115 research outputs found
Development of Miniature Fast Neutron Spectrometers
Miniature fast neutron spectrometers are developed. A 1cm diam. by 1cm thick stilbene scintillator and a 1 cm radius spherical NE-213 are newly constructed and the detecting system, i.e. the response matrices, proton light data, an unfolding method, and a calibration method for the pulse-height axis, which are fitted to the new detectors are developed. Verification tests on the detecting system are made by applying the system in a ²⁵²Cf neutron field, a graphite transmitted neutron field, and a neutron field of an Am-Be source. The obtained spectra by the developed detectors are compared with the reference spectra obtained by an already established 5 cm diam. by 5 cm thick NE-213 scintillator. It is concluded through the tests that the developed miniature detector systems are adequate as a fast neutron spectrometer
Kondo screening of a high-spin Nagaoka state in a triangular quantum dot
We study transport through a triangle triple quantum dot connected to two
noninteracting leads using the numerical renormalization group (NRG). The
triangle has a high-spin ground state of S=1 caused by a Nagaoka
ferromagnetism, when it is isolated and has one extra electron introduced into
a half-filling. The results show that the conduction electrons screen the local
moment via two separate stages with different energy scales. The half of the
S=1 is screened first by one of the channel degrees, and then at very low
temperature the remaining half is fully screened to form a Kondo singlet. The
transport is determined by two phase shifts for quasi-particles with even and
odd parities, and then a two-terminal conductance in the series configuration
is suppressed , while plateau of a four-terminal
parallel conductance reaches a Unitary limit value of two conducting modes.Comment: 2pages, 2figures: fig1 is revised to show a narrow dip found in the
series conductanc
Evaluation of an association between plasma total homocysteine and schizophrenia by a Mendelian randomization analysis
Background: The results of meta-analyses conducted by previous association studies between total homocysteine and schizophrenia suggest that an elevated total homocysteine level is a risk factor for schizophrenia. However, observational studies have potential limitations, such as confounding and reverse causation. In the present study, we evaluated a causal relationship between plasma total homocysteine and schizophrenia by conducting a Mendelian randomization analysis.
Methods: We used the MTHFR C677T polymorphism as an instrumental variable, which affects the plasma total homocysteine levels. To calculate the risk estimate for the association of this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with schizophrenia, we conducted a meta-analysis of case–control studies that comprise a total of 11,042 patients with schizophrenia and 14,557 control subjects. We obtained an estimate for the association of this SNP with the plasma total homocysteine levels from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies comprising 44,147 individuals.
Results: By combining these two estimates, we demonstrated a significant effect of the plasma total homocysteine on schizophrenia risk, representing an OR of 2.15 (95 % CI = 1.39–3.32; p = 5.3 x 10−4) for schizophrenia per 1-SD increase in the natural log-transformed plasma total homocysteine levels.
Conclusions: We provided evidence of a causal relationship between the plasma total homocysteine and schizophrenia, and this result will add insight into the pathology and treatment of schizophrenia
Measurement of the mechanical loss of a cooled reflective coating for gravitational wave detection
We have measured the mechanical loss of a dielectric multilayer reflective
coating (ion-beam sputtered SiO and TaO) in cooled mirrors. The
loss was nearly independent of the temperature (4 K 300 K), frequency,
optical loss, and stress caused by the coating, and the details of the
manufacturing processes. The loss angle was . The
temperature independence of this loss implies that the amplitude of the coating
thermal noise, which is a severe limit in any precise measurement, is
proportional to the square root of the temperature. Sapphire mirrors at 20 K
satisfy the requirement concerning the thermal noise of even future
interferometric gravitational wave detector projects on the ground, for
example, LCGT.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables : accepted version (by Physical Review
D
Direct Observation of Broadband Coating Thermal Noise in a Suspended Interferometer
We have directly observed broadband thermal noise in silica/tantala coatings
in a high-sensitivity Fabry-Perot interferometer. Our result agrees well with
the prediction based on indirect, ring-down measurements of coating mechanical
loss, validating that method as a tool for the development of advanced
interferometric gravitational-wave detectors.Comment: Final version synchronized with publication in Phys. Lett.
DLPFC and KYN in MDD treatment response
Aim: To establish treatment response biomarkers that reflect the pathophysiology of depression, it is important to use an integrated set of features. This study aimed to determine the relationship between regional brain activity at rest and blood metabolites related to treatment response to escitalopram to identify the characteristics of depression that respond to treatment.
Methods: Blood metabolite levels and resting-state brain activity were measured in patients with moderate to severe depression (n = 65) before and after 6–8 weeks of treatment with escitalopram, and these were compared between Responders and Nonresponders to treatment. We then examined the relationship between blood metabolites and brain activity related to treatment responsiveness in patients and healthy controls (n = 36).
Results: Thirty-two patients (49.2%) showed a clinical response (>50% reduction in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score) and were classified as Responders, and the remaining 33 patients were classified as Nonresponders. The pretreatment fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) value of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and plasma kynurenine levels were lower in Responders, and the rate of increase of both after treatment was correlated with an improvement in symptoms. Moreover, the fALFF value of the left DLPFC was significantly correlated with plasma kynurenine levels in pretreatment patients with depression and healthy controls.
Conclusion: Decreased resting-state regional activity of the left DLPFC and decreased plasma kynurenine levels may predict treatment response to escitalopram, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder in response to escitalopram treatment
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