PRODUCER RETURNS FROM COTTON STRENGTH AND UNIFORMITY: AN HEDONIC PRICE APPROACH

Implicit (hedonic) producer prices for fiber strength uniformity were estimated for the southwest U.S. cotton market using seemingly unrelated regression and market sales data from 1983/84 and 1984/85, Fiber strength and length uniformity had significant effects on the price of cotton, but price was less responsive to both attributes than anticipated. Producer prices were most responsive to fiber length and micronaire and least responsive to color and strength. The market at the producer level appears to be making effective price adjustments with respect to factors such as fiber color, trash content, micronaire, fiber length, and location, but strength and length uniformity premiums and discounts are smaller than those paid by end users.Demand and Price Analysis,

The multiligand receptor RAGE as a progression factor amplifying immune and inflammatory responses

This is the published version. Copyright 2001 American Society for Clinical Investigation.The multiligand receptors that form the focus of this Perspective series have expectedly diverse functions, often conforming to potential gaps in the host response to invading pathogens that are not effectively manned by adaptive immunity. For example, the macrophage scavenger receptor (type A) interacts with bacterial cell walls and enhances clearance of Gram-negative bacteria from the circulation (1). Similarly, the macrophage mannose receptor binds mannose-rich carbohydrates typical of many microorganisms, thereby promoting their cellular uptake and disposal (2). The present contribution to the series concerns a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that differs from the above molecules in that all known ligands in its broad repertoire can be generated endogenously (3). This cell surface protein, called RAGE because it serves as a receptor for nonenzymatically glycated adducts termed “advanced glycation endproducts” (AGEs), also binds β-sheet fibrils characteristic of amyloid; proinflammatory cytokine–like mediators of the S100/calgranulin family; and amphoterin, a nuclear protein sometimes found in the ECM (Table 1). Binding of these ligands to RAGE does not accelerate clearance or degradation but rather begins a sustained period of cellular activation mediated by receptor-dependent signaling. This is the first of several distinctive themes that have emerged from studies of RAGE. Other unusual features of the receptor include its ability to engage classes of molecules, rather than individual ligands, and its enhanced surface expression in environments rich in RAGE ligands. This last point is crucial, since it explains how upregulation of this receptor can contribute to an ascending spiral of RAGE-dependent cellular perturbation. Taken together, these features of RAGE allow the receptor to propagate cellular dysfunction in a number of pathophysiologically relevant situations, most often dictated by the formation and persistence of ligands in the tissues. As described below, these diverse situations range from the complications of diabetes and cellular perturbation in amyloidoses to immune and inflammatory responses and tumor cell behavior

Barometric pumping with a twist: VOC containment and remediation without boreholes

Objectives of Phase I (completed Nov. 1995) was to evaluate the feasibility of applying surface sealing and venting features to contain and remediate volatile organic compound (VOC) contaminated soils in the vadose zone. In Phase II, the remediation system will be installed at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex of INEL. It will cover an area of the landfill known to be contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons, deposited in shallow trenches. Operation will be monitored for 12 to 18 months to evaluate the impact on soil gas displacement. The 4 key components are the surface seal, plenum, vent assembly, and soil vapor monitoring points

Bullying and school disruption assessment: studies with Portuguese adolescent students

Problem Statement: The question of bullying and school disruptive behavior has emerged as a powerful issue in Portuguese educational context. The lack of evaluation instruments, with studied psychometric characteristics, has constituted a problem. Purpose of Study: School disruption and bullying assessment, in Portuguese adolescents, was the focus of this research. Research Methods: The psychometric qualities — internal consistency and the external validity — were analyzed in different scales. Findings: The analyses carried out confirm the scales as reliable and valid instruments. Conclusions: These instruments may be a useful avenue for teachers, psychologists and other education professionals

Early Motor Balance and Coordination Training Increased Synaptophysin in Subcortical Regions of the Ischemic Rat Brain

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early motor balance and coordination training on functional recovery and brain plasticity in an ischemic rat stroke model, compared with simple locomotor exercise. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with cortical infarcts were trained under one of four conditions: nontrained control, treadmill training, motor training on the Rota-rod, or both Rota-rod and treadmill training. All types of training were performed from post-operation day 1 to 14. Neurological and behavioral performance was evaluated by Menzies' scale, the prehensile test, and the limb placement test, at post-operation day 1, 7, and 14. Both Rota-rod and treadmill training increased the expression of synaptophysin in subcortical regions of the ischemic hemisphere including the hippocampus, dentate gyrus, and thalamus, but did not affect levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor or tyrosin kinase receptor B. The Rota-rod training also improved Menzies' scale and limb placement test scores, whereas the simple treadmill training did neither. The control group showed significant change only in Menzies' scale score. This study suggests that early motor balance and coordination training may induce plastic changes in subcortical regions of the ischemic hemisphere after stroke accompanied with the recovery of sensorimotor performance

Teaching Matters: Essays by UMF Faculty

Essays by faculty at the University of Maine at Farmington.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/publications/1086/thumbnail.jp

Increased physical fitness is associated with higher executive functioning in people with dementia

Physical fitness (PF) has been associated with improved cognition in older age, but less is known about its effects on different cognitive domains in individuals diagnosed with dementia. We explored the associations between PF and cognitive performance in 40 healthy elderly and 30 individuals with dementia. Participants completed a battery of standardized cognitive tests (Mini-Mental State Exam, Verbal Fluency, Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire, Clock Drawing, and California Verbal Learning Test) and were classified into high versus low levels of PF based on their score on the Physical Fitness Questionnaire. Analyses took into account age, gender, education, occupation, head injury, Internet use, brain training, and past levels of exercise and revealed overall benefits of PF, in particular for the people with dementia. Discriminant analysis showed high accuracy of reclassification, with most errors being due to the misclassification of dementia cases as healthy when they had high PF. The first discriminant function accounted for 83% of the variance. Using individual estimates of this function, which reflected global cognitive performance, confirmed the beneficial role of PF in dementia, even when taking into account age, past level of exercise, and the number of years since the dementia diagnosis. Finally, univariate analyses confirmed the differential sensitivity of the cognitive tests, with MMSE and clock drawing showing reliable interaction effects. This work shows that PF is associated with a reduced level of cognitive deterioration expected with dementia, especially in executive functioning and provides empirical support for the cognitive benefits of interventions promoting PF for individuals with dementia

The impact of tides on the capillary transition zone

The capillary transition zone, also known as the capillary fringe, is a zone where water saturations decrease with height above the water table/oil–water contact as a result of capillary action. In some oil reservoirs, this zone may contain a significant proportion of the oil in place. In groundwater assessments, the capillary fringe can profoundly affect contaminant transport. In this study, we investigated the influence of a tidally induced, semi-diurnal, change in water table depth on the water saturation distribution in the capillary fringe/transition zone. The investigation used a mixture of laboratory experiments, in which the change in saturation with depth was monitored over a period of 90 days, and numerical simulation. We show that tidal changes in water table depth can significantly alter the vertical water saturation profile from what would be predicted using capillary–gravity equilibrium and the drainage or imbibition capillary pressure curves