Habitat Characterization of Five Rare Insects in Michigan (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Riodinidae, Satyridae; Homoptera: Cercopidae)

Over 80 species of insects are listed as endangered, threatened, or special concern under Michigan\u27s endangered species act. For the majority of these species, detailed habitat information is scant or difficult to interpret. We describe the habitat of five insect species that are considered rare in Michigan: Lepyronia angulifera (Cercopidae), Prosapia ignipectus (Cercopidae), Oarisma poweshiek (Hesperiidae), Calephelis mutica (Riodinidae), and Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii (Satyridae). Populations of each species were only found within a fraction of the plant communities deemed suitable based upon previous literature. Furthermore, individuals of each species were observed to be closely affiliated with just a few vegetation associations within larger plant communities. Restriction of these species to particular microhabitats was determined to be, in part, due to ecological or behavioral specialization of each insect species. We believe that the most holistic man­agement and conservation practices for these rare insects in Michigan should focus on protecting the integrity of both the plant community and the micro- habitat upon which these species depend

Novel, congenital iliac arterial anatomy: Absent common iliac arteries and left internal iliac artery.

Congenital anomalies of the iliac arterial system are rare and can be associated with ischemia. With an increase in vascular imaging and interventions, such anomalies are likely to be encountered with greater frequency. We present the case of a 25-year-old female who was incidentally found to have absence of the common iliac arteries bilaterally and the left internal iliac artery, a constellation not previously reported in the literature. We present relevant imaging findings, review embryonic vascular development, and discuss potential clinical implications

MULTIPRODUCT PRODUCTION CHOICES AND PESTICIDE REGULATION IN GEORGIA

An increasing emphasis on surface and groundwater quality and food safety may result in some form of pesticide regulations. A restricted profit function model of Georgia agriculture is used to examine the short-run effects of 2 and 5 percent reductions in all pesticides. Point estimates of short-run impacts, along with their 90 percent confidence intervals are presented.Agricultural and Food Policy,

A deep Chandra observation of Abell 4059: a new face to radio-mode AGN feedback?

A deep Chandra observation of the cooling core cluster Abell 4059 (A4059) is presented. Previous studies have found two X-ray cavities in the central regions of A4059 together with a ridge of X-ray emission 20kpc south-west of the cluster center. These features are clearly related to the radio galaxy PKS2354-35 which resides in the cD galaxy. Our new data confirm these previous findings and strengthen previous suggestions that the south-western ridge is colder and denser than, but in approximate pressure equilibrium with, the surrounding ICM atmosphere. In addition, we find evidence for a weak shock that wraps around the north and east sides of the cavity structure. Our data allow us to map the 2-dimensional distribution of metals in the ICM of A4059 for the first time. We find that the SW ridge possesses an anomalously high (super-solar) metalicity. The unusual morphology, temperature structure and metal distribution all point to significant asymmetry in the ICM atmosphere prior to the onset of radio-galaxy activity. Motivated by the very high metalicity of the SW ridge, we hypothesize that the ICM asymmetry was caused by the extremely rapid stripping of metal enriched gas from a starburst galaxy that plunged through the core of A4059. Furthermore, we suggest that the onset of powerful radio-galaxy activity in the cD galaxy may have been initiated by this starburst/stripping event, either via the tidal-shocking of cold gas native to the cD galaxy, or the accretion of cold gas that had been stripped from the starburst galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 12 pages, 11 figures. A version of this paper including full resolution figures can be found at http://www.astro.umd.edu/~chris/publications/papers/a4059_2008.pd

Intelligent Design

When designers obtain exclusive intellectual property (IP) rights in the functional aspects of their creations, they can wield these rights to increase both the costs to their competitors and the prices that consumers must pay for their goods. IP rights and the costs they entail are justified when they create incentives for designers to invest in new, socially valuable designs. But the law must be wary of allowing rights to be misused. Accordingly, IP law has employed a series of doctrinal and costly screens to channel designs into the appropriate regime—copyright law, design patent law, or utility patent law—depending upon the type of design. Unfortunately, those screens are no longer working. Designers are able to obtain powerful IP protection over the utilitarian aspects of their creations without demonstrating that they have made socially valuable contributions. They are also able to do so without paying substantial fees that might weed out weaker, socially costly designs. This is bad for competition and bad for consumers. In this Article, we integrate theories of doctrinal and costly screens and explore their roles in channeling IP rights. We explain the inefficiencies that have arisen through the misapplication of these screens in copyright and design patent laws. Finally, we propose a variety of solutions that would move design protection toward a successful channeling regime, balancing the law’s needs for incentives and competition. These proposals include improving doctrinal screens to weed out functionality, making design protection more costly, and preventing designers from obtaining multiple forms of protection for the same design

FORECASTING AGRICULTURAL PRICES USING A BAYESIAN COMPOSITE APPROACH

Forecast users and market analysts need quality forecast information to improve their decision-making abilities. When more than one forecast is available, the analyst can improve forecast accuracy by using a composite forecast. One of several approaches to forming composite forecasts is a Bayesian approach using matrix beta priors. This paper explains the matrix beta approach and applies it to three individual forecasts of U.S. hog prices. The Bayesian composite forecast is evaluated relative to composites made from simple averages, restricted least squares, and an adaptive weighting technique.Demand and Price Analysis,