776 research outputs found
Quantum-Classical Reentrant Relaxation Crossover in Dy2Ti2O7 Spin-Ice
We have studied spin relaxation in the spin ice compound Dy2Ti2O7 through
measurements of the a.c. magnetic susceptibility. While the characteristic spin
relaxation time is thermally activated at high temperatures, it becomes almost
temperature independent below Tcross ~ 13 K, suggesting that quantum tunneling
dominates the relaxation process below that temperature. As the low-entropy
spin ice state develops below Tice ~ 4 K, the spin relaxation time increases
sharply with decreasing temperature, suggesting the emergence of a collective
degree of freedom for which thermal relaxation processes again become important
as the spins become highly correlated
Fragile antiferromagnetism in the heavy-fermion compound YbBiPt
We report results from neutron scattering experiments on single crystals of
YbBiPt that demonstrate antiferromagnetic order characterized by a propagation
vector, = (), and
ordered moments that align along the [1 1 1] direction of the cubic unit cell.
We describe the scattering in terms of a two-Gaussian peak fit, which consists
of a narrower component that appears below K and
corresponds to a magnetic correlation length of 80
, and a broad component that persists up to 0.7 K and
corresponds to antiferromagnetic correlations extending over 20 . Our results illustrate the fragile magnetic order
present in YbBiPt and provide a path forward for microscopic investigations of
the ground states and fluctuations associated with the purported quantum
critical point in this heavy-fermion compound.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Obstetric complications and intelligence in patients on the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum and healthy participants
Background Whether severe obstetric complications (OCs), which harm neural function in offspring, contribute to impaired cognition found in psychiatric disorders is currently unknown. Here, we sought to evaluate how a history of severe OCs is associated with cognitive functioning, indicated by Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Methods We evaluated the associations of a history of OCs and IQ in 622 healthy controls (HC) and 870 patients on the schizophrenia (SCZ) – bipolar disorder (BIP) spectrum from the ongoing Thematically Organized Psychosis study cohort, Oslo, Norway. Participants underwent assessments using the NART (premorbid IQ) and the WASI (current IQ). Information about OCs was obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Multiple linear regression models were used for analysis. Results Severe OCs were equally common across groups. SCZ patients with OCs had lower performances on both premorbid and current IQ measures, compared to those without OCs. However, having experienced more than one co-occurring severe OC was associated with lower current IQ in all groups. Conclusions Severe OCs were associated with lower IQ in the SCZ group and in the BIP and HC groups, but only if they had experienced more than one severe OC. Low IQ might be a neurodevelopmental marker for SCZ; wherein, severe OCs influence cognitive abilities and increase the risk of developing SCZ. Considering OCs as a variable of neurodevelopmental risk for severe mental illness may promote the development of neuroprotective interventions, improve outcome in vulnerable newborns and advance our ability to make clinical prognoses
Serum trans fatty acids, asymmetric dimethylarginine and risk of acute myocardial infarction and mortality in patients with suspected coronary heart disease: a prospective cohort study
Quartiles of trans 16:1n7 and risk of acute myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality. (DOCX 20 kb
Plasma cotinine is positively associated with homocysteine in smokers but not in users of smokeless tobacco
Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk marker, and smoking is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is unclear if the effect of smoked tobacco on homocysteine is mediated by nicotine or other combustion products in smoked tobacco. Snus (moist smokeless tobacco) is high nicotine-containing tobacco, and little is known about the effect of snus on plasma homocysteine. Therefore, we studied, in a cross-section of subjects (n = 1375) from the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, with strictly defined current smokers (n = 194) and snus users (n = 47), the impact of tobacco exposure on tHcy, assessed by self-reported tobacco habits and plasma cotinine concentrations. The snus users had higher cotinine concentrations than the smokers. Cotinine, creatinine, methylmalonic acid, and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype (MTHFR) T allele were positively associated with tHcy among the smokers, but not among the snus users. No association was observed between tHcy and the number of cigarettes/day. There was a positive association between cotinine and tHcy in the smokers, but not among the snus users. This indicates that substances other than nicotine in tobacco smoke could be responsible for the differential effects on homocysteine status. Self-reported smoking should be complemented by a cotinine assay whenever possible.publishedVersio
Beta cell function after weight loss: a clinical trial comparing gastric bypass surgery and intensive lifestyle intervention
The effects of various weight loss strategies on pancreatic beta cell function remain unclear. We aimed to compare the effect of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) on beta cell function. Design One year controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00273104). One hundred and nineteen morbidly obese participants without known diabetes from the MOBIL study (mean (s.d.) age 43.6 (10.8) years, body mass index (BMI) 45.5 (5.6) kg/m2, 84 women) were allocated to RYGB (n=64) or ILI (n=55). The patients underwent repeated oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) and were categorised as having either normal (NGT) or abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT). Twenty-nine normal-weight subjects with NGT (age 42.6 (8.7) years, BMI 22.6 (1.5) kg/m2, 19 women) served as controls. OGTT-based indices of beta cell function were calculated. One year weight reduction was 30 % (8) after RYGB and 9 % (10) after ILI (P<0.001). Disposition index (DI) increased in all treatment groups (all P<0.05), although more in the surgery groups (both P<0.001). Stimulated proinsulin-to-insulin (PI/I) ratio decreased in both surgery groups (both P<0.001), but to a greater extent in the surgery group with AGT at baseline (P<0.001). Post surgery, patients with NGT at baseline had higher DI and lower stimulated PI/I ratio than controls (both P<0.027). Gastric bypass surgery improved beta cell function to a significantly greater extent than ILI. Supra-physiological insulin secretion and proinsulin processing may indicate excessive beta cell function after gastric bypass surgery
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