Studies of superconducting materials with muon spin rotation

The muon spin rotation/relaxation technique was found to be an exceptionally effective means of measuring the magnetic properties of superconductors, including the new high temperature superconductor materials, at the microscopic level. The technique directly measures the magnetic penetration depth (type II superconductors (SC's)) and detects the presence of magnetic ordering (antiferromagnetism or spin-glass ordering were observed in some high temperature superconductor (HTSC's) and in many closely related compounds). Extensive studies of HTSC materials were conducted by the Virginia State University - College of William and Mary - Columbia University collaboration at Brookhaven National Laboratory and TRIUMF (Vancouver). A survey of LaSrCuO and YBaCaCuO systems shows an essentially linear relationship between the transition temperature T(sub c) and the relaxation rate. This appears to be a manifestation of the proportionality between T(sub c) and the Fermi energy, which suggests a high energy scale for the SC coupling, and which is not consistent with the weak coupling of phonon-mediated SC. Studies of LaCuO and YBaCuO parent compounds show clear evidence of antiferromagnetism. YBa2Cu(3-x)CO(x)O7 shows the simultaneous presence of spin-glass magnetic ordering and superconductivity. Three-dimensional SC, (Ba, K) BiO3, unlike the layered CuO-based compounds, shows no suggestion of magnetic ordering. Experimental techniques and theoretical implications are discussed

PCR and FISH Detection Extends the Range of Pfiesteria piscicida in Estuarine Waters

PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization probes were used to assay for the presence of the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida in 170 estuarine water samples collected from New York to northern Florida. 20% of samples tested positive for the presence of P. piscicida, including sites where fish kills due to Pfiesteria have occurred and sites where there was no historical evidence of such events. The results extend the known range of P. piscicida northward to Long Island, New York. The results also suggest that P. piscicida is common, and normally benign, inhabitatant of estuarine waters of the eastern US

Detection of Helium in the Atmosphere of the Exo-Neptune HAT-P-11b

The helium absorption triplet at a wavelength of 10,833 \AA\ has been proposed as a way to probe the escaping atmospheres of exoplanets. Recently this feature was detected for the first time using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 observations of the hot Jupiter WASP-107b. We use similar HST/WFC3 observations to detect helium in the atmosphere of the hot Neptune HAT-P-11b at the $4\sigma$ confidence level. We compare our observations to a grid of 1D models of hydrodynamic escape to constrain the thermospheric temperatures and mass loss rate. We find that our data are best fit by models with high mass loss rates of $\dot{M} \approx 10^{9}$ - $10^{11}$ g s$^{-1}$. Although we do not detect the planetary wind directly, our data are consistent with the prediction that HAT-P-11b is experiencing hydrodynamic atmospheric escape. Nevertheless, the mass loss rate is low enough that the planet has only lost up to a few percent of its mass over its history, leaving its bulk composition largely unaffected. This matches the expectation from population statistics, which indicate that close-in planets with radii greater than 2 R$_{\oplus}$ form and retain H/He-dominated atmospheres. We also confirm the independent detection of helium in HAT-P-11b obtained with the CARMENES instrument, making this the first exoplanet with the detection of the same signature of photoevaporation from both ground- and space-based facilities.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Objective metric of energy absorbed in tibial plateau fractures corresponds well to clinician assessment of fracture severity

Objectives Determine the agreement between subjective assessments of fracture severity and an objective CT-based metric of fracture energy in tibial plateau fractures. Methods Six fellowship-trained orthopaedic trauma surgeons independently rank-ordered 20 tibial plateau fractures in terms of severity based upon AP and lateral knee radiographs. A CT-based image analysis methodology was used to quantify the fracture energy, and agreement between the surgeons’ severity rankings and the fracture energy metric was tested by computing their concordance, a statistical measure that estimates the probability that any two cases would be ranked with the same ordering by two different raters or methods. Results Concordance between the six orthopaedic surgeons ranged from 82% to 93%, and concordance between surgeon severity rankings and the computed fracture energy ranged from 73% to 78%. Conclusions There is a high level of agreement between experienced surgeons in their assessments of tibial plateau fracture severity, and a slightly lower agreement between the surgeon assessments and an objective CT-based metric of fracture energy. Taken together, these results suggest that experienced surgeons share a similar understanding of what makes a tibial plateau fracture more or less severe, and an objective CT-based metric of fracture energy captures much but not all of that information. Further research is ongoing to characterize the relationship between surgeon assessments of severity, fracture energy, and the eventual clinical outcomes for patients with fractures of the tibial plateau

KELT-18b: Puffy Planet, Hot Host, Probably Perturbed

We report the discovery of KELT-18b, a transiting hot Jupiter in a 2.87-day orbit around the bright ( V = 10.1), hot, F4V star BD+60 1538 (TYC 3865-1173-1). We present follow-up photometry, spectroscopy, and adaptive optics imaging that allow a detailed characterization of the system. Our preferred model fits yield a host stellar temperature of K and a mass of , situating it as one of only a handful of known transiting planets with hosts that are as hot, massive, and bright. The planet has a mass of , a radius of , and a density of , making it one of the most inflated planets known around a hot star. We argue that KELT-18b’s high temperature and low surface gravity, which yield an estimated ∼600 km atmospheric scale height, combined with its hot, bright host, make it an excellent candidate for observations aimed at atmospheric characterization. We also present evidence for a bound stellar companion at a projected separation of ∼1100 au, and speculate that it may have contributed to the strong misalignment we suspect between KELT-18\u27s spin axis and its planet’s orbital axis. The inferior conjunction time is 2457542.524998 ± 0.000416 (BJD TDB ) and the orbital period is 2.8717510 ± 0.0000029 days. We encourage Rossiter–McLaughlin measurements in the near future to confirm the suspected spin–orbit misalignment of this system

Public opinion on energy crops in the landscape: considerations for the expansion of renewable energy from biomass

Public attitudes were assessed towards two dedicated biomass crops – Miscanthus and Short Rotation Coppice (SRC), particularly regarding their visual impacts in the landscape. Results are based on responses to photographic and computer-generated images as the crops are still relatively scarce in the landscape. A questionnaire survey indicated little public concern about potential landscape aesthetics but more concern about attendant built infrastructure. Focus group meetings and interviews indicated support for biomass end uses that bring direct benefits to local communities. Questions arise as to how well the imagery used was able to portray the true nature of these tall, dense, perennial plants but based on the responses obtained and given the caveat that there was limited personal experience of the crops, it appears unlikely that wide-scale planting of biomass crops will give rise to substantial public concern in relation to their visual impact in the landscape

Which executive functioning deficits are associated with AD/HD, ODD/CD and comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD?

Item does not contain fulltextThis study investigated (1) whether attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with executive functioning (EF) deficits while controlling for oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD), (2) whether ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits while controlling for AD/HD, and (3)~whether a combination of AD/HD and ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits (and the possibility that there is no association between EF deficits and AD/HD or ODD/CD in isolation). Subjects were 99~children ages 6–12 years. Three putative domains of EF were investigated using well-validated tests: verbal fluency, working memory, and planning. Independent of ODD/CD, AD/HD was associated with deficits in planning and working memory, but not in verbal fluency. Only teacher rated AD/HD, but not parent rated AD/HD, significantly contributed to the prediction of EF task performance. No EF deficits were associated with ODD/CD. The presence of comorbid AD/HD accounts for the EF deficits in children with comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD. These results suggest that EF deficits are unique to AD/HD and support the model proposed by R. A. Barkley (1997).17 p

CRISPR-Cas9 Knockin Mice for Genome Editing and Cancer Modeling

CRISPR-Cas9 is a versatile genome editing technology for studying the functions of genetic elements. To broadly enable the application of Cas9 in vivo, we established a Cre-dependent Cas9 knockin mouse. We demonstrated in vivo as well as ex vivo genome editing using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-, lentivirus-, or particle-mediated delivery of guide RNA in neurons, immune cells, and endothelial cells. Using these mice, we simultaneously modeled the dynamics of KRAS, p53, and LKB1, the top three significantly mutated genes in lung adenocarcinoma. Delivery of a single AAV vector in the lung generated loss-of-function mutations in p53 and Lkb1, as well as homology-directed repair-mediated Kras[superscript G12D] mutations, leading to macroscopic tumors of adenocarcinoma pathology. Together, these results suggest that Cas9 mice empower a wide range of biological and disease modeling applications.National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship (Grant 1122374)Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Fellowship DRG-2117-12)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Simons Center for the Social Brain (Postdoctoral Fellowship)European Molecular Biology Organization (Fellowship)Foundation for Polish Science (Fellowship)American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate FellowshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research FellowshipMassachusetts Institute of Technology (Presidential Graduate Fellowship)Human Frontier Science Program (Strasbourg, France) (Postdoctoral Fellowship)National Human Genome Research Institute (U.S.) (CEGS P50 HG006193)Howard Hughes Medical InstituteKlarman Cell ObservatoryNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Grant U54CA151884)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Controlled Release Grant EB000244)National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) Award Contract HHSN268201000045C)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Poitras Gift 1631119)Stanley CenterSimons Foundation (6927482)Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation (6928117)United States. Public Health Service (National Institutes of Health (U.S.) R01-CA133404)David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT (Marie D. and Pierre Casimir-Lambert Fund)MIT Skoltech InitiativeNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Koch Institute Support (Core) Grant P30-CA14051)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (Director’s Pioneer Award DP1-MH100706)National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U.S.) (Transformative R01 Grant R01-NS 07312401)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Waterman Award)W. M. Keck FoundationKinship Foundation. Searle Scholars ProgramKlingenstein FoundationVallee FoundationMerkin Foundatio