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The physical properties and their pressure dependence of recently synthesized Ti2AlX (X = B, C, and N) MAX phases are investigated for the very first time applying density functional theory (DFT).

Statically typed languages offer numerous benefits to developers, such as improved code quality and reduced runtime errors, but they also require the overhead of manual type annotations. To mitigate this burden, language designers have started incorporating support for type inference, where the compiler infers the type of a variable based on its declaration/usage context. As a result, type annotations are optional in certain contexts, and developers are empowered to use type inference in these situations. However, the usage patterns of type annotations in languages that support type inference are unclear. These patterns can help provide evidence for further research in program comprehension, in language design, and for education. We conduct a large-scale empirical study using Boa, a tool for mining software repositories, to investigate when and where developers use type inference in 498,963 Kotlin projects. We choose Kotlin because it is the default language for Android development, one of the largest software marketplaces. Additionally, Kotlin has supported declaration-site optional type annotations from its initial release. Our findings reveal that type inference is frequently employed for local variables and variables initialized with method calls declared outside the file are more likely to use type inference. These results have significant implications for language designers, providing valuable insight into where to allow type inference and how to optimize type inference algorithms for maximum efficiency, ultimately improving the development experience for developers.

Double perovskite halides are promising materials for renewable energy production, meeting the criteria to address energy scarcity issues. As a result, studying these halides could be useful for optoelectronic and solar cell applications. In this study, we investigated the structural, mechanical, thermodynamic, electronic, and optical properties of A2AgIrCl6 (A = Cs, Rb, K) double perovskite halides using density functional theory calculations with the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) approach, aiming to evaluate their suitability for renewable energy devices. The Goldsmith tolerance factor, octahedral factor, and new tolerance factor have confirmed the cubic stability of the predicted compounds. We have also verified the thermodynamic stability of these compounds by calculating the formation enthalpy, binding energy, and phonon dispersion curves. Additionally, Born-Huang stability requirements on stiffness constants confirmed the mechanical stability of the titled compounds. To predict the accurate optoelectronic properties, we employed the TB-mBJ potential. The electronic band structure calculations revealed that the titled halides exhibit a direct band gap semiconducting nature with values of 1.43 eV, 1.50 eV, and 1.55 eV for Cs2AgIrCl6, Rb2AgIrCl6, and K2AgIrCl6, respectively. Besides, all these compounds showed remarkably low effective electron masses, indicating their potential for high carrier mobility. Furthermore, the optical properties of A2AgIrCl6 (A = Cs, Rb, K) compounds demonstrated very low reflectivity and excellent light absorption coefficients (105 cm-1) in the visible light spectrum, suggesting their suitability as an absorbing layer in solar cells. The photoconductivity and absorption spectra of these compounds validate the accuracy of our band structure results., Comment: 38 pages

We report new pion electroproduction measurements in the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance, utilizing the SHMS - HMS magnetic spectrometers of Hall C at Jefferson Lab. The data focus on a region that exhibits a strong and rapidly changing interplay of the mesonic cloud and quark-gluon dynamics in the nucleon. The results are in reasonable agreement with models that employ pion cloud effects and chiral effective field theory calculations, but at the same time they suggest that an improvement is required to the theoretical calculations and provide valuable input that will allow their refinements. The data illustrate the potential of the magnetic spectrometers setup in Hall C towards the study the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance. These first reported results will be followed by a series of measurements in Hall C, that will expand the studies of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance offering a high precision insight within a wide kinematic range from low to high momentum transfers.

In the realm of cyber-security, detecting Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) remains a formidable challenge due to their stealthy and sophisticated nature. This research paper presents an innovative approach that leverages Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with a 2D baseline model, enhanced by the cutting-edge Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO) algorithm, to significantly improve APT detection accuracy. By seamlessly integrating the 2D-CNN baseline model with CSO, we unlock the potential for unprecedented accuracy and efficiency in APT detection. The results unveil an impressive accuracy score of $98.4\%$, marking a significant enhancement in APT detection across various attack stages, illuminating a path forward in combating these relentless and sophisticated threats., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

The MUon Scattering Experiment (MUSE) was motivated by the proton radius puzzle arising from the discrepancy between muonic hydrogen spectroscopy and electron-proton measurements. The MUSE physics goals also include testing lepton universality, precisely measuring two-photon exchange contribution, and testing radiative corrections. MUSE addresses these physics goals through simultaneous measurement of high precision cross sections for electron-proton and muon-proton scattering using a mixed-species beam. The experiment will run at both positive and negative beam polarities. Measuring precise cross sections requires understanding both the incident beam energy and the radiative corrections. For this purpose, a lead-glass calorimeter was installed at the end of the beam line in the MUSE detector system. In this article we discuss the detector specifications, calibration and performance. We demonstrate that the detector performance is well reproduced by simulation, and meets experimental requirements.

Real-time monitoring of dynamic biological processes in the body is critical to understanding disease progression and treatment response. This data, for instance, can help address the lower than 50% response rates to cancer immunotherapy. However, current clinical imaging modalities lack the molecular contrast, resolution, and chronic usability for rapid and accurate response assessments. Here, we present a fully wireless image sensor featuring a 2.5$\times$5 mm$^2$ CMOS integrated circuit for multicolor fluorescence imaging deep in tissue. The sensor operates wirelessly via ultrasound (US) at 5 cm depth in oil, harvesting energy with 221 mW/cm$^{2}$ incident US power density (31% of FDA limits) and backscattering data at 13 kbps with a bit error rate <$10^{-6}$. In-situ fluorescence excitation is provided by micro-laser diodes controlled with a programmable on-chip driver. An optical frontend combining a multi-bandpass interference filter and a fiber optic plate provides >6 OD excitation blocking and enables three-color imaging for detecting multiple cell types. A 36$\times$40-pixel array captures images with <125 $\mu$m resolution. We demonstrate wireless, dual-color fluorescence imaging of both effector and suppressor immune cells in ex vivo mouse tumor samples with and without immunotherapy. These results show promise for providing rapid insight into therapeutic response and resistance, guiding personalized medicine., Comment: *equally contributing authors

This paper proposes a novel Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach for sim-to-real policy transfer of Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTOL-UAV). The proposed approach is designed for VTOL-UAV landing on offshore docking stations in maritime operations. VTOL-UAVs in maritime operations encounter limitations in their operational range, primarily stemming from constraints imposed by their battery capacity. The concept of autonomous landing on a charging platform presents an intriguing prospect for mitigating these limitations by facilitating battery charging and data transfer. However, current Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) methods exhibit drawbacks, including lengthy training times, and modest success rates. In this paper, we tackle these concerns comprehensively by decomposing the landing procedure into a sequence of more manageable but analogous tasks in terms of an approach phase and a landing phase. The proposed architecture utilizes a model-based control scheme for the approach phase, where the VTOL-UAV is approaching the offshore docking station. In the Landing phase, DRL agents were trained offline to learn the optimal policy to dock on the offshore station. The Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) spectrum model has been employed to create a wave model for each episode, enhancing policy generalization for sim2real transfer. A set of DRL algorithms have been tested through numerical simulations including value-based agents and policy-based agents such as Deep \textit{Q} Networks (DQN) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) respectively. The numerical experiments show that the PPO agent can learn complicated and efficient policies to land in uncertain environments, which in turn enhances the likelihood of successful sim-to-real transfer.

This paper presents the phase stability, opto-electronic and thermo-electric behavior of X2AuYZ6 (X = Cs, Rb; Z = Cl/Br/I) double perovskite halides by using the DFT method. The compounds belong to the cubic arrangement and are verified by the tolerance and octahedral factor. Formation enthalpy and binding energy meet the requirements of structural stability. The ductility behavior was also confirmed by the Cauchy pressure, Pugh's ratio, and Poisson's ratio. The positive frequency of phonon dispersion except Rb2AuYI6 compound shows the dynamical stability and the negative formation energy of each identified competing phase confirms the thermo-dynamic equilibrium of all compounds. The band gap values of 2.85(2.91), 2.35(2.40), and 1.74(1.78) eV of Cs2AuYZ6 (Rb2AuYZ6) [Z = Cl, Br, I) double perovskites has been explored in the context of optoelectronic properties, and the results show that these materials might be useful in such devices. The spectral optical response covers the visible-to-UV area, which governs the solar cell and thermo-electric device applications. A comprehensive study of thermo-electric properties such as the thermal conductivity (electrical and electronic part), carrier concentration, thermo-power, and figure of merit was also observed. The investigated compounds [Cs (Rb)-based] exhibit ZT values of 0.51(0.55), 0.53(0.62), and 0.58(0.75) at room temperature with Cl, Br, and I respectively. Additional routine work was also done on the thermo-mechanical characteristics. These studies provide in-depth knowledge of these materials in preparation for their future use.

In this article, we introduce an innovative parametric representation of the Hubble parameter, providing a model-independent means to explore the dynamics of an accelerating cosmos. The model's parameters are rigorously constrained through a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach, leveraging a comprehensive dataset consisting of 31 data points from cosmic chronometers (CC), 1701 updated observations of Pantheon supernovae type Ia (SNeIa), and 6 data points from baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO). Our analysis delves into the behavior of various cosmological parameters within the model, including the transition from a decelerating phase to an accelerating one, as well as the density parameters and the equation of state (EoS) parameter. The outcomes of our investigation reveal that the equation of state parameter aligns with characteristics reminiscent of the phantom model, supporting the prevailing understanding of our universe's current state of acceleration. This research contributes valuable insights into the ongoing cosmic expansion and underscores the utility of our novel parametric approach., Comment: Journal of High Energy Astrophysics accepted version

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are extremely powerful explosions that have been traditionally classified into two categories: long bursts (LGRBs) with an observed duration T90 > 2 s, and short bursts (SGRBs) with an observed duration T90 < 2 s, where T90 is the time interval during which 90% of the fluence is detected. LGRBs are believed to emanate from the core-collapse of massive stars, while SGRBs are believed to result from the merging of two compact objects, like two neutron stars. Because LGRBs are produced by the violent death of massive stars, we expect that their redshift distribution should trace the star-formation rate (SFR). The purpose of our study is to investigate the extent to which the redshift distribution of LGRBs follows and reflects the SFR. We use a sample of 370 LGRBs taken from the Swift catalog, and we investigate different models for the LGRB redshift distribution. We also carry out Monte Carlo simulations to check the consistency of our results. Our results indicate that the SFR can describe the LGRB redshift distribution well for high redshift bursts, but it needs an evolution term to fit the distribution well at low redshift., Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, 45 references

Theoretical investigation of Dirac electrons in electrically modulated graphene under perpendicular magnetic field B is presented. We have carried out a detailed study of modulation effect on Dirac electrons, which determine its electrical transport properties. The periodic potential broadens the Landau levels (LL), which oscillate with magnetic field B and a comparison made with two-dimensional electron gas system (2DEGS). We have found the effect of Hall conductivity on electronic conduction in this system. In addition, we find that Hall conductivity exhibits Weiss oscillations and Shubnikov de Haas (SdH) oscillations. The effect of temperature and the period of periodic potential on these oscillations are studied in this work. Furthermore, an integral quantum Hall effect in graphene is also discussed.

In this study, the effects of sulfur substitution on the structural, mechanical, electronic, optical, and thermodynamic properties of RbTaO3-xSx have been investigated using the WIEN2k code in the framework of density functional theory (DFT). The cubic phase of RbTaO3 transforms to tetragonal for RbTaO2S and RbTaOS2, the later transforms again to a cubic phase with added sulfur for RbTaS3. The results showed that substituting S for O anions in RbTaO3 effectively decreased the band gap from 2.717 eV to 1.438 eV, 0.286 eV, and 0.103 eV for the RbTaO3,RbTaO2S, RbTaOS2, and RbTaS3 compounds, respectively. The optical constants such as dielectric constants, refractive index, absorption coefficient, photoconductivity, reflectivity and loss function have been calculated and analyzed. The elastic constants and moduli, and their anisotropic nature were also investigated. Finally, the Debye temperature, thermal conductivity, melting temperature, specific capacities and thermal expansion coefficients were computed and analyzed using established formalisms. The reduced band gap (1.438 eV) and high absorption coefficient (~106 cm-1) of RbTaO2S makes it suitable for solar cell applications and for other visible light devices. Reduction of the band gap and phonon thermal conductivity owing to Ssubstitution is expected to enhance thermoelectric performances of the S-containing phases, Comment: 41 pages

In this work, density functional theory (DFT) is used to find out the ground state structures of A2AuScX6 (A= Cs, Rb; X= Cl, Br, I) double Perovskite (DP) halides for the first time. The DP A2AuScX6 halides were studied for their structural phase stability and optoelectronic properties in order to identify potential materials for energy harvesting systems. The stability criteria were verified by computing the formation energy, binding energy, phonon dispersion curve, stiffness constants, tolerance, and octahedral factors. The electronic band structure, carrier effective mass, density of states (DOS), and charge density distribution were calculated to reveal the nature of electronic conductivity and the chemical bonding nature present within them. For Cs2AuScX6 (Rb2AuScX6) [X = Cl, Br, I], the corresponding values of band gap [using TB-mBJ] are 1.88 (1.93), 1.68 (1.71), and 1.30 (1.32) eV. The optical constants (dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, energy loss function, photoconductivity, and reflectivity) were also calculated to get more insights into their electronic nature. For Cs2AuScX6 (Rb2AuScX6) [X = Cl, Br, I], the absorption coefficient in the visible range are 3.33 (3.45) 105 cm-1, 2.70 (2.81) 105 cm-1, and 2.13 (2.18) 105 cm-1, respectively. We also investigated the thermoelectric properties to predict promising applications in thermoelectric devices. Our calculations revealed high ZT values of 0.92, 1.07, and 1.06 for Cs2AuScX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) and 0.97, 0.99, and 1.01 for Rb2AuScX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) at 300 K. To further aid in predicting any novel materials, routine research was also done on the thermo-mechanical characteristics. The results suggest the compounds considered as potential candidates for use in solar cells and/or thermoelectric devices., Comment: 38

We present a proposal for the construction and development of a new instrument for radio astronomical observations based on interferometric techniques, that will provide high angular resolution in the 21 cm band, with the intention of improving and extending the current performance of the instruments used at the Argentine Institute of Radio Astronomy. This will allow internationally competitive scientific research and the acquisition of cutting-edge scientific and technological know-how in the aforementioned techniques, enabling interferometric measurements and the development of very long baseline or VLBI techniques. This project is called MIA, an acronym for "Multipurpose Interferometric Array".

Here we report the structural, elastic, bonding, thermo-mechanical, optoelectronic and superconducting state properties of recently discovered XIr3 (X = La, Th) superconductors utilizing the density functional theory (DFT). The elastic, bonding, thermal and optical properties of these compounds are investigated for the first time. The calculated lattice and superconducting state parameters are in reasonable agreement to those found in the literature. In the ground state, both the compounds are mechanically stable and possess highly ductile character, high machinability, low Debye temperature, low bond hardness and significantly high melting point. The thermal conductivities of the compounds are found to be very low which suggests that they can be used for thermal insulation purpose. The population analysis and charge density distribution map confirm the presence of both ionic and covalent bonds in the compounds with ionic bond playing dominant roles. The calculated band structure and DOS profiles indicate metallic character. Unlike the significant anisotropy observed in elastic and thermal properties, all the optical constants of these compounds exhibit almost isotropic behavior. The optical constants correspond very well with the electronic band structure and DOS features. We have estimated the superconducting transition temperature of the compounds in this work.

We propose to conduct a measurement of the Virtual Compton Scattering reaction in Hall C that will allow the precise extraction of the two scalar Generalized Polarizabilities (GPs) of the proton in the region of $Q^2=0.05~(GeV/c)^2$ to $Q^2=0.50~(GeV/c)^2$. The Generalized Polarizabilities are fundamental properties of the proton, that characterize the system's response to an external electromagnetic (EM) field. They describe how easily the charge and magnetization distributions inside the system are distorted by the EM field, mapping out the resulting deformation of the densities in the proton. As such, they reveal unique information regarding the underlying system dynamics and provide a key for decoding the proton structure in terms of the theory of the strong interaction that binds its elementary quark and gluon constituents together. Recent measurements of the proton GPs have challenged the theoretical predictions, particularly in regard to the electric polarizability. The magnetic GP, on the other hand, can provide valuable insight to the competing paramagnetic and diamagnetic contributions in the proton, but it is poorly known within the region where the interplay of these processes is very dynamic and rapidly changing.The unique capabilities of Hall C, namely the high resolution of the spectrometers combined with the ability to place the spectrometers in small angles, will allow to pin down the dynamic signature of the GPs through high precision measurements combined with a fine mapping as a function of $Q^2$. The experimental setup utilizes standard Hall C equipment, as was previously employed in the VCS-I (E12-15-001) experiment, namely the HMS and SHMS spectrometers and a 10 cm liquid hydrogen target. A total of 59 days of unpolarized 75 $\mu A$ electron beam with energy of 1100 MeV (6 days) and 2200 MeV (53 days) is requested for this experiment.

We have looked into the structural, mechanical, optoelectronic, superconducting state and thermophysical aspects of intermetallic compound Zr$_3$Ir using the density functional theory (DFT). Many of the physical properties, including direction dependent mechanical properties, Vickers hardness, optical properties, chemical bonding nature, and charge density distributions, are being investigated for the first time. According to this study, Zr$_3$Ir exhibits ductile features, high machinability, significant metallic bonding, a low Vickers hardness with low Debye temperature, and a modest level of elastic anisotropy. The mechanical and dynamical stabilities of Zr$_3$Ir have been confirmed. The metallic nature of Zr$_3$Ir is seen in the electronic band structures with a high electronic energy density of states at the Fermi level. The bonding nature has been explored by the charge density mapping and bond population analysis. The tetragonal Zr$_3$Ir shows a remarkable electronic stability, as confirmed by the presence of a pseudogap in the electronic energy density of states at the Fermi level between the bonding and antibonding states. Optical parameters show very good agreement with the electronic properties. The reflectivity spectra reveal that Zr$_3$Ir is a good reflector in the infrared and near-visible regions. Zr$_3$Ir is an excellent ultra-violet (UV) radiation absorber. High refractive index at visible photon energies indicates that Zr$_3$Ir could be used to improve the visual aspects of electronic displays. All the optical constants exhibit a moderate degree of anisotropy. Zr$_3$Ir has a moderate melting point, high damage tolerance, and very low minimum thermal conductivity. The thermomechanical characteristics of Zr$_3$Ir reveal that it is a potential thermal barrier coating material. The superconducting state parameters of Zr$_3$Ir are also explored.

In this work, density functional theory (DFT) based calculations were performed to compute the physical properties (structural stability, mechanical behavior, electronic, thermodynamic, and optical properties) of synthesized MAX phases Hf2SB, Hf2SC, Hf2SeB, Hf2SeC, Hf2TeB, and the as-yet-undiscovered MAX carbide phase Hf2TeC. Calculations of formation energy, phonon dispersion curves, and elastic constants confirmed the stability of the aforementioned compounds. The obtained values of lattice parameters, elastic constants, and elastic moduli of Hf2SB, Hf2SC, Hf2SeB, Hf2SeC, and Hf2TeB showed fair agreement with earlier studies, whereas the values of the mentioned parameters for the predicted Hf2TeC exhibit a good consequence of B replacement by C. The anisotropic mechanical properties are exhibited by the considered MAX phases. The metallic nature and its anisotropic behavior were revealed by the electronic band structure and density of states. The analysis of the thermal properties Debye temperature, melting temperature, minimum thermal conductivity, and Gruneisen parameter confirmed that the carbide phases were more suited than the boride phases considered herein. The MAX phase response to incoming photons further demonstrated that they were metallic. Their suitability for use as coating materials to prevent solar heating was demonstrated by the reflectivity spectra. Additionally, this study demonstrated the impact of B replacing C in the MAX phases., Comment: 38 pages

In this paper, we have presented a comprehensive study of the physical properties of Kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 using the density functional theory (DFT). The structural, mechanical, electronic, atomic bonding, hardness, thermodynamic, and optical properties, and their pressure dependences have been investigated for the first time. The calculated ground state lattice parameters and volume are in excellent agreement with available experimental results. The estimated single-crystal elastic constants ensured the mechanical stability of the compound, whereas phonon spectra endorse dynamical stability at zero pressure. The electronic band structure, energy density of states, optical properties confirmed the metallic features. The Pugh ratio, Poisson's ratio of the compound revealed softness and ductility. The hardness, estimated from several formulae, is quite low while the machinability index predicted good machinability with excellent dry lubricating properties. The compound shows tendency towards structural instability at a pressure around 18 GPa. The optical constants have also been studied to correlate those with electronic properties and to predict possible applications of this compound. Both mechanical and optical properties show anisotropy.CsV3Sb5 is predicted to be an efficient absorber of ultraviolet radiation. The compound is also an efficient reflector of visible light.

Buffaloes are farm animals that contribute to food security by providing high quality meat and milk. They can better tolerate the adverse effects of global climate change on their meat and milk production. Despite their advantages, buffaloes are heavily neglected animals with fewer studies compared to other farm animals, hence, the real potential of buffaloes has never been realized. The complete genome sequencing projects of buffaloes are essential to better understanding the buffalos biology and production since they allow scientists to identify important genes and understand how the gene networks interact to determine the critical features of buffaloes. The genome projects are also valuable for gaining better knowledge of growth, development, maintenance, and determining factors associated with increased meat and milk production. Furthermore, having access to a complete genome of high quality and comprehensive annotations provides a powerful tool in breeding programs. The current review surveyed the publicly available buffalo genome projects and studied the impact of incorporating genomic selection into the buffalo breeding program. Our survey of the publicly available buffalo genome projects showed the promise of genomic selection in developing water buffalo science and technology for food security on a global scale., Comment: two figures

There are possible benefits and drawbacks to chaining methods together, as is often done in fluent APIs. A prior study investigated how Java developers chain methods in over 2.7k open-source projects. That study observed, for the dataset analyzed, that the use of method chaining in Java is popular and seems to be increasing over time. That study however was limited to a smaller sample of Java projects, and it is also not clear if the results generalize to other languages. In this work, we first replicate the prior results by building a similar dataset and our own analysis scripts. We then extend those results by analyzing a much larger dataset of 89k Java projects and generalizing to other programming languages by analyzing 26k Kotlin projects and 98k Python projects. The results show chaining is more popular in Java and Kotlin than Python, chaining use in Kotlin is not growing, and Python sees more use in non-testing code.

The rare-earth (RE) elements [Holmium (Ho) and Ytterbium (Yb)] doped vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) with a series of doping concentrations (1 mol.%, 3 mol.%, and 5 mol.%) have been successfully synthesized using environment-friendly facile hydrothermal method. The effect of RE ions on the photocatalytic efficiency of doped V2O5 has also been analyzed. The stable orthorhombic crystal structure of doped V2O5 confirms by the X-ray diffraction with no secondary phase, and high-stressed conditions are generated for the 3 mol.%. The crystallite size, strain, and dislocation density are calculated to perceive the doping effect on the bare V2O5. The optical characteristics have been measured using UV-vis spectroscopy. The absorptions are found to be increased with increasing doping concentrations; however, the bandgap remains in the visible range. The photocatalytic properties are examined for the compounds with varying pH, and it is observed that higher efficiency is exhibited for the pH 7 and catalyst concentration 500 ppm. The highest degradation efficiency is found to be 93% and 95% for the 3 mol.% of Ho and Yb-doped V2O5 samples within 2 hours, respectively. It is elucidated that the RE ions significantly impact the catalytic behavior of V2O5, and the mechanism behind these extraordinary efficiencies has been explained thoroughly.

Sharjah-Sat-1 is a 3U cubesat with a CdZnTe based hard X-ray detector, called iXRD (improved X-ray Detector) as a scientific payload with the primary objective of monitoring bright X-ray sources in the galaxy. We investigated the effects of the in-orbit background radiation on the iXRD based on Geant4 simulations. Several background components were included in the simulations such as the cosmic diffuse gamma-rays, galactic cosmic rays (protons and alpha particles), trapped protons and electrons, and albedo radiation arising from the upper layer of the atmosphere. The most dominant component is the albedo photon radiation which contributes at low and high energies alike in the instrument energy range of 20 keV - 200 keV. On the other hand, the cosmic diffuse gamma-ray contribution is the strongest between 20 keV and 60 keV in which most of the astrophysics source flux is expected. The third effective component is the galactic cosmic protons. The radiation due to the trapped particles, the albedo neutrons, and the cosmic alpha particles are negligible when the polar regions and the South Atlantic Anomaly region are excluded in the analysis. The total background count rates are ~0.36 and ~0.85 counts/s for the energy bands of 20 - 60 keV and 20 - 200 keV, respectively. We performed charge transportation simulations to determine the spectral response of the iXRD and used it in sensitivity calculations as well. The simulation framework was validated with experimental studies. The estimated sensitivity of 180 mCrab between the energy band of 20 keV - 100 keV indicates that the iXRD could achieve its scientific goals., Comment: This preprint has not undergone peer review or any post-submission improvements or corrections. The Version of Record of this article is published in Experimental Astronomy, and is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-022-09885-2

Using density functional theory (DFT), the structural, mechanical, electronic, thermal, and optical properties of Hf2AB (A = Pb, Bi) borides were studied, considering the pressure effect up to 50 GPa. The lattice constants were found to be decreased with increasing pressure wherein the lattice constants at 0 GPa agree well with the reported values. The stability (mechanical and dynamical) of the titled compounds at different pressures was checked. The mechanical behavior was disclosed considering the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Youngs modulus, Pugh ratio, Poissons ratio, and hardness parameter at different pressures. Pugh and Poisson ratios were used to assess the brittleness and ductility of the titled borides. The anisotropic nature of mechanical properties was studied by calculating different indices and plotting 2D and 3D projections of the elastic moduli. The electronic properties were revealed by calculating the band structure, density of states, and charge density mapping at different pressures, wherein the anisotropic nature of the electronic conductivity was noted. We studied the Debye temperature, minimum thermal conductivity, Gruneisen parameter, and melting temperature of the titled borides at different pressures; the results revealed the improvement of the mentioned properties with rising pressure. The important optical constants to disclose the possible relevance in application purposes were investigated; a little pressure effect was noted. The thermal properties suggest that the titled borides could be used as thermal barrier coating (TBC) materials while the reflectivity spectra revealed their suitability to be used as cover materials for protection from solar heating.

This thesis proposes novel ternary circuits aiming to reduce energy to preserve battery consumption. The proposed designs include eight ternary logic gates, three ternary combinational circuits, and six Ternary Arithmetic Logic Units. This thesis applies the best tradeoff between reducing the number of used transistors, utilizing energy efficient transistor arrangements such as transmission gates, and applying the dual supply voltages to achieve its objective. The proposed designs are compared to the latest ternary circuits using the HSPICE simulator for different supply voltages, different temperatures, and different frequencies. Simulations are performed to prove the efficiency of the proposed designs. The results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed designs with a reduction of over 73 percent in terms of transistor count for the THA and over 88 percent in energy consumption for the STI, TNAND, TDecoder, TMUX, THA, and TMUL, respectively. Moreover, the noise immunity curve and Monte Carlo analysis for major process variations, TOX, CNT Diameter, CNT Count, and Channel length, were studied., Comment: Ph.D. Dissertation