First Measurement of the Total Neutron Cross Section on Argon between 100 and 800 MeV.

We report the first measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 100-800 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-h exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. The total cross section is measured from the attenuation coefficient of the neutron flux as it traverses the liquid argon volume. A set of 2631 candidate interactions is divided in bins of the neutron kinetic energy calculated from time-of-flight measurements. These interactions are reconstructed with custom-made algorithms specifically designed for the data in a time projection chamber the size of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector. The energy averaged cross section is 0.91±0.10(stat)±0.09(syst) b. A comparison of the measured cross section is made to the GEANT4 and FLUKA event generator packages, where the energy averaged cross sections in this range are 0.60 and 0.68 b, respectively.

Self-reported frailty is associated with low calcaneal bone mineral density in a multiracial population of community-dwelling elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Low bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with frailty assessed using performance-based measures. However, the latter can be cumbersome and difficult to standardize. We examined whether an easily obtained self-reported frailty measure also predicted low BMD. METHODS: In 230 elderly (82% female, 58% African-American), calcaneal BMD was measured by DXA and frailty evaluated using the VES-13 questionnaire. In addition to the original scoring, we developed a modified scoring system which provided a broader assessment of frailty and excluded age, which is a known independent predictor of BMD. A telephone interview conducted 6 years later ascertained interval fragility fractures and survival status. RESULTS: A higher modified frailty score was associated with lower BMD (p = 0.002), even after adjusting for age, weight, sex, and race and was more predictive of death at 6 years (p = 0.009) than the original score (p = 0.08). Based on our model, a subject with the highest frailty score differed from an otherwise similar subject with the lowest score by a calcaneal BMD of 1.4 T-score units, corresponding to 2-3 times higher fracture risk. CONCLUSION: Self-reported frailty is associated with low calcaneal BMD and can be used to identify subjects with a greater risk of osteoporosis than expected from traditional risk factors.

International pharmaceutical spending controls: France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom each use different types of policies for controlling prescription drug spending. Until recent years, these policies have relied heavily on regulating prices charged by drug manufacturers, with different systems providing varying degrees of pricing freedom. While these policies appear to have brought some degree of price restraint, they have not prevented continued growth in prescription drug spending. As a result, each country is supplementing its policies with measures aimed at physicians and consumers and targeted at reducing a perceived over-utilization of pharmaceutical products.