Running mechanics adjustments to perceptually-regulated interval runs in hypoxia and normoxia

Objectives We determined whether perceptually-regulated, high-intensity intermittent runs in hypoxia and normoxia induce similar running mechanics adjustments within and between intervals. Design Within-participants repeated measures. Methods Nineteen trained runners completed a high-intensity intermittent running protocol (4×4-min intervals at a perceived rating exertion of 16 on the 6–20 Borg scale, 3-min passive recoveries) in either hypoxic (FiO2 =0.15) or normoxic (FiO2 =0.21) conditions. Running mechanics were collected over 10 consecutive steps, at constant velocity (∼15.0±2.0km.h−1), at the beginning and the end of each 4-min interval. Repeated measure ANOVA were used to assess within intervals (onset vs. end of each interval), between intervals (interval 1, 2, 3 vs. 4) and FiO2 (0.15 vs. 0.21) main effects and any potential interaction. Results Participants progressively reduced running velocity from interval 1–4, and more so in hypoxia compared to normoxia for intervals 2, 3 and 4 (P 0.298) and FiO2 (across all intervals P >0.082) main effects or any significant between intervals×within intervals×FiO2 interactions (all P >0.098) for any running mechanics variables. Irrespective of interval number or FiO2, peak loading rate (+10.6±7.7%; P <0.001) and duration of push-off phase (+2.0±3.1%; P =0.001) increased from the onset to the end of 4-min intervals, whereas peak push-off force decreased (−4.0±4.0%; P <0.001). Conclusions When carrying out perceptually-regulated interval treadmill runs, runners adjust to progressively slower velocities in hypoxia compared to normoxia. However, only subtle constant-velocity modifications of their mechanical behaviour occurred within each set, independently of FiO2 or interval number

Computational identification of anthocyanin-specific transcription factors using a rice microarray and maximum boundary range algorithm

This study identifies 2,617 candidate genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis in rice using microarray analysis and a newly developed maximum boundary range algorithm. Three seed developmental stages were examined in white cultivar and two black Dissociation insertion mutants. The resultant 235 transcription factor genes found to be associated with anthocyanin were classified into nine groups. It is compared the 235 genes by transcription factor analysis and 593 genes from among clusters of COGs related to anthocyanin functions. Total 32 genes were found to be expressed commonly. Among these, 9 unknown and hypothetical genes were revealed to be expressed at each developmental stage and were verified by RT-PCR. These genes most likely play regulatory roles in either anthocyanin production or metabolism during flavonoid biosynthesis. While these genes require further validation, our results underline the potential usefulness of the newly developed algorithm

Holographic Renormalization of Foliation Preserving Gravity and Trace Anomaly

From the holographic renormalizationg group viewpoint, while the scale transformation plays a primary role in the duality by providing the extra dimension, the special conformal transformation seems to only play a secondary role. We, however, claim that the space-time diffeomorphism is crucially related to the latter. For its demonstration, we study the holographic renormalization group flow of a foliation preserving diffeomophic theory of gravity (a.k.a. space-time flipped Horava gravity). We find that the dual field theory, if any, is only scale invariant but not conformal invariant. In particular, we show that the holographic trace anomaly in four-dimension predicts the Ricci scalar squared term that would be incompatible with the Wess-Zumino consistency condition if it were conformal. This illustrates how the foliation preserving diffeomophic theory of gravity could be inconsistent with a theorem of the dual unitary quantum field theory.Comment: 18 pages, v2: reference added, v3: comments on more recent literature added in response to referee's reques

V-I characteristics in the vicinity of order-disorder transition in vortex matter

The shape of the V-I characteristics leading to a peak in the differential resistance r_d=dV/dI in the vicinity of the order-disorder transition in NbSe2 is investigated. r_d is large when measured by dc current. However, for a small Iac on a dc bias r_d decreases rapidly with frequency, even at a few Hz, and displays a large out-of-phase signal. In contrast, the ac response increases with frequency in the absence of dc bias. These surprisingly opposite phenomena and the peak in r_d are shown to result from a dynamic coexistence of two vortex matter phases rather than from the commonly assumed plastic depinning.Comment: 12 pages 4 figures. Accepted for publication in PRB rapi

Dynamic Ordering and Transverse Depinning of a Driven Elastic String in a Disordered Media

We examine the dynamics of an elastic string interacting with quenched disorder driven perpendicular and parallel to the string. We show that the string is the most disordered at the depinning transition but with increasing drive partial ordering is regained. For low drives the noise power is high and we observe a 1/f^2 noise signature crossing over to a white noise character with low power at higher drives. For the parallel driven moving string there is a finite transverse critical depinning force with the depinning transition occuring by the formation of running kinks.Comment: 4 pages, 4 postscript figure

Effects of columnar disorder on flux-lattice melting in high-temperature superconductors

The effect of columnar pins on the flux-lines melting transition in high-temperature superconductors is studied using Path Integral Monte Carlo simulations. We highlight the similarities and differences in the effects of columnar disorder on the melting transition in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ (YBCO) and the highly anisotropic Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ (BSCCO) at magnetic fields such that the mean separation between flux-lines is smaller than the penetration length. For pure systems, a first order transition from a flux-line solid to a liquid phase is seen as the temperature is increased. When adding columnar defects to the system, the transition temperature is not affected in both materials as long as the strength of an individual columnar defect (expressed as a flux-line defect interaction) is less than a certain threshold for a given density of randomly distributed columnar pins. This threshold strength is lower for YBCO than for BSCCO. For higher strengths the transition line is shifted for both materials towards higher temperatures, and the sharp jump in energy, characteristic of a first order transition, gives way to a smoother and gradual rise of the energy, characteristic of a second order transition. Also, when columnar defects are present, the vortex solid phase is replaced by a pinned Bose glass phase and this is manifested by a marked decrease in translational order and orientational order as measured by the appropriate structure factors. For BSCCO, we report an unusual rise of the translational order and the hexatic order just before the melting transition. No such rise is observed in YBCO.Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures, revte

Transverse phase-locking in fully frustrated Josephson junction arrays: a new type of fractional giant steps

We study, analytically and numerically, phase locking of driven vortex lattices in fully-frustrated Josephson junction arrays at zero temperature. We consider the case when an ac current is applied {\it perpendicular} to a dc current. We observe phase locking, steps in the current-voltage characteristics, with a dependence on external ac-drive amplitude and frequency qualitatively different from the Shapiro steps, observed when the ac and dc currents are applied in parallel. Further, the critical current increases with increasing transverse ac-drive amplitude, while it decreases for longitudinal ac-drive. The critical current and the phase-locked current step width, increase quadratically with (small) amplitudes of the ac-drive. For larger amplitudes of the transverse ac-signal, we find windows where the critical current is hysteretic, and windows where phase locking is suppressed due to dynamical instabilities. We characterize the dynamical states around the phase-locking interference condition in the $IV$ curve with voltage noise, Lyapunov exponents and Poincar\'e sections. We find that zero temperature phase-locking behavior in large fully frustrated arrays is well described by an effective four plaquette model.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface

We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn, including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Centrality Dependence of the High p_T Charged Hadron Suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV

PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.Comment: 7 pages text, LaTeX, 6 figures, 2 tables, 307 authors, resubmitted to Phys. Lett. B. Revised to address referee concerns. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/run/phenix/papers.htm

Single Electrons from Heavy Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV

The invariant differential cross section for inclusive electron production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been measured by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider over the transverse momentum range $0.4 <= p_T <= 5.0 GeV/c at midrapidity (eta <= 0.35). The contribution to the inclusive electron spectrum from semileptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy flavor, i.e. charm quarks or, at high p_T, bottom quarks, is determined via three independent methods. The resulting electron spectrum from heavy flavor decays is compared to recent leading and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The total cross section of charm quark-antiquark pair production is determined as sigma_(c c^bar) = 0.92 +/- 0.15 (stat.) +- 0.54 (sys.) mb.Comment: 329 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm