An Exploratory Analysis of Electric Usage Data from the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation

This paper examines energy usage patterns of residential and commercial households in the state of Vermont. There are three main objectives of this paper. The first is to aggregate the data from the “high bill” calls that the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) receives. This is accomplished by cleaning and organizing the data into one Excel spreadsheet using Google Refine. The second objective is to predict the presence of an appliance based solely on the total usage of a home. This is accomplished using data collected from 24 high performance homes in Vermont. This data set is analyzed using histograms, correlations, clustering, random forests, tree plots, and heat maps. The final objective is to predict the future electric usage for the commercial accounts in Vermont. This is accomplished by analyzing six different models on the monthly usage from the commercial accounts and then comparing the results of the models to determine the best approach

Perceived Importance of Precision Farming Technologies in Improving the Efficiency of Phosphorus, Potassium, and Nitrogen in Southeastern Cotton Production

Understanding the factors that influence cotton farmers; perceptions about the importance of precision farming (PF) technologies in improving the efficiency of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and nitrogen (N) fertilization is important because PF technologies have the potential to reduce costs, increase profit, and reduce negative environmental impacts. In the Southeastern United States, crops are generally produced in fields that have a high degree of variability in the availability of soil nutrients. The fertility level and amount removed by a crop at the end of the growing cycle are usually not uniform over an entire field. Because of high variability of nutrient levels in most agricultural fields, uniform applications of P, K, and N are likely to lead to excessive fertilization in some areas and inadequate fertilization in others. Farmers in this study were already adopters of at least one PF technology, which allowed the analysis of the factors that influenced farmers’ perceptions of the importance of those PF technologies they had adopted in using P, K, and N more efficiently. The objectives of this research were; 1) to determine the factors that influence PF technology adopters’ perceptions about the importance of PF technologies in achieving more efficient P and K use and 2) to determine the factors that influence PF technology adopters’ perceptions about the importance of PF technologies in achieving more efficient N use. To accomplish these objectives an ordered logit model was used to determine the factors influencing adopters’ perceptions of PF technologies in using P, K, and N more efficiently. Marginal effects were also calculated for each variable. The results indicate that, of the information gathering technologies, farmers who used remote sensing and mapping topography, slope, soil depth, etc. did not find the information provided by these technologies useful in reducing P and K use. The results did show that farmers found management zone soil sampling, grid soil sampling, and on-the-go sensing more important in using P and K more efficiently. Of the farm and farmer characteristics, the results indicated that adopters over the age of 50 were more likely to have positive perceptions of PF technologies in using P and K more efficiently. Adopters who were using computer for farm management were more likely to have positive perceptions of PF technologies in using P and K more efficiently. Adopters who rented a larger proportion of the land they farmed were more likely to have positive perceptions of PF technologies in more efficient P and K fertilization. The results of the N equation indicate that, of the information gathering technologies, adopters who used mapping topography, slope, soil depth, etc. did not find the information provided by this technology to be useful in more efficient N fertilization. The results did show that farmers who used grid soil sampling, management zone soil sampling, yield monitoring without GPS, and on-the-go sensing found these technologies to be important in using N more efficiently. Farm and farmer characteristics show that adopters over the age of 50 using at least one PF technology were more likely to have positive perceptions of those PF technologies in using N more efficiently. Adopters in Georgia and Mississippi were more likely to have positive perceptions of the importance of PF technologies in increasing N efficiency than farmers located in Tennessee. Information from this study will be useful for farmers who are interested in using P, K, and N more efficiently to increase profits and/or reduce negative impacts to the environment

Cloning, purification and characterization of the 6-phospho-3-hexulose isomerase YckF from Bacillus subtilis

The enzyme 6-phospho-3-hexulose isomerase (YckF) from Bacillus subtilis has been prepared and crystallized in a form suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. Crystals were grown by the hanging-drop method at 291 K using polyethylene glycol 2000 monomethylether as precipitant. They diffract beyond 1.7 A using an in-house Cu Kalpha source and belong to either space group P6(5)22 or P6(1)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 72.4, c = 241.2 A, and have two molecules of YckF in the asymmetric unit

Exploring the Impacts of Lead Farmer Selection on Community Social Learning: The case of Farmer-to-Farmer Model: A Review of Literature

Agricultural extension has shifted towards community-centric, farmer-centered, and participatory approaches that enhance rural change through a social learning lens, resulting in the emergence of the farmer-to-farmer extension model. The purpose of the study was to understand lead farmer selection criteria within the farmer-to-farmer model and their impacts on community social learning. We applied Torraco’s (2005) integrative literature review method to guide our discussion around lead farmer selection processes, types of lead farmers selected and their impacts on social learning. The study indicated farmer-to-farmer extension model has the potential of re-invigorating the provision of agriculture extension services owing to its low cost, reliability, and the potential to be sustainable. However, farmer-to-farmer faces numerous challenges such as a lack of funding, limited community adoption, and acceptance of the system. This study’s findings suggest the farmer-to-farmer approach can be more effective when stakeholders, especially the community is actively involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the model. The study recommends that practitioners work closely with the community to develop long-term relationships based on trust through intentionality and inviting attitude that respects and values community knowledge

Session 2C: Lessons Learned - From Lab to Market

The best way for businesses to learn how to grow is from each other. This second Lessons Learned panel will feature some local and not so local green economy companies, from agriculture to high tech, for participants to hear their stories and glean inspiration and tips on succeeding in the green world. Moderator: Colleen Moynihan, NEBA Business Consulting Center a. Roberts Bros. Lumber Co. - Leonard Roberts b. Terraclime Geothermal - Sam Johnston c. Center for Ecological Technology (CET) - John Majercak d. ESCO Energy Services Company - Colby Lewi

STATUS INTEGRATION AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES (STRESS)

This study examines the relation between status integration and alcohol problems in the United States. The study also tests the sociological hypothesis that the level of alcoholism in groups is a function of the extent to which those groups are characterized by norms which encourage or allow drinking and intoxication as means relieving stress. Measures of status integration (MSI\u27s) are intended as group level indicators of role conflict and indicators of chronic stressful conditions. The theory of status integration is tested by analyzing the relation of the MSI to alcohol outcomes for the fifty American states through zero-order and partial correlations. To examine the interactive effects of stress and alcohol norms, the fifty states are broken down into quartiles according to their position on an index of alcohol norm content. The index is comprised of four items indicating anti-alcohol sentiments and the level of restrictiveness on the sale and consumption of alcohol for each state. Correlations of the MSI with indicators of alcohol problems are then replicated for each of the quartiles. Multiple indicators of drinking problems are employed in this study including measures of heavy drinking (apparent consumption per capita and cirrhosis deaths per 100,000) and arrest rates for alcohol related offenses. The findings for the fifty states reveal a strong inverse relationship between the level of status integration and heavy drinking. No significant relationship appears between the MSI and alcohol related arrest rates. Tests of the interactive effect of status integration and alcohol norms on drinking problems reveal that: (1) there is a strong inverse relationship between status integration and heavy drinking in permissive but not in proscriptive (i.e., anti-alcohol) states; and (2) there is a strong inverse relationship between status integration and alcohol arrests in proscriptive but not in permissive states. It is suggested that these findings indicate: (1) that members of communities respond to stress in ways that are acceptable to the community; and (2) that agents of social control respond to stress by reinforcing and reemphasizing community values