Optimal strategies for regional cultivar testing

In undertaking cultivar trials, the variability of the response of the cultivars to the different environments in which they are grown introduces the possibility of release errors and non‐release errors in the decisions made on the basis of the trial results. In this article a model is developed that accounts for the economic costs of those errors as well as the costs of operating the trials, and enables the features of the optimal cultivar testing program to be identified. The model is illustrated by application to wheat cultivar trials in central and southern NSW.Crop Production/Industries,

Interwell relaxation times in p-Si/SiGe asymmetric quantum well structures: the role of interface roughness

We report the direct determination of nonradiative lifetimes in Si∕SiGe asymmetric quantum well structures designed to access spatially indirect (diagonal) interwell transitions between heavy-hole ground states, at photon energies below the optical phonon energy. We show both experimentally and theoretically, using a six-band k∙p model and a time-domain rate equation scheme, that, for the interface quality currently achievable experimentally (with an average step height ⩾1 Å), interface roughness will dominate all other scattering processes up to about 200 K. By comparing our results obtained for two different structures we deduce that in this regime both barrier and well widths play an important role in the determination of the carrier lifetime. Comparison with recently published experimental and theoretical data obtained for mid-infrared GaAs∕AlxGa1−xAs multiple quantum well systems leads us to the conclusion that the dominant role of interface roughness scattering at low temperature is a general feature of a wide range of semiconductor heterostructures not limited to IV-IV material

Optimizing Umkehr Ozone Profile Retrievals

NOAA Dobson Umkehr ozone profile records have been collected since the 1970s. Umkehr ozone profiles are used to monitor stratospheric ozone recovery predicted to occur by the 2050s. Current operational Dobson Umkehr profile algorithms produce data that have uncertainty on the order of ~ 5 % in the stratosphere. However, when large volcanic eruptions inject aerosols into the stratosphere, the errors can be as large as 70 %. In order to evaluate Umkehr records for aerosol-related and instrumental artifacts, we compare observations with a Hindcast simulation of the NASA Merra-2 Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) Replay (M2GMI, Orbe et al, 2017; Wargan et al, 2018) and Chemistry Transport Model (GMI CTM, Strahan et al, 2013, Strahan et al, 2016). The biases found between the models and observations are summarized for each Dobson calibration and volcanic eruption period, thus providing a reference tool for homogenization of the Umkehr time series and removal of volcanic aerosol errors

Spectroscopic investigation of quantum confinement effects in ion implanted silicon-on-sapphire films

Crystalline Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) films were implanted with boron (B$^+$) and phosphorous (P$^+$) ions. Different samples, prepared by varying the ion dose in the range $10^{14}$ to 5 x $10^{15}$ and ion energy in the range 150-350 keV, were investigated by the Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GAXRD). The Raman results from dose dependent B$^+$ implanted samples show red-shifted and asymmetrically broadened Raman line-shape for B$^+$ dose greater than $10^{14}$ ions cm$^{-2}$. The asymmetry and red shift in the Raman line-shape is explained in terms of quantum confinement of phonons in silicon nanostructures formed as a result of ion implantation. PL spectra shows size dependent visible luminescence at $\sim$ 1.9 eV at room temperature, which confirms the presence of silicon nanostructures. Raman studies on P$^+$ implanted samples were also done as a function of ion energy. The Raman results show an amorphous top SOS surface for sample implanted with 150 keV P$^+$ ions of dose 5 x $10^{15}$ ions cm$^{-2}$. The nanostructures are formed when the P$^+$ energy is increased to 350 keV by keeping the ion dose fixed. The GAXRD results show consistency with the Raman results.Comment: 9 Pages, 6 Figures and 1 Table, \LaTex format To appear in SILICON(SPRINGER

Thermal effects on electron-phonon interaction in silicon nanostructures

Raman spectra from silicon nanostructures, recorded using excitation laser power density of 1.0 kW/cm^2, is employed here to reveal the dominance of thermal effects at temperatures higher than the room temperature. Room temperature Raman spectrum shows only phonon confinement and Fano effects. Raman spectra recorded at higher temperatures show increase in FWHM and decrease in asymmetry ratio with respect to its room temperature counterpart. Experimental Raman scattering data are analyzed successfully using theoretical Raman line-shape generated by incorporating the temperature dependence of phonon dispersion relation. Experimental and theoretical temperature dependent Raman spectra are in good agreement. Although quantum confinement and Fano effects persists, heating effects start dominating at higher temperatures than room tempaerature.Comment: 9 Pages, 3 Figures and 1 Tabl

Coexistence and Survival in Conservative Lotka-Volterra Networks

Analyzing coexistence and survival scenarios of Lotka-Volterra (LV) networks in which the total biomass is conserved is of vital importance for the characterization of long-term dynamics of ecological communities. Here, we introduce a classification scheme for coexistence scenarios in these conservative LV models and quantify the extinction process by employing the Pfaffian of the network's interaction matrix. We illustrate our findings on global stability properties for general systems of four and five species and find a generalized scaling law for the extinction time

Global impacts of energy demand on the freshwater resources of nations

The growing geographic disconnect between consumption of goods, the extraction and processing of resources, and the environmental impacts associated with production activities makes it crucial to factor global trade into sustainability assessments. Using an empirically validated environmentally extended global trade model, we examine the relationship between two key resources underpinning economies and human well-being—energy and freshwater. A comparison of three energy sectors (petroleum, gas, and electricity) reveals that freshwater consumption associated with gas and electricity production is largely confined within the territorial boundaries where demand originates. This finding contrasts with petroleum, which exhibits a varying ratio of territorial to international freshwater consumption, depending on the origin of demand. For example, although the United States and China have similar demand associated with the petroleum sector, international freshwater consumption is three times higher for the former than the latter. Based on mapping patterns of freshwater consumption associated with energy sectors at subnational scales, our analysis also reveals concordance between pressure on freshwater resources associated with energy production and freshwater scarcity in a number of river basins globally. These energy-driven pressures on freshwater resources in areas distant from the origin of energy demand complicate the design of policy to ensure security of fresh water and energy supply. Although much of the debate around energy is focused on greenhouse gas emissions, our findings highlight the need to consider the full range of consequences of energy production when designing policy

Energetics and atomic mechanisms of dislocation nucleation in strained epitaxial layers

We study numerically the energetics and atomic mechanisms of misfit dislocation nucleation and stress relaxation in a two-dimensional atomistic model of strained epitaxial layers on a substrate with lattice misfit. Relaxation processes from coherent to incoherent states for different transition paths are studied using interatomic potentials of Lennard-Jones type and a systematic saddle point and transition path search method. The method is based on a combination of repulsive potential minimization and the Nudged Elastic Band method. For a final state with a single misfit dislocation, the minimum energy path and the corresponding activation barrier are obtained for different misfits and interatomic potentials. We find that the energy barrier decreases strongly with misfit. In contrast to continuous elastic theory, a strong tensile-compressive asymmetry is observed. This asymmetry can be understood as manifestation of asymmetry between repulsive and attractive branches of pair potential and it is found to depend sensitively on the form of the potential.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.