Analysis of Strong-Coupling Parameters for Superfluid 3He

Superfluid $^{3}$He experiments show strong deviation from the weak-coupling limit of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, and this discrepancy grows with increasing pressure. Strong-coupling contributions to the quasiparticle interactions are known to account for this effect and they are manifest in the five $\beta$-coefficients of the fourth order Ginzburg-Landau free energy terms. The Ginzburg-Landau free energy also has a coefficient $g_{z}$ to include magnetic field coupling to the order parameter. From NMR susceptibility experiments, we find the deviation of $g_{z}$ from its weak-coupling value to be negligible at all pressures. New results for the pressure dependence of four different combinations of $\beta$-coefficients, $\beta$_{345}, $\beta$_{12}, $\beta$_{245}, and $\beta$_{5} are calculated and comparison is made with theory.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Manuscript prepared for QFS200

Survival of infants with spina bifida and the role of maternal prepregnancy body mass index

Objective: To investigate first-year survival of infants born with spina bifida, and examine the association of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) with infant mortality. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 1,533 liveborn infants with nonsyndromic spina bifida with estimated dates of delivery from 1998 to 2011 whose mothers were eligible for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). NBDPS data were linked to death records to conduct survival analyses. Kaplan–Meier survival functions estimated mortality risk over the first year of life. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for maternal prepregnancy BMI categorized as underweight ('18.5), normal (18.5–24.9), overweight (25–29.9), and obese (≥30). Results: Infant mortality risk among infants with spina bifida was (4.4% [3.52, 5.60%]). Infants with multiple co-occurring defects, very preterm delivery, multiple gestation, high-level spina bifida lesions, or non-Hispanic Black mothers had an elevated risk of infant mortality. Maternal prepregnancy underweight and obesity were associated with higher infant mortality (15.7% [7.20, 32.30%] and 5.82% [3.60, 9.35%], respectively). Adjusted HR estimates showed underweight and obese mothers had greater hazard of infant mortality compared to normal weight mothers (HR: 4.5 [1.08, 16.72] and 2.6 [1.36, 8.02], respectively). Conclusion: The overall risk of infant mortality for infants born with spina bifida was lower than most previously reported estimates. Infants born with spina bifida to mothers who were underweight or obese prepregnancy were at higher risk of infant mortality. This study provides additional evidence of the importance of healthy maternal weight prior to pregnancy

Research is needed to inform environmental management of hydrothermally inactive and extinct polymetallic sulfide (PMS) deposits

Polymetallic sulfide (PMS) deposits produced at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea are of potential interest to miners. Hydrothermally active sulfide ecosystems are valued for the extraordinary chemosynthetic communities that they support. Many countries, including Canada, Portugal, and the United States, protect vent ecosystems in their Exclusive Economic Zones. When hydrothermal activity ceases temporarily (dormancy) or permanently (extinction), the habitat and associated ecosystem change dramatically. Until recently, so-called "inactive sulfide" habitats, either dormant or extinct, received little attention from biologists. However, the need for environmental management of deep-sea mining places new imperatives for building scientific understanding of the structure and function of inactive PMS deposits. This paper calls for actions of the scientific community and the emergent seabed mining industry to i) undertake fundamental ecological descriptions and study of ecosystem functions and services associated with hydrothermally inactive PMS deposits, ii) evaluate potential environmental risks to ecosystems of inactive PMS deposits through research, and iii) identify environmental management needs that may enable mining of inactive PMS deposits. Mining of some extinct PMS deposits may have reduced environmental risk compared to other seabed mining activities, but this must be validated through scientific research on a case-by-case basis.FCT: IF/00029/2014/CP1230/CT0002/ UID/05634/2020/ CEECIND005262017/ UID/MAR/00350/2019; Direcao-Geral de Politica do Mar (DGPM) Mining2/2017/005/ Mining2/2017/001info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Surface studies of materials for superconducting cavities

A multitechnique system has been constructed to study materials and processes used for producing high Q superconducting cavities, while constantly maintaining uhv environment. Characterization of a small disc of superconducting material, e.g. Nb, is done by a variety of methods, including AES, XPS, EID, ellipsometry, sputter profiling, and secondary electron yield measurements. The samples may be processed in situ by rf and electron bombardment heating, and ion sputtering. Sample temperatures may be held from 77K to 2500K. Coating by sputtering and evaporation, and oxidizing and nitriding are incorporated. Both AES and secondary yield measurements are accomplished using very low current electron beams and counting electronics to minimize the reduction of oxide surfaces by electrons. Computer-controlled ellipsometry allows monitoring of the temporal growth of surface layers during controlled exposure to gases. Extensive measurements have been carried out on Au, C, Pt, Nb and its oxides, nitride, and carbide. AES, secondary yield, and other measurements are presented, and trends which may enable the production of stable cavity surfaces and their simple, effective in situ regeneration while installed as accelerating cavity surfaces are discussed

Long-term decline in the thickness of eggshells of thrushes, Turdus spp., in Britain

The thickness of eggshells of four species of thrush, Turdus spp., was estimated by an index based on the mass and linear dimensions of blown eggs in museum collections from Britain. Shell thickness was also measured directly for two species and was highly correlated with the index. Widespread declines in eggshell thickness since the nineteenth century were found in all species. There have been no previous reports of trends in eggshell thickness of this long duration and large spatial scale. The cause of the declines is unknown, but, for three of the four species, eggshell thinning began before the introduction of the organochlorine pesticide DDT, which caused eggshell thinning in predatory and fish-eating birds from 1947 onwards. The effect of acid deposition on the availability of calcium-rich prey is a plausible explanation