Variability of Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate variability of sedentary behavior (SB) throughout a 7-d measurement period and to determine if G7 d of SB measurement would be comparable with the typical 7-d measurement period. Methods: Retrospective data from Ball State University_s Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory on 293 participants (99 men, 55 T 14 yr, body mass index = 29 T 5 kgImj2; 194 women, 51 T 12 yr, body mass index = 27 T 7 kgImj2) with seven consecutive days of data collected with ActiGraph accelerometers were analyzed (ActiGraph, Fort Walton Beach, FL). Time spent in SB (either G100 counts per minute or G150 counts per minute) and breaks in SB were compared between days and by sex using a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Stepwise regression was performed to determine if G7 d of SB measurement were comparable with the 7-d method, using an adjusted R2 of Q0.9 as a criterion for equivalence. Results: There were no differences in daily time spent in SB between the 7 d for all participants. However, there was a significant interaction between sex and days, with women spending less time in SB on both Saturdays and Sundays than men when using the 100 counts per minute cut-point. Stepwise regression showed using any 4 d would be comparable with a 7-d measurement (R2 9 0.90). Conclusions: When assessed over a 7-d measurement period, SB appears to be very stable from day to day, although there may be some small differences in time spent in SB and breaks in SB between men and women, particularly on weekend days. The stepwise regression analysis suggests that a measurement period as short as 4 d could provide comparable data (91% of variance) with a 1-wk assessment. Shorter assessment periods would reduce both researcher and subject burden in data collection

Automated Grain Yield Behavior Classification

A method for classifying grain stress evolution behaviors using unsupervised learning techniques is presented. The method is applied to analyze grain stress histories measured in-situ using high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy (HEDM) from the aluminum-lithium alloy Al-Li 2099 at the elastic-plastic transition (yield). The unsupervised learning process automatically classified the grain stress histories into four groups: major softening, no work-hardening or softening, moderate work-hardening, and major work-hardening. The orientation and spatial dependence of these four groups are discussed. In addition, the generality of the classification process to other samples is explored

Dimorphite-DL and biotite-tools, two open source programs for the acceleration of structure-based drug design

Computer-aided drug design has seen a proliferation of tools that allow the manipulation of small molecule and macromolecular structures in increasingly high-throughput settings. Molecular dynamics simulations, small molecule docking software, and visualization tools allow researchers to rapidly identify drug candidates and narrow the list of compounds that experimentalists must consider for further testing. Any gap in automating computer-aided drug design thus delays potentially life-saving discoveries. Here we present two open-source programs we developed to address challenges facing both protein and ligand preparation. Dimorphite-DL is a lightweight python program that predicts protonation states of small molecules using an empirical approach to ensure accurate docking and modelling calculations. The presence or absence of a hydrogen atom often determines whether a given ligand will bind a protein of interest. Biotite-tools is a python package that provides several popular statistical functions for analyzing molecular dynamics simulations in an easy-to-use way. Conformational fluctuation is complex, and it can be challenging to extract insight from what is essentially a “protein movie.” As such, simulation analysis has largely been restricted to those with backgrounds in computation, limiting the scope of such a powerful tool. Biotite-tools aims to accelerate the efforts of those already working with molecular dynamics and make analysis more accessible to experimentalists

Abelian and non-Abelian geometric phases in adiabatic open quantum systems

We introduce a self-consistent framework for the analysis of both Abelian and non-Abelian geometric phases associated with open quantum systems, undergoing cyclic adiabatic evolution. We derive a general expression for geometric phases, based on an adiabatic approximation developed within an inherently open-systems approach. This expression provides a natural generalization of the analogous one for closed quantum systems, and we prove that it satisfies all the properties one might expect of a good definition of a geometric phase, including gauge invariance. A striking consequence is the emergence of a finite time interval for the observation of geometric phases. The formalism is illustrated via the canonical example of a spin-1/2 particle in a time-dependent magnetic field. Remarkably, the geometric phase in this case is immune to dephasing and spontaneous emission in the renormalized Hamiltonian eigenstate basis. This result positively impacts holonomic quantum computing.Comment: v3: 10 pages, 2 figures. Substantially expanded version. Includes a proof of gauge invariance of the non-Abelian geometric phase, and an appendix on the left and right eigenvectors of the superoperator in the Jordan for

Uncertainty-principle noise in vacuum-tunneling transducers

The fundamental sources of noise in a vacuum-tunneling probe used as an electromechanical transducer to monitor the location of a test mass are examined using a first-quantization formalism. We show that a tunneling transducer enforces the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for the position and momentum of a test mass monitored by the transducer through the presence of two sources of noise: the shot noise of the tunneling current and the momentum fluctuations transferred by the tunneling electrons to the test mass. We analyze a number of cases including symmetric and asymmetric rectangular potential barriers and a barrier in which there is a constant electric field. Practical configurations for reaching the quantum limit in measurements of the position of macroscopic bodies with such a class of transducers are studied

Metallicity, temperature, and gravity scales of M subdwarfs

The aim of the project is to define a metallicity/gravity/temperature scale vs spectral types for metal-poor M dwarfs. We obtained intermediate-resolution ultraviolet (R~3300), optical (R~5400), and near-infrared (R~3900) spectra of 43 M subdwarfs (sdM), extreme subdwarfs (esdM), and ultra-subdwarfs (usdM) with the X-shooter spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. We compared our atlas of spectra to the latest BT-Settl synthetic spectral energy distribution over a wide range of metallicities, gravities, and effective temperatures to infer the physical properties for the whole M dwarf sequence (M0--M9.5) at sub-solar metallicities and constrain the latest state-of-the-art atmospheric models. The BT-Settl models reproduce well the observed spectra across the 450-2500 nm wavelength range except for a few regions. We find that the best fits are obtained for gravities of log(g) = 5.0-5.5 dex for the three metal classes. We infer metallicities of [Fe/H] = -0.5, -1.5, and -2.0+/-0.5 dex and effective temperatures of 3700-2600 K, 3800-2900 K, and 3700-2900 K for subdwarfs, extreme subdwarfs, and ultra-subdwarfs, respectively. Metal-poor M dwarfs tend to be warmer by about 200+/-100 K and exhibit higher gravity than their solar-metallicity counterparts. We derive abundances of several elements (Fe, Na, K, Ca, Ti) for our sample but cannot describe their atmospheres with a single metallicity parameter. Our metallicity scale expands the current scales available for midly metal-poor planet-host low-mass stars. Our compendium of moderate-resolution spectra covering the 0.45--2.5 micron range represents an important legacy value for large-scale surveys and space missions to come.Comment: 31 pages, 4 pages, 4 tables + 1 appendix with 12 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A. Version prior to language editio

Differences in efficacy of monepantel, derquantel and abamectin against multi-resistant nematodes of sheep

Drug resistance has become a global phenomenon in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep, particularly resistance to macrocyclic lactones. New anthelmintics are urgently needed for both the control of infections with multi-resistant nematodes in areas where classical anthelmintics are no longer effective, and the prevention of the spread of resistance in areas where the problem is not as severe. Recently, two new active ingredients became commercially available for the treatment of nematode infections in sheep, monepantel (Zolvix®) and derquantel, the latter used only in a formulated combination with the macrocyclic lactone, abamectin (Startect®). In order to assess the potential of the new actives for the control and prevention of spread of anthelmintic resistance, two characterized multi-resistant field isolates from Australia were used in a GLP (good laboratory practice) conducted efficacy study in sheep. Eight infected sheep in each group were treated orally according to the product labels with 2.5 mg/kg body weight monepantel, 0.2 mg/kg abamectin, or with the combination of 2.0 mg/kg derquantel and 0.2 mg/kg abamectin. The results demonstrate that monepantel was fully effective against multi-resistant species, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Haemonchus contortus (99.9%). In contrast, the combination of derquantel and abamectin was effective against T. colubriformis (99.9%), but was not effective against larval stages of the barber's pole worm H. contortus (18.3%)

Effective Lorentz Force due to Small-angle Impurity Scattering: Magnetotransport in High-Tc Superconductors

We show that a scattering rate which varies with angle around the Fermi surface has the same effect as a periodic Lorentz force on magnetotransport coefficients. This effect, together with the marginal Fermi liquid inelastic scattering rate gives a quantitative explanation of the temperature dependence and the magnitude of the observed Hall effect and magnetoresistance with just the measured zero-field resistivity as input.Comment: 4 pages, latex, one epsf figure included in text. Several revisions and corrections are included. Major conclusions are the sam

Sources of pro-cyclicality in east Asian financial systems

Procyclicality is a normal feature of economic systems, but financial sector weaknesses can exacerbate it sufficiently to pose a threat to macroeconomic and financial stability. These include shortcomings in bank risk management and governance, in supervision and in terms of dependence on volatile sources of funds. The paper tests econometrically for the importance of such features leading to pro-cyclicality in the financial systems of 11 East Asian countries. This analysis makes it possible to identify specific policy measures for East Asian countries that could limit the extent to which financial systems exacerbate pro-cyclicality

Measurement of the ground-state flux diagram of three coupled qubits as a first step towards the demonstration of adiabatic quantum computation

The ground state susceptibility of a system consisting of three flux-qubits was measured in the complete three dimensional flux space around the common degeneracy point of the qubits. The system's Hamiltonian could be completely reconstructed from measurements made far away from the common degeneracy point. The subsequent measurements made around this point show complete agreement with the theoretical predictions which follow from this Hamiltonian. The ground state anti-crossings of the system could be read-out directly from these measurements. This allows one to determine the ground-state flux diagram, which provides the solution for the non-polynomial optimization problem MAXCUT encoded in the Hamiltonian of the three-flux-qubit system. Our results show that adiabatic quantum computation can be demonstrated with this system provided that the energy gap and/or the speed of the read-out is increased.Comment: accepted for publication by Europhysics Letter