Localization effect in single crystal of RuAs_(2)

We report the magnetotransport and thermal properties of RuAs_(2) single crystal.RuAs_(2) exhibits semiconductor behavior and localization effect.The crossover from normal state to diffusive transport in the weak localization(WL)state and then to variable range hopping(VRH)transport in the strong localization state has been observed.The transitions can be reflected in the measurement of resistivity and Seebeck coefficient.Negative magnetoresistance(NMR)emerges with the appearance of localization effect and is gradually suppressed in high magnetic field.The temperature dependent phase coherence length extracted from the fittings of NMR also indicates the transition from WL to VRH.The measurement of Hall effect reveals an anomaly of temperature dependent carrier concentration caused by localization effect.Our findings show that RuAs_(2) is a suitable platform to study the localized state.

Universal spin-dependent variable range hopping in wide-band-gap oxide ferromagnetic semiconductors

This paper proposes a universal spin-dependent variable range hopping theoretical model to describe various experimental transport phenomena observed in wide-band-gap oxide ferromagnetic semiconductors with high transition metal concentration. The contributions of the ＇hard gap＇ energy, Coulomb interaction, correlation energy, and exchange interaction to the electrical transport are considered in the universal variable range hopping theoretical model. By fitting the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the experimental sheet resistance to the theoretical model, the spin polarization ratio of electrical carriers near the Fermi level and interactions between electrical carriers can be obtained.

Ferromagnetism,variable range hopping,and the anomalous Hall effect in epitaxial Co:ZnO thin film

A series of high quality single crystalline epitaxial Zn 0.95 Co 0.05 O thin films is prepared by molecular beam epitaxy.Superparamagnetism and ferromagnetism are observed when the donor density is manipulated in a range of 10 18 cm 3-10 20 cm 3 by changing the oxygen partial pressure during film growth.The conduction shows variable range hopping at low temperature and thermal activation conduction at high temperature.The ferromagnetism can be maintained up to room temperature.However,the anomalous Hall effect is observed only at low temperature and disappears above 160 K.This phenomenon can be attributed to the local ferromagnetism and the decreased optimal hopping distance at high temperatures.

A crossover from Efros–Shklovskii hopping to activated transport in a GaAs two-dimensional hole system at low temperatures

In this paper, we discuss low-temperature hopping-conductivity behavior in the insulating phase, in the absence of a magnetic field. We conduct a theoretical study of the crossover from hopping to activated transport in a GaAs two-dimensional hole system at low temperatures, finding that a crossover takes place from the Efros-Shklovskii variable-range hopping(VRH)regime to an activated regime in this system. This conductivity behavior in p-GaAs quantum wells is qualitatively consistent with the laws laid down in theories of localized electron interactions. Given sufficiently strong interactions, the holes in the localized states are able to hop collectively.

Electronic mobility in the high-carrier-density limit of ion gel gated IDTBT thin film transistors

Indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole（IDTBT） has emerged as one of the most exciting semiconducting polymers in recent years because of its high electronic mobility and charge transport along the polymer backbone. By using the recently developed ion gel gating technique we studied the charge transport of IDTBT at carrier densities up to 10^21cm^-3.While the conductivity in IDTBT was found to be enhanced by nearly six orders of magnitude by ionic gating, the charge transport in IDTBT was found to remain 3D Mott variable range hopping even down to the lowest temperature of our measurements, 12 K. The maximum mobility was found to be around 0.2 cm^2·V^-1·s^-1, lower than that of Cytop gated field effect transistors reported previously. We attribute the lower mobility to the additional disorder induced by the ionic gating.

Substituting Effect of Y in La_(0.5) Ba_(0.5) CoO_3

La 0.5- x Y x Ba 0.5 CoO 3 polycrystals were prepared by solid state reaction. The substituting effects of Y for La on the magnetic and transport properties of the materials were studied systematically. The results indicate that substitution of Y induces two effects. Firstly, the charge transfer from Y to 3d orbital of Co happens. This causes the molecular magnetic moment to decrease. Secondly, the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction of Co ions appears. When the content of Y is less than or equal to 30%, the non colinear structure of spins in materials is observed. When the content of Y is greater than 30%, the materials transit from predominant ferromagnetic state to predominant antiferromagnetic one. The conductive mechanism for the materials with different content of Y belongs to the variable range hopping conduction of polarons. The resistivity of materials increases sharply with increasing Y content.

Doping dependent metal to insulator transition in the(Bi,Pb)-2212 system:The evolution of structural and electronic properties with europium substitution

The present work investigates the effect of europium substitution on the （Bi, Pb）-2212 system in the concentration range 0.5 ≤ x ≤1.0. Phase analysis and lattice parameter calculations on the powder diffraction data and the elemental analysis of EDX show that the Eu atoms are successfully substituted into the （Bi, Pb）-2212 system. Resistivity measurements （64-300 K） reveal that the system exhibits superconductivity at x ≤ 0.5 and semiconductivity at x 〉 0.5. With the complete suppression of superconductivity which is known to be a quasi-two dimensional phenomenon in these materials, a metal to insulator transition takes place at x = 0.6 and the predominant conduction mechanism is found to be variable range hopping between localized states, resulting in macroscopic semiconducting behaviour. The results of electrical and structural properties of the doped （Bi, Pb）-2212 compounds suggest that the decrease of charge carrier concentration and the induced structural disorder are the more effective and dominant mechanisms in the origin of the metal to insulator transition and suppression of superconductivity due to Eu substitution at its Sr site.

Charge transport in conducting polyaniline co-doped with sulfosalicylic acid and dodecylbenzoyl sulfonic acid

We prepared conducting polyaniline （PAn） co-doped with sulfosalicylic acid （SSA） and dodecylbenzoyl sultonic acid （DBSA） in micro-emulsive polymerization, and studied its charge transport behaviors based on the measurement of its electrical conductivity in the temperature range between 203 K and 298 K. The conductivity was found to increase with temperature, similar to the case in semiconductors. Analyzing the experimental data with three models, namely the charge-energy-limitedtunneling model, Kivelson model and the three-dimensional variable range hopping （3D-VRH） model demonstrated that these models all describe well the charge transport behaviors of PAn co-doped with SSA and DBSA within the mentioned temperature range. From calculation with the 3D-VRH model, the hopping distance of the conducting PAn is obviously larger than its localization length. The PAn doped with SSA and DBSA enjoys desirable crystallinity due to the co-doping of two functional sulfonic acids. The macroscopic conductivity may correspond to three-dimensional transport in the network of the bundles, and the metallic islands may be attributed to quasi-one-dimensional bundles.

Changes in Streamflow Regime Due to Anthropogenic Regulations in the Humid Tropical Western Ghats, Kerala State, India

Regulation of streamflow by a reservoir creates a flow regime much different from the preimpoundment period flow regime. Hydro-Electric Projects(HEPs) commissioned in the Western Ghat regions of the Kerala State, India during the last four decades caused considerable changes in the flow regimes of the rivers of the Kerala State in southwest India. In this paper, the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration(IHA) approach proposed by Richter et al.(1996) is used to analyze flow regime changes in the Periyar and Muvattupuzha Rivers, due to the construction of the Idukki(1976), Idamalayar(1987) and Lower Periyar(1997) HEPs in the high ranges of the Western Ghats. Normal rainfall years(annual rainfall values within mean ± 0.75 standard deviation limits) are only considered in the analysis to focus on hydrologic alterations due to human activities. The mean hydrologic alteration in the Periyar River(deviation from the pre-development hydrologic indicator values) after commissioning of three HEPs is 35%. Inter-basin water transfer after power generation from the Idukki HEP resulted in a higher discharge in the adjacent Muvattupuzha River, leading to considerable changes in the hydroenvironment(mean hydrologic alterations varying between 57 to 63%). IHA parameters showing hydrologic alterations above the 67 th Percentile werefurther analyzed. For each of the pre-construction hydrologic parameters ± 1 standard deviation from the mean is set as the upper and lower management target limits. The values of each IHA parameter beyond these targets are considered as nonattainment. Considerable hydrologic alterations are observed, especially for low flows in both basins. Inter-basin transfer induced larger changes in flow parameters compared to intra-basin regulations. The study shows that under a proper water release and diversion scheme, the non-attainment of IHA parameters(values fall beyond the target limits) can be reduced. The findings of the study will be greatly beneficial to regional water management and restoration of an eco-environmental system in the humid tropical region.

Variable range hopping conduction in n-CdSe samples at very low temperature

We reanalyzed experimental data already published in Friedman J R, Zhang Y, Dai P, et al. Phys Rev B, 1996, 53（15）： 9528. Variable range hopping （VRH） conduction in the insulating three-dimensional n-CdSe samples has been studied over the entire temperature range from 0.03 to 1 K. In the absence of a magnetic field, the low temperature conductivity a of the three samples （A, B and C） obeys the Mott VRH conduction with an appropriate temperature dependence in the prefactor （a = σ0 exp [- （T0/T）]^p with p ≈ 0.25）. This behavior can be explained by a VRH model where the transport occurs by hopping between localized states in the vicinity of the Fermi level, EF, without creation of the Coulomb gap （CG）. On the contrary, no Efros-Shklovskii VRH is observed, suggesting that the density is constant in the vicinity of the EF.

Hydrological alteration and biodiversity change along the river network caused by anthropogenic activities and climate variability

Background:Population growth and intensified human activities in conjunction with climate variability continue to affect the hydrologic cycle,aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.In this regard,understanding interactions among ecosystem functions,impacts of anthropogenic interventions and those of climate variability is vital for projecting future ecosystem responses to human activities and climate forcing.The objectives of this study are to determine the ecological flow state via eco-flow index based on discharge hydrograph,to model the ecological diversity through the Shannon diversity index,and to assess the degree of hydrologic alteration using indicators of hydrologic alteration and range of variability approach in six hydrometric stations along the Zayandeh-Rud River in central Iran.The river drains into Gavkhuni Marsh.Also,the streamflow-induced potential changes for Capoeta damascina(a cyprinid fish species of the genus Capoeta),Petroleuciscus esfahani(a small cyprinid fish)and Aphanius isfahanensis(a Cyprinodontid fish)are evaluated.The outcome is expected to assist managers with understanding the effects of anthropogenic activities and climate variability on Gavkhuni aquatic ecosystems so that management options that enhance species resilience and adaptability are outlined.Results:Human activities,a primary factor influencing the natural flow regime,caused a significant increase in the minimum flow,July to March streamflow,low pulse number,and the number of reversals in most studied stations.On the contrary,some other hydrologic indices declined in value.Reservoir impoundment,the most prominent factor among human interventions,resulted in an overall alteration degree of 74.8%in streamflow.Climate variability impacted the natural flow regime in the range of low degree hydrologic alteration(27.3%).In addition,the biodiversity of the study basin,as modeled by the Shannon diversity index,had strong relevance to the annual eco-surplus and was more sensitive to summer floods and autumn hydrological droughts than other factors.Conclusions:This study corroborates the effectiveness of scenario-based hydrological modeling framework in evaluating the impacts of climate variability and human activities imposed on natural flow metrics.Additionally,the recently introduced eco-flow metrics based on discharge hydrographs and the Shannon diversity index based on indicators of hydrological alteration may be adopted in basins lacking ecological data.These two indices can effectively identify the most prominent factors in hydrological alteration and biodiversity change through a river network and may provide scientific decision-making support for water resource management in the study area.

Wideband, 50 dB Attenuation Range Liquid Crystal Based Variable Optical Attenuator

A compact variable optical attenuator, covering C and L bands with over 50 dB attenuation range, is realized using a single liquid crystal cell with a tilted fused silica coating compensating the cell's small residual birefringence.

An experimental method for squealer tip flow field considering relative casing motion

Squealer tip is widely used in turbines to reduce tip leakage loss.In typical turbine environment,the squealer tip leakage flow is affected by multiple factors such as the relative casing motion and the wide range of variable incidence angles.The development of experimental methods which can accurately model the real turbine environment and influencing factors is of great significance to study the squealer tip leakage flow mechanism.In the present paper,a low-speed turbine cascade test facility which can model the relative casing motion and wide range of variable incidence angles(-25°to 55°)is built.Based on the similarity criteria,a high-low speed similarity transformation method of the turbine cascade is established by considering the thickness of the turbine blade.A combined testing method of Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV)and local pressure measurement is proposed to obtain the complex flow structures within the tip cavity.The results show that the experimental method can successfully model the relative casing motion and the wide range of variable incidence angles.The low-speed cascade obtained by the similarity transformation can model the high-speed flow accurately.The measurement technique developed can obtain the complex flow field and successfully capture the scraping vortex within the squealer tip.

Trajectory from beech and oak forests to eastern broadleaf forests in Indiana, USA

Background:Historical forests(circa 1799 to 1846)of Indiana were predominantly composed of American beech(25%of all trees)and upland oaks(27%of all trees).I compared historical forest composition,using studies of smaller areas to approximate composition for uncommon species or genera(<4.5%of all trees)and forest types,to current forest composition and forest types in Indiana.I also compiled published historical density estimates from small studies and estimated current density for the state.Results:Current forests are diverse with an even composition of many eastern broadleaf species.In addition to upland oaks,which decreased to 13%of all trees,only sugar maple currently comprises greater than 10%of all trees.Other increasing species were yellow-poplar,red maple,black cherry,and eastern redcedar.Eastern redcedar increased from no presence to one of the most abundant ten species(≥3.5%of composition),similarly to the pine genus,becoming more common currently than American beech.Beech or oak or beech-oak forest types(≥24%of all trees)became eastern broadleaf forests,with no dominant species,and black cherry,red maple,and eastern redcedar forest types now occurred.Estimates of historical oak or beech forests ranged from 28 trees per hectare to 175 trees per hectare,which probably represent savannas and woodlands.Current mean density of Indiana forests is 385 trees per hectare,ranging from 180 trees per hectare to 450 trees per hectare.These forests likely contain dense layers of woody vegetation,filling the midstory and replacing herbaceous vegetation in the ground layer.Conclusion:Historically dominant beech and oak forests in the eastern United States have transitioned to an alternative state of closed eastern broadleaf forests due to uncontrolled establishment of many tree species.

Buildup of Sn@CNT nanorods by in-situ thermal plasma and the electronic transport behaviors

Monocrystal Sn nanorods encapsulated in the multi-walled carbon nanotubes(Sn@CNT NRs), were fabricated by a facile arc-discharge plasma process, using bulk Sn as the raw target and methane as the gaseous carbon source. The typical Sn@CNT NRs are 40–90 nm in diameter and400–500 nm in length. The CNTs protect the inner Sn nanorods from oxidation. Temperature dependent I–V curve and electronic resistance reveal that the dielectric behavior of Sn@CNT NRs is attributed to the multi-wall CNTs shell and follows Mott-David variable range hopping [ln R(T)∝T-1/4]model above the superconducting critical temperature of3.69 K, with semiconductor–superconductor transition(SST).Josephson junction of Sn/CNT/Sn layered structure is responsible for the superconducting behavior of Sn@CNT NRs.

Quantifying local fire regimes using the Landsat data-archive:a conceptual framework to derive detailed fire pattern metrics from pixel-level information

Free and open access to the Landsat archive has enabled the detection and delineation of an unprecedented number of fire events across the globe.Despite the availability and potential of these data,few studies have analysed residual vegetation patterns and/or partial mortality of fire across the Canadian boreal forest,and those available,are either incomplete or inaccurate.Further,they all differ in the methods and spatial language,which makes it difficult for managers to interpret fire patterns over large areas.There is an urgent need for methods to help unify fire pattern observations across the Canadian boreal forest.This study explores the capacity of the Landsat data archive when coupled with a recently developed fire mapping approach and a robust spatial language to characterize and compare tree mortality patterns across the boreal plains ecozone,Canada.With 507 fires 2.5 Mha mapped,this study represents the most comprehensive analysis of mortality patterns for study area.Summaries from this demonstration generated an accurate characterization of the fire patterns the various ecoregions based on seven key fire metrics.The comparison between ecoregions revealed differences in the amount of residual vegetation,which in turn suggested various climate,topography and/or vegetation ecosystem drivers.