Rashba spin-orbit coupling and spin relaxation in silicon quantum wells

Silicon is a leading candidate material for spin-based devices, and two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) formed in silicon heterostructures have been proposed for both spin transport and quantum dot quantum computing applications. The key parameter for these applications is the spin relaxation time. Here we apply the theory of D'yakonov and Perel' (DP) to calculate the electron spin resonance linewidth of a silicon 2DEG due to structural inversion asymmetry for arbitrary static magnetic field direction at low temperatures. We estimate the Rashba spin-orbit coupling coefficient in silicon quantum wells and find the $T_{1}$ and $T_{2}$ times of the spins from this mechanism as a function of momentum scattering time, magnetic field, and device-specific parameters. We obtain agreement with existing data for the angular dependence of the relaxation times and show that the magnitudes are consistent with the DP mechanism. We suggest how to increase the relaxation times by appropriate device design.Comment: Extended derivations and info, fixed typos and refs, updated figs and data. Worth a re-downloa

Sexualities in Rural Spaces: Conservatism and Fundamentalism as Curriculum

Notions of sexual and gender identities seem to be troubled as people are more forth-coming with sexual and gender practices that stray beyond traditionally defined boundaries. Working within geographical locations; in particular, those that are rural, the authors explore the impact of fundamentalism, traditionalism, and conservatism as curricular elements that support the construction and maintenance of particular sexual and gender identities. Constructions of sex, gender, femininity, and masculinity are called into question and possibilities are offered for imagining identities between and beyond those that are defined through traditionalism, fundamentalism, and conservatism

Control of Josephson current by Aharonov-Casher Phase in a Rashba Ring

We study the interference effect induced by the Aharonov-Casher phase on the Josephson current through a semiconducting ring attached to superconducting leads. Using a 1D model that incorporates spin-orbit coupling in the semiconducting ring, we calculate the Andreev levels analytically and numerically, and predict oscillations of the Josephson current due to the AC phase. This result is valid from the point contact limit to the long channel length limit, as defined by the ratio of the junction length and the BCS healing length. We show in the long channel length limit that the impurity scattering has no effect on the oscillation of the Josephson current, in contrast to the case of conductivity oscillations in a spin-orbit coupled ring system attached to normal leads where impurity scattering reduces the amplitude of oscillations. Our results suggest a new scheme to measure the AC phase with, in principle, higher sensitivity. In addition, this effect allows for control of the Josephson current through the gate voltage tuned AC phase.Comment: 12pages, 8 figure

Exposure Opportunity: The Advantages of Including Men in Analyses of Female-Related Risk Factors

Abstract Intuitively, researchers do not include subjects who do not have the opportunity to be exposed, such as men in studies on oral contraceptives (OCs). We aimed to explore in which situations it is nevertheless beneficial to do so. We considered the effect of including men in case-control analyses of 8 different hypothetical data sets on the effect of OC use and venous thrombosis. In all scenarios, OC use was the exposure of interest, sex the factor that determined exposure opportunity, and air travel another risk factor. In some of these scenarios, sex and air travel were included as confounders or effect modifiers. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios. Standard errors of the estimated log odds ratios, including and excluding men, were compared. We also studied the effect of including men using data from 1999–2004 from a case-control study on risk factors for venous thrombosis, conducted in the Netherlands. In all hypothetical examples, and in the real-data study, addition of men to the analysis yielded the same odds ratios when correctly adjusting for confounding. Moreover, use of additional subjects often led to more precise estimates. We suggest that subjects who do not have the opportunity to be exposed should not routinely be excluded from epidemiologic studies

Six Military and Patriotic Illustrated Songs. Elaborately Colored. In a novel form. Series No. 1.

This publication contains the lyrics to six songs, each accompanied by a color illustration, and an advertisement on the last page. 1. Our Grandfathers\u27 Days 2. The Captain with his Whiskers 3. Want — A Substitute 4. Dixie\u27s Land 5. Young American and ould Ireland 6. Kingdom Cominghttps://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/littlejohnmss/1325/thumbnail.jp

"Toward a Clearer Definition of Confounding" Revisited With Directed Acyclic Graphs

In a 1993 paper (Am J Epidemiol. 1993;137(1):1–8), Weinberg considered whether a variable that is associated with the outcome and is affected by exposure but is not an intermediate variable between exposure and outcome should be considered a confounder in etiologic studies. As an example, she examined the common practice of adjusting for history of spontaneous abortion when estimating the effect of an exposure on the risk of spontaneous abortion. She showed algebraically that such an adjustment could substantially bias the results even though history of spontaneous abortion would meet some definitions of a confounder. Directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) were introduced into epidemiology several years later as a tool with which to identify confounders. The authors now revisit Weinberg's paper using DAGs to represent scenarios that arise from her original assumptions. DAG theory is consistent with Weinberg's finding that adjusting for history of spontaneous abortion introduces bias in her original scenario. In the authors' examples, treating history of spontaneous abortion as a confounder introduces bias if it is a descendant of the exposure and is associated with the outcome conditional on exposure or is a child of a collider on a relevant undirected path. Thoughtful DAG analyses require clear research questions but are easily modified for examining different causal assumptions that may affect confounder assessment

Characterization of subsurface media from locations up- and down-gradient of a uranium-contaminated aquifer.

The processing of sediment to accurately characterize the spatially-resolved depth profiles of geophysical and geochemical properties along with signatures of microbial density and activity remains a challenge especially in complex contaminated areas. This study processed cores from two sediment boreholes from background and contaminated core sediments and surrounding groundwater. Fresh core sediments were compared by depth to capture the changes in sediment structure, sediment minerals, biomass, and pore water geochemistry in terms of major and trace elements including pollutants, cations, anions, and organic acids. Soil porewater samples were matched to groundwater level, flow rate, and preferential flows and compared to homogenized groundwater-only samples from neighboring monitoring wells. Groundwater analysis of nearby wells only revealed high sulfate and nitrate concentrations while the same analysis using sediment pore water samples with depth was able to suggest areas high in sulfate- and nitrate-reducing bacteria based on their decreased concentration and production of reduced by-products that could not be seen in the groundwater samples. Positive correlations among porewater content, total organic carbon, trace metals and clay minerals revealed a more complicated relationship among contaminant, sediment texture, groundwater table, and biomass. The fluctuating capillary interface had high concentrations of Fe and Mn-oxides combined with trace elements including U, Th, Sr, Ba, Cu, and Co. This suggests the mobility of potentially hazardous elements, sediment structure, and biogeochemical factors are all linked together to impact microbial communities, emphasizing that solid interfaces play an important role in determining the abundance of bacteria in the sediments

Association of Multiple Anthropometrics of Overweight and Obesity With Incident Heart Failure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

The association of central adiposity with incident heart failure (HF) has yet to be studied in a large population-based study

Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): Explanation and Elaboration

Much medical research is observational. The reporting of observational studies is often of insufficient quality. Poor reporting hampers the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a study and the generalisability of its results. Taking into account empirical evidence and theoretical considerations, a group of methodologists, researchers, and editors developed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations to improve the quality of reporting of observational studies. The STROBE Statement consists of a checklist of 22 items, which relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of articles. Eighteen items are common to cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies and four are specific to each of the three study designs. The STROBE Statement provides guidance to authors about how to improve the reporting of observational studies and facilitates critical appraisal and interpretation of studies by reviewers, journal editors and readers. This explanatory and elaboration document is intended to enhance the use, understanding, and dissemination of the STROBE Statement. The meaning and rationale for each checklist item are presented. For each item, one or several published examples and, where possible, references to relevant empirical studies and methodological literature are provided. Examples of useful flow diagrams are also included. The STROBE Statement, this document, and the associated Web site (http://www.strobe-statement.org/) should be helpful resources to improve reporting of observational research