FIRM EFFICIENCY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USE: EVIDENCE FROM U.S. CASH GRAIN FARMS

We implement stochastic frontier analysis techniques to show the effects of information technology use on firm efficiency. Results from a sample of 1,865 U.S. cash grain farms reveals that information technology use within the farm business moved farms significantly towards the efficiency frontier. Also moving farms towards the efficiency frontier were the use of written long-term plans, advanced input acquisition strategies, and increased farm labor hours relative to total labor hours. In contrast, an increase in the debt to asset ratio was associated with movements away from the efficiency frontier.Crop Production/Industries,

DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF U.S. FARM HOUSEHOLD INCOME

expenditures, farm safety net, household income, poverty, stochastic dominance, wealth, Consumer/Household Economics,

Does Your Provider Care: A Mixed Methods Study of Empathy in Medical and Graduate Counseling Students

Undergraduate Applie

Optical chirality from dark-field illumination of planar plasmonic nanostructures

Dark-field illumination is shown to make planar chiral nanoparticle arrangements exhibit circular dichroism in extinction analogous to true chiral scatterers. Circular dichrosim is experimentally observed at the maximum scattering of single oligomers consisting rotationally symmetric arrangements of gold nanorods, with strong agreement to numerical simulation. A dipole model is developed to show that this effect is caused by a difference in the geometric projection of a nanorod onto the handed orientation of electric fields created by a circularly polarized dark-field that is normally incident on a glass substrate. Owing to this geometric origin, the wavelength of the peak chiral response is also experimentally shown to shift depending on the separation between nanoparticles. All presented oligomers have physical dimensions less than the operating wavelength, and the applicable extension to closely packed planar arrays of oligomers is demonstrated to amplify the magnitude of circular dichroism. The realization of strong chirality in these oligomers demonstrates a new path to engineer optical chirality from planar devices using dark-field illumination

A position sensitive phoswich hard X-ray detector system

A prototype position sensitive phoswich hard X-ray detector, designed for eventual astronomical usage, was tested in the laboratory. The scintillation crystal geometry was designed on the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation of the internal optics and includes a 3mm thick NaI(T1) primary X-ray detector which is actively shielded by a 20 mm thick CsI(T1) scintillation crystal. This phoswich arrangement is viewed by a number two inch photomultipliers. Measured values of the positional and spectral resolution of incident X-ray photons are compared with calculation

Genetic diversity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and its wild relatives based on the analysis of hypervariable regions of the genome

BACKGROUND: The genus Arachis is native to a region that includes Central Brazil and neighboring countries. Little is known about the genetic variability of the Brazilian cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea, genome AABB) germplasm collection at the DNA level. The understanding of the genetic diversity of cultivated and wild species of peanut (Arachis spp.) is essential to develop strategies of collection, conservation and use of the germplasm in variety development. The identity of the ancestor progenitor species of cultivated peanut has also been of great interest. Several species have been suggested as putative AA and BB genome donors to allotetraploid A. hypogaea. Microsatellite or SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers are co-dominant, multiallelic, and highly polymorphic genetic markers, appropriate for genetic diversity studies. Microsatellite markers may also, to some extent, support phylogenetic inferences. Here we report the use of a set of microsatellite markers, including newly developed ones, for phylogenetic inferences and the analysis of genetic variation of accessions of A. hypogea and its wild relatives. RESULTS: A total of 67 new microsatellite markers (mainly TTG motif) were developed for Arachis. Only three of these markers, however, were polymorphic in cultivated peanut. These three new markers plus five other markers characterized previously were evaluated for number of alleles per locus and gene diversity using 60 accessions of A. hypogaea. Genetic relationships among these 60 accessions and a sample of 36 wild accessions representative of section Arachis were estimated using allelic variation observed in a selected set of 12 SSR markers. Results showed that the Brazilian peanut germplasm collection has considerable levels of genetic diversity detected by SSR markers. Similarity groups for A. hypogaea accessions were established, which is a useful criteria for selecting parental plants for crop improvement. Microsatellite marker transferability was up to 76% for species of the section Arachis, but only 45% for species from the other eight Arachis sections tested. A new marker (Ah-041) presented a 100% transferability and could be used to classify the peanut accessions in AA and non-AA genome carriers. CONCLUSION: The level of polymorphism observed among accessions of A. hypogaea analyzed with newly developed microsatellite markers was low, corroborating the accumulated data which show that cultivated peanut presents a relatively reduced variation at the DNA level. A selected panel of SSR markers allowed the classification of A. hypogaea accessions into two major groups. The identification of similarity groups will be useful for the selection of parental plants to be used in breeding programs. Marker transferability is relatively high between accessions of section Arachis. The possibility of using microsatellite markers developed for one species in genetic evaluation of other species greatly reduces the cost of the analysis, since the development of microsatellite markers is still expensive and time consuming. The SSR markers developed in this study could be very useful for genetic analysis of wild species of Arachis, including comparative genome mapping, population genetic structure and phylogenetic inferences among species

INCOME, WEALTH, AND THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS

Agricultural policy is rooted in the 1930s notion that providing transfers of money to the farm sector translates into increased economic well-being of farm families. This report shows that changes in income for the farm sector or for any particular group of farm businesses do not necessarily reflect changes confronting farm households. Farm households draw income from various sources, including off-farm work, other businesses operated, and increasingly nonfarm investments. Likewise, focus on a single indicator of well-being, like income, overlooks other indicators such as the wealth held by the household and the level of consumption expenditures for health care, food, housing, and other items. Using an expanded definition of economic well-being, we show that farm households as a whole are relatively better off than the average U.S. household, but that about 6 percent remain economically disadvantaged relative to the rest of the population.Consumption, farm households, income, wealth, well-being, off-farm employment, Consumer/Household Economics,

Epidemiology of NCAA Track and Field Injuries From 2010 to 2014

Background: Track and field (T&F) athletes compete in a variety of events that require different skills and training characteristics. Descriptive epidemiology studies often fail to describe event-specific injury patterns. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) T&F by sex, setting (practice vs competition), and time of season (indoor vs outdoor) and to compare injury patterns by events within the sport. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Data were obtained from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program for all indoor and outdoor T&F injuries during the academic years 2009-2010 to 2013-2014. Injury rates, injury rate ratios, and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were reported and compared by sex, injury setting, season, and event. Analysis included time-loss as well as no-time loss injuries. Results: Over the 5 seasons, the overall injury rate was 3.99 injuries per 1000 athletic-exposures (95% CI, 3.79-4.20). After controlling for injury diagnoses, women’s T&F athletes experienced an 18% higher risk of injury (95% CI, 7% to 31%) and missed 41% more time after an injury (95% CI, 4% to 93%) when compared with men. Among all athletes, the injury risk during competition was 71% higher (95% CI, 50% to 95%) compared with practice and required 59% more time loss (95% CI, 7% to 135%). Distance running accounted for a significantly higher proportion of overuse injuries (IPR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40-2.05; P \u3c .05) and required 168% more time loss (95% CI, 78% to 304%) than other events. The hip and thigh were the body regions most commonly injured; injury type, however, varied by T&F event. Sprinting accounted for the greatest proportion of hip and thigh injuries, distance running had the greatest proportion of lower leg injuries, and throwing reported the greatest proportion of spine and upper extremity injuries. Conclusion: Injury risk in NCAA T&F varied by sex, season, and setting. Higher injury rates were found in women versus men, indoor versus outdoor seasons, and competitions versus practices. The hip and thigh were the body regions most commonly injured; however, injury types varied by event. These findings may provide insight to programs aiming to reduce the risk of injury and associated time loss in collegiate T&F

Comparison of Thermal Decomposition of Polystyrene Products vs. Bio-Based Polymer Aerogels

Samples of polystyrene (PS), extended polystyrene foam (EPS foam), and 3 bio-based foam-like polymer/clay aerogels were produced, and examined under pyrolysis conditions. The polystyrene products produced pyrolysis products including toluene, styrene, benzaldehyde, and 4-phenyl-1-butyne; all consistent with previous reports. These highly flammable volatiles would be further expected to combust under flame conditions, producing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; prior work suggests that carbon monoxide poses the greatest health risk from the burning of both polystyrene and EPS. Pectin and alginate carbohydrate polymer aerogels, subjected to the same pyrolysis conditions as the polystyrene materials, produced products which were generally consistent with prior literature, and presented only moderate known health risks (similar to those of the EPS pyrolysis). As with PS and EPS foams, the alginate and pectin aerogel by-products are flammable, and are expected to be converted to carbon oxides. Casein, a milk-derived protein, generated organic nitriles and aromatic compounds under pyrolysis conditions, again consistent with literature for proteins in general. While none of the bio-based pyrolysis products of this study pose known significant health risks, it is possible that some of nitriles could be converted to hydrogen cyanide, leading to the recommendation that such protein-based products be further investigated prior to implementation in consumer/civil engineering applications