When Will U.S. Firms Become Major Dairy Exporters and Bigger Direct Investors in Foreign Dairy-Food Businesses?

The prospects for substantially expanded dairy exports by U.S. firms are not bright for at least the current decade. The exceptions relate to exports of dried whey, whey fractions, dairy blends, selected specialty dairy products and nonfat dry milk. U.S. dairy exports are likely to continue to be low because U.S. prices for bulk dairy products are sharply higher than world prices. Unlike the situation for dairy exporting, the barriers to foreign direct investment by U.S. firms appear less daunting. The prevalence of successful foreign direct investments by the foreign firms described here suggests that a larger number of U.S. firms could engage in such investments successfully.U.S. Dairy Exports, Foreign Direct Investment, U.S. Dairy Firms, Demand and Price Analysis, Industrial Organization, International Relations/Trade,

A Content Analysis of Representations of Women\u27s Bisexuality in American Popular Music, 2008-2018

This paper closes the gap in research which has long neglected the study of representations of women\u27s bisexuality in American popular music. Previous research has concluded that in all forms of media including magazines, television, music and films, references of bisexuality or bisexual people make up less than 1% of instances (Bond 111). This paper studies how bisexual women are erased and depicted in popular music by coding released singles (n=184) categorized using Billboard’s “Top 40 Year-End Artists,” charts from 2008-2018. This research found these singles to portray women/women narratives into the following three categories: 1) portraying behavioral bisexuality, 2) portraying stereotypes of bisexual women, or 3) portraying romantic scenes of same-sex female attraction. While examining how gender expression has an influence on the way the video is perceived by an audience, this analysis considers varying manners in which sexualized scenes in music videos are illustrated. The findings reveal that representations of bisexual women have been scarce and often negative. Included is a discussion of how bisexual-identifying artist, Halsey, has challenged pervasive stereotypes of gender and sexuality in her field

Juror Perceptions of Heterosexual and Same-Sex Spousal Rape in the Courtroom

Approximately 10-15% of American women will be raped by a spouse in their lifetime (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002). Research suggests that the American public regards spousal rape as wrong but not rape (Lynch et al., 2017). Research on spousal rape has centered on heterosexual couples despite a higher likelihood that LGBTQ+ individuals will experience severe intimate partner violence (IPV) (Rollé et al., 2019). Therefore, the present study investigated mock juror perceptions of spousal rape of heterosexual and same-sex couples in the courtroom. We employed a 2 (victim gender) x 2 (defendant gender) x 2 (participant gender) between-participants design. Participants were asked to read a vignette about a spousal rape trial, render a verdict of guilty or not guilty, and rate variables related to the case (e.g., severity of the crime). There were two hypotheses for this study: We predicted a main effect of participant gender in that women would be more pro-victim (e.g., higher blame ratings) than men (Gerber et al. 2006; Golding et al., 2016; Wasarhaley et al, 2017). There was support for this hypothesis. Women blamed the defendant more than men. We also predicted a main effect on political orientation such that liberal participants will be more likely to render pro-victim judgements (for example, rate the victim as more moral), than conservative participants (Graf, 2018; Kurtzleben, 2017). There was support for this hypothesis. Liberal participants rendered more guilty verdicts than conservative participants. Exploratory analyses found that differences between heterosexual and same-sex spousal rape generally did not emerge

APPLICATIONS OF ESTIMABLE FUNCTIONS IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE GLM PROCEDURE OF SAS.

An understanding of estimable functions is essential when using an overparameterized linear model. The most attractive features of these functions are their invariance property to the solution vector and their wide range of practical applications in agricultural research. This study reviews some of the ways that estimable functions can be used by the agricultural scientist

Modeling Diel Vertical Migration with Membrane Computing

Diel vertical migration (DVM) is an important ecological phenomenon in which zooplankton migrate vertically to deal with trade-offs associated with greater food availability in shallow waters and lower predator risk in deep waters due to lower light availability. Because of these trade-offs, DVM dynamics are particularly sensitive to changes in light intensity at the water surface. Therefore, changes in the proportion of cloudy and sunny days have the potential to disrupt DVM dynamics. We propose a new membrane computing model that captures the effect of cloud cover on DVM in Daphnia, and we use it to explore the impacts of an increased proportion of cloudy days that are predicted to occur with climate change. Our 2-dimensional, spatially explicit model integrates multiple trophic levels from abiotic nutrients to Daphnia predators. We analyzed the effect that different proportions of cloudy and sunny days throughout the summer have on our model. The model simulations suggest that an increase in sunny days promotes a high phytoplankton concentration near the surface but does not necessarily promote an increased abundance of Daphnia. Our model also suggests that a higher proportion of cloudy days would increase Daphnia abundance due to a shift in the vertical distribution of Daphnia populations towards superficial waters. Our results highlight that climate changes in multiple regions will affect animal migrations leading to altered food web dynamics in freshwater ecosystems, and emphasize the potential of membrane computing as a modeling framework for spatially and temporally explicit ecological processes

Adoption Of ASL Classifiers As Delivered By Head-Mounted Displays In A Planetarium Show

Accommodating the planetarium experience to members of the deaf or hard-of-hearing community has often created situations that are either disruptive to the rest of the audience or provide an insufficient accommodation. To address this issue, we examined the use of head-mounted displays to deliver an American Sign Language sound track to learners in the planetarium Here we present results from a feasibility study to see if an ASL sound track delivered through a head-mount display can be understood by deaf junior to senior high aged students who are fluent in ASL. We examined the adoption of ASL classifiers that were used as part of the sound track for a full dome planetarium show. We found that about 90% of all students in our sample adopted at least one classifier from the show. In addition, those who viewed the sound track in a head-mounted display did at least as well as those who saw the sound track projected directly on the dome. These results suggest that ASL transmitted through head-mounted displays is a promising method to help improve learning for those whose primary language is ASL and merits further investigation

Using Pectoral Fin Rays as a Non-lethal Aging Structure for Smallmouth Bass: Precision with Otolith Age Estimates and the Importance of Reader Experience

We evaluated the potential utility of pectoral fin rays as non-lethal aging structures for smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). We compared age estimates among three reading pairs and against sectioned sagittal otolith age estimates for precision. Reading pair bias was not detected, although the highest rates of age estimate agreement occurred between reading pairs with high and moderate aging experience. Precision of otolith and fin ray age estimates were equivalent based on between-structure comparisons of average percent error and coefficient of variation. However, fin rays underestimated fish age compared to otoliths for older fish, especially when aged by less-experienced readers. Pectoral fin rays may provide a non-lethal alternative to otoliths for aging smallmouth bass, particularly for younger fish (≤age 4) or when experienced readers conduct aging. Additional evaluations of fin rays as smallmouth bass aging structures are needed, including validation using known-age fish and documentation of consistent annulus formation throughout a fish’s life

Restricting digital sites of dissent: commercial social media and free expression

The widespread use of commercial social media platforms by protesters and activists has enhanced protest mobilisation and reporting but it has placed social media providers in the intermediary role as facilitators of dissent and has thereby created new challenges. Companies like Google and Facebook are increasingly restricting content that is published on or distributed through their platforms; they have been subject to obstruction by governments; and their services have been at the core of large-scale data collection and surveillance. This article analyses and categorises forms of infrastructure-based restrictions on free expression and dissent. It shows how private intermediaries have been incorporated into state-led content policies; how they set their own standards for legitimate online communication and intervene accordingly; and how state-based actions and commercial self-regulation intersect in the specific area of online surveillance. Based on a broad review of cases, it situates the role of social media in the wider trend of the privatisation of communications policy and the complex interplay between state-based regulation and commercial rule-making