Mississippi Farm Research is Different

Mississippi Farm Research may well be the last of the agricultural research periodicals using newsprint

Hospital Preparedness and SARS

On May 23, 2003, Toronto experienced the second phase of a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. Ninety cases were confirmed, and >620 potential cases were managed. More than 9,000 persons had contact with confirmed or potential case-patients; many required quarantine. The main hospital involved during the second outbreak was North York General Hospital. We review this hospital’s response to, and management of, this outbreak, including such factors as building preparation and engineering, personnel, departmental workload, policies and documentation, infection control, personal protective equipment, training and education, public health, management and administration, follow-up of SARS patients, and psychological and psychosocial management and research. We also make recommendations for other institutions to prepare for future outbreaks, regardless of their origin

Limited Liability Companies in Kentucky, Second Edition

The Kentucky Limited Liability Company Act, KRS Chapter 275, went into effect July 15, 1994, allowing Kentuckians to conduct business under the LLC form. With over 10,000 LLCs formed in the Commonwealth since the Act\u27s inception, this flexible business entity has become the most popular way to conduct business in Kentucky. The LLC has become so pervasive that business law practitioners, accountants, tax advisors and estate planners must all be well-versed in the myriad of issues and creative applications that accompany this business entity. With flexible tax-treatment and the liability protection of a traditional corporation this entity is utilized not only for business formation and practice but also for business succession and estate planning, the structuring of joint ventures and strategic alliances, as venture capital vehicles, and as tax planning tools. The goal of this monograph is to provide the practitioner with a concise and comprehensive approach to the tools necessary for lawyers to counsel and advise clients on this complex and efficient business entity form. Succinct chapters take the reader through an overview of the LLC entity and the Kentucky LLC Act; choice of entity considerations (both tax and non-tax); the formation, operation and statutory transaction issues which arise for the entity; as well as the new single-member LLC; the professional LLC; the use of the LLC in tax-exempt organizations; wealth transfer planning with LLCs; and securities law, commercial law and benefit issues arising under the LLC entity. Each chapter is set forth in separately numbered paragraphs, present running headers for easy access, and are cross-referenced to other relevant chapters and paragraphs contained in the monograph. Summary and comparative charts, a table of authorities and a statutory appendix are also presented. Finally, a comprehensive index has been created to aid the user in finding relevant subject treatments

Towards an integrated observation and modeling system in the New York Bight using variational methods. Part I : 4DVAR data assimilation

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ocean Modelling 35 (2010): 119-133, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2010.08.003.Four-dimensional Variational data assimilation (4DVAR) in the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is used to produce a best-estimate analysis of ocean circulation in the New York Bight during spring 2006 by assimilating observations collected by a variety of instruments during an intensive field program. An incremental approach is applied in an overlapped cycling system with 3-day data assimilation window to adjust model initial conditions. The model-observation mismatch for all observed variables is reduced substantially. Comparisons between model forecast and independent observations show improved forecast skill for about 15 days for temperature and salinity, and 2 to 3 days for velocity. Tests assimilating only certain subsets of the data indicate that assimilating satellite sea surface temperature improves the forecast of surface and subsurface temperature but worsens the salinity forecast. Assimilating in situ temperature and salinity from gliders improves the salinity forecast but has little effect on temperature. Assimilating HF-radar surface current data improves the velocity forecast by 1-2 days yet worsens the forecast of subsurface temperature. During some time periods the convergence for velocity is poor as a result of the data assimilation system being unable to reduce errors in the applied winds because surface forcing is not among the control variables. This study demonstrates the capability of 4DVAR data assimilation system to reduce model-observation mismatch and improve forecasts in the coastal ocean, and highlights the value of accurate meteorological forcing.This work was funded by National Science Foundation grant OCE-0238957

Economic Value, Equal Dignity and the Future of Sweepstakes

The three basic forms of prize gaming are gambling, sweepstakes, and contests. Most states have a common approach to determining the legality of prize gaming. In general, states analyze if an activity includes three factors associated with gambling: (1) opportunity to win a prize, (2) winning based on chance, and (3) consideration paid to take that chance. If you take away any one of the three elements of gambling—consideration, prize, or chance—you have an activity that is lawful in most states. A contest, for example, differs from gambling because the winner is determined by skill. Determination of whether a (pay-for-play) skill game (with prizes) is a permitted game as opposed to a prohibited game (of chance) is based on the relative degrees of skill and chance present in the game. In most states, if skill is the predominant factor in determining a winner, the game is lawful. “[S]weepstakes always contain the elements of chance and prize, so the element of consideration must be eliminated to avoid violating” gambling or lottery prohibitions. Ascertaining what is consideration can prove, however, to be difficult. This Article addresses how the element of consideration is analyzed in the context of whether a particular activity is illegal gambling or a legal sweepstakes. For example, the ABA survey activity certainly has both prizes and a chance drawing that determines winners, but does the requirement that you must complete a survey for entry constitute consideration? What about the retail promotions through which you receive a game piece for buying products? What about an unlicensed slot machine that you can play by either inserting a coin or sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to receive a code that permits you to play one game for free? These and other scenarios are addressed in this Article

Data from: Patchy distribution and low effective population size raise concern for an at-risk top predator

Aim: Understanding carnivore distribution is important for management decisions that aim to restore naturally-regulated ecosystems and preserve biodiversity. Eastern Wolves, a species at risk in Canada, are centralized in Algonquin Provincial Park and their ability to disperse and establish themselves elsewhere is limited by human-caused mortality associated with hunting, trapping, and vehicle collisions. Here, we refine our understanding of Eastern Wolf distribution and provide the first estimates of their effective population size. Location: Southern Ontario and Gatineau Quebec. Methods: We used noninvasive samples, as well as blood samples archived from other research projects, collected between 2010 – 2014 to generate autosomal microsatellite genotypes at 12 loci for 98 Canis individuals. We utilized Bayesian and multivariate clustering analyses to identify Eastern Wolves in regions that were previously unsampled. Both linkage disequilibrium and temporal approaches were used to estimate effective population size of Eastern Wolves. Results: Assignment tests identified 34 individuals as Eastern Wolves, primarily in or near two provincial parks: Killarney and Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands. Eastern Coyotes were identified in Bon Echo Provincial Park, Frontenac Provincial Park, and Gatineau Park, whereas many of the samples were admixed among the different Canis types. Effective population size (Ne) estimates ranged from 24.3 – 122.1 with a harmonic mean of 45.6. Main Conclusions: The identification of Eastern Wolves in the regions of Killarney and Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Parks extends the range of Eastern Wolves north of the French River and southward into previously unidentified regions. The effective population size is low and raises concerns for long-term persistence of this threatened carnivore; values are dangerously close to critical values recommended for short-term persistence. These results provide important information for upcoming Eastern Wolf recovery plans associated with federal and provincial endangered species legislation

Appendix S1

Data includes sample ID, location, Q value assignment scores from Structure, confidence intervals of assignment, and 12 autosomal microsatellite scores