Establishing a Cotton-Ginning Cooperative in the Southeast

The producer-members of the proposed Albemarle Cotton Growers Cooperative presently experience costly and dangerous conditions in transporting seed cotton to distant ginning sites. These growers seek to acquire locally a cooperatively owned and operated cotton gin. This study of the proposed venture reports on producer surveys and financial projections, and estimates member benefits and return on investment. This cotton-ginning cooperative may considerably improve the net farm incomes of local producers. The feasibility analysis concludes that it is possible for these North Carolina growers to earn a respectable return on their cooperative investment. However, firm volume and equity commitments on the part of growers will be required. This study may be applicable to similar situations in other parts of the Southeast.Cotton gins, cooperatives, cotton, feasibility analysis, rural development, return on investment, cooperative benefits, Agribusiness,

Use of inedible wheat residues from the KSC-CELSS breadboard facility for production of fungal cellulase

Cellulose and xylan (a hemicellulose) comprise 50 percent of inedible wheat residue (which is 60 percent of total wheat biomass) produced in the Kennedy Space Center Closed Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Breadboard Biomass Production Chamber (BPC). These polysaccharides can be converted by enzymatic hydrolysis into useful monosaccharides, thus maximizing the use of BPC volume and energy, and minimizing waste material to be treated. The evaluation of CELSS-derived wheat residues for production for cellulase enzyme complex by Trichoderma reesei and supplemental beta-glucosidase by Aspergillus phoenicis is in progress. Results to date are given

Nearby Clumpy, Gas Rich, Star Forming Galaxies: Local Analogs of High Redshift Clumpy Galaxies

Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) have enhanced star formation rates and compact morphologies. We combine Sloan Digital Sky Survey data with HI data of 29 LCBGs at redshift z~0 to understand their nature. We find that local LCBGs have high atomic gas fractions (~50%) and star formation rates per stellar mass consistent with some high redshift star forming galaxies. Many local LCBGs also have clumpy morphologies, with clumps distributed across their disks. Although rare, these galaxies appear to be similar to the clumpy star forming galaxies commonly observed at z~1-3. Local LCBGs separate into three groups: 1. Interacting galaxies (~20%); 2. Clumpy spirals (~40%); 3. Non-clumpy, non-spirals with regular shapes and smaller effective radii and stellar masses (~40%). It seems that the method of building up a high gas fraction, which then triggers star formation, is not the same for all local LCBGs. This may lead to a dichotomy in galaxy characteristics. We consider possible gas delivery scenarios and suggest that clumpy spirals, preferentially located in clusters and with companions, are smoothly accreting gas from tidally disrupted companions and/or intracluster gas enriched by stripped satellites. Conversely, as non-clumpy galaxies are preferentially located in the field and tend to be isolated, we suggest clumpy, cold streams, which destroy galaxy disks and prevent clump formation, as a likely gas delivery mechanism for these systems. Other possibilities include smooth cold streams, a series of minor mergers, or major interactions.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Calcium Oxide and Calcium Hydroxide Treatment of Corn Silage

Nutrient analysis of Calcium Oxide (CaO) and Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) treatment of corn silage will show a reduced neutral detergent fiber (NDF) levels, increased calcium, increased crude protein and a slightly improved invitro digestibility of these feedstuffs due to the strong base degrading the plant fiber. Treated corn silage does appear to ferment eventually, but not as rapidly as non treated corn silage. The moisture present in the harvested forage is adequate for the reaction to take place and provides a heat sink for the heat generated from the reaction to prevent combustion. Additional work including feeding trials would help determine any real potential benefit

Calcium Oxide and Calcium Hydroxide Treatment at Various Moisture Levels of Cornstalks and Fescue Hay

Calcium Oxide (CaO) and Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) treatment of forage when a fresh alkali product is used can improve the digestibility of some forage, but not all forages stand to benefit. In these trials the treatments at lower moisture did not combust and there was evidence that the treatment was effective in increasing digestibility at moistures less than 50%. Less water or possible no water addition might allow for easier treatment of forages. Larger scale treatments should be evaluated. It would be interesting to see if the alkali treatment has different effect on different particle sizes of forage

Calcium Oxide and Ammoniated Whey Treatment of Cornstalks, Oat Hulls, Wheat Straw and Drought Stressed Corn Plants

Calcium Oxide (CaO) treatment of cornstalks, oat hulls, wheat straw or drought stressed corn plants when added at five percent of the feed dry matter will reduced neutral detergent fiber (NDF) levels of these feedstuffs and improve NDF digestibility and in-vitro digestibility to varying degrees due to the strong base reacting with the plant fiber. Ammoniated whey when added to the above mentioned feedstuffs likewise improves these same measures but does so in an additive manner since the ammonia level in these products is not high enough to initiate the desired reaction seen with the CaO. Therefore the rate at which the ammoniated product is added should be done so based on final desired outcome in terms of crude protein

Geologic Map of Kentucky

This map shows the geologic age of rocks and sediments at the surface in Kentucky. Sedimentary rocks, deposited from about 465 to 290 million years ago during the Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian Periods, crop out across the state. The rocks mainly consist of shale, limestone, sandstone, and siltstone. As shown in the cross sections, these surface rocks are underlain by older unexposed rocks of Precambrian, Cambrian, and Ordovician age. Small bodies of igneous rocks were intruded into the state\u27s bedrock about 270 million years ago during the Permian Period. They crop out in Elliott County of northeastern Kentucky, and in Crittenden and Livingston Counties of western Kentucky. Younger unconsolidated sediments were deposited during the Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary Periods, from about 95 million years ago to the present time. They cover far western Kentucky and occur across the state in stream valleys and, locally, on uplands. The sediments commonly are composed of clay, silt, sand, and gravel. In northern Kentucky, Quaternary sediments include glacial deposits laid down within the last million years during the Ice Age. The present distribution of rocks and sediments at the surface in Kentucky mainly reflects uplift and downwarping of major structural features and subsequent episodes of erosion. Subsidence in the Appalachian Basin and Illinios Basin has preserved younger coal-bearing rocks of Pennsylvanian age in eastern and western Kentucky, respectively. These younger rocks were eroded from the uplifted Cincinnati Arch in central Kentucky, a process that eventually uncovered Ordovician deposits, the oldest exposed rocks in the state. Vertical and lateral movements along faults have displaced strata in parts of Kentucky. Much younger Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary sediments were deposited in the downwarped Mississippi Embayment of far western Kentucky, a northern extension of the Gulf Coastal Plain

Matching small β\beta functions using centroid jitter and two beam position monitors

Matching to small beta functions is required to preserve emittance in plasma accelerators. The plasma wake provides strong focusing fields, which typically require beta functions on the mm-scale, comparable to those found in the final focusing of a linear collider. Such beams can be time consuming to experimentally produce and diagnose. We present a simple, fast, and noninvasive method to measure Twiss parameters in a linac using two beam position monitors only, relying on the similarity of the beam phase space and the jitter phase space. By benchmarking against conventional quadrupole scans, the viability of this technique was experimentally demonstrated at the FLASHForward plasma-accelerator facility.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure