COTTON LAND TENURE EVALUATION SOFTWARE USERS' GUIDE

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (FAIR Act) introduces several significant changes to farm commodity legislation. While these changes impact all program commodities, they have prompted considerable concern for the future of the Texas cotton industry. Changes in the farm program have prompted many landowners and tenants to evaluate their current rental arrangements and determine if changes are required. In response to considerable ensuing questions regarding the land rental market, a Lotus 1-2-3 template was developed to aid parties in determining an equitable lease. This Lotus template allows users to specify enterprise budget information for rice farm operations and then evaluates the expected returns to producers and landowners under various lease scenarios. The landowners' results are compared with the returns from 100% of the market transition payments and user-specified net returns for an alternative enterprise to calculate the net advantage to landowners for producing rice under the budgeted scenario over the life of the FAIR Act. The Cotton Land Tenure Evaluation Users' Guide is a detailed explanation of how to use the Lotus Cotton Land Tenure Evaluation program. This guide instructs users on how to use the various components of the program. Sections of the Users' Guide include a preface, installation instructions, an overview of the changes in the farm program, a section describing how to input data, a description of the custom menu system, and a report section that illustrates examples of the reports that are available for printing.Agricultural and Food Policy,

RICE LAND TENURE EVALUATION SOFTWARE USERS' GUIDE

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (FAIR Act) introduces several significant changes to farm commodity legislation. While these changes impact all program commodities, they have prompted considerable concern for the future of the Texas rice industry. Changes in the farm program have prompted many landowners and tenants to evaluate their current rental arrangements and determine if changes are required. In response to considerable ensuing questions regarding the land rental market, a Lotus 1-2-3 template was developed to aid parties in determining an equitable lease. This Lotus template allows users to specify enterprise budget information for rice farm operations and then evaluates the expected returns to producers and landowners under various lease scenarios. The landowners' results are compared with the returns from 100% of the market transition payments and user-specified net returns for an alternative enterprise to calculate the net advantage to landowners for producing rice under the budgeted scenario over the life of the FAIR Act. The Rice Land Tenure Evaluation Users' Guide is a detailed explanation of how to use the Lotus Rice Land Tenure Evaluation program. This guide instructs users on how to use the various components of the program. Sections of the Users' Guide include a preface, installation instructions, an overview of the changes in the farm program, a section describing how to input data, a description of the custom menu system, and a report section that illustrates examples of the reports that are available for printing.Agricultural and Food Policy,

GRAIN LAND TENURE EVALUATION SOFTWARE USERS' GUIDE

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (FAIR Act) introduces several significant changes to farm commodity legislation. While these changes impact all program commodities, they have prompted considerable concern for the future of the Texas grain industry. Changes in the farm program have prompted many landowners and tenants to evaluate their current rental arrangements and determine if changes are required. In response to considerable ensuing questions regarding the land rental market, a Lotus 1-2-3 template was developed to aid parties in determining an equitable lease. This Lotus template allows users to specify enterprise budget information for grain farm operations and then evaluates the expected returns to producers and landowners under various lease scenarios. The landowners' results are compared with the returns from 100% of the market transition payments and user-specified net returns for an alternative enterprise to calculate the net advantage to landowners for producing grain under the budgeted scenario over the life of the FAIR Act. The Grain Land Tenure Evaluation Users' Guide is a detailed explanation of how to use the Lotus Grain Land Tenure Evaluation program. This guide instructs users on how to use the various components of the program. Sections of the Users' Guide include a preface, installation instructions, an overview of the changes in the farm program, a section describing how to input data, a description of the custom menu system, and a report section that illustrates examples of the reports that are available for printing. The Grain Land Tenure Evaluation also has the capability of evaluating all seven program crops. A section in the Users' Guide explains how to switch from one crop to another.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Heterogeneity in 12^{12}CO/13^{13}CO Ratios Toward Solar-Type Young Stellar Objects

This study reports an unusual heterogeneity in [$^{12}$C$^{16}$O]/[$^{13}$C$^{16}$O] abundance ratios of carbon monoxide observed in the gas phase toward seven ~ solar-mass YSOs and three dense foreground clouds in the nearby star-forming regions, Ophiuchus, Corona Australis, Orion, Vela and an isolated core, L43. Robust isotope ratios were derived using infrared absorption spectroscopy of the 4.7 $\mu$m fundamental and 2.3 $\mu$m overtone rovibrational bands of CO at very high resolution ($\lambda$/$\Delta$$\lambda\approx 95,000$), observed with the CRIRES spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope. We find [$^{12}$C$^{16}$O]/[$^{13}$C$^{16}$O] values ranging from ~ 85 to 165, significantly higher than those of the local interstellar medium (~ 65 to 69). These observations are evidence for isotopic heterogeneity in carbon reservoirs in solar-type YSO environments, and encourage the need for refined Galactic chemical evolution models to explain the $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C discrepancy between the solar system and local ISM. The oxygen isotope ratios are consistent with isotopologue-specific photodissociation by CO self-shielding toward the disks, VV CrA N and HL Tau, further substantiating models predicting CO self-shielding on disk surfaces. However, we find that CO self-shielding is an unlikely general explanation for the high [$^{12}$C$^{16}$O]/[$^{13}$C$^{16}$O] ratios observed in this study. Comparison of the solid CO against gas-phase [$^{12}$C$^{16}$O]/[$^{13}$C$^{16}$O] suggests that interactions between CO ice and gas reservoirs need to be further investigated as at least a partial explanation for the unusually high [$^{12}$C$^{16}$O]/[$^{13}$C$^{16}$O] observed.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Risk, Return and Degree of Owner Involvement in Privately Held Firms

Financial theory states that the variability of an asset’s return should be explained by the relative riskiness of that asset (Sharpe, 1964). This concept has been built around, and applied to, publicly-listed companies for which market information (which forms the basis of the risk and return measures) is easily visible and obtainable. Unfortunately, the fact that such information is rarely (if ever) available for small businesses, severely limits the usefulness of such a theory for privately-held enterprises. Therefore by using data from 100 small businesses and three measures of risk, this study provides empirical evidence that for small businesses, there is no significant relationship between financial returns and risk, but there is a relationship between the level of control exerted by the owners of a firm and the financial returns of that firm. This paper also provides evidence that owners with little or no control of a firm, take action to prevent agency costs. This action is in the form of disbursements to shareholders, rather than using debt as a means of reducing agency costs

Dealing with Doma: Federal Non-Recognition Complicates State Income Taxation of Same-Sex Relationships

Various states now recognize relationships between people of the same-sex, but due to the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal government does not. In the context of income taxes, this combination of state recognition and federal non-recognition of same-sex relationships produces a significant problem for many same-sex couples and some state taxing authorities. Most states have income tax and, typically, state income tax laws “piggyback” on federal income tax laws. Depending on the state, same-sex couples in legally-recognized relationships must file their state income tax returns as married (either “filing jointly” or “filing separately”), as domestic partners, or as parties to a civil union. Such same-sex couples cannot, however, file their federal income tax returns as a couple. For same-sex couples, this situation creates uncertainty and complications and probably increases the risk of audit. It is also an unfair affront to the dignity of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. The Article examines this problem by surveying the guidance from thirteen states and the District of Columbia with respect to the taxation of same-sex relationships and by considering each jurisdiction’s actual income tax practices. The Article also recommends best practices for state taxing authorities, including: (1) amending state tax laws to specifically allow joint filing by same-sex couples; (2) issuing more guidance to same-sex couples on specific relevant issues; (3) adding boxes to state tax returns to indicate that these returns will involve nonconformity with federal filing status; and (4) not requiring same-sex couples who file state joint income tax returns to also complete “pro forma” federal “married” income tax returns

Pharmacogenetics of ophthalmic topical β-blockers

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. The primary glaucoma risk factor is elevated intraocular pressure. Topical β-blockers are affordable and widely used to lower intraocular pressure. Genetic variability has been postulated to contribute to interpersonal differences in efficacy and safety of topical β-blockers. This review summarizes clinically significant polymorphisms that have been identified in the β-adrenergic receptors (ADRB1, ADRB2 and ADRB3). The implications of polymorphisms in CYP2D6 are also discussed. Although the candidate-gene approach has facilitated significant progress in our understanding of the genetic basis of glaucoma treatment response, most drug responses involve a large number of genes, each containing multiple polymorphisms. Genome-wide association studies may yield a more comprehensive set of polymorphisms associated with glaucoma outcomes. An understanding of the genetic mechanisms associated with variability in individual responses to topical β-blockers may advance individualized treatment at a lower cost

Method for Calculation of Counter Cyclical Payments Using State and National Trigger Levels (Major Crops)

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Automated SNP genotype clustering algorithm to improve data completeness in high-throughput SNP genotyping datasets from custom arrays

High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms use automated genotype calling algorithms to assign genotypes. While these algorithms work efficiently for individual platforms, they are not compatible with other platforms, and have individual biases that result in missed genotype calls. Here we present data on the use of a second complementary SNP genotype clustering algorithm. The algorithm was originally designed for individual fluorescent SNP genotyping assays, and has been optimized to permit the clustering of large datasets generated from custom-designed Affymetrix SNP panels. In an analysis of data from a 3K array genotyped on 1,560 samples, the additional analysis increased the overall number of genotypes by over 45,000, significantly improving the completeness of the experimental data. This analysis suggests that the use of multiple genotype calling algorithms may be advisable in high-throughput SNP genotyping experiments. The software is written in Perl and is available from the corresponding author

Alternative AMTA and Loan Rate Options for Program Crops With Counter Cyclical Payments Triggered at the National and State Level

This analysis focuses on four policy options, based on national formulas where implications are examined for varying levels of loan rates and base AMTA payment rates.Agricultural and Food Policy,