10,194 research outputs found

    Numerical Study of Two-fluid Flowing Equilibria of Helicity-driven Spherical Torus Plasmas

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    Two-fluid flowing equilibrium configurations of a helicity-driven spherical torus (HD-ST) are numerically determined by using the combination of the finite difference and the boundary element methods. It is found from the numerical results that electron fluids near the central conductor are tied to an external toroidal field and ion fluids are not. The magnetic configurations change from the high-qq HD-ST (qq>1) with paramagnetic toroidal field and low-β\beta (volume average β\beta value, (≈\approx 2 %) through the helicity-driven spheromak and RFP to the ultra low-qq HD-ST (0<q<1) with diagmagnetic toroidal field and high-β\beta ($\beta\approx 18\%) as the external toroidal field at the inner edge region decreases and reverses the sign. The two-fluid effecs are more significant in this equilibrium transition when the ion diagmagnetic drift is dominant in the flowing two-fluid.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004, Nice (France

    Factors Associated with Choking During Meals; a Risk Indicator for Repetitive Fevers in the Elderly Community

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    Background: Choking during meals is a common symptom in the elderly, however the factors associated with it have not been fully clarified. In this study, we examined the factors associated with choking during meals. Methods: The oral health status and practices that promote oral health conditions was surveyed in 1305 community dwelling elderly using a self-administered questionnaire. Eight items including satisfaction with their oral condition, denture fit, chewing ability, tooth brushing frequency, dental visits, exercises to train muscles for chewing and swallowing, choking during meals, and repetitive fever were selected for analysis. Results: 25.1% of the subjects experienced choking during meals, which was significantly associated with repetitive fever occurrence. Differences in satisfaction levels with their oral condition, denture fit, chewing ability, and tooth brushing frequency were observed between groups with and without choking. Age, satisfaction level, and chewing ability were significantly associated with choking during meals. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that choking during meals is a risk indicator for repetitive fever in the elderly living in community settings. Poor chewing ability and dissatisfaction with their oral condition were risk factors associated with choking. These results suggest that training the elderly to eat efficiently and safely and improving oral conditions is necessary for those who suffer from choking during meals to prevent repetitive fever. &nbsp

    High photon number path entanglement in the interference of spontaneously downconverted photon pairs with coherent laser light

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    We show that the quantum interference between downconverted photon pairs and photons from coherent laser light can produce a maximally path entangled N-photon output component with a fidelity greater than 90% for arbitrarily high photon numbers. A simple beam splitter operation can thus transform the 2-photon coherence of down-converted light into an almost optimal N-photon coherence.Comment: 5 pages, including 2 figures and 1 table, final version for publication as rapid communication in Phys. Rev.

    Impact of Physical Stress on Salivary Buffering Capacity

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    Background: Saliva has many properties and the buffering capacity is important for the neutralization of oral fluids. It is unclear whether stressful conditions directly affect salivary buffering capacity, and we investigated the impact of physical stress on salivary buffering capacity. Methods: Twelve participants were subjected to the physical stress of jogging and running. The salivary buffering capacity and flow rate of the participants were measured before and after exposure to stressful conditions. Salivary &alpha;-amylase activity was measured as a quantitative index of stress. Results: No change in buffering capacity was detected among each time point during the whole course under physically stressful conditions. Next, we examined the change in buffering capacity after jogging compared to baseline. Six participants showed an increase in buffering capacity (Group A), while the other six participants showed a decrease or no change (Group B) after jogging. Group B showed a decrease in flow rate and increases in &alpha;-amylase activity and protein level after jogging, whereas Group A showed no changes in these properties. Conclusions: The results suggest that salivary buffering capacity changes following exposure to physically stressful conditions, and that the changes are dependent on the stress susceptibility of individuals

    Novel Magnetic and Thermodynamic Properties of Thiospinel Compound CuCrZrS4_{4}

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    We have carried out dc magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and specific heat measurements on thiospinel CuCrZrS4_{4}. Below TC∗=T_{\rm C}^{*} = 58 K, dc magnetic susceptibility and magnetization data show ferromagnetic behavior with a small spontaneous magnetization 0.27 μB/\mu_{\rm B}/f. u.. In dc magnetic susceptibility, large and weak irreversibilities are observed below Tf=T_{\rm f} = 6 K and in the range Tf<T<TC∗T_{\rm f}< T < T_{\rm C}^{*} respectively. We found that there is no anomaly as a peak or step in the specific heat at TC∗T_{\rm C}^{*}.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

    In-gap state and effect of light illumination in CuIr2_2S4_4 probed by photoemission spectroscopy

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    We have studied disorder-induced in-gap states and effect of light illumination in the insulating phase of spinel-type CuIr2_2S4_4 using ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). The Ir3+^{3+}/Ir4+^{4+} charge-ordered gap appears below the metal-insulator transition temperature. However, in the insulating phase, in-gap spectral features with softgapsoftgap are observed in UPS just below the Fermi level (EFE_F), corresponding to the variable range hopping transport observed in resistivity. The spectral weight at EFE_F is not increased by light illumination, indicating that the Ir4+^{4+}-Ir4+^{4+} dimer is very robust although the long-range octamer order would be destructed by the photo-excitation. Present results suggest that the Ir4+^{4+}-Ir4+^{4+} bipolaronic hopping and disorder effects are responsible for the conductivity of CuIr2_2S4_4.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
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