Economic Analysis of Western Corn Rootworm Injury to Continuous Corn in Northeast Nebraska.

The most economically significant corn pest in the US Corn Belt is the Western Corn Rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. This study compares a field experiment outcome of 4 different treatments against WCR, which consist of a rootworm Bt corn pyramid (SmartStax®) and non-rootworm Bt trait hybrid (VT2P), with or without the addition of the rootworm soil insecticide (Aztec®) to identify the risk-reward trade-off for each one of them. Observed prices were used for the years in the study (2020, 2021, and 2022), and low and high price scenarios were simulated for the period, to incorporate different dynamic relations between years. Also, different WCR Bt resistance levels and rootworm densities were accounted for: fields were classified into four groups based on susceptibility (corrected survival ³ 0.5 and \u3c 0.5) and population pressure (root injury for the control treatment ³ 1 and \u3c 1). This study also addresses how crop insurance plays a role in offsetting revenue to farmers from the fields most affected by WCR, at two insurance coverage levels: 70% coverage level – a commonly used level - and 85% coverage level - as a specific strategy with moral hazard implications. We identified that SmartStax® was the most profitable option although adding the insecticide reduces production risk exposure. Also, crop insurance gives an advantage to non-rootworm Bt traits and the 85% coverage level for fields that presented low resistance but high population pressure. Advisor: Cory Walter

Sustainable Homeownership: Market and Policy Implications for Communities

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), in partnership with NeighborWorks America, conducted a series of focus groups to gather information from Latino-serving institutions nationwide about best practices to prevent Latino foreclosure. The principal objective of this project was to identify the causes of foreclosure among Latinos and to present potential proactive solutions to the problem. Special emphasis was placed on identifying specific lending products and underwriting guidelines that best meet the needs of Latino borrowers.Focus group participants consistently expressed the need for flexible loan underwriting and products to meet the unique needs of the Latino community, such as nonstandard means for determining income, alternative credit use, down-payment assistance and verified cash income.The tightening of credit in response to increased foreclosures threatens the availability of loan products that are particularly useful to Latino borrowers.The abuse of flexible products, not the products themselves, was cited by participants as the cause of problems. Abusive practices mentioned included overstating income to qualify for a home rather than verifying undocumented earned income or placing borrowers in products whose future payments they cannot afford.Among other circumstances, the unique needs of Latino borrowers are caused by cultural factors. Latino communities depend on social networks and referrals to gain information and often identify real estate agents as their first point of contact and trusted advisor for all matters relating to homeownership. The reliance in Latino communities on informal networks makes them more vulnerable to unethical and predatory behavior, and oftentimes means that the client does not get adequate or appropriate assistance. Trained housing counseling professionals can objectively meet the needs of the Latino borrower.To ensure that the needs of Latino clients are met and the integrity of the homebuying industry is upheld, collaborative solutions to foreclosure must be sought. Partnership among housing counseling agencies and real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders is essential to support sustainable homeownership in Latino communities.Recommendations:- Lenders should be encouraged to continue the use of flexible underwriting methods coupled with homeownership education provided by a trained professional.- Leaders in the Latino housing community should facilitate communication between real estate professionals and housing counseling organizations to discuss how counseling can help homebuyers obtain and maintain homeownership.- The development of a system that allows professionals and consumers to anonymously report unethical acts is necessary to protect consumers

Evaluation of the impact of a Herd Health and Production Management programme in organic dairy cattle farms: a process evaluation approach

Animal health planning activities are not always providing a satisfactory positive impact on herd health and welfare. Moreover, evaluating the impact of advisory programmes is complex due to multiple interacting elements that influence its outcome. Therefore, measuring solely health outcomes is not sufficient: the whole process of the implementation and use of such programmes should be evaluated. In order to evaluate the impact of an intervention with a Herd Health and Production Management (HHPM) programme a process evaluation framework was designed and used. The intervention involved 20 organic dairy cattle farmers and their advisors, in both France and Sweden. In both countries 20 organic dairy farms were selected as control herds. The evaluation of the HHPM programme was based on: (a) the compliance to the programme; (b) the programme’s functions influencing herd health management practices and stimulating dialogue between farmers and advisors; (c) its effectiveness in terms of improving herd health compared with control farms. Complete compliance to the programme was fulfilled by 21 out of 40 farmers–advisors. Results from a questionnaire showed that the programme functioned as intended (e.g. by allowing early identification of herd health problems), stimulated change in farmers’ herd health management practices and farmer–advisor dialogue. Even though the majority of the users perceived that the programme contributed to herd health improvements, no significant differences in health outcomes were found when compared with control farms 12 months after the start of the intervention. The programme allowed creating an environment promoting the exchange of information between farmers and advisors, necessary to define pertinent advice in a farm-specific situation. Future research should aim at improving methods for the evaluation of the effect of advisory programmes, by identifying early indicators for effective advice and developing methods to evaluate the quality of advisory situations without interfering with them

The dialogue with farmers

This report covers the project outcome Deliverable 4.2 ‘Analysis completed after a joint effort to identify possibilities in each country as how to facilitate the best possible dialogue regarding animal health and welfare’ as part of the European CORE Organic project ‘Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning.’ The work was intended to understand the processes and was analysed from the perspective of the key animal health and welfare (AHW) planning principles developed as part of the project. The analysis was completed on transcripts of interviews of facilitators and advisors who had participated in the ANIPLAN project, some of them as partners in the project group. If animal health and welfare planning is to gain widespread use among organic farmers, communication between farmers and between farmers and advisors and other actors in the organic farming environment is crucial. Whilst other forms of communication regarding the role and benefits of AHW assessment systems, such as benchmarking, may be the motivational catalyst needed to encourage engagement in the process, a creative dialogue with the individual farmer is necessary when identifying goals and planning means to reach the desired goals. In order to understand how this dialogue works in practice, and what issues arise, a series of interviews were conducted in all of the ANIPLAN participating countries, involving persons directly involved and those with other experiences. The analysis of the interviews was based on a theoretical framework concerning learning, knowledge and empowerment and a functional framework based on the animal health and welfare principles developed as an output from the ANIPLAN project

Innovation in Financial Services, Relationships and Risk Sharing

Relationships between intermediaries and their customers have become increasingly important in recent years. This paper argues that the need for costly ex ante information acquisition and analysis is a major barrier to the participation of investors and firms in sophisticated markets. Long-term relationships between intermediaries and their customers, in which intermediaries provide implicit insurance to customers, can be an effective substitute for costly ex ante investigation. In this way, intermediaries allow firms and investors to reap the benefits of financial markets. Relationships are easiest to sustain when the ongoing benefits to both parties are high. As a result competition may lower the benefits that can be obtained from relationships. This paper was presented at the Financial Institutions Center's conference on Performance of Financial Institutions, May 8-10, 1997.

The Use of Social Capital in Borrower Decision-Making

By looking beyond the financial characteristics of borrowers, this research brings to light the social factors that influence a borrower's choice of a lender and mortgage product. Previous research has indicated that distinct channels exist that funnel borrowers into lower or higher cost loan products (Apgar, Bendimerad, and Essene 2007). But little is known as to how borrowers seek out or are directed to such channels. A particular concern that this paper hopes to address is why black borrowers disproportionately have higher priced products.Some research indicates that even when credit worthiness is controlled for, blacks are overrepresented in the subprime sector and in higher-cost products (Bocian, Ernst, and Li 2006). Through in-depth interviews with 32 borrowers, this research (1) highlights how borrowers seek mortgage credit and evaluate their mortgage options, and (2) demonstrates how borrowers make use of their social networks (friends and family) when making their decisions.The preliminary findings indicate that borrowers' preferences and subsequent demands for mortgage products were shaped by the informal and formal advice they received. Those borrowers who consulted the most diverse sources of information had loans with lower interest rates. Those borrowers who received advice only from family and friends did not fare as well as those who received help from credit counselors. Thus, arguably, their loan outcomes varied not just based on if they consulted others, but especially whom they consulted. When given the right advice, potential homebuyers make better decisions in choosing both a lender and a loan

A multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial protocol to assess Traumeel injection vs dexamethasone injection in rotator cuff syndrome : the TRAumeel in ROtator cuff syndrome (TRARO) study protocol

Background: Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal symptom with a wide range of potential causes; however, the majority of conditions can be managed with conservative treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of Traumeel injections versus corticosteroid injections and placebo in the treatment of rotator cuff syndrome and bursitis and expand the current evidence base for the conservative treatment of rotator cuff syndrome. Methods/Design: This is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, 16-week, three-arm, parallel-group, active-and placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of Traumeel 2 ml injection versus dexamethasone 8 mg injection versus placebo (saline solution). Patients will be randomly allocated to Traumeel, dexamethasone or placebo in a 2: 2: 1 randomization. After 1 week screening, patients will receive 3 injections at weekly intervals (days 1, 8 and 15) with additional follow-up assessments on day 22, a telephone consultation in week 9 and a final visit at week 15. Male and female patients aged 40 to 65 years, inclusive, will be recruited if they have acute episodes of chronic rotator cuff syndrome and/or bursitis. Patients with calcifications in the shoulder joint or a complete rotator cuff tear will be excluded. At least 160 patients will be recruited. All subacromial injections will be performed under ultrasound guidance utilizing a common technique. The only rescue medication permitted will be paracetamol (acetaminophen), with usage recorded. The primary endpoint is change from baseline in abduction-rotation pain visual analog scale (0-100 mm scale, 0 corresponds to no pain and 100 to extreme pain) at day 22 (Traumeel injections versus dexamethasone injections) for active external rotation. Secondary efficacy parameters include range of motion, disability of arm, shoulder, hand score and patient's/investigator's global assessment. Clinical efficacy will be assessed as non-inferiority of Traumeel with respect to dexamethasone regarding the primary efficacy parameter. Discussion: It is hoped that the results of this trial will expand the treatment options and evidence base available for the management of rotator cuff disease

A comprehensive educational approach to improving NCLEX‐RN pass rates

Background Nurse educators strive to find the best educational methods to prepare students in their attempt to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX‐RN). The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of an online coaching program with Appreciative Advising and Emotional Intelligence education as combined educational strategies to improve student learning outcomes. Methods The study was conducted at a university in the Midwestern United States. The sample consisted of students in four graduating classes (2013, n = 15; 2014, n = 19; 2015, n = 18; and 2016, n = 17), who had followed supplemented program preparation in a prelicensure program. Electronic surveys were disseminated to determine satisfaction with student program supports through analysis of the mean overall average scoring of seven‐point Likert scale rates. NCLEX‐RN actual pass rates were reviewed to examine the quality of online coaching toward student preparation via a t test to compare the mean NCLEX‐RN pass rates before and after implementation. Results The students reported satisfaction with the additions of Appreciative Advising and Emotional Intelligence. NCLEX‐RN pass rates showed significant improvements with the combined program support additions. Conclusion The findings suggest that nursing schools that include student program support with an online coaching program can result in positive trends related to NCLEX‐RN pass rates

A comparison of patient testimonials on YouTube of the most common orthodontic treatment modalities: braces, in-office aligners, and direct-to-consumer aligners

Introduction: The objectives of this research was to investigate and compare the educational value of the most popular YouTube orthodontic patient testimonials between braces (B), in- office aligners (IOA), and direct-to-consumer aligners (DTCA), and to classify the emotional response of the viewers through a sentiment analysis of the video comments. Methods: Three different phrases relevant to B, IOA, and DTCA were searched on YouTube. The 20 most popular patient testimonial videos that met the criteria for each group were selected, for a total of 60 videos. Using the YouTube API for each video, 13 video metrics were extracted, an information completeness score (ICS) was assigned, and an analysis of the video comments was performed using sentiment analysis software. Results: The 60 videos included in this study were viewed 34,384,786 times by internet users. Braces videos have significantly more likes, comments, and a higher viewer interaction score than the IOA and DTCA videos. IOA videos had a higher median ICS than B and DTCA videos. Of the 5149 video comments with polarity, 53.6% were positive and 46.4% were negative (P Conclusions: There is high user engagement on YouTube with orthodontic patient testimonials. YouTube users interact with braces patient testimonials the most. YouTube viewers’ comments on orthodontic patient testimonials express more positive sentiment than negative sentiment. There is no significant difference in positive and negative sentiment between the video comments for the three different treatment modalities