Integration of ground and on-board system for terminal count

The development of an integrated ground and onboard system for Space Shuttle terminal count management is discussed. The criteria considered in designing this system are outlined. Examples of problems encountered in the process of maturing the design are presented

Impact of D0-D0bar mixing on the experimental determination of gamma

Several methods have been devised to measure the weak phase gamma using decays of the type B+- --> D K+-, where it is assumed that there is no mixing in the D0-D0bar system. However, when using these methods to uncover new physics, one must entertain the real possibility that the measurements are affected by new physics effects in the D0-D0bar system. We show that even values of x_D and/or y_D around 10^{-2} can have a significant impact in the measurement of sin^2{gamma}. We discuss the errors incurred in neglecting this effect, how the effect can be checked, and how to include it in the analysis.Comment: 18 pages, Latex with epsfig, 8 figure

Utilización de inóculos comerciales conteniendo bacterias productoras de ácido láctico sobre las características fermentativas y estabilidad aeróbica de ensilaje de maíz

This study evaluated two treatments based on addition of two commercial microbial inoculants of lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAPB), one of the homolactic type (HOT) and the other a combination of homolatic with heterolactic bacteria (HHT), plus a control treatment without inoculation (CNT), on the fermentative characteristics of tropical maize in micro-silos and aerobic stability (AS) of the resulting silage. The fermentative characteristics were determined in triplicate samples taken at various lengths of fermentation (15, 30, 58 and 90 d), which were analyzed for pH, concentration of organic acids and NHL. To evaluate AS, changes in pH and temperature of the silage were monitored during five days of exposure to air. No significant differences were found among treatments in any of the fermentation characteristics studied. HOT resulted in the numerically lowest average pH (4.23) and the highest average percentage content of lactic acid (2.18), followed by HHT (4.28 and 2.11) and CNT (4.32 and 1.94), respectively. Also, regarding indicators of AS there were no significant differences among treatments, but numerically the average pH of exposed HOT silage was lower (5.30 vs 5.43 the average value of both HHT and CNT) and there was a trend (P <0.15) toward lower average temperature (°C ) in favor of HHT (29.61 vs. 30.26 and 30.28 for HOT and CNT silages). In general, the use of LAPB inoculants in tropical maize silage did not result in large differences relative to non-inoculated silage in the variables under study regarding fermentation characteristics and AS.Se evaluaron dos tratamientos basados en la adición de dos inóculos microbianos comerciales, uno a base de bacterias productoras de ácido láctico (BPAL) homofermentativas (THO) y el otro una combinación de estas con heterofermentativas (THH), además de un tratamiento control sin inoculación (TCN), en sus efectos sobre las características fermentativas de maíz tropical en micro-silos y la estabilidad aeróbica (EA) del ensilaje resultante. Las características fermentativas se determinaron en muestras por triplicado, tomadas a diferentes largos de fermentación (15, 30, 58, y 90 d), que se analizaron para pH, concentración de ácidos orgánicos y NHL. Para evaluar la EA se monitoreó los cambios de pH y temperatura del ensilaje expuesto al aire durante cinco días. No se encontró diferencias significativas entre tratamientos en ninguna de las características fermentativas incluidas. Numéricamente el THO mostró en promedio el menor pH (4.23) y el mayor contenido porcentual de ácido láctico (AL) (2.18), seguido respectivamente por THH (4.28 y 2.11) y TCN (4.32 y 1.94). Los indicadores de EA tampoco difirieron significativamente entre tratamientos, pero hubo una diferencia en pH promedio del ensilaje expuesto, favorable a THO (5.30 vs 5.43 valor común en ambos THH y TCN); y una tendencia (P < 0.15) en temperatura promedio (°C) favorable a THH (29.61 vs 30.26 en THO y 30.28 en TCN). En general, el uso de los inóculos de BPAL en ensilaje de maíz tropical no resultó en grandes diferencias relativo a ensilaje no inoculado en las variables dependientes en estudio relativo a características fermentativas y EA.

Optimizing Medication Appropriateness in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Interventional Trial to Decrease Anticholinergic Burden

Background The complexity of medication therapy in older adults with multiple comorbidities often leads to inappropriate prescribing. Drugs with anticholinergic properties are of particular interest because many are not recognized for this property; their use may lead to increased anticholinergic burden resulting in significant health risks, as well as negatively impacting cognition. Medication therapy management (MTM) interventions showed promise in addressing inappropriate medication use, but the effectiveness of targeted multidisciplinary team interventions addressing anticholinergic medications in older populations is yet to be determined. Methods We conducted an 8-week, parallel-arm, randomized trial to evaluate whether a targeted patient-centered pharmacist–physician team MTM intervention (“targeted MTM intervention”) reduced the use of inappropriate anticholinergic medications in older patients enrolled in a longitudinal cohort at University of Kentucky’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Study outcomes included changes in the medication appropriateness index (MAI) targeting anticholinergic medications and in the anticholinergic drug scale (ADS) score from baseline to the end of study. Results Between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015 we enrolled and randomized 50 participants taking at least one medication with anticholinergic properties. Of these, 35 (70%) were women, 45 (90%) were white, and 33 (66%) were cognitively intact (clinical dementia rating [CDR] = 0); mean age was 77.7 ± 6.6 years. At baseline, the mean MAI was 12.6 ± 6.3; 25 (50%) of the participants used two or more anticholinergics, and the mean ADS score was 2.8 ± 1.6. After randomization, although no statistically significant difference was noted between groups, we identified a potentially meaningful imbalance as the intervention group had more participants with intact cognition, and thus included CDR in all of the analyses. The targeted MTM intervention resulted in statistically significant CDR adjusted differences between groups with regard to improved MAI (change score of 3.6 (1.1) for the MTM group as compared with 1.0 (0.9) for the control group, p = 0.04) and ADS (change score of 1.0 (0.3) for the MTM group as compared with 0.2 (0.3) for the control group, p = 0.03). Conclusions Our targeted MTM intervention resulted in improvement in anticholinergic medication appropriateness and reduced the use of inappropriate anticholinergic medications in older patients. Our results show promise in an area of great importance to ensure optimum outcomes for medications used in older adults. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02172612. Registered 20 June 2014

Consumo y digestibilidad de una dieta para corderos basada en henos de gramíneas tropicales y de Hyparrhenia rufa con un probiótico aportador de Bacillus subtilis y Bacillus licheniformi

An experiment consisting of two periods (P1 and P2) was conducted to determine the effect of adding a probiotic of bacterial strains of Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis to a basal diet of low quality grass hays on voluntary consumption (VC) and digestibility. Ten Creole lambs were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: control (without additive) or probiotic (with additive In diet). The basal diet consisted of a dally forage offering equal to 4% of live weight (LW) on a dry matter (DM) basis. The forage offered was 50% native grass hay [71.7% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 4.9% crude protein (CP) in P1; and 71.2% NDF, 5.4% CP in P2], and 50% of Hyparrhenia rufa hay (78.8% NDF, 3.5% CP in P1; and 75.6% NDF, 5.5% CP in P2). The lambs were supplemented with 225 g of commercial concentrate (CC) daily. The additive was mixed with the CC to supply 1.33 X ICcfu/head daily during the 49 days of P1. From day 50 to 84 (P2), the probiotic addition was suspended to determine possible residual effects. The lambs were weighed weekly. The VC and digestibility of DM, NDF and CP were determined from day 42 to 49 in P1 and from day 77 to 84 in P2. The variables related to parasitism and anemia: fecal egg count (FEC), FAMACHA® index score and packed cell volume (PCV) were determined every 21 days. Data from each experimental period were analyzed according to a completely randomized design with five replicas per treatment. During P1, the daily LW gain of the lambs was 23 vs. 20 g for control and probiotic treatments, respectively. The dietary addition of probiotic increased (p < 0.05) total DM intake (445 vs. 484 g/d), DM intake as a percentage of LW (2.04 vs. 2.37) and forage DM as a percentage of total DM intake (54.77 vs. 59.42). The digestibility coefficients of DM (59.98 vs. 62.62%) and CP (59.35 vs. 61.76%) did not differ between treatments, but there was a tendency (p = 0.09) to improve NDF digestibility (58.71 vs. 62.48%) with probiotic addition. The FEC observed in the control and probiotic groups were 820 vs. 1,380 eggs/g initially and increased more in the control (p < 0.05) to 2,390 vs. 2,780 eggs/g at day 21, then decreased less in this group to 1,830 vs. 1,480 eggs/g at day 42. The PCV values changed between days 0 and 42 from 24.4 to 17.9% in the control and from 20.6 to 22.6% in the probiotic group, but without significant effects (p > 0.05). The anemia level according to FAMACHA® score differed little between treatments and did not exceed a maximum of 2.6. During P2, the LW gain of the lambs of both control and previously probiotic treated groups was 48 g/d. Total DM intake was 587 vs. 562 g/d and digestibilities were: DM (58.46 vs. 57.59%), NDF (57.50 vs. 56.85%) and CP (60.78 vs. 62.11%) without significant differences (p > 0.05). The FEC decreased progressively to respective final values at 84 days of 1,230 vs. 440 eggs/g, whereas the PCV increased to 23.4 vs. 25.1% at day 84 without significant differences. The maximum FAMACHA® score was 2.8 vs. 2.2 in the two respective treatments. In summary, the addition of the probiotic in the diet improved VC and tended to increase NDF digestibility, but did not affect growth, even though there were signs of animal health benefiting. After suspending the use of the additive, no residual effect on the variables evaluated was observed.Se realizó un experimento en dos periodos (P1 y P2) para determinar el efecto de la inclusión de un probiótico aportador de las bacterias Bacillus subtilis y B. licheniformis en una dieta basada en henos de gramíneas de baja calidad sobre el consumo voluntario (CV) y digestibilidad utilizando 10 corderos criollos. Los corderos se asignaron aleatoriamente a uno de dos tratamientos: sin (control) o con el probiótico dietético. La dieta basal constó de un ofrecimiento diario de forraje igual al 4% del peso vivo (PV) en la materia seca (MS). El forraje consistió de 50% de heno de gramíneas tropicales naturalizadas [71.7% Fibra Detergente Neutra (FDN), 4.9% Proteína Bruta (PB) en P1; y 71.2% FDN, 5.4% PB en P2] y 50% de heno de Hyparrhenia rufa (78.8% FDN, 3.5% PB en P1; y 75.6% FDN, 5.5% PB en P2). Se suplió también 225 g diarios de concentrado comercial (CC). El aditivo se mezcló con el CC para suplir 1.33 X 10 ufe/animal diariamente durante 49 días en P1. Del día 50 al 84 (P2) se suspendió el ofrecimiento del aditivo para determinar posibles efectos residuales de este. Se pesaron los corderos semanalmente. El CV y digestibilidad de la MS, FDN y PB se determinaron del día 42 al 49 en P1. y del día 77 al 84 en P2. Las variables indicativas de parasitismo y anemia: conteo de huevos en las heces (CHH), valor FAMACHA® y hematocrito, se determinaron cada 21 días. Los datos por periodo experimental se analizaron según un diseño completamente aleatorizado con cinco repeticiones por tratamiento. Durante el P1, la ganancia en PV de los ovinos fue de 23 vs. 20 g/día para los tratamientos control y con probiótico, respectivamente. La adición dietética del probiótico aumentó (p < 0.05) el consumo total de MS (445 vs. 484 g/d), dicho consumo como porcentaje del PV (2.04 vs. 2.37), además del consumo de MS de forraje como porcentaje del consumo de MS total (54.77 vs. 59.42). La digestibilidad porcentual de MS (59.98 vs. 62.62) y de PB (59.35 vs. 61.76) no difirió entre tratamientos, pero hubo tendencia (p = 0.09) a mejorar la digestibilidad de FDN con el probiótico (58.71 vs. 62.48). El CHH de los respectivos grupos testigo y con probiótico fue 820 vs. 1,380 huevos/g ¡nlclalmente y aumentó más (p < 0.05) en el testigo a 2,390 vs. 2,780 huevos/g al día 21 y luego bajó a 1,830 vs. 1,480 huevos/g al día 42. Entre los días 0 y 42, el hematocrlto cambió significativamente (p > 0.05) de 24.4 a 17.9 en el testigo y de 20.6 a 22.6 en el grupo con problótlco. El nivel de anemia estimado por FAMACHA® difirió mínimamente entre ambos tratamientos y no pasó de un valor máximo de 2.6. Durante el P2, la ganancia en PV de los ovinos de ambos grupos (testigo y previamente con el problótlco) fue 48 g/ día. Al comparar estos dos respectivos grupos, el consumo de MS fue 587 vs. 562 g/día y las dlgestlbllldades fueron: MS (58.46 vs. 57.59%), FDN (57.50 vs. 56.85%) y PB (60.78 vs. 62.11%), sin diferencias (p > 0.05). El CHH bajó progresivamente a respectivos valores finales de 1,230 y 440 huevos/g a los 84 días, mientras el hematocrlto subió a valores de 23.4 y 25.1% a los 84 días, sin diferencias (p > 0.05). El valor máximo de FAMACHA® fue de 2.8 y 2.2 en los dos respectivos tratamientos. En resumen, la adición dietética del probiótico incentivó el CV y tendió a aumentar la digestibilidad de FDN, pero no afectó el crecimiento, aunque dio ciertos indicios de favorecer la salud animal. Después de suspender el aditivo, no se observó ningún efecto residual del mismo sobre las variables evaluadas

What can we learn from a measurement of sin(2 beta + gamma)?

The constraints on the value of the CKM phase gamma that may be achieved by prospective measurements of sin(2 beta) and sin(2 beta + gamma) are discussed. Significant constraints require quite small errors, and may depend on assumptions about strong phases. The measurement of sin(2 beta + gamma) combined with other experiments could provide valuable limits on new physics in Bd-Bdbar mixing.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, RevTex 4, uses amsmath and graphic

INtervention for Cognitive Reserve Enhancement in Delaying the Onset of Alzheimer\u27s Symptomatic Expression (INCREASE), a Randomized Controlled Trial: Rationale, Study Design, and Protocol

BACKGROUND: The course of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) includes a 10-20-year preclinical period with progressive accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the absence of symptomatic cognitive or functional decline. The duration of this preclinical stage in part depends on the rate of pathologic progression, which is offset by compensatory mechanisms, referred to as cognitive reserve (CR). Comorbid medical conditions, psychosocial stressors, and inappropriate medication use may lower CR, hastening the onset of symptomatic AD. Here, we describe a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to test the efficacy of a medication therapy management (MTM) intervention to reduce inappropriate medication use, bolster cognitive reserve, and ultimately delay symptomatic AD. METHODS/DESIGN: Our study aims to enroll 90 non-demented community-dwelling adults ≥ 65 years of age. Participants will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) scans, measuring Aβ levels using standardized uptake value ratios (SUVr). Participants will be randomly assigned to MTM intervention or control, stratified by Aβ levels, and followed for 12 months via in-person and telephone visits. Outcomes of interest include: (1) medication appropriateness (measured with the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI)); (2) scores from Trail Making Test B (TMTB), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT); (3) perceived health status (measured with the SF-36). We will also evaluate pre- to post-intervention change in: (1) use of inappropriate medications as measured by MAI; 2) CR Change Score (CRCS), defined as the difference in scopolamine-challenged vs unchallenged cognitive scores at baseline and follow-up. Baseline Aβ SUVr will be used to examine the relative impact of preclinical AD (pAD) pathology on CRCS, as well as the interplay of amyloid burden with inappropriate medication use. DISCUSSION: This manuscript describes the protocol of INCREASE ( INtervention for Cognitive Reserve Enhancement in delaying the onset of Alzheimer\u27s Symptomatic Expression ): a randomized controlled trial that investigates the impact of deprescribing inappropriate medications and optimizing medication regimens on potentially delaying the onset of symptomatic AD and AD-related dementias. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02849639. Registered on 29 July 2016

FAPRI 2000 U.S. Agricultural Outlook

Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,

\u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eH-MRS Metabolites in Adults with Down Syndrome: Effects of Dementia

To determine if proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) detect differences in dementia status in adults with Down syndrome (DS), we used 1H-MRS to measure neuronal and glial metabolites in the posterior cingulate cortex in 22 adults with DS and in 15 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We evaluated associations between 1H-MRS results and cognition among DS participants. Neuronal biomarkers, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and glutamate-glutamine complex (Glx), were significantly lower in DS patients with Alzheimer\u27s should probably be changed to Alzheimer (without \u27 or s) through ms as per the new naming standard disease (DSAD) when compared to non-demented DS (DS) and healthy controls (CTL). Neuronal biomarkers therefore appear to reflect dementia status in DS. In contrast, all DS participants had significantly higher myo-inositol (MI), a putative glial biomarker, compared to CTL. Our data indicate that there may be an overall higher glial inflammatory component in DS compared to CTL prior to and possibly independent of developing dementia. When computing the NAA to MI ratio, we found that presence or absence of dementia could be distinguished in DS. NAA, Glx, and NAA/MI in all DS participants were correlated with scores from the Brief Praxis Test and the Severe Impairment Battery. 1H-MRS may be a useful diagnostic tool in future longitudinal studies to measure AD progression in persons with DS. In particular, NAA and the NAA/MI ratio is sensitive to the functional status of adults with DS, including prior to dementia

FAPRI 2000 World Agricultural Outlook

The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) prepares a preliminary agricultural outlook on world agricultural production, consumption, and trade every fall. This is followed by an outside review, re-evaluation of projections, and completion of the final baseline in January. The FAPRI 2000 World Agricultural Outlook presents these final projections for world agricultural markets. A companion volume, the FAPRI 2000 U.S. Agricultural Outlook, presents the U.S. component of the baseline. FAPRI projections assume average weather patterns worldwide, existing policy, and policy commitments under current trade agreements. FAPRI projections do not include conjectures on potential policy changes, such as those resulting from the likely eastward enlargement of the European Union (EU). The baseline predicts recovery of world agricultural production, consumption, and trade, but with remaining price weakness for crops. Stock-to-use ratios in world crop markets remain high despite the strong recovery of Asian and Latin American economies. Above-average yields kept world production high relative to demand in 1999. In contrast, pork and beef prices are increasing significantly above their 1999 level. The physical volume of U.S. agricultural exports is projected to reverse the downward trend of fiscal year (FY) 1999, whereas the value of agricultural exports continue to decline for one more year before recovering because of low crop prices in 2000/01. World crop trade is projected to increase by 55 million metric tons (mmt) in the coming decade, with the United States capturing 49 percent of the expanded market, but still unable to increase its market share by a large percentage. Following this expansion of the market, grain prices increase by 35 percent in the projection period, but still stay well below the peak of 1995/96. The increase in world crop trade reflects the increasing specialization occurring in world agriculture. Increased market access and land scarcity in many Asian economies induce them to import grains and oilseeds to meet their feed demand. Developing Asia remains the fastest growing market for corn in the next decade. With implementation of Agenda 2000 reforms, the EU will reduce its wheat domestic price relative to the world price and will export wheat without subsidies after 2004, constraining gains in market shares for the United States. EU barley exports will expand significantly in the coming years but are likely to be constrained by General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) commitments on export subsidies after 2004. World meat trade will increase by 31 percent over the next decade. The United States has become a competitive producer and exporter of meat products. In the coming decade, the United States will experience the largest meat export growth rates among major exporters of beef, pork, and broilers. U.S. exporters capture more than 70 percent of the growth in trade, increasing their share of the combined meat markets from 23 percent in 1999 to 37 percent in 2009. Meat imports are recovering and expanding rapidly in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Japan, the share of imports in consumption increases from 38 percent in the 1990s to 49 percent at the end of the next decade. Taiwan meat imports will triple from 1990-1999 levels to 2000-2009 levels, driven by imports of beef, non muscle pork products, and the opening of the poultry market. Recovery of Asian food demand will prompt dairy prices to grow by about 1 percent per year over the next decade. Total milk production is projected to increase, with particularly strong growth in the United States, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Most of the growth occurs through yield increases. Per capita cheese consumption is expected to grow by 1 to 2 percent a year in most countries.Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,