Investigation of crystal growth from solutions

The quality was investigated of a crystal of Rochelle salt grown from a solution placed in the zero-gravity environment of Skylab 4. The crystal has the following unique features: (1) the typical cavity is a long tube extending along the c-axis, the average length being 4mm, compared to 0.1mm that is the average size for earth-grown crystals; and (2) the crystal consists of several single crystals, the axes of which are parallel to each other. A preliminary measurement was made on the ferroelectric hysteresis curve of this Rochelle salt crystal

Investigation of crystal growth from solutions

Growth of organic compounds from solution, in particular Rochelle salt and triglycine sulphate, was investigated. Ground-based experiments showed that gravity-driven convection currents in the growth solution influenced defect production in crystals, degraded ferroelectric quality, and indicated that an experiment done in a zero-gravity environment would be beneficial. A crystal of Rochelle salt was grown on board Skylab-4. The quality of this crystal was compared to earth-grown crystals and its unusual features were studied. A typical defect produced in this convection-free environment was a long straight tube extending in the direction of the c crystal axis. These tubes were much longer and more regularly arranged than in similar earth-grown crystals. The crystal was actually several crystals with corresponding axes parallel to each other. Ferroelectric hysteresis experiments showed that some parts of the crystal had many defects, while other parts were of extremely good quality

Identification of CD3+CD4−CD8− T Cells as Potential Regulatory Cells in an Experimental Murine Model of Graft-Versus-Host Skin Disease (GVHD)

We have developed K14-mOVA transgenic (Tg) mice that express membrane-associated ovalbumin (mOVA) under the control of a K14 promoter, as well as double Tg mice, by crossing them with OT-I mice that have a TCR recognizing the OVA peptide. When injected with CD8+ OT-I cells, K14-mOVA Tg mice develop graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), whereas double Tg mice are protected. This suggests that, in double Tg mice, regulatory mechanisms may prevent infused OT-I cells from inducing GVHD. We demonstrated that, after adoptive transfer, TCRαβ+CD3+CD4−CD8−NK1.1− double-negative (DN) T cells are increased in the peripheral lymphoid organs and skin of double Tg mice and exhibit a Vα2+Vβ5+TCR that has the same TCR specificity as OT-I cells. These DN T cells isolated from tolerant double Tg mice proliferated in response to OVA peptide and produced IFN-γ in the presence of IL-2. These cells could also suppress the proliferation of OT-I cells and were able to specifically kill activated OT-I cells through Fas/Fas ligand interaction. These findings suggest that DN T cells that accumulate in double Tg mice have regulatory functions and may have a role in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance in vivo

13^{13}C NMR observation of a nonmagnetic charge-ordered state in the organic conductor κ\kappa-(ET)2_{2}Hg(SCN)2_{2}Cl

We investigated the local magnetism of the organic conductor, $\kappa$-(ET)$_{2}$Hg(SCN)$_{2}$Cl, with a quasi-triangular lattice of weakly dimerized molecules through $^{13}$C NMR spectroscopy. The NMR spectra and nuclear relaxation show that charge disproportionation occurs, associated with the metal-insulator transition at 31 K. The relaxation rate indicates that the paramagnetic spins in the insulating phase undergo a transition into a spin-singlet ground state with the emergence of orphan spins, a possible valence-bond-glass state. The present results are in high contrast to the spin-cluster paramagnetism of the electric dipole-liquid candidate, $\kappa$--(ET)$_{2}$Hg(SCN)$_{2}$Br, having nearly identical material parameters. This fact indicates that these two systems are on the verge between distinct phases in both charge and spin degrees of freedom; a spin-singlet charge-ordered state versus a spin-active Mott insulating state, competing with each other on a triangular lattice of dimerized sites

Health Insurance, Employment, and the Human Genome: Genetic Discrimination and Biobanks in the United States

Does genetic information warrant special legal protection, and if so how should it be protected? This essay examines the most recent (and indeed only) significant effort by the US government to prohibit genetic discrimination, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). We argue that the legislation is unlikely to have the positive impact sought by advocates of genetic privacy and proponents of biobanks. In part, GINA disappoints because it does too little. Hailed by its promoters as “the first civil rights act of the 21st century,” GINA’s reach is in fact quite modest and its grasp even more so. But GINA also fails by trying to do too much, tying the hands of insurers and employers in ways that may fail to serve the interests of individuals or society more generally. In short, if genetic discrimination is a problem that needs to be solved, GINA is not the solution. Instead, the Act creates a number of new and possibly intractable problems that may be more troublesome than what it originally set out to resolve

Long-term changes in the upper stratospheric ozone at Syowa, Antarctica

Analyses of stratospheric ozone data determined from Dobson–Umkehr measurements since 1977 at the Syowa (69.0° S, 39.6° E), Antarctica, station show a significant decrease in ozone at altitudes higher than that of the 4 hPa pressure level during the 1980s and 1990s. Ozone values over Syowa have remained low since 2001. The time series of upper stratospheric ozone from the homogenized NOAA SBUV (Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument)(/2) 8.6 overpass data (±4°, 24 h) are in qualitative agreement with those from the Syowa station data. Ozone recovery during the austral spring over the Syowa station appears to be slower than predicted by the equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) curve. The long-term changes in the station's equivalent latitude (indicative of vortex size/position in winter and spring) are derived from MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications) reanalyses at ~ 2 and ~ 50 hPa. These data are used to attribute some of the upper and middle stratospheric ozone changes to the changes in vortex position relative to the station's location. In addition, high correlation of the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM) with polar upper stratospheric ozone during years of maximum solar activity points toward a strong relationship between the strength of the Brewer–Dobson circulation and the polar stratospheric ozone recovery. In the lower stratosphere, ozone recovery attributable to CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) is still not definitive, whereas the recovery of the upper stratosphere is slower than predicted. Further research indicates that dynamical and other chemical changes in the atmosphere are delaying detection of recovery over this station

Electron correlation in FeSe superconductor studied by bulk-sensitive photoemission spectroscopy

We have investigated the electronic structures of recently discovered superconductor FeSe by soft-x-ray and hard-x-ray photoemission spectroscopy with high bulk sensitivity. The large Fe 3d spectral weight is located in the vicinity of the Fermi level (EF), which is demonstrated to be a coherent quasi-particle peak. Compared with the results of the band structure calculation with local-density approximation, Fe 3d band narrowing and the energy shift of the band toward EF are found, suggesting an importance of the electron correlation effect in FeSe. The self energy correction provides the larger mass enhancement value (Z^-1=3.6) than in Fe-As superconductors and enables us to separate a incoherent part from the spectrum. These features are quite consistent with the results of recent dynamical mean-field calculations, in which the incoherent part is attributed to the lower Hubbard band.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 talbl

Optimizing Umkehr Ozone Profile Retrievals

NOAA Dobson Umkehr ozone profile records have been collected since the 1970s. Umkehr ozone profiles are used to monitor stratospheric ozone recovery predicted to occur by the 2050s. Current operational Dobson Umkehr profile algorithms produce data that have uncertainty on the order of ~ 5 % in the stratosphere. However, when large volcanic eruptions inject aerosols into the stratosphere, the errors can be as large as 70 %. In order to evaluate Umkehr records for aerosol-related and instrumental artifacts, we compare observations with a Hindcast simulation of the NASA Merra-2 Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) Replay (M2GMI, Orbe et al, 2017; Wargan et al, 2018) and Chemistry Transport Model (GMI CTM, Strahan et al, 2013, Strahan et al, 2016). The biases found between the models and observations are summarized for each Dobson calibration and volcanic eruption period, thus providing a reference tool for homogenization of the Umkehr time series and removal of volcanic aerosol errors

13C NMR study of superconductivity near charge instability realized in beta"-(BEDT-TTF)4[(H3O)Ga(C2O4)3]C6H5NO2

To investigate the superconducting (SC) state near a charge instability, we performed ^{13}C NMR experiments on the molecular superconductor beta"-(BEDT-TTF)_{4}[(H_{3}O)Ga(C_{2}O_{4})_{3}]C_{6}H_{5}NO_{2}, which exhibits a charge anomaly at 100 K. The Knight shift which we measured in the SC state down to 1.5 K demonstrates that Cooper pairs are in spin-singlet state. Measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time reveal strong electron-electron correlations in the normal state. The resistivity increase observed below 10 K indicates that the enhanced fluctuation has an electric origin. We discuss the possibility of charge-fluctuation-induced superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Effect of Doublon-Holon Binding on Mott transition---Variational Monte Carlo Study of Two-Dimensional Bose Hubbard Models

To understand the mechanism of Mott transitions in case of no magnetic influence, superfluid-insulator (Mott) transitions in the S=0 Bose Hubbard model at unit filling are studied on the square and triangular lattices, using a variational Monte Carlo method. In trial many-body wave functions, we introduce various types of attractive correlation factors between a doubly-occupied site (doublon, D) and an empty site (holon, H), which play a central role for Mott transitions, in addition to the onsite repulsive (Gutzwiller) factor. By optimizing distance-dependent parameters, we study various properties of this type of wave functions. With a hint from the Mott transition arising in a completely D-H bound state, we propose an improved picture of Mott transitions, by introducing two characteristic length scales, the D-H binding length $\xi_{\rm dh}$ and the minimum D-D exclusion length $\xi_{\rm dd}$. Generally, a Mott transition occurs when $\xi_{\rm dh}$ becomes comparable to $\xi_{\rm dd}$. In the conductive (superfluid) state, domains of D-H pairs overlap with each other ($\xi_{\rm dh}>\xi_{\rm dd}$); thereby D and H can propagate independently as density carriers by successively exchanging the partners. In contrast, intersite repulsive Jastrow (D-D and H-H) factors have little importance for the Mott transition.Comment: 16 pages, 22 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp