15,767 research outputs found
Measuring the Farm Level Impact of Agricultural Loans in Low Income Countries: A Review Article
Billions of dollars are spend worldwide on agricultural credit programs, yet few comprehensive evaluations exist. This paper reviews several methodological issues involved in measuring the farm level impact of agricultural loans. Fungibility of loan funds, farm-household interdependence, and the attribution problem are three issues which are reviewed in detail. A farm resource allocation model is used to analyze expected impact of loans on the farm. Recent descriptive, econometric and mathematical programming studies of loan impact in low income countries are reviewed relative to these issues and the resource allocation model. Suggestions are given for improved research and data collection
CRLF2 rearrangement in Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia predicts relative glucocorticoid resistance that is overcome with MEK or Akt inhibition.
Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a genetically heterogeneous subtype of B-cell ALL characterized by chromosomal rearrangements and mutations that result in aberrant cytokine receptor and kinase signaling. In particular, chromosomal rearrangements resulting in the overexpression of cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) occur in 50% of Ph-like ALL cases. CRLF2 overexpression is associated with particularly poor clinical outcomes, though the molecular basis for this is currently unknown. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are integral to the treatment of ALL and GC resistance at diagnosis is an important negative prognostic factor. Given the importance of GCs in ALL therapy and the poor outcomes for patients with CRLF2 overexpression, we hypothesized that the aberrant signal transduction associated with CRLF2 overexpression might mediate intrinsic GC insensitivity. To test this hypothesis, we exposed Ph-like ALL cells from patient-derived xenografts to GCs and found that CRLF2 rearranged (CRLF2R) leukemias uniformly demonstrated reduced GC sensitivity in vitro. Furthermore, targeted inhibition of signal transduction with the MEK inhibitor trametinib and the Akt inhibitor MK2206, but not the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib, was sufficient to augment GC sensitivity. These data suggest that suboptimal GC responses may in part underlie the poor clinical outcomes for patients with CRLF2 overexpression and provide rationale for combination therapy involving GCs and signal transduction inhibitors as a means of enhancing GC efficacy
A Reanalysis of the Carbon Abundance in the Translucent Cloud toward HD 24534
We have reanalyzed the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph data set
presented by Snow et al. which contains the interstellar intersystem C II]
2325A line through the translucent cloud toward HD 24534 (X Persei). In
contrast to the results of Snow et al., we clearly detect the C II] feature at
the 3-sigma confidence level and measure a C^+ column density of 2.7 +/- 0.8 x
10^17 cm^-2. Accounting for the C I column density along the line of sight, we
find 10^6 C/H = 106 +/- 38 in the interstellar gas toward this star. This
gas-phase carbon-to-hydrogen ratio suggests that slightly more carbon depletion
may be occurring in translucent as compared to diffuse clouds. The average
diffuse-cloud C/H, however, is within the 1-sigma uncertainty of the
measurement toward HD 24534. We therefore cannot rule out the possibility that
the two cloud types have comparable gas-phase C/H, and therefore comparable
depletions of carbon.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letter
Evaluation of a Formula that Categorizes Female Gray Wolf Breeding Status by Nipple Size
The proportion by age class of wild Canis lupus (Gray Wolf) females that reproduce in any given year remains unclear; thus, we evaluated the applicability to our long-term (1972–2013) data set of the Mech et al. (1993) formula that categorizes female Gray Wolf breeding status by nipple size and time of year. We used the formula to classify Gray Wolves from 68 capture events into 4 categories (yearling, adult non-breeder, former breeder, current breeder). To address issues with small sample size and variance, we created an ambiguity index to allow some Gray Wolves to be classed into 2 categories. We classified 20 nipple measurements ambiguously: 16 current or former breeder, 3 former or adult non-breeder, and 1 yearling or adult non-breeder. The formula unambiguously classified 48 (71%) of the nipple measurements; based on supplemental field evidence, at least 5 (10%) of these were incorrect. When used in conjunction with an ambiguity index we developed and with corrections made for classifications involving very large nipples, and supplemented with available field evidence, the Mech et al. (1993) formula provided reasonably reliable classification of breeding status in wild female Gray Wolves
The microstructure of the crinoid endoskeleton
52 p., 30 pl.http://paleo.ku.edu/contributions.htm
Effects of live-bait shrimp trawling on seagrass beds and fish bycatch in Tampa Bay, Florida
The use of live shrimp for bait in
recreational fishing has resulted in
a controversial fishery for shrimp in
Florida. In this fishery, night collections
are conducted over seagrass
beds with roller beam trawls to capture
live shrimp, primarily pink
shrimp, Penaeus duorarum. These
shrimp are culled from the catch on
sorting tables and placed in onboard
aerated “live” wells. Beds of
turtlegrass, Thalassia testudinum,
a species that has highest growth
rates and biomass during summer
and lowest during the winter (Fonseca
et al., 1996) are predominant
areas for live-bait shrimp trawling
(Tabb and Kenny, 1969).
Our study objectives were 1) to
determine effects of a roller beam
trawl on turtlegrass biomass and
morphometrics during intensive
(up to 18 trawls over a turtlegrass
bed), short-term (3-hour duration)
use and 2) to examine the mortality
of bycatch finfish following capture
by a trawl
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