Comment on "Neutron Interferometric Observation of Noncyclic Phase"

A critique of a recent experiment [Wagh et.al., Phys.Rev.Lett.81, 1992 (7 Sep 1998)] to measure the noncyclic phase associated with a precessing neutron spin in a neutron interferometer, as given by the Pancharatnam criterion, is presented. It is pointed out that since the experiment measures, not the noncyclic phase itself, but a quantity derived from it, it misses the most interesting feature of such a phase, namely the different sign associated with states lying in the upper and the lower hemispheres, a feature originating in the existence of a phase singularity. Such effects have earlier been predicted and seen in optical interference experiments using polarization of light as the spinor [Bhandari, Phys.Rep.281, 1 (Mar 1997)].Comment: 5 pages, 0 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

Observable Dirac-type singularities in Berry's phase and the monopole

The physical reality and observability of 2n\pi Berry phases, as opposed to the usually considered modulo 2\pi topological phases is demonstrated with the help of computer simulation of a model adiabatic evolution whose parameters are varied along a closed loop in the parameter space. Using the analogy of Berry's phase with the Dirac monopole, it is concluded that an interferometer loop taken around a magnetic monopole of strength n/2 yields an observable 2n\pi phase shift, where n is an integer. An experiment to observe the effect is proposed.Comment: 12 pages Latex, 3 postscript figures; submitted to Physical Review Letters 15 September 2000; revised 19 November 200

Anaerobic Biotransformation of Aromatic and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil Microcosms: A Review

Industrial activities introduce a wide variety of xenobiotic aromatic compounds into the biosphere. These aromatic and polycyclic aromatic compounds find their way into anaerobic marine and freshwater sediments, saturated aquifers, and waterlogged soils where neither their impact on carbon flow nor their propensity to persist is clearly understood. Although some halogenated aromatic compounds are degraded via anaerobic pathways, anaerobic transformation of aromatics remains limited to a small range of chemicals. This paper reviews anaerobic transformation processes for aromatic compounds, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil microcosms. A simplified pathway of PAH biotransformation and a conceptual pathway of PAH degradation under different redox-conditions are presented

Relation between geometric phases of entangled bi-partite systems and their subsystems

This paper focuses on the geometric phase of entangled states of bi-partite systems under bi-local unitary evolution. We investigate the relation between the geometric phase of the system and those of the subsystems. It is shown that (1) the geometric phase of cyclic entangled states with non-degenerate eigenvalues can always be decomposed into a sum of weighted non-modular pure state phases pertaining to the separable components of the Schmidt decomposition, though the same cannot be said in the non-cyclic case, and (2) the geometric phase of the mixed state of one subsystem is generally different from that of the entangled state even by keeping the other subsystem fixed, but the two phases are the same when the evolution operator satisfies conditions where each component in the Schmidt decomposition is parallel transported

Agricultural and Finance Intervention Increased Dietary Intake and Weight of Children Living in HIV-Affected Households in Western Kenya.

We tested whether a multisectoral household agricultural and finance intervention increased the dietary intake and improved the nutritional status of HIV-affected children. Two hospitals in rural Kenya were randomly assigned to be either the intervention or the control arm. The intervention comprised a human-powered water pump, microfinance loan for farm commodities, and training in sustainable farming practices and financial management. In each arm, 100 children (0-59 mo of age) were enrolled from households with HIV-infected adults 18-49 y old. Children were assessed beginning in April 2012 and every 3 mo for 1 y for dietary intake and anthropometry. Children in the intervention arm had a larger increase in weight (β: 0.025 kg/mo, P = 0.030), overall frequency of food consumption (β: 0.610 times · wk-1 · mo-1, P = 0.048), and intakes of staples (β: 0.222, P = 0.024), fruits and vegetables (β: 0.425, P = 0.005), meat (β: 0.074, P < 0.001), and fat (β: 0.057, P = 0.041). Livelihood interventions have potential to improve the nutrition of HIV-affected children. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01548599

Effectiveness and Acceptability of a Mobile Phone Text Messaging Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Control (TEXT4BP) among Patients with Hypertension in Nepal: A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of preventable deaths in low- and middle-income countries. mHealth interventions, such as mobile phone text messaging, are a promising tool to improve BP control, but research on feasibility and effectiveness in resource-limited settings remains limited. Objective: This feasibility study assessed the effectiveness and acceptability of a mobile phone text messaging intervention (TEXT4BP) to improve BP control and treatment adherence among patients with hypertension in Nepal. Methods: The TEXT4BP study was a two-arm, parallel-group, unblinded, randomised controlled pilot trial that included 200 participants (1:1) (mean age: 50.5 years, 44.5% women) with hypertension at a tertiary referral hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Patients in the intervention arm (n = 100) received text messages three times per week for three months. The control arm (n = 100) received standard care. The COM-B model informed contextual co-designed text messages. Primary outcomes were change in BP and medication adherence at three months. Secondary outcomes included BP control, medication adherence self-efficacy and knowledge of hypertension. A nested qualitative study assessed the acceptability of the intervention. Results: At three months, the intervention group had greater reductions in systolic and diastolic BP vs usual care [-7.09/-5.86 (p ≤ 0.003) vs -0.77/-1.35 (p ≥ 0.28) mmHg] [adjusted difference: systolic β = -6.50 (95% CI, -12.6; -0.33) and diastolic BP β = -4.60 (95% CI, -8.16; -1.04)], coupled with a greater proportion achieving target BP (70% vs 48%, p = 0.006). The intervention arm showed an improvement in compliance to antihypertensive therapy (p < 0.001), medication adherence (p < 0.001), medication adherence self-efficacy (p = 0.023) and knowledge on hypertension and its treatment (p = 0.013). Participants expressed a high rate of acceptability and desire to continue the TEXT4BP intervention. Conclusion: The TEXT4BP study provides promising evidence that text messaging intervention is feasible, acceptable, and effective to improve BP control in low-resource settings

Stunting among under 5-year-olds in Nepal: trends and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: The nutritional status in the first 5 years of life has lifelong and inter-generational impacts on individual's potential and development. This study described the trend of stunting and its risk factors in children under 5 years of age between 2001 and 2016 in Nepal. METHODS: The study used datasets from the 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Surveys to describe the trend of stunting in under 5-year children. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the risk factors for stunting at the time of the four surveys. RESULTS: The nutritional status of under 5-year children improved between 2001 and 2016. Babies born into poorer families had a higher risk of stunting than those born into wealthier families (AOR 1.51, CI 95% 1.23-1.87). Families residing in hill districts had less risk of stunting than those in the Terai plains (AOR 0.75, CI 95% 0.61-0.94). Babies born to uneducated women had a higher risk of stunting than those born to educated women (AOR 1.57, CI 95% 1.28-1.92). DISCUSSION: Stunting among under-5-year children decreased in the years spanning 2001-2016. This study demonstrated multiple factors that can be addressed to decrease the risk of stunting, which has important implications for neurodevelopment later in life. We add literature on risk factors for stunting in under-5-year children

Topological properties of Berry's phase

By using a second quantized formulation of level crossing, which does not assume adiabatic approximation, a convenient formula for geometric terms including off-diagonal terms is derived. The analysis of geometric phases is reduced to a simple diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in the present formulation. If one diagonalizes the geometric terms in the infinitesimal neighborhood of level crossing, the geometric phases become trivial for any finite time interval $T$. The topological interpretation of Berry's phase such as the topological proof of phase-change rule thus fails in the practical Born-Oppenheimer approximation, where a large but finite ratio of two time scales is involved.Comment: 9 pages. A new reference was added, and the abstract and the presentation in the body of the paper have been expanded and made more precis