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The Defect Energies and Deformation Mechanisms of Single Crystal Superalloys
Monuments on a migrating Nile
River courses migrate, but many Egyptologists plot the present-day River Nile on maps of the valley in archaeological times. This may have misled interpretations of ancient monuments and settlements. We show a river migrating rapidly on historical timescales in the Luxor region, sweeping > 5 km across the valley at rates on the order of 2-3 km per 1000 years. Satellite elevation data (SRTM), processed by a novel method, and Landsat imagery are used to trace ancient river levees and extend trends present in 200 years of archive maps thousands of years into the past. This supplements observations by Ptolemy (121-141 AD) and places local geo-archaeological studies in a wider spatial and temporal context. Satellite data are demonstrated to be a relatively quick and easy constraint upon ancient river courses, and a basis for investigations along the Egyptian Nile, even in logistically inaccessible regions
Monuments on a migrating Nile
River courses migrate, but many Egyptologists plot the present-day River Nile on maps of the valley in archaeological times. This may have misled interpretations of ancient monuments and settlements. We show a river migrating rapidly on historical timescales in the Luxor region, sweeping > 5 km across the valley at rates on the order of 2-3 km per 1000 years. Satellite elevation data (SRTM), processed by a novel method, and Landsat imagery are used to trace ancient river levees and extend trends present in 200 years of archive maps thousands of years into the past. This supplements observations by Ptolemy (121-141 AD) and places local geo-archaeological studies in a wider spatial and temporal context. Satellite data are demonstrated to be a relatively quick and easy constraint upon ancient river courses, and a basis for investigations along the Egyptian Nile, even in logistically inaccessible regions
Sexual function in 16- to 21-year-olds in Britain
Purpose:
Concern about young people's sexuality is focused on the need to prevent harmful outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. Although the benefit of a broader perspective is recognized, data on other aspects of sexuality, particularly sexual function, are scant. We sought to address this gap by measuring the population prevalence of sexual function problems, help seeking, and avoidance of sex in young people.
Methods:
A cross-sectional stratified probability sample survey (Natsal-3) of 15,162 women and men in Britain (response rate: 57.7%), using computer-assisted self-interviews. Data come from 1875 (71.9%) sexually active, and 517 sexually inactive (18.7%), participants aged 16–21 years. Measures were single items from a validated measure of sexual function (the Natsal-SF).
Results:
Among sexually active 16- to 21-year-old participants, 9.1% of men and 13.4% of women reported a distressing sexual problem lasting 3 months or more in the last year. Most common among men was reaching a climax too quickly (4.5%), and among women was difficulty in reaching climax (6.3%). Just over a third (35.5%) of men and 42.3% of women reporting a problem had sought help, but rarely from professional sources. Among those who had not had sex in the last year, just >10% of young men and women said they had avoided sex because of sexual difficulties.
Conclusions:
Distressing sexual function problems are reported by a sizeable minority of sexually active young people. Education is required, and counseling should be available, to prevent lack of knowledge, anxiety, and shame progressing into lifelong sexual difficulties
Crystal structure of X-prolyl aminopeptidase from Caenorhabditis elegans: A cytosolic enzyme with a di-nuclear active site.
Eukaryotic aminopeptidase P1 (APP1), also known as X-prolyl aminopeptidase (XPNPEP1) in human tissues, is a cytosolic exopeptidase that preferentially removes amino acids from the N-terminus of peptides possessing a penultimate N-terminal proline residue. The enzyme has an important role in the catabolism of proline containing peptides since peptide bonds adjacent to the imino acid proline are resistant to cleavage by most peptidases. We show that recombinant and catalytically active Caenorhabditis elegans APP-1 is a dimer that uses dinuclear zinc at the active site and, for the first time, we provide structural information for a eukaryotic APP-1 in complex with the inhibitor, apstatin. Our analysis reveals that C. elegans APP-1 shares similar mode of substrate binding and a common catalytic mechanism with other known X-prolyl aminopeptidases
Structural variation, dynamics, and catalytic application of palladium(II) complexes of di-N-heterocyclic carbene-amine ligands
A series of palladium(II) complexes incorporating di-NHC-amine ligands has been prepared and their structural, dynamic and catalytic behaviour investigated. The complexes [trans-(k(2)-(CN)-C-tBu(Bn)CN(Bn)C-tBu)PdCl2] (12) and [trans-(kappa(2)-(CN)-C-Mes(H)C-Mes)PdCl2] (13) do not exhibit interaction between the amine nitrogen and palladium atom respectively. NMR spectroscopy between - 40 and 25 degrees C shows that the di-NHC-amine ligand is flexible expressing C-s symmetry and for 13 rotation of the mesityl groups is prevented. In the related C-1 complex [(kappa(3)-(CN)-C-tBu(H)C-tBu)PdCl][CI] (14) coordination of NHC moieties and amine nitrogen atom is observed between -40 and 25 degrees C. Reaction between 12 - 14 and two equivalents of AgBF4 in acetonitrile gives the analogous complexes [trans-(kappa(2)-(CN)-C-tBu(Bn)C-tBu)PdCl2] (12) and [trans-(kappa(CN)-C-2Mes(H)C-Mes)PdCl2] (13) do not exhibit interaction between the amine nitrogen and palladium atom respectively. NMR spectroscopy between -40 ans 25 degrees C shows the di-NHC-amine ligand is flexible expressing C-s symmetry and for 13 rotation of the mesityl groups is prevented. In the related C-1 complex [kappa(3)-(CN)-C-tBu(H)C-tBu)PdCI][CI] (14) coordination of NHC moieties and amine nitrogen atom is observed between -40 and 25 degrees C.Reaction between 12-14 and two equivalents of AgBF4 in acetonitrile gives the analogous complexes [trans-(kappa(2)-(CN)-C-tBu(H)(CPd)-Pd-tBu(MeCN)(2)][BF4](2) (15), [trans-(kappa(CN)-C-2Mes(H)C-Mes)Pd(MeCN)(2)[BF4](2 (16)) and [(kappa(3)-(CN)-C-tBu(H)C-tBu)Pd(MeCN)][BF4](2) (17) indicating that ligand structure determines amine coordination. The single crystal X-ray structures of 12, 17 and two ligand imidazolium salt precursors C-tBu(H)N(Bn)C(H) (tBu)][CI](2) (2) and [C-tBu(H) N(H)C(H)(tBu)][BPh4](2) (4) have been determined. Complexes 12-14 and 15-17 have been shown to be active precatalysts for Heck and hydroamination reactions respectively
The Host Galaxies of Gamma-Ray Bursts I: ISM Properties of Ten Nearby Long-Duration GRB Hosts
We present the first observations from a large-scale survey of nearby (z < 1)
long-duration gamma-ray burst (LGRB) host galaxies, which consist of eight
rest-frame optical spectra obtained at Keck and Magellan. Along with two host
galaxy observations from the literature, we use optical emission line
diagnostics to determine metallicities, ionization parameters, young stellar
population ages, and star formation rates. We compare the LGRB host
environments to a variety of local and intermediate-redshift galaxy
populations, as well as the newest grid of stellar population synthesis and
photoionization models generated with the Starburst99/Mappings codes. With
these comparisons we investigate whether the GRB host galaxies are consistent
with the properties of the general galaxy population, and therefore whether
they may be used as reliable tracers of star formation. We find that LGRB host
galaxies generally have low-metallicity ISM environments out to z ~ 1. The ISM
properties of our GRB hosts, including metallicity, ionization parameter, and
young stellar population age, are significantly different from the general
galaxy population, host galaxies of nearby broad-lined Type Ic supernovae, and
nearby metal-poor galaxies.Comment: 29 pages, 19 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in A
The unusual emission line spectrum of IZw1
Most Seyfert 1s show strong Fe II lines in their spectrum having the velocity
and width of the broad emission lines. To remove the Fe II contribution in
these objects, an accurate template is necessary. We used very high
signal-to-noise, medium resolution archive optical spectra of I Zw 1 to build
such a template.
I Zw 1 is a bright narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy. As such it is well suited
for a detailed analysis of its emission line spectrum. Furthermore it is known
to have a very peculiar spectrum with, in addition to the usual broad and
narrow line regions, two emission regions emitting broad and blue shifted [O
III] lines making it a peculiarly interesting object. While analysing the
spectra, we found that the narrow-line region is, unlike the NLR of most
Seyfert 1 galaxies, a very low excitation region dominated by both permitted
and forbidden Fe II lines. It is very similar to the emission spectrum of a
blob in Carinae which is a low temperature (T6 500 K),
relatively high density (N=10 cm) cloud. The Fe II lines
in this cloud are mainly due to pumping via the stellar continuum radiation
field (Verner et al. \cite{verner02}). We did not succeed in modelling the
spectrum of the broad-line region, and we suggest that a non radiative heating
mechanism increases the temperature in the excited H I region, thus providing
the necessary additional excitation of the Fe II lines. For the low-excitation
narrow-line region, we are able to settle boundaries to the physical conditions
accounting for the forbidden and permitted Fe II lines (10N cm; 10U).Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 10 tables, 1 ascii file, accepted in A&
Measuring nickel masses in Type Ia supernovae using cobalt emission in nebular phase spectra
The light curves of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are powered by the
radioactive decay of Ni to Co at early times, and the decay of
Co to Fe from ~60 days after explosion. We examine the evolution
of the [Co III] 5892 A emission complex during the nebular phase for SNe Ia
with multiple nebular spectra and show that the line flux follows the square of
the mass of Co as a function of time. This result indicates both
efficient local energy deposition from positrons produced in Co decay,
and long-term stability of the ionization state of the nebula. We compile 77
nebular spectra of 25 SN Ia from the literature and present 17 new nebular
spectra of 7 SNe Ia, including SN2014J. From these we measure the flux in the
[Co III] 5892 A line and remove its well-behaved time dependence to infer the
initial mass of Ni () produced in the explosion. We then examine
Ni yields for different SN Ia ejected masses ( - calculated
using the relation between light curve width and ejected mass) and find the
Ni masses of SNe Ia fall into two regimes: for narrow light curves (low
stretch s~0.7-0.9), is clustered near ~ 0.4 and
shows a shallow increase as increases from ~1-1.4; at high
stretch, clusters at the Chandrasekhar mass (1.4) while
spans a broad range from 0.6-1.2. This could constitute
evidence for two distinct SN Ia explosion mechanisms.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures (main text), plus data tables in appendix.
Spectra released on WISeREP. Submitted to MNRAS, comments welcom
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