Agriculture Policy Is Health Policy.

The Farm Bill is meant to supplement and secure farm incomes, ensure a stable food supply, and support the American farm economy. Over time, however, it has evolved into a system that creates substantial health impacts, both directly and indirectly. By generating more profit for food producers and less for family farmers; by effectively subsidizing the production of lower-cost fats, sugars, and oils that intensify the health-destroying obesity epidemic; by amplifying environmentally destructive agricultural practices that impact air, water, and other resources, the Farm Bill influences the health of Americans more than is immediately apparent. In this article, we outline three major public health issues influenced by American farm policy. These are (1) rising obesity; (2) food safety; and (3) environmental health impacts, especially exposure to toxic substances and pesticides

End-to-End Direct Digital Synthesis Simulation and Mathematical Model to Minimize Quantization Effects of Digital Signal Generation

Direct digital synthesis (DDS) architectures are becoming more prevalent as modern digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and programmable logic devices evolve to support higher bandwidths. The DDS architecture provides the benefit of digital control but at a cost of generating spurious content in the spectrum. The generated spurious content may cause intermodulation distortion preventing proper demodulation of the received signal. The distortion may also interfere with the neighboring frequency bands. This article presents the various DDS architectures and explores the DDS architecture which provides the most digital reconfigurability with the lowest spurious content. End-to-end analytical equations, numerical and mathematical models are developed to determine the location and power levels of spurs. Afterwards, the analytical equations, numerical and mathematical models are shown to be consistent with the experimental data. A developer can use the information to design a DDS architecture that meets their minimum requirements

Implementing a hybrid cognitive-behavioural therapy for pain-related insomnia in primary care : lessons learnt from a mixed-methods feasibility study

Objectives: To test the feasibility of implementing a brief but intensive hybrid cognitive behavioural therapy (Hybrid CBT) for pain-related insomnia. Design: Mixed-methods, with qualitative process evaluation on a two-arm randomised controlled feasibility trial. Setting: Primary care. Participants: Twenty-five adult patients with chronic pain and insomnia. Intervention: Hybrid CBT or self-help control intervention. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcomes measures were the Insomnia Severity Index and interference scale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Secondary outcomes measures were the present pain intensity rating from the BPI, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and EQ-5D-5L. Results: Fourteen participants were randomised to receive Hybrid CBT, 11 to receive the self-help control treatment. Of the 14 in the Hybrid CBT group, 9 (64%) completed all four treatment sessions (4 discontinued due to poor health; 1 due to time constraints). Adherence to the self-help control treatment was not monitored. The total number of participants completing the 12-week and 24-week follow-ups were 12 (6 in each group; Hybrid CBT: 43%; self-help: 55%) and 10 (5 in each group; Hybrid CBT: 36%; self-help: 45%). Based on the data available, candidate outcome measures appeared to be sensitive to changes associated with interventions. Thematic analysis of pre-postintervention interview data revealed satisfaction with treatment content among those who completed the Hybrid CBT, whereas those in the self-help control treatment wanted more contact hours and therapist guidance. Other practical suggestions for improvement included shortening the duration of each treatment session, reducing the amount of assessment paperwork, and minimising the burden of sleep and pain monitoring. Conclusion: Important lessons were learnt with regard to the infrastructure required to achieve better patient adherence and retention. Based on the qualitative feedback provided by a subset of treatment completers, future trials should also consider lowering the intensity of treatment and streamlining the data collection procedure. Trial registration number: ISRCTN17294365

Pancreatic regenerating protein (regⅠ) and regⅠreceptor mRNA are upregulated in rat pancreas after induction of acute pancreatitis

AIM: Pancreatic regenerating protein (regI) stimulates pancreatic regeneration after pancreatectomy and is mitogenic to ductal and β-cells. This suggests that regIand its receptor may play a role in recovery after pancreatic injury. We hypothesized that regIand its receptor are induced in acute pancreatitis. METHODS: Acute pancreatitis was induced in male Wistar rats by retrograde injection of 3% sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Pancreata and serum were collected 12, 24, and 36 hours after injection and from normal controls (4 rats/group). RegIreceptor mRNA, serum regIprotein, and tissue regIprotein levels were determined by Northern analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western analysis, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize changes in regIand its receptor. RESULTS: Serum amylase levels and histology confirmed necrotizing pancreatitis in taurocholate treated rats. There was no statistically significant change in serum regIconcentrations from controls. However, Western blot demonstrated increased tissue levels of regIat 24 and 36 h. This increase was localized primarily to the acinar cells and the ductal cells by immunohistochemistry. Northern blot demonstrated a significant increase in regIreceptor mRNA expression with pancreatitis. Immunohistochemistry localized this increase to the ductal cells, islets, and acinar cells. CONCLUSION: Acute pancreatitis results in increased tissue regIprotein levels localized to the acinar and ductal cells, and a parallel threefold induction of regIreceptor in the ductal cells, islets, and acinar cells. These changes suggest that induction of regIand its receptor may be important for recovery from acute pancreatitis

Whole-genome sequencing of Theileria parva strains provides insight into parasite migration and diversification in the african continent

The disease caused by the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Theileria parva, known as East Coast fever or Corridor disease, is one of the most serious cattle diseases in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa. We performed whole-genome sequencing of nine T. parva strains, including one of the vaccine strains (Kiambu 5), field isolates from Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, or Rwanda, and two buffalo-derived strains. Comparison with the reference Muguga genome sequence revealed 34 814–121 545 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were more abundant in buffalo-derived strains. High-resolution phylogenetic trees were constructed with selected informative SNPs that allowed the investigation of possible complex recombination events among ancestors of the extant strains. We further analysed the dN/dS ratio (non-synonymous substitutions per non-synonymous site divided by synonymous substitutions per synonymous site) for 4011 coding genes to estimate potential selective pressure. Genes under possible positive selection were identified that may, in turn, assist in the identification of immunogenic proteins or vaccine candidates. This study elucidated the phylogeny of T. parva strains based on genome-wide SNPs analysis with prediction of possible past recombination events, providing insight into the migration, diversification, and evolution of this parasite species in the African continent

Informant-based screening tools for dementia: an overview of systematic reviews

Background: Informant-based questionnaires may have utility for cognitive impairment or dementia screening. Reviews describing the accuracy of respective questionnaires are available, but their focus on individual questionnaires precludes comparisons across tools. We conducted an overview of systematic reviews to assess the comparative accuracy of informant questionnaires and identify areas where evidence is lacking. Methods: We searched six databases to identify systematic reviews describing diagnostic test accuracy of informant questionnaires for cognitive impairment or dementia. We pooled sensitivity and specificity data for each questionnaire and used network approaches to compare accuracy estimates across the differing tests. We used grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) to evaluate the overall certainty of evidence. Finally, we created an evidence ‘heat-map’, describing the availability of accurate data for individual tests in different populations and settings. Results: We identified 25 reviews, consisting of 93 studies and 13 informant questionnaires. Pooled analysis (37 studies; 11 052 participants) ranked the eight-item interview to ascertain dementia (AD8) highest for sensitivity [90%; 95% credible intervals (CrI) = 82–95; ‘best-test’ probability = 36]; while the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) was most specific (81%; 95% CrI = 66–90; ‘best-test’ probability = 29%). GRADE-based evaluation of evidence suggested certainty was ‘low’ overall. Our heat-map indicated that only AD8 and IQCODE have been extensively evaluated and most studies have been in the secondary care settings. Conclusions: AD8 and IQCODE appear to be valid questionnaires for cognitive impairment or dementia assessment. Other available informant-based cognitive screening questionnaires lack evidence to justify their use at present. Evidence on the accuracy of available tools in primary care settings and with specific populations is required

Transparent model concrete with tunable rheology for investigating flow and particle-migration during transport in pipes

The article describes the adaption and properties of a model concrete for detailed flow studies. To adapt the yield stress and plastic viscosity of the model concrete to the corresponding rheological properties of real concrete, the model concrete is made of a mixture of glass beads and a non-Newtonian fluid. The refractive index of the non-Newtonian fluid is adjusted to the refractive index of the glass beads by the addition of a further constituent. The rheological properties of the model concrete are characterised by measurements in concrete rheometers. Finally, the first exemplary results from experiments with the model concrete are presented, which give incipient impressions of the complex internal dynamics in flowing concrete

Nonlinear electron transport in normally pinched-off quantum wire

Nonlinear electron transport in normally pinched-off quantum wires was studied. The wires were fabricated from AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas by electron beam lithography and following wet etching. At certain critical source-drain voltage the samples exhibited a step rise of the conductance. The differential conductance of the open wires was noticeably lower than e^2/h as far as only part of the source-drain voltage dropped between source contact and saddle-point of the potential relief along the wire. The latter limited the electron flow injected to the wire. At high enough source-drain voltages the decrease of the differential conductance due to the real space transfer of electrons from the wire in GaAs to the doped AlGaAs layer was found. In this regime the sign of differential magnetoconductance was changed with reversing the direction of the current in the wire or the magnetic field, whet the magnetic field lies in the heterostructure plane and is directed perpendicular to the current. The dependence of the differential conductance on the magnetic field and its direction indicated that the real space transfer events were mainly mediated by the interface scattering.Comment: LaTeX 2e (epl.cls) 6 pages, 3 figure