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Betaine improves insulin sensitivity during glucose tolerance testing but has little other metabolic effect. Dimethylglycine dehydrogenase limits betaine metabolism in prediabetes.

The role of plasticity generated by quenched disorder in soft vortex matter is observed in both the plastic flow of vortices at low velocities and in plastic deformation in the pinned state. Some special experimental consequences of plasticity and the attendant metastability are summarized.

Investigation of dark energy (DE) properties using the largest existing Constitution supernovae sample including recent CfA data for small redshifts and omitting the assumption of a constant equation of state w for DE reveals a slight inconsistency (more than 1σ) with the standard spatially flat LCDM model. The effect which is most clearly seen using the recently introduced Omdiagnostic corresponds to an increase of both this diagnostic and w at redshifts z <∼ 0.3. Interestingly, such DE behaviour produces a better fit to baryon acoustic oscillation data too. Including the cosmic microwave background shift parameter as another independent observation, we have shown that the well known CPL parametrization is not suitable to fit the data at low and high redshifts simultaneously because of this non‐trivial DE behaviour implied by them. If not systematic, this effect would correspond to DE decaying into dark matter or something else presently, and we have found good consistency of a toy model for this process with the data.

Investigation of dark energy DE properties using the largest existing Constitution supernovae sample including recent CfA data for small redshifts and omitting the assumption of a constant equation of state w for DE reveals a slight inconsistency more than 1σ with the standard spatially flat LCDM model. The effect which is most clearly seen using the recently introduced Omdiagnostic corresponds to an increase of both this diagnostic and w at redshifts z <∼ 0.3. Interestingly, such DE behaviour produces a better fit to baryon acoustic oscillation data too. Including the cosmic microwave background shift parameter as another independent observation, we have shown that the well known CPL parametrization is not suitable to fit the data at low and high redshifts simultaneously because of this nontrivial DE behaviour implied by them. If not systematic, this effect would correspond to DE decaying into dark matter or something else presently, and we have found good consistency of a toy model for this process with the data.

Efficient and accurate classification and assessment of anorectal fistula is a fundamental component of successful patient management. Advances in technology have paved the way for development of minimally invasive imaging tests that equip the surgeon with a preoperative fistula roadmap and forewarns of unsuspected extensions. This information is complementary to examination under anesthetic and enables surgeons to choose the optimal operative approach, which aims to eliminate sepsis while preserving patient continence. More recently, magnetic resonance imaging findings have been used to guide selection and monitor the effect of nonoperative treatment strategies including biological drugs. This article aims to discuss the rationale for imaging and to review the options available.

An indigenous design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectrometer are described for carrying out spectroscopic research of atomic and molecular gases and vapours using Indus-1 synchrotron source of radiation commissioned at Center for Advanced Technology, Indore India. The spectrometer is based on an off-axis Eagle type of compact mounting suitable for the VUV region of the spectrum. The spectrometer consists of a concave grating of radius of curvature 6.65 m as a dispersing element and a photomultiplier tube (PMT) as a radiation detection element. The reciprocal linear dispersion of the instrument is about 1.24 Å/mm with a grating of 1200 grooves/mm. The wavelength resolution achieved is 0.08 Å. The wavelength resolution can be obtained as 0.005 Å by replacing the present grating of 1200 grooves/mm with a grating of 4800 grooves/nun useful in the wavelength region from 400 Å to 2000 Å. The present wavelength range of the spectrometer is from 400 Å to 5800Å with the grating of 1200 grooves/mm. For one wavelength setting of the grating, a spectral band of 200 Å can be recorded by moving the PMT along the Rowland circle of diameter 6.65m. For changing the wavelength region, the grating is first rotated and then translated by two stepper motors controlled by a personal computer. The accuracy achieved in the angular rotation of the grating is 1 arc-sec whereas the accuracy achieved in the linear displacement of the grating is 22 microns. The precision optical alignment for obtaining a well focused spectrum and subsequent performance evaluation of the spectrometer have been done in the wavelength region from 2900 Å to 5800 Å because of the availability of spectral lamps such as mercury discharge lamp and He-Ne laser and due to the convenience of aligning the optical spectrometer in air rather than in vacuum. Various spectral lines of mercury have been recorded in the photographic mode as well as in the photoelectric mode. The recorded spectral lines of wavelengths 5790.66Å, 5769.6 Å, 5460.74 Å, 4358.33 Å, 4077.83 Å, 4046.56 Å. 3663.28 Å, 3654.84 Å, 3650.15 Å. 3131.84 Å. 3131.55 Å. 3125.67 Å. 3021.5 Å, 2967.28 Å are found to be sharp. The spectrometer will be coupled to the high resolution VUV beam line at Indus-1, Centre for Advance Technology, Indore. The expected resolution will be 0.005 Å in the wavelength range of 700 Å to 2000 Å by using the grating of 4800 grooves/mm as a dispersing element.

Abstract: High quality thin films of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) of different thickness were grown on LAO substrates by pulsed laser deposition (KrF, λ = 278 nm). The AFM images suggest a twodimensional step-growth. DC magnetization measurements of the films in a field of 500 Oe show that the magnetic ordering temperature is the same for all the films in both FC and ZFC conditions and is the same as that for the bulk. However, a difference is seen between the FC and ZFC magnetization of the films. There seems to be a systematic in this difference with respect to the thickness of the film, with the difference decreasing with thickness. We suggest that the difference in the magnetization under FC and ZFC conditions may be due to strain-induced anisotropy arising from the lattice mismatch between the substrate and the film or due to the shape anisotropy due to epitaxial growth

Abstract: The layered manganite Nd2−2x Sr1+2x Mn2O7, with x varying between 0 and 0.5, has been synthesized using solid-state reaction method. We have found that Nd2−2x Sr1+2x Mn2O7 do not form the single-phase layered compound with A3B2O7 structure. Instead, mixtures of various phases, such as, orthorhombic perovskite, i.e., Nd1−z Sr z MnO3, layered manganite and unreacted starting compounds, have been obtained. Except for x=0.4, which is found to be an antiferromagnetic insulator, all other x values yielded metal-insulator transition and ferromagnetic ordering.

NBCO films (~2000 Å) prepared by the pulsed laser deposition technique were irradiated by (200 MeV) Au⁺¹⁴ ions. Detailed magnetization measurements were performed using a SQUID magnetometer. A broad, diffused fish tail peak (FTPE) in the J_c(H) curve and a plateau (instead of a Gaussian peak) in the F_p(H) curve (both around the matching equivalent field) are two notable features. We outline and illustrate their various implications with respect to vortex pinning in the framework of theoretical models and suggest that the swift heavy ion irradiation (SHI) can cause a Mott insulator-like phase transition.

In this paper we describe Schrödinger theory from the perspective of classical fields whose sources are quantal expectations of Hermitian operators. As such these fields may be considered as being intrinsic to and thereby descriptive of the quantum system. The perspective is valid for both ground and bound excited-states. The fields, whose existence is inferred via the differential virial theorem, are as follows: (i) an electron-interaction field Eee(r,t) derived via Coulomb's law from the pair-correlation density; (ii) a kinetic-field Z(r,t) derived as the derivative of the kinetic-energy–density tensor obtained from the spinless single-particle density matrix; (iii) a differential density field D(r,t) which is the gradient of the Laplacian of the electron density; and (iv) a current-density field J(r,t) derived as the time derivative of the current density whose source too is the spinless single-particle density matrix. The total energy and its components may be expressed in terms of these fields: the electron-interaction potential and kinetic energies via the fields Eee(r,t) and Z(r,t), respectively, and the external potential energy via a conservative field which is the sum of all the fields present. The field perspective is illustrated by application to the exactly solvable stationary ground-state of the Hooke's atom, its extension to the time-dependent case being surmised via the Harmonic Potential theorem. Finally, we note that both Schrödinger and Kohn–Sham density-functional theory are now describable in terms of classical fields derived from quantal sources.