Noncentrosymmetric Tetrel Pnictides RuSi4P4 and IrSi3P3: Nonlinear Optical Materials with Outstanding Laser Damage Threshold

Noncentrosymmetric (NCS) tetrel pnictides have recently generated interest as nonlinear optical (NLO) materials due to their second harmonic generation (SHG) activity and large laser damage threshold (LDT). Herein nonmetal-rich silicon phosphides RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ are synthesized and characterized. Their crystal structures are reinvestigated using single crystal X-ray diffraction and ²⁹Si and ³¹P magic angle spinning NMR. In agreement with previous report RuSi₄P₄ crystallizes in NCS space group P1, while IrSi₃P₃ is found to crystallize in NCS space group Cm, in contrast with the previously reported space group C2. A combination of DFT calculations and diffuse reflectance measurements reveals RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ to be wide bandgap (E_g) semiconductors, E_g = 1.9 and 1.8 eV, respectively. RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ outperform the current state-of-the-art infrared SHG material, AgGaS₂, both in SHG activity and laser inducer damage threshold. Due to the combination of high thermal stabilities (up to 1373 K), wide bandgaps (≈2 eV), NCS crystal structures, strong SHG responses, and large LDT values, RuSi₄P₄ and IrSi₃P₃ are promising candidates for longer wavelength NLO materials.     

A comparison between the enhanced mass transfer in boundary and pressure driven oscillatory flow

Mass transport in pulsating flow devices using either moving boundaries or oscillating imposed pressure drops are compared with each other by means of a calculation using a simple model. We conclude that there is no difference between the two configurations as long as one is interested only in the power required to move the fluid for the convective mass transport achieved. However, the boundary driven configuration is more efficient if the power is divided by the total mass transport where both the diffusive and convective parts are taken into account, the boundary driven configuration is more efficient. The amplitude of the piston stroke in the pressure driven configuration and the amplitude in the boundary driven case are assumed to be the same, and the inertia of the moving devices themselves are ignored in this calculation.     

The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes: The Women's Health Initiative.

This study examined whether widowhood was associated with physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes using a cross-sectional (N=72,247) and prospective (N=55,724) design in women aged 50-79 years participating in the Women's Health Initiative observational study (85.4% White). At baseline, married women reported better physical and mental health and generally better health behaviors than widowed women. Whereas women who remained married over the 3-year period showed stability in mental health, recent widows experienced marked impairments and longer term widows showed stability or slight improvements. Both groups of widows reported more unintentional weight loss over the 3-year period. Changes in physical health and health behaviors were inconsistent, with generally small effect sizes. Findings underscore the resilience of older women and their capacity to reestablish connections, but point to the need for services that strengthen social support among women who have difficulty during this transition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Complementary Justice: Effects of "Poor but Happy" and "Poor but Honest" Stereotype Exemplars on System Justification and Implicit Activation of the Justice Motive.

It was hypothesized that exposure to complementary representations of the poor as happier and more honest than the rich would lead to increased support for the status quo. In Study 1, exposure to "poor but happy" and "rich but miserable" stereotype exemplars led people to score higher on a general measure of system justification, compared with people who were exposed to noncomplementary exemplars. Study 2 replicated this effect with "poor but honest" and "rich but dishonest" complementary stereotypes. In Studies 3 and 4, exposure to noncomplementary stereotype exemplars implicitly activated justice concerns, as indicated by faster reaction times to justice-related than neutral words in a lexical decision task. Evidence also suggested that the Protestant work ethic may moderate the effects of stereotype exposure on explicit system justification (but not implicit activation). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of renal osteodystrophy in dialysis patients: use of bone alkaline phosphatase, bone mineral density and parathyroid ultrasound in comparison with bone histology

Bone biopsies were studied in 73 patients to determine if a two-site radioimmunometric assay for serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), total serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), hand X-rays, regional bone mineral density (BMD) measurements and parathyroid enlargement detected by ultrasonography could accurately predict renal osteodystrophy. In the patients studied 57 had hyperparathyroid bone disease, 4 mixed renal osteodystrophy, 3 adynamic bone disease, 1 osteomalacia and 8 normal histology. Serum BAP, ALP and iPTH correlated positively with mineral apposition rate, osteoblastic, osteoid and eroded surface. In the diagnosis of hyperparathyroid bone disease serum iPTH was the most sensitive investigation, detecting 81% of patients at a level > 100 pg/ml but with a specificity of only 66%. Serum BAP was more sensitive, 70% at a level of > 10 ng/ml, than serum total ALP, 30% at a level of 300 IU/l, with similar specificities, 92 and 100%, respectively. Ultrasound detection of an enlarged parathyroid gland had a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 100% for the diagnosis of hyperparathyroid bone disease. Hand X-rays had a poor sensitivity, 47%, but a high specificity, 92%, for the detection of hyperparathyroid bone disease. The majority of patients had regional BMD values within the normal reference range and this test was of poor discriminatory value. The non-invasive markers were unable to distinguish between patients with low turnover, mild hyperparathyroidism and patients with normal histology. In conclusion the measurement of serum iPTH is a useful screening tool for the detection of hyperparathyroid bone disease which can be confirmed by the finding of a raised serum BAP or parathyroid enlargement. For definitive diagnosis, however, the gold standard remains bone biopsy and at present one cannot recommend any non-invasive method as an adequate substitute.     

Absence makes the adaptations grow fonder: Proportion of time apart from partner, male sexual psychology, and sperm competition in humans (Homo sapiens).

Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of multiple males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg. We used a questionnaire to investigate psychological responses to the risk of sperm competition for 237 men in committed, sexual relationships. As predicted, a man who spends a greater (relative to a man who spends a lesser) proportion of time apart from his partner since the couple's last copulation reported (a) greater sexual interest in his partner, (b) greater distress in response to his partner's sexual rejection, and (c) greater sexual persistence in response to his partner's sexual rejection. All effects were independent of total time since the couple's last copulation and the man's relationship satisfaction. Discussion addresses limitations of the current research and situates the current results within the broader comparative literature on adaptation to sperm competition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probe-guided surgery of colorectal carcinoma

Anti-CEA-scintigraphy turned out very reliable in detecting primary and recurrent colorectal cancer, its overall accuracy being more than 90 p.c. The intraoperative application of this technology should provide similar results when focussing at extrahepatic tumor deposits, for example in lymph nodes, thus allowing accurate staging of the underlying disease. To test this hypothesis we lauched the following feasibility-study the results of which are compared to those reported in the recent literature. We investigated 20 patients-six with rectum-, 14 with colon cancer, 24 hours before surgery they were intravenously given 1 ml of an fab-fragment-antibody to CEA, labeled with 25mCi of 99mTc (CEA-Scan). During surgery the radioactivity in lymph glands regionary for the tumors was measured and compared to the-much lower-activity in healthy nodes. For this we used a scintillation-probe (C-Trak). All lymph nodes of interest were-then excised and submitted to frozen section pathology. In 7/20 cases scintimetry led to an up-staging of the disease. In addition we found metastatic spread to lymph nodes that were basically not regionary for the primary tumor. Our results are confirmed by those of other investigators. Scintimetry can precisely identify even very small tumor deposits. So it leads to accurate staging when surgery is still on-going. In a next step the concept of sentinel-node-diagnosis, which is right now being clinically evaluated, may be applied is colorectal surgical oncology.     

Turbo codes with unequal error protection

The authors present a new simple method for designing turbo codes with unequal error protection (UEP). An example is given to provide numerical evidence of its effectiveness