Magnetic field orientation effect on specific heat in a p-wave superconductor

The effect of magnetic field on specific heat of a p-wave spin triplet superconductor has been analyzed. To describe superconductivity we used a single band model with various realizations of p-wave order parameter and analyzed the effect of a Doppler shift in different temperatures.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Supercurrent in Nodal Superconductors

In recent years, a number of nodal superconductors have been identified; d-wave superconductors in high T_c cuprates, CeCoIn$_5$, and \kappa-(ET)_2Cu(NCS)_2, 2D f-wave superconductor in Sr_2RuO_4 and hybrid s+g-wave superconductor in YNi_2B_2C. In this work we conduct a theoretical study of nodal superconductors in the presence of supercurrent. For simplicity, we limit ourselves to d-wave and 2D f-wave superconductors. We compute the quasiparticle density of states and the temperature dependence of the depairing critical current in nodal superconductors, both of which are accessible experimentally.Comment: revtex4, 6 pages, 7 figures; fixed typos, updated references, trimmed introductio

Revisiting a kNN-based Image Classification System with High-capacity Storage

In existing image classification systems that use deep neural networks, the knowledge needed for image classification is implicitly stored in model parameters. If users want to update this knowledge, then they need to fine-tune the model parameters. Moreover, users cannot verify the validity of inference results or evaluate the contribution of knowledge to the results. In this paper, we investigate a system that stores knowledge for image classification, such as image feature maps, labels, and original images, not in model parameters but in external high-capacity storage. Our system refers to the storage like a database when classifying input images. To increase knowledge, our system updates the database instead of fine-tuning model parameters, which avoids catastrophic forgetting in incremental learning scenarios. We revisit a kNN (k-Nearest Neighbor) classifier and employ it in our system. By analyzing the neighborhood samples referred by the kNN algorithm, we can interpret how knowledge learned in the past is used for inference results. Our system achieves 79.8% top-1 accuracy on the ImageNet dataset without fine-tuning model parameters after pretraining, and 90.8% accuracy on the Split CIFAR-100 dataset in the task incremental learning setting.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 6 table

Anisotropy of in-plane magnetization due to nodal gap structure in the vortex state

We examine the interplay between anisotropy of the in-plane magnetization and the nodal gap structure on the basis of the approximate analytic solution in the quasiclassical formalism. We show that a four-fold oscillation appears in the magnetization, and its amplitude changes sign at an intermediate field. The high-field oscillation originates from the anisotropy of the upper critical field, while the low-field behavior can be understood by the thermally activated quasiparticles near nodes depending on the applied field angles. The temperature dependence of the magnetization also shows a similar sign change. The anisotropy of the magnetization offers a possible measurement to identify the gap structure directly for a wide class of type II superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Cast: a novel protein of the cytomatrix at the active zone of synapses that forms a ternary complex with RIM1 and munc13-1

The cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ) has been implicated in defining the site of Ca2+-dependent exocytosis of neurotransmitter. We have identified here a novel CAZ protein of ∼120 kD from rat brain and named it CAST (CAZ-associated structural protein). CAST had no transmembrane segment, but had four coiled-coil domains and a putative COOH-terminal consensus motif for binding to PDZ domains. CAST was localized at the CAZ of conventional synapses of mouse brain. CAST bound directly RIM1 and indirectly Munc13-1, presumably through RIM1, forming a ternary complex. RIM1 and Munc13-1 are CAZ proteins implicated in Ca2+-dependent exocytosis of neurotansmitters. Bassoon, another CAZ protein, was also associated with this ternary complex. These results suggest that a network of protein–protein interactions among the CAZ proteins exists at the CAZ. At the early stages of synapse formation, CAST was expressed and partly colocalized with bassoon in the axon shaft and the growth cone. The vesicles immunoisolated by antibassoon antibody–coupled beads contained not only bassoon but also CAST and RIM1. These results suggest that these CAZ proteins are at least partly transported on the same vesicles during synapse formation

CORRELATION BETWEEN THROWING MOTION AND MAXIMUM ELBOW VARUS TORQUE IN FEMALE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between throwing motion and maximum elbow varus torque (MEV) in female professional baseball pitchers. Twelve pitchers without pre-existing pain were recruited. Ball velocity and pitching motion were measured. Ball velocity and, kinematic and kinetic data from each joint during the pitch were extracted to evaluate the correlation with MEV. There was no correlation between the fastest ball velocity and MEV. Sixteen kinematic and kinetic parameters were found to have significant correlations with MEV. Particularly, as trunk rotation angle to the non-throwing direction before lead foot contact (FC) increased, the MEV decreased. Rotating the trunk in the non-throwing direction before FC and immediately in the throwing direction after FC could be a key component of the throwing motion

Mixed-State Thermodynamics of Superconductors with Moderately Large Paramagnetic Effects

Effects of Pauli paramagnetism on thermodynamic quantities in a vortex state, such as the specific heat $C$ and magnetization $M$, are studied using the quasiclassical Eilenberger formalism. We demonstrate that with an increase of paramagnetic depairing effect, the sigh of the curvature of the field dependence of $C$ changes from negative to positive, and that the Maki parameter $\kappa_2$ becomes an increasing function of temperature. Our results provide a natural explanation for the unusual field dependence of $C$ seen in CeCoIn$_5$ in terms of the paramagnetic effect.Comment: Published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74, 2181 (2005

リコウケイ ガクセイ ノ コクサイリョク ハ ドノヨウニ コウジョウ スルノカ センザイテキ グローバル ジンザイ ノ イクセイ ニ カンスル ジッショウ ケンキュウ

Low-resistivity and excellent-adhesion Cu(Ti) alloy films were prepared on glass substrates. Cu(0:3-4 at%Ti) alloy films were deposited on the substrates, and subsequently annealed in vacuum at 400℃ for 3 h. Resistivity of the annealed Cu(Ti) alloy films was significantly reduced to about 2.8μΩcm. Tensile strength of the Cu(Ti)/glass interface increased to about 60 MPa after annealing. The low resistivity and excellent adhesion resulted from Ti segregation at the film surface and the Cu(Ti)/glass interface. The segregated Ti atoms reacted with atmospheric oxygen at the surface and with oxygen in glass and/or from atmosphere at the interface, and formed a TiO2 layer at the surface and a TiO2 layer with a small amount of Ti2O3 and TiO at the interface. The layers were non-crystalline. Columnar grains in the alloy films were seen to enhance Ti segregation and subsequent Cu grain growth. The Cu grain growth also contributed to low resistivity of Cu(Ti) alloy films

Synaptic activity prompts γ-secretase–mediated cleavage of EphA4 and dendritic spine formation

Alzheimer's disease is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive function. γ-secretase dysfunction is evident in many cases of early onset familial Alzheimer's disease. However, the mechanism by which γ-secretase dysfunction results in memory loss and neurodegeneration is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that γ-secretase is localized at synapses and regulates spine formation. We identify EphA4, one of the Ephrin receptor family members, as a substrate of γ-secretase, and find that EphA4 processing is enhanced by synaptic activity. Moreover, overexpression of EphA4 intracellular domain increases the number of dendritic spines by activating the Rac signaling pathway. These findings reveal a function for EphA4-mediated intracellular signaling in the morphogenesis of dendritic spines and suggest that the processing of EphA4 by γ-secretase affects the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease