Educational weight loss interventions in obese and overweight adults with type 2 diabetes : a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aim The worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing, with most individuals with the disease being overweight or obese. Weight loss can reduce disease‐related morbidity and mortality and weight losses of 10–15 kg have been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes. This review aimed to determine the effectiveness of community‐based educational interventions for weight loss in type 2 diabetes. Methods This is a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) in obese or overweight adults, aged 18–75 years, with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Primary outcomes were weight and/or BMI. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to June 2019. Trials were classified into specified a priori comparisons according to intervention type. A pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) (from baseline to follow‐up) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) between trial groups (difference‐in‐difference) were estimated through random‐effects meta‐analyses using the inverse variance method. Heterogeneity was quantified using I2 and publication bias was explored visually using funnel plots. Results Some 7383 records were screened; 228 full‐text articles were assessed and 49 RCTs (n = 12 461 participants) were included in this review, with 44 being suitable for inclusion into the meta‐analysis. Pooled estimates of education combined with low‐calorie, low‐carbohydrate meal replacements (SMD = –2.48, 95% CI –3.59, –1.49, I2 = 98%) or diets (SMD = –1.25, 95% CI –2.11, –0.39, I2 = 95%) or low‐fat meal replacements (SMD = –1.15, 95%CI –2.05, –1.09, I2 = 85%) appeared most effective. Conclusion Low‐calorie, low‐carbohydrate meal replacements or diets combined with education appear the most promising interventions to achieve the largest weight and BMI reductions in people with type 2 diabetes

Particle dynamics of a cartoon dune

The spatio-temporal evolution of a downsized model for a desert dune is observed experimentally in a narrow water flow channel. A particle tracking method reveals that the migration speed of the model dune is one order of magnitude smaller than that of individual grains. In particular, the erosion rate consists of comparable contributions from creeping (low energy) and saltating (high energy) particles. The saltation flow rate is slightly larger, whereas the number of saltating particles is one order of magnitude lower than that of the creeping ones. The velocity field of the saltating particles is comparable to the velocity field of the driving fluid. It can be observed that the spatial profile of the shear stress reaches its maximum value upstream of the crest, while its minimum lies at the downstream foot of the dune. The particle tracking method reveals that the deposition of entrained particles occurs primarily in the region between these two extrema of the shear stress. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the initial triangular heap evolves to a steady state with constant mass, shape, velocity, and packing fraction after one turnover time has elapsed. Within that time the mean distance between particles initially in contact reaches a value of approximately one quarter of the dune basis length

Magnetic Incommensurability in Doped Mott Insulator

In this paper we explore the incommensurate spatial modulation of spin-spin correlations as the intrinsic property of the doped Mott insulator, described by the $t-J$ model. We show that such an incommensurability is a direct manifestation of the phase string effect introduced by doped holes in both one- and two-dimensional cases. The magnetic incommensurate peaks of dynamic spin susceptibility in momentum space are in agreement with the neutron-scattering measurement of cuprate superconductors in both position and doping dependence. In particular, this incommensurate structure can naturally reconcile the neutron-scattering and NMR experiments of cuprates.Comment: 12 pages (RevTex), five postscript figure

Saltation transport on Mars

We present the first calculation of saltation transport and dune formation on Mars and compare it to real dunes. We find that the rate at which grains are entrained into saltation on Mars is one order of magnitude higher than on Earth. With this fundamental novel ingredient, we reproduce the size and different shapes of Mars dunes, and give an estimate for the wind velocity on Mars.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Abelian Varieties with Prescribed Embedding Degree

We present an algorithm that, on input of a CM-field $K$, an integer $k\ge1$, and a prime $r \equiv 1 \bmod k$, constructs a $q$-Weil number \pi \in \O_K corresponding to an ordinary, simple abelian variety $A$ over the field \F of $q$ elements that has an \F-rational point of order $r$ and embedding degree $k$ with respect to $r$. We then discuss how CM-methods over $K$ can be used to explicitly construct $A$.Comment: to appear in ANTS-VII

Mott physics, sign structure, ground state wavefunction, and high-Tc superconductivity

In this article I give a pedagogical illustration of why the essential problem of high-Tc superconductivity in the cuprates is about how an antiferromagnetically ordered state can be turned into a short-range state by doping. I will start with half-filling where the antiferromagnetic ground state is accurately described by the Liang-Doucot-Anderson (LDA) wavefunction. Here the effect of the Fermi statistics becomes completely irrelevant due to the no double occupancy constraint. Upon doping, the statistical signs reemerge, albeit much reduced as compared to the original Fermi statistical signs. By precisely incorporating this altered statistical sign structure at finite doping, the LDA ground state can be recast into a short-range antiferromagnetic state. Superconducting phase coherence arises after the spin correlations become short-ranged, and the superconducting phase transition is controlled by spin excitations. I will stress that the pseudogap phenomenon naturally emerges as a crossover between the antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases. As a characteristic of non Fermi liquid, the mutual statistical interaction between the spin and charge degrees of freedom will reach a maximum in a high-temperature "strange metal phase" of the doped Mott insulator.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

CMS Software Distribution on the LCG and OSG Grids

The efficient exploitation of worldwide distributed storage and computing resources available in the grids require a robust, transparent and fast deployment of experiment specific software. The approach followed by the CMS experiment at CERN in order to enable Monte-Carlo simulations, data analysis and software development in an international collaboration is presented. The current status and future improvement plans are described.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, latex with hyperref

Minimal size of a barchan dune

Barchans are dunes of high mobility which have a crescent shape and propagate under conditions of unidirectional wind. However, sand dunes only appear above a critical size, which scales with the saturation distance of the sand flux [P. Hersen, S. Douady, and B. Andreotti, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf{89,}} 264301 (2002); B. Andreotti, P. Claudin, and S. Douady, Eur. Phys. J. B {\bf{28,}} 321 (2002); G. Sauermann, K. Kroy, and H. J. Herrmann, Phys. Rev. E {\bf{64,}} 31305 (2001)]. It has been suggested by P. Hersen, S. Douady, and B. Andreotti, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf{89,}} 264301 (2002) that this flux fetch distance is itself constant. Indeed, this could not explain the proto size of barchan dunes, which often occur in coastal areas of high litoral drift, and the scale of dunes on Mars. In the present work, we show from three dimensional calculations of sand transport that the size and the shape of the minimal barchan dune depend on the wind friction speed and the sand flux on the area between dunes in a field. Our results explain the common appearance of barchans a few tens of centimeter high which are observed along coasts. Furthermore, we find that the rate at which grains enter saltation on Mars is one order of magnitude higher than on Earth, and is relevant to correctly obtain the minimal dune size on Mars.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

On the shape of barchan dunes

Barchans are crescent-shaped sand dunes forming in aride regions with unidirectional wind and limited sand supply. We report analytical and numerical results for dune shapes under different environmental conditions as obtained from the so-called `minimal model' of aeolian sand dunes. The profiles of longitudinal vertical slices (i.e. along the wind direction) are analyzed as a function of wind speed and sand supply. Shape transitions can be induced by changes of mass, wind speed and sand supply. Within a minimal extension of the model to the transverse direction the scale-invariant profile of transverse vertical cuts can be derived analytically.Comment: to appear in J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 17 (2005

Mutual-Chern-Simons effective theory of doped antiferromagnets

A mutual-Chern-Simons Lagrangian is derived as a minimal field theory description of the phase-string model for doped antiferromagnets. Such an effective Lagrangian is shown to retain the full symmetries of parity, time-reversal, and global SU(2) spin rotation, in contrast to conventional Chern-Simons theories where first two symmetries are usually broken. Two ordered phases, i.e., antiferromagnetic and superconducting states, are found at low temperatures as characterized by dual Meissner effects and dual flux quantization conditions due to the mutual-Chern-Simons gauge structure. A dual confinement in charge/spin degrees of freedom occurs such that no true spin-charge separation is present in these ordered phases, but the spin-charge separation/deconfinement serves as a driving force in the unconventional phase transitions of these ordered states to disordered states.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures; published versio