HOG PRODUCER INVESTMENT IN VALUE-ADDED AGRIBUSINESS: RISK AND RETURN IMPLICATIONS

Although producers have been enticed into investment in value-added agribusiness the risk and return impacts have not been quantified. A spreadsheet simulation model is used to evaluate how investments by hog farmers in slaughter plants and other alternatives affect returns and risk. Results suggest that hog producer investment in value-added agribusiness is efficient.Value-Added, Producer Investment, Financial Economics, Livestock Production/Industries,

Tolerable versus actual soil erosion rates in Europe

Erosion is a major threat to soil resources in Europe, and may impair their ability to deliver a range of ecosystem goods and services. This is reflected by the European Commission's Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, which recommends an indicator-based approach for monitoring soil erosion. Defined baseline and threshold values are essential for the evaluation of soil monitoring data. Therefore, accurate spatial data on both soil loss and soil genesis are required, especially in the light of predicted changes in climate patterns, notably frequency, seasonal distribution and intensity of precipitation. Rates of soil loss are reported that have been measured, modelled or inferred for most types of soil erosion in a variety of landscapes, by studies across the spectrum of the Earth sciences. Natural rates of soil formation can be used as a basis for setting tolerable soil erosion rates, with soil formation consisting of mineral weathering as well as dust deposition. This paper reviews the concept of tolerable soil erosion and summarises current knowledge on rates of soil formation, which are then compared to rates of soil erosion by known erosion types, for assessment of soil erosion monitoring at the European scale

Low-temperature plasma technology as part of a closed-loop resource management system

The results of this testing indicate that the agitated low-temperature plasma reactor system successfully converted carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen into gaseous products at residence times that were about ten times shorter than those achieved by stationary processing. The inorganic matrix present was virtually unchanged by the processing technique. It was concluded that this processing technique is feasible for use as part of a close-looped processing resource management system

XPS and AFM study of interaction of organosilane and sizing with e-glass fibre surface

Organosilanes are often used in commercial sizings for glass fibres to provide wettability with the resin and promote strong interfacial adhesion to the matrix in a fibre reinforced polymer composite. The silane treatment is introduced as part of a complex deposition from an aqueous emulsion immediately at the spinaret and determines the optimum properties of the cured composite. To understand the interaction of organosilanes contained in sizings for glass surfaces, XPS was used to investigate the adsorption of γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) from a simple sizing system containing a polyurethane (PU) film former. It has been found that both APS and the sizing (containing APS and PU) deposits on E-glass fibre surfaces contained components of differing hydrolytic stability. The differences observed in the AFM images of APS coated E-glass fibres before and after water extraction also confirmed that the APS deposit contained components with different water solubility

Knowledge and attitudes of men to prostate cancer

Objective: To ascertain the current level of understanding about prostate cancer (PCa), including treatment options and potential side effects of treatment, among older men. Design and Setting: Questionnaires administered by general practitioners (GPs) in 5 general practices in the Perth metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia. Participants: Convenience sample of men aged 40-80 years (n=503) with or without prostate cancer presenting for routine consultations. Main outcome measures: Knowledge and attitudes of men to prostate cancer Results: Eighty percent of men did not know the function of the prostate and 48% failed to identify PCa as the most common internal cancer in men. Thirty-five percent had no knowledge of the treatments for PCa and 53% had no knowledge of the side effects of treatments. Asked how they would arrive at a decision about treatment, 70% stated they would ask the GP/specialist for all their options and then decide themselves. Conclusion: This study confirms a deficit in knowledge of the disease among men in the at risk age group. Lack of knowledge encompassed areas which could delay diagnosis and hence treatment. Overall the population preferred some GP/specialist involvement in treatment decision making

Search for B0s oscillations using inclusive lepton events

A search for B0s oscillations is performed using a sample of semileptonic b-hadron decays collected by the ALEPH experiment during 1991-1995. Compared to previous inclusive lepton analyses, the proper time resolution and b-flavour mistag rate are significantly improved. Additional sensitivity to B0s mixing is obtained by identifying subsamples of events having a B0s purity which is higher than the average for the whole data sample. Unbinned maximum likelihood amplitude fits are performed to derive a lower limit of Deltam_s>9.5ps^-1 at 95% CL. Combining with the ALEPH D-s based analyses yields Deltam_s>9.6ps^-1 at 95% CL.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

The Density Spike in Cosmic-Ray-Modified Shocks: Formation, Evolution, and Instability

We examine the formation and evolution of the density enhancement (density spike) that appears downstream of strong, cosmic-ray-modified shocks. This feature results from temporary overcompression of the flow by the combined cosmic-ray shock precursor/gas subshock. Formation of the density spike is expected whenever shock modification by cosmic-ray pressure increases strongly. That occurence may be anticipated for newly generated strong shocks or for cosmic-ray-modified shocks encountering a region of higher external density, for example. The predicted mass density within the spike increases with the shock Mach number and with shocks more dominated by cosmic-ray pressure. We find this spike to be linearly unstable under a modified Rayleigh-Taylor instability criterion at the early stage of its formation. We confirm this instability numerically using two independent codes based on the two-fluid model for cosmic-ray transport. These two-dimensional simulations show that the instability grows impulsively at early stages and then slows down as the gradients of total pressure and gas density decrease. Observational discovery of this unstable density spike behind shocks, possibly through radio emission enhanced by the amplified magnetic fields would provide evidence for the existence of strongly cosmic-ray modified shock structures.Comment: 26 pages in Latex and 6 figures. Accepted to Ap

Charged-Particle Motion in Electromagnetic Fields Having at Least One Ignorable Spatial Coordinate

We give a rigorous derivation of a theorem showing that charged particles in an arbitrary electromagnetic field with at least one ignorable spatial coordinate remain forever tied to a given magnetic-field line. Such a situation contrasts the significant motions normal to the magnetic field that are expected in most real three-dimensional systems. It is pointed out that, while the significance of the theorem has not been widely appreciated, it has important consequences for a number of problems and is of particular relevance for the acceleration of cosmic rays by shocks.Comment: 7 pages, emulateapj format, including 1 eps figure, to appear in The Astrophysical Journal, Dec. 10 1998 issu

The role of matrix cracks and fibre/matrix debonding on the stress transfer between fibre and matrix in a single fibre fragmentation test

The single fibre fragmentation test is commonly used to characterise the fibre/matrix interface. During fragmentation, the stored energy is released resulting in matrix cracking and/or fibre/matrix debonding. Axisymmetric finite element models were formulated to study the impact of matrix cracks and fibre/matrix debonding on the effective stress transfer efficiency (EST) and stress transfer length (STL). At high strains, plastic deformation in the matrix dominated the stress transfer mechanism. The combination of matrix cracking and plasticity reduced the EST and increased STL. For experimental validation, three resins were formulated and the fragmentation of an unsized and uncoupled E-glass fibre examined as a function of matrix properties. Fibre failure was always accompanied by matrix cracking and debonding. With the stiff resin, debonding, transverse matrix cracking and conical crack initiation were observed. With a lower modulus and lower yield strength resin the transverse matrix crack length decreased while that of the conical crack increased. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved