IMPACTS OF PRICE VARIABILITY ON MARKETING MARGINS AND PRODUCER VIABILITY IN THE TEXAS WHEAT INDUSTRY

The effects on marketing margins and Texas what producers of shifting from a period with stable prices to a period without stable prices were investigated using both econometric and simulation techniques. Empirical evidence reveals wheat export firms are risk averse and that either futures markets were unable to absorb increased price risk or futures markets absorbed increased price risk at a cost of $0.054 per bushel. Increased variability in prices and reduced farm program benefits substantially reduced the probability of Texas wheat producers receiving a reasonable return on equity and a reasonable rate of asset accumulation.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

Decision problem structuring method for the specification and selection of active fire protection systems

The UK along with the EU has witnessed a recent proliferation of designs for potential active fire suppression systems for the mitigation of fire risks in buildings and equipment; from five in 1986 (BSI, 1986) to eleven in 2011 (BSI, 2011a). However, each technology remains limited to the protection of certain types of application only, rather than offering a solution to guard against all possible hazards. This trend occurs at the same time as a transition from prescriptive to performance based standards and against the backdrop of the current nonprescriptive regulatory frameworks including the Building Regulations (HMSO, 2010), The Regulatory (fire) Reform Order (HMSO, 2005) and associated guidance (Approved Documents, standards, codes of practice and guides). Hazards can be difficult to assess and describe and the inequality or absence of satisfactory methods is notable in many recently published guidance documents. Active fire protection systems are installed to meet legislative requirements (to protect life), and / or when identified as appropriate by a cost-benefit analysis (e.g. to achieve risk reduction for business resilience purposes or to historic assets). There are many guidance documents available to assist users and designers in choosing and specifying appropriate active fire protection. These documents vary in age, relevance, scope, quality, impartiality and suitability. The Fire Protection Association (FPA) and several leading insurers who participate in its risk management work, have identified the requirement for assistance with the decision making process of analysing fire hazards and matching them to appropriate candidate systems, in order to make informed and impartial recommendations. This has led to the undertaking of a four year research project aimed at developing a decision problem structuring method and a software tool (Expert System), for the specification and selection of Active Fire Protection Systems. The research aim is to develop a tool that will assist users in making an informed selection of a system that is likely to best suit their needs and thereby contribute to overall improvements in fire safety and outcomes. This paper presents a summary of the work to date, focusing on the demand for the work, development of the methodology and practical application of the emerging Expert System

Canonical Formulation of the Light-Front Gluodynamics and Quantization of the Non-Abelian Plane Waves

Without a gauge fixing, canonical variables for the light-front SU(2) gluodynamics are determined. The Gauss law is written in terms of the canonical variables. The system is qualified as a generalized dynamical system with first class constraints. Abeliazation is a specific feature of the formulation (most of the canonical variables transform nontrivially only under the action of an Abelian subgroup of the gauge transformations). At finite volume, a discrete spectrum of the light-front Hamiltonian $P_+$ is obtained in the sector of vanishing $P_-$. We obtain, therefore, a quantized form of the classical solutions previously known as non-Abelian plane waves. Then, considering the infinite volume limit, we find that the presence of the mass gap depends on the way the infinite volume limit is taken, which may suggest the presence of different ``phases'' of the infinite volume theory. We also check that the formulation obtained is in accord with the standard perturbation theory if the latter is taken in the covariant gauges.Comment: REVTEX, 18 pages, version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Equation of state and initial temperature of quark gluon plasma at RHIC

In gold-gold collisions of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) a perfect fluid of quarks, sometimes called the strongly interacting quark gluon plasma (sQGP) is created for an extremely short time. The time evolution of this fluid can be described by hydrodynamical models. After expansion and cooling, the freeze-out happens and hadrons are created. Their distribution reveals information about the final state of the fluid. To investigate the time evolution one needs to analyze penetrating probes, such as direct photon observables. Transverse momentum distributions of low energy direct photons were mesured in 2010 by PHENIX, while azimuthal asymmetry in 2011. These measurements can be compared to hydrodynamics to determine the equation of state and the initial temperature of sQGP. In this paper we analyze an 1+3 dimensional solution of relativistic hydrodynamics. We calculate momentum distribution, azimuthal asymmetry and momentum correlations of direct photons. Based on earlier fits to hadronic spectra, we compare photon calculations to measurements to determine the equation of state and the initial temperature of sQGP. We find that the initial temperature in the center of the fireball is 507+-12 MeV, while for the sound speed we get a speed of sound of 0.36+-0.02. We also estimate a systematic error of these results. We find that the measured azimuthal asymmetry is also not incompatible with this model, and predict a photon source that is significantly larger in the out direction than in the side direction.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. This work was supported by the OTKA grant NK-73143 and NK-101438 and M. Csanad's Bolyai scholarshi

Development of a fixed firefighting system selection tool for improved outcomes

The UK along with the European Union has experienced a recent proliferation in design approaches for potential fixed firefighting systems. Such systems are installed to mitigate fire hazards in buildings and equipment. In the UK, for example there were five general design approaches to fixed firefighting systems protection in 1986. This had increased to eleven in 2011. This is against the backdrop of the current non-prescriptive regulatory frameworks including the Building Regulations, the repeal of so-called ‘local acts’, the Regulatory (fire) Reform Order and associated guidance (Approved Documents, standards, codes of practice and guides). In response to this trend, as was intended, the market place is becoming increasingly competitive. However, the capability of each technology remains limited to protection against certain hazards, rather than offering a solution to guard against all possible scenarios. When selecting a fixed firefighting system, fire hazards and interactions can be difficult to assess and describe and the inequality or absence of satisfactory methods is notable in many recently published guidance documents. The absence of good quality guidance for non-expert practitioners (specifiers) and regulatory changes means a good quality source of impartial and expert knowledge is increasingly desirable. The challenge is to amass this knowledge and render it in an accessible format to the non-expert user. This paper reports on progress to-date; understanding the problem, amassing and structuring the knowledge base and developing a suitable knowledge management tool

Base excision repair deficient mice lacking the Aag alkyladenine DNA glycosylase.

3-methyladenine (3MeA) DNA glycosylases remove 3MeAs from alkylated DNA to initiate the base excision repair pathway. Here we report the generation of mice deficient in the 3MeA DNA glycosylase encoded by the Aag (Mpg) gene. Alkyladenine DNA glycosylase turns out to be the major DNA glycosylase not only for the cytotoxic 3MeA DNA lesion, but also for the mutagenic 1,N6-ethenoadenine (epsilonA) and hypoxanthine lesions. Aag appears to be the only 3MeA and hypoxanthine DNA glycosylase in liver, testes, kidney, and lung, and the only epsilonA DNA glycosylase in liver, testes, and kidney; another epsilonA DNA glycosylase may be expressed in lung. Although alkyladenine DNA glycosylase has the capacity to remove 8-oxoguanine DNA lesions, it does not appear to be the major glycosylase for 8-oxoguanine repair. Fibroblasts derived from Aag -/- mice are alkylation sensitive, indicating that Aag -/- mice may be similarly sensitive

Mean field effects in a trapped classical gas

In this article, we investigate mean field effects for a bosonic gas harmonically trapped above the transition temperature in the collisionless regime. We point out that those effects can play also a role in low dimensional system. Our treatment relies on the Boltzmann equation with the inclusion of the mean field term. The equilibrium state is first discussed. The dispersion relation for collective oscillations (monopole, quadrupole, dipole modes) is then derived. In particular, our treatment gives the frequency of the monopole mode in an isotropic and harmonic trap in the presence of mean field in all dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, no figure submitted to Phys. Rev.

Multi-centre evaluation of real-time multiplex PCR for detection of carbapenemase genes OXA-48, VIM, IMP, NDM and KPC

Background: Resistance to carbapenem antibiotics is emerging worldwide among Enterobacteriaceae. To prevent hospital transmission due to unnoticed carriage of carbapenemase producing micro-organisms in newly admitted patients, or follow-up of patients in an outbreak setting, a molecular screening method was developed for detection of the most prevalent carbapenemase genes; blaOXA-48, blaVIM, blaIMP, blaNDM and blaKPC.Methods: A real-time multiplex PCR assay was evaluated using a collection of 86 Gram negative isolates, including 62 carbapenemase producers. Seven different laboratories carried out this method and used the assay for detection of the carbapenemase genes on a selection of 20 isolates.Results: Both sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex PCR assay was 100%, as established by results on the strain collection and the inter-laboratory comparisons.Conclusions: In this study, we present a multiplex real-time PCR that is a robust, reliable and rapid method for the detection of the most prevalent carbapenemases blaOXA-48, blaVIM, blaIMP, blaNDM and blaKPC, and is suitable for screening of broth cultured rectal swabs and for identification of carbapenemase genes in cultures

Making geology relevant for infrastructure and planning

The urban population is projected to rise to 66% in 2050 to 7.6 billion. This has had, and will have, a profound effect on the geological and geomorphological character of the Earth’s shallow geosphere. It is important to know the character and geometries of the geological deposits so that infrastructure is planned sensibly and sustainably, and urban areas can be reused responsibly to ensure that they help facilitate economic and social development. This brings major challenges for our cities, where there is increased pressure on resources, space and services. The geosciences have an important part to play in securing sustainable global cities - they can support urban innovation and city performance, reduce our environmental footprint and ensure greater resilience to natural hazards such as flooding and ground instability. For more than 30 years the British Geological Survey has advanced the geoscientific understanding and 3D characterisation of urban environments, producing multi-themed spatial datasets for geohazards and ground investigation used across the environmental, planning and insurance sectors. The BGS have collaborated with the University of Cambridge to better integrate geological data with landuse and infrastructure to look at the long-term impact on these types of activities at surface and subsurface. A 3D GeoLanduse layer was produced from the geological framework model of London. This vector-based grid means that many soil and rock properties (e.g. foundation conditions, groundwater levels, volume change potential), can be represented alongside landuse statistics and infrastructure type and correlated in the XYZ domain. Focus has been at geothermal potential of the ground surrounding residential basements and the broader correlation between geology, energy consumption and landuse at city scale using principle component analysis and cluster recognition

Adsorption of Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn in tropical soils under competitive and non-competitive systems

The adsorption of heavy metals in soils affects their behavior in the environment and their bioavailability to plants. The knowledge of the adsorption mechanisms in competitive systems allows a more realistic evaluation of the metals' behavior in the soil than the single metal adsorption. The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn adsorption in 14 surface samples (0-0.2 m) of representative soils of the Brazilian humid-tropical region, in competitive and non-competitive systems, and (ii) to establish metal affinity sequences for each soil, based in the maximum adsorption capacity (MAC) estimated by the Langmuir model. The Rhodic Eutrudox, the Kandiudalf Eutrudox, the Arenic Hapludalf, the Arenic Hapludult and the Typic Argiudoll had the highest metals' adsorption capacity, whereas the Typic Quartzipsamment and the sandy-textured Arenic Hapludult had the lowest values. In general, the MAC values for metals were lower in the competitive than in the non-competitive system. In the non-competitive system, the most common affinity sequence was Cu > Zn > Ni > Cd, whereas the most common sequence was Cu > Cd > Zn > Ni in the competitive system. In general, the Langmuir model fitted well the adsorption data of metals on the studied soils.A adsorção de metais pesados em solos afeta seu comportamento e biodisponibilidade às plantas. O conhecimento dos mecanismos de adsorção em sistemas competitivos permite uma avaliação mais realista do comportamento dos metais no solo do que estudos com adsorção de cada metal, isoladamente. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram: (i) avaliar a adsorção de Cd, Cu, Ni e Zn em amostras superficiais (0-0,2 m) de 14 solos representativos da região tropical úmida, em sistema competitivo e não-competitivo, e (ii) estabelecer sequências de afinidade metálica para cada solo, com base nos valores de capacidade máxima de adsorção (CMA) dos metais estimados por meio do modelo de Langmuir. O Rhodic Eutrudox, o Kandiudalfic Eutrudox, o Arenic Hapludalf (Alf2), o Arenic Hapludult (Ult2) e o Typic Argiudoll apresentaram elevadas capacidades de adsorção dos metais, ocorrendo o inverso para o Typic Quartzipsamment e para o Arenic Hapludult textura arenosa. No geral, a CMA dos metais aos solos foi menor no sistema competitivo. A sequência de afinidade mais comumente encontrada no sistema não-competitivo foi Cu > Zn > Ni > Cd. No sistema competitivo, a sequência foi Cu > Cd > Zn > Ni. Em geral, o modelo de Langmuir simulou de maneira satisfatória a adsorção dos metais nas amostras de solo