Occupational Engagement and Health in Older South Asian Immigrants

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elements that shape how healthy active South Asian elder immigrants engage in daily activities to maintain their health. A descriptive grounded theory approach was employed using semi-structured interviews and a daily activity chart. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 12 South Asian elders, 7 males and 5 females, who immigrated after retirement to the South San Francisco Bay area. Open, axial, and selective coding of the transcribed data led to two broad themes, control and interdependence. These themes may be viewed as dynamic and interconnected forces that shape and determine the elder\u27s choice and orchestration of daily occupations. They are mediated by the sub-themes of social dynamics, cultural values, and health. Results indicate that well South Asian elder immigrants have a holistic and pragmatic outlook towards health, accept the constraints of their new environment and find ways to engage in healthy occupations. Their choice and engagement of occupations in turn facilitates adaptation to life in the United States. Barriers to health occur when the interdependent nature of lives and the individual control over occupational choices are out of balance or are disrupted

Crossbreeding the Sardinian and East Friesian breeds in Sardinia

International audienc

Two Qubit Quantum Computing in a Projected Subspace

A formulation for performing quantum computing in a projected subspace is presented, based on the subdynamical kinetic equation (SKE) for an open quantum system. The eigenvectors of the kinetic equation are shown to remain invariant before and after interaction with the environment. However, the eigenvalues in the projected subspace exhibit a type of phase shift to the evolutionary states. This phase shift does not destroy the decoherence-free (DF) property of the subspace because the associated fidelity is 1. This permits a universal formalism to be presented - the eigenprojectors of the free part of the Hamiltonian for the system and bath may be used to construct a DF projected subspace based on the SKE. To eliminate possible phase or unitary errors induced by the change in the eigenvalues, a cancellation technique is proposed, using the adjustment of the coupling time, and applied to a two qubit computing system. A general criteria for constructing a DF projected subspace from the SKE is discussed. Finally, a proposal for using triangulation to realize a decoherence-free subsystem based on SKE is presented. The concrete formulation for a two-qubit model is given exactly. Our approach is novel and general, and appears applicable to any type of decoherence. Key Words: Quantum Computing, Decoherence, Subspace, Open System PACS number: 03.67.Lx,33.25.+k,.76.60.-kComment: 24 pages. accepted by Phys. Rev.

Changes in melatonin concentrations in seminal plasma are not correlated with testosterone or antioxidant enzyme activity when rams are located in areas with an equatorial photoperiod

In temperate climates, photoperiod and melatonin regulate ram reproduction, modulating hormonal secretions, sperm quality, and seminal plasma composition. Information on the effect of an equatorial photoperiod (12L:12D) on ram reproduction, however, is scarce, and no data on hormonal concentrations and antioxidant enzyme activity in seminal plasma have been reported. Thus, the variation was investigated of melatonin and its relationship with testosterone and antioxidant enzyme activity in the seminal plasma of three sheep breeds in Colombia, when there was a consistent photoperiod during two dry and two rainy seasons per year. Semen was collected once a week from 12 mature rams (four of each breed: Colombian Creole, Hampshire, and Romney Marsh). Seminal plasma was obtained by centrifugation. The concentration of melatonin and testosterone were quantified along with the enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRD), and catalase (CAT). Correlation analyses between melatonin and testosterone concentrations or enzymatic activity were also performed. Melatonin concentration was affected by season (P < 0.05) but not breed, with lesser concentrations in the first rainy season. Testosterone concentration, however, was affected by breed and season, with greater concentrations (P < 0.01) in the Hampshire and Romney Marsh rams during the second dry season. Regarding antioxidant enzyme activity, there was only seasonal variation in GPx activity (P < 0.05). When correlation analyses were used for data assessments, there was a negative correlation between melatonin and testosterone concentrations in Hampshire rams. In conclusion, melatonin concentrations in seminal plasma of rams that were located in an area with an equatorial photoperiod was affected by the climatological season but there was no positive correlation with testosterone concentration or antioxidant enzyme activity

Amélioration génétique de la production laitiere des brebis sardes. I. – Héritabilités et corrélations entre caractères

International audienc

A Model System for Dimensional Competition in Nanostructures: A Quantum Wire on a Surface

The retarded Green’s function (E−H + iε)−1is given for a dimensionally hybrid Hamiltonian which interpolates between one and two dimensions. This is used as a model for dimensional competition in propagation effects in the presence of one-dimensional subsystems on a surface. The presence of a quantum wire generates additional exponential terms in the Green’s function. The result shows how the location of the one-dimensional subsystem affects propagation of particles