Prediction of apparent digestibility of hays from natural pastures of the Northeast region of Portugal

In the Northeast region of Portugal hays from natural pastures are traditionally used as the main feed during the period of drought and the evaluation of its nutritive value is essential. The aim of this study was to predict the apparent organic matter digestibility (OMD) of 21 hays from natural pastures based on chemical composition, pepsin-cellulase solubility of organic matter (OMS) and in vitro organic matter digestibility. Chemical composition of hays showed a wide range of values and acid detergent lignin (ADL) was the component that presented the highest variation (CV = 18.4%). The OMD varied between 516 and 658 g/kg OM. The best single OMD predictor was OMS (RSD = 2.8%, R2 = 0.52, P<0.001). Using multiple regression to predict OMD, the variables included in the model were OMS and ADL (OMD = 21.51 + 0.94 OMS – 0.83 ADL; RSD = 2.75%; R2 = 0.54; P<0.0001). According to principal component analysis (PCA) hays were divided in 3 groups and the multiple regression established for the larger group of hays (n=10) was: OMD = 4.13 + 0.85 OMS – 1.03 ADL; RSD = 2.13%, R2 = 0.77, P<0.0001. The OMS method was superior to chemical composition and to the in vitro rumen fluid method in predicting OMD of hays from natural pastures. Results from PCA suggested that it may be useful to group these hays according to its chemical composition to accurately predict OMD

The BES f_0(1810): a new glueball candidate

We analyze the f_0(1810) state recently observed by the BES collaboration via radiative J/\psi decay to a resonant \phi\omega spectrum and confront it with DM2 data and glueball theory. The DM2 group only measured \omega\omega decays and reported a pseudoscalar but no scalar resonance in this mass region. A rescattering mechanism from the open flavored KKbar decay channel is considered to explain why the resonance is only seen in the flavor asymmetric \omega\phi branch along with a discussion of positive C parity charmonia decays to strengthen the case for preferred open flavor glueball decays. We also calculate the total glueball decay width to be roughly 100 MeV, in agreement with the narrow, newly found f_0, and smaller than the expected estimate of 200-400 MeV. We conclude that this discovered scalar hadron is a solid glueball candidate and deserves further experimental investigation, especially in the K-Kbar channel. Finally we comment on other, but less likely, possible assignments for this state.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Major substantive additions, including an ab-initio, QCD-based computation of the glueball inclusive decay width, evaluation of final state effects, and enhanced discussion of several alternative possibilities. Our conclusions are unchanged: the BES f_0(1810) is a promising glueball candidat

Soliton back-action evading measurement using spectral filtering

We report on a back-action evading (BAE) measurement of the photon number of fiber optical solitons operating in the quantum regime. We employ a novel detection scheme based on spectral filtering of colliding optical solitons. The measurements of the BAE criteria demonstrate significant quantum state preparation and transfer of the input signal to the signal and probe outputs exiting the apparatus, displaying the quantum-nondemolition (QND) behavior of the experiment.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Dynamics of tournaments: the soccer case

A random walk-like model is considered to discuss statistical aspects of tournaments. The model is applied to soccer leagues with emphasis on the scores. This competitive system was computationally simulated and the results are compared with empirical data from the English, the German and the Spanish leagues and showed a good agreement with them. The present approach enabled us to characterize a diffusion where the scores are not normally distributed, having a short and asymmetric tail extending towards more positive values. We argue that this non-Gaussian behavior is related with the difference between the teams and with the asymmetry of the scores system. In addition, we compared two tournament systems: the all-play-all and the elimination tournaments.Comment: To appear in EPJ

Polypharmacy Among The Elderly In The City Of São Paulo, Brazil - Sabe Study [polifarmácia Entre Idosos Do Município De São Paulo - Estudo Sabe]

Polypharmacy for the elderly and associated factors were assessed. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the SABE Study (Health, Well-being and Aging), 2006. 1,115 individuals representing 422,377 elderly aged 65 or more, living in São Paulo City, were interviewed. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications. A multivariate regression logistics was used. Polypharmacy prevalence was 36%. Female (OR = 1.7; IC 95%: 1.0; 2.9), age over 75 years (OR = 1.9; CI 95%: 1.3; 2.7), higher income (OR = 1.8; CI 95%: 1.2; 2.8), working (OR = 1.8; CI 95%: 1.1; 2.9), regular self assessed health (OR = 1.6; CI 95%: 1.1; 2.3) or poor (OR = 2.6; CI 95%: 1.4; 4.9), hypertension (OR = 2.0; CI 95%: 1.4; 2.9), diabetes (OR = 4.1; CI 95%: 2.2; 7.5), rheumatic diseases (OR = 2.3; CI 95%: 1.5; 3.6) and cardiac problems (OR = 2.9; CI 95%: 1.9; 4.5) were associated positively with polypharmacy. Using only the public health system (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3; 0.7) was inversely associated with polypharmacy. Medicines for the cardiovascular system and for the alimentary tract and metabolism were the most used. The knowledge of factors associated with polypharmacy, such as those identified in this study, may be useful to alert health professionals about the importance of identifying and monitoring the elderly groups most vulnerable to polypharmacy.154817827Ramos, L.R., Fatores determinantes do envelhecimento saudável em idosos residentes em centro urbano: Projeto Epidoso, São Paulo (2003) Cad Saúde Pública, 19, pp. 793-798(2002) Active Ageing. A Policy Framework, , http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/WHO_NMH_NPH_02.8.pdf, World Health Organization, Geneva: WHO;,. Disponível em, [Acessado em 20 de fevereiro de 2006]Coelho Filho, J.M., Marcopito, L.F., Castelo, A., Medication use patterns among elderly people in urban area in Northeastern Brazil (2004) Rev Saude Publica, 38, pp. 557-564Qato, D.M., Alexander, G.C., Conti, R.M., Johnson, M., Schumm, P., Lindau, S.T., Use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements among older adults in the United States (2008) JAMA, 300, pp. 2867-2878Ribeiro, A.Q., Rozenfeld, S., Klein, C.H., César, C.C., Acurcio Fde, A., Survey on medicine use by elderly retirees in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil (2008) Rev Saúde Pública, 42, pp. 724-732Flores, L.M., Mengue, S.S., Uso de medicamentos por idosos em região do sul do Brasil (2005) Rev Saúde Pública, 39, pp. 924-929Kaufman, D.W., Kelly, J.P., Rosenberg, L., Anderson, T.E., Michell, A.A., Recent patterns of medication use in the ambulatory adult population of the United States (2002) JAMA, 287, pp. 337-344Safran, D.G., Neuman, P., Schoen, C., Kitchman, M.S., Wilson, I.B., Cooper, B., Prescription drug coverage and seniors: Findings from a 2003 national survey (2005) Health Aff, , (Millwood),Suppl Web Exclusives: W5-152-W5-166Prybys, K.M., Melville, K., Hanna, J., Gee, A., Chyka, P., Polypharmacy in the elderly: Clinical challenges in emergency practice: Part 1 overview, etiology, and drug interactions (2002) Emerg Med Rep, 23, pp. 145-153Rozenfeld, S., Fonseca, M.J.M., Acurcio, F.A., Drug utilization and polypharmacy among the elderly: A survey in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil (2008) Pan Am J Public Health, 23, pp. 34-43Lebrão, M.L., Duarte, Y.A.O., (2003) SABE-Saúde, Bem Estar e envelhecimento-O projeto SABE no município de São Paulo:Uma abordagem inicial [livro na internet], , http://www.opas.org.br/sistema/arquivos/l_saber.pdf, Brasília: Athalaia Bureau;,. Disponível em, [Acessado em 20 de fevereiro de 2006](2006) Anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification index with defined daily doses (DDDs), , http://www.whocc.no/atcddd/index, World Health Organization, [homepage na Internet]. Genevac2007. Disponível em, [atualizado em 16 de dezembro de, e acessado em 16 de março de 2007]Rao, J.N.K., Scott, A.J., On chi-squared tests for multiway contingency tables with cell proportions estimated from survey data (1984) Annals of Statistics, 12, pp. 46-60(2009) Stata Statistical Software: Release 11, , StataCorp, College Station. Texas: StataCorp LPRollason, V., Vogt, N., Reduction of polypharmacy in the elderly. A systematic review of the role of the pharmacist (2003) Drugs Aging, 20, pp. 817-832Rochon, P.A., Gurwitz, J.H., Optimising drug treatment for elderly people: The prescribing cascade (1997) BMJ, 315, pp. 1096-1099Gurwitz, J.H., Polypharmacy: A new paradigm for quality drug therapy in the elderly? (2004) Arch Int Med, 164, pp. 1957-1959Loyola Filho, A.I., Uchoa, E., Lima-Costa, M.F., A population-based study on use of medication by the elderly in Greater Metropolitan Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2006) Cad Saude Publica, 22, pp. 2657-2667Linjakumpu, T., Hartikainen, S., Klaukka, T., Veijola, J., Kivelä, S.L., Isoaho, R., Use of medications and polypharmacy are increasing among the elderly (2002) J Clin Epidemiol, 55, pp. 809-817Jörgensen, T., Johansson, S., Kennerfalk, A., Wallander, M.A., Svärdsudd, K., Prescription drug use, diagnoses, and healthcare utilization among the elderly (2001) Ann Pharmacother, 35, pp. 1004-1009Loyola Filho, A.I., Uchoa, E., Firmo, J.O., Lima-Costa, M.F., A population-based study on use of medications by elderly Brazilians: The Bambuí Health and Aging Study (BHAS) (2005) Cad Saúde Pública, 21, pp. 545-553Loyola Filho, A.I., Uchoa, E., Firmo, J.O., Lima-Costa, M.F., Influence of income on the association between cognitive impairment and polypharmacy: Bambuí Project (2008) Rev Saúde Pública, 42, pp. 89-99Rosholm, J.U., Christensen, K., Relationship between drug use and self-reported health in elderly Danes (1997) Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 53, pp. 179-183Parente, F., Cucino, C., Gallus, S., Bargiggia, S., Greco, S., Pastore, L., Bianchi Porro, G., Hospital use of acid-suppressive medications and its fall-out on prescribing in general practice: A 1-month survey (2003) Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 17, pp. 1503-1506Alves, L.C., Rodrigues, R.N., Determinantes da autopercepção de saúde entre idosos do Município de São Paulo, Brasil (2005) Rev Panam Salud Publica, 17 (5-6), pp. 333-341Woodward, M.C., Deprescribing: Achieving better health outcomes for older people through reducing medications (2003) J Pharm Pract Res, 33, pp. 323-328Stein, C., Moritz, I., (1999) A life course perspective of maintaining independence in older age, , http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/1999/WHO_HSC_AHE_99.2_life.pdf, Geneva: WHO.,. Disponível em, [Acessado em 20 de fevereiro de 2006](2006) Dispõe sobre o salário mínimo a partir de 1o de abril de, , http://www010.dataprev.gov.br/sislex/paginas/42/2006/11321.htm, BRASIL, Lei no 11.321, de 7 de julho de 2006, Disponível em, [Acessado em 23 de outubro de 2011

Possible Z2 phase and spin-charge separation in electron doped cuprate superconductors

The SU(2) slave-boson mean-field theory for the tt'J model is analyzed. The role of next-nearest-neighbor hopping t' on the phase-diagram is studied. We find a pseudogap phase in hole-doped materials (where t'<0). The pseudo-gap phase is a U(1) spin liquid (the staggered-flux phase) with a U(1) gauge interaction and no fractionalization. This agrees with experiments on hole doped samples. The same calculation also indicates that a positive t' favors a Z2 state with true spin-charge separation. The Z2 state that exists when t' > 0.5J can be a candidate for the pseudo-gap phase of electron-doped cuprates (if such a phase exists). The experimental situation in electron-doped materials is also addressed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX4. Homepage http://dao.mit.edu/~wen

Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare

ReviewSheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context. An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability. The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects, but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments, in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with current concerns with the environment and welfareinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Meson-Meson Scattering in the Quark Model: Spin Dependence and Exotic Channels

We apply a quark interchange model to spin-dependent and exotic meson-meson scattering. The model includes the complete set of standard quark model forces, including OGE spin-orbit and tensor and scalar confinement spin-orbit. Scattering amplitudes derived assuming SHO and Coulomb plus linear plus hyperfine meson wavefunctions are compared. In I=2 pi pi we find approximate agreement with the S-wave phase shift from threshold to 1.5 GeV, where we predict an extremum that is supported by the data. Near threshold we find rapid energy dependence that may reconcile theoretical estimates of small scattering lengths with experimental indications of larger ones based on extrapolation of measurements at moderate kpi^2. In PsV scattering we find that the quark-quark L*S and T forces map into L*S and T meson-meson interactions, and the P-wave L*S force is large. Finally we consider scattering in J^PC-exotic channels, and note that some of the Deck effect mechanisms suggested as possible nonresonant origins of the pi_1(1400) signal are not viable in this model.Comment: 51 pages, 10 figures, uses epsf.sty epsfig.st

Comportamento de dois genótipos de milho cultivados em sistema de aléias preestabelecido com diferentes leguminosas arbóreas.

O cultivo em aléias tem sido recomendado como alternativa para a substituição da agricultura de corte e queima, no trópico úmido, devido à grande capacidade de produção de matéria orgânica e de reciclagem de nutrientes, mas algumas dúvidas quanto à sustentabilidade e à competição interespecífica são persistentes. O objetivo no trabalho foi avaliar a viabilidade da cultura do milho em um sistema de cultivo em aléias de leguminosas arbóreas. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualisados, com quatro repetições dos tratamentos: aléias de sombreiro (Clitoria fairchildiana), ingá (Inga edulis), guandu (Cajanus cajan) e leucena (Leucaena leucocephala) e uma testemunha sem aléias. Foram avaliadas a remobilização de carbono e nitrogênio, massa de grãos, massa de mil grãos e competição interespecífica entre as cultivares de milho e as leguminosas. A produção de grãos foi maior nas parcelas com C. fairchildiana e L. leucocephala. A produtividade do híbrido de milho foi superior à da variedade em todos os tratamentos. A produtividade e a massa de mil grãos de milho não são negativamente afetadas pela distância da linha da leguminosa arbórea. Esse estudo conclui que o sistema de aléias com leguminosas arbóreas é uma alternativa importante ao manejo sustentável dos agroecossistemas no tropico úmido. Além disso, nessa região a produtividade em grãos na cultura do milho é favorecida no sistema de aléias preeestabelecidas com as leguminosas arbóreas sombreiro, ingá e leucena e pela utilização de genótipos eficientes no aproveitamento do nitrogênio, cujo sincronismo entre a liberação e a absorção do N aplicado por meio das leguminosas deve ser aprimorado

Detection of inconsistencies in geospatial data with geostatistics

Almost every researcher has come through observations that “drift” from the rest of the sample, suggesting some inconsistency. The aim of this paper is to propose a new inconsistent data detection method for continuous geospatial data based in Geostatistics, independently from the generative cause (measuring and execution errors and inherent variability data). The choice of Geostatistics is based in its ideal characteristics, as avoiding systematic errors, for example. The importance of a new inconsistent detection method proposal is in the fact that some existing methods used in geospatial data consider theoretical assumptions hardly attended. Equally, the choice of the data set is related to the importance of the LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) in the production of Digital Elevation Models (DEM). Thus, with the new methodology it was possible to detect and map discrepant data. Comparing it to a much utilized detections method, BoxPlot, the importance and functionality of the new method was verified, since the BoxPlot did not detect any data classified as discrepant. The proposed method pointed that, in average, 1,2% of the data of possible regionalized inferior outliers and, in average, 1,4% of possible regionalized superior outliers, in relation to the set of data used in the study