54 research outputs found
Two-dimensional macroscopic quantum dynamics in YBCO Josephson junctions
We theoretically study classical thermal activation (TA) and macroscopic
quantum tunneling (MQT) for a YBCO Josephson junction coupled with an LC
circuit. The TA and MQT escape rate are calculated by taking into account the
two-dimensional nature of the classical and quantum phase dynamics. We find
that the MQT escape rate is largely suppressed by the coupling to the LC
circuit. On the other hand, this coupling leads to the slight reduction of the
TA escape rate. These results are relevant for the interpretation of a recent
experiment on the MQT and TA phenomena in YBCO bi-epitaxial Josephson
junctions.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Impaired Development of Somatotropes, Lactotropes and Thyrotropes in Growth-Retarded (grt) Mice
Congenitally primary hypothyroid growth-retarded (grt) mice exhibit a characteristic growth pause followed by delayed onset of pubertal growth. We characterized the developmental pattern of somatotropes, lactotropes and thyrotropes in the anterior pituitary, as well as plasma levels of their secretory hormones, in grt mice. Compared with normal mice, the weight of grt pituitary gland was similar at 8 weeks of age but significantly heavier after 12 weeks of age. Compared with normal mice, there were significantly fewer somatotropes in the grt pituitary until 8 weeks of age, but the number gradually increased up to 48 weeks. The number of lactotropes in grt mice was consistently lower than that in normal mice from 2 through 48 weeks, whereas the number of thyrotropes in the grt pituitary was consistently higher than in the normal pituitary. Thyrotropes in the grt pituitary exhibited hypertrophy and hyperplasia with less intensive thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) immunoreactivity than normal thyrotropes. In normal mice, the sum of the relative proportions of these cells plateaued at 8 weeks, where it remained up to 48 weeks of age. In grt mice, these proportions almost reached normal levels at 12 weeks of age but gradually declined after 24 weeks. Plasma growth hormone concentrations did not differ between grt and normal mice until 24 weeks of age. Compared with normal mice, grt mice exhibited significantly lower plasma prolactin and thyroxine levels but higher TSH levels. These findings indicate that development of somatotropes, lactotropes and thyrotropes in grt mice is impaired, being followed by altered hormone secretion
Associations of sedentary and physically-active behaviors with cognitive-function decline in community-dwelling older adults: compositional data analysis from the NEIGE study
BACKGROUND: Physical activity can help to protect against cognitive decline in older adults. However, little is known about the potential combined relationships of time spent in sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with indices of cognitive health. We examined the cross-sectional associations of objectively-determined sedentary and physically-active behaviors with an indicator of cognitive function decline (CFD) in older adults.
METHODS: A randomly-recruited sample of 511 Japanese older adults (47% male; aged 65-84 years) wore a tri-axial accelerometer (HJA-750C, Omron) for seven consecutive days in 2017. Cognitive function was assessed by interviewers using the Japanese version of Mini-Mental State Examination, with a score of ≤23 indicating CFD. Associations of sedentary and physically-active behaviors with CFD were examined using a compositional logistic regression analysis based on isometric log-ratio transformations of time use, adjusting for potential confounders.
RESULTS: Forty one (9.4%) of the participants had an indication of CFD. Activity compositions differed significantly between CFD and normal cognitive function (NCF); the proportion of time spent in MVPA was 39.1% lower, relatively to the overall mean composition in those with CFD, and was 5.3% higher in those with NCF. There was a significant beneficial association of having a higher proportion of MVPA relative to other activities with CFD. LPA and SB were not associated with CFD when models were corrected for time spent in all activity behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS: Larger relative contribution of MVPA was favorably associated with an indicator of CFD in older adults
Changes in rural older adults' sedentary and physically-active behaviors between a non-snowfall and a snowfall season: compositional analysis from the NEIGE study
BackgroundLevels of physical activity change throughout the year. However, little is known to what extent activity levels can vary, based on accelerometer determined sedentary and physically-active time. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine older adults' activity changes from a non-snowfall season to a subsequent snowfall season, with consideration of the co-dependence of domains of time use.MethodsParticipants were 355 older Japanese adults (53.1% women, aged 65-84years) living in a rural area of heavy snowfall who had valid accelerometer (Active style Pro HJA-750C) data during non-snowfall and snowfall seasons. Activity was classified as sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity PA (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Compositional changes from the non-snowfall to the snowfall season were analyzed using Aitchison's perturbation method. The ratios of each component in the composition, such as [SBsnow/SBnon-snow, LPAsnow/LPAnon-snow, MVPAsnow/MVPAnon-snow] for seasonal changes, were calculated and were then divided by the sum of these ratios.ResultsIn men, the percentages of time spent in each activity during the non-snowfall/snowfall seasons were 53.9/64.6 for SB; 40.8/31.6 for LPA; and 5.3/3.8 for MVPA; these corresponded to mean seasonal compositional changes (SB, LPA, MVPA) of 0.445, 0.287, and 0.268 respectively. In women, the percentages of time spent in each activity during the non-snowfall/snowfall seasons were 47.9/55.5 for SB; 47.9/41.0 for LPA; and 4.2/3.5 for MVPA; these corresponded to mean seasonal compositional changes (SB, LPA, MVPA) of 0.409, 0.302, and 0.289 respectively. The degree of seasonal change was greatest in men.ConclusionsIn older adults, activity behaviors were changed unfavorably during snowfall season, particularly so for men. The degree of seasonal change was greatest for SB. Development of strategies to keep rural older adults active during the snowfall season may be needed for maintaining a consistently-active lifestyle for their health
Theory of Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling in High-T_c c-Axis Josephson Junctions
We study macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) in c-axis twist Josephson
junctions made of high-T_c superconductors in order to clarify the influence of
the anisotropic order parameter symmetry (OPS) on MQT. The dependence of the
MQT rate on the twist angle about the c-axis is calculated by using
the functional integral and the bounce method. Due to the d-wave OPS, the
dependence of standard deviation of the switching current distribution
and the crossover temperature from thermal activation to MQT are found to be
given by and , respectively. We also show
that a dissipative effect resulting from the nodal quasiparticle excitation on
MQT is negligibly small, which is consistent with recent MQT experiments using
BiSrCaCuO intrinsic junctions. These results
indicate that MQT in c-axis twist junctions becomes a useful experimental tool
for testing the OPS of high-T_c materials at low temperature, and suggest high
potential of such junctions for qubit applications.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
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