Collision damping in the pi 3He -> d'N reaction near the threshold

We present a simple quantum mechanical model exploiting the optical potential approach for the description of collision damping in the reaction pi 3He -> d'N near the threshold, which recently has been measured at TRIUMF. The influence of the open d'N -> NNN channel is taken into account. It leads to a suppression factor of about ten in the d' survival probability. Applications of the method to other reactions are outlined.Comment: RevTeX4, 14 pages, 3 Postscript figures, uses epsfig.sty, to appear in Phys.Rev.

Induction of Lambing at Weekly Intervals

Lambing season is the time in the sheep production year which demands the largest input of labor. Due to problems associated with the birth process, it is also one of the most critical times. By controlling the time of parturition, producers are better able to schedule labor and facilities more effectively. Ewes induced to lamb on specified days allow for more uniform groups of lambs for management practices. Flumethasone, a glucocorticoid, will induce parturition in ewes when administered late in gestation. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum range of days for once per week treatment for practical application of a grouped lambing program

Hepatic cell loss and proliferation induced by N-2-fluorenylacetamide, diethylnitrosamine, and aflatoxin B1 in relation to hepatoma induction.

Three hepatic carcinogens (aflatoxin B1, diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and N-2-fluorenylacetamide (FAA)) were compared for carcinogenicity, early cell toxicity and parenchymal cell proliferation. The carcinogens were administered to rats for 15 weeks as follows: aflatoxin B1, 1 in 10(6) in pelleted food; DEN, 2 in 10(5) in drinking water; FAA, 3 in 10(4) in pelleted food. The loss of prelabelled DNA and the [H3] TdR pulse-labelling indices (LI) of parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells were determined at various times during the period of carcinogen availability. On a molar basis, aflatoxin B1 was 90 times as carcinogenic as FAA and 24 times as carcinogenic as DEN. However, for about equal magnitudes of hepatic cell proliferation and loss, aflatoxin B1 was the least potent carcinogen. For a given level of carcinogenicity, FAA was more potent than DEN in causing loss of hepatic DNA and in increasing the parenchymal cell labelling index. DEN and aflatoxin B1 produced about the same degree of DNA loss and parenchymal cell labelling, but the former was a more potent carcinogen. When carcinogenicity was compared for approximately equal levels of early hepatic cell destruction and proliferation, the 3 chemicals in the present study could be ranked in descending order of potency as DEN, FAA and aflatoxin B1

The d' dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model

We study the questions of the existence and mass of the proposed $d' (IJ^P=00^-)$ dibaryon in the quark-delocalization, color-screening model (QDCSM). The transformation between physical and symmetry bases has been extended to the cases beyond the SU(2) orbital symmetry. Using parameters fixed by baryon properties and $NN$ scattering, we find a mild attraction in the $IJ^P=00^-$ channel, but it is not strong enough to form a deeply bound state as proposed for the $d'$ state. Nor does the (isospin) I=2 N$\Delta$ configuration have a deeply bound state. These results show that if a narrow dibaryon $d'$ state does exist, it must have a more complicated structure.Comment: 12 pp. latex, no figs., 2 tables, additional refs., Report-no was adde

Savory Grazing System: A Research Update

Livestock performance, forage use and soil compaction were studied in Repeated Seasonal (RSG) and High Performance Short Duration Grazing (HPSDG) systems on mixed prairie in good to excellent condition in western South Dakota. In May 1981 and 1982, yearling ewes were allocated to six RSG and six HPSDG pastures and removed in October of each year. Stocking rates in both systems were periodically adjusted to result in 40 to 50% terminal use of shortgrasses. In both years, the stocking rates in HPSDG were approximately twice those in RSG. Livestock performance was the same in both systems. Forage use was more uniform and higher proportions of midgrasses were grazed in HPSDG than in RSG. Soil compaction increased with grazing intensity in RSG but was constant at a value equivalent to moderate grazing intensity in HPSDG

Study on Incentives for Glaucoma Medication Adherence (SIGMA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to increase glaucoma medication adherence using value pricing

BACKGROUND: Many glaucoma patients do not adhere to their medication regimens because they fail to internalize the (health) costs of non-adherence, which may not occur until years or decades later. Behavioural economic theory suggests that adherence rates can be improved by offering patients a near-term benefit. Our proposed strategy is to offer adherence-contingent rebates on medication and check-up costs. This form of value pricing (VP) ensures that rebates are granted only to those most likely to benefit. Moreover, by leveraging loss aversion, rebates are expected to generate a stronger behavioural response than equivalent financial rewards. METHODS/DESIGN: The main objective of the Study on Incentives for Glaucoma Medication Adherence (SIGMA) is to test the VP approach relative to usual care (UC) in improving medication adherence. SIGMA is a randomized, controlled, open-label, single-centre superiority trial with two parallel arms. A total of 100 non-adherent (Morisky Medication Adherence Scale ≤6) glaucoma patients from the Singapore National Eye Centre are block-randomized (blocking factor: single versus multiple medications users) into the VP and UC arms in a 1:1 ratio. The treatment received by VP patients will be strictly identical to that received by UC patients, with the only exception being that VP patients can earn either a 50 % or 25 % rebate on their glaucoma-related healthcare costs conditional on being adherent on at least 90 % or 75 % of days as measured by a medication event monitoring system. Masking the arm allocation will be precluded by the behavioural nature of the intervention but blocking size will not be disclosed to protect concealment. The primary outcome is the mean change from baseline in percentage of adherent days at month 6. A day will be counted as adherent when the patients take all their medication(s) within the appropriate dosing windows. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide evidence on whether adherence-contingent rebates can improve medication adherence among non-adherent glaucoma patients, and more generally whether this approach represents a promising strategy to cost-effectively improve chronic disease management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02271269 . Registered on 19 October 2014

``Superfast'' Reaction in Turbulent Flow with Potential Disorder

We explore the regime of ``superfast'' reactivity that has been predicted to occur in turbulent flow in the presence of potential disorder. Computer simulation studies confirm qualitative features of the previous renormalization group predictions, which were based on a static model of turbulence. New renormalization group calculations for a more realistic, dynamic model of turbulence show that the superfast regime persists. This regime, with concentration decay exponents greater than that for a well-mixed reaction, appears to be a general result of the interplay among non-linear reaction kinetics, turbulent transport, and local trapping by potential disorder.Comment: 14 pages. 4 figures. Uses IOP styles. To appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge

Combined Analysis of Near-Threshold Production of omega and phi Mesons in Nucleon-Nucleon Collisions within an Effective Meson-Nucleon Model

Vector meson ($V = \omega, \phi$) production in near-threshold elementary nucleon-nucleon collisions $pp\to ppV$, $pn\to pnV$ and $pn\to dV$ is studied within an effective meson-nucleon theory. It is shown that a set of effective parameters can be established to describe fairly well the available experimental data of angular distributions and the energy dependence of the total cross sections without explicit implementation of the Okubo-Zweig-Iisuka rule violation. Isospin effects are considered in detail and compared with experimental data whenever available