Arrays of Josephson junctions in an environment with vanishing impedance

The Hamiltonian operator for an unbiased array of Josephson junctions with gate voltages is constructed when only Cooper pair tunnelling and charging effects are taken into account. The supercurrent through the system and the pumped current induced by changing the gate voltages periodically are discussed with an emphasis on the inaccuracies in the Cooper pair pumping. Renormalisation of the Hamiltonian operator is used in order to reliably parametrise the effects due to inhomogeneity in the array and non-ideal gating sequences. The relatively simple model yields an explicit, testable prediction based on three experimentally motivated and determinable parameters.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, uses RevTeX and epsfig, Revised version, Better readability and some new result

Power of lower extremities and age were the main determinants on the agility test for adults in a cohort of men aged 66-91 years

Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between agility and personal factors, muscle strength and power, mobility, self-reported balance and physical activity among older men. Methods: Agility was measured by using the Agility Test for Adults (ATA). We studied 100 Finnish male former elite athletes (endurance n = 50; power n = 50) and 50 matched controls aged 66 to 91 years (mean age 75.5 years). The associations between agility and other variables were similar between three groups; thus, multiple linear regression analyses were done by using the pooled data of the participants. Results: On the basis of multiple linear regression analyses, combination of age (p = .02), self-reported Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC scale), jumping height (p = .001) and self-rated health explained 26% of the variance in execution time of ATA (R-2 = 0.26; p = .000002) among elderly men. Conclusion: Power of lower extremities and age were the main determinants of the results of ATA in a cohort of men aged 66-91 years. From a clinical point of view, power of lower extremities measured by test demanding explosive power plays an important role to maintain or enhance capacity of agility.Peer reviewe

Charge Pumping in Mesoscopic Systems coupled to a Superconducting Lead

We derive a general scattering-matrix formula for the pumped current through a mesoscopic region attached to a normal and a superconducting lead. As applications of this result we calculate the current pumped through (i) a pump in a wire, (ii) a quantum dot in the Coulomb blockade regime, and (iii) a ballistic double-barrier junction, all coupled to a superconducting lead. Andreev reflection is shown to enhance the pumped current by up to a factor of 4 in case of equal coupling to the leads. We find that this enhancement can still be further increased for slightly asymmetric coupling.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Nuclear deformation and the two neutrino double-\beta decay in ^{124,126}Xe,^{128,130}Te, ^{130,132}Ba and ^{150}Nd isotopes

The two neutrino double beta decay of $^{124,126}$Xe,$^{128,130}$Te, $^{130,132}$Ba and $^{150}$Nd isotopes is studied in the Projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (PHFB) model. Theoretical 2$\nu$ $\beta^{-}\beta ^{-}$ half-lives of $^{128,130}$Te, and $^{150}$Nd isotopes, and 2$\nu \beta^{+}\beta^{+}$, 2$\nu$ $\beta^{+}EC$ and 2$\nu$ $ECEC$ for $^{124,126}$Xe and $^{130,132}$Ba nuclei are presented. Calculated quadrupolar transition probabilities B(E2: $0^+\to 2^+$), static quadrupole moments and $g$ factors in the parent and daughter nuclei reproduce the experimental information, validating the reliability of the model wave functions. The anticorrelation between nuclear deformation and the nuclear transition matrix element $M_{2\nu}$ is confirmed.Comment: 19 page

Девочки чаще учатся на спортивных сборах по сравнению с мальчиками: роль тренера в гендерном разделении двух карьерных путей спортсменов

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 21.01.2022.Received: 21.01.2022.В статье даются результаты исследования о роли тренера в мотивации спортсменов на построение двух карьер, а также их взглядов на двойную карьеру девушек и юношей. Результаты показали, что учащиеся-спортсмены в старших классах спортивных школ часто воспринимали созданный тренером мотивационный климат как нацеленный на достижение спортивного результата. Опрошенные спортсмены объяснили, что такой подход не мотивировал их на учебный процесс, а скорее обесценивал их образовательные цели. Выявлено, что тренеры, хотя и подчеркивали важность получения спортсменами среднего образования, не могли обосновать, как данные идеи включены в тренерскую практику. Тренеры согласились с тем, что те спортсмены, которые переходят в элитный спорт, должны сосредоточиться на развитии своей спортивной карьеры, при этом требования элитного спорта и высшего образования часто считались как несовместимые. Результаты показали, что стили коучинга играют важную роль в поддержке мотивации спортсменов к достижению целей двух карьер.The article presents the results of a study on the role of a coach in motivating athletes to build two careers, as well as their coaches’ views on the dual careers of girls and boys. The results have showed that student-athletes in high school of sports schools often perceived the motivational climate created by the coach as a process aimed at achieving sports results. The interviewed athletes explained that this approach did not motivate them to the learning process, and moreover, devalued their educational goals. It was revealed that although the coaches emphasized the importance of receiving secondary education for athletes, they could not justify how these ideas were included in coaching practice. The coaches have agreed that those athletes who switch to elite sports should focus on developing their sports career, while the requirements of elite sports and higher education were often considered incompatible. The results have showed that coaching styles play an important role in supporting the motivation of athletes to achieve the goals of two careers

Подростки-спортсмены строят двойную карьеру и благополучие в условиях двойного карьерного роста: роль факторов окружающей среды

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 20.12.2021.Received: 20.12.2021.Цель исследования заключалась в изучении карьерного роста и благополучия спортсменов-подростков в условиях двойного карьерного роста. В исследовании выявлены особенности адаптивности к карьере в старших классах спортивной школы. В статье представлены данные относительно того, в какой степени самооценка и пол связаны с адаптивностью к двойной карьере, определены профили адаптации к карьере спортсменов-подростков, выявлены как ожидания студентов-спортсменов в зависимости от их успехов в спорте и учебе и соответствующие ожидания их родителей связаны с их профилями адаптации к карьере. Получены новые данные относительно того, как организационная культура спортивной школы влияет на построение карьеры спортсменов-подростков.The purpose of the scientific research was to study the career growth and well-being of adolescent athletes in conditions of dual career growth. The study revealed the features of adaptability to a career in high school of sports school. The article presents data on the extent to which self-esteem and gender are associated with adaptability to a dual career, the profiles of adaptation to the career of adolescent athletes have been defined, it is also revealed how the expectations of student-athletes depending on their success in sports and studies and the corresponding expectations of their parents are associated with their profiles of adaptation to a career. The new data on how the organizational culture of a sports school affects the career development of teenage athletes have been obtained

Состояния настроения студентов-спортсменов: профили развития, предпосылки и последствия

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 14.01.2022.Received: 14.01.2022.Цель исследования заключается в получении информации о психическом здоровье молодых финских спортсменов старшего школьного возраста с точки зрения профилей состояний настроения. Было описано шесть разных профилей. Общий показатель настроения был выше у женщин, чем у мужчин. Энергетический индекс был самым высоким у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта и самым низким у мужчин в командных видах спорта. У женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта он был ниже, чем у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта, и выше в командных видах спорта, чем у мужчин. Он был выше у женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта, чем у женщин в командных видах спорта.The aim of the study is to obtain information about the mental health of young Finnish athletes of high school age in terms of mood state profiles. Six different profiles were described. The overall mood score of women was higher than of men. The energy index was the highest for the men in individual sports and the lowest one was for the men in team sports. For the women in individual sports, it was lower than for men in individual sports. For the women in team sports it was higher than for men in team sports. The energy index was higher for women in individual sports than for women in team sports

The Majorana neutrino masses, neutrinoless double beta decay and nuclear matrix elements

The effective Majorana neutrino mass is evaluated by using the latest results of neutrino oscillation experiments. The problems of the neutrino mass spectrum,absolute mass scale of neutrinos and the effect of CP phases are addressed. A connection to the next generation of the neutrinoless double beta decay (0nbb-decay) experiments is discussed. The calculations are performed for 76Ge, 100Mo, 136Xe and 130Te by using the advantage of recently evaluated nuclear matrix elements with significantly reduced theoretical uncertainty. An importance of observation of the 0nbb-decay of several nuclei is stressed.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures, EXO (10 t) experiment considere

Ten-Year Mortality and Cardiovascular Morbidity in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study—Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Trial

The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS) was a randomized controlled trial, which showed that it is possible to prevent type 2 diabetes by lifestyle changes. The aim of the present study was to examine whether the lifestyle intervention had an effect on the ten-year mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in the DPS participants originally randomized either into an intervention or control group. Furthermore, we compared these results with a population-based cohort comprising individuals of varying glucose tolerance states.Middle-aged, overweight people with IGT (n = 522) were randomized into intensive intervention (including physical activity, weight reduction and dietary counseling), or control "mini-intervention" group. Median length of the intervention period was 4 years and the mean follow-up was 10.6 years. The population-based reference study cohort included 1881 individuals (1570 with normal glucose tolerance, 183 with IGT, 59 with screen-detected type 2 diabetes, 69 with previously known type 2 diabetes) with the mean follow-up of 13.8 years. Mortality and cardiovascular morbidity data were collected from the national Hospital Discharge Register and Causes of Death Register. Among the DPS participants who consented for register linkage (n = 505), total mortality (2.2 vs. 3.8 per 1000 person years, hazard ratio HR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.21-1.58) and cardiovascular morbidity (22.9 vs. 22.0 per 1000 person years, HR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.72-1.51) did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups. Compared with the population-based cohort with impaired glucose tolerance, adjusted HRs were 0.21 (95% CI 0.09-0.52) and 0.39 (95% CI 0.20-0.79) for total mortality, and 0.89 (95% CI 0.62-1.27) and 0.87 (0.60-1.27) for cardiovascular morbidity in the intervention and control groups of the DPS, respectively. The risk of death in DPS combined cohort was markedly lower than in FINRISK IGT cohort (adjusted HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.17-0.54), but there was no significant difference in the risk of CVD (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.64-1.21).Lifestyle intervention among persons with IGT did not decrease cardiovascular morbidity during the first 10 years of follow-up. However, the statistical power may not be sufficient to detect small differences between the intervention and control groups. Low total mortality among participants of the DPS compared with individuals with IGT in the general population could be ascribed to a lower cardiovascular risk profile at baseline and regular follow-up.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00518167

Predictors of reading literacy for first and second language learners

In this study an attempt was made to construct a multi-factor model predicting the development of reading literacy in the upper grades of primary school in the Netherlands for subgroups of 729 first language (L1) learners and 93 second language (L2) learners. Following a longitudinal design, it was explored to what extent the variation in reading literacy development in L1 and L2 from grade 4 to grade 6 can be explained from children’s word decoding, language, mathematics and nonverbal reasoning skills, reading motivation and self confidence as well as their home reading resources. The results showed that L1 and L2 learners differed in reading literacy skills, language, mathematics, and reasoning skills. Structural equation modelling showed that the reading literacy development in both L1 and L2 learners could be explained from decoding, language, mathematics and reasoning skills, as well as their motivation and self-confidence. A striking difference was the fact that home reading resources had an impact on reading literacy in L1 learners but not in L2 learners