U.S. Cotton Acreage Response Due to Subsidized Crop Insurance

subsidy per pound, rate of return simultaneous, panel, fixed effects, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

The Addictive Potential of Sexual Behavior

This paper examines the addictive potential of sexual behavior through behavioral and neurophysiological mechanisms analogous to other formalized addictions. Sexual behavior refers to any action or thought preformed with the intention of sexual gratification, such as the consumption of explicit material, masturbation, fantasizing of sexual scenarios, and sexual intercourse. Addiction is defined by the presence of tolerance, preoccupation, withdrawal, dependence, and the continuation of behavior despite risk and/or harm. Sexual addiction demonstrates high relapse potential due to the frequency of reward-associated cues encountered in daily life, and the low effort and risk required for sexual pleasure. Currently, sexual addiction lacks a formal diagnosis despite behavioral, psychological, and physiological evidence. An official diagnosis recognized by a governing authority, such as the American Psychological Association, would offer greater access to treatment, funding for research, and exposure and education for the general public about this disorder

Effects of synchronous music among elite endurance athletes

Effects of synchronous music were investigated in two field studies. In Study 1, music effects were assessed among two elite triathletes and six elite runners during three training runs. A custom-designed iPhone application was developed to record in-task RPE, feeling states, mood responses, distance run, cadence and heart rate data. Compared to the no-music condition, participants ran, on average, 7.5% and 7.2% further but reported lower RPE and more positive feelings and mood responses when running to synchronous music (d = .35) and a music-led condition (d = .29), respectively. In Study 2, nine elite ultra-distance athletes participating in 24-hr and 48-hr races listened to rotating playlists of synchronous motivational music, neutral music, audiobook and silence delivered by iPhone. During the 18-24 hr period, motivational music was associated with a 14 sec, 18 sec and 27 sec per 400-m lap improvement compared to silence (d = .39, p < .01), neutral music (d = .54, p < .001) and audio book (d = .54, p < .001) conditions, respectively. Collectively, findings supported the judicious use of music interventions among endurance athletes

Low microsatellites used to investigate leopard genetic structure severely restricts the results by Ropiquet et al. (2015) to infer population structure for managers

Low microsatellites used to investigate leopard genetic structure severely restricts the results by Ropiquet et al. (2015) to infer population structure for managers

Acquisition and maintenance of excellence:the challenges faced by Dutch top-level gymnasts throughout different stages of athletic development

The purpose of the present study is to identify the within-career challenges top-level gymnasts experience during the initiation, development and mastery stage of athletic development in training sessions, competition, and in daily life. In-depth interviews are used to explore the perceived challenges of 16 talented and elite gymnasts (M = 16.5 years, SD = 4.6 years). Participants are divided into three groups, according to the stage of their athletic development. Several challenges are perceived in all stages of athletic development (e.g. learning new elements, dealing with stress under pressure, dealing with distractions and managing their dual career). As the number of different challenges increases as the gymnasts reach the mastery stage, challenges seem to become more personal and specific than in previous stages. The study shows obvious differences in the nature of the perceived challenges for different stages of athletic development, which provides useful insights for those who work with talented and elite athletes

Performance Metrics Plan for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services

Final project for INST490 (Spring 2018). University of Maryland, College Park.DHHS found that they were inefficiently recording data used to create their necessary reports. With more than 130 direct service programs and contracted services from 700 different providers, the data from those services weren’t always properly recorded. For example, data for some reports, such as the Monthly Trend Reports (MTRs), was recorded and tracked on both spreadsheets or paper reports. This variation causes inefficiency in creating reports; it took longer than necessary. After learning about and examining the data contained in several DHHS reports, we realized one way to help DHHS employees correctly record information would be to provide them with a data dictionary. A data dictionary allows users to quickly find different service programs and attributes recorded throughout DHHS, including items such as variable name, variable description, data type, and more. Furthermore, the data reports were all in a static formatting, meaning that the information could not be edited or updated. As a result, we decided to take all the data in those reports and import them into a database that could then be used to input, update, edit, or report information.Montgomery Count