Strong mass effect on ion beam mixing in metal bilayers

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study the mechanism of ion beam mixing in metal bilayers. We are able to explain the ion induced low-temperature phase stability and melting behavior of bilayers using only a simple ballistic picture up to 10 keV ion energies. The atomic mass ratio of the overlayer and the substrate constituents seems to be a key quantity in understanding atomic mixing. The critical bilayer mass ratio of $\delta < 0.33$ is required for the occurrence of a thermal spike (local melting) with a lifetime of $\tau > 0.3$ ps at low-energy ion irradiation (1 keV) due to a ballistic mechanism. The existing experimental data follow the same trend as the simulated values.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, preprin

Large scale structure around a z=2.1 cluster

The most prodigious starburst galaxies are absent in massive galaxy clusters today, but their connection with large scale environments is less clear at $z\gtrsim2$. We present a search of large scale structure around a galaxy cluster core at $z=2.095$ using a set of spectroscopically confirmed galaxies. We find that both color-selected star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) show significant overdensities around the $z=2.095$ cluster. A total of 8 DSFGs (including 3 X-ray luminous active galactic nuclei, AGNs) and 34 SFGs are found within a 10 arcmin radius (corresponds to $\sim$15 cMpc at $z\sim2.1$) from the cluster center and within a redshift range of $\Delta z=0.02$, which leads to galaxy overdensities of $\delta_{\rm DSFG}\sim12.3$ and $\delta_{\rm SFG}\sim2.8$. The cluster core and the extended DSFG- and SFG-rich structure together demonstrate an active cluster formation phase, in which the cluster is accreting a significant amount of material from large scale structure while the more mature core may begin to virialize. Our finding of this DSFG-rich structure, along with a number of other protoclusters with excess DSFGs and AGNs found to date, suggest that the overdensities of these rare sources indeed trace significant mass overdensities. However, it remains puzzling how these intense star formers are triggered concurrently. Although an increased probability of galaxy interactions and/or enhanced gas supply can trigger the excess of DSFGs, our stacking analysis based on 850 $\mu$m images and morphological analysis based on rest-frame optical imaging do not show such enhancements of merger fraction and gas content in this structure.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, ApJ accepte

Fragmented superfluid due to frustration of cold atoms in optical lattices

A one dimensional optical lattice is considered where a second dimension is encoded in the internal states of the atoms giving effective ladder systems. Frustration is introduced by an additional optical lattice that induces tunneling of superposed atomic states. The effects of frustration range from the stabilization of the Mott insulator phase with ferromagnetic order, to the breakdown of superfluidity and the formation of a macroscopically fragmented phase.Comment: New version, more results, about 20 page

Cortico-limbic morphology separates tinnitus from tinnitus distress

Tinnitus is a common auditory disorder characterized by a chronic ringing or buzzing “in the ear.”Despite the auditory-perceptual nature of this disorder, a growing number of studies have reported neuroanatomical differences in tinnitus patients outside the auditory-perceptual system. Some have used this evidence to characterize chronic tinnitus as dysregulation of the auditory system, either resulting from inefficient inhibitory control or through the formation of aversive associations with tinnitus. It remains unclear, however, whether these “non-auditory” anatomical markers of tinnitus are related to the tinnitus signal itself, or merely to negative emotional reactions to tinnitus (i.e., tinnitus distress). In the current study, we used anatomical MRI to identify neural markers of tinnitus, and measured their relationship to a variety of tinnitus characteristics and other factors often linked to tinnitus, such as hearing loss, depression, anxiety, and noise sensitivity. In a new cohort of participants, we confirmed that people with chronic tinnitus exhibit reduced gray matter in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) compared to controls matched for age and hearing loss. This effect was driven by reduced cortical surface area, and was not related to tinnitus distress, symptoms of depression or anxiety, noise sensitivity, or other factors. Instead, tinnitus distress was positively correlated with cortical thickness in the anterior insula in tinnitus patients, while symptoms of anxiety and depression were negatively correlated with cortical thickness in subcallosal anterior cingulate cortex (scACC) across all groups. Tinnitus patients also exhibited increased gyrification of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which was more severe in those patients with constant (vs. intermittent) tinnitus awareness. Our data suggest that the neural systems associated with chronic tinnitus are different from those involved in aversive or distressed reactions to tinnitus

Effect of Intravenous Golimumab on Fatigue and the Relationship with Clinical Response in Adults with Active Ankylosing Spondylitis in the Phase 3 GO-ALIVE Study

INTRODUCTION: We studied the effect of intravenous (IV)-golimumab on fatigue and the association of fatigue improvement with clinical response post hoc in adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the GO-ALIVE trial. METHODS: Patients were randomized to IV-golimumab 2 mg/kg (N = 105) at week (W) 0, W4, then every 8 W (Q8W) or placebo (N = 103) at W0, W4, W12, crossover to IV-golimumab 2 mg/kg at W16, W20, then Q8W through W52. Fatigue measures included Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) Question #1 (fatigue; 0 [none], 10 [worst]; decrease indicates improvement) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) vitality subscale (0 [worst], 100 [best]; increase indicates improvement). Minimum clinically important difference is ≥ 1 for BASDAI-fatigue and ≥ 5 for SF-36 vitality. GO-ALIVE primary endpoint was Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society ≥ 20% improvement criteria (ASAS20). Other clinical outcomes assessed included other ASAS responses, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index score. The distribution-based minimally important differences (MIDs) were determined for BASDAI-fatigue and SF-36 vitality. The relationship between improvement in fatigue and clinical outcomes was assessed via multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Mean changes in BASDAI-fatigue/SF-36 vitality scores were greater with IV-golimumab versus placebo at W16 (- 2.74/8.46 versus - 0.73/2.08, both nominal p ≤ 0.003); by W52 (after crossover), differences between groups narrowed (- 3.18/9.39 versus - 3.07/9.17). BASDAI-fatigue/SF-36 vitality MIDs were achieved by greater proportions of IV-golimumab-treated versus placebo-treated patients at W16 (75.2%/71.4% versus 42.7%/35.0%). A one-point/five-point improvement in BASDAI-fatigue/SF-36 vitality scores at W16 increased likelihood of achieving ASAS20 (odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 3.15 [2.21, 4.50] and 2.10 [1.62, 2.71], respectively) and ASAS40 (3.04 [2.15, 4.28] and 2.24 [1.68, 3.00], respectively) responses at W16; concurrent improvements and clinical response at W52 were consistent. A one-point/five-point improvement in BASDAI-fatigue/SF-36 vitality scores at W16 predicted increased likelihood of achieving ASAS20 (1.62 [1.35, 1.95] and 1.52 [1.25, 1.86], respectively) and ASAS40 (1.62 [1.37, 1.92] and 1.44 [1.20, 1.73], respectively) responses at W52. CONCLUSIONS: IV-golimumab provided important and sustained fatigue improvement in patients with AS that positively associated with achieving clinical response. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02186873

A Close Binary Star Resolved from Occultation by 87 Sylvia

The star BD+29 1748 was resolved to be a close binary from its occultation by the asteroid 87 Sylvia on 2006 December 18 UT. Four telescopes were used to observe this event at two sites separated by some 80 km apart. Two flux drops were observed at one site, whereas only one flux drop was detected at the other. From the long-term variation of Sylvia, we inferred the probable shape of the shadow during the occultation, and this in turn constrains the binary parameters: the two components of BD+29 1748 have a projected separation of 0.097" to 0.110" on the sky with a position angle 104 deg to 107 deg. The asteroid was clearly resolved with a size scale ranging from 130 to 290 km, as projected onto the occultation direction. No occultation was detected for either of the two known moonlets of 87 Sylvia.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables; submitted to the PAS

Flavor violation and warped geometry

Extra dimensions have interesting consequences for flavor physics. We consider a setup where the standard model fermions and gauge fields reside in the bulk of a warped extra dimension. Fermion masses and mixings are explained by flavor dependent fermion locations, without relying on hierarchical Yukawa couplings. We discuss various flavor violating processes induced by (Kaluza-Klein) gauge boson exchange and non-renormalizable operators. Experimental constraints are satisfied with a Kaluza-Klein scale of about 10 TeV. Some processes, such as muon-electron conversion, are within reach of next generation experiments.Comment: 22 pages, LaTeX, 5 figures, references adde