Shear-Wave Splitting and Mantle Flow Beneath the Colorado Plateau and its Boundary with the Great Basin

Shear-wave splitting measurements from SKS and SKKS phases show fast polarization azimuths that are subparallel to North American absolute plate motion within the central Rio Grande Rift (RGR) and Colorado Plateau (CP) through to the western rim of the CP, with anisotropy beneath the CP and central RGR showing a remarkably consistent pattern with a mean fast azimuth of 4 degrees +/- degrees 6 E of N. Approaching the rim from the southeast, fast anisotropic directions become north-northeast-south-southwest (NNE-SSW), rotate counter clockwise to north-south in the CP-GB transition, and then to NNW-SSE in the western Great Basin ( GB). This change is coincident with uppermost mantle S-wave velocity perturbations that vary from +4% beneath the western CP and the eastern edge of the Marysvale volcanic field to about -8% beneath the GB. Corresponding delay times average 1.5 sec beneath the central CP, decrease to approximately 0.8 sec near the CP-GB transition, and increase to about 1.2 sec beneath the GB. For the central CP, we suggest anisotropy predominantly controlled by North American plate motion above the asthenosphere. The observed pattern of westward-rotating anisotropy from the western CP through the CP-GB transition may be influenced to asthenospheric flow around a CP lithospheric keel and/or by vertical flow arising from edge-driven small-scale convection. The anisotropic transition from the CP to the GB thus marks a first-order change from absolute plate motion dominated lithosphere-asthenosphere shear to a new regime controlled by regional flow processes. The NNW-SSE anisotropic fast directions of split SKS waves in the eastern GB area are part of a broad circular pattern of seismic anisotropic fast direction in the central GB that has recently been hypothesized to be due to toroidal flow around the sinking Juan de Fuca-Gorda slab.National Science Foundation EAR 9706094, 9707188, 9707190, 0207812Los Alamos National Laboratory Institute of Geophysics and Planetary PhysicsNational Science Foundation Cooperative EAR-000430Department of Energy National Nuclear Security AdministrationGeological Science

DAMPAK RADIASI ELEKTROMAGNET DAN MIKROPLASTIK TERHADAP KESEHATAN MANUSIA

terhadap kesehatan, antara lain keganasan, autoimun, dan gangguan hormonal. Masih banyak masyarakat yang belum memahami dampak buruk tersebut karena gejala gangguan kesehatan yang ditimbulkan tidak langsung tampak atau terasa, dan umumnya baru disadari beberapa bulan atau tahun kemudian. Hal yang menjadi masalah adalah masyarakat saat ini tidak dapat dipisahkan dari gadget dan berbagai piranti yang menggunakan listrik karena kemajuan teknologi makin canggih. Plastik pun makin banyak digunakan karena sifatnya yang ringan, praktis dan tahan lama. Upaya yang harus dilakukan adalah meningkatkan pengetahuan masyarakat tentang dampak buruk radiasi elektromagnet dan mikroplastik terhadap kesehatan, yaitu dengan meminimalkan pararan radiasielektromagnet dan mikroplasti sekaligus mengupayakan kemampuan tubuh untuk memulihkan diri secara berkesinambungan. Pengetahuan dan kesadaran tentang fenomena gunung es dan empat tahap sakit perlu disosialisasikan kepada masyarakat agar memahami pentingnya upaya preventif dan promotif. Rencana kegiatan berupa sharing knowledge, lomba poster dan lomba memasak sehat kaya antioksidan, serta praktek olahraga qigong agar peserta lebih memahami dan mampu menerapkan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Upaya ini sejalan dengan program Kementrian Kesehatan dan Gerakan Masyarakat Hidup Sehat (Germas) untuk mengatasi dampak buruk radiasi electromagnet dan mikroplastik terhadap kesehatan

Suppression of extraneous thermal noise in cavity optomechanics

Extraneous thermal motion can limit displacement sensitivity and radiation pressure effects, such as optical cooling, in a cavity-optomechanical system. Here we present an active noise suppression scheme and its experimental implementation. The main challenge is to selectively sense and suppress extraneous thermal noise without affecting motion of the oscillator. Our solution is to monitor two modes of the optical cavity, each with different sensitivity to the oscillator's motion but similar sensitivity to the extraneous thermal motion. This information is used to imprint "anti-noise" onto the frequency of the incident laser field. In our system, based on a nano-mechanical membrane coupled to a Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity, simulation and experiment demonstrate that extraneous thermal noise can be selectively suppressed and that the associated limit on optical cooling can be reduced.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figure

Universal three-state nematicity and magneto-optical Kerr effect in the charge density waves in AV3_3Sb5_5 (A=Cs, Rb, K)

The kagome lattice provides a fascinating playground to study geometrical frustration, topology and strong correlations. The newly discovered kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=K, Rb, Cs) exhibit various interesting phenomena including topological band structure and superconductivity. Nevertheless, the nature of the symmetry breaking in the CDW phase is not yet clear, despite the fact that it is crucial to understand whether the superconductivity is unconventional. In this work, we perform scanning birefringence microscopy and find that six-fold rotation symmetry is broken at the onset of the CDW transition temperature in all three compounds. Spatial imaging and angle dependence of the birefringence show a universal three nematic domains that are 120$^\circ$ to each other. We propose staggered CDW orders with a relative $\pi$ phase shift between layers as a possibility to explain the three-state nematicity in AV$_3$Sb$_5$. We also perform magneto-optical Kerr effect and circular dichroism measurements on all three compounds, and the onset of the both signals is at the CDW transition temperature, indicating broken time-reversal symmetry and the existence of the long-sought loop currents in the CDW phase. Our work strongly constrains the nature of the CDWs and sheds light on possible unconventional superconductivity in AV$_3$Sb$_5$.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted versio

Using e-learning to support international students' dissertation preparation

Purpose: A research paper on the design and implementation of an e-learning resource responding to the globalisation of education. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the challenges presented in learning and teaching on how to support international postgraduate (PG) students undertaking the specific task of a dissertation. Design/methodology/approach: Using findings from 250 PG students, 40 supervisors and two module tutors the research identified the content and language issues faced by students and recognised the need to design an enabler supporting the latter as independent learners and the academic staff delivering support. Findings: The e-learning tool provides an independent learning tool which addresses student concerns relating to the process and content of structuring a dissertation and the function of language. Initial responses have been positive from both staff and students in respect to providing a source of student support and feedback. Originality/value: The research shows how the Dissertation Game Model (DGM), evolved into an e-learning resource supporting student understanding of the content, structure, planning and writing of a dissertation. The e-learning tool focuses on helping international students understand what the generic contents of each chapter of a dissertation should contain and supports them in engaging in research as a transferable skill

Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the subjective happiness scale: Evidence from the Hong Kong FAMILY cohort

BACKGROUND: With China's rapid economic growth in the past few decades, there is currently an emerging focus on happiness. Cross-cultural validity studies have indicated that the four-item Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) has high internal consistency and stable reliability. However, the psychometric characteristics of the SHS in broader Chinese community samples are unknown. PURPOSE: We evaluated the factor structure and psychometric properties of the SHS in the Hong Kong general population. METHODS: The Chinese SHS was derived using forward-backward translation. Of the Cantonese-speaking participants aged >/=15 years, 2,635 were randomly selected from the random sample component of the FAMILY Cohort, a territory-wide cohort study in Hong Kong. In addition to the SHS, a single-item overall happiness scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Family Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, Resolve (APGAR) scale, and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item short-form version 2 (SF-12) mental and physical health scales were administered. RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a single factor with high loadings for the four SHS items. Multiple group analyses indicated factor invariance across sex and age groups. Cronbach's alpha was 0.82, and 2-week test-retest reliability (n = 191) was 0.70. The SHS correlated significantly with single-item overall happiness (Spearman's rho [rho] = 0.57), Family APGAR (rho = 0.26), PHQ-9 (rho = -0.34), and mental health-related quality of life (rho = 0.40) but showed a lower correlation with physical health (rho = 0.15). A regression model that included the PHQ-9 and Family APGAR scores explained 37 % of the variance in SF-12 mental health scores; adding the SHS raised the variance explained to 41 %. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the reliability and validity of the SHS as a relevant component in the measurement battery for mental well-being in a Chinese general population.published_or_final_versio

Precise targeted integration by a chimaeric transposase zinc-finger fusion protein

Transposons of the Tc1/mariner family have been used to integrate foreign DNA stably into the genome of a large variety of different cell types and organisms. Integration is at TA dinucleotides located essentially at random throughout the genome, potentially leading to insertional mutagenesis, inappropriate activation of nearby genes, or poor expression of the transgene. Here, we show that fusion of the zinc-finger DNA-binding domain of Zif268 to the C-terminus of ISY100 transposase leads to highly specific integration into TA dinucleotides positioned 6-17 bp to one side of a Zif268 binding site. We show that the specificity of targeting can be changed using Zif268 variants that bind to sequences from the HIV-1 promoter, and demonstrate a bacterial genetic screen that can be used to select for increased levels of targeted transposition. A TA dinucleotide flanked by two Zif268 binding sites was efficiently targeted by our transposase-Zif268 fusion, suggesting the possibility of designer ‘Z-transposases’ that could deliver transgenic cargoes to chosen genomic locations

Submesoscale eddies in the South China Sea

Submesoscale eddies are often seen in high‐resolution satellite‐derived ocean color images. To efficiently identify these eddies from surface chlorophyll data, here, we develop an automatic submesoscale eddy detection method and apply it to the South China Sea. The detected submesoscale eddies are found to have a radius of 13 ± 5 km and an aspect ratio of 0.5 ± 0.2, with a notable predominance of cyclones. Further investigation reveals that the surface structure of these eddies displays a unique “cat's‐eye” pattern, and the eddies become more circular with increasing eddy radius. Submesoscale eddies can strongly regulate surface chlorophyll via horizontal advection while they have less coherent signatures in sea surface temperature. These findings may help to improve submesoscale parameterizations in Earth system models

Enhancement of mechanical Q-factors by optical trapping

The quality factor of a mechanical resonator is an important figure of merit for various sensing applications and for observing quantum behavior. Here, we demonstrate a technique to push the quality factor of a micro-mechanical resonator beyond conventional material and fabrication limits by using an optical field to stiffen or "trap" a particular motional mode. Optical forces increase the oscillation frequency by storing most of the mechanical energy in a lossless optical potential, thereby strongly diluting the effect of material dissipation. By using a 130 nm thick SiO$_2$ disk as a suspended pendulum, we achieve an increase in the pendulum center-of-mass frequency from 6.2 kHz to 145 kHz. The corresponding quality factor increases 50-fold from its intrinsic value to a final value of $Q=5.8(1.1)\times 10^5$, representing more than an order of magnitude improvement over the conventional limits of SiO$_2$ for this geometry. Our technique may enable new opportunities for mechanical sensing and facilitate observations of quantum behavior in this class of mechanical systems.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

POST COVID-19 SYNDROME EFFECT ON DAILY LIFE ACTIVITIES

The Covid-19 pandemic had a big impact on the world over the past two years., and it is estimated that 1 in 10 people have been infected. The development of prevention and treatment systems can reduce mortality, but a new problem has emerged in the group of survivors. New clinical complaints, Getting COVID-19 again or having ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 for four weeks after the first infection, can affect a wide variety of organ functions. The long-term effects of having COVID-19, like feeling tired, having trouble breathing, chest pain, difficulty thinking, and joint pain, can make life worse. The study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive method using an online questionnaire. The results showed that some residual symptoms that respondents still felt after four weeks since being infected with COVID-19, such as fatigue easily (80%), joint pain (63.3%), insomnia (56.7%), depressive symptoms (53.3%), shortness of breath (50%), impaired concentration and memory (50%), livelihood disorders (43.3%), cough (40%), respiratory disorders (36.7%), weight loss and appetite (33.3%), fever (26.7%). Overall, it was found that 20% of COVID-19 survivors experienced daily activity disruptions assessed using the Modifications of Barthel Index and EQ-5D-5L questionnaires