test results, the maximum error in the bandgap voltage (300mV in this application) was reduced from ±30mV to less than ±0.6mV thanks to the eFuse trimming. A temperature, power supply, radiation, mismatch and process-independent reference voltage was generated to provide reference voltage to first (bPOL12V) and second (bPOL2V5) stage DC/DC converters. This circuit will be integrated in bPOL12V and bPOL2V5 converters for high-luminosity LHC upgrades.

Angle-dependent bandgap engineering in gated graphene superlattices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Cervantes, H.; Sotolongo-Costa, O. [Centro de Investigación en Ciencias, IICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México (Mexico); Gaggero-Sager, L. M. [CIICAp, IICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México (Mexico); Naumis, G. G. [Instituto Física, Depto. de Física-Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Apdo. Postal 20-364, 01000, México D.F., México (Mexico); Rodríguez-Vargas, I., E-mail: isaac@fisica.uaz.edu.mx [Centro de Investigación en Ciencias, IICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México (Mexico); Unidad Académica de Física, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Calzada Solidaridad Esquina Con Paseo La Bufa S/N, 98060 Zacatecas, Zac., México (Mexico)

2016-03-15

Graphene Superlattices (GSs) have attracted a lot of attention due to its peculiar properties as well as its possible technological implications. Among these characteristics we can mention: the extra Dirac points in the dispersion relation and the highly anisotropic propagation of the charge carriers. However, despite the intense research that is carried out in GSs, so far there is no report about the angular dependence of the Transmission Gap (TG) in GSs. Here, we report the dependence of TG as a function of the angle of the incident Dirac electrons in a rather simple Electrostatic GS (EGS). Our results show that the angular dependence of the TG is intricate, since for moderated angles the dependence is parabolic, while for large angles an exponential dependence is registered. We also find that the TG can be modulated from meV to eV, by changing the structural parameters of the GS. These characteristics open the possibility for an angle-dependent bandgap engineering in graphene.

Angle-dependent bandgap engineering in gated graphene superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Cervantes, H.; Sotolongo-Costa, O.; Gaggero-Sager, L. M.; Naumis, G. G.; Rodríguez-Vargas, I.

2016-01-01

Graphene Superlattices (GSs) have attracted a lot of attention due to its peculiar properties as well as its possible technological implications. Among these characteristics we can mention: the extra Dirac points in the dispersion relation and the highly anisotropic propagation of the charge carriers. However, despite the intense research that is carried out in GSs, so far there is no report about the angular dependence of the Transmission Gap (TG) in GSs. Here, we report the dependence of TG as a function of the angle of the incident Dirac electrons in a rather simple Electrostatic GS (EGS). Our results show that the angular dependence of the TG is intricate, since for moderated angles the dependence is parabolic, while for large angles an exponential dependence is registered. We also find that the TG can be modulated from meV to eV, by changing the structural parameters of the GS. These characteristics open the possibility for an angle-dependent bandgap engineering in graphene.

Product Variant Master as a Means to Handle Variant Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hildre, Hans Petter; Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Andreasen, Mogens Myrup

1996-01-01

be implemented in the CAD system I-DEAS. A precondition for high degree of computer support is identification of a product variant master from which new variants can be derived. This class platform defines how a product build up fit certain production methods and rules governing determination of modules...

Effect of Non-Stoichiometric Solution Chemistry on Improving the Performance of Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Kai [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Yang, Mengjin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kim, Donghoe [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Li, Zhen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Reid, Obadiah G [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Yu, Yue [University of Toledo; Song, Zhaoning [University of Toledo; Zhao, Dewei [University of Toledo; Wang, Changlei [University of Toledo; Li, Liwei [ENN Energy Research Institute; ENN Solar Energy Co., Ltd.; Meng, Yuan [ENN Energy Research Institute; ENN Solar Energy Co., Ltd.; Guo, Ted [ENN Energy Research Institute; ENN Solar Energy Co., Ltd.; Yan, Yanfa [University of Toledo

2017-10-18

A high-efficiency wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cell is critical for developing perovskite-related (e.g., all-perovskite, perovskite/Si, or perovskite/Cu(In,Ga)Se2) tandem devices. Here, we demonstrate the use of non-stoichiometric precursor chemistry with excess methylammonium halides (MAX; X = I, Br, or Cl) for preparing high-quality ~1.75-eV FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I0.6Br0.4)3 perovskite solar cells. Among various methylammonium halides, using excess MABr in the non-stoichiometric precursor exhibits the strongest effect on improving perovskite crystallographic properties and device characteristics without affecting the perovskite composition. In contrast, using excess MAI significantly reduces the bandgap of perovskite due to the replacement of Br with I. Using 40% excess MABr, we demonstrate a single-junction WBG perovskite solar cell with stabilized efficiency of 16.4%. We further demonstrate a 20.3%-efficient 4-terminal tandem device by using a 14.7%-efficient semi-transparent WBG perovskite top cell and an 18.6%-efficient unfiltered (5.6%-efficient filtered) Si bottom cell.

Analysis of Trivium by a Simulated Annealing variant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borghoff, Julia; Knudsen, Lars Ramkilde; Matusiewicz, Krystian

2010-01-01

This paper proposes a new method of solving certain classes of systems of multivariate equations over the binary field and its cryptanalytical applications. We show how heuristic optimization methods such as hill climbing algorithms can be relevant to solving systems of multivariate equations....... A characteristic of equation systems that may be efficiently solvable by the means of such algorithms is provided. As an example, we investigate equation systems induced by the problem of recovering the internal state of the stream cipher Trivium. We propose an improved variant of the simulated annealing method...

Mode division multiplexing over 19-cell hollow-core photonic bandgap fibre by employing integrated mode multiplexer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, H.; Uden, van R.G.H.; Okonkwo, C.M.; Jung, Y.; Wheeler, N.V.; Fokoua, E.N.; Baddela, N.; Petrovich, M.N.; Poletti, F.; Richardson, D.J.; Raz, O.; Waardt, de H.; Koonen, A.M.J.

2014-01-01

A photonic integrated mode coupler based on silicon-on-insulator is employed for mode division multiplexing (MDM) over a 193 m 19-cell hollow-core photonic bandgap fibre (HC-PBGF) with a -3 dB bandwidth >120 nm. Robust MDM transmissions using LP01 and LP11 modes, and two degenerate LP11 modes (LP11a

Optimization of industrial production of rifamycin B by Amycolatopsis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Optimization of the physical and physiological parameters of the fermentation process using the gene amplified variant of Amycolatopsis mediterranei (NCH) was carried out. Optimization of the physical parameters by controlling the pH at 6.5 for 3 days then at 7 thereafter and by adjustment of aeration at 1 vvm for 3 days ...

Expanded GDoF-optimality Regime of Treating Interference as Noise in the $M\\times 2$ X-Channel

KAUST Repository

Gherekhloo, Soheil; Chaaban, Anas; Sezgin, Aydin

2016-01-01

-TIN and 2-IC-TIN. While in the first variant the M× 2 X-channel is reduced to a point-to-point (P2P) channel, in the second variant, the setup is reduced to a two-user interference channel in which the receivers use TIN. The optimality of these two variants

Biogeography-Based Optimization with Orthogonal Crossover

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quanxi Feng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Biogeography-based optimization (BBO is a new biogeography inspired, population-based algorithm, which mainly uses migration operator to share information among solutions. Similar to crossover operator in genetic algorithm, migration operator is a probabilistic operator and only generates the vertex of a hyperrectangle defined by the emigration and immigration vectors. Therefore, the exploration ability of BBO may be limited. Orthogonal crossover operator with quantization technique (QOX is based on orthogonal design and can generate representative solution in solution space. In this paper, a BBO variant is presented through embedding the QOX operator in BBO algorithm. Additionally, a modified migration equation is used to improve the population diversity. Several experiments are conducted on 23 benchmark functions. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of locating the optimal or closed-to-optimal solution. Comparisons with other variants of BBO algorithms and state-of-the-art orthogonal-based evolutionary algorithms demonstrate that our proposed algorithm possesses faster global convergence rate, high-precision solution, and stronger robustness. Finally, the analysis result of the performance of QOX indicates that QOX plays a key role in the proposed algorithm.

Hairy cell leukemia-variant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quadri, Mohammad I.; Al-Sheikh, Iman H.

2001-01-01

Hairy cell leukaemia variant is a very rare chronic lymphoproliferative disorder and is closely related to hairy cell leukemia. We hereby describe a case of hairy cell leukaemia variant for the first time in Saudi Arabia. An elderly Saudi man presented with pallor, massive splenomegaly, and moderate hepatomegaly. Hemoglobin was 7.7 g/dl, Platelets were 134 x109/l and white blood count was 140x10 9/l with 97% being abnormal lymphoid cells with cytoplasmic projections. The morphology, cytochemistry, and immunophenotype of the lymphoid cells were classical of hairy cell leukaemia variant. The bone marrow was easily aspirated and findings were consistent with hairy cell leukaemia variant. (author)

Synthesis of Isothianaphthene (ITN and 3,4-Ethylenedioxy-Thiophene (EDOT-Based Low-Bandgap Liquid Crystalline Conjugated Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiromasa Goto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Copolymers, consisting of isothianaphthene and phenylene derivatives with liquid crystal groups, were synthesized via Migita-Kosugi-Stille polycondensation reaction. IR absorption, UV-vis optical absorption, and PL spectroscopy measurements were carried out. Thermotropic liquid crystallinity of the polymers with bandgap of ~2.5 eV was confirmed.

Light and Electrically Induced Phase Segregation and Its Impact on the Stability of Quadruple Cation High Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Duong, The; Mulmudi, Hemant Kumar; Wu, YiLiang; Fu, Xiao; Shen, Heping; Peng, Jun; Wu, Nandi; Nguyen, Hieu T; Macdonald, Daniel; Lockrey, Mark; White, Thomas P; Weber, Klaus; Catchpole, Kylie

2017-08-16

Perovskite material with a bandgap of 1.7-1.8 eV is highly desirable for the top cell in a tandem configuration with a lower bandgap bottom cell, such as a silicon cell. This can be achieved by alloying iodide and bromide anions, but light-induced phase-segregation phenomena are often observed in perovskite films of this kind, with implications for solar cell efficiency. Here, we investigate light-induced phase segregation inside quadruple-cation perovskite material in a complete cell structure and find that the magnitude of this phenomenon is dependent on the operating condition of the solar cell. Under short-circuit and even maximum power point conditions, phase segregation is found to be negligible compared to the magnitude of segregation under open-circuit conditions. In accordance with the finding, perovskite cells based on quadruple-cation perovskite with 1.73 eV bandgap retain 94% of the original efficiency after 12 h operation at the maximum power point, while the cell only retains 82% of the original efficiency after 12 h operation at the open-circuit condition. This result highlights the need to have standard methods including light/dark and bias condition for testing the stability of perovskite solar cells. Additionally, phase segregation is observed when the cell was forward biased at 1.2 V in the dark, which indicates that photoexcitation is not required to induce phase segregation.

Band-gap engineering by molecular mechanical strain-induced giant tuning of the luminescence in colloidal amorphous porous silicon nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Mughal, Asad Jahangir; El Demellawi, Jehad K.; Chaieb, Saharoui

2014-01-01

reported. In this letter, we report on a 100 nm modulation in the emission of freestanding colloidal amorphous porous silicon nanostructures via band-gap engineering. The mechanism responsible for this tunable modulation, which is independent of the size

Improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization with local search strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maolong Xi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization, which was motivated by analysis of particle swarm optimization and quantum system, has shown compared performance in finding the optimal solutions for many optimization problems to other evolutionary algorithms. To address the problem of premature, a local search strategy is proposed to improve the performance of quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization. In proposed local search strategy, a super particle is presented which is a collection body of randomly selected particles’ dimension information in the swarm. The selected probability of particles in swarm is different and determined by their fitness values. To minimization problems, the fitness value of one particle is smaller; the selected probability is more and will contribute more information in constructing the super particle. In addition, in order to investigate the influence on algorithm performance with different local search space, four methods of computing the local search radius are applied in local search strategy and propose four variants of local search quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization. Empirical studies on a suite of well-known benchmark functions are undertaken in order to make an overall performance comparison among the proposed methods and other quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization. The simulation results show that the proposed quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization variants have better advantages over the original quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization.

Incorporation of Furan into Low Band-Gap Polymers for Efficient Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Woo, Claire H.

2010-11-10

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC71BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Incorporation of Furan into Low Band-Gap Polymers for Efficient Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Woo, Claire H.; Beaujuge, Pierre M.; Holcombe, Thomas W.; Lee, Olivia P.; Fréchet, Jean M. J.

2010-01-01

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC71BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

High-directivity planar antenna using controllable photonic bandgap material at microwave frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de Lustrac, A.; Gadot, F.; Akmansoy, E.; Brillat, T.

2001-01-01

In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate the capability of a controllable photonic bandgap (CPBG) material to conform the emitted radiation of a planar antenna at 12 GHz. The CPBG material is a variable conductance lattice fabricated with high-frequency PIN diodes soldered along metallic stripes on dielectric printed boards. Depending on the diode bias, the emitted radiation of the antenna can be either transmitted or totally reflected by the material. In the transmission state, the antenna radiation is spatially filtered by the CPBG material in a sharp beam perpendicular to the surface of the material. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Novel start-up circuit with enhanced power-up characteristic for bandgap references

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

This paper presents a new start-up circuit for low-power bandgap reference (BGR) voltage generators. The BGR is designed for providing a stable 0.3 V power supply for application in low power wireless sensor nodes. The BGR has an enhanced power-up characteristic and demonstrates a reduction...... of the total stand-by current. Simulated results confirm that the proposed start-up circuit does not affect the performance of the BGR even though the supply voltage (VDD) is higher and has more stable power-up characteristic than the conventional start-up circuits. The new start-up circuit is designed with 65...

Optimal Power Flow by Interior Point and Non Interior Point Modern Optimization Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Połomski

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The idea of optimal power flow (OPF is to determine the optimal settings for control variables while respecting various constraints, and in general it is related to power system operational and planning optimization problems. A vast number of optimization methods have been applied to solve the OPF problem, but their performance is highly dependent on the size of a power system being optimized. The development of the OPF recently has tracked significant progress both in numerical optimization techniques and computer techniques application. In recent years, application of interior point methods to solve OPF problem has been paid great attention. This is due to the fact that IP methods are among the fastest algorithms, well suited to solve large-scale nonlinear optimization problems. This paper presents the primal-dual interior point method based optimal power flow algorithm and new variant of the non interior point method algorithm with application to optimal power flow problem. Described algorithms were implemented in custom software. The experiments show the usefulness of computational software and implemented algorithms for solving the optimal power flow problem, including the system model sizes comparable to the size of the National Power System.

Splicing analysis of 14 BRCA1 missense variants classifies nine variants as pathogenic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahlborn, Lise B; Dandanell, Mette; Steffensen, Ane Y

2015-01-01

by functional analysis at the protein level. Results from a validated mini-gene splicing assay indicated that nine BRCA1 variants resulted in splicing aberrations leading to truncated transcripts and thus can be considered pathogenic (c.4987A>T/p.Met1663Leu, c.4988T>A/p.Met1663Lys, c.5072C>T/p.Thr1691Ile, c......Pathogenic germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene predispose carriers to early onset breast and ovarian cancer. Clinical genetic screening of BRCA1 often reveals variants with uncertain clinical significance, complicating patient and family management. Therefore, functional examinations are urgently...... needed to classify whether these uncertain variants are pathogenic or benign. In this study, we investigated 14 BRCA1 variants by in silico splicing analysis and mini-gene splicing assay. All 14 alterations were missense variants located within the BRCT domain of BRCA1 and had previously been examined...

Cooperative Bacterial Foraging Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanning Chen

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO is a novel optimization algorithm based on the social foraging behavior of E. coli bacteria. This paper presents a variation on the original BFO algorithm, namely, the Cooperative Bacterial Foraging Optimization (CBFO, which significantly improve the original BFO in solving complex optimization problems. This significant improvement is achieved by applying two cooperative approaches to the original BFO, namely, the serial heterogeneous cooperation on the implicit space decomposition level and the serial heterogeneous cooperation on the hybrid space decomposition level. The experiments compare the performance of two CBFO variants with the original BFO, the standard PSO and a real-coded GA on four widely used benchmark functions. The new method shows a marked improvement in performance over the original BFO and appears to be comparable with the PSO and GA.

Rationally Controlled Synthesis of CdSexTe1-x Alloy Nanocrystals and Their Application in Efficient Graded Bandgap Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Shiya; Li, Miaozi; Yang, Junyu; Mei, Xianglin; Wu, Bin; Liu, Xiaolin; Heng, Jingxuan; Qin, Donghuan; Hou, Lintao; Xu, Wei; Wang, Dan

2017-11-08

CdSe x Te 1-x semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs), being rod-shaped/irregular dot-shaped in morphology, have been fabricated via a simple hot-injection method. The NCs composition is well controlled through varying molar ratios of Se to Te precursors. Through changing the composition of the CdSe x Te 1-x NCs, the spectral absorption of the NC thin film between 570-800 nm is proved to be tunable. It is shown that the bandgap of homogeneously alloyed CdSe x Te 1-x active thin film is nonlinearly correlated with the different compositions, which is perceived as optical bowing. The solar cell devices based on CdSe x Te 1-x NCs with the structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe x Te 1-x /MoO x /Au and the graded bandgap ITO/ZnO/CdSe( w / o )/CdSe x Te 1-x /CdTe/MoO x /Au are systematically evaluated. It was found that the performance of solar cells degrades almost linearly with the increase of alloy NC film thickness with respect to ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe 0.2 Te 0.8 /MoO x /Au. From another perspective, in terms of the graded bandgap structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe x Te 1-x /CdTe/MoO x /Au, the performance is improved in contrast with its single-junction analogues. The graded bandgap structure is proved to be efficient when absorbing spectrum and the solar cells fabricated under the structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe 0.8 Te 0.2 /CdSe 0.2 Te 0.8 /CdTe/MoO x /Au indicate power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.37%, a value among the highest for solution-processed inversely-structured CdSe x Te 1-x NC solar cells. As the NC solar cells are solution-processed under environmental conditions, they are promising for fabricating solar cells at low cost, roll by roll and in large area.

Bandgap Engineering of 1300 nm Quantum Dots/Quantum Well Nanostructures Based Devices

KAUST Repository

Alhashim, Hala H.

2016-05-29

The main objectives of this thesis are to develop viable process and/or device technologies for bandgap tuning of 1300-nm InGaAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) laser structures, and broad linewidth 1300-nm InGaAsP/InP quantum well (QW) superluminescent diode structures. The high performance bandgap-engineered QD laser structures were achieved by employing quantum-dot intermixing (QDI) based on impurity free vacancy diffusion (IFVD) technique for eventual seamless active-passive integration, and bandgap-tuned lasers. QDI using various dielectric-capping materials, such as HfO2, SrTiO3, TiO2, Al2O3 and ZnO, etc, were experimented in which the resultant emission wavelength can be blueshifted to ∼ 1100 nm ─ 1200 nm range depending on process conditions. The significant results extracted from the PL characterization were used to perform an extensive laser characterization. The InAs/GaAs quantum-dot lasers with QDs transition energies were blueshifted by ~185 nm, and lasing around ~1070 – 1190 nm was achieved. Furthermore, from the spectral analysis, a simultaneous five-state lasing in the InAs/InGaAs intermixed QD laser was experimentally demonstrated for the first time in the very important wavelength range from 1030 to 1125 nm. The QDI methodology enabled the facile formation of a plethora of devices with various emission wavelengths suitable for a wide range of applications in the infrared. In addition, the wavelength range achieved is also applicable for coherent light generation in the green – yellow – orange visible wavelength band via frequency doubling, which is a cost-effective way of producing compact devices for pico-projectors, semiconductor laser based solid state lighting, etc. [1, 2] In QW-based superluminescent diode, the problem statement lies on achieving a flat-top and ultra-wide emission bandwidth. The approach was to design an inhomogeneous active region with a comparable simultaneous emission from different transition states in the QW stacks, in

Detonation Synthesis of Alpha-Variant Silicon Carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Langenderfer, Martin; Johnson, Catherine; Fahrenholtz, William; Mochalin, Vadym

2017-06-01

A recent research study has been undertaken to develop facilities for conducting detonation synthesis of nanomaterials. This process involves a familiar technique that has been utilized for the industrial synthesis of nanodiamonds. Developments through this study have allowed for experimentation with the concept of modifying explosive compositions to induce synthesis of new nanomaterials. Initial experimentation has been conducted with the end goal being synthesis of alpha variant silicon carbide (α-SiC) in the nano-scale. The α-SiC that can be produced through detonation synthesis methods is critical to the ceramics industry because of a number of unique properties of the material. Conventional synthesis of α-SiC results in formation of crystals greater than 100 nm in diameter, outside nano-scale. It has been theorized that the high temperature and pressure of an explosive detonation can be used for the formation of α-SiC in the sub 100 nm range. This paper will discuss in detail the process development for detonation nanomaterial synthesis facilities, optimization of explosive charge parameters to maximize nanomaterial yield, and introduction of silicon to the detonation reaction environment to achieve first synthesis of nano-sized alpha variant silicon carbide.

Imaging benign pathology and variants with uptake in 68ga-Dotatate PET/CT studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Servente, L.; Bianco, C.; Gigirey, V.; Alonso, O.

2017-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the physiological, anatomical variants and benign lesions in positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT) studies with 68Ga-DOTATATE.Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed PET/CT reports scanned with 68Ga-DOTATATE and selected those that contained words in the report related to anatomical, physiological variants and benign tumors. The degree of 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by measuring the standarized uptake max value (SUVmax value). The anatomical location, SUVmax value and morphological CT image findings were recorded. All cases had clinical and imaging follow-up. Results: From a total of 772 PET/CT reports, 28 patients were obtained with 33 benign variants or tumors, 14 females and 14 males with a median age of 63 years. Uptake patterns were classified into four groups: anatomic and physiological variants (15), dependent on osteoblastic activity (4), dependent on inflammatory activity (10) and non-neuro-endocrine benign tumors (4).Discussion: Somatostatin receptors are overexpressed not only in the neuroendocrine system but also in other tissues. Physiological, anatomical variants and benign tumors expressing these receptors may be misleading. In the present work the frequency of this finding is 5.1%.Conclusion: Physiological variants and benign lesions (tumor and inflammatory) can accumulate 68Ga-DOTATATE since their tissues can express somatostatin receptors. The semiologic analysis of the tomographic component of this hybrid method enhances the diagnostic efficacy, optimizing PET/CT study performance. (authors) [es

Polarizing Ytterbium-Doped all-Solid Photonic Bandgap Fiber with 1150 micrometers2 Effective Mode Area

Science.gov (United States)

2015-02-11

RESPONSIBLE PERSON 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER Liang Dong Fanting Kong,, Guancheng Gu,, Thomas W. Hawkins ,, Joshua Parsons, Maxwell Jones,, Christopher...Dunn,, Monica T. Kalichevsky-Dong,, Benjamin Pulford,, Iyad Dajani,, Kunimasa Saitoh,, Stephen P. Palese,, Eric Cheung,, Liang Dong c. THIS PAGE The...ytterbium-doped all-solid photonic bandgap fiber with ~1150µm2 effective mode area Fanting Kong,1,* Guancheng Gu,1 Thomas W. Hawkins ,1 Joshua Parsons

Efficient H2 production over Au/graphene/TiO2 induced by surface plasmon resonance of Au and band-gap excitation of TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yang; Yu, Hongtao; Wang, Hua; Chen, Shuo; Quan, Xie

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Both surface plasmon resonance and band-gap excitation were used for H 2 production. • Au/Gr/TiO 2 composite photocatalyst was synthesized. • Au/Gr/TiO 2 exhibited enhancement of light absorption and charge separation. • H 2 production rate of Au/Gr/TiO 2 was about 2 times as high as that of Au/TiO 2 . - Abstract: H 2 production over Au/Gr/TiO 2 composite photocatalyst induced by surface plasmon resonance of Au and band-gap excitation of TiO 2 using graphene (Gr) as an electron acceptor has been investigated. Electron paramagnetic resonance study indicated that, in this composite, Gr collected electrons not only from Au with surface plasmon resonance but also from TiO 2 with band-gap excitation. Surface photovoltage and UV–vis absorption measurements revealed that compared with Au/TiO 2 , Au/Gr/TiO 2 displayed more effective photogenerated charge separation and higher optical absorption. Benefiting from these advantages, the H 2 production rate of Au/Gr/TiO 2 composite with Gr content of 1.0 wt% and Au content of 2.0 wt% was about 2 times as high as that of Au/TiO 2 . This work represents an important step toward the efficient application of both surface plasmon resonance and band-gap excitation on the way to converting solar light into chemical energy

Experimental investigation of backreflection at air-core photonic bandgap fiber terminations

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaobin; Yan, Ming; Wu, Chunxiao; Song, Ningfang; Zhang, Chunxi

2017-07-01

Backreflection from the termination of air-core photonic bandgap fibers (PBFs) is experimentally investigated based on a range-extended Mach-Zehnder and Michelson hybrid (M2) interferometer. For primary waves generated by the fundamental modes, the reflectivity is about -90 dB; for secondary waves caused by other modes, the reflectivity is less than -80 dB when compared to the intensity of the primary wave and -20 to -50 dB when compared to their own incident intensity. To suppress the reflection, 3-centimeter PBF at the end is filled with alcohol through the capillary effect, and this proposed method is shown to be much more convenient and effective than the conventional angle cleaving method.

In vivo imaging of the morphology and changes in pH along the gastrointestinal tract of Japanese medaka by photonic band-gap hydrogel microspheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Xuemin; Lei, Ngai-Yu; Hu, Peng; Lei, Zhang; Ong, Daniel Hock-Chun; Ge, Xuewu; Zhang, Zhicheng; Lam, Michael Hon-Wah

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Fabrication of pH-responsive photonic colloidal crystalline microspheres. •Specific photonic band-gap responses occurred in the pH range of 4–5. •Remarkably low in vivo toxicity to Japanese medaka (Oryzia latipes). •In vivo imaging of the morphology and pH along GI tract of Japanese medaka. •Demonstrates bio-imaging potentials of stimuli-responsive photonic materials. -- Abstract: Colloidal crystalline microspheres with photonic band-gap properties responsive to media pH have been developed for in vivo imaging purposes. These colloidal crystalline microspheres were constructed from monodispersed core–shell nano-size particles with poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (PS-co-PAA) cores and poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) (PAA-co-PNIPAM) hydrogel shells cross-linked by N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide. A significant shift in the photonic band-gap properties of these colloidal crystalline microspheres was observed in the pH range of 4–5. This was caused by the discontinuous volume phase transition of the hydrogel coating, due to the protonation/deprotonation of its acrylic acid moieties, on the core–shell nano-sized particles within the microspheres. The in vivo imaging capability of these pH-responsive photonic microspheres was demonstrated on a test organism – Japanese medaka, Oryzia latipes – in which the morphology and change in pH along their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts were revealed under an ordinary optical microscope. This work illustrates the potential of stimuli-responsive photonic band-gap materials in tissue-/organ-level in vivo bio-imaging

Band-gap measurements of bulk and nanoscale hematite by soft x-ray spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gilbert, B.; Frandsen, Cathrine; Maxey, E.R.

2009-01-01

Chemical and photochemical processes at semiconductor surfaces are highly influenced by the size of the band gap, and ability to control the band gap by particle size in nanomaterials is part of their promise. The combination of soft x-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies provides band......-gap determination in bulk and nanoscale itinerant electron semiconductors such as CdS and ZnO, but this approach has not been established for materials such as iron oxides that possess band-edge electronic structure dominated by electron correlations. We performed soft x-ray spectroscopy at the oxygen K...

Investigating the electronic properties of multi-junction ZnS/CdS/CdTe graded bandgap solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olusola, O.I., E-mail: olajideibk@yahoo.com [Electronic Materials and Sensors Group, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, School of Science, The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), P.M.B. 704 (Nigeria); Madugu, M.L.; Dharmadasa, I.M. [Electronic Materials and Sensors Group, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB (United Kingdom)

2017-04-15

The fabrication of multi-junction graded bandgap solar cells have been successfully implemented by electroplating three binary compound semiconductors from II-VI family. The three semiconductor materials grown by electroplating techniques are ZnS, CdS and CdTe thin films. The electrical conductivity type and energy bandgap of each of the three semiconductors were determined using photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell measurement and UV–Vis spectrophotometry techniques respectively. The PEC cell results show that all the three semiconductor materials have n-type electrical conductivity. These two material characterisation techniques were considered in this paper in order to establish the relevant energy band diagram for device results, analysis and interpretation. Solar cells with the device structure glass/FTO/n-ZnS/n-CdS/n-CdTe/Au were then fabricated and characterised using current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) techniques. From the I-V characteristics measurement, the fabricated device structures yielded an open circuit voltage (V{sub oc}) of 670 mV, short circuit current density (J{sub sc}) of 41.5 mA cm{sup −2} and fill-factor (FF) of 0.46 resulting in ∼12.8% efficiency when measured at room temperature under AM1.5 illumination conditions. The device structure showed an excellent rectification factor (RF) of 10{sup 4.3} and ideality factor (n) of 1.88. The results obtained from the C-V measurement also showed that the device structures have a moderate doping level of 5.2 × 10{sup 15} cm{sup −3}. - Highlights: • Electroplating of n-ZnS, n-CdS and n-CdTe binary compound semiconductors. • Fabrication of Schottky barrier solar cells from glass/FTO/n-ZnS/n-CdS/n-CdTe/Au. • Development of multi-junction graded bandgap solar cells using n-n-n structures.

Multicriteria analysis in selecting the optimal variant of solar system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radziejowska Aleksandra

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Alternative energy sources are becoming more serious competition to traditional ways of generating energy. It becomes real integration of eco-energy with ecology, as well as the innovative technologies with low-energy construction. Apart from the cost an important issue are technical parameters of the equipment, durability, ease of installation, etc. The investor therefore is facing with the problem of decision-making to choose the best solution from the point of view of many criteria. In the article, the authors present the proposal to apply the methods of multi-criteria analysis to select the most beneficial variant of the solar system solutions. In this purpose will be use among other method: multivariate analysis of Saaty’s AHP, the taxonomic method of weighting factors and, belonging to a group of methods using outranking relations, the Promethee II method. Proposed comparative analysis can be used as a method for decision support during the selection of the most beneficial technological solution of solar installation and to evaluate operational efficiency existing buildings which will have implemented new systems.

Gamma irradiation of minimal latency Hollow-Core Photonic Bandgap Fibres

CERN Document Server

Olanterae, L; Richardson, D J; Vasey, F; Wooler, J P; Petrovich, M N; Wheeler, N V; Poletti, F; Troska, J

2013-01-01

Hollow-Core Photonic-Bandgap Fibres (HC-PBGFs) offer several distinct advantages over conventional fibres, such as low latency and radiation hardness; properties that make HC-PBGFs interesting for the high energy physics community. This contribution presents the results from a gamma irradiation test carried out using a new type of HC-PBGF that combines sufficiently low attenuation over distances that are compatible with high energy physics applications together with a transmission bandwidth that covers the 1550 nm region. The radiation induced attenuation of the HC-PBGF was two orders of magnitude lower than that of a conventional fibre during a 67.5 h exposure to gamma-rays, resulting in a radiation-induced attenuation of only 2.1 dB/km at an accumulated dose of 940 kGy.

Sub-bandgap photonic base current method for characterization of interface states at heterointerfaces in heterojunction bipolar transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, H. T.; Kim, K. H.; Kim, K. S.

2004-01-01

In this paper, we propose a novel photonic base current analysis method to characterize the interface states in heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) by using the photonic I-V characteristics under sub-bandgap photonic excitation. For the photonic current-voltage characterization of HBTs, an optical source with a photon energy less than the bandgap energy of Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 As and GaAs (E ph = 0.95 eV g,AlGaAs = 1.79 eV, E g,GaAs = 1.45 eV) is employed for the characterization of the interface states distributed in the photo-responsive energy band (E C - 0.95 ≤ E it ≤ E C ) in emitter-base heterojunction at HBTs. The proposed novel method, which is applied to bipolar junction transistors for the first time, is simple, and an accurate analysis of interface traps in HBTs is possible. By using the photonic base-current and the dark-base-current, we qualitatively analyze the interface trap at the Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 As/GaAs heterojunction interface in HBTs.

MVMO-based approach for optimal placement and tuning of supplementary damping controller

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rueda Torres, J.L.; Gonzalez-Longatt, F.

2015-01-01

This paper introduces an approach based on the Swarm Variant of the Mean-Variance Mapping Optimization (MVMO-S) to solve the multi-scenario formulation of the optimal placement and coordinated tuning of power system supplementary damping controllers (POCDCs). The effectiveness of the approach is

Surrogate Assisted Design Optimization of an Air Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rameez Badhurshah

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Surrogates are cheaper to evaluate and assist in designing systems with lesser time. On the other hand, the surrogates are problem dependent and they need evaluation for each problem to find a suitable surrogate. The Kriging variants such as ordinary, universal, and blind along with commonly used response surface approximation (RSA model were used in the present problem, to optimize the performance of an air impulse turbine used for ocean wave energy harvesting by CFD analysis. A three-level full factorial design was employed to find sample points in the design space for two design variables. A Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes solver was used to evaluate the objective function responses, and these responses along with the design variables were used to construct the Kriging variants and RSA functions. A hybrid genetic algorithm was used to find the optimal point in the design space. It was found that the best optimal design was produced by the universal Kriging while the blind Kriging produced the worst. The present approach is suggested for renewable energy application.

Optical tuning of photonic bandgaps in dye-doped nematic liquid crystal photonic crystal fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard; Hermann, David Sparre

2005-01-01

An all-optical modulator is demonstrated, which utilizes a pulsed 532 nm laser to modulate the spectral position of the bandgaps in a photonic crystal fiber infiltrated with a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal. In order to investigate the time response of the LCPBG fiber device, a low-power CW probe...... laser was coupled into the fiber together with the pulsed pump laser of 2.3 mW and we have demonstrated a modulation frequency of up to 2 kHz....

Rare variants in ischemic stroke: an exome pilot study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John W Cole

Full Text Available The genetic architecture of ischemic stroke is complex and is likely to include rare or low frequency variants with high penetrance and large effect sizes. Such variants are likely to provide important insights into disease pathogenesis compared to common variants with small effect sizes. Because a significant portion of human functional variation may derive from the protein-coding portion of genes we undertook a pilot study to identify variation across the human exome (i.e., the coding exons across the entire human genome in 10 ischemic stroke cases. Our efforts focused on evaluating the feasibility and identifying the difficulties in this type of research as it applies to ischemic stroke. The cases included 8 African-Americans and 2 Caucasians selected on the basis of similar stroke subtypes and by implementing a case selection algorithm that emphasized the genetic contribution of stroke risk. Following construction of paired-end sequencing libraries, all predicted human exons in each sample were captured and sequenced. Sequencing generated an average of 25.5 million read pairs (75 bp×2 and 3.8 Gbp per sample. After passing quality filters, screening the exomes against dbSNP demonstrated an average of 2839 novel SNPs among African-Americans and 1105 among Caucasians. In an aggregate analysis, 48 genes were identified to have at least one rare variant across all stroke cases. One gene, CSN3, identified by screening our prior GWAS results in conjunction with our exome results, was found to contain an interesting coding polymorphism as well as containing excess rare variation as compared with the other genes evaluated. In conclusion, while rare coding variants may predispose to the risk of ischemic stroke, this fact has yet to be definitively proven. Our study demonstrates the complexities of such research and highlights that while exome data can be obtained, the optimal analytical methods have yet to be determined.

Experimental evaluation and basis function optimization of the spatially variant image-space PSF on the Ingenuity PET/MR scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotasidis, Fotis A.; Zaidi, Habib

2014-01-01

Purpose: The Ingenuity time-of-flight (TF) PET/MR is a recently developed hybrid scanner combining the molecular imaging capabilities of PET with the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI. It is becoming common practice to characterize the system's point spread function (PSF) and understand its variation under spatial transformations to guide clinical studies and potentially use it within resolution recovery image reconstruction algorithms. Furthermore, due to the system's utilization of overlapping and spherical symmetric Kaiser-Bessel basis functions during image reconstruction, its image space PSF and reconstructed spatial resolution could be affected by the selection of the basis function parameters. Hence, a detailed investigation into the multidimensional basis function parameter space is needed to evaluate the impact of these parameters on spatial resolution. Methods: Using an array of 12 × 7 printed point sources, along with a custom made phantom, and with the MR magnet on, the system's spatially variant image-based PSF was characterized in detail. Moreover, basis function parameters were systematically varied during reconstruction (list-mode TF OSEM) to evaluate their impact on the reconstructed resolution and the image space PSF. Following the spatial resolution optimization, phantom, and clinical studies were subsequently reconstructed using representative basis function parameters. Results: Based on the analysis and under standard basis function parameters, the axial and tangential components of the PSF were found to be almost invariant under spatial transformations (∼4 mm) while the radial component varied modestly from 4 to 6.7 mm. Using a systematic investigation into the basis function parameter space, the spatial resolution was found to degrade for basis functions with a large radius and small shape parameter. However, it was found that optimizing the spatial resolution in the reconstructed PET images, while having a good basis function

Experimental evaluation and basis function optimization of the spatially variant image-space PSF on the Ingenuity PET/MR scanner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotasidis, Fotis A., E-mail: Fotis.Kotasidis@unige.ch [Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland and Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, MAHSC, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 3LJ (United Kingdom); Zaidi, Habib [Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva (Switzerland); Geneva Neuroscience Centre, Geneva University, CH-1205 Geneva (Switzerland); Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, 9700 RB (Netherlands)

2014-06-15

Purpose: The Ingenuity time-of-flight (TF) PET/MR is a recently developed hybrid scanner combining the molecular imaging capabilities of PET with the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI. It is becoming common practice to characterize the system's point spread function (PSF) and understand its variation under spatial transformations to guide clinical studies and potentially use it within resolution recovery image reconstruction algorithms. Furthermore, due to the system's utilization of overlapping and spherical symmetric Kaiser-Bessel basis functions during image reconstruction, its image space PSF and reconstructed spatial resolution could be affected by the selection of the basis function parameters. Hence, a detailed investigation into the multidimensional basis function parameter space is needed to evaluate the impact of these parameters on spatial resolution. Methods: Using an array of 12 × 7 printed point sources, along with a custom made phantom, and with the MR magnet on, the system's spatially variant image-based PSF was characterized in detail. Moreover, basis function parameters were systematically varied during reconstruction (list-mode TF OSEM) to evaluate their impact on the reconstructed resolution and the image space PSF. Following the spatial resolution optimization, phantom, and clinical studies were subsequently reconstructed using representative basis function parameters. Results: Based on the analysis and under standard basis function parameters, the axial and tangential components of the PSF were found to be almost invariant under spatial transformations (∼4 mm) while the radial component varied modestly from 4 to 6.7 mm. Using a systematic investigation into the basis function parameter space, the spatial resolution was found to degrade for basis functions with a large radius and small shape parameter. However, it was found that optimizing the spatial resolution in the reconstructed PET images, while having a good basis

Comparison of particle swarm optimization and other metaheuristics on electricity demand estimation: A case study of Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Askarzadeh, Alireza

2014-01-01

The importance of energy demand estimation stems from energy planning, formulating strategies and recommending energy policies. Most often, energy demand is mathematically formulated by socio-economic indicators. The challenging problem is to determine the optimal or near optimal weighting factors. Inspired by social behavior of bird flocking or fish schooling, PSO (particle swarm optimization) is a population-based search technique which has attracted significant attention to tackle the complexity of difficult optimization problems. This paper studies the performance of different PSO variants for estimating Iran's electricity demand. Seven PSO variants namely, original PSO, PSO-w (PSO with weighting factor), PSO-cf (PSO with constriction factor), PSO-rf (PSO with repulsion factor), PSO-vc (PSO with velocity control), CLPSO (comprehensive learning PSO) and a MPSO (modified PSO), are used to find the unknown weighting factors based on the data from 1982 to 2003. The validation process is then conducted by testing the optimized models by using the data from 2004 to 2009. It is seen that PSO-vc produces more promising results than the other variants, HS (harmony search) and ABSO (artificial bee swarm optimization) algorithms in terms of MAPE (mean absolute percentage error). This value is obtained 2.47 and 2.50 for the exponential and quadratic models, respectively. - Highlights: • Electricity demand estimation is modelled using socio-economic indicators. • Different PSO variants are investigated in terms of accuracy. • Exponential model can estimate the Iran's electricity demand with high accuracy. • PSO with velocity control produces more accurate result than the others

A rabies virus vampire bat variant shows increased neuroinvasiveness in mice when compared to a carnivore variant.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Leonardo Pereira; Gamon, Thais Helena Martins; Cuevas, Silvia Elena Campusano; Asano, Karen Miyuki; Fahl, Willian de Oliveira; Iamamoto, Keila; Scheffer, Karin Correa; Achkar, Samira Maria; Zanatto, Dennis Albert; Mori, Cláudia Madalena Cabrera; Maiorka, Paulo César; Mori, Enio

2017-12-01

Rabies is one of the most important zoonotic diseases and is caused by several rabies virus (RABV) variants. These variants can exhibit differences in neurovirulence, and few studies have attempted to evaluate the neuroinvasiveness of variants derived from vampire bats and wild carnivores. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuropathogenesis of infection with two Brazilian RABV street variants (variant 3 and crab-eating fox) in mice. BALB/c mice were inoculated with RABV through the footpad, with the 50% mouse lethal dose (LD 50 ) determined by intracranial inoculation. The morbidity of rabies in mice infected with variant 3 and the crab-eating fox strain was 100% and 50%, respectively, with an incubation period of 7 and 6 days post-inoculation (dpi), respectively. The clinical disease in mice was similar with both strains, and it was characterized initially by weight loss, ruffled fur, hunched posture, and hind limb paralysis progressing to quadriplegia and recumbency at 9 to 12 dpi. Histological lesions within the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis with neuronal degeneration and necrosis were observed in mice infected with variant 3 and those infected with the crab-eating fox variant. However, lesions and the presence of RABV antigen, were more widespread within the CNS of variant-3-infected mice, whereas in crab-eating fox-variant-infected mice, RABV antigens were more restricted to caudal areas of the CNS, such as the spinal cord and brainstem. In conclusion, the results shown here demonstrate that the RABV vampire bat strain (variant 3) has a higher potential for neuroinvasiveness than the carnivore variant.

Continuously tunable devices based on electrical control of dual-frequency liquid crystal filled photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scolari, Lara; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Riishede, Jesper

2005-01-01

We present an electrically controlled photonic bandgap fiber device obtained by infiltrating the air holes of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with a dual-frequency liquid crystal (LC) with pre-tilted molecules. Compared to previously demonstrated devices of this kind, the main new feature of this ...... in the same device. We investigate the dynamics of this device and demonstrate a birefringence controller based on this principle....

Detection of the scintillation light emitted from direct-bandgap compound semiconductors by a Si avalanche photodiode at 150 mK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasumune, Takashi; Takayama, Nobuyasu; Maehata, Keisuke; Ishibashi, Kenji; Umeno, Takahiro

2008-01-01

In this work, the direct-bandgap compound semiconductor materials are irradiated by α particles emitted from 241 Am for the detection of scintillation light at the temperature of 150 mK. For the irradiation experiment, two disk shaped samples were fabricated from an epoxy resin mixed with the powder of PbI 2 and CuI, respectively. Each disk-samples was cooled down to 150 mK by a compact liquid helium-free dilution refrigerator. A Si avalanche photodiode (APD) was employed for detecting the scintillation light emitted from the disk-sample inside the refrigerator. The detection signal current of Si APD was converted into the voltage pulses by a charge sensitive preamplifier. The voltage pulses of the scintillation light emitted from the direct-bandgap semiconductors were observed at the temperature of 150 mK. (author)

Optical characterization and bandgap engineering of flat and wrinkle-textured FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I1-xBrx)3 perovskite thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Tejada, A.; Braunger, S.; Korte, L.; Albrecht, S.; Rech, B.; Guerra, J. A.

2018-05-01

The complex refractive indices of formamidinium cesium lead mixed-halide [FA0.83Cs0.17Pb(I1- xBrx)3] perovskite thin films of compositions ranging from x = 0 to 0.4, with both flat and wrinkle-textured surface topographies, are reported. The films are characterized using a combination of variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectral transmittance in the wavelength range of 190 nm to 850 nm. Optical constants, film thicknesses and roughness layers are obtained point-by-point by minimizing a global error function, without using optical dispersion models, and including topographical information supplied by a laser confocal microscope. To evaluate the bandgap engineering potential of the material, the optical bandgaps and Urbach energies are then accurately determined by applying a band fluctuation model for direct semiconductors, which considers both the Urbach tail and the fundamental band-to-band absorption region in a single equation. With this information, the composition yielding the optimum bandgap of 1.75 eV for a Si-perovskite tandem solar cell is determined.

Sub-bandgap response of graphene/SiC Schottky emitter bipolar phototransistor examined by scanning photocurrent microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Bobby G., Jr.; Chava, Venkata Surya N.; Daniels, Kevin M.; Chandrashekhar, M. V. S.; Greytak, Andrew B.

2018-01-01

Graphene layers grown epitaxially on SiC substrates are attractive for a variety of sensing and optoelectronic applications because the graphene acts as a transparent, conductive, and chemically responsive layer that is mated to a wide-bandgap semiconductor with large breakdown voltage. Recent advances in control of epitaxial growth and doping of SiC epilayers have increased the range of electronic device architectures that are accessible with this system. In particular, a recently-introduced Schottky-emitter bipolar phototransistor (SEPT) based on an epitaxial graphene (EG) emitter grown on a p-SiC base epilayer has been found to exhibit a maximum common emitter current gain of 113 and a UV responsivity of 7.1 A W-1. The behavior of this device, formed on an n +-SiC substrate that serves as the collector, was attributed to a very large minority carrier injection efficiency at the EG/p-SiC Schottky contact. This large minority carrier injection efficiency is in turn related to the large built-in potential found at a EG/p-SiC Schottky junction. The high performance of this device makes it critically important to analyze the sub bandgap visible response of the device, which provides information on impurity states and polytype inclusions in the crystal. Here, we employ scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) with sub-bandgap light as well as a variety of other techniques to clearly demonstrate a localized response based on the graphene transparent electrode and an approximately 1000-fold difference in responsivity between 365 nm and 444 nm excitation. A stacking fault propagating from the substrate/epilayer interface, assigned as a single layer of the 8H-SiC polytype within the 4H-SiC matrix, is found to locally increase the photocurrent substantially. The discovery of this polytype heterojunction opens the potential for further development of heteropolytype devices based on the SEPT architecture.

Optimal scheduling using priced timed automata

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Behrmann, Gerd; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Rasmussen, Jacob Illum

2005-01-01

This contribution reports on the considerable effort made recently towards extending and applying well-established timed automata technology to optimal scheduling and planning problems. The effort of the authors in this direction has to a large extent been carried out as part of the European...... projects VHS [20] and AMETIST [16] and are available in the recently released UPPAAL CORA [12], a variant of the real-time verification tool UPPAAL [18, 5] specialized for cost-optimal reachability for the extended model of so-called priced timed automata....

Colloidal Engineering for Infrared-Bandgap Solution-Processed Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kiani, Amirreza

harvesting for the first time. Addition of short bromothiol ligands during the synthesis significantly reduces the agglomeration of 1 eV bandgap CQDs and maintains efficient charge extraction into the selective electrodes. The devices can augment the performance of the best silicon cells by 7 power points where 0.8 additive power points are demonstrated experimentally. A tailored solution exchanged process developed for 1 eV bandgap CQDs results in air-stable IR PV devices with improved manufacturability. The process utilizes a tailored combination of lead iodide (PbI2) and ammonium acetate for the solution exchange and hexylamine + MEK as the final solvent to yield solar thick films with the filtered (1100 nm and beyond) performance of 0.4%. This thesis pushes the limit of CQD device applications to waste heat recovery. I demonstrate successful harvesting of low energy photons emitted from a hot object by designing and developing the first solution-processed thermophotovoltaic devices. These devices are comprised of 0.7 eV bandgap CQDs that successfully harvest photons emitted from an 800°C heat source.

Particle swarm optimization using multi-information characteristics of all personal-best information.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Song; Tian, Na; Wang, Yan; Ji, Zhicheng

2016-01-01

Convergence stagnation is the chief difficulty to solve hard optimization problems for most particle swarm optimization variants. To address this issue, a novel particle swarm optimization using multi-information characteristics of all personal-best information is developed in our research. In the modified algorithm, two positions are defined by personal-best positions and an improved cognition term with three positions of all personal-best information is used in velocity update equation to enhance the search capability. This strategy could make particles fly to a better direction by discovering useful information from all the personal-best positions. The validity of the proposed algorithm is assessed on twenty benchmark problems including unimodal, multimodal, rotated and shifted functions, and the results are compared with that obtained by some published variants of particle swarm optimization in the literature. Computational results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm finds several global optimum and high-quality solutions in most case with a fast convergence speed.

A QFD-based optimization method for a scalable product platform

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xinggang; Tang, Jiafu; Kwong, C. K.

2010-02-01

In order to incorporate the customer into the early phase of the product development cycle and to better satisfy customers' requirements, this article adopts quality function deployment (QFD) for optimal design of a scalable product platform. A five-step QFD-based method is proposed to determine the optimal values for platform engineering characteristics (ECs) and non-platform ECs of the products within a product family. First of all, the houses of quality (HoQs) for all product variants are developed and a QFD-based optimization approach is used to determine the optimal ECs for each product variant. Sensitivity analysis is performed for each EC with respect to overall customer satisfaction (OCS). Based on the obtained sensitivity indices of ECs, a mathematical model is established to simultaneously optimize the values of the platform and the non-platform ECs. Finally, by comparing and analysing the optimal solutions with different number of platform ECs, the ECs with which the worst OCS loss can be avoided are selected as platform ECs. An illustrative example is used to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. A comparison between the proposed method and a two-step approach is conducted on the example. The comparison shows that, as a kind of single-stage approach, the proposed method yields better average degree of customer satisfaction due to the simultaneous optimization of platform and non-platform ECs.

Variants of cellobiohydrolases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bott, Richard R.; Foukaraki, Maria; Hommes, Ronaldus Wilhelmus; Kaper, Thijs; Kelemen, Bradley R.; Kralj, Slavko; Nikolaev, Igor; Sandgren, Mats; Van Lieshout, Johannes Franciscus Thomas; Van Stigt Thans, Sander

2018-04-10

Disclosed are a number of homologs and variants of Hypocrea jecorina Ce17A (formerly Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase I or CBH1), nucleic acids encoding the same and methods for producing the same. The homologs and variant cellulases have the amino acid sequence of a glycosyl hydrolase of family 7A wherein one or more amino acid residues are substituted and/or deleted.

High-Temperature, Wirebondless, Ultracompact Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Modules

Science.gov (United States)

Elmes, John

2015-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) and other wide bandgap semiconductors offer great promise of high power rating, high operating temperature, simple thermal management, and ultrahigh power density for both space and commercial power electronic systems. However, this great potential is seriously limited by the lack of reliable high-temperature device packaging technology. This Phase II project developed an ultracompact hybrid power module packaging technology based on the use of double lead frames and direct lead frame-to-chip transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding that allows device operation up to 450 degC. The new power module will have a very small form factor with 3-5X reduction in size and weight from the prior art, and it will be capable of operating from 450 degC to -125 degC. This technology will have a profound impact on power electronics and energy conversion technologies and help to conserve energy and the environment as well as reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels.

Validation and optimization of the Ion Torrent S5 XL sequencer and Oncomine workflow for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Saeam; Kim, Yoonjung; Chul Oh, Seoung; Yu, Nae; Lee, Seung-Tae; Rak Choi, Jong; Lee, Kyung-A

2017-05-23

In this study, we validated the analytical performance of BRCA1/2 sequencing using Ion Torrent's new bench-top sequencer with amplicon panel with optimized bioinformatics pipelines. Using 43 samples that were previously validated by Illumina's MiSeq platform and/or by Sanger sequencing/multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, we amplified the target with the Oncomine™ BRCA Research Assay and sequenced on Ion Torrent S5 XL (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). We compared two bioinformatics pipelines for optimal processing of S5 XL sequence data: the Torrent Suite with a plug-in Torrent Variant Caller (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and commercial NextGENe software (Softgenetics, State College, PA, USA). All expected 681 single nucleotide variants, 15 small indels, and three copy number variants were correctly called, except one common variant adjacent to a rare variant on the primer-binding site. The sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, and accuracy for detection of single nucleotide variant and small indels of S5 XL sequencing were 99.85%, 100%, 0%, and 99.99% for the Torrent Variant Caller and 99.85%, 99.99%, 0.14%, and 99.99% for NextGENe, respectively. The reproducibility of variant calling was 100%, and the precision of variant frequency also showed good performance with coefficients of variation between 0.32 and 5.29%. We obtained highly accurate data through uniform and sufficient coverage depth over all target regions and through optimization of the bioinformatics pipeline. We confirmed that our platform is accurate and practical for diagnostic BRCA1/2 testing in a clinical laboratory.

Growth of Bulk Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Crystals and Their Potential Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kuo-Tong; Shi, Detang; Morgan, S. H.; Collins, W. Eugene; Burger, Arnold

1997-01-01

Developments in bulk crystal growth research for electro-optical devices in the Center for Photonic Materials and Devices since its establishment have been reviewed. Purification processes and single crystal growth systems employing physical vapor transport and Bridgman methods were assembled and used to produce high purity and superior quality wide bandgap materials such as heavy metal halides and II-VI compound semiconductors. Comprehensive material characterization techniques have been employed to reveal the optical, electrical and thermodynamic properties of crystals, and the results were used to establish improved material processing procedures. Postgrowth treatments such as passivation, oxidation, chemical etching and metal contacting during the X-ray and gamma-ray device fabrication process have also been investigated and low noise threshold with improved energy resolution has been achieved.

Subwavelength wave manipulation in a thin surface-wave bandgap crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zhen; Wang, Zhuoyuan; Zhang, Baile

2018-01-01

It has been recently reported that the unit cell of wire media metamaterials can be tailored locally to shape the flow of electromagnetic waves at deep-subwavelength scales [Nat. Phys.9, 55 (2013)NPAHAX1745-247310.1038/nphys2480]. However, such bulk structures have a thickness of at least the order of wavelength, thus hindering their applications in the on-chip compact plasmonic integrated circuits. Here, based upon a Sievenpiper "mushroom" array [IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech.47, 2059 (1999)IETMAB0018-948010.1109/22.798001], which is compatible with standard printed circuit board technology, we propose and experimentally demonstrate the subwavelength manipulation of surface waves on a thin surface-wave bandgap crystal with a thickness much smaller than the wavelength (1/30th of the operating wavelength). Functional devices including a T-shaped splitter and sharp bend are constructed with good performance.

Comparison of Ion Personal Genome Machine Platforms for the Detection of Variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Sang Mee; Lee, Ki Chan; Lee, Min Seob; Park, Kyoung Un

2018-01-01

Transition to next generation sequencing (NGS) for BRCA1 / BRCA2 analysis in clinical laboratories is ongoing but different platforms and/or data analysis pipelines give different results resulting in difficulties in implementation. We have evaluated the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) Platforms (Ion PGM, Ion PGM Dx, Thermo Fisher Scientific) for the analysis of BRCA1 /2. The results of Ion PGM with OTG-snpcaller, a pipeline based on Torrent mapping alignment program and Genome Analysis Toolkit, from 75 clinical samples and 14 reference DNA samples were compared with Sanger sequencing for BRCA1 / BRCA2 . Ten clinical samples and 14 reference DNA samples were additionally sequenced by Ion PGM Dx with Torrent Suite. Fifty types of variants including 18 pathogenic or variants of unknown significance were identified from 75 clinical samples and known variants of the reference samples were confirmed by Sanger sequencing and/or NGS. One false-negative results were present for Ion PGM/OTG-snpcaller for an indel variant misidentified as a single nucleotide variant. However, eight discordant results were present for Ion PGM Dx/Torrent Suite with both false-positive and -negative results. A 40-bp deletion, a 4-bp deletion and a 1-bp deletion variant was not called and a false-positive deletion was identified. Four other variants were misidentified as another variant. Ion PGM/OTG-snpcaller showed acceptable performance with good concordance with Sanger sequencing. However, Ion PGM Dx/Torrent Suite showed many discrepant results not suitable for use in a clinical laboratory, requiring further optimization of the data analysis for calling variants.

Influence of air pressure on soliton formation in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper; Roberts, Peter John

2009-01-01

Abstract Soliton formation during dispersive compression of chirped few-picosecond pulses at the microjoule level in a hollow-core photonic bandgap (HC-PBG) fiber is studied by numerical simulations. Long-pass filtering of the emerging frequency-shifted solitons is investigated with the objective...... of obtaining pedestal-free output pulses. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of the air pressure in the HC-PBG fiber. It is found that a reduction in air pressure enables an increase in the fraction of power going into the most redshifted soliton and also improves the quality of the filtered pulse...

Rational Design of High-Performance Wide-Bandgap (≈2 eV) Polymer Semiconductors as Electron Donors in Organic Photovoltaics Exhibiting High Open Circuit Voltages (≈1 V).

Science.gov (United States)

Chochos, Christos L; Katsouras, Athanasios; Gasparini, Nicola; Koulogiannis, Chrysanthos; Ameri, Tayebeh; Brabec, Christoph J; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos

2017-01-01

Systematic optimization of the chemical structure of wide-bandgap (≈2.0 eV) "donor-acceptor" copolymers consisting of indacenodithiophene or indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene as the electron-rich unit and thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione as the electron-deficient moiety in terms of alkyl side chain engineering and distance of the electron-rich and electron-deficient monomers within the repeat unit of the polymer chain results in high-performance electron donor materials for organic photovoltaics. Specifically, preliminary results demonstrate extremely high open circuit voltages (V oc s) of ≈1.0 V, reasonable short circuit current density (J sc ) of around 11 mA cm -2 , and moderate fill factors resulting in efficiencies close to 6%. All the devices are fabricated in an inverted architecture with the photoactive layer processed by doctor blade equipment, showing the compatibility with roll-to-roll large-scale manufacturing processes. From the correlation of the chemical structure-optoelectronic properties-photovoltaic performance, a rational guide toward further optimization of the chemical structure in this family of copolymers, has been achieved. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Symbiosis-Based Alternative Learning Multi-Swarm Particle Swarm Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Ben; Huang, Huali; Tan, Lijing; Duan, Qiqi

2017-01-01

Inspired by the ideas from the mutual cooperation of symbiosis in natural ecosystem, this paper proposes a new variant of PSO, named Symbiosis-based Alternative Learning Multi-swarm Particle Swarm Optimization (SALMPSO). A learning probability to select one exemplar out of the center positions, the local best position, and the historical best position including the experience of internal and external multiple swarms, is used to keep the diversity of the population. Two different levels of social interaction within and between multiple swarms are proposed. In the search process, particles not only exchange social experience with others that are from their own sub-swarms, but also are influenced by the experience of particles from other fellow sub-swarms. According to the different exemplars and learning strategy, this model is instantiated as four variants of SALMPSO and a set of 15 test functions are conducted to compare with some variants of PSO including 10, 30 and 50 dimensions, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the alternative learning strategy in each SALMPSO version can exhibit better performance in terms of the convergence speed and optimal values on most multimodal functions in our simulation.

Optimizing the construction of devices to control inaccesible surfaces - case study

Science.gov (United States)

Niţu, E. L.; Costea, A.; Iordache, M. D.; Rizea, A. D.; Babă, Al

2017-10-01

The modern concept for the evolution of manufacturing systems requires multi-criteria optimization of technological processes and equipments, prioritizing associated criteria according to their importance. Technological preparation of the manufacturing can be developed, depending on the volume of production, to the limit of favourable economical effects related to the recovery of the costs for the design and execution of the technological equipment. Devices, as subsystems of the technological system, in the general context of modernization and diversification of machines, tools, semi-finished products and drives, are made in a multitude of constructive variants, which in many cases do not allow their identification, study and improvement. This paper presents a case study in which the multi-criteria analysis of some structures, based on a general optimization method, of novelty character, is used in order to determine the optimal construction variant of a control device. The rational construction of the control device confirms that the optimization method and the proposed calculation methods are correct and determine a different system configuration, new features and functions, and a specific method of working to control inaccessible surfaces.

Optimizing structure of complex technical system by heterogeneous vector criterion in interval form

Science.gov (United States)

Lysenko, A. V.; Kochegarov, I. I.; Yurkov, N. K.; Grishko, A. K.

2018-05-01

The article examines the methods of development and multi-criteria choice of the preferred structural variant of the complex technical system at the early stages of its life cycle in the absence of sufficient knowledge of parameters and variables for optimizing this structure. The suggested methods takes into consideration the various fuzzy input data connected with the heterogeneous quality criteria of the designed system and the parameters set by their variation range. The suggested approach is based on the complex use of methods of interval analysis, fuzzy sets theory, and the decision-making theory. As a result, the method for normalizing heterogeneous quality criteria has been developed on the basis of establishing preference relations in the interval form. The method of building preferential relations in the interval form on the basis of the vector of heterogeneous quality criteria suggest the use of membership functions instead of the coefficients considering the criteria value. The former show the degree of proximity of the realization of the designed system to the efficient or Pareto optimal variants. The study analyzes the example of choosing the optimal variant for the complex system using heterogeneous quality criteria.

Crystal orientation dependence of the optical bandgap of (1 - x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Xinming; Zhao Xiangyong; Chan, H.L.W.; Choy, C.L.; Luo Haosu

2005-01-01

The transmission spectra of rhombohedral 0.71Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.29PbTiO 3 (PMN-0.29PT) and tetragonal PMN-0.38PT single crystals were obtained in the main crystallographic directions , and . The absorption coefficients were computed and the optical bandgaps were calculated in both direct and indirect transitions. The energy of phonons contributing in the indirect transition was also calculated. For PMN-0.38PT single crystal in all the three directions, the values of direct bandgaps E gd are all slightly lower than those of PMN-0.29PT single crystal, while the indirect bandgaps E gi are all higher. For different crystallographic directions, the values of E gi for -direction are lower compared with and directions, both for PMN-0.29PT and PMN-0.38PT single crystals. Some discussions about the B-site cation d-orbits and the O-anion 2p orbits that determine the basic energy level of the single crystals are presented. The optical transition mechanism was also discussed

Expanded GDoF-optimality Regime of Treating Interference as Noise in the $M\\times 2$ X-Channel

KAUST Repository

Gherekhloo, Soheil

2016-11-14

Treating interference as noise (TIN) as the most appropriate approach in dealing with interference and the conditions on its optimality has attracted the interest of researchers recently. However, our knowledge on necessary and sufficient conditions of TIN is restricted to a few setups with limited number of users. In this paper, we study the optimality of TIN in terms of the generalized degrees of freedom (GDoF) for a fundamental network, namely, the M× 2 X-channel. To this end, the achievable GDoF of TIN with power allocations at the transmitters is studied. It turns out that the transmit power allocation maximizing the achievable GDOF is given by on-off signaling as long as the receivers use TIN. This leads to two variants of TIN, namely, P2P-TIN and 2-IC-TIN. While in the first variant the M× 2 X-channel is reduced to a point-to-point (P2P) channel, in the second variant, the setup is reduced to a two-user interference channel in which the receivers use TIN. The optimality of these two variants is studied separately. To this end, novel genie-aided upper bounds on the capacity of the X-channel are established. The conditions on the optimality of P2P-TIN can be summarized as follows. P2P-TIN is GDoF-optimal if there exists a dominant multiple access channel or a dominant broadcast channel embedded in the X channel. Furthermore, the necessary and sufficient conditions on the GDoF-optimality of 2-IC-TIN are presented. Interestingly, it turns out that operating the M× 2 X-channel in the 2-IC-TIN mode might be still GDOF optimal, although the conditions given by Geng et al. are violated. However, 2-IC-TIN is sub-optimal if there exists a single interferer which causes sufficiently strong interference at both receivers. The comparison of the results with the state of the art shows that the GDOF optimality of TIN is expanded significantldy.

Variants of Moreau's sweeping process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqi, A.H.; Manchanda, P.

2001-07-01

In this paper we prove the existence and uniqueness of two variants of Moreau's sweeping process -u'(t) is an element of Nc (t) (u(t)), where in one variant we replace u(t) by u'(t) in the right-hand side of the inclusion and in the second variant u'(t) and u(t) are respectively replaced by u''(t) and u'(t). (author)

Doping of wide-bandgap titanium-dioxide nanotubes: optical, electronic and magnetic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Alivov, Yahya; Singh, Vivek; Ding, Yuchen; Cerkovnik, Logan Jerome; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-08-01

Doping semiconductors is an important step for their technological application. While doping bulk semiconductors can be easily achieved, incorporating dopants in semiconductor nanostructures has proven difficult. Here, we report a facile synthesis method for doping titanium-dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes that was enabled by a new electrochemical cell design. A variety of optical, electronic and magnetic dopants were incorporated into the hollow nanotubes, and from detailed studies it is shown that the doping level can be easily tuned from low to heavily-doped semiconductors. Using desired dopants - electronic (p- or n-doped), optical (ultraviolet bandgap to infrared absorption in co-doped nanotubes), and magnetic (from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic) properties can be tailored, and these technologically important nanotubes can be useful for a variety of applications in photovoltaics, display technologies, photocatalysis, and spintronic applications.Doping semiconductors is an important step for their technological application. While doping bulk semiconductors can be easily achieved, incorporating dopants in semiconductor nanostructures has proven difficult. Here, we report a facile synthesis method for doping titanium-dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes that was enabled by a new electrochemical cell design. A variety of optical, electronic and magnetic dopants were incorporated into the hollow nanotubes, and from detailed studies it is shown that the doping level can be easily tuned from low to heavily-doped semiconductors. Using desired dopants - electronic (p- or n-doped), optical (ultraviolet bandgap to infrared absorption in co-doped nanotubes), and magnetic (from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic) properties can be tailored, and these technologically important nanotubes can be useful for a variety of applications in photovoltaics, display technologies, photocatalysis, and spintronic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02417f

Characterization of form variants of Xenorhabdus luminescens.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerritsen, L J; de Raay, G; Smits, P H

1992-01-01

From Xenorhabdus luminescens XE-87.3 four variants were isolated. One, which produced a red pigment and antibiotics, was luminescent, and could take up dye from culture media, was considered the primary form (XE-red). A pink-pigmented variant (XE-pink) differed from the primary form only in pigmentation and uptake of dye. Of the two other variants, one produced a yellow pigment and fewer antibiotics (XE-yellow), while the other did not produce a pigment or antibiotics (XE-white). Both were less luminescent, did not take up dye, and had small cell and colony sizes. These two variants were very unstable and shifted to the primary form after 3 to 5 days. It was not possible to separate the primary form and the white variant completely; subcultures of one colony always contained a few colonies of the other variant. The white variant was also found in several other X. luminescens strains. DNA fingerprints showed that all four variants are genetically identical and are therefore derivatives of the same parent. Protein patterns revealed a few differences among the four variants. None of the variants could be considered the secondary form. The pathogenicity of the variants decreased in the following order: XE-red, XE-pink, XE-yellow, and XE-white. The mechanism and function of this variability are discussed. Images PMID:1622273

Trifluoromethyl-Substituted Large Band-Gap Polytriphenylamines for Polymer Solar Cells with High Open-Circuit Voltages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuwang Yi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Two large band-gap polymers (PTPACF and PTPA2CF based on polytriphenylamine derivatives with the introduction of electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl groups were designed and prepared by Suzuki polycondensation reaction. The chemical structures, thermal, optical and electrochemical properties were characterized in detail. From the UV-visible absorption spectra, the PTPACF and PTPA2CF showed the optical band gaps of 2.01 and 2.07 eV, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry (CV measurement displayed the deep highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO energy levels of −5.33 and −5.38 eV for PTPACF and PTPA2CF, respectively. The hole mobilities, determined by field-effect transistor characterization, were 2.5 × 10−3 and 1.1 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 S−1 for PTPACF and PTPA2CF, respectively. The polymer solar cells (PSCs were tested under the conventional device structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer:PC71BM/PFN/Al. All of the PSCs showed the high open circuit voltages (Vocs with the values approaching 1 V. The PTPACF and PTPA2CF based PSCs gave the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs of 3.24% and 2.40%, respectively. Hence, it is a reliable methodology to develop high-performance large band-gap polymer donors with high Vocs through the feasible side-chain modification.

Tuning Bandgap of p-Type Cu2Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se)4 Semiconductor Thin Films via Aqueous Polymer-Assisted Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Qinghua; Wu, Jiang; Zhao, Jie; Wang, Hao; Hu, Jiapeng; Dai, Xiao; Zou, Guifu

2017-01-18

Bandgap engineering of kesterite Cu 2 Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se) 4 with well-controlled stoichiometric composition plays a critical role in sustainable inorganic photovoltaics. Herein, a cost-effective and reproducible aqueous solution-based polymer-assisted deposition approach is developed to grow p-type Cu 2 Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se) 4 thin films with tunable bandgap. The bandgap of Cu 2 Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se) 4 thin films can be tuned within the range 1.05-1.95 eV using the aqueous polymer-assisted deposition by accurately controlling the elemental compositions. One of the as-grown Cu 2 Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se) 4 thin films exhibits a hall coefficient of +137 cm 3 /C. The resistivity, concentration and carrier mobility of the Cu 2 ZnSn(S, Se) 4 thin film are 3.17 ohm·cm, 4.5 × 10 16 cm -3 , and 43 cm 2 /(V·S) at room temperature, respectively. Moreover, the Cu 2 ZnSn(S, Se) 4 thin film when used as an active layer in a solar cell leads to a power conversion efficiency of 3.55%. The facile growth of Cu 2 Zn(Sn, Ge)(S, Se) 4 thin films in an aqueous system, instead of organic solvents, provides great promise as an environmental-friendly platform to fabricate a variety of single/multi metal chalcogenides for the thin film industry and solution-processed photovoltaic devices.

Hierarchical Winner-Take-All Particle Swarm Optimization Social Network for Neural Model Fitting

Science.gov (United States)

Coventry, Brandon S.; Parthasarathy, Aravindakshan; Sommer, Alexandra L.; Bartlett, Edward L.

2016-01-01

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has gained widespread use as a general mathematical programming paradigm and seen use in a wide variety of optimization and machine learning problems. In this work, we introduce a new variant on the PSO social network and apply this method to the inverse problem of input parameter selection from recorded auditory neuron tuning curves. The topology of a PSO social network is a major contributor to optimization success. Here we propose a new social network which draws influence from winner-take-all coding found in visual cortical neurons. We show that the winner-take-all network performs exceptionally well on optimization problems with greater than 5 dimensions and runs at a lower iteration count as compared to other PSO topologies. Finally we show that this variant of PSO is able to recreate auditory frequency tuning curves and modulation transfer functions, making it a potentially useful tool for computational neuroscience models. PMID:27726048

Hierarchical winner-take-all particle swarm optimization social network for neural model fitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Coventry, Brandon S; Parthasarathy, Aravindakshan; Sommer, Alexandra L; Bartlett, Edward L

2017-02-01

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has gained widespread use as a general mathematical programming paradigm and seen use in a wide variety of optimization and machine learning problems. In this work, we introduce a new variant on the PSO social network and apply this method to the inverse problem of input parameter selection from recorded auditory neuron tuning curves. The topology of a PSO social network is a major contributor to optimization success. Here we propose a new social network which draws influence from winner-take-all coding found in visual cortical neurons. We show that the winner-take-all network performs exceptionally well on optimization problems with greater than 5 dimensions and runs at a lower iteration count as compared to other PSO topologies. Finally we show that this variant of PSO is able to recreate auditory frequency tuning curves and modulation transfer functions, making it a potentially useful tool for computational neuroscience models.

Random Plant Viral Variants Attain Temporal Advantages During Systemic Infections and in Turn Resist other Variants of the Same Virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiao-Feng; Guo, Jiangbo; Zhang, Xiuchun; Meulia, Tea; Paul, Pierce; Madden, Laurence V; Li, Dawei; Qu, Feng

2015-10-20

Infection of plants with viruses containing multiple variants frequently leads to dominance by a few random variants in the systemically infected leaves (SLs), for which a plausible explanation is lacking. We show here that SL dominance by a given viral variant is adequately explained by its fortuitous lead in systemic spread, coupled with its resistance to superinfection by other variants. We analyzed the fate of a multi-variant turnip crinkle virus (TCV) population in Arabidopsis and N. benthamiana plants. Both wild-type and RNA silencing-defective plants displayed a similar pattern of random dominance by a few variant genotypes, thus discounting a prominent role for RNA silencing. When introduced to plants sequentially as two subpopulations, a twelve-hour head-start was sufficient for the first set to dominate. Finally, SLs of TCV-infected plants became highly resistant to secondary invasions of another TCV variant. We propose that random distribution of variant foci on inoculated leaves allows different variants to lead systemic movement in different plants. The leading variants then colonize large areas of SLs, and resist the superinfection of lagging variants in the same areas. In conclusion, superinfection resistance is the primary driver of random enrichment of viral variants in systemically infected plants.

Inverse modeling of rainfall infiltration with a dual permeability approach using different matrix-fracture coupling variants.

Science.gov (United States)

Blöcher, Johanna; Kuraz, Michal

2017-04-01

In this contribution we propose implementations of the dual permeability model with different inter-domain exchange descriptions and metaheuristic optimization algorithms for parameter identification and mesh optimization. We compare variants of the coupling term with different numbers of parameters to test if a reduction of parameters is feasible. This can reduce parameter uncertainty in inverse modeling, but also allow for different conceptual models of the domain and matrix coupling. The different variants of the dual permeability model are implemented in the open-source objective library DRUtES written in FORTRAN 2003/2008 in 1D and 2D. For parameter identification we use adaptations of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO), which are population-based metaheuristics with different learning strategies. These are high-level stochastic-based search algorithms that don't require gradient information or a convex search space. Despite increasing computing power and parallel processing, an overly fine mesh is not feasible for parameter identification. This creates the need to find a mesh that optimizes both accuracy and simulation time. We use a bi-objective PSO algorithm to generate a Pareto front of optimal meshes to account for both objectives. The dual permeability model and the optimization algorithms were tested on virtual data and field TDR sensor readings. The TDR sensor readings showed a very steep increase during rapid rainfall events and a subsequent steep decrease. This was theorized to be an effect of artificial macroporous envelopes surrounding TDR sensors creating an anomalous region with distinct local soil hydraulic properties. One of our objectives is to test how well the dual permeability model can describe this infiltration behavior and what coupling term would be most suitable.

Capillary Isoelectric Focusing-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Separation and Online Characterization of Intact Monoclonal Antibody Charge Variants.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Jun; Lamp, Jared; Xia, Qiangwei; Zhang, Yingru

2018-02-06

We report a new online capillary isoelectric focusing-mass spectrometry (CIEF-MS) method for monoclonal antibody (mAb) charge variant analysis using an electrokinetically pumped sheath-flow nanospray ion source and a time-of-flight MS with pressure-assisted chemical mobilization. To develop a successful, reliable CIEF-MS method for mAb, we have selected and optimized many critical, interrelating reagents and parameters that include (1) MS-friendly anolyte and catholyte; (2) a glycerol enhanced sample mixture that reduced non-CIEF electrophoretic mobility and band broadening; (3) ampholyte selected for balancing resolution and MS sensitivity; (4) sheath liquid composition optimized for efficient focusing, mobilization, and electrospray ionization; (5) judiciously selected CIEF running parameters including injection amount, field strength, and applied pressure. The fundamental premise of CIEF was well maintained as verified by the linear correlation (R 2 = 0.99) between pI values and migration time using a mixture of pI markers. In addition, the charge variant profiles of trastuzumab, bevacizumab, infliximab, and cetuximab, obtained using this CIEF-MS method, were corroborated by imaged CIEF-UV (iCIEF-UV) analyses. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of absolute migration time of pI markers were all less than 5% (n = 4). Triplicate analyses of bevacizumab showed RSD less than 1% for relative migration time to an internal standard and RSD of 7% for absolute MS peak area. Moreover, the antibody charge variants were characterized using the online intact MS data. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that direct online MS detection and characterization were achieved for mAb charge variants resolved by CIEF as indicated by a well-established linear pH gradient and correlated CIEF-UV charge variant profiles.

Efficient Sub-Bandgap Light Absorption and Signal Amplification in Silicon Photodetectors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yu-Hsin

This thesis focuses on two areas in silicon photodetectors, the first being enhancing the sub-bandgap light absorption of IR wavelenghts in silicon, and the second being intrinsic signal amplification in silicon photodetectors. Both of these are achieved using heavily doped p-n junction devices which create localized states that relax the k-selection rule of indirect bandgap material. The probability of transitions between impurity band and the conduction/valence band would be much more efficient than the one between band-to-band transition. The waveguide-coupled epitaxial p-n photodetector was demonstrated for 1310 nm wavelength detection. Incorporated with the Franz-Keldysh effect and the quasi-confined epitaxial layer design, an absorption coefficient around 10 cm-1 has been measured and internal quantum efficiency nearly 100% at -2.5V. The absorption coefficient is calculated from the wave function of the electron and hole in p-n diode. The heavily doped impurity wave function can be formulated as a delta function, and the quasi-confined conduction band energy states, and the wave function on each level can be obtained from the Silvaco software. The calculated theoretical absorption coefficient increases with the increasing applied bias and the doping concentration, which matches the experimental results. To solve the issues of large excess noise and high operation bias for avalanche photodiodes based on impact ionization, I presented a detector using the Cycling Excitation Process (CEP) for signal amplification. This can be realized in a heavily doped and highly compensated Si p-n junction, showing ultra high gain about 3000 at very low bias (<4 V), and possessing an intrinsic, phonon-mediated regulation process to keep the device stable without any quenching device required in today's Geiger-mode avalanche detectors. The CEP can be formulated with the rate equations in conduction bands and impurity states. The gain expression, which is a function of the

Benchmarking distributed data warehouse solutions for storing genomic variant information

Science.gov (United States)

Wiewiórka, Marek S.; Wysakowicz, Dawid P.; Okoniewski, Michał J.

2017-01-01

Abstract Genomic-based personalized medicine encompasses storing, analysing and interpreting genomic variants as its central issues. At a time when thousands of patientss sequenced exomes and genomes are becoming available, there is a growing need for efficient database storage and querying. The answer could be the application of modern distributed storage systems and query engines. However, the application of large genomic variant databases to this problem has not been sufficiently far explored so far in the literature. To investigate the effectiveness of modern columnar storage [column-oriented Database Management System (DBMS)] and query engines, we have developed a prototypic genomic variant data warehouse, populated with large generated content of genomic variants and phenotypic data. Next, we have benchmarked performance of a number of combinations of distributed storages and query engines on a set of SQL queries that address biological questions essential for both research and medical applications. In addition, a non-distributed, analytical database (MonetDB) has been used as a baseline. Comparison of query execution times confirms that distributed data warehousing solutions outperform classic relational DBMSs. Moreover, pre-aggregation and further denormalization of data, which reduce the number of distributed join operations, significantly improve query performance by several orders of magnitude. Most of distributed back-ends offer a good performance for complex analytical queries, while the Optimized Row Columnar (ORC) format paired with Presto and Parquet with Spark 2 query engines provide, on average, the lowest execution times. Apache Kudu on the other hand, is the only solution that guarantees a sub-second performance for simple genome range queries returning a small subset of data, where low-latency response is expected, while still offering decent performance for running analytical queries. In summary, research and clinical applications that require

Semantic prioritization of novel causative genomic variants

KAUST Repository

Boudellioua, Imene

2017-04-17

Discriminating the causative disease variant(s) for individuals with inherited or de novo mutations presents one of the main challenges faced by the clinical genetics community today. Computational approaches for variant prioritization include machine learning methods utilizing a large number of features, including molecular information, interaction networks, or phenotypes. Here, we demonstrate the PhenomeNET Variant Predictor (PVP) system that exploits semantic technologies and automated reasoning over genotype-phenotype relations to filter and prioritize variants in whole exome and whole genome sequencing datasets. We demonstrate the performance of PVP in identifying causative variants on a large number of synthetic whole exome and whole genome sequences, covering a wide range of diseases and syndromes. In a retrospective study, we further illustrate the application of PVP for the interpretation of whole exome sequencing data in patients suffering from congenital hypothyroidism. We find that PVP accurately identifies causative variants in whole exome and whole genome sequencing datasets and provides a powerful resource for the discovery of causal variants.

Semantic prioritization of novel causative genomic variants

KAUST Repository

Boudellioua, Imene; Mohamad Razali, Rozaimi; Kulmanov, Maxat; Hashish, Yasmeen; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Goncalves-Serra, Eva; Schoenmakers, Nadia; Gkoutos, Georgios V.; Schofield, Paul N.; Hoehndorf, Robert

2017-01-01

Discriminating the causative disease variant(s) for individuals with inherited or de novo mutations presents one of the main challenges faced by the clinical genetics community today. Computational approaches for variant prioritization include machine learning methods utilizing a large number of features, including molecular information, interaction networks, or phenotypes. Here, we demonstrate the PhenomeNET Variant Predictor (PVP) system that exploits semantic technologies and automated reasoning over genotype-phenotype relations to filter and prioritize variants in whole exome and whole genome sequencing datasets. We demonstrate the performance of PVP in identifying causative variants on a large number of synthetic whole exome and whole genome sequences, covering a wide range of diseases and syndromes. In a retrospective study, we further illustrate the application of PVP for the interpretation of whole exome sequencing data in patients suffering from congenital hypothyroidism. We find that PVP accurately identifies causative variants in whole exome and whole genome sequencing datasets and provides a powerful resource for the discovery of causal variants.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE RUSSIAN MACROECONOMIC POLICY FOR 2016-2020

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilmundinov V. M.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the methodological issues of economic policy elaboration and optimization of economic policy instruments’ parameters. Actuality of this research is provided by growing complexity of social and economic systems, important state role in their functioning as well as multi-targets of economic policy with limited number of instruments. Considering a big variety of internal and external restrictions of social and economic development of modern Russia it has wide range of applications. Extension of the dynamic econometric general equilibrium input-output model of the Russian economy with development of the sub-model of economic policy optimization is a key purpose of this study. The sub-model of economic policy optimization allows estimating impact of economic policy measures on target indicators as well as defining optimal values of their parameters. For this purpose, we extend Robert Mundell’s approach by considering dynamic optimization and wider range of economic policy targets and measures. Use of general equilibrium input-output model allows considering impact of economic policy on different aggregate markets and sectors. Approbation of suggested approach allows us to develop multi-variant forecast for the Russian economy for 2016-2020, define optimal values of monetary policy parameters and compare considered variants by values of social losses. The obtained results could be further used in theoretical as well as applied researches concerned with issues of economic policy elaboration and forecasting of social and economic development.

High frequency modulation circuits based on photoconductive wide bandgap switches

Science.gov (United States)

Sampayan, Stephen

2018-02-13

Methods, systems, and devices for high voltage and/or high frequency modulation. In one aspect, an optoelectronic modulation system includes an array of two or more photoconductive switch units each including a wide bandgap photoconductive material coupled between a first electrode and a second electrode, a light source optically coupled to the WBGP material of each photoconductive switch unit via a light path, in which the light path splits into multiple light paths to optically interface with each WBGP material, such that a time delay of emitted light exists along each subsequent split light path, and in which the WBGP material conducts an electrical signal when a light signal is transmitted to the WBGP material, and an output to transmit the electrical signal conducted by each photoconductive switch unit. The time delay of the photons emitted through the light path is substantially equivalent to the time delay of the electrical signal.

FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Bandgap modes in a coupled waveguide array

Science.gov (United States)

Usievich, B. A.; Nurligareev, D. Kh; Svetikov, V. V.; Sychugov, V. A.

2009-08-01

This work examines a waveguide array that consists of ten Nb2O5/SiO2 double layers and supports a 0.63-μm surface wave. The deposition of a Nb2O5 capping layer on top of the waveguide array enables a marked increase in the wave field intensity on its surface. The efficiency of surface-wave excitation in the Kretschmann configuration can be optimised by adjusting the number of double layers. We analyse the behaviour of the Bragg mode in relation to the thickness of the layer exposed to air and the transition of this mode from the second allowed band to the first through the bandgap of the system. In addition, the conventional leaky mode converts to a surface mode and then to a guided mode.

Implementing the cost-optimal methodology in EU countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Atanasiu, Bogdan; Kouloumpi, Ilektra; Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund

This study presents three cost-optimal calculations. The overall aim is to provide a deeper analysis and to provide additional guidance on how to properly implement the cost-optimality methodology in Member States. Without proper guidance and lessons from exemplary case studies using realistic...... input data (reflecting the likely future development), there is a risk that the cost-optimal methodology may be implemented at sub-optimal levels. This could lead to a misalignment between the defined cost-optimal levels and the long-term goals, leaving a significant energy saving potential unexploited....... Therefore, this study provides more evidence on the implementation of the cost-optimal methodology and highlights the implications of choosing different values for key factors (e.g. discount rates, simulation variants/packages, costs, energy prices) at national levels. The study demonstrates how existing...

Close to Optimally Secure Variants of GCM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Galois/Counter Mode of operation (GCM is a widely used nonce-based authenticated encryption with associated data mode which provides the birthday-bound security in the nonce-respecting scenario; that is, it is secure up to about 2n/2 adversarial queries if all nonces used in the encryption oracle are never repeated, where n is the block size. It is an open problem to analyze whether GCM security can be improved by using some simple operations. This paper presents a positive response for this problem. Firstly, we introduce two close to optimally secure pseudorandom functions and derive their security bound by the hybrid technique. Then, we utilize these pseudorandom functions that we design and a universal hash function to construct two improved versions of GCM, called OGCM-1 and OGCM-2. OGCM-1 and OGCM-2 are, respectively, provably secure up to approximately 2n/67(n-12 and 2n/67 adversarial queries in the nonce-respecting scenario if the underlying block cipher is a secure pseudorandom permutation. Finally, we discuss the properties of OGCM-1 and OGCM-2 and describe the future works.

Swine Influenza/Variant Influenza Viruses

Science.gov (United States)

... Address What's this? Submit What's this? Submit Button Influenza Types Seasonal Avian Swine Variant Pandemic Other Information on Swine Influenza/Variant Influenza Virus Language: English (US) Español Recommend ...

Beta-glucosidase variants and polynucleotides encoding same

Science.gov (United States)

Wogulis, Mark; Harris, Paul; Osborn, David

2017-06-27

The present invention relates to beta-glucosidase variants, e.g. beta-glucosidase variants of a parent Family GH3A beta-glucosidase from Aspergillus fumigatus. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the beta-glucosidase variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the beta-glucosidase variants.

Noise filtering in a multi-channel system using a tunable liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Martin Nordal; Scolari, Lara; Tokle, Torger

2008-01-01

This paper reports on the first application of a liquid crystal infiltrated photonic bandgap fiber used as a tunable filter in an optical transmission system. The device allows low-cost amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise filtering and gain equalization with low insertion loss and broad...... tunability. System experiments show that the use of this filter increases for times the distance over which the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is sufficient for error-free transmission with respect to the case in which no filtering is used....

Bioinspired computation in combinatorial optimization: algorithms and their computational complexity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neumann, Frank; Witt, Carsten

2012-01-01

Bioinspired computation methods, such as evolutionary algorithms and ant colony optimization, are being applied successfully to complex engineering and combinatorial optimization problems, and it is very important that we understand the computational complexity of these algorithms. This tutorials...... problems. Classical single objective optimization is examined first. They then investigate the computational complexity of bioinspired computation applied to multiobjective variants of the considered combinatorial optimization problems, and in particular they show how multiobjective optimization can help...... to speed up bioinspired computation for single-objective optimization problems. The tutorial is based on a book written by the authors with the same title. Further information about the book can be found at www.bioinspiredcomputation.com....

Congenital anomalies and normal skeletal variants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guebert, G.M.; Yochum, T.R.; Rowe, L.J.

1987-01-01

Congenital anomalies and normal skeletal variants are a common occurrence in clinical practice. In this chapter a large number of skeletal anomalies of the spine and pelvis are reviewed. Some of the more common skeletal anomalies of the extremities are also presented. The second section of this chapter deals with normal skeletal variants. Some of these variants may simulate certain disease processes. In some instances there are no clear-cut distinctions between skeletal variants and anomalies; therefore, there may be some overlap of material. The congenital anomalies are presented initially with accompanying text, photos, and references, beginning with the skull and proceeding caudally through the spine to then include the pelvis and extremities. The normal skeletal variants section is presented in an anatomical atlas format without text or references

Microcystic variant malignant mesothelioma presenting as a localized paraspinal mass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyang Mi Ko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A 58-year-old man presented with productive cough and fever. Computed tomography (CT scan of the chest showed an upper right paraspinal mass. CT-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed lobules of vacuolated cells against a background of myxoid material. The cells demonstrated moderate to severe nuclear atypia and occasional mitoses. Immunohistochemistry revealed tumor cells to be immunoreactive for calretinin, WT-1, D2-40, cytokeratin (CK 7, AE1/AE3, high molecular weight keratin, vimentin and epithelial membrane antigen, and negative for thyroid transcription factor-1, Ber-EP4, carcinoembryonic antigen, S100 protein, CK20, and CDX2. The combined morphologic and immunohistochemical findings confirmed the diagnosis of microcystic variant of localized malignant mesothelioma. The subsequent lung resection showed a pleural-based mass in the right upper lobe and confirmed the diagnosis. Awareness of the existence of unusual morphologic variants and localized forms of mesothelioma are necessary to avoid misdiagnosis of fine needle biopsy samples. Recognition of characteristic cytomorphologic features along with optimal use of panel of immunohistochemistry studies is crucial for making a specific diagnosis.

An introduction to harmony search optimization method

CERN Document Server

Wang, Xiaolei; Zenger, Kai

2014-01-01

This brief provides a detailed introduction, discussion and bibliographic review of the nature1-inspired optimization algorithm called Harmony Search. It uses a large number of simulation results to demonstrate the advantages of Harmony Search and its variants and also their drawbacks. The authors show how weaknesses can be amended by hybridization with other optimization methods. The Harmony Search Method with Applications will be of value to researchers in computational intelligence in demonstrating the state of the art of research on an algorithm of current interest. It also helps researche

Near-bandgap optical properties of pseudomorphic GeSn alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Costa, Vijay Richard, E-mail: vdcosta@asu.edu; Wang, Wei; Yeo, Yee-Chia, E-mail: eleyeoyc@nus.edu.sg [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583 (Singapore)

2016-08-14

We investigated the compositional dependence of the near-bandgap dielectric function and the E{sub 0} critical point in pseudomorphic Ge{sub 1-x}Sn{sub x} alloys grown on Ge (100) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. The complex dielectric functions were obtained using spectroscopic ellipsometry from 0.5 to 4.5 eV at room temperature. Analogous to the E{sub 1} and E{sub 1}+Δ{sub 1} transitions, a model consisting of the compositional dependence of relaxed alloys along with the strain contribution predicted by the deformation potential theory fully accounts for the observed compositional dependence in pseudomorphic alloys.

Band-gap narrowing of TiO2 films induced by N-doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakano, Y.; Morikawa, T.; Ohwaki, T.; Taga, Y.

2006-01-01

N-doped TiO 2 films were deposited on n + -GaN/Al 2 O 3 substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering and subsequently crystallized by annealing at 550 o C in flowing N 2 gas. The N-doping concentration was ∼8.8%, as determined from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Deep-level optical spectroscopy measurements revealed two characteristic deep levels located at 1.18 and 2.48 eV below the conduction band. The 1.18 eV level is probably attributable to the O vacancy state and can be active as an efficient generation-recombination center. Additionally, the 2.48 eV band is newly introduced by the N-doping and contributes to band-gap narrowing by mixing with the O 2p valence band

Optimally Repeatable Kinetic Model Variant for Myocardial Blood Flow Measurements with 82Rb PET

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Adrian F. Ocneanu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Myocardial blood flow (MBF quantification with Rb82 positron emission tomography (PET is gaining clinical adoption, but improvements in precision are desired. This study aims to identify analysis variants producing the most repeatable MBF measures. Methods. 12 volunteers underwent same-day test-retest rest and dipyridamole stress imaging with dynamic Rb82 PET, from which MBF was quantified using 1-tissue-compartment kinetic model variants: (1 blood-pool versus uptake region sampled input function (Blood/Uptake-ROI, (2 dual spillover correction (SOC-On/Off, (3 right blood correction (RBC-On/Off, (4 arterial blood transit delay (Delay-On/Off, and (5 distribution volume (DV constraint (Global/Regional-DV. Repeatability of MBF, stress/rest myocardial flow reserve (MFR, and stress/rest MBF difference (ΔMBF was assessed using nonparametric reproducibility coefficients (RPCnp = 1.45 × interquartile range. Results. MBF using SOC-On, RVBC-Off, Blood-ROI, Global-DV, and Delay-Off was most repeatable for combined rest and stress: RPCnp = 0.21 mL/min/g (15.8%. Corresponding MFR and ΔMBF RPCnp were 0.42 (20.2% and 0.24 mL/min/g (23.5%. MBF repeatability improved with SOC-On at stress (p<0.001 and tended to improve with RBC-Off at both rest and stress (p<0.08. DV and ROI did not significantly influence repeatability. The Delay-On model was overdetermined and did not reliably converge. Conclusion. MBF and MFR test-retest repeatability were the best with dual spillover correction, left atrium blood input function, and global DV.

Fine-Mapping of Common Genetic Variants Associated with Colorectal Tumor Risk Identified Potential Functional Variants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mengmeng Du

Full Text Available Genome-wide association studies (GWAS have identified many common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs associated with colorectal cancer risk. These SNPs may tag correlated variants with biological importance. Fine-mapping around GWAS loci can facilitate detection of functional candidates and additional independent risk variants. We analyzed 11,900 cases and 14,311 controls in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium and the Colon Cancer Family Registry. To fine-map genomic regions containing all known common risk variants, we imputed high-density genetic data from the 1000 Genomes Project. We tested single-variant associations with colorectal tumor risk for all variants spanning genomic regions 250-kb upstream or downstream of 31 GWAS-identified SNPs (index SNPs. We queried the University of California, Santa Cruz Genome Browser to examine evidence for biological function. Index SNPs did not show the strongest association signals with colorectal tumor risk in their respective genomic regions. Bioinformatics analysis of SNPs showing smaller P-values in each region revealed 21 functional candidates in 12 loci (5q31.1, 8q24, 11q13.4, 11q23, 12p13.32, 12q24.21, 14q22.2, 15q13, 18q21, 19q13.1, 20p12.3, and 20q13.33. We did not observe evidence of additional independent association signals in GWAS-identified regions. Our results support the utility of integrating data from comprehensive fine-mapping with expanding publicly available genomic databases to help clarify GWAS associations and identify functional candidates that warrant more onerous laboratory follow-up. Such efforts may aid the eventual discovery of disease-causing variant(s.

A comparative analysis of VIKOR method and its variants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasenjit Chatterjee

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The VIKOR (Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenje which means multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution, in Serbian method has already become a quite popular multi-criteria decision making tool for its computational simplicity and solution accuracy. This method focuses on selecting and ranking from a set of feasible alternatives, and determines compromise solution for a problem with conflicting criteria to help the decision maker in reaching a final course of action. It determines the compromise ranking list based on the particular measure of closeness to the ideal solution. Depending upon the type of decision problem and necessity of the decision maker, apart from VIKOR method, different variants of it, like comprehensive VIKOR, fuzzy VIKOR, regret theory-based VIKOR, modified VIKOR and interval VIKOR methods have also been subsequently developed. In this paper, the ranking performance of original VIKOR method and its five variants is analyzed based on two demonstrative examples. It is observed that interval VIKOR method performs unsatisfactorily and when the information in a decision problem is imprecise, fuzzy VIKOR method should always be preferred. But, for any decision problem, original VIKOR is the best method for solution without unnecessarily complicating the related mathematical computations.

A Swarm Optimization Genetic Algorithm Based on Quantum-Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tao; Xu, Ming-Hai

2017-01-01

Quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm is a variant of the traditional particle swarm optimization (PSO). The QPSO that was originally developed for continuous search spaces outperforms the traditional PSO in search ability. This paper analyzes the main factors that impact the search ability of QPSO and converts the particle movement formula to the mutation condition by introducing the rejection region, thus proposing a new binary algorithm, named swarm optimization genetic algorithm (SOGA), because it is more like genetic algorithm (GA) than PSO in form. SOGA has crossover and mutation operator as GA but does not need to set the crossover and mutation probability, so it has fewer parameters to control. The proposed algorithm was tested with several nonlinear high-dimension functions in the binary search space, and the results were compared with those from BPSO, BQPSO, and GA. The experimental results show that SOGA is distinctly superior to the other three algorithms in terms of solution accuracy and convergence.

Compression of realistic laser pulses in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper; Roberts, John

2009-01-01

Dispersive compression of chirped few-picosecond pulses at the microjoule level in a hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber is studied numerically. The performance of ideal parabolic input pulses is compared to pulses from a narrowband picosecond oscillator broadened by self-phase modulation during...... amplification. It is shown that the parabolic pulses are superior for compression of high-quality femtosecond pulses up to the few-megawatts level. With peak powers of 5-10 MW or higher, there is no significant difference in power scaling and pulse quality between the two pulse types for comparable values...... of power, duration, and bandwidth. The same conclusion is found for the peak power and energy of solitons formed beyond the point of maximal compression. Long-pass filtering of these solitons is shown to be a promising route to clean solitonlike output pulses with peak powers of several MW....

Bandgap Engineering of Lead-Free Double Perovskite Cs2 AgBiBr6 through Trivalent Metal Alloying.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Ke-Zhao; Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Yan, Yanfa; Mitzi, David B

2017-07-03

The double perovskite family, A 2 M I M III X 6 , is a promising route to overcome the lead toxicity issue confronting the current photovoltaic (PV) standout, CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 . Given the generally large indirect band gap within most known double perovskites, band-gap engineering provides an important approach for targeting outstanding PV performance within this family. Using Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 as host, band-gap engineering through alloying of In III /Sb III has been demonstrated in the current work. Cs 2 Ag(Bi 1-x M x )Br 6 (M=In, Sb) accommodates up to 75 % In III with increased band gap, and up to 37.5 % Sb III with reduced band gap; that is, enabling ca. 0.41 eV band gap modulation through introduction of the two metals, with smallest value of 1.86 eV for Cs 2 Ag(Bi 0.625 Sb 0.375 )Br 6 . Band structure calculations indicate that opposite band gap shift directions associated with Sb/In substitution arise from different atomic configurations for these atoms. Associated photoluminescence and environmental stability of the three-metal systems are also assessed. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Phlebographic variants of valvular insufficiency of deep veins in varicose disease of the lower limbs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firsov, E.F.; Gladkikh, V.G.; Lazarenko, V.A.; Shevelev, E.L.; Pashin, S.V.

1995-01-01

Analysis of clinical data and results of retrograde femoral and popliteal phlebographics in 108 patients with varicose disease of the lower limbs permitted the authors to propose a three-stage classification of valvular insufficiency of the deep veins and to demonstrate that the disease compensation stages are related to the presence and degree of retrograde blood flow. Analysis of retrograde phlebograms helped single out 8 variants of retrograde blood flow in the deep femoral veins and 12 variants in the deep veins of the shin with valvular insufficiency thereof, which is practically important for interpretation of x-ray findings and for the choice of the optimal method and volume of surgical correction of this vascular abnormality. 4 refs.; 5 figs

Analysis of sub-bandgap losses in TiO2 coating deposited via single and dual ion beam deposition

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Žídek, Karel; Hlubuček, Jiří; Horodyská, Petra; Budasz, Jiří; Václavík, Jan

2017-01-01

Roč. 626, March (2017), s. 60-65 ISSN 0040-6090 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1206 Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : Ion beam deposition * Titanium dioxide * Optical coating * Sub-bandgap losses * Urbach tail Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers OBOR OECD: Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics) Impact factor: 1.879, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040609017301256

Wide-range tunable bandgap in Bi1−xCaxFe1−yTiyO3−δ nanoparticles via oxygen vacancy induced structural modulations at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mocherla, Pavana S V; Sudakar, C; Gautam, Sanjeev; Chae, Keun Hwa; Rao, M S Ramachandra

2015-01-01

We demonstrate that oxygen vacancies (V O ) produced by aliovalent (Ca 2+ ) doping in BiFeO 3 (BCFO) and associated structural changes due to V O ordering result in systematic alteration of the bandgap (E g ) over a wide range from 1.5 eV to 2.3 eV. By contrast, the change in the bandgap of a Ca 2+ and Ti 4+ co-doped BiFeO 3 (BCFTO) system, wherein the V O formation is suppressed, is negligible. These contrastive results strongly confirm the role of oxygen vacancies in altering the bandgap of BCFO. Irrespective of doping, microstrain, which is found to be large (0.3 to 1.2%) below a critical size (d c ∼ 60 nm) also produces a small, yet linear change in the bandgap (E g from 2.0 to 2.3 eV). The cubic phase stabilizes gradually in BCFO for x > 0.1 through an orthorhombic phase (for 0.05 < x < 0.1), whereas it directly transforms for x > 0.1 in BCFTO. This change in BCFO at 300 K suggests a high-pressure-like (or high-temperature-like) effect of the oxygen vacancies and dopants on the structure. Systematic variations in the relative intensities and peak positions of Fe d–d transitions in BCFO reveal the local changes in Fe–O–Fe coordination. These results along with XANES and HRTEM studies substantiate the observed structural changes. (paper)

Annotating pathogenic non-coding variants in genic regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelfman, Sahar; Wang, Quanli; McSweeney, K Melodi; Ren, Zhong; La Carpia, Francesca; Halvorsen, Matt; Schoch, Kelly; Ratzon, Fanni; Heinzen, Erin L; Boland, Michael J; Petrovski, Slavé; Goldstein, David B

2017-08-09

Identifying the underlying causes of disease requires accurate interpretation of genetic variants. Current methods ineffectively capture pathogenic non-coding variants in genic regions, resulting in overlooking synonymous and intronic variants when searching for disease risk. Here we present the Transcript-inferred Pathogenicity (TraP) score, which uses sequence context alterations to reliably identify non-coding variation that causes disease. High TraP scores single out extremely rare variants with lower minor allele frequencies than missense variants. TraP accurately distinguishes known pathogenic and benign variants in synonymous (AUC = 0.88) and intronic (AUC = 0.83) public datasets, dismissing benign variants with exceptionally high specificity. TraP analysis of 843 exomes from epilepsy family trios identifies synonymous variants in known epilepsy genes, thus pinpointing risk factors of disease from non-coding sequence data. TraP outperforms leading methods in identifying non-coding variants that are pathogenic and is therefore a valuable tool for use in gene discovery and the interpretation of personal genomes.While non-coding synonymous and intronic variants are often not under strong selective constraint, they can be pathogenic through affecting splicing or transcription. Here, the authors develop a score that uses sequence context alterations to predict pathogenicity of synonymous and non-coding genetic variants, and provide a web server of pre-computed scores.

Optimization of biomass fuelled systems for distributed power generation using Particle Swarm Optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, P. Reche; Reyes, N. Ruiz; Gonzalez, M. Gomez; Jurado, F.

2008-01-01

With sufficient territory and abundant biomass resources Spain appears to have suitable conditions to develop biomass utilization technologies. As an important decentralized power technology, biomass gasification and power generation has a potential market in making use of biomass wastes. This paper addresses biomass fuelled generation of electricity in the specific aspect of finding the best location and the supply area of the electric generation plant for three alternative technologies (gas motor, gas turbine and fuel cell-microturbine hybrid power cycle), taking into account the variables involved in the problem, such as the local distribution of biomass resources, transportation costs, distance to existing electric lines, etc. For each technology, not only optimal location and supply area of the biomass plant, but also net present value and generated electric power are determined by an own binary variant of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). According to the values derived from the optimization algorithm, the most profitable technology can be chosen. Computer simulations show the good performance of the proposed binary PSO algorithm to optimize biomass fuelled systems for distributed power generation. (author)

Optimal control of switched systems arising in fermentation processes

CERN Document Server

Liu, Chongyang

2014-01-01

The book presents, in a systematic manner, the optimal controls under different mathematical models in fermentation processes. Variant mathematical models – i.e., those for multistage systems; switched autonomous systems; time-dependent and state-dependent switched systems; multistage time-delay systems and switched time-delay systems – for fed-batch fermentation processes are proposed and the theories and algorithms of their optimal control problems are studied and discussed. By putting forward novel methods and innovative tools, the book provides a state-of-the-art and comprehensive systematic treatment of optimal control problems arising in fermentation processes. It not only develops nonlinear dynamical system, optimal control theory and optimization algorithms, but can also help to increase productivity and provide valuable reference material on commercial fermentation processes.

Histone variants and lipid metabolism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borghesan, Michela; Mazzoccoli, Gianluigi; Sheedfar, Fareeba; Oben, Jude; Pazienza, Valerio; Vinciguerra, Manlio

2014-01-01

Within nucleosomes, canonical histones package the genome, but they can be opportunely replaced with histone variants. The incorporation of histone variants into the nucleosome is a chief cellular strategy to regulate transcription and cellular metabolism. In pathological terms, cellular steatosis

CLEVER: Clique-Enumerating Variant Finder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marschall, T.; Costa, I.; Canzar, S.; bauer, m; Klau, G.W.; Schliep, A.; Schönhuth, A.

2012-01-01

Motivation: Next-generation sequencing techniques have facilitated a large-scale analysis of human genetic variation. Despite the advances in sequencing speed, the computational discovery of structural variants is not yet standard. It is likely that many variants have remained undiscovered in most

An Elite Decision Making Harmony Search Algorithm for Optimization Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lipu Zhang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a new variant of harmony search algorithm which is inspired by a well-known item “elite decision making.” In the new algorithm, the good information captured in the current global best and the second best solutions can be well utilized to generate new solutions, following some probability rule. The generated new solution vector replaces the worst solution in the solution set, only if its fitness is better than that of the worst solution. The generating and updating steps and repeated until the near-optimal solution vector is obtained. Extensive computational comparisons are carried out by employing various standard benchmark optimization problems, including continuous design variables and integer variables minimization problems from the literature. The computational results show that the proposed new algorithm is competitive in finding solutions with the state-of-the-art harmony search variants.

The curation of genetic variants: difficulties and possible solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Kapil Raj; Maden, Narendra; Poudel, Barsha; Pradhananga, Sailendra; Sharma, Amit Kumar

2012-12-01

The curation of genetic variants from biomedical articles is required for various clinical and research purposes. Nowadays, establishment of variant databases that include overall information about variants is becoming quite popular. These databases have immense utility, serving as a user-friendly information storehouse of variants for information seekers. While manual curation is the gold standard method for curation of variants, it can turn out to be time-consuming on a large scale thus necessitating the need for automation. Curation of variants described in biomedical literature may not be straightforward mainly due to various nomenclature and expression issues. Though current trends in paper writing on variants is inclined to the standard nomenclature such that variants can easily be retrieved, we have a massive store of variants in the literature that are present as non-standard names and the online search engines that are predominantly used may not be capable of finding them. For effective curation of variants, knowledge about the overall process of curation, nature and types of difficulties in curation, and ways to tackle the difficulties during the task are crucial. Only by effective curation, can variants be correctly interpreted. This paper presents the process and difficulties of curation of genetic variants with possible solutions and suggestions from our work experience in the field including literature support. The paper also highlights aspects of interpretation of genetic variants and the importance of writing papers on variants following standard and retrievable methods. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Word Variant Identification in Old French

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Willett

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Increasing numbers of historical texts are available in machine-readable form, which retain the original spelling, which can be very different from the modern-day equivalents due to the natural evolution of a language, and because the concept of standardisation in spelling is comparatively modern. Among medieval vernacular writers, the same word could be spelled in different ways and the same author (or scribe might even use several alternative spellings in the same passage. Thus, we do not know,a priori, how many variant forms of a particular word there are in such texts, let alone what these variants might be. Searching on the modern equivalent, or even the commonest historical variant, of a particular word may thus fail to retrieve an appreciable number of occurrences unless the searcher already has an extensive knowledge of the language of the documents. Moreover, even specialist scholars may be unaware of some idiosyncratic variants. Here, we consider the use of computer methods to retrieve variant historical spellings.

Wide bandgap, strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions on InP substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumb, M. P.; Yakes, M. K.; Schmieder, K. J.; Affouda, C. A.; Walters, R. J.; González, M.; Bennett, M. F.; Herrera, M.; Delgado, F. J.; Molina, S. I.

2016-01-01

In this work, the electrical performance of strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions with varying designs is presented. Strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions comprising compressively strained InAlAs wells and tensile-strained InAlAs barriers were grown on InP substrates using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. The use of InAlAs enables InP-based tunnel junction devices to be produced using wide bandgap layers, enabling high electrical performance with low absorption. The impact of well and barrier thickness on the electrical performance was investigated, in addition to the impact of Si and Be doping concentration. Finally, the impact of an InGaAs quantum well at the junction interface is presented, enabling a peak tunnel current density of 47.6 A/cm 2 to be realized.

Characterizing Surfaces of the Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Ilmenite with Scanning Probe Microcopies

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, R.; Powell, Kirk St. A.

1997-01-01

Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is a wide bandgap semiconductor with an energy gap of about 2.5eV. Initial radiation studies indicate that ilmenite has properties suited for radiation tolerant applications, as well as a variety of other electronic applications. Two scanning probe microscopy methods have been used to characterize the surface of samples taken from Czochralski grown single crystals. The two methods, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), are based on different physical principles and therefore provide different information about the samples. AFM provides a direct, three-dimensional image of the surface of the samples, while STM give a convolution of topographic and electronic properties of the surface. We will discuss the differences between the methods and present preliminary data of each method for ilmenite samples.

Wide bandgap Mg-doped ZnAlO thin films for optoelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, R.K.; Ghosh, K.; Patel, R.; Kahol, P.K.

2009-01-01

Magnesium-doped ZnAlO thin films were grown on quartz substrate by ablating the sintered target with a KrF excimer laser. The effect of growth temperature from 30 deg. C to 700 deg. C on structural, optical, and electrical properties has been studied. These films are highly transparent in visible spectrum with average transmittance of 82%. The films grown at low temperature are amorphous while films grown at high temperature are crystalline in nature. These films are highly oriented along (0 0 2) direction. The electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, and electron mobility is found to increase with increase in temperature and then decreases with further increase in temperature. The bandgap is found to vary from 3.86 eV to 4.00 eV for various films

Wide bandgap, strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions on InP substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumb, M. P. [The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037 (United States); US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Yakes, M. K.; Schmieder, K. J.; Affouda, C. A.; Walters, R. J. [US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); González, M.; Bennett, M. F. [Sotera Defense Solutions, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701 (United States); US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Herrera, M.; Delgado, F. J.; Molina, S. I. [University of Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz (Spain)

2016-05-21

In this work, the electrical performance of strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions with varying designs is presented. Strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions comprising compressively strained InAlAs wells and tensile-strained InAlAs barriers were grown on InP substrates using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. The use of InAlAs enables InP-based tunnel junction devices to be produced using wide bandgap layers, enabling high electrical performance with low absorption. The impact of well and barrier thickness on the electrical performance was investigated, in addition to the impact of Si and Be doping concentration. Finally, the impact of an InGaAs quantum well at the junction interface is presented, enabling a peak tunnel current density of 47.6 A/cm{sup 2} to be realized.

TREM2 Variants in Alzheimer's Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Guerreiro, Rita; Wojtas, Aleksandra; Bras, Jose; Carrasquillo, Minerva; Rogaeva, Ekaterina; Majounie, Elisa; Cruchaga, Carlos; Sassi, Celeste; Kauwe, John S.K.; Younkin, Steven; Hazrati, Lilinaz; Collinge, John; Pocock, Jennifer; Lashley, Tammaryn; Williams, Julie; Lambert, Jean-Charles; Amouyel, Philippe; Goate, Alison; Rademakers, Rosa; Morgan, Kevin; Powell, John; St. George-Hyslop, Peter; Singleton, Andrew; Hardy, John

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Homozygous loss-of-function mutations in TREM2, encoding the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 protein, have previously been associated with an autosomal recessive form of early-onset dementia. METHODS We used genome, exome, and Sanger sequencing to analyze the genetic variability in TREM2 in a series of 1092 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 1107 controls (the discovery set). We then performed a meta-analysis on imputed data for the TREM2 variant rs75932628 (predicted to cause a R47H substitution) from three genomewide association studies of Alzheimer's disease and tested for the association of the variant with disease. We genotyped the R47H variant in an additional 1887 cases and 4061 controls. We then assayed the expression of TREM2 across different regions of the human brain and identified genes that are differentially expressed in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and in control mice. RESULTS We found significantly more variants in exon 2 of TREM2 in patients with Alzheimer's disease than in controls in the discovery set (P = 0.02). There were 22 variant alleles in 1092 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 5 variant alleles in 1107 controls (P<0.001). The most commonly associated variant, rs75932628 (encoding R47H), showed highly significant association with Alzheimer's disease (P<0.001). Meta-analysis of rs75932628 genotypes imputed from genomewide association studies confirmed this association (P = 0.002), as did direct genotyping of an additional series of 1887 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 4061 controls (P<0.001). Trem2 expression differed between control mice and a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS Heterozygous rare variants in TREM2 are associated with a significant increase in the risk of Alzheimer's disease. (Funded by Alzheimer's Research UK and others.) PMID:23150934

Simulation of push-pull inverter using wide bandgap devices

Science.gov (United States)

Al-badri, Mustafa; Matin, Mohammed A.

2016-09-01

This paper discusses the use of wide bandgap devices (SiC-MOSFET) in the design of a push-pull inverter which provides inexpensive low power dc-ac inverters. The parameters used were 1200V SiC MOSFET(C2M0040120D) made by power company ROHM. This modeling was created using parameters that were provided from a device datasheet. The spice model is provided by this company to study the effect of adding this component on push-pull inverter ordinary circuit and compared results between SiC MOSFET and silicon MOSFET (IRFP260M). The results focused on Vout and Vmos stability as well as on output power and MOSFET power loss because it is a very crucial aspect on DC-AC inverter design. These results are done using the National Instrument simulation program (Multisim 14). It was found that power loss is better in the 12 and 15 vdc inverter. The Vout in the SIC MOSFET circuit shows more stability in the high current low resistance load in comparison to the Silicon MOSFET circuit and this will improve the overall performance of the circuit.

Optimization of the doxycycline-dependent simian immunodeficiency virus through in vitro evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piatak Mike

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vaccination of macaques with live attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV provides significant protection against the wild-type virus. The use of a live attenuated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV as AIDS vaccine in humans is however considered unsafe because of the risk that the attenuated virus may accumulate genetic changes during persistence and evolve to a pathogenic variant. We earlier presented a conditionally live HIV-1 variant that replicates exclusively in the presence of doxycycline (dox. Replication of this vaccine strain can be limited to the time that is needed to provide full protection through transient dox administration. Since the effectiveness and safety of such a conditionally live virus vaccine should be tested in macaques, we constructed a similar dox-dependent SIV variant. The Tat-TAR transcription control mechanism in this virus was inactivated through mutation and functionally replaced by the dox-inducible Tet-On regulatory system. This SIV-rtTA variant replicated in a dox-dependent manner in T cell lines, but not as efficiently as the parental SIVmac239 strain. Since macaque studies will likely require an efficiently replicating variant, we set out to optimize SIV-rtTA through in vitro viral evolution. Results Upon long-term culturing of SIV-rtTA, additional nucleotide substitutions were observed in TAR that affect the structure of this RNA element but that do not restore Tat binding. We demonstrate that the bulge and loop mutations that we had introduced in the TAR element of SIV-rtTA to inactivate the Tat-TAR mechanism, shifted the equilibrium between two alternative conformations of TAR. The additional TAR mutations observed in the evolved variants partially or completely restored this equilibrium, which suggests that the balance between the two TAR conformations is important for efficient viral replication. Moreover, SIV-rtTA acquired mutations in the U3 promoter region. We demonstrate

Biochemical systems identification by a random drift particle swarm optimization approach

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Finding an efficient method to solve the parameter estimation problem (inverse problem) for nonlinear biochemical dynamical systems could help promote the functional understanding at the system level for signalling pathways. The problem is stated as a data-driven nonlinear regression problem, which is converted into a nonlinear programming problem with many nonlinear differential and algebraic constraints. Due to the typical ill conditioning and multimodality nature of the problem, it is in general difficult for gradient-based local optimization methods to obtain satisfactory solutions. To surmount this limitation, many stochastic optimization methods have been employed to find the global solution of the problem. Results This paper presents an effective search strategy for a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm that enhances the ability of the algorithm for estimating the parameters of complex dynamic biochemical pathways. The proposed algorithm is a new variant of random drift particle swarm optimization (RDPSO), which is used to solve the above mentioned inverse problem and compared with other well known stochastic optimization methods. Two case studies on estimating the parameters of two nonlinear biochemical dynamic models have been taken as benchmarks, under both the noise-free and noisy simulation data scenarios. Conclusions The experimental results show that the novel variant of RDPSO algorithm is able to successfully solve the problem and obtain solutions of better quality than other global optimization methods used for finding the solution to the inverse problems in this study. PMID:25078435

Wavelet crosstalk matrix and its application to assessment of shift-variant imaging systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Jinyi; Huesman, Ronald H.

2002-11-01

The objective assessment of image quality is essential for design of imaging systems. Barrett and Gifford [1] introduced the Fourier cross talk matrix. Because it is diagonal for continuous linear shift-invariant imaging systems, the Fourier cross talk matrix is a powerful technique for discrete imaging systems that are close to shift invariant. However, for a system that is intrinsically shift variant, Fourier techniques are not particularly effective. Because Fourier bases have no localization property, the shift-variance of the imaging system cannot be shown by the response of individual Fourier bases; rather, it is shown in the correlation between the Fourier coefficients. This makes the analysis and optimization quite difficult. In this paper, we introduce a wavelet cross talk matrix based on wavelet series expansions. The wavelet cross talk matrix allows simultaneous study of the imaging system in both the frequency and spatial domains. Hence it is well suited for shift variant systems. We compared the wavelet cross talk matrix with the Fourier cross talk matrix for several simulated imaging systems, namely the interior and exterior tomography problems, limited angle tomography, and a rectangular geometry positron emission tomograph. The results demonstrate the advantages of the wavelet cross talk matrix in analyzing shift-variant imaging systems.

Wavelet crosstalk matrix and its application to assessment of shift-variant imaging systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, Jinyi; Huesman, Ronald H.

2002-01-01

The objective assessment of image quality is essential for design of imaging systems. Barrett and Gifford [1] introduced the Fourier cross talk matrix. Because it is diagonal for continuous linear shift-invariant imaging systems, the Fourier cross talk matrix is a powerful technique for discrete imaging systems that are close to shift invariant. However, for a system that is intrinsically shift variant, Fourier techniques are not particularly effective. Because Fourier bases have no localization property, the shift-variance of the imaging system cannot be shown by the response of individual Fourier bases; rather, it is shown in the correlation between the Fourier coefficients. This makes the analysis and optimization quite difficult. In this paper, we introduce a wavelet cross talk matrix based on wavelet series expansions. The wavelet cross talk matrix allows simultaneous study of the imaging system in both the frequency and spatial domains. Hence it is well suited for shift variant systems. We compared the wavelet cross talk matrix with the Fourier cross talk matrix for several simulated imaging systems, namely the interior and exterior tomography problems, limited angle tomography, and a rectangular geometry positron emission tomograph. The results demonstrate the advantages of the wavelet cross talk matrix in analyzing shift-variant imaging systems

Magnonic band structure, complete bandgap, and collective spin wave excitation in nanoscale two-dimensional magnonic crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, D.; Barman, A.; Kłos, J. W.; Krawczyk, M.

2014-01-01

We present the observation of a complete bandgap and collective spin wave excitation in two-dimensional magnonic crystals comprised of arrays of nanoscale antidots and nanodots, respectively. Considering that the frequencies dealt with here fall in the microwave band, these findings can be used for the development of suitable magnonic metamaterials and spin wave based signal processing. We also present the application of a numerical procedure, to compute the dispersion relations of spin waves for any high symmetry direction in the first Brillouin zone. The results obtained from this procedure have been reproduced and verified by the well established plane wave method for an antidot lattice, when magnetization dynamics at antidot boundaries are pinned. The micromagnetic simulation based method can also be used to obtain iso–frequency contours of spin waves. Iso–frequency contours are analogous of the Fermi surfaces and hence, they have the potential to radicalize our understanding of spin wave dynamics. The physical origin of bands, partial and full magnonic bandgaps have been explained by plotting the spatial distribution of spin wave energy spectral density. Although, unfettered by rigid assumptions and approximations, which afflict most analytical methods used in the study of spin wave dynamics, micromagnetic simulations tend to be computationally demanding. Thus, the observation of collective spin wave excitation in the case of nanodot arrays, which can obviate the need to perform simulations, may also prove to be valuable

Variants of sequence family B Thermococcus kodakaraensis DNA polymerase with increased mismatch extension selectivity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Huber

Full Text Available Fidelity and selectivity of DNA polymerases are critical determinants for the biology of life, as well as important tools for biotechnological applications. DNA polymerases catalyze the formation of DNA strands by adding deoxynucleotides to a primer, which is complementarily bound to a template. To ensure the integrity of the genome, DNA polymerases select the correct nucleotide and further extend the nascent DNA strand. Thus, DNA polymerase fidelity is pivotal for ensuring that cells can replicate their genome with minimal error. DNA polymerases are, however, further optimized for more specific biotechnological or diagnostic applications. Here we report on the semi-rational design of mutant libraries derived by saturation mutagenesis at single sites of a 3'-5'-exonuclease deficient variant of Thermococcus kodakaraensis DNA polymerase (KOD pol and the discovery for variants with enhanced mismatch extension selectivity by screening. Sites of potential interest for saturation mutagenesis were selected by their proximity to primer or template strands. The resulting libraries were screened via quantitative real-time PCR. We identified three variants with single amino acid exchanges-R501C, R606Q, and R606W-which exhibited increased mismatch extension selectivity. These variants were further characterized towards their potential in mismatch discrimination. Additionally, the identified enzymes were also able to differentiate between cytosine and 5-methylcytosine. Our results demonstrate the potential in characterizing and developing DNA polymerases for specific PCR based applications in DNA biotechnology and diagnostics.

Beyond Donor-Acceptor (D-A) Approach: Structure-Optoelectronic Properties-Organic Photovoltaic Performance Correlation in New D-A1 -D-A2 Low-Bandgap Conjugated Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chochos, Christos L; Drakopoulou, Sofia; Katsouras, Athanasios; Squeo, Benedetta M; Sprau, Christian; Colsmann, Alexander; Gregoriou, Vasilis G; Cando, Alex-Palma; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich; Gasparini, Nicola; Kazerouni, Negar; Ameri, Tayebeh; Brabec, Christoph J; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos

2017-04-01

Low-bandgap near-infrared polymers are usually synthesized using the common donor-acceptor (D-A) approach. However, recently polymer chemists are introducing more complex chemical concepts for better fine tuning of their optoelectronic properties. Usually these studies are limited to one or two polymer examples in each case study so far, though. In this study, the dependence of optoelectronic and macroscopic (device performance) properties in a series of six new D-A 1 -D-A 2 low bandgap semiconducting polymers is reported for the first time. Correlation between the chemical structure of single-component polymer films and their optoelectronic properties has been achieved in terms of absorption maxima, optical bandgap, ionization potential, and electron affinity. Preliminary organic photovoltaic results based on blends of the D-A 1 -D-A 2 polymers as the electron donor mixed with the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester demonstrate power conversion efficiencies close to 4% with short-circuit current densities (J sc ) of around 11 mA cm -2 , high fill factors up to 0.70, and high open-circuit voltages (V oc s) of 0.70 V. All the devices are fabricated in an inverted architecture with the photoactive layer processed in air with doctor blade technique, showing the compatibility with roll-to-roll large-scale manufacturing processes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bandgap engineering of lead-free double perovskite Cs_2AgBiBr_6 through trivalent metal alloying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Ke-zhao; Mitzi, David B.; Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Yan, Yanfa

2017-01-01

The double perovskite family, A_2M"IM"I"I"IX_6, is a promising route to overcome the lead toxicity issue confronting the current photovoltaic (PV) standout, CH_3NH_3PbI_3. Given the generally large indirect band gap within most known double perovskites, band-gap engineering provides an important approach for targeting outstanding PV performance within this family. Using Cs_2AgBiBr_6 as host, band-gap engineering through alloying of In"I"I"I/Sb"I"I"I has been demonstrated in the current work. Cs_2Ag(Bi_1_-_xM_x)Br_6 (M=In, Sb) accommodates up to 75 % In"I"I"I with increased band gap, and up to 37.5 % Sb"I"I"I with reduced band gap; that is, enabling ca. 0.41 eV band gap modulation through introduction of the two metals, with smallest value of 1.86 eV for Cs_2Ag(Bi_0_._6_2_5Sb_0_._3_7_5)Br_6. Band structure calculations indicate that opposite band gap shift directions associated with Sb/In substitution arise from different atomic configurations for these atoms. Associated photoluminescence and environmental stability of the three-metal systems are also assessed. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Bandgap-customizable germanium using lithographically determined biaxial tensile strain for silicon-compatible optoelectronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sukhdeo, David S; Nam, Donguk; Kang, Ju-Hyung; Brongersma, Mark L; Saraswat, Krishna C

2015-06-29

Strain engineering has proven to be vital for germanium-based photonics, in particular light emission. However, applying a large permanent biaxial tensile strain to germanium has been a challenge. We present a simple, CMOS-compatible technique to conveniently induce a large, spatially homogenous strain in circular structures patterned within germanium nanomembranes. Our technique works by concentrating and amplifying a pre-existing small strain into a circular region. Biaxial tensile strains as large as 1.11% are observed by Raman spectroscopy and are further confirmed by photoluminescence measurements, which show enhanced and redshifted light emission from the strained germanium. Our technique allows the amount of biaxial strain to be customized lithographically, allowing the bandgaps of different germanium structures to be independently customized in a single mask process.

Bandgap characteristics of 2D plasma photonic crystal with oblique incidence: TM case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Ying-Tao; Yang Li-Xia

2011-01-01

A novel periodic boundary condition (PBC), that is the constant transverse wavenumber (CTW) method, is introduced to solve the time delay in the transverse plane with oblique incidence. Based on the novel PBC, the FDTD/PBC algorithm is proposed to study periodic structure consisting of plasma and vacuum. Then the reflection coefficient for the plasma slab from the FDTD/PBC algorithm is compared with the analytic results to show the validity of our technique. Finally, the reflection coefficients for the plasma photonic crystals are calculated using the FDTD/PBC algorithm to study the variation of bandgap characteristics with the incident angle and the plasma parameters. Thus it has provided the guiding sense for the actual manufacturing plasma photonic crystal. (general)

Bare-Bones Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Zou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room is one of the recently proposed swarm intelligent (SI algorithms. In this paper, a new TLBO variant called bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization (BBTLBO is presented to solve the global optimization problems. In this method, each learner of teacher phase employs an interactive learning strategy, which is the hybridization of the learning strategy of teacher phase in the standard TLBO and Gaussian sampling learning based on neighborhood search, and each learner of learner phase employs the learning strategy of learner phase in the standard TLBO or the new neighborhood search strategy. To verify the performance of our approaches, 20 benchmark functions and two real-world problems are utilized. Conducted experiments can been observed that the BBTLBO performs significantly better than, or at least comparable to, TLBO and some existing bare-bones algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is competitive to some other optimization algorithms.

Paraxial diffractive elements for space-variant linear transforms

Science.gov (United States)

Teiwes, Stephan; Schwarzer, Heiko; Gu, Ben-Yuan

1998-06-01

Optical linear transform architectures bear good potential for future developments of very powerful hybrid vision systems and neural network classifiers. The optical modules of such systems could be used as pre-processors to solve complex linear operations at very high speed in order to simplify an electronic data post-processing. However, the applicability of linear optical architectures is strongly connected with the fundamental question of how to implement a specific linear transform by optical means and physical imitations. The large majority of publications on this topic focusses on the optical implementation of space-invariant transforms by the well-known 4f-setup. Only few papers deal with approaches to implement selected space-variant transforms. In this paper, we propose a simple algebraic method to design diffractive elements for an optical architecture in order to realize arbitrary space-variant transforms. The design procedure is based on a digital model of scalar, paraxial wave theory and leads to optimal element transmission functions within the model. Its computational and physical limitations are discussed in terms of complexity measures. Finally, the design procedure is demonstrated by some examples. Firstly, diffractive elements for the realization of different rotation operations are computed and, secondly, a Hough transform element is presented. The correct optical functions of the elements are proved in computer simulation experiments.

Optimization of charge-carrier generation in amorphous-silicon thin-film tandem solar cell backed by two-dimensional metallic surface-relief grating

Science.gov (United States)

Civiletti, Benjamin J.; Anderson, Tom H.; Ahmad, Faiz; Monk, Peter B.; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh

2017-08-01

The rigorous coupled-wave approach was implemented in a three-dimensional setting to calculate the chargecarrier-generation rate in a thin-film solar cell with multiple amorphous-silicon p-i-n junctions. The solar cell comprised a front antireflection window; three electrically isolated p-i-n junctions in tandem; and a periodically corrugated silver back-reflector with hillock-shaped corrugations arranged on a hexagonal lattice. The differential evolution algorithm (DEA) was used to maximize the charge-carrier-generation rate over a set of selected optical and electrical parameters. This optimization exercise minimized the bandgap of the topmost i-layer but all other parameters turned out to be uninfluential. More importantly, the exercise led to a configuration that would very likely render the solar cell inefficient. Therefore, another optimization exercise was conducted to maximize power density. The resulting configuration was optimal over all parameters.

Co-expression of human cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) variants and human NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase in the baculovirus/insect cell system.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, D; Kisselev, P; Honeck, H; Cascorbi, I; Schunck, W H; Roots, I

2001-06-01

1. Three human cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) variants, wild-type (CYP1A1.1), CYP1A1.2 (1462V) and CYP1A1.4 (T461N), were co-expressed with human NADPH-P450 reductase (OR) in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells by baculovirus co-infection to elaborate a suitable system for studying the role of CYPA1 polymorphism in the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous substrates. 2. A wide range of conditions was examined to optimize co-expression with regard to such parameters as relative multiplicity of infection (MOI), time of harvest, haem precursor supplementation and post-translational stabilization. tinder optimized conditions, almost identical expression levels and molar OR/CYP1A1 ratios (20:1) were attained for all CYP1A1 variants. 3. Microsomes isolated from co-infected cells demonstrated ethoxyresorufin deethlylase activities (nmol/min(-1) nmol(-1) CYP1A1) of 16.0 (CYP1A1.1), 20.5 (CYP1A1.2) and 22.5 (CYP1A1.4). Pentoxyresorufin was dealkylated approximately 10-20 times slower with all enzyme variants. 4. All three CYP1A1 variants were active in metabolizing the precarcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), with wild-type enzyme showing the highest activity, followed by CYP1A1.4 (60%) and CYP1A1.2 (40%). Each variant produced all major metabolites including B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol, the precursor of the ultimate carcinogenic species. 5. These studies demonstrate that the baculovirus-mediated co-expression-by-co-infection approach all CYP1A1 variants yields functionally active enzyme systems with similar molar OR/CYP1A1 ratios, thus providing suitable preconditions to examine the metabolism of and environmental chemicals by the different CY1A1 variants.

Application of an improved PSO algorithm to optimal tuning of PID gains for water turbine governor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Hongqing; Chen Long; Shen Zuyi

2011-01-01

In this paper, an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) algorithm is proposed. Besides the individual best position and the global best position, a nominal average position of the swarm is introduced in IPSO. The performance of IPSO is compared to different PSO variants with five well-known benchmark functions. The experimental results show that the proposed IPSO algorithm improves the searching performance on the benchmark functions. And then, IPSO, as well as other PSO variants, is applied to optimal tuning of Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) gains for a typical PID control system of water turbine governor. The computer simulation results of an actual hydro power plant in China show that IPSO algorithm has stable convergence characteristic and good computational ability, and it is an effective and easily implemented method for optimal tuning of PID gains of water turbine governor.

Combined analyses of 20 common obesity susceptibility variants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandholt, Camilla Helene; Sparsø, Thomas; Grarup, Niels

2010-01-01

Genome-wide association studies and linkage studies have identified 20 validated genetic variants associated with obesity and/or related phenotypes. The variants are common, and they individually exhibit small-to-modest effect sizes.......Genome-wide association studies and linkage studies have identified 20 validated genetic variants associated with obesity and/or related phenotypes. The variants are common, and they individually exhibit small-to-modest effect sizes....

Adaptive Laguerre-Gaussian variant of the Gaussian beam expansion method.

Science.gov (United States)

Cagniot, Emmanuel; Fromager, Michael; Ait-Ameur, Kamel

2009-11-01

A variant of the Gaussian beam expansion method consists in expanding the Bessel function J0 appearing in the Fresnel-Kirchhoff integral into a finite sum of complex Gaussian functions to derive an analytical expression for a Laguerre-Gaussian beam diffracted through a hard-edge aperture. However, the validity range of the approximation depends on the number of expansion coefficients that are obtained by optimization-computation directly. We propose another solution consisting in expanding J0 onto a set of collimated Laguerre-Gaussian functions whose waist depends on their number and then, depending on its argument, predicting the suitable number of expansion functions to calculate the integral recursively.

Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Opportunities in Power Electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Sujit [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Marlino, Laura D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Armstrong, Kristina O. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2018-01-01

The report objective is to explore the Wide Bandgap (WBG) Power Electronics (PE) market, applications, and potential energy savings in order to identify key areas where further resources and investments of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE EERE) would have the most impact on U.S. competiveness. After considering the current market, several potential near-term application areas were identified as having significant market and energy savings potential with respect to clean energy applications: (1) data centers (uninterruptible power supplies and server power supplies); (2) renewable energy generation (photovoltaic-solar and wind); (3) motor drives (industrial, commercial and residential); (4) rail traction; and, (5) hybrid and electric vehicles (traction and charging). After the initial explorative analyses, it became clear that, SiC, not GaN, would be the principal WBG power device material for the chosen markets in the near future. Therefore, while GaN is discussed when appropriate, this report focuses on SiC devices, other WBG applications (e.g., solid-state transformers, combined heat and power, medical, and wireless power), the GaN market, and GaN specific applications (e.g., LiDAR, 5G) will be explored at a later date. In addition to the market, supply and value chain analyses addressed in Section 1 of this report, a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis and potential energy savings analysis was conducted for each application area to identify the major potential WBG application area(s) with a U.S. competitiveness opportunity in the future.

Reconfigurable origami sonic barriers with tunable bandgaps for traffic noise mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Thota, M.; Wang, K. W.

2017-10-01

An origami sonic barrier composed of cylindrical inclusions attached onto an origami sheet is proposed. The idea allows for tunable sound blocking properties for application in attenuating complex traffic noise spectra. Folding of the underlying origami sheet transforms the periodicity of the inclusions between different Bravais lattices, viz. between a square and a hexagonal lattice, and such significant lattice re-configuration leads to drastic tuning of dispersion characteristics. The wave tuning capabilities are corroborated via performing theoretical and numerical investigations using a plane wave expansion method and an acoustic simulation package of COMSOL, while experiments are performed on a one-seventh scaled-down model of origami sonic barrier to demonstrate the lattice re-configuration between different Bravais lattices and the associated bandgap adaptability. Good sound blocking performance in the frequency range of traffic noise spectra combined with less efforts, required for actuating one-degree of freedom folding mechanism, makes the origami sonic barrier a potential candidate for mitigating complex traffic noise.

Heterovalent Dopant Incorporation for Bandgap and Type Engineering of Perovskite Crystals

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Ahmed L.

2016-01-02

Controllable doping of semiconductors is a fundamental technological requirement for electronic and optoelectronic devices. As intrinsic semiconductors, hybrid perovskites have so far been a phenomenal success in photovoltaics. The inability to dope these materials heterovalently (or aliovalently) has greatly limited their wider utilizations in electronics. Here we show an efficient in situ chemical route that achieves the controlled incorporation of trivalent cations (Bi3+, Au3+, or In3+) by exploiting the retrograde solubility behavior of perovskites. We term the new method dopant incorporation in the retrograde regime. We achieve Bi3+ incorporation that leads to bandgap tuning (∼300 meV), 104 fold enhancement in electrical conductivity, and a change in the sign of majority charge carriers from positive to negative. This work demonstrates the successful incorporation of dopants into perovskite crystals while preserving the host lattice structure, opening new avenues to tailor the electronic and optoelectronic properties of this rapidly emerging class of solution-processed semiconductors. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Band-gap creation by icosahedral symmetry in nearly-free-electron materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlsson, A.E.

1993-01-01

A series of numerical electronic density-of-states calculations is performed for rational approximants to a model one-electron potential based on icosahedrally arranged plane-wave components. It is found that high-order approximants can have band gaps even if the low-order approximants do not; furthermore, the magnitude of the gap increases with the order of the approximant. The results are interpreted via a two- and three-wave analysis of the energy eigenvalues at the pseudo-Jones-zone faces and edges. It is also found that the mechanism of band-gap reduction in the rational approximants is the presence of a small density of gap states. An analytic calculation shows that these gap states result from a splitting of threefold and pseudothreefold states at the valence-band edge when the icosahedral symmetry is broken. The splitting is proportional to the error with which the ratio between the approximant indices approximates τ, the golden mean. Finally, an application to the AlCuLi system is presented

Heterovalent Dopant Incorporation for Bandgap and Type Engineering of Perovskite Crystals

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Ahmed L.; Saidaminov, Makhsud I.; Banavoth, Murali; Adinolfi, Valerio; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Katsiev, Khabiboulakh; Alarousu, Erkki; Comin, Riccardo; Dursun, Ibrahim; Sinatra, Lutfan; Sargent, Edward H.; Mohammed, Omar F.; Bakr, Osman

2016-01-01

Controllable doping of semiconductors is a fundamental technological requirement for electronic and optoelectronic devices. As intrinsic semiconductors, hybrid perovskites have so far been a phenomenal success in photovoltaics. The inability to dope these materials heterovalently (or aliovalently) has greatly limited their wider utilizations in electronics. Here we show an efficient in situ chemical route that achieves the controlled incorporation of trivalent cations (Bi3+, Au3+, or In3+) by exploiting the retrograde solubility behavior of perovskites. We term the new method dopant incorporation in the retrograde regime. We achieve Bi3+ incorporation that leads to bandgap tuning (∼300 meV), 104 fold enhancement in electrical conductivity, and a change in the sign of majority charge carriers from positive to negative. This work demonstrates the successful incorporation of dopants into perovskite crystals while preserving the host lattice structure, opening new avenues to tailor the electronic and optoelectronic properties of this rapidly emerging class of solution-processed semiconductors. © 2016 American Chemical Society.

Investigation of the open-circuit voltage in wide-bandgap InGaP-host InP quantum dot intermediate-band solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Aihara, Taketo; Tayagaki, Takeshi; Nagato, Yuki; Okano, Yoshinobu; Sugaya, Takeyoshi

2018-04-01

To analyze the open-circuit voltage (V oc) in intermediate-band solar cells, we investigated the current-voltage characteristics in wide-bandgap InGaP-based InP quantum dot (QD) solar cells. From the temperature dependence of the current-voltage curves, we show that the V oc in InP QD solar cells increases with decreasing temperature. We use a simple diode model to extract V oc at the zero-temperature limit, V 0, and the temperature coefficient C of the solar cells. Our results show that, while the C of InP QD solar cells is slightly larger than that of the reference InGaP solar cells, V 0 significantly decreases and coincides with the bandgap energy of the InP QDs rather than that of the InGaP host. This V 0 indicates that the V oc reduction in the InP QD solar cells is primarily caused by the breaking of the Fermi energy separation between the QDs and the host semiconductor in intermediate-band solar cells, rather than by enhanced carrier recombination.

Aluminum doping of CuInSe{sub 2} synthesized by solution process and its effect on structure, morphology, and bandgap tuning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Zhi; Deng, Weizhi; Zhang, Xia; Yuan, Qian; Deng, Peiran; Sun, Lei [Material Engineering College, Shanghai University of Engineering Science (China); Liang, Jun [School of Advanced Materials, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen University Town (China)

2014-11-15

Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} material is prepared by a low-cost wet chemical process. The key properties of Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} as a successful solar cell material are investigated, such as crystal structure, morphology, optical properties, and bandgap. In situ X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the doping of Al has induced noticeable lattice distortion. The material shows excellent thermal stability up to 600 C annealing temperature. By increasing the Al-doping concentration, the crystal unit-cell parameter of the material becomes smaller and the change of crystal structure leads to an increase of the grain size and surface roughness. The bandgap of Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} can be continuously tuned in a range of 1.07-1.67 eV as Al/(Al + In) content ratio varies from 0 to 0.49. Finally, the effect mechanism on the properties of CuInSe{sub 2} after Al doping is discussed based on the ionic radius, crystal structure, and bonding state. (copyright 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A Framework for Constrained Optimization Problems Based on a Modified Particle Swarm Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biwei Tang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a particle swarm optimization (PSO based framework for constrained optimization problems (COPs. Aiming at enhancing the performance of PSO, a modified PSO algorithm, named SASPSO 2011, is proposed by adding a newly developed self-adaptive strategy to the standard particle swarm optimization 2011 (SPSO 2011 algorithm. Since the convergence of PSO is of great importance and significantly influences the performance of PSO, this paper first theoretically investigates the convergence of SASPSO 2011. Then, a parameter selection principle guaranteeing the convergence of SASPSO 2011 is provided. Subsequently, a SASPSO 2011-based framework is established to solve COPs. Attempting to increase the diversity of solutions and decrease optimization difficulties, the adaptive relaxation method, which is combined with the feasibility-based rule, is applied to handle constraints of COPs and evaluate candidate solutions in the developed framework. Finally, the proposed method is verified through 4 benchmark test functions and 2 real-world engineering problems against six PSO variants and some well-known methods proposed in the literature. Simulation results confirm that the proposed method is highly competitive in terms of the solution quality and can be considered as a vital alternative to solve COPs.

Variant Review with the Integrative Genomics Viewer.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, James T; Thorvaldsdóttir, Helga; Wenger, Aaron M; Zehir, Ahmet; Mesirov, Jill P

2017-11-01

Manual review of aligned reads for confirmation and interpretation of variant calls is an important step in many variant calling pipelines for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Visual inspection can greatly increase the confidence in calls, reduce the risk of false positives, and help characterize complex events. The Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) was one of the first tools to provide NGS data visualization, and it currently provides a rich set of tools for inspection, validation, and interpretation of NGS datasets, as well as other types of genomic data. Here, we present a short overview of IGV's variant review features for both single-nucleotide variants and structural variants, with examples from both cancer and germline datasets. IGV is freely available at https://www.igv.org Cancer Res; 77(21); e31-34. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Loading pattern optimization using ant colony algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoareau, Fabrice

2008-01-01

Electricite de France (EDF) operates 58 nuclear power plants (NPP), of the Pressurized Water Reactor type. The loading pattern optimization of these NPP is currently done by EDF expert engineers. Within this framework, EDF R and D has developed automatic optimization tools that assist the experts. LOOP is an industrial tool, developed by EDF R and D and based on a simulated annealing algorithm. In order to improve the results of such automatic tools, new optimization methods have to be tested. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms are recent methods that have given very good results on combinatorial optimization problems. In order to evaluate the performance of such methods on loading pattern optimization, direct comparisons between LOOP and a mock-up based on the Max-Min Ant System algorithm (a particular variant of ACO algorithms) were made on realistic test-cases. It is shown that the results obtained by the ACO mock-up are very similar to those of LOOP. Future research will consist in improving these encouraging results by using parallelization and by hybridizing the ACO algorithm with local search procedures. (author)

Detection and prevalence of variant sciatic nerve anatomy in relation to the piriformis muscle on MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varenika, Vanja; Bucknor, Matthew D. [University of California, San Francisco, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA (United States); Lutz, Amelie M.; Beaulieu, Christopher F. [Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Stanford, CA (United States)

2017-06-15

To determine whether known variant anatomical relationships between the sciatic nerve and piriformis muscle can be identified on routine MRI studies of the hip and to establish their imaging prevalence. Hip MRI studies acquired over a period of 4 years at two medical centers underwent retrospective interpretation. Anatomical relationship between the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle was categorized according to the Beaton and Anson classification system. The presence of a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity was also recorded. A total of 755 consecutive scans were reviewed. Conventional anatomy (type I), in which an undivided sciatic nerve passes below the piriformis muscle, was identified in 87% of cases. The remaining 13% of cases demonstrated a type II pattern in which one division of the sciatic nerve passes through the piriformis whereas the second passes below. Only two other instances of variant anatomy were identified (both type III). Most variant cases were associated with a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity (73 out of 111, 65.8%). By contrast, only 6% of cases demonstrated a split sciatic nerve at this level in the context of otherwise conventional anatomy. Anatomical variations of the sciatic nerve course in relation to the piriformis muscle are frequently identified on routine MRI of the hips, occurring in 12-20% of scans reviewed. Almost all variants identified were type II. The ability to recognize variant sciatic nerve courses on MRI may prove useful in optimal treatment planning. (orig.)

Detection and prevalence of variant sciatic nerve anatomy in relation to the piriformis muscle on MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varenika, Vanja; Bucknor, Matthew D.; Lutz, Amelie M.; Beaulieu, Christopher F.

2017-01-01

To determine whether known variant anatomical relationships between the sciatic nerve and piriformis muscle can be identified on routine MRI studies of the hip and to establish their imaging prevalence. Hip MRI studies acquired over a period of 4 years at two medical centers underwent retrospective interpretation. Anatomical relationship between the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle was categorized according to the Beaton and Anson classification system. The presence of a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity was also recorded. A total of 755 consecutive scans were reviewed. Conventional anatomy (type I), in which an undivided sciatic nerve passes below the piriformis muscle, was identified in 87% of cases. The remaining 13% of cases demonstrated a type II pattern in which one division of the sciatic nerve passes through the piriformis whereas the second passes below. Only two other instances of variant anatomy were identified (both type III). Most variant cases were associated with a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity (73 out of 111, 65.8%). By contrast, only 6% of cases demonstrated a split sciatic nerve at this level in the context of otherwise conventional anatomy. Anatomical variations of the sciatic nerve course in relation to the piriformis muscle are frequently identified on routine MRI of the hips, occurring in 12-20% of scans reviewed. Almost all variants identified were type II. The ability to recognize variant sciatic nerve courses on MRI may prove useful in optimal treatment planning. (orig.)

Detection and prevalence of variant sciatic nerve anatomy in relation to the piriformis muscle on MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Varenika, Vanja; Lutz, Amelie M; Beaulieu, Christopher F; Bucknor, Matthew D

2017-06-01

To determine whether known variant anatomical relationships between the sciatic nerve and piriformis muscle can be identified on routine MRI studies of the hip and to establish their imaging prevalence. Hip MRI studies acquired over a period of 4 years at two medical centers underwent retrospective interpretation. Anatomical relationship between the sciatic nerve and the piriformis muscle was categorized according to the Beaton and Anson classification system. The presence of a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity was also recorded. A total of 755 consecutive scans were reviewed. Conventional anatomy (type I), in which an undivided sciatic nerve passes below the piriformis muscle, was identified in 87% of cases. The remaining 13% of cases demonstrated a type II pattern in which one division of the sciatic nerve passes through the piriformis whereas the second passes below. Only two other instances of variant anatomy were identified (both type III). Most variant cases were associated with a split sciatic nerve at the level of the ischial tuberosity (73 out of 111, 65.8%). By contrast, only 6% of cases demonstrated a split sciatic nerve at this level in the context of otherwise conventional anatomy. Anatomical variations of the sciatic nerve course in relation to the piriformis muscle are frequently identified on routine MRI of the hips, occurring in 12-20% of scans reviewed. Almost all variants identified were type II. The ability to recognize variant sciatic nerve courses on MRI may prove useful in optimal treatment planning.

Germline Variants of Prostate Cancer in Japanese Families.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahide Hayano

Full Text Available Prostate cancer (PC is the second most common cancer in men. Family history is the major risk factor for PC. Only two susceptibility genes were identified in PC, BRCA2 and HOXB13. A comprehensive search of germline variants for patients with PC has not been reported in Japanese families. In this study, we conducted exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing to explore responsible germline variants in 140 Japanese patients with PC from 66 families. In addition to known susceptibility genes, BRCA2 and HOXB13, we identified TRRAP variants in a mutually exclusive manner in seven large PC families (three or four patients per family. We also found shared variants of BRCA2, HOXB13, and TRRAP from 59 additional small PC families (two patients per family. We identified two deleterious HOXB13 variants (F127C and G132E. Further exploration of the shared variants in rest of the families revealed deleterious variants of the so-called cancer genes (ATP1A1, BRIP1, FANCA, FGFR3, FLT3, HOXD11, MUTYH, PDGFRA, SMARCA4, and TCF3. The germline variant profile provides a new insight to clarify the genetic etiology and heterogeneity of PC among Japanese men.

Detecting rare variants in case-parents association studies.

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Kuang-Fu Cheng

Full Text Available Despite the success of genome-wide association studies (GWASs in detecting common variants (minor allele frequency ≥0.05 many suggested that rare variants also contribute to the genetic architecture of diseases. Recently, researchers demonstrated that rare variants can show a strong stratification which may not be corrected by using existing methods. In this paper, we focus on a case-parents study and consider methods for testing group-wise association between multiple rare (and common variants in a gene region and a disease. All tests depend on the numbers of transmitted mutant alleles from parents to their diseased children across variants and hence they are robust to the effect of population stratification. We use extensive simulation studies to compare the performance of four competing tests: the largest single-variant transmission disequilibrium test (TDT, multivariable test, combined TDT, and a likelihood ratio test based on a random-effects model. We find that the likelihood ratio test is most powerful in a wide range of settings and there is no negative impact to its power performance when common variants are also included in the analysis. If deleterious and protective variants are simultaneously analyzed, the likelihood ratio test was generally insensitive to the effect directionality, unless the effects are extremely inconsistent in one direction.

Optimization of Sex Ratio in a Selection Plan for Palas Prolificacy Line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Răzvan Popa

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper work is to optimize the sex ratio in a selection plan, according to model developed by King (1961, which will be proposed to be applied for prolificacy improvement in Prolific Line Palas. The method used in this paper work is modeling, which exist in the most animal breeding scientifically papers. After the simulations, we observed that the most convenient variant was that which prefigure use of 13 rams on reproduction activity. This variant offer a genetic gain per generation by 0.47497 additive standard deviations.

Variants of glycoside hydrolases

Science.gov (United States)

Teter, Sarah [Davis, CA; Ward, Connie [Hamilton, MT; Cherry, Joel [Davis, CA; Jones, Aubrey [Davis, CA; Harris, Paul [Carnation, WA; Yi, Jung [Sacramento, CA

2011-04-26

The present invention relates to variants of a parent glycoside hydrolase, comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 21, 94, 157, 205, 206, 247, 337, 350, 373, 383, 438, 455, 467, and 486 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2, and optionally further comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 8, 22, 41, 49, 57, 113, 193, 196, 226, 227, 246, 251, 255, 259, 301, 356, 371, 411, and 462 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2 a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 8, 22, 41, 49, 57, 113, 193, 196, 226, 227, 246, 251, 255, 259, 301, 356, 371, 411, and 462 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the variants have glycoside hydrolase activity. The present invention also relates to nucleotide sequences encoding the variant glycoside hydrolases and to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleotide sequences.

Elastic Wave Control Beyond Band-Gaps: Shaping the Flow of Waves in Plates and Half-Spaces with Subwavelength Resonant Rods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Colombi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In metamaterial science, local resonance and hybridization are key phenomena strongly influencing the dispersion properties; the metasurface discussed in this article created by a cluster of resonators, subwavelength rods, atop an elastic surface being an exemplar with these features. On this metasurface, band-gaps, slow or fast waves, negative refraction, and dynamic anisotropy can all be observed by exploring frequencies and wavenumbers from the Floquet–Bloch problem and by using the Brillouin zone. These extreme characteristics, when appropriately engineered, can be used to design and control the propagation of elastic waves along the metasurface. For the exemplar we consider, two parameters are easily tuned: rod height and cluster periodicity. The height is directly related to the band-gap frequency and, hence, to the slow and fast waves, while the periodicity is related to the appearance of dynamic anisotropy. Playing with these two parameters generates a gallery of metasurface designs to control the propagation of both flexural waves in plates and surface Rayleigh waves for half-spaces. Scalability with respect to the frequency and wavelength of the governing physical laws allows the application of these concepts in very different fields and over a wide range of lengthscales.

Local binary patterns new variants and applications

CERN Document Server

Jain, Lakhmi; Nanni, Loris; Lumini, Alessandra

2014-01-01

This book introduces Local Binary Patterns (LBP), arguably one of the most powerful texture descriptors, and LBP variants. This volume provides the latest reviews of the literature and a presentation of some of the best LBP variants by researchers at the forefront of textual analysis research and research on LBP descriptors and variants. The value of LBP variants is illustrated with reported experiments using many databases representing a diversity of computer vision applications in medicine, biometrics, and other areas. There is also a chapter that provides an excellent theoretical foundation for texture analysis and LBP in particular. A special section focuses on LBP and LBP variants in the area of face recognition, including thermal face recognition. This book will be of value to anyone already in the field as well as to those interested in learning more about this powerful family of texture descriptors.

Tensile strain induced narrowed bandgap of TiO{sub 2} films: Utilizing the two-way shape memory effect of TiNiNb substrate and in-situ mechanical bending

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du, Minshu, E-mail: dms1223@126.com [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum at Beijing, Beijing, 102249 (China); Center for Electrochemistry, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712 (United States); Cui, Lishan; Wan, Qiong [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum at Beijing, Beijing, 102249 (China)

2016-05-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Imposed tensile strain to anatase TiO{sub 2} nanofilm by using the two-way shape memory effect of NiTiNb substrate. • Imposed tensile strain to rutile TiO{sub 2} thin film by in-situ mechanical bending. • Tauc plot based on the PEC-tested auction spectrum was utilized to precisely determine the bandgap of TiO{sub 2}. • Tensile strain narrowed the bandgap of anatase TiO{sub 2} by 60 meV and rutile TiO{sub 2} by 70 meV. • Tensile strain contributes to a 1.5 times larger photocurrent for the water oxidation reaction. - Abstract: Elastic strain is one of the methods to alter the band gap of semiconductors. However, relevant experimental work is limited due to the difficulty in imposing strain. Two new methods for imposing tensile strain to TiO{sub 2} film were introduced here. One is by utilizing the two-way shape memory effect of NiTiNb substrate, and the other method is in-situ mechanical bending. The former method succeeded in imposing 0.4% tensile strain to anatase TiO{sub 2} nanofilm, and strain narrowed the bandgap of TiO{sub 2} by 60 meV. The latter method enabled rutile TiO{sub 2} thin film under the 0.5% biaxially tensile-strained state, which contributes to a narrowed bandgap with ΔE{sub g} of 70 meV. Also, photocurrents of both strained TiO{sub 2} films increased by 1.5 times compared to the strain-free films, which indirectly verified the previous DFT prediction proposed by Thulin and Guerra in 2008 that tensile strain could improve the mobility and separation of photo-excite carriers.

Biokinetic model-based multi-objective optimization of Dunaliella tertiolecta cultivation using elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with inheritance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Snehal K; Kumar, Mithilesh; Guria, Chandan; Kumar, Anup; Banerjee, Chiranjib

2017-10-01

Algal model based multi-objective optimization using elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm with inheritance was carried out for batch cultivation of Dunaliella tertiolecta using NPK-fertilizer. Optimization problems involving two- and three-objective functions were solved simultaneously. The objective functions are: maximization of algae-biomass and lipid productivity with minimization of cultivation time and cost. Time variant light intensity and temperature including NPK-fertilizer, NaCl and NaHCO 3 loadings are the important decision variables. Algal model involving Monod/Andrews adsorption kinetics and Droop model with internal nutrient cell quota was used for optimization studies. Sets of non-dominated (equally good) Pareto optimal solutions were obtained for the problems studied. It was observed that time variant optimal light intensity and temperature trajectories, including optimum NPK fertilizer, NaCl and NaHCO 3 concentration has significant influence to improve biomass and lipid productivity under minimum cultivation time and cost. Proposed optimization studies may be helpful to implement the control strategy in scale-up operation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Selected Modifications of the Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

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Michala Jakubcová

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We compare 27 modifications of the original particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm. The analysis evaluated nine basic PSO types, which differ according to the swarm evolution as controlled by various inertia weights and constriction factor. Each of the basic PSO modifications was analyzed using three different distributed strategies. In the first strategy, the entire swarm population is considered as one unit (OC-PSO, the second strategy periodically partitions the population into equally large complexes according to the particle’s functional value (SCE-PSO, and the final strategy periodically splits the swarm population into complexes using random permutation (SCERand-PSO. All variants are tested using 11 benchmark functions that were prepared for the special session on real-parameter optimization of CEC 2005. It was found that the best modification of the PSO algorithm is a variant with adaptive inertia weight. The best distribution strategy is SCE-PSO, which gives better results than do OC-PSO and SCERand-PSO for seven functions. The sphere function showed no significant difference between SCE-PSO and SCERand-PSO. It follows that a shuffling mechanism improves the optimization process.

Robust Optimization of the Self- scheduling and Market Involvement for an Electricity Producer

KAUST Repository

Lima, Ricardo

2015-01-01

This work address the optimization under uncertainty of the self-scheduling, forward contracting, and pool involvement of an electricity producer operating a mixed power generation station, which combines thermal, hydro and wind sources, and uses a two-stage adaptive robust optimization approach. In this problem the wind power production and the electricity pool price are considered to be uncertain, and are described by uncertainty convex sets. Two variants of a constraint generation algorithm are proposed, namely a primal and dual version, and they are used to solve two case studies based on two different producers. Their market strategies are investigated for three different scenarios, corresponding to as many instances of electricity price forecasts. The effect of the producers’ approach, whether conservative or more risk prone, is also investigated by solving each instance for multiple values of the so-called budget parameter. It was possible to conclude that this parameter influences markedly the producers’ strategy, in terms of scheduling, profit, forward contracting, and pool involvement. Regarding the computational results, these show that for some instances, the two variants of the algorithms have a similar performance, while for a particular subset of them one variant has a clear superiority

Robust Optimization of the Self- scheduling and Market Involvement for an Electricity Producer

KAUST Repository

Lima, Ricardo

2015-01-07

This work address the optimization under uncertainty of the self-scheduling, forward contracting, and pool involvement of an electricity producer operating a mixed power generation station, which combines thermal, hydro and wind sources, and uses a two-stage adaptive robust optimization approach. In this problem the wind power production and the electricity pool price are considered to be uncertain, and are described by uncertainty convex sets. Two variants of a constraint generation algorithm are proposed, namely a primal and dual version, and they are used to solve two case studies based on two different producers. Their market strategies are investigated for three different scenarios, corresponding to as many instances of electricity price forecasts. The effect of the producers’ approach, whether conservative or more risk prone, is also investigated by solving each instance for multiple values of the so-called budget parameter. It was possible to conclude that this parameter influences markedly the producers’ strategy, in terms of scheduling, profit, forward contracting, and pool involvement. Regarding the computational results, these show that for some instances, the two variants of the algorithms have a similar performance, while for a particular subset of them one variant has a clear superiority

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)

Science.gov (United States)

... Form Controls Cancel Submit Search the CDC Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) Note: Javascript is disabled or is not ... gov . Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a prion disease that was first ...

Population structure analysis using rare and common functional variants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ding Lili

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Next-generation sequencing technologies now make it possible to genotype and measure hundreds of thousands of rare genetic variations in individuals across the genome. Characterization of high-density genetic variation facilitates control of population genetic structure on a finer scale before large-scale genotyping in disease genetics studies. Population structure is a well-known, prevalent, and important factor in common variant genetic studies, but its relevance in rare variants is unclear. We perform an extensive population structure analysis using common and rare functional variants from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 mini-exome sequence. The analysis based on common functional variants required 388 principal components to account for 90% of the variation in population structure. However, an analysis based on rare variants required 532 significant principal components to account for similar levels of variation. Using rare variants, we detected fine-scale substructure beyond the population structure identified using common functional variants. Our results show that the level of population structure embedded in rare variant data is different from the level embedded in common variant data and that correcting for population structure is only as good as the level one wishes to correct.

Effect of single point defects on the confinement losses of air-guiding photonic bandgap fibers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Shi Wei-Hua; Zhao Yan; Qian Li-Guo; Chen He-Ming

2012-01-01

The confinement losses in air-guiding photonic bandgap fibers (PBGFs) with air hole missing are studied with the full-vector finite-element method.It is confirmed that there are two loss peaks (1.555 and 1.598 μm) if there is a hole missing in the cladding far from the core.The closer to the core the hole missing is,the larger the confinement losses are,and even no mode could propagate in the core.The main power of the fundamental mode leaks from the core to the cladding defect.The quality of PBGFs can be improved through controlling the number and position of defects.

The Lamb wave bandgap variation of a locally resonant phononic crystal subjected to thermal deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Yun; Li, Zhen; Li, Yue-ming

2018-05-01

A study on dynamical characteristics of a ternary locally resonant phononic crystal (PC) plate (i.e., hard scatterer with soft coating periodically disperse in stiff host matrix) is carried out in this paper. The effect of thermal deformation on the structure stiffness, which plays an important role in the PC's dynamical characteristics, is considered. Results show that both the start and the stop frequency of bandgap shift to higher range with the thermal deformation. In particular, the characteristics of band structure change suddenly at critical buckling temperature. The effect of thermal deformation could be utilized for tuning of phononic band structures, which can promote their design and further applications.

Subjective binge eating with compensatory behaviors: a variant presentation of bulimia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Hunna J; Fursland, Anthea; Bulik, Cynthia M; Nathan, Paula

2013-03-01

To determine whether a variant bulimic-type presentation, whereby one meets criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) except that binge eating episodes are not objectively large (i.e., "subjective bulimia nervosa," SBN), has comparable clinical severity to established eating disorders, particularly BN. Treatment-seeking adults with BN (N = 112), SBN (N = 28), anorexia nervosa restricting type (AN-R) (N = 45), and AN-binge/purge type (AN-B/P) (N = 24) were compared. Overall, SBN could not be meaningfully distinguished from BN. SBN and BN had equivalent eating pathology, depression and anxiety symptoms, low quality of life, impulsivity, Axis I comorbidity, and lifetime psychiatric history, and comparable clinical severity to AN-R and AN-B/P. Individuals with SBN, differing from BN only by the smaller size of their binge eating episodes, had a form of eating disorder comparable in clinical severity to threshold AN and BN and warranting clinical attention. Health professionals and the community require greater awareness of this variant to optimize detection, treatment-seeking, and outcomes. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphology effects on the bandgap of silicon nanocrystals—Numerically modelled by a full multi-grid method

Science.gov (United States)

Puthen Veettil, Binesh; König, Dirk; Huang, Shujuan; Patterson, Robert; Conibeer, Gavin

2017-02-01

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in a dielectric matrix have been considered a potential candidate for many optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications and have been under vigorous study in recent years. One of the main properties of interest in this application is the absorption bandgap, which is determined by the quantum confinement of silicon nanocrystals. The ability to predict the absorption bandgap is a key step in designing an optimum solar cell using this material. Although several higher level algorithms are available to predict the electronic confinement in these nanocrystals, most of them make regular-shape assumptions for the ease of computation. In this work, we present a model for the accurate prediction of the quantum confinement in silicon nanocrystals of non-regular shape by employing an efficient, self-consistent Full-Multi-Grid method. Confined energies in spherical, elongated, and arbitrarily shaped nanocrystals are calculated. The excited level calculations quantify the wavefunction coupling and energy level splitting arising due to the proximity of dots. The splitting magnitude was found to be as high as 0.1 eV for the 2 nm size silicon quantum dots. The decrease in confinement energy due to the elongation of dots was found to be more than 0.2 eV, and the trend was similar for different dielectric materials. Theoretical predictions were compared to the results from optical and structural characterisation and found to be in agreement. The loss of degeneracy in highly asymmetric quantum dots, such as a "horse-shoe" shaped quantum dot, significantly affects the excited state energies.

Bandgap engineering and charge separation in two-dimensional GaS-based van der Waals heterostructures for photocatalytic water splitting

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Biao; Kuang, Anlong; Luo, Xukai; Wang, Guangzhao; Yuan, Hongkuan; Chen, Hong

2018-05-01

Two-dimensional (2D) gallium sulfide (GaS), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) have been fabricated and expected to be promising photocatalysts under ultraviolet irradiation. Here, we employ hybrid density functional calculations to explore the potential of the 2D GaS-based heterojunctions GaS/h-BN (g-C3N4) for the design of efficient water redox photocatalysts. Both heterostructures can be formed via van der Waals (vdW) interaction and are direct bandgap semiconductors, whose bandgaps are reduced comparing with isolated GaS, h-BN or g-C3N4 monolayers and whose bandedges straddle water redox potentials. Furthermore, the optical absorption of GaS/h-BN (g-C3N4) heterostructures is observably enhanced in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) light range. The electron-hole pairs in GaS/h-BN (g-C3N4) heterostructures are completely separated from different layers. In addition, the in-plane biaxial strain can effectively modulate the electronic properties of GaS/h-BN (g-C3N4) heterostructures. Thus the GaS/h-BN (g-C3N4) heterostructures are anticipated to be promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen.

Near-infrared sub-bandgap all-silicon photodetectors: state of the art and perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Casalino, Maurizio; Coppola, Giuseppe; Iodice, Mario; Rendina, Ivo; Sirleto, Luigi

2010-01-01

Due to recent breakthroughs, silicon photonics is now the most active discipline within the field of integrated optics and, at the same time, a present reality with commercial products available on the market. Silicon photodiodes are excellent detectors at visible wavelengths, but the development of high-performance photodetectors on silicon CMOS platforms at wavelengths of interest for telecommunications has remained an imperative but unaccomplished task so far. In recent years, however, a number of near-infrared all-silicon photodetectors have been proposed and demonstrated for optical interconnect and power-monitoring applications. In this paper, a review of the state of the art is presented. Devices based on mid-bandgap absorption, surface-state absorption, internal photoemission absorption and two-photon absorption are reported, their working principles elucidated and their performance discussed and compared.

Near-Infrared Sub-Bandgap All-Silicon Photodetectors: State of the Art and Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Sirleto

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Due to recent breakthroughs, silicon photonics is now the most active discipline within the field of integrated optics and, at the same time, a present reality with commercial products available on the market. Silicon photodiodes are excellent detectors at visible wavelengths, but the development of high-performance photodetectors on silicon CMOS platforms at wavelengths of interest for telecommunications has remained an imperative but unaccomplished task so far. In recent years, however, a number of near-infrared all-silicon photodetectors have been proposed and demonstrated for optical interconnect and power-monitoring applications. In this paper, a review of the state of the art is presented. Devices based on mid-bandgap absorption, surface-state absorption, internal photoemission absorption and two-photon absorption are reported, their working principles elucidated and their performance discussed and compared.

Mathematical model of highways network optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Sakhapov, R. L.; Nikolaeva, R. V.; Gatiyatullin, M. H.; Makhmutov, M. M.

2017-12-01

The article deals with the issue of highways network design. Studies show that the main requirement from road transport for the road network is to ensure the realization of all the transport links served by it, with the least possible cost. The goal of optimizing the network of highways is to increase the efficiency of transport. It is necessary to take into account a large number of factors that make it difficult to quantify and qualify their impact on the road network. In this paper, we propose building an optimal variant for locating the road network on the basis of a mathematical model. The article defines the criteria for optimality and objective functions that reflect the requirements for the road network. The most fully satisfying condition for optimality is the minimization of road and transport costs. We adopted this indicator as a criterion of optimality in the economic-mathematical model of a network of highways. Studies have shown that each offset point in the optimal binding road network is associated with all other corresponding points in the directions providing the least financial costs necessary to move passengers and cargo from this point to the other corresponding points. The article presents general principles for constructing an optimal network of roads.

Hybrid tandem solar cells with depleted-heterojunction quantum dot and polymer bulk heterojunction subcells

KAUST Repository

Kim, Taesoo; Gao, Yangqin; Hu, Hanlin; Yan, Buyi; Ning, Zhijun; Jagadamma, Lethy Krishnan; Zhao, Kui; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Eid, Jessica; Adachi, Michael M.; Sargent, Edward H.; Beaujuge, Pierre; Amassian, Aram

2015-01-01

with underlayers and associated constraints on the tandem architecture, and show that an adequate device configuration consists of a low bandgap CQD bottom cell and a high bandgap polymer:fullerene top cell. Once we optimize the recombination layer and individual

Synthesis of highly non-stoichiometric Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} nanoparticles with tunable bandgaps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamanaka, Yasushi, E-mail: hamanaka@nitech.ac.jp; Oyaizu, Wataru; Kawase, Masanari [Nagoya Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Japan); Kuzuya, Toshihiro [Muroran Institute of Technology, College of Design and Manufacturing Technology (Japan)

2017-01-15

Non-stoichiometric Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} nanoparticles with average diameters of 4–15 nm and quasi-polyhedral shape were successfully synthesized by a colloidal method. We found that a non-stoichiometric composition of Zn to Cu in Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} nanoparticles yielded a correlation where Zn content increased with a decrease in Cu content, suggesting formation of lattice defects relating to Cu and Zn, such as a Cu vacancy (V{sub Cu}), antisite with Zn replacing Cu (Zn{sub Cu}), and/or defect cluster of V{sub Cu} and Zn{sub Cu}. The bandgap energy of Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} nanoparticles systematically varies between 1.56 and 1.83 eV depending on the composition ratios of Cu and Zn, resulting in a wider bandgap for Cu-deficient Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} nanoparticles. These characteristics can be ascribed to the modification in electronic band structures due to formation of V{sub Cu} and Zn{sub Cu} on the analogy of ternary copper chalcogenide, chalcopyrite CuInSe{sub 2}, in which the top of the valence band shifts downward with decreasing Cu contents, because much like the structure of CuInSe{sub 2}, the top of the valence band is composed of a Cu 3d orbital in Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4}.

The Orienteering Problem under Uncertainty Stochastic Programming and Robust Optimization compared

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evers, L.; Glorie, K.; Ster, S. van der; Barros, A.I.; Monsuur, H.

2012-01-01

The Orienteering Problem (OP) is a generalization of the well-known traveling salesman problem and has many interesting applications in logistics, tourism and defense. To reflect real-life situations, we focus on an uncertain variant of the OP. Two main approaches that deal with optimization under

Three-dimensional spatial analysis of missense variants in RTEL1 identifies pathogenic variants in patients with Familial Interstitial Pneumonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivley, R Michael; Sheehan, Jonathan H; Kropski, Jonathan A; Cogan, Joy; Blackwell, Timothy S; Phillips, John A; Bush, William S; Meiler, Jens; Capra, John A

2018-01-23

Next-generation sequencing of individuals with genetic diseases often detects candidate rare variants in numerous genes, but determining which are causal remains challenging. We hypothesized that the spatial distribution of missense variants in protein structures contains information about function and pathogenicity that can help prioritize variants of unknown significance (VUS) and elucidate the structural mechanisms leading to disease. To illustrate this approach in a clinical application, we analyzed 13 candidate missense variants in regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1 (RTEL1) identified in patients with Familial Interstitial Pneumonia (FIP). We curated pathogenic and neutral RTEL1 variants from the literature and public databases. We then used homology modeling to construct a 3D structural model of RTEL1 and mapped known variants into this structure. We next developed a pathogenicity prediction algorithm based on proximity to known disease causing and neutral variants and evaluated its performance with leave-one-out cross-validation. We further validated our predictions with segregation analyses, telomere lengths, and mutagenesis data from the homologous XPD protein. Our algorithm for classifying RTEL1 VUS based on spatial proximity to pathogenic and neutral variation accurately distinguished 7 known pathogenic from 29 neutral variants (ROC AUC = 0.85) in the N-terminal domains of RTEL1. Pathogenic proximity scores were also significantly correlated with effects on ATPase activity (Pearson r = -0.65, p = 0.0004) in XPD, a related helicase. Applying the algorithm to 13 VUS identified from sequencing of RTEL1 from patients predicted five out of six disease-segregating VUS to be pathogenic. We provide structural hypotheses regarding how these mutations may disrupt RTEL1 ATPase and helicase function. Spatial analysis of missense variation accurately classified candidate VUS in RTEL1 and suggests how such variants cause disease. Incorporating

All-silica photonic bandgap fibre with zero dispersion and a large mode area at 730 nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riishede, Jesper; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Broeng, Jes

2004-01-01

A theoretical analysis of a photonic bandgap fibre, consisting of a pure silica background with a triangular lattice of Ge-doped high-index rods, is presented. This novel fibre design guides a single, well-confined mode in a core region made from undoped silica. The fibre is found to have positive...... waveguide dispersion, which may be used to shift the zero-dispersion wavelength down to 730 nm, while maintaining an effective mode area of 17 $mu@-m$+2$/. This is an order of magnitude larger than what may be achieved in highly non-linear index-guiding microstructured fibres with comparable zero...

OPTIMIZATION OF AGGREGATION AND SEQUENTIAL-PARALLEL EXECUTION MODES OF INTERSECTING OPERATION SETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. М. Levin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A mathematical model and a method for the problem of optimization of aggregation and of sequential- parallel execution modes of intersecting operation sets are proposed. The proposed method is based on the two-level decomposition scheme. At the top level the variant of aggregation for groups of operations is selected, and at the lower level the execution modes of operations are optimized for a fixed version of aggregation.

Data-variant kernel analysis

CERN Document Server

Motai, Yuichi

2015-01-01

Describes and discusses the variants of kernel analysis methods for data types that have been intensely studied in recent years This book covers kernel analysis topics ranging from the fundamental theory of kernel functions to its applications. The book surveys the current status, popular trends, and developments in kernel analysis studies. The author discusses multiple kernel learning algorithms and how to choose the appropriate kernels during the learning phase. Data-Variant Kernel Analysis is a new pattern analysis framework for different types of data configurations. The chapters include

Clinical Relevance of Androgen Receptor Splice Variants in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Maughan, Benjamin L; Antonarakis, Emmanuel S

2015-12-01

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) currently benefits from a wealth of treatment options, yet still remains lethal in the vast majority of patients. It is becoming increasingly understood that this disease entity continues to evolve over time, acquiring additional and diverse resistance mechanisms with each subsequent therapy used. This dynamic relationship between treatment pressure and disease resistance can be challenging for the managing clinician. The recent discovery of alternate splice variants of the androgen receptor (AR) is one potential mechanism of escape in mCRPC, and recognizing this resistance mechanism might be important for optimal treatment selection for our patients. AR-V7 appears to be the most relevant AR splice variant, and early clinical data suggest that it is a negative prognostic marker in mCRPC. Emerging evidence also suggests that detection of AR-V7 may be associated with resistance to novel hormonal therapy (abiraterone and enzalutamide) but may be compatible with sensitivity to taxane chemotherapy (docetaxel and cabazitaxel). Adding to this complexity is the observation that AR-V7 is a dynamic marker whose status may change across time and depending on selective pressures induced by different therapies. Finally, it is possible that AR-V7 may represent a therapeutic target in mCRPC if drugs can be designed that degrade or inhibit AR splice variants or block their transcriptional activity. Several such agents (including galeterone, EPI-506, and bromodomain/BET inhibitors) are now in clinical development.

Bandgap engineering of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 alloy for photovoltaic applications: A complementary experimental and first-principles study

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Zhen-Yu; Li, Yong-Feng; Yao, Bin; Deng, Rui; Ding, Zhan-Hui; Wu, Tao; Yang, Gang; Li, Chun-Ran; Dong, Zi-Yuan; Liu, Lei; Zhang, Li-Gong; Zhao, Hai-Feng

2013-01-01

We report on bandgap engineering of an emerging photovoltaic material of Cu2CdxZn1-xSnS4 (CCZTS) alloy. CCZTS alloy thin films with different Cd contents and single kesterite phase were fabricated using the sol-gel method. The optical absorption

Finite element based design optimization of WENDELSTEIN 7-X divertor components under high heat flux loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plankensteiner, A.; Leuprecht, A.; Schedler, B.; Scheiber, K.-H.; Greuner, H.

2007-01-01

In the divertor of the nuclear fusion experiment WENDELSTEIN 7-X (W7-X) plasma facing high heat flux target elements have to withstand severe loading conditions. The thermally induced mechanical stressing turns out to be most critical with respect to lifetime predictions of the target elements. Therefore, different design variants of those CFC flat tile armoured high heat flux components have been analysed via the finite element package ABAQUS aiming at derivation of an optimized component design under high heat flux conditions. The investigated design variants comprise also promising alterations in the cooling channel design and castellation of the CFC flat tiles which, however, from a system integration and manufacturing standpoint of view, respectively, are evaluated to be critical. Therefore, the numerical study as presented here mainly comprises a reference variant that is comparatively studied with a variant incorporating a bi-layer-type AMC-Cu/OF-Cu interlayer at the CFC/Cu-interface. The thermo-mechanical material characteristics are accounted for in the finite element models with elastic-plastic properties being assigned to the metallic sections CuCrZr, AMC-Cu and OF-Cu, respectively, and orthotropic nonlinear-elastic properties being used for the CFC sections. The calculated temporal and spatial evolution of temperatures, stresses, and strains for the individual design variants are evaluated with special attention being paid to stress measures, plastic strains, and damage parameters indicating the risk of failure of CFC and the CFC/Cu-interface, respectively. This way the finite element analysis allows to numerically derive an optimized design variant within the framework of expected operating conditions in W7-X

II-VI Narrow-Bandgap Semiconductors for Optoelectronics

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Ian

The field of narrow-gap II-VI materials is dominated by the compound semiconductor mercury cadmium telluride, (Hg1-x Cd x Te or MCT), which supports a large industry in infrared detectors, cameras and infrared systems. It is probably true to say that HgCdTe is the third most studied semiconductor after silicon and gallium arsenide. Hg1-x Cd x Te is the material most widely used in high-performance infrared detectors at present. By changing the composition x the spectral response of the detector can be made to cover the range from 1 μm to beyond 17 μm. The advantages of this system arise from a number of features, notably: close lattice matching, high optical absorption coefficient, low carrier generation rate, high electron mobility and readily available doping techniques. These advantages mean that very sensitive infrared detectors can be produced at relatively high operating temperatures. Hg1-x Cd x Te multilayers can be readily grown in vapor-phase epitaxial processes. This provides the device engineer with complex doping and composition profiles that can be used to further enhance the electro-optic performance, leading to low-cost, large-area detectors in the future. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the applications, device physics and technology of II-VI narrow-bandgap devices, focusing on HgCdTe but also including Hg1-x Mn x Te and Hg1-x Zn x Te. It concludes with a review of the research and development programs into third-generation infrared detector technology (so-called GEN III detectors) being performed in centers around the world.

Combinations of Genetic Variants Occurring Exclusively in Patients

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Erling Mellerup

Full Text Available In studies of polygenic disorders, scanning the genetic variants can be used to identify variant combinations. Combinations that are exclusively found in patients can be separated from those combinations occurring in control persons. Statistical analyses can be performed to determine whether the combinations that occur exclusively among patients are significantly associated with the investigated disorder. This research strategy has been applied in materials from various polygenic disorders, identifying clusters of patient-specific genetic variant combinations that are significant associated with the investigated disorders. Combinations from these clusters are found in the genomes of up to 55% of investigated patients, and are not present in the genomes of any control persons. Keywords: Genetic variants, Polygenic disorder, Combinations of genetic variants, Patient-specific combinations

Local binary pattern variants-based adaptive texture features analysis for posed and nonposed facial expression recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Sultana, Maryam; Bhatti, Naeem; Javed, Sajid; Jung, Soon Ki

2017-09-01

Facial expression recognition (FER) is an important task for various computer vision applications. The task becomes challenging when it requires the detection and encoding of macro- and micropatterns of facial expressions. We present a two-stage texture feature extraction framework based on the local binary pattern (LBP) variants and evaluate its significance in recognizing posed and nonposed facial expressions. We focus on the parametric limitations of the LBP variants and investigate their effects for optimal FER. The size of the local neighborhood is an important parameter of the LBP technique for its extraction in images. To make the LBP adaptive, we exploit the granulometric information of the facial images to find the local neighborhood size for the extraction of center-symmetric LBP (CS-LBP) features. Our two-stage texture representations consist of an LBP variant and the adaptive CS-LBP features. Among the presented two-stage texture feature extractions, the binarized statistical image features and adaptive CS-LBP features were found showing high FER rates. Evaluation of the adaptive texture features shows competitive and higher performance than the nonadaptive features and other state-of-the-art approaches, respectively.

An approach to optimization of the choice of boiler steel grades as to a mixed-integer programming problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kler, Alexandr M.; Potanina, Yulia M.

2017-01-01

One of the ways to enhance the energy efficiency of thermal power plants is to increase thermodynamic parameters of steam. A sufficient level of reliability and longevity can be provided by the application of advanced construction materials (in particular, high-alloy steel can be used to manufacture the most loaded heating surfaces of a boiler unit). A rational choice of technical and economic parameters of energy plants as the most complex technical systems should be made using the methods of mathematical modeling and optimization. The paper considers an original approach to an economically sound optimal choice of steel grade to manufacture heating surfaces for boiler units. A case study of optimization of the discrete-continuous parameters of an energy unit operating at ultra-supercritical steam parameters, in combination with construction of a variant selection tree is presented. - Highlights: • A case study on optimization of an ultra-supercritical power plant is demonstrated. • Optimization is based on the minimization of electricity price. • An approach is proposed to optimize the selection of boiler steel grades. • The approach is based on the construction of a variant tree. • The selection of steel grades for a boiler unit is shown.

Modeling and optimization of nonreciprocal transmission through 2D magnetophotonic crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanwolleghem, M; Halagacka, L; Magdenko, L; Beavillain, P; Dagens, B [Institut d' Electronique Fondamentale, UMR CNRS 8622, Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay (France); Postava, K, E-mail: mathias.vanwolleghem@u-psud.fr, E-mail: kamil.postava@vsb.cz [Department of Physics, Technical University of Ostrava, 708 33 Ostrava (Czech Republic)

2011-07-06

A combination of unique magneto-optic (MO) non-reciprocity and photonic band gap in periodic structures is promising for efficient enhancement of optical isolation and integrated isolator applications [M. Vanwolleghem et al, Phys. Rev. B 80 (2009) 121102(R)]. In this paper we model and optimize a novel magneto-photonic crystal structure consisting air holes in transparent magneto-optic material in transverse geometry (Bismuth iron garnet ({epsilon}{sub xx} = 6.25 and {epsilon}{sub yz} = 0.1 i) at wavelength {lambda} = 1300 nm). Such a system with reduced symmetry shows an unidirectional bandgap. The model is based on plane wave Fourier expansion of the field inside the periodic system using RCWA. While in the forward direction the structure transmit the light in the backward direction it shows a band gap and transmission is almost forbidden.

Determination of uranium by luminescent method (tablet variant)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sergeev, A.N.; Yufa, B.Ya.

1985-01-01

A new tablet variant of luminescent determination of uranium in rocks is developed. The analytical process includes the following operations: sample decomposition, uranium separation from luminescence quencher impurities, preparation of luminescent sample (tablet), photometry of the tablet. The method has two variants developed: the first one is characterized by a more hard decomposition, sample mass being 0.2 g; the second variant has a better detection limit (5x10 -6 %), the sample mass being 0.2-1 g. Procedures of the sample preparation for both variants of analysis are described

NMNAT1 variants cause cone and cone-rod dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Benjamin M; Symes, Richard; Goel, Himanshu; Dinger, Marcel E; Bennetts, Bruce; Grigg, John R; Jamieson, Robyn V

2018-03-01

Cone and cone-rod dystrophies (CD and CRD, respectively) are degenerative retinal diseases that predominantly affect the cone photoreceptors. The underlying disease gene is not known in approximately 75% of autosomal recessive cases. Variants in NMNAT1 cause a severe, early-onset retinal dystrophy called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). We report two patients where clinical phenotyping indicated diagnoses of CD and CRD, respectively. NMNAT1 variants were identified, with Case 1 showing an extremely rare homozygous variant c.[271G > A] p.(Glu91Lys) and Case 2 compound heterozygous variants c.[53 A > G];[769G > A] p.(Asn18Ser);(Glu257Lys). The detailed variant analysis, in combination with the observation of an associated macular atrophy phenotype, indicated that these variants were disease-causing. This report demonstrates that the variants in NMNAT1 may cause CD or CRD associated with macular atrophy. Genetic investigations of the patients with CD or CRD should include NMNAT1 in the genes examined.

Rational Design of Bacillus coagulans NL01 l-Arabinose Isomerase and Use of Its F279I Variant in d-Tagatose Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Zhaojuan; Mei, Wending; Xia, Meijuan; He, Qin; Ouyang, Jia

2017-06-14

d-Tagatose is a prospective functional sweetener that can be produced by l-arabinose isomerase (AI) from d-galactose. To improve the activity of AI toward d-galactose, the AI of Bacillus coagulans was rationally designed on the basis of molecular modeling and docking. After alanine scanning and site-saturation mutagenesis, variant F279I that exhibited improved activity toward d-galactose was obtained. The optimal temperature and pH of F279I were determined to be 50 °C and 8.0, respectively. This variant possessed 1.4-fold catalytic efficiency compared with the wild-type (WT) enzyme. The recombinant Escherichia coli overexpressing F279I also showed obvious advantages over the WT in biotransformation. Under optimal conditions, 67.5 and 88.4 g L -1 d-tagatose could be produced from 150 and 250 g L -1 d-galactose, respectively, in 15 h. The biocatalyst constructed in this study presents a promising alternative for large-scale d-tagatose production.

Bayesian detection of causal rare variants under posterior consistency.

KAUST Repository

Liang, Faming

2013-07-26

Identification of causal rare variants that are associated with complex traits poses a central challenge on genome-wide association studies. However, most current research focuses only on testing the global association whether the rare variants in a given genomic region are collectively associated with the trait. Although some recent work, e.g., the Bayesian risk index method, have tried to address this problem, it is unclear whether the causal rare variants can be consistently identified by them in the small-n-large-P situation. We develop a new Bayesian method, the so-called Bayesian Rare Variant Detector (BRVD), to tackle this problem. The new method simultaneously addresses two issues: (i) (Global association test) Are there any of the variants associated with the disease, and (ii) (Causal variant detection) Which variants, if any, are driving the association. The BRVD ensures the causal rare variants to be consistently identified in the small-n-large-P situation by imposing some appropriate prior distributions on the model and model specific parameters. The numerical results indicate that the BRVD is more powerful for testing the global association than the existing methods, such as the combined multivariate and collapsing test, weighted sum statistic test, RARECOVER, sequence kernel association test, and Bayesian risk index, and also more powerful for identification of causal rare variants than the Bayesian risk index method. The BRVD has also been successfully applied to the Early-Onset Myocardial Infarction (EOMI) Exome Sequence Data. It identified a few causal rare variants that have been verified in the literature.

Bayesian detection of causal rare variants under posterior consistency.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faming Liang

Full Text Available Identification of causal rare variants that are associated with complex traits poses a central challenge on genome-wide association studies. However, most current research focuses only on testing the global association whether the rare variants in a given genomic region are collectively associated with the trait. Although some recent work, e.g., the Bayesian risk index method, have tried to address this problem, it is unclear whether the causal rare variants can be consistently identified by them in the small-n-large-P situation. We develop a new Bayesian method, the so-called Bayesian Rare Variant Detector (BRVD, to tackle this problem. The new method simultaneously addresses two issues: (i (Global association test Are there any of the variants associated with the disease, and (ii (Causal variant detection Which variants, if any, are driving the association. The BRVD ensures the causal rare variants to be consistently identified in the small-n-large-P situation by imposing some appropriate prior distributions on the model and model specific parameters. The numerical results indicate that the BRVD is more powerful for testing the global association than the existing methods, such as the combined multivariate and collapsing test, weighted sum statistic test, RARECOVER, sequence kernel association test, and Bayesian risk index, and also more powerful for identification of causal rare variants than the Bayesian risk index method. The BRVD has also been successfully applied to the Early-Onset Myocardial Infarction (EOMI Exome Sequence Data. It identified a few causal rare variants that have been verified in the literature.

Bayesian detection of causal rare variants under posterior consistency.

KAUST Repository

Liang, Faming; Xiong, Momiao

2013-01-01

Identification of causal rare variants that are associated with complex traits poses a central challenge on genome-wide association studies. However, most current research focuses only on testing the global association whether the rare variants in a given genomic region are collectively associated with the trait. Although some recent work, e.g., the Bayesian risk index method, have tried to address this problem, it is unclear whether the causal rare variants can be consistently identified by them in the small-n-large-P situation. We develop a new Bayesian method, the so-called Bayesian Rare Variant Detector (BRVD), to tackle this problem. The new method simultaneously addresses two issues: (i) (Global association test) Are there any of the variants associated with the disease, and (ii) (Causal variant detection) Which variants, if any, are driving the association. The BRVD ensures the causal rare variants to be consistently identified in the small-n-large-P situation by imposing some appropriate prior distributions on the model and model specific parameters. The numerical results indicate that the BRVD is more powerful for testing the global association than the existing methods, such as the combined multivariate and collapsing test, weighted sum statistic test, RARECOVER, sequence kernel association test, and Bayesian risk index, and also more powerful for identification of causal rare variants than the Bayesian risk index method. The BRVD has also been successfully applied to the Early-Onset Myocardial Infarction (EOMI) Exome Sequence Data. It identified a few causal rare variants that have been verified in the literature.

Amino acid changes in disease-associated variants differ radically from variants observed in the 1000 genomes project dataset.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tjaart A P de Beer

Full Text Available The 1000 Genomes Project data provides a natural background dataset for amino acid germline mutations in humans. Since the direction of mutation is known, the amino acid exchange matrix generated from the observed nucleotide variants is asymmetric and the mutabilities of the different amino acids are very different. These differences predominantly reflect preferences for nucleotide mutations in the DNA (especially the high mutation rate of the CpG dinucleotide, which makes arginine mutability very much higher than other amino acids rather than selection imposed by protein structure constraints, although there is evidence for the latter as well. The variants occur predominantly on the surface of proteins (82%, with a slight preference for sites which are more exposed and less well conserved than random. Mutations to functional residues occur about half as often as expected by chance. The disease-associated amino acid variant distributions in OMIM are radically different from those expected on the basis of the 1000 Genomes dataset. The disease-associated variants preferentially occur in more conserved sites, compared to 1000 Genomes mutations. Many of the amino acid exchange profiles appear to exhibit an anti-correlation, with common exchanges in one dataset being rare in the other. Disease-associated variants exhibit more extreme differences in amino acid size and hydrophobicity. More modelling of the mutational processes at the nucleotide level is needed, but these observations should contribute to an improved prediction of the effects of specific variants in humans.

Electrophoretic variants of blood proteins in japanese, 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Mikio; Satoh, Chiyoko; Asakawa, Jun-ichi; Nagahata, Yuko; Tanaka, Yoshiko; Hazama, Ryuji; Goriki, Kazuaki.

1985-08-01

The plasma ceruloplasmin (CP) of 22,367 children of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was examined for variants by electrophoresis. The sample was composed of 14,964 unrelated children and 7,403 siblings of the unrelated persons. A total of seven types of electrophoretic variants were detected; four migrating anodally and three cathodally to the normal B band. We have reported two of these variants, CP A sub(NG1) and CP C sub(NG1), previously but the other five, CP A sub(NG2), CP A sub(HR1), CP A sub(HR2), CP C sub(HR1), and CP C sub(HR2), are newly identified. The allelic frequency of CP*CNG1 was 0.00916, so that the variant is considered to be a polymorphic allele. Homozygosity for the CP*CNG1 allele was detected in five individuals. This is the first report of a homozygous phenotype for a CP variant in a Japanese population. Family study of the new five variants all demonstrated patterns of codominant inheritance. (author)

Genetic algorithms used for PWRs refuel management automatic optimization: a new modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapot, Jorge Luiz C.; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Fernando Carvalho da

1996-01-01

A Genetic Algorithms-based system, linking the computer codes GENESIS 5.0 and ANC through the interface ALGER, has been developed aiming the PWRs fuel management optimization. An innovative codification, the Lists Model, has been incorporated to the genetic system, which avoids the use of variants of the standard crossover operator and generates only valid loading patterns in the core. The GENESIS/ALGER/ANC system has been successfully tested in an optimization study for Angra-1 second cycle. (author)

Parameter estimation for chaotic systems with a Drift Particle Swarm Optimization method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Jun; Zhao Ji; Wu Xiaojun; Fang Wei; Cai Yujie; Xu Wenbo

2010-01-01

Inspired by the motion of electrons in metal conductors in an electric field, we propose a variant of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), called Drift Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) algorithm, and apply it in estimating the unknown parameters of chaotic dynamic systems. The principle and procedure of DPSO are presented, and the algorithm is used to identify Lorenz system and Chen system. The experiment results show that for the given parameter configurations, DPSO can identify the parameters of the systems accurately and effectively, and it may be a promising tool for chaotic system identification as well as other numerical optimization problems in physics.

Association analysis identifies ZNF750 regulatory variants in psoriasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birnbaum Ramon Y

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mutations in the ZNF750 promoter and coding regions have been previously associated with Mendelian forms of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis. ZNF750 encodes a putative zinc finger transcription factor that is highly expressed in keratinocytes and represents a candidate psoriasis gene. Methods We examined whether ZNF750 variants were associated with psoriasis in a large case-control population. We sequenced the promoter and exon regions of ZNF750 in 716 Caucasian psoriasis cases and 397 Caucasian controls. Results We identified a total of 47 variants, including 38 rare variants of which 35 were novel. Association testing identified two ZNF750 haplotypes associated with psoriasis (p ZNF750 promoter and 5' UTR variants displayed a 35-55% reduction of ZNF750 promoter activity, consistent with the promoter activity reduction seen in a Mendelian psoriasis family with a ZNF750 promoter variant. However, the rare promoter and 5' UTR variants identified in this study did not strictly segregate with the psoriasis phenotype within families. Conclusions Two haplotypes of ZNF750 and rare 5' regulatory variants of ZNF750 were found to be associated with psoriasis. These rare 5' regulatory variants, though not causal, might serve as a genetic modifier of psoriasis.