EVALUATING THE USE OF FUTURES PRICES TO FORECAST THE FARM LEVEL U.S. CORN PRICE

A model is developed using bases, marketing weights, and a composite of monthly futures and cash prices to forecast a season-average U.S. farm price for corn. Forecast accuracy measures include the mean absolute percentage error and Theil's U-statistic. Futures forecasts are compared with a naïve forecast and WASDE projections. Futures price forecasts are timely and reliable.Marketing,

EVALUATING THE USE OF FUTURES PRICES TO FORECAST THE FARM LEVEL U.S. CORN PRICE

A model is developed using bases, marketing weights, and a composite of monthly futures and cash prices to forecast a season-average U.S. farm price for corn. Forecast accuracy measures include the mean absolute percentage error and Theil's U-statistic. Futures forecasts are compared with a naïve forecast and WASDE projections. Futures price forecasts are timely and reliable

The Effects of Simulated Spaceflight Conditions on the Myometrium of the Mouse Uterus

As scientific discovery and human presence push further into space, it is necessary to investigate the effects of spaceflight on physiological systems. Research into the effects of the space flight environment on the human body is still in its relative infancy. Although initial studies have indicated harmful effects of spaceflight environments on certain body systems, this phenomenon still needs illumination with regards to the female reproductive system. Better understanding of these consequences can change the way society views space travel and colonization of other planets. The spaceflight environment consists of at least two major factors that could confer negative effects on physiology, namely radiation and microgravity. In this experiment, uterine smooth muscle, or the myometrium, was analyzed in 6-month old female C57BL/6 mice that were exposed to 21 days of low dose/low dose rate whole-body radiation with γ-radiation using 57Co plates (0.04 Gy at 0.01 cGy/h) and/or simulated microgravity (via hind limb unloading). Tissue samples were harvested 4 months after the 21-day simulated spaceflight period. Following embedding, sectioning, and hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E), the tissues were examined, and the average thicknesses of the myometrial layers were measured. Three types of measurements were made 1 – outer longitudinal layer, 2 – inner circular layer, and 3 –total muscle layer thickness (outer and inner combined). Two-way ANOVA statistical tests were used to compare the thicknesses of the myometrial muscle layers between the various treatment groups. A statistical difference was found between the thicknesses in the outer longitudinal layer of smooth muscle between the control animals and the unloaded animals (P: 0.051)

The Effects of Simulated Spaceflight Conditions on the Mucin Lining of the Mouse Uterine Tube

To determine the effects of spaceflight on the mucin layer of uterine tubes, female mice were subjected to simulated microgravity and/or low dose rate radiation (LDR). Astronaut age-appropriate (6 months old), female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to anti-orthostatic tail suspension (AOS) for up 21 days to model the unloading, fluid shift, and physiological stress aspects of the microgravity component. Subsets of mice were also exposed to whole-body, gamma-irradiation (0.04Gy at 0.01cGy/h) using 57Co plates to simulate the LDR radiation component. Mice were then euthanized at 1, 4 or 9 months after the 21 day simulation. Tissues were harvested and quantitatively analyzed for mucin production by measuring the mucin layer thickness of the isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum regions of the uterine tubes. Analyses conducted indicate that there were no significant reductions in the isthmus and ampulla sections across all treatment groups at the 1, 4, and 9 month time samples. The infundibulum section showed significant reductions at 4 and 9 months post treatment, but there was not a significant change in thickness at 1 month post treatment. These data indicate that both simulated microgravity and radiation exposure cause a thinning of the mucin layer in the infundibulum region of the uterine tube, but do not cause significant morphological changes in the isthmus and ampulla sections of the tube

Uroperitoneum in a preparturient mare

Uroperitoneum is an insidious and potentially fatal disease process in horses.1,2 Although most commonly diagnosed in foals,1,3 uroperitoneum secondary to bladder rupture is uncommon in adult horses and reportedly associated with parturition, 2,4-7 urolithiasis,8,9 or trauma.10 Clinical signs typically present from 48 to 72 hours after rupture and consist of lethargy, anorexia, variable urination (anuria, pollakiuria, or stranguria), tachycardia, tachypnea, abdominal distension, or cardiac arrest.3 Hematologic findings often include azotemia, hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and metabolic acidosis.3 This report describes uroperitoneum secondary to urinary bladder rupture in a preparturient mare, that to the authors’ knowledge, has not previously been reported. This case underscores the importance of including uroperitoneum after urinary bladder rupture as a differential for late-term pregnant mares and highlights the possibility for safe use of maternal dexamethasone treatment after 335 days of pregnancy to hasten fetal maturity prior to Caesarean section.This article is published as Gianino, Giuliana, Jamie Kopper, Jarrod Troy, Kevin Kersh, Alanna Farrell, Eleas Wu, Michael Yaeger, Paul Merkatoris, Katheryn Johnson, and Theresa Beachler. "Uroperitoneum in a preparturient mare." Clinical Theriogenology 14, no. 2 (2022): 102-105. DOI: 10.58292/ct.v14.9285. Copyright 2022 The Authors. Posted with permission

HPV16 E6 seropositivity among cancer-free men with oral, anal or genital HPV16 infection

Antibodies against the Human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E6 oncoprotein appear years prior to clinical diagnosis of anal and oropharyngeal cancer, but whether they develop around the time of HPV infection is unclear. Serum samples from 173 cancer-free men from the Human Papillomavirus Infection in Men (HIM) Study were tested for HPV antibodies and DNA. HPV16 E6 seropositivity was low among men with oral HPV16-infection (1/28; 3.6%, 95%CI=0.0–18.4%), anal HPV16-infection (1/61; 1.6%, 95%CI=0.0–8.8%), and 24-month persistent genital HPV16-infection (1/84; 1.2%, 0.0–6.5%). This suggests E6 seroconversion may not occur around the time of oral, anal, or genital HPV16 acquisition. Keywords: HPV, HPV16 E6 seropositivity, Oropharyngeal cancer, Anal cancer, Penile cance