Herzfrequenzvariabilität in der Postmenopause

Zusammenfassung: Autonomes Nervensystem und Herzfrequenzvariabilität: Sowohl eine Dysregulation des autonomen Nervensystems (ANS) als auch die Menopause sind mit einem erhöhten kardiovaskulären Risiko verbunden. Das kardiale ANS kann anhand der Herzfrequenzvariabilität (HRV) beurteilt und in Frequenzspektren aufgespalten werden, die sich dem Parasympathikus- und/oder Sympathikuseinfluss zuordnen lassen. Einfluss der endokrinen Lebensphasen: Bereits während des Menstruationszyklus zeigt sich eine zyklusabhängige Fluktuation der HRV. Mit dem menopausalen Östrogenabfall ist ein Anstieg des Sympathikotonus mit HRV-Reduktion verbunden, was mit einem erhöhten kardiovaskulären Risiko einhergeht. Das mit menopausalen Hitzewallungen verbundene erhöhte kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungsrisiko ist möglicherweise ebenso auf eine Sympathikusaktivierung zurückzuführen. Therapie: Eine Hormonersatztherapie vermag eventuell eine Wiederherstellung der autonomen Balance herbeizuführe

A conservative orbital advection scheme for simulations of magnetized shear flows with the PLUTO code

Explicit numerical computations of super-fast differentially rotating disks are subject to the time-step constraint imposed by the Courant condition. When the bulk orbital velocity largely exceeds any other wave speed the time step is considerably reduced and a large number of steps may be necessary to complete the computation. We present a robust numerical scheme to overcome the Courant limitation by extending the algorithm previously known as FARGO (Fast Advection in Rotating Gaseous Objects) to the equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The proposed scheme conserves total angular momentum and energy to machine precision and works in Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates. The algorithm is implemented in the PLUTO code for astrophysical gasdynamics and is suitable for local or global simulations of accretion or proto-planetary disk models. By decomposing the total velocity into an average azimuthal contribution and a residual term, the algorithm solves the MHD equations through a linear transport step in the orbital direction and a standard nonlinear solver applied to the MHD equations written in terms of the residual velocity. Since the former step is not subject to any stability restriction, the Courant condition is computed only in terms of the residual velocity, leading to substantially larger time steps. The magnetic field is advanced in time using the constrained transport method in order to preserve the divergence-free condition. Conservation of total energy and angular momentum is enforced at the discrete level by properly expressing the source terms in terms of upwind fluxes available during the standard solver. Our results show that applications of the proposed orbital-advection scheme to problems of astrophysical relevance provides, at reduced numerical cost, equally accurate and less dissipative results than standard time-marching schemes.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Flow and sorption controls of groundwater arsenic in individual boreholes from bedrock aquifers in central Maine, USA

To understand the hydrogeochemical processes regulating well water arsenic (As) evolution in fractured bedrock aquifers, three domestic wells with [As] up to 478 μg/L are investigated in central Maine. Geophysical logging reveals that fractures near the borehole bottom contribute 70–100% of flow. Borehole and fracture water samples from various depths show significant proportions of As (up to 69%) and Fe (93–99%) in particulates (> 0.45 μm). These particulates and those settled after a 16-day batch experiment contain 560–13,000 mg/kg of As and 14–35% weight/weight of Fe. As/Fe ratios (2.5–20 mmol/mol) and As partitioning ratios (adsorbed/dissolved [As], 20,000–100,000 L/kg) suggest that As is sorbed onto amorphous hydrous ferric oxides. Newly drilled cores also show enrichment of As (up to 1300 mg/kg) sorbed onto secondary iron minerals on the fracture surfaces. Pumping at high flow rates induces large decreases in particulate As and Fe, a moderate increase in dissolved [As] and As(III)/As ratio, while little change in major ion chemistry. The δD and δ18O are similar for the borehole and fracture waters, suggesting a same source of recharge from atmospheric precipitation. Results support a conceptual model invoking flow and sorption controls on groundwater [As] in fractured bedrock aquifers whereby oxygen infiltration promotes the oxidation of As-bearing sulfides at shallower depths in the oxic portion of the flow path releasing As and Fe; followed by Fe oxidation to form Fe oxyhydroxide particulates, which are transported in fractures and sorb As along the flow path until intercepted by boreholes. In the anoxic portions of the flow path, reductive dissolution of As-sorbed iron particulates could re-mobilize As. For exposure assessment, we recommend sampling of groundwater without filtration to obtain total As concentration in groundwater

Deterministic single-photon source from a single ion

We realize a deterministic single-photon source from one and the same calcium ion interacting with a high-finesse optical cavity. Photons are created in the cavity with efficiency (88 +- 17)%, a tenfold improvement over previous cavity-ion sources. Results of the second-order correlation function are presented, demonstrating a high suppression of two-photon events limited only by background counts. The cavity photon pulse shape is obtained, with good agreement between experiment and simulation. Moreover, theoretical analysis of the temporal evolution of the atomic populations provides relevant information about the dynamics of the process and opens the way to future investigations of a coherent atom-photon interface

Semiparametric Multivariate Accelerated Failure Time Model with Generalized Estimating Equations

The semiparametric accelerated failure time model is not as widely used as the Cox relative risk model mainly due to computational difficulties. Recent developments in least squares estimation and induced smoothing estimating equations provide promising tools to make the accelerate failure time models more attractive in practice. For semiparametric multivariate accelerated failure time models, we propose a generalized estimating equation approach to account for the multivariate dependence through working correlation structures. The marginal error distributions can be either identical as in sequential event settings or different as in parallel event settings. Some regression coefficients can be shared across margins as needed. The initial estimator is a rank-based estimator with Gehan's weight, but obtained from an induced smoothing approach with computation ease. The resulting estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal, with a variance estimated through a multiplier resampling method. In a simulation study, our estimator was up to three times as efficient as the initial estimator, especially with stronger multivariate dependence and heavier censoring percentage. Two real examples demonstrate the utility of the proposed method

Quantum to Classical Transition in a Single-Ion Laser

Stimulated emission of photons from a large number of atoms into the mode of a strong light field is the principle mechanism for lasing in "classical" lasers. The onset of lasing is marked by a threshold which can be characterised by a sharp increase in photon flux as a function of external pumping strength. The same is not necessarily true for the fundamental building block of a laser: a single trapped atom interacting with a single optical radiation mode. It has been shown that such a "quantum" laser can exhibit thresholdless lasing in the regime of strong coupling between atom and radiation field. However, although theoretically predicted, a threshold at the single-atom level could not be experimentally observed so far. Here, we demonstrate and characterise a single-atom laser with and without threshold behaviour by changing the strength of atom-light field coupling. We observe the establishment of a laser threshold through the accumulation of photons in the optical mode even for a mean photon number substantially lower than for the classical case. Furthermore, self-quenching occurs for very strong external pumping and constitutes an intrinsic limitation of single-atom lasers. Moreover, we find that the statistical properties of the emitted light can be adjusted for weak external pumping, from the quantum to the classical domain. Our observations mark an important step towards fundamental understanding of laser operation in the few-atom limit including systems based on semiconductor quantum dots or molecules.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, 10 pages supplement, accepted by Nature Physic

Raman spectroscopy of a single ion coupled to a high-finesse cavity

We describe an ion-based cavity-QED system in which the internal dynamics of an atom is coupled to the modes of an optical cavity by vacuum-stimulated Raman transitions. We observe Raman spectra for different excitation polarizations and find quantitative agreement with theoretical simulations. Residual motion of the ion introduces motional sidebands in the Raman spectrum and leads to ion delocalization. The system offers prospects for cavity-assisted resolved-sideband ground-state cooling and coherent manipulation of ions and photons.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure