The paper reviews previous publications and reports some comments about a semi empirical model of the growth and decay process of a planktonic microbial culture. After summarizing and reshaping some fundamental mathem...The paper reviews previous publications and reports some comments about a semi empirical model of the growth and decay process of a planktonic microbial culture. After summarizing and reshaping some fundamental mathematical expressions, the paper highlights the reasons for the choice of a suitable time origin that makes the parameters of the model self-consistent. Besides the potential applications to predictive microbiology studies and to effects of bactericidal drugs, the model allows a suitable proxy of the fitness of the microbial culture, which can be of interest for the studies on the evolution across some thousand generations of a Long Term Evolution Experiment.展开更多
Ever since discovery of graphene,two-dimensional(2D)materials become a new tool box for information technology.Among the 2D family,ultrathin bismuth(Bi)has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to it...Ever since discovery of graphene,two-dimensional(2D)materials become a new tool box for information technology.Among the 2D family,ultrathin bismuth(Bi)has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to its unique topological insulating properties and large magnetoresistance.However,the scalable synthesis of layered Bi ultrathin films is rarely been reported,which would greatly restrict further fundamental investigation and practical device development.Here,we demonstrate the direct growth of homogeneous and centimeter-scale layered Bi films by pulsed laser deposition(PLD)technique.The as-grown Bi film exhibits high-purity phase and good crystallinity.In addition,both(111)and(110)-oriented Bi films can be synthesized by precisely controlling the processing temperature.The characterization of optical properties shows a thickness dependent band gaps(0.075-0.2 eV).Moreover,Bi thin-film-based field-effect transistors have been demonstrated,exhibiting a large carrier mobility of 220 cm2 V−1 s−1.Our work suggests that the PLD-grown Bi films would hold the potential to develop spintronic applications,electronic and optoelectronic devices used for information science and technology.展开更多
How to obtain fast-growth errors, which is comparable to the actual forecast growth error, is a crucial problem in ensemble forecast （EF）. The method, Breeding of Growth Modes （BGM）, which has been used to generat...How to obtain fast-growth errors, which is comparable to the actual forecast growth error, is a crucial problem in ensemble forecast （EF）. The method, Breeding of Growth Modes （BGM）, which has been used to generate perturbations for medium-range EF at NCEP, simulates the development of fast-growth errors in the analysis cycle, and is a reasonable choice in capturing growing errors modes, especially for extreme weather by BGM. An ideal supercell storm, simulated by Weather Research Forecast model （WRF）, occurred in central Oklahoma on 20 May 1977. This simulation was used to study the application of BGM methods in the meso-scale strong convective Ensemble Prediction System （EPS）. We compared the forecasting skills of EPS by different pertubation methods, like Monte-Carlo and BGM. The results show that the ensemble average forecast based on Monte-Carlo with statistics meaning is superior to the single-deterministic prediction, but a less dynamic process of the method leads to a smaller spread than expected. The fast-growth errors of BGM are comparable to the actual short-range forecast error and a more appropriate ensemble spread. Considering evaluation indexes and scores, the forecast skills of EPS by BGM is higher than Monte-Carlo＇s. Furthermore, various breeding cycles have different effects on precipitation and non-precipitation fields, confirmation of reasonable cycles need consider balance between variables.展开更多
The stress in the oxide film plays an important role to keep it intact so it is necessary to determine the stress in the oxide scale. Average growth stresses in Cr 2O 3 scales formed on Ni base alloy (Ni80Cr20) at 1?0...The stress in the oxide film plays an important role to keep it intact so it is necessary to determine the stress in the oxide scale. Average growth stresses in Cr 2O 3 scales formed on Ni base alloy (Ni80Cr20) at 1?000?℃ in air were investigated by a novel deflection technique. It is found that the growth stress in the oxide scale is basically compressive and its average order is 100?MPa. The stress values are high for the thin scales and become low for thick scales after oxidized for 10?h. The planar stress distribution in metals is complex. It is both compressive and tensile at the beginning of oxidation procedure, and then become only tensile during further oxidation.展开更多
The construction industry in most developing economies is dominated heavily by small and medium scale enterprises. These construction enterprises need to thrive in an extremely competitive business environment. Conver...The construction industry in most developing economies is dominated heavily by small and medium scale enterprises. These construction enterprises need to thrive in an extremely competitive business environment. Conversely, most of these small and medium scale construction enterprises (SMSCE) are fraught with a plethora of barriers that inhibit and threaten their growth and survival. This research sought to evaluate the critical barriers that affect the growth of SMSCEs in the Ghanaian Construction Industry. The quantitative research method was adopted using a structured questionnaire with variables that were identified through a comprehensive literature review. The survey questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents comprising 250 SMSCEs, 100 Local Authority Engineers, and 50 Consultants to elicit data based on the identified variables. The major findings established by the study as barriers to the growth of SMSCEs in Ghana are largely structured as financial/fiscal barriers, business development barriers, technical/technological barriers, corruption barriers, knowledge management barriers, project acquisition barriers. A guiding framework should be developed based on the barriers identified to aid the growth and survival of SMSCEs in Ghana.展开更多
文摘The paper reviews previous publications and reports some comments about a semi empirical model of the growth and decay process of a planktonic microbial culture. After summarizing and reshaping some fundamental mathematical expressions, the paper highlights the reasons for the choice of a suitable time origin that makes the parameters of the model self-consistent. Besides the potential applications to predictive microbiology studies and to effects of bactericidal drugs, the model allows a suitable proxy of the fitness of the microbial culture, which can be of interest for the studies on the evolution across some thousand generations of a Long Term Evolution Experiment.
基金This work was supported by the grants from Research Grants Council of Hong Kong CRF No.C7036-17WGRF No.PolyU 153033/17PPolyU Grant No.G-UABC.
文摘Ever since discovery of graphene,two-dimensional(2D)materials become a new tool box for information technology.Among the 2D family,ultrathin bismuth(Bi)has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years due to its unique topological insulating properties and large magnetoresistance.However,the scalable synthesis of layered Bi ultrathin films is rarely been reported,which would greatly restrict further fundamental investigation and practical device development.Here,we demonstrate the direct growth of homogeneous and centimeter-scale layered Bi films by pulsed laser deposition(PLD)technique.The as-grown Bi film exhibits high-purity phase and good crystallinity.In addition,both(111)and(110)-oriented Bi films can be synthesized by precisely controlling the processing temperature.The characterization of optical properties shows a thickness dependent band gaps(0.075-0.2 eV).Moreover,Bi thin-film-based field-effect transistors have been demonstrated,exhibiting a large carrier mobility of 220 cm2 V−1 s−1.Our work suggests that the PLD-grown Bi films would hold the potential to develop spintronic applications,electronic and optoelectronic devices used for information science and technology.
基金supported jointly by the Nature Science Foundation of China (Project No:40875068)Public-Welfare Meteorological Research Foundation (ProjectNo:GYHY200806029)
文摘How to obtain fast-growth errors, which is comparable to the actual forecast growth error, is a crucial problem in ensemble forecast （EF）. The method, Breeding of Growth Modes （BGM）, which has been used to generate perturbations for medium-range EF at NCEP, simulates the development of fast-growth errors in the analysis cycle, and is a reasonable choice in capturing growing errors modes, especially for extreme weather by BGM. An ideal supercell storm, simulated by Weather Research Forecast model （WRF）, occurred in central Oklahoma on 20 May 1977. This simulation was used to study the application of BGM methods in the meso-scale strong convective Ensemble Prediction System （EPS）. We compared the forecasting skills of EPS by different pertubation methods, like Monte-Carlo and BGM. The results show that the ensemble average forecast based on Monte-Carlo with statistics meaning is superior to the single-deterministic prediction, but a less dynamic process of the method leads to a smaller spread than expected. The fast-growth errors of BGM are comparable to the actual short-range forecast error and a more appropriate ensemble spread. Considering evaluation indexes and scores, the forecast skills of EPS by BGM is higher than Monte-Carlo＇s. Furthermore, various breeding cycles have different effects on precipitation and non-precipitation fields, confirmation of reasonable cycles need consider balance between variables.
文摘The stress in the oxide film plays an important role to keep it intact so it is necessary to determine the stress in the oxide scale. Average growth stresses in Cr 2O 3 scales formed on Ni base alloy (Ni80Cr20) at 1?000?℃ in air were investigated by a novel deflection technique. It is found that the growth stress in the oxide scale is basically compressive and its average order is 100?MPa. The stress values are high for the thin scales and become low for thick scales after oxidized for 10?h. The planar stress distribution in metals is complex. It is both compressive and tensile at the beginning of oxidation procedure, and then become only tensile during further oxidation.
文摘The construction industry in most developing economies is dominated heavily by small and medium scale enterprises. These construction enterprises need to thrive in an extremely competitive business environment. Conversely, most of these small and medium scale construction enterprises (SMSCE) are fraught with a plethora of barriers that inhibit and threaten their growth and survival. This research sought to evaluate the critical barriers that affect the growth of SMSCEs in the Ghanaian Construction Industry. The quantitative research method was adopted using a structured questionnaire with variables that were identified through a comprehensive literature review. The survey questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents comprising 250 SMSCEs, 100 Local Authority Engineers, and 50 Consultants to elicit data based on the identified variables. The major findings established by the study as barriers to the growth of SMSCEs in Ghana are largely structured as financial/fiscal barriers, business development barriers, technical/technological barriers, corruption barriers, knowledge management barriers, project acquisition barriers. A guiding framework should be developed based on the barriers identified to aid the growth and survival of SMSCEs in Ghana.
