Southwestern Minnesota Farm Business Management Association 2008 Annual Report

Average net farm income was $190,901 in 2008 for the 99 farms included in this annual report of the Southwestern Minnesota Farm Business Management Association. Average earnings decreased by 21$242,267 in 2007 (Figure 1). 2008 ended a steady trend of increasing year-to-year incomes for these farms from 2001 to 2007. Crop farms, with historically high corn and soybean prices, remained very profitable. However, specialized hog farms, which had been very profitable for the past four years, experienced substantial losses. Highlights of association financial results for 2008: Median net farm income was $178,874, slightly lower than the average, indicating that the average was increased by high profits of the most profitable farms. This effect was not as large as previous years, likely because of losses by larger hog operations. • The difference between the most profitable farms and the least profitable continued to increase. The most profitable 20$449,997 while the least profitable lost $-29,476. • Average gross cash income increased by 20$115,999. The average debt-to-asset ratio improved slightly to 39%, down from 40% (Figure 4). • Corn yields were up but soybean yields were down. Corn averaged 172 bushels per acre compared to 162 in 2007. Soybeans yields decreased to 44 bushels from 49 in 2007 (Figure 5). • Both corn and soybean prices received increased by over 50% to $4.51 for corn and$10.83 for soybeans. • The cost to raise an acre of corn (with land rent) increased by 23% while soybean costs increased by 21%. The cost to produce a bushel of corn on cash rented land increased from $2.58 per bushel in 2007 to$2.90 in 2008, while soybean costs per bushel increased from $6.14 to$7.21. • The average specialized hog operation (those with 70% of sales from hogs or pigs) lost over $150,000 in 2008 (Figure 6). All other farm types with enough farms to report averaged net incomes very close to the association average. • Based on rate of return on assets, crop farms (those with 70$1,000,000, were the least profitable based on rate of return on assets. This group earned an average ROA of 7% compared to 14% for farms that grossed between $500,000 and$1,000,000. • With exceptionally high feed prices, no hog or beef enterprise, with the exception of contract growing of hogs (where the contractor provided the feed) covered even direct costs of production. The report provides additional information on profitability, liquidity, and solvency as well as other whole-farm information and detailed information on crop and livestock enterprises. Also reported are whole-farm financial condition and performance by county, sales size class, type of farm, debt-to-asset ratio, and age of operator.Agricultural Finance, Farm Management,

Suppression of superconductivity in nanowires by bulk superconductors

Transport measurements were made on a system consisting of a zinc nanowire array sandwiched between two bulk superconducting electrodes (Sn or In). It was found that the superconductivity of Zn nanowires of 40 nm diameter is suppressed either completely or partially by the superconducting electrodes. When the electrodes are driven into their normal state by a magnetic field, the nanowires switch back to their superconducting state. This phenomenon is significantly weakened when one of the two superconducting electrodes is replaced by a normal metal. The phenomenon is not seen in wires with diameters equal to and thicker than 70 nm.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

The Updated Zwicky Catalog (UZC)

The Zwicky Catalog of galaxies (ZC), with m_Zw<=15.5mag, has been the basis for the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) redshift surveys. To date, analyses of the ZC and redshift surveys based on it have relied on heterogeneous sets of galaxy coordinates and redshifts. Here we correct some of the inadequacies of previous catalogs by providing: (1) coordinates with <~2 arcsec errors for all of the Nuzc catalog galaxies, (2) homogeneously estimated redshifts for the majority (98%) of the data taken at the CfA (14,632 spectra), and (3) an estimate of the remaining "blunder" rate for both the CfA redshifts and for those compiled from the literature. For the reanalyzed CfA data we include a calibrated, uniformly determined error and an indication of the presence of emission lines in each spectrum. We provide redshifts for 7,257 galaxies in the CfA2 redshift survey not previously published; for another 5,625 CfA redshifts we list the remeasured or uniformly re-reduced value. Among our new measurements, Nmul are members of UZC "multiplets" associated with the original Zwicky catalog position in the coordinate range where the catalog is 98% complete. These multiplets provide new candidates for examination of tidal interactions among galaxies. All of the new redshifts correspond to UZC galaxies with properties recorded in the CfA redshift compilation known as ZCAT. About 1,000 of our new measurements were motivated either by inadequate signal-to-noise in the original spectrum or by an ambiguous identification of the galaxy associated with a ZCAT redshift. The redshift catalog we include here is ~96% complete to m_Zw<=15.5, and ~98% complete (12,925 galaxies out of a total of 13,150) for the RA(1950) ranges [20h--4h] and [8h--17h] and DEC(1950) range [-2.5d--50d]. (abridged)Comment: 34 pp, 7 figs, PASP 1999, 111, 43

MALT-45: a 7 mm survey of the southern Galaxy - I. Techniques and spectral line data

We present the first results from the MALT-45 (Millimetre Astronomer's Legacy Team-45 GHz) Galactic Plane survey. We have observed 5 square degrees (l = 330°–335°, b = ±0 ∘ . 5) for spectral lines in the 7 mm band (42–44 and 48–49 GHz), including CS (1–0), class I CH3OH masers in the 7(0,7)–6(1,6) A+ transition and SiO (1–0) v = 0, 1, 2, 3. MALT-45 is the first unbiased, large-scale, sensitive spectral line survey in this frequency range. In this paper, we present data from the survey as well as a few intriguing results; rigorous analyses of these science cases are reserved for future publications. Across the survey region, we detected 77 class I CH3OH masers, of which 58 are new detections, along with many sites of thermal and maser SiO emission and thermal CS. We found that 35 class I CH3OH masers were associated with the published locations of class II CH3OH, H2O and OH masers but 42 have no known masers within 60 arcsec. We compared the MALT-45 CS with NH3 (1,1) to reveal regions of CS depletion and high opacity, as well as evolved star-forming regions with a high ratio of CS to NH3. All SiO masers are new detections, and appear to be associated with evolved stars from the Spitzer Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE). Generally, within SiO regions of multiple vibrational modes, the intensity decreases as v = 1, 2, 3, but there are a few exceptions where v = 2 is stronger than v = 1

Understanding the Cool DA White Dwarf, G29-38

The white dwarfs are promising laboratories for the study of cosmochronology and stellar evolution. Through observations of the pulsating white dwarfs, we can measure their internal structures and compositions, critical to understanding post main sequence evolution, along with their cooling rates, allowing us to calibrate their ages directly. The most important set of white dwarf variables to measure are the oldest of the pulsators, the cool DAVs, which have not previously been explored through asteroseismology due to their complexity and instability. Through a time-series photometry data set spanning ten years, we explore the pulsation spectrum of the cool DAV, G29-38 and find an underlying structure of 19 (not including multiplet components) normal-mode, probably l=1 pulsations amidst an abundance of time variability and linear combination modes. Modelling results are incomplete, but we suggest possible starting directions and discuss probable values for the stellar mass and hydrogen layer size. For the first time, we have made sense out of the complicated power spectra of a large-amplitude DA pulsator. We have shown its seemingly erratic set of observed frequencies can be understood in terms of a recurring set of normal-mode pulsations and their linear combinations. With this result, we have opened the interior secrets of the DAVs to future asteroseismological modelling, thereby joining the rest of the known white dwarf pulsators.Comment: 29 pages including 5 figures To appear in ApJ 1 Mar 9

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of Cryptococcus gattii from the Pacific Northwest Reveals Unexpected Diversity

A recent emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in the Pacific Northwest involves strains that fall into three primarily clonal molecular subtypes: VGIIa, VGIIb and VGIIc. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and variable number tandem repeat analysis appear to identify little diversity within these molecular subtypes. Given the apparent expansion of these subtypes into new geographic areas and their ability to cause disease in immunocompetent individuals, differentiation of isolates belonging to these subtypes could be very important from a public health perspective. We used whole genome sequence typing (WGST) to perform fine-scale phylogenetic analysis on 20 C. gattii isolates, 18 of which are from the VGII molecular type largely responsible for the Pacific Northwest emergence. Analysis both including and excluding (289,586 SNPs and 56,845 SNPs, respectively) molecular types VGI and VGIII isolates resulted in phylogenetic reconstructions consistent, for the most part, with MLST analysis but with far greater resolution among isolates. The WGST analysis presented here resulted in identification of over 100 SNPs among eight VGIIc isolates as well as unique genotypes for each of the VGIIa, VGIIb and VGIIc isolates. Similar levels of genetic diversity were found within each of the molecular subtype isolates, despite the fact that the VGIIb clade is thought to have emerged much earlier. The analysis presented here is the first multi-genome WGST study to focus on the C. gattii molecular subtypes involved in the Pacific Northwest emergence and describes the tools that will further our understanding of this emerging pathogen

NOMINAL VALUES FOR SELECTED SOLAR AND PLANETARY QUANTITIES: IAU 2015 RESOLUTION B3

In this brief communication we provide the rationale for and the outcome of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) resolution vote at the XXIXth General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2015, on recommended nominal conversion constants for selected solar and planetary properties. The problem addressed by the resolution is a lack of established conversion constants between solar and planetary values and SI units: a missing standard has caused a proliferation of solar values (e.g., solar radius, solar irradiance, solar luminosity, solar effective temperature, and solar mass parameter) in the literature, with cited solar values typically based on best estimates at the time of paper writing. As precision of observations increases, a set of consistent values becomes increasingly important. To address this, an IAU Working Group on Nominal Units for Stellar and Planetary Astronomy formed in 2011, uniting experts from the solar, stellar, planetary, exoplanetary, and fundamental astronomy, as well as from general standards fields to converge on optimal values for nominal conversion constants. The effort resulted in the IAU 2015 Resolution B3, passed at the IAU General Assembly by a large majority. The resolution recommends the use of nominal solar and planetary values, which are by definition exact and are expressed in SI units. These nominal values should be understood as conversion factors only, not as the true solar/planetary properties or current best estimates. Authors and journal editors are urged to join in using the standard values set forth by this resolution in future work and publications to help minimize further confusion

Selecting Indicator Portfolios for Marine Species and Food Webs: A Puget Sound Case Study

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has emerged as a promising approach for maintaining the benefits humans want and need from the ocean, yet concrete approaches for implementing EBM remain scarce. A key challenge lies in the development of indicators that can provide useful information on ecosystem status and trends, and assess progress towards management goals. In this paper, we describe a generalized framework for the methodical and transparent selection of ecosystem indicators. We apply the framework to the second largest estuary in the United States – Puget Sound, Washington – where one of the most advanced EBM processes is currently underway. Rather than introduce a new method, this paper integrates a variety of familiar approaches into one step-by-step approach that will lead to more consistent and reliable reporting on ecosystem condition. Importantly, we demonstrate how a framework linking indicators to policy goals, as well as a clearly defined indicator evaluation and scoring process, can result in a portfolio of useful and complementary indicators based on the needs of different users (e.g., policy makers and scientists). Although the set of indicators described in this paper is specific to marine species and food webs, we provide a general approach that could be applied to any set of management objectives or ecological system

The GC-Rich Mitochondrial and Plastid Genomes of the Green Alga Coccomyxa Give Insight into the Evolution of Organelle DNA Nucleotide Landscape

Most of the available mitochondrial and plastid genome sequences are biased towards adenine and thymine (AT) over guanine and cytosine (GC). Examples of GC-rich organelle DNAs are limited to a small but eclectic list of species, including certain green algae. Here, to gain insight in the evolution of organelle nucleotide landscape, we present the GC-rich mitochondrial and plastid DNAs from the trebouxiophyte green alga Coccomyxa sp. C-169. We compare these sequences with other GC-rich organelle DNAs and argue that the forces biasing them towards G and C are nonadaptive and linked to the metabolic and/or life history features of this species. The Coccomyxa organelle genomes are also used for phylogenetic analyses, which highlight the complexities in trying to resolve the interrelationships among the core chlorophyte green algae, but ultimately favour a sister relationship between the Ulvophyceae and Chlorophyceae, with the Trebouxiophyceae branching at the base of the chlorophyte crown